India
Karnataka
Maharashtra
Kerala (Kasaragod taluk) N/A | Middle East
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Qatar N/A | |
The Tulu people, or Tuluva (plural Tuluver), are an ethnolinguistic group native to the Tulu Nadu region of India, presently divided amongst the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and the Kasaragod taluk. They are the native speakers of the Tulu language. There is a sizable emigrant Tuluva population in Mumbai, the Middle East, and in several countries of the English-speaking world.
Contents
People
The majority of Tuluvas are Hindus who are subdivided into various communities namely Billava, Bunts,Mogaveera, Kulala, Devadiga, Gowda, Vishwakarma, Ganiga, Jogi, Shivalli Brahmins, Sthanika Brahmins, Sapalyas, Ghatty, Shettigar, Padmashali and others.Many Tuluvas have settled in Mumbai where they have excelled in various fields from banking to Bollywood.
Culture
Tuluvas follow the Aliyasantana system, where inheritance is from uncle to nephew, except for Tulu Gowda, Brahmins and the Parivara bunt subdivision of bunts. Other distinctive features include the rituals of Bhuta Kola, Nagaradhane and Yakshagana etc. Tuluva New Year is called Bisu parba, which falls on the same day as Baisakhi, Vishu and the Thai New Year.