135. Arianna lineage

One of the Tulu lineages (bari) especially common among Bunts-Nadavas is known as ‘Arianna’. This lineage is somehow not reported among other Tulu communities. The lineage name is derived from the immigrant 'Ariya' people who settled here and later assimilated with Tulu farmers in the historical antiquity.The word ‘Ariya’ is a Pali equivalent of the word ‘Arya’. The word ‘Arya’ or ‘Ariya’ represents noble, aristocratic. ‘Ariya puggala’ in Buddhist Pali texts referred to noble person.

Arya
Northern India was popularly known as Aryavarta. The words Iran and Arya are related.The immigrants from ancient Iran (ca.2000 BC)consisted of sages who composed Vedas as well as cattle breeders and farmers. Their subsequent Indian progeny were also apparently referred to as 'Aryans' in Sanskrit and ‘Ariya’s in Pali.
Similarly, as pointed out by Sediyapu Krishna Bhat, the root word ‘Ar-’ represented the agriculture, as we see in ‘arable’ land. Therefore, Aryans as a tribe were also agriculturists. It is said that one set of twelve or so Aryan sages dedicated themselves to composing Vedic hymns. Others may have adapted to agriculture and cattle breeding. With the passage of time ‘Ariya’ meant noble, as agricultural marketing became a rich profession. The ‘Ariya’ represented aristocratic or merchant class of people. The word ‘Shresta’ (=superior) was alternate word to Ariya, the noble, rich merchant. The words ‘Shresta’ and ‘Shresti’ with time became ‘Shetty’ or ‘Setty’ in different southern regions.

Ariya
Ariya were a group of people or tribes that traveled from northern parts of India and settled in different parts of southern peninsular India. They had a distinctive language known as Ariya. Roger Blench notes ‘Aariya’ as one of the unclassified languages as per ethnologue data.

Arey, Aryapu, Ariadka
ShamBaa Joshi in his Kannada works refers to ‘Ariya’ tribes that were prevalent in Maharastra region. Many village names in Maharastra (like Arey Milk colony, Mumbai) and Karnataka that contain ‘Are-‘ prefix provide evidences of the settlements of Ariya tribes. Ariya were rulers in parts of Tamilnadu as described in early Buddhist literature. ‘Ariyalur’ town and region in Tamilnadu stands testimonial of the ancient settlements of Ariya people.

In Karavali ancient Ariya habitations have survived in the form of village names Aryapu (near Puttur), Ariadka and Aruva etc places possibly represents such settlements.

Ari
Paleo-botanical studies have shown that paddy/rice was introduced in southern India as late as 800BC, even though agricultural crops like grams and millets were grown as early as 2500-3000BC. This observation has led to the inference that rice was introduced by immigrants after 800 BC. These immigrants could have been the Ariya tribes, and the Tulu word ‘Ari’ and Dravidian word ’Arishi’ (later became Akki in Kannada) for rice and seeds could have been derived from the name of the people who introduced them namely, the Ariya people.

Reference
Sediyapu Krishna Bhat (2008) ‘Shabdartha Shodha.’ (Kannada). Compiled by Govinda Pai Research Centre, Udupi,. 362 p.
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