THE SIVAITE GURUS 117
Amongst the Sivaites there also exists a sect known by the name of Vira-seiva, which refuses to recognize any
caste distinctions, maintaining that the lingam makes all men equal. If even a Pariah joins the sect he is considered in no way inferior to a Brahmin. Wherever the
lingam is found, there, they say, is the throne of the deity, without distinction of class or rank. The Pariah ' s humble hut containing this sacred emblem is far above the most magnificent palace where it is not.
The direct opposition of their religious tenets and rules of life to those of all other Hindus, and especially to those of Brahmins, renders the Lingayats peculiarly obnoxious
in the eyes of the latter, who cannot endure the sight of the Jangamas and other headmen of the sect. Amongst
the Lingayats, as amongst the Namadaris, are an immense number of religious beggars, called Pandarams, Voderus,
Jangamas, & c. Many of these penitent Sivaites have no other means of subsistence except begging. They ply their
trade systematically and in gangs. Some, however, live in retreat in the mutts( monasteries) or temples, which usually possess lands, the rents of which, added to the offerings of the faithful, are sufficient to maintain them.
The gurus, or priests of Siva, who are known in the western provinces by the name of Jangamas, are for the most part celibates. They have a custom which is peculiar to themselves, and curious enough to be worth remarking.
When a guru travels about his district he lodges with some member of the sect, and the members contend amongst themselves for the honour of receiving him. When he has selected the house he wishes to stay in, the master and all the other male inmates are obliged, out of respect for him, to leave it, and go and stay elsewhere. The holy man remains there day and night with only the women of the house, whom he keeps to wait on him and cook for him, without creating any scandal or exciting the jealousy of the husbands. All the same, some scandal- mongers have remarked that the Jangamas always take care to choose a house where the women are young.
The costume worn by the ascetics of Siva is very much the same as that of the Vishnavites. Both are equally
peculiar in their attire. They always wear clothes of