Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c48.s2.t1.4

c48.s2.t1.4

In the Dekkan and Telugu country, the Camār gives place to the Māng or Mādiga, both of which names are apparently derived from Mātangī, the caste goddess, a synonym of Kālī. The Mādiga takes a prominent part in the festivals of the S'akti worshippers, probably of Dravidian origin incorporated into the Brāhmanic pantheon as circumstances demanded. From this as well as from the part it plays in the marriage ceremonies of some of the higher castes, it may be inferred that the caste is one of the earliest of the uplands, and thus more likely to propitiate the local gods than the more reputable but more recent arrivals now in occupation. Both Māng and Mādiga employ their own priests, Gāruḍa or Dāsari. Where the Māng is found alongside of the Mahār in the Dekkan there is always rivalry and occasionally strife, but the Mahār takes precedence of the other in the village. In the Tamil country the principal leather-working caste is the S'akkiliyan, vulgarised by Europeans into Chuckler. It is an immigrant body, as several of its subdivisions bear Telugu or Kanarese titles, and many of its members still use those vernaculars. It may be added, too, that its name does not occur in any of the older inscriptions in Tamil. It is probably, therefore, an offshoot of the Mādiga, moved south, importing with it its traditional rivalry with the village serf, for there is constant bickering between the S'akkiliyan and the Paraiyan, public opinion being in favour of the labourer, as in the Dekkan. It may also be noted that the leather-workers are here, as in the north, remarkable for the beauty of their women, and in those stages of Şakti worship at which the presence of a living representative of the Female Energy is necessary, a S'akkiliyan girl is always selected for the part.