Chowta (also spelt Chouta) 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

Jain Bunt The Jain Bunt are the Jains of Bunt caste from Tulunaad area of India. They have a feudal and martial race heritages, because of ties to the erstwhile royalty of the area. They are classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) by the Governm ...

& Hindu Bunt.

History

It is also the name of the Jain dynasty,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 who ruled certain parts of the

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 ...

region for several centuries (12th - 18th). The succession to the throne was as per the matrilineal custom of 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 giving rise to two separate capitals: one at Ullala under the renowned Queen Abbakka Chowta, and another at Puttige. The Ullal branch seemed to have become extinct and 1603, the Chowta moved their capital to Moodabidri. In succeeding years, Chowta's power had greatly diminished due to invasions by

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali (''Haidar'alī''; ; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's ...

and

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

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 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 ...

by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, the Chowtas had lost all their power except for a small pension they received from the then government. Descendants of the Chowta rulers still survive today and have inhabited the ''Chowtara Aramane'' (Chowta Palace) of Moodabidri, which is known for its ornate carvings such as the Nava Nari Kunjara (Nine Damsel Elephant).

Notable people

Notable people with the surname Chowta, who may or may not be members of the Jain community, include: * Abbakka Chowta, Queen of Ullal * Sandeep Chowta, Indian music composer * D. K. Chowta, Indian writer * Prajna Chowta, Indian conservationist

References

{{surname, Chowta Surnames of Indian origin Karnataka society Bunt (community) Bunt community surnames

History

Notable people

See also

References