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Concept
Kamma (caste)
Summary
Kamma is a Hindu caste from South India. The community of Kammas is believed to have originated from agriculturists of the Kammanadu region of the erstwhile Guntur district and Ongole division in Andhra Pradesh. Propelled by their military activity in the Vijayanagara Empire, Kammas are believed to have spread out from the region during the Vijayanagara period, followed by some in-migration during the British period and out-migration again during the twentieth century.
Today they are regarded as the richest group in Andhra Pradesh and are a dominant caste from Coastal Andhra with socio-economic and political prominence throughout the Telugu-speaking regions of India (the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).
They also have a notable, albeit smaller, presence in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In recent times,
a sizeable number of Kammas have migrated to the United States.
Kammanadu
The modern community of Kammas is believed to have originated from agriculturists of the Kammanadu region in coastal Andhra Pradesh. The region, lying between the Gundlakamma river and the Krishna river in the erstwhile Guntur district (which included the three subdistricts later transferred to the Ongole district in 1970), had an identity dating back to ancient times. The term "kamma" either referred to the two rivers that formed the boundaries of the region, or to the Buddhist monastic institutions called sanghakammas believed to have been once prevalent in the region.
As the people of the region migrated to other parts, they were often referred to as the Kamma community (kamma-kula). Terms such as kamma-brahmana, kamma-komati, kamma-sreshti and kamma-kapu are attested in inscriptions as descriptions of people. The migration was apparently quite extensive, and was made by possible by the Kammanadu's strategic location with access to the Deccan plateau as well as to the regions in the south and southwest. By 1872, only one-fourth of their total population was living in the original region.
Official source
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