Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 2.djvu/75

 March, 1873.] THE KULWADI. 65 THE KULWADI OF THE HASSAN DISTRICT. By CAPT. J. S. F. MACKENZIE, MAISUR COMMISSION. LOOKING at him in In's official position, I the Kulwadi is the village policeman, the | beadle of the village community, the head-man’s J henchman; but as the representative of that despised and outcaste race—the Iloliar, he appears most interesting. Tossed to and fro in the great sea of immigration which passed over the land, he, who once held the foremost place in the v illage circle, has, with each successive wave, sunk lower and lower in the social scale, until to-day we find him but a hewer of wood and a drawer of water. In the rights and privileges which yet cling to him, we, how¬ ever, get glimpses of his former high estate, and find proofs that the Holiars, or lowest right-hand caste, were the first to establish villages in this part of the country. The Kurabas, or jungle tribes, may have been the aborigines, but, naturally of a wandering dis¬ position, they confined themselves to the chase. They have no part or parcel in the village community; the Holiars, on the other hand, have, and through their representative, the Kulwadi, occupy a prominent position. As a body, they are the servants of the ryots, and are mainly engaged in tending the plough and watching the herds. One of the members of this despised caste is generally the priest to the village goddess, and, as such, on that annual day when all hasten to pay their offerings at her shrine, takes precedence of the twice-born Brahman. Every village has its Ilojigiri—as the quarter inhabited by the Holiars is called—outside the village boundary hedge. This, I thought, was because they are considered an impure race, whose touch carries defilement with it. Such is the reason generally given by the Brfdiman, who refuses to receive anything directly from the hands of a Iloliar. And yet the Brahmans consider great luck will wait upon them if they can manage to pass through the Holigiri with¬ out being molested. To this the Holiars have a strong objection, and should a Brahman attempt to enter their quarters, they turn out in a body and slipper him, in former times it is said to death ; members of the other castes may come as far as the door, but they must not—for that would bring the Iloliar bad luck— enter the house. If, by chance, a person happens to get in, the owner takes care to tear the intruder’s cloth, tie up some salt in one comer of it, and turn him out. This is supposed to neutralize all the good luck which might have accrued to the trespasser, and avert any evil which might have befallen the owner of the house. At Mailkota, the chief seat of the followers of Ramanuja Acharya, and at Bailur, where there is also a god worshipped by the three marked Brahmans, the Holiars have the right of entering the temple on three days in the year specially set aside for them. At Mailkota they have the privilege of pulling the car. These are the only two temples in Maisur where the Holiars are allowed in. The follow¬ ing is, according to the Brahmans, 1 the reason why’:—“ On Ramanuja Acharya going to Mail¬ kota to perform his devotions at that celebrated shrine, he was informed that, the place had been attacked by the Turk king of Dehli, who had carried away the idol. The Brahman immediately set out for that capital; and, on arrival, he found that the king had made a present of the image to his daughter; for it is said to be very handsome, and she asked for it as a plaything. All day the princess played with the image, and at night the god assumed his own beautiful form and enjoyed her bed; for Krishna is addicted to such kinds of adventures (Buchanan, vol. I. p. 342). Ramanuja Acharya, by virtue of certain mantras, obtained possession of the image and wished to carry it off. He asked the Brahmans to assist him, but they refused; on which the' Holiars volun¬ teered, provided the right of entering the temple were granted to them. Ramanuja Acharya accepted their proposal, and the Holiars having posted themselves between Dehli and Mailkota, the image of the god was carried down in twenty- four hours.” When Ramanuja Acharya first appeared in this part of the country, we know that the religion of the Bellala court was Jaina, while, from the number of temples still extant, it is clear that the religion of the great mass of the people was the Saiva. Ramanuja Acharya introduced a new religion—the Vaishnava. It is more than probable this story was invented by the Brahmans to conceal the fact that the Holiars, by receiving a privilege denied to other religions, had been bribed into becoming follow¬ ers of Vishnu. If this is correct, then we may assume that the Holiars, as a class 400 years