Tamdi and Gurava:Deccan
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Tamdi and Gurava
This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS BY SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and Middle Temple, London. One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. BOMBAY THE TlMES PRESS 1920 Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
A— Tamdi
Tamdi, Tamboli, Phulari, Tamliwandlu — a small Telugu caste of beggars, temple servants and musicians, also called Shiva Brahmans, or ohivarchaka, from being engaged as the priests of the god Shiva and the guardians of his temples. They are scattered, in small numbers, all over the Dominions, so that there is scarcely a village of importance which has not, at least, one Tamdi house.
The Tamdis present a striking resemblance to the Guravas of Maharashtra. Both are employed as servants of village temples, sweeping them, decking the village idols and claiming offerings made to the village deities. Both are professional worshippers of the god Shiva. Bbth make music at temple festivals and at the weddings of higher castes, flaying on the Sanai, or flute, blowing the temple conch and horn, in which they are very skilful. Both make leaf platters and flower garlands and supply every household with these articles, also Bel leaves {/Egle marmelos) and flowers for the worship of house- hold idols. Finally both occupy a high social level in the Hindu community, tanking next to Brahmans and conforming to the latter in all their rites and ceremonies. These facts may warrant the conjec- ture that both are branches of the same parent trunk, apparently differentiated by reason of their fortuitous occupation of different localities.
Origin
The word Tamdi is supposed to be derived from Tamboli, or dealers in betel-leaf— Sanskrit Tambul. They are said to be the offspring of a Kshatriya by a Brahman widow, being thus Pratilomaja, or born against the hair. According to another account, they are the descendants of a Brahman father and a Dhobi mother and are Amhmaja. Regarding their origin, a legend is current which states that a Brahman, a Saivait priest, fell in love with a Sudra woman who used daily to visit the temple of Siva to ^fter her devotions. The woman became pregnant and was abandoned by her husband. But Siva, pleased with her devotion, ordained that he^ son and tis descendants should, in future, officiate as priests to the god and claim the offerings made to him.
Internal Structure
The Tamdis are divided into two classes : Tamdi and Phulari (Telugu) who neither interdine nor intermarry The Phularis are Lingayits in creed, having embraced the religion subsequent to its foundation by Basava. They are broken up into Brahmanical gotras some of which are gi^en below : — Kasyapa. Bharadwaja.
Parashara. Sanakasanandana.
Tapaswi. Pandana.
Koundinya. Janaka.
Goutama. Pandit.
They have also family names of the Telugu type as : — Yerapalliwaru. Balariwaru.
Kaldhariwaru. Pannugondawaru.
Yeldandiwaru. Parpalliwaru. ■
Ispalawaru. Anandam*aru.
Kondawaru. Yenkatapuramwaru.
These surnames, which are almost all of the territorial character, beat no part in the regulation of their marriages, which are said to be gov- erned by the Gotras. A man must marry within his sub-caste and outside his section.
Marriage
Tamdi girls are married as infants between the ages of seven and nine. Immediately after her marriage a girl is sent to her husband's house by performing the ceremony known as Wadibiyam. When the marriage is under consideration a Brahmin astrologer (Joshi) is consulted to see if the horoscopes of the bride and the bridegroom agree. If his opinion is favourable, mutual visits of inspection follow, at which presents of clothes, betel leaves and areca-nuts are exchang- ed. A Brahmin is then called in to fix an auspicious date for the wed- ding. The marriage ceremony is celebrated in the form followed by Brahmins of the locality, the duties of priest being discharged by a Brahmin. On the appointed day, the bridegroom goes in proces- sion to the bridVs house and the wedding takes place under the marriage pandal erected in front of the bride's house. As among the Brahmins, the Saptapadi forms the essential portion of the ceremony. Arthe Nagbali ceremony the bridegroom takes a dhol (drum) when he circumambulates the Polu.
Polygamy is recognised and a man may take a second wife if the first is barren or incurably diseased. Widows are not allowed to nferry again and divorce is not recognised. It is said that widow marriage is still practised^by some, which may indicate that the usage once prevailed 'in the caste. • Phuljuris allow their widows to remarry, and recognise divorce. A woman taken in adultery is expelled from the caste.
Religion
Tamdis are Saivaits by creed, and their favourite deity is Raja Rajeshwar of Yamalwad, in the Karimnagar District. Any offerings made to Siva are clainied by the members of this caste as their perquisites. Aradhi Brahmins officiate as Gurus, or spiritual advisers. Among their minor gods are Pochamma, Yelamma, Mahis- amma, and other zuiimistic deities of Dravidians, to whom sacrifices of goats, fowls, sheep and sweetmeats are offered, Kumbhars act as priests in the wqrship of these deities of diseases and claim the offer- ings made to them. Brahmins are employed for religious and cere- monial purposes. Their females worship Kedari Gauramma (the consort of Siva) in the lunar half of Kartika with offerings of flowers and sweetmeat. They pay daily devotion to the Tulsi plant (sweet Basil). Phularis worship Siva in the form of the Lingam which they wear on their persons.
Disposal of the Dead
The dead are buried in a lying or sit- ting posture, as the custom of the family may be, with the face down- ward in the former case, and pointing to the north in the latter. The period of mourning extends from three to ten days, according as the dead relations are cognates or agnates, or as they are manied or un- manied. The Shradha ceremony is performed on the 11th day after death, when balls of rice are offered and libations of water are poured out for the benefit of the deceased.
Social Status
In point of social standing, Tamdis rank nest t»
Brahmins, from whose hands alone they eat Kachhi or cooked food
They are vegetarians and abstain from liquor. ,'
Occupation
A few Tamdis have abandoned their original occupation as temple servants, and have taken to other 'pursuits. Spfne hold Inam land from temple endowments. Others are excellent musicians and make music at the ceremonies of higher castes. They also sell leaf plates and cups, flowers and Bel leaves. Phularis deal in flowers, betel-leaves and areca-nuts, in which capacity they are called Tambolis.
B— Gurava
Gurava, called also Shiva Gurava — found in Maharashti^' and engaged in making garlands and leaf-plates and providing flowers and Bel leaves for the worship of Hindu Gods.
Origin
Like Tamdis they claim to be descended from a Brahman by a Sudra woman who, being m criminal intimacy with him was abfindoned by her husband; but the god Siva, to whom she was fervently devoted, announced that for the future she, her illegiti- mate son and his descendants should make their subsistence on the offerings made to the deity. They are very few in number, but in every village there is at least one family who provides daily offerings of flowers to the village temples and leaf-plates and Bel leaves to village householders.
Internal Structure
The Guravas are divided into five sub- castes, (1) Maratha Guravas, (2) Malvi, (3) Varhadi, (4) Phulari, and (5) Vidurs, who neither interdine nor intermarry. The second and third divisions refer to the countries from which they have come. The Gurava Phularis are semi-converts to the Lingayit sect and wear both the Lingam and the sacred thread. Vidur Guravas are illegitimate offsprings of Gurava fathers and mothers of lower castes. The mem- bers of the caste profess lo have one goba only, Sankh])aSana, which is obviously inoperative in the regulation of their marriages. Their exogamous sections are of the Maratha type, as the following names will illustrate : —
Dangc Lokhande
Gadge Malekar
Gharjale Bomale
Naikwadi Kshirsagar.
Intermarriages within section and outside the sub-caste are avoided. A man may marry the daughter of his maternal uncle. Two sister May be married to the same man.
Marriage
Guravas marry their daughters as infants between the ages of seven and eleven. The marriage ceremony is performed in accordance with orthodox usage, and extends over three or five days acccyding to the means of the parties. On the first day, early in the morning, after a marriage pandal^ made, of five posts, one of the post being of Umbar,,has been "erected, two earthen pots are ceremonially brought by married females from the potter's house, filled with water and placed under the booth. These pots are called Manjal Matham and are worshipped. Brahmins being feasted in their honour. This ceremony is called ' Deoa Brahman.' On this day the bride and the bridegroom are first smeared with turmeric paste and oil, the proce- dure being afterwards repeated daily till the ceremony ends. On the auspicious day fixed for the wedding the bridegroom is conducted on horseback to the bride's house where, on arrival, he is made to stand opposite to the bride, a cloth is held between them and the Brahmin prie'st, reciting benedictory stanzas, sprinkles turmeric coloured rice on their heads. This is followed by Kanyadan and Kankana- bandhan, after which the bridegroom ties the mangahutra round the bride's neck. Saptapadi is said to form the binding portion of the ceremony. Polygamy is permitted, but the Guravas are too poor to maintain more than one wife. Widows are allowed to marry and divorce is granted on the ground of the wife's adultery.
Religion
The Guravas are Saivaits, Mahadeva and his vahan (vehicle) and ' Nandi ' being the favourite objects of their worship. On the twelfth of the light half of Ghaita, gruel (ambil) and parched gram are offered to the god and subsequently eaten by the votaries. Besides this they pay reverence to all the gods of the Hindu pantheon and duly appease the minor deities with a variety of offerings. They employ Brahmins on religious and ceremonial occasions. Phularis engage both Jangams and Brahmins at their marriages.
Disposal of the Dead
The dead are burnt in a lying posture with the head to the south. The ashes are collected on the third day after death and thrown into any stream that is handy. The Shradha is celebrated on the 10th day after death. An^.estors in general are propitiated on the last of Bhadrapad (Oct.) wjAi offerings of rice balls and libations of water mixed with 'til ' or jingelly ^eeds.
Social Status
Socially Guravas rank as high as Tam^s and higher than the Maratha Kunbis. They abstain from flejh and liquor.
Occupation
Many of the Guravas have now taken to cultiva- tion and are engaged as carters and day labourers. Some of the Guraveis are very skilful in playing upon the mridanga (an eloiffeated drum) and the iabla and during smgin^ performances attend upon dancing girls of the Patharker castes It is said 'that if they serve Therker dancing girls they are excommCnicated. Their services are also sought after by male musicians or 'Gawayas' and 'Haridasas.'
