Vayani.--The Vayanis, Vayinis, Vaguniyans, or Pavinis, are a section of Madigas, the members of which play on a single-stringed mandoline, and go about from village to village, singing the praises of the village goddesses. Each Vayani has his recognised beat. He plays a prominent part in the celebration of the annual festival of the village goddess, and receives a sacred thread (kappu), which is usually tied to his mandoline, before the commencement of the festival. He regards himself as superior in social position to ordinary Madigas, with whom he will not marry. The name Vayani is said to be a corruption of varnane, meaning to describe. In some localities, e.g., the Chingleput district, the Vayani enjoys mirasi rights in connection with land. Vedan.--The Vedans are described by Mr. H. A. Stuart, in the North Arcot Manual, as having been "formerly hunters and soldiers, and it is this caste which furnished a considerable and valuable contingent to the early Hindu kings, and later to the armies of Hyder and Tippoo. They are supposed by some to be the remnants of the earliest inhabitants of the peninsula, and identical with the Veddahs of Ceylon. They are also called Valmikulu, which means those who live on the products of ant-hills (valmikum)." It is noted, in the Census Report, 1891, that the two castes Bedar (or Boya) and Vedan were, "through a misapprehension of instructions, treated as identical in the tabulation papers. The two words are, no doubt, etymologically identical, the one being Canarese and the other Tamil, but the castes are quite distinct." It may be noted that the name Valmika or Valmiki is assumed by the Boyas, who claim descent from Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, who did penance for so long in one spot that a white-ant hill grew up round him.