Mss Eur G91(231b)

Genre: Ethnographical Photography

Full-length standing portrait of a man and two women, posed against a plain cloth backdrop. This photograph is also reproduced in Watson & Kaye's 'The People of India' (vol. 8, 1875), plate 425 (see Photo 972 (425)), there captioned 'Amma Kodagi, or Kaveri Brahmins': 'The person represented in the group are a father, mother, and daughter; they are Amma Kodagi, or Kaveri Brahmins. They belong to a smallset of Brahmins who reside in the south-western portion of Coorg, and are the indigenous and hereditary priesthood devoted to the worship of Amma, or mother, the godess Kaveri. Their number does not exceed fifty persons, and they are entirely unlettered and ignorant of Brahminical lore, of a quiet, inoffensive caharacter, performing a few ceremonies in connection with the worship of the holy river...The dress of the men and women is similar to the rest of the Coorgs. The Amma in the photograph wears a blue coat and turban, and a red sash, in which a silver handled knife is worn, with chains and tassels of the same material.'

[Albumen print, 105x137mm].

Subjects = Brahmins (caste); castes; ethnic groups; Kaveri Brahmins (caste)

Location = India; Karnataka; Kodagu District