Idangai

Idangai or the left hand is a caste-based division of communities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu that was in vogue from ancient times right up to the 19th and even the early decades of the 20th century AD. Since India's independence, the differences have practically vanished.G. S.Ghurye, Pg 359] cite book | title=Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History| last=E. Alcock| first=Susan| pages=269| authorlink= |coauthors=Terence N. D'Altroy, Kathleen D. Morrison, Carla M. Sinopoli
year=2001| publisher=Cambridge University Press| location=|id=ISBN 0521770203, ISBN 9780521770200]

Origin

The left handed castes trace their origin to the period of the earliest Brahminical migrations. According to popular folklore, the left-hand castes were created from an "agnikunda" for protecting the sacrifice of the Hindu sage Kashyapa.

It is generally believed that the Brahmins themselves constituted the left-hand faction.G. S.Ghurye, Pg 360] Hence, initially, the left-hand faction was made mainly of Brahmins and castes claiming Brahmin-ness such as the Kammalans, who are believed to have migrated to Tamil Nadu in the train of the Brahmins.

Constituent castes

The "Idangai" faction was numerically inferior to the "Valangai" or right-handed faction. There were 6 castes in the "Idangai" faction as opposed to sixty in the "Valangai" faction. It was also pretty unclear as to which castes constituted each faction. Some castes considered to be left-handed in some areas were regarded as right-handed in others and vice versa.cite book | title=Religion and public culture: Encounters and Identities in Modern South India| last= E. Yandell| first=Keith| authorlink= |coauthors=John Jeya Paul| year=2000| pages=30|publisher=Routledge| location=|id=ISBN 0700711015, ISBN 9780700711017] The Kammalans, the Komatis and the PallarsCastes and Tribes of Southern India, Pg 474] Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Pg 475] seem to have generally been regarded as left-handed in most parts of the erstwhile Madras Presidency. Roughly speaking,the "Valangai" or right-handed faction was made up of castes with an agricultural basis while the "Idangai" was made of metal workers, weavers, etc. i.e. castes involved in manufacturing.Cite web|url=http://www.cmi.ac.in/gift/Epigraphy/epig_tambarammore.htm|title=More inscriptions from the Tambaram area |accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=Madras Christian College Magazine|year=1975|author=Gift Siromoney|work=Madras Christian College Magazine, Vol. 44, 1975]

The "Valangai" faction was better organized, politically, than the "Idangai". Caste Ideology and Interaction, Pg 105]

Though, Brahmins have been classified as a left-hand caste in ancient times, Schoebel, in his book "History of the Origin and Development of Indian Castes" published in 1884, spoke of Tamil Brahmins as "Mahajanam" and regarded them, along with foreign migrants, as outside the dual left and right-hand caste divisions of Tamil Nadu.

"Idangai" and "Valangai"

Right from ancient times, there was intense rivalry between the left-handed and right-handed factions.G. S.Ghurye, Pg 358] At its height, the members of a faction weren't allowed to enter the streets inhabited by members of a caste which belonged to an opposite faction. Members of a particular faction weren't allowed to pray in temples which belonged to an opposite faction. Individuals belonging to any caste in a particular faction wouldn't salute a member of a caste in the opposite faction regardless of the position of the individual's caste in the social hierarchy.

There were intense caste wars between the two factions in the early 18th century. In 1717, riots flared up between the Komatis and the Chettis who belonged to opposite factions because member of one faction had prayed in a temple belonging to the other. As a consequence of these riots, a large number of Chettis left Madras. The President of Madras, Joseph Collett sent Brahmins to mediate between the two. Brahmins, at that time,were regarded as outside the left and right-hand caste system, and due to their being neutral, Brahmins were regarded as the most suitable candidates to function as mediators.

See also

* Valangai
* Caste system in India

Notes

References

* cite book | title=Caste and Race in India| last= Ghurye| first= G. S. | authorlink= |coauthors=| year=1991| publisher= Popular Prakashan| location=Bombay
* cite book | title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India Volume VI| last=Thurston| first=Edgar| authorlink= Edgar Thurston|coauthors=K. Rangachari| year=1909| publisher=Government Press| location=Madras
* cite book | title=Caste Ideology and Interaction| last=B. McGilvray| first=Denis| authorlink= |coauthors=| year=1982| publisher=CUP Archive| location=|id=ISBN 0521241456, ISBN 9780521241458
*