Linga Balija Explained

Group:Linga Balija
Population:15 Lakhs
Popplace:Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Langs:Telugu, Kannada, Tamil
Related:Other Balija Subgroups

Linga Balija is a subcaste within the Balija community in India.

The Balija are a Telugu-speaking trading community primarily residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and, to a lesser extent, in Telangana and Kerala.[1] [2] In Karnataka, they are known as Banajigas.[3]

Linga Balijas, who are traders, are described in the Madras Census Report of 1901 as a Lingayat sub-caste of the Balija community.[4]

Etymology

Variations of the name used in the medieval era include Balanja, Bananja, Bananju, Banajiga, and Banijiga, with probable cognates such as Balijiga, Valanjiyar, Balanji, Bananji, and Baliga, as well as derivatives like Vani (in Maharashtra). All of these are said to be derived from the Sanskrit term "Vanik" or "Vanij," meaning trader.[5]

Another etymological theory suggests that "Balija" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Bali," meaning a sacrifice made during the 'Yagna' ritual, and "Ja," meaning born. Therefore, "Balija" translates to "born from sacrifice."[6]

Balijas who followed Veerashaivism referred to themselves as Linga Balijas or Linga Vaniks.

Origin

The following legendary account of the origin of the "Linga Bhojunnalawaru" is given in the Baramahal Records:

Para Brahma, or the great god Brahma, created Pralayakala Rudra, a fierce form of the god Shiva, associated with the day of destruction. Brahma also created four sages, known as the Chatur Acharyulu, named Panditaraju, Yekcoramalu, Murralaradulu, and Somaluradulu, and taught them mantras or prayers, appointing them as his deputies.

At one time, the Asuras (giants) and the Devatas (gods) waged war against each other. In response, Pralayakala Rudra created a being from his nose, whom he named Muchari Rudra. Muchari Rudra had five sons, and together they went to assist the Devatas, enabling them to defeat the Asuras. In recognition of their service, the gods conferred upon Muchari Rudra and his sons several honorary distinctions.

The use of burning lamps and flambeaus during their daytime public processions, as well as the use of tents, is attributed to this tradition.

Once, when the god Pralayakala Rudra, along with Mochari Rudra, his five sons, and other celestial attendants, were assembled on Kailāsa Parvata, the mountain of Paradise, the god instructed them to descend to Bhuloka, the earthly world, and to increase and multiply their species. They humbly asked how they could return to the divine presence. He replied, "I shall manifest myself in Bhuloka in the form of the Lingam. Worship me in that form, and you will be permitted to approach me again." They then descended to the earthly regions, and from them, the present castes of Balijawaras trace their origin.[7] [8]

History

Beginning in the 9th century, inscriptions throughout the Kannada and Tamil regions reference a trading network, sometimes described as a guild, known as the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyavolu. This network facilitated trade links between communities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.[9]

From the 13th century, inscriptions referring to "Vira Balanjyas" (warrior merchants) began appearing in the Andhra region. The Vira Balanjyas, whose origins are often traced back to the Ayyavolu, were part of long-distance trading networks that employed fighters to protect their warehouses and goods in transit. These traders were identified as nanadesi ("of many countries") and swadesi ("of one's own country").[10] The terms balanjya-setti and balija were also used for these traders, and in later periods, they were referred to as naidu and chetti.[11]

These traders formed collectives known as pekkandru and distinguished themselves from other collectives called nagaram, which likely represented Komati merchants. The pekkandru collectives also included members of other communities with status titles such as reddi, boya, and nayaka.[12] They spread throughout South India, Sri Lanka, and even into some Southeast Asian countries.[13]

Velcheru Narayana Rao and others note that the Balijas were first politically mobilized by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya.[14] Later, in the 15th and 16th centuries, they colonized the Tamil region and established Nayaka chieftaincies. During this period, the Balijas were leaders of the left-hand section of castes. These Balija warriors were known for their fearlessness, with some accounts describing them as assassinating kings who interfered with their affairs. Cynthia Talbot suggests that in Andhra, the transformation of occupational descriptors into caste-based identifiers did not occur until at least the 17th century.[15]

The classification of people as Balija posed significant challenges for census enumerators during the British Raj era, who sought to simplify a complex social system into a manageable administrative framework using theories of evolutionary anthropology. Early census attempts in the Madras Presidency recorded a wide variety of people claiming to be members of Balija subcastes, who often appeared to have little in common and thus defied the administrative goal of creating a rational and convenient taxonomy.

For instance, those identifying as Chetty were clearly connected through their involvement in trade, while those calling themselves Kavarai were simply using the Tamil term for Balija. However, other groups, such as the Linga Balija, based their claim to Balija status on sectarian identification, the Gazula were bangle-makers by profession, the Telaga had Telugu origins, and the Rajamahendram seemed to base their claim on their geographic origin in the town of Rajahmundry. Subsequent attempts to rationalize the enumeration led to further anomalies and dissatisfaction.[16]

Dynasty

Rulers

Linga Balijas of the Hande family from Ananthapur, Bukkarayapatnam, and Dharmavaram.

Status

In 2019, representatives of the Telangana state Veerashaiva Lingayat Federation petitioned the National Commission for Backward Classes to include Linga Balija and Veerashaiva Lingayat in the central government's list of Other Backward Classes.[24] In 2022, Member of Parliament B. B. Patil met with the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar Khatik, to discuss the inclusion of these two subcastes in the OBC list.[25]

Other Names

Family Names

Family Names of Lingayat Balijas/Banajigas/Appas/Vanis

Most family names or surnames of Lingayat Balijas/Banajigas are either:

1. Village Headmanship Names:

- Deshmukh

- Desais

- Patils

- Gowdas

- Appa (e.g., Jayadevappa, Haralappa, Yedurappa, Mallasarja Desai)

2. Names Based on Villages They Migrated From or Led:

- Lingadalli

- Davenagere

- Shivamogga

- Hospet

- Kalaburagi

- Munagala

- Rayachoti

- Kotturi

3. Names Related to Their Business, Trading, or Cultivating Crops:

- Pogaku

- Kandi

- Akula

- Patti

- Shetty

- Bowrshetti

- Miriyala

- Nelli

- Vadla

- Chatla

- Aamudaala

- Doodi

- Pattu

- Gurrala

- Aavula

Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, the community is known as Veerashaiva Lingayat Vani. After the Marathas, Lingayat Vanis are seen as a dominant community in both politics and local markets.[30] [31] They carry Marathi surnames such as Deshmukh, Devane, Patil, Kalyani, Desai, Gowda, Nandedkar, Eklare, Rao, Appa, Bagmare, Dongre, Falke, Naik, Umre, and Nandkule.[32]

Notable peoples

Notes and References

  1. Book: Jakka Parthasarathy . Rural Population in Indian Urban Setting. B.R. Publishing Corporation . 1984. 52. 9788170181392. Balija are the chief Telugu trading caste, scattered ! throughout Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
  2. Book: Kumari . A. Vijaya . Social Change Among Balijas . Bhaskar . Sepuri . MD Publications . 1998 . 9788175330726 . 12.
  3. Book: Thurston, Edgar . Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 4 of 7 . 232.
  4. Book: Francis, W. . Census Of India 1901 Vol.15 (madras) Pt.1 (report) . 1902 . 165.
  5. Book: Castes and Tribes of Southern India . VED from Victoria Institutions . 1909 . Edgar Thurston . 97.
  6. Book: Venkatesa Iyengar . The Mysore Tribes and Castes. 2 . Mittal Publications . 1932. 100.
  7. Book: Edgar Thurston . Social Change Among Balijas: Majority Community of Andhra Pradesh. M.D. Publications Pvt.. 1998. 9 . 978-81-7533-072-6 .
  8. Book: Venkatesa Iyengar. The Mysore Tribes and caste . 1932. 105.
  9. Book: Stein. Burton. A History of India. Arnold. David. 4 February 2010. John Wiley & Sons. 978-1444323511. 120.
  10. Book: Stein, Burton. A History of India. 2010-02-04. John Wiley & Sons. 978-1-4443-2351-1. en.
  11. Book: Talbot, Cynthia . Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19803-123-9 . 2001 . 75.
  12. Book: Talbot, Cynthia . Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19803-123-9 . 2001 . 81.
  13. Web site: Guild Inscriptions.
  14. Book: Rao . Velcheru Narayana . Symbols of substance: court and state in Nāyaka Period Tamilnadu . Shulman . David Dean . Subrahmanyam . Sanjay . . 1992 . 10, 74 . 978-0-19-563021-3 . These Balija fighters are not afraid of kings: some stories speak of their killing kings who interfered with their affairs. . Velcheru Narayana Rao . David Dean Shulman . Sanjay Subrahmanyam.
  15. Book: Talbot, Cynthia . Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19803-123-9 . 2001 . 86.
  16. Book: Baker, Christopher John . South India . Christopher John . Baker . D. A. . Washbrook . Figures and Facts: Madras Government Statistics 1880-1940 . Springer . 1975 . 978-1-34902-746-0 . 222–223 . https://books.google.com/books?id=fHCwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA222.
  17. Book: 1921. The quarterly journal of the Mythic society Vol.XI. Bangalore. The Mythic Society, Daly Memorial Hall. 47-48.

    ”Venkatappa. ruled from 1504 to 1551.His son Bhadrappa died before him. During his reign the Moghals underRanadullakhan seized Ikkeri and set up a, viceroy there. Then VirabhadrappaNayaka ascended the Gadi and -retiring to Bidarur ruled over his countrymore peacefully than before.* His rule lasted for 15 years from 1551 to 1566.During his reign the rule of Vokkaligas came to an end and was replaced by the rule of Banajigas”

  18. Book: Keladi Nayakas - The Rebellious Rani of Belavadi and Other Stories . Atlantic Publishers & Dist . Basavaraj S. Naika . 2001 . 9788126901272 . 22 May 2015.
  19. Web site: Rulers of Keladi . https://web.archive.org/web/20140808012707/http://www.udupitourism.com/Udupi-Keladi-Rulers . dead . 8 August 2014 . Udupi Tourism . 7 August 2015 .
  20. Portuguese Studies Review (ISSN 1057-1515) (Baywolf Press) p.35
  21. Book: 1921. The quarterly journal of the Mythic society Vol.XI. Bangalore. The Mythic Society, Daly Memorial Hall. 47-48.

    ”Venkatappa. ruled from 1504 to 1551.His son Bhadrappa died before him. During his reign the Moghals underRanadullakhan seized Ikkeri and set up a, viceroy there. Then VirabhadrappaNayaka ascended the Gadi and -retiring to Bidarur ruled over his countrymore peacefully than before.* His rule lasted for 15 years from 1551 to 1566.During his reign the rule of Vokkaligas came to an end and was replaced by the rule of Banajigas”

  22. A journey from Madras through the countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar Vol 111 – 1807 – Francis Buchanan -from page 254"https://books.google.com/books?id=bK4Ba6824koC&dq=marcupa+chitty&pg=PA128"
  23. Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707–1813 by Jaswant Lal Mehta p.458
  24. Web site: Include Balija caste in OBC list, demand Lingayats. July 9, 2019. The Hans India.
  25. Web site: Make Lingayat, Balija castes part of OBC Category: Zaheerabad MP. September 13, 2022. Telangana Today.
  26. Web site: Census Of India 1951. Tamil Digital Library.
  27. Web site: Definition Kapu. October 25, 2021. Wisdom Library.
  28. Web site: Census Of India 1951. Tamil Digital Library.
  29. Web site: Details Internet.
  30. Book: Rajendra Vora . Rise of the Plebeians?: The Changing Face of the Indian Legislative Assemblies (Exploring the Political in South Asia) . Routledge India . 2009 . 9781136516627 . Christophe Jaffrelot . 217 . [In Maharashtra]The Lingayats, the Gujjars and the Rajputs are three other important castes which belong to the intermediate category. The lingayats who hail from north Karnataka are found primarily in south Maharashtra and Marthwada while Gujjars and Rajputs who migrated centuries ago from north India have settled in north Maharashtra districts. . Sanjay Kumar.
  31. Book: Glushkova . I. P. . Home, Family and Kinship in Maharashtra . Vora . Rajendra . 1999 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-564635-1 . en.
  32. Book: Singh, K. S. . Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles . 1996 . Anthropological Survey of India . 978-0-19-563357-3 . en.
  33. Web site: 2012-03-19 . NDTV.com: Who is Shivraj Patil? . 2024-07-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120319172120/http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/mumbaiterrorstrike/Story.aspx?ID=NEWEN20080074668&type=News . 2012-03-19 .
  34. News: 1 year in office earns CM a snub. 23 August 2019 . indiatoday . 2005 . en-IN.
  35. News: BJP president Nitin Gadkari refuses to yield BS Yeddyurappa over Karnataka leadership. 23 August 2019 . economictimes . 25 February 2012 . en-IN.
  36. News: The Tripwire Setters. 23 August 2019 . Outlookindia . 6 April 2009 . en-IN.
  37. Book: Nels Anderson. Studies in Multilingualism I of VII. 1969. 134.
  38. Book: The Indian Journal of Political Science. 1987. 583.
  39. News: Which way now for the Lingayats?. 23 August 2019 . indiatoday . 8 March 2004 . en-IN.
  40. Book: Alessandro Monti . Marina Goglio . Esterino Adami . Feeding the Self, Feeling the Way in Ancient and Contemporary South Asian Cultures. L'Harmattan Italia. 2005. 91. 978-88-7892-006-4 .
  41. Book: Sameeksha Trust. Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 32. 1997. 2348.
  42. News: J H Patel stoops, yet may not conquer. 29 August 2019 . rediff . 2004 . en-IN.
  43. News: Rebel gives J H Patel a contest to remember. 29 August 2019 . rediff . 3 September 1999 . en-IN.
  44. News: NewsKarnataka. NewsKarnataka. 2019-08-27. 2019-08-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20190826134729/https://www.newskarnataka.com/mysore/mysorian-becomes-cm-after-33-years. dead.
  45. Book: Thomas Blom Hansen . Christophe Jaffrelot. The BJP and the compulsions of politics in India . 2001. 176 . The Lingayat votes had been important to the Janata Dal since 1978. Without Veerendra Patil (a member of the Banajiga jati), the long-standing difficulties of the national party president S. R. Bommai in appealing to voters beyond his Sadar jati (which has represent of other jatis gaining disproportionate share of spoils) became especially serious.
  46. Book: Sameeksha Trust. Economic & Political Weekly . 1992. 1270 . Veerendra Patil belongs to Lingayat Banajiga.
  47. Web site: Bansy Kalappa . Naushad Bijapur. Stormy season ahead for BJP over rebel Karnataka MLA Umesh Katti's exclusion. New Indian Express. 2019.
  48. Web site: Rishikesh Bahadur Desai . Decoding the political clout of Shettar. The Times of India . 2019.
  49. Book: Parliament mourns death of B.D. Jatti, adjourns . 2002. Sri Basappa Danappa Jatti Born in a Kannadiga Lingayat Banajiga family at Savalgi in Jamkhandi Taluk of Bijapur district, Jatti entered politics as a Municipality member at Jamakhandi in 1940 and later became its President. He was eventually elected to the Jamakhandi State Legislature .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Linga Balija".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.