Hunters and the Holy Man : A Saga of the Bedagampana Tribe

The Bedagampana community, with its roots tracing back over 600 years, holds a significant historical and cultural legacy. Though originally from Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, today they inhabit regions across Male Mahadeshwara Hills, Kollegala, and Hanur Taluk of Karnataka and Erode district of Tamil Nadu due to migration. The tribe faces many challenges such as poverty, inequality, and marginalisation due to a lack of socio-cultural, educational, and economic infrastructures. The book tells the story of their rich oralities, lifestyle, indigenous knowledge systems, dietary, health, nutrition, and healing practices. Cultural assimilation is very important in the case of the Bedagampana tribe as they are often merged with other communities like ‘Veerashaiva’ and ‘Lingayat’ which are completely different communities, depriving them of Government benefits given to Scheduled Tribes. This book goes through various historical documents and oral chronicles to establish the cultural evolution of the Bedagampana tribe. Besides, the book is based on the central arguments that the Bedagampanas are primarily a hunting tribe, and all their history and lifestyle indicate to assert them as a separate tribal group and the ‘First and the only Vegetarian tribe of India’.