BOYAR FURIOUS AT FIGHT BEDARS Berads, Bedars, Bedas, or Beds are principally found in Belgaum, Bijapur, Dharwar, and Southern Maratha Country and also in all districts and States in Deccan and Konkan. In Belgaum district, they are found mostly in Pachhapur about twenty miles North of Belgaum and in the surrounding villages. They are also found near Sutgati on the Belgaum - Poona road in the hills bordring the Ghatprabha. In Bijapur they are found over the whole district, but are especially common in Badami in South. They are found in all parts of Dharwar district. The term Bed ( Beda = Bedaru = Bedara ) seems to mean hunter, from Bete, hunting. The Marathas know the tribe as Berads and the Musalmanas as Bedars. The members of the tribe themselves prefer to be called Naikmakkalu, which means chief's children.They are also often called Naikwadis, presumably because they hold the office of Naikwadis ( village police in many villages. Another synonym is Talwar, which means a village watchman, many of the tribe being hereditary village watchmen. They also call themselves valmikas after the author of the Ramayan, whom they claim as a caste fellow. They also sometimes call themselves as Ramoshis, which suggests some connection with the great Deccan tribe of that name Ramoshi. It seems probable, indeed, that the Ramoshis and Berads have a common origin and have become separate by the barriers of residence and language. The connection must have been close when a dravidian tongue was spoken in the Deccan. They follow the similar occupations, they both style themselves Naiks and Valmikas and a common division of Halge is found in both. The tribe is also largely represented in Madras, Mysore and Hyderabad. Some have penetrated as far North as Berar (Nagpur region). The Telugu Boyas and Tamil Vedans appear, like the Ramoshis, to be allied to this tribe. The Boyas are hunters by profession. They call themselves Valmikas and Dora biddas ( Children of chiefs ) like the berads and say they are descended from the sage Valmiki and from the poligars. The vedans in Madras are a Tamil speaking, hunting and a labouring caste, the members of which were formerly soldiers and subsequently forced by British to become dacoits. They claim descent from Kannayya Nayanar ( Bhakta Kannappa ) like the Bombay Berads who consider Kannayya to be the founder of their tribe. According to tradition current among the berads of Bombay this Kannayya was a fowler and hunter, a devoute worshipper of Shiva. Kannappa Nayanar was a Telugu Vetar from Srikalahasti region near Tirupati. In Telugu language, Veta means hunting. Veta => Vetar => Betar => Bedar = BeradBedar => Bedara => Bedaru => Beda => BedVeta => Vetan => Vedan => Bedan =Beda => BedVeta => Vettuva According Buchanan the Kadambas of Banavasi were Bedars. He notices that in East Mysore the Bedars were strongly Telugu and that near Verul on the crest of Eastern Ghats the Telugu language was called Bedari. He notices that in South Kanara the Bedars were a savage race who are cats, and with great propriety and were called murders ( hired killers ). History relates that after the fall of Vijayanagar empire the bedars plundered the town for many days. Rayadurg was originally a stronghold of 'Bedars' ('Boya Palegars') who were very turbulent during the Vijayanagar rule.Wilks makes the Boyas and Bedars the same. He describes them as wonderafully enduring and by their admirable staunchness to their chief's winning the admiration of Hyder Ali, who turned them into musalmans and formed batalloins of the Bedar Boyas or Chelas. Mr. Rice calls them Bedars or Nayakas and also Kiratakas, Barkas and Kannaiyas. Some are Karnatas and others Telingas. Most Mysore poligars or petty chiefs were Bedars. Medows Taylor, in the "Story of My Life", the Bedars as ruling tribe in State of Sholapur in the Nizams territory. Under the Peshwas the village of Chikkadine, about twelve miles North of Belgaum, was the center of a small Berade State. At the time of the British conquest of the country in 1817 they had a strong organization under a Naik chief. In the early years of British rule they caused some trouble, but were reduced to order 1820. They were still very unwilling to settle to regular work, and preferred to sub-let their land even at a small rent rather than be put to the troble of farming it. In 1829 there was a great Bedar outbreak under a famous leader named Rayappa of Sangoli, who was Kuruba by caste. The Berads are an aboriginal tribe of the Kanarase districts. Although they have adopted many customs and usages from castes of a different social standing, the fact that a large number of them still feed on beef is evidence of their primitive origin. Their dark complexion, flat noses and frizzeled hair are also proof of their Non Aryan origin. Brave Bedars fighting with Mughals at Wagengera : The Wagengera fort is situated on top of two hillocks and surrounded by rocky patches. The Bedar kings shifted here after losing their fort at Sagar, now in Shahpur taluk, to the Mughals in 1667. From the day they shifted to Wagengera fort, the Bedars were a thorn in the flesh of the Mughals. Although a well-trained army like the Mughals could have breached the fort