Babasaheb Ambedkar once said, “Those who do not know history can never change it.” In Tamil Nadu today, history is being discussed extensively, with Tamil pride being presented as a means of resisting Sanatana. In the budget for 2023, the finance minister announced that “to highlight the contribution of the Cholas, who ruled the world, and to preserve artefacts and relics of that age, a Grand Chola Museum will be set up in Thanjavur.“
While speaking with pride about the Chola period’s merits, it is essential to remember that it was during their rule that the unique egalitarianism of Tamil society weakened, and it began to consolidate into a caste society. Historian Y Subbarayalu says, “It was only in the late 12th century and the 13th century CE that the caste system became clearly established. This is true even though elements of caste appeared in Tamil society as early as the 9th and 10th centuries. From the 11th century, a kind of caste tension begins.” Some inscriptions found in Thanjavur mention separate settlements for different castes, and this caste hierarchy expanded in the 11th and 12th centuries.
Caste inequality exists throughout India, but the nature of the caste system varies from region to region. Untouchability practices seem not to have existed in TN before 10th century CE. Noboru Karashima, a historian who studied the Thanjavur Big Temple, has compiled inscriptions detailing revenue information from 56 villages, 40 of which belong to Thanjavur.
In some villages mentioned, there was a section called Parai Cheri and Theenda Cheri (habitation of untouchables), where a group of people lived. The area where Pariahs lived was known as Parai Cheri, and Karashima cites an inscription dated 1258 indicating that the caste hierarchy became solid during the Chola period between the 10th and 13th centuries. It mentioned that caste hierarchy was present in the inscription, with “Anthana (Brahmin) “ being the highest and “Aripan” being the last.
According to Anandarangap Pillai’s diary, during the 18th century CE, the right-hand castes, including the Pariahs, held high societal status. The Valangai-Idangai caste system, which was a horizontal caste system in contrast to the vertical caste system, had kept castes organised in Tamil Nadu from the Chola period until the 18th century. However, it suddenly disappeared in the 19th century, and numerous castes emerged rapidly, which is a topic worth investigating.
Unfortunately, a significant drawback is that there have not been detailed studies on this phenomenon in TN. So, to unravel the above mysteries a research centre should be established to carry out detailed studies on the Chola period as part of the larger project of the Chola Museum. Most of the inscriptions found in TN so far belong to the Chola period. Based on them, a plan should be developed to carry out studies on the socio-economic changes in the society. It is necessary to find whether the social group called Aripan was the one who lived in Theenda Cheri.
Egalitarianism
While speaking about Chola period, it is essential to remember that it was during their rule that the unique egalitarianism of Tamil society weakened, and it began to consolidate into a caste society.
Footnote is a weekly column that discusses issues relating to Tamil Nadu
Dr D Ravikumar is author, translator and Lok Sabha member from Villupuram