Welcome to the world of Gavara Naidu's
Gowri Association for Welfare And Recreation Affairs worldwide

GAWARA- “ Gowri Association for Welfare and Recreation Affairs” ( Service oriented Organization) is established for promoting unity and solidarity among the people and also we are striving hard for our Social, Educational, Economic, Cultural and Political advancement with multifarious welfare and recreation activities.

“SERVICE TO MANKIND IS SERVICE TO GOD” . We are trying to inculcate the message of Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba in our Community service.

This Website narrates the multifarious Welfare activities under taken by GAWARA at the grass root level such as.

1) Core aim of our organization is to bridge the gap between Taminadu Gavara’s and Coastal Andhra Gavara’s, since there is no Social interaction between both of them at present.
2) Career Counseling
3) Scholarships
4) Placements
5) Blood Donation
6) Gowri Thalambralu
7) Gowri Classifieds
8) Ask your Doctor (Medical/Legal advices)
9) Consumer co-ordination council (Advices/Services)
10) BC’D’ Census, is the most important activity on hand we request every one to take responsibility in this giant task for conducting Census easily on National/International levels. We have divided in to following Sectors Viz.
        a) Doctor’s
        b) Software
        c) Railways
        d) Banks
        e) State Government
        f) Public Sector Units
        g) Private
        h) Business
        i)  Scientist’s
        j) Miscellaneous

We request every member of our Community members to please give the complete details to the concerned Sector Secretary’s or to the nearest Zonal Secretaries at the following places.
Hyderabad, Khamam, Vijjayawada, Eluru, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Tuni Payakaraopeta, Kotanandalur, KOMadhavapuram, Elamanchili, Narsipatnam, Anakapalle, Nagulapalle, Munagapaka, Visakapatnam, Gajuvaka, Khurda Road, Kharagpur, Jemshedpur, Raipur, Pune, Munbai, Bangalore Chennai, ManaMadurai, Puttaparthi, Malaysia, USA, Bahrain, Italy etc.

The details of Zonal Secretaries are available in the Executive body ( subfolder) of our website.
 

History of Gavaras:

Castes and Tribes of Southern India Ed:1975 Edger Thurston Vol.II PP 277-279

It is noted, in the Madras Census report, 1891, that “ this caste is practically confined to the Visakapatnam district, and they have been classed as cultivators on the strength of a statement to effect in District manual, Gavara is however, an important sub-division of Komati (Traders), and these Gavaras are probably in reality Gavara Komatis. These are so called after Gowri, the patron deity of this Caste”.

Gavaras originally lived at Vengi, the ancient capital of the Eastern Chalukyan Kings, the ruins of which are near Eluru in the West Godavari District. The King was desirous of seeing one of their women, who observed gosha ( in seclusion ). But to this they would not consent. Under orders from the King. Their houses were set on fire. Some of them bolted themselves in, and perished bravely, while others locked up their women in big boxes, and escaped with them to the coast. They immediately set sail, and landed at Pudimadaka in the Anakapalli Taluk . Thence they marched as far as Kondakarla, near which they founded the village of Wadapalli or Wodapalli (Present Vadurapalli) meaning the village of the people who came in boats. They then built another village called Gavarala Anakapalle. They received an invitation from King Payakara Rao, the founder of Anakapalle, and, moving northwards, established themselves at what is now known as Gavarapeta (Present Gavarapalem) in the town of Anakapalle. They began the foundation of the village auspiciously by consecrating and planting the Sandrakarra (Acacia Sundra), which is not affected by ‘White Ants’, instead of the pala karra (Mimusops Hexandra), which is generally used for this purpose, consequently, Anakapalle has always flourished.

The Gavara’s speak Telugu, and like other Telugu Caste, have various exogamous septs or intiperules.

Girls are married either before or after puberty. The custom of menarikam by which a man marries his maternal uncle’s daughter, is in force, and it is said that he may also marry his sister’s daughter. The remarriage of widows is permitted.


Some Gavara’s are vaishnavites, and others Saivtes, but difference in religion is no bar to intermarriage. Both sections worship the village deities, to whom animal sacrifices are offered. The vaishnavites show special reverence to Jagannatha Swami of Orissa, whose shrine is visited by some, while others take vows in the name of this God on the day on which the car festival is celebrated, at Puri, local car festivals are held in Gavara Villages, and women carry out the performance of their vows.

Men wear a gold ring (called Murugu) on the left wrist, and another on the right arm. Women wear a heavy silver bangle on the right wrist, and a bracelet of real or imitation coral, which is first worn at the time of Marriage, on the left wrist. They throw the end of their body cloth over the left shoulder. They do not, like women of other Non –Brahman castes in the Visakapatnam district smoke cigars. The original occupation of the caste is said to have been trading, and this may account for the number of exogamous septs which are named after settis (Traders). At the present day, the Gavaras are agriculturists and they have the reputation of being very hard working, and among the best agriculturists in the Visakapatnam District. The women travel long distances in order to sell vegetables, Milk, Curds and other produce. The caste titles for men are usually Anna, Ayya and Nayudu.