Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 3 of 7Thurston, Edgar
History
Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 3 of 7
Thurston, Edgar
Caste -- India, South; Ethnology -- India, South; India, South -- Social life and customs; Tribes -- India, South
Hindu, aged about 30. Generative organs feebly developed. Is a natural
eunuch. Speaks and behaves like a female. Keeps a stall, at which he
sells cakes. Goes out singing and dancing with four other eunuchs,
and earns from ten annas to a rupee in a night. There are, in Madras,
about thirty eunuchs, who go about dancing. Others keep shops, or
are employed as domestic servants.
One well acquainted with the Hindu eunuchs of Madras stated that, when
a boy is born with ill-developed genitalia, his unnatural condition
is a source of anxiety to his parents. As he grows up he feels shy,
and is made fun of by his companions. Such boys run away from home,
and join the eunuchs. They are taught to sing and dance, and carry
on abominable practices. They are employed by dancing-girls, to decoy
paramours to them. For this purpose, they dress up as dancing-girls,
and go about the streets. At times of census, they return themselves
as males engaged in singing and dancing.
Khond.--See Kondh.
Khongar.--See Kangara.
Kichagara.--A small class of Canarese basket-makers and beggars. The
name is said to be derived from kichaku, meaning an imitative sound,
in reference to the incessant noise which the Kichagaras make when
begging.
Kidaran (copper boiler).--A synonym for Malayalam artisans.
Kilakku Teru (east street).--A section of Kallan.
Killavar.--A sub-division of Tottiyan.
Killekyata.--The Killekyatas are a Marathi-speaking people, who amuse
villagers with their marionette shows in the Telugu and Canarese
countries. "They travel round the villages, and give a performance
wherever they can secure sufficient patronage. Contributions take the
form of money, or oil for the foot-lights." [135] "Their profession,"
Mr. S. M. Natesa Sastri writes, [136] "is enacting religious dramas
before the village public (whence their name, meaning buffoon). The
black kambli (blanket) is their screen, and any mandapa or village
chavadi, or open house is their stage. Night is the time for giving
the performance. They carry with them pictures painted in colours on
deer skins, which are well tanned, and made fine like parchment. The
several parts of the picture representing the human or animal body
are attached to each other by thin iron wires, and the parts are
made to move by the assistance of thin bamboo splits, and thus the
several actions and emotions are represented to the public, to the
accompaniment of songs. Their pictures are in most cases very fairly
painted, with variety and choice of colours. The stories chosen for
representation are generally from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,
which they however call Ravanyakatha and Pandavakatha--the stories
of Ravana and the Pandavas." The dead are buried in a seated posture.
Some of the women are engaged as professional tattooers.
Kimedi.--A local name for Koronos who live at Parlakimedi.
Kindal (basket-maker).--A sub-division of Savara.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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