Arya Vaishya - Inclusion Into The Vaishya Varna

Inclusion Into The Vaishya Varna

The Komatis became a part of the Vaishya during British colonial times. The Komatis desired to be members of the Vaishya caste. However, the Niyogi (Brahmin) councillors who controlled the powerful Mandri Mahanad did not accept or support their claim.

Attempts by Komatis to adopt orthodox Vaishya rituals drew the hostile attention of Niyogis. When a Komati family in Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) announced its intention to perform the Upanayana ceremony for their son, leaders of the Mahanad invaded the house, polluted the fire and stopped the ceremony. Violent encounters along these lines leading to loss of lives were noted in 1784, 1803, 1809, 1817 and 1820.

Of the approximately 1000 Komati families living in Masulipatnam in 1825, the Gavara Komatis were one of the two main Komati groups. They had 102 gotras, which were not considered to correspond in identity with the gotras deemed appropriate for Brahmanas or Vaishyas. From 1784 to 1825 few families organized the Upanayana, but by 1825 a majority of the caste's males wore the sacred thread.

The upanayana ceremonies were officiated by the Vaidiki Brahmins who were tolerant of the wishes of their patrons. However, the Niyogis continued to mobilize the untouchable Dalits to riot; and organized offensives against such ceremonies. This led three Komati litigants to take their complaints to the civil court. One litigant, Mamedy Venkia (alt spelling Mamidi Venkayya) had studied the Dharmashastras and took a leading role in Komati activities with regard to the upanayanams. The litigants were supported by the Vaidiki Brahmins.

The Niyogis and their lawyers attempted to destroy the Vaidiki support in court by arguing that the Vaidikis were unread in the Dharmashastras, and that they supported the Komatis because they depended on Komati fees for their livelihood. In 1833 the Sadr Adalat decided in favour of the Niyogis. In 1845 the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council refused to make a formal decision.

The Magistrates of Masulipatnam continually received charges from Komatis and Niyogis and could not manage the dispute. The Magistrates attempted to solve the dispute by asking Komatis to stop performing the rituals. The Komatis however remained unfazed by the court orders and kept going with their attempts.

By the beginning of the 20th century, it was common for the Komatis to describe their clan membership in terms of brahmanical rishi gotras. And in the 1901 census the Komatis — significant numbers of whom had prospered in the 19th century — were the only Telugu community who succeeded in getting the government to rank them as Vaishyas. Following this inclusion, a group of Komatis established the 'South India Vysia Association' in 1905. Between 1921 to 1931, the Viceroy of the Madras Presidency implemented a commission to help the people in their communities to register any name changes. The South India Vaisya Association registered their community name as "Arya Vaishyas". In the census of 1921, thousands of Komatis in Guntur District returned themselves as 'Vaishyas'.