The Gaumati (Kōmaṭi, Kaūmūti or Kūmaṭi) is a trading community which is currently organized as a caste. They are primarily found in the Central and South Indian states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka. Small communities of Komatis are also present in the neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh. The members of the Komati caste are commonly engaged as moneylenders, businessmen, and shopkeepers. The community consists of many sects who are followers of Hinduism, namely the Gomata (Arya Vysya), the Thrivarnika, and the Kalinga, along with the Jaina Komatis who are followers of Jainism. Traditionally, most Komatis are vegetarian, due to their belief in ahimsa (nonviolence).

The origin of the word "Komati" is uncertain, and there are several speculative theories about it.

The affinity of the word "Komati" to "Gomata" has led to speculation that the word is derived from Gomata (Gomateshwara), the name of a Jain deity. This theory is supported by scholars such as C. Dwarakanath Gupta, and Jaisetty Ramanaiah; B. S. L. Hanumantha Rao also mentions this as the most reasonable of the theories, noting that it is a "derivation of the word from gomata, the great Jaina saint, which implies that they were followers of Gomata cult or were originally Jains". Gupta theorises the Komatis were originally traders from Gauda in Bengal, who adopted Jainism and followed the cult of Gomata. They later gave up Jainism and embraced Vedic Hinduism. Hanumantha Rao noted that the merchant classes preferred Jainism for gaining social status and respectability, and the erstwhile Banias became Gomati or followers of the Gomata cult in medieval times.

An alternative etymology mentioned by Gupta derives the name of the caste from the name of a river. He states that the Komatis are said to have originally lived on the banks of Gomati, a local name for the Godavari River. Yet another theory states that the name of the community is derived from the Telugu phrase konu-ammu-atti ("persons engaged in the exchange of goods"). Colonial ethnographers Edgar Thurston and R. V. Russell derived "Komati" from the Sanskrit term "Gomathi," believed to have the meaning of possessor or keeper of cows or Ko-mati ("to be cow minded"), which references their business acumen. An origin story accepted by many in the community is mentioned in the Kanyaka Purana(the caste-book / book of vaisyas) which states that Shiva gave them the name Go-mati ("cow-minded").

The term "Vaisya" has been used to refer to Komatis. The term "Komati" also has a denotation of "trader in the north of Madras and corresponded to chetty".

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.