Dasri: Deccan
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Dasri
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 |
Dasri — a class of Vaishnawa beggars, taking their name from the word ' Dasa ' or ' servant of god.' They were originally recruited from the Telugu castes and comprise several endogamous groups, the principal among which are : —
Bukka Dasris, also called Kunkum Dasris, are perfumers, and prepare and deal in kunku (a mixture of turmeric and safflower), udbatti (pastils), surma (antimony) and other aromatics and perfumes. Dande Dasris, or Pusalwads, add the selling of glass beads to their occupation of begging. Their traditions say that they were originally engaged as palanquin bearers for their gurus, talacharis of Kanchi. Pleased with their devotion, one of the gurus presented their first ancestor with a danda, i.e., the pole with which a palanquin is lifted, to be used as the badge of their mendicancy. They were also furnished with talam (cymbals), tambora (a sort of Indian violin), sharikha (conch), ghanta (bell) and dioa (lampstand). When begging they generally form a party of three. The lampstand is placed on the ground and two of the party dance around it, one of them blowing the conch and the other ringing the bell, while the third sings songs in praise of Vishnu to the music of the tambora ending each couplet with the words ' Govinda, Govinda.' On Saturdays, they dance with lighted torches in their hands. Sometimes they solicit alms, taking on their shoulders kavdis, which contain images of Vishnu, conches, shaligram stones, rudraksha, and other sacred objects, which they sell to the pious. In this capacity they are called ' Kasi Kavdis ' (bearers of kavdis from Kasi). Occasionally they appear in the disguise of Northern India Bairagis and try to act up to their disguise, immitating the Bairagis in language and manners. Their women make baskets of palmyra leaves and sell medicinal drugs. The Bhagwat, or Bhutte Dasris, are low-caste wandering beggars, who obtain alms by performing a ' Bhagwat ' dance. A man is dressed in female clothes, wearing tightly the sari and the choli, and carrying a string of jingling bells around each leg immediately above the ankle. Garlands of wooden beads are also worn round the neck and gilded ornaments of wood on the head. Thus attired, the man dances before an audience to the music of the mridanga (drum) and tels (cymbals). Some of them trade in small needles and glass beads and are, on that account, called Bhutte Dasris or Pusalwads : they are watched by the police as criminals. The Hole Dasris seem to have connection with the ' Holers ' of the Carnatic and the Mala Dasris with the Mala caste of Telingana. The Chanchu Dasris, or Krishna Chanchus, are drawn from the Chanchu tribe. The information regarding other groups is imperfect.
Internal Structure
The Dasris are divided into a number of exogamous sections. A few of these are shown below : —
Marriage within the section is prohibited. Two sisters may be married by the same man or by two uterine brothers. A man may marry the daughter of his mother's brother, his father's sister or his elder sister. Outsiders are admitted by them into their community, provided that they are Vaishnawas in creed. No special ceremony is ordained for the occasion, except that the tongue of the novice is branded with hot gold.
Marriage
Dasri girls are married both as infants and as adults. In the case of infant marriage, the girl is not sent to her husband's house until she is twelve years old when, on being pre- sented with a white sari by her parents, she goes to live with her husband. Among some Dasris, the husband remains with his wife at her father's house until she has become the mother of one child. Sexual intercourse before marriage is tolerated, but if a girl becomes pregnant her paramour is compelled to marry her. The ceremony is of the type in practice among other Telugu castes, and includes : —
Vadiyam — at which pan (betel-leaves) and areca nuts are dis- tributed among the castemen and the sar-panch, who is called gudi gadi, receives 12 betel-leaves and 12 nuts.
Parthanam — the bride is presented with ornaments and a ring, and is brought to the bridegroom's house for marriage.
Lagnam — tRe bride and bridegroom, with their foreheads adorned with bashings, are seated in the booth and their garments are fastened in a knot. The bridegroom ties pusti round her neck and places silver rings on her toes.
Vatanamdalna — in this, dandi, talam and darati, the musical instruments of their profession, are placed in the bridegroom's hands, and the bride sows seeds.
Yatawandu — in which a feast consisting of cooked meat is provided for caste brethren.
The marriage ceremony is conducted without the help of a Brahman. The bride's parents take Rs. 80 as a price for their daughter. The bridegroom's parents have also to undergo all the marriage expenses.
Widow-Marriage
Widow-marriage is permitted, but a widow cannot marry the brother of her deceased husband. Her parents receive Rs. 40, i.e., half the price paid for her as a virgin, and the castemen present on the occasion are feasted.
If a woman commits adultery with a member of the caste, the latter is required to pay Rs. 80 to her husband and Rs. 40 as fine to the caste Panchayat, by whom he is compelled to marry her. A woman committing adultery with a man of a higher caste is out- casted and re-admitted only on payment of a fine of Rs. 10. She is allowed to marry again by the same rites as widows. Sexual licence on the part of a woman with a man of a lower caste incurs instant expulsion from the caste. A man committing adultery with a lower caste woman is also outcasted, and re-admitted only on paying a fine and having his forehead marked with sutak-namam, or two parallel lines of ochre, drawn to the roots of the hail and connected by a transverse line at the root of the nose. The distinction between these, and the ordinary Dasris, is that the latter have a red line running between the parallel ones.
Inheritance
The Dasris follow the Hindu law of inheritance.
If a man dies without any male issue his son-in-law inherits the property.
Religion
The Dasris are all Tirmanidharis or Vaishnawas by faith. They believe in charms, sorcery, etc. Animistic deities, such as Pochamma and Eliamma, are appeased in the month of Shrawan with offerings of sheep and fowls. The goddess Pocharrima is repre- sented by a jar of water containing nim leaves (Melia indica) and covered with a lighted lamp. After this water has been worshipped it is thrown into pure water. This worship is designated Bonal by the members of the caste. Brahmans are not employed either for cere- monial or for religious purposes. Ayyawars or Satanis officiate as their gurus (spiritual advisers).
Disposal of the Dead
The dead are buried in a lying posture, with the head to the south. The corpse is borne to the grave in a sitting posture if married and in a lying posture if unmarried. A wheel (chakra) made of bamboo is carried to the grave along with the dead body of a married person and left on the bier when the corpse is consigned to the earth. On the 3rd day after death a square space is prepared on the ground before the grave, and the wheel, which is supposed to represent the dead person, is placed on the spot and worshipped with offerings of goats and fowls. The wheel is then buried in the earth and the flesh of the sacrificed animals is cooked by a Satani, who attends at the funeral. The mourners partake of the food and return home.
Occupation
The Dasris collect alms, in an alms-basket known as bura-ka})a. Some of them catch fish, by angling, iguanas (ghodpod), with nooses, and pigeons with birdlime. A few have of late taken to agriculture and are pattedars.
Social Status
The social status of the Dasris differs for different sub-castes. The highbst rank is claimed by the Bukka Dasris, next to them come the Dande Dasris, while the Bhagwat and Hole Dasris are grouped among the lowest unclean classes. They eat mutton, pork, fowls, fish, the flesh of crocodiles, lizards, jackals, and jungle rats, and drink spirits. They eat from the hands of all castes except Dhers, Mangs, Dhobis and Mangalas. Malas and Madigas alone accept ^ac/ir from them.
They have a caste Panchasat, the head man of which is called gudi gadi. This designatory has an assistant styled kundi gadi, who is responsible for cMrying into force the orders of his chief. The Dasris seldom go to law, but refer their disputes to their Panchayat, "and if any member disobeys he is put out of the caste.
