ABSTRACT
During the eighteenth century Pondicherry experienced numerous clashes between right and left hand castes. This chapter contains an analysis of a dispute taking place in 1794, while Pondicherry – due to the Wars of Revolution – was under British occupation. In addition, I have utilized information on a dispute that took place in 1768, which has been entered among the files relating to the dispute in 1794. 1 Two features of the dispute of 1794 seem to be of particular interest. First, it supports Arjun Appadurai’s notion of weak and confused patterns of authority as a catalyst of violent caste disputes over ceremonial rights. Second, in Pondicherry the discourse on the nature of Indian society took an interesting turn, making it somewhat different from the corresponding discourses in Madras and Tranquebar.
