Gowda (also known as Gauda, Gouda or Gonda) is a surname native to the

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state of India. It is mainly found among the

Vokkaliga Vokkaliga (also transliterated as Vokkaligar, Vakkaliga, Wakkaliga, Okkaligar, Okkiliyan) is a community, or a group of closely-related castes, from the Indian state of Karnataka. They are also present in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. As ...

s, Namadhari Naiks,

Billava The Billava, Billoru, Biruveru people are an ethnic group of India. They are found traditionally in Tulu Nadu region and engaged in toddy tapping, cultivation and other activities. They have used both missionary education and Sri Narayana Guru's ...

s in south Karnataka and the

Lingayat Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and ''Veerashaivism'' have been ...

s in north Karnataka. It is also used by Kurubas. Gowda was originally an honorific used by the administrative head of a village. Typically, such a head owned land and held political and social sway in the village. Among Kurubas, it was used to refer to the head of the community.

Etymology

According to historian Suryanath U. Kamath, the word ''Gowda'' derives from ''Gavunda''. The German Indologist Gustav Oppert opined that the root of ‘Gowda’ is a Dravidian word meaning "mountain". The term ''Gowda'' and its archaic forms in Old Kannada such as ''Gamunda'', ''Gavunda'', ''Gavuda'', ''Gonda'', appear frequently in the inscriptions of Karnataka. The ''

Epigraphia Carnatica ''Epigraphia Carnatica'' is a set of books on epigraphy of the Old Mysore region of India, compiled by Benjamin Lewis Rice, the Director of the Mysore Archaeological Department. Over a period of about ten years between 1894 and 1905, Rice publis ...

'' is replete with references to land grants, donations to temples, hero-stones (''Veeragallu''), stone edicts and copper plates dating back to the age of the

Western Ganga Dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga (m ...

(est. 350 CE) and earlier. The Gavundas were landlords that collected taxes and rendered military service to the Kings.

Noboru Karashima was a Japanese historian, writer and Professor Emeritus in University of Tokyo, Japan. He also served as Professor Emeritus at the Taisho University, Japan. He was a prominent scholar of Asia in the studies of south Indian and South Asian historie ...

says the Gavundas had functions corresponding to that of the Chola Vellala Nattars.:”They are, for example, Gavunda chiefs and heggade revenue officers vis-à-vis the Chola Vellala nattars; kalnad military tenure vis-à-vis padai-parru or parigraham tenure in the Chola state” While the majority of the gavundas were derived from the

s; by the 10th century, the term gavunda also came to denote chiefship of a community or group and was adopted by the heads of other communities assimilated into the early medieval state.

Notable people

Notable people with the surname Gowda:

Agriculture

* M. H. Marigowda, Indian horticulturist

Film

* Akshara Gowda (born 1991), Indian actress from Karnataka *

Ambareesh Malavalli Huchchegowda Amarnath (29 May 1952 – 24 November 2018), known by his screen name Ambareesh, was an Indian actor, media personality, politician from the state of Karnataka. Alongside Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan, he is counted in ...

(born 1952 as Huche Gowda Amarnath) Indian politician and actor from Karnataka * Bhavya Gowda (born 1983), Indian model from Karnataka *

Devaraj Devaraj (born 20 September 1953) is an Indian actor and theatre actor who works in Indian film industry. He has largely featured in Kannada films performing various roles as a lead character, supporting character and villainous character. He ha ...

(born 1953), Indian Actor from Karnataka * Ere Gowda, Indian Kannada film director from Karnataka * Jaggesh (born 1963 as Eshwar Gowda), Indian Kannada actor from Karnataka * K. C. N. Gowda ( 1928–2012), Indian Kannada film producer and film distributor * Pallavi Gowda (born 1993), Indian actress from Karnataka *

Ravishankar Gowda Ravishankar Gowda (born 26 August 1973) is an Indian actor who works in the Kannada film industry. He is known mostly for his comic roles in television and films. He shot to fame as Dr. Vittal Rao, in the sitcom ''Silli Lalli'' which aired on ...

, Indian actor from Karnataka *

Sheela Gowda Sheela Gowda (born 1957 in Bhadravati, India) is a contemporary artist living and working in Bangalore. Gowda studied painting at Ken School of Art, Bangalore, India (1979) pursued a postgraduate diploma at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniket ...

(born 1957), Indian artist from Karnataka * Yash (born Naveen Kumar Gowda), Indian actor from Karnataka

Historical Figures and Rulers

Kempe Gowda I Kempe Gowda I, locally venerated as Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, or commonly known as Kempe Gowda, was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire in early-modern India. He is famous for founding the present-day southern Indian city of Bangalore. E ...

(1510–1569), Founder of Bengaluru & feudatory ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, now Karnataka, India

Law

* Venkate Gopala Gowda (born 1951), Indian Supreme court judge

Literature

* H. L. Nage Gowda (1915–2005), Indian Kannada folklorist and author * Shilpi Somaya Gowda (born 1970), Canadian novelist

Politics

* DK.Shivakumar * DK.suresha * Chiranjeevi BP * C. T. Ravi, Indian politician from Karnataka * D. B. Chandre Gowda (born 1936), Indian politician from Karnataka *

D. V. Sadananda Gowda Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda (born 18 March 1953), is an Indian politician who served as the union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers of India in the Second Modi ministry from 14 November 2018 to 7 July 2021. He also served as the Mi ...

(born 1953), Indian politician from Karnataka *

H. D. Deve Gowda Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda (; born 18 May 1933 in) is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka. He served as the 11th prime minister of India from 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997. He was previously the 14th Chief Minister of Karn ...

(born 1933), Former Prime Minister of India * H. D. Kumaraswamy (born 1959 as Haradanahalli Devegowda Kumaraswamy Gowda), Indian politician from Karnataka *

Javare Gowda Devegowda Javaregowda (6 July 1915 – 30 May 2016), known as De Ja Gou or simply Javaregowda, was an Indian Kannada writer, folklorist, researcher, scholar and academic. He was disciple of authors T.N. Srikantaiah and Kuvempu. His literary c ...

(1915–2016), Indian Kannada author *

K. Chidananda Gowda K. Chidananda Gowda is an Indian academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Kuvempu University, which is located in the state of Karnataka, India. He is also the son-in-law of the Kannada Poet, Kuvempu, after whom the Kuvempu University ...

, Indian computer scientist * Krishna Byre Gowda (born 1973), Indian politician from Karnataka *

M. J. Appaji Gowda M. J. Appaji Gowda (20 June 1951 - 2 September 2020) was a Janata Dal (Secular) political activist and member of the Karnataka Legislative Council. He died on 2 September 2020, after testing positive for COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in ...

(died 2020), Indian politician * Maritibbe Gowda, Karnataka politician * N. H. Gouda, (1938–1992), Indian politician from Karnataka * Narayana Gowda, Indian politician from Karnataka *

R. Ashoka Jalahalli Ramaiah Ashoka (born 1 July 1957) is an Indian politician serving as the Minister of Revenue of Karnataka from 20 August 2019. He is also the Vice-Chairman for the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority and the district in-ch ...

, Indian politician from Karnataka * Rajeev Gowda, Indian politician and academic from Karnataka *

Ramachandra Gowda Ramachandra Gowda (Kannada:ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ ಗೌಡ) is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, India., Gowda took to social-political activities during his school days having been inspired by the Rashtriya ...

, Indian politician from Karnataka * Sadananda Gowda, Indian politician from Karnataka * Shantaveri Gopala Gowda (1923–1972), Indian politician from Karnataka * Tejashwini Gowda (born 1966), Indian politician from Karnataka *

Tulsi Gowda Tulsi Gowda is an Indian environmentalist from Honnali village, Ankola taluk in Karnataka state. She has planted more than 30,000 saplings and looks after the nurseries of the Forest Department. Her work has been honoured by the Government o ...

, Indian environmentalist *

K. Venkatagiri Gowda K. Venkatagiri Gowda (1923-2004) was an Indian economist and politician from Bharatiya Janata Party. He was the member of 10th Lok Sabha from Bangalore South (Lok Sabha constituency), Bangalore South. Gowda defeated the incumbent MP and for ...

(born 1923), Indian Economist & politician from Karnataka * K. Puttaswamy (born 1917), Indian lawyer, and a senior Indian National Congress politician

Sports

Girisha Nagarajegowda Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda (born 26 January 1988), also known as Girish N. Gowda is Paralympic Games, paralympic High Jump, high jumper from India. He was born with a disability in the left leg. He represented India in the 2012 Summer Pa ...

(born 1988), Indian Paralympic athlete known as Girish N. Gowda * Vikas Gowda (born 1983), Indian athlete

References

{{surname Social groups of Karnataka Indian surnames