Chakkiliyan Hindu

Scholars point out that the Chakkiliyans do not appear in the oldest Tamil literature or inscriptions, which suggests an origin in migrations from Telugu or Kannada speaking regions further north, moving toward Tamil lands. As they settled, they took up leatherwork, a trade necessary to rural life but rejected by the higher castes, and this association sealed their place at the bottom of the social hierarchy for generations. In the twentieth century, the name Arunthathiyar gained strength as a claim to identity and dignity in the face of this legacy of exclusion.

Historically tied to leatherwork, the Chakkiliyans tanned hides and made sandals, straps, and other everyday items in the villages of southern India. With the arrival of plastics and metals, many lost this traditional trade and today work as rural day laborers, in urban cleaning services, or in small informal jobs in the cities. A portion have managed to study and hold public and private sector positions, opening a path for a new generation.

Life revolves around the village and the kinship network: marriages are arranged within the community, the maternal uncle plays a central role in family decisions, and widows may remarry. Caste discrimination still shapes daily life, from access to wells and temples to simple services such as barbershops in some regions.

The predominant faith is popular village Hinduism, centered less on the great temples and more on local protective deities, such as Gangamma and Mariamma, worshiped in annual festivals that include offerings and rituals particular to the community. This devotion coexists with practices attributed to Shiva in a broader sense, but everyday religious life is shaped by the immediate need for protection against illness and misfortune.

Religion is deeply intertwined with social standing: the village gods and their festivals also mark out the community’s place within the caste system, and faith functions as part of collective identity as much as a spiritual path.

Tamil is one of the oldest and best documented languages in India, with a complete Bible, Jesus films, and audio recordings available for generations. Even so, material access to Scripture does not translate into real knowledge among the Chakkiliyans: illiteracy is still common among older generations, and few have had direct contact with a copy or with someone who can explain its content. The gap is not one of translation, but of encounter.

Leaving Hinduism is seen as abandoning one’s own family and the support network of caste, precisely what sustains survival in the face of discrimination. The hope of social advancement through reforms and government quotas also reinforces the bond with Hindu identity and with worship of the village deities. Add to this the physical and social distance from churches that, in practice, still reproduce caste hierarchies and turn away those who come from such a stigmatized background.

Overcoming caste discrimination still marks daily life, from access to basic services to work and education opportunities beyond the traditional trades. Many families need support so their children can complete their studies and break the cycle of economic exclusion inherited from leatherwork. Spiritually, there is a deep need for someone to approach with patience and respect to present Jesus in a way that does not replicate the very hierarchies that have wounded them.