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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
with them was not permitted to the higher Varnas of society. Their families were especially known as thavana-kula wherefrom a monk was expressly barred from accepting food. Referring to the grounds on which they were shunned by society, three categories of the despised and untouchables have been mentioned in the NC.2 : (i) jatijuṁgita or people condemned by their caste, (ii) kammajuṁgila or those condemned because of the work they followed and (iii) sippajuṁgita or those following condemned arts and crafts.
Although a distinction has been made between kamma and sippa,: yet for a clear understanding of the problem we may call them by a common term, viz. occupation, and thus broadly divide the untouchables into two groups : (i) untouchables by caste, (ii) untouchables by occupation.
Taking into consideration the untouchables by occupation we find that the peacock-teamers (posaga), barbers (sampara, nhavita), acrobats (nada), pole-dancers (lamkha), hunters (vaha, luddhaga), fowlers (vaguriya), butchers (sogariga, khattiga) and fishermen (macchigga) have been mentioned as following condemned work (kammajuṁgita), while the leather-workers (padakara, cammakāra), barbers (nhavita), washermen (rayaga), dealers in silken clothes (kosejja), colicoprinters (chim paga)) and wine-sellers (kallala) have been mentioned as people following low or condemned crafts (si ppajuṁgita, duttha-si ppa)." Here a comparison with the Buddhist and the Brāhmanical authorities will also reveal that many of these professions have been
1. gear gott squirgit 3TH OH OTU: -Ibid. 2. FFÀM a1 fetchur ar straty ar--NC. 2, p. 243; NC. 3, pp. 270-71; Brh. V!.
2, p. 336. 3. Kamma is explained as work which could be followed without any
previous training or teaching like gathering sticks etc., while sippa required a proper training under the guidance of a teacher.---NC.
4, p. 120. 4. NC. 3, p. 271. 5. NC. 4, p. 280.
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