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
Dyavana (tortoise).--An exogamous sept of Moger.
E
Eddulu (bulls).--See Yeddulu.
Ediannaya (hornet's nest).--An exogamous sept of Bant.
Egadavan.---Recorded, at times of census, as an exogamous sept
of Anappans, who are Canarese cattle-grazers settled in the Tamil
country. Possibly it is a corruption of Heggade, a title among Kurubas.
Ekakshara.--A sub-division of Satani. The name is derived from
Ekakshara, meaning one syllable, i.e., the mystic syllable Om.
Ekari.--This caste is summed up in the Madras Census Report, 1901,
under the names Ekari, Ekali, Yakari, and Yakarlu, as a sub-caste
of Mutracha. Mr. H. A. Stuart writes [111] that "Ekaris or Yakarlu
are a class of cultivators and village watchmen, found chiefly in
the northern taluks of North Arcot, and in the adjoining district of
Cuddapah. It is very doubtful whether the Ekaris and Mutrachas are
identical castes. The census statistics are, I think, sufficient to
throw grave doubt on this view. Neither name, for instance, appears
as a sub-division of the other, although this would certainly be
the case if they were synonymous. Nor is there any similarity in the
sub-divisions that are given. They are said, in the Nellore Manual, to
be hunters and mercenaries, and in Cuddapah, where they are known to
some as Boyas and Kiratas, they are classed as a forest tribe. It is
clear, however, that they enjoyed some authority, for several rose to
be poligars. Thus the poligars of Kallur, Tumba, Pulicherla, Bangari
and Gudipati are of this caste, and many of its members are village
policemen. They do not wear the sacred thread, but employ Brahmans as
their priests. Their ceremonies differ very little from those of the
Kapus. They are flesh-eaters, and their titles are Naidu and Dora. The
caste possesses some interest as being that which had, in 1891, the
highest proportion of widowed among females between the ages of 15
and 39. Little is known of the caste history. Some assert that they
were formerly Hindu cotton cleaners, and that their name is derived
from the verb yekuta, to clean cotton. They returned 74 sub-divisions,
of which the most important seem to be Dodda (big) and Pala."
There is neither intermarriage, nor free interdining between Ekaris
and Mutrachas. By some, Kampin, and Nagiripilla kayalu, and by others
Kammi and Yerrai were given as sub-divisions.
One of the recognised names of washermen in Tamil is Egali or Ekali.
Elakayan.--A sub-division of Nayar. It is recorded, in the Madras
Census Report, 1901, that "its hereditary occupation is to get plantain
leaves for the use of the Cherukunnu temple, where travellers are
fed daily by the Chirakkal Raja."
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