Saliyar or Saliya or Chaliyan or Sali or Sale is an Indian

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

. 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.

Caste names

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 Padmasali (also spelt as Padmashali, Padmasale) is a Hindu caste residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Their traditional occupation is weaving. Etymology The term ''Pa ...

. 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 Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and ''Veerashaivism'' have been u ...

movement weavers initially championed caste negation or anti-casteism initially. 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 Brahmins. As caste negation gave way to caste exaltation even weavers tried to obtain higher caste credentials and privileges. In 1231, at 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.

Edanga and Valanga

According to Ramaswamy, Sali and Devanga weavers were always part of right hand castes while Kaikkola Sengunthar were part of left hand castes.

Relationship to other Malayali castes

In Kannur, Ashtamachal Bhagavathy temple part of

Payyannur Payyanur, , is a municipal town and a taluk, a sub-district administrative unit, in the Kannur district of Kerala, India. On 10 March 2018, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated Payyanur as the fifth taluk in the district. Payyan ...

Teru has a unique tradition of a festival called ''Meenamrithu'' which is related to sea trading culture of the past. It was believed to have belonged to a merchant community called '' Valanjiyar'' belonging to left-hand caste group in the past. However, now Saliyas conduct this ritual. But relationship between Valanjiyar and Saliya communities at present is still a speculation.Meenamruthu Festival
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070413224936/http://www.payyanur.com/meenamrithu.htm , date=2007-04-13

References and notes

Additional references

* ''Caste and Race in India'' by G.S. Ghurye * Report on Growth and Prospects of the Handloom industr

Indian castes Social groups of Kerala Social groups of Tamil Nadu Weaving communities of South Asia Other Backward Classes

Caste names

Edanga and Valanga

Relationship to other Malayali castes

See also

References and notes

Additional references