There is epigraphic evidence that the term
Komati was in use by the 11th century CE. The Komati merchants were associated with the town of
Penugonda in the
West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Also the deity in Penugonda temple "
Vasavi Kanyaka Parameshvari" is considered the Goddess of Komati Caste. Inscriptions from the erstwhile
Godavari,
Krishna and
Guntur districts from 11th century refer to the merchants referred to as the "Lords of Penugonda". These merchants identified as Vaiśyas, and a number of them cited non-Brahmanical gōtras in inscriptions. Historians regard this community as a precursor to the modern Komati community. The wealthier sections of the Komatis were addressed as Setti, Chetti or Chettiyar, all derived from the
Sanskrit term
Sreshthi. Their trade associations bore the name
nagaram. They also participated in long-distance trade networks called
pekkandru (literally "the many"). During the times of the
Vijayanagara Empire, they moved to various parts of South India to further their businesses. During the empire's reign, they emerged as prominent merchants in South Indian trade, and sought to be considered as
Vaishyas, the third highest varna in the
Hindu caste system. During this time, the Komati and
Balija competed for Vaisya status, with their conflict organised according to the right and left hand designation. During the pre-colonial period, Komatis migrated "to the
Malayan peninsula". Komatis also immigrated to
Malaysia in the 1930s. After the arrival of European trading companies, the Komati merchants were among the local traders that partnered with them. The British referred to them as "Committys" and often used the term generically for all merchants on the Coromandel coast. Among the "Committys" that the British dealt with were the bulk sellers of cloth and other export commodities, money lenders and money changers, and the individual shop-keepers. The second Chief Merchant of the British
East India Company in
Madras was a Komati called Kasi Viranna, appointed in 1669. There was fierce competition in
George Town between the Tamil-speaking Beeri merchants, who formed the 'left-hand' caste division and the Komati and
Balija merchants, who were referred to as the 'right-hand' caste division Other "right hand" castes included those of washermen, barbers, potters, tank-diggers,
Yenadis (tribals), and outcastes. The competition between the divisions gave rise to riots and disputes in 1652 and 1707. The British were able to settle the disputes between left-hand and right-hand caste divisions amicably by resettling members to designated areas in
George Town which is a small neighbourhood in the city of Chennai.
Niyogi Brahmins and the Maha-nad opposed the attempts of Komatis to designate themselves as Vaishyas. The Maha-nad was a multi-caste secret assembly that was created to exact retribution for breaking the rules and rights of castes. The Maha-nad was led by Niyogi Brahmins,
Chettiars, and
Telagas. Whenever the Komatis attempted to perform orthodox rites (especially the
Upanayana ceremony), the Maha-nad would disrupt the ceremonies. The leaders of the Maha-nad would invade the house of Komatis and disrupt the sacrificial fire, rendering the ceremony useless. The Maha-nad would hire throngs of untouchables to attack the houses of Komatis and vandalise them with cattle bones,
blood,
human feces, and cattle feces mixed with water. The
Vaidiki Brahmins who served as family priests for the Komatis were, unlike their Niyogi Brahmin counterparts, unconcerned with the idea that Komatis were infringing the boundaries between lower once-born and upper
twice born castes. From 1784–1825, the majority of Komatis conducted the Upanayana ceremonies according to the Kanyaki Purana, a late medieval Telugu text sacred to the Komatis. These Upanayana ceremonies were completely in
Telugu and conducted right before a Komati man's marriage, however a few wealthier Komati families were able to afford the orthodox
Sanskrit Upanayana for younger bachelor men. The orthodox Sanskrit version allowed Komatis to perform further orthodox rites, and Vaidiki Brahmins were fine in officiating them. By 1825, the two versions had mixed into a part-Telugu, part-Sanskrit ceremony. By the 1830s, the Komatis began to phase out their native Telugu Komati elements of their rituals. Lengthy legal battles ensued between the Vaidiki and Niyogi Brahmins on whether the Komatis were allowed to perform orthodox Vaishya rites. The Vaidikis argued that there was nothing in the
Vedas that prohibited the Komatis from performing their own Telugu versions of the Upanayana. They stated that since it was a well known fact that Komatis called themselves Vaishyas and their men wore the sacred thread, there was no reason prohibiting them from moving on to the orthodox Sanskrit versions of the Upanayana ceremony. The Niyogis argued that while they did indeed call themselves Vaishyas, they could not be real Vaishyas due to
Hindu chronology. According to Hindu chronology, Vaishyas had become extinct in
Kali Yuga, the final time period in Hindu cosmology. Additionally, the Niyogis stated that the Komatis performed the Upanayana incorrectly due to the fact that the majority of them had it performed right before an man's marriage, rather than at age 24 which the orthodox texts state a Vaishya bachelor should have the ceremony conducted. They argued that since the Komatis could not be real Vaishyas and performed the Upanayana incorrectly, they had renounced their right to do so and that there was nothing they could do to atone for it. Legal battles ensued for decades, with British officials being unable to resolve the conflict and agitation between Komatis and Niyogis. Komatis were involved with modernizing the commercial activity in Madras. By the 20th century, the Komatis had begun calling themselves according to the orthodox rishi gotras, rather than their native 102 gotras, which were inappropriate in accordance with the rules for Vaishya gotras. Over the 19th century, many Komatis became wealthy and in the 1901 census, were the only Telugu caste to be ranked as Vaishya. Spurred by this recognition, in 1905, prominent Komatis formed the Southern India Vysya Association, and in the 1921 census, tens of thousands of Komatis were recorded as Vaishyas. ==Practices==