Arya Vaishya - Vasavi Purana

Vasavi Purana

Vasavi Purana, also called Vasavi Kanyaka Purana or Sri Vasavi Kanyakaparameshwari Purana, is the story of a deity, Vasavi Devi or Vasavi Kanyaka Parameshwari. Vasavi Purana was authored by Bhaskaracharya, believed to belong to the 16th century A.D. The Andhra territory at this time was ruled by the Gajapatis on one side and the Vijayanagar empire on the other side. The Vasavi Purana, also called Vaisya Purana, gives a list of places around these regions, and prescribes the manner in which disputes are to be settled; by involving all the Setti-Pattana-Swamins, presided by the Chief-Setti residing at Penugonda, and attended by the caste guru, Bhaskaracharya. The existence of Nakara or Nakaram, a trade guild at Penugonda, is supported by several inscriptions. The Nakara and Gavare were amongst the many Trade Guilds of South India.

The Mackenzie Manuscripts provide a record of the copper plate grant of the guru, Bhaskaracharya, given by the 102 gotras which formed the Gavara grouping. According to the Vasavi Purana, the Vaisyas of Penugonda and 17 other towns belonged to a group of Vaisyas of 714 gotras. However, the 102 gotras of Gavaras separated out, and formed the Gavara Komati community. The unity of the Vaishyas was broken due to a dispute triggered off by Vishnuvardhana, king of Rajamahendravaram, who desired to marry Vasavi, the daughter of a chieftain-trader named Kusuma Shresti.

Vishnuvardhana is historically represented as a Chalukya ruler of Rajamahendravara (Rajamundry). Dr.K.Sundaram proposed the events leading to the self-immolation of Vasavi Kanya may be placed sometime before the 12th century. However, King Vishnuvardhana is said to have lived around 1328 A.D, thus leaving a gap of 150 years between the self-immolation of Vasavi Devi described in the Vasavi Purana and the rule of King Vishnuvardhana.