This shows that the ancestors of Kammas and Velamas were either Buddhists or Jains who did not follow Gothra system and that both the social groups had a common history. The names of the ancestral villages were adopted as Gothras. The surnames and Gothras of Kammas and Velamas were catalogued by Badabanala Bhatta in 1068 CE. There are about 1200 Kamma surnames (Intiperu) which are discernible from this time. The kings and military persona of Kammanadu started using the title Nayaka/Nayakudu from 10th century onwards as observed in many inscriptions.
This region is also known as Pallavanadu/Palanadu/Palnadu due to Pallava rule. The subsequent inscriptions of Telugu Cholas/Chodas and Kakatiya dynasty mentioned ‘Kammanadu’. The next record was that of Pallava King Kumara Vishnu II followed by that of Eastern Chalukya king Mangi Yuvaraja (627-696 CE). Kammarashtram extended from the Krishna River to Kandukur (Prakasam Dt.). The first records of the word Kammarashtram appeared in the Jaggayyapeta inscription of the Ikshvaku King Madhariputra Purushadatta (3rd century CE). Historians surmised that the Sanskrit word Kurmi/Kurma became Kamma in later years. Buddhism was already flourishing in Dharanikota, Bhattiprolu, Chandavolu etc in this fertile area. Pulinda ashmaka jimuta narrashtara nivasinahĬarnata kamboja ghata dakshinapathvasinah.Īnother origin of Kammas is speculated as: Buddhist Kurmis from the Gangetic plains migrated to the Krishna river delta in large numbers to escape the persecution of Pushyamitra Sunga (184 BCE). The Garuda Purana locates a Kambhoja principality/settlement in the neighborhood of Ashmaka, Pulinda, Jimuta, Narrashtra, Lata and Karnata countries, and also specifically informs us that this section of Kambojas were living in the southern part of India. Possibly, there has also been a Kamboja country in Southern India. Avadh Bihari Lal Avasthi comments as follows: We find Kambhi, Kamma, Kumbhi etc castes in South India. Some historians opined that the name Kamma is probably derived from Kambhoja, an ancient Aryan warrior clan. According to some historians the Kammas existed since the time of the Christ Inscriptions mentioning Kammanadu are available since 3rd century C.E. This region was once known as Kammarashtram / Kammarattam / Kammanadu, which was under the control of the Pallavas, Eastern Chalukyas and Cholas. The theory is that the people who lived in the Krishna river valley, where Buddhism prevailed, got the name from the Theravada Buddhist concept of Kamma (in Pali) or Karma (in Sanskrit). There are many theories about the origins of the word "Kamma" and the social group known as the Kammas but none is conclusive.
In the last decades of the previous century some of them migrated to other parts of the world, particularly to the USA, UK and Australia.
The Kamma population was 795,732 in the year 1881 2. They constitute about 5% of the population of Andhra Pradesh which would make them the fifth largest community 1. Kamma or the Kammavaru are a caste or social group found largely in the Southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Significant populations in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka Warriors, Politicians, Zamindars, Land Lords, Farmers.