Who are the Beda Jangamas? ಬೇಡ ಜಂಗಮರು ಯಾರು?
Channel: Provocative Education
Date: 24/08/2022

Dr. Bala Gurumurthy, scholar of the Beda Jangama/Budga Jangama community speaks about his people and their story. Program took place in Freedom Park, Bengaluru on July 28, 2022. 

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Competing claims between two communities have laid the ground for a caste conflict in Karnataka. The stakes are reservations and entitlements due to the Scheduled Caste (SC) Beda Jangam community in Karnataka. However, two different groups claim to be Beda Jangam. One is a group of wandering performers of Burra Katha; the other is a sect of religious teachers. Members of both communities can be found in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. Beda Jangam and Budga Jangam appear as number 19 in the list of 101 scheduled castes in Karnataka.

Dalit groups have made efforts to compel the government to clarify that the sect of religious teachers, Veerashaiva Jangams, are not Beda Jangams. They say that the Veerashaiva Jangams are associated with the Lingayat community, and that merely because of the word ‘jangam’ in their name, several members of their community have falsely procured Beda Jangam caste certificates.

On July 28, Ambedkarite groups held a program at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, to educate the public about the Telugu-speaking Budga/Beda Jangams. They also demanded the arrest of Veerashaivas/Lingayats who have taken Beda Jangam caste certificates. They invited members of the Budga Jangam community to attend the program in their costumes and perform some of their Burra Katha. They say that Budga Jangam and Beda Jangam refer to the same community, who have their roots in the Andhra region and are primarily Telugu speaking. The Veerashaiva Jangams speak Kannada.