Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c47.s1.13.2

c47.s1.13.2

The Brāhmanism of Telingāna has considerably less of the pre-Āryan element, left in it, probably because there was partial colonisation of the Andhra region through Orissa or otherwise, by immigrants from the Ganges valley, before the Draviḍa region was reached. The inhabitants, accordingly, though lax in their observances compared to the Brāhmanists of the North, consider themselves higher in position than the Tamil castes, and when settled amongst the latter, avoid intermixture as far as possible. The greater prosperity of the South, however, has given to its caste system a strength and complexity not found in the present day in the less favourable conditions of the upland tracts. Along the East coast the Tamil features prevail almost till they join the Orissa system, which, probably from the isolation and the timid character of the population, has the reputation of being the most bigotted and priest-ridden of its kind. In Lower Bengal, the system is an exotic, as in Madras, and was introduced long after it had reached maturity in upper India. It took root however, under different auspices.