Andre Beteille

Study of Tanjore Village - Sripuram

1. Andre Beteille studied the internal structure of Tanjore Village by taking into account some of the major social
forces which operate over a wider area, and the manner in which they exert their influence on its village
community.

2. According to him, the world of the village constitutes a sort of microcosm which is a reflection of the outside
world.

3. Features of Sripuram as per Beteille;

a. Physical structure of the village affects its social structure.

b. 3 fold division of village in terms of physical structure - Agraharam (Brahmin Streets), Kudiana
(Non-Brahmin streets), Cheri (Adi-Dravidas street).

c. The physical unity of the village and its internal division constitute the most fundamental
features of social structure.

d. Agraharam -
§ Centre of Brahminical social life.
§ Non-Brahmin enter only in limited occasions.
§ Socially exclusive because of physical sealing from rest of the village.
§ New families belonging to Tamil speaking Brahmins move into agraharam in search for teaching and
clerical jobs.

e. Cheri -
§ Consists of single streets which are also sealed from the rest of the village.
§ Residents are the Pallans, who constitute the largest group among the Adi Dravidas in Tanjore district.
§ Paraiyans (Christian Adi-Dravidas) live in huts separated from the huts of Pallans.
§ Social separation between between Pallans and Peraiyans is expressed through endogamy, the use
of separate walls, and other practices.
§ Brahmins do not normally enter or pass through Cheri because they consider the Cheri as filthy.

f. The differentiation is evident not only in a ritual context but also in the economic and political spheres.

g. And in this regard Sripuram mirrors the basic schism that is present in Tamil Nadu today.

h. They are not homogenous and many sub-divisions exist among the Brahmins, Non- Brahmins and
Adi-Dravidas.

i. Among the three, the Adi-Dravidas appear to be the most homogenous, being characterised by a simple
division into Pallans and Peraiyans.

j. Divisions among Brahmins and the Non-Brahimins are based partly upon differences in caste, wealth,
occupation and education.

k. Caste/Juti/Kulam - refers to a small endogamous group, bound by ties of kinship, having in many cases
a traditional occupation, and pursuing a more or less specific style of living.
Clear ranking of castes is not possible because ritual rank is not easy to determine, particularly in case of
adjacent castes.
Also there are elements of economic, political and numerical dominance, often cutting across ritual criteria.

l. Brahmins -
- Belonged to different castes.
- Divided into 3 language groups - Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.
 - Cultural diversity is an important part of their social structure.
- They are far more mobile than other groups - larger territorial extension than non-Brahmanical groups.
- Moved from one place to another to settle in lands provided to them by the kings.
- Tamil speaking Brahmins belong to different castes.
- They don't inter-marry with each other or with other Brahmin families of the village.
- The rest of the Tamil Brahmins belong to the 2 main division of Smarthas (or Iyers) and Sri Vaishnavas
(or Iyengars).
- The Smarthas are doctrinally affiliated to the eighth century monistic philosopher, Shankaracharya, and
worship both Shiva and Vishnu.
- The Sri Vaishnavas are doctrinally the followers of Ramanuja.
- Rank order in case of Brahmin castes is difficult to ascertain, especially with regard to their mutual
positions.

Land Ownership
- They owned the majority of the land but they didn't actually till the soil. They have their land cultivated
by non- Brahmins and Adi-Dravidas.
A few of the Brahmins have their land cultivated directly by engaging agricultural labourers whose
work.
- They themselves supervise, and who are paid daily wages in cash.
- They also sometimes have their land cultivated is by annually leasing them out according to the
Kuttahai system.

m. Non-Brahmins -
- Division among Non-Brahmins is greater than Brahmins.
- But the exact number of non-Brahmin caste is unknown because distinction
between caste and sub-caste is not clear in some cases.
- Some sub-divisions of non-Hindu castes are endogamous. Eg- Potters and
Goldsmiths, Barbers, Musicians, Konans (cow-herders), Vellalans, Padayachis
and Gaudans.

Land Ownership - most of the land owned by non-Brahmins belong to Velalans but they were not
considered big land-owners.

n. Division among Brahmins, Non-Brahmins and Adi-Dravidas

- Ritual superiority - Brahmins > Non-Brahmins > Adi-Dravidas.
- Brahmins, as a group, own considerably more land than non-Brahmins who in turn own much more land
than the Adi-Dravidas.
- Personal friendships often cut across caste considerations.
- In Sripuram, Beteille did not find a single instance of friendship between a Brahmin and a
Non-Brahmin/Adi-Dravida.

o. Economic life of the village - Majority of the economy is centred largely around the cultivation of rice
through the extensive use of irrigation.

p. Absentee Landlordism - It is common in Sripuram. Most of the Mirasdars/Landlords belong to the

Brahmin caste. Some Non-Brahmins and Adi-Dravidas cultivate land in Sripuram owned by absentee
landlords who did not belong to Sripuram.

q. Triangular Bitterness
- Brahmins are bitter towards against Non-Brahmins because he feels that the new land laws and new
political climate cheat him of his patrimony and give the rewards to Non-Brahmins although the real work,
is done by Adii-Dravidas.

- Non-Brahmins are bitter towards Brahmins because thinks that he earns his share of the crops by
investment in seeds and manure,hard work and organisation, whereas the Brahmin sits at home and
claims half the produce.

- The Adi-Dravidas are bitter against both Brahmins and Non-Brahmins and complains that nobody will
 lease land to him and he has to remain out of work half the year.

r. Relations of production
- Brahmins are land-owners.
- Non-Brahmins are own lands or employed as agricultural labourers.
- Adi-Dravidas work as day labourers.

s. Modes of Production
- 3 MOP - Waram, Kuttahai and Pannaiyal.