Dohara is the profession name, Dohara’s are pariahs who tan and polish leather. Their name came from Dhor, the word for "cattle." Though they have always been tanners, many Dhor people became day labourers when leather and other necessary raw materials were not available. Through course of time, people became aware of education and its importance, which helped them to choose various profession and many succeeded in them.

The majority of Dhor people reside in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh states and other places. Dhor people are Hindus.

Kakkayya belonged to the Dohara caste by birth. Their cast began to be known as Kakkayya’s cast and further Dohara Kakkayya. While in Dohara Kakkayya, Kakkayya was dropped, Dohara was retained and got corrupted to Dhor.

He came from Malwa, in Madhya Pradesh (Central India) and became a prominent Sharana and member of the Anubhava Mantapa of North Karnataka. He worked with Basavanna and his associates in the task of creating a casteless society.

Dhor Kakkayya was a great Prasãdi (sharana) and a warrior. He was influenced by Basavanna’s ideologies who was then the chief minister of the Kingdom. He tells how he overcame the constraints of his lower caste with the help of Sharanas like Basavanna and others. He took Deeksha from Basavanna to “Lingayat” dharma. They fought together for common cause and upliftment of society. The social and religious inequality were the reason for social revolution of 12th century.

Basavanna regarded him as his Boppa, an elder father. Many Sharanas of his time have praised Dhor Kakkayya in their vachana’s. All his vachana have been traced with the signature “Abhinava Mallikarjuna”.

Dhor Kakkayya was closely associated with Chennabasavanna and his mother Akka Nagamma, he was their reliable and confident defender. After the revolution of Kalyana, he went to Ulavi, Karwar District Karnataka, along with Chennabasavanna. It is believed that in the battle between Sharanas and the army of King Bijjala, he sacrificed his life protecting sharanas, near Kakkeri in Belgaum district Karnataka. Today the village is called Kakkeri, where there is a temple with statue of Dhor Kakkayya is worshipped. Every year Dhor community people from all over the country gather in great numbers at this temple during Maha Shivaratri to worship and celebrate festival and also receive Annadana prasada.