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NOVEMBER, 1908.]
MISCELLANEA.
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Regarding the origin of the name, the follow- said that Sri Sankaracharya, to test the fidelity of ing legendary account is given by Mr. M. Sankara certain Brahmans to the established ordinances Menon in his Report on the Census of Cochin in of caste, went to a liquor-shop and drank some 1901 : -"One of the Perumals, or Viceroys, of stimulants. Sesing this, the Brahmans that Kerala, having proved troublesome, the Brahmans accompanied lim made this an excuse for resolved upon his removal. In the struggle that their drinking too. Srt Sankaracharya thereafter followed, the Perumal was killed by the Brah
went to a foundry and swallowed a cup of mans. When those who had alain him returned
molten metal and handed another to the Brahto the place where the Brahmans had met in
muns, who bad apparently made up their minds solemn conclave, they were gladly welcomed and to do all that might be done by the Acharya, asked to sit in their midst, but feeling that they The poor Brahmans begged to be excused and hal committed a heinous crime and thus disquali
apologised to him as adiyals, or humble servants, fied themselves to sit along with the Brahmans, and accepted social degradation in expiation of they volunteered to sit apart on the threshold of the sinful presumption." the Council-room, by saying Nim padimel' (we
Atikals offciato in Bhadrakali temples. on the threshold ), which fact is supposed to account for the origin of their name Nimpidi,
They practise upandyana and they repeat the short for Nümpadimél.
Gdyatrf. Their own caste-men officiate as their priests. Their birth and death pollution lasts for eleven days. Their women are called Ati
yammas. They follow the marumalkattayam Ambalavasis, or temple residents, are those (matriarchal) system of inheritance. who have by birth the privilege of doing service in temples. They are classified under twelve heads according to the Jathinirnaya. Most of Chakkiyar, Slaghiyar (men of respectability) these castes have grown out of sexual relations bet- or Slaghiavak (abort for slághyavdkukar, meanween members of higher and lower classes, and ing those gifted with excellence in words), are 'are, therefore, known as Anulomajas and Pra- names for a sub-division of the Anulomaja thulomajas. They may be divided into two broad Ambalsvasis. These are said to be the descendheade, viz., those who wear the thread, and those ants of Nambadris that were formerly excomwho do not wear the thread. To the Grat of municated for certain sexual offences. It is these divisions belong the Atikal, Chakkiyar, asserted that Chakkiyars were originally Nambiyar, Nimbisean or Pashpakan, Pappalli, Paradabls and belonged to the Suta caste, Nattupattan or Pattarunni, Thiyattunni and Pit- which sprang from a Kshattriya father and taranmár; while the Chakkiyar Nambiyar, Pisha. a Brahman mother; that a family of this caste rüti, Váriyan, Pathavsl, and Marar belong to the migrated to Kerals in early times, and that the second division. The Kurakkal are also regarded issue of an adulterous woman born during the as Ambalavasio, but are confined to Travancore, period of her illicit intercourse with other caste. and belong to the first division.
men, but before detection, was adopted into the family, the members of which were thereafter
regarded as a separate caste. Atikals. - The people in this sub-division of
When a Nambadri woman is found guilty of the Anulomaja Ambalavasis are supposed to
adultery by the caste assembly, the obildren have been originally Bralımans and suffered
born after the commencement of her criminal social degradation by having officiated as priests
intimacy with other castemen are looked upon in Bhadrakali temples and worshipped the god. as children conceived and born in polluted dess with offerings of flesh and liquors and womb, and are declared to have forfeited their partaken of the same. It is also said that the caste. Of the boys, if any, those whose upaexorcism and the worship of evil-spirits practised nayana had already been performed, are affiliated by them also contributed towards their degrade to the class of OhAkkiyars, and those boys tion.
who bave not been invested with the sacred
tbread, join the class of Nambiyars. The girls, The word atikal or adiyal means, literally, slaves
if any, join either class. or servante. In the Travancore State Manual, Mr. Nagamiah records the following legendary The Chákkigårs study the Puranas and Ithi account regarding their origin: The tradition hasás, and expound the same by delivering lec regarding their origin is very interesting. It is tures known as chakkiyar-kuth. These lecture
28.
