(Private) Re: cAkrika and cakkiliyar

[Raveen Satkurunathan]

On Fri, 9 Feb 2001 18:04:21 +0000, N. Ganesan <naga_ganesan at HOTMAIL.COM>
wrote:

<deleted>

>In Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka, there are a caste who go
>by the name, cakkiliyar. Etymologically, cakkiliyar is
>related to Skt. cakri/cAkri. Cakkiliyar who speak a variety of
>Telugu play drums during festivals.
>
>Online Tamil Lexicon entries:
>cakkiliyan2 = chucklers, workers in leather
>cakkili = caste of shoemakers
>cakkilicci = 01 a woman of the Cakkili caste
>cAkkili = menial service
>
>Chuckler in Hobson-Jobson:
>

<deleted>

Is Arundathiyar of Tamil Nadu same as Cakkilliar ?

In Sri Lanka they were are mostly  brought to work as scavengers although
many have found independent occupation as cobblers. A tradition, which has
historic precedence. According to Mahavamsa, scavengers (Chandalas) were
brought in by the original colonists from India (North or South ?) to keep
the capital city of Anuradhpura clean and were settled in a village nearby
named appropriately as Chandala Grama.

Nowadays many Cakkiliar have converted to Buddhism or Christinanity and
their unique Telugu dialect is giving away to Sinhala just like another
uniquely Telugu speaking group in Sri lanka, namely the Kurava "gypsies".

Raveen