Bunt (community)

Bunt (/ˈbʌnt/, previously spelled Bant and also known as Nadava) is a community from Tulu Nadu, Karnataka, India. They are traditionally found in the coastal and Kodagu districts of Karnataka and Kasaragod district of Kerala. The Bunts are described as being the landed gentry and military class of the cultural region known as Tulu Nadu. Majority of Bunts traditionally followed the Hindu religion with a minority being Jain. The Bunts are also noted for following a matrilineal system of inheritance called Aliya Santana

Etymology

The word Bunt means powerful man or warrior in the Tulu language. The word Nadava is a synonym for the Bunts used in the northern region of the erstwhile South Canara district. Krishna Iyer mentions that the Canarese (Kannada) speaking Bunts are called Nadava or Nad Bunts

History

According to S. D. L. Alagodi, the Bunts "... originally belonged to the warrior class. Being the martial race of Tulu Nadu, they served the ruling chiefs which brought them considerable benefits and allowed them to become the landowners and nobles of the region."