Satish B. Setty  Archive  About  RSS Feed

A History of Kōmaṭi kula – Part 2

This article is a continuation of Part 1, but taken from the book Hindu castes and sects by Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya.

The mercantile castes of the Telugu country are called Komatis. They claim to be Vaishyas, and take the sacred thread. They are an educated class, and count among their number many who have obtained high University distinctions, and hold respectable positions in the liberal professions or in the service of Government. Upon the whole, the Komatis have almost exactly the same position in Telingana, that the Baniyas have in Upper India. The Komatis have many divisions among them, of which the following are the most important:-

  1. Gavuri
  2. Kalinga Komati
  3. Beri Komati
  4. Balji Komati
  5. Nagar Komati

The Gavuri Komatis have the highest position. They are strict vegetarians and teetotalers. The other Komatis are said to be in the habit of eating flesh meat. In matters relating to religion, the majority of the Gavuri and Kalinga Komatis are Sankarites, and only a small fraction are either Lingaits or followers of Ramanuja. Among the Beri Komatis the majority are Lingaits. In matters relating to social discipline, the Komatis acknowledge the authority of the spiritual successors of Bhaskarachari, who have their chief monastery at Gooti in the Bellary District (Gooty). The Brahmans minister to the Komatis as priests without reciting the Vedic mantras. The Komatis now claim that they are entitled to such recitation. The practice of marrying the maternal uncle’s daughter not only prevails among the Komatis as among the other castes of Southern India; but where there is a maternal uncle’s daughter, a Komati has no option, and it is obligatory on him to take her in marriage. The Komatis sell confectioneries, and there is no separate caste in Telingana corresponding to the Mayara or the Halwai. The total Komati population of India is as stated below:-

  1. Madras - 287,983
  2. Hyderabad - 212865
  3. Mysore - 29053

Part 3 shall continue with The Mysore Tribes And Castes Vol-III, 1930.

There are both Saivas and Vaishnavas among the Komatis. They worship all the gods of the Hindus without showing exclusive preference to any. Besides, each family has a tutelary deity to whom special offerings are made on such occasions as marriage or illness.

Their patron god is Nagaresvara, and the goddess is Kanyaka-paramesvari whose worship is obligatory. They do not worship any other minor gods; but when, at the time of epidemics or otherwise, the villagers worship Mari and other village gods, the Komatis have no objection to contribute their quota, and offer cocoanuts and flowers.

Journal Of The Andhra Historical Research Society,vol.8,pt-1 To 3

The Kōmaṭis seem to have spread into the Āndhra Dēṡa in the beginning of the 11th century, for, we find the term ‘Kōmaṭi’ mentioned in an inscription of Ṡaka year 990 or 1068 A.D., discovered in the Drākshārāma Bhīmēṡvara temple (Godavari district). This inscription states that Pāpaya, a son of Kamma Kōmaṭi Mēḍiasṡeṭṭi made an endowment of 50 bulls, promising to supply ghee for a light which he offered to God Bhīmēṡvara, during the victorious reign of king Vishnuvardhana.

Hyderabad State Vol-XXI

Komati, (pop. 238,072):— A numerous caste of Telugu traders, shop-keepers and money-lenders, found throughout the Dominions. The Komatis are divided in this State into the following endogamous groups:— Yagna, Neti, Vidura, Arava, Gowri, and Jain Komatis. The Yagna or Vegna Komatis trace their original habitat to Vēgināḍu which, in old times, comprised the territory between the Krishna and the Godavari below the Eastern Ghats. The Neti Komatis wear a lingam on their persons and it is quite likely that the difference of creed has caused their separation from the main caste. The Vidur Komatis are supposed to be the illegitimate offspring of the Yagna Komatis. The Arvam Komatis are emigrants from Madras and are found mostly in Karimnagar. The Gowri Komatis are few in number and are probably emigrants from Madras and Mysore. The Jain Komati is a term wrongly applied to the Kambhoj and other Jains, owing to the similarity of their occupation to that of the Komati caste. The Komatis are divided into 102 exogamous sections, mostly of the totemistic character, bearing the names of trees, plants or flowers. The Komatis forbid a man to marry a girl who belongs to the same gotra as himself. They observe an elaborate system of prohibited degrees. The practice of marrying one’s maternal uncle’s daughter is universally observed by the caste people. Infant marriage is the order of the caste. A dowry is generally paid to the bridegroom, but if the bridegroom be a widower or advanced in age, a bride-price varying from Rs. 100 to Rs. 500 or more has to be paid. Widow-marriage and divorce are not allowed. The Komatis are orthodox Hindus and belong to the Vaishnava and Saiva sects. A few of them are Lingayats. The characteristic deities of the caste are Nagareshewara and Kanakamma. Brahmins are employed in the performance of their religious and ceremonial functions. They are vegetarians and abstain from liquors. On death bed, one is required to perform prayashcit or the ceremony of expiation and bestow gifts on Brahmans. The dead are burnt by the Vaishnava Komatis and buried by other Komatis. The dead-body of an unmarried person is carried suspended on a bamboo pole and buried without any ceremony.

Peoples of the Earth, Volume 12: The Indian Subcontinent Including Ceylon

Customs of south Indian Wedding

Constructing the colonial encounter: right and left hand castes in early colonial South India

Karnataka Backward Classes Commission Central act 60 of 1952

Mysore Gazetteer Vol-1: RIght-hand and left-hand divisions

Wendy Doniger’s hypothesis on how Komatis were included in the Vaisya caste, Purāṇa perennis : reciprocity and transformation in Hindu and Jaina texts

Inscription from 1542 A.D. mentioning Komati

Some Reddy kings are named Pedda Komati, Pina Komati, etc. (ca. 1400).