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This article is an extract from <br/>

THE CASTES AND TRIBES <br/>

OF <br/>

H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS <br/>

BY <br/>

SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN <br/>

Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and <br/>

Middle Temple, London. <br/>

One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court <br/>

of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. <br/>

BOMBAY <br/>

THE TlMES PRESS <br/>

1920<br/>
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the Facebook page, [http://www.facebook.com/Indpaedia Indpaedia.com]. <br/> ''All information used will be duly acknowledged.'' 
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[[Category:India|M]]
[[Category:Communities|M]]

Munnur, Munnurwad, Munnud Kapu — a widely diffused Culti- 
vating caste, probably an offshoot from the Kapur and indigenous to 
H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions. The Munnur caste may b« regarded 
almost as a nursery from which many mixed classes scattered all over 
the Dominions, as, Telagas and other mendicant and menial castes, 
are propogated. 

==Origin==

The name Mun-nur, which is Telugu for three 
hundred, has been made the subject of several legends which, more 
or less, explain the origin of the caste. One of the legends traces their 
descent from the Raja Bhartrahari and his three hundred wives of 
different castes. The Raja, says another, was so disgusted with his 
faithless wives, that he left his kingdom and retired into seclusion 
and the sons, born of the licentious women after the retirement 
of their husband, were called Munnur. A third story represents the 
Munnurs to be the descendants of a Kapu woman, who was confined 
in a dungeon, with three hundred male prisoners, where she conceived ' 
and was delivered of a son. The mother could not, however, point 
out the father of the boy and as she was associated with three hundred 
males, the boy was named Murmur, meaning born of three hundred. 
These legends tend to support the mixed origin of the caste, a view 
which respectable members of the community appear to be very reluc- 
tant to entertain. 

==Internal Structure==

The internal structure of the Munnur 
caste is simple, the entire community being formed into one endo- 
gamous group. They have only one gotra 'Pasnur' which is obvi- 
ously inoperative for the purpose of controlling marriages. The mar- 
riages are governed by exogamous sections based upon family names 
of 'Vanshams.' A few of the sections are totemistic, the others are 
of a territorial or eponymous character, the eponym being the name 
of the founder of the section. Some of their sections are given 
below : — , 
[[File: munur.PNG ||frame|500px]]
The Murmurs are said to form a hypergamous group with the Tota 
Baljas, to whom they give their daughters in marriage, but they them- 
selves do not enjoy the same privilege in return. The Munnurs 
observe the simple rule that a man may not marry a woman of his 
own section and supplement this by a simple table of prohibited 
degrees. Thus a man is allowed to marry a woman of any other 
section, provided that he abstains from marrying his maternal aunt 
and any of his first cousins except the daughter of his own mother's 
brother. A man may marry two sisters, provided the elder is married 
first. So also he is allowed to marr>- the daughter of his elder sister. 
The Munnurs do not, in general, marry their daughters in families from 
which they have already taken girls in marriage. 

==Marriage==

The Munnur girls are married as infants between 
the ages of five and ten. Should a girl attain puberty before marriage, 
her parents are disgraced and have to undergo 'Prayas-chitta' (expia- 
tion). Connubial relations may commence even before the girl 
attains sexual maturity, but not until a special ceremony has been per- 
formed, when guests are feasted and the pair are presented with clothes 
Rnd jewels. Polygamy is allowed, but is seldom resorted to unless the 
first wife is barren or incurably diseased. 

The marriage ceremony resembles that of the Kapu caste. The 
first proposal of marriage is made by the boy's father who, on the 
choice of a suitable girl for his son, pays a formal visit to her house 
and presents her with clothes and half of the jewels she is to receive 
a wedding gift from her husband-elect. A council of the caste 
Panchayat being called, a Brahman examines the horoscopes of the 
parties and if they are found to agree, he finds an auspicious day 
for the wedding. Sixteen rupees are paid to the father of the bride as 
her price, whereupon the Brahman is dismissed wifh Dakshna (his 
fees). Wine is circulated among the guests in token of the confirma- 
tion of the match and after distribution of Pan-supari and perfumes 
the assembly disperse to meet again at night for dinner. The bride's 
people also visit and inspect the bridegroom. Invitation letters, 
sprinkled over with saffron water, are sent to relatives and friends 
calling upon them to attend the ceremony. A fortnight before the 
wedding, Pinnamma, the goddess of fortune, is worshipped by both 
parties separately in their houses. Vyankatswami and Raja Bhartri- 
hari are also honoured, the latter being representcid by five unmarried 
boys, to i.vhom dresses are presented and a feast given." A marriage 
panaal, supported on twelve posts, is erected in front of the boy's 
house and is tastefully decorated with young plantain trees, mango 
and cocoanut leaves and flowers. The Devada (wedding) post, which 
consists of a branch of a Salai tree, is cut and brought by the mat- 
ernal uncle or brother-in-law (sister's husband) of the bridegroom. 
It is ceromonially set up in a pit in the centre of the wedding booth 
and is surmour/ted with a lighted lamp which bums throughout the 
ceremony. On the day previous to the wedding, five married women, 
whose husbands are alive, proceed with five pots to a well or a river, 
and haviig offered puja to Ganga, or the water goddess, fill the pots 
with water and return to the wedding canopy. One of the pots, with 
its mouth covered with mango leaves, is placed in the gods' room 
and the water from the other pots is sprinkled all over the ground 
which has been previously plastered with cow-dung. The ceremo- 
nies that follow correspond, in all respects, to those observed at a 
Kapu marriage and have been fully described in the article on that 
caste. The essential, or the chief feature, of the ceremony is believed 
to be Kanyadan, or the formal gift of the bride by her father to the 
bridegroom and the bridegroom's formal acceptance of her. It is 
performed thus. The parents of the bride wash the feet of the bride- 
groom and^ place m his hands areca nuts, pieces of cocoanut kernel 
and some coin. The bride places her hands over those of the bridegroom 
and her father holds them in the cavity of his hands while her mother 
ppurs water over them. The priest then makes the father of the 
bride repeat three times that 'the girl is given as a gift to the bride- 
groom who fo?mally and ceremonially accepts her by thrice reciting 
Mantras to that effect. The tying of the pusti, or lucky string of 
black Deads, round the bride's neck, ' Jilkarbium,' or exchange of 
cumin seed and jaggery, and ' Padghattanam,' treading of each 
others feet by the bridal pair, are also deemed as important 
parts of the ceremony. It is said lihat the pair are wedded standing 
in bamboo baskets with a leather strap placed in each. 

==Puberty==

A Munnur girl, on attaining puberty, is regarded 
as ceremonially impure and has to occupy a separate room for three 
days. At the end 'of this period a purificatory ceremony is performed, 
at which th'e girl has to leap, first over a leaf-plate containing boiled 
cakes and then across a line of burning charcoal spread on the ground. 
Food is given to a Dhobi and the ground which the girl may have 
occupied during the period of her impurity, is cleansed witJi cow-dung. 

==Widow-Marriage==

A widow may marry again, but not her 
late husband's brother. The ritual in use at the marriage of a widow 
is simple and consists in presenting the widow with a new sari, glass 
bangles and toe-rings and tying the 'Tali' round her neck. 

==Divorce==

Divorce is recognised on the ground of the wife's 
adultery or the husband's infidelity or inability to support her. The 
divorce is effected by the wife breaking a piece of straw in the pre- 
sence of the caste Pancha'sat as a symbol of separation. Divorced 
women are allowed to marry again and the ceremony is the same as 
that of a widow's marriage. 

==Inheritance==
The Munnurs follow the Hindu Law of Inherit- 
ance and the sons share equally in their father's property. The tribal 
usage of Chudawand possesses full importance among them. 

==Child-Birth==

A Munnur female in child-birth is unclean for 
ten days. On the birth of a child a pit is dug near the cot, in which 
all the impurities of parturition are buried. On the third day after 
birth the midwife keeps small stones on the brim of the pit, paints 
them with chunam and red lead and offers them food whicji she sub- 
sequently claims as her due. A sword is kept near the cot on which 
the mother is lying, avowedly for the purpose of warding off evil 
spirits. On the 11th or the 21 st day the woman has to daub tte 
brim of a well with kunkum-turmeric .powder and to draw water, 
whereupon her impurity ceases. ' < 

==Religion==

In their religion the Mannurs differ very little from 
the other Telugu castes of the same social standing. They belong to 
both the Shaiva and Vaishnava sects and under the titles of Vibhuti- 
dharis and Tirmanidharis are followers of Aradhi and Shri-vaishnava 
Brahmans. In the religious and ceremonial observances Smartha 
Brahmans serve them as priests. At funeral ceremonies Satanis are 
engaged by Tirmanidharis and Jangams by Vibhutidharis. 

The popular deities, Pochamma, Idamma, Maisamma, etc., are 
July appeased with animal offerings. The Munnurs are a ghost- 
ridden people and ascribe every disease or calamity to the influence of 
some malevolent spirit. Erkala and Erpula women are consulted as 
experts in identifying these airy forms which are, thereupon, pacified 
ivith various suitable offerings. 

Raja Bhartrihari, the deified founder of the caste, is honoured 
before marriage. On the full moon day of Kartik (October) women 
worship 'Kedari Gauramma with offerings of sweets and flowers. 

==Disposal of the Dead==

As a rule the Munnurs burn their dead 
in a lying posture with the head to the south. After death 
the body is washed and borne on a bier to the burning ground. Bodies 
of persons who die unmarried are, however, buried, being carried to 
the burial ground suspended on a bamboo pole and disposed of in 
a pit without any ceremony. Members of the caste who cannot afford 
to pay the cremation expenses also bury their dead. On the third 
day after death the ashes and bones are collected and thrown into a 
river by Vibhutidharis and are buried under a platform by Nam- 
dharis. On the same day fowls are sacrificed in the name of the 
deceased and the flesh is cooked by a Satani. A portion is thrown 
to the birds and the remainder , is partaken of by all the mourners. 
The period of mourning for adults is ten days and for children three 
days. The mother-in-law, paternal and maternal aunts, maternal 
uncles a-ad married daughters are mourned for three days. On the 
tenth day after death libations of water are offered to the deceased, 
represented by small stones. The ' Shradha ' ceremony is performed 
bnly once a year on the Pitra Amawcisya day (middle of September). 

==Social Status==

The 'social rank of the Munnurs is much the 
same as that of Kapus, Reddis, Velammas and Gollas, with whom they 
exchange cooked food. They eat pork, fowls, lizards, mutton and 
fish of all varieties and indulge freely in spirituous and fermented 
liquors. 

==Occupation==

Agriculture is said to be the original occupation 
of the caste and the bulk of them still cling to this. A few are village 
patels and have risen to high status as landlords and Zamindars; but 
the majority are ordinary cultivators, holding lands on permanent tenure. 
Some of them ar^ landless day-labourers and are employed as menial 
servants in rich families. A considerable portion of the Munnurs 
have, from reeent date, given up their original occupation and have 
either entered Government service or become traders. Members of 
this caste do not wear the sacred thread. 

The following statement shows the number and distribution of 
Munnurs in 1911 :— 
[[File: muu.PNG ||frame|500px]]
[[File: muu1.PNG ||frame|500px]]