From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Madiga
Madiga
Madiga leather goods to the upper caste families with whom they
Total population were tied.[3] They fed on the carrion (dead animals
meat).[4] They were skilled drummers. With the leather
8000000(80 lakhs)
tanned they stitched shoes, prepared leather accessories
Regions with significant populations for agricultural works. They were allowed in the streets
to sweep and to remove the dead animals.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
Languages
Culture
Telugu language, Kannada
Madigas contributed a lot to the music and dance. The
Religion origin for the Jaaz drums comes from the primitive but
Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism exact rhythm and beat producing "Thappeta" tanned
skins covered on the wooden round frames and were
Related ethnic groups played by beating them with two sticks. The sound vari-
Telugu people, Kannadiga, Dravidian peoples ation they bring by warming them when the weather is
wet and humid.
Madiga is a social group or caste group of Andhra "Sindu", the same words used for "Chindu", is the
Pradesh,[1] Karnataka, Maharastra etc. found almost in all warrior dance because only men will dance in that ac-
Indian states with different names. The people belong- cording to the drum "thappeta" beat. They tie the "gaj-
ing to this community are most oppressed and exploit- jelu" to their feet like all the other dancers (bharatha
ed in the society.[2] The term Madiga is derived from San- natyam, kuchipudi in India) and dance. It is similar to ju-
skrit word Maha-Adiga which can be loosely translated gal bandhi in Hindusthani music, a competition between
as great and oldest.[citation needed] They form the largest the drum beater and dancer to overcome each other.
segment of what is considered to be the Dalit castes of The "Thappeta" beat is so powerful that it can be
Andhra. There are also a number of parallel castes found heard up to two miles away on a calm and quiet night.
in north India.
They are manual leather workers in some parts and Self-identification via "Sanskritic roots"
agricultural labourers in some regions of Andhra Like all castes in India, today they generally believe in
Pradesh. prestigious origins (see Sanskritisation). One such theory
speculates that Madiga is derived from Sanskrit word
History Maha-Adiga which can be loosely translated as great and
oldest.[citation needed]
Madigas traditionally lived in hamlets outside main- Accordingly they sometimes call themselves as
stream village life. Their huts in the hamlets, usually re- Arundhathiyar based on myth of Madiga, Vashista mar-
ferred as the Madiga gudem, were loosely connected to a rying a daughter of a Madiga sage named Arundathi. This
narrow path that would guide to the main road of the vil- myth is also used by another castes called Chakkili in
lage. By the twentieth century both British administra- Andhra and Tamil nadu to call them as Arunthathiyas.[2]
tion and Nizams’ administration began to employ them There may be ethnic and linguistic relations with
as village messengers. Mang in Maharastra, the Chakkalli in Tamil Nadu and
In the words of Sackett, an Anglican missionary, "He possibly the Matang in North India.[3]
(Madiga) was a leather worker. He cured skins and made
shoes. He also fed upon carrion. No carcass came amiss
to him, no matter how it died. The skin for shoes and the Bedagu or Lineage or Gotra or
flesh for food was his dictum. [...] Moreover, he was the
drummer at festivals."[1]
Clan or vansh or purvik
Madiga society is organized into clans, known as bedagus.
They do not intermarry within their respective bedagu,
Traditional profession analogous to proscription within upper-caste gotras.
Madigas lived by tanning the leather and It was the “du- Below some names of Bedagu.
ty” of the Madiga family to provide chappals and other
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Madiga
Subdivisions were shown as the means to water the lands and provide
livelihood to Madigas during the famine.[4]
Madigas had their kin-communities such as Pogu means
that person belongs to Madiga Caste Dalit Goddess
• Naari "Pogu" • Konika • Madiga Dasoo The rituals and ceremonies of the Madigas mirror the
• Vesa "Pogu" "Pogu" • Ddekkali space that women occupied in the society. They had rec-
• Lakke "Pogu • konde "pogu" • Kolluri ognized the feminine dimension of the Deity and it is ev-
• Beera • Gangi "Pogu" • Chamar ident in the fact that in most cases Deity manifested Her
"Pogu" • Katte "Pogu" • Samagar (Him)self in the form of feminine. They worshipped God-
• Parisi • Ram "Pogu" • Hadagar desses like all other Hindu community worhipped kshu-
"Pogu" • Kesa "Pogu" • panchamasali dradevathalu each village has its own goddess (grama de-
• Palle "Pogu" • Besu "Pogu" • Raidas in vatha) and in Hindu religion there is a story like all theses
• Kolika • Mesa "Pogu" north goddesses were sisters and one brother to them names
"Pogu" • Kanne • Gujjarlapudi poturaju. Throughout India these goddesses were wor-
"Pogu" • Thella shipped in the name of Durga, Kali, Renuka, Poleram-
Madiga saw themselves as "higher" in the ladder of com- ma, ledotamma, Sammakka, Sarakka, Yellamma, Kaam-
munity hierarchy. Sindhollu were itinerant dramatists. ma, Morasamma, Matangi, Somalamma and Moosamma.
Madiga Dasoos were the counter-parts of Mala Dasoos in There were also Gods in the Madiga pantheon but they
the Madiga community. Dekkalis or Dekkalolu were pro- only played a secondary role.
fessional beggars who traveled from one Madiga settle- And in the list of Goddesses there were many victims
ment to another living at the mercy of Madigas. Mattitolu whose past was characterized by the experiences of pain
was another community engaged in begging. They were and humiliation. Women victims regardless of their caste
given a cluster of forty to fifty hamlets to go begging. and creed were not only given shelter but were later de-
Dekkalis too entitled to the generosity of Madigas. They ified by Madigas. Madiga cult had both men and women
go to each hamlet and stay there for a short duration and as priests and priestess to mediate with the Deity and to
narrate the Madigas the stories concerning their roots. It officiate at the sacrifices. But it was women who had the
was through these the oral traditions of the Madiga his- lead in the cult.[5]
tory were carried on from generation to generation.
Madiga priestesses
Supernatural world Coyler Sackett, an Anglican missionary, for whom pos-
sibility of women-priest was an anathema, describes the
Clarence Clark, in his Talks on an Indian Village, de-
attire of the Madiga priestess. "Mark her bold manner,
scribes the spiritual beliefs of the Madiga people in fol-
impudent stare, fine figure, and the roll of matted hair ly-
lowing sentences, "... there were evil spirits all around
ing as an ensign of her trade upon her proud head. She
him living in trees and streams and large stones, and they
was given to the service of the gods early in life, and what
would do him a great harm if he is not careful." Clarence
she does not know of immorality, bestiality, and brazen-
continues to ’talk’ on how offerings were made to the
faced evil can be learnt. Her body belongs to the God.
’special’ stone outside the hamlet smeared with red plant
See her in her mad frenzy as, with hair flung free, she
as follows, "... would take a little grain or a few marigolds
serves the deity, face aflame with ungodly lust." Madi-
and put them down in front of this stone, so that the
ga priestesses were consecrated for the purpose early in
spirit would not be unkind to her..." About the deity in
their life and no restriction of propriety was imposed
the hut which usually was a rough wooden image paint-
on them throughout their life. They were free to choose
ed with few colors placed in a shelf at the corner of the
their mates but they usually settle with Baindla priests.
hut he says, "... some rice was put in a bowl in front of
The role these priestesses play can be illustrated in the
her in case she should be hungry, and some times thread
narration of P.Y. Luke and John Carman about a ceremo-
for sewing. But strangest thing of all was this -- as well as
ny of sacrifice to Goddess of cholera:
food and drink and thread, there was a stick in case she
needed to be kept in order." A winnowing fan is put on the pot and clay lid on
The symbolism involved with food, thread and stick the fan; some oil is poured onto it. and then a wick
suggests they believed in God (Dess) who can be hungry is put in and lit. A Kolpula woman sits facing this
and thirsty, who is industrious and who is vulnerable. light inside the enclosure, and she stares steadily at
Madigas saw behind every natural calamity the divine the light. All the goddesses were thought to appear
wrath and behind every bounty the divine blessing. Often to her through that light. Outside the enclosure, the
offerings were made to propitiate the Deity who with- Baindla priests stand and invoke the goddess, beat-
holds the rain. Even as construction of canals and dams ing their special drums. The Kolpula woman goes
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Madiga
into trance, closes her eyes, and is taken possession It had also been a custom among Madigas to clean
of by one of the goddesses. The people outside break their streets with water mixed with turmeric whenever
a coconut, kill a chicken and pour a libation of tod- a Brahmin happens to pass by their hamlet. This was a
dy on the ground where the sacrifice takes place. practice designed to criticize the ultra-orthodox Brah-
The women’s face is washed with toddy. Before she mins’ belief that the Madiga were "natural polluters".
becomes unconscious she utters the name of the On certain days in a year, especially after the grains
goddess were gathered and stored, a couple of Madigas were per-
mitted to hawk their wares in the village. This procession
In the following rite, the Kolpula woman gets into the was called ‘garaga’. A Mala and a Madiga who in ordinary
platform near the shrine to the goddess Uradamma. A circumstances do not socialize had made the pair to go
sheep is let loose as an offering to Uradamma, and priest- hawking. While the Mala was to collect the grains in a
ess pierces its stomach with her sword. The entrails, liv- container placed above his head the Madiga joined him
er, and the lungs are removed. The lungs and liver will to beat the drum. Mala would go each doorstep and em-
be put in the Kolpula woman’s mouth and the intestines barrass the families into business with obscenities. Caste
around her neck. A new sari and blouse are dipped in people were to reciprocate this gesture politely by giving
the blood of this sheep and then the Kolpula woman put a winnowful of grain. This indicates the amount of space
them on. Lime, vermilion, black ash bottlu are put on the Madiga could make for themselves in Hindu religion
her whole body, a broken pot on her head. She holds to express their protest.[7]
a broomstick in her left hand, a winnowing fan in her
right hand, and goes through all the streets of the village,
starting from the shrine of Uradamma. Her brother and Popular culture
the Baindla priests follow her, and the Magidas beat A documentary film, Mahadiga, was made by Lelle Suresh
drum in front of her. in 2004. The documentary film was critically ac-
Madigas also incorporated some of the Sanskrit hero- claimed.[5]
in into their pantheon and deified them. Goddess Gonti
or Gontellamma is Madiga version of Sanskrit Kunti.
While in Hindu mythologies these women loyally serve
Notable personlaities
their gods, in the Madiga interpretation gods serve these
deities.[6] Writers
• Gurram Jashua, Navayuga Kavi Chakravarthy Dalitha
Varga Jwala MurthyJ
Madiga protest • Modukuri Johnson, Famous Film Writer, Poet and
To a Madiga protest is not a lifestyle but centuries of Lyricist
suppression made it imminent. There were several cer- • Prof Kolakaluri Enoch, eminent writer
emonies that reflect the element of protest and some • Andhe Sri, Telugu poet and lyricist
of them were incorporated into the Hindu culture. • Rasamayi Balakrishna, balladee
Theodore Wilber Elmore in his ‘Dravidian Gods in • Prof. Kottapalli Wilson, English Writer for Dalit
Modern Hinduism: A Study of the Local and Village Cause
Deities of Southern India’ identifies some of such cere- • Prof. Yendluri Sudhakar, Eminent Telugu Poet
monies. One of them was associated with the Goddess • Prof.Pasalapudi George Victor, Expert in Vedanta
Matangi who was worshipped by Madigas of Kurnool. It and on Madigas
was of an annual festival when a Madiga priestess spits at • Chintada Gowri Varaprasad, Writer on Madigas
higher castes in protest of mistreatment. • Prof.Tigiripalli Krishna Kanth-a prolific writer and
"As she rushes about spitting on those who under or- Expert on International Relations
dinary circumstances would almost choose death rather
than to suffer such pollution from a Madiga, she breaks Politicians
into wild, exulting songs, telling of the humiliation to • K.H. Muniyappa, Union Minister of State for
which she is subjecting the proud caste people. She also Shipping & Road Transport and Highways.
abuses them all thoroughly..." • Bangaru Laxman, former president of BJP and former
Moreover, this ritual has been well integrated into minister of state railways
the religious life of Hindus. Though she humiliates them • Damodar Raja Narasimha, Deputy Chief Minister of
by spitting, it was said, the caste people would eagerly AP Government
wait for their turn and would not be satisfied "without a • Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad, Minister of AP
full measure of her invective", as a reminder that, despite Government
their low caste status, they deserved dignified treatment.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Madiga
• A.Narayanaswamy, Minister of Karnataka • Praveen Kumar, IPS 1995 AP Cadre presently
government. studying at Harvard University
• Govinda M. Karajola, Minister of Karnataka • Bharat Bhushan, IRTS
government. • Krishna Prasad 1986 AP Cadre
• Nandi Yellaiah, Rajya Sabha M.P • B Prasada Rao, IPS 1979 AP Cadre
• J B Muthyal Rao, former Union Minister &
Ambassador Sports
• Sarve Satyanarayana, M.P, Malkajgiri • L.M.Karibasappa, Ekalavya award winner, five time
• Sircilla Rajaiah, Warangal MP Mr.India winner in body building, who is from
• Manda Jagannadham, M.P, Nagarkurnool Davanagere karnataka.
• Ramesh C.Jigajinagi, MP, Karnataka. • H.Kenchappa, President Matanga Parivara, Karntaka.
• Manda Krishna Madiga, founder of MRPS • Yashoda, Nationala level swimmer
• Kadiyam Srihari, former Minister of AP Government
• Mothukupalli Narasimhulu, TDP Senior Leader &
former Minister of AP Government References
• Chirumarthi Lingaiah, MLA Indian National Congress [1] http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/09/10/stories/
• M Mareppa, former Minister of AP Government 2004091002370200.htm
• T. Rajaiah, MLA Station Ghanpur [2] http://www.tehelka.com/
• V.J.Ajay Kumar, Railway & INTUC Trade Union story_main36.asp?filename=cr221207The_Battle.asp
Leader & Former Director, APTS Ltd ( AP [3] http://www.tehelka.com/
Government). story_main36.asp?filename=cr221207The_Battle.asp
• Padma Jyothi Dirisam, MLA Tiruvuru, [4] http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kMU-
Andhrapradesh AAAAIBAJ&sjid=l0wMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3114,6299813&dq=carrion+an
• Tangirala Prabhakar, MLA Nandigama, A.P. [5] http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/09/10/stories/
• Shailajanath Minister in A.P. Government 2004091002370200.htm
[6] http://safaikarmachariandolan.org/
Social Reformers • ^ Jumba Puranam – Caste Origin myth
B.Wilson, founder of Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) is a • ^ A brief note on the Madiga community of Andhra
national movement committed to the total eradication of Pradesh
manual scavenging and the rehabilitation of all scaven- • ^ Liberative Motifs in the Dalit Religion
gers for dignified occupations.[6] • ^ Madiga Movement in Bangalore Karnataka
• ^ Detailed information about Madiga community
• ^ [8]
civil servants • ^ [9]
• K. Chandraiah, IAS AP (Retd.)
•
•
Kishore Babu, IRTS.
Bhopal Raju, IRTS.
External links
• K. Pradeep Chandra, IAS 1982 AP cadre. • Madiga Aboriginal Community of India
• A. Vidyasagar, IAS 1984 AP cadre. • Madiga Genetic studies
• K. Ratna Prabha, IAS 1981 Karnataka cadre. • Caste, Class and Social articulation in Andhra
• M. Lakshminarayana, IAS 1987 Karnataka cadre. Pradesh
• B. H. Anil Kumar, IAS 1987 Karnataka cadre. • scstudents.org
• U. Venkateswarlu, IAS 1986 Tripura cadre. • The Battle of a Madiga
• Sudhakar Rao Dirisam, IRS Hyderabad A.P • Roots of Madiga Identity, Simon Charsley
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madiga&oldid=474901474"
Categories:
• Tamil society
• Karnataka society
• Telugu society
• Dalit
• Indian castes
• Social groups of Andhra Pradesh
• Social groups of India
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Madiga
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