Adi Karnataka

Adi Karnataka, often referred as "original people of region", is a term used for homogenous group of people in Karnataka who were warriors and rulers (Balgai) while some of them were agriculturalists and labourers (which are now known as Edgai).[1] They were considered as the Kshatriyas.[2][3]

History

In the mid-1830s, a British traveller named Kristopher Fellowman did considerable research on the community which is also called 'Samantha' and 'Moola Kannadiga Kula' referring them as "once belonging to Kshatriya Kula which were called Samanta or Moolakanadiga Kula (original people of Karnataka)".[4][5] They have been described as a service-oriented group, with women wearing sari and blouses and men wearing headgear with towels.[6][7]

The Samanthas divided their roles and responsibilities into 'Edgai' and 'Balgai' sub-groups, which translated as left and right hands, respectively. While the Balgais comprised monarchs and administrators, the Edgais (or artisans) were made responsible for work like farming, hunting and state security.[8]

Present day

They are the largest Scheduled Caste community in Karnataka with a population of 29,20,942 as per 2011 census, primarily concentrated in Southern Karnataka.[3] As per the Government of Karnataka, they are considered as 'Balagai' (or right-hand Dalit group), along with Holeya.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shubham (27 May 2016). "What are Scheduled Caste Left and Scheduled Caste Right in Karnataka?". www.oneindia.com. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Béteille 1965, p. 31.
  3. 1 2 Ravi 2010, p. 4.
  4. ↑ Bayly 1999, p. 67.
  5. ↑ Singh, Nagendra Kr (2006). Global Encyclopaedia of the South Indian Dalit's Ethnography. Global Vision Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8220-167-5.
  6. ↑ Gupta 2000, p. 21.
  7. ↑ Ravi 2010, p. 1.
  8. ↑ Ghurye 1994, pp. 114–119.
  9. ↑ "Karnataka: What the Revision of Internal Reservation for Scheduled Castes Means for the Community". The Wire. Retrieved 27 April 2026.

General references

  • Bayly, Susan (1999). Caste, society and politics in India from the eighteenth century to the modern age. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-26434-0. OCLC 39930558.
  • Béteille, André. (1965). Caste, class, and power : changing patterns of stratification in a Tanjore village. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-02053-7. OCLC 411150.
  • Ghurye, G. S. (1994). Caste and race in India (5 ed.). Bombay: Popular Prakashan. ISBN 81-7154-205-0. OCLC 50940599.
  • Gupta, Dipankar (2000). Interrogating caste : understanding hierarchy and difference in Indian society. New Delhi: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-029706-5. OCLC 45438793.
  • Ravi, Kattoju (2010). Socio-cultural Aspects of Adi Karnataka Community of Karnataka. Anthropological Survey of India.
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