Vaduga

The Vaduga or Vadugar comprise three distinct Telugucaste-based communities found in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. Their caste identities are as Kammavars, Balijas, and Kambalathars. Emerging as a dominant socio political force during the Vijayanagara Empire, they transitioned from imperial military commanders to independent rulers known as Nayakas. Following the collapse of the central Vijayanagara authority in 1565, these communities established powerful dynasties in Madurai, Thanjavur, Vellore and Senji, fundamentally shaping the administrative, cultural, and architectural landscape of the Tamil country for over two centuries.