References to CaNDaala

[Mikael Aktor]

The earliest references to candalas and paulkasas are, according to Kane's History of Dharmasastra, Vaj.Samhita 30.17 and 30.21 / Tai.Brahmana 3.4.14 / 3.4.17. The upanishadic references are: ChU 5.10.7, 5.24.4 and BAU 4.3.22. But apart from the Vedic references candalas are mentioned in a very large range of old literary genres. For dharmasutras and -smrtis and their commentaries (but also for many of the older references), you may see my Ph.D. thesis _Ritualisation and Segregation: The Untouchability complex in the scholarly literature on dharma with special reference to Parasarasmrti and Parasaramadhaviya_, University of Copenhagen, 1997. I guess you can acquire it through interlibrary loan.

George Hart also wrote:

The
> evidence is, in my opinion, conclusive that jaati is pre-Aryan and
> existed in prehistoric South India (and probably at a very early time
> in the rest of South Asia). 

Could you please refer to some of your works where this evidence is presented.

All the best
Mikael Aktor
--------------------------
Mikael Aktor, assistant professor, Ph.D.,
Center for the Study of Religions, University of Southern Denmark,
Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark.

Phone: +45 6550 3318 - +45 3696 9054 (home)
Fax: 6593 2375 - E-mail: aktor at filos.sdu.dk


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George Hart" <ghart at SOCRATES.BERKELEY.EDU>
To: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 7:39 PM
Subject: References to CaNDaala


> I am looking a bit further into the institution of caste (jaati),
> which I have shown is documented in Tamil Sangam literature.  [...]