Saliya: Difference between revisions

| group = Saliya/Chaliyan/Saliyar

| languages = [[Malayalam]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Kannada]]

'''Saliyar''' or '''Saliya''' or '''Chaliyan''' or '''Sali''' or '''Sale''' is an [[India]]n [[Caste system in India|caste]]. Their traditional occupation was that of weaving and they are found mostly in the regions of northern [[Kerala]], southern coastal [[Karnataka]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Tamil Nadu]].

The oldest names for weavers in Kannada and Telugu regions were Saliga (or its variants, Sale, Sali, Saliya etc.) or Jeda (or its variants Jada, Jandra etc.). However, the present day names like [[Devanga]] and [[Padmasali]] are the results of [[Sanskritisation]] with myths of origins. The original names simply meant weaver (spider). While ''Saliga'' is [[tadbhava]] of jalikha, spider or weaver in [[Sanskrit]], ''Jeda'' is a Kannada word for spider. According to Ramaswamy, as part of the [[Virasaiva]] movement weavers initially championed caste negation or anti-casteism initially.<ref>{{cite book |title=Textiles and Weavers in South India |first=Vijaya |last=Ramaswamy |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=52 |edition=2nd |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-567633-4}}</ref> However, as time passed even that movement became caste-ridden and various communities started claiming ritual superiority vis-a-vis other communities part of the same religion and also against non-Virasaiva communities like [[Brahmin]]s. As caste negation gave way to caste exaltation even weavers tried to obtain higher caste credentials and privileges. In 1231, at [[Chintamani, Karnataka|Chintamani]] (in the present day Karnataka region with a mixed Kannada/Telugu population) it is said (a dubious claim according to Vijaya Ramaswamy) that a king granted privileges like right to the ''yajnopavita'' (the [[sacred thread]] worn by Brahmins), right to ride a palanquin, right to one's own flag and symbol etc... to ''Devanga'' weavers. Many of these privileges were later granted to ''Padmashali'' weavers too.<ref>{{cite book |title=Textiles and Weavers in South India |first=Vijaya |last=Ramaswamy |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=54 |edition=2nd |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-567633-4}}</ref>

According to Ramaswamy, Sali and Devanga weavers were always part of right hand castes while  [[Sengunthar|Kaikkola Sengunthar]] were part of left hand castes.<ref>{{cite book |title=Textiles and Weavers in Medieval South India |first=Vijaya |last=Ramaswamy |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=58–59 |edition=2nd |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-567633-4}}</ref>{{qn|date=September 2019}}