before them, both by treading in their
physical footsteps and by singing their
songs of devotion. Although the pil-
grimage concludes with the entry to
Pandharpur and the worship of
Vithoba, the most important part is the
journey itself. For more information
see G. A. Deleury, The Cult of Vithoba,
1960; I. B. Karve, “On the Road,” in the
Journal of Asian Studies,Vol. 22, No. 1,
1962; and Digambar Balkrishna Mokashi,
Palkhi, 1987.
Varna
(“color”) Theoretical system dividing
Indian society into four major groups,
each with a differing occupation and
status: brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya,
and shudra. The highest status was held
by the brahmins, who were priests and
scholars, next came the kshatriyas, who
were kings and soldiers, then the
vaishyas, whose purview was economic
life, and finally the shudras, who were
supposed to serve the others. This pic-
ture is articulated as early as the Vedas,
the oldest Hindu religious texts, in par-
ticular by a hymn in the Rg Veda(10.90)
known the Purusha Sukta. The Purusha
Sukta describes the creation of the world
and of society as stemming from the
sacrifice of the Primeval Man
(purusha), with the brahmins coming
from his mouth, the kshatriyas from his
shoulders, the vaishyas from his thighs
(a common euphemism for the geni-
tals), and the shudras from his feet.
This four-fold scheme is conceptually
neat, but the real picture was far more
complex. For one thing, none of these
four varnas was as uniform as this
scheme might lead one to suppose:
Each of the varnas had multiple occupa-
tionally defined subcommunities
known as jatis, which often competed
for status with one another, even though
they may have been members of the
same varna. The other discrepancy was
that local circumstances had a great
effect on any particular community’s
social status. As one example, the
Vellalacommunity in Tamil Naduhad a
great deal of status and power, even
though they were technically shudras,
because they were a landholding com-
munity. On the opposite end, it is not
uncommon for brahmins in northernVar na
Child celebrating Vasant Panchami.