Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c48.s3.t2.1.2

c48.s3.t2.1.2

The Pujārī and Bhōjkī, of the Panjāb Himālaya are cases of this kind, and, though repudiated by the Sārasvat Brāhmans to whom they have attached themselves, they seem to have all the position of the order among the people to whom they minister. The Bhōjak and Sēvak of west Rājputāna, again, who have been mentioned in connection with the Banyā, are held to be Brāhmans, albeit degraded by their connection with the Jain worship. The real reason for the lowness of their position is surmised to be their foreign origin, of which mention was made above. The impure castes, and, in the Dravidian country, a good many of the lower agricultural castes, employ their own caste-fellows for priestly duties outside the temple, whilst a few castes, in the south, officiate for not only their own body but for other castes of similar or slightly superior rank. Generally, however, these semi-priestly castes are themselves of low rank. The Paṇḍāram, for instance, is generally considered to be a branch of the Āṇḍi, a fraternity of Tamil religious mendicants; but there is one subdivision considerably above the average of the latter class, which is educated to a certain extent, wears the sacred thread, presides over monastic and temple establishments, and officiates as priests to the great Veḷḷāḷan peasantry and the castes immediately below and above it.