Ballal (also spelt as Ballala) is a surname from
coastal Karnataka in
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,
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 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 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 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 gadde'' in
Sullia.
Some women bearing the title are known to have established ancient temples as well. Ammu Devi Ballalthi was associated with establishing the
Dharmasthala Temple and the Ballalthi of Moodubelle is said to have established the Mahalingeshwara temple in
Belle, Udupi
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, former Indian National Hockey Team Captain
*
H. S. Ballal, Pro Chancellor,
Manipal University
*
Hamdan Ballal, Palestinian filmmaker and photographer
*
Kishori Ballal, actor
*
Vyasaraya Ballal, Kannada writer
See also
*
Heggades, another historical title was used by Arasu Samantha ballal family's of Vitla, Karnataka
References
{{surname
Surnames of Indian origin
Bunt community surnames