Identifier: castestribesofso06thuruoft (find matches)
Title: Castes and tribes of southern India. Assisted by K. Rangachari
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Thurston, Edgar, 1855-1935 Rangachari, K
Subjects: Caste -- India Madras (Presidency) Ethnology -- India Madras (Presidency) India -- Social conditions
Publisher: Madras Government Press
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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together by an organisation managed byone of their caste, who was a prominent person in theseparts. In South Arcot they take a somewhat highersocial rank than in other places—Tanjore, for example—and their espiit de corps is now surprisingly strong.They are tending gradually to approach the Brahmanicalstandard of social conduct, discouraging adult marri-age, meat-eating, and widow re-marriage, and they alsoactively repress open immorality or other social sins,which might serve to give the community a bad name.In 1904 a document came before one of the courts, whichshowed that. In the year previous, the representatives ofthe caste In thirty-four villages In this district had boundthemselves In writing, under penalty of excommunication,to refrain (except with the consent of all parties) fromthe practices formerly in existence of marrying twowives, and of allowing a woman to marry again duringthe lifetime of her first husband. Some of the caste * Gazetteer of the South Arcot district.
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13 PALLI OR VANNIYAN have taken to calling themselves Vannikula Kshatriyasor Ao-nikula Kshatriyas, and others even declare thatthey are Brahmans. These last always wear the sacredthread, tie their cloths in the Brahman fashion (thoughtheir women do not follow the Brahman ladies in thismatter), forbid widow remarriage, and are vegetarians. Some Palli Poligars have very high-sounding names,such as Agni Kudirai Eriya Raya Ravutha MindaNainar, i.e., Nainar who conquered Raya Ravutha andmounted a fire horse. This name is said to comme-morate a contest between a Palli and a Ravutha, at whichthe former sat on a red-hot metal horse. Further namesare Samidurai Surappa Sozhaganar and Anjada Singam(fearless lion). Some Pallis have adopted Gupta asa title. A few Palli families now maintain a temple of theirown, dedicated to Srlnivasa, at the village of Kumalamin the South Arcot district, live round the temple, andare largely dependent on it for their livelihood. Mostof them dress exactly like the

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