Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 3 of 7 — Background and Themes

troubling the Devas and men, and was advised by Karthikeya (Subramanya) and Virabahu to desist from so doing. He paid no heed, and a fight ensued. The demon sent his son Vajrabahu to meet the enemy, and he was slain by Virabahu, who displayed the different parts of his body in the following manner. The vertebral column was made to represent a pole, round which the other bones were placed, and the guts tightly wound round them. The connective tissues were used as ropes to support the pole. The skull was used as a jaya-mani (conquest bell), and the skin hoisted as a flag. The trident of Virabahu was fixed to the top of the pole, and, standing over it, he announced his victory over the world. The Nattukattada Nayanmars claim to be the descendants of Virabahu. Their head-quarters are at Conjeeveram. They are regarded as slightly inferior to the Kaikolans, with whom ordinarily they do not intermarry. The Kaikolans have to pay them as alms a minimum fee of four annas per loom annually. Another class of mendicant, called Ponnambalaththar, which is said to have sprung up recently, poses as true caste beggars attached to the Kaikolans, from whom, as they travel about the country, they solicit alms. Some Kaikolans gave Ontipuli as the name of their caste beggars. The Ontipulis, however, are Nokkans attached to the Pallis.

The Kaikolan community is, as already indicated, divided into seventy-two nadus or desams, viz., forty-four mel (western) and twenty-eight kil (eastern) nadus. Intermarriages take place between members of seventy-one of these nadus. The great Tamil poet Ottaikuththar is said to have belonged to the Kaikolan caste and to have sung the praises of all castes except his own. Being angry on this account, the Kaikolans urged him to sing in praise of them. This he consented to do, provided that he received 1,008 human heads. Seventy-one nadus sent the first-born sons for the sacrifice, but one nadu (Tirumarudhal) refused to send any. This refusal led to their isolation from the rest of the community. All the nadus are subject to the authority of four thisai nadus, and these in turn are controlled by the mahanadu at Conjeeveram, which is the residence of the patron deity Kamatchiamman. The thisai nadus are (1) Sivapuram (Walajabad), east of Conjeeveram, where Kamatchiamman is said to have placed Nandi as a guard; (2) Thondipuram, where Thondi Vinayakar was stationed; (3) Virinjipuram to the west, guarded by Subramanya; (4) Sholingipuram to the south, watched over by Bairava. Each of the seventy-one nadus is sub-divided into kilai gramams (branch villages), perur (big) and sithur (little) gramams. In Tamil works relating to the Sengundar caste, Conjeeveram is said to be the mahanadu, and those belonging thereto are spoken of as the nineteen hundred, who are entitled to respect from other Kaikolans. Another name for Kaikolans of the mahanadu seems to be Andavar; but in practice this name is confined to the headman of the mahanadu, and members of his family. They have the privilege of sitting at council meetings with their backs supported by pillows, and consequently bear the title Thindusarndan (resting on pillows). At present there are two sections of Kaikolans at Conjeeveram, one living at Ayyampettai, and the other at Pillaipalayam. The former claim Ayyampettai as the mahanadu, and refuse to recognise Pillaipalayam, which is in the heart of Conjeeveram, as the mahanadu. Disputes arose, and recourse was had to the Vellore Court in 1904, where it was decided that Ayyampettai possesses no claim to be called the mahanadu.

Many Kaikolan families have now abandoned their hereditary employment as weavers in favour of agriculture and trade, and some of the poorer members of the caste work as cart-drivers and coolies. At Coimbatore some hereditary weavers have become cart-drivers, and some cart-drivers have become weavers de necessité in the local jail.

In every Kaikolan family, at least one girl should be set apart for, and dedicated to temple service. And the rule seems to be that, so long as this girl or her descendants, born to her or adopted, continue to live, another girl is not dedicated. But, when the line becomes extinct, another girl must be dedicated. All the Kaikolans deny their connection with the Deva-dasi (dancing-girl) caste. But Kaikolans freely take meals in Dasi houses on ceremonial occasions, and it would not be difficult to cite cases of genuine Dasis who have relationship with rich Kaikolans.