Ambattar

Ambattar (also known by many other names) is a Tamil caste found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and northeastern part of Sri Lanka. The Ambattar have traditionally worked as barbers, but also as physicians and midwives.[1][2]

Ambattar
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesTamil
Related groupsTamils, Sri Lankan Tamils

The Ambattar, known under the term Kudimakkal (domestic servants), had ritual importance as officiators in marriages and funerals.[3]

Etymology and synonyms

The name Ambattar is a Tamilised word originally from Sanskrit word ambashtha. The word is derived from the two Sanskrit words amba meaning "near" and stha meaning "to stand" thus meaning "one who stands closeby" in reference to their occupation as barbers and physicians.[4][5]

They have also been referred to as Maruttuvar, Pariyari and Vaidiyar, which are all synonyms for physicians.[2][6] Other names are also synonymous with Ambattar, including Navidhar, Nasuvan, Chakkara Kathi and Kudimagan. According to one member of the caste, the name used varies from one village to another.[7]

History

Myth

According to Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu text, the Ambattar or Ambashtha are the offspring of a Brahmin father and a Vaishya mother.[8] According to the folklore of the Ambattar of Sri Lanka, they arrived in the Jaffna Kingdom as attendants of warriors. Since they came without their wives, they married Sri Lankan Vellalar women.[9]

Early history

The Siddhars, the ancient Tamil physicians who claimed to have attained siddhi, hailed mostly from the Ambattar community.[10]

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See also

References
  1. Gough, Kathleen (1989). Rural change in southeast India: 1950s to 1980s. Oxford University Press.
  2. Béteille, André; Beteille, Professor Emeritus of Socio Logy Andre (1965). Caste, Class, and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in a Tanjore Village. University of California Press. pp. 89. ISBN 9780520020535.
  3. Jacob, George; (Organization), I. S. P. C. K. (1995). Religious life of the Ilavas of Kerala: change and continuity. ISPCK. p. 146.
  4. Menon, T. Madhava; Linguistics, International School of Dravidian (2002). A handbook of Kerala. International School of Dravidian Linguistics. p. 764. ISBN 9788185692319.
  5. Sircar, Dineschandra (1967). Studies in the Society and Administration of Ancient and Medieval India. Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay. p. 109.
  6. General, India Office of the Registrar (1966). Census of India, 1961: Madras. Manager of Publications. p. 7.
  7. Murugan, Perumal; Lakshmi, C. S., eds. (2017). Black Coffee in a Coconut Shell: Caste as Lived Experience. SAGE Publishing India. p. 75. ISBN 978-9-35280-499-3.
  8. Raghavan, M. D. (1961). The Karāva of Ceylon: Society and Culture. K.V.G. De Sīlva. p. 89.
  9. David, Kenneth (2011-06-03). The New Wind: Changing Identities in South Asia. Walter de Gruyter. p. 189. ISBN 9783110807752.
  10. State), Madras (India; Baliga, B. S.; Bahadur.), B. S. Baliga (Rao (1999). Madras District Gazetteers: Tiruchirappalli (pt. 1-2). Superintendent, Government Press. p. 1447.
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