Valangai

Valangai or the right hand refers to a caste-based division of communities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu that was in vogue from ancient times right upto 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 and right-hand factions trace their origin to the period of the earliest Brahminical migrations. While 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., the right-hand faction was made of the castes which opposed them. During the Chola period, the left and right-hand factions comprised ninety-eight castes each, but by the 19th century, the right-hand faction was made of 60 castes, and the left-hand, only six.

See Also

* Caste system in India
* Idangai

Notes

References

* cite book | title=Caste and Race in India| last= Ghurye| first= G. S. | authorlink= |coauthors=| year=1991| publisher= Popular Prakashan| location=Bombay