South Indian castes/ tribes (numerically small): T
This article is an excerpt from Government Press, Madras |
Tābēlu (tortoise).—A sept of Aiyarakulu, and section of Gāzula Kāpu and Koppala Velama.
Taccha Kurup .—Barbers who shave Malabar Kammālans.
Tacchan .—The name of the carpenter s ub-division of Kammālans, and further returned, at the census, 1891, as an occupational sub-division by some Paraiyans. Taccha Karaiyān has been recorded as a name for some members of the Karaiyān fishing caste. The Tacchasāstram, or science of carpentry, prescribes in minute details the rules of construction.
Tacchanādan Mūppan .—Recorded, in the Madras Census Reports, 1891 and 1901, as a sub-division of Kuricchans, and of Kurumbas of the Nīlgiris.
Tādan .—See Dāsari.
Tagara .—A section of Poroja.
Takru .—A class of Muhammadan pilots and sailors in the Laccadive islands. (See Māppilla.)
Talaivan (a chief).—A title of the Maravans. Jādi or Jāti Talaivan is the name of the hereditary chief of the Paravas of Tinnevelly, who, at times of pearl fisheries, receives a fixed share of the ‘oysters.’
Talamala .—A sub-division of Kānikar.
Tambān .—One of the divisions of Kshatriyas in Travancore. (See Tirumalpād.)
Tambi (younger brother).—A term of affection in the Tamil country, used especially when a younger person is being addressed. It is also recorded as an honorific title of Nāyars in Travancore, and a suffix to the names of Nāyar sons of Travancore sovereigns.
Tambirān .—The name for Pandāram managers of temples, e.g., at Tiruvādudurai in Tanjore and Mailam in South Arcot.
Tāmoli —A few members of this North India caste of betel-leaf sellers have been returned at times of census. I am unable to discover in what district they occur. Tāmbuli or Tāmuli is recorded as a caste of betel-leaf sellers in Bengal, and Tāmboli as a caste carrying on a similar occupation in the Bombay Presidency.
Tānamanādu .—A sub-division of Valaiyan.
Tanda .—The word literally refers to a settlement or encampment of the Lambādis, by some of whom it is, at times of census, returned as a tribal synonym.
Tandān —The Tandān is the hereditary headman of a Tiyan tara (village), and is a Tiyan by caste. He is appointed by the senior Rāni of the Zamorin’s family, or by some local Rāja in territories outside the jurisdiction of the Zamorin. The Tandān is the principal person in the decision of caste disputes.
He is expected to assist at the tāli-tying, puberty, marriage and pregnancy ceremonies of members of the caste. His formal permission is required before the carpenter can cut down the areca palm, with which the shed in which the tāli is tied is constructed. In cases of divorce, his functions are important. When a new house is built, a house-warming ceremony takes place, at which the Tandān officiates. Fowls are sacrificed, and the right leg is the Tandān’s perquisite. He is a man of importance, not only in many affairs within his own caste, but also in those of other castes. Thus, when a Nāyar dies, it is the Tandān’s duty to get the body burnt. He controls the washerman and barber of the tara, and can withdraw their services when they are most needed. He officiates, moreover, at marriages of the artisan classes.
Tangalān .—A sub-division of Paraiyan. The word indicates one who may not stand near, in reference to their belonging to the polluting classes.
Tangēdu .—Tangēdu or Tangēdla (Cassia auriculata) has been recorded as an exogamous sept of Kāpu and Padma Sālē. The bark of this shrub is one of the most valuable Indian tanning agents, and is, like myrabolams (Terminalia fruits), used in the manufacture of indigenous dyes.
Tantuvāyan (thread-wearer).—An occupational name used by various weaving castes.
Tapodhanlu —The name, meaning those who believe in self-mortification as wealth, adopted by some Telugu mendicants. Tārakan .—See Mūttan.
Tartharol .—The name, recorded by Dr. W. H. R. Rivers, of a division of the Todas. Tartāl is also given by various writers as a division of this tribe.
Tarwād .—Defined by Mr. Wigram as a marumakkathāyam family, consisting of all the descendants in the female line of one common female ancestor.
Tāssan .—A Malayālam synonym for the Telugu Dāsari.
Tattān .—The goldsmith section of the Tamil and Malayālam Kammālans.
Teivaliol .—The name, recorded by Dr. W. H. R. Rivers, of a division of the Todas.
Tēlikula .—The Tēlikulas are summed up, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as “a Telugu oil-presser caste, which should not be confused with Tellakula, a synonym for Tsākala, or with Telli, a caste of Oriya oil-pressers.” Telikula is a synonym for the Gāniga or Gāndla caste of oil-pressers, derived from the oil (gingelly: Sesamum indicum), whereas the names Gāniga and Gāndla refer to the oil-mill. In the Northern Circars, the name Tēlikula is used in preference to Gāniga or Gāndla, and the oil-pressers in that part of the country are known as Tēlikula-vāndlu. The Tēlikulas are Onteddu, i.e., use a single bullock for working the oil-mill, whereas, among the Gānigas, there are both Onteddu and Rendeddu sections, which employ one and two bullocks respectively.
Tellakula (white clan).—Recorded, in the Census Report, 1901, as a synonym for Tsākala. According to the Rev. J. Cain, the Tellakulas are Telugu washermen (Tsākalas), who, in consequence of having obtained employment as peons in Government offices, feel themselves to be superior to other members of their caste.
Telugu .—Telugu or Telaga is used as a linguistic term indicating a person who speaks that language. It has, at recent times of census, been returned as a sub-division of various classes, e.g., Agasa, Balija, Banajiga, Bēdar, Bestha, Dēvānga, Holeya, Kumbāra, Rāchewar, Tsākala, and Uppara. Further, Telugu Vellāla appears as a synonym of Velama, and Telugu Chetti as a synonym of Saluppan.
Tēn (honey).—Tēn or Jēn has been recorded as a sub-division or exogamous sept of jungle Kurumbas and Holeyas. Some Irulas style themselves Tēn Padaiyāchi or Tēn Vanniyan, Padaiyāchi and Vanniyan being a title and synonym of the Pallis. Tendisai (southern country).—Recorded as a division of Vellālas in the Madura and Coimbatore districts.
Tenē (millet: Setaria italica).—An exogamous sept of Holeya.
Tengina (cocoanut palm).—The name of a section of Halēpaiks, who tap the cocoanut for extracting toddy.
Tennam —Tennam (cocoanut) or Tennanjānār (cocoanut tappers) is recorded as the occupational name of Shānān. Tenkāyala (cocoanut) occurs as an exogamous sept of Yānādi, and the equivalent Tennang as a tree or kothu of Kondaiyamkōtti Maravans.
Tennilainādu .—A territorial sub-division of Kallan.
Terkattiyar (southerner).—A term applied to Kallan, Maravan, Agamudaiyan, and other immigrants into the Tanjore district. At Mayāvaram, for example, it is applied to Kallans, Agamudaiyans, and Valaiyans. Tertal .—A division of Toda.
Teruvān .—A synonym of the Malabar Chāliyans, who are so called because, unlike most of the west coast castes, they live in streets (teru).
Tēvadiyāl (servant of god).—The Tamil name for Dēva-dāsis. Tēvan (god) occurs as a title of Maravans.
Tēyyambādi —A section of Ambalavāsis or temple servants in Malabar, the members of which dance and sing in Bhagavati temples, and perform a song called nāgapāttu (song in honour of serpents) in private houses, which is supposed to be effective in procuring offspring.
Thādla .—Thādla or Thālla, meaning rope, is an exogamous sept of Dēvānga and Karna Sālē.
Thākur .—About a hundred members of this caste are returned, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as belonging to a Bombay caste of genealogists and cultivators. It is recorded, in the Bombay Gazetteer, that “inferior in rank to Marāthas, the Thākurs are idle and of unclean habits. Though some of them till and twist woollen threads for blankets, they live chiefly by begging and ballad singing. At times they perform plays representing events mentioned in the Purāns and Rāmayan, and showing wooden puppets moved by strings.”
Thalakōkala (female cloths).—An exogamous sept of Dēvānga.
Thālam (palmyra palm).—An exogamous sept or illam of Kānikar.
Thāmballa (sword bean: Canavalia ensiformis).—An exogamous sept of Tsākalas, members of which will not eat the bean. Thambūri .—A class of people in Mysore, who are Muhammadans, dress like Lambādis, but do not intermarry with them. (See Lambādi.)
Thappata (drum).—An exogamous sept of Oddē.
Thāthan (a Vaishnavite mendicant).—The equivalent of the Telugu Dāsari.
Thātichettu (palmyra palm).—An exogamous sept of Karna Sālē and Oddē.
Thāvadadāri .—The name of a section of the Valluvans (priests of the Paraiyans), who wear a necklace of tulsi beads (thāvadam, necklace, dhāri, wearer). The tulsi or basil (Ocimum sanctum) is a very sacred plant with Hindus, and bead necklaces or rosaries are made from its woody stem.
Thēlu (scorpion).—Thēlu and Thēla are recorded as exogamous septs of Padma Sālē and Mādiga. The Canarese equivalent Chēlu occurs as a sept of Kuruba.
Thenige Būvva .—A sub-division of Mādigas, who offer food (buvva) to the god in a dish or tray (thenige) at marriages.
Thikka (simpleton).—A sub-division of Kuruba.
Thippa (rubbish heap).—An exogamous sept of Karna Sālē.
Thogamalai Korava —Recorded as a synonym of a thief class in the southern districts of the Madras Presidency. In a recent note on the Koravas, Mr. F. Fawcett writes that “a fact to be noted is that people such as the members of the well-known Thogamalai gang, who are always called Koravas by the police, are not Koravas at all. They are simply a criminal community, into which outsiders are admitted, who give their women in marriage outside the caste, and who adopt children of other castes.”
Thogaru (bitter).—An exogamous sept of Mūsu Kamma.
Thōka (tail).—An exogamous sept of Yerukala.
Thonda (Cephalendra indica).—An exogamous sept of Mūsu Kamma, and gōtra of Janappans, members of which abstain from using the fruit or leaves of the thonda plant.
Thumma (bābūl: Acacia arabica).—An exogamous sept of Māla and Padma Sālē. The bark, pods, and leaves of the bābūl tree are used by tanners in the preparation of hides and skins, or as a dye.
Thūmu (iron measure for measuring grain).—An exogamous sept of Mutrācha.
Thupa (ghī, clarified butter).—An exogamous sept of Kuruba.
Thūrpu (eastern).—A sub-division of Yerukala and Yānādi.
Thūta (hole).—An exogamous sept of Dēvānga.
Tikkē (gem).—A gōtra of Kurni.
Ti (fire) Kollan.—A sub-division of Kollan.
Tinda (polluting).—A sub-division of Kanisan. Tinda Kuruppu, meaning a teacher who cannot approach, is a synonym of the Kāvutiyan barber caste.
Tiperum (tī, fire).—A sub-division of Kollan blacksmiths.
Tiragati Gantlavallu (wandering bell hunters).—Stated, in the Manual of the Vizagapatam district, to repair hand-mills, catch antelopes, and sell the skins thereof. In hunting, they use lights and bells.
Tirlasetti (the name of a Balija Chetti).—An exogamous sept of Yānādi.
Tirumān (holy deer).—An exogamous section of Kallan.
Tirumudi (holy knot).—Recorded, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as “bricklayers, whose women are usually prostitutes; found chiefly in Salem and Coimbatore. They are either Vēttuvans or Kaikōlans. Kaikōlan women, when they are dedicated to the temple, are supposed to be united in wedlock with the deity.
Tiruvalluvan .—A sub-division of Valluvan. Tiruvalluvar, the author of the Kurāl, is said to have belonged to the Valluva caste.
Tiru-vilakku-nagarattar (dwellers in the city of holy lamps).—A name assumed by Vāniyans (oil-pressers). Tiyadi —A synonym of the Tiyāttunni section of Ambalavāsis (see Unni).
Tiyōro .—The Tiyōros are described, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as “Oriya fishermen, who also make lotus-leaf platters. They have four endogamous sections, viz., Torai, Ghodai, Artia, and Kulodondia.” It has been suggested that the caste name is a corruption of the Sanskrit tivara, a hunter. (See Risley, Tribes and Castes of Bengal, Tiyar.)
Tohala .—Recorded, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as a small class of Oriya hill cultivators and petty traders in the Ganjam Agency.
Tolagari .—Recorded, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as a sub-caste of Mutrācha. In the North Arcot Manual the Tolagaris are described as a small cultivating caste, who were formerly hunters, like the Pālayakkārans.
Tolar (Wolf).—An exogamous sept of Halēpaik. The equivalent Tolana occurs as a sept of Mogēr.
Tollakkādan (one with a big hole in the lobes of his ears).—Taken, at the census, 1901, as a sub-caste of Shānān, as those returning the name, who are vendors of husked rice in Madras, used the Shānān title Nādān. The equivalent Tollakādu was returned as a sub-division of Konga Vellāla. Tōl Mēstri .—A sub-division of Semmān.
Tondamandalam .—The name of a sub-division of Vellāla, derived from Tondanādu, the ancient Pallava country.
Tonti .—The Tontis are said to be cotton-weavers of Bengal, who have settled in Ganjam. The name denotes threadmen, and the weaving of rough white cloths is the traditional occupation of the caste. All Tontis belong to a single gōtra named after Kāsyapa, one of the seven important rishis, and the priest of Parasurāma. Various bamsams or exogamous septs, the names of some of which occur also as titles, exist, e.g., Biswālo, Dasso, Pālo, Bono, Chondo, Parimaniko, Korono, Bēhara, and Mahāpātro. The marriage and death ceremonies conform to the standard Oriya type. On the fourth day of the marriage rites, a Bhondāri (barber) is presented with some beaten rice and sugar-candy in a new earthen pot. These are sold to those who have assembled, and the proceeds go to the Bhondāri. The corpse of a dead person is washed at the burning ground, instead of, in accordance with the common custom among other castes, at the house.
Toppa Tāli .—A name applied to certain Vāniyans in the North Arcot district, owing to the peculiar tāli (marriage badge) which married women wear.
Torai .—A title of various Oriya castes.
Toreya .—A sub-division of the Badagas of the Nīlgiris. Tōta (garden).—Recorded as a sub-division of cultivating Balijas, and an exogamous sept of Bōya, Chenchu, Vāda Balija (or Mila), Mutrācha and Bonthuk Savara. The equivalent Tōta occurs as an exogamous sept of Kāpu and Yānādi. Tōta Dēvaru, or garden god, is the name of an exogamous sept of the Tigala gardeners and cultivators.
Tōtakūra (Amarantus gangeticus).—An exogamous sept of Kamma.
Toththala or Tottadi .—A sub-division of Velama.
Triputa (Ipomæa Turpethum, Indian jalap).—A sept of Vīramushti.
Tsalla or Challa (butter-milk).—An exogamous sept of Māla.
Tsanda or Chanda (tax or subscription).—An exogamous sept of Kamma and Mēdara.
Tulabīna .—The Tulabīnas are a class of cotton-cleaners, who are scattered over the Ganjam district, and said to be more numerous in Cuttack. It is suggested that the name is derived from tula, the beam of a balance, and bīna (or vīna) a stringed musical instrument. The apparatus used by them in cleaning cotton, which bears a fanciful resemblance to a vīna, is suspended by a rope so that it is properly balanced, and the gut-string thereof struck with a dumb-bell shaped implement, to set it vibrating.
Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum, sacred basil).—A sub-division of Velama, and gōtra of Kōmati. The tulsi plant is planted in Hindu houses and worshipped by women, and the wood is made into beads for rosaries.
Tulukkar (Turks).—A Tamil name sometimes applied to Muhammadans.
Tuluva .—Tulu, Tuluva, or Tuluvan occurs as the name of a sub-division of the Tamil Vellālas, and of the Agasas, Billavas, Gaudas, Kumbāras, and other classes in South Canara. The equivalent Tulumar is recorded as a sub-caste of Māvilan, which speaks Tulu.
Concerning the Tuluva Vellālas, Mr. H. A. Stuart writes that these are immigrants from the Tulu country, a part of the modern district of South Canara. Mr. Nelson is of opinion that these are the original Vellālas, who were invited to Tondamandalam after its conquest by the Chola king Adondai Chakravarti.
Tunnaran (tailor).—An occupational sub-division of Nāyar.
Tupākala .—Tupākala or Tupāki (gun) has been recorded as an exogamous sept of Balija, Kavarai, and Yānādi.
Turaka .—Recorded as a sept of Kuruba. It is further a Telugu name sometimes applied to Muhammadans. There is also a thief class, known as Bhattu Turaka. (See Bhatrāzu.)
Turuvalar .—Recorded in the Salem Manual as a caste name, by which some of the Vēdans call themselves. “The Turuvalar are distinguished as the Kattukudugirajāti, a name derived from a custom among them which authorizes informal temporary matrimonial arrangements.”
References
1 Ind. Ant. IV, 1875.
2 Manners, Customs, and Observances.
3 Malabar Law and Custom, 1905.
4 Tarwad: a marumakkathāyam family, consisting of all the descendants in the female line of one common female ancestor.
5 The Todas, 1906.
6 Malabar Law and Custom.
7 Madras Census Report, 1891.
8 Ind. Ant., VIII, 1879.
9 Gazetteer of Malabar.
10 Monograph Eth. Survey, Cochin No. 1, 1905.
11 Ind. Ant., IX, 1880.
12 Ind. Ant., IX. 1880.
13 F. S. Mullaly. Criminal Classes of the Madras Presidency.
14 Monograph, Eth. Survey, Bombay, No. 93, Tigala, 1907.
15 Malabar Law and Custom.
16 Lieutenant-General E. F. Burton. An Indian Olio.
17 Monograph Ethnog. Survey of the Cochin State, No. 10, Izhuvas, 1905.
18 The Tinnevelly Shānars, 1849.
19 Madras Census Report, 1871.
20 A fanam is a small gold coin, worth about four annas, which was formerly current in Southern India, but is no longer in circulation.
21 Other kinds of necklaces are the mullapu (jasmine flower) mala, avil (beaten rice) mala, so called from the shape of the links, mani mala or bead necklace, and pavizham (coral) mala. These are all worn by women. 22 Ordinarily, paddy is partly boiled before it is pounded to remove the husk. Raw rice is obtained by pounding the paddy, which has not undergone any boiling.
23 There must in all be five or seven females.
24 The taboot is a model of a Muhammadan mausoleum, intended to represent the tomb of Husain, which is carried in procession during the Moharram festival.
25 Manavalan = bridegroom; Manavati = bride.
26 An Indian Olio.
27 The washerman of the Nambūtiris and Nāyars is called Veluthēdan.
28 Nāyars are addressed as Kammal by Tiyans and artisans.
29 The number twelve, so significant in Malabar.
30 Nasrāni (Nazarene) is a term for Christians on the west coast.
31 Indian Review, Oct. 1906.
32 The Todas. 1906.
33 Ney = ghi or clarified butter.
34 Aboriginal Tribes of the Nilgiri Hills.
35 Madras Diocesan Magazine, November, 1907.
36 See Madras Museum Bull., IV, 1896, pl. XII.
37 Average 73.
38 Op. cit., Appendix IV, 738.
39 R. Bache. Royal Magazine, August 1901.
40 Ind. Ant., III, 1874.
41 Description of a singular Aboriginal Race inhabiting the summit of the Neilgherry Hills, 1832.
42 Op. cit.
43 A Phrenologist among the Todas, 1873.
44 J. W. Breeks. Account of the Primitive Tribes and Monuments of the Nilgiris, 1873.
45 Catalogue of the Prehistoric Antiquities, Government Museum, Madras, 1901.
46 I have seen this plant growing on the grass in front of the Paikāra bungalow.
47 Op. cit.
48 Ellis. History of Madagascar.
49 Tribes inhabiting the Neilgherry Hills. By a German missionary, 1856.
50 Proc. Cambridge Philosoph. Soc., XII, 1904.
51 “Puzhutkina—Shall I throw earth?” Rivers.
52 Called by Breeks ilata, which, Dr. Rivers suggests, is a Badaga name.
53 Journey through Mysore, Canara, and Malabar.
54 Gazetteer of the Anantapur district.
55 A. Chatterton. Monograph on Tanning and Working in Leather. Madras, 1904.
56 Cf. Tanti. Risley, Tribes and Castes of Bengal.
57 Madras Mail, 1906.
58 Mysore and Coorg Gazetteer.
59 Madras Census Report, 1891.
60 Manual of the Madura district.
61 Gazetteer of the Madura district.
62 Manual of the Madura district.
63 Ind. Ant., VIII, 1879.
64 Ibid.
65 Manual of the North Arcot district.
66 History of Travancore, 1878.
67 Malabar and its Folk, Madras, 1900.
68 Madras Census Report, 1891.
69 Manual of the Madura district.
