Chronicle on Vadakku Saliyar Community

This chronicle has been written on the lives & times of the genre & generations of Vadakku Saliyar community which has its present day habitat in the southern-most tip of India. Being a small community, not many facts & history sheets are available. The chronicles written on the general Saliyar community always side-steps/ side-lines this group due their relatively smaller number & not many prominent or dominant personalities emerged among them. This chronicle is a simple, yet, sincere attempt to bridge this knowledge-gap on this resilient & enterprising community & document information on their past & present legacies.

The locale:

Majority of the population lives in the Vadasery area of Nagercoil town in the southern district of Kanya Kumari in the state of Tamilnadu in South India. This native place of theirs was part of the Travancore Province till 1956 (?). After the States reorganization of 1956(?), it became part of Tamilnadu.

Apart from their native place, they are located in many parts of Tamilnadu, though mostly in Chennai, the state capital. There are many who have settled down in other parts of India & a few even in far-away places like the UK, USA, Canada, Middle-east, Singapore, etc.

Population – the Census, Profile & Growth:

The total population of the community is around 2,500.

Male:Female ratio: (?)

Birth rate: In line with rest of the country, the community witnessed an explosive birth/ growth rate till about two generations back. However, now 2-children family is the norm with many families even opting for single-child!

Death rate:

Longevity: The average life expectancy of the population is about 65 (?). The females have a slightly higher expectancy than males (?)

Literacy rate & Level:

The literacy rate is almost 100% now. Almost every fourth (?) house-hold has a professional or general degree-holder. Female education is as high as the male literacy rate.

The occupation:

Until two generation back, weaving & handlooms were the predominant occupation. Even now, a small measure of the population carries on this trade. However, many, if not the most, of the younger generation have done well in academics & have settled down in well-paying service jobs. Many have ventured into business activities. Some have distinguished themselves in professional fields like Healthcare, Law, Finance, etc.

Ladies of the community are very hard-working. Most of the older generation ladies used to supplement the family income through weaving, yarn-winding & similar occupations. Quite a few of the present day girls take up jobs in the private or professional sector. Most of the married girls settle down as house-wives minding the family.

The Names & naming pattern:

The community has no surnames. There are no middle names also, but the fathers name is taken as the initial.

Till the last generation there were two patterns of naming.

Names of Saivite faith are the most common names (Bhagavathi, Arumugaperumal, Parameswaran, Kasilingam, Subramanian, Murugan, Sivathanu, Agastian, Dekshinamurthy). There are also few named after the Vaishvanite faith (Ramaswamy, Krishnan, Rajamoni).

Secondly, the eldest son of the family was always christened with his grand-fathers name (e.g. Ramasubramaniam). Also, almost all the children had names of their family members (mostly paternal uncles & aunts, sometimes from the maternal side).

Almost all the families have nick-names (chinna thiraganar, vakil, monnaiyan, parasala). The reason is probably because many had similar names – for e.g. there were about four Bhagavatis during one generation. In order to avoid confusion, they were given nick names – (MR) Bhagavathi, (Ice) Bhagavathi, (Parasala) Bhagawati (Pazhakadai) Bhagavathi.

The current generation follows a dual pattern. Many of them take the first letter of their fathers/ mothers & form the name of their children (e.g. Babu, Shanthi, etc). Yet others opt for totally unrelated names, in line with the current trends (e.g. Ruhi, Divya, etc).

House & Tenements:

Layout: The streets were scientifically laid out in east-west direction. The houses were facing north-south, which are the accepted & acclaimed norms of Vastu Shastra & current Architectural principles. There were wide intersections (Mudukku), though most of them have been reduced to narrow by-lanes over a period of time. Around these streets were the quarters for washer-men (Vannar kudi), Smiths (Kamman kudi), Fishermen (Mukkuva kudi). Thus it was a Gandhian & scientific model of self-contained town layout!

Each house has a ‘Thinnai’ (patio) in the entrance. From here one enters the hall which is generally square or rectangular. It is followed by ‘thalvaram’ which has a sloping roof with or without an open-to-sky opening. The kitchen is at the side rear, mostly on the eastern side. There is an open courtyard which has number of trees & shrubs surrounding them. Margosa (Neem), Ladies-finger, Kariveppilai, Pappaya are some of the common plants found in the courtyard. At the far-end, there is a pit for accumulating domestic refuses (organic pit) which is emptied once in a while.

Due to open constructions, wind circulation was very good. Fans were very uncommon, though they have become a necessity due to congestion & slab-constructions. Construction: Almost all olden houses had (Mangalore) tiled roof, which allowed free air-circulation. Most of them were stone constructions. The main part of the house (hall & ‘chuttupuram’) is constructed with pillars of wood which supports ‘utthiram’, a huge wooden structure which runs through the entire length of the house. This in turn supports the entire weight of the first floor & adjoining structures. They are constructed with either palm wood or teak woods. The wooden doors are thick structures with typical shapes similar to the Chettiar houses of Ramnad.

The language & phonetics:

Tamil is the mother-tongue. A few of the older generation is conversant with Malayalam. The Tamil spoken has a distinct Malayalam-accent. Many words are borrowed from Kerala.

Some peculiar & community-specific words are ‘Theru (Street), ‘thangachi’ (younger sister), ‘annaachi’ (elder brother), ‘chavam’, ‘chumma’, adding ‘le’ to all commands (e.g. ‘vaale’ (come)).

The family structure/ hierarchy:

The community had a matriarchal (maternal) culture till two/three generation back. This was the prevailing custom in the then province of Travancore. Due to this, the girl children used to have rights over the properties of their parents. Also, very uniquely, the girl-child used to acquire their mothers’ names as their middle names (the initials used to be always that of their mothers)!

However, now everyone follows the patriarchal system.

Joint family is still common. However, the city-settled persons stay as unit-family. Parents are always supported till their last days.

Temperament:

Though majority of the people are peaceful, a few are hot-tempered. Intra-caste fighting is common. Consequently there is individual brilliance but no collective progress.

Divisions: During the turbulent years (about 100 years back) the community was divided along geographical line. The north side settlements (Anju, Puliyadi/ School streets) were considered Krishnankoil Vadakku Saliyar & the south side settlements (Pioneer & Vanchimartandan streets) were considered Vadasery Vadakku Saliyar. There were internecine fights between them & inter-group marriages were less common. Due to some pioneering efforts of stalwarts of those days, a meeting was held & truce between the warring factions was established. Since then there has been amity between them. Except for this, there have been no other vertical or horizontal divisions.

Wealth & Properties:

Practically everyone has an ancestral house to stay.

Most of the men-folks prefer investing in land & such immovable properties. In addition, the well-off sections used to own paddy fields, farms & villas.

Amongst the women-folks, the preferred investment has always been Gold & jewelry. It is not uncommon to find girls being decked with ½ to 1 Kg of jewels during marriage.

Other financial instruments/ investments are slowly catching up, though no one has aggressively entered stock markets or similar ventures.

Health & Major ailments:

Small-pox was a scourge few generations back but not any longer. Diabetes, Hypertension & similar life-style diseases is prevalent rather widely. There were few cases of Cancer, but it is not rampant.

Sports:

There are many who have distinguished themselves in Chess.

Leisure-activities & Pastimes:

Rangoli is a favorite pastime even now amongst ladies. Girls in the olden days used to play ‘chanku’ with ‘kuthhumai, Boys used to play a variety of games (badminton, chess, ‘kilianthattu’, ‘kuchhiadi’, football). However, most of them now prefer cricket, football outdoors & chess in-doors. TV, of course is the most popular pastime for majority of population. The ladies watch the soap-operas (mostly the melodramas) & the gents watch with interest the ‘Patti Mantrams’.

Customs & traditions:

Most of the community customs reflect those of rest of Tamilnadu. However, there a few which still can be traced to the Travancore origins.

Upavasas are observed on all amavasyas by people who have lost their parents. They are also observed on ‘odukathi’ Mondays & Fridays, besides Ekadashis, etc.

Washing of houses is mandatory prior to every Friday.

Houses used to be white-washed & entrances ‘kaavi-painted’ prior to Onam festival & before every major function. However, with paints replacing lime, painting is done only on important occasions.

The marriage customs: Arranged marriages are still the norm. Even seeing the bride prior to finalization by the groom is a new trend. Proposals are made & conveyed through close relatives or friends; hence, there are no marriage ‘brokers’. Marriages are always conducted on auspicious time, day & month after consulting Purohits. The onus of conducting the function is invariably on the bride’s side. The function lasts a few days. Proposal finalization function: The elders of the respective families’ alongwith close relatives & friends gather at the groom’s place & finalize the proposal.

Engagement/ Betrothal (Nischayartham) ceremony:

Pre-marriage lunch:

Marriage: Marriage function, ‘Chadanku’, Reception, Maru veedu.

Return marriage (from the groom’s side):

A generous trousseau accompanies the girl when she goes to the husband’s home.

In the olden days, when matriarchal system was in vogue, there were instances of husbands staying in their wives’ homes. However, now girls after marriage stay in their husbands’ place.

The Festivals:

The people celebrate all the Tamilian festivals like Pongal, New Year, Diwali, and Saraswati Puja. In addition, they also celebrate some of the Kerala festival like Onam. Apart from these, for the local temple, they celebrate a ‘kodai’ once in a few years. It is a 3-day gala affair with all the community people contributing & participating in it.

The functions:

Practically all Saunskaras of Hindus are practiced.

Annaprasannam: When the child reaches a stage where it can take solid food, the child is given a ceremonial feeding in one of the temples.

‘Jatakarma’ (head shaving) is normally performed when the child is one year old.

Ear-piercing (Kaadu kuthu) used to be done for both boys & girls during olden days. Now it is performed on the first birthday of the girl child.

Naming ceremony: there is no separate naming ceremony. This is probably due to the olden days when the name of the child is automatically decided (based on grand-parents’ or uncles/ aunts' names).

Pu punida Neerattu (Chadanku): It is a unique celebration of the community. When a girl reaches adulthood, all the relatives get together & celebrate it. The girl is given a ceremonial bath & clothed in silks. All the relatives give her gifts. A sumptuous lunch follows.

Marriage (Viveka): They are normally times of enjoyment.

Before the marriage, there is the Betrothal (Nishchay taampoolam) function. There are basically 2 modes of conducting them. In the traditional mode, there is an officiating priest who solemnizes the marriage in a mandappam with Agni as the witness. It includes 'Saptapadi' in consonance with other Hindu traditions. In the contemporary mode, there is only tying of ‘Thaali’ in front of the invitee-gathering. In either case there are celebrations-galore before the day of marriage & after.

Death anniversary (Divasam) of parents is observed on the day of their death (as per lunar calendar, (tithi)). Ancestral worship is performed every year on the day before Onam. Every Amavasya is supposed to be a Vrata day for people who have lost their parents. Ladies compulsorily take bath before cooking for the day. Lunch is taken only after offering the cooked-food to crows. In addition they also take only dosa or home-cooked food at night.

Deities of Worship:

The community people worship Siva, Kartikeyan (Murugan) & Ganesh (Pillaiyar). ‘Muthharamman’ is the most feared/ revered deity worshipped.

Temple Festivities: ‘Kodai’, ‘Kanchi vaippu’ are the festivities celebrated with much gusto in the ‘Muthharamman temples. ‘Shivratri’ & ‘Pradosham’ are the popular celebrations in the Siva temple.

Family Deity: Apart from the above Gods, each house-hold has a family-deity which is located in the hinterland of adjoining Tirunelveli district. The family deity is always a Sastha & is handed down generations on paternal side. Even now, on the day of Utharam in the month of Panguni (Phalgun), members of the community gather at their respective family-deity’s place & celebrate occasion. They strongly indicate that the respective groups/ followers’ roots are in the place where their family Sastha is located (read more of it in the history section). The prominent family Sasthas currently worshipped are at Vadi Kachhu Madil, Valliyur, Tirunelveli, Ambasamudram, Aha Sastha (at Nanguneri).

Temples of the community:

Sivan koil is the biggest & most ancient of the temple belonging to the communit. They also control 2 Mutharamman temples in Anju Street & Vanchimartandan New Street &, one Kunchu Madan Koil. The family temple at Vadi Kachhi Madil (the 'Munnadi Munishwaran') also belongs to them. The Puliudaiyar Sastha at Vadi Kacchi Madil is their family Sastha. There is a temple for Kasilingam Swamigal at Malainjan with vast tracts of land also belongs to them, however, most of the land has been lost to tillers of the land. The Vinayakar Koil in Pillaiyar koil Street also reportedly belonged to them, however, the control has since been taken over by the another community.

The food habits:

Staple food: Rice is the staple diet for all the people.

Breakfast dishes: Idli & dosa are the common breakfast items. Other items of breakfast are ‘Puttu’, ‘Adai dosai’, ‘Aappam’, ‘Idiaappam’, etc. Some of the special preparation of the community include ‘kozhukattai’, ‘Ulunda kanchi’, etc. Most of the dishes are either Tamilian or Kerala delicacies.

Lunch dishes: Boiled rice & Vegetables form an important part of the diet.

Kuzhambu: Theeyal, Rasam, ‘Venda mulasar’, ‘Mulasar’, ‘Sambhar’

Curry: Avial & Varuval of all kinds of vegetables are served with the main course. Kitchadies & Pachhadies are normal accompaniments.

Evening Snacks: Evening items go with the soubriquet ‘SKC’ – Sweet, Kaaram & Coffee are normally served as evening snacks. Ethampalam appam, unni appam, bonda, banana bhajji, medu/ paruppu vada, are the frequently served dishes.

Dinner: Dinner is normally a simple affair. The young ones have meals which are repetition of lunch. The older ones have breakfast items but prepared fresh. It is not uncommon to find people having ‘parotta’ & ‘chappatis’ for dinner.

Cooking medium: Coconut oil was the preferred medium of cooking till few years back. However, now due to cost & health reasons most people have switched over to unsaturated oils. Tamarind, coconut are extensively used even this day.

Non-vegetarianism: Many of the present generation eat non-vegetarian food, though not avid or obsessed with them. On auspicious days (Ekadashi, amavasya & festival days) no non-vegetarian is taken. Also on Mondays, Fridays & Sundays they are avoided.

Mutton is a very acceptable food during earlier times, however, now chicken-eating is fast catching up with the younger generation. Mutton-eating (earlier) & chicken-eating (presently) on the day before Diwali is a ‘compulsory’ custom ingeniously invented to satisfy the die-hard non-Vegetarians!

Special foods are prepared on select occasions. Leaf ‘paniyarams’ with or without jack-fruit is a must on ‘Kartikai’ day. ‘Panchamritam’ (literally five fruits) with ‘Aval’ is a delicacy prepared on Tamil New Years day. ‘Adai Paniyaram’ is a must on Onam day. Cooking & eating ‘Pongal’ (cooked rice) on ‘Pongal’ (Makara Sankranti day) is mandatory, so is eating sugar-cane on the next day.

Sweets & Desserts are not compulsory items of food. They are, however, compulsory during celebrations & festivals. The most important dessert is ‘Payasam’ (a liquid delicacy made with jaggery). Unlike the western style of desserts, this item is not served after the meal but at the penultimate stage which is followed by the last serving of rice with butter-milk (which incidentally is the most apt way of eating as sugary residue doesn't stay in mouth).

Eating on banana leaves is very common even now. Sitting cross-legged on the floor & eating is a common practice.

The clothing habits:

Males: The younger generation of boys wears mostly shirts & trousers. The older generation of males wears ‘Veshti’ (a woven but unstitched cloth) in lieu of trousers with or without upper clothing.

Ladies: The younger generation of girls wears only ‘chudidars’. The older generation of ladies wears ‘Sarees’ & blouses. Silk sarees are a must for important occasions.

The costumes: Gold ornaments are integral part of ladies wear. Most of the designs are traditional. They form bulk of the trousseau during weddings.

Arts & Culture:

There were only isolated instances of excellences in theatre or music performance. “Baboon’ Agastian was a good theatre artist of his times. Parasala Sivathanu & his daughter Sangumuthu were exponents of Villupattu – a local musical performance sung in all local ‘Muthharamman’ temple festivals.

The Genealogy/ Family Tree (Vamsa Vruksam):

A very elaborate family tree linking about 1,000 known families of the community has been drawn up. The tree relates & correlates the ancestry of all the families on the paternal side. The genealogy of the community revolves around 6 odd family deities (Sasthas) as mentioned elsewhere. Almost all families fall in one of these groups & their background seems to follow a more or less similar pattern.

The Arumugaperumals mostly belong to Vadikacchi madil group.

The Sivathanus belong to the Tirunelveli (Keezhadi) Sasta group.

The Pavanasams belong to the Nanguneri (Aha) Sastha group.

The Chidambarathanus belong to the Distillery Road Sastha group.

The History:

A draft of the community history has been prepared & is under scrutiny & editing. The community history can be divided into of 4 distinct phases. Going back chronologically they can be divided as follows:

The Immediate era starts around circa 1800 & continues till date. During this time, the community had ensconced well in their present place of habitat.

The Intermediate era started from circa 1700 & lasted till around 1800. It was a period of upheaval in their lives when they moved away from their original place of stay to newer pastures.

The Earlier era started from circa 1500 & lasted till around 1700. During this time, they were well ensconced in their original land of life & livelihood.

The Earliest era is the time before circa 1500. Little is known as of now regarding this phase of their life.

Fables, Folklores& Other Legends:

There are two major legends & one story associated with this community. The legends revolve around ‘Kunchu Maadan’ & Kasilinga Swamigal, & the story weaves around the place of their origin (Vadu kachhi madil).

‘Kunchu Maadan’ (circa 1700?): This is a story based on the life & times of Kunchu Madan as it happened in Vadi Kachhu Madil. The story has been sung in beautiful poetry which at once brings tears in the eyes as well as fears in the hearts of the listeners.

‘Malanjan Swami’ (circa 1750?): This is almost a biographical hymn sung by one Poosai Pillai of Vadasery in praise of Kasilingam, who was one of the first settlers in the town of Vadasery, the present habitat of the community. After doing yeoman service to the community, he attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi in Malainjan, near Amaravailai, about 50 KM from their present habitat.

Vadi Kacchu Madil (circa 1400?): This story revolves around a Kannada Princess called Vadu kachhi, after whom the place of their ancestors has been named. She is said to have immolated herself in this locale over a love epic.

Community Associations:

Vadakku Saliyar Munnetra Sangam: This is the association to which all members of the community subscribe to. It is in existence for the last over hundred plus years. It organizes events & activities on a collective basis. Elections are held periodically to select a managing committee & the office bearers. They manage the Siva temple as well as the finances of the association. The Sangam, despite minor differences, has been instrumental in fostering a sense of togetherness amongst the community members.

Vadakku Saliyar Educations fund: This is a charitable organization which is very active & focused on its noble objective in encouraging education amongst the members of the society & recognizing the achievers. It provides grants to needy students of the community. It is in existence for the last 25 years. It has a corpus of funds collected from other members of the community & from interest accruals.