Malēru.— It is noted, in the Mysore Census Report, 1901, that "in some temples of the Malnād there exists a set of females, who, though not belonging to the Natuva class, are yet temple servants like them, and are known by the name of Malēru. Any woman who eats the sacrificial rice strewn on the balipītam (sacrificial altar) at once loses caste, and becomes a public…

— Edgar Thurston
https://palimpseste.vercel.app/#text/91a67f4e-4842-4f51-90d9-105c89532780
#lit #bookstodon #books #literature