Goundala: Deccan
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Goundala
This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS BY SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and Middle Temple, London. One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. BOMBAY THE TlMES PRESS 1920 Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
Goundala: Deccan
Titles : Ayya, Appa, Gouda
Goundala, Gouda, Idiga, Kalal — a toddy-drawing and liquor- vending caste, found widely distributed in all the Telugu .districts of His Highness's Dominions.
Origin
Regarding their origin, several stories are current. According to the Goud Puran, they are said to have come from Benares and other parts of Northern India, where they were originally engaged in the manufacture and sale of spirituous liquors. Another legend represents them as having sprung from Koundinya Rishi, who was created by Parvati for the purpose of extracting and fermenting the sap of the wild date palm and thus supplying the wants of gods and men in the matter of intoxicating drinks. It is said that the gods and demons were so delighted with the pleasant beverage, that they conferred upon him the title of ' Gouda,' or " the head of mankind.' A third legend describes how Mannad Shetli, the ancestor of this caste, was created by Shiva to supply him with a drink of water when thirsty, and how, instead of water, the Shetti brought the god the fermented juice of the shendi (wild date palm) tree. Shiva discovered this and, in his anger, condemned the offender to the servile occupation of a liquor vendor. Several legends, more or less grotesque in description, are given which, however, throw no light upon the real origin of the caste. It seems probable that the caste is a functional group, formed from the members of other castes under the pressure of the demand for intoxicating drinks. This view bears support from the internal structure of the caste, which shows that it comprises several independent groups.
Internal Structure
The caste is divided into six endogamous groups: (1) Deva Goundala, (2) Shetti Goundala, (3) Mashti Goundala, (4) Goundala, (5) Idiga and (6) Laguwad.
(1) Deva Goundala. — Very little is known regarding the origin
of the name 'Deva Goundala". It is traditionally ascribed to the fact that members of this sub-caste supplied liquor , to the Devas (gods). At the present day they hold the highest rank among the Goundala castes.
(2) The Shetti, "or Chetti Goundalas are very numerous and
assert that the distinctive title Shetti was conferred upon their ancestor by Raja Prataprudra of Warangal, for 'successfully meeting and overcoming an invincible gym- nast in a wrestling match.
(3) The Mashti Goundalas occupy the lowest position among
the Goundala sub-castes. They have five sub-divisions : (1) Telia Idiga, (2) Kulla Jain, (3) Kada, (4) Ayanoti- waru and (5)' Jetti. The members of these sub-castes do not eat together, nor intermarry. The Ayanotiwaru and • Jetti groups earn their living by begging alms from the other sub-castes of liquor vendors.
(5) The Idigas rank lower, socially, than the Goundalas, but have
been grouped with the latter by reason of their common occupation. The word 'Idiga' comes from 'Ita' which means a shendi tree, and those who make incisions in the tree for its sap are called 'Ita Godlu', the two words ultimately passing into the term 'Idiga'. The sub-caste is said to have been recruited from among members of other castes, especially from the Mutrasi, Munnur and Telaga castes. The Idigas have a sub-division called ' Thala Idiga,' the word ' Thala ' signifying ' the head.'
(6) The Laguwad or Lagullawahdlu are so called because they
wear lagus, i.e., short trousers. This sub-caste is also re- cruited from other castes and is found chiefly in the Southern Districts of H. H. the Nizam's Dominions.
The members of the caste claim to have five gotras (exogamous groups). (I) Shivansha gotra, (2) Shivanama gotra, (3) Nishila golra, (4) Surabhandeshwar and (5) Koundinya. These are purely ornamental and have no bearing upon the regulation of marriages, which are governed by exogamous sections based upon family names, the majority of which are of the territorial character. A few only are toteraistic, being the names of trees and animals. The totems, how- ever, are not taboo to the members of the sections bearing their names.
The rule of exogamy is strictly observed and a man cannot marry within his section, or outside his sub-caste. Marriage with the daughter of a maternal uncle, or a paternal aunt, is allowed. A man may marry two sisters and two brothers may also mari./ two sisters. Exchange of daughters is permitted by the caste. The usage of illaiam, under which a man is allowed to bring up his son-in-law as heir to his estate, obtains in the caste. The son-in-law succeeds to the whole of his father-in-law's property if the latter has no male issue, otherwise he shares equally with the sons of his brothers-in- law. A son-in-law can also perform the funeral obsequies on behalf of a father-in-law who has no male issu;.
Women of higher castes are admitted by the Goundalas into their community, no special ceremony being prescribed.
Marriage
Infant marriage is practised by the caste. If a "girl's marriage is delayed by reason of poverty, or any other cause, and she attains the age of puberty, she is dedicated to a temple and remains unmarried. Polygamy is permitted, theoretically, to any extent. The marriage ceremony conesponds in all essential particulars to that prevalent among the other Telaga castes of the same social standing. The negotiations leading to marriage are opened by the father of the boy, who pays a visit of inspection to the girl's house. If his proposals for marriage are accepted, a local Brahman is engaged to compare the horoscopes of both parties and, if they are found to agree, an auspicious day is fixed for the performance of the wedding ceremony. No price is generally claimed for the bride, but sometimes t)o/r, amounting to Rs.' 50, is said to be paid to her parents. Mcirriage pandals, consisting of 6 or 8 pillars, are erected by both parties in front of their houses.
The actual ceremony comprises the following rites : —
(1) Mailapolu. — A square piece of ground is daubed clean With owdrung, and at each of its corners is placed a vessel filled with water. These vessels are encircled seven times by a cotton thread. Within the square are seated the bride and bridegroom on two low stools. They are smeared with turmeric and oil by a female of the barber caste and subsequpntly bathed with warm water.
(2) Matyal Polu. — Rice ana jaWari (millet) grains being spread on the ground and the bridal pair being seated over them on two wooden stools, the feet of the bridegroom are washed by the father of the Bride, her mother pouring water on them the while.
(3) Madhupark- — A mixture of jaggery and curds is placed in a concave piece of cocoanut kernel and is offered to the bride- groom by his father-in-law.
(4) Kanyaian. — The formal gift of the bride by her father to the bridegroom and the latter's formal acceptance of her.
(5) Lagnam. — The bride and bridegroom being seated face lo face, a screen is held between them by the officiating priest. Auspi- cious verses are repeated and grains of jaWari or rice are thrown over their heads, both by Brahmans and by the assembled guests.
(6) Jira Gudam. — The couple place handfuls of cumin-seeds mixed with molasses on each other's heads.
(7) Pada-ghattanam. — The bridegroom first touches the left foot of the bride with his right foot and, subsequently, the bride places her left foot upon the right foot of her husband.
(8) Tila Bala Biam. — The couple are made to exchange rice.
(9) Kankanams. — Thread bracelets, with a turmeric root at- tached to each, are tied on the wrists of the bridal pair.
(10) Mangalsutram. — A necklace of black beads is tied around the neck of the bride by the bridegroom, under the guid- ance of the priest.
(11) Brahmamudi. — The ends of the garments of the wedded pair are fastened in a knot by the officiating priest.
(12) Mangalarti. — Auspicious lights are waved round the happy couple by females whose husbands are alive.
(13) Arundhati Darshanam.—The star Amndhati is pointed out to the married couple by the Brahman priest.
The important ceremonies of Nagbali and Panpu, which are performed on the fourth day after the wedding, do not differ materially from those of the Kapu caste and have been fully des- cribed in the article on that caste.
Widow-Marriage
A widow is allowed to marry again, but she is not expected to marry her first husband's younger or elder brother. The ceremony in vogue at the marriage of a widow is known as Oodki, in which a rupee is given to the widow-bride for the purchase of bangles and toe-rings. On an auspicious day, in the evening, people on behalf of the widower go to the TVidow's house, present her with a white sari and jewels and bring her at nightfall to the bridegroom's house. The bridegroom, after giving her a sari and choir, ties the pusti round her neck. The proceedings conclude with a feast to the friends and relatives of the newly married couple. Divorce — Divorce is permitted on the ground of the wife's adultery, or barrenness, or if the couple cannot live in harmony. It i*; effected simply by driving the woman out of the house before the caste Panchayat. Divorced women are allowed to marry again by the same rites as widows. A woman taken in adultery with a member of her own caste, or with one of a higher caste, is punished only with a fine of Rs. 10. If she goes wrong with a man of a lower caste, she is expelled from the caste.
Inheritance
The Goundalas follow the Hindu law of in- heritance. Females inherit in default of any male issue in the family. Under the usage of illatam, a sister's son succeeds to the property of his maternal uncle. Among the Goundalas, as among the other lower castes of Telingana, the custom of chudaWand obtains in full force. Something extra is said to be given to the eldest son.
Religion
In matters of religion the Goundalas differ very little from the other Telaga castes. They are divided into Tirmanidharis and Vibhutidharis, or the worshippers of Vishnu and Shiva, under the guidance of their respective sectarian gums, Shri Vaishnava and Aradhi Brahmans. Preference is, however, given to the worship of Shiva, whom they adore under the peculiar name of Surabhandashewar, or- "the god Shiva sprung from a toddy pot." As the story goes, Shiva once fell in love with Sara Devi, the wife of Maila Goud, a man of the Goundala caste. On one occasion, while the lovers were together, the husband suddenly made his appearance, and Shiva, in confusion, concealed himself in a pot of shendi. The suspicious husband boiled the contents, but, on opening the pot, dis- covered that it contained only Shioa Lmgam, or the phallic symbol of the god Shiva. This was regarded as a miracle and led to the uni- versal worship of the deity among the caste. Katamayya, or Kattam Raja, the supposed guardian of palm groves, is held in special re- verence by the members of the caste. According to the legend in vogue among »he Goundalas, Katamayya was created by Mahadeo, from his necklace of rudraksha (ElcBocarpus Ganitms), to kill the demon Gajasura, who infested the shendi groves belonging to the Rishi Koundinya. Katamayya is represented by a piece of stone, set up at the bottom of an untapped shendi tree, and is worshipped with great pomp and ceremony in the month of Shravan (August- September), especially when the sun enters Magha. Offerings of sweetmeat, flowers and milk are made to the deity and a black ram*, screened from the god by a curtain, is sacrificed before it. Maisamma is appeased in each shendi grove by the sacrifice of a bull-buffalo. After the animal has been slaughtered, its blood is collected in a bowl and sprinkled on each shendi tree. Idamma, Pochamma, Durgamma, Mari Amma, Mutyalamma, and other local minor deities, are duly propitiated on Fridays and Sundays, with offer- ings of fowls, sheep and other animals. A man of the Madiga caste is employed in the worship of these animistic deities and claims the offerings made to them as his perquisites. The Goundalas have a firm belief in witchcraft and in the existence of the spirit world. Every disease that cannot be cured by medicine is attributed to the baneful influence of some malignant spirit, or spiteful witch, and an Erakala woman is employed to pacify the spirit, or to avert the spell of the witch. Brahmans serve the caste in religious and ceremonial observances, while Jangams (Lingayit priests) officiate at funeral ceremonies.
The Bandi Sidi (literally cart and ladder), or swing festival, is held annually by the members of the caste in honour of Mallanna.
On the top of a long pole is fixed a cross beam, with' iron hooks attached by ropes to both its ends. The hooks are thrust into the flesh of the votary's back and the pole, bearing its burden, is raised aloft in the air by several men sitting on an open temple car. when the pole has attained a perpendicular position, the car is moved three times round the temple. Sometimes two or more devotees are sus- pended simultaneously from the beam and, with swords and shields in their hands, make a pretence of fighting with one another. This horrid practice has, of late, entirely ceased in the Khalsa Districts, but it is said to be still prevalent in the Paigah illaquas.
Disposal of the Dead
The Goundalas usually burn their dead, but occasionally bury them if they cannot affofd to pay the cremation expenses. In the former case, the ashes and bones are collected on the third day after death and either thrown into the nearest river or tank, or buried under a taroad tree {Cassia auriculata). If burial is resorted to, the married are placed in a sitting posture, with the face pointing towards the east, while the unmarried are interred in a lying position, with the face downwards and the head turned to the south. Mourning is observed for ten days for the married and for three days for the unmarried and children. No Sradha ceremony is performed. On the Pitra AmaWas^a day (mid- dle of September), rice and money are offered to Brahmans for the benefit of the departed ancestors. A metal pot, painted externally with turmeric and red lead, represents the deceased's first wife and, under the name of Jagdi Muntha, is worshipped by the 2nd wife, if living.
Occupation
The Goundalas still follow their traditional occupation of extracting the juice of the wild date palm {Phoenix silcestris) and fermenting it into a spirit popularly known as shendi. Shops for the sale of this liquor are almost exclusively owned by members of this caste. The wild date palms are tapped generally after mid-day and the sap is collected early next morning. The quantity of juice extracted from a single tree varies from one to two pounds.
The Idigas, on the other hand, tap both the wild date and the palmyra palms. The juice of the latter is largely used in the manu- facture of sugar and intoxicating liquor. The Idigas use a sort of leather sling in climbing palm trees. Owing to the extensive sale of fermented liquors, the Goundalas are as a well-to-do class of men. Some of them amass large fortunes and are regarded as prominent members of the village community. The poorer members of the caste are engaged as palm-tappers. Only a few of the Goundalas have taken to cultivation.
