WHAT CONGRESS AND GANDHI HAVE DONE TO THE UNTOUCHABLES : A PLEA TO THE FOREIGNERS 205
have committed criminal breach of the trust imposed upon the intellectual sections in every community by the sacred law of humanity not to serve the interest of their own class but to safeguard the interest of all and therefore dare not stand before the bar of the world ? Or is it due to their sense of modesty ? It is unnecessary to stop to speculate as to which is the truth.
That the Brahmins are a governing class is hardly open to question. There are two tests one could apply. First is the sentiment of the people and the second is the control of administration. I am sure there cannot be better and more decisive tests than these two. As to the first, there cannot be any doubt. Taking the attitude of the people, the person of the Brahmin is sacred. In ancient time, he could not be hanged no matter what offence he committed. As a sacred person he had immunities and privileges which were denied to the servile class. He was entitled to first fruits. In Malabar, where the Sambandham marriage prevails, the servile classes such as the Nairs regard it an honour to have their females kept as mistresses by Brahmins. Even kings invited Brahmins [1] to deflower their queens on prima noctis. There
1 The Traveller Ludovico Di Varthema who came to India in the middle of the
16th century and visited Malabar says :
“It is proper and at the same time a pleasant thing to know who these Brahmins are. You must know that they are the chief persons of the faith, as priests are among us. And when the king takes a wife he selects the most worthy and the most honoured of these Brahmins and makes him sleep the first night with his wife, in order that he may deflower her. Do not imagine that the Brahmin goes willingly to perform this operation. The king is obliged to pay him four hundred to five hundred ducats. The king only and no other person in Calicut adopts this practice.”— Voyages of Varthema (Hakluyat Society), Vol. I, p. 141.
Other Travellers tell that the practice was widespread. Hamilton in his Account of the East Indies says :
“When the Samorin marries, he must not cohabit with his bride till the Nambourie (Nambudri) or chief priest, has enjoyed her, and if he pleases he may have three nights of her company, because the first fruits of her nuptials must be a holy oblation to the God she worships and some of the nobles are so complacent as to allow the clergy the same tribute; but the common people cannot have that compliment paid to them, but are forced to supply the priests places themselves.”—Vol. I, p. 308.
Buchanan in his Narrative refers to the practice in the following terms :
“The ladies of the Tamuri family are generally impregnated by Nambudries ; although if they choose they may employ the higher ranks of Nairs; but the sacred character of the Nambudries always procures them a preference.”— Pinkerton’s Voyages, Vol. VIII, p. 734.
Mr. C.A. Innes, J.C.S., Editor of the Gazetteer of Malabar and Anjengo issued under the authority of the Government of Madras says :
“Another institution found amongst all the classes following the marukak- kattayam system, as well as amongst many of those who observe makkattayam, is that known as “Tali-tying wedding” which has been described as “the most peculiar, distinctive and unique” among Malayali marriage customs. Its