— The  Writer      The  caste  name  of  the  winter  or  accountant  class  in   Tamil  is
Classes.  "  Kanakkan,"    in    Telugu    "  Karnam."     They    numbered    only

107,652  persons  and  were  very  irregularly  distributed,  being
almost  unknown  in  some  districts  where  their  hereditary  occu-
pation- appears  to  have  been  usurped  by  Brahmins  or  Vellalars.
Section  VI.]

RESULTS    or    LATEST    CENSUS.  343

The  term  "  Conicopillay  "applied  to  agents,  purveyors,  &c.,  is  a
corruption  of  "  Kanakkanpillai,"  a  writer  or  accountant,  "  pillay  "
being  a  title  of  respect  usually  accorded  to  them  as  well  as  to
the  agricultural  and  shepherd  castes.
The  weaver  castes  formed  at  one  time  an  important  section  — Weaver
of  the  community,  but  at  the  last  census  their  number  was  only
1,071,781,  or  3'7  per  cent,  of  the  Hindu  population.  They
were  distributed  all  over  the  country,  but  were  most  numerous
in  the  cotton-producing  districts  of  Vizagapatam,  Grodavcry,
Kistna,  Cuddapah,  Bellary,  Coimbatore,  Salem,  and  Tinnevelly.
The  Tamil  weaving  castes  are —


Kaikalar.
Jendraver.
Sedan.
Serin  gar.
Saliyar.
Silupan

and  the  Telugu

Sale.
Padmay  Sale.
Devdng

Jendrar.
Thokat.
As  usual  in  castes  of  this  grade,  the  Sivaites  bury  and  the
Vishnavaites  burn  their  dead.  Many  of  the  weavers  have
adopted  the  Jangam  or  Lingayet  religion.  Their  occupation  is
mainly  confined  to  the  original  calling  of  the  caste.
