Ballal (also spelt as Ballala) is a surname from

coastal Karnataka Kanara or Canara, also known as Karāvali, is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern Konkan coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka. The subregion comprises thr ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is found among Shivalli Madhva Brahmins,

Hindu Samantha Arasu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also been u ...

Bunt Bunt may refer to: People * Darrell Bunt (1902–1977), Royal Navy chaplain * Dick Bunt (1929–2021), American basketball player * Raymond Bunt (born 1944), Pennsylvania politician * Bunt Stephens (John L. Stephens, 1889–1951), or Uncle Bunt ...

and Jain Royal communities.

History

The origin of the title 'Ballal' is reflects a claim of descent from the Hoysala dynasty, Hoysala Ballal, Kadamba Dynasty, Hindu Samantha Arasu Ballal kings. The Hoysalas had matrimonial relations with the Alupa royal family of coastal Karnataka. In the Book Prachina Tulunadu (Ancient

Tulu nadu Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and Proposed states and union territories of India, proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu language, Tulu, a Dravidian langu ...

), The writers N. S. Kille and N. A. Sheenappa Heggade state that following the decline of

Alupas The Alupa dynasty (ಅಳುಪೆರ್, ಆಳ್ವೆರ್) was an Indian Hindu dynasty that ruled from 200 to 1444 A.D. in Southern India. The kingdom they ruled was known as ''Alvakheda Arusasira'' and its territory spanned the coasta ...

, the coastal region of Karnataka (except kasaragod) came under the sway of powerful local Bunt-Jain feudal families who established feudatory states or chiefdoms. These Feudal lords and petty kings were generally referred to as Bunt Nadava's later owed allegiance to the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...

. Kadamba kings in the southern regions of erstwhile

South Canara South Canara (South Kannada) was a district of the Madras Presidency of British Raj, located at . It comprised the towns of Kassergode and Udipi and adjacent villages, with the administration at Mangalore city. South Canara was one of the mos ...

and North

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

sought to establish their high prestige and separate royal identity. The Samantha Arasu Ballal and Varma kings were descendants of the kadamba Dynasty. Various Ballal families are frequently mentioned in Tulu folk songs called Pardana. The Folk epic of

Koti and Chennayya Koti and Chennayya ( Kōṭi Cennayya,) (Circa 1556 A.D to 1591 A.D.) are legendary Tuluva twin heroes characterized in the Tulu epic of the same name, which is considered one of the two truly long epics in the Tulu language. The birthplace of ...

for example, describes a battle between three Ballal princes namely the Ballal of Padumale, the Ballal of Panja and the Ballal of Yenmoor. The Ballal king is said to have built Shri Vaidyanatha Daivasthana temple, Shaktinagar, Mangalore Following the chaos that followed the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, The

Nayakas of Keladi Nayakas of Keladi () (1499–1763), also known as Nayakas of Bednore () and Ikkeri Nayakas (), were an Indian dynasty based in Keladi in present-day Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. They were an important ruling dynasty in post-medie ...

took control of the area and seem to have subdued a confederacy of the various Ballal families that held sway in the coastal region of Karnataka. Guedumardady, Maipady, Doltady, Kulur, Panambur, Pedanar, Mudibidri, Yerumal, Kapu, Katpadi, Nidambur, Pervodi, Chittupadi, Belor, Konnara, Mudradi, Hebri, Hiretor, Tomboso, Anaji, Tagrette, Herar, Gololer, Agumbe, Muttur, Malor, Modicar, Adolly, Jeppu, Kedambady, Muloly, and Vitla were said to have been subdued and they were forced to pay annual tributes. The title Ballal in its feminine form Ballalthi also appears to have been born by females. This was possible as the matrilineal culture of the Bunts allowed women to take family titles and enjoy ownership of land. An inscription from 1673 C.E states that one Sankara Devi Ballalthi possessed ownership of a land called ''

Kambala The Kambala, Kambla or Kambula is an annual buffalo race held in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka. It is similar to maramadi from Kerala Traditionally, it is sponsored by local Tuluva landlords and households in the coastal distri ...

gadde'' in

Sullia Sullia (also known as Sulya) is a town in the Dakshina Kannada district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Sullia taluk. Sullia is located 300 kilometres west of the state capital Bengaluru. History A historical ...

. Some women bearing the title are known to have established ancient temples as well. Ammu Devi Ballalthi was associated with establishing the

Dharmasthala Temple Dharmasthala Temple () is an 800-year-old Hindu religious institution in the temple town of Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India. The deities of the temple are Hindu god Shiva, who is referred to as Mañjunatha, Hindu goddess Amma ...

and the Ballalthi of Moodubelle is said to have established the Mahalingeshwara temple in

Belle, Udupi Belle (also known as Bollay) is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Village code=01308800 It is located in the Kaup taluk of Udupi district. The village is known for its historic Moodu-Belle Mahalingeshwara Temple dedicated to Sh ...

Notable people

Ramabai Peshwa Ramabai (c. 1750–1772) was the wife of Madhavrao I, Madhavrao Peshwa I. Her father's name was Shivaji Ballal Joshi from Solapur district, Solapur. Biography She had gone to Harihareshwar in 1772 when Madhavrao's health was very serious. Sh ...

, wife of

Madhavrao I Madhavrao I (formerly known as Madhavrao Ballal Bhat) was the second son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I, who served as the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure, the Maratha Empire recovered from losse ...

Ashish Kumar Ballal Ashish Kumar Ballal (born 8 October 1970) is a former Indian goalkeeper of field hockey. He represented India in 275 international matches in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1990 World cup, 3 Champions Trophy tournaments (1989, 1993, 1996), ...

, former Indian National Hockey Team Captain *

H. S. Ballal Hebri Subhaskrishna Ballal is an Indian administrator, radiologist and pro chancellor of the Manipal University and chairman of FICCI - Higher Education Committee. Early life Ballal is an ethnic Bunt and hails from the ''Hebri Beedu'' family, ...

, Pro Chancellor,

Manipal University Manipal University may refer to: *Manipal Academy of Higher Education, formerly known as Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, India ** Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Dubai, formerly known as Manipal University Dubai *Manipal University Jai ...

Hamdan Ballal Hamdan Ballal Al-Huraini (born 1989) is a Palestinian filmmaker, photographer, agriculturalist, and human rights activist from Susya in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank. He gained international recognition as co-director of t ...

, Palestinian filmmaker and photographer *

Kishori Ballal Kishori Ballal (1937/1938 – 18 February 2020) was an Indian actress who was known for her works in Kannada cinema. The actress made her debut in 1960 with ''Ivalentha Hendthi'' and since then in a career spanning over 15 years, she has app ...

, actor *

Vyasaraya Ballal Vyasaraya Ballal (1 December 1923 – 30 January 2008) was a major writer in the Kannada language and Sahitya Academy Award winner for his novel ''Bandaya'' in 1986. His Novels ''Hemanthagaana'', ''Uttarayana'' and ''Bandaya'' are the majo ...

, Kannada writer

References

{{surname Surnames of Indian origin Bunt community surnames

History

Notable people

See also

References