Idangai
Encyclopedia
Idangai or the left hand is a caste-based division of communities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
that was in vogue from ancient times right up to the 19th and even the early decades of the 20th century AD. Since India's independence, the differences have practically vanished. They were the caste for whom the left hand was clean and the right hand unclean.
The Valangai faction was better organized, politically, than the Idangai.
Schoebel, in his book History of the Origin and Development of Indian Castes published in 1884, spoke of Tamil Brahmins as "Mahajanam" and regarded them as outside the dual left and right-hand caste divisions of Tamil Nadu.
There were intense caste wars between the two factions in the early 18th century. In 1717, riots flared up between the Komatis and the Chettis who belonged to opposite factions because member of one faction had prayed in a temple belonging to the other. As a consequence of these riots, a large number of Chettis left Madras. The President of Madras, Joseph Collett
sent Brahmins to mediate between the two. Brahmins, at that time,were regarded as outside the left and right-hand caste system, and due to their being neutral, Brahmins were regarded as the most suitable candidates to function as mediators.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
that was in vogue from ancient times right up to the 19th and even the early decades of the 20th century AD. Since India's independence, the differences have practically vanished. They were the caste for whom the left hand was clean and the right hand unclean.
Constituent castes
The Idangai faction was numerically inferior to the Valangai or right-handed faction. There were 6 castes in the Idangai faction as opposed to sixty in the Valangai faction. It was also pretty unclear as to which castes constituted each faction. Some castes considered to be left-handed in some areas were regarded as right-handed in others and vice versa. The Kammalars, the Komatis and the Pallars seem to have generally been regarded as left-handed in most parts of the erstwhile Madras Presidency. Roughly speaking,the Valangai or right-handed faction was made up of castes with an agricultural basis while the Idangai was made of metal workers, weavers, etc. i.e. castes involved in manufacturing.The Valangai faction was better organized, politically, than the Idangai.
Schoebel, in his book History of the Origin and Development of Indian Castes published in 1884, spoke of Tamil Brahmins as "Mahajanam" and regarded them as outside the dual left and right-hand caste divisions of Tamil Nadu.
Idangai and Valangai
Right from ancient times, there was intense rivalry between the left-handed and right-handed factions. At its height, the members of a faction weren't allowed to enter the streets inhabited by members of a caste which belonged to an opposite faction. Members of a particular faction weren't allowed to pray in temples which belonged to an opposite faction. Individuals belonging to any caste in a particular faction wouldn't salute a member of a caste in the opposite faction regardless of the position of the individual's caste in the social hierarchy.There were intense caste wars between the two factions in the early 18th century. In 1717, riots flared up between the Komatis and the Chettis who belonged to opposite factions because member of one faction had prayed in a temple belonging to the other. As a consequence of these riots, a large number of Chettis left Madras. The President of Madras, Joseph Collett
Joseph Collett
Joseph Collett was a British administrator in service of the British East India Company. He served as the Governor of Bencoolen from 1712 to 1717 and as the President of Madras from 1717 to 1720...
sent Brahmins to mediate between the two. Brahmins, at that time,were regarded as outside the left and right-hand caste system, and due to their being neutral, Brahmins were regarded as the most suitable candidates to function as mediators.