Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 5 of 7Thurston, Edgar
History
Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 5 of 7
Thurston, Edgar
Caste -- India, South; Ethnology -- India, South; India, South -- Social life and customs; Tribes -- India, South
In some places, the relations between the Mutrachas and Gollas, both
of which castes belong to the left-hand section, are strained. On
occasions of marriage among the Madigas, some pan-supari (betel leaves
and areca nuts), is set apart for the Mutrachas, as a mark of respect.
In consequence of the fact that some Mutrachas have been petty
chieftains, they claim to be Kshatriyas, and to be descended from
Yayathi of the Mahabaratha. According to the legend, Devayana, the
daughter of Sukracharya, the priest of the Daityas (demons and giants),
went to a well with Charmanishta, the daughter of the Daitya king. A
quarrel arose between them, and Charmanishta pushed Devayana into a
dry well, from which she was rescued by king Yayathi. Sukracharya
complained to the Daitya king, who made his daughter become a
servant to Yayathi's wife, Devayana. By her marriage Devayana bore
two sons. Subsequently, Yayathi became enamoured of Charmanishta, by
whom he had an illegitimate son. Hearing of this, Sukracharya cursed
Yayathi that he should be subject to old age and infirmity. This curse
he asked his children to take on themselves, but all refused except
his illegitimate child Puru. He accordingly cursed his legitimate sons,
that they should only rule over barren land overrun by Kiratas. One of
them, Durvasa by name, had seven children, who were specially favoured
by the goddess Ankamma. After a time, however, they were persuaded
to worship Maheswara or Virabhadra instead of Ankamma. This made
the goddess angry, and she caused all flower gardens to disappear,
except her own. Flowers being necessary for the purpose of worship,
the perverts stole them from Ankamma's garden, and were caught in the
act by the goddess. As a punishment for their sin, they had to lose
their lives by killing themselves on a stake. One of the seven sons had
a child named Ravideviraju, which was thrown into a well as soon as it
was born. The Naga Kannikas of the nether regions rescued the infant,
and tended it with care. One day, while Ankamma was traversing the
Naga lokam (country), she heard a child crying, and sent her vehicle, a
jackal (nakka), to bring the child, which, however, would not allow the
animal to take it The goddess accordingly herself carried it off. The
child grew up under her care, and eventually had three sons, named
Karnam Raju, Gangi Raju, and Bhupathi Raju, from whom the Mutrachas
are descended. In return for the goddess protecting and bringing up
the child, she is regarded as the special tutelary deity of the caste.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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