Mang: Deccan
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Mang
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 |
Mang, Mang Raut — a servile caste of ,Marathawada regarding whose origin very little is knovvn. In physical characteristics they seem to differ materially from the Mahars and are much finer pa->ple, although in social rank they stand below the latter. Ancient autho- rities call them ' Shwapach ' (dog-eaters) and make them the descendants of a Chandala father and Meda mother. They corres- pond to the Madigas of Telangana and both are probably the branches of the same parent stock, separated from each other by reason of their occupying different localities. Like the Mahars they are predial slaves and claim part of the village 'baluta.' Unlike Mahars, they have long been notorious for their wild, untameable habits, and for their great cunning, hardiness and predilection for outrage and robbery.
Internal Structure
The caste is divided into the following endogamous divisions, (1) Khakare, (2) Telangi Mangs, (3) Pendhari or Mang Garodi, (4) Dhale, (5) Dasori, (6) Bavise, (7) Bedar, (8) Holer. The members of the first four sub-castes interdine and form the upper strata of the caste. Of these Telangi emd Pendhari Mangzis are treated of in separate reports. Dhale Mangas are attached to the Banjara tribes and Bedar Mangs suggest a connection with the Bedar caste. The Holer Mangs are village musicians and boast of their connection with the Hatkar tribe. They claim that while Hatkers were descended from an elder branch, they are themselves sprung from the younger branch of the same original tribe. In corroboration of this statement, they assert that at their marriages the presence of a Halker, having the same Devaka, is quite necessary. It seems, on the whole, a probable conjecture that Mangs are formed from degraded members of higher castes and are thus distinguished from Mahars, who are doubtless a remnant of some iadigenous non-aryan
These sections are not totemistic. The Mangs hold the tiger in reverence, and will neither kill nor injure it, either of these acts being regarded as sinful. They pronounce the word tiger with reverence, regard it as their patron deity and make obeisance when- ever they meet it. They will never reveal its lair to any shikwi on any account. This leads to the supposition that the tiger may be the totem of the ^aste.
Marriage in one's own section is avoided. No other section is barred to marriage, provided a sister's daughter and first cousins are excluded. Adoption into one's own section is practised by the caste. marriage. — Both infant and adult marriages are practised by the caste, but the former is deemed the more respectable and involves great expense. Girls are allowed to grow up only when the parents are too poor to get them married before the age of puberty. Sexual intercourse before marriage is not regarded seriously, the offence being expiated by a trifling fine to the C2iste Panchas ; if a girl becomes pregnant before maniage the Panchayat force her lover to many her. Adultery with an outsider involves degradation from the caste. Polygamy prevails, but is practically restricted to not more than 3 wives at a time.
On the selection of a suitable bride, the boy's father goes to her house, presents her with clothes and ornaments and entertains her relatives with liquor by way of betrothal. A return visit is then paid by the girl's father to the boy, who receives on this occasion a turban from his intended father-in-law. A Brahmin astrologer, on the payment of fees, declares an auspicious day for the marriage, which comprises the following ceremonies : —
Kandori — a dinner, given to the relatives in the (turmeric) booth, consisting of the f]esh of a sheep sacrificed in the 'name of ' Hagisa ' — a Mohamedan saint. Worship oj Mari At. — Sheep are sacrificed, liquor is offered to Mari Ai, the goddess of cholera and five women, whose husbands are alive, are fed in the name of the goddess with the flesh of the animals sacrificed. Pochamma is then worshipped. BirphaU — the Bir procession resembles that in vogue among al^, the Maratha castes; before the procession starts, however, goats are sacrificed in the name of Birs. Devaka — is just like that of the Maratha Kunbis. Two booths cire erected at the girl's house, one for the marriage ceremony and the other, a small one, called the ' turmeric booth,' for cere- monially besmearing the bride with turmeric-paste and oil : only one booth (turmeric booth) is erected at the boy's house for the same ceremony. An earthen platform is built under the marriage booth. On a lucky day the bridegroom, with his friends and relatives, starts for the girl's village when, on arrival, he is taken to the temple of Maruti. Here he is formally welcomed by the bride's parents and, after the god has been worshipped, the party proceed to the brides house. The bridegroom goes straight to the marriage booth, where his mouth is rinsed with water by his mother-in-law, for which she receives a sari and choli. The bride being brought forward, the bridal pair stand opposite the earthen platform facing each other, each in a bamboo basket containing a bullock's tethering rope. A cloth is held between them by a Jangam or a Mang saint officiating as priest, and jawari, made yellow with turmeric, is sprinkled over their heads by the assembled guests and relatives, the priest all the while uttering auspicious verses. While thus standing, the bridal pa'ir are encircled five times with a fine spun cotton thread, of which subsequently two bracelets are formed, one of which is bound to the wrists of the bride and the other to that of the bridegroom, the ceremony being known as 'kankan-bandhanam.' Kanyadan, or the formal gift of the bride, follows. The couple, with their garments knotted together, are then marched five times round the sacred fire kindled for the purpose, keeping it always to the right side, this ceremony constituting the binding portion of the marriage. Widows may marry again and divorce is recognised.
Religion
The religion of the caste is animism, with a veneer of Hinduism. Mari Ai (goddess of cholera), Pochamma (goddess of small-pox), Hagisa(a Mohamedan Pir) and male and female ancestors are prominent figures in their worship. In the month of Ashatiha (July), at night, the whole Mang community of a village, men, women, and children, crowd to the temple of the cholera deity with one big buffalo, five pigs and a number of sheep and fowls. The goddess is dressed in a green sari, bedaubed with Vermillion, and offered cocoanuts and dried dates. The animals are then worshipped and decapitated, one by one, first the buffalo, then the pigs and then the other beasts. The heads are arranged in a line before the gsddess, the buffalo's head, crowned with a lamp, occupying • the middle position. Much dancing, revelry and mirth prevail during the night. Early in the morning, the heads are buried in a trench, dug in front of the goddess, and the flesh is dressed and eaten by the votaries. Sitala Devi (Pochamma) is appeased when a member of the family has an attack of small-pox. The Birs, or departed male ancestors, engraved in human forms on copper or silver, are frequently honoured. The Hindu gods, Maruti, Bhavani, Mahadeva and others are not neglected. The members of the caste worship also the leather ropes that they make. Brahmins do not officiate as priests for fear of social degradation.
Disposal of the Dead
The dead are burned with gold and Bel leaf {(Egle Marmelos) in the mouth. Mourning is observed for nine days. On the 9th day after death, the relatives of the dead perform ablution, clean the house and call in a Jangam to perform the rites of purification. The Jangam suspends a wreath of flowers from the roof over a copper jar, placed on the spot where the dead man's head rested. He next burns some cow-dung cakes and on the ashes he presses his conch, thus producing a mark. The family members, one by one, touch the wreath and offer turmeric and red lead powder to the mark on the ashes. Food is' then offered and Ccimphor burnt. The Jangam receives a pice from every member of the household. Dirmer is given to the caste people on 'the 1 0th day after death. In the months of Vaishaikha and Bhadrapad the Sradha is performed in the name of departed ancestors in generzil.
Social Status
The Mangs occupy the lowest grade in the Hindu caste system. Their touch is regarded unclean by the higher castes. They eat carrion, the flesh of all animals and the leavings of all castes except the Jinger and Buruds.
Occupation
Their occupation is to weave flaxen tape for cots, to make ropes and to act as village criers and musicians to the higher castes ; they make brooms and mats from the date palm ; they are tanners, workers in raw hides and leather, shoe and harness makers, messengers, scavengers eind public executioners ; they are engaged as village watchmen ; as daily labourers they live from hand to mouth, but will never groom a horse. They show a tendency to crime and are closely watched by the police. They are_ very dirty in appearance, live outside the village and are not allowed to take water from the wells used by the higher castes. Their touch is deemed impure even by the Mahars. They have a strong belief in magic, ghosts and spirits and every sickness, however trifling, is attributed to some evil spirit lu'king in the neighbourhood.
