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Transcript of Castes & Tribes of Southern India - Volume 5 (Marakkayar-Palle)
CASTES AND TRIBESq/
SOUTHERN INDIAf^K^k^^^am^i:
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THURSTON
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Digitized by the Internet Archivein
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http://www.archive.org/details/castestribesofso05thuruoft
CASTES AND TRIBESOF
SOUTHERN INDIA
CASTES AND TRIBESOF
SOUTHERN INDIABY
EDGAR THURSTON,Superintendent, Madras Government
c.i.e.,
Museum;
;
Correspondant Etranger,
Soci6t6 d'Anthropologie de ParisSocieta
Socio Corrispondante,
Romana
di
Anthropologia.
ASSISTED BY
K.
RANGACHARI,of the
m.a..
Madras Government Museum.
VOLUME V M
TO P
GOVERNMENT
PRESS,
MADRAS
1909.
U h OV.
^
3
RA1 ? 1966
L
NOV
!??/rv OF 1055:^
113S748
CASTES
AND
TRIBESINDIA.V.
OF SOUTHERN
VOLUME
^ARAKK Avar. TheY^iI
Marakkayars are described, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as "a Tamil-speaking Musalman tribe of
mixed Hindu and Musalman origin, the people of which are usually traders. They seem to be distinctfrom the Labbaisstatistics{g'.z'.)
in
several respects,
but the
of the two have
apparently been confused,
as the
they should be."
numbers of the Marakkayars are smaller than Concerning the Marakkayars of thedistrict,
South Arcot"
Mr. Francis writes as follows.*
The Marakkayars
are largely big traders with other
countries such as Ceylon and the Straits Settlements,
and own most of the native coasting craft. They are particularly numerous in Porto Novo. The word Marakkayaris
usually derived from the Arabic markab, a boat.
The
story goes that,
when
the
first
immigrants of
this
were driven from their own country by persecutions) landed on the Indian shore, they were naturally asked who they were, and whencethey came.In answer they pointed to their boats, and
class (who, like the Labbais,
pronounced the word markab, andconsequence knownto
they
became
in
the Hindus as Marakkayars, or
* Gazetteer of the South Arcot
district.
MARAKKAYARthe people of markab.
2
The Musalmans
of pure descent
hold themselves to be socially superior to the Marakkayars, and the Marakkayars consider themselves better
than the Labbais.
There is, of course, no religious bar to intermarriages between these different sub-divisions, but such unions are rare, and are usually only broughtoffer of
about by the
strong financial inducements to the
socially superior party.
Generally speaking, the pure-
bred Musalmans
differ
from those of mixed descent bytheir
dressing themselves
and
women
in
theat
strict
Musalman fashion, and by speaking Hindustani among themselves. Some of the Marakkayarsof
home are now
following their example in both these matters, but most
high hat of plaited coloured grass and (kambayam) waist-cloth. The Labbais also very generally wear these, and so are not always readily distinguishable from the Marakkayars, but some of them use the Hindu turban and waist-cloth, and let their womankind dress almost exactly like Hindu women. In the same way^ some Labbais insist on the use ofaffect the
them
the tartan
Hindustani
in their houses, while others
speak Tamil.
There seemsof
to
be a growing dislike to the introductiondomestic ceremonies, and the proces-
Hindu
rites into
sions and music, which were once
common
at marriages,in
are slowly giving place to a simpler ritual
more
resem-
blance with the nikka ceremony of the
Musalman faith." Of 13,712 inhabitants of Porto Novo returned at the census, 1901, as many as 3,805 were Muhammadans. " The ordinary vernacular name of the town is Farangipettai or European town, but the Musalmans call it Muhammad Bandar (Port). The interest of the majorityof the
inhabitants centres
in
matters
connected withtheir living
the sea.either as
A
large proportion ofof,
them earn
owners
or sailors
in,
the boats which ply
3
MARAKKAYAR
between the place and Ceylon and other parts, and it is significant that the most popular of the unusually large
numberis
of
Musalman
saints
who
are buried in the town
one Malumiyar, who was apparently in his lifetime a His fame as a sailor has been notable sea-captain.magnified into the miraculous, andit
is
declared thatto
he owned ten or a dozen
ships,
and used
appearhas
in
commandthose
of
all
of them simultaneously.of being able to deliverto the sea in ships,
Heand
now
the reputation
from dangersailors
who go down
setting out
on a voyage or returning from onean offeringin
in safety
usually put
the
little
box keptin
at his
darga, and these
sums are expendedand whitewashed.is
keeping that
building
lighted
Another curious
darga
in the
town
that of Araikasu Nachiyar, or the
one pie
lady.
Offerings to her must on no account be(-jJ-^
worth more than one piesmall an
of a rupee)effect.
;
tributes in
excess of that value are of no
If
sugar for so
amount cannot be procured, the devotee spends the money on chunam (lime) for her tomb, and this isconsequently covered with a superabundance of whitewash.Stories are told of the
way
in
which the valuablefailed to obtain her
offerings of richfavour,
men have altogether
and have had to be replaced by others of the
regulation diminutive dimensions.well kept.
The
chief
mosque
is
Behind
it
are two tombs, which stand at anparallel as
odd angle with one another, instead of beingusual.
The legend goes
was a great saint called even more devout disciple called Saiyad Shah. The latter died and was duly buried, and not long after the saint died also. The disciple had always asked to be buried at the feet of his master, and so the grave of this latter was so placed that his feet were opposite the headV-I B
upon a time there Hafiz Mir Sahib, who had anthat once
marakkAyarof his late pupil.pupil was
4Buthisspirit
recognised that the
really greater than the master,
and when menhisfeet
camesaint
later to
see the two graves they found that the
had turned his tomb round so that
no
longer pointed with such lack of respect towards the head of his disciple." *In
the Madras Census Report, 1901, the Jonagans
are separated from the Marakkayars, and are described as
And, Mr. Francis says that in the Gazetteer of South Arcot, "the term Jonagan or Sonagan, meaning a native oftraders of partly
Musalman
Hindu parentage.
Sonagan^or Arabia,
is
applied by Hindus to both Labbaisis
and Marakkayars, but it tuous flavour about it."but
usually held to have a contemp-
There
is
some
little
confusion
concerning the exact application of the name Jonagan,I
gather that
it
is
applied to sea-fishermen and
boatmen, while the more prosperous traders are calledMarakkayars.to differ
A
point, in
which the Labbais are saidis
from the Marakkayars,
that the former are
Hanafis, and the latter Shafis.
The Marakkayarsvarious
are said to admit converts from
Hindu
classes,
who
are called Pulukkais, andfor
may
not
intermarry with the Marakkayars
several
generations, or until they have
become prosperous.rites,
In one form of the marriage
the ceremonial
extends over
four
days.
The most important
itemsin
on the
first
day are fixing the mehr (bride-price)rite
the
presence of the vakils (representatives), and the per-
formance of the nikka
by the Kazi.
The nikka
and the hands of the contracting couple are united by male elders, the bride standing within a screen. During the reading of the kudbha, a sister ofis
kudbha
read,
* Gazetteer of the South Arcot
district.
5
mAran or MARAYANpresent set up a roar,sit
the bridegroom ties a string of black beads round thebride's
neck.
All the
women
called kulavi-idal.
On
the following day, the coupleties
among women, and the bridegroomon thebride's
a goldenfourth
tali
neck.
Onis
the third
or
day a
ceremony
called paparakkolam, or
performed.
The
bride
Brahman disguise, is dressed like a Brahman woman,
and holds a brass vessel in one hand, and a stick in the Approaching the bridegroom, she strikes him other.gently,
and says
"for
Did notthem."in
I
give you buttermilk and
curds
?
Pay me
The bridegroom
then places
a few tamarind seedsobjects to this, and
the brass vessel, but the bride
demands money, accompanying the
demand withretires in
strokes of the stick.
The man then
places
copper, silver, and gold coins in the vessel, and the bride
triumph to her chamber.in
Like the Labbais, the Marakkayars write TamilTamil,
Arabic characters, and speak a language called Arabin
which the Kuran and other books have been[See Labbai.)(sand).
published.
Maralu
Maranup,"in
or
Marayan.
A gotra of Kurni. The Malayans
are
summed
Madras Census Report, 1901, as being temple servants and drummers in Malabar. Like many of the Malabar castes, they must have come fromthethe east coast, as their
name
frequently occurs in the
Tanjore inscriptions of 10 13 A.D. They followed then the same occupation as that by which they live to-day,
and appearIn parts of"
to
have held a tolerably highofthis
social position.
North Malabar"
they are called Oc'chan."caste,"
The developmentwrites,*is
Mr.
H.
A.the
Stuart
interesting.
In
Chirakkal,
*
Madras Census Report,
1891.
MArAN or MArAYAN6district,
northernmost taluk of the Malabar
and
in
the
adjoining Kasargod taluk of South Canara, Marayansare barbers, serving Nayars and higher castes;
in the
Kottayam and Kurumbranaddrummers, and alsothey are
taluks they are barbers and
officiate as purohits (priests) at the
funeral ceremonies of Nayars.
In the latter capacity
known
in
those parts also as Attikurissi Marayan.
Going
still
further south,
we
find
the
called simply Attikurissi, omitting the
Nayar purohit Marayan, andNeverthe-
he considersless,
it
beneath his dignity to shave.
he betrays his kinship with the Marayan of thefirst
north by the privilege which he claims of cutting thehair
when
a Nayar
is
shaved
after funeral
obsequies.
On
the other hand, the drummer,
who
is
called
Marayan,
and would be insulted if it were said that he was akin to the shaving Marayan of the north. He is considered next in rank only to Brahmans, and would be polluted by the He loses caste by eating the food of touch of Nayars. Nayars also lose caste by eating his food. Nayars, but theor honorifically Marar, poses as a temple servant,
A
proverb says that a Marayan has four privileges1.
:
Pani, or drum, beaten with the hand.
2.
Koni, or
bier,
i.e.^
the making of the bier.
3.4.
Natumittam, or shaving.Tirumittam, or sweeping the temple courts.
North Malabar a Marayan performs all the above duties even now. In the south there appears to have been a division of labour, and there a Marayan is in these days" In
only a
drummer and temple
servant.
Funeral
rites are
conducted by an Attikurissi Marayan, otherwise knownas simply Attikurissi, and shavingis
the duty of thefor
Velakattalavan.
This appears to have been the caseI
many
generations, but
have not attempted
to distinall
guish between the two sections, and have classed
as
7barbers.
mArAn or MARAYAN
Moreover,and,
it is
only in parts of South Malabar
that the caste has entirely given
up the profession of
barber
;
curiously enough, these are the localitiesis
where Nambudiri influenceas
supreme.
The Marayanstitle
there appear to have confined themselves to officiating
drummers
in temples,;
and
to
have obtained theIn
of Ambalavasi
and, in course of time, they were even
honoured with sambandham of Nambudiris.places an attempt
some
is made to draw a distinction between Marayan and Marayar, the former denoting the barber, and the latter, which is merely the honorific plural, the temple servant. There can, however, be little doubt that this is merely an ex post facto argument in support of the alleged superiority of those Marayans who have abandoned the barber's brush. It may be here noted
that
it is
common
to find barbers acting as musicians
throughout the Madras Presidency, and that there areseveral other castes in Malabar, such as the Tiyyans,
Mukkuvans,
etc.,
who employ
barbers as purohits at
their funeral ceremonies."
In the Cochin Census Report, 1901, Mr.
M. Sankara
Menon
writes that the Marars are " Sudras, and, properly
speaking, they ought to be classed along with Nayars.
Owing, however,vices in temples,
to their close
connection
with
ser-
and the absence ofNayars,they
free interdining or
intermarriage with
are
classed
along
with Ambalavasis.
Theyalso
are drummers, musicians, and
storekeepers in temples.sections
Like Tiyattu Nambiyars, some
among themknown
draw
figures of the goddess in
Bhagavati temples, and chant songs.they are alsoas
In
some placessub-castes
Kuruppus.
Someif
among them doNayars.In
not dine, or intermarry.
As they havethey touch
generally to serve in temples, they bathethe
matter
of
marriage (tali-kettu and
marAn or marAyan
8pollution, etc., they
sambandham), inheritance, period of
follow customs exactly like those of Nayars.
Inin
thethe
southern taluks Elayads officiate as purohits, but,
northern taluks, their
own castemen
take the part of the
Elayads
in
their
sradha ceremonies.
Thein
tali-kettu
is
likewise performed by Tirumalpadstaluks, but
the
southernin
by their own castemen, called Enangan,withtheir
the northern taluks.
Their castemen or Brahmans unite
themselves
women
in
sambandham.
As
among Nayars,etc.,
purificatory ceremonies after funerals,
are performed
by Checthiyans or Nayar
priests."
For the following detailed note on the Marans of
Travancore
I
am
indebted to Mr. N. Subramani Iyer.has nothing to do withis
The name MaranTamil root mar,
maranam
or
death, as has been supposed, butto beat.
derived from the
In the Tanjore inscriptions of
Coromandel coast appears to have been known by this name. The Marans correspond to the Occhans of the Tamil country, and a class of Marans in North Malabar are sometimes calledthe eleventh century, the caste on the
by
this designation.
In the old revenue records of theto
Travancore
State,
Mangalyam appears
be the term
made use of. The two well-known titles of the caste are Kuruppu and Panikkar, both conveying the idea of In a person who has some allotted work to perform. modern days, English-educated men appear to havegiven these up forPillai,
the titular affix added to the
name of the Sudra population generally. Marans may be divided into two main divisions, viz., Marans who called themselves Marars in North Travancore, and who now hesitate to assist other castes in the performance of their funeral rites and Marans who do;
not convert their caste designationplural,
into
an honorific
and
act as priests for other castes.
This distinction
9is
MArAN or MArAYANto
most clearly marked
in
North Travancore, while
the south of Alleppey the boundary line
may be
said to
remain only dim.
In this part of the country, therefore,is
a fourfold division of the caste
the one best
known
to
the people, namely Orunul, Irunul, Cheppat, and Kulanji.
The Orunulsamong themdeath.
look upon themselves as higher than the
Irunuls, basing their superiority
on the custom obtaining
of marrying only once in their lifetime,first
and
contracting no second alliance after theLiving,
husband's
however, with a Brahman, or one of
a distinctly higher caste, is tolerated
among them
in the
event of that calamity.string,
The word Orunul means oneof
andthe
signifies
the absence
widow marriage.tali-tier is
Among
Irunuls
(two strings) the
not
necessarily the husband, nor is a second husband forbidden after the death of the first. Cheppat and Kulanji
were once mere
local varieties, but
have now becomeof the four sections,rapidity
separate sub-divisions.
The malesinterdine.in
but not the females,castes sub-divide
With what
and ramify
Travancore may be seen
from the
fact of
the existence of a local variety of
Ma-
rans called Muttal, meaning substitute or
emergency
employee,
in
the Kalkulam taluk,
who
are believed to
represent an elevation from a lower to a higher class of
Marans,
rendered
necessary by a temple
exigency.
The Maransare entitled
are alsoto
known
as Asupanis, as they alone
sound the two characteristic musical
instruments, of In
Malabar temples,
called asu
and
pani.
the south they are called Chitikans, a corruption
of the Sanskrit chaitika, meaning one whose occupationrelates to the funeral pile,(asthi,in
and
in the north Asthikkurichis
a bone), as they help the relations of the dead the bonesafter
the collection of
cremation.
The
Marans
are, further, in
some places known
as Potuvans,
mArAn or mArAyan
to
as their services are engaged at the funerals ofcastes.
many
Before the days of Sankaracharya, the sole occupationof the
Marans
is
said to
have been beatino- the drum
in
Brahmanical temples.
Whenis
Sankaracharya was refused
assistance in the cremation of his dead mother by the
Nambutiri Brahmans, he
believed to have sought in
despair the help of one of these temple servants, with
whosethe
aid the corpsein
deposited
the
pit.
was divided into eight parts, and For undertaking this duty, which
Nambutiris repudiated from a sense of offended
religious feeling, the particular
Maran was thrown outrest of the caste,
of his caste by the general community, and a compromise
had
to
be effected by the sage with thein
who
returned
a body on the day of purification along
with the excommunicated man, and helped Sankaracharyato bring to a close his mother's death ceremonies.
In
recognition of this timely help, Sankara
is
believed to
have declared the Maran to be an indispensable functionary at the death ceremonies of Nambutiris and
Ambalavasis.
It
has even been suggested that the
original form of(to
chop
off),
in
Maran was Muran, derived from mur reference to the manner in which theof.is
remains of Sankara's mother were disposed
Thements
traditional occupation of the
Maransare
sounding
or playing on the panchavadya or five musical instru-
used
in
temples.
Thesein
the
sankh or
conch-shell,
timila,is
chendu,
kaimani,
and maddalam.
Theis
conch, which
necessary
every Hindu temple,
loudly sounded
in
the early morning, primarily to
wake
the deity, and secondarily to rouse the villagers.
Again,
when
the
temple service commences, and when theis
nivedya or offering
carried, the
music of the conch
is
heard from the northern side of the temple.
On
this
II
mArAn or mArAyanTheasu and pani
account,
many Marans
call
themselves Vadakkupurattu,
or belonging to the northern side.
are sounded by the
highest dignitariesis
among them.
The
beating of the pani
the accompaniment of expiatory
offerings to the Saptamata, or seven
mothers of HinduOfferings
religious
writings,
viz.,
Brahmi, Mahesvari, Kaumari,
Vaishnavi, A^arahi, Indrani, andare
Chamunda.
made
to these divinein
mothers
during the daily sribali
procession, and
important temples also during the
sribhutabali hours,at
and on the occasion of the utsavabali There are certain the annual utsava of the temple.
well-established rules prescribing the
hymns
to be recited,
and the musicrulespriest
to
be played.
So
religiously
have thesecarries
to be observed
during the utsavabali, that the
who makesall
the offering, the Variyar
who
the light before him and the
Marans who perform the
music
and to dress themselves in orthodox Brahmanical fashion, with the uttariya or upper garment worn in the manner of the sacred thread. It is sincerely believed that the smallest violation of the rules would behave tofast,
visited with dire
consequences to the delinquents before
the next utsava ceremony.
In connection with the musical instrument calledthe timila, the following legendtimila in the Sriis
current.
There was aof kuruntotti,
and there
Padmanabha temple made was a Maran attached to the
temple,
who
was such an expert musician that the priest was unableto adjust his
hymnin
recitation to the
music of the Maran's
drum, and waswrath.It
consequence the recipient of the divineto get a
was contrived
officiate as priest, and, as he could not recite the in
Brahman youth to hymnsto a height
consonance with the sounds produced by the drum, aspirit lifted
hungry
him up from the ground
of ten feet.
The
father of the youth, hearing
what had
MARAN or MARAYANfingers, the blood of
12
occurred, hastened to the temple, and cut one of his
which he offered
to the spirit.
The
boy was then set free, and the old man, who was more than a match for the Maran, began to recite the hymns. The spirits, raising the Maran on high, sucked away hisblood, and vanished.this
The
particular timila
has since
event never been used by any Maran.higher classes of Marans claim six privileges,
The
called pano, koni,
tirumuttam, natumuttam, velichchor,literally
and puchchor.to
Koni means
a ladder, and refers
the stretcher,
made
of
bamboo and kusa
grass or
straw, onlaid.
which the corpses of high caste Hindus are Tirumuttam is sweeping the temple courtyard,courtyard of a Nambutiri's house, where oblations
and natumuttam the erection of a small pandal (booth)in the
are offered to the departed spirit on the tenth day afterdeath.
Velichchor,
or sacrificial
rice,
is
the right to
retain the remains of the food offered to the manes,
andthe
puchchor the offering madeceremony.
to the
deity,
on
whom
priest throws a few flowers as part of the
consecration
Aover
large portion of the time of aall
Maran
is
spent
within the temple, andit.
through the night some watch
Many
functions are attended to by
them
in the
houses of Nambutiris.
Not only
at the
tonsure ceremony,
and samavartana or closing of the Brahmacharya stage, but also on the occasion of sacrificial rites, the Maranacts as the barber.
At the
funeral ceremony, the pretil
paration of the last bed, and handing theseeds, have to be
{Sesamtim)
done by him.
The Chitikkans perform
only the functions of shaving and attendance at funerals,and, though they
may
beat drums in temples, they are
not privileged to touch the asu and pani.thereis
a class of potters called
At Vechur Kusa Maran, who should
13
marasAri
be distinguished from the Marans proper, with they have absolutely nothing in common.
whom
Manytype,
families of the higher division of the
Marans
regard themselves as Ambalavasis, though of the lowest
and abstain from
flesh
anda
liquor.
Some Maransvice,
are
engaged
in the practice of sorcery,
while others are
agriculturists.
Drinking
is
common
sanctionedit
by popular opinion owing to the notion thatfor
is
good
persons with overworked lungs.In their ceremonies the Marans resemble the Nayars,
as they do also in their caste
government and religiousorfirst
worship.
The annaprasana,is
food-giving cere-
mony,
is
the only important one before marriage, and
the child
taken to the temple, where
it
partakes of the
consecrated food.ally
The Nayars, onat
the contrary, generPurification
perform the ceremonyis
home.
by aInto
Brahmanpollution,
necessary to release theis
Maran from death
whichin
not the case with the Nayars.rate, the
Travancore, at any
Nayars are considered
be higher
the social scale than the Marans.
In connection with asu and pani, which have beenreferred to in this note,I
gather
that, in
Malabar, the
instruments called
maramif
(wood), timila, shanku, chen-
gulam, and chenda,kottugu, or playing
played together, constitute pani
pani.
Asu and maramwhichis
are thein
namesble, are
of an
instrument,
includedthisis
pani
kottugu.
Among the
occasions
when
indispensa-
the dedication of the idol at a newly built temple,
the udsavam
puram and
Sriveli festivals,
and the carryingon which a
of the tadambu,
or shield-like structure,is
miniature idol (vigraham)
borne outside the temple.
Marasari. Marasaridivision of
or
Marapanikkan, meaningis
carpenter or worker in wood,
an occupational sub-
Malayalam Kammalas.
marAthaMaratha. Mariithasof thelatest
14
are
found
in
every
district
Madras Presidency, but are, according to the census returns, most numerous in the following:
districts
South Canara
....
...
...
..
31,3517,3147,1566,311
SalemTaj-ijore
.
.
.
....
....
..
..
..
BellaiyItis
recorded, in theIvlarathi
Madras Census Report,
1891,
that
"the term
denotes the various Marathito the south either as
non- Brahman castes,soldiers or
who came
camp
followers in the armies of the Marathiin
invaderscasteis
;
but in South Canara,it
which
district the
most numerous,
appears to be the same as
Are, a class of Marathi cultivators.of 65,961, asas both caste
Of the
total
numberof sub-
many
as 40,871
have returned Marathi
and sub-division.by therestis
The numbernocastes.
divisions returned
less than 305, of
which the majority are the names of otherhave evidently been used
Somesense.
of these castes are purely Dravidian, and the namesin their occupational
For example, we have Bogam, Gandla, Mangala, etc." Mr. H. A. Stuart writes further, in the South Canara Manual, that " Marathi, as a caste name, is somewhat open to confusion, and it is probable that many people of various castes, who speak Marathi, are shown asbeine of that caste.
The
true Marathi casteis
is
said to
have come from Goa, and that placedivided into twelve
the head-quarters.
balls, which The caste is Caste disputes are settled are exogamous sub-divisions. by headmen called Hontagaru, and allegiance is paid to The favourite deity the head of the Sringeri math.
wargs or
is
the goddess Mahadevi,
Brahmans, usually Karadis,Marriageis
officiate at their
ceremonies.
both infant
15,
marAtha
and
adult.
Bant).
The dhare form of marriage is used {see Widows may remarry, but they cannot marry
again into the family of the deceased husband
a rulesome
whichparts,
is
just the reverse of the
Levirate.
In
however, the remarriage of widows is prohibited. husband or a wife can divorce each other at will, and A Marathis are either both parties may marry again.farmers, labourers, or hunters.
They
eat fish
and
flesh
(except that of cattle and animals generally regarded asunclean) and they use alcoholic liquors.either the ordinary Marathi or theit."
They speakdialect of
Konkanicall
The Marathis
of South Canara
themselves Are
and Are Kshatri. In the North Arcot Manual, Mr. Stuart records that the term Marathi is " usually applied to the various
Maratha Sudracaste affixtois
castes,
which have come south.It is
Their
always Rao.
impossible to discover
what particular Sudra division each belongs, for they do not seem to know, and take advantage of being awayfrom their own country to assert that they are Kshatriyas a claim which is ridiculed by other castes. In
marriage they are particular to take a bride only fromwithin the circle of theirof the oriorinal castesis
own
family, so that
an admixture
is
thus avoided.
Their laneuaeeare tailors.*
Marathi, but they speak Telugu or Tamil as well,in
and engageOthers
many
professions.
Many
enlist in
the army, in the police, or as peons
(orderlies or messengers),
and some take
to agriculture
or trading."
Of
the history of Marathas in those districts in whichwill
they are most prevalent, an account
be found
in
the
Manuals and Gazetteers.
The Rangaris
are
Maratha dyers and
tailors.
MARATHAThedied inthatlast
l6
Maratha King of Tanjore, Maharaja Sivaji, It is noted by Mr. M. J. Walhouse * 1855.stately
"an eye-witness has recorded the
and
solemn spectacle of his funeral, when, magnificently arranged, and loaded with the costliest jewels, his body,placed in an ivory palanquin, was borne by night throughthe torchlit streets of his royal city amid the wail ofvast multitudes lamenting the last of their ruling race.
The
nearest descendant, a boy of twelve, was carried
thrice round the pile,
and
at the last circuit a pot of water
was dashed to pieces on the ground.lit
The boy
then
the
pile,
and loud long-sustained lament of a nation
filled
the air as the flames rose."
Upon
the death of
Sivaji, the
Raj became, under the decision of the Courtextinct.
of Directors,
His private estate was placedtheCollectorof
under theInaddition
chargeto
of
the
district.
three
wives
whom
he
had already
married, Sivaji, three years before his death, married ina body seventeen girls.
In 1907, three of the RanisItis
were
still
living
in
the palace at Tanjore.that,
re-
corded
t
by the Marchioness of Dufferinin
when
the
Viceroy visited the Tanjore palace
1886 to speak
with the Ranis, he was admitted behind the purdah.
"The
ladies
had not expected him,in their best,
and
were
not
dressed outintelligible
language.
and no one could speak any However, a sort of chatteringchair, which,cloth,
went
on,
and they made signs towards a
being covered with crimson
Dufferin
thought
down on. He turned and was just about to do so, when he thought he saw a slight movement, and he fancied there might be a little dog there, when two women pulled the cloth open, and there was thehe wasto sitInd. Ant., VII, 187S.
f
Om
Viceregal Life in India, 1884-88.
7
1
marAthareached halfthe Viceroysaidit
principal
Rani
a!"
little
old
way up the back of thehim such a turn
woman who chair, and whom
had been within an act of squashino-.
He
gave
Ain
classified
index to
the Sanskrit Manuscripts in
the Tanjore palace was published by Mr. A. C. Burnell1880.
In
the
introductionfirst
thereto, he
states that
"the library was
brought to the notice of Euro-
pean scholars by H.S.H. Count Noer, Prince Fredericof Schleswig-Holstein,
who brought an accountButinits full
of
it
to
the late Professor Goldstticker.
importance
was not knownit
till
I
was deputed,
1871, to
examine
by the then Governor of Madras, Lord Napier and
Ettrick.
The manuscripts;
are the result of perhaps 300;
years' collections
secondly, after
by the Nayaks of Tanjore about 1675, by the Mahratha princes.firstly,
Someand
of the palm-leaf manuscripts belong to the earlier
period, but the greater
part were collected in the lastAll
present
centuries.
the
Nagari
Manuscripts
belong to the Mahratha times, and a large number ofthese were collected at Benares by the Raja Serfojee
(Carabhoji) aboutIn the are large
fifty
years ago."
Maratha Darbar Hall of the Tanjore palacepictures,
of
little
artistic
merit,
of
all
the
Maratha kings, and the palace also contains a fine statue Sarabhoji by Chantrey. The small but splendid series of Maratha arms from this palace constitutes one of the most valuable assets of the Madras Museum.of
"The
armoury," Mr. Walhouse writes,* "consisted ofall
great heaps of old weapons oftions, lying piled
conceivable descrip-
(music-hall),
upon the floor of the Sangita Mahal which had long been occupied by many* Loc.cit.
V-2
8
MARATHAtonsof rusty arms
I
and weapons,curved
in
confusedrust.
heaps,
coated and caked together with thickof swords,beautifullystraight,
Hundreds
and
ripple-edged,
many
damascened and;
inlaid with
hunting or battle
scenesin
in
gold
many broad
blades with long inscriptions
Marathi or Kanarese characters, and some so finelyto
tempered aswerelongdevices,
bend and quiverwith gold,
like
whalebone.steel,
Thereendless
gauntlet-hilts,
brass
or
in
hilts inlaid
and
hilts
and guards of
the most tasteful and elaborate steel -work.
There wereswords,
long-bladed
swords and
executioners'
two-
handed, thick-backed, and immensely heavy.knives, and poniards
Daggers,
by
scores,
of
all
imaginable and;
almost unimaginable shapes, double and triple-bladed
some withbeautiful
pistols
or spring-blades concealed in their
handles, and the hilts of
many
of the kuttars of the moststeel-
and elaborate piercedrivalling
work,
in
endless
the European metalThere was a profusion of long narrow thin-bladed knives, mostly with bone or ivory handles very prettily carved, ending in parrot-heads and the like, or the whole handle formino- a bird or monster, with lesfs anddevices,
best medieval
work.
wings pressed close to the body,
all
exquisitely carved.;
The use
of these
seemed problematicalfruit,
some
said they
were used to cut
others that they had been poisoned
and struck about the roofs and walls of the women's quarters, to serve the purpose of spikes or broken glass!
A
curious point was the extraordinary
number
of old
European blades,distinctly
often graven with letters
and symbols
of Christian meaning, attached to hilts and handles most
Hindu,
adorned
idolatrous emblems.
with figures of gods and There was an extraordinary number
of long straight cut-and-thrust blades termed Phirangis,
which Mr.
Sinclair,
in his
interesting
list
of
Dakhani
19
MARATHAin
weapons,* says means the Portuguese, or else madeimitation of such
imported swords.disclosed(siV.).
A
kuttar,
with a
handsomeinformedcaptured
steel
hilt,
theSir
well-knownWalter
namehas
ANDREA FERARAmein
Elliot
that,
when
a notorious
freebooter was
the Southern Maratha country
many
years
Andrea Ferrara,' Mr. Sinclair adds that both Grant DufI" and Meadows Taylor have mentioned that Raja Sivaji's favourite Evensword Bhavani was a Genoa blade t tually the whole array (of arms) was removed to Trichinapalli and deposited in the Arsenal there, and, after a Committee of officers had sat upon the multifarious collection, and solemnly reported the ancient arms unfit for use in modern warfare, the Government, after selecting the best for the Museum, ordered the residue This was in to be broken up and sold as old iron.ago, his sword
was found
to be
an
'
.
.
.
.
1863."It is
recorded,
in
the Gazetteer of the Bellary district,
that ''in 1790
Lord Cornwallis, then Governor-General
of India, entered into an alliance with the Marathas and the Nizam to reduce Tipu to order, and it was agreed that whatever territories should
be acquired by themthe chiefs
from Tipu
should be equally divided between them.
Certain specified poligars,of Bellary,to be left
among whom were
Rayadrug and Harpanahalli, were, however, in possession of their districts. Tipu wasin 1792,
reduced to submissionyear he ceded half
and by the treaty of that| Sandur and a part of the Bellary
his territories to the allies.
was
allotted to the Marathas,
Ind. Ant., II, 1S74.tX
The word Genoa occurs on several blades in the Madras Museum collection. The bas-relief of the statue of Lord Cornwallis in the Connemara Publichim receiving Tipu's two youthful sons as hostages.
Library, Madras, represents
V-2 B
MARATHAdistrict
20Nizam."
to the
The
present Maratha chief ofis
the
little
hill-locked
Sandur State
a minor, whose
name and titles are Raja Venkata Rao Rao Sahib Hindu Rao Ghorpade Senapati Mamalikat Madar. Of theeleven thousand inhabitants of the State, the variouscastes of Marathasfamiliesofficials
number over a thousand. " Three of them are Brahmans, who came to Sandur as with Siddoji Rao when he took the State fromExceptfor
the Jaramali poligar.Siddoji's
two short
intervals,
descendants have held the State ever since.
The
others are grouped into three local divisions, namely,
Khiisgi,
Kumbi,
and
Lekavali.
The
first
of these
consists of only
some eight
families,
and constitutes theto
aristocracy of the State.
Some
of
them came
Sandur
from the Maratha country with Siva Rao and other rulers of the State, and they take the chief seats at
Darbars and on other public occasions, and are permittedto dine
and intermarry with the Raja's
family.
They
wear the sacred thread of the Kshatriyas, belong to the orthodox Brahmanical gotras, have Brahmans as their purohits, observe many of the Brahmanical ceremonies,burn their dead, forbid widow re-marriage, and keep On the other hand, they do their womankind gosha.not object to drinking alcohol or to smoking, and they eat Their family god is the same as meat, though not beef.that of the Raja's family, namely,
Martanda Manimallari,to his
and they worship him in the temple in his honour whichis
in
the Raja's palace, and
make pilgrimages[Itis
shrine at Jejuri near Poona.
noted by Monler(also
Williams * that
'
a deification,
Khando-ba
called
Khande-Rao), was a personage whobourhood of thehill
lived In the neigh-
Jejuri,
thirty miles
from Poona.
Brahmanism and Hinduism.
1
2
marAthaof
He
is
probably a deification
some powerful Raja
or aboriginal chieftain,
who made himself useful to the Brahmans. He is now regarded as an incarnation of Siva in his form Mallari. The legend is that the god Siva descended in this form to destroy a powerful demon named IMallasura, who lived on the hill, and was a terrorto the
neighbourhood.
ParvatI descended at thewife.
samevery
time topopularcountry.
become Khando-bas
His worship
is
among
the people of low caste in the Maratha
Sheep are sacrificed at the principal temple on the Jejuri hill, and a bad custom prevails of dedicating young girls to the god's service. Khando-ba is sometimes represented with his wife on horseback, attendedby a dog.shipped
A
sect existed in Sankara's time,
who wor-
Mallari
as
lord of dogs.']
At the marriagesBefore the cere-
of the Khasgis, an unusual custom, called Vira Puja, or
the worship of warriors,
is
observed.
mony, the men form themselves into two parties, each under a leader, and march to the banks of the Narihalla
mock combat as they go. At the river an offering is made to Siva in his form as the The godwarrior Martanda, and his blessing is invoked. dess Ganga is also worshipped, and then both parties march back, indulging on the way in more pretended The second division of the Marathas, the fighting.river,
engaging
in
Kuribis, are generally agriculturists,
though some areintermarry
servants to the
first
division.
They cannot
with the Khasgis, or dine with them except in separaterows, and
womanfolk are not gosha but they have Brahmanical gotras and Brahman purohits. Some of them use the Raja's name of Ghorpade, but this istheir;
only because they are servants in his household.
Themany
third division, the Lekavalis, are said to be the offspring
of irregular unions
among
other Marathas, and are
MARAVANof 22
them servants in the Raja's palace. Whence they They all call themselves are also called Manimakkalu. Ghorpades, and members of the Raja's (the Kansika) gotra. They thus cannot intermarry among themselves, but occasionally their girls are married to
Kunbis.
Their
women
are in no
way
gosha." *is,
The
cranial type of the
Marathas
as
shown by the
following table, like that of theor sub-brachycephalic:
Canarese, mesaticephalic
CanareseMarathiCanarese50 Holeyas...
Cephalic
IndexMa.x.
Av.
79-1
87-4 92-2
30 Rangaris50 Vakkaligas
79-8
S1781 -s
93 "888-284-4
Marathi
30 Suka
Sale.'?
Marathi
30 Sukun Sales
82-2
Maravan. " Thewrites, t" are
Maravans,"in
found chiefly
H. A. Stuart Madura and Tinnevelly,Mr.
where they occupy the tracts bordering on the coast from Cape Comorin to the northern limits of the Ramnad The proprietors of that estate, and of the zemindari.great Sivaganga zemindari, are both of this caste.
Theof the
Maravarspeninsula,little
mustand,
have
been
one
of the
first
Dravidian tribes that penetrated to the south of thelike
the
Kalians, they have been butinfluence.
affected
by Brahmanical
There
exists
amongin
them a picturesque tradition to the effect that,
consequence of their assisting
Rama
in his
war against
the
demon Ravana,
that deity gratefully exclaimed in
* Garcilcer of the Bellary ilislricl.
t
Madras Census Rcporl,
1S91.
23
MARAVANnever forget, and that
good Tamil Maraven, or they have ever since been moreprobability, the
I
will
called
Maravans.
But, with
name may be connected with the word maram, which means killing, ferocity, bravery andthelike,
as pointing clearly to their unpleasant profession,
and slaying their neighbours. In former days they were a fierce and turbulent race, famous for At one time they temporarily their military prowess.that of robbing
held possession of the Pandya kingdom, and, at a laterdate, their armies
gave valuable assistance to Tirumalathe British
Nayakkan.end oflast
They gave
much
trouble at the
(eighteenth) century and the beginning ofcentury,
this (nineteenth)
but they are
now much
the
same
as other ryots (cultivators), though perhaps some-
what more bold and lawless.
Agamudaiyan and Kalianis
are returned as sub-divisions by a comparatively large
numbertherevans,is
of persons.
Maravan
also foundlittle
among
the
sub-divisions of Kalian, and there can be
doubt that
a very close connection between Kalians, Mara-
and Agamudaiyans." This connection is dealt But may here with in the article on the Kalians.I
quote the following legend relating thereto. " Once upon a time, Rishi Gautama left his house to go abroad
on business.
Devendra, taking advantage of his absence,his wife,
debauched
and three children were thelike a thief,
result.
When
the Rishi returned, one of the three hid himself
behind a door, and, as he thus actedhenceforward called Kalian.
he was
was therefore calledthe third brazened ing for himself theof pride.it
Another got up a tree, and Maravan from maram, a tree, whilstand stoodhis ground, thus earn-
out,
name of Ahamudeiyan, or the possessor This name was corrupted into Ahambadiyan."**
Madras Review,
1S99.
MARAVAN"Somemarani, sin;
24say
word Maravan is derived from a Maravan being one who commits sin bythe
killing living creatures without feeling pity,
and withoutor
* fear of god."
Kuha, Rama's boatman, who rowed him across to Ceylon. According to the legend, Rama promised Guha that he would come back at a fixed time. When he failed toreturn,to
The Maravans
claim descent from
Guha
Guha made a fire, whereon to burn himself Hanuman, however, prevented him from death.
committing suicide, and assured him thatshortly return.
Rama would
This came to pass, and Rama, on learndone, called him Maravan, a brave
ing what
Guha had
or reckless fellow.
According to another legend, the
god
Indra, having
become enamoured
of Ahalya,
set
out one night to visit her in the form of a crow, and,seating himself outside the dwelling of the
Rishi her
husband, cawed loudly. The Rishi, believing that it was dawn, went off to bathe, while Indra, assuming the form of her husband, went in to the woman, and satisfied When her husband reached the river, there his desire. were no signs of dawn, and he was much perturbed, but not for long, as his supernatural knowledge revealed to him how he had been beguiled, and he proceeded to curse Indra and his innocent wife. Indra was condemnedto have a thousand female organs of generationhisall
over
body, and
the
woman was
turned
into a stone.
Indra repented, and the Rishi modified his disfigurement
by arranging
that, to the onlooker,
he would seem to
be clothed or covered with eyes, and the
woman wasin
allowed to resume her feminine form when Rama,the course of his wanderings, should tread on her.
The
F.
FawccU.
Journ. Anlhrop. Insl.,
XXXIII,
1903.
25result of Indra's
MARAVANHence
escapade was a son, who was stowedplace
away
in
a
secret
(maravuidam).
his
descendants are
known
as Maravan.*is
The heador
of the
Maravans
the Setupati (lord of
the bridge), or Raja of Ramnad.
"The
SethupatiJ.
line,
Marava dynasty
of
Ramnad," the Rev.hadits
E. Tracyto popular
writes,! " claims great antiquity.
According
legendary accounts,great
it
rise in
the time of the
Rama
himself,
who
is
said to have appointed,
on
his
victorious return from
Lanka
(Ceylon), seven
guardians of the passage or bridge connecting Ceylon
with the mainlandplaces the
....
Another suppositionsecond or third
rise of the family in theIt rests its
century B.C.
case principally upon a statelast ofin
ment
in the
Mahawanso, according to which the
thethe
three Tamil invasions of Ceylon, which took place
second or third century B.C., was under the leadership of
seven chieftains,of the
who
are supposed,
owing
to the silence
Pandyan records on the subject of South Indianwith Ceylon, to
dealings
have been neither Cheras,
Cholas, or Pandyans, but mere local adventurers, whoseterritorial
proximity and marauding ambition had tempted
them
to the undertaking
....
Another supposition
places the rise of the family in the eleventh or twelfth
century A.D.
There are two statements of this case, differing according to the source from which they come. According to the one, which has its source in SouthIndia, the rise of the family took place in or
about 1059
A.D., when Raja Raja, the Chola king, upon his invasionof Ceylon, appointed princesto himself,in his
whomto
he knew to be loyal
and who, accordingall
some, had aided him
conquest of
Pandya, to act as guardians of the
r. I'awccU,
loc, cil.
t Madras journ. Lit. Science, 1890.
MARAVAN
26
passage by which his armies must cross to andsupplies be received from the mainland.the other statement, which hasrecords, the family tookits riseits
and According tofro,
source
in
Sinhalese
from the appointment of
Parakrama Bahu's General Lankapura, who, accordingto a very trustworthy Sinhalese
epitome of the Maha-
wanso, after conquering Pandya, remained some time at
Ramespuram, building a templeisland,
there, and, while
on the
struck kahapanas (coins similar to those of the
Whichever of these statements we may accept, the facts seem to point to the rise of the family in the eleventh or twelfth century A.D., and inscriptions quoted from Dr. Burgess by Mr. Robert Sewell * show that grants were made by Sethupati princes in 14 14, again in 1489, still again in 1500, andSinhalese series).finally as late as 1540.
These bring thein 1604, to
line
down
to
within two generations of the time
when Muttuhave found
Krishaffairs
nappa Nayakka
is
said,
sadly disordered in the
Marava
re-established the old family in
and to have the person of Sadaiyakacountry,
Tevar Udaiyar Sethupati.earlier series present
The
coins of the Sethupatis
divide themselves into an earlier and later series.
The
specimens which are usually larger and better executed, and correspond in weight andappearance very nearly to the well-known coins of theSinhalese series,found.'
together with which they are often
These
coins,'
Rhys Davids
writes, t
'
are prob-
ably the very ones referred to as having been struck by
Parakrama's General Lankapura.'series are very rude in device
The
coins of the later
and execution. The one face shows only the Tamil legend of the word Sethupati, while the other side is taken up with various devices."* Sketch of the Dynasties of
t Numismata Orient.
South India, Ancient Coins and Measures of Ceylon.
27
MARAVAN
and whose curled beards resemble the furious twisted horns of the stag-, the loud twang of whose powerful bowstrings, and the stirring sound of whoseMaravar,
A
poet, in days of old, refers to " the wrathful
double-headed drums, compel even kingslarge armies to turn their back andfly."
at the
head of
are further described as follows.
"
The Maravans Of strong limbs andMaravans,
*
hardy frames, and
fierce
looking as tigers, wearing longthe blood-thirsty
and curled locks of
hair,
armed with the bow bound withtravellers,
leather, ever ready to
injure others, shoot their arrows at poor
and defencelesstheir victims." tdistrict,it
from
whom
they can steal nothing, only to
feast their eyes
on the quivering limbs of" to
In a note on the Maravans of the Tinnevelly
is
recordedPoligars,
:j;
that
this
class
belonged most of the
or feudal
chieftains,
who disputed
with thelast,
English the possession of Tinnevelly during thefirst
and
years
of
the
present
(nineteenth)
century.
As
feudal chiefs
and heads of a numerous
class of the
population, and one whose characteristics were eminently
adapted
for the roll of followers of
a turbulent chieftain,
bold, active, enterprising, cunningclass constituted themselves, or
and capricious,
this
were constituted by the
peaceful cultivators, their protectors in time of bloodshed
and rapine, when no central authority, capable of keeping
Hence arose the systems of Desha and Stalum Kaval, or the guard of a tract of country comprising a number of villages against open marauders in armed bands, and the guard of separate villages, their houses and crops, against secret theft. The feudal chiefthe peace, existed.
received a contribution from the area around his fort
in
*
Kalilh-lhokai.Pillai.
t Kanakasabhai +
The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Vcars
ago.
1904.
Manual of
ihe Tinnevelly dislricl, 1879.
MARAVAN
28
consideration of protection afforded against armed invasion.
The Maravars
are chiefly the agricultural servants
or sub-tenants of the wealthier ryots, undercultivate, receiving a share of the crop.
whom
they
An
increasing
proportion
of this caste are
becoming the ryotwari owners
of land by purchase from the original holders."
Thoughusually
the
Maravans, Mr. Francis writes,* " arethey are
some of them the most In Madura they expert cattle-lifters in the Presidency. particularly ingenious method of removing cattle. have acultivators,
The
actual thief steals the bullocks at night,at a gallop for half a
and drives
themalibi.
dozen miles, hands them over
to a confederate,
and then returns and establishes an The confederate takes them on another stage, and
does the same.
A
third
moving all that night. and rested, and thereafter they are driven by easier stages to the hills north of Madura, where their horns are cut and their brands altered, to prevent them from being recognised. They are then often sold at the great In some papers Chittrai cattle fair in Madura town. read in G.O., No. 535, Judicial, dated 29th March 1899, it was shown that, though, according to the 1891 census, the Maravans formed only 10 per cent, of the population of the district of Tinnevelly, yet they had committed70 per cent, of the dacoities which have occurred in that They have recently district in the previous five years.(1899) figured prominently in the anti-Shanar riots in the
and a fourth man keep them The next day they are hidden
same'
district."
{^See
Shanan.)F. S. Mullaly writes, f " furnish
The Maravans," Mr.
nearly the whole of the village police (kavilgars, watch-
men), robbers and thieves of the Tinnevelly* Madras Census Report, 1901. t Notes on Criminal Classes of the Madras Presidency.
district.
29
MARAVAN
Very often the thief and the watchman are one and the same individual. The Maravans of the present time, of course, retain only a shadow of the power which theirancestors wielded under the poligars,
who commenced the Still the Marava of to-day, as a member kavil system. of a caste which is numerous and influential, as a man ofsuperior physique and bold independentspirit, thief
andan
robber, village policeman and detective combined
is
immense powerIt is
in
the land."
noted, in the
Madras Police Report,predilection
1903, that
" a large section of the population in
Tinnevelly
the
Maravans
are
criminal byefforts
and
training.
Mr. Longden's
have been directed to the suppres-
sion of a bad old custom, by which the police were in
the habit of engaging the help of theselves in the detection of crime.
The
natural result
Maravans themwas
a mass of false evidence and false charges, and, worstofall,
a police indebted to the Maravan,
who was
certain
to \va.w&\\\s qtiid pro quo.
This method being discoun-
tenanced, and the station-house officer being deprived of
the aid of his tuppans (men
has found himself
who provide a clue), the former very much at sea, and, until sounder
methods can be inculcated, will fail to show successful Still, even a failure to detect is better than a results.police in the
hands of the Maravans."
Further informa-
tion concerning tuppukuli, or clue hire, will be found in
the note on Kalians.
From
a very interesting note on the Maravans of thedistrict,
Tinnevelly
the following extract
is
taken.*
"
On
the principle of setting a thief to catch a thief,
Maravars
are paid blackmail to keep their hands from picking andstealing,
and
to
make
restitution fordistrict,
any
thefts that
may
* Tinnevelly, being an account of the Mission Field, 1897
the
people, and the missions.
MARAVANwatchmen.
30
possibly take place, notwithstanding the vigilance of the
(A
suit
has been
a Munsiff's Court, for failure
known to make
to
be instituted,
in
restitution for theft
after receipt of the kudikavalfact,
money.)
As
a matter of
no robberies on a large scale can possibly take placePeople livingat the
without the knowledge, connivance, or actual co-operationof the Kavalgars.in
country places, remote
from towns, are entirelyby
mercy of the Maravars,hut,
and every householder or occupier of a mudis
which
dignified
being called ais
house,
must pay the
Maravars half a fanam, whichpies, yearly.
equal to one anna eight
Those who ownit is
cattle,
and there are few
who doenemy
not,
must pay one fanam a
year.
At the time
of the harvest,to
the custom in Southern India for anhis antagonist's crops as they are
go and reapfields.
g'rowine in the
He
does this to
brinij
matters to
a climax, and to get the right side of his enemy, so that
he
may be
forced tois
come
to terms, reasonable or other-
wise.
Possession
nine points of the law.
On
occa-
sions such as these, which are frequent, the advantage of
the
employment
of Kavalgars can readily be understood.salt,
The Maravarsbidder.like
are often true to their
though some-
times their services
can be obtained by the highest
The
plan of keeping kaval, or going the roundsis,
a
policeman on duty,
for a village of,
say,
a
hundred Maravars, to divide into ten sections.people living within their range.place,If
Each
section takes a particular duty, and they are paid by the
a robbery takes
and the value of the property does not exceed ten
rupees, then this section of ten
men
willIf,
each subscribe however, theall
one rupee, and pay up ten rupees.property lost exceeds the
sum
of ten rupees, then
the
ten sections of Maravars,together, and
the hundred men, will join
make
restitution for the robbery.
How
31
MARAYAN
they are able to dobe imagined.
and to recoup themselves, can Various attempts for many years havethis,
been made to put a stop to this system of kudi-kaval. At one time the village (Nunguneri) of the chief
Maravar was burnt down, and for many years the police have been on their track, and numerous convictions are Out of 150,000 Maravars in constantly taking place.the whole district,
10,000 are professional thieves, and
of these 4,000 have been convicted, and are living at the
present time.
The
question arises whether
some
plan
could notrogues.It
be devised to make honest
men
of these
has been suggested that their occupation as
watchmen should be recognised by Government, andthat they should be enlisted as subordinate officials, just as
some of them are now employed
as Talayaris
and
Vettiyanssidegirls,
....theis
The villages of the Maravars existcastes, and, as
by side with the otherall
boys and
different
classes
that there
a
bond of
grow up together, so sympathy and regard between
them all. therefore, are not regarded as marauding thieves by the other classes. Their position in the community as Kavalgars is recognised, and no one actually fears them. From time immemorial it has been the mamool (custom) to pay them certain dues,and, although illegal,
The Maravans,
contrary to customthe villagersis
?
who The
in
India
is
prepared to act
small
sum paid annually byit
insignificant,it,
and no one considersthat hissteal,
a
hardship to payin
when he knowsthe
goods arethere
safety
;
and,
if
Maravars did not{e.^:,
are plenty of other roving castes
the Kuluvars,so that, on the
Kuravars, and Kambalatars)whole,
who would,
ordinary unsophisticated natives,
who
dwell in
the country side, rather like the
Maravar than otherwise.torchlight
When, however, these watchmen undertake
MARAVANdacoities,
32
and attack
travellers
on the high-road, thenlittle
they are no better than the professional thieves of othercountries,
and they deserve asin
consideration.is
It
must be borneof
mind
that, while
robbery
the here-
ditary occupation of the Maravars, there are thousands
them who lead strictly honest, upright lives as husbandmen, and who receive no benefit whatever from Some of the most noted and the kudi-kaval system. earnest Native Christians have been, and still are, men and women of this caste, and the reason seems to be If they are that they never do things by halves.murderers and robbers, nothing daunts them, and, onthe other hand,of the earth."ifI
they are honest men, they are the
salt
am
informed
that,
when
a
Maravan
takes food in the house of a stranger, he will sometimes
take a pinch of earth, and put
it
commences
his meal.
This act frees
on the food before he him from the obliga-
tion not to injure the family
which has entertained him. In a note entitled Marava jati vernanam,* from theit
Mackenzie Manuscripts,seven sub-divisionsivelyin
is
recorded that
"
there are
the tribe of the Maravas, respect-
denominated
Sembunattu,
Agattha,
Oru-nattu,
Upukatti, and Kurichikattu.that of the
Among these sub-divisions,is
Sembunattu Maravas In the Madras Census Report,returned as the most
the principal one."
1891,
the
following:
are
important
sub-divisions
Agamudaiyan, Kalian,(or
Karana,
Kondaikatti, Kottani,the Sembanattus
Sembanattu, and Vannikutti.
Among
Sembanadus), the following septs or khilais have been recorded:
Marikka.Piccha.
Thanicha.Karuputhra.Katra.
Tondaman.Sitrama.
* Madras Journ. Lit. Science, IV, 1836.
MARAVAN
33
"The Kondayamkottaiwrites,*
Maravars," Mr. F. Fawcettkothu,I
"are divided into
six sub-tribes, or, as they callis
them, trees.
Each
tree, or
divided into three
khilais or branches.
These
call septs.
Those of the
khilais belonging to the same tree or kothu are never
allowed to intermarry.
A
man
or
woman must marry
with one of a khilai belonging to another tree than his
own, his or her own being that of his or her mother, andnot of the father.
But marriage
is:
not permissible betweenthere are
those of any two trees or kothustions.
some
restric-
For
instance, a branch of betel vine or leaves
may
marry with a branch of cocoanut, but not with areca nutsor dates.I
am
not positive what
all
the restrictions are,
but restrictions of
some
kind,
by which marriage between
persons of
all
trees
may
not be
made
indiscriminately,
certainly exist.
The namesto
of the trees or kothus and of
the khilais or branches, as given toPadel, a
me
from the Maraver
book considered
be authoritative, are theseKhilai.
Tree.
Kothu.
Viramudithanginan.
Milaku
Pepper vine
...