# Linga Balija

Linga Balija is a community living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are one of the subcaste of the Balija caste.
The Linga Balijas are a Telugu speaking trading community primarily residing in the Indian state of Andhra pradesh. In Karnataka, they are known as Linga Banajigas and in Tamilnadu, they are known as Linga Vadugars.
Linga Balijas, who are traders, are described in the Madras Census Report of 1901 as a Lingayat sub-caste of the Balija community.

## Etymology

Variations of the name used in the medieval era include Balanja, Bananja, Bananju, Banajiga, and Banijiga, with probable cognates such as Balijiga, Valanjiyar, Balanji, Bananji, and Baliga, as well as derivatives like Vani (in Maharashtra). All of these are said to be derived from the Sanskrit term "Vanik" or "Vanij," meaning trader.
Another etymological theory suggests that "Balija" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Bali," meaning a sacrifice made during the 'Yagna' ritual, and "Ja," meaning born. Therefore, "Balija" translates to "born from sacrifice."
Balijas who followed Lingayatism or Veerashaivism referred to themselves as Linga Balijas or Linga Vaniks.

## Origin

The following legendary account of the origin of the "Linga Bhojunnalawaru" is given in the Baramahal Records:
Para Brahma, or the great god Brahma, created Pralayakala Rudra, a fierce form of the god Shiva, associated with the day of destruction. Brahma also created four sages, known as the Chatur Acharyulu, named Panditaraju, Yekcoramalu, Murralaradulu, and Somaluradulu, and taught them mantras or prayers, appointing them as his deputies.
At one time, the Asuras (giants) and the Devatas (gods) waged war against each other. In response, Pralayakala Rudra created a being from his nose, whom he named Muchari Rudra. Muchari Rudra had five sons, and together they went to assist the Devatas, enabling them to defeat the Asuras. In recognition of their service, the gods conferred upon Muchari Rudra and his sons several honorary distinctions.
* A flag with the figure of an alligator (crocodile) portrayed on it.
* A flag with the figure of a fish portrayed on it.
* A flag with the figure of a bullock.
* A flag with the figure of an eagle.
* A flag with the figure of a bell.
* A modee ganta, or iron for marking cattle.
The use of burning lamps and flambeaus during their daytime public processions, as well as the use of tents, is attributed to this tradition.
Once, when the god Pralayakala Rudra, along with Mochari Rudra, his five sons, and other celestial attendants, were assembled on Kailāsa Parvata, the mountain of Paradise, the god instructed them to descend to Bhuloka, the earthly world, and to increase and multiply their species. They humbly asked how they could return to the divine presence. He replied, "I shall manifest myself in Bhuloka in the form of the Lingam. Worship me in that form, and you will be permitted to approach me again." They then descended to the earthly regions, and from them, the present castes of Balijawaras trace their origin.

## Native

The Linga Balijas are primarily reside in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, but also live in Kerala, Maharashtra and to a lesser extent.

## History

Beginning in the 9th century, inscriptions throughout the Kannada and Tamil regions reference a trading network, sometimes described as a guild, known as the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyavolu. This network facilitated trade links between communities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
From the 13th century, inscriptions referring to "Vira Balanjyas" (warrior merchants) began appearing in the Andhra region. The Vira Balanjyas, whose origins are often traced back to the Ayyavolu, were part of long-distance trading networks that employed fighters to protect their warehouses and goods in transit. These traders were identified as nanadesi ("of many countries") and swadesi ("of one's own country"). The terms balanjya-setti and balija were also used for these traders, and in later periods, they were referred to as naidu and chetti.
These traders formed collectives known as pekkandru and distinguished themselves from other collectives called nagaram, which likely represented Komati merchants. The pekkandru collectives also included members of other communities with status titles such as reddi, boya, and nayaka. They spread throughout South India, Sri Lanka, and even into some Southeast Asian countries.
Velcheru Narayana Rao and others note that the Balijas were first politically mobilized by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya. Later, in the 15th and 16th centuries, they colonized the Tamil region and established Nayaka chieftaincies. During this period, the Balijas were leaders of the left-hand section of castes. These Balija warriors were known for their fearlessness, with some accounts describing them as assassinating kings who interfered with their affairs. Cynthia Talbot suggests that in Andhra, the transformation of occupational descriptors into caste-based identifiers did not occur until at least the 17th century.
The classification of people as Balija posed significant challenges for census enumerators during the British Raj era, who sought to simplify a complex social system into a manageable administrative framework using theories of evolutionary anthropology. Early census attempts in the Madras Presidency recorded a wide variety of people claiming to be members of Balija subcastes, who often appeared to have little in common and thus defied the administrative goal of creating a rational and convenient taxonomy.
For instance, those identifying as Chetty were clearly connected through their involvement in trade, while those calling themselves Kavarai were simply using the Tamil term for Balija. However, other groups, such as the Linga Balija, based their claim to Balija status on sectarian identification, the Gazula were bangle-makers by profession, the Telaga had Telugu origins, and the Rajamahendram seemed to base their claim on their geographic origin in the town of Rajahmundry. Subsequent attempts to rationalize the enumeration led to further anomalies and dissatisfaction.
In a note on the Linga Balijas of the North Arcot district, Mr. H. A. Stuart writes that "Linga Balija appears rather to be the name of the followers of a religious faith than of a distinct caste, for the Linga Balijas state that their caste contains eleven sub-divisions, each with a separate occupation, viz., Jangam (priests), Reddi (cultivators), Gändla (oil-mongers), and the like. Almost all the Linga Balijas of North Arcot are traders, who speak Canarese and are immigrants from Mysore, in which their gurus (religious preceptors) live, and whither they still refer their caste disputes. At one time they enjoyed much importance in this district, particularly in its large trading towns. Headmen among them, styled Chettis, were by the Arcot Nawabs assigned districts, in which they possessed both magis-terial and civil authority, and levied taxes from other merchants for their own personal use. They carried on very extensive trade with Mysore and the Ceded districts, and are said to have had enormous warehouses, which they enclosed and fortified. Breaches of the peace are also described as not infrequent, resulting from the interference of one Linga Balija Chetti with matters relating to the district of another. Their authority has long since disappeared, and is only a matter of tradition. Every Linga Balija wears a Siva lingam, usually encased in a silver casket (or gold casket set with precious stones), and suspended from the neck, but the very poor place theirs in a cloth, and sometimes tie it to their arm. It is a strict rule that one should be tied to a child's neck on the tenth day of its birth, otherwise it is not entitled to be classed as a Linga Balija. The Siva lingam worn by these people differs from the Būta or Prēta lingams used by Pandārams, Kaikōlans, or others who profess the Lingayat faith. They acknowledge two puranams, called respectively the Siva and Basava purānams, and differ in very many respects from other Hindus. They bury and do not burn their dead, and do not recognise the five kinds of pollution resulting from a birth, death, spittle, etc., and they do not therefore bathe in order to remove such pollution. Widow remarriage is allowed even where the widow has children, but these are handed over to the relatives of her first husband. To widow remarriages no women who are not widows are admitted, and, similarly, when a maiden is married, all widows are excluded. Unlike most Hindus, Linga Balijas shave off the whole of the hair of their heads, without leaving the usual lock at the back. They deny metempsychosis, and believe that after death the soul is united with the divine spirit. They are particular in some of their customs, disallowing liquor and flesh-eating, and invariably eating privately, where none can see them. They decline even to eat in the house of a Brāhman." A Linga Banajiga (Canarese trader), whom I inter-viewed at Sandür, was smeared with white marks on the forehead, upper extremities, chest, and abdomen in imita-tion of a Hubli priest. Some orthodox Lingayat traders remove their lingam during the transaction of the day's work, on the ground, as given to me, that it is necessary to tell little falsehoods in the course of business.

## Occupation

The Traditional occupation of Linga Balija is Trading, many of them are engaged in Agriculture, Business, petty trade, and jobs in government offices and in factories Some of them are shop - keepers, cloth merchants, grain dealers and bankers and a few of them have become rich and are regarded as the wealthiest section of the community .

## Dynasty

* Hande Nayakas
* Later Keladi Nayakas

## Rulers

* Hande Nayakas
Linga Balijas of the Hande family from Ananthapur, Bukkarayapatnam, and Dharmavaram.
* Hande Hanumappa Nayudu (1569–1582)
* Immadi Hampa Naidu (1583–1595)
* Malakappa Naidu (1595–1619)
* Hampa Naidu (1619–1631) Hande Malakappa Naidu's (1595–1619) 4th Son
* Siddappa Naidu (1631–1659)
* Pavadappa Naidu (1659–1671)
* Ramakka Naidu (1671–1690)
* Siddappa Naidu (1690–1696)
* Prasannappa Naidu (1696–1719)
* Pavadappa Naidu (1719–1737)
* Siddappa Naidu (1737–1740)
* Ramappa Naidu (1740–1745)
* Tadipatri and Poddatur. Hande Malakappa Naidu's (1595–1619) 1st Son Devappa Naidu and his descendents.
* Bellari, Kurgodu and Surrounding Districts. Hande Malakappa Naidu's (1595–1619) 2nd Son Chinna Ramappa Naidu and his descendents.
* Konderpi and Kanakal. Hande Malakappa Naidu's (1595–1619) 3rd Son Lingappa Naidu and his descendents
* Later Keladi Nayakas
* Shivappa Nayaka (1645–1660)
* Chikka Venkatappa Nayaka (1660–1662)
* Bhadrappa Nayaka (1662–1664)
* Somashekara Nayaka I (1664–1672)
* Keladi Chennamma (1672–1697)
* Basavappa Nayaka (1697–1714)
* Somashekara Nayaka II (1714–1739)
* Kiriya Basavappa Nayaka (1739–1754)
* Chenna Basappa Nayaka (1754–1757)
* Virammaji (1757–1763).

## Status

In 2019, representatives of the Telangana state Veerashaiva Lingayat Federation petitioned the National Commission for Backward Classes to include Linga Balija and Veerashaiva Lingayat in the central government's list of Other Backward Classes. In 2022, Member of Parliament B. B. Patil met with the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar Khatik, to discuss the inclusion of these two subcastes in the OBC list.

## Other Names

* Lingadhari Jangamar
* Lingadhari Pandaram
* Lingangatti Pandaram
* Linga Pandaram
* Linga Vadugar
* Lingayat Vadugar
* Lingayath
* Lingayath Naidu
* Lingayath Nayaka
* Lingayath Kapu
* Linga Kapu
* Lingayat Vani(veerashaiva)
* Lingayath Gajula
* Lingayath Balija
* Veerashaiva Balija
* Veerashaiva Lingayath Balija
* Linga Banajiga
* Veerashaiva Lingayath Banajiga
* Sivachar Kavarai
* Jangamar
* Jangam.

## Family Names

Family Names of Lingaya Balijas
Most family names or surnames of Lingayat Balijas/Banajigas are either:
1. Village Headmanship Names:
- Deshmukh
- Desais
- Patils
- Gowdas
- Appa (e.g., Jayadevappa, Haralappa, Yedurappa, Mallasarja Desai)
2. Names Based on Villages They Migrated From or Led:
- Lingadalli
- Davenagere
- Shivamogga
- Hospet
- Kalaburagi
- Munagala
- Rayachoti
- Kotturi
3. Names Related to Their Business, Trading, or Cultivating Crops:
- Pogaku
- Kandi
- Akula
- Patti
- Shetty
- Bowrshetti
- Miriyala
- Nelli
- Vadla
- Chatla
- Aamudaala
- Doodi
- Pattu
- Gurrala
- Aavula

## Notable peoples

* B. S. Yediyurappa Chief Minister of Karnataka
* S. Nijalingappa Chief Minister of Karnataka
* J. H. Patel Chief Minister of Karnataka
* S. R. Kanthi Chief Minister of Karnataka
* Veerendra Patil Chief Minister of Karnataka
* Jagadish Shettar Chief Minister of Karnataka
* B. D. Jatti Chief Minister of Karnataka