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DECEMBER, 1876.]
CORRESPONDENCE AND MISCELLANEA
353
CORRESPONDENCE AND MISCELLANEA. THE RIGHT HAND AND THE LEFT-HAND cussed, and some with considerable ability. At CASTES.
length the Brahman puts the following question :To the Editor of the Indian Antiquary. "O Panchalar (he mentions the name), how comes I venture to place at your disposal such infor- it that you range yourself on the side of the leftmation as I have been able to obtain respecting hand caste P" (I abridge the reply.) "In the time right-hand and left-hand castes.
of the Soren Raja Parimalan, Veda-Vyfsan In a village named Sathur Periil, in the zilla endeavoured to induce the king to allow his family of Chittar (Madras Presidency) there reside a to perform the sacred offices for the royal family: large number of the Panchalar, or five classes but the Raja declined, saying, "The Panchalar of mechanice, styling themselves Visva Brâ h- (Viśva Brahmans) perform them very well,' and he man B, having the title . Acharya' affixed to their
desired Vyåsan to take his leave. names, and they wear the thread. They not only
"The Raja died shortly afterwards, rnd his broset up these claims for themselves, but they assert
ther succeeded him, whereupon V yêsan made them to be the natural rights of the five classes of another attempt to have his family appointed, but mechanics throughout the south. Those com.
the new king repelled him rudely. Vyksan then monly called Brahmans they regard as impure, and
went to the illegitimate son of the late Raja, and by they style them foreigners. They further assert
false stories stirred him up against the Raja and the that originally there were five Vedas, but that
Panchålar, and obtained from him a promise that Veda-Vyasan and other Rishis made of them but
he should be made priest of the royal family on four, and in a similar manner they corrupted, inter
condition of his deposing the Raja, and raising him polated, or abridged other sacred writings.
to the throne. Accordingly the king was murdered It would appear that the community of Pan- while out hunting, and the illegitimate son was chalar at Sathur-Periil were in the habit of
raised to the throne. Once established on the performing their own sacred rites, marriages, &c. throne, he endeavoured to fulfil his promise to do., by one of their number who acted as guri.
Veda-Vyasan without offending the Panchalar: The purohita Brahman of the place, however, deter
80 he tried a compromise by dividing the sacred mined to put an end to this, and accordingly, when
offices between them, an arrangement that the a marriage was about to take place, with a strong
Panchålar refused to submit to; whereon they were party, he pulled down the marriage pandal and en
dismissed, and Veda-Vyâsan and his friends were tailed much loss upon the family of the Panchålar,
duly installed in office. This led to unpleasant who insisted on his right as a Visva Brahman to
consequences, as the people refused to cultivate solemnize the marriage. It was subsequently because the religious ceremonies were no longer arranged to inquire into the respective rights of performed by the Panchâlar. Vyasan; therefore, the contending parties before a panchayat, which
to secure success to his plans, got the king to was accordingly done, and the panchayat decided declare that all people who supported him shonld in favour of the Panchålar. The Brahmans would
be designated the right-hand caste, and that those not submit to this decisiou, whereon the other side who sided with the Panchalar should be called appealed to the magistrate, who directed them to
gistrate, who directed them to the left-hand caste. seek redress in the civil court at Chittar, which "A neighbouring Raja, hearing of this, assemthey accordingly did, and a day was fixed for bled his forces and marched against Kalingam hearing the case. Both parties were required R&ja and captured him. The conqueror is described to deposit such documents as they intended to cite as executing the Raja, for dismissing the Panchalar in support of their claim. The Panchalar deposited and appointing Vyasan and his friends to perform some, but the Brahmans none. The court decided sacred offices, and for dividing the people into in favour of the Panchålar, and granted them right and left hand castes damages.
"V yá sa n and his party fled to Kasi and conThe Panchalar at Madras decided on publishing sulted the Brahman Rishis, who are represented the case from beginning to end, for the information as upbraiding him for his misconduct toward the of their people throughout the country. The Panchalar, for his literary forgeries, and for his book has gone through a second edition in Tami]), opposition to Vishnu. Vyâsan denied this latand from it I have extracted the foregoing. The ter, apparently from fear, but on being pressed book is in the shape of a dialogue between a cham- with the charge, he raised his right hand toward pion of the Panchalar and a champion of the heaven and swore that Vishnu was the only true Brahmans, and the discussion is carried on with god. The Righi, disgusted with his duplicity, the bitterest acrimony. Many subjects are dis- drew his scimetar and cut off the extended right
