Byre gowda, Mari gowda, Ramaiya, (forefathers) G.R.Nanjundaiah (Guru Zorba’s father)

Guru Zorba’s father was a freedom fighter, politician and a wrestler. His ancestry is believed to be the decedents of the tulva dynasty of the Vijayanagar empire. After the fall of the Vijayanagar empire few decades later Byre Gowda became a playagar (king) later Mari Gowda a playagar (king) of south bangalore and one of the advisors to the maharaja of Mysore and after many decades Ramaiya regained power and became a “patela” (prince) but reneiounsed his position to became a Vishnu devotee.

His ancestors belonging to vokkaliga gowda community (warriors and cultivators) also built the Rashtrakuta empire during the early medival India and the western Gangas kingdom. During the Vijayanagar empire Vokkaligas occupied administrative positions of the empire.