[INDOLOGY] query: 18 ;sre.nii jaatis

[Ashok Aklujkar]

Thanks, Madhav.

In fact, I got the list by looking under अठरा पगड जाती in महादेवशास्त्री जोशी's भारतीय संस्कृतिकोश.

पगड here is probably a shortened form of पगडी 'turban' as in पगडबंदी and पगडबंदकी and probably पगडडाव (a game in which playing pieces are hidden in turbans). The listed business communities could have had distinctive turbans or headdresses.

In my last post, I overlooked to give the meaning of साळी. It is 'weaver of cotton or silk.' Its distinction from कोष्टी is difficult to tell. If कोष्टी is related to कोष or कोश and that word is taken as standing for a the cocoon of a silk worm, originally कोष्टी could have had the meaning of 'weaver of silk'. 

जैन probably stands for वाणीs not selling certain things or merchants observing certain restrictions in selling. 

a.a.

On 2013-10-06, at 3:52 AM, Madhav Deshpande wrote:
... there is an expression in Marathi अठरा पगड जाती "18 types of Jātis".