South Indian castes/ tribes (numerically small): J
This article is an excerpt from Government Press, Madras |
Jāda
Jāda or Jāndra, meaning great men, has been recorded as a synonym of Dēvānga and Kurni.
Jaikonda (lizard).—A sept of Dōmb.
Jāli (Acacia arabica).—A gōtra of Kurni.
Jalli .—Jalli, meaning palm tassels put round the neck and horns of bulls, occurs as an exogamous sept of Jōgi. The name occurs further as a sub-division of Kevuto.
Jāmbava —A synonym of the Mādigas, who claim descent from the rishi Audi Jāmbavādu.
Jambu (Eugenia Jambolana).—An exogamous sept of Oddē.
Jāmbuvar (a monkey king with a bear’s face).—An exogamous sept of Kondaiyamkottai Maravan.
Jamkhānvāla (carpet-maker).—An occupational name for Patnūlkārans and Patvēgars.
Jammi (Prosopis spicigera).—A gōtra of Gollas, members of which may not use the tree. It is further a gōtra of Chembadis. Children of this caste who are named after the caste god Gurappa or Gurunāthadu are taken, when they are five, seven, or nine years old, to a jammi tree, and shaved after it has been worshipped with offerings of cooked food, etc. The jammi or sami tree is regarded as sacred all over India. Some orthodox Hindus, when they pass it, go round it, and salute it, repeating a Sanskrit verse to the effect that “the sami tree removes sins; it is the destroyer of enemies; it was the bearer of the bows and arrows of Arjuna, and the sight of it was very welcome to Rāma.”
Jandāyi (flag).—An exogamous sept of Yānādi.
Janga (calf of the leg).—An exogamous sept of Māla.
Jangal Jāti .—A synonym, denoting jungle folk, of the Kurivikārans or Kāttu Marāthis.
Janjapul (sacred thread).—An exogamous sept of Bōya.
Janni —The name of the caste priests of Jātapus.
Japanese .—At the Mysore census, 1901, two Japanese were returned. They were managers of the silk farm instituted on Japanese methods by Mr. Tata of Bombay in the vicinity of Bangalore.
Jāt .—A few members of this North Indian class of Muhammadans, engaged in trade, have been returned at times of census in Mysore.
Jātikīrtulu —Recorded, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as a class of beggars in the Cuddapah district. The name means those who praise the caste, and may have reference to the Bhatrāzus.
Jāti Pillai (children of the caste).—A general name for beggars, who are attached to particular castes, from the members of which they receive alms, and at whose ceremonies they take part by carrying flags in processions, etc. It is their duty to uphold the dignity of the caste by reciting the story of its origin, and singing its praises. As examples of Jāti Pillais, the following may be cited:—
• Mailāri attached to Kōmatis.
• Vīramushti attached to Bēri Chettis and Kōmatis.
• Nōkkan attached to Pallis . • Māstiga attached to Mādigas.
It is recorded by Mr. M. Paupa Rao Naidu that some Koravas, who go by the name of Jātipalli Koravas, “are prevalent in the southern districts of the Madras Presidency, moving always in gangs, and giving much trouble. Their women tattoo in return for grain, money, or cloths, and help their men in getting acquainted with the nature and contents of the houses.”
Jaura .—The Jauras are a small Oriya caste, closely allied to the Khodūras, the members of which manufacture lac (jau) bangles and other articles. Lac, it may be noted, is largely used in India for the manufacture of bangles, rings, beads, and other trinkets worn as ornaments by women of the poorer classes. Dhippo (light) and mohiro (peacock) occur as common exogamous septs among the Jauras, and are objects of reverence. The Jauras are mainly Saivites, and Sūramangala and Bimmala are the caste deities. Titles used by members of the caste are Dansē, Sāhu, Dhōv, and Mahapātro.
Javvādi (civet-cat).—An exogamous sept of Mēdara.
Jelakuppa (a fish).—An exogamous sept of Kuruba.
Jēn (honey).—A sub-division of Kurumba.
Jenna —A title of Oriya castes, e.g., Bolāsi and Kālinji.
Jerribōtula (centipedes).—An exogamous sept of Bōya.
Jhodia .—A sub-division of Poroja.
Jhoria —A sub-division of Gaudo.
Jīlaga (pith).—An exogamous sept of Dēvānga.
Jilakara (cumin seeds: Cuminum cyminum). An exogamous sept of Balija and Togata.
Jinka .—(Indian gazelle, Gazella bennetti).—An exogamous sept of Padma Sālē. The equivalent Jinkala is a sept of Bōya.
Jīra .—In the Bellary district, a Lingāyat who sells flowers calls himself a Jīra, and his caste Jīra kula.
Jīrige (cumin: Cuminum cyminum).—An exogamous sept of Kuruba, and gōtra of Kurni.
Jivāla (an insect).—An exogamous sept of Kuruba.
Jōgi Gurukkal .—See Yōgi Gurukkal.
Jōnagan .—Jōnagan is given, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as the name applied to “Musalman traders of partly Hindu parentage. The word is from the Tamil Sōnagan, which means Arabia, and is not strictly the name of any Musalman tribe, but is a loose term applied by the Tamils to Musalmans of mixed descent.” In the Gazetteer of South Arcot, Mr. Francis says that “the term Jōnagan or Sōnagan, meaning a native of Sōnagan or Arabia, is applied by Hindus to both Labbais and Marakkāyars, but it is usually held to have a contemptuous flavour.” According to another version, Jōnagan is applied to sea-fishermen and boatmen, and the more prosperous traders are called Marakkāyars. In a note on the Māppillas of Malabar, Mr. Padmanabha Menon writes that “the Muhammadans generally go by the name of Jōnaga Māppillas. Jōnaka is believed to stand for Yavanaka, i.e., Greek.”
Jōti (light).—An exogamous sept of Bōya.
Jōtinagara .—Jōtinagara (people of the city of light) and Jōtipana are high sounding synonyms of the Canarese oil-pressing Gānigas, who express illuminant oils from seeds. In like manner, the Tamil oil-pressing Vāniyans are known as Jōtinagarattār and Tiru-vilakku Nagarattār (dwellers in the city of holy lamps).
Juda Māppilla .—A name by which the Cochin Jews are known.
Julāha —A few members of this Muhammadan class of weavers have been returned at times of census.
Jungu (cock’s-comb).—A gōtra of Kurni.
References
1 Malabar Quart. Review, IV, 3, 1905. See also T. C. Rice. Jain Settlements in Karnata. Ibid., III, 4, 1904.
2 On the Indian Sect of the Jainas. Translation by J. Burgess, 1903.
3 The earlier Tīrthankaras are believed to have been of prodigious proportions, and to have lived fabulously long lives, but the later ones were of more ordinary stature and longevity.
4 Inscriptions at Srāvana Belagola. Archæological Survey of Mysore, 1889.
5 History of Indian and Eastern Architecture.
6 Annual Report on Epigraphy, Madras, 1900–1901.
7 The inscriptions on the three Jaina Colossi of Southern India have been published by Dr. Hultzsch in Epigraphia Indica, VII, 1902–1903.
8 Ind. Ant., V, 1876.
9 Ind. Ant., XXV, 220, sq., 1896.
10 Op. cit.
11 Loc. cit.
12 Manual of the North Arcot district.
13 Notes from a Diary, 1881–86.
14 Gazetteer of the South Arcot district.
15 Local oral tradition gives his name as Dupāla Kistnappa Nāyak.
16 Also known as Jaina Tirupati.
17 Gazetteer of the Madura district.
18 Ibid.
19 N. Sunkuni Wariar. Ind. Ant., XXI, 1892.
20 Madras Census Report, 1901; Nellore Manual.
21 Telugu Dictionary.
22 Madras Census Report, 1901.
23 Manual of the North Arcot district.
24 Travels into East India and Arabia deserta, 1665.
25 Wigram, Malabar Law and Custom.
26 Logan, Manual of Malabar, which contains full details concerning Janmis.
27 History of Korawars, Erukalas, or Kaikaries. Madras, 1905.
28 Rice, Mysore and Coorg Gazetteer.
29 Narrative Sketches of the Conquest of Mysore, 1800.
30 Wilks’ Historical Sketches: Mysore, 1810–17.
31 The captivity, sufferings, and escape of James Scurry, 1824.
32 Manual of the Bellary district.
33 May 11th, June 1st and 29th, 1906.
34 For the translations from the Dutch I am indebted to the kindness of the Rev. P. Grote.
35 A new account of the East Indies, 1744.
36 A. C. Burnell, Ind. Ant. III, 1874.
37 Madras Journ. Lit. Science, XIII, Part I.
38 Ibid., Part II.
39 Loc. cit.
40 Bhâskara-Ravi-Varmâ.
41 This is explained in the Hebrew version by Cranganore, and Muyiri is, no doubt, the original of the Mouziris of Ptolemy and the Periplus of the Red Sea. It is (according to local tradition) the part where the Travancore lines end, opposite to Cranganore but across the back-water.
42 I.e., Yusuf Rabbân.
43 Ueber die Jüdischen Colonien in Indien. Kohut Memorial Volume, Semitic Studies, Berlin, 1897.
44 Epigraphia Indica, III, 1894–95.
45 Ind. Ant., XX, 1891.
46 Epigraphia Indica, IV, 1896–97.
47 The Land of the Permauls, or Cochin, its past and its present, 1863.
48 Ind. Ant., III, 1874.
49 A Description of ye East India Coasts of Malabar and Coromandel, 1703.
50 The Jews in India and the Far East, 1907.
51 Christian Researches in India, 1840.
52 History of Christianity in India, I, 470–71, 1839.
53 J. Splinter Stavorinus. Voyages to the East Indies, 1774–78.
54 Edition by Major Heber Drury, 1862. Letter XVIII.
55 Op. cit.
56 Loc. cit.
57 July, 1902.
58 Madras Mail, 1907.
59 Manual of the North Arcot district.
60 Gazetteer of the Bellary district.
61 Manual of the North Arcot district.
62 Notes on Criminal Classes of the Madras Presidency.
63 Op. cit.
