who threw some rice on to the fire, from which sprang a host of
warriors, whose descendants they are. Others give Puppandaja Rishi
as the name of their ancestor. Concerning Chaudesvari, Mr. Francis
writes as follows. [54] "Connected with the margosa tree (Melia
Azadirachta) is the worship of Chaudesvari, the goddess of the
Togata caste of weavers. She is supposed to reside in margosa trees,
and either the tree itself, or a stone representing the goddess and
placed at its foot, is worshipped by the Togatas at certain seasons,
such as the Telugu New Year Day. Apparently the other weaver castes
take no share in the ceremonies. They consist largely of animal
sacrifices. Nevertheless, a particular class of Brahmans, called
Nandavarikula Brahmans, take a prominent part in the festival. This
name Nandavarikula is derived from the village of Nandavaram in
Kurnool, and doubtless many stories are prevalent there about this
sub-division. The account given at Tadpatri, where they are fairly
numerous, is as follows. Once upon a time, a king from Southern
India went on a pilgrimage with his wife to Benares. While there,
he unwittingly incurred a nameless but heinous pollution. Horrified,
he applied to some Brahmans there to purify him, promising them half
his kingdom in return. They asked for some tangible record of this
promise, and the king called upon the goddess Chaudesvari, who had a
temple near by, to witness his oath. The purification was effected,
and he departed home. Later on the Brahmans came south, and asked for
the fulfilment of his promise. The king declared that he could not
remember having made any such undertaking. The Brahmans accordingly
went to Benares, and asked Chaudesvari to come south, and bear witness
to the king's oaths. She agreed, on the usual condition that they
should go in front, and not look back at her as she came. As happens
in other stories of the same kind, they are said to have broken the
condition. At Nandavaram they looked back, and the goddess instantly
stopped, and remained immoveable. A temple was built for her there,
and the Brahmans remained in the south, and still take part in the
worship of Chaudesvari which the Togatas inaugurate, even though she
is not one of the Hindu pantheon, and delights in animal sacrifice. At
Tadpatri other castes besides the Togatas help at the festival."
Though Chaudesvari is the patron god of the Togatas, they also worship
Poleramma, Ellamma, Kotamma, and other minor deities.
The original occupation of the Togatas is said to have been dyeing,
but, at the present day, owing to the depression in the hand-loom
weaving industry, a large number have taken to cultivation.
Like many other Telugu castes, they have exogamous septs, of which
the following are examples:--
Patha, old.
Kambhapu, pillar.
Nili, indigo.
Madaka, plough.
Bana, pot.
Jilakara, cummin seed.
Annam, food.
Mékala, goat.
Gopalam, alms.
Samanthi, Chrysanthemum indicum.
Gurram, horse.
Perumal, a god.
Bandari, treasurer?
Gudditi.
Pujaris (priests) for temple worship are always elected from the
Perumal sept, and caste messengers from the Bandari sept, if they
are represented in a settlement. Torches are generally carried, at
processions, by men of the Gudditi sept. Members of the Gurram sept
are not allowed to ride on horseback.
The panchayat (village council) system is in vogue, but, in some
places, a headman is selected, as occasion requires. In their marriage
and funeral ceremonies, the Togatas closely follow the Telugu standard
Puranic form of ceremonial. The dead are buried in a recumbent
posture. On the last day of the death rites, the Satani gives arrack
(liquor) to the Togatas, as to the Padma Sales, in lieu of holy water
(thirtham).
Tohala.--Recorded, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as a small
class of Oriya hill cultivators and petty traders in the Ganjam Agency.
Tolagari.--Recorded, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as a sub-caste
of Mutracha. In the North Arcot Manual the Tolagaris are described
as a small cultivating caste, who were formerly hunters, like the
Palayakkarans.
Tolar (Wolf).--An exogamous sept of Halepaik. The equivalent Tolana
occurs as a sept of Moger.
Tolkollan.--The Tolkollans or Tolans (skin people) are summed up in
the Madras Census Report, 1901, as "leather workers and dyers, and also
gymnasts and teachers of gymnastics. They are also called Vatti Kurup,
Chaya Kurup, and Vil Kurup. Their title is Kurup." The Tolkollans are
stated [55] to be "blacksmiths by caste, who abandoned their hereditary
trade for leather work, and they are chiefly employed by Mappillas. One
peculiar custom in this caste is that two or more brothers may have
one wife in common. Only those in good circumstances indulge in the
luxury of a private wife. The following information furnished by
Mr. S. Vaidyanadha Aiyar, the headmaster of the School of Commerce,
Calicut, gives some information regarding leather work in Malabar:--
(a) Boots and shoes of country make and English pattern.
(b) Harness making.
(c) Native shoes (ceruppu). These are of the special pattern peculiar
to Malabar, and are largely used by all classes of the Hindu and
Mappilla communities. The Arabs who visit this coast once a year
purchase a considerable number to take back with them. The price of a
pair varies from Rs. 1-8-0 to Rs. 5. Those with ornamental gold lace
work cost from Rs. 10 to Rs. 50. These shoes are generally used by
well-to-do Mappillas. White of egg is used to give a creaking sound to
the shoes. This work is mainly done by Tholperunkollans and Mappillas,
and the latter show more skill in finish and ornamental work.
(d) Knife sheaths. Almost every Nayar, Tiyan and Mappilla carries
a knife about a foot in length, and there is a demand for leather
sheaths. These are made by Panans as well as by Tholperunkollans
and Mappillas.
(e) Leather baskets are also made, and are largely used as receptacles
for carrying pepper, paddy (rice), and other grain.
(f) Winnowing fans are made of leather, and are used in pepper and
paddy yards, etc.
(g) Muttu ceruppu (clogs) are leather shoes with wooden soles. These
are largely used during the rainy season."
Tollakkadan (one with a big hole in the lobes of his ears).--Taken,
at the census, 1901, as a sub-caste of Shanan, as those returning
the name, who are vendors of husked rice in Madras, used the Shanan
title Nadan. The equivalent Tollakadu was returned as a sub-division
of Konga Vellala.
Tol Mestri.--A sub-division of Semman.
Tondaman.--It is stated, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, that the
Tondamans are "also called Sunnambukkaran (q.v.), a Tamil caste of
lime (chunam) burners found only in the Tinnevelly district. They are
said to be a branch of the Kallans who migrated to Tinnevelly from
Pudukkottai, or the Tondaman's country. Its members are now drummers
and pipers as well as lime-burners. Brahmans are their purohits,
but they are not allowed to go into Hindu temples. They will eat in
the houses of Maravans. Their title is Solagan." It is noted, in the
same report, that the Semman caste "has two sub-divisions, Tondaman
and Tol-mestri, and men of the former take wives from the latter,
but men of the latter may not marry girls of the former." Tondaman is
the family name of the Raja of Pudukkottai, a Native State surrounded
by the British districts of Tanjore, Madura, and Trichinopoly. The
Raja is the head of the Kallan caste. Copper coins, called amman kasu,
are current only within the State, and their greatest distribution is
during Navaratri or Dusserah, when they are issued to the people with
a dole of rice every day during the nine days of the festival. They
bear on one side the word "Vijaya," meaning victory, or more probably
having reference to our faithful ally Vijaya Ragunatha Tondaman,
in whose reign they were first struck, it is said in 1761, after the
surrender of Pondicherry to the British.
Tondamandalam.--The name of a sub-division of Vellala, derived from
Tondanadu, the ancient Pallava country.
Tonti.--The Tontis are said to be cotton-weavers of Bengal, who have
settled in Ganjam. [56] The name denotes threadmen, and the weaving
of rough white cloths is the traditional occupation of the caste. All
Tontis belong to a single gotra named after Kasyapa, one of the seven
important rishis, and the priest of Parasurama. Various bamsams or
exogamous septs, the names of some of which occur also as titles,
exist, e.g., Biswalo, Dasso, Palo, Bono, Chondo, Parimaniko, Korono,
Behara, and Mahapatro. The marriage and death ceremonies conform to
the standard Oriya type. On the fourth day of the marriage rites, a
Bhondari (barber) is presented with some beaten rice and sugar-candy
in a new earthen pot. These are sold to those who have assembled,
and the proceeds go to the Bhondari. The corpse of a dead person
is washed at the burning ground, instead of, in accordance with the
common custom among other castes, at the house.
Toppa Tali.--A name applied to certain Vaniyans in the North Arcot
district, owing to the peculiar tali (marriage badge) which married
women wear.
Torai.--A title of various Oriya castes.
Toreya.--The Toreyas are a Canarese class, living chiefly in the
Tamil districts of Coimbatore and Salem. They are said to have been
originally fishermen and palanquin bearers, and the name is derived
from turai, a river ghat. Most of them are now cultivators, especially
of the betel vine (Piper betle). Those whom I examined at Coimbatore
were earning their living as betel and sugar-cane cultivators, vendors
of tobacco, bakers, cloth merchants, contractors, petty traders,
and police constables.
By the Coimbatore Toreyas, the following endogamous divisions were
returned:--
Elai, leaf. Betel cultivators.
Chunam, lime. Lime burners.
Gazul, glass bangle. The Toreya caste is said to have originated
from the bangles of Machyagandhi or Gandhavati, the daughter
of a fisherman on the Jumna. She was married to king Shantanu
of Hastinapur, who was one of the ancestors of the heroes of
the Mahabharata.
Many exogamous septs exist among the Toreyas, of which the following
are examples:--
Belli, silver. May not wear silver toe-rings.
Naga, snake. The members of the sept, at times of marriage,
worship ant-hills, which are the home of snakes.
Alwar or Garuda.
Chinnam, gold.
Kansugaje, small bronze bells, tied to the legs when dancing.
Urukathi, a kind of knife.
Vajjira, diamond.
Vasishta, a Hindu saint.
Mogila, clouds.
Onne (Pterocarpus Marsupium). Do not mark their foreheads with the
juice from the trunk of this tree.
Kuzhal, the flute played by shepherd boys and snake charmers. If the
sound thereof is heard during a meal, what remains of the food should
be thrown away.
Rakshasa, a giant. Do not celebrate the Dipavali festival in honour
of the victory over, and death of, a rakshasa.
Erumai, buffalo.
The headman of the caste is called Ejaman, who has under him an
officer entitled Dalavayi. The caste messenger bears the name of
Kondikar. These three offices are hereditary. The Ejaman presides at
council meetings which are held at the temple of the caste. The eldest
member of each family is entitled to a seat on the council. Those
who come late to a meeting thereof prostrate themselves before the
assembly. Witnesses before the council have to take an oath, which
is administered by the Kondikar. He makes the witness stand within
a circle drawn on the ground, and makes him repeat the formula
"Before God and the elders assembled, with the sky above and the
earth beneath, I will state only the truth." The Kondikar then takes
up a pinch of earth, and puts it on the head of the witness. For
merely threatening to beat a person with shoes, the offender has
to feed twenty-five castemen. If he takes the shoes in his hands he
must feed fifty, and, if he actually resorts to beating with them,
he has to feed a hundred men. In addition, the culprit has to pay
a small fine, and both parties have to be purified at the temple. A
similar punishment is enforced for beating, or threatening to beat
with a broom. For adultery the guilty person is excommunicated, and
is admitted back into the caste only after the death of one of the
parties concerned. He then has to feed a large number of castemen,
or pay a money fine, and, prostrating himself before the assembly,
he is beaten with a tamarind switch. He further makes obeisance to
the Ejaman, and washes his feet. The Ejaman then purifies him by a
small piece of burning camphor in his mouth.
When a married girl reaches puberty, she is taken to her father's
house, and her husband constructs a hut with branches of Ficus
glomerata. On the last day of her confinement therein, the hut is
pulled down, and the girl sets fire to it. The house is purified, and
the female relations go to the houses of the Ejaman and caste people,
and invite them to be present at a ceremonial. A small quantity of
turmeric paste is stuck on the doors of the houses of all who are
invited. The relations and members of the caste carry betel, and
other articles, on trays in procession through the streets. The girl
is seated on a plank, and the trays are placed in front of her. Rice
flour, fruits, betel, etc., are tied in her cloth, and she is taken
into the house. In the case of an unmarried girl, the hut is built
by her maternal uncle.
Marriage is always celebrated at the house of the bridegroom, as there
is a legend that a Rajah belonging to the Toreya caste had a son, who
was taken to the house of his bride elect, and there murdered. The
bridegroom's father and relations go to the house of the bride, and
make presents of money, cloths, ornaments, etc. They also have to make
obeisance to, and feed five married women sumptuously. Pandals (booths)
are constructed at the houses of both the bride and bridegroom. Five
married women go, on behalf of each of the contracting parties,
to their houses, and pound rice there. On the second day, five such
women fetch water from a tank, and bathe the bride and bridegroom
respectively. The ten women then go to the potter's house, and bring
five decorated pots. Three of these are taken to a tank, and filled
with water. On the following day, the bridegroom and his sister take
the two remaining pots to the tank, and fill them with water. The five
pots are placed in the pandal, and represent the household gods. The
relations of the bridegroom take twelve kinds of ornaments, a new
cloth, flowers, etc., to the house of the Ejaman, and go with him
to the bride's house. She is then bathed, and decked with finery. A
Brahman does puja (worship) and ties on her forehead a mandaikettu or
bashingham (chaplet) made of gold leaf or tinsel. She is then carried
in procession to the house of the bridegroom. Meanwhile, the Brahman
ties a mandaikettu on the forehead of the bridegroom, who puts on the
sacred thread, and sits within the pandal, holding a katar (dagger)
in his hand, and closed in by a screen. The bride goes thrice round
this screen, and the Brahman does puja and gives advice (upadesam)
to the couple. The screen is then lowered slightly, and the bride and
bridegroom garland each other. The bride's parents place a few gingelly
(Sesamum) seeds in the hand of the bridegroom, and pour water thereon,
saying that their daughter belongs to him, and telling him to take care
of her. The tali, after being blessed by those assembled, is given by
the Brahman to the bridegroom, who ties it on the bride's neck. The
screen is then removed, and the couple sit side by side. The sacred
fire is lighted, their hands are linked together, and the ends of
their cloths tied together. They then leave the pandal, and, placing
their feet on a grindstone, look at the pole-star (Arundati). Entering
the pandal once more, they sit therein, and the elders bless them by
throwing rice coloured with turmeric over their heads. On the fourth
day, they again sit within the pandal, and cooked rice, coloured white,
red, yellow, green, and black, on five trays, and nine lighted wicks
on a tray are waved before them. Five married men and women, holding
a string, stand round them in a circle, within which is the bride's
brother with a twig of pipal (Ficus religiosa). The bridegroom places
his hands together, and small rice cakes are placed on the head,
shoulders, bend of the elbows and knees, and between the fingers of
the couple. They are then bathed, and, taking betel in their hands,
bow to the four corners of the earth. The bridegroom makes a namam
(Vaishnavite sect mark), or places vibhuti (sacred ashes) on the
twelve posts of the pandal, and the bride places a little cooked
rice and water before each post, to which camphor is burnt, and
puja done. They then start for the bride's house, but the bride's
sister meets them at the entrance thereto, and will not allow them
to go in until she has extracted a promise that their child shall
marry hers. The bride proceeds to a tank, sowing some paddy (rice)
on the way thither, and brings back a pot of water, with which she
washes her husband's hands and feet. Husband and wife then feed each
other with a small quantity of rice and milk. Their hands are then
cleaned, and the bride's brother puts a gold ring on the finger of
the bridegroom. A tray with betel leaves and areca nuts is brought,
and the bridegroom ties three handfuls thereof in his cloth. The
newly married couple then worship at the temple. On the fifth day,
they carry the earthen pots to a river, and, on their return, five
married women are worshipped and fed. Five men have to come forward
as sureties for the good behaviour of the couple, and declare before
those assembled that they will hold themselves responsible for it. In
the evening the pair go to the bride's house, and rub oil over each
other's head before bathing in turmeric water. On the following day
they repair to the house of the bridegroom.
The corpse of a dead Toreya is placed in a pandal constructed of
cocoanut leaves and stems of the milk-hedge (Euphorbia Tirucalli). Sect
marks are placed on the foreheads of the corpse and the widow. The
son of the deceased dons the sacred thread. The funeral ceremonies
resemble, in many particulars, those of the Oddes. A mound is
piled up over the grave. A Paraiyan places a small twig of the arka
plant (Calotropis gigantea) in three corners of the grave, leaving
out the north-east corner, and the son puts a small coin on each
twig. As he goes round the grave with a water-pot and fire-brand,
his maternal uncle, who stands at the head of the grave, makes holes
in the pot. On the third, fifth, seventh, or ninth day, the widow,
dressed in new cloths, and bedecked with ornaments and flowers, is
taken to the burial-ground, with offerings of milk, ghi (clarified
butter), tender cocoanut, sandal, camphor, etc. Five small stones,
smeared with turmeric and lime, are set up at the head of the grave,
and worshipped. The widow goes thrice round the grave, and seats
herself near the head thereof. Her brother holds up her arms, and one
of her husband's male relations breaks her bangles. She breaks, and
throws her tali on the grave, with the flowers which adorn her. Her
ornaments are removed, and she is covered with a cloth, and taken to
a river, where she is rubbed with cow-dung and bathed. The son and
other relatives go to the temple with butter and other articles. A
Brahman does puja, and shuts the doors of the temple. The son, with
his back to the temple, throws a little butter on the doors, which are
then opened by the Brahman. This is done thrice. On the seventh day,
pollution is removed by sprinkling holy water, and the caste people
are fed. A widow remains in seclusion (gosha) for three months. Sradh
(memorial ceremony) is performed.
The Toreyas worship both Siva and Vishnu, but consider Ayodhya Raman
as their special deity, and sacrifice sheep and fowls to Koriamma.
Toreya.--A sub-division of the Badagas of the Nilgiris.
Tota (garden).--Recorded as a sub-division of cultivating Balijas, and
an exogamous sept of Boya, Chenchu, Vada Balija (or Mila), Mutracha
and Bonthuk Savara. The equivalent Tota occurs as an exogamous sept
of Kapu and Yanadi. Tota Devaru, or garden god, is the name of an
exogamous sept of the Tigala gardeners and cultivators.
Totakura (Amarantus gangeticus).--An exogamous sept of Kamma.
Toththala or Tottadi.--A sub-division of Velama.
Toti.--The Toti or Totti is one of the village communal servants. The
name has been derived from tondu, to dig, or tott, to go round, as
the Toti is the purveyor of news, and has to summon people to appear
before the village council. The functions of this useful person to the
community have been summed up as follows by a district official. [57]
"This individual has all the dirty work of the village allotted to
him. He is of the lowest caste, and hence makes no scruple of doing
any manner of work that he may be called upon to perform. The removal
and sepulture of unclaimed dead bodies, the cleansing of choultries,
rest-houses and the like, where travellers carrying infectious
diseases might have halted, and other gruesome duties are entrusted
to him. In spite of all this, the Toti is one of the most trusted of
the humbler servants of the village community. Considering his humble
status and emoluments, which average between Rs. 3 and Rs. 4 a month,
his honesty with regard to pecuniary matters is wonderful. He may
be trusted with untold wealth, as is often done when he is the sole
custodian of the revenue collections of his village to the tune of
several thousands at a time, when on their way from the collecting
officers to the Government Treasury." Testimony is borne to the
industry of the Toti in the proverb that if you work like a Toti,
you can enjoy the comforts of a king.
In the Madras Census Report, 1891, Toti is returned as a sub-division
of Chakkiliyan. The Toti of Mysore is defined by Mr. L. Rice [58] as
a menial among the village servants, a deputy talari, who is employed
to watch the crops from the growing crop to the granary.
Odiya Toti is a Tamil synonym for Oriya Haddis employed as scavengers
in municipalities in the Tamil country.
Tottiyan.--In the Census Report, 1901, Mr. W. Francis writes that the
Tottiyans are "Telugu cultivators. The Tottiyans or Kambalattans of
the Tanjore district are, however, said to be vagrants, and to live
by pig-breeding, snake-charming, and begging. So are the sub-division
called Kattu Tottiyans in Tinnevelly. The headman among the Tinnevelly
Tottiyans is called the Mandai Periadanakkaran or Servaikaran. Their
marriages are not celebrated in their houses, but in pandals (booths)
of green leaves erected for the purpose on the village common. However
wealthy the couple may be, the only grain which they may eat at
the wedding festivities is either cumbu (Pennisetum typhoideum) or
horse-gram (Dolichos biflorus). The patron deities of the caste are
Jakkamma and Bommakka, two women who committed sati. The morality of
their women is loose. The custom of marrying boys to their paternal
aunt's or maternal uncle's daughter, however old she may be, also
obtains, and in such cases the bridegroom's father is said to take
upon himself the duty of begetting children to his own son. Divorce
is easy, and remarriage is freely allowed. They offer rice and
arrack (alcoholic liquor) to their ancestors. The Kattu Tottiyans
will eat jackals, rats, and the leavings of other people. Tottiya
women will not eat in the houses of Brahmans, but no explanation of
this is forthcoming. The men wear silver anklets on both legs, and
also a bracelet upon one of the upper arms, both of which practices
are uncommon, while the women wear bangles only on the left arm,
instead of on both as usual. Some of the Zamindars in Madura belong
to this caste. The caste title is Nayakkan." At the census, 1901,
Kudulukkaran was returned as a sub-caste of the Tottiyans in Madura and
Tinnevelly. The Urumikkaran, meaning those who play on the drum called
urumi, are said to be Tottiyans in Madura and Paraiyans elsewhere.