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{{Short description|Hindu caste}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}

'''Kuruba''' is a [[Hindu]] [[Caste system in India|caste]] native to the Indian state of [[Karnataka]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]].<ref name="Ethnohistory of pastoralism">{{cite journal |last1=Murthy |first1=M.L.K. |date=1993-02-01 |title=Ethnohistory of pastoralism: A study of Kurubas and Gollas |journal=Studies in History |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=33–41 |doi=10.1177/025764309300900102 |s2cid=161569571}}</ref> They are the third-largest caste group in Karnataka.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/kuruba-community-sets-a-new-trend-at-math/article3089204.ece |title= Kuruba community sets a new trend at math |date=12 August 2006 |first=T. S. |last=Ranganna |access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> Traditionally, these are shepherds who used to do the work of sheep/goat and animal husbandry and agriculture, in which they especially raised mixed herds of sheep and goats and cattle.

==Etymology==
The term ''kuruba'', meaning ''shepherd'', is derived from ''kuri'', meaning ''sheep'' in [[Kannada]]. Shepherding was traditionally their primary occupation<ref name="RCDhere_Vitthal">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jUeeAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA256 | title=Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur, South Asia Research | publisher=Oxford University Press | author=Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere, Translated by [[Anne Feldhaus]] | year=2011 | pages=240–241 | isbn=9780199777648}}</ref> and still is for many, who lead a [[nomad]]ic lifestyle.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-08-25|title=Bandaru assures ST category for Golla-Kuruma|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/bandaru-assures-st-category-for-gollakuruma/article7577696.ece|access-date=2020-05-27|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== History ==
Oral traditions of the Kurubas or Kuruma indicate their descent from [[Neolithic]] farming villages in South India which also kept cattle. Oral traditions indicate some of these original cattle-keeping agriculturalists branched off into new habitats and quickly came to rely on sheep pastoralism, absorbing [[Mesolithic]] hunter-gatherers. Rituals associated with hunting presumably came from the integration of these hunter-gatherers into the Neolithic pastoralists. These pastoralists later became almost totally separated from their villager antecedents and interacted with them only based on initial conflict and acculturation. For pastoralists such as the Kurubas, the horse became an important pack animal after the Iron Age and an animal for fighting. [[H. V. Nanjundaiah|Nanjundaiah]] claimed the Kurubas were the descendants of the [[Pallavas]].{{cn|date=July 2023}} Groups of soldiers from the Kuruba community became important in the armies of [[Deccan plateau|Deccan]] powers in the Medieval era.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Murty|first1=M. L. K.|last2=Sontheimer|first2=Günther D.|date=1980|title=Prehistoric Background to Pastoralism in the Southern Deccan in the Light of Oral Traditions and Cults of Some Pastoral Communities|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40460587|journal=Anthropos|volume=75|issue=1/2|pages=163–184|jstor=40460587|issn=0257-9774}}</ref> It is believed that Kurubas are ethnically related to the Kuruvars of [[Sangam literature]]. This is also supported by the fact that Kuruvars worshiped [[Murugan|Murukan]] and his Kuruvar wife, Valli whereas Kurubas worship [[Mailara]]/Mallanna, who represents Murukan, and his Kuruba wife, Kurubattyavva.{{sfnp|Feldhaus|1989|p=106}}

Traditional sources claim that the Kurumas or Kurubas founded the [[Sangama dynasty]], the founding dynasty of the [[Vijayanagara Empire]].<ref name="Dhere">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jUeeAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA243 |title=Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur, South Asia Research |publisher=Oxford University Press |first=Ramchandra Chintaman |last=Dhere |author-link=Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere |others=Feldhaus, Anne (trans.) |year=2011 |page=237,238,243 |isbn=978-0-19977-764-8| quote=Vijayanagar's kings were Yādavas; therefore they were Kurubas; and therefore Viṭṭhal-Bīrappā must have been their original god. The temple of Anantaśayana depicts a clothed form of Viṭṭhal. At Mallikārjun temple near Mallappanaguḍī, there is a broken image of Viṭṭhal in a shrine. In Hampī, bas-reliefs of Viṭṭhal are sculpted on pillars of the Viṭṭhal temple and Kṛṣṇa temple. In Lepākṣī, there are sculptures of Dhangars standing with a blanket draped over his head, his arm resting on his staff, and his chin resting on his arm. He must be there as a reminder of the family that built the temples. There is no other reason for a human being to be carved here, when almost every other carving on the numerous pillars of these temples depicts a god or a mythological event. These two popular motifs, Dhangars and Viṭṭhal, present a clear image of the family background of the founders of Vijayanagar and the roots of their faith.}}</ref> According to [[Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere]], a scholar of the religious traditions of [[Maharashtra]]:
{{Quote|The history of South India shows clearly that all the southern royal dynasties who arose from pastoralist, cowherd groups gained Kshatriya status by claiming to be Moon lineage Kshatriyas, by taking Yadu as their ancestor, and by continually keeping alive their pride in being 'Yadavas'. Many dynasties in South India, from the [[Pallava]]s to the Yadavarayas, were originally members of pastoralist, cowherd groups and belonged to Kuruba lineages.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jUeeAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA243 |title=Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur, South Asia Research |publisher=Oxford University Press |first=Ramchandra Chintaman |last=Dhere |author-link=Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere |others=Feldhaus, Anne (trans.) |year=2011 |page=245 |isbn=978-0-19977-764-8}}</ref>}}

==Subdivisions==

They have three divisions, namely Unnikankan, Hattikankan and Hande. Those who subsist on the wool economy wear a ''Unnikankan'' (wool bracelet), while those in agriculture wear a ''Hattikankan'' (cotton bracelet). These bracelets are tied during the marriage ceremony. Hande Kurubas claims a higher position than the other two and prefers to be called Nayakas. They were an important part of the armies of [[Hyder Ali]] and Ankusagari [[Poligar]]s. Nayakas were military leaders who often became [[Inamdar (feudal title)|Inamdars]].{{sfnp|Feldhaus|1989|p=107}}<ref name=":0" />

The priestly class of Kurubas is called Oderu Kuruba. They don't eat meat and wear the [[lingam]], and to that extent they resemble the [[Lingayat]]s' [[Jangam]]as.{{sfnp|Feldhaus|1989|p=122}}

In [[Maharashtra]], they are a sub-caste of [[Dhangar]] community.<ref name="Maha OBC">{{cite report |author=Central Commission for Backward Classes |date= 2020-10-20|title=Central List of OBCs Maharashtra|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/user_panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLsN%2BCCWgSsv8%2BuAyaBuDqnRoSLrvXbEEJTY%2By0eazrlMjhC5BUvBdUU|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201110054503/http://www.ncbc.nic.in/user_panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLsN%2BCCWgSsv8%2BuAyaBuDqnRoSLrvXbEEJTY%2By0eazrlMjhC5BUvBdUU|archive-date= 10 November 2020}}</ref> Kurubas and Dhangars have the same religious ideas and practices. The [[Kannada]] speaking Dhangars of southern [[Maharashtra]] can easily be called Kurubas. They are divided into Unnikankan and Hattikankan Dhangars, which are subdivisions of Kurubas.{{sfnp|Feldhaus|1989|p=106-107}} Dhangars' priestly class is called Vadad, derived from Oderu, which is the priestly class of Kurubas. They differ from Kurubas only in name and language.{{sfnp|Feldhaus|1989|p=113,122}}

==Varna status==

By the 1920s, some of the Kurubas had begun to call themselves ''Prathama Sudra'' ('first Sudra') or ''Indra Sudra'' ('chief Sudra').{{cn|date=July 2023}} In [[Karnataka]], the Kurubas are classified as [[Other Backward Class]] in the [[Reservation in India|Indian system of reservation]].<ref name="Karnataka OBC">{{cite report |author=Central Commission for Backward Classes |archive-date= 2018-12-22|title=Central List of OBCs Karnataka|url= http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLsThxqt53NPf0ggPwu7BzPqq3bdU2%2bMS4jCYieqRNO1XcIozUEJpyYh|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181222014246/http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLsThxqt53NPf0ggPwu7BzPqq3bdU2%2bMS4jCYieqRNO1XcIozUEJpyYh}}</ref> Since the community is more dispersed, the Kurubas have been called a non-dominant minority community. The Kuruba community's population in Karnataka is around fifty lakh (five million), which is 8-9% of the total 6.5 crore (65 million) population of the state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gejji |first=Anil|title=Karnataka: Kuruba campaign seen as bid to erode Siddaramaiah's clout|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/kuruba-campaign-seen-as-bid-to-erode-siddaramaiahs-clout/articleshow/79767327.cms|location=Bengaluru|access-date=2020-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223234305/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/kuruba-campaign-seen-as-bid-to-erode-siddaramaiahs-clout/articleshow/79767327.cms|archive-date= 23 December 2020}}</ref>

== Current situation ==
The Kuruba community mainly inhabits the eastern parts of Karnataka. The region is mainly plateau broken up by hills, rivers and tanks. The soil in this region is mainly red soils, and red sandy loams, unsuitable for agriculture. The low hills and plains have scrub and rocky country, ideal for pastoral lifestyles.<ref name=":0" />

The Kurubas traditionally practiced [[Transhumance|transhumance pastoralism]]: moving with large flocks of sheep from one pasture to the other. A secondary source of livelihood was once weaving ''kamblis'', but that had mostly disappeared by the 20th century.{{cn|date=July 2023}} With the disappearance of pastureland, they have been settling down to agriculture, some as landlords and other as tenants. Today, the majority of Hattikankan Kurubas practice farming and cattle-breeding, and many Unnikankan Kurubas are also farmers. But some also sell sheep and goats, as well as cow dung, in a symbiotic relationship with local farmers.<ref name=":0" />{{sfnp|Feldhaus|1989|p=113}}

== Culture ==
Although the Kurubas are traditionally [[Shaivism|Saivites]], they worship a variety of deities. [[Mailara]], [[Mallanna]], [[Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu|Mallikarjuna]], [[Vitthal]] (in his original Shiva form) and [[Beerappa]], and Arivamma [Aluvelu mangamma] who all are forms of Shiva, and [[Yellamma]] are some of the important gods of Kurubas. They consider Vitthal and Beerappa as brothers, however, Beerappa has traditionally been their exclusive deity.{{sfnp|Feldhaus|1989|p=106}}<ref>{{cite book|first=Madhukar |last=Dhavalikar|title=Socio-economic Archaeology of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkR3Ke81LoMC |year=2014|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India, 2014|page=274}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Other deities they worship include Batyappa, Irachikappa, Kallu Kambhadappa, Budalappa, Settipalleppa, Karakuappa and [[Lakshmi Devi]]. They worship all ''gramadevatas'' and sacrifice sheep and goats.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

Previously, the Kurubas celebrated ''parashe'' where the group of Kurubas throughout a region celebrated the festival of their gods. During this time ''Goravas'', an order of saints dedicated to Mailari Devaru, are initiated. During the ''parashe'', the idol of the temple where the ''parashe'' takes place is washed in a river, and decorated with ''hoovu''-''vibhuti''. The worship is conducted by a Kuruba pujari and the Goravas sing songs dedicated to the deity. However, these celebrations were largely gone by the 1920s. The Kurubas also worship ''Iragaru'', men who die unmarried, by building temples and setting up stones for them.{{cn|date=July 2023}} They bury their dead.<ref name=":0" />

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of Kurubas}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===

* {{cite book|last=Feldhaus|first=Anne|author-link=Anne Feldhaus|editor-last=Sontheimer|editor-first=Gunther-Dietz|title=Pastoral Deities in Western India
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rvaEQgAACAAJ|year=1989|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195055009}}
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[[Category:Kuruba| ]]
[[Category:Social groups of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Telugu society]]
[[Category:Herding castes]]
[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Social groups of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Telangana]]
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]