Castes and tribes of southern India. Assisted by K. Rangachari (1909) (14587308849)

Identifier: castestribesofso06thuruoft (find matches)

Title: Castes and tribes of southern India. Assisted by K. Rangachari

Year: 1909 (1900s)

Authors: Thurston, Edgar, 1855-1935 Rangachari, K

Subjects: Caste -- India Madras (Presidency) Ethnology -- India Madras (Presidency) India -- Social conditions

Publisher: Madras Government Press

Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto

Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

Text Appearing Before Image:

is a Telugu caste, though represented by small bodiesin some of the Tamil districts. They are most numerousin Cuddapah and North Arcot, to which districts theycame with the Vijayanagar armies. It is evident thatRazu has been returned by a number of individualswho, in reality, belong to other castes, but claim to beKshatriyas. The true Razus also make this claim, butit is, of course, baseless, unless Kshatriya is taken tomean the military class without any reference to Aryanorigin. In religion they are mostly Vaishnavites, andtheir priests are Brahmans. They wear the sacredthread, and in most respects copy the marriage andother customs of the Brahmans. The Razus, Mr.Stuart writes further,t are the most numerous class ofthose who claim to be Kshatriyas in North Arcot.They are found almost entirely in the Karvetnagarestate, the zemindar being the head of the caste. As aclass they are the handsomest and best developed men * Madras Census Report, 1S91. f Manual of the North Arcot district.

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RAZU BRIDEGROOM. 249 RAZU in the country, and differ so much in feature and buildfrom other Hindus that they may usually be distin-guished at a glance. They seem to have entirelyabandoned the military inclinations of their ancestors,never enlist in the native army, and almost whollyoccupy themselves in agriculture. Their vernacular isTelugu, since they are immigrants from the NorthernCircars, from whence most of them followed the ances-tors of the Karvetnasrar zamindar within the last twocenturies. In religion they are mostly Vaishnavites,though a few follow Siva, and the worship of villagedeities forms a part of the belief of all. Their peculiargoddess is called Nimishamba, who would seem torepresent Parvati. She is so called because in an instant(nimisham) she once appeared at the prayer of certainrishis, and destroyed some rakshasas or giants whowere persecuting them. Claiming to be Kshatriyas,the Razus of course assume the sacred thread, and arevery proud and particular in their c

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1909

University of Toronto

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