LEGENDS OF MADIGAS
There are many legendary accounts of the origin of the Madiga. The etymology of the name Madiga is
uncertain, although attempts are made to derive it from the word Matanga, the
name of an aboriginal tribe, mentioned by ancient
authorities.
The legends of the Madiga probably of
recent invention give no clue to their origin or early history.
1. The Madigas trace their parentage to
Jambavant, who was believed to be the premeval
creation of Narayan, the supreme god, and to have existed when the whole
world was water and there was neither the earth nor the Sky nor other
luminaries. Janbhavant once perspired and from the perspiration came forth Adi
Shakti, who laid three eggs, from which sprang Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha.
Brahma created ten sages who became the progenitors of mankind. The names of
these Maha Munis are (1) Chapala, (2) Tamila, (3) Brahma, (4) Nella, (5) Pala,
(6) Bhadnichi, (7) Raktachi, (8) Gola, (9) Jamadagni and (10) Parshuram and
from the first sprang the Madigas.
2. Jambavant
had seven sons, Brahma, with a
view to create the world and people he killed Heppu Muni, one of the sons, and
from the mixture of his blood with water evolved the solid earth. Brahma then
killed another son named Jala Muni and his life stream changed into a stream of
water. The mountains were created from Ghata Munis blood, blood from Rakta
Muni, milk from Pala Muni, and an indigo colour from Neela Muni, until at last
from the blood of Gava Muni came the Madigas, the first representatives of mankind.
3. Once
upon a time, when Parvati and Parameshwar were on a ramble, Parvati becomes
unclean, was obliged to leave her menstrual clothes under a tree and from these
garments sprang Chinnaya, whom the heavenly pair engaged to tend their divine
cow, Kamadhenu. Chinnaya once tasted
the cow’s milk and found it so delicious that he was tempted to kill the cow
itself and eat its flesh. He immediately carried his impious desire into
effect, but the carcass of the cow was so heavy that none, not even the gods,
could move it. Siva thought of Jambavant who was practicing penance and called
out to him Maha digira (tata great one come down). Jambavant, who thus obtained
the name Mahadiga or Madiga, appeared on Sivas call, lifted the dead body and
cut it into pieces. Siva ordered Chinnaya to dress the beef and invited all the
gods to a feast. But Chinnaya, unfortunately, while trying to blow down
effervescence, spat into the cooking pot and the gods, observing this, left the
dining hall. Siva, in anger, cursed both Chinnaya and jambavantha for their
negligence and degraded them. Chinnayas descendants are called Malas, while
Jambavant became the ancestor of the Madigas.
4. Once
the gods were in difficulty. Only Jambavant, the mythological ancestor of the
Madiga, could help them. They summoned him with the following words Tata, maha
digi ra. Jambavant acceded to their request. From then on he was also known as
Mahadige the great man who came down. His descendants were called maha digewaru
which later corrupted into Madiga.
5. Siva had a Divine Cow called Kamadhenu.
His wife Parvati milked this cow, and feasted the gods with the milk and milk
products. This milk had the quality of nectar, and was meant only for the gods.
To look after this cow and to take her out to graze in the forest, Parvati
appointed a boy named Chennayya. One
day Chennayya had an irresistible temptation to taste the milk, which had so
far been denied to all mortals. At first Parvati refused, repeated requests of
the boy, however moved her. She asked him to go to the cow and request her for
some milk. The moment the boy did this the cow fell down on the ground and
died. When Parvati and Siva heard of the death of the Sacred Cow, they summoned
all the gods to help them to cut it and feast on its flesh. The gods tried but
failed to move the carcass. Then they advised Siva to seek the assistance of
Jambavant, who was the senior most among the gods and was born six months
before the creation of the Earth. Reaching the spot where Jambavant was
performing penance, Siva ordered the chennayya to call the old man. Obeying
Siva, the boy said to Jambavant, Tata maha digi ra (Grandfather come down). The
old man came down. He lifted the carcass with his left hand and carried it to a
convenient spot where the gods could cut and skin it. When they had done this
the gods requested Jambavant to put the flesh into two heaps so that after they
had cooked and eaten one heap, they could bring the cow back to life with the
help of their powerful chants. However, Jambavant put all the pieces in one pot
and lighted a fire under it. While cutting a piece of flesh fell down on the
ground. Chennayya the boy, picked it up, cleaned it to remove sand and dust and
put it again in the pot. Siva and the other gods were very angry with Jambavant
as he had not divided the meat into two parts and kept apart one half for
bringing the cow back to life. They were also annoyed with Chennayya for having
picked up a piece from the dust and put it back in the pot. They cursed both Jambavant and Chennayya in
Kaliyugam, they were to have a degraded life and were to earn their
livelihood by handling dead cattle and by sweeping village lanes. Jambavant,
took the cowhide and gave it to his sons, they became leather workers.
Chennayyas descendants took to cleaning village lanes. Jambavants descendants
are the Madiga, and Chennayyas descendants are the Mala.
6. Jambavant was the king of Jambudweepam.
He was the owner of a Divine Cow, the like of which no other king of the day
was privileged to own. This, divine cow had the unique powers of granting any
wish of the owner if he prayed to her. A neighboring king was visiting
Jambavant. To extend to his royal guest hospitality, worthy of one great king
to another, Jambavant prayed to the Divine Cow to anticipate and fulfill the
wishes of the visitor. To the astonishment of the guest, the very instant there
came forth almost everything he could desire. The king was very much impressed
by the powers of the Divine Cow. He requested Jambavant to give away the cow to
him, but the latter, after consulting his sons, declined. The king felt
insulted, and ordered his men to capture the cow. The king’s men attacked
Jambavants palace, and in the battle that ensued the king was defeated. After
some time the defeated king once again attacked Jambavants palace, but this
time the Divine Cow cursed him, and he was burnt to ashes. The king’s son was
enraged and was determined to take revenge on Jambavant. Dressed as a poor man,
he entered the palace in Jambavants absence and induced the latter’s son to
kill the cow so that he could feast on the flesh. On knowing this, Jambavant
took the offenders to the court of Siva for judgment. Fearing the wrath of Siva
the two offenders did not enter the court; they stood outside by the two sides
of the doorway. Siva cursed them to
become Chandal or untouchable. The one who stood on the right hand side of the
doorway became the ancestor of the Mala caste, while the one who was on the
left became the ancestor of the Madiga.
7.
Jambava Rishi, a sage, was
questioned by Isvara why the former was habitually late at the Divine Court.
The Rishi replied that he had personally to attend to the wants of children
every day, which consequently made his attendance late where upon Isvara,
pitying the children, gave the Rishi a cow (Kamadhenu), which instantaneously
supplied their every want. Once upon a time, while Jambava was on Isvaras
Court, another Rishi named Sankya, visited Jambavas hermitage, where he was
hospitably entertained by his son Yugamuni. The extremely delicious gain, which
formed a part of the meal tempted Sankya to taste the cows flesh, He tried to
induce yugamuni to kill the divine animal, but the latter refused. Sankya killed
the cow itself and upon Yugamuni to partake of the flesh. On his return Isvaras
court Jambava found the inmates of his hermitage eating the flesh of the sacred
cow. He took both Sankya and Yugamuni to Isvara for judgment. Instead of
entering the court, the two offenders remained outside, Sankya Rishi standing
on the right side and Yugamuni on the left of the doorway. Isvara cursed them
to become Chandals or outcastes. Sankyas descendants came to be known as Holeya
and Yugamunis as Madiga. Since Sankya stood on the right side of the doorway at
Isvaras court, Holeya are the right hand caste whereas Madiga are known as the
left hand caste by virtue of their ancestor standing on the left side of
Isvaras court.
8. Certain king prayed to be blessed with a daughter and to answer the gods
sent him a golden parrot, which soon
after perching on an anthill and disappeared into it. The disappointed father
got the anthill excavated, and was rewarded for his pains by finding his
daughter rise, a maid of divine beauty and she comes to be worshipped as the
Matangi, It is interesting to note that the Matangas were an ancient one of
kings somewhere in the south, and the Madigas call themselves Matangi Makkalu
or children of Matangi or Durga, who is their goddess.
9. In the epic of Ramayan there are several references to Jambavant and his
valour and wisdom. He is described as having a bearlike form, and has been
consistently portrayed as a wise, courageous and experienced general in the
army of Ramas vaaly, Sugriva. In some villages of Telangana there is a tradition
which indicates some probable connection of the Madiga with Jambavant. During
the Holi festival, especially on the second day, a group of Madiga dress like
bears and go round the village in a procession. It is said that Jambavant had
engaged bears and monkeys to display acrobatic feats for Ramas entertainment.
11. According to
kadambari a Sanskrit work by Banudu about matangudu is as follows The Chandala girl starts with her parrot to the palace of King Shudraka.
King Shudraka is sitting in the Hall of Audience with his Chieftains. A
portress enters the Hall and makes the following announcement "Sire, there
stands at the gate a Chandala maiden from the South, a royal glory of the race
of that Tricamku who climbed the sky, but fell from it at the order of wrathful
Indra, She bears a parrot in a cage, and bids me thus hail your majesty: Sire,
thou, like the ocean, art alone worthy to receive the treasures of whole earth.
In the thought that, this bird is a marvel and the treasure of the whole earth,
I bring it to lay at thy feet, and desire to behold thee. Thou, 0 king, hast
heard her message, and must decide! so saying, she ended her speech. The king,
whose curiosity was aroused, looked at the chiefs around him, and with the
words Why not? Bid her enter gave his permission.
Then the portress, immediately on the king's order ushered in the Candala
maiden. And she entered."The King and the Chieftains did not at first take
notice of her. To attract attention she struck a bamboo on the mosaic floor to
arouse the King. Bana then proceeds to describe her personal appearance
"Then the king, with the'words, look yonder* to his suite, gazed
steadily upon the Candala maiden, as she was pointed out by the portress.
Before her went a man, whose hair was hoary with age, whose eyes were the
colour of the red lotus, whose joints, despite the loss of youth, were firm
from incessant labour, whose form, though that of Matanga, was not to be
despised, and who wore the white raiment meet fora court. Behind her went a
Candala boy, with locks falling on either shoulder, bearing a cage, the bars of
which, though of gold, shone like emerald from the reflection of the parrot's
plumage. She herself seemed by the darkness of her hue to imitate Krishna when
he guilefully assumed a woman's attire to take away the arnritit seized by the
demons. She was, as it were, a doll of
sapphire walking alone; and over the bine garment, which reached to her
ankle, there fell a veil of red silk, like evening sunshine falling on blue
lotuses. The circle of her cheek was whitened by the earring that hung from one
ear, like the ace of night inlaid with the rays of the rising moon: she had a
tawny tilaka of gorocana, as if it woe a third eye, like Parvati in
mountaineer's attire, after the fashion of the garb of Civa. She was like Cri.
darkened by the sapphire glory of Narayana reflected on the robe on her breast;
or like Rati, stained by smoke which rose as Madana was burnt by the fire of
wrathful Civa: or like Yamuna, fleeing in fear of being drawn along by the
ploughshare of wild Balarama; or, from the rich lac that turned her lotus feet
into budding shoots, like Durga, with her feet crimsoned by the blood of the
Asura Mahisha she had just trampled upon.
Her nails were rosy from the pink glow of her fingers; the mosaic pavement
seemed too hard for her touch, and she came for placing her feet like tender
twigs upon the ground. The rays of her anklets, rising in flame colour, seemed
to encircle her as with the arms of Agni, as though, by his love for her beauty,
he would purify the strain of her birth, and so set the Creator at naught.
Her girdle was like the stars wreathed on the brow of the elephant of Love;
and her necklace was a rope of large bright pearls, like the stream of Ganga
just tinged by Yamuna. Like autumn, she opened her lotus eyes; like the rainy
season, she had cloudy tresses; like the circle of the Malaya Hills, she was
wreathed with sandal; like the zodiac, she was decked with starry gems; like
Cri, she had the fairness of a lotus in her hand; like a swoon, she entranced
the heart; like a forest, she was endowed with living beauty; like the child of
a goddess, she was claimed by no tribe; like sleep, she charmed the eyes; as a
lotus pool in a wood is troubled by elephants, so was she dimmed by her Matanga
birth; like spirit, she might not. be touched; like a letter, she gladdened the
eyes alone; like the blossoms of spring she lacked the jati flower, her slender
waist, like the line of Love's bow, could be spanned by the hands; with her
curly hair, she was like the Lakshmi of the Yaksha king in Alaka. She had but
reached the flower of her youth, and was beautiful exceedingly. And the king
was amazed; and the thought arose in his mind placed was the labour of the
Creator in producing this beauty! For if she has been created as though in
mockery of her Candala form, such that all the world's wealth of loveliness is
laughed to scorn by her own, why was she born in a race with which none can
mate? Surely by thought alone did Prajapati create her, fearing the penalties
of contact with the Matanga race, else whence this unsullied radiance, a grace
that belongs not to limbs sullied by touch? Moreover, though fair in form, by
the basenness of her birth, whereby she, like a Lakshmi of the lower world, is a
perpetual reproach to the gods, she, lovely as she is, causes fear in Brahma,
the maker of so strange a union.'
While the king was thus thinking the maiden, garlanded with flowers, that
fell over her ears, bowed herself before him with a confidence beyond her
years. And, when she had made her reverence and stepped on to the mosaic floor,
her attendant, taking the parrot, which had just entered the cage, advanced a
few steps, and, showing it to the King, said: 'Sire, this parrot, by name
Vaicampayana, knows the meaning of all the castras, is expert in the practice
of royal policy, skilled in tales, history, and Puranas, and acquinted with
songs and with musical intervals. He recites, and himself composes graceful and
incomparable modern romances, love stories, plays, and poems, and the like; he
is versed in witticisms and is an
unrivalled disciple of the vina, flute, and drum.
He is skilled in displaying the different movements of dancing, dextrous in
painting, very bold in play, ready in resources to calm a maiden angered in a
lover's quarrel, and familiar with the characteristics of elephants, horses,
men, and women. He is the gem of the whole earth; and in the thought that
treasures belong to thee, as pearis to the ocean, the daughter of my lord has brought
him hither to thy feet, O king! Let him be accepted as thine.' For Bana speaks
of the Chandala girl as a Chandala princess, Bana wrote some time about 600 A.D.
12. According to one of
them, the head of Renuka, the wife of sage Bhrigu, who was beheaded by her
lord’s orders, fell on a Madiga house, and grew into a Madiga woman. A section
among Madiga caste which likes to be associated with the name of Arundhati the wife of sage Vasistha and
a well known auspicious woman are named as Arundhatiyas. Some regard Matangi as
Jabavants daughter while others think of her as his son Yugamunis wife.
HISTORY OF MADIGAS
1. Purnagata patam: A Leather Worker's
Contribution to the Mahastupa at Amaravati according to Karthikeya Sarma, the Purnaghatapata (the slab carved with the
over-flowering vase), the front piece
illustrated here, is an outstanding gift of a leather worker (Charmakara). This
is carved in deep relief over a rectangular slab of gray limestone measuring
4’2” x3' with an inscription in the lower margin mentioning the details of its
donations. It was first reported to by Jas Burgess in 1881 and the record was
published by Hultzch in 1887. The text is given below in view of its topical
interest.
Line-1: "Siddam Chammakarasa Nagaghari (ru) ya
Putasa Vidhikasa Sammatukasa
Sabhayakasa Sabhatu Kasa Putasachanagasa Samadhutu-kasa sanati
Mitabamdhavasa Deyadhamma
Line-2: Punagataka (Pa) Pato"
Translation-"Suceess: Meritorious gift of a slab
(pata) with an overflowering vase (Purna-ghata)
by a leather-worker (Charmakara) by
name Vedhika, the son of a householder Naga, (Naga ghariya), with his mother, his wife, his brothers, his son his
daughter along with his Jrnaties (paternal cousins on the male line entitled to
property), friends and relations".
This Purnaghata
Pata stands as an outstanding and unparalleled artistic creation in the art
history of South India. Andhra's natural bounty and beauty are both symbolised
here and hence perhaps Purnaghata
stood as an anka (emblem) of the
present Government of Andhra Pradesh. There could be no better tribute to this
humble, unknown donor Charmakara Vidhika who lived in the Satavahana-Ikshvaku
times i.e. in Circa. 2nd-3rd Cent. A.D.
2. According to Edgar Thurston, a thousand
years ago, there lived near the pool a king, who ruled over all this part of
the country. The king had as his commander-in-chief a Madiga. This Madiga made
himself powerful and independent, and built himself a residence on a hill still
called Madiga Vanidoorgam rayachoti,
kadapa district. At last he revolted, and defeated the king. On entering
the king's palace, he found seven beautiful king’s daughters, to all of whom he
at once made overtures of marriage. They declined the honour, and, when the
Madiga wished to use force, they all jumped into this pool, and delivered their
lives to the universal lord.
3. Inscriptions found in the Kanarese country speak of a Matanga dynasty as having been rulers
there, and there is no doubt that the rulers of that dynasty and the Matangas
of today, are from the same stock. It is of further interest to note that the
capital of Sugriva, where Jambuvan lived, is reputed to have been near Hospet
in Bellary district, the Kanarese country where according to the inscriptions
the Matangas held sway. The Madiga were the oldest inhabitants of the land and
that, they were at one time the rulers of the country. Invaded and defeated by
some powerful neighbours, they were forced to accept the position in which they
find themselves today. The Matanga dynasty of the Kanarese country from which
he claimed his communities descent, has been mentioned as an aboriginal family
of but little power, and not of sufficient importance to have left any record
of themselves. Mangalisa, a
Chalukiya king, invaded the Matangas of the Kanarese country. He defeated the Matangas and annexed the
country to his kingdom. It is agreed that the name Matanga has been derived
from Matangi, but they are not altogether clear or consistent about the
latter’s identity.
4. The Madiga claim to be the children of
Matangi. Mr. H. A. Stuart writes
formerly a Matanga dynasty in the Canarese country and the Madigas are believed
by some to be descendants of people who were once a ruling race. Matangi is a
Sanskrit name for Kali, and it is
possible that the Madigas once played an important part in the worship of the
god. The employment of Chakkiliyans and Madiga women in Shakti worship gives
some colour to this supposition.
5. When cattle died, the ancestors of the
Madiga claimed them with the assertion madi goddu, this is mine. Thus they came
to be called madi goddu. This name
was corrupted into madigodu and eventually into Madiga.
7. According to Stuvert oppert the Tamil Chakkili the
Telugu and Kanarese Madiga and the Maratha Mang all do belong to the same
caste. Their occupation is
connected with leather and rope making. In his Madura Manual Mr Nelson mentions
the curious fact that in Madura the Cakkili women belong to the right hand and
their husband to the left hand. The
words mang and madiga are corruptions of Matanga.
8. Some writers like Thurston, Sirajul
Hassan and others have tried to trace the origin
of the term Madiga from Mahang of Maharashtra who correspond to the Madiga
of Hyderabad in many respects. According
to these writers the Madiga, take their name from their tribal goddess Matangi.
