Page:Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume 7.djvu/315

Rh Vaīkhānasa.— Followers of the Rishi Vaikhānasa. They are Archaka Brāhman priests in the Telugu country.  Vairavan Kōvil.— An exogamous section or kōvil (temple) of Nāttukōttai Chetti.  Vairāvi.———The equivalent of Bairāgi or Vairāgi. Recorded, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as "a sub-caste of Pandāram. They are found only in the Tinnevelly district, where they are measurers of grain, and pūjāris in village temples." In the Madura district, Vairāvis are members of the Mēlakkāran caste, who officiate as servants at the temples of the Nāttukōttai Chettis.  Vaisya.— Vaisya is the third of the traditional castes of Manu. *' It is," Mr. Francis writes,* "doubtful whether there are any true Dravidian Vaisyas, but some of the Dravidian trading castes (with the title Chetti), notably the Kōmatis, are treated as Vaisyas by the Brāhmans, though the latter do not admit their right to perform the religious ceremonies which are restricted by the Vēdas to the twice-born, and require them to follow only the Purānic rites. The Mūttāns (trading caste in Malabar) formerly claimed to be Nāyars, but recently they have gone further, and some of them have returned themselves as Vaisyas, and added the Vaisya title of Gupta to their names. They do not, however, wear the sacred thread or perform any Vēdic rites, and Nāyars consider themselves polluted by their touch." Some Vellālas and Nāttukōttai Chettis describe themselves as being Bhū (earth) Vaisyas, and some Gollas claim to be regarded as Gō (cow) Vaisyas. Some Gānigas and Nagartas call themselves Dharmasivāchar Vaisyas, † and, 