Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 2 of 7Thurston, Edgar
History
Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 2 of 7
Thurston, Edgar
Caste -- India, South; Ethnology -- India, South; India, South -- Social life and customs; Tribes -- India, South
Concerning the religion of the Dombs, Mr. Fawcett notes that "their
chief god--probably an ancestral spirit--is called Kaluga. There is
one in each village, in the headman's house. The deity is represented
by a pie piece (copper coin), placed in or over a new earthen pot
smeared with rice and turmeric powder. During worship, a silk cloth,
a new cloth, or a wet cloth may be worn, but one must not dress in
leaves. Before the mangoes are eaten, the first-fruits are offered
to the moon, at the full moon of the month Chitra."
"When," Gloyer writes, "a house has to be built, the first thing is to
select a favourable spot, to which few evil spirits (dumas) resort. At
this spot they put, in several places, three grains of rice arranged in
such a way that the two lower grains support the upper one. To protect
the grains, they pile up stones round them, and the whole is lightly
covered with earth. When, after some time, they find on inspection
that the upper grain has fallen off, the spot is regarded as unlucky,
and must not be used. If the position of the grains remains unchanged,
the omen is regarded as auspicious. They drive in the first post,
which must have a certain length, say of five, seven, or nine ells,
the ell being measured from the tip of the middle finger to the
elbow. The post is covered on the top with rice straw, leaves, and
shrubs, so that birds may not foul it, which would be regarded as
an evil omen. [In Madras, a story is current, with reference to the
statue of Sir Thomas Munro, that he seized upon all the rice depôts,
and starved the people to death by selling rice in egg-shells at one
shell for a rupee, and, to punish him, the Government erected the
statue in an open place, so that the birds of the air might insult
him by polluting his face.] In measuring the house, odd numbers play
an important part. The number four (pura, or full number), however,
forms the proper measurement, whereby they measure the size of the
house, according to the pleasure of the builder. But now the Dissary
(Desari) decides whether the house shall be built on the nandi, dua, or
tia system, nandi signifying one, dua two, and tia three. This number
of ells must be added to the measurement of the house. Supposing that
the length of the house is twelve ells, then it will be necessary to
add one ell according to the nandi system, so that the length amounts
to thirteen ells. The number four can only be used for stables."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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