Vaidu: Deccan
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Vaidu, 1920
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 |
Vaidu. — a class of wandering herbalists who derive* their name from the Sanskrit Vaid^a meaning a physicias. They ar^ dark in colour, strong and well made and speak a corrupt Marathi abroad and a dialect of Telugu at home. The men wear ochre-coloured clothes including a loin-cloth or a pair of short drawers (chaddis), a shoulder cloth, a waist-cloth, and a Maratha shaped turban. The women wear glass bangles on their right wrist, tin bracelets on their left and strings of coral beads round their neck. In other respects the dress of the women resembles that of Maratha women. The habits of the people are very unsettled. They collect herbs and medicinal roots in the forests of Amarabad, Paloncha and "other places, and wander from village to village hawking medicines to the villagers, calling out 'Nadi Pariksha Vaid'sa (the pulse feeling doctor) or 'Mander Malta Vaid'sa' (the medicine vending doctor). The women also dabble in medicine and affect to cure children's diseases. If they are called into any house, they prescribe some healing drug, or bleed the sick with a conical copper cup. The children play on the 'Nagsur,' a bamboo flute, and dance through the streets begging alms. Their huts are made of bamboo or grass matting and have the appearance of tents. Vaidus generally use no beasts of burden but carry their huts themselves.
Internal Structure
Vaidus have the following four sub- divisions : — Jinga Bhoi, Koli, Dhangar and Mali, which have reference to the castes from which they were originally recruited. Members of these neither eat together nor intermarry. Each is further broken up into a number of exogamous groups. It is said that Jinga Bhois have only two sections, Maro and Rambaru, and Kolis only amanchi and Asanna Lod. The derivation of these names is very obscure, nor is any information available regarding other section names. or the precise forifl of exogamy practised by the people. It appears that Vaidus habitually transgress the rule of exogamy implied in, the rsicognition of "a section name.
Marriage
Girls are married usually as adults, but infant marriages 'are not unknown. Their women have a certain reputation for chastity and sexual indiscretions before marriage are said to be rare. When anything of the kind occurs, the woman is turned out of the caste. Polygamy is allowed, but is rarely resorted to owing to the poverty of the cast.
At Madhi, in Ahmednagar District, a great fair is held in honour of Kanhoba on the fifth 'of the light half of Falgun (March). All Vaidus meet at this festival and advantage is taken of this occasion to settle marriages. The preliminary negotiations are opened by the father of the bridegroom and, if his offer is accepted, he presents the bride with one rupee for the purchase of oil and distributes betel leaves and areca nuts among those present. After this cere- mony the match cannot be broken on pain of loss of caste. Vaidus do not employ Brahmans.ans nor have they any special priests of their own. The marriage ceremony is therefore very simple and takes place at the bride's house. The bridal pair are seated, side by side, on a mat, the bride to the left of the bridegroom, and an elderly person of the bride's family ties their garments in a knot. A garland of flowers is put round the bridegroom's neck and the bride's cheeks are smeared with turmeric paste and her forehead, with vermilion. A feast to caste people at the expense of the bride's parents con- cludes the ceremony. Widows are allowed to marry again, but divorce is unknown and a woman, taken in adultery, is simply turned out of the house and remains either with her lover or with her parents.
Religion
The religion of the Vaidus presents no features of special interest. Their special deities are Venkoba of Giri, Tirupati in North Arcot, or Chatarsingaji of Poona. They offer goats to Mari Ai (cholera goddess) and Sitala (goddess of smallpox), when those epidemics prevail, and afterwards eat the offerings. Brahmans are not employed either for religious or ceremonial purposes.
Disposal of the Dead
Vaidus bury their dead in a sitting posture facing the north. After death the body is placed in a slinf hung from the middle of a pole which is carried to the burial ground byrtwo men on their shoulders. On arriva^ the corpse is laid in the grave, which is filled with salt and earth. Ambil, or rice gruelf is boiled on the spot, a fwrtion is offered to the soul of the deceased and the rest is partaken of by the funeral party. No impu- rity is observed nor shradha performed; but on the 12th or 13th day after death the caste people are feasted in the name of the deceased.
Social Status
The social status of Vaidus is very low and no one, except a member of the lowest unclean classy of Mhars and Mangs, will take food from their hands. They eat all flesh except beef and pork and drink fermented and spirituous liquors. They will eat jackal and porcupine, but not the flesh of a she goat, which they regard as their mother-in-law. Their touch is regarded cere- monially unclean and they are not allowed to draw water from village wells.
Occupation
The Vaidus sell medicinal drugs to villagers and profess to cure their ailments. They also beg alms from door to door and eke out their limited means by hunting small and large game. They never work as labourers or domestic servartts.
The Vaidus are bound together by a strong caste feeling and settle social disputes at meetings of the castemen under their headman or Patil, who resides in these dominions and goes every year to meet them at Madhi during Phalgun (March). Breaches of social rules are condoned by caste feasts, or fines which generally take the form of caste feasts. The decisions of the Patil are final and no one but he is allowed to meddle with caste matters. It is said that Vaidus who keep a grind stone (jate) or patched quilts (godhaiis) in the house, are expelled from the community.
