History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c9.24

v1.c9.24

In the Vizagapatam district, a peculiar caste is the Golla, a pastoral caste like the Gauṛās of Northern Orissa. They are said to be descended from Kṛiṣhṇa himself and their social status is fairly high. They are distributed all over the Telugu country and contain many different sub-divisions. They are Vaishṇavas and Śaivas, but eat meat. The Gavaras are cultivators of this district and are seldom to be found anywhere else. They state that they have migrated from Veṅgī. They speak Telugu and are either Vaishṇavas or Śaivas. The Vaishṇavas are burnt and pay special reverence to Purushottama or Jagannātha of Puri. The Śaivas are buried in a sitting posture. The Yātās are toddy-drawers, corresponding to the Pāsis of Bihar and the United Provinces. They are to be found in the districts of Ganjam and Vizagapatam. They are a criminal tribe and speak Telugu. Their headmen are called Kulampedda.