Kaikadi - Kurrus from Maharashtra
Kaikadi is a community found mainly in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Their language (also called Kaikadi) is a member of the Dravidian language family. They are commonly categorized as Tamil.
Kaikadis are found in towns and large villages. They are divided into Jadhavs and Manes, who eat together but do not intermarry. They speak Marathi with a mixture of other words. They were "hereditary thieves" and "robbers" but have now taken to other pursuits. They allow widow marriage, the widow during the ceremony being seated on a bullock's saddle. A caste-council or panch settles social disputes. Read more at Kaikadi Profile from Maharashtra Government website.
Kaikadis Support themselves by basket making and stone cutting and as a class are orderly. Read more here.
The Kaikadis, once a wandering tribe, are now settled in villages. They have a number of endogamous divisions like the Kamathis (basket-makers), Makadvalas (wandering and exhibiting monkey's games), Kaijis (flute players) and others. Read more here.
References from Books
Reference of Kaikadis in People of India series book, People of India By Kumar Suresh Singh, B. V. Bhanu, Anthropological Survey of India.
Reference of Kaikadis in a book from 1920, The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions By Syed Siraj ul Hassan.
Reference of Kaikadis in Encyclopaedia of Indian Tribes series book, Encyclopaedia of Indian Tribes By Shyam Singh Shashi.
Kaikadi Language
Reference of Kaikadi language in a book from 1908, Census of India, 1901 By India Census Commissioner, Sir Herbert Hope Risley.
Some of the Kaikadi language words are found below.
English |
Kaikadi |
English |
Kaikadi |
English |
Kaikadi |
bread |
rati |
water |
telni |
milk |
pal |
grain |
tat |
wheat |
gomda |
millet |
seja |
rice |
yersi |
curd |
mor |
ghee |
nai |
sugar |
shakri |
molasses |
balle |
give |
ta |
no |
ita |
come |
ba |
go |
ho |
Demographics
Kaikadis are found mainly in Akola, Amravati, Bhandara, Buldana, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Wardha and Yavatmal districts of Maharashtra.
Literacy among Kaikadis is very less. Some sources claim it is as less as 0.6 percent.
Kaikadis relations are Jadhav, Mane, Mule, Gajare, korava, koravar, Bajantri, Koravi, shinde, gaikwad, Pawar etc. Mainly From Belgaum, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune, Mumbai.
Kaikadis have alternate names like Kokadi, Kaikai, Kaikadia
Population of Kaikadis as per 1971 census is 11,846. The 2001 census shows them as 5,232 in Maharashtra alone.
Some sources claim the Kaikadis Population in the 90s as below..
Year |
Kaikadis |
1990 |
18,100 |
1995 |
19,800 |
2000 |
21,400 |