Chowta

Chowta (also spelt Chouta) is a surname from coastal Karnataka in India. It is found among Hindus of the Bunt community.[1]

History

It is also the name of the Jain dynasty,[2] who ruled certain parts of the Tulu Nadu region for several centuries (12th- 18th). The succession to the throne was as per the Bunt custom of matrilineal inheritance (Aliyasantana). They initially ruled from their capital at Ullal and the first known king of the Dynasty was Tirumalaraya Chowta I (reign 1160-1179). His successor, Channaraya Chowta I (reign 1179-1219), moved it inland to Puttige.

The principality of Chowta split in 1544, with two separate capitals, one at Ullala, under the renowned Queen Abbakka Chowta, and another at Puttige. Ullal branch seems to have become extinct and c. 1603, the Chowta moved their capital to Moodabidri. In succeeding years Chowta power had greatly diminished due to invasions by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan with whom they signed treaties. Chandrasekhara Chikkaraya Chowta V was the last Chowta king who had some authority. He reigned from 1783 to 1822. Following the conquest of South Canara by the British the Chowtas lost all their power except that they received a small pension from the then government. Descendants of the chowta rulers still survive and inhabit the Chowtara Aramane (Chowta Palace) of Moodabidri, which is known for its ornate carvings such as the Nava Nari Kunjara (Nine Damsel Elephant).[3]

Notable people

Notable people with the surname Chowta, who may or may not be members of the Bunt community, include:

gollark: Obviously you could shorten that to, well, "it's quite late here".
gollark: But I like numbers. I have a book on number theory open on my other screen.
gollark: If LyricLy says "hmm, it is 3AM here" that probably means something like more like "wow, my sleep schedule is currently quite far shifted from the societal expectations thereof" than "the sun is 62 degrees below the horizon".
gollark: What? You don't actually need to know where the sun is. You need to know some stuff derived from that *and* a bunch of other things; you can just use the derived data.
gollark: Even individual people aren't on the same personal schedule relative to solar ones though.

See also

References
  1. http://www.buntsmathrsangha.net/about_bunts.php
  2. 34:XVIII,10; Bhatt, Tuluva:68-78; Mahalingam, Mackenzie MSS:II,491-496; Ramesh, A History of South Kanara:159-160; Stuart, South Canara:257; Sturrock, South Canara:54-56,73,75,83,189
  3. M.K. DHARMA RAJA. "Enchanting Woodcraft of a Medieval Palace in Karnataka". January 2002. India Perspectives, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.