m m m m m m m n i m m ~ m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m CHAPTER -- I1 m rn m m m m IOC TAL QRaANXSATION m m m m m m m m m r n m m m m m m m m m m m m m m ~

According t o Dube, " t h e Hindu s o c i a l system, found on

the d i v i s i o n of s o c i e t y i n t o c a s t e s p re sen t s a s o c i a l frame

work of great complexity. The t r a d i t i o n a l ' varna' sys tem,

modified Hindu s o c i e t y i n t o f i v e major groups. The f i r s t

t h r e e of t he se a r e Brahmins ( p r i e s t l y and men of l e a r n i n g ) ,

Kshatr iyas ( r u l e r s and war r io r s ) and Vaishyas (Traders ) .

Vaishyas a r e regareed as d v i j a o r twice born c a s t e s .

According t o t h e Y i ~ d u r i t u a l , they a r e allowed t o undergo

'upanana' ( I n i t i a t i o n ) ceremony which symbolises t h e i r spi-

r i t u a l r e b i r t h and e n t i t l e s them t o wear t he sacred thread.

The f o u r t h group is posed t o numerous occupat ional c a s t e

who a r e r e l a t i v e l y c l e a n and a r e no t c l a s s e d a s untouchables,

F i f t h major group can be c a l l e d a s t he untouchable c a s t e s .

This c l a s s i f i c a t i o n is accepted by Hindus a l l . " ........................................................... 1. Dube, S.C., 1967, " Indian Vil lage", A l l i e d Pub l i she r s

P r i v a t e Limited.

Caste: The word ' cas te ' o r j a t i i s derived from the

Portuguese word. 'Caste' which means properly breed. Caste,

however, corresponds only very remotely t o our soc i a l

c lasses . Its cons t i tu t ion i s f a r s t ronger and its impli-

ca t ions a re Ear more precise. I t i s viewed as a fundamen-

t a l i n s t i t u t i o n of Indian society and s t r uc tu r a l bas is of

the Hindu socie ty is the ca s t e system.

I t embraces not only a very g r ea t majoritv of the

population of India, but int imately connected with i t s

re l ig ious l i f e too. I t has been found possible, there-

fo re , not without apparent j u s t i f i c a t i on to regard it as

a very soul of t h i s somewhat intermediate f l u i d collec-

t ions of customs and be l i e f s which i s ca l l ed 'Hinduism'.

L i t t l e by l i t t l e cas te has triumphed over natura l

opposition.

The cha rac t e r i s t i c fea tu res of cas te system as

explained by S i r Edward Blunt is m a t ' c a s t e ' i s an

endogamous group o r co l l e c t i on of endogamous groups bear-

ing a common name, membership of which i s hereditary

a r i s i ng from b i r t h alone, imposing on i ts members c e r t a i n

r e s t r i c t i ons i n the matter of soc ia l in ter -course e i t h e r

(1) Following a common t r ad i t i ona l occupation. ( 2 ) Claim-

ing a common or igin , o r ( 3 ) both following such occupation

and claiming such or ig in , and generally regarded as

forming a s i n g l e homogenous community. 2

To Swamy Vivekananda, c a s t e fundamentally i s a g lo r ious

i n s t i t u t i o n and any f u t u r e socie ty must recognise its in -

t r i n s i c worth. Nevertheless, he had no love f o r the pre-

s e n t day he red i t a ry c a s t e system which is a hindrance t o

progress. But he says c a s t e is a good thing. Caste is the

plan we want t o follow. ~n India from c a s t e we a r e t r y i n g

t o reach the p o i n t where there is no c a s t e . 3

Oria in of the c a s t e

"The name Vanniyan is", Mr.H. A* S t u a r t wr i t e s (Manual

of the North Arcot d i s t r i c t ) "derived from the Sanskr i t

Vahni ( f i r e ) i n consequence of the following legend.

I n the olden times, two g i a n t s named Vatapi and Mahi,

worshipped Brahma wi th such a devotion t h a t they obtained

from him immunity from the death from every cause save

f i r e which element they had c a r e l e s s l y omitted t o include

i n t h e i r enumeration. Protec ted thus they hur r i ed through

the country, and V a t a ~ i went the length of swallowing Vayu,

t h e god of the wind, while Mahi devoured the Sun. The e a r t h

2 . Edward Blunt (19311, The Caste System of Northern India , Oxford Univers i ty Press , Oxford, pp.4-5,

3 . Swamy Vivekananda (19751, Caste, c u l t u r e and sac ialism, published by Advaita Ashrarna, En ta l ly Road, Calcut ta .

was, therefore, enveloped i n perpetual darkness and s t i l l n e s s ,

a condition of a f f a i r s which s t ruck t e r r o r i n t o the minds of

the Devatas and led them t o appeal t o Brahma. He, n c o l l s c t -

ing the omission made by the giants , d i rec ted h i s suppl iants

t o desire the R i s h i Jambava Mahamuni t o perform a Yagam, or

s a c r i f i c e w i t h f i r e . The order having been obeyed, armed

horsemen sprung f rorn the flames, who undertook twelve

expeditions agains t Vatapi and Mahi, whom they f i r s t des-

troyed and afterwards released Vayu and the Sun from t h e i r

bodies, Their leader then assumed the government of the

country under the name Rudra Vanniya Maharaja who had

f i v e sons - Rudra, Krishna, Sarnboo, Brahma, Indra Vanniyars - the an-estors of the Vanniya caste. These f a c t s a re s a i d

t o be recorded i n the Vaidiswara temple i n Tanjore d i s t r i c t . 4

"The most poe t i ca l of these myths is the one which

r e l a t e s the o r ig in of the Agnikula t r i b e , a s to ry which

i n i ts e a r l i e s t fonns goes back to the eleventh century

. . . when men were meticulous and impiety spread over the

land, the gods repented them of the e v i l they had wrought

and repaired t o Mount Abu, the abode of holy Rishi (Jambu)

t o c r e a t e a new race to warriors who should ru le the e a r t h

ou t of the cauldron of f i r e on Mount Abu, they brought f o r t h

4. Edited by R. Samudra Rao, 1980, nAgnikula Kshatriyulu, ~uttupoorvotharamulu" , Box press, Ra jahmundry, p. 44.

the p ra th iha r s , Pal lavas , Ponwars and the most famous of the

Rajput clan^."^

Vaidya t r i e s to show t h a t the Agnikula c l ans according

t o epigraphic evidence the f i c t i o n the Agnikula Varnsa which

l a t e r came t o be accepted as a f a c t ,

" The exis tence of these f i r e races, Agnikula o r

Vahnikula (Vanniya) i n north and south India is a remar-

kable f a c t . No one can refuse t o a scion of the nowAryan

warr ior t r i b e the t i t l e of Rajafiutra but i n so doing we

e s t a b l i s h a t once Aryan and no-Aryan Rajaputras o r Rajaputs.

The Vanniyan of south India may be accepted as a represen-

t a t i v e of the nowAryan Rajaput

Socia l reformer Rao Rahadur ICandukuri Veeresal i~gam

wrote these l i nes . "The P a l l i e s o r Pal lavas , of southern

India, a s Dr.Oppert opines. Once held a vent high posi-

t i o n a s r u l e r s of the country a t the time of the invasion

of Chalukyas, t h a t the Vannikulas (of the Tamil country) o r

P a l l i e s (of the Telugu country) a r e descendants of Agnikula

5 . J. Kennedy i n the Imperial Gazetteer of Ind ia r the Indian Empirer Vol. IIr p.300. Edited by R. Samudra Rao (19801, " ~ g n i k u l a Kshatr iyula Puttupoorvotharamulu*, Box press , Rajahmundry, p.45.

6. E. Thurston, "Castes and Tribes i n Southern IndiaH Vol. V I , 3rd page.

Kshatriyas and t h a t they have gradual ly f a l l e n to t h e i r

p resen t p o s i t i o n owing t o the downfall of t h e i r dominion

though the re a r e somer here and there , who hold very res-

pectable p o s i t i o n a s landlords et=., hope they w i l l by God's

grace, regain t h e i r l o s t pos i t ion , and w i l l i n course of

time be ra i sed t o t h e i r former s t a t u s under the begin

B r i t i s h rule."

Mr.H.A. S t u a r t w r i t e s (Manual of t h e North Arcot dis-

t r i c t ) t h a t " they a r e a branch of the g r e a t P a l l a o r

Vanniya t r i b e . A s sub-castes of these P a l l i e s Vada

Marakadu (boat-man) . They give as t h e i r 'gotram' jambu

maharshi which i s a ' gotram' of the Pa l l i e s" .

Dr.Oppert w r i t e s i n h i s book " ~ n c i e n t Indian HistoryH

(pp.117, 118) t h a t "The P a l l i s a t this moment on the whole

a h ighly respectable c l a s s l i v i n g p a r t l y as a g r i c u l t u r i s t s

i n the country and p a r t l y a s c i t i z e n s i n towns. They

belong t o the c a s t e of the Vanniyar. The word Vanniyan

is genera l ly der ived from the Sanskr i t vahni ( f i r e ) . Agni,

the god of f i r e , is connected with the regal o f f ice , a s

king hold i n t h e i r hands the f i r e wheel o r Agneyachakra* , ( o r i g i n a l inhab i t an t s of India) .

M. Shasagi r i S a s t r i , M.A. (1891), Professor of Madras

Presidency College gave h i s opinion a s follows:

"The P a l l i e s of Madras presidency, occupied a very

high p o s i t i o n i n anc ien t Ind ia , and t h a t very l i k e l y the

very name of P a l l i may be i d e n t i f i e d , a s done by Dr.O.

Oppert w i t h Pa l l ava , the name of a race, who m l e d over

a country, which extended from the border of t h e Chola

kingdom t o the o u t s k i r t s of the dominions of t h e e a s t e r n

Chalukyas. I t is highly brobable too t h a t the P a l l i e s

were reduced t o a low s t a t e . I n some p a r t s of southern

I n d i a r aces of people, who succeeded them i n t h e Govern-

ment of the country , This opinion is supported amply by

a mu1 t i t u d e of ep ig raph ica l l i t e r a r y and o t h e r records.

Above a l l t h e r e a r e many a r i s t o c r a t i c and even royal

f a m i l i e s who belong m t h i s c l a s s of people, who, however,

are free f ron t h a t s o c i a l degradation from which t h e i r

brothern i n t h i s p a r t of the country s u f f e r , and t h e very

ex i s t ence of such f a m i l i e s i s a l i v i n g proof of the

honourable p o s i t i o n which the P a l l i e s occupied i n Ind ia

i n times gone by."

1. "The P a l l i s have the right t o p r e s e n t the most

important camphor o f f e r i n g of the Mylapur Siva temple.

Some yea r s ago t h e r e was a d i spu te concerning the exer-

c i s e of t h i s r i g h t , and the case came before the High

Court of Madras which decided the p o i n t a t i s s u e i n favour

of t h e P a l l i s .

2 . One of the pr incipal gopuras (pyramidal towers)

of the Ekmbaranatha temple a t Big Canjeevaram, the

ancient cap i t a l of the Pallavas, i s known as Palligopuram.

The P a l l i s of t h a t town claim it as t h e i r own and repa i r

it from time to time. The founder of the Chidambaram

temple by name Swetavarman, subsequently known as

Hiranya Varma (s ix th century A.D) was a Pallava ~ i n g . " ~

"Fishermen inhabiting the Konaseema area and major

p a r t of the Andhra Coasta are known as "Pallelu" o r

"Palleeyulu" o r " ~ g n i Kulakshatriyas" . They believed

themselves t o be the descendants of "Pallavas' who once

reigned i n South India. They t race their ancestry to the

legendary . . , During the homa performed by Rishis t o

revive the disappearing Kshatriya caste. 'Pridhvi' and

'S t r ee ' , who were barn as a r e su l t of the homa became the

'Adam' and 'Eve' of the Kshatriyas and were responsible

f o r the revival of t h e i r community.

The terms 'Pal l iyulu ' o r 'Paleelu' are believed to

be corrupt forms of 'Pallavalu' which means 'Slender

hear t s ' and ha i l ing from the f i r e o r 'Agni' c lass . Driven

away from the main land by powerful kings, these people

7. E. Thurston, Itcastes and Tribes of Southern l n d i a n , Val. V I , p.2 ,

came down i n groups o r t r ibes t o the r i v e r mouths end t o

the Coastal b e l t and se t t l ed down there pursuing f i sh ing

as the i r avocation unconnected w i t h t h e l i f e t i de on the

main land,

The customs of the Kshatriyas clan such as the wear-

ing of the sacred thread, t h e invariable use of the K a i j a r

o r daggar i n matrimonial ceremonies, moving of golden

flowers and sprinkling of ' tamalrnbralu' o r raw r ice soaked

with saffron on the heads of the bride and bridegroom dur-

ing marriage are followed among these Agnikula Kshatriyas,

it is very in teres t ing t o note t h e i r customs proving the i r

or ig in from the Kshatriya clan. 8

Mr.Francis wri tes i n the Gazetteer of the South

Arcot d i s t r i c t , "Droupathi' s temples are very numerous

and the p r i e s t a t them is generally a P a l l i by caste ,

and P a l l i s take the leading p a r t i n the ceremonies a t

them, f t is because both the Pandava brothers and thew

selves were born of f i r e ' and are therefore related. In

c i t y of Madras, there are several Droupadi Amman temples

8. Written by Brahmarshi V.V. Subba Rao on the page 8 i n the book Souvenir of the occasion of the inaugu- ra t ion of the master plan i n Konaseema area on 8-4-1964 by S r i K. Brahmananda Reddy, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, edi ted by S r i R. Samudra Rao (1980), " Agnikula Kshatriyulu Puttu PooxvotharamuluM , Box P ~ s s , Rajahmundry, pp.46-47.

belonging t o the ÿ all is."'

Sub-caste

According t o Prasada Bhopaludu the word of Vanni a s

derived from Vahni o r Agni. The Agnikula Kshatriyas have

e i g h t go t r a s

1. Jambhwnaharsh i gothram

2 . Bhaakara gothram

3. Pasunathi gothram

4. Kalinga gothram

5 . Cholingl gothram

6. Sakhyana gothrarn

7, Kasyapu gothram

8 . Prapulla gothram

These e i g h t gothrams belong t o Chola, Pandya dynas-

t i e s . Some gothras have not been mentioned p a r t i c u l a r l y

f o r Telugu people. The ( l ) P a t t a m , ( 2 ) Vanniyaru, ( 3 )

Pa l l iva ru , ( 4 ) Vilvadaru, ( 5 ) Samandarur (6 Padayash t iyaru*

( 7 ) Nayskaru, ( 8 ) ~ a l l i g i d r u have kula t i t l e s . l o I n

Pal lavara ja c h a r i t h r a the P a l l i e s have divided i n t o four

categories. They are: (1) a a n g a p a l l a ~ a l u ~ ( 2 ) Nalambavadi

9. E. Thurston (1975 1, "Castes and Tribes of Southern India", Cosrno publicat ions, Val. V I , p.10.

10. K. B. S.P. Bhopaludu, 1941, " Andhra ~i jnanamun , Box Press , Rajahrnundry.

Pal lavalu, ( 3 ) Dravidapallavalu, and ( 4 ) Andhra Pa l lavalu.

Another vers ion reveals t h a t Rekhada Samudra Rao

the Agnikula Kshatriyas have two types - one is Agnikula

Kshatriyas, second one Vahnikula Kshatriyas.

"The c a s t e has a well organised Sangham (assoc ia t ion)

c a l l e d Chennai Vannikula Kshatriya Maha Sangham which was

e s t ab l i shed in 1888 by leaders of the cas te . Besides treat-

i n g ~ a s t rong e s p i r i t a l e corps among members of t h e c a s t e

i n various p a r t s of the Madras Presidency, it has been

instrumental i n the opening of s eve ra l schools of which

there a r e i n Madras, and the o the r s a t Canfeevatam,

Madhuranthakum, Tirukalikundram and Kumalarn, it has a l s o

es tab l i shed chattrams ( r e s t hauses) , a t f i v e p laces of

pilgrimage. Chengalvaraya Nayakar' s Technical school,

a t tached t o Pachaiappa' s co l l ege i n Madras, was founded

i n 1965 by a member of t he P a l l i c a s t e , who bequeathed

a large legacy f o r i ts maintenance. There i s a l s o an

orphanage named a f t e r Madras, f o r P e l l i boys. Govindappa

Nayakarls school4 which fonns the lower second.ary branch

of Pachaiappals co l l ege is anather i n s t i t u t i o n which owes

i t s ex is tence t o t he munificence of a member of t h e P a l l i

c a s t e , The l a t e s t venture of the P a l l i s is the pub l i ca t i on

of a news paper c a l l e d Agnikuladitham he Sun of the

Agnikula) which was s t a r t e d i n 1908. 11 --3--------3-------------------------------------*-----------

11. E. Thurston, "Caste and Tr ibes of south India*, Vol.VI,p.23,

Government of Madras

Law ( ~ e g i s l a t i v e ) Department

G.O.No.271, 13th June, 1926.

Legis la t ive Council Resolution - Adoption of Terms "Vanniakula Kshatriyas" and " Agnikula Kshatriyas* f o r "Vanniers o r P a l l i s "

Order No. 271, Law (Legis la t ion) Dated 13th June, 1929

A t the meeting of the Legis l a t ive Council held on 24th

January, 1926 the following reso lu t ion was moved:

'That t h i s Council recommends t o the Government t h a t the

Class of people general ly known as Wanniers o r Pa l l i e s* may

be ordered t o be uniformly designated i n o f f i c i a l records

a s "Vanniakula Kshatriyas" i n Tamil d i s t r i c t s and "Agnikula

Kshatriyas" i n Telugu d i s t r i c t s of the Presidency and t h a t

the names of t h e i r s t r e e t s in towns and v i l l a g e s t@ accord-

ingly noted i n notice boards'.

2 . On behalf of the Government i n regard t o the f i r s t

p a r t of the resolu t ion , it was s t a t e d that it has been the

uniform pol icy of the Government, i f communities des i re t o

be known by any name o the r than t h a t by which they have been

designated up t o a c e r t a i n po in t of time, not t o o b j e c t t o

t h a t course being followed. The government accordingly

d i r e c t t h a t the following terms s h a l l i n f u t u r e be adopted

i n p lace of *Vanniers o r Pa l l i e " i n a l l of f i c i s l documents.

* Vanniakula KshatriyasH i n Tamil d i s t r i c t s and

Agnikula Kshatriyas" i n Telugu d i s t r i c t s of the Madras

Presidency.

(BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR I N COUNCIL)

(Sd. J. Venkatanarayana SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT

The Departments of the S e c r e t a r i a t

The Heads of Department under the Law Deparment inc luding C o l l e c t o r s and D i s t r i c t judges.

Copy t o M,R.Ry F. Lakshmanaswarni Vama garu, the Pres iden t , Agniku la Kshatr iya Mahasangham, Coringa, E a s t Godavari D i s t r i c t .

Ed i to r ' s Table.

Forwarded t o

M.R.Ry. P. Lakshmanaswamy Vama Gam

( Sd . I K. V. J. Vasudevan SUPERINTENDENT

Law ( ~ e g l s l a t i v e ) Department

rue copy)

Edited by R. Samudra R a o (1980) "Agnikula Kshat r iyula ~uttupoorvotharamulu' ' , Box Press , Ra jahmundry, pp. 31-32.

Family

The f ind ings of t h i s study sugges t t h r e e conclus ions

concerning the family as an agent of s o c i a l i z a t i o n over

the l i f e course. Fi rs t , it i s Important to recognize

r e l a t i o n a l change beyond primary s o c i a l i z a t i o n . Evidence

of s i g n i f i c a n t inf luence upward through the genera t ions

sugges t t h a t the family m,iy a c t a s an agen t of change,

not an impediment t o change a s is implied by many concep-

t u a l i z a t i o n s of family s o c i a l i z a t i o n .

Secondly, one must examine t h e causa l mechanisms

behind the observed c o n t i n u i t y o r change In sac Cal iza t ion

outcomes, e s p e c i a l l y those s t r u c t u r a l o r s t a t u s s i m i l a r i -

t i e s between p a r e n t s and c h i l d r e n t h a t a r e o f t e n undiffe-

r e n t i a t e d f rom " P a r e n t a l ir,f luence". S t a t u s inher i t ance

may be, as suggested by these r e s u l t s , an important a l t e r -

na t ive rou te to i n t e r -genera t iona l s i m i l a r i t y .

F i n a l l y , v a r i a b i l i t y i n the impact of parent -chi ld

r e l a t i o n ac ross s o c i a l ideologies should be acknowledged.

While r e l i g i o u s and p o l i t i c a l ideologies c l e a r l y emerge a s

areas of s t r o n g independent family influence. Gender

ideology seems less e f f e c t e d by i n t e r n a l family dynamics.

Perhaps fewer competing agents of s o c i a l i z a t i o n e x i s t f o r

r e l i g i o u s o r p o l i t i c a l a t t i t u d e s , o r perhaps t h e s e domains

are less profountlly related t o dai ly l iv ing than gender

ideology. giving children l i t t l e reason to question t h e i r

parents' bel ie fs . I t may a lso be t rue tha t parental

influence weakens during periods of rapid changes i n soc ia l

behaviour. Whatever the sources, it is c l ea r t h a t the

family is neither a monolithic nor necessarily consenra-

t ive source of influence on a t t i t udes o r be l i e f s pas t

childhood. 12

Family is the r ea l stronghold of caste organisation

i n urban and rural India. I n t h i s direction. following

Farber (1964) . family was defined i n terms of i t s culture.

Family cu l ture represents a frame work of general values,

norms and ro les related t o a l l aspects of family viz. ,

courtship. marriage, divorce. kinship ident i ty and obliga-

t ions. the soc i a l i za t ion of children. residence and house-

hold maintenance. 13

Aae and sex-wise

Table 2 shows the Pattapus and Pa l l i e s sex composition

of 490 pereons whose par t icu lars have been tabulated.

1 2 . Jenni fer Glass, Vern L. Bengtson and Charlotte Chorn Dunham (Oct. 1986), Attitude Similar i ty i n Families, American Sociological Review, Vol. 5 1 , N 0 . 5 . p.696.

13. Farber, Rarnard (1964) Family, Organisation and Interaction, Sen Franc iscot Chandler Publishing Co.

out of 480 t o t a l respondents, 1 2 i . e . 2.50 per c e n t of

Pa t t apus and P a l l i e s were between the age group 0 - 15.

95 i . e . 19 - 79 p e r c e n t were 16-30 yea r s , 260 i.t., 54.17

p e r c e n t were 31-45 yea r s , 82 i.e. r 17.08 p e r c e n t were

46-60t 31 i . e . , 6.46 per c e n t were over 61 y e a r s respec-

t i v e l y . Urban: Among the urban respondents of 240 i .e . 50 p e r -

c e n t t o t a l respondents there were 5 i.e. 2.08 p e r c e n t

were between 0-15 y e a r s , 46 i.e., 19.17 p e r c e n t were

between 16-30 years , 140 i.e. 58.34 between 31-45 years ,

35 i.e. 14.58 per c e n t were between 46-60 yea r s , 14 i.e.

5.83 per c e n t between 61 and above yea r s r e spec t ive ly .

Rural: Among t h e r u r a l P a t t a p u s and P a l l i e s 240 t o t a l - responc'lents, 7 i . e . 2.92 per c e n t between 0.15 y e a r s t 49 i.e.

16-30 y e a r s t 120 i .e . 50.00 p e r c e n t between 31-45 yea r s ,

47 i . e . , 19.58 per c e n t between 46-60 y e a r s , 17 i.e. 7.08

per c e n t between 61 and above y e a r s r e spec t ive ly .

Tywes of f ami 1 ies

It is not iced by the r e sea rche r t h a t the f a m i l i e s a r e

c l a s s i f i e d i n t o t h r e e c a t e g o r i e s - s i n g l e , nuc l ea r and j o i n t

f a m i l i e s . I t i s found that a l l the t h r e e types of f a m i l i e s

are r e l e v a n t among the Agnikula Ksha t r iyas of urban and

r u r a l pa r t s of Nel lore d i s t r i c t . Unmarried o r d e s e r t e d

persons having no issues are shown as s ingle persons, mar-

ried couple o r married couple l iv ing with t h e i r unmarried

of fspriny are categorised intoo considered nuclear f arnily,

and a l l other are considered l iv ing i n a jo in t family.

J o i n t family system is preferred by majority of

households of the Agnikula Kshatriyas under the study.

Generally the famil ies arc male dominated except i n the

cases of decision making on ce r t a in important domestic

matters' on which male members lack information. Wives

carry orders passed by t h e i r husbands. Members of the

families usually observe the rules of avoidance. That is,

male and female members keep respec t ab l e distance i n

t h e i r behaviour, L/'

I t is l ea rn t from Table 3 among the urban and rural

Agnikula Kshatriyas, majority of them are found i n nuclear

and jo in t families ra ther than single families. There are

266 i . e . , 55.41 per cent out of 480 t o t a l Agnikula

Kshatriyas f a l l i n g in thq nuclear type of families

199 i , e . 41.46 per cent and 15 i ,e , 3.13 per cent i n

j o in t families and s ingle families respectively.

Family s i z e

The s i z e o f t h e f a m i l y is i m p o r t a n t a s p e c t a s r e v e a l i n g

t h e c o n g e s t i o n o f members i n mral and u r b a n househo lds

c o n s i d e r t h e f o l l o w i n g t a b l e (Tab le 4 ) g i v i n g the d e t a i l e d

d i s t r i b u t i o n of 480 sample f a m i l i e s a c c o r d i n g t o s i z e .

I n t h e c a s e of s i z e between the 4-5, t h e h i g h par

c e n t of the urban responden ts found w i t h t h e p e r c e n t a g e

o f n e a r l y 50.00 p e r c e n t , of who have a less per c e n t found

w i t h t h e p e r c e n t a g e of namely 30.00 per c e n t .

Regard ing the size between t h e 6-7 t h e r u r a l respon-

dents hav ing p e r c e n t a g e namely 38.00 p e r c e n t where cow

p a r e d t h e u rban responden ts whose p e r c e n t a g e with o n l y

17.00 p e r c e n t .

I t may be s t a t e d t h a t the l a r g e s t f a m i l y found i n t h e

column r u r a l a r e a f o r 6 o r more members. I t c o n s i s t s of

9 1 househo lds whereas i n the c a s e of urban it is 4 3 house-

h o l d s . I t c l e a r l y shows t h a t t h e j o i n t f a m i l y u n i t found i n

rural f a m i l i e s .

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Types of family

The Table 5 expla ins the s u i t a b l e and unsui table accom

modation w i t h type of family. I f 480 t o t a l f a m i l i e s of

Pat tapus and P a l l i e s of both urban and r u r a l 246 f a m i l i e s

responded ' yes ' an8 234 f ami l i e s r e p l i e d i n the negative

i n t h e i r opinion and so they a r e ca tegor ised under d i f f e r e n t

tvpe of fami l ies .

I n urban: Among the urban Pat tapus and P a l l i e s 149

i .e . 62.09 per c e n t o u t of 240 fami l i e s responded t o the

query i n n o s i t i v e ( i , e . s u i t a b l e accommodation) and the re-

maining 11 i .e . 37.92 per c e n t f ami l i e s come under the cate-

gory of negative ( i .e . unsui table accommodation).

Among the urban Pattapus and P a l l i e s respondents of 240

t o t a l f ami l i e s the re a r e 5 i . e . 2 . 3 5 pe r cen t , 135 i . e .

56.25 per c e n t and 9 i.e. 3.75 per c e n t f ami l i e s f a l l

under the category of s u i t a b l e accommodation such a s

s i n g l e , nuclear and j o i n t f ami l i e s respect ive ly and the

remaining respondents 4 3 i . e . 17.92 p e r c e n t and 48 i.e.

2 0,OOper c e n t f a l l i n t o unsui table accommodation such a s

nuclear and j o i n t f ami l i e s respect ive ly ,

I n rura l : Among the r u r a l Pat tapus and P a l l i e s 97 i.s.

40.42 per c e n t ou t of 2 4 0 t o t a l f a m i l i e s r e s ~ o n d e d the query

i n p o s i t i o n ( i. e . s u i t a b l e accommodation, and the remaining

143 i .e . 59.58 p e r c e n t f a m i l i e s came under the category

of nega t ive (i. e. u n s u i t a b l e accommodation.

Among the r u r a l Pa t t apus and P a l l i e s respondents of 2 4 0

t o t a l f a m i l i e s t h e r e a r e 8 I.@. 3.34 per c e n t , 65 i ,e .

27.08 p e r c e n t and 2 4 i .e. 10.30 p e r c e n t f a m i l i e s f a l l

under t h e ca t ego ry of s u i t a h l e accommodation such as

singl .e , nuc l ea r and j o i n t f a m i l i e s r e spec t ive ly . And the

remaining respondents 2 i.e. 0.83 p e r c e n t , 23 i.e. 9.59 per

c e n t and 118 i.e. 49.17 p e r c e n t f a l l i n t o u n s u i t a b l e accom

modation such as s i n g l e . nuc l ea r and j o i n t f a m i l i e s

r e s p e c t i v e l y .

Unsui tab le accommodation

The Table 6 e x h i b i t s t h a t regard ing the problem of con-

g e s t i o n , l a ck of s e p a r a t e room and low f i l t h y a r ea , the

r u r a l respondents a r e having a h igh percentage i .e . 25.17

p e r c e n t , 15.39 per c e n t , 6.29 p e r c e n t when compared t o

the urban respondents whose percentage is less i n number

i.e. 13.19 per c e n t , 40.66 per c e n t , 10.99 p e r c e n t , 26.37

per c e n t and 8.79 p e r c e n t r e spec t ive ly .

I n the c a s e of r u r a l respondent,?, they have a h i g h e r

percentage regard ing the problem of over s i z e of the fami ly

l ack of s e p a r a t e rooms, f i l t h y areas, l a ck of v e n t i l a t i o n

25.17 per c e n t , 25.17 p e r c e n t , 15.39 per c e n t and 27.98

p e r cent r e s p e c t i v e l y . When compared t o urban, the rural

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respondents possess comparatively high i n number, Among

the urban respondents there were 40.66 per c en t and 26.37

per c en t possessinq the problem of lack of separate rooms,

lack of ven t i l a t ion f a c i l i t i e s respectively.

Living arranaements

In a discussion of l iv ing arrangement of the Agnikula

Kshatriyas a n important aspect of the ownership of the

l i v ing accomodation. Among the Pattapus and P a l l i e s of

both urban and ru ra l of 430 t o t a l famil ies 390 i ,e . 91.25

pe r c en t of the respondents l i v e i n houses owned by them

and 90 i.e. 16.67 per cen t i n rented houses respectively.

And the remaining group a re 1 0 i .e. 2.m per cen t of the

respondents who l ived i n r e c t f r e e o r r e l a t i ve houses.

(Table 7 ) . Urban: Among the urban of 240 t o t a l number of families, -

there were 155 i ,e . 64.49, 9 0 i . e . 3 3 . 3 3 per cen t and 5 i .e .

2,08 per cen t of the famil ies having own houses, rented

houses and r en t f r e e houses respectively.

Rural! Among the rura l of 2 4 0 t o t a l number of famil ies - there were 235 i .e. 97.92 and 5 i .e. 2 . 0 9 per c en t of the

famil ies having own houses and r en t f r e e houses respectively.

I t is c l ea r l y shown t h a t i n ru ra l areas one is found rented

l i v ing arrangements.

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Tvpe of houses

The c o n s t r u c t i o n oE houses is commonly of two types,

namely P u r i l l u (kacha) Middi l lu (punca). Most of the

Agnikula Kshatr iyas i n t h i s r u r a l region l i v e i n P u r i l l u

type of house. f n urban area o u t of 2 4 0 t o t a l f a m i l i e s

175 i.e. 72.92 p e r c e n t f a m i l i e s a r e having puccs houses

and the remaining 65 i .e . 2 7 . X per c e n t f a m i l i e s a r e

having Kucha houses (Table 8 ) .

I n r u r a l a rea o u t of 2 4 0 t o t a l f ami l i e s , 53 i .e.

34.58 per c e n t of the f a m i l i e s a r e having Pucca houses

and the r e s t of 1 5 7 i .e . 65.42 per c e n t belong t o Kucha

houses.

A l l the houses of the Agnikula Kshatr iyas a r e indepen-

d e n t s t r u c t u r e s . A l l the houses a r e b u i l t with mud and

roof, covered with leaves o r straw. A l l the houses a r e

con ta in ing only a single en t rance i n t h e r u r a l a reas .

A f e w houses a r e found more than one room i n urban area

depending upon the family p o s i t i ~ n ( i . c . economic

f a c t i o n ) .

Rent of t h e house (u rban a r e a )

Table 9 shows t h a t r e n t of t h e house i n u rban area.

Out of 8 0 f a m i l i e s 16 i . e , 20.00 per cent o f t h e respon-

d e n t s ware pay inq less t han Rs.50 per month. 33 i . e . 41.25

per c e n t , 2'2 i , o , 27.50 per cent, 6 i.e. 7.50 per cent and

3 i.e. 3.75 per cent of t h e r e sponden t s f a l l s under the

c a t e g o r y of Rs.51-100, Rs.131-159, 151-2 00 and above 8.200

respec t i .ve ly . TABLE - 9: Ren t of the house (u rban area)

-""----------------3-----.*-*-*.--*-*-*-*3-*-*-*-*---.-.--

Rent i n Urban T o t a l rupees Male Female

---LI-----------------"--..-----------------*---

Below 5 0 6 6 16 (15.79) (23.81) ( 2 0.00)

NOTE: Numbers i n p a r a n t h e s i s indicate the p e r c e n t a g e s

E d u c a t i o n among t h e Aaniku la K s h a t r i y a s

E d u c a t i o n i s one of t h e i m p o r t a n t d e t e r m i n a n t s of a

p e r s o n ' s s o c i a l s t a t u s . I t is a c o n t r i b u t o r y f a c t o r f o r

moving up t h e s o c i a l l a d d e r . A s t u d y of t h e educational

accomplishments of t h e Agnikula K s h a t r i y a s shows t h a t

i l l i t e r a c v was v e r y p o o r among the Agnikula K s h a t r i y a s

p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t h e c a s e cf wanen.

L i t e r a t e s i n urbanr As t h e T a b l e 1 0 i n d i c a t e s of - 240 u r b a n P a t t a p u s and P a l l i e s 75 i.e. 31.25 per c e n t

were l i t e r a t e s and the r e s t 165 i . e . 63.75 p e r c e n t were

i l l i t e r a t e s .

Out of 6 0 P a t t a p u f a m i l i e s , ma les c o n s i s t i n g of 23

i.e. 33.33 p e r c en t were literates and o u t of 60 P a t t a p u s

f m i l i e s f e m a l e s c o n s i s t i n g bf 15 i.e. 25.00 p e r c e n t

were l i t e r a t e s .

Among the P a l l i e s f a m i l i e s , ma les c o n s f s t i n g o f 20

i , e . 33.33 p e r c e n t and f e m a l e s c o n s i s t i n g of 17 i.e. 23.33

p e r c e n t f a l l u n d e r t h e q roup of l i t e r a t e s .

I n u rban P a t t a p u s male is of h i g h e r l i t e r a c y ra te

i.e. 39.33 p e r c e n t t h a n t h e u rban P a l l i e s made who h a v e

low l i t e r a c y rate i.e. 33.33 per c e n t . I n s i m i l a r manner

the u r b a n P a t t a p u s f e m a l e is of 25.00 per c e n t and that of

the u r b a n P a l l i f e m a l e is 29.33 of l i terates.

L i t e r a t e s i n r u r a l : O f 240 r u r a l P a t t a p u s and

P a l l i e s 40 i.e, 16.67 per cent were l i t e r a t e s and t h e

rest 2C)O i .e . 83.33 p e r c e n t were f a l l i n t o i l l i t e r a t e s .

Among t h e r u r a l P a t t a p u s male, t h e r e are 15 i.e. 2 5 , O O

per c e n t l i t e r a t e s and P a t t a p u s females c o n s i s t i n g of 7

i.e. 11.57 p e r c e n t were l i t e r a t e s .

Regarding the r u r a l P a l l i males c o n s i s t i n g of 1 2 i.e.

20.00 p e r c e n t and P a l l i females c o n s i s t i n g of 6 i.e,

10.00 p e r c e n t l i t e r a t e s ,

I n c o n t r a s t t o t h e r u r a l P a t t a p u s wi th t h a t a£ the

r u r a l P a l lies and v i ce -ve r sa t h e fo l l owing results were

drawn.

Tn comnartson t o t h e P a t t a p u s male with t h a t of the

P a l l i male i s hav ing h i g h e r pe rcen tage F.e. 25.00 p e r c e n t

than t h e P a l l i e i .e . low pe rcen tage of 20.00 p e r c e n t

l i t e r a c y . I n t h e s i m i l a r manner, the r u r a l P a t t a p u s female

has 11,67 p e r c e n t of l i t e r a c y when com~ared t o t h a t of

the P a l l i female i .e . 10.00 p e r c e n t only.

I l l i t e r a t e s i n urban: Out of 240 P a t t a p u s and P a l l i

f a m i l i e s there were 165 i ,e . 63.75 per cent i l l i terates .

Among the P a t t a p u s , t h e male is of 37 i.e. 61.67 per cent

and t h e female be long t o same group c o n s i s t i n g of 45 i , e .

75.00 p e r c e n t of i l l i t e r a t e s .

The P a l l i male c o n s i s t i n g of 40 i.e. 66.67 per cent

and P a l l i female c o n s i s t i n g of 43 i .e . 71.67 p e r c e n t of

i l l i t e r a t e s ,

I n comparison with urban Pa t t apus with t h a t of the urban

P a l l i e s and vice-versa . The fol lowing r e s u l t s have been

i n f e r r e d ,

The urban P a l l i males i s having high l i t e r a c y r a t e

i.e. 66.67 per c e n t t han t h a t of the urban Pa t t apus male

i .e. 61.67 p e r c e n t i l l i t e r a t e s .

The urban Pa t t apu female is having h i g h i l l i t e r a c y

r a t e i . e . 75.00 per c e n t and P a l l i female is having

71.67 p e r c e n t only.

I l l i t e r a t e s in r u r a l : The P a t t a a u s and P a l l i f a m i l i e s ,

o u t of 240 total, 200 i .e. 9 3 . 3 3 per c e n t were i l l i t e r a t e s .

Among the Pa t t apus , male is of 45 i .o. 75.00 per c e n t

and P a l l i female c m s i s t i n g of 5 3 i.e. 8 8 . 3 3 per c e n t of

i l l i t e r a c y . Regarding t h e P a l l i e s , the male c o n s i s t i n g of

48 i ,e. 80.00 per c e n t and female is of 5 4 ice. 90.00

i l l i t e r a t e s .

I n c o n t r a s t t o t h e m r a l Pa t t apus wi th t h a t of t he

rural P a l l i e s t he fo l lowing r e s u l t c an be drawn from t h e

t a b l e ,

The Pat tapus male is having lower i l l i t e r a c y r a t s i .e .

75.00 per c e n t than t h a t of the P a l l i male having 90.00 p e t

cen t , The Pat tapus female is of lower i l l i t e r a c y r a t e with

88.33 p e r c e n t than t h a t of the P a l l i female with 93.00

p e r cent .

Hence t h e i l l i t e r a t e ~ e r c e n t a g e i n r u r a l a rea is high

when compared t o urban region, I t i s onlv due t o the f a c t

of var ious f a c t o r s i.e. enormous f a c i l i t i e s f o r education

i n urban region and a l s o ozcupational change and work oppar-

t u n i t i e s f o r both Pat tapus and P a l l i fami l ies .

2 X test shows t h a t there is s i g n i f i e a n t r e l a t i o n bet-

ween t h e v a r i a b l e "educat ional l e v e l and r u r a l , urban resi-

dence of both the Pattapus and P a l l i e s .

Educational l e v e l

d h i l e d i f f e r e n t i a t i n g the educational s tandards i n t o

various c a t e g o r i e s i.e. Primary, Secondary, Higher and

Technical education l e v e l s , the following r e s u l t s were

i n f e r r e d from the Table 11.

Among a l l ca tegor ies , more number of l i t e r a t e s of both

the groups are confined t a primam education. Out of 490

Pat tapus and P a l l i e s f ami l i e s of both urban and r u r a l , the

t o t a l P a t t a ~ u s and P a l l i e s f a m i l i e s i n Primary education

are numbered t o 67 i.e. 58.26 per cent the secondary education

36 i .e . 31.30 per cent higher education 9 i , e 7.93 per cent

and l a s t technical education 3 i .e. 2.61 per cent respec-

t ively .

Urban respondents: Out of 240 Pattapus and Pa l l i e s

there are 4 1 i.e. 54.67 per cent were primary educationt

25 i.e. 33.33 per cent were secondary education 6 i.e. 8.00

per cent were higher education, 3 Foe . 4.00 per cent were

technical education respectively.

Rural respondents: The Pattapus and Pa l l i e s , out of

240 respondents 26 i.e. 65.00 per cent were primary educa-

t ion, 11 i.e. 27.50 per cent were secondary education, 3 i .e

7.50 per cent were higher education among the ru r a l i t i e s .

I n comparison with the urban Pattapus and Pa l l i e s

with t ha t of the rura l Pattapus and Pa l l i e s , the following

resu l t s are warranted.

The urban Pattapus and Pa l l i e s respondents have a h i g ! ~

percentage of education 4 1 i.e. 34.67 per cent when con+

pared t o the rura l P a t t a ~ u s and Pa l l i e s respondents whose

percentage w i t h 26 i . e . 65.00 per cent f a l l under the cate-

gory of primary educational level.

In the case of secondary education, the more number

of urban Pattapus and Pa l l i e s are found with the percentage

of 25 i .e . 3 3 . 3 3 p e r c e n t than t h e r u r a l Pa t t apus and P a l l i e s

who have a l e e s number found with the percentage 11 i . e ~

27.50 p e r cen t .

Regarding the h ighe r educat ion i s concerned the urban

f a m i l i e s a r e having a comparatively h ighe r percentage with

6 i . e . 8.00 p e r c e n t t h a t of t h e r u r a l i t i e s whose numbered

t o 3 i.e. 7.50 p e r c e n t c n l y .

The l a s t one i s t echn ica l educa t ion i .2. concerned, t h e

urban f a m i l i e s a r e having a comparatively h ighe r percentage

with 3 i.e. 4.00 p e r c e n t when r u r a l i s n i l pos i t i on .

Level of educa t ion versus a t t i t u d e towards i n t e r l c a s t e

marr iaqe

The s tudy of i n v e s t i g a t t o n was devoted t o f u r t h e r e x t e n t

the i n t e r e a s t e marriage were accepted o r n o t among the

k n i k u l a Kshatr iyas f ami l i e s . O u t of 240, 117 448 .75)

urban responderlts were accepted f o r i n t e r - c a s t e marriage

and the remaining 123 (51.25 p e r c e n t ) were n o t accepted. (Table 1 2 ) .

The observa t ion was found among the r u r a l respondents,

o u t of 240 f a m i l i e s 82 (34.17 per c e n t ) were accepted and the

remaining 158 (65.83) not accepted. The x2 tes t a l s o show.

t h a t t h e r e i s s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n between the v a r i a b l e

i n t e r - c a s t e marriage and l e v e l of educa t ion of t h e

respondents.

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Reasons f o r c h i l d r e n n o t a t t e n d i n g the s c h o o l

From T a b l e 13 it is l e a r n t t h a t t h e h i g h e s t number of

t h e b o t h u rban and r u r a l among t h e c h i l d r e n , t h e economic

r e a s o n s were q u o t e d by the m a j o r i t y . Economic r e a s o n s

which were u s u a l l y concerned by p o v e r t y . Most af t h e

f a m i l i e s q u o t e e of n e c e s s i t y of e a r n i n g money o r p o v e r t y

was t h e main r e a s o n s f o r c h i l d r e n n o t go ing to s c h o o l .

Work i n house among t h e c h i l d r e n was o f t e n q u o t e d by

p a r e n t s and t h i s none o f t e n Ln the c a s e of r u r a l a r e a s .

Even among the c h i l d r e n who m o s t l y engaged o r working

t h e i r own house. The problem of d r o p o u t s a t an e a r l y

age p o s e s the problem of p o v e r t y .

The o t h e r two r e a s o n s which i n c l u d e no need t o e d u c a t e

g i r l and c h i 1 6 i s n o t i n t e r e s t e d among t h e c h i l d r e n was

o f t e n q u o t e d by p a r e n t s . I t occup ied t h e t h i r d p o s i t i o n

i n b o t h u rban and r u r a l areas. F a c t s resented above t end

t o i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e a v e r a g e r u r a l c h i l d i s n o t t a k e i n t e -

rest w i t h o u t t a k i n g suf f ic Lent i n t e r e s t e d by t h e i r p a r e n t s .

D i s t a n c e to s c h o o l is n o t a t all a aroblern i n b o t h two

a r e a s .

i i d i I l f c l I l + ' l 1 1 0 1 I I I I l l I l l I l l I I V ) I I I R ) I I d 1.4 I I fu I d I I U I d I 1 7 1 r n 1 l n r . I n , I

S t a t u s of women amonq the Aqnikula Kshatr iyas

Women i n the Vedic period apDear t o have enjoyed a

comparatively h igher s t a tua than i n the post-vedic age.

Recause of the in t roduct ion of p r i n c i p l e s of democracy

and l ibe ra l i sm a l l over the worl? during t h e e ighteenth

century: a g r e a t change began t o take place i n the r u r a l

women. The r o l e of ' wife' mother was affec ted . The same

t rend was observed i n India too and supplemented by

severa l reformers a s well a s the l e g i s l a t i o n s passed

a f t e r Independence, 1947 enabled t h e women t o come o u t

of the c lu tches of the dominating maler. Fur ther* the

i n d u s t r i a l i s a t i o n and urbanisa t ion played an important

p a r t i n r a i s i n g the s t a t u s of women and drawing them te

wards modernity. A g r e a t change occurred i n the role

woman a s t h a t of h e r a c c e s s i b i l i t y t o education. I n the

course of time severa l l ega l a c t s have been passed e n t i t l i n g

women t o do c e r t a i n tvpes of jobs.

The r i s e i n s t a t u s 'of wmen a l l over the globe has

p r imar i ly been poss ib le because of the s t ruggles waged

from time t o t i m e by both men and women a g a i n s t a l l forms

of exp lo i t a t ion . I n France and o t h e r s i m i l a r economies,

c a p i t a l i s t markets brought i n s e c u r i t y and employment to

both men and women. Women have fought shoulder to shoulder

with men to demand permanent jobs and s a t i s f a c t o r y l i v i n g

and working condit ions. In Vietnam, wives and mothers fought

w i t h t h e i r husbands and sons t o defend t h e i r country aga ins t

imperialism. Back home i n India and i n many African COUP

t r i e s , women joined i n the s t rugg le aga ins t colonial ism and

neo-colonialism and have fought f o r the guarantee of equal

r i g h t s and an end t o discrimination i n t h e i r country ' s

cons t i tu t ions . Such newly l ibe ra ted s t a t e s have s ince

then seen an in f lux of women i n t o the f i e l d of productive

A s i n a l l , the women's movement i n s p i t e of i ts f a i l i n g s

has had i t s share of success and l i k e a l l o the r s t ruggles

it w i l l some day bear f r u i t . How lony it w i l l take is the

only uncer ta in i ty . Many years of experience has given

courage t o Indian women and the movements brought more

consciousness and s t r eng th i n them. One great hope f o r

t h e i r success l i e s i n the f a c t t h a t the women's movement

can gather mare s t r eng th by r a l l y i n g support from male

sympathisers, In the past , men have opposed rape of t r i b a l

women by f o r e s t con t rac to r s and husbands have opposed

sexual harassment of t h e i r wives a t work. The dowry

problem ceases to be a woman's problem when s o c i a l l y

conscious men r e a l i s e t h a t it is f a t h e r of the b r ide who

bears the burden of paying the dowry. For the future,

i f the women's movement could embrace such s o c i a l l y

consciouo men i n t h e i r s t r u g g l e s t h e i r path t o v i c t o r y

w i l l be f a r e a s i e r . 1 4

Ne can observe the same changes i n the s o c i a l s t a t u s

of women of Agnikula Kshatriya community e s p e c i a l l y i n the

urban area. Those who l i v e i n city/town a r e a t t end ing

schools and col leges . A few women a r e doing jobs i n p r i -

va te and pub l i c sec to r s .

The women of Agnikula Kshatriya community p lay an

important r o l e i n t h e i r family a f f a i r s . The women are

consul ted i n var ious mat ters . They give suggestions f o r

the improvement and maintenance of family. The women

completely depend an male f o l k of t h e community f o r a l l

p r a c t i c a l pumoses.

1 4 , M r s , D . Thomas, "Whether t h e Indian Women's Movement", Indian Journal of Socia l Research, Vol. XXVIII , No.1, March, 1987.