KANIYANS. A caste of astrologers in Southern India. In Malabar the name is spelt and pronounced Kanisan. According to Thurston and Rangachari, it is a Malayalam corruption of the Sanskrit word for astrologer, Ganika. Centuries ago the Kaniyaus already enjoyed a great repu tation as diviners. They practise sorcery and exorcism as well as astrology. They worship the sun, the moon, Ganezea and Subramanya. Vishnu, Siva. and Logan (quoted by Thurston and Rangacharil explains that two things are essential to the astrologer, a bag of cowry shells and an almanac. " When anyone comes to consult him, he quietly sits down, facing the sun, on a plank seat or mat, murmuring some mantrams or sacred verses, opens his bag of cowries, and pours them on the floor. With his right hand he moves them slowly round and round, solemnly reciting meanwhile a stanza or two in praise of his guru or teacher, and of his deity, invok ing their help. He then stops, and explains what he has been doing, at the same time taking a handful of cowries from the heap, and placing them on one side.
In front is a diagram drawn with chalk on the floor. and consisting of twelve compartments (rdsis), one for each month in the year. Before commencing operations with the diagrams, he selects three or five of the cowries highest up in the heap, and places them in a line on the right-hand side. These represent Ganapati (the belly god, the remover of difficulties), the sun, the planet Jupiter, Sarasvati (the goddess of speech). and his own guru or preceptor. To all of these the astrologer gives due obeisance, touching his ears and the ground three times with both bands. The cowries are next arranged in the compartments of the diagram, and are moved about from compartment to compartment by the astrologer. who quotes meanwhile the authority on which he makes the moves. Finally he explains the result, and ends with again worshipping the deified cowries. who were witnessing the operation as spectators." See E. Thurston.