What is the origin of Kamma (caste) in the Telugu region?

Answer by Sanjay Upadhyaya, University of California, Los Angeles.

The Quick Answer: Kammas are a group of people that migrated from
Northern India as warriors/Kshatriyas to rule and command kingdoms,
armies, and cabinet ministries in the South. They are either of a Suryavanshi
Descent or a mixture of Suryavanshi Clans and Chandravanshi Clans, such as
the Haihayas, Ishvakus, Chalukyas, Telugu Chodas, Kakatiyas, and Durjayas.
They have Rishi-Gotras, such as Kashyapa, Vasistha, Dhananjaya/Dhanyala,
Vathula/Valutla, Mandavya, Srivatsa, Bhardwaja, Vishvamitra, and etc. They
historically and some presently wear the Sacred Thread. DNA Evidence,
Historical Research, Inscriptions, and Community stories support this fact.
Evidence:
Vidya Prakash Tyagi, a historian and researcher on the martial and warrior classes of India,
stated in his book, Martial Races of Undivided India, that "Many of the Telugu Chodas of
Kammanadu [Kammarashtra] had relations with Eastern Chalukyas and later with
Kakatiyas. According to many inscriptions and “Velugotivari Vamsavali” Kammas with
surnames such as Yalampati, Sammeta, Maccha, Madhyanapu, Choda, Vasireddy, Katta,
Adapa etc., belong to Choda-Chalukya ancestry. The Vasireddy Clan had a title “Chalukya
Narayana”. Historians surmised that by the end of 10th century [there are some historians
that believe between the 10–13th century] Durjayas (Who in inscriptions stated that the
Ayodhya Ikshvaku Dynasty belongs to the Durjaya family), Chodas (Who cited their origin
from the Suryavanshi Cholas of the Kashyapa Gotra), few sections of Chalukyas (Who cite
their origin from Ayodhya), Haihayas of Kammanadu (Originally from the North, near
Rajasthan/Madhya Pradesh) merged into [to form the] Kamma community. “(Sources
7,8,9,10)
Long Answer:
Firstly, I would lke to start by saying that I am not a Kamma, as evidenced by my
surname, and I have no major bias in terms of family relations or friendships
that influences this answer. I will be providing sources and evidence for what I say.
This answer is fairly long, but it uses reliable sources, accurate details, and interpretations,
which is valuable when discussing a volatile topic like caste or community origins. Please
read everything.
To learn about the origin of the Kammas, I will be looking at DNA evidence,
community and historical evidence, and lores and stories regarding their
origin. I will end with a summary of what all these factors indicates.
Let’s look at DNA evidence:
A study of the Y-chromosome, which is passed down from father to son and can trace
paternal lineage, sampled 15 Kammas, along with other caste groups across India. What
they found is that out of those 15 Kammas, 12 had R2 or R1a1 Y-DNA markers. The
remaining were contributed from Q or L. Before we get further, it’s important to recall that
since almost all caste groups practiced endogamy, that is marrying within that caste, their Y-
DNA markers are likely consistent within the community because not many outsiders
married in. Therefore, we can conclude that this is fairly representative of the Kamma Caste
Y-DNA. What is evident from this study is that a very significant majority of the
Kamma caste has the R2 or R1a1 Y-DNA markers. When you look at what other
groups, outside the Telugu States, have the R2 DNA marker at medium to high
percentages, Jaunpur (A city in the Central-Eastern Region of Uttar Pradesh in
a region called Awadh) Kshatriyas have it at nearly 90%, Odisha Khandayats at
46%, Bihari Vaishyas at 36%, North Indian Chaturvedi's at about 32%, Punjabi
Brahmins at 25%, and other groups, including Chitpavan Brahmins of
Maharashtra, Bhumihar Brahmins of Bihar, Odisha Brahmins, and Himachal
Pradesh Rajputs, have it. In the Telugu States, Velamas, Kapu Naidus, Rajus, and
Vaishyas have a decent percentage of this marker as well. (Source 1)
The second DNA evidence involves the genetic breakdown of a Kamma individual that was
achieved through the Harappa Ancestry Project for South Asians. This Kamma individual
had a South Indian ancestry of 51%, which is much less than almost all of the Velamas,
Vysyas/Komatis, Reddys, Kapus, and Gouda in Andhra that also got their DNA broken-
down. As mentioned before, due to caste endogamy and marriage within castes, we can
reasonably assume that this percentage is consistent throughout the Kamma community,
give or take a few percentage points. We can also infer due to statistics, standard-deviation
principles, and the DNA breakdown of other groups in Andhra/Telangana that most
Kammas have an NE European Component of 2–4%, with some falling outside this range
(Just like UP/Rajasthani Vaishyas, UP Kayasthas, Tamil Brahmins [Xing], and many Telugu
Brahmins). Additionally, a sample of 25 Telugu Brahmins showed that they have an average
of 49% South Indian ancestry, so we know due to statistics that a significant
percentage of individuals in the Telugu Brahmin community have an equal or
greater amount of South Indian ancestry than this Kamma individual. In fact,
this Kamma individual has the same amount of South Indian ancestry as a
Karnataka Brahmin, Kayasthas Srivastavas, Rajasthani Agrawal, about the
same as Telugu Brahmins, 1-3% higher than most Tamil Brahmins, a little bit
higher than UP Kayasthas and Bihari Baniya, and actually has less South
Indian heritage than Bihari Kayasthas and UP/Haryana Agrawals [1](Source 2).
The third piece of DNA Evidence comes from a DNA Study conducted in Andhra Pradesh.
This study’s data was analyzed to create a phylogenetic tree or evolutionary tree, which
measures how similar the genetic and physical characteristics of certain communities are.
Basically, it tells you how close genetically and physically (skin color, physical structure,
etc..) communities are. The picture below is from the study, and it clearly shows that
Kammas are genetically close to Brahmins. In fact, Kammas are closer to Brahmins,
who everyone acknowledges migrated from North India to South India,
genetically and physically, than any other community in Andhra Pradesh,
including Rajus. DNA and Science doesn’t lie folks.
Source: Figure 3. The neighbor-joining tree (constructed on the basis of F ST...
Finally, community lores. Kammas claim that they migrated from Northern
India. There are different variations of this. One story says goes as following: “Some
Kammas, when questioned by Mr. F. R. Hemingway in the Godavari district, stated
that they were originally Kshatriyas, but were long ago persecuted by a king of
the family of Parikshat, [Of the Kuru Kingdom] because one of them called him
a bastard.” Another story doesn’t specifically mention Pariskhat, but vaguely says a North-
Indian king. Another similar tale is that “ they say that long ago they fled from
Northern India, to avoid the anger of a certain Raja, who had been refused a
bride from among them. They were pursued, but their women, on reaching the
Mahanadi, prayed for a passage to Ganga, who opened a dry path for them through
the river. Crossing, they all hid themselves in a dholl [Cajanus indicus) field, and thus
escaped from their pursuers. For this reason, at their marriages, they tie a bunch of dholl
leaves to the north- eastern post of the wedding booth, and worship Ganga before tying the
[mangalasutra]." Furthermore, according to the Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda, the
Andhras left North India from the banks of river Yamuna and migrated towards the South.
So, even the Kamma people themselves have cited their roots in North India and practice
wedding rituals that indicate that. (Source 3)
Another important lore was documented by Historian and Author of The Aristocracy of
Southern India, A. Vadivelu, when he noted “In 'Brahmanda Purana Kalidharma
Prakarnam', Chapters 3 to 20, we find the following:- The Kamma[s] were born to the
descendants of the Solar King Dwilipa and as they had alliances with the lunar
race they were known as Upayadis. The original man is said to be one Dharmapala and
their Guru, Dharmasilan. A member of the lunar race tried to carry away a
daughter of Dharmapala, named Kannikamani, when the parents of the girl
with a view to disgracing him had a black dog disguised as a girl, left it in the
house, and migrated to Southern parts. At that stage, a river barred their
way. They begged of the Rishi Jamadagni who was busy in a penance on the bank of the
river. They were with him his wife Rukminidevi, and also Parasurama. Rukminidevi gave
them her ear ornament (Known as Kamma), directed them to attach
veneration to it and further added that if they did so, the river would give way.
This came to Pass.” This lore is very similar to one about the Northern Indian King who
was refused by a bride in the Kamma Kshatriya community, which led to them to move
southwards, but encountered a river (Mahanadi River), which led them to get assistance
from a goddess (Ganga or Rukminidevi) to continue their migration to Andhra. (Source 11)
In regards to Varna status, Historians agree that Kammas definitely have a history of
military activity, ruling kingdoms, acting as chancellors and important cabinet
members/army commanders, for example in the Vijayanagara Empire,
Kakatiya Empire, Madurai Nayaks, the Pallavas, and etc. There has been
research and authors that have written that Kammas are descended from
Northern Suryvanshis or a mixture of Suryavanshi Clans and Chandravanshi
Clans, such as the Haihayas, Ishvakus, Chalukyas, Telugu Chodas, Kakatiyas,
and Durjayas. However, despite the community always claiming and viewing themselves
as Kshatriyas, and society also viewing/treating them as an Upper-Caste, the British never
recognized them as Kshatriyas due to their own incompetence on the Varna system of India.
In fact, they not only misclassified Kammas, but also Bhumihar Brahmins and
Kayasthas, among many other upper-Varna groups, as Sat (Purified) Shudras.
On a side note, despite the tenuous relationship they had with Brahmins during a small part
of the British Raj (another reason why their Varna was misclassified during the British
Raj), Kamma Kshatriyas had an attachment , historically, to Brahmanical
Orthodoxy, as documented by Historian Chetty Narahari Gopalakistnamah and Edgar
Thurston, in their practicing of the Vedas, learning and teaching Sanskrit,
wearing the Sacred Thread, having one lore of their origin that states that
Lakshmi, at the request of Vishnu and Rishis, created warriors from a chest
filled with her ear ornaments (Kamma) to protect rishis from Rākshasas, and
very importantly , essentially the entire Kamma community kept Kamma
women in Gosha (restricted in interactions and movements), which is
something that is almost exclusively practiced by Brahmins, like Utkal
Brahmins, or Kshatriya communities for historical reasons. This practice is
not found in traditionally agricultural or Shudra communities, such as the
Kapus, who had women involvement in agriculture. In fact, Kamma women
“consider it beneath them to spin thread or do other work”, let alone field
work, which is a quality people associate with aristocratic women. This attitude
was so prevalent that many Kamma women had their own servants to bathe
them, cook for them, and there are tales in the Krishna and Guntur Districts
that many Kammas were so wealthy that, historically, the Kamma women
demanded oil be thrown out after one usage in the kitchen. Eventually, the Gosha
practice was abolished among certain Kammas, particularly among ones that took up
occupation as landholding agriculturalists to earn profit or employment, but even well into
the British Raj and the decade or two after independence, significant number of Kammas
practiced gosha. (Source 12)
Finally, let’s address the sacred thread and Rishi-gotras in the context of the
Kamma community.
Many Kammas wore the sacred thread and actually learned the Vedas to
perform rituals and such as recently as a few decades ago. Additionally,
historical evidence indicates that the area of Andhra Pradesh dominated by the
Kammas was a major hub for Buddhism and Jainism. Many kings and individuals
in those areas also supported these religions, which indicates that they likely or could have
converted from Hinduism to practice them. This conversion would have led them to briefly
not wear the sacred thread as those religions didn’t practice it. Even if the Kamma Kshatriya
rulers didn’t convert to Buddhism or Jainism, they would have been influenced by their
social and religious practices because it was so dominant in the Krishna Valley. However,
before the conversions or the influence, we can assume, due to historical
practices of Telugu Hindu Kshatriyas at that time, that ALL Kammas wore the
sacred thread, and even after the conversion back to Hinduism, many did and
some continue to do so, especially older men. Yamada Keiko, an author and
researcher belonging to Ibaraki University, and Ayyadevara Kaleswara Raodocumented the
Kamma practice of wearing the Sacred Thread and learning the Vedas to perform rituals.
These practices, which were reserved for Kshatriyas or Brahmins, was and is clearly
practiced by the Kamma community.
In regards to Rishi-Gotras, despite the conversion or influence to/from
Buddhism and Jainism and the conversion back to Hinduism, to this day,
Kashyapa, Kutsva, Bhardwaja, Vishwamitra, Vallutla (linguistically derived
from Rishi-Gotra Vaduula, but was “Teluguized” from Sanskrit), Dhananjaya
/Dhanyala or Dhanulla (a shorter version of Dhananjaya that was adopted),
Mandavya, Chandrayana/Chandrulla, Vashishta/Vasistapala (Another
Lingustic form of the Vashishta Gotra), Vishnu, and Srivatsa Rishi-Gotras are
found in much of the Kamma community. Additionally, other major Kamma gotras
like “Ayodhya” or “Janakanulla” could be indicative of their origin in Northern India. DNA
evidence suggests they share similarities with Jaunpur Kshatriyas, who live in the Awadh
regions, near Ayodhya, and fairly close to Mithila, where Janakpur is. Due to the influence
of Buddhism and Jainism, even after converting back to Hinduism before/sometime around
the 7th century A.D, some Kammas avoided using their ancestral rishi-gotras or
“Teluguized” them from Sanskrit, mostly in terms of spelling and slight pronunciation
differences. So in the traditional varna system, I as a Brahmin and a researcher
on this topic, state by all accounts they are Kshatriyas, and many observers and
historians note this as well. To this day, they hold a prominent position as a
Forward Caste in the political, economic, and social matters in the Telugu
States. (Source 4, 5, and 6)
What we can conclude from the DNA evidence, Historical evidence, and Community
evidence is that almost everyone of the Kamma community (we scientifically
can’t say all because there are always a few exceptions here and there) has
their roots in Northern India, and the community is in the Kshatriya Varna of
the old system. Besides the Y-DNA analysis, the amount of South Indian ancestry that is
statistically equal to or less than Upper-Caste North Indian Groups and South Indian
Brahmins also supports their North-Indian migration theory.
Sources:
Source 1:
https://www.pnas.org/content/sup...
Source 2:
HarappaWorld Admixture
Source 3: http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.i...
Source 4: Keiko, Y. (2008). Politics and representation of caste identity in regional
historiography: A case study of Kammas in Andhra. The Indian Economic & Social History
Review, 45(3), 353–380.
Source 5: Jackson, William (2005). Vijayanagara Voices. Ashgate Publishing
Source 6: Book: ANDHRADESA THROUGH AGES: Ruler's Perspective & Social Status.
Author: Prince Ashoka
Source 7: Rath, A. (1983). FURTHER LIGHT ON THE DURJAYAS OF SOUTH KALINGA.
Source 8: Devi, Y. (1993). The history of Andhra country, 1000 A.D.-1500 A.D. New Delhi:
Gyan Pub. House.
Source 9: Talbot, Austin Cynthia (2001), Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and
Identity in Medieval Andhra
Source 10: Tyagi, Vidya Prakash (2009). Martial Races of Undivided India. New Delhi,
India: Kalpaz Publications. p. 269.
Source 11: Vadivelu, A. (2016). The Aristocracy of Southern India. WENTWORTH Press.
Page 160
Source 12: Chetty, G. N. (1886). A Manual of the Kurnool District in the Presidency of
Madras. R.Hill, Printer.
Footnotes
[1] HarappaWorld Admixture