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Jaina Community-A Social Survey
another, Chaturthas are originally 'Charodas' of the Goanese Native Christians who have three caste divisions.136 Thirdly, it is stated that Chaturthas are the same as Šetavālas on the ground that the same Prakrit word Chhettavāla becomes Śetavāla in Marathi and Chhattaru or Chattaru, i.e., Chaturtha in the Kannada language.137 Fourthly, it is considered that Chaturtha denotes Kshatriyas as the Sanskrit word Kshatriya or Kshatra or Kshatra takes the form of Kshatraru or Chattaru, i. e., Chaturtha, in Kannada.138
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The Chaturthas are mostly agriculturists and therefore live in villages. This is the only caste among the Jainas which follows agriculture as the main occupation. Except some of the larger land-holders, who keep farm servants, the others, with the help of their women, do all sorts of field work with their own hands. They are the hardest working husbandmen, making use of every advantage of soil and situation. Strict Jainas object to tillage because of the loss of life which it cannot help causing. Yet they do not carry their objection to the length of refusing to have social relations with the Jaina husbandmen.139 Widow remarriage is allowed and practised among the poorer families. Marriage is regulated by family surnames. The religious teacher or Bhaṭṭāraka by name Jinasena of Chaturthas has his headquarters at Nandani near Kolhapur.14
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(iii) Panchama :
The Pañchama is one of the important castes in the Deccan. In population it stands next to the Chaturtha caste in the Deccan. Panchamas are spread over the Kannada speaking Districts of Bombay, former Mysore, Madras and Hyderabad Dominion but about ths of them are concentrated in the Northern Karnāṭaka and Southern Mahārāshtra.
Many interpretations are given for the meaning of word Panchama and the origin of Panchama caste. It is asserted that the word Panchama was used by the Vedic Brahmins during the 9th and 15th centuries A. D. to denote the Digambara Jainas in the Deccan as outside the pale of Chaturvarṇa, i.e., four Varnas. Jainas also accepted this appellation and called themselves as Pañchama. During this time there were no distinctions of castes among Jainas. Later on during the 16th Century castes like Chaturtha, Šetavāla and Bogara arose from the Pañchamas, and they were mainly
