quarrel ensued at Dummagudam in the Godavari. district, which, however was immediately put down. It was on the occasion of a marriage in the Kamsali caste, the ring-leader being a Madras Paraiyan. Moreover, this jealousy in guarding the rights underlying the factious feud has very often led to painful litigation and prosecutions in the Civil and Criminal Courts of Chittur, Salem and Chingleput. Unlike other segregating forces it extended its evil influences even among members of the same families while the caste system has only divided the people into ethnic, territorial, professional or sectarian classes. It is no wonder then that it has attracted the attention of ethnologists ; but none has yet been able to throw sufficient light on its origin or subsequent history.
An enquiry regarding the probable date of the genesis of the faction and its subsequent growth will not, it is hoped, be uninteresting to the reader ; and it is not without some confidence that the following explanation based on a rather prolonged and careful study of the subject is offered, in the belief that it carries with it at least the merit of historic probability. And in order to get a correct idea of the minute details of this curious distinction, an accurate historical account of each and every caste comprised within the division is highly desirable.[1] But the lists
- ↑ Brief historical notices of some of the most important castes which are given in the statement will be found in Chapter X of the Madras Census Report for 1891, and in the Caste Glossary appended to the Report on the Census of 1901.
