Mogaveera is a community in the Karnataka state of India. Mogaveera were originally a fishing community, who reside mainly in Dakshina Kannada and in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India.
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Etymology
Mohanappa Thingalaya, a freedom fighter, is credited with coining the term Mogaveera in the early years of the 20th century. It replaced the older terms of Mogera and ‘'Mogeyar.
A sub-community of Mogaveera, especially around Udupi area, is known as Marakala. Mogaveera people are predominantly fishing community who dominate fishing and marine activities in and around Mangalore. They are also spread in and around Barkur, Udupi Taluk, Bagwadi Hobali and Kundapura Taluk They use mechanised boats for fishing in sea.
Marriage with Brahmins
A Kadamba king imported male Brahmin priests from Ahicchatra to conduct pooja rituals in the newly built temples of Karavali, Tulunadu. Some of the immigrants were uncomfortable in the new environs and wanted to return. Therefore, the king allowed them to marry with the Tulu tribes and settle in the agraharas around temples. Oral anecdotes among the Mogaveera people suggest that the young Brahmin priests were married to Mogaveera girls.
Sub-communities
Some members of the Mogaveera community have subdivided over the years, forming groups such as the Sapaliga, Bovi and Ganiga.
Status
The fishermen of Mogaveeras are classified under Other backward communities (OBCs) in Karnataka.
Community organisations
Earlier, gramsabhas were functioning at Mangalore, Barkur (with members speaking Tulu) and Bagwadi (Kundapura members speaking Kannada). The Mangalore and Udupi area gramsabhas joined to form a federation, whereas the Bagwadi federation functioned separately. This division was basically on the basis of language spoken by the local communities. The Bagwadi federation is called the Mogaveera Mahajana Seva Sangha The operational area of the DKMMS ranges from Uppala in Kerala just beyond Manjeshwara south of Mangalore to Manur in Kota – a total stretch of 115 kilometres of coastline.
Dakshina Kannada Mogaveera Mahajana Sabha (DKMMS) was established in 1923 with 146 gramsabhas. This association was started on 9 August 1902. It is involved in the socio-economic fabric of the Mogaveera community in Mumbai and runs schools, colleges and banks for the overall development of the community which includes not only its own community members but also other communities as well. Since 1940, the mandali has published a monthly Kannada magazine, Mogaveera, which was the first Kannada monthly to be published outside Karnataka. Mogaveeras are the first organisation in the country to start a free Night High School in 1908.
The Mogaveera Bank was established in 1946 in Mumbai suburban district. It is one of the leading co-operative banks operating in Mumbai, having branches in Borivali and other areas. It is managed by people belonging to Mogaveera community.