Kulala is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

caste whose traditionally pursued pottery trade and farming as a profession commonly found in the Indian states of

Andhra pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and southern parts of

Tamilnadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language— ...

. They belong to the

Other Backward Class The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...

group.

Etymology

Kulala are the descendants of the three sons of their original ancestor Kulalan, who was the son of

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

. Kulalan prayed to Brahma to be allowed to create and destroy things daily, so Brahma made him a potter.

Distribution

Andhra Pradesh They speak the

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language fami ...

and are also known as Kulala, Kummara, Salivahana and variants of that name, like Kummari. Tamil Nadu Telugu-speaking Kulala in southern Tamil Nadu use the title Chettiyar (Also known as Telugu Chettiar). They are relatively recent migrants in the southern region of Tamil Nadu. Some Tamil-speaking Kulalar in south and north Tamil nadu they use the title Velar and Udayar. Karnataka In Karnataka they speak both Tulu and Kannada language and are also known as kumbara and Kulala. They use the title

Shetty Shetty is a surname originating from coastal Karnataka state of India. Found amongst the Bunt (community). The word ''Shetty'' is derived from the Sanskrit word (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठ) or (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठीन्) ...

. Kerala Kulala (Also known as Kulala Nair) community is found only in the Kasaragod district of Kerala state in India, where they have several exogamous gotras, including Banjan, Banjera, Salian and Upian.They use the title

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...

.In Kasaragod district the Tulu speaking Kulala community has another name-Moolya. This community has completely given up their traditional occupation in Kerala.

Culture

They follow both

Saivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

and

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

.Their rituals and ceremonies are similar to those of the

Kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit ) means "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsकाम, kāmaMonier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, pp 271, see 3rd column Kama often connotes sensual pleasure, sexual ...

Vellalar Vellalar is a generic Tamil term used primarily to refer to various castes who traditionally pursued agriculture as a profession in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several ...

. Some have priests of their own caste, while others employ

brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...

. They have claimed a higher social status.

Etymology

Distribution

Culture

See also

References

Further reading