Other Spellings / Synonyms : Gaura, Gauravas
Varna : Vaishya
Chief Deity : Gauri - the consort of Lord Shiva
Language : Telegu
Regional Spread : Gavaras are mainly found in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Food Habits : Mostly non-vegetarian
Marriage Preference : Seek matrimonial alliances within their own community.
Related Communities : Vaisyas, Sadshusettis, Balajis and Perikis
According to historians, Gauras or Gavaras is the community who migrated from Bengal during 6th and 7th century. Another theory describes Gavaras as a sub-division among the Vaishyas.
Besides, there are several legends related to the origin of Gavaras. Some of these legends relate them to the Kauravas of Mahabharata. According to one popular legend, when Parikshit became the ruler after the great Mahabharata war, he desired to marry a lady of Kaurava descent. The Kauravas did not accept his proposal and escaped to far away country, Andhra to save their honour as well as their lives. The descendants of these Kauravas gradually called themselves as Gauravas or Gavaras. According to another legend, the daughter of Dussala, named Gauri married Subahu, the son of one of the Kauravas. Their lineage came to be known as Gauras.
Whatever might be the historic value of these legends, it is believed that the Gavaras were one among the many communities that came down to settle in South India from Panchala in the early centuries of the Christian era.
The Gavaras live mostly in the north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Large concentrations of Gavara population can be found in and around Anakapalle in Visakhapatnam district. A few villages in Vizianagaram and East Godavari districts are also inhabited by Gavaras. A large number of Gavara families from these villages migrated to other parts of India mainly as Railway employees and workers in Steel factories. The prominent towns in other states with significant Gavara population are Jamshedpur / Tatanagar (Jharkhand) and Kharagpur (West Bengal). During British rule, Gavaras spread to Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji and South Africa. In more recent decades, educated Gavaras moved into higher jobs in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and abroad. A large number of Gavaras have also migrated to USA in recent times.
A similarly named Gavara Naidu community is prominent in southern Andhra and Tamil Nadu. Although historical evidences shows these two communities are connected, there is very little social interaction between them.