kalinga means name of sea board
kAlingi and kalinji (ఆంధ్ర లో కాలింగ అంటారు, ఒరిస్సాలో కాలింజి అంటారు )
Kalinga.— A sub-division of Komatis, who "were
formerly the inhabitants of the ancient Kalinga country.
They are considered inferior to the other sub-divisions,
on account of their eating flesh. Their titles are
Subaddhi, Patro, and Chaudari." * In the Ganjam
Manual, they are described as " traders and shopkeepers,
principally prevalent in the Chicacole division. The
name Kling or Kaling is applied, in the Malay countries,
including the Straits Settlements, to the people of penin-
sular India, who trade thither, or are settled in those
regions." It is recorded by Dr. N. Annandale that the
phrase Orang Kling Islam (i.e., a Muhammadan from
the Madras coast) occurs in Patani Malay.
Kalingi and Kalinji. — There has been some con-
fusion, in recorded accounts, between these two classes.
In the Ganjam Manual, the Kalinjis are described as
agriculturists in that district, and, in the Vizagapatam
Manual, the Kalingas or Kalingulu are stated to be
cultivators in the Vizagapatam district, and a caste of
Paiks or fighting men in Jeypore. In the Census
Report, 1891, the Kalingis are said to be "most numer-
ous in Ganjam, but there is a considerable number of
* Madras Census Report, 1891.
KALINGI AND KALINJI 48
them in Vizagapatam also. The word means a native of
KaHnga, the name of the sea-board of the Telugu country;
the word Telugu itself is supposed by Dr. Caldwell to
be a corruption of Tri-Kalinga. The three large sub-
divisions of the caste are Buragam, Kintala, and Odiya.
In the Kintala sub-division, a widow may remarry if she
has no male issue, but the remarriage of widows is not
allowed in other sub-divisions. The use of flesh and
alcoholic liquor is permitted. Naidu and Chaudari are
their titles." Further, in the Census Report, 1901, the
Kalingis are described as follows : " A caste of temple
priests and cultivators, found mainly in Ganjam and
Vizagapatam, whither they are supposed to have been
brought by the Kalinga kings to do service in the Hindu
temples, before the advent of the Brahmans. They speak
either Oriya or Telugu. They have two sub-divisions,
the Kintali Kalingas, who live south of the Langulya
river, and the Buragam Kalingis, who reside to the north
of it, and the customs of the two differ a great deal. There
is also a third section, called Pandiri or Bevarani, which
is composed of outcastes from the other two. Except the
Kalingis of Mokhalingam in Vizagapatam,* they have
headmen called Nayakabalis or Santos. They also
have priests called Kularazus, each of whom sees to the
spiritual needs of a definite group of villages. They are
divided into several exogamous gotras, each comprising
a number of families or vamsas, some of which, such as
Arudra, a lady-bird, and Revi-chettu, the Ficus religiosa
tree, are of totemistic origin. Each section is said to
worship its totem. Marriage before puberty is the rule,
and the caste is remarkable for the proportion of its girls
under twelve years of age who are married or widowed.
• Mokhalingam is in Ganjam, not Vizagapatam.
49 kAlingi and kAlinji
Widow marriage is not recognised by the Buragam
Kalingis, but the KintaHs freely allow it. As usual, the
ceremonies at the wedding of a widow differ from those
at the marriage of a maid. Some turmeric paste is
placed on a new cloth, which is then put over a pot of
water, and the ceremony takes place near this. The
binding portion of it is the tying of a saffron-coloured
string to the woman's wrist. The Kalingis pay special
reverence to Sri Radha Krishna and Chaitanya. Some
of the caste officiate in temples, wear the sacred thread,
and call themselves Brahmans, but they are not received
on terms of equality by other Brahmans. All Kalingis
bury their dead, but sraddhas (memorial services) are
performed only by the Kintali sub-division. The Bura-
gam Kalingis do not shave their heads in front. Kalingi
women wear heavy bangles of brass, silver bell-metal
and glass, extending from the wrist to the elbow. The
titles of the castes are Naidu, Nayarlu, Chowdari, Bissoyi,
Podhano, Jenna, Swayi, and Naiko."
In the foregoing account, the Oriya-speaking Kalinjis,
and Telugu-speaking Kalingis, are both referred to.
The confusion seems to have arisen from the fact that
the Kalinjis are sometimes called Kalingis by other
castes. The Kalingis are essentially Telugus, and are
found mainly on the borderland between the districts
of Ganjam and Vizagapatam. The Kalinjis are, on
the other hand, Oriyas, and seem to be closely allied
to the agricultural castes, Doluva, Alia, Bosantiya,
etc., like which they are mainly agriculturists. The
Kalinjis can be easily distinguished from the Kalingis,
as the latter wear the sacred thread. The following
story is told in connection with the origin of the
Kalinji caste. A band of robbers was once upon a
time staying in a fort near Bhattu Kunnarade, and
1 1 1-4
KALINGI AND KALINJI 50
molesting the people, who invited the king of Puri to
come and drive the robbers away. Among the warriors
who were recruited for this purpose, was a member
of the Khondaito caste, who, with the permission of
the king, succeeded in expelling the robbers. He
was named by the people Bodo-Kalinja, or one having
a stout heart. He and his followers remained in the
Ganjam country, and the Kalinjis are their descend-
ants. The caste is widespread in the northern part
thereof.
There do not seem to be any sub-divisions among the
Kalinjis, but there is a small endogamous group, called
Mohiri Kalinji. Mohiri is a well-known division in
Ganjam, and Kalinjis who dwell therein intermarry with
others, and do not form a separate community. It has
been suggested that the Mohiri Kalinjis are Telugu
Kalingis, who have settled in the Oriya country. Like
other Oriya castes, the Kalinjis have gotras, e.g., banc
(sun), sukro (star), sanko (conch-shell), bhago (tiger)
and nago (cobra). There is a good deal of confusion
regarding the gotras in their connection with marriage.
The same gotra, e.g., sukro, is exogamous in some places,
and not so in others. Many titles occur among the
Kalinjis, e.g., Borado, Bissoyi, Bariko, Behara, Dolei,
Gaudo, Jenna, Moliko, Naiko, Patro, Podhano, Pulleyi,
Ravuto, Santo, Savu, Swayi, Guru. In some places, the
titles are taken as representing bamsams (or vamsams),
and, as such, are exogamous. Families as a rule refrain
from marrying into families bearing the same title. For
example, a Dolei man will not marry a Dolei girl,
especially if their gotras are the same. But a Dolei may
marry a Pullei, even if they have the same gotra.
The headman of the Kalinjis is styled Santo, and he
is assisted by a Patro. There is also a caste messenger.
51 KALINGI AND KALINJI
called Bhollobhaya. For the whole community there
are said to be four Santos and four Patros, residing at
Attagada, Chinna Kimedi, Pedda Kimedi, and Mohiri.
A man who is suffering from a wound or sore infested by
maggots is said to be excommunicated, and, when he has
recovered, to submit himself before the caste-council
before he is received back into the community.
Girls are generally married before puberty, and, if
a real husband is not forthcoming, a maid goes through a
mock marriage ceremony with her elder sister's husband,
or some elder of the community. A bachelor must
be married to the sado {^Strebhts asper) tree before he can marry a widow. The remarriage of widows
(thuvathuvvi) is freely allowed. A widow, who has a
brother-in-law, may not marry anyone else, until she has
obtained a deed of separation (tsado patro) from him.
The marriage ceremonies conform to the standard Oriya
type. In some places, the little fingers of the contract-
ing couple are linked, instead of their hands being tied
together with thread. On the fourth day, a Bhondari
(barber) places on the marriage dais some beaten rice
and sugar-candy, which the bride and bridegroom sell
to relations for money and grain. The proceeds of
the sale are the perquisite of the Bhondari. On the
seventh day, the bridegroom breaks a pot on the dais,
and, as he and the bride go away, the brother of
the latter throws brinjal {^Solmitmt Melongena) fruits at him.
The dead are as a rule cremated. On the day
after death, food, made bitter by the addition of mar-
gosa {Melia Azadirachta) leaves, is offered. A piece of bone is carried away from the burning-ground, and
buried under a pipal {Ficus religiosa) tree. Daily, until the tenth day, water is poured seven times over the spot
ni-4 B
