Page:Castes and Tribes of Southern India.djvu/468

BRAHMAN other classes are to be found in Vasishtakudy in the taluk of Vriddachallam, Vemmaniathur in the taluk of Villupuram, and Visalur in the taluk of Kumbaconam." In an article on the Shōliars, * it is recorded that "they are a very intelligent people, and at the same time very vindictive if disturbed. Chanakya, the Indian Machiavelli and the Minister of Chandragupta, is supposed to have belonged to this caste. His hatred of the Nanda family, and the way in which he uprooted each and every member of that race, has been depicted in the famous Sanskrit drama Mudrarakshasa, which belongs to the 7th century A.D. Whether on account of his character, and under the belief that he originated from this caste, or for some reason which is unaccountable, the Soliyas of modern days are held as very vindictive people, as the following proverb will show: — 'We do not want to meet with a Soliya even in a picture.' " Another proverb is to the effect that "the kudumi (hair tuft) on the head of a Shōliar does not shake without sufficient reason," i.e., it is a sign that he is bent upon doing some mischief. (h) Mukkāni. — The Mukkānis are Smarthas confined to the Cochin and Travancore States. (i) Kāniyālar. — Concerning the Kāniyālars, Mr.Ramachendrier writes as follows: — " Kaniālars form a separate class of Smartha Brahmins, and they live in the district of Tinnevelly and some parts of Trichinopoly. They do not intermarry with any other class of Smartha Brahmins, but eat with them. A large number of them, though Smarthas by birth, wear a mark on their forehead like Vyshnava Brahmins, and serve as cooks and menial servants in the big temple at Srirangam. Their