The Ideology of Purity and Pollution
Under a basic degree of the ideology of purity and pollution, we need to attribute the hierarchical and occupational by maintaining ritual and social distance between different Varna and also among the Jatis at the same time. A person gets ritual purity from one’s birth. The notions of clean and unclean, purity and pollution enter into intra- and inter-caste behaviour and interaction. In this context of purity and pollution, focus must be given to –
Food:
In terms of food consumption, there are purity and pollution through food and personal contact. Some of the food which are allowed to consume by the higher Jati in context to the rule regarding maintenance of “purity and avoidance of “pollution.”
Sattvic food:
Sattvic food is considered a fruit, milk, most roots and tubers, and generally vegetarian food- ranks higher in the scale of “purity.”
Even a Brahman can eat fruit brought by a very low Jati provided it is washed in water drawn by a relatively clean Jati and dried with a properly washed cloth. Milk and curds pose some problems as they are liquids and have the probability of being mixed with water which is easily polluted. It is for this reason that the wells for the clean Jatis and the Scheduled Castes are separate in most villages. If there is only one well, it will be used exclusively by the “clean” castes; the Scheduled Castes are denied access to it. Traditional water carriers are of the fourth Varna level and water drawn by them will generally be accepted by all except those practising the highest level of purity. Water must be drawn by a person of equally “pure” rank and in a ritually “pure” personal condition.
Rajasic food:
Deer meat was considered to be rajasic, and so were wines made from grapes and other fruits that are not considered “impure.” Kashmiri Pandits, the Saraswats of the west coast of Maharashtra, and Brahmans of Bengal and Orissa eat fish and meat. Kshatriyas were enjoined to eat rajasic food.
Tamasic food:
Pungent and strong-smelling vegetables – onion and garlic were tamasic, as also the meat of the buffalo and pig. Shudras tamasic food.
Among the clean castes, a distinction is made between kachcha food and pakka food:
Kachcha food:
Here water is an ingredient. Kachcha food, as a rule, can be accepted only from higher Jatis than one’s own and in some cases, from castes of more or less equal ritual ranking.
Pakka food:
On the other hand, fried in oil, preferably ghee or clarified butter. Where some liquid is needed (such as for kneading the batter into dough) milk has to be substituted for water. Creamy rice pudding – kheer or payasamis ritually pure if the rice is lightly fried in ghee and then cooked in milk. In respect of pakka food one could go down considerably lower. But clean castes would not accept even pakka food from the unclean Shudras such as the barber, washermen, basket workers, and so forth. No Jati of the four Varnas will accept even pakka food from communities traditionally classified as untouchables/Antyaja.
Physical Contact:
There are some Jatis who practice prohibition of inter-dinning or eating together. For instance, Kanyakubja Brahman gets their food cooked at thirteen separate hearths. For example, in South India, the practice of untouchability when physical contact between clean and inferior Jatis prohibition is strictly maintained.
Physical contact between clean and several categories of inferior Jatis are to be avoided. South India provided extreme examples of the practice of untouchability. The very sight of some of the lowest Jatis was believed to be polluting. Then there were Jatis with whose shadow contact was polluting. The practice was prevalent in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Tiyan (toddy-tappers) of Kerala had to keep a distance of thirty-six pace, and the Pulyan (cultivators) ninety-six paces from the Nambudiri Brahman. The untouchable Jatis were denied entry into temples and access to common village wells. Their houses/living quarters had to be built outside the village. They had to sit separately in schools; even tea-shops earmarked separate cups for them which they had to wash themselves and keep aside.
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