Volume 2 / Part 2 — Balija
Reading edition
1. Origin and traditions.
2. Marriage.
3. Occupation and social status.
The Balijas bury their dead in a sitting posture. In the Central Provinces they are usually Lingāyats and especially worship Gauri, Siva’s wife. Jangams serve them as priests. They usually eat flesh and drink liquor, but in Chānda it is stated that both these practices are forbidden. In the Central Provinces they are mainly cultivators, but some of them still sell bangles and salt. Several of them are in Government service and occupy a fairly high social position.
Notes in this chapter
Note 1 · Madras Census Report (1891), p. 277.Note 2 · Ibidem (1891), p. 226.Note 3 · Ethnographic Notes in Southern India, p. 16.Note 4 · Madras Census Report (1891), p. 277.Note 5 · Balija, Balji, Gurusthulu, Naidu.—A large trading caste of the Madras Presidency, where they number a million persons. In the Central ProvinNote 6 · The Balijas have two main divisions, Desa or Kota, and Peta, the Desas or Kotas being those who claim descent from the old Balija kings, whiNote 7 · In Madras a curious connection exists between the Kāpus and Balijas and the impure Māla caste. It is said that once upon a time the Kāpus an