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4 /)Ji ^^> yv5' s

HARVARD COLLEGE
LIBRARY

FllOM THB FUND OF

CHARLES MINOT

CLASS OF 1828

THE

^ TRIBES AND CASTES

Of THI

NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES AND OUDE //

W. QBOOEE, BJU

BMKQkL CITIL •BBTICI.

■N -. I f

nr FOUR T0LVMS9.

Vol. II.

f/V

CALCUTTA:

OFnCB OF THB SnPEBIHTESDBHT OF GOYESSHBNT PBQinHQ, IBDU.

1898.

<^^KU/>L<7^

!<.,

OAicimri t

OI^VBBVHBVT Of IVDIA OBSTBlt niVTIVA OfflOB,

8, ■▲trncM iTBiiit.

THE

TRIBES AND CASTES

OF THB

NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES AND OUDH.

VOLUMB II.

Bhar.^ — A caste of apparently Dravidian origia found in the
eastern |>art8 of the United Provincee.

They are also known as Bijbhar, Bharat^ and Bharpatwa. The
word Bhar is derived by the Pandits from the Sanskrit root bM,
to nourish, but this is improbable, and it is more likely to be of
uon- Aryan oripn. Dr. Oppert' indulges in some curious
speculations on the subject. He suggests their connection with the
Barrliai of Ptolemy (VII-2-20), and with the Bharatas, a mountain
trilie mentioned in connection with the Sabaras and with the
Barbara, Varvara, or Barbarian. The derivation of large numbers of
lo«*al names in Upper India from the same source, such as Bihar,
Bahriich, Birabanki, Bareilly, Barhaj, Barhar, and even Yaranasi
or Benares, etc., must be accepted with the greatest caution.

2. This tribe has gi>'en rise to much wild speculation. In

Gorakhpur they claim to be the descendants

Tnuditionfl.

of, and named from, an early Kshatriya
Raja named Bhiradwija, whose sons strayed from the ancient way
of life and took to the use of meat and wine. Their descendant
Surha settled in the village of Surauli, and wishing to marry a
high caste lUjput girl, was murdered by her relations, and became
an evil spirit » who does much damage still if he is not duly propitiat-
ed. That they claim to have been once a dominant race in the
eastern {uirt of Oudh and the North- Western Provincee is certain.
Thus Sir C. Elliott writes :— " The scene befoi^ us in Oudh at the
fall of the historic curtain is an uninhabited forest country and a

* BMtd KB inforsAtioa eolUelvd aI If inap«r »Bd boCm rtc«iv«d tbrvuffli
If r. H E. L. P. Dap«iiMi. C. 8.. AiMifmrli* mad from MoBAhi OhhM Ul,D«ptttj
lMp«ciur ol ^hool*, QoTAkhpsr.

* Original imkabiimmU ^ BkofmUimnm, 17, iff.
Vol. IL

BHAB. 2

large colony of Sftrajbansis occupying Ajudhya as their capital.
When the cnrtain rises again we find Ajudhya destroyed, the
Surajbansis utterly banished, and a large extent of country ruled
over by aborigines, called Cheros in the Far East, Bhars in the
Centre, and Bajpasis in the West. This great revolution seems to be
satisfactorily explained by the conjecture that the Bhars, Cheros, etc.,
were the aborigines whom the Aryans had driven to the hills, and
who, swarming down from thence not long after the beginning of
our era, overwhelmed the Ajyan civilisation even in Ajudhya
itself, drove the Surajbansis under Eanaksen to emigrate into
distant Gujarilt, and spread over all the plain between the Himalayas
and that spur of the Yindhya range which passes through the
south of Mirzapur/'^ Again we read that the primitive inhabit-
ants of Sultinpur are said to have been Bhars. '^ Their character
is painted in the most sombre colours. They are represented to
have been dark-complexioned, ill-favoured, and of mean stature,
intemperate in their habits, and not only devoid of any religious
beUef themselves, but addicted to the persecution of those who
ventured to profess any. They are said to have possessed a few
scattered and detached fortresses to serve as rallying points ; but
to have been otherwise of nomadic and predatory habits, while their
numbers are said to have barely sufficed to furnish a scanty popula*
tion to the tract they occupied. "■ In support of these pretensions
to have been a ruling race in the eastern part of the Province,
numerous old stone forts, embankments, wells, and subterraneous
caverns ^ are attributed to them« Thus the Chiraiy akot fort, in
Ghazipur, is said to have been their work.' The same is the case
with numerous ruins in the Basti and Ghazipur Districts.* The
present town of Bahr&ich is said to take its name from them and to
have been their oldest abode^ from which they spread southward
into Faizib&d and Sultinpur. Similarly they are siud to have left
their name in the Bhadohi and Barhar parganas of Mirzapur.*
Two other fortresses of the Bhars are said to have been Zahurabad
and Lakhnesar, in Ghazipur.' In Gorakhpur they are said to
have been ousted by the Kausik Bljputs. Mr. Sherring considers

> ChnmicUi of Unao, 27.

s SfttUment Report, 87, »q.

> Canninflrham, Archtodogical Survey, XXII., 107,

4 BaohAnan, Eagtem India, 11., 879 ; Oldham, Memoir^ I*, Ift*^

• Ellioit. ChronicUM of Unao, 36.

• Oldham, Memoir, I., 46.

8 UHAB.

their capitml in Mirzapur to hare been Pampftpora near Bindh&chal,
where extensive mins and a ooriouB seriee of bearded stone fi genres
are attribnted to thcm.^ In fact, thronghont Oudh and the eastern
part of the North-West Provinces every town the name of which
does not end in fmr, dAdd, or «ra« is assigned to them.'

d. An attempt has been made to support these traditions by

historical evidence. On the evidence of two
inscriptions from Ajaygarh and Kaiugar, in

Bandelkhand, and a passage^ from Earishta, Mr. W. C. Benett*
argues '' that a man whose name is not given, but who is described
as the founder of his family, possessed himself of the fort of
Ajaygarh. One of his descendants was Malika, whose brother,
]>alki, on the overthrow of the last Kanauj King, conquered the
whole of the Duab; and Farishta records the utter defeat and
destruction of Dalki and Maiki, who had royal forts at Kalinjar and
Karra and held the whole country as far as M&lwa in their posses-
sion, by Nasir*ud-din Muhammad, the King of Delhi, in 1246 A. D.
The universal tradition of Southern Oudh proves thai these princes
were really Bhars, and that the whole of the south ol the province
as far as the Ghfigra was included in their dominions.'^ This
theory, however, has ftuled to stand further investigation^ and the
Princes Dalki and MaIki are identified by Oeneral Cunningham
with the Baghel Rajas Dalaktswar and Maiakeewar.* It is pro-
liablc that out of the same legend haa arisen the worship of Rija
Ikii, w1k> is specially venerated by Bhars and Ahirs. His worship
is connected with protection from snako-bite. He is said to have
been one of two Bhar brothers who ruled at Dalmau and Had
Hareli, and were slain by ttie Muhammadans in the time of Ibiahim
8han]i of Jaunpur. In their memory, it is said that the Bharau-
tiya section of Ahirs in time of mourning abstain from wearing
anklets. Bal Raja is ciiiefly worshipped in Kid BareK, Basti,
and Eastern Oudh« He has 76,395 followers. The evidence, then,
fur an extensive Bhar kingdom in the eastern part of the Pro%inoe
rests almost entirely on the so-oalled Bhar dii$ or ancient mounds

* HinAm TriUa and Ca$U$, I., 3'*l^, «•/«;.

« C'lmmulciu/rnao. 30; LiirJ[n'>io S^Hltmeni Rtpori, $^ 110. Fur Uber i»-
•tAiirva •«•«• 8b«rrt&ff, lo<. €it, 1., S57, a^'/.

* OuAh amtUtcr, lntri»dHa%vti, XXXV.,*<f.; iuJUm AmUfumr^^ 1., $ii\ «.; ;
CUkfU 0/ Jmm Burtli, t.

« Arthtndojifal tiurt*y, XXI., 109. C«iifitf RtpoH^ Kvfih'W^&t tf99%m€t^ IdSl,
p.22<'.

Vol. II.

BHAB. 4

and forts which abound all over the country, and on the so-called
Bhar tanks, which are distinguished from those of a later date by
being Sui*a3bedi or longer from east to west, while modern tanks
are Chandrabedi or lie north and south. Who may have been
the builders of these monuments, our existing knowledge hardly
entitles us to say with certainty. But that the identification of
these monuments with the Bhars is not in every case to be trusted
is proved by the fact that two buildings at Bihar, in Partabgarh,
which are confidently ascribed to the Bhars by a writer in the
OudA Oazetteer^ are proved by General Cunningham to be
genuine Buddhist stupas.' Similarly, the identification of the
Bhars with the early rulers of the country presents many
features of difficulty. Their identification with the Ubarsd of
Pliny and the Barrhai of Ptolemy' is little more than conjec-
tural. As Sir H. M. Elliot pointed out*: — ''It is strange that
no trace of Bhars is to be found in the Purftnas, unless we may
consider that there is an obscure indication of them in the Brahma
Purftna, where, it is said, that among the descendants of Jayadhwaja
are the Bh&ratas, who, it is added, are not commonly specified
on account of their great number, or they may perhaps be the
Bhargas of the Mahabh&rata subdued by Bhimsen on his Eastern
expedition.^' To this it has been replied by Mr. Sherring*
that, first, Brahmanical writers generally speak of the Dasyus
and Asuras with superciliousness and contempt, and, secondly, the
abandonment of a considerable tract of country by the Aryans was
dishonourable and not likely to be mentioned. It is, perhaps,
possible that the Bhars, like the Doms, may have established a fairly
advanced civilisation prior to their downfall. But, as Dr. Tylor
remai'ks :— " Degeneration probably operates even more actively in
the lower than the higher culture,^'' and we must be cautious
in identifying the race of fort and tank builders with the existing
Bhars ipainly on the uncertain evidence of popular tradition.
Whoever these people were, they probably succumbed before the
eastern emigration of the R&jput tribes contemporaneous with the

> I., 806.

3 ArchvtologieoX Survey, XI., 67.

s Mr. J. W. MoOrindle, Indian Antiquary, VL, 888 ; XIII., 380.

< Supplemenial Oloaary, ■. t.

• Journal Royal Aiiatie Bocidy, N. 8., V., 376. On the BharatM, Me Oppert,
Original InhaJbiianU of B^aroiavortha, 578, 9qq,

• Frimiiiv QuUurt, I., 46.

O BEAR.

Call of Kananj and the invaeion of Shihabnddtn Ohori. In Azam-
garh and Ghizipur they were driven out by the Sengar tribe, who
reckon fifteen gcneratione since their immigration ; in Mirzapur
and the adjoining part of AllahAbftd by the Gaharw&r ; in Bhadohi,
north of the Ganges, by the Monas, and farther west, in Allahl-
bAd, by the Bais, Sonak, Tissy&l, Bisen, and Nanwak ; in Eaiz&bid
and Eastern Ondh by the Bais ; and in Gorakhpur by the Kansik.
'* The overthrow of the Bhars was followeil by the establishment,
mnch as we find them now, of the principal elements of modem
Oudh society. The country was divided into a number of small
chieftainships, ruled over by clans who, whatever their real origin
may have been, all professed themselves to be of the ruling caste of
Chhatris. Many of these, such as the K&nhpuriyas of Partabgarh^
the Gaurs of Hardoi, and their offshoot the Amethiyas of lUe
Bareli are probably descendants of men or tribes who flourished
under the low caste government/' ^ How far this process may
have gone on is one of the problems connected with the lUjput
Ethnology of the eastern part of the Province. Mr. Camegy was
of opinion that the more respectable and influential Rajput cUns*
men may have fled before the then dominant rulers of the serpent
race or of the followers of Buddha; but that the mass of the
Chhatris remained and were in fact none other than the Bhars^
Chcros, and the like, and that the final overthrow of these degraded
races after the fall of Delhi was neither more nor less than the
restoration of Rajput influence in those parts where it had been
dormant, and the social reclamation of the Bhars.' Mr. Y. A«
Smith ' again believes them to have been Jains, and Mr. Millett
thinks them to be probably of Sc^'thic origin, and that the termina*
tion of their influence was coeval with the first Aryan invasion.'
The most probable supposition is that the Bhars were a Dravidian
race closely allied to the Kols, Cberos, and Seoris, who at an early
date succumbed to the invading Aryans. This is borne out by their
appearance and physique, which closely resemble that of the
undoubted non-Aryan aborigines of the Vindhyan Kaimiir plateau.
4. The last Census classes the Bhars under the main sub-castes

of Bharatlwaj, Kanaiijiya, and Rajbhar. We
find among the locally more important sub-

1 (K*iK iSatfUt^, lmln>dmtUQn, XXXV.
s J9umml dtimiU SoAtfly ^ Bengal, |Sn<

BHAK. 6

cfuates the Hela of Benares^ the Goriym of Jannpur ; in GhUzipor,
theBaltent^ Dhelphor, Dhongiya, Eharw&ra^ Ehutant^ Kinwir,
Euntel^ Mannas, Pataun, Sarpos; in Ballia, the Dhelphor and
Knlwant ; in Faizftbfid, the Bhagta, Gangoha, and B&^fts ; and in
Bahrslich, the Patolbans. The Bhars of Mirzapnr name three
endogamons Bub-divisionB— Bhar Bhmnhir^ R&jbhar, and Dnsadha^
The local P&sis represent the Bhars as merely a sub-caste of their
tribe ; but this is denied by the Bhars themselves. The Bhar
BhuinhAr assert that they are the remnant of the mUng race
among the Bhars. In support of this they wear the sacred thready
and have begun generally to call themselves Sikajbansi Bi.jpnts.
The other Bhars, they say, are the descendants of a single preg-
nant woman who escaped the general massacre of the tribe by the
Turks or Muhammadans. The DusHdha Bhars are not acknow-
ledged by the DusAdhs themselves, but the Bhars claim them as a
regular sub-caste.

5. Bhars have the usual rule of exogamy, that is they will not

intermarry in their own family or in that of

Exogamy*

their maternal uncle and fiither's sister until
four or five generations have elapsed. They prefer to marry in
those families with whom they have been accustomed for genera-
tions to eat and smoke. In Gh>rakhpur the usual sevenfold divi-
sion is made up of the Bhar, R&jbhar, Musahar, Godiya, Chain,
Patiwftn, and Tiyar, in whk^h we have several different, but possibly
originally cognate tribes mixed up. In Azamgarh^ they name
several sub-castes— Bhar, Bftjbhar,. Biyftr, Patiw&n, Bind, and
Jonkaha or '^ leech-finders.'' Ot these the Bind and Biyir are
practically independent castes, and have here been accordingly
treated 'separately* In Azamgarh the Bhars are reckoned outcasts,
but the lUjbhar are counted among Hindus. There the special
title of the Rftjbhars is Patait, and of the common Bhars Ehuntait.
The latter rear pigs, which the former do not. These divisions
intermarry, but the families who do not keep pigs will not marry
with those who do. Intercourse between the sexes is regulated by
no strict rule. If an unmarried 'girl^trigue with a clansman they
are married after a fine is exacted from the girl's father by the
tribal council. A man may take a second wife in the lifetime of
the first, with her consent, which is generally given, as it relieves

J BtlUemtnt Ripart, 88.

7 BHAE.

her of honschold work.^ In Azam^^rh the tendency seems to be
towards monogamy^ and a seeond marriag^e is allowed only when the
first wife is barren, insane, or hopelessly diseased. When a seeond
^nfe is taken she is usually a younf^er sister or close relation of the
first. Concnbinage is not permitted. They have a strong repre-
sent alive council {paneHdyai), which is presided over by a chairman
{cAaudiari), whose office is hereditary. The council deals with
ofTcncos in connection with marriage and caste usages. Illegiti*
mate children by women of other castes follow the caste of the
father, but are not allowed to eat, smoke, or intermarry with legiti-
mate Bhars. Widow marriage is permitted. Widows generally
marry widowers. The levirate is permitted but not enforced.

6. In the marriage of a widow by iaffdi the bridegroom, accom-
panied by his friends, goes to the house of
the widow, where he jiays a nominal sum
as the bride-price. They are all entertained on i)ork, boiled
rice, and pulse. The bride is dressed in ornaments and
clothes provided by her suitor. Next morning he brings her
home and announces the union by feeding his clansmen. If he be
nf»t a widower he has to perform a special ceremony. The bride
and bridegroom sit opposite each other, and a silver ring is placed
l)etwcen them. The Pandit repeats some versee, during the recital
of which the bridegroom marks the ring five times with red lead.
He then puts on the ring, and never takes it of! during his Kfe.
Oirls are usually married at the age of five or seven. In Aamgarh
marriages are reported to take place usually when the girl is nine
years of age. A girl abo\*e ten is known as rsjaiwdli, and it is a
disgrace not to have her married. The bride-price pa}'able by the
friends of the bridegroom is two-and-a-half rupees and a sheet for
the bride. In Azamgarh no bride-price is paid, and if the bride*
gloom's family is poor his friends contribute something to the
marriage expenses, which is known as iitat. Any serious physical
defect appearing in either party after marriage is recognised as a
valid ground for divorce. A wife cannot be divorced exoe|it for
adultery with a stranger to the caste. The divorce must lie with
the leave of the trilal council, who will accept no evidence short of
that of actual eye-witnesses. Marriage negotiations are carriinl on
by the maternal uncle of the liov. When the match is bcttleJ the

* 8m imUwm of thU is WciUriBMvk, HUtvr^ •/ Uummm MmnU^. 4SS.

BHAB. - S

bride's father goes to the boy's honee and gives him a mpee. Then
on a fixed day he returns with some of his clansmen " to drink
water ^' (pdni pini kd din). A square {chauk) is formed in the
court-yard, in which the boy and his future father-in-law sit oppo-
site each other. The bride^s father marks the boy^s forehead with
rice and curds, and he and his party are enteitained on rice, pork,
goat^s flesh, and wine. On this day, with the approval of the
Pandit, the wedding day is fixed. The ritual is of the usual type.
It begins with the matmangar^ or collection of earth, as practised by
allied castes. Then the pavilion {mdnro) is set up at both houses,
in which a plough-share and plantain stems are fixed, near which
the family rice-pounder and corn-mill are placed. That day the
Pandit makes the boy wear an amulet to keep oflf evil spirits.
This contains some mango leaves, an iron ring, and some mus-
tard seed. Next follows the anointing {uhtanni)^ and the sacrifice
of a young pig to Agw&n Deva, the PAnchonpir, and Phttlmati
Devi. At the last Census 25,069 people recorded themselves as
worshippers of Agwsln Deva. According to Mr. Baillie the word
means '' a leader and may be the priest (pffjdri) in any temple.
One District note states that Agwsln is a disease godling, the son of
Blja Ben, and, therefore, brother to the seven small-pox sisters/'
With many of the lower castes to the east of the province he seems
to be connected with the worship of fire {apni) in the form of the
koma. The higher class Bhars sacrifice a goat instead of a pig to the
P&nchonpir. As the procession starts the usual incantation cere-
mony {panchkan) is done by the boy's mother. The rest of the
ritual is of the usual type. At the bride's door the Pandit worships
Oauri and Oanesa, and the pair, with their clothes knotted together,
move five times round the centre pole of the shed. Next follows
the ceremony in the retiring room {kokabar), where jokes are played
on the boy by the bride's father's sister, who will not desist until
she gets a present. The rest of the ceremonial is of the customary
type.

7. During pregnancy the oldest woman in the family waves a

pice or a handful of grain over the woman's

Birth ooromoBj. , ...

head, and vows to offer a pig to Birtiha
(who is regarded as a village deity, dii), and to PhAlmati Devi, if
the confinement is easy. The Chamain midwife cuts the cord with
a sickle and buries it in the delivery room : a fire is lighted over
it, and kept burning during the period of pollution. After the sixth

9 BHAB.

day ceremony {eiiatii) the barber'a wife takes the place of the
midwife. The birth pollution ceases on the twelfth day {baraii)
when the father offers a pig and some* wine to Birtiha Deva. On
her first N'isit to the well the mother worships it and lays a little
washed rice {acAAat) on the platform. The hnsband does not cohabit
with his wife for six months after her confinement.^ The only
initiation ceremony is the usual ear-boring {ianekiedan, Jtanbedka)^
which is done at the age of 6ve or six. After this the child must
observe the caste rules of food.

8. The dead, except those who are unmarried or those dying of

cholera or small-pox, are cremated. The

Death oeromoniM. .. i. • i xl • xt

others are buned or their corpses thrown mto
running water. Within six months they are cremated in effigy
with the usual ritual. The dei^h pollution lasts ten days, during
which, daily, tbe chief mourner pours water on a bunch of ima
grass fixed in the ground on the edge of a tank as a dwelling place
for the disembodied spirit. He also daily lays out a little food for
the ghost. They shave on the tenth day and offer sacred balls
{pin^a) in the usual way. On that day uncooked grain {iid^a) is
given to Brahmans, and the clansmen are fed on pork, boiled rice,
and wine.

9. Bhars are hardly ever initiated into any one of the regular

Hindu sects, llieir tribal deities are Agwftn
De^-a, PhAlmati Bhawftni, the Pinchonpir^
generally represented by PariliAr, and a deified ghoot known as
Banru Bir. The Pincbonpir are worshipped in the months of Jeth
or Kuir with fowls and cakes {mat Ma), The other deities require
the sacrifice of a pig or goat and an oblation of wine. In Gorakh«
pur the tribal godlings are Kilika and Kii>hi Dis Baba, a deified
BhAt. His platform is in a jungle in the Deoriya Tahstl. There
they go once a year to woniiip him with an offering of cakes, rice,
milk, and curds. Kilika b worshipped in the bouse or in the field
when it is ready for the sowing of the spring crop. Her favourite
offering is a young, tat pig. According to Mr. Baillie, Kishi Die
is particularly woriihipped by Ahin in the Eastern Districts. It is
uncertain whether in life be was a Brihman or an Abtr. His
votaries number, according to the last Census returns, 172,599.*
They have the usual feast to the dead in Kuir. Their religious

I Ob tids M« WMtonMrek, HUiary of Hmm^mm MmrHm§4, 488» ff.
> A f wtlMr mo9tmm% dlUm W sItm mm&m Bimd, •.

BHAR.

duties are done by BrihmanB of the low village class. Thejr observe
the festivals of the Phagoa^ Dasami, Diwili, Kajari, Khichaii, and
Tij. A special sacrifice of a pig is made to the*>vil spirits who
reside in the old fig trees of the village. This is done in Agfaaa.
Some go to Oaya to perform Ae srdddka ceremony. The ptpal taee
is regarded as the abode of Yasudeva, and women bow and cover their
faces as they pass it.

10. Women are tattooed on the arms. A pig or an ass is re*

garded as a lucky meeting omen. Women
wear gla^s bangles (ekin) on the wrist, bead
necklaces^ nose rings, {naikiya), ear ornaments (iaranpkul), and
anklets (pairi). Men wear a gold coin {moiar) round the neck.
Children have two names, one given by the Pandit, which is kept
secret, and the other, for ordinary nse, selected by the parents. Hiey
swear on Ganges water, on the head of a son, and standingin water,
and in the phrases Bdma irija, Bdma dukdi, Ganga mdi krifa,
Bkawdni krifa. They believe in magic and witchcraft, but do not
practice these arts themselves. They believe in demoniacal posses-
sion and the Bvil-eye, and in such cases call in an Qjha to treat the
patient. They will not kill the cow. They will not touch a Dhobi,
Hela, Dom, or Dhark&r, nor the younger brother's wife, nor the
wife of the senior brother-in-law. Tiiej will not call their wives by
their name. They drink liquor freely and cat the flesh of goats,
sheep, deer, etc-, but they will not eat the meat of the cow, crocodile,
monkey, horse, jackal, or fowls. During the fortnight in Kuir
sacred to the worship of the sainted dead {pUra pakfka), they ab-
stain from meat. Among themselves they use the salutation sal dm ^
and address other low castes in the form Bdm ! Sdm ! which is also
used to the feither-in-law of their daughters. Women who assist the
men in work are treated &urly well. They eat kaehehi and pakki
cooked by Brahmans. Like all Hindus they eat pukki cooked by
Halwiis or Chhatris, and, in fact, all Yaisyas, except Kalwftrs,
Doms, Dharkirs, and similar menials, eat kaeheki cooked bv them.
10, They are usually employed as day-kbourers and plough-
^^ men. A few are tenants without occupancy

rights. Settle of them have rather an equi-
vocal reputation. They are occasionally burglars and field thieves,
and they have been known to combine for road robbery and dacoity.
The Bhars of Bhadohi, in the Alirzapur District, arc nothing short
of a pest to their respectable neighbours at harvest time, and much

BHAR.

of the labour spent on field watching is due to their depredations.
Of the Oudh Bhars^ it is 8aid«»"In appearance they resemble
low caste Hindus, KoriS| and ChamArs ; and I have not noticed any
Mongolian traits in their physiognomy. They have, however, one
striking peculiarity in common with the ThArus — their hatred of
the culti\^ted plain. When land has attained a certain pitx;h of
cultivation they atwaj^s leave it for some less hospitable spot, and
their lives are spent in wandering from jungle to jungle. They
commence the struggle with nature, and after the first and most
difficult victory over disease and wild beasts, leave it to the Kurmis
and Alurs to gather the fruits of their desultory energy* They are
very timid, very honest and keen sportsmen, untiring in pursuit,
and excellent shots with their long guns. They show the influenoo
of orthodox Hinduism in sparing the nilgai, but are fond of the
flesh of pigs, washing down their feasts with copious draughts of
sprits of rice or mahua.'^ They offer goats to Samai, and decapitate
chickens before the snake god Kird Deo. Their worship of Bans*
pati M4i is more Hindu in its character, and their pure offering
of grain and clarified butter are handed over to be eaten by a
Brahman. The worshippers of Banspati Mai according to the last
Census returns amounted to 16,4S9 persons. Marriages are con-
tracted without the intervention of a Pandit, and with the rites in
use among other low castes, such as Koris and Chamirs. With a
magnificent assumption of rights not recognised by our law, a
bride's father makes over in gift {ianialap) to the bridegroom a
■mall patch of forest to clear and cultivate.'.

Duiribuiiim iff tke Bkar$ according io tic Ccm$mt of 1891.

DisraicT.

Bhind.

wAj.

Kaoan-
jija.

BAJbhar.

Othin.

TOTAl..

ftkhirmapiir

•••

...

Hoiafljiniagmr .

...

118

MorAdAbld

...

••«

.••

PUibkll .

•*•

••.

...

I Oudh Qaa^Utr, U UL

> Ob tLU oBflUMi MB LBbboBk, Origin «/ CiwOU^ti^m, iU i Bod
10.

pBTB

BHAB.

bhAradwaj.

Distribution of ike Bhan according to ike Cemue of 1891 ^oonold.

District.

Allah&bftd

Benares •

Mlrzapnr

Jatinpur •

Oh&zipar

B&llia

Qorakhpnr

Baiifci

Azamgarh

Luoknow

Un4o

B&dBareli

Hardoi

Kheri .

FaixAHAd .

Gonda •

Bahriich .

SultAnpor

Part4bgarh

Bh&rad-

•••

86
1,498

2,562

•••

Total

•••

4146

Eanan-
jiya.

•••

, ••

1,258
14

090

•••

2,800

Bijbhar.

5
28,141

2,284
16,048

1,965
47,608
19,094
15,820
25,094

2Q,014

714

1,041

1.77,858

Others.

14,490

858

7,732

58,021

9,906

53,838

6,789

62,711

6,855

9320

608

2,063

2,38,441

Total.

42,631

3,142

23^18

59,986

58,860

73,944

22,609

91,357

26369

10,538

610

8,104

4,17,745

|.— (Sanskrit, BU
bearing food; a skylark.)— A
common appellation for BrAl

T&ja^ Bharadwija^ bringing or
-t ~* ""^jpmti. It ia a

•*

bbIradwAj

BHAEBHtNjJL.

Distribuiitm of tie Bkdradwdj RdjpmU according to ike Cemui of

189J.

DitTBICT.

Number.

DitTKXOT.

Nomber.

SahArmnpar •

LaUtpor

■ • •

Meerui

Benara

* • •

BuUndshahr . • •

GhAzipar

» • •

Acpra • • • •

' Gorakhpur .

» • •

EUh . • . •

Baiti .

» • •

MorAdabAd .

1 Atamgarh

» • •

Cawopnr • •

Laekoow

• •

BindA . • . •

RAdB^reU .

0 •

JAlAnn m » m

Total

299

Bharbhftiga.'— (Santkrit biraiitra, a frying pan; binj, to
fry.) — The caAte of grain parchers. They are also known as Bh&j^
Bhujua, and Bhurji. As a porely occupational tribe their sub-
divisions are somewhat confused. At the last Census they were
recorded under no less than three hundred and sixty-four sub-
castes for the Hindu and forty for the Muhammadan branch.
These are of the familiar type. Some illustrate some real or
supposed connection with other castes and tribes, such as the
Bhadauriya, ChaubA, Chauhin, Kanjar, Klyasth, Khatri, Lodhi,
Rlthaur, Baddhik, Teliyabans, and the like. Others are local sub-
divisions like Audhbisi, BAtham (of Srivasti), Bhatnigar, Desi,
Gangai>iri, Ilamtrpuriya, Kananjiyai Jannpuriya, Mathuriya, and so
on. The last Census classifies them under the main heads of Bhat«
nAgar, Jagjidon, Kaithiya, KAn^ Rithaur, 8aksen% and Sribistab.
Of these, by far the most numerous are the Kanaujiyas and Saksenas,
The Bhatnlgar are said to derive their name from the old town of

sftskools

.BanttJj

•oqoiriM al MirtRpar
iA Affia, Mf . W. H. O'M.

•ota by Um I>«patj laapMlor
vs. Baflli« aad Maaaki H^As

fe.

BH^BBH^NJA. 14

Bhatner in the Bikaner State ; the Jagjfidons assert a connection
with the JMon Bajputs; the Kaithiya with Kayasths, as the
Bhujaris of the Dakkhin say they are K^yasths from Upper
India ;^ the Kandu is usually treated as a separate caste; the
Bathaur claim descent from the Bajput tribe of that name ; the
Saksena and the Sribistab are said to be derived from the two
ancient cites of Sankisa in the Farrukhabid District, and SriLvasti
or Sahet-Mahet in the Oonda District. But this does not
exhaust the list of the sub-divisions. Thus in Agra, they divide
themselves into Saksena, SrivSst&vya or Srib&stab, Kandu, Lakhau-
tiya, Dhankuta or paddy pounders, and Sanksa, who are probably
identical with the Saksena. In Mirzapur they are sometimes
called Kindu ; but the two tribes are said not to be identical, as
the real K&ndus do not parch grain at all, and distinguish them-
selves from the Bharbhfinjas by calling themselves Madhesiya
KUndu, or those of "the middle land.'' Here, however, Bhar-
bhiinjas regard K&ndus as a sub-division of their caste, and say that
they have really three main sub-divisions — Kanaujiya, Kandu, and
Dhtmar. Kanaujiyas have again two sections, Purbiya or Eastern,
and Pachhiwaha or Western, and to these the true Bharbhiinjas
say they belong. These two sections admittedly intermarry ; and
it is alleged that quite recently, or even occasionally, at present,
Dhtmars and Kandus intermarry. But this is more than doubtful.
In Bareilly, again, there are said to be three endogamous sections,
Saksena, Kab&riya, and Kandiya, while in B&nda the caste is known
as KsLndua, Benrkiita, or "pounders of the castor-oil seed,'' and
TilbhAnja, or "parchers of sesamum," and has three endogamous
sections— Teliya, Bhunjua^ and Dophansiya, or " two-noose men."
It thus appears that the internal organisation of the caste is at
present in a state of transition, and that the tendency is to break
up into an increasing number of endogamous sections which will
probably in time form a number of so-called separate castes.

The sections are, as has been said, almost certainly all endoga-
mous, and they seem generally to practise
the ordinary rule of exogamy which bars
the Une of the paternal and maternal uncle and aunt. Widow mar-
riage by the forms known as sagdi, idj, or iardo^ and the levirate
prevail.

* Bombay aatelker, XVI., 60.

16 bharbh<)njA.

8. To the east of the Province they are usiially of the Vaish-

nava eect and worship the P&nchon Fir and
liardiya Deva or Ilardaur Lftla, the cholera
^ling, whose worehipi^rs at the last Census amounted to 5,034
persons; and worshippers of these two different deities are said
usually not to intermarry. In Bareilly their tribal godling is
Chanda Kartal, of whom nothing appears to be known* In Binda
and Fateh(nir they are said to be generally Saktas and worshippers
of Devi, Mahade\'a, and Malidbtr. The offerings consist of rice,
goats, spirits, flowers, and money. Devi and Mahideva are wor-
shipped on Mondays, and Mahabtr on Tuesdays,

4. They eat goat's mesX and the flesh of deer and similar

animals, except when they have been reeu«
larly initiated or have taken the vow of a
Bhagat. All high castes can eat paiH from their hands, and
Kahirs and Nais will eat kacheki. They will not eat kaekeki cooked
by any caste but their own, and will take pakki cooked by any
Br&hman, Kshatriya, or Yaisya. According to Mr. Hoey^ there
are in Lucknow '' three classes of grain parchcrs. The poorest are
those who merely parch grain for those who bring it* They receive
one paUa per itr on expensive grain and a quarter pai$a per 9er
on cheap grain. A stage above these are grain-parchers, who buy
grain and store it and sell parched grain. These are termed Char«
banfarosh. Above both of these is a much more comfortable class
who buy rice in the autumn and store iU They make Idi^ ekiura^
and kkUt which are in daily demand, and also in special demand at
the Diwali and on occasion of fairs, etc. There arc some Bhurjia
especially welUoff who have their oven in the immediate neighbour-
hoiid of large grain markets. Merchants who import grain treat
tlu*se very liberally, and think nothing of flinging down a couple of
$er9 of grain and taking in exchange half a «^ of parched grain
(ek^b^na).** The work they do, and particularly the heavy part of
it, which oomiists in sweeping up dry leaves for fuel, tends to lower
tlk*m in i^opular estimation. It is a favourite curse to wish an
enemy tliat he may some day come to st4>ke the kiln of a grain-
liareher, and a common proverb is Bkafbku^jd ki Urki ktssr kd
iikd ^ilie grain-fiarcher's slut with saffron on her fordiead.''

JV<Mioyrdyfc «m TfJUs amd Mmm^|^cimfU9 Tt.

iRBU^NJ

I. 16 1

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Vol. II

« i

bharsaiyAn. 20 bhAt.

! Bharsaiyan^ Bharsiyan. — A sept of Rajputs found in Sul-

tanpur. The word is a corruption of Bhainsauliy&n, or natives of
Bbainsaul, whence the sept derives its origin. They are not shown
separately in the returns of the last Census. They are said to be
originally Chauhans of Mainpuri. Their leader into Oadh was
Karan Sinh, who married into a Bais family. One of his successors,
Biz Sinh, was converted to Islam in the reign of Shtr Shah, and
received the title of Khan-i-Azam Bhainsauliy&n. His descend-
ants are manifestly the Chauhin-i-nau-Muslim, alluded to in the
Ain-i-Akbari as occupying the Inhauna Pargana,^

Bhat.*— (Sanskrit, bkatla, "lord," probably connected with
bhartriy "a cherisher,'' "nourisher''),— A caste of family bards
and genealogists. Traditionally they ai-e generally supposed to
be descended from the intercourse of a Chhatri and a Br&hman
widow. Many legends are told of their origin. Some believe them
to be " the modem representatives of the Magadha spoken of in
Mann as the offspring of a Yaisya father and a Kshatriya mother.
Lassen regards this mythical pedigree as a theoretical explanation
of the fact that the professional singers of the praises of great men
had come by Manu's time to be regarded a distinct class. Zimmer^
on the other hand, seems to take the tradition more seriously and
speaks of the Magadha as admixed class," out of which, as we
learn by numerous passages in later writings, a guild of singers
arose, who devoting themselves to the deeds of the Kosala-Videha
and Kuru Panchala may have laid the foundation of the epio
poems/" Sir John Malcolm says* : — " According to the fable of
their origin, MahAdeva first created BhUts to attend to his lion and
bull ; but the former killing the latter every day gave him infinite
vexation and trouble in creating new ones. He, therefore formed
the Ch&ran, equally devout as the Bhftt, but of bolder spirit, and gave
him charge of these favourite animals. From that period no bull
was ever destroyed by the Hon," By another account.—'' Onoe upon
a time Brahma performed a sacrifice when two men appeared and
stood before the sacrificial fire. When Mahakali saw that they were

> SuIidnpiirSe(eitfm«n(B€pcre, 178.

s Based on enqairies at Minapnr and notes by Pandit Baldeo Praaid, Depntj
Collector, Cawnpor; Biba Jay Gopal Banerji, BA« Bareli. Bibn MAl Chand,
Sabordinate Judge, Konrh, Minapnr ; BAbn Sinwal DAs, Depn^ CoUeotor,
Hardoi.

* Bialey, Trihtt and Caiitm, L,9S,

« Ceniral Indw. n..

21 bhAt*

dying o£ thirst she gave them suck from her breasts, and named
them Migadha and SAta. The Migadha Brfthmans settled in the
East and the Bhit Brihmans are their desoendants; the S&ta
sGttle<l in the West, and from them sprang the Bhats/' By another
legend, when Kali destroyed the Rikshasas she formed a figure
oat of her sweat and breathed life into it, so that it might record
her victory.

2. Again, according to Mr. Nesfield, the Bh&ts are an ''offshoot
from those secularised Brahmans who frequented the courts of
princes and the camps of warriors, recited their praises in public,
and kept records of their genealogies. Such without much variation
is the function of the Bh&t at the present day. The ancient epic
known as the Mahibhirata speaks of a band of bards and eulo*
gists marching in front of Yudhishthira as he nuule hia progress
from the field of Kurukshetra towards Hastinapur. But these
very men arc spoken of in the same poem as Br&hmans* Nothing
could be more natural than that, as time went on, these courtier-
priests should have become hereditary bards, who receded from the
|)arent stem and founded a new caste bound together by mutual
interests and sympathies. There are several facts in support of
this theory, that one of the sub-castes is called Baram or Biram
Bhlt ; that some Oaur Brahmans still act as bards and genealo-
gists ; that the Bhit still wears the sacred thread, and is addressed
by the lower caste by the Brahman title of Mahirija; and lastly,
that by an obvious survival of Brihmanioal titles, t he Bhit's em-
ployer is called jajmditf " he who gives the sacrifice,'' while the
Bhit himself is cMedJa^waJdJai or jiekak, '' the priest by whom
the sacrifice is performed/' To this Mr. Risley objects that *' if
the Bhits of the present day are descended solely from a class of
degraded Brihmans, if, in other words, they are a homogeneous
oflEshoot from the priestly cUss, how do they come to have a number
of sections which are certainly not Brihmanical, and which appear
rather to resemble the territorial exogamous groups common among
the RAjputs ? Brihmans, however degraded, hold fast to their
characteristic series of e|)onymous sections^ and I know of no case
in which it can be shown that they have adopted section names of
a different ty|«. On the other liand, there is nothing specially im-
probable in the conje4*ture that Uijpats may have taken up the
professiim of Ijard to the chiefs of their tribe, and thus may, in cuurse
of time, have become incorporated in the Bhit cast«. It will be

Vol. 11. •

bhIt. 22

teen that this solution of the difficulty in no way conflicts with
Mr. Nesfield's view, but merely modifies it by introducing a second
factor into the formation of the caste. Mr. Nesfield regards the
Bhftts as a homogeneous functional group thrown off by the
Br&hmans. I look upon them as a heterogeneous group made up
of Brahmans and R&jputs welded together into one caste by virtue
of their exercising similar functions. I may add, however, that the
inviolability of the Bhftt^s person, which was admitted in Western
India towards the end of the last century, makes rather for Mr,
Nesfield's view than for mine; while the theory of Roth and
Zimmer; that the first germ of the Br&hman caste is to be sought
in the singers of Vedic times, may perhaps be deemed to tell in the
same direction/^ At the last Census the Bh&ts were recorded under
no less than nine hundred and oxty-eight sub-castes for the Hindu
and one hundred and sixty-one for the Muhammadan branch. The
analysis of the sub-castes goes on the whole to suj^rt Mr. Risley'a
theory. We find very few distinctively Brfthmanical titles, such
as Ach&rya, Bhftradwftja, Dikshit, Gangaputra, Oaur, Sftudilya^
S&raswata> or Sarwariya, but many either of purely local origin,
such as Bhatn&gar, Dakkhinwir, Dalpuriya, Dilliwftl, Hamirpuri,
Hastinapuri, Jaiswir, Jaunpuriya^ Mathuriya, and the like ; and
many derived from the names of existing Rftjput or other tribes,
such as Bargfljar, Bargy&n, Bhadauriya, Bundel, Chandrabansi,
Kachhw&ha, Rithaur, Sakarwir, and so on.

d. The structural division of the caste is not very well defined.

At the last Census in these Provinces they

internal Btrnotare. t -i i • i

were recorded under mne main endogamous
sab-castes : Bh&radwftja, *' the lark, the bringer of food,^' which is
a potra title common to Brfthmans and other castes; Biram or
Brahman Bh&ts ; Dasaundhi, of which there are at least two deriv-
ations, either from the Hindi daaaundk, or *' receiver of tithes, ^' or
Sanskrit dasa-pandHa, in the sense of " reader of the stars,' ' '* an
astrologer,^' which is more probable; Oajbhtm; J&ga (Sanskrit
falsi fa, " to be sacrificed or worshipped '') ; Keliya ; Mahap&tra ;
Rid; and Rfljbhit. Among the sub- castes locally important we
find in Bulandshahr the Sapahar; in Mathura, the Barwftr; in
Etiwah, the Athsaila and Barwa; in Cawnpur, the Lahauri; in
Allahibftd, the Oangwir ; in Ohizipur, the Bandijan ; in Azamgarh,
t Lakhauriya : in U and Sitapur, the Kanaujiya : in RAd
eli, the An iii; : in Faiz&btd, the Athsaila, Bandijan

23 bhXt.

Dakkhinwar, and Gan^pvAr ; in Gonda, the Baeoriya; in Sultftnpur, the
(}adh, Gan^&r, Madhuriy% and Rina; in Partibgarh, the Gadhwa,
Oangwar, and Jujhaina; in Birabanki, the Basodhiya. Sir H. M.
Elliot has given a very oomplete aocoont of the Bhits in these pro-
vinces :— '' By some tribes the Bh&t and Ji^ are considered synony-
mous, but those who pretend to greater accuracy distinguish them
)y calling the former BirmbhAt or BIdi, and the latter Jflgabhit.
The former recite the deeds of ancestors at weddings and other
festive occasions ; the latter keep the family records, particularly of
Rajputs, and are entitled by right of succession to retain the office,
whereas the Birmbhats are hired and paid for the particular occasion.
Jagabhdts pay visits to their constituents every two or three years, ^
and receive perquisites to which they are entitled. After recording
all the births which have taken place since their last tour, they are
remunerated with rupees, cattle, or clothes, according to the ability
t)f the registering party. Those of the North- Western lUjputs
inenerally reside between the borders of Rajputftna and the Delhi
territory. Many also live at Diranagar on the Ganges, and travel
to the remote East to collect their fees ; whereas the Birmbhats are
resident in towns and do not emigrate periodically. Both of thetsc
crIaMies are held in the same dread for their exactions, which are
hatisfied by their constituents for fear of being lampooned and paraded
in effigy before the other members of the family. Several com-
munities of Bhits reside in the north of Oudh, and a few are scat-
teral over these Provinces. In Rohilkhand the occupation of Bhats
aK lAfds is frequently usurped by Ganr Brihmans. There are
hoveral HulMlivisiuns of the Bhats of these provinces, and an attempt
iH Mimetimos made, as with many other classes, to reduce them
to the definite number of seven, vii. — Ath8aih^ Mahlpitra,
Koliya, Mainpuriwila, Jangira, Bhatara, and Dasaundhi. But
there are several which are not included under these heads, as
(?hauriihi, Gajbhim, ChungelA, Gujariwila, Sikatpuriya, Nagauri,
Barua, etc., which shows that the classification into seven is n<it
r«»rfwt.

4. Thin, however, d<ies not exhaust the sul>-di visions of the
Hhati*. Thus, in Mirza|mr, they are divided into the Jagawa or
Jsga, Bar|iagwa, " t hone who wear a large turban/' Phulwariya,
**iif till* ilower ganlen," Daeaunilhi, Kaviraj, or poets, Kewat
M Hhat, (»r thoM* attai^hnl to the Kewat caste, and the MuaalmAni.
TIr* Hindu Bhatjt ha\t*, Ijenidew, a number of goirat or sections w4iicli

BEAT. 24

are identical with thoee of Brilhmans. The Dasaundhi^ agtun^ who
call themselves Jasaundhi, and derive their name from the Hindi
Jas, Sanskrit, yasas, " gloiy, '' are sub-divided into Ealsa, Patha;,
and Eulin. In Hardoi they give their sub-divisions as Keliysy
Mahapatra or ''prime minister/^ Athsaila^ Bharadwaja, Mohan-
miirat, Bhatara, ChangelS^ and Brahmbh&t. In R&d Bareli they
give their sub-divisions as Banswariya, Mah&p&tra, Keliya,
Athsaila, Gajbhim, Gohorwiriwal, Jaisaii ka Bhatra, Pihaniwal^
Mainpuri k& Bhatra, Pitarpuri Bauwa, Senbasiya, Kattaha,
Dospuriya^ Pipariha^ Dukanha, Oangwar^ Bhagtaha, Majh-
gftnwiya, Sirohiw&l, Lahariwal, NagrauiyaA, Ghoraha, Nabi-
nagar k& langota, Grai*hwap&ri, Ghaurasiya^ and Katiha. These
are said to be exogamous sections, many of which are of the terri-
torial type. Among these the Keliya, Mahap&tra, Banswariya,
Athsaila, Gajbhim, Gohorwariw^I^ and Jaisari k& Bhatra are re-
garded as superior and practise a form of hypergamy, taking brides
from the other sections, but not giving them their daughters in
return. In Bareilly, again^ there are two sub-divisions of the
Jiga sub-caste who are Muhanmiadans — the SarhS ttn ghar or
*' three and a half houses, '^ and the Das ghar or ** ten houses/' of
whom the former practise hypergamy with the latter.

5. Where there are exogamous sections or gotras the role of
^, . , exofin^my follows the standard formula as in

Marmge rmee. ^ "

the case of the higher castes ; in other places,
as in Mirzapur, they will not marry their sister's daughter, father's
sister^s daughter, brother-in-laVs daughter maternal uncle's
daughter, or any member of their own family {in I), They can
marry a sister-in-law, but not if she be older than the first wife,
because, by virtue of the giving away of the bride (kau^dddn), the
younger sister is considered daughter of the elder. Marriage ig
carried out in infancy, and it is only when the parents are very poor
that the marriage of a daughter is deferred until puberty, and then
it involves social discredit. It is usual for parents to give a dowry
with the bride, which becomes the property of the bridegroom's
parents. Some of the poorer Bhats take a bride-price; but this
is considered disgraceful. This payment, however, appears to be
generally given by old men or widowers who would otherwise find
it difficult to marry. Widow marriage and the levirate are both
prohibited.

25 duIt

6. All the domeetio ceremoniee are of the orthodox type. When

a 8on is bom the Handi mukk 9rdddka Ib

Domettio o«r«moiiiet. ...

performed, and in marriage the giving away
of the bride (kan^dJdn) \% the binding part of the ceremony. They
Eollow the ordinary Ilindu law of inheritance.

7. Those in the Eastern Districts have an absurd story that
The MnhammadAii they were in the service of Chait Sinh and

• were forcibly converted to I&l&m by Mr.

Jonathan Duncan in revenge for some advice they gave to their
master. Others to the West say that they were converted by the
orders of Shab&b-ud-din Ghori. They pmctise a curious mixture of
Ilindu and Muhammadan rites. At marriage they call in a Pandit,
collect the sacred earth (matmangar), erect a marriage shed, give
away the bride, and make the pair perform the usual circumambu-
lations. When this is all over they send for the Qazi, and the
nikdk is read in the usual Muhammadan fashion. They are a
miserable sort of people, who wander about singing at lespectable
houties. They are more violent and abusive in their language if not
suitably rewarded than their Ilindu brethren. In Mirzapur they
have exogamous sub-divisions, such as Jiga, Kaiijriwal, or those
attached to the Kanjar vagrants, Khawini, R&jbhat, and Bandijan.
In some places the title of Jiga seems to be appropriated to them.
They circumcise their boys and bury their dead in the usual
Muhammadan fashion, but they do a sort of irdddka and pay
annual worship to the f^pirits of the dead as Hindus do.

8. The Hindu Bhats are orthodox Hindus. They are usually
Tb« r«Uffkm of Um either Vaifrhnavas or Siktas. In Mirzapur,

Hinda bAu. ^j^ Worship, in addition to the ordinary

gods, of whom the most venerated is Siva in the form o£ Gauripati,
Bar« Bir, Mahibir, and Sirda. Bai« Bir, who appears to be the
deified ghost of some worthy of the tribe, is honoured by making
a plastered square in the court-yard and placing within it a lighted
lamp. To Ganripati they offer a burnt sacrifice {kam) and some
sweets {laddm) on the bat day of BaiUkh in the family kitchen.
Mah&bir is worshipped on a Tuesday in the month of Baisikh by
painting a representation of him on the back of a brass tray with
red lead. This is placed on a stool, and the eldest male or female
menilier of the family bathes, marks his or her forehead with vandal,
and offers to the god sweet cakes (roO* U*idu sweetmeats, a
Brihmanieal thread (;«fi^s)» gi^h^* <'f flc»wers, a small loin cloth

boAt. 26

(langnfi)^ and a head-dress (pdta). Then a fire sacrifice {hom) is
made, and the articles offered are distributed among the members of
the family. By the Census Returns only 381 persons have recorded
themselves as exclusive worshippers of Mahibir ; but this is made up
for by 937^493 worshippers of Hanum&n. Sarda is a corruption
of the name of the goddess Saraswati, the patroness of learning ;
she is not worshipped in any systematic way, but is invoked when-
ever they commence their recitations. The Census shows that
Saraswati has 5,3 1 1 exclusive worshippers. In common with many
of the lower castes, they also worship Birtiya on a Wednesday in the
month of Aghan. A ChamsLr Ojha is selected, and he in front of
the house makes a sacrifice of a young pig and some turmeric. The
head of the victim is buried deep in the ground, and the rest of the
meat is taken by the Ojha, who also gets some uncooked grain and
a few pice. Their other domestic ceremonies are done by Sarwariya
Br&hmans. In other parts of the Eastern Districts they worship
Bhawani and Devi, particularly when epidemic disease prevails.
9. No account of the Bhats would be complete without some
Th ChAra reference to the Ch&rans, though they are

hardly to be found in this part of India. In
Chijar4t they are Vaishnavas, and find employment in the Courts of
Native Princes or in the families of private gentlemen. Many go
from place to place and earn a living by reciting the pedigrees and
family achievements of those from whom they ask alms. They
wear on their persons a variety of ornaments, such as the earring,
necklace, anklets, etc., and by way of arms they carry a sort of
sword. They are cultivators and have enough money to lend at
interest. There are not a few who stand security for a consideration.
They are a warm-blooded and passionate people, as many acts of
theirs in past times testify.^ They had, some years ago, a ready
way of extorting money, or the fulfilment of a pledge made to them.
If a man refused to keep a promise made to them they brought a
girl or an old woman of their family to the house of the defaulter
and threatened to kill or did actually kill her. Not a century ago
the faith placed in the word of a Bhat was perhaps the only way of
obtaining the feeling of security necessary to conduct business of
any kind. All men, from the prince to the peasant, trusted to the
Bhat or Charan that he would keep his ward or die. Soon after the

> Fur tbo immunity r>f the Bh4U o M f* th« iMnUd in elafwioal

litorature— /It(i(i. I.. 33i : iflHobyloi, Jfi ^siMtM] A.

27 bhAt.

advent of the British the use of this intermediary collapfiod, and the
bad pointB in his character came into relief ; but his good work in
past times should not be overlooked. By violent threats to kill some
member of their family, the Bhits for a long time, and up to quite
recent times, were able to extort money or the accomplishment of
any promise made to them ; but the late Mahirija Khandd BAo
enacted a special provision of law to meet these cases of extortion
and put an end to them. The Bh&t women areas bold, voluble, and
ready in retort as the men. When a Bhit woman passes a male
caste-fellow on the road, it is the latter who raises a piece of cloth to
his face till the woman is out of sight.

lO. The Ch4rans,^ as they are called, still fill a large place in
the society of Western India, though their services as bards and
genealogists are less in demand than they were in the old days
They are, nevertheless, consideredi from their calling, to bear a
sacred character, and any injury done to one of them will bring
down an anathema on the head of the e\il-doer, which no amount of
penance will wash away. The awe they inspire is as great with
the R&jput chief as with the ilUterate Bhil. They are also the
principal carriers of the country, and as such enjoy immunity from
taxation, to which the rest of the community ha>-e to submit When
the Chiran cannot obtain what he wants, or considers he has been
unjustly dealt with, he will resort to what is known as tragya^ or
self-sacrifice, by cutting or wounding himself, or perhaps taking the
life of some member of his family, in order that the blood of the
victim may rest upon the head of his oppressor ; and so great is the
dread inspired by even the mere threat of carrying out this act that
a ready acquiescence is generally given to all demands. The death
of a ChAran by his own hands would be considered by the outside
world a sort of excommunication of * the cUef , against which the
latter would find it almost hopeless to contend. Ili^lding sudi a
formidable weapon over the heads of all aliki*, high or low, the
CliAran becomes overbearing and avaricious, and consequently they
are a riawt difficult to manage. Membi*rs' of the trilie are to be
found travelling over the length and breadth of India, with th(*ir
dn>ves (»f |taek-bullocks, by means of which, notwithstanding the
increased roiUage of railways of late velars, a great part of the
enormous trade of that vant continent is ktill transported to its

* SvtlH InJiaA .Vu/f a iiii.l <ytirrir«, Ju^j ISKI.

fe.

BBAT. 28

deBtination. It might have been thought that the railway would have
mateiially reduced their profits, and although it has curtailed the
sphere of their operations, it has obliged them to open up fresh lines
of traffic, and to become feeders to the various lines of railway.
Salt, grain, and seeds form the principal articles of transport by
means of their caravans. The loads are carried in strong thick bags
thrown across the backs of the bullocks without any rope or strap
to fasten them, but merely balanced on them^ and after the day's
march is over the bags are piled in stacks, around which the Niik,
his family, and companions keep guard duiing the night, although
the sacred calling of tribe and the dread of their anathema are quite
sufficient to insure them immunity from all plunderers. There is
no more picturesque sight than one of these large caravans wending
its way along the high road. The men and women are invariably
on foot and distributed along the drove of bullocks, re -loading a
beast which may have thrown his pack^ or balancing and adjusting
another as the case may be. The men with their large, loosely-
folded turbans, white flowing robes, many of them with necklaces,
generally of gold, about their |)erson, form a pleading contrast to
the women in their brightly-coloured garments, with large couical
caps adorned with gold and silver chains and small bells, from which
is pendant a light richly -coloured scarf hanging gracefully over the
shoulders. Tall and upright in figure, lithe and active, often with
pleasing features and not an ovei-dark skin, her petticoat of one
colour, her boddice of another, but somewhat brighter, her jet-black
hair bound up and entwined with gold and silver coins, her anna
encased from wrist to elbow in bracelets of white and coloured ivory,
bangles of silver on her ankles, and the high conical cap profusely
ornamented on her head, the matron presents a picture which once
seen is not easily forgotten. As bard of the chief, the Chai*an occu-
pies an exalted position, and is one of the retainers always about his
person, and frequently the medium of communication on difficult
and delicate missions, such as an alliance in marriage, when he is
the bearer of the cocoanut, which is the emblem sent on such occa-
sions, lie used invariab y to accompany him in all his expeditions
against his enemies, in order that he might tiunscribe in glowing
verse the deeds of prowess done by his cliief and the clan. The
genealogy of the family is in his keeping, and he can recount from
memory all the stirring events connected with the history of the
house, which have been orally handed down to him by his father

29 bhIt.

before him. Like the Scald of the ancient Norseman, the bard
delip^hts in narrating in open darbftr when called upon by his lord,
some inspiring themes connected with the fortunes of the family.
It is then, surrounded by an admiring and sympathetic audience,
that he will launch out in the flowery language of his country, and
with magical effect stir the hearts of his listeners with the thrilling
account of how their ancestors fought in defence of their homes and
their race, and fell covered with wounds, performing deeds that
have left them deathless names, and how by emulating their
example and treading in their footsteps they will make resplendent
the blood of their ancient line. All this has in these days become
utterly unreal, but the respect with which the bard is regarded when
he recalls the most stirring memories of the race is not matter for
surprise.

11. In social position the Bh&t ranks fairly high, and is as
particular in eating and drinking as a Brfthman : but he bears an
indifferent reputation for volubility and abusive language. One
proverb about them is,^

Bidt, Bkaiifdri, Beiwa, iinon fdi knjdi :
Ale kd ddar karen ;jdi ma pdckhen hdi.

" The bard, the inn-keeper, and the harlot are a bad lot : when
you come they are civil ; when you go they care nothing.''

Bamfdk ddia, Thakmrak kin,
Baid^ka pit byddk ma eAM,
Bkdtak ekmPt bawak «4n7,
Kak^n Gkdgk'^pdmekom pkmr gait,

" A generous Banya, a mean Rijput, a physician's son who can-
not diagnose disease, a silent Bhit« and an unclean courtcMU — all
five, says Ohigb, are on the road to muu'^

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Vol II.

BHATHIYiRA. 34

Bhathiyara^^ — (Sanskrit, Bhrishtakdra^ "a preparer of roaBted
and fried meat''). — The keepers of inns and cooking-honses and
gellers of tobacco. Their business is the entertainment of travel-
lers, and their functions thus trench on the occupations of the
baker {ndnbdi) ; the preparer and seller of fried meat (iabdb/arosA),
and the tobacconist (lambdiuwdla). They trace their origin to
Salim Sh&h, son of Shir Sh&h, who reigned between 1545 and 1552
A. D., and one tradition makes them out to be the descendants of
members of the household establishments of Shir Shfth and Salim
Shfth, who, after the overthrow of their masters by Hum&yun, were
doomed to servitude as attendants on travellers. The real name of
Salim Sh&h was Jal&l or Islftm Shah, and both he and his &ther
still live in the traditions of the people. One proverb about them
is Kya legdya Skit &hdh ? Kpa legd^a Salim 8hdh /"— «' In spite
of their greatness what has Shir Shfth or Salim Shah taken with
him to the grave ? '\ Another is Shir Shdh kiddrki bari fd Salim
Skdk ki ?—'' Which had the longest beard, Shir Shah or Salim
Sh4h ? '* f . ^., " What is the use of arguing over trifles ?" The
establishment of inns {fardi) goes, however, back as far as the reign
of Chandra Grupta. The traveller Terry writes : — " In this king-
dom there are no Innes to entertain travellers ; only in great
Townes and Cities are faire houses built for their receipt, where
any passenger may have roome freely, but must bring with him
his Bedding, his Cooke and other necessaries/'^

2. In memory of their traditional origin they have two sub-divi-

eions known as the Shirsh&bi and Salimshahi

Tribiil organiMiion. ... '

who are distiguished by the women of the
former wearing petticoats and the latter drawers. Another tradi-
tion, which is apparently based merely on the similarity of name,
makes them out to be in some way connected with the Bhatti tribe.
In the east of the Province there are two sub-divisions — Bhathiyftra
and Hariyara — which differ only in this, that the women of the
former wear metal bangles (mdihx)y and the latter those made of
glass or lac. The Census Returns classify them under fifty-two
clanH, none of which are of much local importance, and display a
curious mixture of Hindu and Muhammadon names, such as Bahlfm,

> Bated on enqairies at Mirzapnr, and notea by Mr. E. Rose, C. S., CuUector
of FarmkhAbAd, and Mnnahi Chboifi L411, Arobsdolofncal Snrvoy, Luckuow.
* Fnrohas, II, 1457, quoted in Hohton Johson, s. v. Serai,

86 bhathitAra.

Bhll, ChauliAn, Chiryamar, Jalkhatri, Madariya^ Mokeri, Sadiqi,
NlnbAi, Shirizi, and Salaim&ni

d. They pro&es to follow the ordinary Muhammadan laws of mar*
MazrbM tuim. ™^ ^' which the niidA is the binding portion.

The two divisions, Salimsh^and ShirshAhi, are
nid to be endoganumsi because the women of the latter bear an
indi&rent reputation ; in £aot it is alleged that they are prostituted
both before and after marriage. Dr. Buchanan^ says :^*" Maoy of
their women, but by no means the greater part, refuse no favour to
a liberal customer ; *' and Forster writes* :«»'' The stationary
tenants of the serauee, many of them women, and some of them very
pretty, approach the traveller on his entrance, and in alluring
language describe to him the varied excellencies of their several
lodgings, '' The levirate prevails, but is not compulsory on the widow.
They follow the usual Muhammadan rules of divorce and inheritance.

4. They are Muhammadans of the Sunni sect. To the east
saIm^vi ^' ^^^ Province they reverence Ghizi Miyin

and the Pinchon Pir, to whom sweetmeats and
garlands of flowers are ofEered on the first Sunday in the month of
Jeth. They bury their dead and offer to the spirits of deceased
anoeators vermicelli {$iwaifdm)^ and bread on the ' Id and the kalwm
bweetmeat on the Shab-i-barit. In former times, it is said, they
used to consult Br&hmans in fixing an auspicious day for mar-
riages»-a piactice which appears now to be abandoned. They do
the usual third day (iifa) and fortieth day (ckMam) ceremony for
the repose of the spirits of the dead.

5. Besides their special business of entertaining travellers they

a so catch 6sh, and are hence in the west of the
Province, known as Mahigir or ** fithcatcher.''
Their women are known as Mchtar&ni, a sort of mock honorific title.
Of the Grand Trunk Road Dr. Buchanan writes' : — '' On the great
road more attention is shown to the real- convenience of travellers
jlfii in any part of India which I have yet \isited ; and regular
inns (sarii, bhathiy&rkhana) are kept at convenient distances.
Each inn consists of a number of distinct chamliers, which arc let
by the night to any traveller or company, eight or ten persons

I Katitm imdia, I/., 989.

3 Tr.ttsi», I., 86, Ui»6$*m Jol»9n, 615.

* tiatUm Jhdtaf U(. at.

Vot. II. c i

BHATHIYARA.

travelling together often occupying one chamber. The chamber
usually consists of a wretched straw hut^ seven or eight cubits long
and five or six wide^ and is in general totally destitute of furniture ;
a few only afford a little straw or a mat to sleep on ; but some
kept by obliging nymphs have bedsteads^ where favourites are
received. The Bhathiyaras or keepers are low Muhammadans^ such
attention to strangers being incompatible with Hindu reserve.
Each keeper^ according to his means^ has a number of chambers,
which are usually disposed in a row [alang) ; and in most inns are
several keepers whose rows of chambers surround squares or wide
lanes^ in which the cattle of carriages of the travellers stand*
Hindus pay from one to two pice a nieht for each chamber, and
Muhammadans pay double because the Bhathiy&rin cooks for them.
The keeper generally retails fire-wood, tobacco, and the charcoal
balls used in smoking, and purchases for his guests whatever other
article they want. Some of them also retail earthen ware and
shoes. Hindus of the highest rank can sleep in such places, when
no pure person will give them accommodation ; but they, of course,
can receive little or no assistance from the keeper, who cannot bring
water that his guest will use, nor can the Brihnmn cook in the inn.
He must go to some pure place, and for that purpose usually selects
the side of a river which in this country is the most common
abode of Cloacina.^^ In these inns the Bhathiyftra women are said
often to act as go-betweens {naparda). Some add to their income
by keeping pony or bullock carts {ekkay bahli).

Distribution of the Bkdthiydras according to the Census of 1891.

DiBTBtCT.

Number.

1 DiSTBIOT.

Nam bar*

Dera Diia

SablLranpnr .

280

Mathnra . • •

668

Muzaffarnagar

396

Agra ....

1,688

Meernt . • •

802

Farrnkb&b&d

861

TSiilandsbahr . .

884

Mainpnri . • •

1,186

Aligarh

i,984

Lt&wab

947

bhathitIra.

BHATITA.

DiMtrihution cfike BhdHijfdroi according to the Census of 1891 — oonold.

DiSTBIOT.

N amber.

DlBTBIGT.

Namber.

BUk . . . .

1.844

Ballk ....

Bartillj ...

4,488

Goimkhpnr .

• •

112

Bijnor ....

729

BMti .

• .

160

Bndian

2,m

Atamgarh

• .

401

Mor4d4b4d .

1,147

TarAi .

• •

81iAbjfth4a|mr

1,801

Luekoow

• .

548

Pilibhit

860

Ud4o .

• .

311

Cawopur •

760

RA^Bareli .

138

Ffttebpfir •

834

81Upar

• .

215

B4odA ....

Hardoi

493

HaiDtrpiir

Knon • .

■

128

AUakibAd .

1,542

FaiiAbAd

•

228

Jkinti ....

OoDda .

135

JAkoD .

Bahriich .

BtOATM

793

SnltAopnr

» •

284

Mimpor

243

PtHAbgarh .

• •

Jsiinpar

450

Baribaoici .

•
1

404

Ohixipnr

254

T*iTiL • 30.658

Bhatiya.^ A tribe of money -dealers and traders found in
these Pn>vin<*es only in Mathura. Of those in the PanjAb Mr.
Ibbetson writes :' ^'* Tiie Bhatiyas are a class of Rajputs, ori|]^nally
eoming from Bhatner, Jaysalmer, and the KajputAna Desert, who

I RDttrely \MW9d on ft noU by Muoahi AUn* Hkm, lla*d MMt«r, Hiffh School.

BHATITA. 38

have taken to domeetic pnrsaits. Tlie name would Beam to sbow
that they were Bhatis (called Bhatti in the Panj&b) ; but be that
as it may, their Rajput origin seems to be unquestioned. They
are numerous in Sindh and Gujar&t, where they appear to form tiie
leading mercantile element, and to hold the place which the Aroras
occupy higher up the Indus. They have spread into the Panjftb
along the lower valleys of the Indus and Sutlej, and up the whole
length of the Chenftb as high as its debouchure into the plains,
being indeed most numerous in Sialkot and Grujar&t. They stand
distinctively below the Khatri, and perhaps below the Arora, and
are for the most part engaged in petty shop-keeping, though the
Bhatiyas of Dehra Ismail Kh&n are described as belonging to a
widely-spread and enterprising mercantile community. They are
often supposed to be Khatris, and in Jahlam they are said to follow
the Khatri divisions of Bhari, Bunjahi, DhSighar, Charziti, etc.
They are very strict Hindus, far more so than the other trading
classes of the Western Punj&b ; and eschew meat and liquor. They
do not practise widow-marriage.*'

2. The Bhatiyas of Mathura claim to be descended from a

Tribal tradition of th personage called Bhati Sinh, f rom whom
Mathura Bhatiyas. they take their name. He was the founds

of the city and kingdom of Jaysalmer. It is related that the
Yaduvansis, or descendants of Yadu, engaged in a deadly intestine
quarrel, and of them only two escaped the general destruction— Odhu
and Bajam&bh. The latter lived at the time at the house of his ma-
ternal g^nd father, Raja Bftnisura. In return for the services which
Sri Krishna, himself a Yaduvansi, had once rendered to BAja Pa-
rikshit, in protecting him while still in his mother's womb, the latter
brought Bajamabh from Banasura's house and delivered to him
the kingdom of Mathura and Indraprastha. Bajam&bh ruled wisely
and protected his subjects, and raised a temple in honor of Sri
Krishna at Dwarika. Eighty of his successors ruled in succession
at Mathura ; but during the reign of the last. Raja Jay Sinh, R4ja
Ajayp^l of Biy&na invaded Mathura, and, in the battle which ensued,
Jay Sinh was killed, and his three sons, Bijaypftl, Ajfty Rij, and
Bijay R&j, fled to Karauli. BijaypftI, the eldest of the three, gained
the kingdom of Karauli, but he quarrelled with his brothers, and
they retired to a forest in the neighbourhood of Karauli, where they
devoted themseives to the worship of Ambam&na Devi. At the end
of a year of devotion, when they failed to propitiate the goddess

39 BHATIYA.

they determined to g&in her favour by olTerlng their heads to her
in a furnace {hkaUi), Pleased with this final act of piety the deity
appeared to them and desired them to crave a boon from her. They
answered that as Kshatriyas they needed a kingdom. Whereupon
the Devi ordered Ajay Bij to go towards the West and found a
kingdom in the Rajputlina Desert, and henceforth to call himself
fihflti Sinh, as he had been saved from the burning fiery furnace.
He followed her orders and founded the kingdom of Jaysalmeri and
there established his tribe under the name of Bhattis or Bhatiyas.

8. Here it may be noted that the Jaysalmer tradition is differ*
ent from this.^ " PiJ&g or Allah&bAd was the cradle of the race,
after which Mathura remained the scat of the Yaduvansi power for a
k>ng period. On the death of Sri Krishna, the deified leader of the
JAdons, from whom the Bhatti R&jputs claim descent, the tribe be-
came dispersed ; many of them abandoned Hindustan, among them
two of the sons of Krishna, who proceeded northward along the
Indus^ and settled there. Some time after this one of their descen-
dants being defeated and killed in a battle, the tribe was driven
southward into the PanjAb, where SAlivihana, son of Oaj, founded a
town called after his name, and conquered the whole region. His
grandson was named Bhatti ; he was a great warrior and conquered
many of the neighbouring princes, and from him the patronymic
waschanged, and the tribe was henceforth distinguished by his name.
Shortly after this the tribe was again driven southward by the King of
Ghami, adA crossing the Sutlej found refuge in the Indian Desert,
which was henceforth to be their home. This traditional account
may represent in outline the early migrations of the Bhatti tn\ye,
which may be supposed to have entered India from the north*
west under heroic leaders now deified as the sons of Krishna, and
to have settled for some time in the PanjAb. One of the grand
expeditions of MahmAd of Ohaseni was against the city of Bhattia,
also called Bhera, which place is now said to ba\'0 been on the left
bank of the Jahlam, opposite the Salt Range. Mr. E. Tliomas
considers that the four last Hindu Kings of Kabul, before the Ohai*
navis, may have been Bhatiya R&jputs.''

4. The Mathura story runs that when the Bhatiyas left their

Western home and (*ame to Mathura they
had considerable diflSculty in finding allian*

i:''jrui^Hi Honitnr, II 170

BHATITA. 40

ces for their children, because having by this time taken to trade
the Edjputs of the neighbourhood were unwilling to intermarry
with them. They accordingly convened a meeting of the caste at
Multan, and there consulted learned Brihmans and the books of the
law, and it was after great discussion decided that a man might
marry within liis own tribe in a family removed from himself by
forty-nine degrees, and that the families thus removed should each
form a nuih or exogamous group. These nuHs were designated
after some person, village, or occupation, such as the nutk Bleha-
riya was named after RaS Hari Singh ; USA Gajariya after the
village Gajariya, and EAe Tambol after a Tamboli or seller of betel.
This story describes in a very interesting way the manner in which
new exogamous and endogamous groups are formed.

5. The following are the names of the Mathura gotrai with the
nukhi which each includes : —

(1) Par&sara gofra including twenty -three nukhs • —Bid GFaja-
riya ; Rid Panchloriya ; Rad Palija ; RaS Gagla ; R&£ Sar&ki ; Raft
Soni ; R&£ Suphia ; Ri£ Jiya ; Rag Mogaya : Ra£ Ghaga ; Ri«
Rika; RftS Jaydhan; Rid Korhaiya; Rid Kova; R&S Rariya;
Ra6 Kajariya; RtlS Sijballa; Rsie Jiyftla; R&S Malan; Rafi Dhava;
Ra£ Dhiran ; Rag Jagta ; RaS Nis&t.

(2) Sanras goira containing eleven nukht as follows : — Ri£
Dutaya ; Rftd Jabba ; UiA N&gobabia ; Rid Su&ra ; RftS Dhawan ;
Rad Danda ; Rftd Dhaga ; Ra£ Kandhiya ; Ri£ Udesi ; Ri« BAr
dhdcha ; RaS Bal^yS.

(3) Bh&radw&j gotra with the following eighteen nukks:^^RSA
Hariya; RaS Padamshi ; Rie Maidaya ; Rid Chandan; Rid Khiy&ra
Rid Thula ; Rdd Sodhiya ; Rad Bora ; Rad Mochha ; Rid 1 imbol
R&d Lakhanbanta ; Rad Dhakkai* ; Rid Bhudariya ; RUd Mota
Rid Anghar ; Rid Dhadhal ; Rdd D^gchanda ; Rid Asar.

(4) Sudharvans gotra with the following eight «aiii<.-»Rid
Sapta; Rad Chhachhaiya ; R&d Nagara; R&d Githababia; Rid
Parmala ; Rid Potha ; Rid Ponrdhagga ; Rftd Mathura.

(5) Madhobadhas gotra including the following eleven nukkt ;—
Rid Yed ; Rae Surya ; Rid Gugalgandhi ; Rad Nadgandhi ; RiS
Panchal ; Rid Phur&S((Sndhi ; Rad Pardgdndhi ; Rid Jujarg^ndhi;
Rad Praima ; Rid Bibal ; R&d Povar.

(6) Devdfis gotra including the following nine nukht ; — Rid
Ramaiya; Rde Pawar; RILd RAja; Rdd Parijiya; Rl^ KapOr;
RAd Gunigulab ; Rad Dhadhar ; Rad Kartari ; Bid Kukaur.

41 BHATIYA.

(7) Rifihivans fotra coDBiBting of the following fonr nukks :—
' ViiA Mult&iii ; Ili« Chamuja ; R&S Daiya ; B4£ Karangona.

6. The Census Returns supply them with a set of sections most
pf which are of the Banya type, such as AgarwAla, Belw&r, Bh&lA,
Bhorir, Bhudi, Bohra, (3aur, Jaysalmer, Kain, Madkul^ Mahes-
wari, M&rwftri, OswAl, Palliw41, Rahtn, Sahasri.

7. Marriages may take place between members of the same

goira^ but not of the same nnkh. There is
no exact formula of exogamy ; but a man
cannot marry among his near relations on the father's or mother's
side, and the same rule applies to women. Differences of religion,
provided both parties are followers of some form of Hinduism, and
changes of occupation, are not a bar to intermarriage ; but differ-
ences of local or geographical position are a bar. Thus intermar-
riages between Bhatiyas of Bombay, Kachh, and Gujar&t, and those
of the PanjAb, Sindh, and the North- Western Provinces, are not
permitted. Thus Bhatiyas may be divided into the following two
endogamous groups based on geographical position : — The first group
consists of Kichhis, Hal&is, Prijas, KathiAwSris, Gujarfttis and
Bhatiyas of DhAfanginw. 'Ihe second group consists of Bhatiyas
of Jaybalmer, Sindh, the Panjab, and the North- Western Provinces.
As a rule no Bhatiya can take a second wife in the lifetime of the
first, unless she be barren or unfaithful to her husband, in which
ease she will be expelled from caste. In no case can the number
exceed two, and that limit is seldom reached. When a Bhatiya hap*
pens to have two wi^^e^ they live under the same roof and enjoy the
same privileges in ever}- rcbpect. In the case of girls marriage must
be performed before the age of twelve : there is no time fixed in the
case of males. Marriage is arranged by the friends in both sides, and
there are no marriage brokers. The children of both marriages, should
a man have two wives, rank equally for purposes of inheritance. Wi-
dow marriage is not allowed, and the offspring of an illicit connection
are not admitted into the caste, and do not rank as hi*irs to the
estate of their father. An unfaithful wife is exeommunieated, and
so is a man who "openly keeps a concubine.

H. At the betrothal the father of the girl semis what is called the

isgun^ conbibting of one' nit>«v, a eoei>anut,

autlsome coarse bugar, for the b»y, which is

given to him in thcprebcnce of tht* brethten, who are inviteil to be

in attetulttiice, and the betiotlial is thus complete. The ceremony

BHATITA. 42 BHATTF.

presupposes the mntnal consent of the parents of the parties.
Betrothal is pfcnemlly not reversible, and is not annulled except on
the discovery of some very serious physical defect in either bride or
bridegroom, and, if annulled, the expenses are repaid hy the party
breaking the engagement, though there is no distinct rule on the
subject. Betrothal may take place any time before marriage. The
marriage ceremony is of the orthodox type, and the binding part
of it is the giving away of the bride {kanpdtfdn) and the perambula-
tion {pheron phirna) round the sacred fire. The marriage is complete
and irreversible when the fourth circuit is finished. Pokhame
Brahmans act as priests at marriage and other ceremonies.

9. The chief occupation of the Bhatiyas is money-lending, and

to this they add trade of all kinds-^agricnl-

Oconpation. ,

ture, landholding^ and Government service.
Many of them go on expeditions to Ai*abia, Kabul, Bokh&ra, and
other distant places on business. Many in Bombay carry on
trade with Zanzibar, Java, and the Malay Peninsula. Their religion
continues to be mainly Vedik; but some have become followers of
Vallabhacharya. The Bhatiyas of these Pix)vinces in appearance,
customs, and dress, strongly resemble Khatris ; but between the two
castes there seems to be no real connection.

Dutribuiion of the Bhatiyai according to tke Censui of 1891.

DiVTBICT.

Number.

Matharft

264

CawnDiir . .......

Total

S65

Bhatti— (Sanskrit, bAdtta, " lord'')-— A RAjput sept. Of the
Panj&b branch Mr. Ibbetson' writes : — " Bhatti, the Panjftb form of
the Rajputina word Bhati, is the title of the great modem representa-
tives of the ancient Yaduvansi Royal Rajput family, descendants of
Krishna, and therefore of Lunar race. Their traditions tell that in
very ancient times they were driven across the Indus ; but that,
returning, they dispossessed the Langah, Joya, and others of the
country south of the Lower Sutlej, some seven centuries ago, and

• PanjAl Ethnography, section IkS.

43 BHATTI.

founded Jaysalmer. This State they still hold, though their territory
has been greatly circumscribed since the advent of the Bithaur ; but
they still form a large proportion of the Rajput subjects of the
Rithanr RAjas of Bik&ner. At one time their possessions in those
parts included the whole of Sirsa and the adjoining portions of HissAr
and the tract still known as Bhatiy&na. The story current in Iliss&r
is that Bhatti, tbe leader under whom the Bhattis recrossed the
Indus, had two sons, D&sal and Jaysal, of whom the latter founded
Jaysalmer, while the former settled in Bhatiy&na. From DAsal
sprang the Sidhu and Barftr J&t tribes, while his grandson Rajp&i
was the ancestor of the Wattu. According to General Cunning-
ham the Bhattis originally held the Salt Range Tract and Kashmir,
their capital being Gajnipur, or the site of the modern Rawalpindi,
but about the second century before Christ they were driven
across the Jahlam by the Indo-Scythians, and their leader, the
Rija Ras&lu, of Panjdb tradition, founded Sialkot. The invaders,
however, followed them up, and dispersed them and drove them to
take refuge ir. the country south of the Satlaj, though their rule
in the Kashmtr valley remained unbroken till 1589 A« D.

2. " The Bhatti is still by far the largest and most widely
distributed of the RAjput tribes of the Panjib. It is found in
immense numbers along the lower Satlaj and Indus, though on the
former often, and on the latter always classed as J&t. It is hardly
lees numerous on the Chanib, the Upper Satlaj, and on the BiyAs ;
it is naturally strong in BhatiyAna ; there is a large oolony in the
Delhi District, while it is perhaps most numerous of all in the
seats of its ancient power ^ in SiAlkot, GujarAt, and the Salt Range
country. And if we reckon as Bhatti the Sidhu and Barar JAts of
the MAlwa, we shall leave no portion of the PanjAb in whiidi a large
Bhatti population is not to be found.

S. '* Yet it is strange if the Bhatti did hold so large a portion of
the PknjAb, as General Cunningham alleges, how almost universal-
ly they trace their origin to Bhatner in BhatiyAna, or at least to
its neighbourhood. Either they were expelled wholly from tbe
Upper PanjAb, and have since returned to their ancient seats, or
else the glory of their later has overshadowed that of their earlier
dynasties, and Bhatner and BhatiyAna have become the city and
country of the Bhatti from which all good Bhatti trace their origin.
Tlie subject population of BikAner is largely composed of Bhatti,
while Jaysalmer is a Bhatti State ; and it seems impo^ible tliat if

BHATTI. 44

the Bhatti of the higher Satlaj are immigrants^ and not the des-
cendants of the old Bhatti who escaped expulsion^ they should not
have come largely from both these Statesi and moreover, should
not have followed the river valleys in their advance. Yet the
tradition almost always skips all inteimediate steps, and carries as
straight back to that ancient city of Bhatner on the banks of the
long, dry Ghaggar, in the Bik&ner territory bordering on Sirsa.
The Wattu Bhatti of Montgomery, while tracing their origin from
Rslja S&livslhana, the father of Raja Rasftlu of Si&lkot, say that
their more immediate ancestors came from Bhatner; the N&n
Bhatti of Mult&n trace their origin to the Delhi country, while the
Bhatti of Mnzaffargarh, Jhang, Gnjr&nwtlla, Si&lkot, Jahlam, and
Pindi, all look back to Bhatner as the home of their ancestors. It
is possible either that Bhatner is used merely 'as a traditional
expression, or that when the Ghaggar dried np or the R&thaiir
conquered Bik&ner, the Bhatti were diiven to find new homes in
the plains of the Funjdb. Indeed, Mr. Wilson states that in Sirsa
or the old Bhatiy&na, the term Bhatti is commonly applied to any
Musalman J&t or Rtljput from the direction of the Satlaj as a
generic term almost synonymous with Rath or PachhSda /'

4. In these Provinces' they are also known as Jaisw&r. They

Bhattu of these Provin- ^^^^^ ^ ^ Jadous who returned from
^^' beyond the Indus in the seventh or eighth

century. A large number of them became Muhammadans in
the time of Qutb-ud-din and Ala*ud-din. They say they came
to Bulandshahr under Kansal, or as others say, Deo and KM,
in the time of Prithivi Rftja, having ejected the Meos. They
are divided into two clans — Bhatti and Jaiswir. The former
is the superior of the two, the latter having intermarried with
spurious Rajputs. A majority of the clan are now reckoned as
G&jars. Another story is that they are descended from Rija
Dalip, son of Jaswant Rao of Ndna Man, near Bithiir. He had
two sons, Bhatti and Ranghar; their descendants settled in
Bhatiyana ; the branch converted to Isltlm was called Ranghar.
The national dress is not trousers and waist cloth, but a broad
sheet of coarse cloth, plain or checked, which reaches from the
neck to the ankle and is tied at the waist. The wife of Tuglaq
Shah and mother of flroz Sh&h was a Bhatti woman. The

* Hija Lachman $^inh, Bulandshahr Memo : 162.

BHATTI.

MnhAmznadmn Bhattis along the Kftli Nadi in the Etah District
are a tnrbalent, idle set, much dreaded by their neighbours.

5. In the Upper Du&b they are reported to give brides to the
Chanhln, Oahlot, Tomar, Panw&r, Kachhw&ha, and other high class
Rijpats, and to marry their sons in the Bargujar, Chauh&n, Kaohh-
wftha^ Pandir, and other high and middle class septs.

DiilrUuiiom of ike Biatti BdjpuU according to Ike Censwe of 189 L

DitTBICT.

HindiM.

diuis.

Total.

Osliia Ddo

> • • •

•••

Sahiraiipiar

443

480

MunfcifarnagT

343

423

Msenii

180

•••

180

BulADdihahr

8.482

8,465

6.937

Aligarh

676

681

MaUmia .

•

•••

Agra

• • •

Fsmkhibid .

1,177

1,187

Mainpari •

t«t

Stab

8,671

8.761

Bbivfllj .

•••

3.768

8.762

Badion •

687

•••

687

]forAd4b4d

•••

614

fibAlgabAopor <

•••

Gswnpiir •

•••

Alkb4b4d.

•••

Ob4sip<ir .

•••

864

Gotakkpiir

191

AttBgarh.

•••

IMI

• ••

BUAITI.

BHIKHA filHIB.

DiHrilmtion of Ike BkaiU RajpuU aecardimg to ike Oemews of ifi9i— eoneU.

D18TBICT.

Mnhiiinin>-

Lucknow .

UdAo

Sttapur

Hardoi

Kher

Faiz4bftd •

Gonda

Hahmkh .

8n1t&npar

Fartlibgarh

B^abaDki .

Total.

Total

4,619

112

198

195

196

267

187

137

1,652

1.353

1;I53

17,170

21,789

Bhikha Sahib. — A sect among the Rajputs of Ballia, oE which
the following account is given in the Dtttriet Gasetieer :— " There
was a devotee in Delhi whose name was Shah Muhammad Yiri.
In his time a certain zamindar of Bhirkura, named Mardan Sinh,
was arrested for default of payment of revenue^ and sent by the
Viceroy (Subahdar) to Delhi^ where he was imprisoned. A senranti
who had attended Mohan Sinh, paid visits in his leisure hours to
Muhammad Yari Shah. One day the devotee enquired what he
was and where he lived. On this the servant narrated the circum-
stances of his mastei-'s imprisonment and of his own presence there.

* Go and tell your master, ' said the devotee, ' that he will be set free
to-morrow by the order of the Minister of State^ and that he should
then present himself to me ? ^ Mardan Sinh was actually released
the next day, and, as directed, attended on Muliammad YAri Shih.
After several days' attendance and devotion, the devotee expressed
himself satisfied, and directcnl Maixlan Sinh to proceed to his own
country, and there worship the Atma, and show mercy to the
)»oor and hungry.

BHIKH4 SllIlB. 47 BUtLT

2. He also gavo him a seli or necklace of black nlk, worn as a
distinguishing mark by the Chief, who sits on the cushion ijaddi)
when he has occasion to go to his disciples. Mardan Sinh was
further instructed by Muhammad Yari bhih to observe the follow
ing ceremony. At the time of making a disciple, a iantki, or sacred
garland, is to be put round his neck, and the disciple is enjoined to
repeat constantly the invocation Udm f Rdm I and never to take life
or tyrannize over any one. Mardan Sinh on his return to Bhirkura
made one Bhikha his disciple, and the latter finally settled in Bara-
gAon. This happened some four hundred years ago, and the Bhikha
Sihib pmddi or seat was thus founded. It may be noticed in regard
to the above acoount that a Muhammadan Faqtr is represented as
enjoining the repetition of the strictly Hindu formula Rdm I Bdm I
If the legend is a correct statement of fact, the circumstance is an
interesting illustration of the partial amalgamation of Muhammadan
and Hindu forms, which we know is the aim of some of the
Vaishnava reformers/'

8. At the last Census the sect of Bhikha Sihib included 1,227
votaries.

Bhil— (Sanskrit, Bkilla), — We have in these Provinces only a
few fragments of the great Bhil race of Central India. Professor
Lassen identities them with the Phyllitso of Ptolemy, whom Cokmel
Yule classes with the Pulinda, a general term for various aboriginal
races. According to Dr. Caldwell the name Bhilla (9t7| M^ means
*' a buw.'^^ There is a curious early Hindu legend, which, however,
is not found in the Mahabhirata, which tells how Drona, the pre*
u*ptor of the Vk ndavas, was jealous of the skill of the Bhil RAja in
archery, and directed him and his subjects to cut off the forefinger
of the rifi^t hand.* Another story tells that Mahideva was one
day reclining sick in the forest, when a beautiful damsel appeared,
the first sight of whom efFected a cure for all his pain. The result
uf their meeting was the liirth of many children, one of whom,
distinguishad for his ugliness, slew the favourite bull of MahiUleva,
for which crime he was ex|)cllod to the woods and mountains, and
his deM»ndants have been the outcast Bhils. They sUll call them*

I Indutn Anii>iwtry^ XII I., 881. Ovnerml Caottinghaai iakm PhyUitiD to
eorreainnd to parna and to moikn *' Xomi oUd " liko iho Jiuuiic* ap to ^hm pr9««ai
day. Dr. l^>|irrt P«*einM to coDiidvr PbjUitB •« dcrivrd from Dhtl. Ori^iiial
inkmhiianUot Hharataviir§a, 80. »</.

> WbtfcUrr. Uist»ty of Imha, I., 81, i/ . IWslmituUr Krrur» ISiS, psf* 3S7.

BHtL. 48

selves '' thieves of Mahftdeva/' ^ There oan be Httle doaU thit
they are a branch of the great Dravidian race which is found
along the mountains of Central India^ and are aidn to the
Gonds^ Kharw&rs, MtLnjhis, Cheros^ and Sant&ls^ who live fnrtha to
the eastward. Sir J. Malcolm' thinks that they have emignted
from Jodhpur and Udaypur to their present territory^ and as a
proof that they were originally lords of the land, he points to the
fact of their giving the tUa to some'of the existing BAjpnt piinoei.
The most solemn form of oath among them is mixing oowdnng, SBk^
and the jawdri millet^ and lifting the mixture over their heads.'
They have^ like many of the indigenous tribes^ some relationB with
the local gods^ and are priests to one of the most ancient temples in
Omkar. According to Sir A. Lyall* they are divided into a
variety of distinct groups, a few based on a reputed oommon descent,
but most of them apparently muddled together by simple ccmti-
guity of habitation, or the natural banding together of the number
necessary for maintaining and defending themselves. Sir J.
Malcolm says that the Bhil women are invariably the advocates of
the cause of good order. They have much influence^ and the prin-
cipal hope of an enemy's escape lies in the known humanity of the
women. They worship peculiarly Sitak, the smaU^pox goddess, and
Mahadeva, from whom they claim descent.' The chief historical
tradition regarding them in these Provinces is that ihey were
formerly rulers in Rohilkhand, whence they were expelled by the
Jangh&ra Bijputs.^ The clans recorded at the last Census in these
Provinces were the Gruranawa, Jaisw&r, Kariwai, MajhAiaya^
Munaharbh&l, Rtlma, and Rslwat.

2. The best available account of the manners and customs of

the real Bhils is that given by a writer in

Ifaimers and ouBtoms* ^ c? tr

the Rajputdna Oa$etteef -P—'' All Bhib go
about armed with the tribal weapons, bows and arrows ; excqrt the
headmen and others of consequence, who carry swords. They are a
dirty race. The men wear their hair long, and hanging in uncombed

I Captain Hnnier, Journal Royal AMxaiie Society, VIIL, 181 : Maloolm* Ctnlral
India, I., 526.
s Ibid, L, 519.

> Forsyth, Highlands of Central India, 172.
« Atiatic Studies, 160.

• Ibui, II., 180, «<}.

• Bareilly Settlement Report^ 19 : Qateiteer, North-Weil Provinces, V., 578, §q,
» L, 177, JW ; III., 64, lU.

49 bhIl.

from their Bhoulders. Their women are small and ugly,
those of rank being digtingaishable by the number of brass rings on
their legs, often extending from the ankle to the knee. They kill
and eat kine and are muoh addicted to spirits^ vast quantities of
which are consumed on festive occasions, which frequently end in
quarrels and bloodshed. Fond of fighting, they resort to their
weapons on the slightest provocation, but their most serious affrays
arise out of cattle-lifting and the abduction of women. If a Bhil
run away with a betrothed girl^ a feud will frequently ensue, which
will not end till the village of both sides have been burnt and
many lives lost. As a rule they keep tolerably quiet in the winter
and the rainy season ; but in the summer, between the gathering in
of the last harvest and the sowing of the next, they begin raiding
on each other ; and even the richest think this time, which hangs
heavily on their hands, favourable for paying off old scores. There
are sixty different sections of the Bhil tribe in B&nsw&ra.

S. " Bhil children are not betrothed by their parents in their

childhood. A Bhtl eirl is often unmarried
up to the age of twenty or twenty- five.
Her Cither can take no steps of his own accord for his daughter's
marriage ; were he to do, suspicion would be aroused that there was
something wrong with the girl. His friends can take steps on his
behalf, but he himself must wait for a proposal from the father of
some eligible lad, which he can entertain or not as he pleases.
Should he accept the proposal, the lad's father, having provided
himself with a couple of pots of liquor, will return to complete the
oeremony of betrothal {safari), sitting down under some large tree
or other cool spot in the village. The girl's father and his friends
join them, and the question as to the amount of money to be paid by
the father of the lad to the father of the girl is there and then
disposed of. This amount varies according to the means and status
of the parties concerned from thirty to sixty rupees. When this
is settled, the father of the boy makes a cup of leaves of the DkJi
tree (Bui^a/randota), and placing it on the top of the pot of liquor,
puts inside it two annas worth of copper coins. The girl's brother
or soma other boy among her relations then takes the coin and
turns the cup of leaves upside down. The betrothal is then
complete ; and nothing remains but to drink the liquor, which is

done on the spot. The girl's father then kills a goat and gives a
Vol II. i>

bhIl. 60

feast to bis future sonnu-law and his father^ after which the \tUm
return home.

4. " Some four or six months after the betrothal arrangements
for the wedding are set on foot. The boy^s father takes a present
of clothes, a sheet {sdri), a petticoat, and a corset for the girl,
who at once puts them on. Her father, if well ofE, kills a bo&llo,
if poor, a goat, and gives a feast to all the village, and to the boy'i
father and all his friends. On this occasion a Br&hmaii is called
in, and on receipt of four annas from each &therj fixes some auspi-
cious day for the wedding. Half the amount previously fixed upon
is now paid to the girPs father in cash, and the remainder in kind,
in the shape of a bullock, etc. On the day fixed by the Brihman
for the wedding, the boy, after being well annointed with pU, a mix-
ture of turmeric, flour, etc., proceeds to the girl's hous^ accom-
panied by all his friends and relations. They halt at the borders of
the village, whither the girl's father, with all his friends, and
accompanied by drummers and women singing, proceeds to meet
them ; and after performing the ceremony of tilai, that is marking
the boy on the forehead with safEron^ escorts them into the village^
and settles them down under some large tree or in some other con-
venient spot. The girl's father then returns to his bouse, and the
boy's father pays certain customary dues.

5. ** On the evening of the wedding day a great feast is given
by the bride's father ; and the bride and bridegroom are provided
with a separate hut for the night, while their friends get drunk*
Next morning the bride's father presents his daughter with abullook
or a cow, or with any other worldly goods with which he may
wish to endow her, and after presenting the boy's father with a
turban gives him leave to depart.

6. " The following are the ceremonies said to be performed bf

the Bhils on occasions of deatk When a man
dies a natural death, his corpse is covered with
white cloths, and a supply of food in the shape of flour, clarified but-
ter and sugar, uncooked (called sdra), is placed by his side for use on
his journey to the next world. Tliey are afterwards thrown into
the water by the side of which he is burnt. A small copper coin
is also thrown on the ground when the corpse is burnt, apparently
as a eort of fee for the use of the ground for the purpose. Three
days after the body has been burnt, the ashes are thrown into the
water, and a cairn is raised on the spot by the people present, who

61 BHtL.

wring out their clothes over the Btones after bathing. On the
twelfth day after death, all friends, far and near, assemble for the
idia or mortnary feast, for which the heir of the deceased, if
well-to-do in the world, will have provided some two hundred rupees
worth of spirits. In the morning the ceremony of the arad is
aommencedy and lasts generally throughout the day.

7. '' The Bhopa, or witch-finder of the village, is seated on a
wooden platform, and places near him a big earthen pot with a
brass dish over the mouth of it. A couple of Bhils beat this with
drum sticks, at the same time singing funeral dirges. The
spirit of the deceased is now supposed to enter the heart of the
Bhopa, and through him to demand whatever it may want. Should
the man have died a natural death, the spirit will call for milk,
gfai, etc., and will repeat through the Bhopa the words he said
just before his death* Whatever is demanded is at once supplied
to the Bhopa, who smells the articles given to him and puis
them down by his side. Should the deceased have died a violent
death, the Bhopa generally calls for a bow and arrows, or for a
gun, whichever the deceased was killed with, and works himself
up into much excitement, going through the motions of firing,
shouting the war cry, etc. The spirits of the ancestors of the
deceased are also called up by the Bhopa, and the same ceremonies
are gone through with them. In the evening the Bhil Jogi
appears on the scene and goes through various ceremonies. He
is first of all provided with twelve sers of wheat flour and five
f#ff maize flour, which he places in front of the bier of the
deceased. The Jogi then plants his brass image of a horse on the
top of the flour and sticks an arrow in front of it, and also some
small copper coins. Two empty jars, the mouths tied up, one
with red and the other with white cloth, are also placed by him
in front of the horse. A rope is next tied round the horse's neck.
The Jogi then calls out the names of the ancestors of the dcceasedi
at the same time signifying to the heir that now is the time
for him to give alms or religious grants to the memory of his
father or ancestors, which appeal is generally responded to ; and
a oow is given to the Jogi. The heir after this directs the Jogi
to provide the deceased with foal. The Jogi cooks some rioe
and milk and pours it into a hole he has dug in the ground. lie
also pours in an ewer full of liquor and drops in a copper coin
and then fills up the hole again with earth. Other mystic ritea

Vol. II. p f

bhIl. 62

follow; the heir makes presents to the Jogi, and the Eamity
friends give presents to the heir. The ceremonies conclude with
some hard drinking. The next day the relatives of the deceased
give a feast to the village^ each relation providing something
towards this f east^ — one rice^ another gU^ and so forth. The honour
of providing a buffalo belongs to the son-in-law of the deceased,
and failing him, the brother-in-law and the brother.

8, ''The widow of the deceased, if young, is now asked bjr

all the relatives whether she wishes to

remain in her late husband's house or to

be married again-*a ceremony called ndtra. If she, as she

generally does, wishes to be married again, she replies that she

will return to her father's house. If the deceased has a younger

brother, he will at once step forward and assert that he will

not allow her to go away to any other man's house ; and going

up to her he throws his cloak over the widow, who thus

becomes his wife, and is taken away by him to his house

there and then. Eight days afterwards, when she is supposed

to have done mourning for her late husband, her new husband

supplies her with a set of armlets in the place of those given

by her former lord, which are taken off. The nMra is then

complete. The younger brother is not, however, compelled to

keep his brother's widow should he not wish to do so, but

it is such a point of honour that a boy even will daim and

exercise the right. Should the deceased have no younger brother,

then the widow is taken away by her father or relations eight

days after the idta. She will remain at her father's house for a

month or two, when either she will be given away in ndira to some

man with her Other's consent or she will run off and take up her

quarters in some man's house without his consent. The man die

flies to may not wish her to come, and may have no idea of her inten*

tion to do so ; but nevertheless, once she has placed herself under his

protection he is in honour bound to keep her^ and she remains as his

wife. The widow can go to any man she pleases provided he be of a

different section to that of her &ther.

0. '' Should the father have given his widowed daughter awqr
in ndtra, her late husband's heir will at once pick a quarrel and demand
satisfaction from him. As a preliminary step the h^ generally
attacks the widow's father and bums down his house, after which, in
course of time, a committee {jpaneidynt) is generally appointed to settle

C3 BUtL«

ihe dispute, when a sum of money, varying from fifty to two hundred
rupees, aooording to the means of the parties, is awarded to the heir
in compensation. The father will then in his turn demand repay-
ment from his son-in-law, and should the latter refuse to pay up,
he proceeds to bum down his house and make himself otherwise
objectionable till his claim is satisfied. Should the widow run off, as
she generally does, without her father's or relatives' consent, her
deceased husband's heir will at once attack the man to whose pro-
tection she has gone.

10. *^ Should some unmarried and unbetrothed girl take a fancy
to and run off with some young man, her father and brothers, as
•oon as they have found out where she has gone to, at once attack
and bom his house, or in the event of their being unable to do that they
born any house in the village which comes handy. This most
probably is resented and retaliated, and the quarrel may be prolonged
for some time, but, as a rule, a panehd^/ai is sooner or later appointed to
settle the dispute. The compeusation awarded to the girl's &ther
never exceeds one hundred rupees. A hole is dug in the ground and
filled with water. The girl's father and his son-in-law then each
drop a stone into it, and their quarrel is finally settled. The /mi«-
ekdfoi and party then consume some liquor at the son-in-law's
expense, and depart in peace.

11. '^ Should an unmarried and unbetrothed girl refuse to run off
with a man when asked to do so, the man will generally shout out
in the village that he has taken so-and-so's daughter's hand, and woe
to him who dares to marry her. A panchdfat is then assembled,
and the father generally gives his daughter to the man, receiving
doable the compensation that would have been awarded had the girl
consented to marry him in the first instance. Should a girl unmar-
ried, but who has been betrothed, run off with somebody else, the
man to whom she was betrothed at once attacks and possibly kills
the man whom she has run off with, and burns both his and the girl's
father's huts. The quarrel often goes on for years, and leads to
retahation, till the entire village community on either side are drawn
into the' quarrel and turn out and attack each other.

12. '' Should a wife run away from her husband to somebody else,
the injured husband and his friends often burn the whole of the
village in which the recipient of the faithless wife's favours lives
Eventually, when a pantkd^ot is formed, the wife is often given up
and taken back by her hunhand, any children that she may have

bhIl.

Death cnstoms.

borne in the meantime being left with their &ther« Should the man
refuse to give her up^ then some two hundred rupees is awarded to
the husband in compensation by the paneAdyat, not to mention the
liquor required by the latter during their consultation.

IS. ^^ The Bhils erect stone tablets in memory of their male dead

(never to deceased women) and, as a role, the
figure of the deceased is carved on the stone.
He is often represented on horsel^k with sword, lance, or shield,
sometimes on foot, but invariably clothed in the best of long clothes
and armed with a sword and 6hield,<»a style of dress he was quite
unaccustomed to in the flesh. Tablets are also erected to boys who
have died while still minors ; but instead of a figure of the deceased,
a large hooded snake is carved on the stone.

14. '^ Bhils will eat the flesh of all animals, even that of a dead

camel. Bhils and Minas having no order of
priesthood, resort to the Gum of the Chamars.
These Gxirus assume the appellations and badges of Brahmans. They
do not adopt disciples ; but the office is hereditary, descending from
the father to all the sons. The minstrel of the Bhtls is called Kamriya.
The principal deities of the Bhils and Minas are M&t&ji and DerL
They also worship Agru* The Chauhan warrior-saint Oiigaji is
much worshipped in Sirohi as a protector from the bite of the
ndff idnp or cobra.^ He is worshipped under the form of a
warrior on horseback and also imder the form of a cobra.'^

Disliibufion of the BhiU according to ike Cen$us of 1891»

DiSTBICT.

of umber.

DiSTBIOT.

Nmiibe?.

Muzaffarnagar •

Agra ....

Farmkb&bU .

1 ;

5
1

MorAd&b&d

Jhiosl • • • •

Tar&i ....

Total
Males . • . •
Females . ^ • • .

109
14

Mainpnri

190

EtiLwah ....
Etab ....

117
78

1 Some aooonnt of OAga. known also as Zibir Diwin, will be found In tlM
Jntroduetion to Popular Religion and Folklore, 138. At tbe last Censoa 122,991
persons returned themselves as his Totaries.

55 BDOKSA, BHUSISA.

BhOkBa^ Bhokia.*— A tribe akin to the Thirns who are found
in the Tar&i and Bhabar from Pilibhtt District on the East to
Chindpor on the Ganges on the West. There are a few scattered
«o1on]fi6 in Dehra DAn. There are three main sections of them, the
P(bmbi or " Eafitem^' which lies east of the Ramganga and as &r
west as the Gt>la or Sirda, where the Thirus begin ; the Pachhami
or ** Western '' which inhabits the Path Diin and Bijnor between
the BAmganga and the Ganges; and a section reaching still
further west from the Ganges to the Jumna. Between the East-
ern and Western (sections there is no friendly intercourse; each
shuns the other, and the usual fictions are repeated about eating
6ogB and lizards.'

2. Dr. Stewart thus describes them in Bijnor.' — '' The mem-
bers of the tribe are of short stature and
very sparse in habit, in both respects some-
what ezoeeding the ordinary Hindu peasant of the District, from
whom, howoTeTy they do not differ much in general build or in
oomplexion. The eyes are small ; the opening of the eye lids being
narrow, linear and horizontal (the inner angle not inclining down-
wards 80 far as observed) ; the face is very broad across the cheek
bonesy and the nose is depressed, thus increabing the general
flatness of the face : the jaw is prognathous and the lower lip thick
and the moustache and beard are very scanty .'' Some of these
peculiarities are more marked in some indinduals than in others,
bat one Bhoksa will always recognise another, though a Kum&uni
Miys he only recognises them when they speak. The features of the
women are similar to those of the men.

d. Some of them claim to be Panwar Rajputs, and ''assert that

their chief Udayjit was driven from house
and home in a quarrel that he had with his
brother Jagatdeo, the Raja of Dharanagar, and came to dwell
with a few followers at Banbasa on the Sanla, Udayjit
had not been there long when his aid was solicited by the
Raja of Kumaun, whose territories requited defence agaiubt
some of the neighbouring powers. Success attended the efforts
of the Panwar, and the gratitude of tlie Rsja induced him

1 For tbt M&kr» BhakiM nuunly bM«d on doIm oi41«cUm1 tbroorh Mr. 0. A.
Twmdj, 0. 8 , D«hm D&n.

* AtkiBMB, Himmlayan Oas^Uetr, 11., 371 : J. C NmEwU. CuUutU fi«*Mii,
:.,41.

* Jownml AfUUic S^eUty «/ Bengal, XXXIV.. IL. 180.

BnOKSA, BHUK8A. 66

to offer his defenders an asylum in his territorieB* Upon tUi
they are represented to have left Banhasa and to have taken
up their residence in their present abodes/^ ^ But their tradi-
tions are very vague; some say that they came from the
Dakkhin ; others^ from Delhi ; others, that they were expelled from
the Dakkhin by the Marhattas. The Mahra or Dehra D&n branch
say that they came into the District from beyond the Gkuiges at
the invitation of Rdja Sukh Dfts Sfth of Tehri, who used them as
guides through the jungles on his shooting expeditions, Tbey fix
their emigration into the Dfin at some five generations lErom the
present day.

4. The last Census returns give the septs of the Bhnkaas, as

Jadubansi, Panwftr, Partuja, B&jbansi, ani
Tun war. Sir H. M. Elliot deeoribes themaa
having fifteen septs {ffotra), of which twelve are of superior and three
of inferior rank. Hie superior, according to his list, are Barg&jar,
Tabari, Barhaniya, Jalwar, Adhoi, Dugugiya, BAthaur, Negauriy%
Jalal, Upadhya, Chauhan, Dunwariya. The three inferior are the
Dimar — R&thaur (descended from a Teli woman), Dhangra (from a
hill woman), and Goli from a woman of the barber caste. '' The
names of these tribes indicate considerable mixture with other classes,
both Bajput and Brahman. Bhoksas are prohibited marrying m
their own potra ; but may select any other ^o^ra they choose. Those
who reside in Kilpuri and Sabna are said occasionally to intennanj
with the ThSrus. TheBhatsof the Bhuksas, who are descended
from a follower of Udayjit, reside still at Banbasa, and pay oeoa-
sional visits to their constituents. The priests {pmroHi) of the
Bhuksas arA Kanaujiya Br&hmans, who are also descended from one
of the followers of Udayjit.''

5. The meaning of the word Mahra is not certain. The same

title is applied to Kah&rs when it means ** a

The Mahra BhQksaa. n^ ,» i i ± ^i^ •

confidential person who enters the mner
apartments '' (Sanskrit mtiilla, *' a woman ^'). This name is appHed
only to the Dehra D&n section, and fresh immigrants are known
as Bhoksa. Marriage in a man's potra and in the family of the
maternal uncle for two generations is prohibited. Hey may marry
as many wives as they please, but two is usually the limit. If a girl,
prior to marriage, is detected in an intrigue with a man of her own
tril)e, her parents have to pay a fine, which generally amounts to five

* Elliot, Supplemental Qloaary, f.v.

67 BHOKSAi BHUKSA.

rupees, to the tribal ooancil, and then she is reetored and allowed to
marry in the tribe ; but if her lover be a man of lower caste than
herself she is permanently excommunicated. If her lover be a man
of higher caste than herself the offence is condoned on payment of a
fine of ten rupees. Boys are generally married at the age of twelve.
No money is paid by either side. If the marriage be subsequently
annulled and the girl marries again, her second husband has to refund
the expenses of the first marriage. The only valid grounds for
annulling a marriage are infidelity on the part of the wife or the
impotence of the husband. If either leave the other for any reason
other than the above they will be fined by the council. When a
man divorces his wife all he does is to turn her out of his house
and inform the council. Widows can marry again by the form
known as iafdo. Children, the fruit of such union, are regarded
as legitimate, and inherit on the same footing as the offspring
of a regular marriage* It is asserted that the widow may marry
the elder as well as the younger brother of her late husband ; but
this is so much opposed to the usual custom regelating such cases
that it must be received with caution. When the widow mar-
ries outside the family of her late husband the guardianship
of the children of the first marriage passes to her husband's
brothers. There is no trace of the fiction by which the children
of the seoond marriage are attributed to the late husband.

6. Of the tribe in the DCin Mr. Baillie writes^ :— '' The Mahras
are the aboriginal inhabitants and occupy all the unhealthy villages
in the Eastern DAn, where no one else can live. These are also
Rajputs, and are closely allied to the Bhoksas of the Rohilkhand
TarAi, and Thirus of the Ondh TarAi. They are clearly all one and
the same race. The Mahras have few traditions, except that their
ancestors were Rijputs. They present many points of resemblance
to the Bhoksas, though neither will acknowledge any connection
with the other. They are of settled habits, dwellers in swamps and
cnltivatorB of rice, and are proof against malaria. They do not
admit outsiders into the caste. They are timid and averse to inter*
course with strangers. They generally marry on attaining puberty.
They are in their habits and customs Hindus of the ordinary k)w
caste type, and Gaur Brihmans are employed by them as priests for
marriage and funeral ceremonies. Remarriage of the widows is
permitted. The widow is not obliged to marry her husband's elder

> CcMttf Report, N&rih'Wui Pr9vim€0$, I^ 9tl.

BHOKSA, BHUE8A. 68

or younger brother. They eat pork and fowls, and drink spiriti
like most of the dwellers in the Tarai swamps. Some of them are
hunters^ and catch game, and others are good fishermen. '' The
traditions which point to a Rajput origin are, of course, as baselesf
as those of the Tharus and the allied races.

7. There is no ceremony during pregnancy. The caste sappliee
Mabra Bhokaaa— midwivcs to the higher castes ; so they attend
Birth oeremonies. each other at their confinements. On the

sixth day is the worship of Bihai, who causes children to laog^ or
cry in their sleep. A ball of cowdung is made and wrapped up in a
cloth. The widwife brings this ball to the mother and she worships
it. On that day the entire house is plastered, and a dish of cuny
and rice is made and distributed among the clansmen and friends.
The next day the mother gets some Oanges water from a Brah-
man, and, mixing it with ordinary water, takes a bath. This is the
only purification. After a month the shaving (milndan) is perform*
ed, and on this occasion the clansmen are fed. There is no adoption
ceremony. When a man marries a widow and has no issue it is
very common for him to adopt one of his stepsons.

8. The betrothal is done in the usual way. At the marriage a
Mahra Bhoksaa— ^^^ {mdnro) is erected in the courtyard, and

Marriage. beneath it the nine planets are worshipped.

After this the sacred fire is lighted, and the pair walk five times
round it.

9. The dead are cremated, if possible, at the Ganges, and in

Mahra Bhnksaa— Dis- ^"7 ^^^c the ashes are deposited in the sacred
posai of the dead. ^^^^ rjc^ ^^^^ jg shrouded in a peoe of

white cloth, five yards long, to which a yard of red cloth is attached.
There is no ceremony at the cremation, but thii*teen days after
they give some grain, cloth, and vessels to a Brahman, and tins
purifies them. On every day up to the thirteenth the moomers
give a cake to the cow before they eat themselves. Every year, in
the month of Kuar, they feed the relatives of their daughters in
order to propitiate the ghosts of the dead — possibly a survival of the
matriarchate.

10. The Easteni section are very closely connected with the
Eastern Bhok«wi- Tharus. " Both tribes,'' says Mr. E,

ManneraandcuBtoiiis. Colvin,* *'are superstitious, and, as a rule.

> Cen$UM Beportf N,'W. P., 1S65, 1., Appendix 60, iqq.

60 BH0K8A, BHUSISA.

truthful, much given to intoxicating drink and not very chaste ; both
more or less migratory, onl^ continuing to cultivate the land until
it is exhausted, and then moving on to fresh grounds ; both utterly
reckless with water with which they inundate their fields. They
bear a good moral character ; are inoffensive and peaceable, as well
as intensely ignorant and indolent. They have no arts and manufac-
tures, and live on the chase and a scanty cultivation. They are parti-
cularly foiA of wild pig, and this may be one of the reasons why
they change the site or their villages every two or three years. In
some places they collect the wild jungle produce, but in no systematic
way. They also engage in gold washing, extracting gold dust to the
value of a few hundred rupees a year from the auriferous sands of
the Sona Nadi. They are slowly but surely dying out, and now
number only a few thousands. " Mr. Colvin says that they are less
intelligent than the Th&rus. " To this day neither the Bhoksas nor
the Thirus build even earthen walls for their houses, which are
made of posts driven into the ground with beams resting upon
them. They employ hill or plainsmen as blacksmiths ; all which
tends to prove that they never possessed knowledge sufficient to
admit of their erecting the buildings or sinking the masonry wells,
ruins of which still exist in the Tar&i. '' Of their villages in
Bijnor Dr. Stewart says : — '' All are built on the same plan of one
straight street, generally of consiilerable width ( in some cases as
much as 40 or 50 feet ) and kept very clean — in both respects dif-
fering remarkably from the villages of the plains. The huts are
placed end to end, with intervals after every group of three or four,
and the walls are for the most part built of wattle and dab, but
sometimes of thatch [ekkappar), of which latter the roofs are also
constructed. The houses are windowless, but each has a door in
front and another behind, the latter affording access to the shed for
cattle^ etc. The doorways and roofs are very low, and the floors of
beaten earth are considerably raised above the general level of the
grounds. Those Western Bhoksas do not at any time live in houses
built on Doles, as is stated to be the case with those opposite
Kumaun. *'

11. This division of the Bhoksas has been so far Hinduised

EaHot^ BhoksM— ^^^ ^"^^ ^ ^^^^ employ Gaur Brihmans

^•^*«**^* in their marriage and funeral^ ceremonies.

Some are Sikhs, and the wife follows the religion (p^tk) of her

husband, and the children that of their father. One of the Tarii

BKOKSAi BHUK8A. 60

Farganas is called Nftnakinatha, after the great Sikh Gam, and
there is a Sikh sbrine there as well as at Dehra and Srinagar.
But they have their own indigenous medicine men {padkdn).
They pay special devotion to the death goddess known as Bhawani
or Devi^ whose functions are the same as those of the Thim
goddess, K&lika. They have also two local saints, Sarwar Lakhi
and Kalu Sayyid, of whom Dr. Stewart could learn nothing.
Sarwar Lakhi is evidently the famous Sakhi Sarwar Sultin, also
known as Lakhdita or the giver of lakhs. His real name was
Sayyid Ahmad, and he flourished about the middle of the twelfth
century. His principal shrine is at Nagaha, in the Dehra Ghizi
Elh&n District. He is said to have been a disciple of B&ba Nanak :
he is the patron of athletes, and especially of wrestling.^ Kiln
Sayyid may have some connection with K&li Sinh, the Panjftb snake
godling.' But he is more probably identical with the deitj
known to the Baheliyas as Kalu Btr, to the Banj&ras as K&lu Deo,
and to the Eah&rs, as Kftlu Kahar. One story is that he was bom
of a Kahir girl, who by magical charms compelled King Solomon
to marry her, with the result that she bore a son, Kalu B&ba, who
is worshipped extensively by Eahars, Cham&rs, Sainis, Oadariyas,
and other low castes in the form of a fetish stick decorated with
peacocks' feathers. The last Census shows 266,191 votaries of
this godling. Sarwar Lakhi has a shrine at the entrance to the
main pass through the Siwalik hills into the Path D iin, and ail
wayfarers, as they pass, of whatever race, tribe, or creed, make
offerings to his shrine.

11. Like many isolated jungle tribes, they have acquired a
EMtern Biiok««t- wpitatiou for sorcery and witchcraft. In
Witohoraft.. fact, Bhogsa or Bhoksa, is the name for a

sorcerer in Garhw&K " Some are even said to be able to assume the
form of a wild animal, and thus accomplish the destmction of an
enemy. Sudarean S&h rid Garhw& of sorcerers in the following
manner, — He called all the Bhogsas together under pretence of
needing their assistance in some ceremony, and promised them all
sorts of rewards should he succeed, and so induced them to come
themselves and bring all their books with them. When all were
assembled that had any pretensions to power as sorcerers, he caused

> IbbeUon, Panjd^ EihnograTphy, IMi C. F. Oldh&m, Conttfrnporary R$titim,
XLVII., 412, §o, : Pallida Votu and Qu«Hef , U., 181 uq :
t IblMtoon. /oc. ciL^ 114.

f)l SHOT, SOT, IIKOTIIA.

ud i(u«w« nut 4lHtr book* imI

BHOKSAj BHUKBA.

BHOT, BOT, BHOTIYA*

them to be bound hand and foot, and thrown with their books and
implements into the river. '^^

Diitribution of the Bkokiot according to the Census of 1891,

■ T~r

DiBTBICT.

Ifahra.

BhokMU

Total.

Dehrt DAn ....
Moridibid ....

AlUhAbAd

Tvii

699

...

...
•••
• ..
1.208

599

13U8

Total

699

1»208

1,907

1. Shot, Bot, Bhotiya'— (Sanskrit, BhotaY^K tribe
originally of Hill origin. In the Panjftb, those who in the Spiti
and LahAl Districts returned themselves as Bot, merely imply that
they are Tibetans. The proper name of the tract of Chinese terri-
tory, which we call THbet, is Bodyul, or Bod land, and the people Bod-
pas, corrupted by the Indians into Bhotiyas — a name now applied
to the Tibetans living on the borders between India and Tibet,
while the people of THbet Proper are called Huniyae, and the country
Hundes. Boti is the name for the language, and Bot for the people ;
but they rarely apply it to themselves. " If they did,'' says Mr.
Diack, ''it would be like a Panjftbi describing himself as an
Asiatic.'' There they consist of four classes — Jocho, Lonpa, Chha*
zang, Loban.' In these Provinces a tribe of the same name is found in
small numbers in the Kumaun Division. There they usually call
themselves Raghubansi Rijputs, and trace their origin to Bbutwal
in NepiK 1 hey fix their emigration into Northern Oudh in the
reign of Nawib Asaf-ud-daula (1775—1797). They now present a
curious instance of a tribe of non- Aryan origin, who have in a very
short time become completely Brihmanised. Among some of them
the rule of exogamy is that they do not marry their sons into fami-
liea to which, within the memory of man, they have given daughters
as brides. But others have adopted the complete Hindu law of
exogamy, and the creation of a full set of Brihmanical gUrns is
probably only a question of time.

> AikiiMOB, lot. cii. II., 6S3.

* CiUfly bM«d on DotM by Monaki Badri KAtk, Dtpoty ColUctflr. KH«ri, acd
MvMia lUhMUo Pr»Md. HMd U*mUt. ZUIak HohtxA, Pilibyt.
' f^njAh CmMUS B0pari, H91, pao »5, #9.

BHOT, BOT, BHOTITA. 62

2. These are of the usual Hindu type. When the bride's palan-

quin arrives at the house of her husband the

Marriage oeremonies. ^ ,. . .,, i.^.,

gods are worshipped, and then she is admitted
into the house. Some rice^ silver, or gold, is put in the hands of the
bridegroom, which he passes on to the bride. She places them in a
winnowing fan, and makes them over as a present to the wife of the
barber. This ceremony is known as Karja bharna. A man can
have three wives and no more. The wife of the first marriage is
the head wife, and she receives by inheritance a share one-tenth in
excess of that given to the other wives. Marriage is generally per-
formed under the age of fifteen, but no special age is fixed. No
price is paid on either side* Concubinage and the levirate are
allowed. There is no form of divorce, and though a man or woman
is excommunicated if detected in illicit intercoursei they can be
restored to caste on giving a tribal feast.

3. The marriage ceremonies are in the standard form. Bespec-

table people marry by the common eharhana

Marriage oeremonies. ... i . i t • -^i .i

ritual, which begins with the oeremomes
at the door of the bride^s. house {darwdza ekdr ordudr ekdr).
When they come to the marriage shed (mdnro)^ the officiating
Brahman does the usual worship. The bride^s younger brother
sprinkles parched grain over the pair, and receives from the
father of the bride a sheet, which is known as Idi hhujua^
or the remuneration for parching rice. Then the bridegroom
rolls a stone over the pai*ched rice on the grotmd, and this is
known as the ^' line of the stone ^^ (patthar ki laiir)^ which is the
bindingjpart of the ceremony. Then follows the tying of the clothes
{ganth bandhan)^ and the circumambulation of the fire (bhauMMiri).
Next comes the ^dsa sdr^ where the bride and bridegroom
exchange jewels — a survival of the gambling custom which
appears in the standard ritual. Then follows the feeding of the bride-
groom (bdsi iAildna), and the usual feast to the clansmen. After
the marriage is over, on an auspicious day, the grass used as thatch for
the wedding shed and other things are thrown into a river or tank
by the women. This is called maur terwdna^ '^ the setting afloat of
the marriage crown.^^ The lower kind of marriage iscalled pair
pUjna, in which all the ceremonies are done at the house of tha
husband. The last form, ^^araua, is simple concubinage. Persons
who have not been married till they are of advanced years very
often keep a woman in this way.

63 BHOT, BOT, BHOTITA.

4. ThotBe who die of cholera or snake-bite^ and yonng children, are
^. , * X,. :. ^ buried ; others are cremated. There is no

DispoMl of the d«ad.

fixed burial-ground, and no oeremonies are
performed at the time of burial. Richer people keep the ashes for
removal to some sacred stream ; others bury them* After the
cremation a stalk of iuia grass is fixed in the ground near a tank,
and water and sesamum is poured upon it for ten days so as to con- /
▼ert it into a refuge for the spirit until the rites are completed*

6. They employ Br&hmans as priests. Their chief object of

worship is Devi, to whom goats are sacri-
ficed. Young pigs are also occasionally
offered to her.

The worshippers make the sacrifice and consume the meat
themselves. They observe the usual festivals. On the Barsati
Amiwas, on the fifteenth of Jeth, women worship a banyan tree
by walking round it and tying a thread round the trunk. This
they do to increase the life of their husbands. Women &8t on
the 'Hja, or third day of Bhidon. At the Oodiya^ on the fifth of
Kftrttik, they worship the dragon, N&g Deota, and girls offer
dolls to Devi and MaUideva. The care of malignant spirits
is the business of the exerciser (ndwat). Women reverence the
hargtid or banyan tree, because its name (bargad) is supposed to
be oonnected with their husbands {bar),

6. They do not eat the turnip (skalgiam). They will not

touch a Dhobi, Bhangi, Chamir, or Kori.

They eat the flesh of goats, sheep, hare,

deer, water-birds, and fish ; they will not eat the monkey, cow^

pig, fowl, crocodile, snake, lizard, rat, or other vermin. In*

toxicating liquors are forbidden ; biang and gdnja are used, but

is reprobated.

7« Their occupation is agriculture ; they do not hold land as

samtndirs but as tenants, and some work as
Oeeopatkn. g^j^ labourers. Tlioy practice no handicraft

JHtifribntion of tk$ Bhotiyai according to (he Censm of If^Ot.

DttrmtcT.

Nomtter.

7.270

DlHTSICT.

< N amber.

lliuaifaniagtr
O^iakbpur . • •

Gmrhwil
T»r4i

Total

Ifi
6

Kqbuiqb

7.457

BHUtMHlK. 61

Bhninhar— (Sanskrit Bhami, "land," idra, "miket "V—Kn

important tribe of landowners and agrioaltnrists in the
Eastern Districts. They are also known as B&bhan, Zamindtr
BrUhman^ Grihasth BrsLhmani or Paohhima, or ^^ Western "
Brahmans. They must, of course, be very carefully distinguished
from the Dravidian Bhuinh&r or Bhuiy&r tribe, of whom some
account has been given in a separate article.

2. One story of their origin is that when Parasurima destroyed
_ . . ., the Kshatriya race, he set up in their place

Origin of trib«. v * * r

the descendants of Brdhmans, who, after
a time, having abandoned their priestly functions, took to
land-owning. Another story tells that a King of Ajudhya
being childless, sought to obtain an heir by the sacrifice of a
Brahman, and purchased the son of the Rishi Jamadagni for
that purpose. The imcle of the child, the sage- Yiswamitra,
procured li child for the R&ja, and the sacrifice was rendered
unnecessary \ but the Br&hman boy having been sold was oon«
sidered degraded, and was forced to take to agriculture, and
became the ancestor of the Bhiunh&rs. This, as Mr. Risley
says, is the famous legend, of Sunahsephas in another form.'
^^A third legend, perhaps the best known of all, traces the
Babhans back to a sacrifice offered by Jarasandha, King of
Magadha, at which a very large number of Br^mans, some say
a lakh and-a-quarter, were required to be present. Jarasandha'^
Diwan, a Kdyasth of the Amisht or Karan sub-caste, did his
best to meet the demand, but was driven to eke out the local
supply by distributing sacred threads among members of the
lower castes, and palming them off on the King as genuine
Br&hmans. Jarasandha' s suspicions being roused by the odd
appearance of some of the guests, the Diw&n was compelled to
guarantee their respectability by eating the food which they had
cooked, while the Br&hmans thus manufactured had to set np a
caste of their own, the name of which (B&bhan or B&hman)vis
popularly supposed to mean a sham Bi&hman, just as in some
districts an inferior Bijput is called a R&wat, the oomqption
of the name betokening the corruption of the caste. '''

3. It has been suggested' that the legend that they were Brih-

1 Trihe$ and C<uU$, I,, 28.

s Ibid.

• CaUuiia Review, LXXVI, 82.

65 BHLtsHAa.

mans degraded at the feast of Jarasandha points to the fact that
after the downfall of Buddhism, the Babhans were thoFe Brahmans
(with whom thero was possibly some admixture of lUjputs)
who were either converted to the Buddhistic faith or chose to Uve
under the Buddhistic system with a changed status. Of this^
however, there is no enJence.

4. vOn their relations to Brahmans and Bffjputs a competent
observer, Mr. J. R. • Reid, writes ' : — " Their Brahman and Chhatri
neighbours generally insinuate that they are of mixed breed,
the offspring of Brihman men and Chhatri women, or of Chhatri
men and Br&hman women. By other castes they are regarded as a
kind of Chhatri, and are spoken of, and indeed often speak of them-
selves, as Bhuinh^r Thakurs. Their ckns {golra)' are the same as
those of the Brahmans, and, like the latter, the Bhuinhars wear a
thread (janeu) ninety-six hands breadth {chaua) in length, the
Chhatri's thread being eighty only. They do not perform priestly
offifces, nor receive oilorings given from a religious motive (ddn,
fiaiiHna) ; but they arc saluted with the prandm, or jjdeiagi, and
return the salutation with a blessing {a$irbdfi). Physically they are
of the same type as the Brahman or Chhatri. /In character tliey
resemble the former more than the latter ; and the following pro-
verbs are in vogue : —

yaJi kai bkdnwak,
• Bkuinkdr iui ghdnvak,

Sahie chatur Banjia, tete ckatur Sundr ;
Laii lute Idlke iehi tkdge Bkuinkdr.

'' The Bhuiuhar is as uncertain as the current of the rivulet.
Cutest of all is the Banya ; cuter than him is the goldsmith ; but
the Bhujnh&r with his wiles tricks them both/'

*' Br&hmans do not eat with them, nor do Rajputs. Possibly
the existence of the Bhuinhar class is also evidence of the time when
the bonds of caste, as we know them, had not been forgiMl, or, if forg*
ed, were not worn by those who puhhcd forward into new settlements
beyond the old. It lias Ijcen |)ointed «mt that to the non-Ar}'an in-
habitants of the count n' all Ar>'ans were of one caste, — al! BrAhmaus.
Within the Aryan body the excliange of pricbtly for military employ-
ment was not imp>ssib!e, and did not involve degradation. It is un-

Aaimgarh SfttUmtnt Rwport/17, •«/.
Vot. II.

BHUtNHlR. 66

necessary^ therefore^ to believe that all Bhuinhdfs are Brfthmans of
inferior^ because illegitimate stock. They may be as true bom as the
Brahmans or Chhatris who surround them, and many of whom they
possible preceded in the occupation of the land. Further, it seems
probable that many so called Kshatriya tribes are Br&hmans who
have fallen from their former status/'

5. Dr. Oldham,^ speaking of the Gh&zipur branch of the tribe,
says that in popular estimation they share something of the sacred-
ness which attaches to Brahmans. Their divisions are very often the
same as those of well-known Rajput tribes, such as the Kinwar,
Gautam, and Kausik Bhuinh&rs; and the corresponding Bajpat
tribe sometimes names the same city or country as the first home of
the race. In one case *^ a Bhuinh&r and RSjput tribe both claim
descent from a common ancestor, and each admits that the preten-
sions of the other are well founded. The Bhuinhir tribes all inter-
marry on terms of equality and eat together; on the other hand
Rajputs marry their daughters into what they consider superior, and
their sods into inferior tribes, and are very chary of eating together.
There is consequently a much closer bond of sympathy between the
various Bhuinh^r tribes of the district than between the Rljpats.^'

6. Sir H. M. Elliot' thinks that ''we perhaps have some indica-
tion of the true origin of the Bhuinh&rs in the names Garga Bhflmi
and Yasta Bhftmi, who are mentioned in the Harivansa as Elshatriya
Brahmans, descendants of Kasya princes. Their name of Bhfimi and
residence at Kashi are much in favour of this view ; moreover, there are
to this day Garga and Vatsa goiras among the Sarwariya Brihmans/'

7. The theory that they are a mixed race, derived from a con-
geries of low caste people accidentally brought together, is disproved
by the high and uniform type of physiognomy and personal
appearance which prevails among them. This, as Mr. Bisley says
would not be the case '' if they were descended from a crowd of
|0W caste men promoted by the exigencies of a particular occasion,
for brevet rank thus acquired would, in no case, carry with it the
right of intermarriage with pure Br&hmans oi Rajputs, and the
artificially formed group, being compelled to marry within its
own limits, would necessarily perpetuate the low caste type of
features and complexion. As a matter-of-fact, this is what happens

1 QhntipuT Memo. I., 48.

3 SuppUmtnlary Qlottafy, s. r.

67 bhuIniiAr.

with the sham Hfijputs whom we find in most of the outlying
Districts of Bengal. They marry among themselves^ never among
tha true Rfljputs, and their features reproduce those of the parti-
cular aboriginal tribe from which they may happen to be sprung/'

8. The next supposition is that they may be Brahmans who
for some cause Qn this case it is said to have been because they
took to agriculture) have been degraded. There are, of course,
many so-called Brahmans, like the MahabrShman, Ojha, or Dakaut,
who are of a degraded type; but many of these arc almost cer-
tainly derived from the lower races, and have little or no Aryan
Uood in their veins. Further, many true Brahmans hold land
and cultivate, and are not necessarily degraded by so doing.

9. Further, Mr. Risley seems to be certunly right in dwell'ng
on the fact that while they have sections both of the terri-
torial and eponymous class, the former regulate the exogamy of
the tribe, and not the latter. Many lower castes have adopted
Brihmanical ^o^roi ; but it is unreasonable to suppose that if the
Bhuinhirs were originally Brahmans, and as such necessarily
provided with a set of real Brahmanical ffoirax, they would deli-
berately have discarded them and adopted a tril)al organization of
the territorial type. On this ground he regards them as more
probably a branch of the Rajputs.

10. The question then of the origin of the Bhiiinhars is not
oapable of exact determination. Their traditions, customs, and
appearance point all to a Brahmanical origin ; their tribal organic
sation seems to show that they are not, as is asserted by some,
Brilhmans, who for a reason obviously inadequate, have been degrad-
ed from their original position. They may be a real branch of tiie
Aryan stock, who in very remote agi's colonised tlie |)art of the
country which they occupy at present, and being reduced by tiie
exigencies of their position to abrogate tlunr sacerdotal functions,
took to a life of war and agriculture, and in consequence of this
organized their tribe in a manner analogous to those of the early
K^batriya settlers.

11. As has been already iiid, the tribal divisions of the Bhuin-
^ . . hirs are ornninnl on bc»th the territorial

and qx)nyniou» syHtems. Of the former the

chief sub-divisions in the eastern jiart of these Provinces are

the Kinwir, Donwar, SAarwar, Ba^hochhiya, Bemuwar, Karcn-

awa, Kotraha, Karm&i, Kolltaniyio, Athariya, Jaithariya,

Vol. II. I 2

BUUtNHlR. 68

Chaudhari, Kotaha^ Subratiiy&D, Belhariya^ Domkatir, Bak-
sariya^ Eksariya, Gautamiya, Titiha, fihaiwadh^ Kolaha, Sor-
haniya^ Biniar^ Surohau^ Birramiya^ Kahatwar, Mirzapari, Raikwdr
and Pai-asiya. Besides these are a number of sub-divisions of
the Brahmanieal type^ such as Dikshit^ Garga, Gautam^ San«
dilya, Panr6, Dubd, Tiwari, Upadhya, Pathak, ShukI, Kapilgotri,
Kausik^ Bharadw&ja^ and Payasi Misr. They further enumerate
eighty-four of the regular Brahmanieal goirat, such as Kasyapa,
Yasishtha, Parasara, Bhargava, Vatsya, Katyiyana, Gargya^
Gobhila^ Angiras^ and eo on. But in carrying out the rules
of exogamy the fnul or territorial 'section is alone taken account
of; and not the Brahmanieal gotra. With this exception the
prohibited degrees follow the standard Br&hmanical formula.
Some of these sections are possibly to temistic^ suchas the Bagbo-
chhiya or 'Higer '' (bdg^)-, Domkatar^ "Dom's knife/' Belhariya,
from the lei tree ; and these sections carry with them some degiee
of inferiority, which results in a form of hypergamy. The Cen-
sus returns give no less than four hundred and fifty-eight Bhuinhar
sections : but here the territorial sections and the Brahmanieal
gotrai are mixed up together. The most important local sections
according to these returns are the Chaudhari^ Grautam, and Kolaha,
in Benares : the Gautam in Mirzapur : the Bh&radwaja, Bhrigu-
bansi; Dichhit, Donwar, Gautam, Kausik, Kinw&r, Kistwir, Sakar^
war, Sonwar, in Ghazipur : the Asiiriya, Bhagata, Domkatir^ Kin-
war, Manchaura^ Nanauliya, and BemwSr, of Ballia : the Bagho-
chhiya, Baksariya, Gautam ^ Kausik, and Sakarwar, of Grorakhpur :
the Barasi, Birhariya, and Kausik, of Basti : and the Barwir
Bharadwaja, Bhrigubans, Denwdr, Gargbans, Gautam^ Purw&r,
Sakarwar, and Sandil, of Azamgarh.

12. The Bhuinhjirs of this part of the

Domestic ccremonietf. . <» n • ^ a\ . % %

countiy follow m every respect the standard
Bnihmanical rules.

IS. BhuinliArs are usually Saivas or Saktas, and worship the

deohdr or community of village godlings and
^ **''*°"' local demons or ghosts, such as Gh>raivik

Ilardiya, Bundi Mai, and the like.

TerntoriuUuhMlui- ^^' ^[^'"^ mcount may be given of the

«»*•""• chief territorial sulxlivisions.^

* Old bum, 1^1 (f. I., 68, tqn*

69 BHUtNHlR.

15. The KinwAr BhuinhAre claim an orifs^n from Padampar, in

the Gametic, like the Kinwir RAjpnts. They
have in Ghazipur three snb-sectionB — lUkjdhar,
Makand, and Pithaur Sad.

16. The Bemwir Bhuinhdrs say they came from Bempur and

settled in Narwan in Benares. They are
respectable, welUto-do jieople.

17. The Sakarw&r Bhuinh&rs are closely connected with the

Rajput sept of the same name, and like them
their le^nds connect them and their name
with Fatehpnr-Sikri. In GhMpur they are generally rich, and have
retained the greater part of their ancestral property.

] 8. The Donwir sub-division say that their original home was

near Fatehpur-Sikri. When they settled in
Azamgarh they were known as Bhath. Tliey
derive their name from their parent village Donauli, which took its
name from Dona Achdrya, a Panid Brahman. Dr. Oldham says
that they are frugal and industrious. The ancestor of the Donwars
of two or throe villages was in the military sernceof one of the Delhi
Emperors, and received from him for his valour the title of Khin,
which is borne to the present day by all his descendants.

19. Of the Chkutam Bhuinhiirs one tradition runs that about

the year 30i Hijri (SS2 A. D.) a Brahman
of the Gautam ^otra, name«l Khattu Misra,
came to Benaree. Every day after he had bathcvl he use^l to |X)ur
some water at the root of a maddr tree {/ise/fjjiai gigamiea) in
which lived a R&kshasa. One day he had forgot to make the
aocQstomed offering, and the Rakshasa ap])eared and implored him
to relieve his thirst. lie complied with the re(|uest, and the
Rikshaea offered him any boon he chose. Kliattu replied that he
was much inconvenienced by having to dry his wet loin cl«)th over
hiB shouklers whenever be went to l>atho So the demon gave
him the power of throwing the cloth into the air, where it was
miraculously su!«])ended until it dried. Tlie Rakshai^a then
introduced him to Vyal4^ who was living in Bcnaren, antl the
fame of his mirai*le!( rajndly brought him reputation and wealth.
So he built a tank at Benareit, which is ntill known aii J/i srj ia
pokHara, and planted trees on its liank. Benares was then ruie.l by
Raja Banir ; and one day an elopliant Ijelonging to the Raja injured
one of the trees of Kliattu Misra, whereat he was wroth, and the

BHtUNUAR.

Raja was forced to take the worthy into his £avour. One day the
Rftja gave Khattu a packet of betel on which he had written a deed«
of-gift of twenty-eight villages. Khattu unwittingly swallowed
ine betel^ and being considered to have thus lost status by accepting
a gift, he henceforth lost the power of drying his loin cloth in the air.
This estate was the present Grangapur^ which belongs to his descen-
dant, the present Maharaja of Benares, who belongs to the Bipra
branch of the Gautam gotra^ with the title of Misra. According
to Mr Sherring^ it is " of the Kauthumiya sdiAa, or branch of
Brahmans following the ritual of the S&ma Veda. It has three
Pravaras, distinguished by the number of knots in the Brihmani-
cal cord — the Gautam, Angiras, and Anthatiya. The clan in-
termarries with the Bhutnhars of the Madhyandina idiia of
Brahmans, obsei-ving the ritual of the Yajur Veda* It is tradi-
tionally allied to the Sarwaiiya Brahmans of Madhubani beyond
the Ghagra. ''

20. The Bhuinhars of these Provinces claim to observe a high

Occupation and social standard of personal purity and carry out all
status. |.j^g j^]gg ^f ^jjg Brahmanical ritual. Thqr

are in the \allages at least quarrelsome and litigious ; but they ar^
on the whole, a fine body of sturdy yeomen, and turn out excellent
crops, though they will not plough with their own hands. To agri-
culture they very generally add dealing in grain and money-lending.

Diitrihntion of the Bhuinhd^s according to the Censnt of 1891.^

DiSTBICT.

Number.

DiSTBIOT.

Number.

Bulandshahr

Benares

Mirzapor

Jaanpar

Gh&zipnr

Ballia

21,272

9,385

4,202

54,606

25,777

' Basti . « . .

Azamgarh •

Lncknow
JFaizab&d .

Gonda

Partabgarh • •

12,744

61»426

124

iii

Gorakhpur •

31,202

Total

221,027

» Hindu Tribes, 1 , 41, sq.

' These probably include a few cf the Dravidian BhutnhArs who
separately tabulated.

w«T« noi

71 BHUITA.

Bhuiya. — A Dravidian tribe found in the bill country of South
Mirzapur' to tbe number of 839.

t. Their legend in Mirzapur runs that two ancient sages, Moma
1 At ^^- Rishi and Kumbha Hishi, had each a son

Legend 01 ongin. '

known respectively as Bhad or Bhadra and
Mahesh. Bhad practised austerities in the forests of Magadha or
Bihar, and his cousin Mahesh attended on him« Bhad once eat ^

between two nim {melia azadiraekta) trees, and when he felt hungrj
ate the bark. The Bhuiya8~¥ehce know him as the N!m Rishi.
Mahesh went into the forest every morning to collect roots and
fruits. Half he used to eat himself, and half he kept for his cousin.
When Bhad had spent twelve years in these austerities, the Lord
tempted him by sending to him one of the nymphs of heaven. She
used to make some halwa out of flour, butter and sugar and stick
it on the bark of the tree beneath which Bhad sat. Bhad knowing
nothing of this used to eat it with the bark which formed his daily
food. Finally his ej-es were opened and he saw the lady. lie fell
in love with her and took her to wife, and had seven sons, from
whom are descended the Magahiya, Tirvak, Dandwdr, Dhelwdr,
Musahar, and BhuinhAr or Bhuiyar septs. From their descent from
the Rishi the Bhuiyas often call themselves Kishflsan Bhuiyas.
The fruits and roots which Mahesh collected he sowed in the Mirza-
pur jungles, and since then they have begun to grow there. This
legend is very different from that recorded by Colonel Tickell, which
would make the Bhuiyas def^oended from shell fish, and of kindred
origin to Kols, Santals, and Ghasiyas.' The Mirzapur legend asserts
their kinship with the Musahar and Bhuinhar, who claim to be dis-
tinct tribes, and disclaim anv connection with the Bhuivas.

Mr. Risley, remarking on the wide area over which the name
Bhuiya has spread, thinks we should '' hesitate and demand some
independent e\'idence of affinity before we pronounce it to be an
original tribal designation, and aoceirt the conclusion that all tribes
which bear the name at the present day are f>pnmg from a
common stock. '* He adds tliat " the ailvance«l guard of the Ar}'an
immigrants, pressing forward in quest of land, and seeking a name
for the alien races whom they found in fkHM^biiion of scanty clearings

1 Fitr an arooant cif tbe tminrh <■( the trib« who hare lateljr b«e'>oi9 Dr.torioo* m
Bengal, nee Hnntrr, (>ri««(i, II., 114.
' Dalioo, KihnQloy^, IS6.

BBIJITA. 72

in the forest-clad tract of Central India^ whither they had themselves
been diiven^ would naturally ignore the tribal names of the groups
with which they came in contact, and would call the strangerst
Bhuiyas or children of the soil ''^ {b/'U'ui).

3. Colonel Dalton describes the Bhuiyas of Ghingpur and Bonai as

*' a dark brown, well proportioned race, with

Physical chaxacterUtics. 1,1 i»i. i- i^«i»i ^it -it.

black, straight hair plentiful on the head but
scant on the face ; of middle height, figures well knit, and capable
of enduring great fatigue, but light framed like the Hindu, rather
than presenting the usual muscular developemeut of the hillman.
The features are very much of the same cast throughout. The
cheek and jaw-bones are projecting, so as to give a breadth and
squaieness to the face. The nose is but slightly elevated, still neither
so depressed nor so broad at the root as the generality of Turanian
noses, and rather of a retrousse type : mouth and teeth well formed,
and the facial angle generally good. The eyes well shaped and
straight, but never very large or deep set/'* On the other hand he
describes the Keonjhar Hill Bhuiyas ^^ as rather of an exaggerated
Turanian type : very large mouths, thick and somewhat projecting
lips, foreheads narrow and low, but not receding ; eyes dark but
well shaped, hair plentiful on the head, though rather frizzly and
generally scanty on the face ; but to this there are notable exceptions.
Short of stature, averaging about five feet two inches, round shoul-
dered^ and many of them with a lump that is produced by the dis-
placement of the muscles in carrying loads bhangy &8hion. The
colour of the skin varies fiom a deep chocolate, the predominating
tint, to tawny/'* This last description seems to answer more
closely than the former to the tribe as found in Mirzapur. They
are distinguibhed with very great difficulty from the Bhuiyar, with
whom they are doubtless very closely connected, but are much less
robust and active than the Korwas or Parahiyas.

4. Ihe Mirzapur Bhuiyas have not the intricate and confusing

internal structure characteristic of the Bengal

Internal Btroctnie. _ , ,

tribe. They describe themselves as divided
into^ght s^pts — Tir\'ah, Magahiya, Pandwar, Mahatwar, Mahthek,
^lusahar, and Bhuinhar or Bhuiyar. Of tlie^e the Dandwir,

1 Tribes and Castes, I,, lQ9,sq.

' Descriptive Ethnology, 140.

' Ibid, H7; aleo sec Ball, Jungle Li/e,\267.

73 BHUIYA.

Magahiya, iMahatwar, Tirvah^ appear in the Bengal libts from

Lohardaga and the Mu8ahar in Manbhum.^ Some of these 6ub-

divisions are totemistic, some local, and eome occupational. Thus the

Tirvah say they take their name from the fact that their original

ancestor was thrown when a baby into a river. One of the Dand-

war sept rescued and brought him to the bank (fir). Another

version of the story is that the ancestor of the sept was bom on the

river bank, fell in accidentally, and was rescued by a Dandwar. '1 he

Magahiya is a local sept derived from Magadha or Bihar, their place

<»f origin. The Dandwar^ again, is apparently an occupational sept.

They take their name from dand, athletic exercises^ in which like

Nats they are said to be proficient. The Mahatwar derive their

name from the fact that they were formerly leaders (mahto) of the

tribe. The Musahar are so called because they eat mice and rats

{mui). They say that they were originally natives of Magadha or

BiL^r, and emigrated into Mirzapur only some three or four genera*

tions ago. They have no«^ no connection with their original seat in

the way of marriages, pilgrimages, or deriving their priests, barbers,

or tribal officers from there. The septs of the Tirvah, DandwAr, and

Mahatwar intermarry', and the Magahiya, Mahthek, Bhuiy&r or

Bhuinhir, and Musahar intermarry'. But these rules appear to Le

in a very uncertain state, because there seems no doubt that they also

marry within tlieir own sept, but not with a family with whom an

alliance has been contracted within two or three generations, which

is as far as memory runs. The internal structure of the tribe is, in

fact, in a state of transition. The Musaliar and Bhuinhar or

Bhuiyir septs have practically completely separated, and tliis prt>

oess will doubtless continue until still more endogamous groups are

formed.

5. They have a tribal council which is known as Bhayyiri, or

"the assemblaiit* of tlie brethren.^^ Tlie

Tribal eooneil. ,

meetings for trilial business take place when
the members collect for mairiages or funeralv. Thty have a fK^rma*
nent hereditary prchident called Mahto The priucii»al cast's which
come before the council arc charges of not feeding the brotherhiKxl
at marriages and deaths, eating or drinking with outsiders, and for-
nication or adulter}'. The usual punishment when an offence is
proved is that the offender is condemneil to feed the brotherhood for

I Biflley. Trt^«f and CaiUi, II.» Apf^tndit II.

BHUIYA. 74

one or two days on goat's fleshy rice^ and liqnor. If the hereditary
president happens to be a minor, his duties are undertaken, till he
grows up, by some other person appointed by the council.

6. Marriages are strictly local^ and, as a rule, a Bhuiya never goes

to a distance to find a wife for his son. Differ-
enceof occupation, provided other conditions
are fulfilled, is not a bar to marriage. All the sub-divisions are equal
as far as marriage is concerned, and the custom of hypergamy is
unknown. They may have as many wives as they can buy and sup*
port. There is no rule of precedence among the wives, and all, if
possible, live in different rooms in the same house. Concubinage is not
permitted. Women ai*e allowed considerable freedom both before and
after marriage. If an unmarried girl is detected in an intrigue with
a man of her own caste her father has to give a feast to the brethren,
and the girl is married to her lover. But apparently nothing short
of actual detection in the act or the pregnancy of the girl is sufficient
to compel the council to take aotion against her. If she is detected
in an intrigue with a person not of her own caste she is permanently
expelled. The usual marriage age for both boys and girls is twelve.
The consent of the parents is essential, except in the case of pre*
nuptial immorality, and by this means couples very often make up
their own matches. The permanent bride-price prescribed for the
whole tribe, whether rich or poor, is five rupees in cash, a cloth for
the bride, four sen of rice, two sen of sugar, and one ser of turmeric.
If after marriage either bride or bridegroom becomes idiotical, mad,
leprous, impotent, or mutilated, the marriage is annulled. But this
is conditional on the other party being ignorant before the marriage
was carried out of such a defect.

7. Habitual infidelity on the part of either husband or wife is a

gpround for divorce, but the fact must be proved

to the satisfaction of the tribal council, which

scrutinizes the evidence very closely. Divorced women can remarry,

but the feeling is against it, and only widowers or men who cannot

afford the recognised briJe-price for a virgin will take such women.

8. TVidows are remarried in the sagdi form. When a man

marries a widow he has to repay tha
Widow mam^ and the bride-pricc to the relations of her late

husband. There is no ceremony. All
the man docs is to give the woman a sheet {sdri) , and then takes her
home, where he has to give a feast to the brethren. The levirate it

75 BHUIYA.

strictly enforoeiL It is only when the younger brother of her late
husband abandons his claioi on the widow that she can marry an
outsider. The elder brother ean^ under no circumstances, marry the
widow of his yoanger brother. If she marries an outsider her
brother-in-law has a right to the custody of all her children by the
first marriage. If she marries an outsider she loses all right to the
goods of her first hnsband. Her sons by her first husband are his
heirs. In the case of the lerirate the levir takes over the goods and
children of his late brother : if, when they come of age, they wish
to separate, they are considered entitled to an equal share in the
joint property with their step brothers. There is no fiction that
the children of the levir are afiiliated to his late brother.

9. They assert that a sonless man can adopt and pretend to have

some elaborate rules on the subject which are
in imitation of their Hindu neighbours. At
any rate it is dear that there is no religious motive for adoption, and
if a roan does adopt an heir it is one of his brother's sons. A man
may not adopt his sister's son, but he may adopt his daughter's
son. A bachelor, a blind, impotent, or lame man may adopt, but not
an ascetic. The rule that the person adopted should be unmarried
is not enforced. Girls are never adojited.

1 0. The rales of succession do not differ from those of the cognate

Dravidian tribes. Genealogies are not care-

8acc«ttioii.

fully kept. They remember generally the
names of four or five ancestors both in the male and female line.

11. There is no ceremony at pregnane}-. The Chamain midwife

ofiiciates. She cuts the cord (ndr) and buries

Birth MramoniM. • . • ^ » . i i .. i •«

It m the exact place where the child was^born,
and lights a fire there. On the day of her confinement the mother
gets a decoction of flour, ginger, coarse sugar, and turmeric, mixed
up and boiled in water. She then gets nothing to*eat for^three
days, when slie is fed on rice and pulse. She remains secluded in
the delivery room {iaur) fur six days, during which time the
Chamftin attends. On the sixth day is the ckkatki ceremony. All
the men and women of the family Imve their dirty clothes washed
by the Dh«>bi. The men have their heails sliaved, the women get
the barbcr'i» wife to cut their finger and toe nails, and dye their feet
with lac dye {mahdwar), Ttie houi>e xa rep!at»tered, and the okl
earthen \'esfce!s replaced. The Chamain bathes mother and infant.
The deliver}' room is fir^t p!a»tercd by the Cluunain and then by

BHUIYA. 7G

the sister of the child's father [nanad), for which ahe gets a present
in money, clothes or cattle. If a son is bom the Cham&in receive
four annas and her food, and two annas for a daughter. The washer-
man and the barber's wife get the same. The husband does not
cohabit with his wife for two and-a-half months after her delivery.

12. Adoption is made in presence of the brethren, who are enter-

tained. He acknowledges the boy as his son,

Adoption ceremony. j v i

and the boy acknowledges him as his father.
If this is not done the adoption is not recognised.

13. There is no special ceremony when boys or girls attain
„ ^ , puberty, but at the age of five or six their

Poberty ceremony. i i «

eats are bored (hanchhedana). The boring
is done by a goldsmith who gets one pice and a ration of uncooked
grain (a W^ a). No tribal feast is given, but the members of the
household wear their best clothes and eat specially good food that
day. Up to that time it does not matter what the child eats,
^ but after the ear-boring he must conform to the rules of the
caste.

14. The selection of the bride is the business of the boy's father.
MarriBi^e ceremonies. When he has made his choice he comes

The betrothal. j^ome and sends his brother-in-law, the tribal

president (Mahto), and four or five other male friends to the &ther
of the girl. If the proposal is accepted, the envoys are entertained
for the night. Next morning the bride's father sunmions his
clansmen. A square is made with flour in the court-yard. Her
father brings out the bride, who is made to stand in the square,
and her father theij calls on the friends of the bridegioom and
the Mahto to examine her carefully and satisfy themselves that
she has no physical defect. When they are satisfied the Mahto
or brother-in-law of the bridegroom's father fills the bride's
hand with dry rice and sprinkles some grains [ackhat) over her
for good luck. The bride then retires. Next the boy's &ther
sends for four annas worth of liquor, and the girl's &ther for
two annas worth. This is mixed, and the two fathers sit down
with leaf platters (dauna) in theii* hands. These they exchange
five times and drink the liquor.^ The bride-price is then paid over
to the girl's father, and the betrothal is considered complete.

This it Homething like the custom of the Hos ; but among them it it the brid«
ana nridegroom who pledge each other. Daltcn, Detcri^iive Ethnology, 193.

77 BOUIYA.

15. After the betrothal the wedding day is fixed by the &ther
The preliminary mar- ^f the bridegroom. Notice IS Bent through

riage ceremoDiee. jjjy broth er-iu-kiw to the bride's father.

Three days before the wedding the ma/mdt^ara or "lucky eaiif
ceremory is performed in both families. The women of the village
go in procession to the village clay-pit. At the head of them goes
a Chamar playing on his drum. This drum is first worshipped by
the women, and a mark (tika) made on it with red lead. The vil-
lage Haiga then digs three spadesfull of earth, which the mother
of the bride or bridegroom, as the case may be, takes in her loin
cloth, she standing behind him with her face veiled in her sheet,
while he passes the earth to her over his left shoulder. This earth
in plaoetl in the marriage shed (ntdnro) which is erected in the court-
yard of the hon£«, and on it is placed un eailhen jar (kjl»a) full of
water, into which some mango leaves and rice stalks are -thrown.
Next comes the anointing {tel kirdi) of the pair, which is done at
their respective houses by five women of the family (the number
five is selected as it is lucky) who rub them with oil and turmeric.
A day before the wedding day the brethren are entertained at a
feast {Bkiit'rdn). They are also feil on the morning when the pro«
cesidon starts. Before the proccbsion starts the mother of the bride*
groom M!&ts herself on the rice mortar {oki^iri). The bri<1egroom
walks towards her and turns l>ack four times. The tifth time be
comes close to her, when she seizes him bv the handkerchief which
he wears over his shoulders, and will not let him go unti) he promises
a present. Next e<»mei» the imligkoina or *' mixing of the tam-
arind. '' The bridegroom's mother bits on the ground with him in
her lap. Her brother gives him a si]> of tamarind mixed with
sugar and water. He s]>its it out on the | aim (»f his mother,
who licks it uj), and receive** a present for doing h) from her bn»ther.
Then cxmes tlie parachkan ceremony -as deseriljc^l among Majh»
warn (para 10). The bridegr(M>m then starts in proi'esbion for the
Viride's houfe accom)ianied by his relatives and clansmen.

16. At the bride'h houK- a niurriage shed (maHro) has been eriH^ted.

C«r»iDotiuii attlohuuw ^he p.>ti*, nine in number, are forniwl of the
«fiu.bria«. ^,^^1 ^,f the *i:/./i tree (W'ftiinckia btMoia),

and roofitl with ljatiilKH»s. The l'n>t I>o^t is envted by tlie village

Baiga, and the work tini>hetl by the male relations of the bride.

Mango Uavi^ are hung on tli«^ pillars. At tin* same time a [lost of

titidA w<kh1 is planted in the ground at tlie do«>r of the cook-houife

BnuiTA. 78 ^

and covered with a cloth. This poet is decorated with red lead and
turmeric, and is known as " the auspicious one'' {Kalydni). When
the procession approaches the bride's house, her relatives and friends
go in a body ( paghar) to receive the bridegroom. The bridegroom
is led in and seated in the square {ckauk) in the court-yards
opposite his father*in-Iaw, who makes a mark (iika) of rice and curd
on his forehead. The bridegroom then with his friends retires to
the place arranged for them under a shady tree near the village.
This is ihtjaHKdnsa, The relatives of the bride follow them there
and wash their feet. After this the bridegroom's father sends the
bride a piece of stamped cloth (ckunari), which she wears at the
wedding. Her father then incites the bridegroom to his house,
where he enters, and, seizing the bride roughly by the hand (an ob-
vious survival of marriage by capture^ ) brings her out into the mar-
riage shed, and seats her on his left near a branch of the tiddk tree^
which is fixed in the ground in the centre of the shed. He then
goes through the form of marrying himself to the tree by TnnrVipg
it with red lead, and after this rubs red lead on the parting of the
bride's hair. This done, the bride's father, or in some instances a
Brfthman, who gets a fee of one rupee, ties the garments of the pair
in a knot and they walk round the siddh branch five times. Each
time as they go round when they approach the water jar [kalsa!^) the
bride's brother pours a little rice into the bride's bosom. The bride-
groom then with his party retires. Next morning is the ceremony
of eating kkiehari or boiled rice and pulse. The bridegroom goes to
the bride's house accompanied by five unmarried boys of the same
sept as himself. It is the etiquette that he refuses to eat until he
gets a present. After this the clansmen on both sides are entertained.
17. That same day the bridegroon? brings his bride home in

Ceremonies on the retnrn proccssion. When they reach his house
of the bride. ^^^ baskets are placed on the ground

near the door, and they both step in these as they enter. That day
the relatives and clansmen are entertained ; and next morning dis-
perse. A week after, the water jars (kaUa) which have been
brought in the return procession are taken by the bride and bride-
groom to an abjoining stream. The bridegroom fijrst^ not

1 Amon^ the Bhuijan of Bon^l '* the bridcgrc^om acknowledges hit wife and
threatens va\j one who attempts to take her from him." Dalton, Ethnology^ 148.

' <>n the sacrudncst} of the kaUa^ see Campbell, }sot€s on ihe Spiril Ba$iM qf Bdief
and i'uitotn. if.

79 BHUITA.

letting the bride see him, plunges his jar into the stream. She
searches for it and fishes it out, and the bride plunges her jar
in, which the bridegroom recovers. Both bathe and return
to the house bearing the jars full of water, doing worship as they
pass it to the shrine of the village gods (deokdr). When the
'bride brings her jar into the house she pours the contents of her
jar over her mother-in-law and asks if she is satisfied with the
match. The old woman gives her some trifling present.

18. The bmding portion of the ceremony is the rubbing of red

BiBdinff portion of mar- '^ ^^ ^^^ parting of the bride's hair by
rUee ceremoDj. ^j^^ bridegroom. If a betrothal is annulled

the bride-price is returned : but after the marking with red lead

the marriage is final until the parties are regularly divorced.

19. The forms thus described are known as the ekarhauwa or

^ offering " for virgin brides and sagdi
for widows. Another recognised form is

known as gmrdwaf., in which two men exchange their sisters in

marriage.^

20. No one is allowed to die in the house. The bodies of the

dead are carried on a bier to a neiehbour-

Di«i>o«Al of the dead. , , , ,

mg stream, where they are placed on a
pyre, the bead north and the feet south. The nearest relative of
the dead i)erBon walks five times round the pyre, and first scorching
the mouth of the corpse with a grass torch sets light to the pyre.
Leaving it burning, the man who fired the pyre with his friends
goes and bathes. When they return to the house they sit in the
courtyard, and one man with a wisp of grass sprinkles water on
their feet out of an earthen pot. Then they sit in silence for an
hour round the chief mourner, and as they go away wash their
hands in a mixture of sugar and water. The next niorriing the
chief mourner collects the bones and ashes and consi^^ns them to a
neighbouring stream. From that time until the tenth day be
keeps aloof from every one, cooks for himself, and does not sleep on
a bed. He eats only once a day. Each time bc*fore he eats he
lays out food Cor tiie spirit of the dead along the road by which the
corpse was carried to cremation.' On the tenth day the clansmen

1 Thin WMt^rmarek calls the " eimpleet way t4 parchaainf a wife. " Hisfory of
Huwutm Marriaggf 890.

« Tylor, Primititt i nUyrt, II.. »».

BHUITA.

aasemble at a tank and Bhave their headg. Thenee they go to the
house of the deceased, where a goat ie eacrificed in the name o£ the
deceased, some liquor is prmied on the ground, and the meat is
boiled with rice and eaten. They have no trAiliIha ceremony, and
no Brahman or Mahabrahmau ofliciates at the funeral ceremony,
nor ai'e any spells {laiHtra) or verses recited.

21. The Bhniyae call themselves Hindus, and, indeed, have

advanced coneiderably in the direction of
Hinduibm, as eompaied with their brethren
in Bengal, whose beliefs are almost altogether of the animistic or
fetishistic type.' Their chief deity is the Hindu Kali, who has
doubtless succeeded gome aboiiginal goddess, such as the Fanii or
Pahari Devi of the Bhuiyae in Singhbhum.' Kali and Paramesar
are worshipped in Aghan with an offering of sweet cakes and a
burnt sacritice {horn). Kali's shrine consists of a rude thatched hut,
outside the ^'illage, with a flag in each of the four corners. A
round mound of earth on a raised platform in the centre of the
fchrine represents the divinity. They worship through the Baiga
the village gods {'lilA and the earth goddess Dharti Matain asso-
ciation in the month of Chait. In fact a Bhuiya usually describes
his faith, as the worship of Dih Dharti.^ Goats, young pigs, and
fowls, are offered to these deitie.^. The Baiga receives as his per-
quisite the head of the vii-tini, and the worshippers consume the rest
of the flesh. Women do not join in this worship.

22, They have a (ii)ecjal tribal hero named Nadu Bir, of whom

the following legend is told : — " Onee upon a
NidnBir. . , ,.,.-.,„ „-i .

time there lived m Magadha or \ iliara a

Bhuiya woman of exquisite loveliness. She had a son named Nadu,

who surpassed his mother in beauty. He was accustomed to roam

in the forest and hunt any animal that fell in his way. One day he

went out a-hunting equipped with a bow and arrows, When he got

into the forest he IiappeueJ to see a deer, which he pursued. He

cha-ed it till nightfall with no success. As he had gone far into

the forest lie tost hia way, and was quite at a loss to know what to

do and where to go, Thirsty and tired, he wanJei-ed about till he

reached fortunately the Kuti or hermitage of an inspired ascetic,

I BiBley, Tiihft and Caitet
= Daltoti. Elkntlosy, 179.
> f . ibiJ, 148.

81 BHUIYA.

Koela Rishi by name. Seeing the ascetic he bowed down to the
eaith before him and begged for water, of which he stood badly in
want. Koela Rishi took pity on him, and calling his wife and
daughter told them to give him what he wanted. The daughter, in
obedience to her father's bidding, brought out a gourd full of water,
and her mother gave him fruits and roots, the only food of the
ascetic. The Bhuiya fed on the fruits and roots, and quenched his
thirst with water. He passed the night there. But since he saw
the daughter of the ascetic he was so much enamoured of her beauty
that he became beside himself* In the morning he got up and
went to take leave of the ascetic to go home. The ascetic saw
through his mental eyes that the Bhuiya was enamoured of his
daughter^B beauty, and also that his daughter was in love with him.
He consulted his wife on the subject, and with her permission he
married his daughter to the Bhuiya. Nadu with his sweetheart
returned to his mother, who was named Kama] a. Kamala was
exceedingly glad to see the wife of her son so beautiful and good.
Nadu loved his wife so much that he could never bear to leave her.
For a long time they lived together, but the union was unhappily
not blessed with a child. Discouraged and disheartened, NMu ran
away from home without giving any notice to his wife or mother.
After many days^ journey he reached Kamaru Kamachcha. One
day as he was taking a walk in the streets of the city the eyes of the
daughter of the King of that city fell on him. She invited Nadu
to dinner, and made love to him. Her name was Naina Jogini,
After some time she began to di'ead that some other King's
daughter would appropriate her lover. To avoid this she turned
Nadu during the day into an ox through her magical powers, and
at night changed him into a man, and lived with him. In this way
some days were passed. After some time Nadu remembered his wife
and home, and begged Naina to allow him to visit his native land,
Naina at first refused permission, but at last finding that Nadu
could not live long unless he was given leave, she granted him leave
for a fortnight, and caused him through her magical powers to reach
home within a couple of hours. He met his wife, stayed with her,
and she became in child. Nadu, true to his promise, left home and
reached Kamaini Kamachcha on the fixed day. But when he left
home he wrote his address on the gate of the door. He also told
his wife that the child, when born, would seaich him out. In nine
months Kausaiya was delivered of a child most beautiful, and he
Vol. 11. F

BHUIYA. 82

was named Tulasi Btr. Tulasi Bir was so powerful, even on the
day of his birth^ that when he saw the light he at onoe proceeded to
the fields and brought to the house a very heavy log that was lying
there to be burnt in the saur, or room in which his mother was
secluded. At the age of five he made a gufli of lead, 25 maunds in
weight, and a danda, 52 maunds in weight, of iron. With these
he used to play tipcat. When he attained his seventh year he read
the writing on the gate, and having come to know that his &ther
was a prisoner in Kamaru Kamachcha, in the iiands of Naina Jogini,
he flew into a passion, and started immediately for Kamaru ELama-
ohcha. Reaching there, he commenced fighting with the forces of
Naina Jogini, He set fire to the fort, and it was in a moment
turned into a heap of ashes . The whole army was killed, driven back,
or burnt by Tulasi Bir. Naina used all her magical powers to defeat
Tulasi, but in vain« Tulasi rescued his father and brought him home.

23. Another bold adventure of a Bhuiya hero is thus des-
cribed : — In the city of AJarang there lived two brothers, Ghmga Rim
and Gaj&dhar. Theyhad a sister, Barij Somati by name, who was
very beautiful, and for whose love many men from distant quarters
fought with her brothers, were defeated, and returned home heart-
broken. When Tulasi was informed of it he fell in love with her
without seeing her. He started for Marang, taking leave of his
mother and father. He first sent word to Ganga R&m and Gaji-
dhar to give their sister to him in mariiage. But they paid no
attention to the message. Tulasi then fought a duel with the two
brothers, defeated them, and took their sister by force, and brought
her home and married her. Lahang Bir was bom of B&rij Somati.
He was a very powerful man. Bhuiyas still speak of his boldness
and bravery in very high terms, and worship him with prayers and
sacrifices after every two years outside the village or in the family
kitchen. They worship him in tliis way : —

24. They dig a hole in the ground five or six cubits deep and one
or two cubits long. They bum fire in it, and walk on it bare foot.
They say that the man who is possessed of the Bir does not feel any
sensation of burning by walking on fire. They also scatter thorny
branches of ber and kankor on the ground, and roll on them. They
say that the thorns become blunt when a man possessed of T^hang
Bir rolls on them. Those who are posbcssed of the Bir pronounce
blessings on the Bhuiyas, and they believe that these blessings torn
out true. Bhuiyas offer him sacrifices of g^ats, fowls, and hogs.

83 BHUITA.

26. The only Hindu festival which they obeerve is the Anant

Chandafi (Uth light half of BhSdon). They
fast on that day and wear a thread on the
light arm^ over which some rode spells {mantra) are recited. Then
they go into the forest and out a branch of the karam tree {aniho"
eepkalmi eadamba) which they fix up in the court-yard. The men
bow to it^ and the women decorate it with red lead. Then they get
drunk, dance round it, and sing the karoma songs. The festival is
an occasion of rude license and debauchery. It is understood that
if any girl takes a fancy to a man she has only to kick him on the
ankle during the dance, and the parents get the pair married forth-
with. They believe firmly that persons killed by tigers become
dangerous ghosts. They are worshipped periodically by the Baiga
with ofEerings of fowls and liquor at a mud shrine erected at the
place the person was killed.^ This is called the Baghaut. They
also believe in the appearance of ghostly fires in the jungle at night.
One of these blaases on the Juriya hill in Pargana Dudhi. It is said
to be the fire of some holy faqir, but when any one goes near the
place it disappears. If any one goes into the forest wearing a red
cloth the ghosts (bhui) which inhabit old ma 4»a {bauia laiiJoUa)
and pipal trees (fent Indica) enter into him. A person in such a
•iate has to go into the forest and bow down before every tree of
these species until the ghost leaves him. The field deity is Uariyari
Devi (" the goddess of greenness '^), She is worshipped in the field
by the Baiga with a sacrifice of fowls and liquor when the harvest
is completed.

26. Tlic}' dread the ghosts of the dt'ad and offer eacrifiees and
. ^ . . lay out food for them through the head of

AnCMtor worship.

the houbo. If they are not finl they remain
hungry in the next world, apjiear in dreams, and thow their dis-
pleasure by betetting their living friends in the form of the night-
mare, which grips their throats, sits on their breahts, and vampiie-
like drinks their bltxxl at night. They api^ear to Iiave no kuowleilge

I Tb« worthipp«rt c f poopU killi*d )>j tit«ra nntnbcreii 7,7"^ acrorilinff to th«
Report uf IWO. Mr. DiiiUitf rvmarks {^*t}t 216), th^t thu wur hip it K<*nrr«l
throoK'boutlhidh and thn Gor^ikhpur DmtrtcUi. " In (]<>rakhpar, C}oiiiU,(>r Bithhuoh,
it miffht hav« Umb eipoet4>«i, hot it ttfemi vxtitMinlioAry tb*t auch wtirsbip h««
rvteioeU its huM in SullArpar. PruljaMj th« tNioipAraUTt* ranty of nuoh a drath in
ih« SoalhiYm Dt«trict« (if Ut« yoam iiia<1o it App«Ar Uio i»>>rt» impro««iT« and pr«-
•erred \Xm mtstotttj tho lonirer." For UatfhAUt wor«hip, e^ie lnir€hiuctio% fo /'u>|»iilar
tUligitn ond FvUior^. 1S7.

VuU II. t%

BHUITA. 8l>

of the remarkable mock haman sacrifice described by Colonel
Dalton.i

27. Friday is their lucky day, and Saturday is unlucky. The
,, . .... ^ numbers three and five are lucky. The note

Yanons BupGratitiona, ^ ^ -^

omens, oaths, ezoroisms. Qf the Suiya bird singing on the left is a
favourable meeting omen. The East is the lucky direction. They
swear on the head of their sons, and by holding the tail of a cow.
These oaths are used for the decision of private disputes concerning
tribal discipline. They believe in magic and witchcraft. Only
special sorcerers {pjha) and witches (tonaki) have this power. They
attack their victims by throwing duet on them, and making than
eat some special food, which brings the victim under their influence.
The Ojha prescribes in cases of witch or ghost possession. He
names the particular bhfit which is at the root of the mischief, and
directs an offering of a fowl or a young pi^, which he sacrifices and
eats himself. Ojhas also pretend to be able to foretell the future.
They do not believe much in dreams, except as an indication that the
deceased ancestors are displeased with them. They believe in the
Evil Eye, which is a power residing principally in persons bom on
Saturday. There are special spells [manfra) to obviate it. Any
member of the tribe can learn and use these.

23. The women tattoo themselves in the way common to all

the allied tribes. They will not touch a Dom^

Social obsoFTaiicos.

Dhark&r, Dhobi, or Chamftr; nor the wife of
the wife's elder brother, ' the wife of the younger brother^ or the
mother of the wife or husband of their son or daughter. In the
morning they will not mention a monkey or a tiger. They do
not eat the flesh of the cow, buffalo, monkey, crocodile, snake, lisEard^
or jackal. They eat pork, fowl, fish, and rats. Women do
not eat with men ; the men eat first and women afterwards. They
use tobacco and liquor freely, and the latter is considered to ward
off malaiia. But habitual drunkenness is discreditable. Younger
people salute their elders in the paetagi form, and the elders give
the blessing; nike raho, '* may you be happy. ^* Old men are cared
^r, and women, who arc much used in outdoor and domestic work,
appear to be treated with a tolerable amount of consideration.
But if they are disobedient, wives are beaten by their husbandt.
Doms and Dharkdrs will cat their leavings. They will eat food

Ethnology, li6.

»bed by BTihnuuw. Illiptrta, or UAny."

-.a: trila- III,-..,, , .,«.. tT.,m wlu^x .

■fliknittlin

^|UJ 11

>:.-<, induMriaua, ample,

lutm « IflMl orgMnixBtion calM "tjto unity" (o^)
•mbntfin^K group «f rilkfrn^ Whmi luijr OD*
«Dcro«diM ■m tbeir neiit* tli«y SMrt ftuJ dW
Ifn nnnttrr.

Tl,.- >. ,.■.■„ „ - t.->:-rni:y d.-sDitly .lix*-.l. Th^ it,-..". .It-*.

BHiJiYA. 85 bhtjiyIe, bhuIkhIb.

cooked by Br&hmans^ R&jputs, or BanyaSi and Ahirs. Among the
aboriginal tribes the only ones from whose hands they will eat food
are the Kharwars.

29. Most of them are hereditary serf ploughmen {AarwdAa). The
_ usual waees are three sers of coarse grain per diem

Occupation. i . , ▼ . i

and ten annas m cash per me fit em. In wmter they
get a blanket, and in the rains a palm leaf umbrella hat {khnmari) :
at the beginning and ending of the sowing season they get a special
dinner from their masters. Some have risen in tbe social scale,
cultivate on their own account, and keep cattle and sheep. Some
of the Mirzapur Bhuijas are makers of catechu {khair), and are
hence known as Khairaha. They are quiet, industrious, simple^
confiding people.

30. They have a local organization called " the unity '' {eka)

embracing a group of villages. When any one

Local orffazuEation. i ^.

encroaches on their rights they meet and dis-
cuss the matter.

The women are tolerably decently dressed. The men's drees

is sometimes terribly scanty. Women wear no

Clothes and jewelry. x • .i • ^i * i.i_

ornament m the nose : m the ears they wear
palm leaf ornaments [tarki) ; on the neck beads {guriya), and neck-
laces ; on the hands maUiffa, and rings on the fingers. The men wear
bra§s earrings and bead necklaces.

Bhniyar: Bhninhar. — A Dravidian tribe in the hill country
of South Mirzapur. They are also known as Beonriha from deonra,
which is a local term for the dahya system of cultivation by which
patches of jungle are periodically burnt down and brought under
the plough. Mr. Jonathan Duncan in one of his reports speaks
of them under the name of Bewariyas, and describes them as
being in such an exceedingly wild and imcivilised state as not to have
attended him to make their settlement.^ It is needless to say
that they have no connection with the semi-gipsy Bawariyas. The
tribe is also known as Baiga, because large numbers of the aboriginal
local priests are derived from this caste. The word Bhuinh&r
(Sanskrit, bhumi^kdra) means " land-holder,^' and is a title of some
of the allied tribes, e. g,, the Mundas.* They are probably
identical with the Bhuryas described by Dr. Ball.^ It is hardly

' ColUciion of Papers relating to the 8eUlefn6*''t of South Mirtapur, pag^e 2.
' Biflley, Tribes and Castes, 11., 102.
* Jungle Life, 418.

■Jt. ■ -V

■V ■ ■ 'M ' '■

BHXTITA. 86 BHUirlB, BHUtNHlB.

cooked by BrAhmans, RftjpiitB, or Banyas, and Ahirs. Among the
aboriginal tribes the only ones from whose hands they will eat food
are the Kharw&rs.

29. Most of them are hereditary serf ploughmen [harwdia). The

usual wages are three Ben of coarse grain per diem
and ten annas in cash per meNsem, In wmter they
get a blanket, and in the rains a pahn leaf umbrella hat {Jtinmari) :
at the beginning and ending of the sowing season they get a special
dinner from their masters. Some have risen in the social scalef
cultivate on their own account, and keep cattle and sheep. Some
of the Mirzapur Bhuijas are makars of catechu {il^air), and are
henoe known as Khairaha. They are quiet, industrious, simple^
confiding people.

80. They have a local organization called " the unity " {fka)

embracing a group of villages. When any one

Looal organiiation. ' i • • i -i i«

encroaches on their rights they meet and dis-
cufis the matter.

The women are tolerably decently dressed. The men's dress
_ is sometimes terribly scanty. Women wear no

ClothM and jewelry. .

ornament in the nose : in the ears they wear
palm leaf ornaments (fartt) ; on the neck beads {gurijifa), and neck-
laces ; on the hands maUi^a, and rings on the fingers* The men wear
bn^s earrings and bead necklaces.

Bhuiyar: Bhninhar. — A Dravidian tribe in the hill country
of South Mirzapur. They are also known as Beonriha from 6eonra,
which is a local term for the dahya system of cultivation by which
patches of jungle are periodically burnt down and brought under
the plou^ Mr. Jonathan Duncan in one of his reports speaks
of them under the name of Bewariyas, and describes them as
being in such an exceedingly wild and uncivilised state as not to have
attended him to make their settlement.^ It is needless to say
that they have no connection with the semi-gipsy Bawariyas. The
tribe is also known as Baiga, because large numbers of the aboriginal
loeal priests are derived from tliis caste. The wonl Bhuinhir
(Sanskrit, bkumi'ldra) means" land-holder/' and is a title df some
of the allied tribes, e, g,, the Mundas.' They are probably
identical with the Bhuryas described by Dr. Ball.' It is hardly

• C^lUeUon of Papm rAaling in Iht S*UU»h€>U o/ Soulk Minapur, pag^ S.

• Bklej, TriUs and Cast4$, II.. lOa.

■W:

BHXTITA. 86 BHUirlB, BHUtNHlB.

cooked by BrAhmans, RAjpnts, or Banyas, and Ahirs. Among the
aboriginal tribes the only ones from whose hands they will eat food
are the Kharw&rs.

29. Most of them are hereditary serf ploughmen {Aarwdka). The

usual wag^s are three sen of coarse grain per diem

Ooonpation. . ▼ • i

and ten annas in cash per mefnem. In wmter they
get a blanket, and in the rains a palm leaf umbrella hat {kkHmari) i
at the beginning and ending of the sowing season they get a special
dinner from their masters. Some have risen in the social scalef
cultivate on their own account, and keep cattle and sheep. Some
of the Mirzapur Bhuijas are makars of catechu {ikair), and are
henoe known as Khairaha. They are quiet, industrious, simple^
confiding people.

30. They have a local organization called " the unity " {fk^)

embracing a group of villages. When any one
encroaches on their rights they meet and diB-
cufis the matter.

The women are tolerably decently dressed. The men's dress

is sometimes terribly scanty. Women wear no

Cloihat and jewelrj. .

ornament in the nose : in the ears they wear
palm leaf ornaments (farii) ; on the neck beails {gmriyn), and neck-
laces ; on the hands maUi^a, and rings on the fingers* The men wear
bn^s earrings and bead necklaces.

Bhuiyar : Bhninhar. — A Dravidian tribe in the hill country
of South Mirzapur. They are also known as Beonriha from deonra,
which is a local term for the dahya system of cultivation by which
patches of jungle are periodically burnt down and brought under
the plou^ Mr. Jonathan Duncan in one of his reports speaks
of them under the name of Bewariyas, and describes them as
being in such an exceedingly wild and uncivilised state as not to have
attended him to make their settlement.^ It is needless to say
that they have no connection with the semi-gipsy Biwariyas. The
tribe is also known as Baiga, because large numbers of the aboriginal
local priests are derived from this caste. The wonl Bhuinhir
(Sanskrit, bkumi^idra) means'' land-holder/' and is a title of some
of the allied tribes, e. g,^ the Mundas.' They are probably
identical with the Bhuryas described by Dr. Bail.' It is hardly

• CoU^efion of Paprrt ttUling In tk« S€UU*'%€'^i o/ South Mittapur, paftf S.

• BkUj, Trih4$ and CasUs, II.. lOa.

• JmmgU lAM. 41B.

■■«f-'«-

BHXTITA. 86 BHUirlB, BHUtNHlB.

cooked by BrAhmans, RAjpnts, or Banyas, and Ahirs. Among the
aboriginal tribes the only ones from whose hands they will eat food
are the Kharw&rs.

29. Most of them are hereditary serf ploughmen {Aarwdka). The

usual wag^s are three iert of coarse grain per diem

OoonpatiOB. . ▼ • t

and ten annas m cash per metis em. In wmter they
get a blanket, and in the rains a palm leaf umbrella hat {kkHmari) :
at the beginning and ending of the sowing season they get a special
dinner from their masters. Some have risen in the social scale,
cultivate on their own account, and keep cattle and sheep. Some
of the Mirzapur Bhuiyas are makars of catechu (k^air), and are
henoe known as Khairaha. They are quiet, industrious, simple^
confiding people.

80. They have a local organization called " the unity " {fka)

embracing a group of villages. When any one

IxMMU organiiaiion. t • • i i i ^»

encroaches on their rights they meet and diB-

C1IS8 the matter.

The women are tolerably decently dressed. The men's dress

is sometimes terribly scanty. Women wear no
ClothM and jewelry. . , "^ . , ,.

ornament m the nose : in the ears they wear
palm leaf ornaments (farti) ; on the neck beads (punya), and neck-
laces ; on the hands maUi^a, and rings on the fingers* The men wear
bn^s earrings and bead necklaces.

Bhuiyar : Bhninhar. — A Dravidian tribe in the hill country
of South Mirzapur. They are also known as Beonriha from beonra^
which is a local term for the dahya system of cultivation by which
patches of jungle are periodically burnt down and brought under
the plough. Mr. Jonathan Duncan in one of his reports speaks
of them under the name of Bewariyas, and describes them as
being in such an exceedingly wild and uncivilised state as not to have
attended him to make their settlement.^ It is needless to say
that they have no connection with the semi-gipsy Biwariyas. The
tribe is also known as Baiga, because large numbers of the aboriginal
loeal priests are derived from this caste. The word Bhuinhir
(Sanskrit, bkumi^idra) means" land-holder/' and is a title of si)me
of the allied tribes, e, ^., the Mundas.' Tliey are probably
identical with the Bhuryas described by Dr. Ball.' It is hardly

• C9lUeii9n of Papm rAaling in Iht SfUU^'^'^l o/ SouiK Minafur, pag* S.

• BkUj, Trih4$ and Casi4$, II.. lOa.

BHUItAb, BHUtNHlB. 86

neoessary to say that they have no connection with the regular
half Brahman half Kshatriya Bhninh&rs of the Gangetic valley.

2. The Mirzapur Bhuiy&rs can name fitteen exogamons eepts {iuri).

„ . , Five of these the Khagoriha, Snidaha, Khat-

Tnbal oonatitation. , ., -ri i . ,^t .1 1 • ^i

kanha, Deohanya^ Chargoriha^ are admittedly
local septs, deriving their names from the villages in which they
originated. They have branched off in comparatively recent times.
The original ten septs are probably in a large degree of totemistic
origin. These are Bhninh&r or ^' land-holder/' Nipan ''the
measurer;'^ Bhiisar, "the chaff men;" Shall ''arrov men;*' Sisi;
Bunbun,the bumble bee; Earwa, "bitter;'' RiS, "leader;" Daspfit,
son of a slave ; Bhaniha, '' he that has the rays of the son/' many
of which aie possibly nicknames. If any of these titles were origin-
ally totemistic their significance has now been lost.

3. These septs {iuri) are all exogamons^ and marriage within

the septs is absolutely forbidden. This rule,

Bale of exogamy. , .

which obviously permits very close intermar-
riage, is not supplemented by the complete formnla mamera,
ehachera^ pkuphera and mautera, which bars the line of the paternal
and maternal uncle and aunt. Here only the line of the paternal
and maternal uncle within one generation is excluded ; and after
this intermarriage between their descendants is allowed.

4* Their traditions of origin are very vague. They speak oC

a place called Bhaunradah as their original head-
quarters, but of this they know nothing more
than that it is somewhere to the south.

5. They have a tribal council (paneHyai) which meets oooaeaon-

ally . There is no permanent president (makto)^

Tribal council. ^ ^ . ,1 . . . . .

but the oldest or most competent person is
appointed at each meeting. If a man is convicted of adultery or
fornication he is generally put out of caste for a year or two. He
is then restored on providing a feast for the clansmen. 1 he pen-
alty is particularly high in the cases of incestuous connection with
women within the prohibited degrees. If proved guilty of Booh
conduct he has to provide five goats and as much liquor ae can be
made in one distillation from a single still (bhaUi). If the woman
with whom he is detected in an intrigue belongs to another caste,
the fine is one still of liquor and two goats. He must obey the
order of the council. If he is contumacious the fine is inoreaeed :
if he submits and pleads poverty, it is often reduced.

87 BHUITIr, BHUliYUlB.

6. A man may many in any of the ten eepts (the five laat being

regarded as only offshoots from the others) ,
provided both parties are in possession of fall
caste rights. Among these people we have a distinct survival of
marriage by capture in the sort of wrestling or struggle which
takes place between the bride and bridegroom, before the latter
daring the marriage ceremony applies red lead to the parting of
the hair of the former. This custom of applying red lead is an
obvious survival or the original blood covenant when the bride was
marked with blood drawn from the body of the bridegroom^ and
thus formally united to him; A man may have as many wives as
be can afford to purchase with the bride-price and support. The
senior wife is held in special respect and gets more jewelry and
bettor clothes than her juniors. She alone represents the women
of the family at social celebrations. This appears, as Dr.
Westermarck remarks, to indicate a transition from monogamous to
jMlygynous hi^its, and not vice vend, as has often been suggested.^
If the bimily house is large the wives all live together ; if not, in
separate rooms grouped round the common courtj'ard.' Another
peculiarity among this tribe is the intense fear of the menstrual
pollution.* lliere are always two doors to the dwelling house,
one of which b used only by women in this condition. While
impure the woman is fed by her husband ajiart from the rest of
the family, and whenever she has to go out tihe is obliged to creep
out on her hands and knees so as to avoid polluting the house
thatch by her touch. Concubinage and polyandry are both prohibit-
ed, and the latter is looked u])on with such horror by them that
it beems impossible to believe that it could ever luive ))een a tribal
institution.* Women enjoy a considerable amount of liberty both
before and after marriage. If an unmarried girl is detected in
an intrigue with a clansman, the tribal council imposes a fine on
her paramour and marries her to him. The fine consists of a goat,
rice, and liquor. The marriage age for girls is from ten to twelve,
and to delay the marriage of girls to a later ])eri<)d is considered
unseemly. As the people put it, " the brotherhood jeer *'
{kirddart iamaf). The marriage tif a boy is arranged by hit

I H%ilf*fy **f Human ynrriage, A^i^.

' Ihul, 499.

» Ibid, 4H5 : Praior. r,.,\lm Itou jh. If. yi^. ri^^.

bhuiyAr, bedInoAr. 88

sister's husband {ba^not). It asually takes place by arrangement
between the psur, but love matches are allowed and are not unusual.
The bride-price consists of a sheet (or An a) valued at three rupees,
five inipees in cash, and fifteen sers of liquor. The bride
receives the sheet, and the money and the liquor are used in the
marriage feast. This is the invariable rate and does not vary
with the means of the parties. If after marriage it turns out
that the bridegroom becomes mad, blind, leprous, or impotent,
her relations will withhold the bride. In this case, if the
husband have a younger brother, the marriage is annulled
by the council, and the bride is again married to her brother-
in-law by the less regular form used in the case of widows, i.e., by
sagdi. On the other hand if after marriage any defects manifest
themselves in the bride her husband is bound to accept her, and if
before marriage the relations of the bride were aware of any defect
in the bridegroom the marriage cannot be broken.

7. Adultery in the wife when proved to the satis&ction of the

council is a ground for putting her away, but

Divorce. , _ i ^ • i

no evidence short of the testimony of eye-
witnesses t^ the act of adultery is accepted. Adultery in the hus-
band is not a ground for divorce, but if his misconduct is brought
to the notice of the council they will reprimand him. Ill-treat-
ment, again, on the part of the husband is not a ground for divorce,
but the wife generally takes matters into her own hands and
escapes to the house of her parents, who will not restore her until
the husband gives security that the ill-usage will not be repeated.
The cost of brides acts, it is needless to say, as a check on ill-usage
or desertion.^ A divorced wife is allowed to marry again by the
taffdi form with the permission of the council.

8. Widows can marry again by the form known ae iogdi, and

Widow marriage and ^^°^^^ /^® ^^ valuable that every young
the levirate. widow if not taken over by her brother-in-

law is married to some one else. If a man wishes to marry a
widow be must secure her consent and that of her relations. When
this is granted he takes for her a set of palm-leaf earrings (/arii),
brass arm rings (churla), and glass bangles {chUri). These he puts
on the widow, takes her home, and gives a feast to the clansmen
of goat^s flesh and rice. This feast is called after the ear-ringa

1 Wostennarok, History of Human Marriaget 532.

89 bhuiyIb bhuIkhIb.

farii bkdi. The levirate prevails under the usual restriction that it
18 only the younger brother of the husband who can claim the
widow of his elder brother. If he rebigns his claim she can marry
an outsider: she takes with her to her new home only infant
children of her first husband. The others are taken care of by the
brother of their father. The widow has no right to succeed her
late husband : his heirs are his sons, or, in default of sons, his brother*
In the case of the levirate there is no fiction that the children of
the second marriage are affiliated to the first husband. As a rule
all marriageable widows are taken either in the levirate or
remarried by 9agdi.

9. The tribe profess to have elaborate, rules of adoption, which

are, however, clearly derived from an imita*

Adoption*

tion of the praetice of their Hindu neigh-
hours. There is no religious idea about adoption. All that is
certain is that only a sonless man can adopt, that he must adopt in
his own sept, and that almost as a matter of course he adopts his
brother's son. The uncertainty of the conception of adoption is
shown in the fact that the adopted son is allowed to retain his
right of succession in the property of his natural father.

10. Becna marriages by the custum known as gharjai^dn or

gkardamdda^ when the bridegroom serves a

period of probation for his bride are usual.

In such a case the son-in-law has no right of inheriting from his

&ther«in«law, but retains the right of inheritance from the estate

of his father.

11. The sons are the sole heirs to the estate of their fat hen

Primogeniture is so far observed that while

8iioo«Mion.

the children of all wives share ecjiuUly, the
eldest son of the senior wife gets what is called tikaiti^ or one in
excess of each thing— cattle, cooking vessels, etc. ; but if the father
die in debt, this right ceases, and all the sons have to contribute
equally to discharge the debt. The father during his lifetime can-
not nominate one of his sons to get a share superior to tliat of
the others.

12. There is no pregiuuicy ceremony. The mother is attended

bv her hublmnd's sibter inanad), the Chamlr

midwife not binng employed. The woman

Ilea on the ground during juulurition. A fire is lit in the room in

which she is secluded as soon as the labour pains commence. The

bhuiyIb, bhuInhIb. 90

umbilical coi-d is merely severed and allowed to dry, when it is
taken out and buried in the jungle by the sister-in-law in attend-
ance. The cord retains some mystic significance. Thus a common
phrase in quarrels about land is i^a tuhdr ndr e men gdral gapal-^
" was your cord buried here that you claim this land ?" The cord
usually bills off ; and is buried on the third day after delivery. The
day it) falls off her sister-in-law bathes the mother and child^ who
are again bathed on the expiry of a month from the date of delivery.
On that day the sister-in-law cleans and replasters the delivery
room il^aur), and receives from the child's father a sheet {flrkma)^ as
her remuneration^ as well as a piece of cheap jewelry. On that day
the mother is pure^ and cooks for the family and nei^ibonrs of the
clan. The husband does not again cohabit with his wife for two or
three months after her confinement.^

13. Until children are married it does not matter from whose

hand they take food : after marriage they are

Marriage ceremonies. ,i.n. - . , ^7- m.

obliged to conform to caste regulations. The
marriage negotiations commence by some old man of the tribe or
the boy's father going to inspect the girl. Then the husband
of the bridegroom's sister goes to her with five sen of liquor
and two rupees^ thus concluding the betrothal^ which is known
among them ^s puchhdwat or ^Hhe asking." If the bride's father
accepts the proposal^ he summons his clansmen and distributes the
liquor among them. At the same time they are given a dinner of
goat's flesh and rice, which is provided by the boy's father. After thirf,
on a day fixed by the girl's father, the boy's paternal uncle goes
again with two vessels, each containing five sers of liquor, and takes
with him three nipees in cash. This finally concludes the betrothal,
which is known as bajardwat or "strengthening," and barrekhi^ or
" the marking down of the bridegroom. " This liquor and money
are used in entertaining the clansmen of the bride and the envoy of
the bridegroom. Next the bride's father presses some oil with his
own hands and sends it to the boy's house. This is mixed with
turmeric, and the bridegroom is daily anointed with it by his female
relations. In the same way the boy's father presses some oil and
sends it for the use of the bride. After this a suitable date is fixed
by mutual arrangement, and the bridegroom comes with his prooes-
sion to the door of the bride. Outside the door the bride's mother

* Wustormarck, Hittory of Human Marriage, 183.

91 BHUITJLb, BHUtMHAa.

standB with her feet in a basket, and holde in one hand a rice pestle
(miiial), and in the other a brass tray {ikdli)^ containing some cot-
ton with the seed and a lighted lamp. She moves the pestle 6v8
times round the boy^s head from left to right and five times again
from right to left, and pours the cotton over his head. Next she
warms her hands twice over the lamp and presses them on the boy's
cheeks, and kisses his lips. After this the boy does salutation
(jpdelagi) to her. She then leads the bridegroom into the inner
room, where the girl sits in a comer. He sits there silent for some
time. At last some women friends who are also sitting there say,—
'' GKve the boy what he has come for. ** Then her mother makes
the bride stand up and seats her to the left of the bridegroom. This
done, the boy returns to his friends, and the bride again retires into
her corner, A couple of hours after the pair are seated on two leaf-
mats in the courtyard, facing east. Both are stripped by the
women, well rubbed with a mixture of oil and turmeric, and dressed
in new clothes. After this the boy's party are fed, and liquor is dis-
tributed. That night they spend in singing and dancing the ia-
rama or national dance. Next day they meet again, the friends of
bride and bridegroom sitting in a line opposite each other. The
boy's father produces the bridegroom before the bride's people ; and
saysy— " Look I has he any physical defect ? " The bride's father
replies,—" No ! there is nothing wrong with him." In the same way
the bride's father produces the bride for examination, and tlie bride-
groom's taiher admits that she has no phynical defect. All this is
done in the courtyard outside the nuptial pavilion {md^ro). Then a
mock struggle commences between the bride and bridegroom. He
tries to put a bracelet on her wrist, and hhe clenches her hand, so that
he is unable to got it on. Her friemk shout out, — " Her hand can
never be opened until you swear that you will take care of lu*r and
never give her trouble. " Finally, when the bridegroom makes the
necessary promise, the girl opens her hand, and allows the bracelet
to be put on her wrist. Then the boy pours a little liquor on her feet,
and after another mock btruggle marks the parting of her hair with
red lead. There are no re\'olutions in the ]«vilion, and tiiis consti*
tutee the marriage. The bridegroom then brings tlie briile home.
When they reach his house his mother receives the bride in the same
way in which the bridegroom was rocvived liy the bride's mother,
and takes tier innide the liouse, wliere, after fettling the clani^nien, the
clotlies of the pair are fai^eneil in a knot, an*! they ilance togvtlier in

BHTJIYAR, BHTjtNHlE. 92

the courtyard. The binding part of the ceremony is patting on the
marriage bracelet^ and applying rod lead to the parting of the bride's
hair. Even after the ceremonies already described of pucAJ^dwaf,
bajardtoaty or barrekhi, the marriage can be stopped. If the bride's
people break ofE the marriage they are compelled to return the bride*
price. The form of marriage already described is known as ^ilar-
hautoa or " the ofEering, *' as the bride is offered to the bridegroonu
This is the respectable form ; but besides this, the form known as
sagdi is in force. In this case the lover sends a friend to procure
the consent of the bride's father. When this is granted, he goes to
her house with ten rupees in cash, and five \iert of liquor, llie
girl's friends drink the liquor, and the money is given to her father, or
if her father be dead, to her elder brother. Then the man spreads
out his hands over that of the woman, and her brother pours some
water over the hands of both. This constitutes the marriage cere-
mony, and the bridegroom goes home at once, followed by the bride.
When they reach his house his mother comes out with a vessel
(loia) of water, washes the bridegroom's feet, and blesses him with
long life. Then she washes the feet of the bride, who puts her fore-
head on the feet of her mother-in-law. The old woman tries to
raise her up, but she will not get up until she receives a present
known as " the sacrifice ^' (balddn). Then the old woman says, — " I
makeover the house and all it contains to you. '' On this the bride
releases her feet, and her mother-in-law takes her into the boose, and
makes everything over to her. That day the young wife cooks for
the family and friends. This sagdi form is something like the dola
of low class Hindus, and is practised by people who cannot afford a
regular marriage.

14. No one is allowed to die in the house.^ People who die of
_ . cholera and small-T>ox and unmarried persons

Deftth oeremomes. *•

are buried ; all others are cremated. They
have regular cemeteries in the neighbourhood of their villages. The
corpse is cremated on the edge of an adjoining stream. Very
often, however, cremation is very carelessly performed, and inepidem-
ics corpses are exposed in the jungle to be eaten by wild animals.
Next day the ashes are collected and floated away {terMfdma) by
throwing them into the water. On the third day the relation who
fired the pyre goes with the clansmen to the river, and they shave

1 Tylor, Primiiivt Culiurt, I., 453.

93 bhuiyIb bhuIkhAb.

one another. '1 hat day a date is fixed for tiie funeral feast, when
they aBsemble at the house of the deceased, and a little oil and tur-
meric are given them, which they rub into their bodies. From the day
of the funeral the women of the family place some food on the
road by which the corpse was removed.^ This is discontinued from
the night preceding the date of the funeral feast. On that day a
oppful of food and a cup of oil are taken by the oldest woman of
the family to the cremation place and thrown into the water.
When she comes home a goat is sacrificed in the house in the
name of the deceased, and in the evening the clansmen are fed on
the flesh of the victim boiled with rice.

15. The souls of the dead, that is to say those of a dead father

and mother, for more distant progenitors are

A]io««tor worship. % ^^ • i * i i •

hardly ever reoogmzed, are feared and reqmre
propitiation. If not duly worshipped they appear in dreams, frighten
the sleeper, and sit on his chest and throat like the nightmare.
Most diseases and misfortunes are due to their displeasure. The
annual sacrifice of a goat and fowl is made to them by the house
master in the month of A^^ian (November-December). Poor people
who cannot afford a victim wash some rice and pulse and scatter it
in the courtyard in the name of the dead.

16. They call themselves Hindus. Their tribal god is called

Sewanriya and appears originally to be a deity
of boundaries (#crtri««). Some worship Dhar-
ti or Mother-earth, and some MahAdeva. They have a vague idea of
a place of torment after death, a pit full of snakes and scorpions
known as kiragarh or the ^Vorm pit -/' but it is doubtful how far
this may not be some vague reminiscence of missionary teaching.'
In the month of Aghan, when they worship the sainted deail, they
offer to these deities liquor, fowls, and goats. They believe that this
worship protects children and cattle from disease, and prevents the
latter from straying. This worship is not shared in by the women

* Tylor. Ptimilitt, CuUurt, II , SO.

* At Ui« asoM tim* thm ii<»«ma to be a re*] b«Uef of Um 8aiit4b. Hunter, Rurml
B€n9al,2\0; awl M« Tylor, trituitiv^ Cttaur^, II, 97, and Prufe«««ir Mai MiiUer
writM :~** In the Vedic arr<nint« «*f bell a pit (karin\ le meniu»niNl into wbioh ibe
Uwl«ee are aaid to be harlvd down (Aiy I'tdo, IX, 73, 8), and intu wbieb Indra «Mta
tboee wbo offer no eacrificr {Kif IVa, I., 121, 13). One poet prays that the Aditjaa
mmj preeerre him from the d4etrc»7inf wolf and frum fnllinf into the pit (Ri^ r#4«,
IL, V, S). In oae paeaairo we r«^ that those who l»r««k the eoauDAsdoienta of Var-
«Ba asd wbo epeak liee are born fur thai deep place {H%^ l'e«la, IV. &, &.).** C/.
B««or, 7.

BHUIYAR, BHTJINHIe, 94

and children^ and is done by the headman of the ^mily^ if a Baiga.
They have nothing to say to Brahmans^ for whom they entertain
contempt.^ The Brahmans, they say, were the drummers of Bima's
army in his campaign against Riwana. As they were crossing the
sea their di-ums {mdndar) which^ like the aboriginal drums of the
present time, were made of baked earthy melted away in the water,
and the strings which supported them became the Brahmans' sacred
cord (janeu). They do not keep priests of any other tribe ; and have
no regular temple. As already stated^ the ancestor worship is done
by the head of the family, who if ^ as is usually the case^ he is a Baiga,
does the worship to Sewanriya^ Dharti^ and Mahadeva. Most
Bhuiyars are Baigas^ and officiate in their own as well as allied tribes ;
in fact^ as already stated^ one general name for the tribe is Baiga.
The tribal gods are usually worshipped under a pipal tree^ where a
piece of stope represents all the deities collectively. The flesh of the
offerings is eaten by the worshippers^ except the]head, which is the
perquisite of the Baiga.

17. They have two {special holidays on the tenth of the light

half of Ku§r^ and the Phamia or Holi at the

Festivals. - Tk, ai , , ,

full moon of Phalgun, but they do not bum
the Holi fire, although they will attend if Hindus in the neighbour*
hood celebrate the festival. On both these festivals they offer a
fire sacrifice [hom)^ and worship the sainted dead with an offering of
fowls and liquor, which they drink freely on these occasions. In
order to provide for the dead in the next world they throw on the
pyre with the corpse some iron implement, usually an axe, and when
they bury the dead, they throw it into the grave. It is not broken;
with women they place a sickle (hansua) and when they collect the
ashes they throw some kodo and sdwdn millet over the place as food
for the dead. They so far follow Hindu pi^actice as to have a cere-
mony (&arsi) on the anniversary of a death. In the house worship
a mud platform or stone is the dwelling place of the ghosts of the
dead. Sewanriya is regarded as a jungle deity, and abides in any
tree which is selected for the purpose. They never go on pilgri-
mages to Gaya, and have nothing analogous to the Hindu srdddk:

1 Thix ccndition in which thuro are no priests and the roligioas datiet are per*
formed by the houne father is undoubtedly primeval. It was tho case among the
Homeric Greeks where Agamemnon himself performs tho sacrifice (Iliad, III. 271,
and compare W lis ^.n, Vrc/ace tj Vuunu Purdna,2, Virgd Aineid 111,80, QetasU,
XIV, 17.

95 BHUITAr, BHUtNHlB.

18. They have a great respect for iron above all other metals.

They hold the Ikdnja or Bister's son in great
honour^ and make periodical presents to him as

Hindus do to a Brfihman.^ Ihese presents always include some iron

article.

19. Of the tribe whom he calls Bhuinhirs Colonel Dalton says :—

Appaarmnoe, clothM, " '^^^Y ^® ^^^^ ^^^ lowcst type of human
tattooing. beings I have ever come across in my wan-

derings, and I have had more opportunities than most people of
seeing varieties of race. They are very daik, (41, about the average),
faces, or rather heads, altogether round as bullets, projecting jaws
and Ups, scarcely any prominence of nose, pig's eyes, large bodies,
and small limbs, no muscular development, very short of stature,
not one of them more than live feet, very filthy in their persons, with
diseased skins and sore eyes. One creature, an adult male of a group
which appeared before me at Moheri, in Sarguja, looked to me like a
disgustingly superannuated black baby. Baby-like, his round head
rolled about his shoulders on a very short and unnaturally weak neck.
You could imagine his proper place to bo bundled up in a cloth slung
from the shoulders of his black mother, his head helplessly rolling
about after the manner of native infants thus supported. They
speak Hindi plainly enough, but ap{)car as devoid of ideas as they
are of beauty. They adore the sun and their ancestors, but they
have no notion that the latter are now spirits, or that there are
spirits or ghosts or anything. They have no veneration for a tiger,
but regard him as a dangerous enemy, whom it is their interest to
slay whenever they have the opportunity. They were asked to
dance, and did so ; but it was atJngularly feeble, motiveless perform-
ance. Men and women were s<*antily clothed, and appeared to
take no thought for their personal ap|)earance. The hair, uncared-
for, was nuitted and rusty oolourod. The Bhuinhirs in Palamau are
said to be good cultivators ; but I believe this means they are very
docile farm labourers and beasts of burden. They ap|)ear to have no
independence of cliaracter, and are for the most part in ser\'itude or
bondage, and content so to remain. If we have now in existence the
descendants of human lieings of the stfme age, here I would hay are
specimens. Tliey remind me much of the t«{iecimens I liave seen of

1 Thin iituy |Mf«ibly b« a ■urvtval kI ibv nuitrurcLAtc , tee LubUick, Ori^imof
CiH/wadcn. lift.

bhuiyIb, bhtjInhAr; 96

the Andamanese/' ^ These are certainly in every way a moie
degraded race than the Bhutyars o{ Mirzapar who in appearance do
not seem to differ much from the other Dravidian tribes by whom
they are surrounded. They rather resemble the people whom Colo-
nel Dalton calls Boyars. " In complexion,'' he says, " I found the
Boyars generally of a dark brown colour, fairly proportioned, and
averaging upwards of five feet in height. The features were char-
acterised by great breadth across the cheek bones, very narrow fore-
head^ nose broad; nostrils wide apart, but the nasal bone more pro-
minent than in the types previously described ; the mouth so wide
as neai'ly to equal the space occupied by both eyes, lipe protuberant,
chin receding, but not so the brow. There was more appearance of
hair on the face than is generally found amongst the tribes of this
class.'^' The Mirzapur people are also much better dressed than
theii* Bengal kinsmen. The men wear a small loin cloth, gene-
rally have an upper sheet and a cloth wrapped round the head, the
hair of which is allowed to hang down uncut and unkempt behind.
The women wear the single white cotton cloth (dAoH) wrapped
round the waist and brought over the shoulders. A few wear a
small boddice. The women tattoo themselves in the manner com-
mon to all these aboriginal tribes.^ There is no tribal tattoo, and
the pattern employed is according to the taste of the wearer.
Tattooing is invested with some religious significance ; if a woman
is not tattooed Paramesar pitches her down from heaven when she
dies. The women wear on their arms brass rings (tudtki^ bakunta),
anklets {p^iiri), in the ears palm leaf ornaments {farii , with beads
made of clay round the neck. The men have small brass earrings.
20. Their lucky omens are the tiger and the elephant. They
^ Av -4 u have not the Hindu prejudice a^inst the

Omens, oatoa, wit h- * •' ^

craft, Evil Eye. south as an unlucky quarter. They swear

on their sons' heads, and if they forswear themselves their sons
die. These oaths are used in enquiries into tribal matters. They
are much witch-ridden. The Baigas hate people with a reputation
for witchcraft (ionaya), and expel them, if possible, from their
villages. DigeafcC is usually cauBcd by the attacks of ghosts {b^^f) :
these are idcntiiled by the Ojha, who places some rice (aeikai)

» DeMcriptive Ethnology, 133.

s Ibid, 135.

> See Agariya, para. 22.

07 BHriTlK, BHufKHlK.

before him. Then he and the patient get into an ecstacy, and the
Ojha asks the bhftt: — "What worship {pija) do you require to
ht this man go?" Whatever he announces must be done.
Dreams never mean anything except that one of the sainted dead
needs propitiation. The meaning is interpreted by some oH woman
in the &mily. They believe in the Evil Eye. Anyone bora
on a Saturday has the power of casting it. Cases of this kind are
made over to the Baiga, who sacrifices a victim and secures relief.
21. They will not touch a Dhobi, a Chamir, Dharkir, Dom, or

Ghasiya: nor the wife of the younger brether^
the wife's elder sister, paternal uncle's wife^
and a female connection through the marriage of children (iamdkin)-.
They eat beef, but in secret they will in fact eat any meat except
that of the ass^ the horse, the camel, snake, lusard, rat, and jackal.
Women do not eat pork/ and they will not cook it in the cook-
house where the sainted dead are worshipped. Men and women
eat apart ; first the children eat, then the men^ of whom the head of
the family eats last, and last of all the women. They always eat
in leaf vessels. They all chew tobacco : even children five and six
years old may be seen chewing. All drink liquor, but drunkenness
is considered discreditable. They do not use opium or the drugs
Mtfffy and gdnja.

22, Among themslves they salute in the form known as

pdSlagi. If the husband is any time absent,
■utoa. on his return his wife touches his feet with

her hands. Chamirs are the highest caste who will eat food
touched by them. They carry their contempt for Brftbmans so
far that they will not eat food touched by them, and if a Br&hman
handle one of their water vessels they will ptt<& it out of the
house. Their usual business b cutting wood and bamboos, and ool-
lecting silk cocoons, lac, dyes, and other jungle produce. It is only
quite recently that they have taken to eating anything bat jungle
fruits. Now some of them cultivate, and as their name shows they
are fond of the dak^ti form of cultivation, cutting and burning tha
jungle. They have a field goddess, Khetiyir Devi, whom they pro*
pitiate with the offering of goat or a fowl. The women are reputed
chaste in married life as far as intercourse with strangers to the
oaste is concerned, but there is certainly a \'ery eon^iderable amotint

• Aaoiif tkt MahiU XaadM pork b Uboo*d. BUtoy. Trihm ««<l C««<m, II., It.
Vol. 11. a

BHUETIYA. 98 BIDUA.

of intertribal immorality. They have a &ir]y etrong looal organ-
ization which embraces some three or four villages^ and is known
as ''the unity'' {eii). The members meet occasionally to discuss
matters of general interest. Its influence is said now to be decreaa-
ing. They are notorious for their laziness in field work^ and for
their readiness to abscond and leave their village on the first signs
of scarcity.

23. The Bhuiyars do not appear to have been separately recorded
at the last Census. They have apparently been confused with the
iBrfthman Rajput Bhuinhllrs of the Gangetic valley.

Bhnrtiya* — A small tribe founds according to the last Census,
only in Allahabid^ but there are some certainly in the hill country
of Mirzapur. The origin of tiie name is very uncertain. Mr.
Nesfield without much probability derives it from biar$i karma,
''to lend money for short periods/' They say themselves that it
comes from bhurtij which is the same as phurti, "quickness,''
because one of their ancestors was once in such a hurry to go to an
entertainment that she put her ornaments on all awry, and her
descendants have been called Bhurtiya ever since. They claim to be
an offshoot of the Ahirs^ whom they closely resemble in appearance
and customs. They are very respectable, industrious people, and
make their livelihood by cultivation and rearing cattle.

Distribution of the Bhurtit/aM aeeording to tie Census of 1891.

District.

Allah&b&d

Number.

483

Bidna.— A functional division of Brahmans, the consecrator of
images and idols^ wells, tanks, and mango orchards. " His name
seems a corruption of Yidya, an ancient synonym for Veda. The
dol intended for consecration undergoes various forms of ablation :
first in water from some sacred river, then in paneiamrita or ' five
drinks of immortality '-*milk,cream, melted butter, honey, and sogar
dissolved in holy water. No one is allowed to bathe in a tank,
drink water from a well, or eat the fruit of an orchard until the
above liquids have been thrown into them. Br&hmans are also

BIDUA* 99 MHISnTZ.

fed, and the homa sacrifioe performed. At Buch times seven places
are assigned, — (a) for ihe navaffraka, the nine planets including the
son and moon; {b) the asterisms (naktialra) ; {c) the seven saints
(Sapta Biihi ) ; {d) the three hundred and thirty millions of deities
of the Hindu pantheon ; {e) the ancestral ghosts {niiri) ; (/) the
deities of the quarters (difyaii^ dikpdia) ; (g) the sacred rivers of
India and of the celestial firmament. '^^

BihishtL^ (Usually derived from Persian hikuhi, Sansknt
wanslHka, " Paradise ; ^' but Major Temple points out' that bikUhti
in Persian docs not mean waterman, and suggests a derivation
from the Sanskrit 9i#i, to sprinkle.)— The Musalmln water-carrier
class, also known as Saqqa^ from the Arabic taqqi, " to give 'to
drink/' The caste does not admit outsiders, and has a large
number of exogamous sections, of which one hundred and twenty-six
are returned in the lists of the last Census. Many of these are
well-known Muhammad an subdivisions, such as the AbljfUi,
Bahltmi, Bangash, fiegi, FirQqi, Ghori, Hanafi, Khurat^aui,
Quraishi, Mughal, Path An, Shaikh, Sadfqi, ^ayyid, Turki, and Tur-
komin, to which none of the caste can have any real claim. Many are
the names of Hindu tribes, as Bais, Banjara, Bhatti, Chauh&n, Gaur,
OAjar, Ouil, Jidon, Janghira, Jftt, Katheriya, MewAti, Mukeri,
Panwir, and Tomar. Others, i^ain, are local, as Dilliwal, (i anga-
piri, and Kanaujiya. These sections appear, however, to have Uttle
or no effect on marriage.

2. Their marriages are regulated by the standard MuhammaJan

exogamic formula, and performed by the

regular ritual. The lerirate is |)ermitted, but

is not compulsory. Divorce is permited in the cause of proved

infidelity on the part of the wife, established to the satisfaction of

tbe tribal oounciL

S. To the east of the Province they worship the PInehonpir

with a sacrifice of a fowl, gram pulse, and
ordinary food« They bury their dead accord*
ing to the standard Muhammadan rules, and offer food to the sjiirits
of ancestors at tlie festival of the Shab-i-barit. They are Mutal*
mins of tbe Sunni sect. They worship their leathern water liag
{wuulk) as a sort of fetish, and bum incense ( uUt) before it oa

I NeaA«ld, BrUf fisw, ftS. Bq : C^lcuHa tUruw, CLXVI1.,2SI.
' ind%a% Aniiquary, XI, 117.

YoIm IL of

BIHISHTI.

100

Ocoapatloo.

Fridays. Thejr oonform to Muhammaclaii roles regarding food*
They will eat food prepared by high class Hindus, bat not by
menials like Cham&rs or Mehtars.

4. Their occupation is acting as domestic senrants and supplying

water on payment to Muhammadans and
Christians, — a duty which Cor Hindus is per-
formed by the Kah&r. The trade must be a very ancient one, as the
leather bag is mentioned in the Yeda and Manxu^ There is a legend
that the Bihishti who saved Hum&yun's life at Chausa, and was
rewarded by sitting on the Imperial throne for half a day , employed
his short tenure of power in providing for his family and friends,
and caused his leather bag to be cut up into rupees, which were
gilt and stamped with his name and the date of his reign.
The Bihishti is very seldom before the CourtSi and enjoys with
the Kharadi or turner the reputation of never being sent to
jail.

Distribution of Biiisiits according to tie Cemmi of 1891.

DiSTBICT.

Number.

DitTBIOT.

Number.

Dehra DAn. • •

127

Etali ....

4266

8ah4raQpnr • • •

4,203

Bareilly . • • •

1,9M

Mnzafiarnagar. .

4.920

BiJQor • • • •

8^6

Meenit . . • •

10.224

BudAun • • • •

%IC7

Bnlandshahr. • •

7.977

MoridAbAd .

9,380

AliK^rh • • • .

12.278

SbAhjabAnpur • •

S50

MathoTB • • « •

6.263

Pilibhlt ....

605

Agra ....

10,673

Cawnpor • • •

418

Farrnkh&b&d .

291

Fatebpor . •

S07

Mainpuri ....

1,111

B&nda . • • •

£t&w»h ....

673

Hamlrpar • • •

IWUmu, Rig Ffda. II., 28: Mmnu, Imlitutei, 11.99. Tbero la aa iatoraaMiir
aeeonnt ff tbe manner in, wbioh water waa sappUed and ocoled in Akbar'a Coart ia
Bloohmann, Ain^Akhari, I., 65, $q.

BmiSHTI,

101 BILOGH, BALOCH, BILUOH.

DUtMuiion qf BikUJUu aeeordimg to iks Comiui qf 1891^ooot\i.

DifTBICT.

AllfthibAd •

JbAofli

JAkmn

Ghiiipor

Ooimkhpiir
Aiimgtrh
Tarii
Lnoknov •

Number'

870

442

865

664

1,405

DimicT.

Number.

Unio . . . .

RAaBareli

Sttapar •

819

Hardoi •

Kheii •

FaitibAd

Qonda •

BAbrAioh

844

SnltAnpar

PkrlAbgarh

» «

BAraUaki .

878

TOTAI

60.147

Biloch, Baloch, Bilach.— IdentiBed by Professor Max Mailer^
with the Sanskrit mleekekka^ " a foreigner, outcast, non- Aryan.''-*
The enumeration at the last Census has failed to discriminate
between two different though probably original ly-al bed races—
the ordinary Bilooh and the predatory Bilooh or Rind of the
Districts of the Upper Duib. Another theory of the origin of the
name is given by Colonel Mockler in a paper published in the Pro*
e$edim§i of tk$ Jiiatie Soeielf of Bengal for 1893 :—

** This paper is mainly concerned with the Rind, one of the
tribes or clans inhabiting BalochistAn. Their name signifies 'a
turbulent, reckless, daring man/ They have never acknowledged
the authority of any ruler in the country. They claim to be the
true Baloch, and assert that they originally came from 'Alaf,'
which is supposed by themselves and most other people to be Ilaleb
or AleppOi in Syria. They say that they are Arabs of the tribe of
Quraish, and were driven out from Alaf by Yeiid I., for assisting

I L#diif«i» I^ 97, aoce.

BILOOH, BALOOH, BILUOH. 102

Husain^ the martyr nephew of the Prophet Muhammad in 61 Hi j rah.
The author shows, however, from some Arab authorities that the
Baloch were established in Makran more than a century before the
commencement of the Muhammadan era, certainly so if , as Firdusi
relates, Naushirwan punished them in Makran in 550 A. D., and still
more certainly that they were located there within 22 years after
its commencement, and that therefore, if the Rinds left Aleppo
in the time of Yezid I., about 61 H., the Baloch were in Makran
before that date* But it is doubtful whether the Rinds ever came
from Aleppo, or that they are Baloch at all. It is much more
probable that they are the descendants of a certain Al Harith Al
^Alafi, that is of Harith of the 'Alafi tribe, and of the Kahtauic stock
of Arabs. He was the father of two men, who, according to Tabary,
in a blood feud killed an officer who had been appointed by Al Hajjaj,
the Governor of Iraq, to the charge of Makran, in 65 Hijrah. They
had come from 'Uman, and after the murder took possession of
Makran. Subsequently, about 86 Hijrah, they retired before
a punitive force ot Al Hajj&j into Sindh, where their name is
conspicuous in the annals of the country for the next 200 years or
so. This, and other facts, show that the Rinds really are of Arab
descent, but that they did not come from Aleppo, bat are descended
from a man of the ^Alafi tribe who came from 'Uman ; and that
they are not of the Quraish but the Kahtan stock* On account <^
their undoubted Arab descent, the Rinds are held in very high
respect by the other clans of Baluchistan who, therefore, all claim
to be related to them, through one Jalal Kh^n, an ancestor of the
Rinds. Among the sons of this Jal^l, Makran is said to have been
divided after the death of Al Hajjaj. With regard to the name
Baloch, Colonel Mcickler suggests its identity with the Gedroeii
of the Greeks. He says that the Baloch themselves explain their
name by the phrase ' Balovk B^idroch ' (or BaHroik). Here ^«(i
means * evil,' and rock or roih means ' day/ In Fahlavi or Sfend qad
is synonymous with bad ; therefore Badrosh=^/i//ro#^ or padros,
whence the Greek Gedrosii. By the interchange x)f the liquids
r and /, badroch would become badloch^ out of which the d must
naturally drop leaving the BaloeA=: the Gadrosii, or on the other
hand, the proverbial expression [Badroeh Baloch) may have been
current in the time of the Greeks in the form of Baioch Oodrosi,-
and the Greeks confused the epithet with the name.

103 BILOOUi BALOCB, BILIJOH.

The latter would then be derived from Belns, Kinp^ of Babylon^
m derivation which is adopted by Professor Rawlinson/^

£. Of the ordinary Biloch Mr. Ibbetson writes^ : — " The Biloch

presents in many respects a very strong con*
nary i . ^^^^ ^^^ j^.^ neighbour, the Path&n. The

political organisation of each is tribal : but while the one yields a
very large measure of obedience to a chief who is a sort of limited
monarch, the other recognises no authority save that of a council of
the tribe. Both have most of the virtues and many of the vices
peculiar to a wild and semi-civilized life. To both hospitality is a
sacred duty and the safety of the guest inviolable ; both look upon
the exaction of blood for blood as the first duty of man ; both strict-
ly follow a code of honour of their own^ though one very difCercnt
from that of modem Europe ; both believe in one God whose name
is Allih, and whose Prophet is Muhammad. But the one attacks
bis enemy from in front, the other from behind ; the one is bound
by his promise, the other by his interests ; in short the Biloch is
less turbulent, less treacherous, less blood-thirsty, and less fana-
tical than the Pathin ; he has less of God in his creed, and less of
the devil in his nature. His frame is shorter and moie spare and
wiry than that of his neighbour to the north, though generations
of independence have given to him a bold and manly bearing.
Frank and open in his manners and without servility, 6urly truth-
ful when not corrupted by our Courts, faithful to his word, tem-
pertte and enduring, and looking upon courage as the highest
virtue, the true Biloch of the Derajftt frontier is one of the pleasant-
est men we have to deal with in the Panjib. As a revenue-payer
he is not so satisftu^ory, his want of industry and the pride which
looks upon manual labour as degrading, making him but a poor
hu&bandman. He is an expert rider ; horse-racing is his national
amusement, and the Biloch breed of horses is celebrated through-
out Northern India. He is a thief by tradition and descent ; but
he has become much more honest under the civilizing influences of
our rule.

9, " His face is long and ovm\, his features finely cut, and his
nose aquiline ; he wears his hair long and usually in oily curls,
and lets his beard and whiskers grow, and he is very filthy in
person, considering cleanliness as a mark of effeminacy. He uiiually

> rcMJ^b Eihmogrmph^, 19i.

MLOOH, BALOOH, BILTJOq; 104

carries a sword, knife and shield, he wears a smock £rock reaching
to his heels and pleated about the waist, loose drawers and a long
cotton scarf : and all these must be as white or as near it as dirt
will allow of, insomuch that he will not enter our army because he
would there be obliged to wear a coloured uniform. His wife
wears a sheet over her head, a long sort of nightgown reaching to
her ankles, and wide drawers ; her clothes may be red or white; and
she plaits her hair in a long queue. As the true Biloch is nomad in
his habits, he does not seclude his women, but he is extremely jealous
of female honour. In cases of detected adultery the man is killed,*and
the woman hangs herself by order. Even on the war trail the women
and children of his enemy are safe from him. The Biloch of the Hills
lives in huts or temporary camps, and wanders with his herds
from place to place. In the plains he has settled in small villages ;
but the houses are of the poorest possible description. When m
male child is bom to him, ass's dung in water, symboUcal of per«
tinacity, is dropped from the point of a sword into his mouth before
he is given the breast. A tally of lives is kept between the various
tribes or families ; but when the account grows complicated it can
be settled by betrothals, or even by payment of cattle. The rules
of inheritance do not follow the Isl&mic law, but tend to keep the
property in the family by confining succession to agnates ; though
some of the more leading and educated men are said to be tr3ring
to introduce the Muhammadan laws of inheritance into their tribes.
The Biloch are nominally Musalm&n, but singularly ignorant of
their religion and neglectful of its rites and observances; and
though they once called themselves, and were called by old his-
torians ' friends of Ali,' and though, if their acooxmt of their rejeo-
tion from Arabia be true, they must have been originally Shiahs,
they now belong, almost without exception, to the Sunni seot.
Like many other Musalm&n tribes of the frontier they claim to be
Quraishi Arabs by ori^n, while some hold them to be of Tnrkomin
stook : their customs are said to support the latter theory ; their
features certainly favour the former/'

4. In the Muzaffamagar District they are also known as Bind.

Th. oriminJ BUooh of " "^^^^ originally emigrated from the F^ib ;
the North- Western Pro- that they are professional thieves of a dan*

gerous character is now well established.
They depart on their predatory tours assuming the charaotwof
&qirs, physicians, and teachers of the Qurin, and carry on their

106 BILOCH, BALOCHi BILUOH.

depredations at great distances as far southward as Ajmere and
westward as Lahore. Some few in the MozafEamagar District
have acquired landed property ; but the rest may be said to have no
ostensible means of livelihood and to be habitual absentees. Their
mode of robbery is not by violence^ but by picking locks with
needles. One thief makes an entry^ receiving two-thirds of the
property as his share^ while his confederate^ who sits outside to
watch, receives one-third.'' ^ The same people there called Biloeh
are found in Ambftla and Elam&l. " Duting the rainy season the
whole country is inundated for months. A more suitable strong*
hold for a criminal tribe could not be imagined. They are almost
certainly of true Biloeh origin, and still ^ve their tribal names as
Bind, Lashari, Jatoi, and Korai. But they are by their habits
quite distinct from both the land-owning Biloeh and the camel*
driver, who is so commonly called Biloeh simply because he is a
camel-driver. They are described as coarse-looking men of a dark
colour, living in a separate quarter, and with nothing to distinguish
them from the scavenger caste except a profusion of stolen orna-
ments and similar property. They say that their ancestors once
lived bcyound Kas&r, in the Lahore District, but were driven out on
account of their marauding habits. The men still keep camels and
cultivate a little land as their ostensible occupation ; but during a
^^t part of the year they leave the women^ who are strictly
fiecluded at home, and wander about disguised as Faktrs or as
butchers in search of sheep for sale, extending their excursions to
great distances, and apparently to almost all parts of India.'' '

Ditifibuiian of tie Biloeh aeeording to He Cen$ut of 1891.

DiSTBICT.

I)«hrm DOo
Sahiranpar
MmaffarDtgar.
Ifefrnt •
Bulandibahr «
Aligarh . •

Number.

1,071

1,945
•If

DiSTBICT.

Matbua •

Agra •

Farrnkbibid •

Mainpori •
EUwah •
Blah •

Niiinbtr«

067

S81

«7

1 HtpoH, /lupMloTiO^Mral c/ PoliM, VprU-ffcitoni FrMacct^ 1867
s Ibbttooa, Uc. tiU^ paia. S8I»

V0L.IL

paff w% tf •

DILOCH, BALOCH, BILITCH. 106

BIND.

Distribution of the Biloch according to the Census •/ 1891 ^^oncli.

District.

Number.

District.

Nomber.

Bareillj . . • .

Ballia .

216

Bijncr • • • •

815

Gorakhpnr •

809

BndAun • • • •

434

Basti .

116

Morftd^bM .

480

Azamgarh •

325

8b4hjah&iipnT • • •

425

Tar&i .

823

Pilibhft . . • •

231

Lnoknow.

823

Cawnpur • • • •

87 1

UnAo .

B4nda • • • •

Sltapur • • ,

178

Hamirpor

Hardoi • • ,

170

AlUh&bfld.

113

Kheri . • ,

306

JhlLiisi • • • •

4 >!

Gonda • • <

J&IauQ • • • •

Babr&ich • • .

Benares • • • •

153 ;

SulUnpnr • ,

Mirzapur.. • •

Part&bgarh .

JaanpuT . • • .

314

B&rabanki • •

Qh&zipur* • • •

Total

19.678

Bind.'— A non-Aryan tribe in the Eastern DistrictB of theDivi*
bion^ and with scattered colonies elsewhere. The name is said to be
derived from the Yindhya ^ hills of Central India. One legend quoted
by Mr. Risley ' tells ^^ how a traveller passing by the foot of the hills
heard a strange flute-like sound coming out of a dump of bamboos.
He cut a shoot and took from it a fleshy substance^ which afterwaids
grew into a man, the supposed ancestor of the Binds. The myth
seems to be of atotemistic character, but other traces of totemismue
not forthcoming/' One account in Mirzapur makes Bind, Kewat^
Mallfih, Luniya, Faskewata, Kuchbandhiya, and Musahar the

I The word VindKya is probably derived from the root hind or hid, " to dlTidt,"
The nMne, aa U sng^itod by the Icgcud of Agastya Muni, soema to refer to Hhm
nafo aa the main barrier against the Brahmanical exploitation of OeatnU |Ml4
Southern India : see Profeesor Wilbon^ Worki, HI, 332.

* TriJbtt and Caitei, 1, 131.

f >^¥^

107 BIKD.

descendants of NikhSd, who was produced by the Rishis from the
thigh of Rdja Vena. Another Mirzapur legend tells how, in the
beginning of all things, Mahadeva made a lump of earth and endued
it with life. The creature thus produced asked Mahftdeva what
he should eat. The god pointed to a tank and told him to eat the
fish and the wild rice {finui) which grew near the banks. Since
then this is the food of the Binds. They have no traditions
of emigration from any other part of the country. The exact
position of the Binds is not easily determined. About Mirzapur
there are two sub-castes, KharS and Dhusiya, the latter of whom
probably take their name from Jhusi, an old town on the Ganges, in
the AllahabtUl District.^ The KharS Binds call themselves Kewat,
and there seems little doubt that they intermarry with other
Kewats, Another story says Binds and Luniyas were formerly
all Binds, and that the present Luniyas are descendants of a
Bind who consented to dig a grave for a Muhammadan king, and
was outcasted for doing so. Others, again, make out the Bind to
be a sub-division of both the Bhar and Luniya.' There is, again,
in Mirzapur, another division of them which is partly religious and
partly local. The sub-caste of Khar£ Binds has three septs, the
N&rayaniha, Panchopiriha, and Maiwarha. The Nardyaniha are
worshippers of the orthodox Hindu gods, Mah^oa, Pirvati, Ma-
hibir, or Ilanum^n, and, in particular, Satya Nirdyan or Vishnu.
The Pinchopiriha are worshippers of the live saints of Islam, who
ft^honld, according to orthodox belief, be Muhammad, l^li, Bibi Fati*
ma, Hasan, and Ilusain. But most Binds name them (if they can
name them at all), as Ghazi Miyan, Rajab Salar, SubhAn, Parihir,
and Barahma or Barahna^ who apparently represents Ibrahim or
Abraham. The Maiwarha themselves derive their name from the
town of Man in the Azamgarh District.

2. The last Census Returns show sixty-seven sub-castes. The

progress attained in the Hinduising of the

tribe IS shown by the use of Brahmanicai

terms, like Garga, Kasii^gotra, and Joshi. Chain, Kewat, Mallah

and Kharwar are side by side with Chauhin, GAjara, Jit, Maunaa,

and Rawat. The most numerous sub-castes are the Jethm-ant or

* Atatngarh StUnnent Ilfport^ 33, m|.

* Jhtui waa the bMid qaartort of iho ecconirio fiija of HArbosf , for whom •••
EUioi, SuppUmtntal UioMury, t. «.

BIND. 108

*' Senior/' and the Kasipgotra. The Ehard Binds are very strong
in Benares, Mirzapur, and Ghazipnr ; while the Eharw&r, Kanaa-
jiya, and Maunas are found in some strength in Oh&zipar^ Ballia,
and Gorakhpur, respectively.

8. They have a tribal council {panehd^at) which may be som-
^ ., , . ,. moned by any man with whom his castemen

TnbaJ organisatioiL j.

refuse to eat on the groimd of adultery,
prostitution, or eating with a prohibited tribesman. It is presided
over by a permanent president {mukkiga) who consults the
members as assessors, but has the sole right of giving the final
order, which consists, in case of conviction, of a sentence to give a
certain number of feasts to the brethren. When a man seduces an
unmarried girl, he and the father of his mistress give a joint feast,
and the parties are then married. If a man conmiit adultery with
a woman of a caste so respectable that high caste Hindus will
drink water from their hands, lie is not excommunicated, but has
to give a feast. If his mistress be of a caste from whose hands
high caste Hindus will not drink, he is permanently expdled.

4. In Mirzapur the N&riyaniha and P&nchapiriha septs are

exogamous, and intermarry on equal terms:

Marriage rules. i * • i

they so far practise hypergamy that they
give daughters to the Maiwarha, but do not take their daughters in
return. This rule of exogamy is reinforced by the prohibition
agiunst marrying a daughter into a family into which a son has
been already married ; and it seems to be a general condition that
marriage does not take place between families connected within the
period of recollection of relationship, which is five or six g^neraticms.
The two great sub-castes, Khard and Dhusiya, are endogamoos, and
do not intermarry or eat together. The Mirzapur branch have now
adopted adult marriages, which take place at the age of ten or twelve.^
Polygamy is permitted, but the tendency seems to be to restrict
it to the case when the first wife becomes barren. Marriages
are arranged by some of the seniors of the tribe, and the parties
have no power of selection. No bride-price is paid, and the
giving of a dowry , though permitted and approved, is not compnl«
sory. Polyandry and concubinage with a woman not of the tribe
are prohibited. Widows are remarried by the 9agdi form only to
widowers, the match being arranged by the father or brother of the

1 In Bengal they are in a traniition etage. Bislef, 7W6es and Cotter I., 1S1«

1Q9 BIKD.

The man goes to the house of the widow on an aospicioiui
day, taking with him a yellow sheet and one or two articles of
jewehry. These the bride puts on, and this is [the binding part
of the oeremony. Her new husband then eats with the relations of
his wife, takes her home next day, and feeds his clansmen. Child-
ren by such a marriage are considered legitimate, and succeed on an
•quality with children of a regular marriage. The levirate is
permitted on the usual condition, that the younger brother of the
deceased husband can claim the widow : if he declines the match
she can marry a stranger, and in the latter case the property of the
deceased husband with his children remains in the charge of their
father's brother, who rears them and makes the property over to the
sons when they attain puberty. They pretend to have a regular
system of adoption like that of the higher castes : as a matter of
practice, however, a sonless man can adopt only the son of his
brother, and in preference of his elder brother. There is nothing
peculiar about the rules of succession. Beena marriage {^kafyan^
mat) is recognised in the case of poor people when the son*in-]aw
lives some time on probation in the house of his fakther-in-law.
Intertribal infidelity on the part of husband and wife is thought
little of, and divorce is practically unknown, except when ill-usage of
an aggravated form accompanies adultery oh the part of the bus*
band. A married woman detected in an intrigue with a man of
another tribe is permanently expelled. She usually turns Muhanu
madan or becomes a prostitute.

5 There is no ceremony during pregnancy. The woman is deli*

vered sitting on the ground facing any direo-

Birth

"^'^ tion except the south, the region of death. She

is attended by a Chamiin widwif e, who cuts the cord, buries it in tho
room, and lights a fire over the place, which is kept burning till
the twelfth day. They have the usual extreme fear of pollution
from the secretions after delivery or menstruation. The midwife
attends till the sixth day, when the usual ekkaHi ceremony is done,
and the woman is kept secluded till the twelfth day {d^raii)
in charge of the barber's wife, when mother and child are bathed,
all the family clothes washed, the house plastered, and the earthen
vessels replaced. The mother then cooks for the family, and is pure.
Her husband does not cohabit with her again for two months after
her confinement.

JBIND. 110

6. The ceremony which marks the reception of the child into

caste after which he or she must conform ^
tribal rules of eating and drinking is the ear*

borings which is done in the fifth or sixth year. The occasion is

marked by the use of choice food.

7. Marriage is conducted with some pretence of observing
the* orthodox Hindu ritual. The gii*Ps father commences the
negotiations^ and when the question of prohibited degrees is settled,
then comes what corresponds to the Hindu iilai, which is called
" the day for drinking water*' ( pdni pine kd dim). The bride's
father visits the house of the bridegroom, and sitting on a square
(ehauk) in the court-yard, eats curds and treacle, which settles the
match. All present are then feasted. Five days before the wedding
day the ceremony of " the lucky earth *' {maimangara) is done in both
families in the usual way. The drum of the Cham&r, who leads the
procession, is worshipped, marked with red lead and oil, and on it are
placed some betel nuts and a quarter »er of poppy-seed, which are the
Chamar's perquisite. The earth is dug by some old female relative,
who brings it home and places it in the marriage shed [mdHro)^
in the centre of which is a ploughshare (Aaru), and a water jar
(kalsa) . After this commences the anointing of the bride and bride-
groom with oil and turmeric, which is started by the Fkndit sprinkling
it over them five times with a bunch of d4b grass. The anointing
should, if possible, be done by five unmarried girls. A day previous
to the wedding is the bhatwdn^ when the clansmen are feasted. As the
procession starts the boy's mother waves (paraehhan karma) over his
head a rice pounder {musar), or a water jar {kalsa), for good luck.
When the procession arrives at the bride's house the women of the
neighbourhood receive them with a shower of rice. The bridegroom
then worships Gauri and Ganesa ; and the bride meanwhile bathes
and puts on the clothes which the father of her future husband sends
her. She then retires into an inner room, into which the bridegroona
forces his way after a mimic struggle, a survival of marriage by-
capture, and brings her under the shed, where her father washes the
feet of the bridegroom. He then marks the ploughshare with red
lead, while the Pandit recites texts {mantra), and the father taking*
some kuta grass in his hand solemnly makes over his daughter to
her hubband. Then follow the usual five perambulations round the
ploughbliare, while at each revolution the bride's brother ponra
parched rice into a winnowing fan {tup) held by the bridegroom.

Ill BIND.

who scaitere it on the ground. Bride and bridegroom then go into
the retiring room (ioiadar), where the women play jokes on the
bridegroom^ and he seizes the garment of his mother-in-law and ,
refuses to release her till she gives him a present. The wedding ^
feast follows, and the bridegroom takes his bride home next day,
after his father has first shaken one of the poles of the marriage
shed, for which he receives a present \mdnro kildi) from the bridals
father. This done, the friends embrace all round and the proces-
sion starts for home. Four days after the wedding festoons
(bandanvdr) , ViXiii the water jug {kaha), are taken to a neighbouring
stream* The festoons are thrown into the water by the married pair,
and the jar is filled with water, which is used by the bridegroom
in plastering a place in front of the shrine of the local gods {dik)^
where he offers a fire offering {kom) with treacle and butter.

8. The dead are cremated in the usual way. After the burning
_ the relatives chew leaves of the bitter nim

tree, and then eat some treacle; next day
the widow goes to a stream and washes the red lead out of the
parting of her hair. Poorer {leople merely throw the body into a
stream {prabdk)^ and young children are buried. For persons who
die at a distance they do the mdrdyani bat. They make an image
of wheat flour, with a cocoanut repret^enting his head ; seeds of
•afflower (kmium) represent the nails and teeth; the hair of a blanket ^^ ^
represents the hairs on the body ; cowries for the eyes ; some ground
drug the blood, birch bark {bkojpdira) for the skin. These are
covered with three hundred and sixty paldsa leaves, and all is burnt. "''
On the third day they sliave and are pure. The Mah^|>atra is dis-
missed on the eleventh day, and on the twelfth the soul is admitted
to the company of the sainted dead. In the case of a person dying
at home, on the tenth day the chief mourner offers the balls (jjiuda),
ten in number, in honour of the dead, and daily, during the period
of death pollution, lays out a platter {lUuna) filled with food along
the road by which the corpse was taken to the burning ground. On
the tenth day the oeiemony of pouring water {iarpam) on the
ground in honour of the sun is done, and the clothes of the do(t?ased,
with his other personal effects, are given to the Mahabrabman, who
passes them on for his use in the world of the dead. The funeral
feast is known as diiJA ia bldi^ bocaucc on this occasion milk is
mixed with the pulse, and the rice is eaten unwashed. It is only on v
this occasion that milk is 6\-er cooked with {lulsc. The Miiiapur

BIND. 112

Binds perform a ceremony of proptiation for the dead at the
of Bdmgaya^ near Bindh&chal^ in the month of En&r.

9. Binds more or less follow the Br&hmanical ritual, while the

esoteric doctrine^ on which the whole body of
symbolism depends, is entirely unknown to
the votaries of the popular religion.^ In Mirzapnr their favourite
deity is Mdhadeva, and they make annual pilgrimages to Baij-
nftth (Baidyanath), in Shah&b&d, where they pour Ganges water
over the lingam. Members of the Maiwarha sept act bs special
priests of the F&nchonpir. These five saints and the local deities
{fiik) are generally worshipped. On the eighth day of the dark
half of Knkr, the Jiutiya, women fast. Those who belong to
N&r&yaniha sub-division worship at Man at the Sivar&tri in the
month of Fh&lgun, Mah&deva, P&rvati, Mah&btr and Satya Nirftyan
or Vishnu, with offerings of cakes. Their priests are a class of low
Brahmans of Sikari, in Mirzapur. ^' The patron deity {kuladev^ta)
of all Binds is Kishi B&ba, about whom the following story is told : —
A mysterious epidemic was carryii^ off the herds on the banks of
the Granges, and the ordinary expiatory sacrifices were inetbctuaL
One evening a clownish Ahir, on going to the river, saw a figure
rinsing its mouth from time to time, and making an unearthly
sound with a conch shell. The lout, condudmg that this must be
the demon causing the epidemic, crept up and olubbed the unsus*
pecting bather. K&shi Ndth was the name of the murdered
Br&kman, and as the cessation of the murndn coincided with hie
death, the low Hindust&ni castes have ever since regarded Kishi
B&ba as the maleficent spirit that sends disease among their cattle.
Now-a-days he is propitiated by the following curious ceremony.
As soon as an infectious disease breaks out, the village cattle are
massed together, and cotton seed scattered over them. The fattest
and sleekest animal being singled out, is severely beaten with rod*.
I'he herd, scared by the noise, scamper off to the nearest shelter,
followed by the scape bull, and by this means it is thought the
murrain is stayed. In ordinary times the Binds worship Kishi
B&ba in a simpler fashion, each man in his own house, by preeent-
ing flowers, perfumes and sweetmeats. The latter, after having
done duty before the god, are eaten by the votary. KIsfai Biba^
no doubt, was an actual person, who came by his end, if not exactly

> Bitley, Trihea and CoftM, I, 182.

113 BINB.

«8 told in the legend, at least in some tragic fauduon, which led to
his being elevated to the rank of a god. In some of the other
objects of the mral worship we may, perhaps, see snrvivals of the
primitive animism which formed the reli;;ion of the aborigines of
India before their insensible conversion to BrIUimanism. Some of
the tribal deities were, as we know, promoted to seats in the Hinda
pantheon : others, whose position was less prominent and whose hold
on the mind of the people was weaker, got throst into the baok^
|px>und as patrons of various rural events/'^

10. In lifirzapur the Bind festivals are the PachaimyAn, Tij, and

KajarL The last is the women's saturnalia

in the rainy season, when women get drunk, N

daaoe, sing obscene songs, and indulge in rude debauchery, which on

this occasion only is condoned by their husbands.

11. They believe in the usual omens and demonology^ and practice

sorcery thromrh the Ojha. The women wear
palm leaf ornaments {iarii) in the ears,
nose-rings, wristlets (dAarkamwa), anklets {pairt). IJ^ej tattoo
themselves on the breast and arms, and it is believed that if they
do not come into the next world with these marks, Bhagwftn will
pitch them out of heaven. They give children two names, one
fixed by the Pandit, and the other selected by the parents. They
will not touch a Chamir, Dom, or Dharkar, nor the wife of the
younger brother, nor the mother-in-law of their children. They will
not mention by name the dead, nor their wives, nor their religioua
preceptors (ymm). After the close of the agricultural year they
worship Uariyari Devi, "the goddess of greenness, '* with an offer-
ing of sweetmeats. In Bih&r the Binds eat crocodiles and field rati
like the Musahars, and are very fond of pork when they can get
it.* In Mirasapur they certainly eat field rats, but not the
crooodile, at least publicly ; and they pretend to have given up pork
and fowls. They now do not cat beef, and rank higher in the social
scale than Chamars for this reason. They use fish Urgely except
in the fortnight {piiri p^tika) sacred to the dead in the month of
Kuir. They are certainly higher in the social grade than the
Binds of Bihir, as described by Mr. Risley, and it appears that evi«n
Bjr&hmans and Chhatris will drink water from their hands. They

1 BUUy. Tr%he$ and Ca§Us, I.. 133. mnd tM BJUr, 9.
> EiaUj, Uk, €U. 1., 133.

Vol. II.

BIND.

114

will not eat food cooked in water {iaeieU) except from BriUimsnff.
According to another accoont they will not eat kaehehi or pa Hi
cooked bjr any other caste but their own. They Balnte in the
fdelagi form^ and receive in return the blessing {flM) from fitrmngersw
They salute the father-in-law of their sons or daughters in the
form Bdm I Bdm I Women are &irly well treated, but hard worked.
When a stranger comes into the house the wife falls on his feet and
gives him tobacco. This is known as bAentna.

12. Some are non-occupancy tenants ; many are hired plough-
men (halwdka). The usual wages are two
and-a-half mbtb of grain in the local weight
per diem, and a special ration (sidAa) on holidays. They work, as
in Bihftr, at fishing, well sinking, building mud walls, mat and
basket-making, preparing saltpefcre, doing earthwork on tanks and
roads, watching fields and villages. But in some places they have
an indifferent reputation, particularly in Oorakhpur.^

Ooonpation.

Disiribuiion of Binde according to tie Census of 1891.

BUB-CABTXa.

District.

Jethwant.

Kisip-
ifotra.

Othera.

TOTAX..

Mathnra

1 1

...

Uamtrpur <

> •

• • •

AUab&Ud .

f 1

•••

Benarea

• •

• • •

...

12,499

Mirzapur

> •

••.

•••

10,807

Ghizipor

• 1

2,242

30,178

32,473

Ballia

» (

6,910

465

6^40§

Oorakhpnr

• «

10,317

957

2,767

14,041

Baati .

■

• • •

...

552

658

Azamgarh ,

• ••

...

LuokDOw

» ■ ■ —

• 1

• • *

...

» RepoH, IntpcctoHJeneral of Police, North- JVettem Provincst, 1868, pag« 51.

BIND.

115

bisAtl

DiMtribution of Bind $ according to the Cemus of 1891 — ooQold*

8UB-CABTI8.

DiSTBICT.

Jethwant.

Kasip-
gotra.

Others.

TotaXm

FaiabAd ....

SnliAnpar ....

•••

•••
•••

1
137

1
187

Total • 1

18,469

1,040

67,477

76.986

i — {Biidi ''goods spread out for sale; Sanskrit^ vi$riiq
'' extended '').^A small pedlar, hawker, or huckster, who sells pett/
goods of European manufacture, such as needles and pins, tape,
buttons, stationery, hardware, etc. They are a purely occupational
caste, and nearly all Muhammadans. According to the Census
Returns they have a curious list of sectional names — Banj&ra,
Mughal, lUjput, and Shaikh. The Bis^ti sells much the same
class of goods as the Boxwala {" the man of the box'0> ^^^ hawks
small ware at European houses.

Diitrihution of ihe Biidiit aeeoriing to ike Cemm of 189L

District.

Hindu.

Mnkam-

Total.

Ssbiranimr

833

240

Musaffaniagmr

.••

MMnit

134

168

Bolaodababr

a*.

Aligarfa

• a.

Matbua .

• ••

Agrs •

.a.

Famikh4b4a

• •a

XaiDpttri •

..a

Bmilly .

■

• • •

i «

1 1

Vou II.

■ 8

I8ATI.

116

BISBN.

Distribution offhe Biidtis according to the Cernut of 1S91^ concid.

DiBTBICT.

Hindu.

Moham-

TOTAI^

Bijnor

•

•• •

Bnd&uD

1 •

• • •

■

Mor&d&b&d .

■

Sh&hjab&Dpar

•

1 t

•••

Pilibhlt . -

• 1

•••

Cawnpur

• 4

•••

Fatebpnr •

• •

•••

llamtrpnr . <

1 *

•••

A11ah4Ud .

• (

• • •

J4laun

> •

•••

Ballia

» <

•••

Gorakhpnr .

•

!••

Tar4i

•

• • •

112

Lnokiiow

•

• ••

lUdBardli .

•

• ••

Sita^ur

•

• ••

Sultftnpur .

•

• • •

)^&rabnnki .

• 1

• ••

Total

107

p52

939

^ Bisen. — A powerful sept of Rajputs found in considerable
numbers in the Allah^b^^ Benares^ Oorakhpur, and Faiz&bad
Divisions. The head of the sept is the Bilja of Majhauli, in
Pargana Salempur Majhauli, of Gorakhpur. They as well as the
Donw&r {q. v.) claim descent from one May6ra Bh&tta^ who is said
to Iiavc been a descendant of Jamadagni Rishi of the race of
Bhrigu. Regarding this personage the local tiradition is very
vague. Some say he came from Hastinapur and was the son of
one Aswathama ; others that he was an emigrant from MahA*

117 BI8BV.

rlfihtra or the Marhatta country. He read Sanskrit for f| while at
Benares, and became a proficient in astrology. Quitting that city
at last under a divine impulse he settled at Eakradih, a village in
Pargana Sikandarpur, of Azamgarh. The whole of that Pargana
came gradually under his authority. His domestic arrangements
illustrate a period when the bonds of caste, as we know them, were
unknown. He is said to have had three wives,-* first a Br&hmani
named N&gseni ; the second S&rajprabha, a SQrajbans Ra jputni ; the
third Haikumiri, a Oautam Bhuinhftrin. By his wife S&rajprabha
he had a son, Biswa or Bissu Sen, who was the ancestor of the Bisen
sept of Chhatris ; by Haikumtri, Baikal or Bagmar Sahi, the ances*
tor of the Bhuinhir families of Kuw&ri and Tamk(il^ ; by N&gsen,
Nages, Nagesar or Nigsen ; and by a Eurmin concubine Indra-
dawwan Mai, from whom sprang the Mais of Azamgarh^ of whom
a separate account will be given. He expelled the Bhars, and
finally went on a pilgrimage to the Him&laya, where he died.
There are thus a family of Misr Br&hmans, and a largo half
Kurmi olan which claim common descent with the Majhauli Bisen
family.

2. " In the reign of Akbar and with the fall of the Kalhans

rule, the Bisens, who subftequently, under the

Th« GondA braaoh. . .

R&jas of Gonda, took a leading position among
the trans*Ghigra powers appear for the firf»t time on the stage of
history. The clan is one of the most numerous in Eastern Oudh,
and is scattered in clusters of small Zamindiri communities
throughout the Districts of Gonda, Faizibid, and Partibgarh, with
the river Kuino for its northern and the Ganges for its southern
limit. Its principal seat is beyond the boundaries of Oudh at
Majhauli, in Gorakhpur, and its members differ from those of many
of the other ruling clans in having no recollection of a departure
from some distant home in the West, and being unable to oonnset
their countless houses by any intelligible pedigree. They admit
that they are BhQmiya Thikurs, or indigenous, as faur as they can
ascertain, in their present territory. It is true that they assert
their descent from a common ancestor, May&ra Rishi ; and in thus
deriving themselves from a mythical religious character outi»ide the
distinctions of cai^te, agree with others of the less aristocratio
among the local Chhatri families who are unable to claim any
connection with the heroes of the Solar and Lunar raoes. The
ties of common clanship ate very vaguely recognised, and I beUe\*e

BISEN. 118

that the Bisen of Majhauli has always dectined to oonfirm them by
eating with even the great homonymous chieftains of Gronda and
Rampor, in Faizabid. Those settled in Oudh were all of them
before the time of Akbar in the position of ordinary village zamin-
dai*s^ dividing their inheritance among all the males on the ordinary
coparcenary principles^ and it was not till later that the title
and position of Raja were acquired by a few forttmate houses to
the e^ctreme north and extreme south of their settlements. At
the centre^ in Fuzabad^ they always remained in a subordinate posi-
tion/'i

8. Of the FaizabM branch Mr, Camegy writes : — " What their

claim may be to bdn^r placed under the

The ParUbgarh branch. _ , /_. . ^,mi-- j

Sombansi line is not clear. Their avowed
chief is the BiLja of Majhauli, in Gorakhpor. In Oudh we have
no less than thirteen chiefs of this clan, and their colonies are
principally to be found in the Partabgarh District, but also in
Bahraich, Oonda, Daryabad, and Sultinpor. The local heads are
the Raja of Kalakankar, and the Rsljas of Manikpur and Bhinga.
Sir H. M. Elliot aOirms that the present R&ja of Majhauli is in the
one hundred and fifteenth generation from May&ra Bhatta, the
devotee. The Oudh branch state that they broke oft from the
parent stem in the person of Rad Hiim, and settled in the Province
under the wing of Manik Chand, the then powerful Gaharwir Rija
of Manikpur, he who so happily picked up the foundling mother of
all the Kanhpuriya clan. Within the last few years the R&ja of
Majhauli took to himself a wife from the R&jkumsLr house of
Dera, — a sure indication that the Bisens (indigenous devotee
Chhatris of Gorakhpur though they be) are higher in the social scale
than the Rajkumar offshoot of the Mainpuri ex-convert Chauh&ns.''
4. From Gorakhpur it is now reported that they intermarry

with the septs of the Simet, Hayobons,

The Qorakhpor branch. -»,,^,,^ ^^ ^i^i a

Baghel, Chauh&n, Chandel, Gaharwar,

S&rajbansi, Rfijkumar, Chandrabansi, Sombansi, Gautam,
Gandhwariya, Hara, Kachhwaha, Rlna, Nagbansi and Jftdon.
In Jaunpur they take brides from the Bais, Nikumbh, Qiaupat
Khambhy and Kharagbans, and give girls to the Nikumbh, Raghu*
bansi, Bacbgoti, Rajkum&r, and Sombansi* In (Jonda they are
reported to give brides to the Simet, Raikw&r, Janw&r, Chauhftn,

' Oonda Sgttlgmenl Report, 15.

110

BI8EN<

Kmlhans, Bhadauriya, and Kaohhw&ha, while they receive girls
from the Bandhalgoti, RAjkam&r, Palw&r, S&rajbans, BaiB^ Chaa*
hin, Kalhans, and other high class Bljputs.

Diilrihuiion of tie BUen Bdjpuh hp H9 Cemut of 1891.

DiflTBICT.

Hiadns.

Mnbam*

TOTAU

SabiranpQr

Jle«mt •

•«•

Ifstbiira •

•••

Agrm

•M

FafTofcb4b4d

•••

Etah

•••

EUwali

•••

BoaAan •

•••

MorAd4b4d .

•••

8liAbjah4op«r .

PilibbH •

•^

Oftwopor •

948

—

848

Fatflipor •

1.070

...

1.070

Biada

816

888

Hamtrpor •

199

• ••

199

AlUhAbAd •

7.809

7.884

BeiuvM

3.ie8

•••

8.868

XirtApiir •

8.974

••*

8.374

Jaoapar •

4*806

4.408

Qbiiipar

8,486

8.488

BtUta

6.5S8

• ••

6.668

Qoimkbpar •

9.683

1 807

91880

BmU

969

1808

8,867

StS^N.

120"

BliSHNOt

Bidrihution of the Bisen BdjpuU hythe C^fuui of ISOt-- toocld.

DiSTBICT.

Hindus.

Moham-

Total.

Azatngarh ,

» • • (

• •

8,864

1.096

9,060

LnoknoW

• ' •

• •

368

404

Unfto

• ' •

1,102

],124

R&d Bareli .

• •

925

158

" 1.088

Sltapnr

• (

» •'

■ •

481

1.028

1,509

Hardoi

»■ <

1 •

•••

Kberi

• ' •

276

1,001

1.276

Faiz&b&d .

> <

» •

7.212

1.272

8,484

Gonda ,

» <

1 •

27.697

«••

27,697

fiahriich

> 1

• ' •

1.611

1.301

2,912

SuUAnpur «

) 4

► •

1.586

658

2,244

Part&bgarh

1 •

4,778

•••

4.778

B&nbanki •

•

2,455

640

3.095

TOTAl

•

97.492

9,827

107t319

Bishnoi — (worshippers ol Yielmti). — Usually, as at tb^ last
CetiBus^ classed as a sub-tribe of Banyas, but really a distinct
religious sect. They are strongest in the Meerut and Bohilkhand
Divisions, and as they are emigrants £rom the Panjib, Mr.
Maclagan's interesting account^ of them may be quoted ; — '* The
fotfnder of the sect was Jhflmbaji, who lived towards the end of the
fifteenth Centary. The following is the account given faj the
people regarding him. At Pinp&sar, a village south of Biklner^ in
the Jodhpur territory, there lived a Rajput Panwir, named Laat^
who had attained the age of sixty years and had no son. One daj
a neighbour going out to sow his field met Laut, and deeming it m
bad omen to meet a childless man, turned back from his purpose.
This cut Laut to the quick, and he went out to the jungle and

I Panjih CmMUM A0|H>H,1S91, page 139, tqq., qnotiag 8ina SeUlemetki R«|Mrl. ISft.

121 BI8HN6I.'

bewailed his ohildleesness till evening, when a faqfr appeared to him
and told him that in nine monthe he Bhould have a son, and after
showing his miraculons power by drawing milk from a calf, vanished
from his sight. At the time named a child miraculously appeared
in Laut's house, and was miraculously suckled by his wife Hansa.
This happened in Sambat 1508 (A.D. 1451). For seven years the
boy, who was an incarnation [avatdra) of Vishnu, played with his
fellows, and then for twenty-seven years he tended cattle, but all
this time he spoke no word. His miraculous powers were shown in
various ways, such as producing sweets from nothing for the delecta-
tion of his companions, and he became gradually known as Achamba
('' the Wonder **)^ whence his name of Jh&mba, by which he is
generally known. After thirty-four years a BrAhman was sent for
to get him to speak, and on confessing his failure, Jh&mbaji again
showed his power by lighting a lamp by simply snapping his
6nger8y and uttered his first word. He then adopted the life of a
teacher, and went to reside on a sandhill, some thirty miles south
of Bikftner, where, after fifty-one years, he died and was buried^
instead of being burnt like an ordinary Hindu.

S. ** Another account of Jhftmbaji says that when a lad of five

years old he used to take his father's herds
to water at the well, and had for each head
of cattle a peculiar whistle : the cows and bullocks would come one
by one to the well, drink, and go away. One day a man named
Udaji happened to witness this scene, and struck with astonish-
ment, attempted to follow the boy when he left the well. He was
on horseback and the boy on foot, but gallop as fast as he would he
could not keep up with the walking pace of the boy. At last in
amazement he dismounted and threw himself at his feet ; the boy at
once weloomed him by name, though he then saw him for the first
time. The bewildered Udaji exclaimed,— " Jhftmbaji I '' (omnis-
cient) , and henceforth the boy was known by this name. On attaining
manhood Jhftmbaji left his home, and becoming a faqir or religious
mendicant, is said to ha^'e remained sitting on a sandhill called
Samrathal in Bikftner for a space of fifty-one years. In 14S5 A.D.
a fearful famine desolated the country, and Jhimljaji gained an
enormous number of disciples by providing food for all who would
declare their belief in him. He is said to have died on his samlhill
at the good old age of eighty-four, and to ha^'e been buried at a spot
about a mile diiitant from it. A further account hays that his body

BISHNOI. 122

remained 8U8pended for six months in the bier without decompos-
ing.

3. '^ The name Bishnoi ie, of oooree^ connected with that of

Vishnu, the deity to whom the Bishnois srive

Tke name of the sect. .... , ^

most prommence m their creed, thongh they
sometimes derive it from the twenty-nine {dis^nau) articles of &ith
inculcated by their founder. In fact, in our returns it was veiy
difficult to distinguish the Bishnoi from the Vaishnava, who was
often entered as a Baishnav or Bishno. The Bishnois sometimes
call themselves Prahladbansi, or Prahl&dpanthi, on the ground
that it was to please Prahlada Bhagat that Vishnu become incar-
nate in the person of Jhimbaji. The legend is that thirty-three
crores of beings were killed by the wicked Hii-anya-kasipu, and
when Vishnu, as the Narasinha Avatara, saved the life of Prahlida
and asked Prahlada his dearest wish, the latter requested that
Vishnu would effect the salvation {muiti) of the remaining twenty*
eight crores. To do this required a further incarnation, and
Jhambaji was the result.''

4. '^Regarding the doctrines of the sect Mr. J. Wilson writes : —
«, . , V ,,. V . 'The sayings {iAabd) of Jhimbaji to the

Tenets of the Biahnoia. , . i i , ,

number of one hundred and twenty were
written down by his disciples, and have been handed down in a book
(pot hi) which is written in the Nagari character, and in a Hindu
dialect, similar to Bagri, seemingly a M&rw&ri dialect. The
' twenty-nine ' precepts given by him for the g^danoe of his fol-
lowers are as follows : —

Th din s4tak pdnch rot ratioanti ndri,

Sera karo ihndn ail ianiokh iuchk p^dri.

Pdni bdni idhni Una lijo ckkdn.

Day a dkarm kirde dharo gum batdijdn.

Ckofi nindya jutk barjya bdd %a kariyo ko^

Amal tamdku bhang lil dUr ki t^dgo.

Had mds se dekk ke dUr ki bhdgo.

Amar rakhdo tkdt bail tani na bdko,

Amdshj/a bar at rdnkk lilo na ghdo,

Hom^jap tamddk pilfa bdsk baikunihi pdo.

Vntii dharm ki dkkri guru baldi soS,

Pdkul doe par ckdvyajis ko ndm Biiknoi koS.

Which is thus interpreted : * For thirty days after child-birth and
five days after a menstrual discharge a woman must not cook food.

128 BI8BK0I.

Bathe in the morning. Commit not adultery. Be content. Be
abstemious and pure. Strain your drinking water. Be careful of
your speech. Examine your fuel in case any living creature be
buint with it. Show pity to living creatures. Keep duty present
to your mind as the Teacher bade. Do not steal. Do not speak
evil of others. Do not tell lies. Never quarrel. Avoid opium,
tobacco, bhang f and blue clothing. Flee from spirits and flesh. See
that yoiir goats are kept alive (not sold to Musalm&ns, who will kill
them for food). Do not plough with bullocks. Keep a fast on the
day before the new moon. Do not cut green trees. Sacrifice with
fire. Say prayers. Meditate. Perform worship and attain heaven«
And the last of the twenty-nine duties prescribed by the Teacher—
' Baptize your children, if you would be called a true Bishnoi. ' ''
6. '' Some of these precepts are not strictly obeyed ; for instance,
a , , ..* though ordinarily they allow no blue in their

clothing, yet a Bishnoi, if he is a servant of
the British Grovemment, is allowed to wear a blue imiform ; and
Bibhnois do use bullocks, though most of their &rming is done with
camels. They also seem to be unusually quarrelsome ^ words)
and given to use bad language. But they abstain from tobacco,
drugs, and spirits, and are noted for their regard for animal life,
which is such that not only will they not themselves* kill any living
creature, but they do their utmost to prevent others from doing
so. Consequently their villages are generally swarming with
antel(»pe and other animals, and they forbid their Musalman
neighbours to kill them, and try to dissuade European sportsmen
from interfering with them. They wanted to make it a condition
of their settlement that no one should be allowed to shoot on their
land, but at the same time they asked that they might be assessed
at lower rates than their neighbours on the ground that the antelope
being thus left undisturbed do more damage to their crops ; but I
told them that this would lessen the merit (pun) of their good
actions in protecting the animals, and they must be treated jiuit as
the surrounding villages were. They conader it a good deed to
scatter grain to pigeons and other birds, and often have a large
number of half-tame birds about their tillages. The day before
the new moon they observe as a Sabbath and fast*day, doing no
work in the fields or in the house. They bathe and pray three
times a day, in the mc»rning, afternoon, and in the evening, saying
BUknol biiknol instead of tlie orJiuarv Hindu Rdm I Kim!

BiSHNOt 124

Their clothing is the same as of other BignB, except that their
women do not allow the waist to be seen^ and are fond of wearing
black woollen clothing. They are more particular about oeremonial
purity than ordinary Hindus are^ and it is a common saying that
if a Bishnoi's food is on the first of a string of twenty camels and
a man of another caste touches th^ last camel of the strings the
Bishnoi would consider his food defiled and throw it away.

6. '' A number of representative Bishnois assemble^ and before

them a S&dh or Bishnoi priest^ after Hght-

Ceremony of initiatiozi. ./»•/» * •

ing a siLcrincial nr^ {kom), instructs the
novice in the duties of the &ith. He then ti^es some water in a
new earthen vessel^ over which he prays in a set form {Biiino gdyam
trt), stirring it the while with his string of beads (mdla), and after
asking the consent of the assembled Bisbnois hb pours the water
three times into the hands of the novice^ who drinks it off. The
novice's scaIp-Io6k {cAoti) is then cut off and his head shaved^
for the Bishnois shave the whole head and do not leave a scalp-
lock like the Hindus ; but they allow the beard to grow, only
shaving the chin on the father^s death. Infant baptism is also
practised^ and thirty days after birth^ the child^ whether boy or
girl^ is baptized by the priest {Sad A) iu much the same way as an
adult ; only the set form of prayer is different {jjfarbi gdyatri), and
the priest pours a few drops of water into the child's month, and
gives the child's relatives each three handfuls of the consecrated
water to drink ; at the same time the barber clips off the child's hair.
The baptismal ceremony has the effect of purifying the house, which
has been made impure by the birth {siiCat).

7. *' The Bishnois intermarry among themselves only, and by a

ceremony of their own, in which it seems the

Cnatoms of the BiehnoiB. ti^- r^i i^ ».i

circumambulation of the sacred nre, wmcb
is the binding ceremony among the Hindus generally, is omitted.
They do not revere Brahmans, but have priests {Sddk) of their own
chosen from among the laity. They do not bum thdr dead, fafut
1)ury them below the cattle-stall or in a place frequented by cattle,
such as a cattle pen. They observe the Holi in a different way
from other Hindus. After sunset, on that day, they fast till the
next forenoon, when, after hearing read the account of how
Prahl&da was tortured by his infidel &ther, Hiranya Kasipu, for
believing in the god Vishnu, until he was delivered by the god
himself in his incarnation of the Lion«Man {Nara^Sinta), and

125 BISHIfO;.

jnQuming over PrablAda^s sufferings, thejr light a sacriiioial fire and
jpartake of consecrated water, and after distributing unpurified
sugar {pur) in commemoration of Prahlida^s delivery from the
fire into which he was thrown, they break their &st.

'' Bishuob go on pilgrimage where Jh&mbaji is buried, south
of Bik&ner, where there is a tomb {matk) over his remains, and a
temple {mandir) with regular attendants (p^jdrt), A festival
takes place here every six months in Asauj and Phftlgun, when the
pilgrims go to the sandhill on which Jhimbaji lived, and there
light sacrificial fires {hom) of jandi wood in vessels of stone, and
offer a burnt offering of barley, eesamum (iil)^ better, and sugar,
at the same time muttering set prayers. They also make presents
to the attendants of the temple, and distribute grain for th^
peacocks and pigeons, which live there in numbers. Should any
one have commit^d an offence, such as having killed an animal, or
sold a cow or goat to a Musalm&n, or allowed an animal to be
killed when he could have prevented it, he is fined by the assembled
Bishnois for the good of the temple, and the animals kept there.
Another place of pilgrimage is a tomb called Chhambola, in the
Jodhpur country, where a festival is held every year in Chait.
There the pilgrims bathe in the tank and help to deepen it, and
sing and play musical instruments and scatter grain to peacocks
and pigeons. The Bishnois look with special attention to the fire
sacrifice {kom) ; it is only the rich who perform this daily ; the poor
meet together to carry out the rite on the Amiwas day only. The
Gienas or S&dhs, who are their priests and are fed by them like
Brfthmans, are a hereditary class and do not intermarry with other
Bishnois ; nor do they take offerings from any but Bishnois. The
Bishnois are a regular caste and have been shoyvn as such in our
tables ; and the returns of the caste are much more to be relied on
than those of the sect, for the reason given above that many
Bishnois by sect must have been shown in our tables as Vaishnavas,
and vice wend.

8. ** It is said that a member of any of the higher Hindu castes

may become a Bii»hnoi ; but as a matter of

OrfftoixAtioii.

fact they are almost entirely Jats or carpen*
iers (Kkdl%)f or less frequently, lUJimts or Banyas, and the Banya
Bijinois are apparently not found in the Panjab, their chief seat
being Moiidabad, in the North-West Pronnces. The man who
becomes a Bishnoi is still bound by his caste restrictions ; he no

BISHNOI. 126

longer calls himself a Jat, but he can marry only Jftt Bishnois, or
he is no longer a Khati^ and yet cannot marry any one who is not
a Ehftti j and further than this the Bishnoi retains the goira of his
original tribe and may not marry within this. Karewa is practised
among them^ but an elder brother cannot marry a younger brother's
widow.

9. '^ There is not perhaps very much in the teaching of Jhimbaji
Connectioxi with VaiBh- ^ distinguish him from the orthodox pattern

navism, ^f Hindu saints^ and in some points his doc-

trine^ more especially with regard to the preservation of life, is only
an intensification ofthe ordinary Yaishnava tenets. But in the omis-
sion of the circumambulation {phera) at marriage, the cutting off
of the scalp-lock, the special ceremony of initiation, and the disregard
for the Br&hmanical priesthood, we find indications of the same
spirit as that which moved the other Hindu reformers of the period.''

10. Mahant Atma B&m, known as Mah&r&j or Mahant, the
The BiBhnoia of the North- present leader of the Morddftbid Bishnois,

Western Provinces. gives an aocount of them wHch, as far as the
legends connected with Jhstmbaji, agrees exactly with the Panj&b
legend. He names nine endogamous sub-divisions of them — J&t ;
Bishnoi ; Banya Bishnoi ; BrAhman Bishnoi ; Ahir Bishnoi ; Sun&r
Bishnoi ; N&i Bishnoi ; Chauhan Bishnoi, Bayhar Bishnoi. The rule
of exogamy is that they do not intermarry in their own goira or in
that of their relatives as long as any tie of relationship is remembered.

11 . The MortLd&bad branch settled there when the District was in

the hands of the Naw&b Wazor of Oudh, about
one hundred and fifty years ago. They do not
admit outsiders except into their special sub-division as given above.
Polygamy is allowed ; polyandry repudiated. The marriage cere-
monies are performed in the orthodox Hindu fashion. Widows can
re-marry by the sagdi form. Besides the special worship of J hfimbaji,
they have, now following the example of their Hindu nttighboors,
adopted also the worship of Siva and Bhawani. When a child is
bom the mother is secluded for forty days, when the Mahant sends
one of his disciples who makes her throw some butter into the fire.
This ceremony, is known as basandar ehk4na or " fire touching.*'
When a man dies the nearest male relative of the deceased draws
water from the well in an unused earthen vessel, and places it at the
door of the house with the opening at the top covered with a piece
of new cloth. Upon this are placed some cakes {piri). Just as the

127

BI8HK0I.

life.

Bun ie setting eome of the clansmen assemble^ and each takes a hand-
ful of water and pours it on the ground in the name of the dead man.
This is repeated on the third^ tenth, twentieth, and fortieth day, and
after three, six, and twelve months. The corpse is thrown into the
Ganges with a pitcher full of sand tied round the neck. They per-
form the srdtidka in honour of the sainted dead in the month of Kuftr,
as ordinary Hindus do. Those who die without issue have the Mrdd*
dka performed by other relations, and on this occasion clothes, etc.,
are given to Brihmans, They will eat from the hands of none but
their own clansmen.

12. They strictly abstain from spirits, meat, and tobacco. Wher-
ever they are numerous they erect by sub-
scription a shed which is known as a Vishnu
temple (Vithnu mandir). There they assemble on the fifteenth of
every Hindu month, and the songs of Jhftmbaji are chanted by the
Mahant or some other Sidh or priest. This meeting is known aa
jum^la. In the months of Ku&r and Chait they assemble in large
numbers and offer sweetmeats and money. Part of the offerings i<f
taken by the Mahant and the rest is divided among the worshippers
present. The Mahant and his Sadhs practise oeUbacy. The
BifJmois of Bijnor appear to differ from those of the Panjiib in using
the Musalmftn form of salutation, sa/dm aiaikum, and the title of
Shaikhji. They account for this by saying that they murdered
a Muhammadan Qazi who prevented them from burning a widow
and were glad to compound ^the offence by pretending io adopt
Ibl&nu

DiUribulion pf Bisknui Banyat^ aeeording io ike Cenim» of 1891.

DirraiCT.

Nambtf.

DisraicT.

Nomb«r.

Debfm D&B • •

•

MoHid4Ud

•

8,748

HQSaflanagar •

•

909

Cawnpor • •

•

Me«nit • •

•

S55

' Binds •

•

RilMAV

1.086

A>ijM<ir • • •

•

Total

• ! 5,001

* Hm •Mi r«onrti«d m
DUinok

hnoi Boml

m% 4S,6Se, mo«Uj loomd

tB I

Om Dtjoor

SlYAR, BIAR. 126

Biyar, Biar.-*A tribe of labourers and caltivators in the
Eastern Districts.

1. The word Bi&r means ''a seed-bed/' and it is suggested thst

Origin and character. *^^ "^^ ^^ *^® <>"P^ ^^ ^^ nameon ac-

iaticB of the tribes. count o£ their occupation, which is principally
rice cultivation and the constmction of tanks and embankments.
They may possibly be of aboriginal origin^ but the tribe appears to
be very mixed, and while they have to a great extent lost the broad
^ose characteristic of the pure Dravidian races, like the Majhwacs
or Koi-was, they are not noticeably different in appearance from
the Chamars and other menial Hindu castes which surround
them. They may perhaps be connected with the Bhoyars of Betul,
'' who are said to have come originally from Upper India : they are
hard-working and industrious cultivators, thoroughly aliye to the
advantages of irrigation^ and generally expending much labour and
capital in the sinking of wells/^^ The idea which at one time pre-
vailed that they were in some way connected with the g^reat Bhar
race seems groundless. They consider themselves autochthones of
Pargana Barhar, in Mirzapur, and have no traditions of emigration.
They are slight, dark, wiry men, noted for their skill in earth-work^
and habitually employed on excavations of ^11 kinds : a quiet,
rather depressed lace, occasionally addicted to petty theft. In
Mirzapur they have now formed themselves into two endc^amous
divisions, the Barhariya, who take their name from Pargana Barhar,
north of the river Son, and the Dakkhinaha or *' Southerners/' who
live south of the river. Those north of the Son have begun to
imitate Hindus so far as to start one sub-division or sept (iTwrt),
the Chamaiiawa or Chandanawa, who say they are descended
from the chandan or sandal tree, and to this is attached one gotra^
that of K&sip. These sub-divisions, however, do not restrict mar-
riage, the rules of exogamy within the two endogamous sub-divi-
sions being of a very elementary kind. They say that when a girl
is married into a family they do not permit another alliance with
that family for at least three generations. Others say that only
the family of the mother's brother {mdmu) and the fathec's sister's
husband [phiipha) are barred. The tendency, however, seems to be
to extend the restriction to the orthodox limit fixed in many of
these tribes and to include the &mily of the father's brother

1 Ceniral Provinces Oatelteer, 48.

^ ■

N • '.''

I •

P».

I ,

120 bitIb, biIb.

(rtacka) and the maternal aunt (mdoil). Other members of the
caste, however, name seven septs^^Kananjiya, SarwILr, Barwir,
Mahto, KahtOy KAi»hi, and Barhar. These are exogamoos, and
hy|>er^my is said to prevail to this extent that the Kanaujiya
intermarry only with the Barwir, Sarw&r and Mahto. Three of
these are purely local sub-divisions, Kanaujiya (from Kanauj),
Kabhi (from Benares), Barhar (from the pargana of that name in
Mirzapur). The others are probably all occupational— Sarwir
" archer ; '' Barw4r, « carrier of loads ; '' Mahto, " leader ; " Kahto,
" spokesman.''

2. They have a caste council (jmncidyat) which meets on ooca-
. sions of marriages and funerals, and disposes

of tnbal busmess. The president {Mukktfa)
is a hereditary officer, and he has an assistant known as ChaudharL
Offences against morality are punished by fine or castigation. The
castigation is in the form of a shoe-beating, which is administered
by two strong young men at the orders of the president. The fine
takes the form of two or four days feeding of the clansmen. When
the offender agrees to do this he is restored to caste privileges. If
a man marries into a family already excommunicated he has to
give a two days' feast of goat flesh and liquor to the clan. If a
poor man pleads poverty, the fine is sometimes reduced, but if he
disieganls the Kcntence he is excommunicated for two, four, or even
ten years. If the Mukhiya or Chaudhari is a minor, the council
releit some relative to act for him. The Chaudhari is always
apiKiinteil by the council.

«}. Difference in wealth or social station is no bar to marriage.

A man may marry as many wives as he can

Boles of iii*rriMr#. a' <r • » \

support. Tlie senior wife is mistress of the
house, is respected among the relations, and joins in the family
worbhip. If a man marries a second time, and he or she annoy or
ill-treat the first wife, the council interferes in her favour. As a
matter of tact the senior wife generally selects the junior wives, and
urges her hui>lMmd to I^olygamy, as their lalxmr saves her trouble.
If there are more wi^'es than one they live in separate huts in the
same enclosure, but, as a rule, they get on well together and live in
Ciinmion. Conculinage, if the concubine {raHai) is a member of
the tribe, it) permitted. The abhirrenoe with which they regard
even the idea of |olyandry is suflicient to show tliat it oi»uld never
have lieen an iubtituti^^u of the tribe. Women ha\'e considerable
Vol. 1L i

biyIe, biIr. 130

freedom both before and after marriage. If a woman is caog^t in

an intrigne with a stranger to the tribe she is expelled. If her

lover be a member of the tribe^ the fathers of both have to feed the

clansmen : bnt it is a peculiarity of this tribe that they will not

allow the lovers to marry. The reason is because such cases give

rise to a feud between the girFs family and that of her lover, which

is usually so serious that a marriage alliance between them is out

of the question. In such cases of incontinence the girl's father has

to feed the tribesmen on pakU roioi, that is to say^ batter cakes

ipUri) and goat's fleshy and- the next day on kaeheki ratoi, that is,

boiled rice and pulse {dal, bidi). The tribal punishment for the

lover used to be fifty stripes with a cane^ but British law has pot

a stop to this^ and he now gets fifty blows of a shoe. After the

beating is over he has^ in addition, to give the same feast as the

girl's father.

4. The marriage age for boys and girls is from six to twelve:

The headman arranges the match : the con-
Marriage and divorce. . - . , . • .. i j ^u -xi

sent of the parents is essential, and the parties
have no nght of choice* The bride-price fixed by invariable cosiom
is four rupees in cash^ two cloths {dkoti), four Men cosrse sugar
iffur), and a little turmeric. No physical defect which appears in
either party after marriage is sufficient to break the tie ; bat this
is not the case if fraud is established against the parents of either
party : and it is understood that a woman may refase to Kve with
her husband if he is unable to support her, or is impotent. A man
can divorce his wife for adultery : in fact, if after adultery is
established, a man does not discard his wife, he is punished by the
coxmcil. But all separations must be by the sanction of the head-
man, and he will not give leave until he has enquired and heard
evidence in the case. If a man marries a woman who has been
divorced for adultery he is put out of caste. The sons of the
senior wife are called jethri or superior : those of the second Immkri
or inferior. These two sets of children succeed equally, while the
children of a concubine have no rights, and receive only whatever
their father may please to give them during his lifetime. If the
concubine was a woman of the tribe, the children receive fall caete
rights and can be married in the tribe : not so, if the mother wae of
another tribe. Her children are called Biy&r after their father, bat
have no rights of marriage or commeneality.

131 bitIbj biAr.

6. A man may take a widow to live with him without any

ceremony. For a while the clansmen will
not eat with him^ but when he feeds them he
is generally restored to caste on condition that he goes to bathe at
Benares or Oaya. The levirate is allowed under the usual restrio-
tion that the younger brother can marry his elder brother's widow,
and not vice vend. If the levir abandon his claim to her she may
marry an outsider. She takes with her only children at the breast ;
the others remain with her late husband's brother. Once she
marries again she loses all rights in her husband's estate. Their
uncle manages the property for his nephews, and they succeed when
they come of age. So in the case of the levirate the mother manages
the property for her sons by the first marriage. Her second
family has no claim to share. There is no fiction by which the sons
of the levir are attributed to the first husband.

6. Only a sonless man can adopts and that only with the consent
^ , . of his brethren and the council. A man

Adoptioii.

usually adopts his brother's son, though ooca^
sionally the adoption of a daughter's son is allowed. A man
may adopt if his only son is a permanent outcast. During the
life of one adopted son a second cannot be adopted. Curiously
enough a bachelor can adopt, but not a bUnd man, or a cripple, or
an impotent man, or a Jogi, or a woman, except a widow following
distinct instructions from her late husband given before witnesses.
But in any case she can adopt only one of her husband's brother's
sons. A man cannot give his only or eldest son or only brother in
adoption. A boy once married cannot be adopted : nor can a girl be
adopted : nor a sister's son : nor a daughter's son except in most
exceptional circumstances. As a rule a son adopted by another loses
all rights to his father's estate, but cases are quoted to the contrary.
If he be his father's only son he inherits in both houses. If a natunj
•on be bom after adoption he and the adopted son share equally.

7. The custom of Beena marriage or piar*

jaijian does not pre%'ail.
H. In all cases the sons of a man are his heirs. Primogeniture

is so far obfierved that the eldest gets a tenth

in excess of every thingi and the children of the

first or senior wife get something more than the others The shares

go by the sons, not by the mothers. A man cannot select a special

son in hiii lifirtime to be heir in excess of the others. E%'en if one

Vol. 11. 1%

bitIb, biIb. 132

son be better off than the others by self -acquired property, dowry,
etc., he gets his nsnal share. Grandsons get their proportionate
share in the inheritance of their fathers. If there are no sons the
associated brothers inherit equally. The widow has a right to
maintenance so long as she continue chaste : if she becomes unchaste
her husband^s brothers can expel her. A daughter has no rights,
but it seems to be usual for the brothers to give her some of the
family jewelry, etc., and if she is badly treated by her husband or
bis friends she has a right to come back to her original home and
claim maintenance there. If^a man die without a son or widow
his associated brothers succeed. If a widow marries while pregnant,
and a son is bom, he will succeed to his real not to his step-father.
If the widow on remarriage takes little children with her the step«
father is bound to support them until they grow up and get them
married. If a man become an ascetic his sons get his estate : but a
remarkable inile prevails that in such case the sons get only the
acquired prox)eity of their father, while the ancestral property goes
to his brothers. Village and tribal offices such as that of maAlo are
ancestral : but if the eldest son of the deceased proves unfit, the
duty is made over to one of his elder brothers.

9. Families in which sons are married or from which sons-in-law

come are considered relations. There is no-

Belationsbip*

thing peculiar in the general system of
relationship. They do not, as a rule, remember the names of
ancciitors beyond the grandfather.

10. When a woman is being delivered she sits on the ground
, . , facing east. She is attended by the Chamiin

Birth oeremonies* . . , ,

midwife, who cuts the cord with a sickle and
buries it in the place where the child was bom, lighting a fire on the
spot, which is kept burning while the woman renuuns in seclusion.
After birth the child is rubbed with a mixture of barley flour and
oil. The first day the mother is fed on hatwa^ which is made of
wheat flour, coarse sugar (y»r), and ghi. After this she is given
butter cakes {p^ri), but in poor families only rice and pulse. Every
morning and evening she is given a mixture of fur, ghi, and
turmeric, which is known as idra. On the sixth day the Chltmiin
bathes mother and child, the Dhobi takes her clothes to the wash,
the barber's wife cuts her finger and toe nails and colours her feet
with lac dye {ma^dtoar). On that day the men of the family shave
and put on clean clothes, and the woman's husband's sister {namad)

133 biyAb, biIb.

elenns the delivery room {saur)^ for which she receives a present in
cash, clothes^ or jewelry. The wives of the barber and Dhobi get
four annas each, and the Chamain the same with her food for the
days she has been in attendance. That evening the clanspeople,
male and female, are fed. From that date the attendance of the
Chamiiii ceases. On the twelfth day (baraki ) the mother bathes in
warm water, and the barber^s wife cuts her nails and those of all
the other women of the family. From that time the mother is
considered pure, and cooks for the family. On this day the old
earthen vessels of the &mily are replaced. The convade so far
prevails that on the day the child is bom the father does no work,
and has to take the first sip of the draaght given to his wife. The
husband does not cohabit with his wife till the child is six months
old, and is first fed on grain {annsprdsana).

11. No adoption is valid unless the adoptive father and the boy

appear before the Mukhiya, Chaudhari and

Adoption ofMoumy*

council and make mutual engagements,

12. There is nothing very remarkable about the marriage cere«

mony. The bride is selected by the boy's
father and approved of by the Mahto. The
boy's father then on a date (ta^an) fixed by a Br&hman sends or
takes to the bride's father a present which fixes the betrothal. This
is known as neg bkama, and in some places consists of four rupees in
cash, twot^f turmeric, two t^r^oil, and two f^rt coarse sugar (gur) ;
in others of one and-a-quarter iert turmeric, one and-a-quarter ten
sugar, and one and-a-quarter sen of oil. The marriage pavilion
{m4nro) has the middle post of iidJk wood [ItardwiciU bimata). It
is erected by the sister or paternal aunt of the bride, who reoeives a
small present for doing this. Five days before marriage the mat*
mangar ceremony is performed in the usual way as described in the
case of the Bhuiyas, except that the earth is dug by the father's
sister's husband (pkitpka) of the bride, and is brought home by five
unmarried girls of the bride's sept, who make out of it a rude altar
{htdi) in the marriage shed, on which is placed the lucky water jar
(kaUa)t and a rude representation of parrots (9uga) sitting on a Y

tree, which is made by the village carpenter out of the wood of the
cotton*tree (fssis/). On this day the family priest {pmrokii)
sprinkles the bride and bridegroom with a bunch of ddb grass
soaked in turmeric and oil (kaldi ekarkdna). This is done five
times. Before the procession starts the bridegroom's mother does

]6itAb, biAb. 134

the '' waving '' ceremony (paracHan), as described in connection
with the Bhniyftrs. The bridegroom's procession is met by the
bride's friends outside the village, and they embrace {meti jkoli).
On reaching the reception place (janwdnid) the brideg^room^s father
takes the wedding present (cAarAauwa) to the bride. This consists
of some jewelry and a sheet for the girl and her mother. When the
bridegroom arrives he and the bride are seated on leaf mats or stools
in a square {ekaui) made under the marriage shed : the bride's
father washes the feet of the bridegroom, and her mother does the
same for the bride. Then the hands of the pair are joined, and the
bride's father pours water over them, while the Pandit^ reads the
Banka^pa or ^Werses of donation.'' They then walk five times
round the parrot images and water jar, the girPs brother pouring a
handful of parched rice (lawa) over them each tdme they pass;
while some parched grain is thrown on the sacred fire (Ao«), which
is kept burning in the shed. Then the pair sit down, and the bride>
groom marks the right foot of the bride with red lead, and taking
five pinches of it between the thumb and the first finger of his
right hand rubs it in the parting of her hair. This is the binding
portion of the ceremony. Then the wife of the bride's brother
{hhaujdi) sprinkles some red lead {i€ndur ehhirakmm) over the
bridegroom and gets a small present. She then escorts the pair into
the retiring room {kohabar)^ the walls of which are marked with rude
figures drawn in red clay (geru). Over these the bridegroom pours
some oili and has to submit to a good deal of coarse practical jokes
from the female relations of the bride.' Next morning is the
^)itcA0n or ceremony of eonfarrealio, when the bridegroom and faride
eat together. After this is the mdnro kildi or '' shaking of the
marriage shed." The father of the bridegroom pulls up and pitehee
away one of the poles of the pavilion amid the shouts of his party.
This may possibly be a survival of marriage by capture. On the
bridegroom arriving at his house his sister, apparently with the
same idea, blocks the door, and will not admit the bride until the
gets a present. At the bridegroom's house the kokah^r cerem0iiy»
as above described, is again performed. A day or two after thia, on
a day fixed by the Pandit, some woman of the &mily takes the
wreaths of mango leaves (bandanwdr) which decorated the door and

1 It need hardly be said that this onstom of BrAhmanf oondoscending to p6tf<
eoremoniea for people of low caste is irretrolar. See Mann, III., 65, IV., SI, 81, 91.
* For the signifloanoe of the kohahar oeremony see If (v^w^» pwafrapli IS.

136 bitIr, biAr.

the aacred water jar {taUa), and throws them into a etream. The
deities that preside over marriages are Gauri (Devi) and Granesa.
Images of them made of oow*dung are placed in the marriage shed^
and are rubbed with a little of the red lead before it is applied to the
head of the bride. A marriage can be broken off after the first embas*
sage (pueHdwa) of the headman^ but once the red lead is applied it is
final.

IS. The three forms of recognized marriage are the ckariauwa

and the iagdi for widows. There is also the

Foroii of BULrriA^.

gurdwaiy or marriage by exchange^ when two
persons exchange sisters.^

14. The dying person is removed into the open air before death.'
_ The ceremonies are performed in the ordinary

way. After cremation a stalk of the tall
reed-like g^rase (jknrai) is planted on the edge of a tank. This is
apparently like the vessel [gkani) hung on a pipal tree, intended
as an abode for the spirit {pret) during the time which elapse
before the faneral ceremonies are complete.' Dnring the next ten
days the man who fired the pyre goes, daily to the tank and pours
ten vessels {lotti) of water over the grass-stalk. Wlien the mourners
return from the pyre they sit and lament the deceased for a short
time, and each touches with his big toe a little vessel of water which
is laid in the court-yard. For ten days mourning goes on. The
man who fired the pyre cooks his food in an earthen vessel without
nUty eats only once a day out of a leaf platter {dmmna)^ and the
relations do not eat p4n or turmeric or put oil on their heads. The
chief mourner goes about with a knife and brass Ida in his hands
to keep off ghosts. On the day after the cremation the women of
the family go to the tank. The dead man's mother walks in front
of the widow, and all sing songs of mourning. When they arrive
at the tank the widow wathee the red lead off the parting of her hair
and pours ten handfuls of water on the stalk of grass which embodies
the spirit of her husband. All the women do the same, and the
same ceremony is performed daily for ten days. On the tenth day
(daiwdn) all the male relations shave at the tank and get a Brihman
to offer up thfpe balls (^nda) of barley flour, which are thrown into

I 8m Bk%iy%^ pttrmfT«pli IS.

< Tjkr, PfimOvM CuiiwH, I., OS.

* i^W. U.. l&t

biyAe, biIb. 136

the water in the name of the deceased. They then retam to the
house, where the funeral priest (Mahflpfttra^ Mah&br&hman) jattends
and receives the bed, clothes^ and vessels of the dead man, and one and-
a«quarter rupee in cash from the person who fired the pyre. These,
it is believed; will pass on for the use of the deceased in the next
world {svarga),^ ^' How could he get on in the next world without
these things ? " is what they say ; but of a future in which felicity
awaits the good and retribution meets the evil-doer they have only
the very vaguest idea.' On that day his brother-in-law binds a
turban on the head of the dead man's successor, and pdn and betel-
nut are distributed and the clansmen fed* On this day, to mark her
abandonment of married life, the widow floats away {terwa denn)
her little box which contains the red lead for the parting of her hair
(Mendura) and forehead spangles into the water.

15. At the period sacred to the dead {piira patsis) in the

month of Ku&r they plaster a little space

Ancestor worship. , .1 i. ,11 ' " 1 .1

under the eaves of the house, spread there a
little rice and flowers, and a vebsel {lota) full of water and a tooth-
brush (datwan) for the use of the dead. On the 15th day of Knir
they give some diy grain {sidha) to a Br&hman, and feed a few
of the kinsfolk in the name of the dead. If this is not done, their
spirits beset them in dreams, cause the nightmare^ and bring disease
and death.

16. Their special deity is Mahadeva in the form of the lingam.

As local deities they worship Sewanriya^ the
deity of boundaries, and Dharti Mah&deva^
the earth-god. These local deities have a shrine on the village
boundary consisting of a mud platform under a Memal (iambaM
heptaphifLlnm), bahera {termiualia belleriea), or pipal {fiemi imdica)
tree. A small red flag marks the shrine, near which are placed
images of elephants. This is the shrine of Sewanriya., the deity of
boundaries. In the name of Dharti and Mahftdeva two stone pillars
are set up in the ground on the outskirts of the village. When the
harvest is cut both these are propitiated by a burnt sacrifice {iom) of
sugar and butter {^ur, ghi). People who are in trouble make vows
there, and, when the evil is removed, sacrifice a goat or fowl, and
sprinkle some liquor through the Baiga. For this he receives some

1 Trior, Primxtiv CvXtute, I., 481, 483, 490. 492, 49&.
> Ibid, U., 75.

137 biyIb, biAr.

grain and a couple of pice. Tlic women have a special worship to
Amina Devi/ in which men do not join. They make a burnt offerin^^
and li^ht a lamp in her honour. If this deity is not worshipped
the deity mounts on their heads and drives them into a fit of
ecstaoy (abkudjio). They have the usual custom of borinp^the ears
(kMnekkedan) of children when they are five years old. That day
special food is served, and after this the child must conform to caste
usages in the matter of food. Their reli^ous business is done by a
low class of PAnr6 Brahmans. On the day a child's ears are bored
a goat is offered to Juftla-mukhi Devi, and the meat is consumed
by the worshippers and their friends.

17. On the R&mnaumi of Oiait they have the heads of their

children shaved at the shiine of Ju&la-mukhi
Devi at Kota in the presence of the priest
{panda) in charge of the temple. On that date they offer a goat
and a burnt offering {^om). On the snake festi\'al, Ntgpanehami|
held on the fifth bright half of Sftwan, they will not plough, and
make a white protective mark round the walls of their housesi oil
the boms of the oxen, and give them salt. On the Dasahra, the
tenth light half of Ku&r, they eat specially good food. On the
feast of lamps, Diwftii, in the last day of the dark fortnight in
Kirttik, they plaster the housei light lamps, and on that day the
Ahir herdsmen come and dance at the houses of their employers,
and get some old clothes and a small money present. At the 1^1
Sankrftnt, in the end of the month of PAs, they all eat rice boiled
with pnlbe (ikickart) after a Brahman has first touched the food
aud blesfeed it. On the thirteenth light half of Pils they bury the
old year {Sambai gdrna). There is a regular place outude the
village in which a stake of the wood of the cotton tree (temal) is
planted in the ground. Three days after all the villagers colled
fuel round this, and on the day of the full moon (fiiianmdiki) the
village Brahman fixes a time for burning the old year {JSambml).
The lire is lit by the village Baiga, and then all the people apply
fire to it, and parch stalks of barley in the fire and eat them.
They also make small lumps of cowdung and throw them into the
fire. Next morning all collect and sprinkle the ashes of the
Sambat into the air. This is known as tdih u^dna. After marking
their foreheads with the ashes they return home. Next day, up to

1 Aain ffsti is mut nf tks M—hifrlr

biyIr, biAb. 138

midday, the men sing abnfiive songs^ and throw earth and oowdmig
at the women. After midday they bathe^ put on clean clothes,
throw about the powder o£ ground mica or talc {abir), eat wheat
cakes {puri) fried in butter^ and drink liquor. The feast winds ap
with a regular saturnalia in which decency and order .are forgotten.^

18. Places like wells and tanks where any one has been drown-

ed are considered as specially haunted.' If any
one goes alone to bathe m such places the ghost
pushes him in and drowns him. They also have the same idea
about deaths by a &11 from a tree> which are regarded as the work
of the offended tree spirit. If they happen to walk under a tree
where such an accident has happened they bend their heads and
bow. To keep off such ghosts people take a piece of iron about
with them, such as a knife, a key, etc. They believe that if you
can succeed in catching one of these malicious Bh&ts and cutting
off his scalp-lock, he will serve you for the rest of your life,

19. The women tattoo themselves in the usual way among these

jungle tribes.' They believe that if they aie
not tattooed Ood (Bhagw&n) brands them in
the next world with a torch of dry grass.^

20. The lucky days are Sunday and Monday and Friday ; Toes-

day and Saturday are unlucky. Among
omens, oaths, witohoraft, numbers 5 and o are lucky, 13 unlucky.

They take omens from the iurli bird, whose
song on commencing a journey or business is lucky. A jadcal
crossing the road is inauspicious. The house door may faoe the
North, East, or West, but not the South. Every one has two
names, that fixed by astrology (rdi), and that in ordinary uae.
They swear by putting the hand on their son's head or touching
a Brahman's feet. In the first place if they tell a lie the son diaB,
in the second they lose their property or life. They are much in
dread of witchcraft {Una). Such cases are treated by the Qjha^
who has power to drive off or summon Bh&ts, and can thus revenge
himself on an enemy. Dreams only mean the displeasure of the

1 This fefitiYal has obyions analogies in European onstom. Mannhardt
siders them to bo snn-charms or magical ceremonies intended to Monra * piop«r
supply of snnshine for men, animals, and plants* See Frazer, Qold§n Bcugh^ 11,

« Tylor, Primitive Culture, 1, 109.

s See Agariya, para. 22.

< Tylor. Primitive Culture, I, 451.

139 BIYABy BiAr.

fliinted dead at inattention^ and are not specially interpreted. Some
women, particularly those born on a Saturday, can cast the Evil
Eye. When a child is thus affected its eyelashes stand out
straight, and when babies are struck they refuse the mother's breast.
Even big children are affected. The sign of the arrival of a person
with this power is that the person affected if eating immediately
vomits. All disease is due to demoniacal influence. It is only Ojhas
who can recognise the particular Bh&t which is at the bottom of
the mischief, and having marked him down they are able to pre-
scribe the appropriate offering or expel the evil spirit by bringing
the victim into a state of ecstacy {abkvdna).

21. Their dress presents no pecoliarities. The women wear

jewelry, the iatua on the fore-arm, rings
(mundari) on the Bngers, the bakunta on the
upper arm, the palm leaf ornament (tarU) in the ears, necklaces
(Aansmii) and strings of beads on the neck, heavy anklets {pairi).
They do not wear the nosering. They use hquor and tobacco
freely. They will not eat the flesh of monkeys, cows, bufEaloes,
horses, camels, crocodiles, snakes, lizards, jackals, or rats. They
eat pigs, goats, sheep, fowls, and all kinds of fish. Women do not
eat pork. Children eat first, then the men, and last of all the
women. They will not touch a Dom, Chamir, Dharkir, or
Bhangi; nor the wife of the younger brother, the wife's elder
sister, and a connection (samdiin) through the marriage of children.
They will not speak by name of the wife or mother, or of the dead
if it can be avoided. In the morning they will not speak of death,
dibcase, or quarrels, or of a lame man or a cripple, or of a village
where lm\ cliaracters live or where there was in former days a
murder or a fight. They tow, if possible, on the tenth light half
of Jcth. Fields for the spring crop are ploughed five times, for
the autumn cmp twice. They salute by the pdelagi form, and
seniors give the blessing nike raio, " Live happily \" If a woman's
relation visits her she seizes him by the feet and weeps. Then in a
sort of bing-song she describes all her troubles to him, and ends by
washing his feet and giving him tobacco.^ ^^l)en a guest comes he
is expected to bring with him some parchetl grain and coarse sugar
for the children. Then if he is a clansman the houf«bolder seats
him in the cooking place {ck^uim] and feeds him. Women are

I Tjlor, Pfimiii9€ CMmr9, II, 11.

bitIe, biIb.

140

BOHRA.

respected, as they work very hard. Men who ill-treat their wives
are divorced by the tribal council, and put out of caste for a year or
two as a punishment. Old people are taken care of and given only
light work. In the hot weather they all collect in the evening
under a tree, and chat on village business. In the cold weather
they assemble at each other's houses, sit round a fire of rubbish
{taura), and the house master finds them in chewing tobacco.
They are very clannish and detest and distrust strangers. They
will eat both kinds of food {paiki and iaeicH) only from a BrSh-
man. No one but a Dom will eat or drink from their hands.

2^. Their business is ploughing {kalwdAi) and doing earthwork

on embankments and tanks, in which men,
women, and children join. When they take
service as ploughmen they get on the first day a pot {idnri) full of
grain and a rupee in cash, and the same when sowing is over. Their
daily wages are three sers of barley or sdwdn millet. The Byirs
are a very quiet, respectable tribe, and are very seldom seen in oar
Courts.

23. They have a sort of local organisation (eha) in which three
or four villages join, but it is weak and inefEective, and as a tribe
they are little more than serfs, a»erijpU gleba ; a few are now begin-
ing to cultivate as sub-tenants.

Occupation.

Distribution of the Biydrt according to the Cemm of 1891.

DiSTBIOT.

Number.

DiSTBIOT.

nmniMr.

Benares •
Mirzapnr • •

3,214

14,398

537

Ballia ....
Tar&i ....
Total

679
93

Gh&zipur • •

18p821

Bobra. — (Sanskrit, tya»fli<!^f<ijt/i, "a trader ").— A general term
for any trader or money-lender. Those recorded under this name at
the last Census are almost entirely confined to the Meerut Division.
They claim to be and ai-e usually admitted to be Bifihmans. Of
them Sir II. M. Elliot ^ writes—'' The Bohras of these Provinces
either come from the neighbourhood of Jaypur, or are descendants

1 SupyUm/entaJL Qiouary, i.v.

141 BOHBA.

of the ori^nal Eettlers from that quarter, and preserve some peou-
liarities of speech and dress by which they are readily known. An
inferior class of Bohras is called Kaiy&n^ who are said to take their
name from their trick of constantly saying Kaki^ KaU, * Why?'
or Rahti^the continually revolving nature of their dealings and
monthly visits to their debtors have with reference to the constant
revolutions of the rakat or Persian wheel and buckets procured them
the designation of Rahti/' Another name for them is Athwariya
because they take interest every eighth {dlkwen) day. The Bohraa,
according to Sir H. M* Elliot^ have larger dealings and with
higher classes than the Bahtis have, but, like the latter, are generally
eager to acquire possession of profitable estates. There is, however,
this difference between them, that the Bahtis lend and will take in
return only money ; whereas the Bohras are ready to receive every
marketable article, including the produce of the soil as wel! as cattle,
among which may be enumerated horses, camels, sheep and goats
in payment of their debts.

2. Tiiose in the Upper Ganges Jumna Du&b, claim to be Paliwil
Gaur Brfihmans, from Pftii, in BajputAna.^ Trade is not lawful
for a Brahman except in times of scarcity and under certain condi«
tions.' Hence to mark their separation from Br&hmans with whom
they do not mess or intermarry, they associate with the Mahibrih-
man, who is an abomination to the Ilindu on account of his functions
as a funeral priest.

3. In Kumaun the Bohras call themselves Khasiya Rijputs, bat
claim toiiave been originally money-lenders. They are now thriv-
ing agriculturists.' To the east of the Province the trading Brfth-
mans are called Biona, and arc analogous to the Babhan or Bhutnhir.*
Quite distinct from these trading Brahmans are the Bohras of Central
Indil^ who are Muealmins. They are wholesale merchants of the
finit class, as well as pedlars. They render implicit obedience to their
elected Mullas. They are of the Hasani tribe, — once so dreaded in
Eg}'pt and Persia for acts of murder and desperation. The principal
Bohra colony at U jjain, where they have four s]H*eiaI quarters («aii#>
U.)^ In the Panjaib, as in these Pronnoes, all the Bohras are Ilindua.

i BuhUr. S^fttd L««ri. I. 72.

* AtkiBa<«ii, HiMKi/ayaii 09»tlU4t, III, 941^ 9q.

* BucbaoAO, Kaaitm liKila. II. 1^.
' llalouliB, C\ii<r«kl imd%a, i. lit, if.

BOHEA.

142

BOKirA.

4. Their exogamouB Eections would lead to the conolusion th&t
tbdr origin is mixed. The KSohbi and Khangar seem to represent a
non-Aryan element, BesiilcB these are the Bachgu4r, BalSi, Bath-
am (from Srivasti), Bhatiya, Chanvar, DasMi, Deswal, Kama'
Kaeib, Kundal, Maheswari, N^gar, Samel, Syjlmi, and Sundi,

Diitriiulioii of the Bokrat aceording to the Centut of

1891.

DiBTHICT.

Nambsr.

DlBIBlCT.

Nomber.

SBharanpnT .
Mnzaffatnagar
lleerut ....

632
13
2

Allgarh

Etah ....

H^rdoi

ToTiL

386
32

Bukndshalir .

1,131

Boriya. — A tribe of village servants and cultivators found chief-
ly in the Cawupur and Hardoi Dietricta. Their sub-castes show
that they are closely connected with, if not an offeboot of, the great
Pasi tribe. Thus we find among their sub-divieions Arakh, Bahe-
liya, Gujar, Khangar, Kiean, Luniya, Pasi, Rajpasi, Rakhpaei.
Some, again, are local sections, ench as Ajudhyabasi, Antarbedi, Baia-
war, Banarasi, Brijb^j, Kanaujiya, Mahobiya ; others imply eomc
connection with other tribes as Bhurtiya, Chanhin, Ghosi, H^ra,
Kiuthiya, Kathwflns, and Sombansi. Others are occupational, as
Ghurcbaiha, " horsemen ; " Khetvpil, " field men."

Dhtribttiion of tie Boris"' according to the Censtit of 1891.

DiSTBICT.

Kaith-
winfi.

Piras-
rimi.

ViMi.

Othotti.

lOtkh.

Cawnpnr ....
Fatehpur ....
Hunlrpur ....
Hudoi ....
Bahrftich ....

2,990
985

6^1
232

4.738

349

7,031

S,G91
86

2
69

18,161
1,662

7,100
4

TOTit

3,«.

7,063

12,119

3,752

£6.909

143 BBAHICAK.

Br&lmiail.^— -The levite class of the Hindu caste system. The
word Brihmana is derived from Hr&hman (root brik, vrii,) '' reli«-
gious devotion regarded as an impulse or feeling gradually grow-
ing up and expanding so as to fill the soul/' To quote one
of the latest and best authorities* — '' The common term used in
the Veda for the officiating priest is Br&hman (masculine,
nominative singular^ Brahma) originally denoting^ it would seem,
' one who prays/ ' worshipper/ or * the composer or repiter of
a hymn/' In some passages the word also signifies a special clasa
of priests who officiated as superintendents during sacrificial cere-
monies, the complicated nature of which required the co-operation of
several priests. The &ct that the terms Br&hmana and Brahma-
putra, both denoting the son of a Br&hman, are used in certain hymna
as synonymous of BriLhman, seems to justify the assumption that
the profession had already to a certain degree become hereditary at
the time when the hymns were composed/' The term Brihman,
as Dr. Muir> remarks, must have been originally applied to the same
persons who are elsewhere in the Vedic hymns spoken of as Rishi,
Kavi, etc., and have denoted devout worshippers and contemplative
iages who composed prayers and hymns which they themselves recited
in praise of the gods. Afterwards when the ceremonial gradually
became more complicated and a division of sacred functions took
place, the word was more ordinarily employed for a minister of
public worship, and at length came to signify one particular kind
of priest with special duties. The original Aryan priest was the
house father, and we still find among the lower Dravidian races
that the family worship is done either by the head of the house-
hold or by the son-in-law or brother-in-law ; and it was only when
the service of the gods became a more complicated and difficult
function that a special class of officiants was created for this pur-
pose. This differentiation of function took place, of course, at an
early date in the history of the development of Hinduism. Dr.
Haug * belie\'e6 that the differentiation of the functions of the classes
of priests, Hotris, or repeaters of the Rik verses, the Udgatris, the

I Pnncipallj bM«d on Boitt by PuidiU BAmf luulb CluiiiM and BhAa PraUp
TiwAri.

* IVofesanr EffftUiif , Eneyl&pirdia Briianniea, i.v.. BrAkmanUm,

* Anciemt8QnskrUU9ts,l^i^2nd9diiioniVmU\d,C<^UuUa £«rww, CLXVfl.
258.

* ^tUrrya BrAhw%mna, I, tnindrnttioik, 9.

BBAHMAN. 144

chanters of tlie Bik verses^ and the Adhvaryns, or manual laboarers
and sacred cooks must have been at an early date^ certainly not
posterior to the collection of the Mantras, and the dicta o£ the
Brsihman priests into separate works.

2. But, as Dr. Muir goes on to say :^— '' Though towards the
close of the Yedic period the priesthood probably became a pro£es-
sion, the texts do not contain anything which necessarily implies
that the priests formed an exclusive caste or at least a caste separated
from of all others by insurmountable barriers as in later times.
There is a wide difference between a profession and even a heredi-
tary order in caste in the fully developed Br&hmanical sense. There
is, therefore, no difficulty in supposing that in the Vedio era the
Indian priesthood, even if we admit its members to have been for
the most part sprung from priestly families, may have often
admitted aspirants to the sacerdotal character &om other classes of
their countrymen/' This theory, then, that even the Brihmans
themselves are probably of mixed origin, and that the caste, as we
find it now, is in a great measure occupational in origin, goes to
the very root of the Bi-ahmanical caste system of modem India, and
deserves to be established by some examples from the immense
mass of evidence which might be adduced in support of it«

8. In the first place it may be noted that under the general
CompoBite origin of ^^^ ^^ Brahman are included various classes
Br&hmana. which are almost generally admitted to be (^

distinct origin, such are the Mahabrahman or funeral priest who, on
account of his functions, is detested by all Hindus who pretend to
purity ; the various kinds of beggars and astrologers, such as
the Joshi, Dakaut, and his brethren, and the Ojha or devil priest,
who is almost certainly the Baiga or ghost-finder of the Dravidian
races, who has been imported into Hinduism. Next, the supposi-
tion that the early so-called Brahmans were strictly endogamoos,
is contradicted by much evidence. Dr. Muir* on the evidence of
the early texts, shows that they not only intermarried with women
of their own order or even with women who had previously
remained single, but were in the habit of forming connections with
the widows of Bajanyas or Vaisyas, if they did not even take pos-
session of the wives of such men while they were still alive.

1 Aitart'ya Brdhmana ; 263,19.
> Ibid, I, 2S2, ««/«

145 BrIqmaK.

4. Secondly, we have a mass of facts pointinpf to the creation of
certain classes of Br&hmans in comparatively modem times. Thns
in Part&bgarh^ there is a current legend that the celebrated Oudh
chieftain, M&nik Chand, created Brahmans wholesale out of various
Kurmis, Ahirs, and Bhars. A similar case occurred in Fatehpur.'
In Unio, again, a story is told of Raja Tilok Chand, that one day
while hunting he was very thirsty, and having no attendant he
asked a Lodha, who w&s present there, to fetch him some water,
which he brought in his own drinking vessel. The RAja after
drinking the water discovered that the owner of the vessel was a
low caste man, so he asked him to call himself a Br&hman under
the title of Pathak of Amtara, ^as he was watching the mango {dm)
trees* 1 his title still remains with his descendants, who are acknow-
ledged as Br&hmans** Sir J. Malcolm* in Central India found
many low caste female slaves in Brahman houses, the owners of
which had treated them as belonging to their own caste. Under
the head of DmdiA a reference has been made to the curious
IHhar story of the clever Dusftdh girl who married a Brahman.*

5. Thirdly, this intermixture of castes comes out very clearly
in the earlier legends of the race. Thus we find that the Angirasas,
or sons of Angiras, were Brahmans as well as Kshatriyas. So the
descendants of Garga, although Kshatriyas by birth, Ijecame Brah*
mans.* In the Mahabharata Bhima is married by his brother
Yudhishthira to the Asura woman IlidimU, and the marriage rites
were regularly performed, and Draupadi, a Kthatriya girl, accepts
as a husband in the Swayamvara Arjuna, who pretends to be a
Brahman.* Ac<;ording to a passage in the Maliabharata* all castes
beei)mc BrahmauH when once they have crot^sed the Gomati on a
viiiit to the hermitage of Vasistlia. The Brahman Drona acts the
part of a Khhatriya in the grmt war. Kakshivat was the son o£
Dirghatamas by Usij, a female servant of the Queen of the Kalinga
Raja, whom her husband ha«l desinnl to submit to the embraces of
the sage in order that he might lieget a son. Tlie Queen substitutad
her bondmaid Uhij. The wige, cognisant of the deception, oon*«-
crated Usij, and begot by her a son named Kakshivat, who

« SrttUmrnl Report, U7, » Arehmolo^U^l B^porU, VIII, 10^

P»rt III, 4y ; VI. 351. i^.

* Ou.lh Gatttterr, I. 9u5. 365 : III, 229.
« Central tndia, U, 2ul.

VuU II.

• WUftoD. Yi$kmu rMHiia.S5P.
r n%*i, 451.

• III. ^(fM.

bbIhmak. 146

tlirongh his affiliation to the R&ja was a Kshatriya; bat as the son of
Dirghatamas was a Br&hman.^ So Yisv&mitra^ a Kshatriya, faj
the force of his austerities^ compelled Brahma to admit him into
the Brahmanical order in order that he might be on a level with
Yasishtha, with whom he had quarrelled.' Even up to the time
that Vasishtha wrote the legality of a twioe-bom man manying
a Siidra woman seems to have been at least arguable.' Numerous
instances of similar mutability of caste ih comparatively modem
times might easily be given.*

6. The legends throw little light on the origin of BriQunans as a

. . . caste except to establish the substantial unity

Legendary ongin of j. ^i * i -n ^ *

BrAhmaxLB. 01 the Aryan peoples. By one account the

Br&hman was produced from the mouth of the Supreme Being, the
Kshatriya from his arms, the Yaisya from his thigh, and the Sfidra
from his foot. In the Purusha Sukta hymn of the Big Yeda the
primsBval man is hewed by the gods into four parts, which form
the four great divisions of the race. A later l^end bases the divi-
sion on purely moral grounds, and degraded those Br&hmans who
gave themselves up to anger and pride into Kshatriyas ; those who
lived by agriculture and flock tending, the yellow Yaisyae ; and
those who gave way to lying and immorality, the black SCkdras.

7. The usual division of Brlihmans is into ten great orders.

First the five Dravidas south of the

Diyiflion of Brihrnans* ^r* n » • i.« « xi. -mi- i.a

Ymdhyan range, consisting of toe Mahi-
r&shtras who dwell in the country where Mar&thi is spoken ; the
Andras or Tailangas of the Telegu country ; the Eam&tas of the
Canarese country ; and the Gui-jaras of Qurjarishtra orGhqarlt.
Secondly, the five Gauda or Gaur, north, uf the Yindhyas, consist-
ing of the Sarasvatas, who take their name from the Sarasvati river;
the Kanyakubjas or Kunaujiyas, from Kanayakubja or Kananj ;
the Gaudas or Gaurs who are said to take their name either from
Gaur in Bengal or Gonda in Oudh ; the Utkalas of Orissa, and the
Maithilas of Mithila, the modem Bihir and its neighbourhood.

8. At the last Census the Brahmans of these Provinces were
recorded under twenty-one main sub-castes,— Bangili, Chaubty

> Wileon, Rig Veda, 1, 42, note.
« Ibid, II, 319.

' Buhler, Books of Ihe Eatt, U, 6. ' Aryans, II, 290.

4 Max MfiUer, Aneumi SmuikriiLiUnt'
ture, 58, iq, ; Bajendza Ula ]fitni» imd^

147 bbAhman.

Dii\4ra, Gangaputra, Gaur, Gnjaiiti, Jhijhautiya, Kanaujiya,
KarnAtak, Kashmiri, Khandelwul, Mahar&ehtra, Maithila, Ojha»
PalHwai, Sakaldipi, Sanftdh, Saras wata, Sarwariya, and UtkaK
Besides these divisions, which are in a large degree territorial, there
are others^ such as Ach&rya, Hotri, etc., which are occupational.
The Br&hmanic sub-castes ^nll, for the sake of convenience, be
discussed in separate articles. The complete lists give no less than
nine hundred and two Brahmanical dinsions, but here tribes and
gotrai are inextricably compoundeil.

9. Among the sub-divisions of local importance, we find in Dehra
DAn the Gangari; in Muzaffamagar, the Acharya, Dakaut, and
Taga ; in Meerut, the Acharya, Bolira, Chaurasiya, Dakaut, Dasa,
and Gautam ; in Aligarh, the Abhin&shi, Agnihotri, Barwana>
Gautam, Partsara, Pathak, and Upftdhya ; in Mathura, the Gautam
and NIgar ; in Agra, the Chaurasiya and Gautam ; in Farrukhibid,
the Mahibrahman ; in Etah, the Dichhit, Gautam, Rajauriya, and
Upftdhya ; in Bud&un, the Parftsara, Pithak, TiwAri, and Upftdhya ;
in Moridibftd, the Gautam and MahabrlLhman ; in Hamirpur, the
BhagorA and Sanaurhiya ; in Allahibadi the Malawi and Rithi ;
in Jhansi, the Bhagord, Dakkhini, KarAri, and Sagarmodi; in
Jalaun, the Aiwasi; in Iialitpur, the Bhagor and Singirekh or
Sringirishi ; in Benares, the Audich, Bhiradwaja, NAgar, and Yedi ;
in Mirzapur, the Sandil ; in Jaunpur, the Kantil and Rajbhit ;
in Ohizipur, the Bhar&dw&ja, Chliatri, Gautam, PachliaiyAn,
Parisaragotra, Sftndil, Veili, and Yajurvedi ; in Ballia, the Gautam;
in Basti, the Sindil ; in Bahriich, the Belwtr ; and in the Hills, the
Bais, Blial, Bhit, Gangari, Johhi, Khas, I^akhpil, Lohni, Pinrd,
Panth, Pathak, Sarola, Tripathi, Tiwari, Upadhya, Upreti. Of
maoy of these some account will be found in other articles.

10. The great i»ul>-oa8tes already named are for the mo^t part

mdogamous; l>ut the rule appears to be
cKtiasionally relaxed when the sc^antiness of
brides in the Hniall local group is an ol>stacle to marriage. Thus
there seems to lie no doubt tliat in parts of the c*ountry at limst the
Gaur and Sara^wata nub-castes intermarry. A(*cording to Manu
jicrwtns are forbidden to marry who btand in the relationship of
iapim*iai, that is, who are within five degrees of affinity on the
side of the mother, and seven on tliat of the father. The |»rson
himself c^iibtitutes one of these di*grees ; that is to say, two persona
stand to each other in the iapimda lelationship if their oonunoD
Vol. II. X 2 •

bbAhman. 148

ancestor^ being a male^ is not farther removed from either of them
than BIX degrees, or four degrees when the common ancestor is a
female. This rule reinforces the principle that the gctra is an exo-
gamous unit. It is needless to say that this gotra system has been
developed to an extraordinary extent, and they have become so
numerous that it is practically impossible to procure any well estab-
lished list of the gotrai of any of the chief tribes. The word gotra
means primarily a '' cow-pen/' and has hence been extended to
the descendants of a common ancestor. Most of them are what
has been called eponymous, that is to say, they claim to be descended
from and to derive their names from some Rishi, or saint, who is
supposed to have been their first ancestor. All the Brahmanical
goiras have eight great ancestors only— Visvamitra, Jamadagni,
Bharadwaja, Gautama, Atri, Yasistha, Kasyapa, and Agastya.*
These occupy with the Brahmans about the same position as the
twelve sons of Jacob with the Jews, and only he whose descent
from one of these great Rishis was beyond doubt oonld become the
founder of a gotra. The Brahmanical system of gotrtis hsa, again,
by a fiction been extended to other tribeS| such as the B&jpat,
Banya, Khatri^ or Kftvasth, but among them the institution is
exotic, and naturally much less vigorous than among the tribe from
whom it was derived.

1 1 . There is again another Br&hmanical division, that of the
eharana or sdkha and the pravara. The iaiia or charana is usually
applied to the body of persons who follow one of the various schools
of Vedic teaching, which are said to be as many as 1,130, of which
there are 1,000 for the Sama Veda, 100 for the Yajur Veda, 21
for the Rig Veda, and 9 for the Atharva Veda. The institution
of the pravara is, again, purely religious. The pravara or ar$lega,
which are generally regarded as synonymous terms are those sacri-
ficial fires which several gotras had in common. It was left to their
own choice to which they wished to repair,

12. Under the articles dealing with the separate Br&hmanical

tribes an account of some of the domestio

Domestic ceremoDies. . . * - •

ceremonies has been given. A few pomts
may here be noticed, principally derived from the customs of the
Sarwariya Brihmans of the Eastern Districts of the Province.

> Hang, Aitareya Brahmanam, II, 479.

149 brAhmak.

IS. What is commonly known as the rajodartan {rafan^ " potlu«

The Bajodartan : *^^^'" (^^nana, " seeing '') is the time durincf
garbhadina. which women remain impure for four days

after the menstrual period^ and while in this state do not touch tie
drinking water or cook for the household. This is, it is hardly
necessary to say, consistent with the common practice of the most
primitive tribes.* The pollution is removed by the rajasudm or
ceremonial bathing on the fourth day. Immediately on marriage
follows the " impregnation rite/' garbhaddna. In ancient times no
bridegroom approached the bride till the fourth night after the
oompletion of the marriage ceremony. This interval is prescribed
by Gobhib. The present interval of two, three, or four years in the
case of child-marriages is quite unsupported by the authority of
ancient lawyers. Dhanavantari (in the Susruta) declares that the
Oarbhad&na should not take place till a girl is sixteen. Dr.
Buhler has shown from the Vivaha Mantras that, in olden times
girls were married long after they had rea(*hed the age of puberty »
and infant marriages were unknown ; moreover that the human
husband is the fourth husband, the three gods, Soma, Visvavasu,
and Agni, being the first three at the period of a girl's becoming
marriageable. As it should take place on the fourth day, the con-
summation rite was sometimes called Ckatnrihi karma. During
the previous day the youug married woman was made to look
iox^mrds the sun, or in some way exposed to the rays. In the
evening she was required to bathe. Her husband also performed his
ablution and went through other prescribed forms. Before approach-
ing his wife he was careful to secure the solemn imprimatur of
religion on an act which might lead to the introduction of another
human being into the world. He therefore repeated two mmntrai
or texts of the Rig Voila (X, 1S4), the first of which may be thus
translated,—" Let (all-pervading) Vishnu prepare her womb ; let the
Cieat4)r shape its forms ; let Prajapati be the Impregnator ; let the
Creator give the embryo/" At present, in Bengal, the girl is
^ubjecte«l to a periiMl of isolation which exactly corre8|ionds to that
deH*ril)e«l by Mr. Frazer in the case of various primitive races, the
idea lieing that at this period o£ her life dangerous influ<*nces
I'manate from the girl which it is necessary to counteract. In I'piier

I Pr»g«r, OuiJen Hou^h, II. lA^. ^fq.

BBAHIIAN. 160

India the rite appears to consist in the worship of the kula devaU
or family god^ and if the head of the &mily is rich or illiterate^ a
Brahman is employed to read the Durgap&tha or songs in honour of
the goddess Dorga. This rite is intended to obviate the danger of
a miscarriage.

14. Next follows^ in the sixth month of pregnancy^ the simania

pum savana, or the rite of male production,

Slmanta pnm savana. -xt. xi i • ^ i* • i

done with the object of secoring a male
heir, the desire of every Hindu mother. The expectant mother is
bathed, dressed in red clothes which are sent from her Other's
house, and some fruit, the emblem of prolificacy, is placed in her
lap. She then goes to the family shrine and worships the hoosehold
god.

15. When the child is bom, and before the cord is cot, the head

of the family does the nandimukk irdidka,

Nandimnkh sr&ddha* __

He lays some kusa grass on the ground and
offers a pinda over it. After this the cord is cut and it is buried
in the room in which the delivery took place. Over it a fiie
(pananghi) is lighted, and wood of the teudu tree is burnt. For
twelve days the lamp is fed with nim oil. During this time the
mother is fed with cakes {pnriy Aaiwa), caudle {ackimdni), and
ginger (sont^). Bread and pulse cannot be given to her, because
during the period of pollution only substances cooked with ^n,
milk, or parched grain, can be taken from the family cookhouse.
The members of the family are impure for twelve days after a
confinement in the house ; during this time no Deota can be wor-
shipped, nor can any one drink water from their hands. After the
sixth day the Cham&r midwife is dismissed, the mother and child
are bathed, and after that the N&in or barber's wife attends on her.

•

But it is not absolutely necessary that this rite should take place
on the sixth day in case the omens are adverse. In that caee it is
postponed for one or two days. At this rite one of the women of
the house waves some barley in a sieve or basket over the mother
and child, and this grain is given to the midwife. If the first
child die, the next bom is usually put in a sieve, or it is weighed in
a scale against barley, which is given to the midwife. The genjOial
rule appears to be that if a child die within six days after birth the
corpse is buried ; if it die between that time and the inveatiture
with the sacred cord {janeH) it is thrown into a river [jal pratdi) ;
after investiture the dead are cremated. The corpees of girls up to

151 brAhman.

the age of seven are thrown into running water ; if over that age
or married they are cremated.

16. On the twelfth day after birth is the barmki^ when the

_ . . mother and child are bathed and the babr ie

shown to its male relations, who are expected
to pnt a money present in its hand. The maternal grandmother
sends a yellow sheet (pisri dhoti) for the mother, and for the \
child a little coat (J kola), and a cap {iopi). On that day all the
women friends collect and have their nails cnt, while a barber
woman mbe them with a mixture of oil and turmeric {ubian). If
the baby be a boy, the lady friends give the wife^s mother, or in her
absence the father, two annas each ; in the case of a g^l, the con-
tribution is half that amount. This is known as " the nail cut-
ting'^ {naki kati^a^ nakh tardtki). A list of these donations is
made at the time, so that the receiver may reciprocate them when
a similar occasion occurs in the family of the donor. The women
also give a pice or two to the barber's wife, who does the anointing, v^
All the women then sit down and sing the birth song {iokar, San^ t
9ohha) . This is the only song {rdg) which can be sung at any
time of the day ; for the others appropriate times are fixed.

17. If the child be bom in the asterism of MAla, the »i//ii 9dnU /^

rite is performed to obviate the il!-luck
attaching to this period. In this case the
woman and child are kept in the delivery room for twenty-seven
days from the date of birth, and during that period the father is
not allowed to see the face of the baby ; he is also not alkwed to
shave or change his clothes. There are two kinds of the MiUa
asterism, '' the light *' {ialka, Idg) ; the other '' heavy " (hhiri,
drik). If the birth occur in the latter, he must not see his chikl
for twelve years, and in that interval can neither shave nor change
his clothes. Many persons, under such unfortunate ciroumstanoes,
become Jogis. On the day of the mila idnti rite everythin^c follows *
the number twenty-teven, the number of the asterisms (Nakikmira) \
water is drawn from twenty-seven wells, the wood of twenty-seven
varieties of trees, sieves made with twenty-seven kinds of knots,
blankets of twenty-seven breadths, earth from both hanks of the
Ganges, clay that has been pressed by the foot of a horse or
elephant, and from the King's gateway, which at Chunlr is the
main gate of the fort, are collected. The child's father bathes and
goes into the ooortyard. There a barber woman makes a square of

BBAHMAK. 152

flour, and in it places a stool for him to sit on. Near him is placed
a jar {^alsa) filled with Ganges water. The Forohit or &unily
priest then worships Gauri and Gunesa. The earth and blankets
are put into the sieves and laid on the father's head, while over him
is poured the water drawn from twenty-seven wells. After this
the barbei-'s wife receives the blankets as her perquisite, and a small
money present. This done, the father is considered pure, and he is
allowed to come out, shave, and bathe. Then he returns to the
square, where he worships a small brass or gold image of. Vishnu.
Near him is placed a brass saucer {iaiori) which is filled with ghi
from a black cow. The ghi is melted until it becomes quite thin.
The saucer is placed before the father, who keeps his eyes fixed
upon it. The mother comes up from behind with the child in her
arms, and she holds the baby so that the father may 4see its image
reflected in the ghi. After this the child is seated in his lap, antl
he makes it a present in money. In case the child is bom in
Mul, the twelfth day rite is postponed, and carried out with the
observance on the twenty-seventh day. The ceremony ends with
the feeding of twenty-seven Brahmans, and the presenting of gifts
to the friends and relatives who have attended the ceremony*

In the families of learned Br&hmans, such as Pandits, when

the child is two months old it is dressed in

Dolarohana.

A new cap and coat and placed in a swing*
(kindola). Up to that time it remains on a bed. Hub rite is
known as dola rohana. On that day the family god is worshipped,
and rich food {pilirii bakhir) is cooked for the household.

19. Pandits have also another rite known as 5^ the bringing*

out,'' vahirnisarana, 1'he usual custom

Vahir niBarana.

is that the child is not brought out of the
house until '' the grain feeding," anncprdsana. Bnt if it is
desired to bring the child out before it is fed on grain, he performs
this rite. The baby is dressed in a new coat and cap of bine cloth,
the colour of the sky. These clothes are first dedicated at the
house shrine {diukart), and then the child's forehead is marked
with lamp-black {kdjal) and a necklace of holy seeds {bafarbalfa)
and tiger's claws (haghnaha) tied round its throat. All these are
devices to repel the Evil Eye. It is then brought out ; but as an
additional precaution a black piece of cloth, a colcnr which
frightens evil spirits, is himg roimd its neck, or at any rate the coat

153 BRAHMAK*

is bound with black braid. In former times this bringing of the
child into the open air was known as the nisHramana,

20. According to the early ritual the "food-giving" rite or

annaprdsana was performed in the sixth
month after birth. " The child was carried
in the arms of its father and placed in the midst of a party of
friends, including the family priest, who offered prayers for its
wel&re and presented it gifts. A little food (generally rice) was
then for the first time placed in its mouth, and various qualities
were supposed to be imparted, according to the nature of the food
given, whether rice, butter, honey, milk, or the flesh of partridges
or goats/'^ Now-adays in the sixth month a lucky day is
selected. Rich food {pflri^ baiHr) is cooked; the waist string
of some old member of the family is broken and tied round the
waist of the baby to ensure its long life. Then a tray containing
rich food is laid before the oldest man in the family. He takes a
little out, and after making a holy circle round it with water, offers
it to Vishnu. The reason of this is that there was once a foolish
Br&hman whose children used to die one after the other, so he made
a vow that if his child lived, he would eat its ordure. The child did
live, and he was fain to avoid performing his rash vow ; so he went
to a learned Pandit at Benares, who directed him to take out a
little of his food that day in this manner, and so his vow
would be satisfied. Hence Br&hmans before eating always take
out a Kttle food in this way, and offer it to the Thakur. After this
has been done the old man before whom the food has been placed
takes up a little of the food on one of the silver coins of the ancient
kings or on a gold mohur of the Emperor Akbar, and puts it into
the child's mouth. No English coin will answer the ]mr{X)se.
After this, if the family can afford it, a few Brahmans are feil.
H they are poor they consume the food which has been pre|)ared for
the rite, and give a Brihman some raw graia. Until the ««««-
prdtana is done the child is never left alone lest the witch Jamhua,
who is really the impersonation of the infant lock-jaw, which is so
fatal to children owing to the cutting of the cord with a blunt
instrument and the neglect of all antiseptic treatment, shtmid carry
off the Uiby. Hence a woman or child is always left in charge.
As an additional precaution, they also place m^ar tin* bed an iron

I UvmJm WUUut, BtvAvmimmm and Hk%UUn. MZ.

BbAhman. 164

lamp-black box {kajrauta)^ and anoint the child font or five times
with a mixture of oil and turmeric {ubtan) in the belief that as it
is rubbed its strength will increase.

21. In the fifth year the rites of head-shaving {m4nra%) and
The MAnran and ©ar-piercing {kanchhedan) are performed.
kanohhedan. The regular ritual prescribes that the tonsure,

shaving and cutting ofE the hair should be done separately. They
were known as ehaula, eiUdaiarma, ketanta^ and k^kanr. " When
performed for the first time they were held to have a purificatory
efFect on the whole character. In the case of a Brfthman the
ceremony of tonsure was performed in the third year, but was often
delayed^ and sometimes did not take place till the seventh or eighth
year. According to Asvalayana the child was to be placed on the
lap of its mother to the west of the sacrdd fire. The father was to
take up his station to the south of the mother, holding in his hands
twenty-one stalks of kusa grass. He was to sprinkle the head of
the child three times with a mixture of warm water, butter, and
curds. He was to insert three stalks of kusa grass into the child's
hair on the right side, saying,—' O divine grass I protect him.^
Then he was to cut off a portion of the hair and give it to the
mother with the recitation of various texts, leaving one lock {tikka,
chuda) on the top of the head, or occasionally three or five locks,
according to the custom of the family.''^ At present it is usual
for the Eastern Brahmans to have this rite performed at some
shrine, such as that of Devi of Bindh&chal. For three days before
the shaving rite a song is sung in honour of Devi, and many
Brahmans who have lost children, vow that if the life of toe last
is spared, the mother will carry the whole way to the shrine a clay
pot (burst) full of fire, and will eat nothing on the road but parched
grain. When they reach the courtryard of Devi's temple, they
place the fire pot before the Panda, whose parishioners they may
happen to be. Next day, after bathing the child in the Oangee,tlie
parents take it to the temple, and the Panda instructs them how to
perform the usual circumambulation {parikrama). Aftor this the
baby is seated in its father's lap near the shrine, and a baarber
shaves its head. A few sweets {laddm) are given to the ohiId|
and then a Sunar comes up from behind and pierces both its ears.
They take home with them a striped handkerchief {ekundoii^ irtidii

1 Monier Williams, Btakmafiism and Hinduitm, 85S«

15S BBAIIIIAK.

ihejr tie round their neoks for good luck^ and some sweetmeats,
nrhich they distribute among their friends as the holy food {prasdd)
of the goddess.

22. The rites of childhood close usually with the F&thana or
^ ^ commencement of learning. A lucky day is .

selected, and with earth and water from the
Ganges a little platform {ciaiiUra) is made. When it is xealy
some dry earth is sprinkled oyer it. Below the platform the chiid
is seated facing east, while the family priest &oes west. Ganesa^
the deity of good luck, is first worshipped. Then a oowry shell is
placed on the platform and worshipped. Next the priest puts the
shell in the bojr's hand and makes him write with it fiye times the
words Sri Oanesa nam^i. This he has to obliterate with his right
hand. Some Br&hmans are fed if the family can afford it ; and
from that day the boy's education begins.
. y 28. After this comes the importmt rite of initiation known as

npanafana. A Br&hman should be initiated
when he comes to be eight years old, dating
from the time of conception. A time should be selected when the
stars are auspicious, and it should not be performed in the evening
or during a thunder-storm. First of all a shed {mdmro) is erected
with bamboo supports. In the centre a ploughshare is placed, and
near it a jar {kaha) filled with water. Under the thatch a square
{ckauk) is marked out with flour, and on this two leaf mats (palari)
are laid, and under them some grains of barley are sprinkled. On
these mats the parents of the boy sit with the comers of their gar-
ments knotted together and facing the east. The father wean a
yellow loin-cloth, and has a handkerchief {aiifoekka) over his left
shoulder. The mother wears a yellow sheet. Then the officiating
Purohit places in the father's right hand some holy rice {^ckAttt)
and flowers, repeating at the same time some texts and directing
him to pour the contents of his hand on the ground. Next the
Purohit puta some gold or copper coins in his hands, and reads the
iauisipa or formuU of dedication. Then he inrokas Dharitri MAta
or Mother Earth, and the father puts the money on the ground^
which he touches reverently. He then sprinkles the earth with
water from a bunch of iiu« grAM» And offers Malayagir or Malabar
sandal-wood and incense to Mother £arth« Then Ganesa is wor*
shipped in the form of a representation of an elephant whidi is
made on the water jar {Jtslss). The picture is drawn with rsd

BRAHMAN. 156 '

lead or turmeric. Then an image of Gauri }& made of cow-dung
and placed near the water jar. Some make seven images of cow-
dung to represent Gauri and her sisters.

24. Next the jar is filled with water by the father of the boy,
and over the mouth is placed a saucer containing some of the sacred
grains, the sdicdn millet, unhusked rice or barley. This is followed

"^ by the worship of the nine planets {navjigraha). To the north-
east of the jar is made an altar (vedi), and on it a square is marked
out with flour, in which images of the planets are made in various
ways. That of the Sun is made of flour ; Mangal or Mars of re<l
lead ; that of the Moon of rice-flour ; that of Vrihaspatior Jupiter
of turmeric ; that of Budha or Mercury of turmeric ; that of Venus
or Sukra of rice-flour ; that of Sanischara or Saturn and Rihu and
Ketu, the ascending and descending nodes, of iil or sesamom.
Then with the recital of appropriate texts offerings are made to
each, — to the Sun, a cow, copper, wheat, red sandal, and red cloth ;
to the Moon, a conch shell, Malabar sandal, white cloth, a white
cow, and rice ; to Mangal, a red ox, red cloth, copper, treacle, and
rice ; to Budha, camphor, tnung pulse, green cloth, a bhick cow, and
gold ; to Vrihaspati, a yellow cow, yellow cloth, gram, and tur-
meric ; to Sukra, Malabar sandal, white cloth, rice, and a white
horse ; to Sanischara, oil, sesamum, black cloth, a black cow, and
iron ; to Rahu, a buffalo, or goat, a blanket, cotton and its seed,
urad pulse, and sesamum; to Ketu, cloth of various colours, grain,
iron, sesamum, and urad pulse.

25. All these offerings, except those made to the last three
deities, are taken by ordinary Brahmans ; those to Sanischara by
the Bhanderiya or Dakaut.

26. When the offerings are complete, the parents are dismissed,
and the boy who desires initiation is called. All his hair is shaved,
and he is invested with a waist-string {kardhana) of manj fibre, a
small loin cloth (i^opin), and he is given a dftnd or bamboo stick, to
the end of which is tied a cloth containing some rice and pulse.
This signifies that he has adopted the role of the Sannydsi. The
Purohit repeats texts, and five other Brahmans sprinkle the eight
parts of his |>ody with a mixture of lice and turmeric. Then
another square is made, and teven lamps and- twigs of mango are
tied together and placed within it. Beside them are laid seven
images of Gauri made of cow-dung, and he worships the lights and
^he images of the goddess. Next he worships the water jar, and

167 brIhmak.

gce6 to the house door^ on each side of ^hich seven images of Ganri
are made. These he worships with an offering of cakes {piri), red
lead, sacred grass, incense^ lamps and naivedya or a mixture of
treacle, curds, ghi, honey, and water. After this he returns to the
house, and in the inner room {kokabar) worships ten images of
Gauri in the same way. Next he pours ghi on the images of all
the deities whom he has up to this time worshipped. Then his
parents are recalled, the comers of their garments are knotted
together, and they are made to sit in a square facing the south. All
the ancestors are invited to appear and sit on leaf mats placed close
by for their xeception. When their spirits are supposed to hAve
taken their places, some rice, ber fruit, treacle^ ghi, honey, and
tsesamum are mixed together and formed into a lump. This is
offered to the sainted dead, and afterwards placed in the shed.
Again the parents are dismissed, and the boy is called in. Eight
Brahmans are called in and f^ on pakki under the shed. The boy
sits in the midst of them, and each Br&hman gives him a morsel
of his food, which he eats. On this occasion the boy is not allowed
to eat salt. \Mien the meal is finished, the door is again plastered.
27. Next three altars are made in the shed. Each altar should
be the length of the distance of the point of the thumb from that of
the ring 6nger. The father entrusts his son to a priest of the Achftrya
grade, and humbly requests him to instruct the lad and 'make him
a full BrAhman. The Acharya signifies his consent by taking the
lH)y by the arm, and the lad has to make an offering of eight
Biahmanical threads (janeit). One is offered to the sacred wat«r
jar, one to Ganet>a, five to fi\'e Brahmann, and one the lad keepa
him^lf. Further, the lad prei»cnts a full suit of clothes to the
Puruhit, Guru and Acharya, and one to another Brahman, who ia
regarded as the representation uf Drahma. Then beginning from the
north-east he spieads kusa grass evenly on the three altars, and
the Achirj'a calls for fire, which is brought in a vessel made of bell
metal (Jtdma). Vpim this is heaped up wood of the maddr {m$cl4»
piai gigante^) paidsa (bmira frondoia)^ kkair {m':^eia eaieeku)
chirckiti (aekj/ramtkui asptrm), P^/^h 9^i^^9 immi, and tome ddt
grass. This collection of wood is technically known as tamidk.
When this is ready the lad makes a present to the Brahman who
represents Brahma, and asks him to watch over the sacrifice and
prevent any interniiiiiun of it. Then the Achirya repeats tk«
appropriate taxi one hundred and eight times, and all the time keepa

bbAhman. 158

pouring ffU on the wood. This oblation otffii is known as aiuii,
and is done with a lea£ or twig of mango. Fieote of dry cow-dung
(goitha) and three sticks of paldia wood are also thrown on the
fire^ and so with all the kusa grass which had been spread on the
altars. On the top are placed some betel and coooanuts. On this
five Brahmans hold a Br&hmanical thread and invest the lad with
itj repeating the appropriate text.

28. After this the lad is bathed with water from eight jars, and
he pnts on another sacred thread. He> is dressed in yellow gar-
ments and golden ornaments and wears wooden sandals (klaranm)
stained with turmeric He next begs from all present*

29. He then runs out in the guise of a Brahmach&ri with the
object of attaining religious knowledge^ and is dissuaded by his
parents from adopting the life of a recluse. When he consents to
return the women of the house put treacle and washed rice in
his hands, and kiss the eight parts of his body. The deities and
sainted ancestors who have graced the rite with their presence sre
humbly requested to return to their own abodes^ and the rite is
complete.

y"^ 30. The ceremony, though disguised by an elaborate Brfthmani-
cal ritual, is obviously based on the same general prineiples of which
an elaborate account, derived from the usages of various primitive
races, has been given by Mr. Frazer.^

31. Some account of the other domestic ceremonies of Br&hmans
Other domestio oere- . has been given in connection with the Brfth-
moniM. manical tribes, and need not be repeated here.

82. The religious functions of the Br&hman are various. If the
The functions of the word is, as ProfcsBor Schrader' suggests^
BrihmanB. philological ly the same as the Flamen of

Rome, we have a link vrith the religious practices of two branches of
the great Aryan race. We have first, the Upftdhyiya or Pidh%
who is the officiating priest, vrith whom may be classed the Achir^
ya, Hotri, and similar functionaries whose business it is to superin-
tend the more elaborate ahd mysterious rites of the faith which
can be performed by none but those deeply conversant vrith the
Vedic ritual. Next comes the Parohit or Purohit, ** one placed in
front/' the prepoiiiui or praetei of the Roman world. The instita-

1 Qoldsn Bough, U, S42, $qq,
s PrM§laric AnUfuitieB, 416, 490.

169 brJlHhak.

tion of the Forohita, who wmb not only a mere honse priest^ bat a poll-
tical functionary y goes back to the early Aryan times. In Yedio
times he was regarded as a confidential and virtnons minister of state ;
bat by the time of Mann^ he had &llen to a lower status^ and was
regarded as inferior to other Br&hmans. His duties consist in super-
intending the domestic rites at birth, initiation^ and marriage. He
must be acquainted with the appropriate mantrai or texts which
are used on these occasions, and he generally knows a modicum of
astrology (Jyotiti) by which he is enabled to cast horoscopes and
announce the lucky and unlucky days for the performance of the
▼arious family rites, the commencement of agricultural operations,
and the like. The ordinary village Purohit is, it is hardly neces-
sary to say, very seldom proficient in Sanskrit or religious learning.
He is able to mumble a few texts without understanding them ; but
he rarely makes any attempt to inculcate morality or improve the
lives of his parishioners. This duty, so far as it is done at all, he
leaves to the GKiru, who may or JD»y not be a Br&hman. The
lowest class of semi-religious drihman is that which, as Mr*
Ibbetson' says, '* exist only to be fed. They consist of the younger
members of the Purohit families, and of Br&hmans who have settled
as cultivators or otherwise in villages where they have no hereditary
clients. These men are always ready to tender their services as
recipients of a dinner, thus enabling the peasant to entertain the
desired number of Br&hmans on occasions of rejoicing, as a propitia*
tory ofiTering, in token of thanksgiving, for the repose of his
deceased father's spirit, and so forth. The veneration for Brfthmans
runs through the whole social as well as religious life of the Hindu
peasant, and takes the practical form of either offerings or food«
No child is bom, named, betrothed, or married ; nobody dies or is
burnt ; no journey is undertaken or auspicious day selected ; no
house is built, no agricultural operation of importance begun, or
harvest gathered in, without the Brihmans being fed ; a portion of
the produce is set apart for their use ; they are consulted in sickness
and in health ; they are feasted in sorrow and in joy ; and though
I believe them to possess but little real influence with the people,
a oonidderable portion of the wealth of the Province is diverted into
their useless pockets.'' This is pretty much the state of the

I XII. 46, Mid M« Hair, Aneiemt SmmikrU T$M$, I, ItB, a^lt.

BRAHMAN.

160

Br&hmans further ea&t. As Mr. Sherring^ says of the Benares
Brahman : — '^ Light in complexion in comparison with the rest of the
people, frequently tall in stature, with the marks of a clear pene-
trating intelligence depicted plainly, and sometimes in a striking
manner^ upon his countenance, erect^ proud^ self-conscious, the
Brahman walks along with the air of a man unlike any I have ever
seen, in which self-sufficiency, a sense of superiority and a conviction
of inherent purity and sanctity are combined/'

33. Besides these sacerdotal Br&hmans there are, it is needless to
say^ numbers who have no religious functions whatever^ who serve
as soldiers or messengers, clerks in our offices^ and the like. Ther^
is also a large body of Brahman agriculturists^ though most of
them will not themselves touch the plough.

Distnbttlion of Brdhmans according to the Census of 1691,

District.

Number.

Dehra Duq

Sah&raiipur

Mazaffarnagar

Meerat

Bulandsbahr

Aligarh

Mathura

Agra

FarmkbAUd
Mainpuri
Etawah

Etah

Bareilly

16,027

44,250

41,427

108,071

92,000

131.798

113,936

128,636

78,220

66»301

91,019

53318

47,086

' Saered city of the HtndiM, 14.

161

bbahmak.

IHHribution qf Brdhmans according to the Census of 1891 — oontd.

District.

Namber.

liijnor

Moridibid

8b4hjiihAnpQr

Pilibbtt

Caw D pur

Faiehpoi

lUnda

Hamtrpur

AUahibAd

Jbinsi

JAUnn

Lalitpar

BCDATM

Mirzapar
Jannpar
OhAiiptir
Ballia .
Qorakbpur
Batti .

Azamgarh

Kumaun

OarhwAl

TarAi

Luekuow

UnAo

RAd liarrli

27.118

67.002

43.578

60,453

25,147

178.399

68.180

99.041

49.570

196.34^

34.633

48.269

21.745

102.978

165,885

150,908

68.379

103^7

865.550

196,412

iiaios

134.841

97.581

6.705

44.414

122,0!6

108.676

Vol. U.

bbAhman.

162

BRIKDABAKI.

DiHrihution qf Brdhmans according io the Cen»u$ of 1691 — concld.

District.

Sitftpur

Hardoi

Eheri

FaizAb&d

Gonda

Bhar4ioh

Suit &n par

Part&bgarh

Barabanki

Total

Number.

103.850
113,190

69,654
159,637
28a507

87,481
162,509
124,424

86,091

(Males 2,455,791
4,719,882 \

(Femalea 2,264,091

Brindabani. — A sub-caste of Gkisftins who take their name
from Brindaban, in the Mathura District {wrindavana)^ ** the grove
of tiflati '' or basil). It is not quite clear to which section of the
Vaishnavas the term is applied. The relation of Brindaban to
the modem school of Hindu reformers has been elaborately disoassed
by Mr. Growse.^

IJitfribution of the Brindabani Gundins according to the Cemne of

1891.

Dl«TEICT.

Nambor.

District.

Number.

MazafTamagar •
Cawnpnr

Mirzapnr

Kberi • . • .

Total

' Maihura^ 179, iqq.

1C3 BTJGniNAi BUNDBLA.

Bngh&na. — A class of Hilt Br&hmans who by one account are
descended from Gkur Brdhmans of Benares ; others say that they
have the same origin as the Naithana Br&hmans (^. r.). They have
the same relations with Sarolas and Oang&ris, are intelligent^
and, when educated^ make useful clerks and officials.^
/ Bondela.' — A sept of Rajputs almost entirely confined to the
Bundelkhand country, to which they have given their name, now
included in the Allah&b&d Division, According to the Mirzapur
tradition they are descended from a family of Oaharwftr Rijputs,
resident at the village of Gaura, near Bindh&clial. Of their ancestors
one took service with the Rftja of Panna, an independent state
between Bftnda and Jabalpur. The R&ja died childless, and the
Oaharwftr adventurer took possession of his fort. lie had no son^
and being disgusted with life, he made a pilgrimage to the shrine of
the Vindhyab&sini Devi, at Bindh&chal, where he offered his head to
the goddess. Out of the drops of his blood which fell upon the
altar a boy was bom, who was called Bundela, because he sprang
from the drops [ftikni) of blood. lie returned to Panna and found-
ed the clan which bears his name. In their own country they are
known among themselves as Bundela, but by outsiders as Oaharwdr.
They do not marry among Baghels, Bais, Gaur, Umath, or Sengar
Bajputs, who are known as the Sakuri group. They intermarry with
Panwirs, Dlianderas, or Chauhins. Mr. Sherring's assertion that
they arc ondogamous is contradicted by them. The prohibitiona
against marriage are the loss of religion, residence among foreign
peoples, disregard of tribal custom, and engaging in occupations
practised by low caste people. The Bimdelkhand branch repre-
sent themselves to be the descendants of Pancham, R4ja of Benares.
During the reign of Xasir-uddin MahmAd, Emperor of Delhi,
(12 id>1266 AD.) Arjuna Pik, a descendant of Raja Pancliam, left
Ik'naies for Mahoni, and made that place his capital. One of his
descendants became Rftja of KudAr ; his name was Saho Pil and
his descendant founded Orchha, and thence his descendants spread
over Bundelkhand.

2. The stages in the marriage ceremony anv^

J*/. — P/kaltldn, the bi»trothal, when the
family priest of the bride's family gi\'et the

I AikiBKm, liimalafan Qastittrr, 1II« 270.

' Pariij UMd on m noU bj l>i»Aa Bij*/ Dabidiir Siah ci lAlitpur
Vol. II. t%^

BTJNDELA. 164

bridegroom a sacred thread {faneil), some mpeee^ cloth| andabeteU
nut, in the presence of the elders of his family. The money is dis*
tribated as alms among the BrsLhmans.

Snd.'^Zapan patriia, or the fixing of the date for the marriage*

3rd.^Paurpaf8(Uidr, the reception of the party (bdrdf^ of the
bridegroom at the door of the bride's house.

4th,^^CharhaUy offering of ornaments by the relatives of the
bride to the bridegi'oom.

Btk. — Suidpf the rubbing of red lead by the brid^oom on the
parting of the bride's hair.

6th, — Kanydddn, the giving away of the bride to her husband
by her father.

7M.~P<infyra^ ana, the holding of the bride's right hand by
the bridegroom as an indication that he promises to suj^rt her aa
long as she lives.

Sth.-^Ahuti tarna, the making of the fire sacrifice.

Sth.^'ParHrama, the revolutions of the pair round the saciej
fire

lOlk, — Dhruva sakshi karna^ the promise of the bridegroom^
in the presence of fire, water, the sun, and other natural objects^
that he will be faithful to her and she to him.

llth, — Sapyaddn, the presenting of a bed to the married pair.

12ti. — Da'f a, daAef, or JaAez dena, the giving of the dowry*
Women can be divorced for adultery, impurity, violation of tribal
rules, and neither divorced women nor widows are allowed to-
remariyr

3. They belong to the Vaishnava sect, and are either RAmftwata

or worshippers of R&dha Krishna. In all
respects they follow the ceremonial usages-
of high class Hindus.

4. They believe their original profession to have been soldiering,

and some of them serve in our Native regi«
ments. They hold land as landlords and
tenants. They will eat the flesh of goats, deer, wild pig, and fish >
but those who abstain from meat are considered more respectable.
Spirits are forbidden. They eat kaehchi and pakii from the handa
of Brfthmans, and can eat pakki with Banyas and Khatris, by
which is meant that they will eat with them on the same floor, but
not from the same dish. They can drink water from the hands of
ihftrs and N&is. They smoke only out of a pipe used by their

BUKDUiA.

166

BUBHBLA.

clansmen. The Bundelas, on the whole^ are a fairly respectable
Rljpat sept, but they are occasionally given to lawlessness, dacoity,
and similar crimes of violence.

5. In Jalaun they give brides to the Dhandhera and Panw&r
septs, from whom also they take wives. They profess to belong
to the Easyapa gotra. These Panw&rs with whom they intermarry
are the Rij Panwftrs or inferior grade in Bondelkhand.

Di$lrihulio% of Bundela Ndjputs aeeording io ike Cemus of 1891.

District.

Mamber.

DitTBlCT.

Number.

Bulaodthahr

AUihAbAd

114

IfAihuim .

Jhinti . • . .

1.948

Agra

JilsaQ . • • •

189

FarrnkUbAd .

Lalitpor • • • •

6»158

Ktiwab .

Gorakhpar

Blah

fiaiti . • • .

Bhihjshinpur .

Lneknow.

Cawnpor .

F«izib4d.

Fatchpor .

43
618

PartAbgarfa .

Total •

Hamlrpar •

9,307

Bnrhela*— 'A sept of RAjputs in RM Bareli/ who are not separ«
ately entered in the Census Returns. Their sons marry girls from
the Raghubansi and Bais septs ; their girls marry Amethiya and
with^fficulty Bais boys.

SHU§mmi Report, il|ipfiidm C,

chJLi 167 obIik.

Chai/ Chaiiii Cbaini. — ^A cultivating, fishingy and thieving
caste foupd in Oudh and the Eastern Districts. Nothing certain is
known as to the origin of the name. It has been soggested that they
are the representatives of the ChArya,' a degraded Vaisya class, or
that the word is totemistic (meaning the seed of a tamarind ; Sans*
krit, eidrmika, "leather*'). Mr. Risley* writes of them : — "They are
probably an offshoot f roft some non- Aryan tribe. They are found in
OuJh, where Mr. Nesfield connects them with the Th&ru, Raji, Nat,
and other broken and gypsy-like tribes inhabiting the base of the
Himalayas, and traces in their physiognomy features peculiar to
Mongolian races. Mr. Sherring, again, in one place speaks of them
as a sub-caste of Mallahs ; in another as a class of jugglers, thimble-
riggers, and adventurers, who attend fairs and other festivals like
men of the same profession in England. A sub-caste of the Nuniyas
bears the name Ch&in, but the Nuniyas do not admit any affinity.
Mr. C. F. Magrath, in his Memorandum on the Tribes and Castes
of Bihir, published in the Bengal Census Report of 1S72, says they
closely resemble Binds in their occupation, being chiefly lK)atmcn,
who also engage in fishing. Ch&ins are thickest south of the Ganges^
while Binds are most numerous in North Bihir. Mr. Magrath
adds that their reputation as thieves, impostors, and swindlers, is in
his ex])erience not altogether deserved, as the men whom the common
people, and even the |K)lioo of Bihir, descrilie as Chains, usually turn
out on enquiry to be Maghaiya Doms, Nats, or Rajwars/' Their
cubtonis, according to Mr. Rislej'^s account, do not differ from those
of Mallahs.

2. In Oudh, according to Mr. Camegy,* thcj' live chiefly by
fltihing, cultivation, and making reed mats. T)iey smoke with but
do not eat iinth Mallihs. They frequent the neighbourhood of lakes
and ri\'ers, and are divided into the Eastern and Western branches,
which do not intermarry.

I From tnqmriM at Minapvr mod a note bj Bibo B^lri N4ib, Dtpaty Coll«olor»

Kheri

* Trib€4 amd Casif*, I, ISS.

CHAI. 168

In January they go to the hiils to collect catechu {Hair). They
worship the monkey-god Mah&bir, Satn&r&yan, and Devi P&tan : to
the first they ofEer rice-milk {kh(r) in October ; to the second a
mixture of cooked rice and vetch (urad), called phdra ; to the third,
cakes {pUrt) and new rice, coriander, and molasses to Mahabir.
They eat pork and drink spirits. A woman who sins with one of
her own tribe may be absolved by feeding the brethren ; but not so
if her paramour is of another caste. They are thimble-riders,
omament-snatchers, swindlera, and impostors. According to ^f r.
Risley they rank with Binds, Nuniyas, and Pisis, but nowhere do
they rise to the distinction which Binds and Nuniyas sometimes
attain, of giving water and certain kinds of sweetmeats to Brah-
mans.

3. In Kheri the rule of exogamy bars the line of the maternal
uncle and father's sister. They can marry two sisters in succession,
but polygamy is forbidden. Infidelity, even intertribal, is repro-
bated. Marriage takes place at the age of ten or .twelve, and is
settled by the caste Chaudhari. No money is paid by the relations
of either party. Widow-marriage is prohibited ; but they can live
with a man of the tribe, the phrase used being gkar-baiikna. The
children of such connections are recognised as legitimate, but they
are not admitted to full caste privileges. The levirate on the usual
terms is permitted. There is no custom of adoption or initiation
into caste. Betrothals are made in infancy, and the marriage
ceremony is of the standard type, the bhanwari or walking round
the sacred fire being the binding portion of it. They worship
MahsLdeva, Sfirajnarftyan, and K&li, who receive sacrifices of goats
and rams on a Monday. They will not take any food or water
from, or smoke with, any other caste. They have given up their
occupation of mat-making, and now live by fishing and thieving at
fairs.

4. In the returns of the last Census they are classed as a sub-
caste of Mallah. The Chain is what is known as an Uchakk%
Uthaigira, or Jebkatra^one who picks pockets and cuts with a
little knife or sharp piece of glass the knots in their sheets in which
natives tie up their valuables. They frequent fairs and bathing
places, and (he boys are put on to steal, while the men act as
'' fences '' and engage the attention of the victim, or facilitate the
escape of the thief.

169 cuamAr.

Chamar.^ — The caste of cnrriers, tanners, and day-labourers
found throughout Upper India. Their name b derived from the
Sanskrit cAarma^ldra, a " worker in leather/' Traditionally the
Chamdr is the offspring of a Chand&la woman by a man of the
fisherman caste. The Kftravara of Manu/ *^ who cuts leather/' is
descended from a NishAda father and Vaideha mother. The Nishdda,
again, is said to be the child of a Brahman and a S&dra woman, and
the Vaidelia of a Vaisya father and a Br&hman mother. On this
Mr. Sherring* remarks : — ^' If the workers in leather of the present
day are lineal descendants of the workers in leather in Manu's time^
the ChamArs may fairly consider themselves aa of no mean degree
and may hold up their heads boldly in the presence of the hi^ier
castes.'' Mr. Sherring appears to have been impressed with the
high-bred appearance of some Cham&rs. This may, perhaps, be to
some extent accounted for by liaisons with some of the higher castes ;
but most observers will agree that Mr. Risley* is right in his opinion,
that "the average Chamar is hardly distinguishable in point of
features, stature, or complexion from the members of those non-
Aryan races from whose ranks we should primd facts expect the pro-
fession of leather-drcesers to be recruited.'' Mr. Nestield believes
the Chamar to have sprung out of several different tribes, like the
Dom, Kan jar, HabAra, Chero, etc., the last remains of which are still
outside the pale of Hindu society. " Originally he seems to have been
an imi^ressed labourer {begdr) who ^"as made to hold the plough for
his master, and received in return space to build his mud hut near
the village, a fixed allowance of grain for every working day, tlie
free use of wood and grass on the village lands, and the skins and
bodies of the animals that died. This is very much the status of
the Cliamar at the present day. He is still the field slave, the grasa-
cutter, and the carrion-emter of the Indian tillage." But it is, per-
haps at present, until the existing e\'idence from anthropometry is
largely increased; premature to express a decided opinion of their
origin further than this, that the tribe b in all probability occupa-
tional, and largely rci*ruited from non-Ar)'an elements. Anumg

I Priocipallj tiA««<l on •nqnirien at Minapiir: tin eUU^imU doU bj BAbn
ViD<lhjf««ari Pim«Ad. I>«i>iitj C(>U»cU^r, lUJlm. ami Dctea >rj the Dvpaij laap^etani
of Hoh«<>U. Afrra, lUrviUj, BatUnn, Btjnor ; Paodit lUmaTAtikr Piar*. Ksrwi. Mid
the IVputj C«-nifnia«icii«r, SolUnpor.

s Sn»t%tuUs, X.Sd.

• H*ndu TribtB and CasU», I, 391

« TnU* and CatUs^ 1« ITS.

ChamAr. 170

all the Indo- Aryan races the use of hides for clothing prevailed in
primitive times.^ The Vishnu Pur&na' enjoins all who wish to
protect their persons never to be without leather shoes ; and Manu'
warns the Brahmans never to use shoes that have been worn by
another. In the Ramslyana Bharata places on the vacant throne of
Ajudhya a pair of Rama's slippers^ and worships them daring his
exile. The Charmae of Pliny's list have been identified with the
inhabitants of Charma Mandala^ a district of the West, mentioned in
the Mahabharat, and also in the Vishnu Pur&na under the title of
Charma- Khanda.^

2. One curious legend of the origin of the tribe has been referred

to in connection with the Asl^w&la Banyas : ^

Traaitiona of origin. , . t* a • i t

Once uj)on a time a certain Kaja had two
daughters, Chamu and Bamu. These married, and each gave Inrth
to a son who was a prodigy of strength {paklwdn). An elephant
happened to die in the Raja's palace, and being unwilling that it
should be cut up, he searched for a man strong enough to take it
out whole and bury it. Chdmu undertook and performed the task.
Bimu pronounced him an outcast ; so the Banyas are sprung from
Bamu, and the Chamars from Chamu. Another legend tells how
five Brahman brothers were passing along together. They saw a
carcass of a cow lying on the way. Four of them turned aside ;
but the fifth removed the dead body. His brethren excommuni-
cated him, and since then it has been the business of his descendants
to remove the carcasses of cattle. Another tradition makes them
out to be the descendants of Nona or Lona Cham&rin, who is a
deified witch much dreaded in the eastern part of the Province.
Her legend tolls how Dhanwantari, the physician of the gods, was
bitten by Takshaka, the king of the snakes, and knowing that death
approached he ordered his son to cook and eat his body after his
death, so that they might thereby inherit his skill in medicine.*
They accordingly cooked his body in a cauldron, and were about to
eat it, when Takshaka appeared to them in the form of a Brfthman,
and warned them against this act of cannibalism. So they let the
cauldron float down the Ganges, and as it floated down, Lona, the

1 Sobrader, Prehutoric Antiquities, 327, sq,

5 11, 21.

» Loc. cxL IV, 66.

4 McCrindle, Indian Antiquary, VI, ai2. Note.

« For iiutanooB of thia bolicf, see Spencer, PrincipUi of Sociology, I, 2i].

171 chahIe.

Cliamarin, who was washinp^ on the bank of the river, not knowing*
that the vessel contained human ilesh, took it out and partook of
the ghastly food. She at once obtained power to cure diseases, and
e8i>ccially snake-bite. One day alt the women were transplanting
rice, and it was found that Lona oould do as much work as all
her companions put together. So they watched her, and when she
thought she was alone she stripped oft all her clothes (nudity
being an essential element in all magic), muttered some spells, and
throwing the plants into the air they all settled down in their proper
places. Finding she was observed she tried to escape, and as she
ran the earth opened, and all the water of the rice fields followed her,
and thus was formed the channel of the Loni river in the UnAo
District.

3. The Census Returns show eleven hundred and fifty -six sub-
divisions of Chamars : of tbet^ the most im*

IntenuJ stmeiare. , ,,

portant locally are —

SahAranpur — Ajmar, Baliyin, Dharaun, Mochi, Sagahiya, Sirs-
wal.

Bulandshalir — Bharwariya, Chandauliya or Chandauriya, LiU
man.

Aligarh — Chandauliya, Ilarphur, Kathiydra, Mochi, Ojlia.

Mathura — Chaurasiya, Kadam, Tin^ar.

Mainpuri — Loniyin, Pajhai>iya, Suji.

Eti^waii— 'Amrutiya, Bisaili, Xakchhikna.

Etah — Nagar, Nunera.

Bareilly — Bardwari, Bhusiya, Chandauii^\a, Nona.

Bijnor— Sakt.

Budaun — Baharwir, Chauhtn, Kokaian, Uri^a.

Moradabiil — BhayAr, Rimanandi.

Cawnimr — Gangapiri, Rangfiya.

Fatchpur — Dcsi, Dhuman, Doniar, PanwAr, Rangiya, Turkatwa.

Banda — Barjaiwa^ Dhaman, Dhi^ndhiya, Dhindhor, Janwar,
Rangiya, Seth, Soraliiya, l^jjain.

Ilamirpur — Dhindhor, Rangiya, I'^mit^.

AllahaUd— Autarbedi, Chand Ri«, Uhatiya, Kaliar, Turkiya.

Lalitpur — Bhadauriya.

Benares— Dhuri va.

Mirzapur —Turkiya.

Jaunpur— Banaudhiya, Turkiya.

( I liji zipur — Kanau j iy a.

chamIe. 172

Ballia — Kanaujiya.

Gorakhpur — Bamhaniya, Belbhariya, Birhariya^ Dakkhin&ha;,
Desi, Ghorchai-ha, Ghosiya, Kanaujiya, Mohahar^ R&jkumiri^ Sar-
wariya, Siudas, Tatwa, Uttaraha.

Basti — Birhariya, Chhagoriya, Chamarmangta, Dakkhinaha,
DeBi,'1VIohahar, Sarwariya, Tanbuna^ Uttar&ha.

Azamgarh — Gual, Kanaujiya.

Lucknow — Chauhan, Dusadh.

UnSo — Chauhdn.

Rae Bareli— Chandel, Dhaman, Dhundhar, Dhuriya, Ohor-
charha^ Gorait, Harphor, Khalkatiya, Kulha^ Nona, Tanbona.

Sitapur — Chauhan, Pachhwslhan.

Sult§.npur — Banaudhiya, Dhaman^ Nona, Tanbuna.

Partabgarh— Banaudhiya, Chandel, Dhaman, Dhingariya,
Jogeya, Nona, Surahiya, Tanbuna, Turkiya.

Barabanki — Jogiya, Pachhwaban.

4. In the detailed lists we find the Chamars of the Province classi-
fied into sixteen main sub-castes. Aharw&r (principally found in
the Allahabad Division), Cham&r (chiefly in Meerut) ; Chamkatiyas
(mostly in Bareilly) ; Dhusiyas (in Meerut and Benares) ; Debars
(in Agra, Rohilkhand, Allahabad, Lucknow); Golfi (in Et&wah);
Jaiswaras (strongest in Benares, Allahabjid, Gorakhpur, and Faiza-
bad) ; Jatwas (in Meerut, Agi-a and Rohilkhand); Koris (in Faiza-
bad, and Goi-akhpur); Korchamras (in Lucknow); Kurils (in Lucknow
and Allahabad) ; Nigoti (a small sub-caste chiefly in Mainpuri) ;
Patthargotis (in Agra) ; Purabiyas (in Lucknow and Eaizab&d) ;
Raedasis (tolerably evenly distributed throughout the Province),
and Sakarwars (in Agra and Allahabad). But there is hardly a
District which does not possess, or pretend to possess^ the sevenfold
division which is so characteristic of castes of this social standing.
Thus, in Ballia, we find Dhusiyas, Jaiswai'as^ Kanaujiyas^ Jhojhiyas,
Jatuas, Chamartantos, and Nonas ; in Agra, Mathuriya, Jadua,
Domara, Sakarwar, Batariya, Guliya^ and Chandauriya. Some of
these sub-castes are of local origin, some are occupational, and some
take their name from their eponymous founder. Thus the Aharw&r
are connected with the old town of Ahar, in the Bulandshahr Die*
trict, or with the Ahar tribe ; the Chamkatiyas take their name from
their trade of cutting hides {chdm kdtna) . This sub-caste claims to
have produced the saints RaS Das and Lona Cham&rin. The
Jatua or Jatiya have, it is said, some unexplained connection with

173 cuamAr.

the tribe of JdtB. The Kaiydn is also a subcaste of the Bohras, and

is said to be derived from their habit of always sayinp^ iait^,

'* what ? '' " when ? '' The Jaisw&ras trace their ori^n to the

old town of Jais, though some have a ridiculous story that it is a

corruption of JinMwdr, in the sense that they are agriculturists and

grow various crops (jfnt). The Koli or Kori, a term usually applied

to the Hindu weaver, as contrasted with the Julahaor Muhammadan

weaver, are connected by some with the Kols ; by others with the

Sanskrit Kauliia, in the sense of "[ancestral'' or a "weaver/*

They say themselves that they take their name from their custom

of wearing unbleached {iora) clothes. The Jhusiya, and also perhaps

the Dhusiyae, have traditions connecting ihem with the old town of

JhCbi, near AlIahAbdd. There are again the Azamgarhiya of

Azamgarh ; the Jatlot of Rohilkhand, who like the Jatiya say they

are kinsfolk of the Jits ; the Sakarwar connect themselves with

Fatchpur Sikri ; in the Central Duab are the Saksena, who say they

come from Sankisa, and the Chanderiya from Chanderi. In Mirza*

pur we find the Jaiswara, Jhusiya, Kanaujiya, Kurla, DusAdhu,

kinsmen of the Dusadhs, the Kori, the Alangta or "beggars/' the

Dolidhauwa or " palanquin carriers, " the Azamgarhiya, and the

Banaudhiya, who are residents of Banaudha,— a term which includes

the western parts of Jaunpur, Azamgarh and Benares, and the

wiuth of Oudh. To these Mr. Sherring adds : — In Benares the

Rangua (ranff, "colour") who are dyers ; the Katiui or " cutters,'*

{hitna) of leather ; and the Tantua, who manufacture strips or

strings of leather known as tdni. Acconling to the same authority

s^)mc of these sub-castes are difTerentiated by function* Thus, many

(»f the Jaiswara are servants ; the Dhusiya or Jhusiya, who trace

their origin to Sayyidpur, in Ghazipur, are shoe-makers and harness

makers ; the Kori, weavers, grooms, and field labourers ; the Kuril,

workers in leather; and the Jatua or Jatiya, labourers. The

Jaifewiras will not CMrry burdens on their shoulders, but on their

heads, and are liable to excommunication if they violate this rule.

They supply most of our syces, and are liable to be eziielled if thcj

tie up a dog with a halter, which they worship. Any one who

offends in this way is fined five rupees and a dinner to the brethreiL

Tiie Mangatiyas or Mangtas live on alms, which they take only

fn>m the Jaisw&rs. In Mirzapur they describe these functioiis

f^omcwliat differently. There the Jaiswiras make shoes and work

as day labourers ; the Jhusiyas are labourers and keep pigs, which is

CHAMAR* 174

also the occupation of the DueMhu ; the Koris make shoes and weave
cloth; the Dolidhanwas carry palanquins, the Azamgarhiyas are
menial 6ci*vants of Europeans, and tend swine. The Banandhijas
tend swine and are day labourers. There is again another local
division of the Eastern Cham&rs into Uttarahas or " Northerners/^
and Dakkinaha or " Southerners, '' who live respectively north and
south of the River Sarju, and do not intermarry. The Chandaur or
Chandauriya, of the Central Duab, claim to be descended from
Chanura, the famous wrestler of Kansa, who was killed by Krishna.
5. These sub-castes are now all, or practically all, endogamous ;

but there seems reason for believing that this

Bales of exogamy. /» • i

fissure mto endogamous groups may be
comparatively recent. Thus there seems no reason to doubt that in
the east of the Province the Dhusiya and Kananjiya intermarry.
The rule of exogamy within the sub-caste seems to vary. Those who
are more advanced say that marriage is prohibited within seven
degrees in the descending line. Others say that they do not inter-
marry as long as any previous relationship between the parties is
known or asceiiiainable. In Ballia, a careful observer states that
they do not many in a family from which their mother, grand-
mother, or great grandmother has come ; nor do they marry in
the family of their parent's sister. A man may marry two sisters,
but not a daughter of a brother-in-law. The descendants of one
common stock are called Dayad, and among them marriage is prohi-
bited. Besides, this occupation plays a very important part in
marriage alliances : thus, those who remove manure or night-soil
cannot intermarry with those who practise the cleanlier duty of
horso-keeping. As a rule they marry locally within their own
nei<»hbourhood, if a suitable match can be so arranged. If a Chamar
entice away the wife of a clansman, in addition to the punishment
inflicted by the tribal council, he is obliged to repay her marriage
expenpi'S. If a girl is detected in an intrigue with a caste-fellow,
her parents are fined one and-a-quaiiicr rupees, and in Mirzapnr the
same is the punishment inflicted on a man who marries again while
his first wife is alive. In fact, polygamy is discouraged unless the
first wife Ini barren, when a second marriage will usually be sane-
tioiunl by the council. Among Cliamars in particular it seems to be

believed tliat rival wives do not get on together ; and this sort of
quarreling has the special name iantya ddh — " the ill-will between
the CO- wives/' Other sayings to the same purport are Kd9h hi iamt

176 chamAr.

bii buri koH iai, ^'— Even a oo-wife of wood is an evil ; " and when
one wife ia bein^ carried to the burning ground, the other says : —
i/or jiya na patidwe ; Maui ka pair kiUajdwe,'^"! cannot believe
that she is dead ; I am sure her legs are shaking still/' In Ballia
it is said that if a ChamAr marries a second time, the first wife
usually leaves him, and that her desertion for this reason is recog-
nised as according to tribal custom.

6. Cham&rs have a particularly well organised and influential

tribal council or pancidwai. The head of

Tribal oonneiL * -i • i x i i_ i?

every family is supposed to be a member of
t\\e panthdjfaiy and nearly every village has a headman {pradidn,
Jamaddr). In large towns there is often more than one headman.
In small matters the village council is competent to decide ; but for
the settlement of weightier questions the councils of several villages
assemble under their own headman, and then a general meeting is
formed. Custom varies as to whether the headman is a permanent
official or not. The most usual rule is that, if the son of the late
headman is competent, he is generally appointed ; if he be found
guilty of misconduct, the headman is as liable as any of the members
to fine and excommunication. The cases which come before the
coimcil may be classified aa (a) cases of illicit sexual relations or
violation of tribal rules concerning food, etc. ; (i) matrimonial dis-
]mtc8 ; (c) petty quarrels, which would not come under the cogni-
zance of a Court ; (^0 disputes about small money transactions ; {e)
dUiCH in connection with Jajmdni : this last is very common.
Every Chamir family has assigned to it a certain number of families
of higher caste, which are known as its Jajmdn (Sans. Yajamdna) :
for which its members i^erform the duties of cutting the cord at
birtliF, playing the drum at marriages ami other festive occaf^ions,
remo>nng and dispohing of the carcasses of dead cattle, and in return
for those services they recci\'e money fees, cooked food, and some-
times grain^ flour, etc. In return they sometimes Ripply hhoes at
marriages, a certain numl«r of shoes annually in pro|iortion to the
liidoii tliey rct^eive, and also do rejiairs to leather articles, such as
well liuckets umhI in cultivation. Tlietie rights are very jealoui»ly
watcheil, and any interference with the recognised d^n^tituents of a
family is stnmgly resented and brought liefore the tribal council.
Thcbe onlers of the council in the way of fine or entertainment of
the claiuimen are enforced under {K'tuilty of excommunication, of
which the mo»t t»erious reRilt in that, until the ban is remofed, all

chamAk. 176

marriage alliances with the family o£ the offender are barred, and if
any one marries a member of such a family, he at once becomes liable
to the same punishment as that which they are undergoing. TEvery
council has a mace-bearer {chiariddr), who goes round and ealls the
members to the meetings, and he is allowed a small money fee for
this service. The amount of fine v-aries from one to five rupees, and it
is very seldom that the process of excommunication has to be used to
enforce payment. If a person think fit to lay a charge before the
council he has to pay a fee of one and-a-quarter rupees to the
chainnan, who will not take up the case until the fee is paid.
This money^ which to the east of the Province is known as ndlbandi
or lehriy is spent in purchasing spirits for the refreshment of the
members.

7. Chamars show an increasing tendency to the adoption of

infant marriafi:e. The usual age to the east

Marriag^e. . . ^

of the Province is between four and eight,
and it is not uncommon in Ballia for Httle girls of three to be
married. It is very seldom that a girl remains unmarried after the
age of eight. There are no regular marriage brokers employed ; the
negotiations are conducted by a member of the &mily who is known
as agua. As among other Hindu castes marriage is looked upon as
a sacrament, and not based on contract. It is complete and binding
once the prescribed ceremonies are gone through, and its validity
does not depend on the express or implied consent of the parties.
But no marriage is carried out without the consent of all the rela-
tions, even those who are distant, and the desoent and family con-
nections of both bride and bridegroom are carefully enquired into
before the engagement is made. In Mirzapur the bride-price pay-
able to her relations is two rupees and five ters of coarse sugar. In
Ballia they deny that there is a bride-price ; but it is admitted that,
if the parents of the bride are very poor, the father of the bride-
groom may give as much as four rupees to defray the marriage
expenses. As has been said, both bride and bridegroom are carefully
examined as to whether they are free from any physical defect, and,
as a general rule, if such be subsequently ascertained, it would not
be a valid ground for annulUng the marriage. If the husband
become a lunatic after marriage, the wife in Ballia would not be
entitled to leave him, provided his relations continued to support her ;
and in the same way the husband of a mad wife is held bound.to
support her. Impotence or such mutilation as renders sexual

177 ohakAr.

intercourse impoesible is valid grounds for dissolving the marriage.
But, as a matter of fact, impotency, proved to the satis&M^on of the
council, is the only valid reason for a wife abandoning her husband.
Divorce in the strict sense of the t^rm is unknown ; but a husband
may turn his wife out of the house for proved infidelity, while she
cannot leave him even if he be un&ithful to her, provided he
gives her food and clothes. A womaui whose expulsion has been
recognised by the council, can remarry by the ta^i or ittrdo form.
The offspring of such informal marriages rank equally for purposes
of inheritance with those of regularly married virgin brides. As
regards the offspring of illicit connections they follow the caste and
tribe of the father unless the mother was a Musalmin, or of some
tribe lower than a Chamir in the social scale. Such people are
known by the name of SuratwAl or SuratwAla. When a ChamAr
takes a woman from a caste superior to his own, their children will
be recognised as members of the caste ; but if she be inferior to him,
their children are considered illegitimate, and will not inherit. This
is always the case when the woman is a Bhangi, Dom, Dhobi,
KAnchbandhua, or Musahar.

The child of a Chamir at Ballia bv a Dusidh woman is known
as Chamar DusAdha, and this is the only case in which a similar
fuhion of castes is known to have been ieoognise<l. The importance
of such facts in connection with the problem of the origin of the
mixed castes is obvious.

8. Widow marriage is, as has been said, fully recognised ; bat

WidowHBArrbf* Md «^ong ChamArs, who have, like those at

Um Uvirmu. Cawnpur, risen in the world, there seems a

tendency to prohiUt it. The levirate is recognised, but the widow

can live only with the younger broUier of her late husband. If the

widow be young, and her younger brother-in-law of a suitable age,

they usually arrange to live together ; if this cannot be arranged,

she usually marries some widower of the tribe by the ia^di or

Jttrdo form. In this case the brother and fsther of her late

hublmnd have a right to the custody of the children of the first

marriage : this rale is relaxed in the case of a baby, which aoeom-

{lanies its mother. In some cases the wiilow is allowed to take with

her to her new home all the children of the first marriage. Any

dispute as to matters of this sort is settled by the tribal oouncil.

If a widow marry an outaider she loses all claim to the estate of hrr

Vol. IL m

ch^mIb. 178

first husband, aad so do any children she takes with her to the house
of her new husband.

In such cases the property passes to the brotherB oE her first
husband . If, on the conti'ary, she marry her husband's brother, she
or her husband will inherit only if there was no male heir by the
first mariiage. At the same time, though Cham&rs are quite ready
to lay down definite rules on this subject, the tribal custom does
not appear to be quite settled, and when there are in the case
of the levirate or widow-marriage two families, the matter is usually
left to the council, who make a partition.

9. Among some branches of the tribe, as, for instance, at Sultin-

pur, when the fiirst pregnancy of a wife is

Birth oeremonies.

announced, a ceremony known as 9a^di is
performed, which consists of the distribution of cakes {p4ri^ to
the clansmen at their houses. But as Chamars are particularly
exposed to fear of witchcraft and diabolical agency generally, care-
ful precautions are taken to guard the woman from evil. To the
east of the Province promisee of offerings are made to Yindhybi-
sini Devi of Bindhachal, Banru Bir, Birtiya^ and to the sainted dead
of the family if they vouchsafe an easy delivery. Thorny branches
of the bel tree {Aegle marmelog) are hung at the door of the
delivery room to intercept evil spirits, who are also scared away by
the smoke from an old shoe, which is burnt for that purpose. Hie
woman sits on her heels during accouchment, and is supported by
her female relatives. She is attended by a woman of the caste for
six or twelve days, which is the period for imparity. When it is
announced that the child is a boy, the women sing the ioiar or song
of rejoicing. Much of this consists of the invocation of Mdia, the
goddess of small-pox. After the cord is out, if the child be a boy,
the mother is bathed in warm water ; if a girl, she gets a cold bath.
After the mother and baby are bathed, she gets a meal oonsirting
of molasses, turmeric, and oil, and after twelve hours she is gvrea
some kalwa sweetmeat. Next day she gets her ordinary food.
All through the period of impurity the singing of the ioiar is
repeated. At the door of the delivery room (taurt ; Sans: ini^i^ a
fire is kept constantly burning, and into it some of main {lin^usiicum
afotcan) is occasionally thrown. At least for the first six days a
light is kept constantly burning. On the night of the sixth day
the women sit up all night and worship Shashti or Chhathi, the god-
dess of the sixth, with an offering of cakes made of barley*flour and

179 CHAMJL&.

rioe boiled with sugar. These are presented in a lea£ platter
{dauna), and then eaten by the members of the household. An iron
cutting instrument is also kept near the mother and child during
the period of pollution. If the child be a boy the father is expect*
ed to entertain his friends which is usually done on the twelfth
day.

On that day the parents or brothers of the mother^if they can
afford it — send her a coat and cap made of red cloth for the baby,
and a yellow loin-cloth for the mother. This present is sometimes
accompanied by a special sort of sweetmeat known as iuikaura
{$o%ik^ dry ginger) made of sugar, ginger, and other spices ; some-
times with the faf/itftf ra is sent some caudle (e«iii0<fji»). There is
no distinct trace of the couvade, except that the husband has to
take the first sup of the cleansing draught given to the mother,
and that he docs not shave for six days after his wife's delivery.
There are no special ceremonies in connection with twins, but they
are considered inanspici^us. If during the pregnancy of a woman
an eclipse happen to occur, she is made to sit quiet while it lasts
with a stone pestle in her hand, and is not allowed to move or touch
any cutting instrument. If she move, it is believed that her child
will he deformed, and if she touch a cutting implement that it will
be bom mutilated. The child is named by the senior member of
the family. On the fourth or fifth day after the mother rejoins her
family, the child's head is shaved (sn^jtrajt), and irima about six
months old, it is fed for the first time on grain (Ann€prd9ait) ; it is
at this time that it is usually named. At the age of five or seven
its ears are bored (ka^kktdan), and this constitutes the initiation :
after this the chihl must conform to the rules of the tribe regarding
food.

10. When it is proposed to adopt a boy, the clansmen are invit«

ed and in their presence the parents make
over the boy to the adopter with these words,
^'' You were my son by a deed of evil {pdp); now you are the son
of so-and-so by a virtuous act (dkmrm)*' As the boy is accepted,
tlie members of the caste sprinkle rice over him, and the adopter
gives a feast.

11. The customs of betrothal vary somewhat in different peaces.

Thus, in Mirsapur, when a marriage is pro*
posed, the bridegruom's father with his uncle
and oUier near relations visit the bride. She is carefully examinsd
Vol. 1L « S

ohamIb. 180

to make sure that she has no physical defect, and, if approYed, the
boy^s father gives her a rupee, and some coarse sugar is distributed.
Then her father entertains the party. Next follows the regular
betrothal {barrekhi), This generally ^^kes place at the village
liquor shop, where the two fathers exchange platters {danna) full of
liquor five times, and at the last turn the bride^s father puts a rupee
into the cup of his relation-to-be. Liquor is served round, two-
thirds of the cost of which is paid by the father of the boy, and one-
third by the father of the girl. On this day the date of the wed-
ding is fixed by the Pandit. In Ballia, on the contrary, the parents
and relations of the girl go to the boy^s house and present him with
a rupee and loin-cloth. This is known as paupujfh or '' the wor-
shipping of the feet '' of the bridegroom.

When these presents are received in the presence of the members
of the caste the engagement is complete.

12. Marriage is of two kinds— the siddi, ehark^ or eharkama^

which is the respectable form, and the dola,
used by poor people. In Mirzapur the wed-
ding invitation is distributed by the father's sister's husband of the
boy. The marriage pavilion {mdnro) is then erected. In the 6an-
getic valley it consists of four bamboos; Cham&rs above the hills
make it of nine poles of the iiddh tree {HardwicHa binaia) in
obvious imitation of the Dravidian races by whom they are surround*
cd. On this day the Pandit ties round the wrist of the bride an
amulet formed of mango leaves and thread. The next day is devoted
to feeding the clansmen, and cakes of various kinds are offered to the
sainted dead. Then follows the matmangara ceremony, which is
done, as already described in the case of the Bhuiyas. Then as the
procession starts, the bridegroom's mother does the wave ceremony
(parachhau) to keep off evil spirits. With the same object the
bride's mother puts some lamp.black on the bride's eyelids, and
hangs a necklace of beads round her neck. At the same time, at
an assertion or acknowledgment of maternity, she offers the girl
her breast. The bridegroom's father is expected to take with the
procession five ankle rings (mathii/a) for the bride. The marriage
is then performed by making the pair revolve five times round the
ploughbeam [harin)^ which is fixed in the centre of the pavilion.
Ihere also is erected a rough wooden representation of a flock
of parrots (^uga) sitting on a tree. When the marriage is
over all present scramble for the wooden parrots ; but the pole on

181 chamIr.

which they were hung is oarefolly kept for a year. During the
inarriagei a special dance, known as tiie naifia ndci, is performed by
members of the tribe, some of whom dress in women's clothes.
Chamirs can give no explanation of this praeticci which may
possibly be a symbolical ceremony done with the hope that the first
child may be a boy, as the Argive brides used to wear false beards
when they slept with their husbands.^ It is specially to be noticed
that Brahmans are not employed in the marriage ceremony. The
whole business is done by the uncle and brother-in-law (p^^p^a,
dahnoi) of the bridegroom. Before they leave the pavilion a goat or
ram is sacrificed to Paramesari Devi, and the flesh is cooked at the
marriage feast. The marriage ends with a general carouse at the
nearest liquor shop.

13. The dola marriage is done in quite a different way. The
following is the ritual at Ballia. The friends and relations are invit-
ed to attend at the bridegroom's house, and they are supplied with
a meal known as kaletta, which ordinarily consists of rice and pulse
or parched grain {$atlu) or wheat cakes. The men then proceed
to the bride's house and halt about a mile off to take refreshment.
The boy's father subscribes twelve pice and the others two pice each
with which liquor is purchased. The sum given by the boy's
father is known as baUdri or niidri, and that contributed by his
friends 60 Art, After drinking they go to the bride's house, which
they reach usually about sunset. There the guardian of the boy
pays twenty«four pice, known as neg, to the father of the bride,
who supplements it with sufficient to provide another drink for
the party. Then they are all fed, and next morning they go
away with the bride. The bojr's guardian presents two sheets
{»dri), one for the bride and one for her mother, and gives a couple
of rupees to her faither^ who in return gives a loin cloth {dkoti) and
a sort of handkerchief worn over the shoulder (kondhdwar) to the
boy, as well as a sheet for his mother. The barber, washerman
and village watchman receive a present of two annas each on this
oeca^ion. Sometimes the owner of the village charges a rupee as
marmaekh or w^rwdni^ (mdnro^ the nuptial shed), which is paid by
the father of the bridegroom, and may pet haps be a survival of a
commutation of Mtitju9 primae mociii, but is more probably one of
the ordinary village dues levied from tenants by the landlord.

Wnmn, ToUmUm, 79 : PMl0r§, 11. ISl.

chamIk. 182

This, however^ is not invariably taken^ and in return he nanally sap-
plies some woody etc., for the wedding. The bride is supplied by her
guardian with a sheet {*dr{), brass bracelets (mdUi), and anklets
{pairi)y made of bell metal. Her brother or some other person as
her representative accompanies her to the house of the bridegroom.
It is a peculiar custom that on this occasion he always walks behind
the bride. In the dola form of marriage the bridegroomor bis father
very seldom goes to the house of the bride. The duty of escorting
the bride home is left to some relation or clansman.

14. After the bride has arrived that very day or very soon after
the date of the wedding {lagan) is fixed. The family barber takes
ten pieces of turmeric, of which he gives five to the bride and five to
the bridegroom. With this he brings one and-a-quarter MetM of
paddy, which he divides equally between them. The turmeric is
ground into a paste, which is rubbed on the foreheads of the piur, and
the paddy is parched and made into lawa for use in the ceremony of
lawa parachkana. This part of the ritual is called kaldi or haldidkdm.
The next day or a day after comes the ceremony dtmaikor or ''the
digging of the earth.^^ This commences by the bridegroom^s mother
worshipping a drum (dhol). If his mother be dead, this is done by
his aunt or some other elderly female relation.

Turmeric and rice aie ground into a paste {aipa%). The woman
smears her hand in this and applies it to the drum. This is known
MtAappa lagdfta, A leaf of betel, a betel nut, and two pice are also
placed on the drum, which are the perquisite of the owner. Kve
marks [iika) are then made on the drum with vermilion, and the
women form a procession and go into a field, led by the drummer
playing away vigorously. The senior w(»nan then worships Dharti
Mata or Mother Earth, and digs five spadesful of earthy which are
brought home and placed in the courtyard. In the middle of the
yard are placed an earthen pot full of water with its top covered
with a mango leaf and an earthen lid. Near it is a ploughbeam
{karu) and a green bamboo fixed in the earth. The earthen pot is
known as koUa, In the evening there is a feast known as maikara.
It may be noticed here that there are in all five marriage feastS'^the
haldidkdn and matkora already described and the b$dk^ marfdd and
kankan or biddi. From the commencement of the h^ldi cere-
mony up to the end of the marriage ceremonies the women sing songs
both morning and evening.

15. The actual marriage alwavs takes place at night. No Brib-

183 chamAr.

man is called in, but the village Pandit is consulted as to the auspicious
time, and he receives two pice for his trouble. For the marriage a
square (eAauk) is marked out in the courtyard with barley -floury and
the bride and bridegroom are seated within it, the bridegroom on a
stool {p(ria) or on a mat made of leaves (paM) , The service is done
by some one in the caste who knows the ritual. He begins by the
potra nekckdra or recital of the names of the couple, their fathers,
grandfathers and great^grand&thers. Then the marriage iut{kal$M)
is worshipped, and an ofEering of butter, rice, and barley is made to the
fire which is lighted close beside the jar, and a similar ofFering is made
to a fire which is lighted in the oratory {deoiuri) sacred to the house-
hold god. The bride^s &ther then gives her away to the bridegroom
{kmnfdddt). He accepts the gift and marks her forehead with a
line of vermilion, which is the binding part of the ceremony. The
ceremonies in the dola and ekarhaua marriage are practically identi-
caL The only difference is that in the former the ceremony is per*
formed at the house of the bridegroom \ in the latter at that of the
bride.

16. Those who have been initiated into the Siva Nirftyani or

Sri NArAyani, Kabirpanthi or Rimanandi
sects are buried, unless before death they
have expressed a wish to be cremated. Their corpses are removed
to the burial-ground on a gaily decorated bier without any marks of
mourning and accompanied with shouts of Rdm / Rdm I Sai hai,
'* The Lord is the Lord of Truth.'' Ordinary CharoAra are burnt
in the usual way. Those who are poor only scorch the face of the
corpse {mnkAdp). The ashes, when the body is properly cremated,
are thrown into some neighbouring stream. The chief mourner who
has fired the pyre on the day after the cremation places outside the
house an earthen pot full of milk and rice gruel {mdnr) with a
pitcher of water for the use of the disembodied spirit. On the third
day after death comes the iirdiri ceremony which consists of the
offering of oblations and cakes of barley-flour (pinda) to the depart*
ed soul. On the tenth day (daiwdm), this ceremony is repeated, and
the castemen are fed. On that day the person who fired the pyre
{dMoika) is purified by being shaved. On the eleventh the utensils
and private property of the dead man are made over to his sister's
husband (hakn&i)^ who actn as the officiant priest— perhaps a survival
of the matriarchate. In some places, however, and particularly
where Chamirs are becoming rich and influential, the Mahibrihman

chamAr. 184

offers the sacred balls {piH4a). When the service is done by a
member of the tribe he says, — Ar Oanga, pit Ganga; Bikdri ka
beta, Bdmbokhsk ka n^fi, pinda dei ; Qanga Afdi hmjhtiji det —
'^ Ganges on this side, Ganges on that side ; the son of Bihari (or
whatever his name may be) the grandson of Rimbakhsh offers the
cakes, but mother Ganges gives only bubbles in return/' Some
plant a few stalks of grass near a tank as an abode for the spirit
which wanders about until the funeral ceremonies are complete. On
this water is poured daily for ten days. Some again g^ve a tribal
feast on the twelfth, some on the sixteenth day after death. On
the anniversary of a death twelve balls are offered, and, if the family
can afford it, the clansmen are fed. Some, again, after the usual
balls and oblations during the fortnight {pifrapaisia) sacred to the
dead, join in removing thee orpse, and each of the five touches his
mouth with a burning brand. By this procedure none of the five
incurs any personal defilement.

17. Chamars in the main conform to the popular type of village

Hinduism. To the east of the Province all,
except the richer and more advanced members
of the caste, dispense with the services of Brahmans, except in so far
as they usually consult them about the marriage auspices. To the
west their marriage ceremonies are performed under the guidance
of the low Gurra or Chamarwa Brfthmans. To the east, as they be-
come rich and influential, they employ Sarwariya or Kanaujiya Brfth-
mans of a degraded type. To the west the mourners accompanying
the corpse address the Creator in the words — 1«H hai ; tain ne paida
kij^a, aur tain ne mdr liya. '' Thou art He ; Thou hast created
and then destroyed/' In Rohilkhand their clan deities are Bhawini,
Jagiswdr or '^the lord of the world, '^ KftlaDeo,Ga]a Dewat, Zahir
Ptr, and Nagarsen. In Agra they call themsielves of the Gorakhi
sect, and worship Devi, Chamara, and Kuftnw&la, '^ he of the well.''
In Ballia they usually worship a deity whom they call Parameswar
or " the Supreme Being.'' The godling is supposed to dwell in a
mound of earth erected in a room of the house. On the day of the
Dasahra festival seven wheaten cakes and some kalwa are offered,
and some cloves and cardamoms ai*e ground up and mixed in water,
which is poured on the ground. This is known as ckkdk. Some-
times the offering consists of a young pig and some spirits. When
a pel son is absent from home, he does not erect any mound or
oratory (deokur) until he returns. In Mirzapur they have a special

^. \

185 chamAr.

deity known as Terha Deva or '' the crooked one ; '^ they also worship
the Vindhyabfisini Devi, of Bindh&chal; B&nm Bir, a demon of
whom they know nothing bat the name ; Sairi Devi, Birtiya, and
the sainted dead (purkia lop). All these deities are worshipped
in times of trouble with the sacrifice of a young pig, the meat of
which is eaten by the worshippers and with a libation of spirits.
On the PachainyAn festival milk and parched grain are offered at
the hole occupied by the domestic snake. Those who have no
children fast and worship the son godling, S&raj NArAyan, in the
hope of offspring. Fire and the moon are also occasionally worshipped.
To the east their chieT festivals are the snake feast at the Pach-
ainyAn ; the Kajari, which is a sort of saturnalia held in the rainy \
season, when women drink and the roles of modesty are held in
abeyance; the Tij, on which women fast for the welfare of their
husbands and sons, and next daye at cakes ( pnri ) ; the Phagua or
Holi. A second wife wears an image representing the deceased,
known as sirofna, round the neck, and when she puts on fresh
clothes or jewelry she touches them first with the image as a sign
that they have been offered to the spirit of her predecessor. If this
be not done, it is believed that the offended spirit of the first vnfe
will bring disease or death.

IS. But the most remarkable form of worship is that of the

The SionirAyaai or ^«'*^i^> revivalist sect of the SrinAravani or

SriDiri^rani Mct. SiunirAyaui. The founder of this sect was

RAMAs or RavidAs, who was a disciple of RAmanand. Curiously

enough in the Dakkhin quite a different legend has been invented

and the so-called Rohidas is said to have been bom at Chambhargonda

now Ahmadnagar, and is described as a contemporary of Kabir in the n

twelfth or thirteenth century.^ The Northern India legend, as

recorded in the commentary of Priya DAs on the BhaktmAla, tells how

a BiAhman disciple of RAmanand used daily to receive the necessary

alms from the bouses of five BrAhmans. This was cooked by his

preceptor, and offered to the Creator before being eaten. One

day as it was raining and the houses of the BrAhmans were

at a distance, the BrahmaohAri accepted the supplies from a

Banya. When RAmanand cooked it, the Divine Light refused

to accept it, as it was unclean. The preceptor made enquiries

and discovered that the Banya had money dealings with ChamArs

CHAMAU. 186

and that the food was hence defiled. BAmanand, in his displea-
sure caused his disciple to be reborn in the womb of » Cham&rin ;
and so it happened. When the infant was bom, remembering
its past life, it refused to suck from the breast of its mother
because she was not initiated. Then a voice from Heaven spoke
to Ramanand and warned him that the punishment he had inflict-
ed on his disciple was disproportionate to his offence. He was
directed to go to the hut of the Cham&r and initmte the whole family.
He was compelled to obey this order. The child v^as named by Ins
parents RaSdas. When he reached the age of eighteen he began to
worship a clay image of Rama and J&naki. This wafe displeasing
to his father^ who turned him out of doors. BftM^ then set up
business as a shoemaker and continued his mode of worship. He
used to present all wandering ascetics with new shoes. One day. a
saint appeared before him and gave him the Philosopher's stone.
RaSd&s took no notice of it ; but the Saint touched his shoemaker's
knife with it and turned it into gold. This had no effect on RaSdas,
and the saint finally left the stone in the thatch of his hot.
Returning some time after he found R&edas in poor circumstances, and
learned to his surprise that he had not used the stone. The saint
then promised that before morning five gold coins would appear in
front of the divine image which Raddas worshipped. These he also
refused to accept. But he was warned in a dream not to oontinue
to despise wealth ; so he converted his shed into a magnificent temple
and established regular woi*ship. This enraged the Brfthmans, who
appealed to the Raja in a Sanskrit verse which means — *' Where
unholy things are worshipped and holy things are defiled, three things
follow — Famine, Death, and Fear/'

19. RaSdas was summoned before the Raja and ordered to
exhibit his miiaculous powers. He replied that he could do only
one miracle— that the Salagrama or ammonite representing Vishnu
would at his word leave its place and come down on the palm of
his hand. The Rija ordered the Brahmans to perform a similar
miracle. They failed and Raedas succeeded. This miracle so affected
the Rani Jhali, whom one version of the legend makes out to have
been a Princess of Chithor, that she became initiated. On this the
Brahmans refused to eat in the palace, on the ground that it had
been defiled, and some raw gi*ain was given them which they began
to cook in the garden. But as they were eating they suddenly saw
s sitting and eating between two Brfthmans. So they fell at

187 chamAr.

his feeti ftnd then he out his skin and showed them under it his
BrAhmanical oord ; so he was proved to have been a BrAhman in his
former liCe.

iO. Tbe Orantha or Scriptnres of the sect are believed to have
existed for eleven hundred and forty-five years, but to have been
unintelligible until Sitala^ an inspired Sannyisi, translated them. The
present recension is the work of the Rijput Sivanlr&yana, 61
GhAzipur, who wrote it about 1785 A.D. The most important of
these works are the Ourunyftsa and the Santa Virasa. The former
is compiled from the Purinas, and gives an aooount of the ten
Avatiras of Vishnu or NAr&yana in fourteen chapters, of which the
first six treat of the author, of faith, of the punishment of sinners,
of virtue, of a future state and of discipline. The latter is a treatise
on moral sentiments. The opening lines are,—-'' The love of God
and his knowledge are the only true understanding. ** ^

2 1 . SiuDiriy anis have a meeting house known as DhAmghar, or
*' House df Paradise ; " Somaghar, or " House of meeting, '' and
Girja Ghar, or church, a word derived through the Portuguese
i^refa from the Greek eHliM. It usually contains pictures of the
Saints GorakhnAth, RA£dAs, KabtrdAs, S&rdAs, and others. The
scriptures are kept rolled up in cloth on a table at the East. They
are carefully watched and never given to any one but members of
their own congregation. They meet here on Friday evenings, and
any educated man among them reada and expounds passages from
the GurunyAfli. The only occasion when the SantavirAsa is read is
at death ; it is then recited from the moment of dissolution until the
corpse is buried. They are not allowed to eat meat or drink spirits
before goin^ to tbe weekly service, but this is the only restriction.
On the fiasant Panchami, or fifth Ught half of MAgh, a HalwAi is
called in, who cooks some Aalfom sweetmeat (which is known as
mambio^, or " food of the mind " ) m a large boiler (karkSp). Tliis
is first offered to SiunArAyana before the Scriptures of the sect, and
until this is done no ChamAr is allowed to touch it. The explana-
tion of this is that SiunArAyana was a Chhatri, and it would be
defilement to him if any ChamAr touched it before dedication. An
offering of the same kind is made to Guru NAnak by the Sikhs.*

> BUl«y. THhm and Catim, I, 178.

> ibbtUoo, i*aiv^ Mihmofrm^, pMS. SSk

Y0L.1L

CHAMAK. 188

22. The title Bhagat which they take does not imply that they
abstain from flesh and spirits, but they are monotbeists (Sans :
bkaktay '^ devoted'' ). They say that their chief conventicle is at a
place called Barsari, in the GhSzipur District^ about which they
repeat the verse, — ^^^As pis Chandrawdr men, Ohdzipor Sarkar;
Bindu niramii karat sab B&gh RiA ke p^. ** ^^ In the neighbour^
hood 'of Chandraw&r, in the Ghazipur District, all meet together and
discuss the doctrine of Unity. This place is near the BAS^a garden/'

23. Persons of any caste may join the Siun&rftyani sect. When
a candidate wishes to affiliate himself, they first warn him of the
difficulties before him and test him for a few days, when, if approved,
he is directed to bring a present according to his means to the head-
man, known as Guru or Mahant. The candidate comes before the
Guru, who sits with the scriptures opposite him, and first makes a
sacrifice by burning camphor and ^^o», or ten kinds of perfumes.*

^ These are thrown on fire, and the sweet savour which arises is their

form of worship. Then some camphor is burnt before the scripturesf
and all present rub the smoke over their &ce8. The candidate then
washes the big toe of the Guru and drinks the water {eAaranamriia).
Next the Guru recites privately into his ear the formula ( w^^ntra)
of initiation, which is carefully concealed from outsiders. After
this the initiate distributes sweets to the congregation. He is then
considered Sant or initiate, and receives a small book which he is
permitted to study, and which serves as a pass of admission to
future meetings. If he loses it he has to appear at the next Basant
Panchami meeting, and pay two and-a*half rupees for a new copy,*
as well as a fine of five rupees for his negligence. At these meetings
there is music and singing, men and women sit apart, and after the
Mahant has finished his reading, he receives the contributions of the
faithful. They are not allowed to drink in the Dhftmghar, but they
may smoke gdnja, bhang^ or tobacco there. They never practise
exorcisms {ojAdi), nor do they get into a state of religions fi^izy
and deliver oracles. As already stated the dead are buried with
signs of rejoicing. Some camphor is burnt in the grave before the
body is laid there, and then all present join in filling up the grave.
All initiates, male and female, are buried in this way. Children
and persons not initiated are interred without any ceremony. If the
wife of an initiate die, her relatives can take away her body and
cremate it. They marry Uke ordinary ChamArs, and get a Brfthman
to fix a lucky time. A similar movement among the Chamirs of

180 ohamAr.

BUispar, in the Central Provinces^ took place under OhAsidis
between 1820 and 1880^ and in Bikaner under L&lgir about fifty
yean ago. Their sole worship is said to consist in calling on the
inviBible k>rd {Alakh, Alakk), V,

S4. The ordinary Cham&r believes that disease^ death, and all

troubles are due to demoniacal influence.
When a person falls ill a sorcerer {njha) is
called in. and he points out the particular evil spirit which is respon-
sible for the mischief, and the appropriate sacrifice by means of
which he can be appeased. In the same way barrenness in women
is held to be due to her possession by some demon. A widow.is
very careful to worship the spirit of her deceased husband. In
this case, as with a deceased wife, no image is used, but a piece of
ground is plastered, and on it is placed a new loin cloth {clhoti) and
a waist chain (kardkani). Sometimes a pig is sacrificed. The soul
of a dead husband is called muttutkya dtva or "the man-god."
Persons who die in any ibudden or unubual way become malevolent
spirits {bknt)^ and must be carefully propitiated. Their offering is
a young pig and an oblation of spirits. Chickens are offered to
Ohizi Miyfin, goats to Devi, and pigs to the family godlings and evil
spirits. These are offered at the house shrine, while offerings to
godlings and saints are made at their temples or tombs. The
regular feast in honour of the dead is the Malialaya Amawas, Pitr*
bisarjan^ or Pitrasaunan. Among trees they respect the ftipal
imlasif and nim. The fipal is the abode of Vasudeva, the imlaii of
Lakshmi, the tiim of Sitala. Motlier Ganges [Gamga mii) is a special
object of reverence. The favourite method of propitiating evil
spirits of those who have died by accident is to pour spirits near
the place occupied by the Bh&t, and to light some §ifjit in a pipe-
bowl. For ghosts of high caste persons, the proper offering is a firs
sacrifice {hom). The ordinary malignant evil spirit i* called BhAt or
Daitya ; that of a Muhammadan Sbahid Mard ; the Jinn is higher
and more powerful than these. To the Shahid Mard and Jinn the
sacrifice is not a pig but a fowl and flowers.

25. The Chamir from his occupation and origin ranks even below

the nc»n-Ar\'an tribes who have bei*n quite

Social regulAiioiia. "...

rvoently adopted into Hinduism. lie is con-
sidered impure because he eats beii, p»rk, and fowls, all abomination

I Cf«tr«i 1^r9wim€m QmmUtf^ 100. #99.

ohamJLr. 190

to the orthodox Hindu. He will eat cattle which die a natural denth^
and numerous cases have occurred where ChamUrs have poisoned cattle
for the sake of the hides and flesh. He keeps herds of pigs, and the
Chami-auti or Cham&r quarter in a Hindu village is generally a
synonym for a place abounding in all kinds of abominable filth, where
a clean living Hindu seldom^ unless for urgent necessity, cares to in-
trude. One proverb describes a man setting up to be Gk)p&l, a respec-
table Krishna worshipper, while his pots and pans are as filthy as those
of a Cham&r ( Nem tern Oopdl aisan ; hdnrieharui Chcuwdr aisan)^ and
another says, — "The worthy are dying and the unworthy living
because Chamars are drinking Ganges water,''— i^;V/tf war/, dkiikan
Ji^i ; Oanga jal Chamdrdn pip^)^ This repugnance to him is
increased by his eating the leavii^ of almost any caste except Dhobis
and Doms, and by the pollution which attaches to his wife (Cha-
m&rin, Chamslin), who acts as midwife and cuts the umlnlical cord.
But in spite of his degraded social position, the Cham&r is proud and
punctilious and very conservative as regards the rights and privi-
leges which he receives in the village community. Their women
wear, at least in the east of the Province, no noserings ; they have
metal bangles (mat/itya) on their wrists; arm ornaments (^^'«)
and heavy bell -metal anklets (pairi), Chun&rs swear by R&ma^
the Guru, the Ganges, MahMeva Btlba, the shoemaker's last
{piaruii), and their sons' heads. They will not touch a Dom or
Dhobi, nor the wife of a younger brother or nephew, nor will they
call their wives by their names. Women eat after the men. They
salute relatives and clansmen in the forms Rdm ! Rdm ! and pd^la^.
26. The Chamar practises a variety of occupations. His pri-

mary business is curing skins and shoemak*

Oooupfttions.

ing, and the latter business has developed
what is really a separate caste, that of the Mochi (Sans : moekika) ;
in a village he provides all leathern articles used in husbandry, sudi
as whips^ thongs, well buckets, and the like. As a rule, he has a
circle of constituents {jajmdn) whose dead cattle he recdves, and
to whom he gives leather and a certain number of shoes in return.
His wife has similarly a certain number of families to whom she
acts as midwife and performs various menial services at marriages
and festivals. The Chamir himself is the general village drudge
{begdr, pkarait) runs messages, and does odd jobs, such as thatching
when he is called Gharami, and the like. Sometimes he receives
wages in cash or kind, but perhaps more generally an allowance of

191 ohamIr.

grain per plough belonging to the family he eenrcs, or a patch of
rent-free land. Another part of his dntieB is to beat drams and
blow trampets during a marriage or when cholera or other epide-
mic disease is being exorcised from the Tillage. Large numbers of
Cham&rs take to field labour, act as ploughmen, carters, grooms,
or emigrate to townS| where they do various lands of unskilled
work. In Part&bgarh they are said to have usurped the business
of carrying palanquins, the hereditary occupation of Kahlrs. The
extension of the leather trade at Cawnpur has made it a great Char
mir centre. Many of them have become wealthy and aim at a
standard of social lespeotability much higher than their rural
brethren, and some have begun even to seclude their women
which every native does as soon as he commences to rise in the world.
87. The system of tanning pursued by the ordinary village Cha-
mlr is of the most primitive kind. The skins are placed in a pit and
covered with water, containing lime {ei^lna) and impure carbonate
of soda {itijji) ; after ten days they are taken out and the hair
removed with an iron 8cn^>er (kiurpi). They are again removed,
sewn up in the form of a bag^ which is again filled with the bark
solution, and hang on a tree or stand. This process lasts five days,
when the tanning is considered complete.^

1 Ho«j, Monograph, 90, $qq* It it ia eorunu oootrast to ih« Hoaierio ■jrttaai of
prvpttrinff hidM, which ooiuitt«d in rabbing with fat and ■tretohing. lUad^ XVll,
883.

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■w«a

i..|l=|jl

iJliqwnd

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■n-nnj ;!:■■;■■■

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105

CHAMAR OAUB.

Chamar Oaur.— A sept of RAjpots of whom Sir H. M. Eilioti

writes — '^ Among the Oanr Rdjputs the Chamar Oaur who are sub-
divided into Raja and RfiS, rank the highest, which is accounted for
in this way : — When trouble fell upon the Gaur family, one of their
ladies, far advanced in pregnancy, took refuge in a Chamdr's house,
and was so grateful to him for his protection, that she promised to
call her child by his name. The Bhats and Brfihmans to whom
the others fled do not appear to have had similar forbearance, and
hence, strange as it may appear, the sub-<livisions called after their
name rank below the Chamar Oaur. '' Pargana Sandtia, of liar-
dai, was, so it is said, occupied by Thatheras,' who by one theory
are identical with the Bhars, and then Chamar Oaurs came in from
near Bijnaur in the time of Jay Chand. They came in under two
chiefs, bringing with them Dikshit Brihmans, who up to the present
are their recognised priests. They differ entirely from Chamar
Oaurs, who came from near Cawnpur, and have for their priests
Tiwiri Br&hmans. The writer of Uie Hardoi Settlement Report*
speaks of the Chamar Oaurs as '' a refractory, quarrelsome, ill-con-
ditioned set, their one redeeming quaUty (owed probably to the fact
that they are Rijputs in name rather dian in reality) is that they
do not murder their daughters/' Their ancestor, Oanga Siuh, known
as Kina, or "one-eyed/' is said to have driven out the Thatheras.

Diitribmtiom of He Chamar G9%f RSjfai% aeeotdiag io the Ce*i9m$

of 1891.

DtnTRicT. Namber. '1 District. Narobti

Agra

• • •

1
BtBftrrt ....

FarmkbiUd

• • •

352

Oorakbpar

Main pari .

Batti

Etin-ah

185

Lucknow

SbAkJAUopar .

B4« Ikrali

Cawnpor •

1,851

StUpur •

» 4

FfttehiNir .

103

Hardoi .

118

B4iida

2.121

Kben •

> i

lOBI

Hamtrpur

226

F.iiAUd

AiUk4b4d.

Bahriioli

Jhioii

SulUnpiur

> 1

Jilaon

PartAbgarh

•

LaUtpvr •

FAimbaakl

•

rOTAt

5.048

■ SmffifmenUry 01o#Mry, f.r.» Oa^r if^

ip^.

t oudh a*s€tufr, ni« ao7.

•P.m.

VouU.

OHAl^AMIYA, 196 CHANDEL.

CHANDAURIYA.

Chanamiya. — A sept of Rsljputs^ not eeparately recorded in
the Censns Returns, found in Jannpur, Azamgaih, and Gorakbpur.
They are generally, according to Sir H. M. Elliot,^ included among
the Bais of inferior descent^ and are sometimes identified with the
Gargbans.

Chandanriya. — A Rajput sept found in Faizab&d. 1 hey are
an offshoot of the Bais of Baisw&ra, who emigrated under their
leader, Uday BuddhS Sinh, who gained his estates under the protection
of a noted faqir known as K^li Fah&r. The title of Chandauriya
from the village Chandaur is said to have been conferred on the sept
by the Rfija of Hasanpur.'

'^ Chandel.' — (Sanskrit Chandra, "the moon''). — ^An important
sept of Rajputs. They claim descent from the mooui Chandra,, up to
Brahma. According to one version of the tribal legend Hem&vati was
the daughter of Hemr&j, the&mily priest of Indrajit, the Gaharwir
Raja of Kashi (Benares), or of Indrajit himself. With her at mid-
night the moon had dalliance, bhe awoke and saw the moon going
away, and was about to curse him saying, — " I am not a G^utam
woman that I should be thus treated.'' When he replied, — *' The curse
of Sri Krishna has been fulfilled* Your son will become a mighty
hero, and will reign from the sunrise to the sunset." Hem&vati
said : — '' Tell me that spell whereby my son may be absolved. " He
answered : — ''You will have a son and he will be your expiation," and
he gave her this spell — " When the time of your delivery comes near
go to Asu, near Kalinjar, and there dwell. When within a short
time of being delivered, cross the River Ken and go to Khajrain^
where Chintaman Banya lives, and stay with him. Your son shall
perform the great sacrifice. In this iron age sacrifices are not perfect.
I will appear as a Br&hman and complete the sacrifice. Then
your absolution will be complete. " The fruit of this amour was
Chandra Yaima, said to have been born in A. D. 157, and from
him to Parmal Deo, whose fort Kalinjar was taken by Kutb-ud-dixi
in 1202 A. D , there are said to have been by one account forty-nine
and by another twenty-three generations.

2. By another version their original birthplace was Kalinjar.
The King of that fort one day asked his family priest what was the

* SuppUmentary Qlouary, «.r.
3 SettUmeni Report, 295.

' Partlj bailed on notes by M. Jnmna Dtn, Teajher of the 8iini«rptt? 8o)k»o1« mad
M. Kameal.&j. toacber of the Soho< 1 at Mahoba, Hamtrpnr Distrioi.

1Q7 CUANDKL.

day o( the month. He answered that it was the full moon (p4fan»
mdst), whereas it was really the Amftvas or the last day of the dark
fortnight. When the Pandit became aware of the mistake which he
had committed, he went home and fell into deep distress. When his
daughter learned the cause of his sorrow, she prayed to the moon to
appear at once full, and thus justify her father^s words. The moon
appeared, and as a reward lay with ber^ and when her father heard of
this he expelled her from bis house ; so she wandered into the jungle,
and there her child was bom. There a BanAphar lUjput saw her
and took her home. Her father was so ashamed of the afFair that
he turned himself into a stone, and as his name was Mani Rim^ he
is now worshipped as Maniya Deva. The Chandel asoendancy in
Bundelkhand between the supremacy of theGonds and the advent of
the Muhammadans is a well-known historical fact ; it was during
this period that the great irrigation works in the Hamirpur District,
the forts of Kalinjar and A jay garb, and the noble temples of Khaju-
r&hu and Mahoba were built.

8. All these legends may point indirectly to some flaw in the tribal
pedigree. We know that the Mirzapur legend of Oran Deo closely
connects them with the aboriginal Soiris as the Oudh story suggests
kinship with the Bhars.^ The Unio branch say they come from
Chanderi, in the Dakkhin, whence they emigrated after the overthrow
of the Bundelkhand kingdom of Mahoba by Prithivi lUja in
spite of the bravery of the Baniphar heroes Alah and Udal.' Part
of them emigrated to Unio as late as the reign of Aurangzeb.
As for the Eastern branch of the sept they are admitted to be of
Sombansi origin, but do not intermarry with the leading tribes.
The Bundelas are by one account a spurious breiHl lietween them
and slave girls.' One of the Cawnpur families fasten their coats
on the right side of the chest like Muhammadans. They say
they do this in memory of th9 De.hi Emperors who remitted
their tribute/

4. In Bundelkhand they are reporte^l* to give their daughteis

in marriage to JAdons, Sisodhiyas, Sengmrs,
Kachhwshas, Bluid.uiriyas, and Tomars; bot

I jrirtap«r Oag^iU^f, 120» §^. Bmi«lt, Clntu of tL44 Barwli.

< Oudh G««tf<l4«r, lnUodu€t%mn, XXXVI, Indian Antiquary, I, 9S5 if X,

• EUiott, CkrpnieitB of Vn^, 8S &I.

« BoelMUHia, I«jl«r« IndU, II, i5S.

CHANDEL. 198

they take ^rls only from tribes of the higher rank. After the
bride is brought to her husband's house Devi is worshipped with
the accompaniment of singing and dancing, and then the bride
marks the door with her spread hand smeared with aipan or a
mixture of powdered rice and turmeric. The ma^mum number
of wives that a man c^n take is sevQn ; but the usual number is two
or three. Betrothal is usually performed in in&ncy and marriage
very early in life. The family barber often arranges the match,
but now-a-days a regular marriage broker is sometimes appointed.
Some dower is always given by the father of the bride. A wife
may be divorced if she contracts leprosy or if she be unfaithful.
Such women cannot marry again.

5. When the pregnancy of a woman is announced the ceremony
of ehauk is performed in the fifth or seventh mftith. The husband
and wife are seated in a sacred enclosure {chauk), while a Brahman
recites texts. After the ceremony parched rice and sweetmeats
are distributed to the brethren. At her confinement the mother
is attended by a sweeper woman for three days, and by a barber
woman for forty days. When the delivery takes place, an old
woman of the family smears her hand with oil and makes a mark
on the wall of the room, after which the cord is cut. The mother
bathes on the third day, after which the ceremony of ekarua is done,
and this is followed by the usual sixth day observance {ehkaihi).

6. The betrothal [mangnt) consists in the bride's barber coming to
the house of the bridegroom and marking his forehead {tikti^.
Their marriage and death ceremonies are of the ordinary orthodox
form.

7. Their special god is Mahddeva, who is worshipped by men,
and Devi by women and children.

8. In Oudh the Chandels take brides from the Chanhan,
Oaharwar, Raikwir, Janwar, and DhakrS septs : and give wives
to the Gaur, Sombansi, and Funw&r. In Azamgarh they leoove
wives from the Baranw^, Eakan, Singhel, Udmatiyay Donw&r and
Gaharwar septs : and give their daughters to the Grargbansi
Uautam, Palwar, Simet, Rajkum&r^ Bachgoti, Kansik, Raghubanai^
Bais and Chandrabansi.

199

CHAND£L.

Diifribniion of Chat^dei HdjpHti aeeordimff to ike Cemm of 1891.

DiSTBICTB.

Hindaa.

MalMm*
inadAiM.

Total.

Sfthirsnpar . •

•

Miitaffarnagar . . . .

•

•••

Merrill

> <

•

« • •

BuUndnlmhr . . . .

•

265

266

Aliu'arh . . . .

> •

•

• • •

Miitharm • • . . ,

> *

> •

Ajrm

> «

119

• ••

119

Farnikl.4U'l . . . ,

• t

•

1.319

1.865

MNinpiin . . . . .

' •

220

265

Etiwali

•

681

•• •

681

KUh

1 1

•

•••

Bawillj

•

342

• • •

842

Biidiuii

1 •

1,C)38

1.067

MorAdAhAi

•

• • •

8b4hjiili4niNir . . . .

•

5.632

5.717

rnibhit

1 <

) •

228

•••

228

i*awnpar . . . . .

•

12.868

■••

12,868

Fat«bpnr

•

1.756

1.759

PindA

•

958

■ ••

958

Ilainlrpur • . • • ,

» 1

•

554

648

An«U)4d

> «

» •

1.659

1.686

Jhioti

) •

•

115

JAUno

•

978

117

1.095

Lftlitpor • • • •

•

• •

125

• ••

125

Bmibtm • • • • .

• •

1.944

2.CM.2

MirtApor • . • •

•

• •

4.947

• ■ •

44^47

Jaiilipilr • « . .

•

! 7.901

7.909

CHANDEt.

200

CHAKDRABANSr.

Dittribiition of Chandel Bdjputs according to the Cknsui of iSPi^-ooncld*

DlBTBICTS*

Hindiifl.

Moham-
madana.

Total.

Gb^zipur

806

257

1,063

Ballia .

3,109

• • •

3,109

Gorakhpar • ^

3,429

3,489

Bftsii

228

602

830

Azamgarh

5,186

5,274

Lnoknow •

810

825

Unfto •

2,834

2,908

BAd Bareli .

1,037

1,088

Sitapar

491

267

758

Hardoi

5,379

5»416

Kheri .

400

121

611

Faiz&b&d

906

927

Gonda •

391

•••

391

fiahr&ioh

195

Saltinpar

751

131

882

Part&bf^arh .

315

327

Clrabanki #

•

886

905

TOTAl

71,146

2.344

73,490

Ohandrabansi. — Properly the race of the moon (Ckandrm-
vanBo). One of the two great divisions of the Kshatriya raoe, of
whom a full account is given in the second chapter of Colonel Tod's

Annals of Rajasthftn/' In these Provinces it is the titkT^^ a
separate sept^ who are quite distinct from the Chandels who claim
to represent the ancient children of the moon. They are mo«t
numerous in the Bulandshahr District*

2. In Azamgarh they claim to belong to the Bhirgava §otfa ;
they receive brides from the Bisen, Sakarw&r^ Nandwak, B&thanr,
Palwir, Gautam, Ujjani^ Chandel, Bais^ Udmatiya, Singhel^ and
Kausik septs ; and marry their daughters to theGargbansi^ Ragfaa-

0HANDRABAN8I.

201

charandAsi.

hum, SCb^jbanei, Chauh&ni and Sirnet. In Aligarh they take girls
from the Gahlot, Kachhwiha, R&thaur, BargAjar. SolanUn, Bichhal,
Jaifl^ Jangfa&ray and Pondir, and give brides to the Chauhan, Oahlot,
Bargfljar, Punwir, Tomar^ R&thaor, Kaehhwaha^ JanghAra, and
Dhikra septs.

hittribmiion of ikt CAamdrabanti RdjpnU aeearding to tke Cemni

of ISdl.

DitTBscr.

Namb«r.

DirraicT.

Number.

SahArmDpnr

Jh4«« . . . .

MaiaffismsKAf .

J4kaB ....

Mtemt

Beoartt • . • .

600

BaUodtksbr

S,840

Ohisipiir

Aligarh

1,007

Bdlia ....

Mathiira .

206

Gorakbpnr «

121

Agra

Basti . . • .

FirrnkliAbAd .

411

Avmgarb

883

Mainpnri •

Kamana

BUwak .

TaiAi . . . .

luh

•

B44B«rtli

MorftdibAd

8ltapar ....

8b41\i4lisopor

Hsrdoi ....

Cftwnpar

Kb«ri ...

126

Fsitbpar

SoltAapar •

Bloda .

B4rmbaoki

Total

6.788

ClianildMi^ — ^A Vaishnavm sect which takes its name from its
foonder, Charan Dis, of the DhAsar caste, who was bom at Dehra^ in
the Alwar State in 1703. His father was Murii DhAnar, who
died when his ton, then called Ran jit Sinh, was only five years okL
** The boy then emigrated to Delhi and lived with some relatbtts

charandAst. 202

there. He became a disciple of Baba Sukhdeva Dis, a religious
faqir of high religious attainments^ at the age of nineteen, at
Snkra Ti\, near MuzafFarnagar^ who gave him the name of Bim-
charan Das. Afterwards Charan Das established a separate reli-
gious order in his own name^ and^ like others^ preached, and made many
disciples. His principal disciples were Swimi Ramrfip, Grnsain
Jagatan, and a woman named Shahgolai. Each of these established
a monastery in Delhi and obtained grants from the Mughal Em-
perors, which have been confirmed by the British Government. ''^

2. Of the tenets of the sect, Prof. Wilson* writes : — " Their
doctrines of universal emanation are much the same as those of the
Vedanta school, although they correspond with the Yaishnava sects
in maintaining the great source of all things, or Brahma to be
Krishna ; reverence of the Guru, and assertion of the pre-eminence
of faith above every other distinction, are also common to them
with other Vaishnava sects, from whom probably they only differ
in requiring no other qualification of caste, order, or even of sect,
for their teachers ; they affirm, indeed, that originally they differed
from other sects of Vaishnavas in woi*shipping no sensible representa-
tions of the deity, and in excluding even the tulaii plant and the
^S&lagrama stone from their devotions ; they have, however, they
admit, recently adopted them, in order to maintain a friendly inter-
course with the followers of Ramanand : another peculiarity in
their system is the importance they attach to morality, and they do
not acknowledge faith to be independent of works ; actions, thej
maintain, invariably meet with retribution or reward ; their moral
code, which they seem to have borrowed from the M&dhavas, if not
from a pui^r source, consist of ten prohibitions. They are not to
lie, not to revile, not to speak harshly, not to discourse idly, not to
steal, not to commit adultery, not to offer violence to any created
thing, not to imagine evil, not to cherish hatred, and not to indulge
in conceit or pride. The other obligations are, — ^to discharge the
duties of the profession or caste to which a person belongs, to
associate with pious men, to put implicit faith in the spiritual pre-
ceptor, to ador^ Hari as the original and indefinable cause of a11,
and who, through the operation of Miya, created the muTerte, and

* Maclagan, Panjdh CemuM Report, 1^, iqq.
s Ei§ay§, I, 178.

203 CHARANllAsi.

\mB appeared in it occasionally in a mortal fonn, and particularly as
Krishna at Brindaban.

8. " The followers of Cbaran Dis are both clerical and secular;
the latter are chiefly of the mercantile order, the former lead a
mendicant and ascetic life, and are distinguished by wearing yellow
garments, and a single streak of sandal or gopichandana down the
forehead ; the necklace and rosary are of Tulasi beads. They wear
also a small, pointed cap, round the lower part of which they wrap
a yellow turban. Their appearance in general is decent, and their
deportment decorous ; in fact, though they profess mendicity they
are well supported by the opilenoe of their disciples. It is possible,
indeed, that this sect, considering its origin and the class by which it
is professed, arose out of an attempt to shake off the authority of
the Ookulastha Qusiins. The authorities of the sect are the Sri
BhAgwat and Gita, of which they have BhAsha translations ; that
of the former is ascribed, at least in parts, to Charan Das himself ;
he has also left original works, as the Sandeha Sagar and Dharma
Jih&j, in a dialogue between him and his teacher, Sukhdeva., the
same, according to Charan Disis, as the pupil of Vyisa and nar-
rator of the Pur&nas. The first disciple of Charan D&s was his
own sister, Sahaji Bai, and she succeeded to her brother^s authority
as well as learning, having written' the Sahaj Prakash and Solah
Tat Nimaya. They have both left many Sabdas and Kavits.
Other works in Bhasha have been composed by varioiK teachers of
the sect. The chief seat of the Charan D&sis is at Delhi, where
is the Sam^h or monument of the founder. This establii»hment
conf»ists of about twenty resident members There are also five or
hvx similar Mathas at Delhi and others in the upper part of the
Duab, and their numbers are said to be rapidly increasing.''

4. Unlike other dissenting sects the Charandasis keep idols in
their temples and respect Brihmans, who are found as members of
the sect. Their sacred place is Dehra, the birthplace of their
chief, where there is a monument over his navel string, and his gar*
ment and rosary are kept. "The Charand&si breriary {g^ika)
exhibits more Sanskrit learning than those of the other sects, and
instead of passing allusions to mythology, goes into details repird*
ing Sri Krishna's family, and merety popularises the orthodoi
Sanskrit teaching. 1 hus there is a chapter on one of the Upanishads
and another from the Bhigwat Purina. Its style is, perhaps, more
full and expresHive, and lens involved than other books of the same

CHARANDA8I.

204

CHAUBfi.

class. The S&dhs hold to the vemacnlar, and some time ago are
said to have resented an attempt of a learned Charan D&si to snb-
stitnte Sanski'it verse for the vulgar tongue. The breviary contains
the Sanedha Sagar and the Dharma Jih&j mentioned above. One
rather striking chapter professedly taken from some Sanskrit book
should be called NsLsa Kshetra's Inferno. N&sa Kshetra is permit-
ted to visit the hells^ and to see the torments of sinners, which are
described in detail, and the sins of each class specified. It is, in fiict,
an amplification of the Pur&nic account of Naraka, adapted to
impress the minds of the vulgar. N&sa Kshetra is then taken to
visit heaven, and subsequently returns to earth to relate what he has
witnessed.''^

Dutribution of the Ciaranddsis aceoiding to ihe Censui of 1891.

DISTKIGT.

Number.

DI8TBICT.

Namber.

Mazaffamagar • •

Cawnpnr. • •

Meernt ....

Pftnda ....

BalaDdahahr •

Hamlrpur

Agra •

Jhinsi • . . .

Bijnor • • . .

J^lanii . • • .

MorAd4b&d

Tar&i ....

8hlUijaL4npur .

Total

M =

161

ChaubS — [Sans: Ckaturvedika — "one skilled in the four
Vedas ;^' according to others because they use four fire-pits {pedi)'] .— -
A sub-caste of Brahmans who have their head-quarters at Mathar%
whence they are very commonly known as Mathura ke Chaiib£,
Mathur or Mathuriya.

2. They are a sub-division of the great Kwagjiya stock, and
according to Dr. Wilson,' their principal sub-divisions are,^
Nayapura, Hargadi, Chaukhar, Eataya, R&mpura, Paliya^ Hardis-

1 Rajpuidna QoMelUer, III, 215.
> InMan Ca$U, II, 156.

206 CHATJBft.

para, Tibaiya, Jainadnv% and Gargeya. According to another
account they have seven gotras and sixty-four alt: of these it
has been found impossible to obtain a full list. The best known
of the seven goira* are Bhdradw&ja, Dhuma, Sana, Astra, and
Daksha. Some of their aU are PAnr£, Pathak, Misra, Laps^,
Roti, Bharatw&r, Jonmand, Ohebariya, Chhiraura, Donrw&r, and
Tivlri.

8, The local legend tells that during the Variha incarnation of
Vishnu, the Daitya Hirany&ksha, twin brother of Hiranya-Kasipu, ^
the hero of the Holi legend, came to fight with the deity. Variha
killed him, but was smitten with remorse, as his antagonist had been
a Brihman. So he sat down on the VisrAnt Oh&t at Mathura, and
began to meditate how he could atone for the sin which he had com*
mitted. From the perspiration which the deity rubbid from his
body sprang the Chaub^ of Mathura. With their aid he performed
a sacriBce and cleansed himself from his iniquity.

4. The Chaubis of Mathura are endogamous. It is said that
their women can never live beyond the land of Braj. Hence the
verse, ~ if a^A»ra ki 6eti, Gckmi H gde, Kmrmm pk4U to ant jdi.
*' Mathura girls and Ookul cows will never move while fate allows/'

This custom of endogamy results in two exceptional usages-
first, that marriage contracts are often made while one or even both
the parties are still unborn ; and, secondly, that little or no regard is
paid to relative age ; thus a Chaubd, if his friend has no available
daughter to bestow upon him, will agree to wait for his Brst grand*
daughter. They will not, if it can possibly be avoided, marry in their
Own goira ; but instances are said to occur in which this law of
exogamy is not observed. According to Mr. Raikes* they have four
varieties of marriage, called in the jargon of the tribe ^«arv<t/ bydk
or " 6rst class,^' of which the total cost is Rs. 225 ; tittmm or " second
class,'' costing Rs. 175 ; iifra or ** third class,'' costing Rs. 75, and
iofM or " mean," where only one rupee is paid by the bride's folk ;
bat no disgrace attaches to this cheap wedding.

5. ''They are still very celebrated as wra^tlers, and in the
Mathura Moh^tmya their learning and other virtue* are also extolled
in the most extravagant terms ; but either thi* writer was prejudicol,
or time has had a sadly deteriorating effect. Ihey are now ordi*
narily described by their own countrymen as a low, ignorant horde

CHAUB&.

206

of rapacions mendicants. Like the Prigwalas at AlIabibAd, they
are the recognised local cicerones ; and they may always be seen
with their poi-tly forms lolling about near the most popular ghats
and temples^ ready to bear down on the first pilgrim that approaches.
One of their most notable peculiarities is that they are very reluc-
tant to make a match with an outsider, and if by any possibility it
can be managed they will always find bridegrooms for their
daughters among the residents of the town. Many years ago a
considerable migration was made to Mainpnri, where the Mathuriya
ChaubSs now form a large and wealthy section of the community,
and are in every way of better repute than the parent stock. ^^'
Another peculiarity of them is their notorious love for bkang and
sweetmeats. All ai*e Yaishnavas and worshippers of Sri Krishna.

6. Their women are well known for their beauty and delicacy of
foim. A native traveller' writes : — '' The Chaubainis are in the
grandest style of beauty. The whole class is superb, and the general
character of their figure is majestic. Their colour is the genuine
classical colour of the Brahmans of antiquity. '^ It is peculiar with
them to celebrate a number of marriages the same day in order to
save expense. Their greediness is proverbial — Aehehe bhai aial,
prdn gae niial — *' A life is well lost that is lost in gorging sweets.^'

DUtfibntion of CkaubS Brdhmam aeeording io ike Census of 169 1,

DiBTBICT.

Number.

i DiSTBICT.

Number.

iJebra l>dn

• Mainpari . • •

1,061

Sab 4 ran pur

Et&wah .

122

Muzaffarnagar .

, Etab ...

320

Meerut .

I3areilly ....

248

BnlandBhabr •

243

Bud&an ....

300

Aligarb .

109

: Mor&d&b&d .

388

Matbura .

5,036

Pilibbit ....

Agra

2,293

C awn pur

166

Farrnkb&bAd .

•

;AikbAb&d

t
i

185

■ Growse, Mathuraf 10.

3 BbolanAtb Cbandra, Travels II, 36.

chaub£.

207

chauhAk.

DiHribmiiom qf Ckambi BrdAmams aeeording to the Censu9 of iSPi— oonold.

DUTEICT.

JbAnti

Lftlitpor

Bentfei .

Mirupar

Gkiiipar

Ooimkhpnr

Number

1
4

78 .

lU I

DiSYBICT.

Kumaun .
Tarii
Lnoknow
Sttapnr .
Bahr&ioh .
8alt4npar

Malei

Total
6.452

Namber.

2
3
9
129
84
6

11.020

Females 6,668

I, Chanlian.— An important sept of RAjputs. The Biihmanical
le^nd of their origin is thus described by Colonel Tod* : — ** Again
the Brahmans kindled the sacred fire, and the priests assembling round
the fire-pit [agnikunda) prayed for aid to Mahadeva. From the
fire fountain a figure issued out, but he had not a warrior's mien.
The Brahmans placed him as guardian of the gate, and hence his
name Prithiha-dwira. A second issued forth, and being formed in
the palm {ckallu) of the hand was named Chal&ka. A third
appeared and was named Pram&ra He had the blessing of the Rishis,
and with the others went against demons ; but they did not pre*
Tail. Again Vasishtha, seated on the lotus, prepared incantations;
again he called the gods to aid ; and as he pouriKl forth the libation,
a figure arose lofty in stature, of elevated front, hair like jet, eyev
rolling, breast exi^anded, fierce, terrific, clad in armour, quiver filled^
a bow in one hand and a brand in the other, quadriform {Ckaim*
fMmga), whence his name ChauhAn/' Another account derives the
name from the Sanskrit Chaturbihu, the name of the first king of
the tribe. (General Cunningham' shows from inscriptions that even
as late as the time of Prithivi Rlja, the ChauhAns had no claim to
be sprung from fire, but were content to lie considered descendants

I AnmaU, 1. iCTi.

chauhAn. 208

of the sage Bhrigu through Jamadagnya Vatsa^ and he suggests
another explanation of the fabled descent from fire, which does not
seem very probable. According to tradition the famous city of
Analpur, or Analwara Patau, the capital of the Solankis, was said
to have been founded by Vana Baja Solanki, who named it
after Anala, a Chauhan cowherd, who pointed out the site to him.
According to another version, the place was originally established by
Anala Chauh&n himself. As the date of the event was unknown,
and was certainly remote, Anala was placed at the head of all the
Chauh&n genealogies as the progenitor of the race. Then, as Anala
means '^ fire,'' it naturally follows that the cowherd was dropped
and the element of fire adopted as the originator of the race. He
adds that in early times the name is written Chahuwftn in agree-
ment with the Chahum&n of the old Shaikhiwati inscription of
A.D. 961, and is pointedly derived from the Hindi ehdh "desire or
choice ,'' which is an abbreviation of the Sanskirit ichehha. Dr. Buch«
hanan^ derives the name from eiiniapavana, " the thought purifier/'
and the low grade so-called Chauhans of Bi jnor say they are so named
because when crossing the Indus with Mftn Sinh's army in 1 586
A.D., they lost the four requisites {c^au "four'', kdn "loss") of
Hindu communion, religion {d^arm), ceremonies {riii), piety (daya)
and duties {k^irma),

2. Of the Oudh Chauhins, Sir C. Elliot writes^ :— " In all
probability they followed closely on the Dikhits in the date of their
immigration. They colonised a tract of land which lies south of
Dikhtiyana, with the Panw&rs, B&chhals, and ParihArs between it
and the Biver Ganges. Chauh&na is the name popularly given to
this tract, which is properly said to consist of ninety villages. The
traditional cause which led to the migration is as follows : — A certain
Bfija of Mainpuri married a second wife in his old age, though hia
first wife had borne him two sons. The bride expostulated with
bbr family at being given in marriage to so old a man, and stipula-
ted that if she bad a son he should succeed to the estate and the
title. The Baja agreed, and signed a written acknowledgment to
that effect. After some time he died ; but bis wife had already borne
him a son, and on his death she produced the bond which the Rija
bad signed. All the brotherhood agreed that they ought to

I Eattem Indiih U, 4S8.
' ChronieUB of UndOf 42, sq.

209 chatjhJLn.

by it. The two elder brothers left the country in diB^^ust and set-
tled in Ondh. The traditions of different villages in Chaohina
differ as to the names of these two brothers, and it is stated that only
one of them remained here and the other went on to the borders of
the Gomati and settled in I^auli^ where there is now a large Chan-
bin colony. Bnt as the whole of the great colonies of Bachgotis,
Bajknm&rs, Bajw&rs, and Khftnz&das, who mle in the Faizabid and
Sult&npur Districts^ are Chauh&ns disguised under various names, and
originally emigrated from Mainpuri about the same time, it is safe
to trust an isolated local tradition as to any close connection existing
between any of these two colonies. It is sufficient to remark that
they ate all of the same poira, and therefore belong to the same
•tock/^

8. The most conspicuous families and those of the bluest blood

Tb« ChMhMit of th« •^ ^^^^^ ^' Mainpuri, Ksjor, PratApner, and
awg«..jiuimii.Dii4b. Chakamagar. Ihe Mainpuri family,* the

head of the sept, is said to have settled in the Central Du&b in the
twelfth or beginning of the thirteenth century. They are generally
represented to be the lineal descendants of Prattp Rudra, who was
son of Rina Sangat, the great grandson of Cbahir Deva, the brother
of Pnthivi Rija, the last Chauhin King of Delhi, who was conquered
by Shah&b-ud-din Ohori in 1193 A. D. It is almost certain, how-
e\'er, that the real founder of this impcrtmnt branch of the Cbauhins
was Deva Brahma, a less distinguished cadet of the same house.
Shortly after the defeat of Pnthivi R&ja and the fall of the Chauhftn
dynasty, Brahma, accompanied by a numerous following of kinsmen
ami retainers, left his original seat at Nimrftna and settled at PratAp-
ner, nemr Bhongfton, in the Mainpuri District. The founder of this
branch was PratAp Rudra, who is constantly mentioned in the
Makhzan-i-Afghini of Niyimat-ulla as having played a prominent
part in the reign of Muhammad Ala-ud*din and Bahlol Lodi. He
held BhongAcn, Kampil, and Patiyili, and was confirmed by Bahlol
Lodi as Governor of that part of the country. In the war between
Bahlol and the Sharqi monarch of Jaunpur, RM PratAp and Qutb
Khin, the Afghin Governor of the adjoining District of Ripri,
acted in concert, sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other,
and presumably on account of the assassination of Narasinha Deva,
si«n of Rid Pratip, they organised a conspiracy against Sultin

I Mmimpmri MiUm^mU Bt^ori, 17, iff.

Vol. II.

ohauhIn. 210

Bahlol and compelled him to retreat towards Delhi, leaving the Jaon-
pnr King in possession of the Central and Lower Du&b. A tradi-
tion nins that a Chanhdn being sorely pressed by his son-in-law, and
smai'ting under the sense of disgrace, as the father of a married
daughter seemed to entail upon him, called together his son and
bound them by an oath to save his family from future contempt by
killing every female child that might be bom to them. Since then
the sept has borne an evil reputation for the practice of infanticide.^
4. One family in Lucknow are called Bakhuki because it is said

Tnditioiit of other *^* ^^® ^ ^'^^ had to lay an evil spirit, a
bmnohea. Brahma XUkshasa, before he oould oooopy tiie

village. Another story is that this &mily had a Churel as their
ancestress.' In Mathura' the sept is classed as pure, because they do
not allow widow-marriage. The Bareilly^ branch say that ten gene-
rations back (1500-*1560 A.D.), Nandhar Deva and Grandhar
Deva came to Parauli in Bud&un, and thence moving on expelled the
Bhils from Bisauli. Ihe Oorakhpur branch are alleged by Dr.
Buchanan^ to have intermarried with impure Hill tribes, and to
have a Chinese caste of features. In Bulandshahr* one branch ac^
cepted Isl&m as they murdered the Muhammadan Qt)vemor of
Sikandarabad, and another adopted widow-marriage, and have been
expelled from the tribe. The legitimate Azamgarh branch traces
its origin to Sambhal, in the Morad&b&d District.^

6. In addition to the above, who claim legitimate descent, there

Inferior branches of ^® ^^^^ ^^^ position is more than doubt.
the sept. fai, g^eh are those in Morid&bid and Bijnor,

some of whom say they were originally GhJilot, others Ghuir, Bais,

P&nwsLr, and so on.^ They appear to be divided into three classes—

Chaudhari, Padh&n, and Khftgi. The last of these are the lowest,

widow-marriage being permitted among them. The Chaudhari do

not give their daughters to the Padhin, but take theirs.

They, as a rule, worship Mah&deva and Devi. In Mor&d&bftd, by

one account, they take their name from eiMa, " a rat, '' which would

i Baikes, NoUt, 8.

s SetOement K^l, IXVU.

* i6id, 84.
^ /6id, 82.

• EMiem InAia, II, 402.

* BAja Lachhman Sinh, if smo^ 164, tg.
7 BaiiUmeftd Report^ SO.

• 0$mui tUpart, 1865, Table IV, 6.

211

CHATJHlir

X^rrbfo rules.

ooimeot them with distmotly non-Aryan noes like the Mosahar.
They are said to have been driven into the Snb-Himalyan Tarfti by
the advancing Th&kors and Ahars. Similar and probably akin to
theee are the Abw&I of the hill, who also claim Chanhdn origin.^
6. To the west of the Province the true Chaoh&ns usually seek

alliances for their daughters with the Kaohh*
wiha, Badhaoriya, Baghel, and R&thaur, and
the humble Chauhin will take a wife from the Parih&r of BundeL
khuid or the Jidon of Karauli. In Rid Bareli their sons marry
Bisen g^li, and their girls Kalhans and Burheliya youths. In
Faiz&bftd they marry their sons to Bais and Gautam girls and their
daughters to the Panwftr^ Chamar Gaur, Sflrajbans, and Baikw&r.
Their ancestor is said to have married a Kalhans maiden. From
Bulandshahr it is reported that the Chauhins give brides to the Pan-
wir, R&thaur, Gbhlot, fKlokchandi Bais, Kachhwftha, Sisodiya^ and
othei high class Rijputs ; and marry BargAjar, Pundir, Katheriya,
Bichhal, Gahlot, and other high caste R&jput girls. In Un&o they
usually marry their g^ls in the Kachhw&ha, R&thaur, Janw&r,
Gahlot, or Panwftr septs^ and their sons to the Sombansi, Sakarwire,
or Chandel. In Gonda they give brides to the Bhadauriya^ Sengar,
Rithaor^ or Bisen : their sons to the Bais, Bisen or other respectable
Bijput septs. The bastard Chai^Jiins marry much lower caste
people."

DUtribmtum of Ciamkd* Rdjpmti according to ike (7«m«# of 139 L

DxaTEion.

DthimDikii

Mniaffsrnafir
MMntl

Bokndthahr

AUgtfli
Maihiini

Hiadiu.

4,046

7.041

10.5S9

18,944

16.344
8.885

S48
7,766
40M

179
7.836

416

Total.

4894
81.016
11.097
19.708
81.180
16^6

4.841

Vot. 11.

I AikiMoB. HimmUfon QoMdU^r, 111. 876.

ohauhIk.

212

Duiribuiion of Ckaukdn S^fpuU aeearding to ik$ Cennu of 1891 —conid.

DisTBion.

Farrnkhib&d

Mainpari •
Xi&wah •
EUh

BaraiUy •
BiJDor •
Badinn •
Moiid4bAd
Shihjablnpar
Pilibhlt •

Cawnpar

Patehpar

B&nda

Hamlrpar

AllahiUd

JhAnsi

JUaan

Lalitpar

Benarti

Minap«T

Jannpor

Ghixipnr

Ballia

Gorakhpur

Batti

Hindos.

11.939
6.496

24.680

9.897

13.706

7,011

77390

6.868

87,886

9.016

%082

8,794

8,847

1»498

683

1.488

763

6.616

Asamgarh •

678
691
1,676
1.680
1,866
8,181
3.461
1,749
8,986

164
7
16
168
948
839

%••

883
1,888

876
18

106
76
48
19

683

868

989
666
867

4,640
10,463

8,986

TOTAI..

18.093
6.608

84,696

10,066

14.649
7,860

77,890
6,661

89.064

9,391

8,096

8.900

8,983

1,541

668

8,006

798

6,684

6QS

844

1,696

8,669

'8.018
8,488
9,110

18,80t
6361

ohauhAk

213

CHAUPATA KHAIIB.
OHAX78BKL

DisirHuHan tfCkaukdm SqfpuU aeeording to ik§ Census qf 2892^wmc\d,

DllTEIOT.

Hindiii.

Mnhamma-
duift.

Total.

Kqiiiaiii

134

•••

134

TatAj

7,997

...

7,987

Loekaow

6,746

161

6,^96

UnAo

10,640

10.666

BAABmli ......

0,189

797

6,986

BlUpiir

6,662

8,424

8,986

H«fdoi

6,712

t • •

6,712

Kbtfi

4,' 27

2 766

7,393

Faii414a

6.868

1,978

7,836

OoDda

8.997

40S

3,799

BA:.r4ir!i

2,678

68a

9,523

8a1Unpar

^in

1,478

6.903

FkrtAbgarh

8.066

144

32 9

BAmbMiki

3,356
397,343

810

4.ll»6

6i.363

461.706

•^Chanpata Khamb.— A RAjpot eept found in small numbers
in the Benares division. According to Mr. Sherring^ in the city of
Benares they are chiefly engaged in the manufacture of 6ne wire
used in the frames on which cloth of various description is woven«
They trace their descent to two Sarwariya Brfthman brothers, Baldeo
and KuldeOy who settled at PathkhanU, in the Jannpur district.
BAja Jay Chand is said to have given hi sdaugfater in marriage to
Baldeo, on whidi Kuldeo, to mark his anger, erected a pillar {tl^ami),
and the d^soendants of Baldeo are hence called chaupaU or *' ruined.'^
diamani — (Ckaku^ four ; s^na, an army).— A sub-caste of Banyas
found principally in the Meerut, Agra, and Rohilkhand Divisions.
They are said to be a spurious branchof the BArshaeni (q t.). They

> Bi%d% THUS. T.

CHAT78ENI.

214

OHBBO,

hold very low rank among Banyas. Till recently all the higher
castes refused to eat and drink things touched by them. They say
they came from Mathura^ and claim descent from ChanAra, the
wrestler of Bija Kansa, from whom Cham&rs also say they are
sprung. Another story is that they are descended from one Bija
Phonda of Chanderi by an unmarried woman named Kundaliya.

Disiribufion of Chauseni Banfai a^^eording to He Cen$u$ of 1891.

DiRTBICT.

Number.

DlBTBIOT.

Kamber.

Mozaffarnagar <

Btah • • • .

783

Meerut • • i

Bareilly • • . .

424

Bulandsliahr • «

6,244

BiJDor • • • •

Aligarh • •

2.177

Badinn • • • .

1^1

Mathura • •

423

Morid&b&d

U022

Agra

106

Sh&bjahAopnr .

Farrokhib&d •

Pilibhit ....

160

Mainpuri •

Cawnpar .

VfAivAK

jStLawaD • • * «

Total

11,803

Chero. — ^A Dravidian race of labourers and cultivators found in
the hill country of Mirzapur where they number according to the
last Census 4,881. The word may be possibly of non- Aryan
origin. It has been connected with the Hindi ekela (Sanskrit
chefaka, ehedaka ''a slave''). Sir O. tJampbell's^ theory that
that Chero-Khero, ELharwftr is not probable. The ethnology of the
Cheros has been to some extent obscured by the &ct that they are
in Bengal perhaps the most advanced of the Dravidian races. Colonel
Dalton calls them the last Kolarian tribe dominant in the Glangetic
Provinces.' They are said in ShAMbAd to have been rulers of
the country extending from Charanadri, the modem Chunir^ to

1 Jovirnal Atiaiic Society of Benzol, 1866, Part II. Aooordinir to Dr. J. Mafr
tbry wore perbaps the Kikataa of the Sanskrit writers— >^nci«ti< SanskrU 7«c(t, II,
868. The Kikataa appear to have been residents of the modem ~"

s D€9eripHve Sihnoiogy, 126.

21-1

I .

'. .'•:

• •> /. ■''".' i " r/ ••.'«">-.■ huftf qt r,"> ■. ^'W/; /-J .'i{^ C,r,\iA .^ •'

V'l ■". l;.

. I. . . I •

1 ,.
1 .-

• ,

30 I., li

■ I ■

"a.—

i...'l.Vjrj

» 1

, ."■ ' Iilivh'.t ,

• ' C , (.a VI., .11

• I

• N't. '" .

41' 4

.1 l.t'JJ

-•■

Tu:.'.L . II.'-

!•

I »

■ • ■ ." .\j •/.■»'":i W^ ■ ' l!l*-v lUii.-tH »■ ;j.voj'i)i11J \% M

•*. .'.1'' i.'i w'-t^ Oil- llti./ii i-4//.- (Sail k:j!
'• .: -^ :.v ' ;. ^"r 'i. ('m -.iilr'l.'V ^ lh**orv •':•,*

: .4 ' . ! ' I ! ' '■■•■' T . ..■ . I ■ rt » .

• 1 . '1 > ■ ■ ' • . •

t . <■

\ .1

\ • -It.

■ I

■ * * .

1 .

I -

'. 1

V I' *

i i

■ ■ ■ • •

216 OHBRa

Gridhaya kot (Giridhi), and from the Gangos to the hills which
now fonn the boundary of South Bihftr, including the entire extent
of the country in the Patna division south of the Ganges. The
names of the Kol R&j and the Chero lUj are now descriminately
applied by the natives of the South Bihir to the kingdom of the
aborigines.^ Aooording to Dr. Buchanan Hamilton they extended
aa &r as Goirakl^r or Kosala, and destroyed the &mily of
the Sun in Ajudhy% as well as that of the Moon in Magadha.'

2. A tradition recorded by Mr. Forbes * states that Kesho
NirAyan Sinh, a Bundya R&jput, and Rija cf GarhgCkmti, in Bun-
delkhandy was blessed with an only daughter : being anxious to
learn the future that was in store for her, he sent for a learned
Brfthman and requested him to draw her horoscope. The Brihman
did so, and declared it was ordained that the young girl, if married
at ally oould wed no other than a Muni, or one to all intents and
purposes dead. On learning this the R&ja determined to go to some
holy shrine and offer {saniaU^f) his daufi^ter to the first Muni ho
oould find. He started accordingly taking his daughter with him,
and when passing through the Morong,* he one day encamped
in a tope of trees near to which there was a mound. Enquiring
frcHu the people what this mound was, he learned that it was the
living sepulchre of a very pious Muni Chamman Muni Rishi. The
Bija immediately called for spade and shovel, unearthed the holy
man, and made the girl over to him. From this marriage sprung
the Chero or Chauh&nbansi Rajputs. 1 heir son was Chet Rid, who
expelled the Rathaur lords of the country. After him the folk>wing
Chero RAjas ruled Kumaon— Chhattardis Rid, Udit Rl^ Udand
Ri£, and Choftn Rid, whose son, PhQl Chand, conquered Bhojpur or
South Bihar. The Cheros entered Pyaman in 16U A. D.,and
ruled the district for nearly two hundred years, when they wen
expelled by the British.

S. General Cunningham accepts the account that they were
oonquered by the Saura tribe in ShahabAd and Benares. In ShahibAd,
the ancient KaruUia Desa, all old buildings are as<*ribM] to them.
Even as late as the time of Akbar a Chero eliicf is said to have kept
possession of Chayanpur, one of the chief towns in the diiitrict.

> CmUulU R4vir^, CXXXVII, 35L

* KnMiem India, II. ail.

■ BtttUw^tnt Report of PnUman, 2S, •q^

< Ihk U proUblj ill Murasf. now one ti tbt VmpiX DistrlelB.

CHEBO. 216

General Canningbam thinks their power must have oeased before
the accession of the P&la dynasty. One ancient chief or ruling
family among them appears to have been known as Chero Chai«^

4. There are no Cheros now in Ohazipur ; but Dr. Oldham de-
scribes those on the Oh&zipur frontier as honesty industrious cultiva-
tors^ not differing from Hindus of the agricultural classes. The
family records of the Hayobans BAjas, formerly of Bihiya, and now
of Haldi^ notice a conflict between the Chero and Hayobans chiefs
which lasted for hundreds of years^ and terminated in the triumph
of the B&jputs. As late as the rdgn of the Afgh&n Emperor
Shir Sh&h the power of the Cheros was formidable^ and on his
overcoming Maharta^ a chief of the tribe^ he indulged in transports
of delight. On the Kaimiir plateau the last famous robbers were
Nora and Kora^ who were captured in 1858.' Their village was
Chirvi^ called after the tribe^ as are the Cherand Pargana and
Cherand Island in the S&ran District.*

5. But in spite of their Br&hmanical traditions and extensive
conquests they are undoubtedly^ as Dr. Buchanan Hamilton as-
serted^ of Dravidian origin.^ Colonel Dalton remarks that in Chota
Nfigpur their physical traits have been considerably softened by
their alliances with pure Hindu families. He describes their
features as of the Mongolian^ or^ as he should rather have said^ of the
Kolarian or Dravidian type. They vary in colour^ but are usually
of a light brown. They have, • as a rule, high cheek bones, small
eyes obliquely set, and eyebrows to correspond ; low, broad noses,
and large mouths with protuberant lips/ in other words; they
are not appreciably different from the other Dravidian tribes, like
the Kols, Majhwftrs, etc. This is further shown by the fact that
in Mirzapur they are popularly known as Baiga, the devil priest^
which is the special business of the non- Aryan races.

6. There is no trace in Mirzapur of the division into Blrahhasir

and Terahhazar of Palamau.* South of the

Son they have two exogamous sections, Mahto

and Chaudhari : others call these sections Nigbansi, and pretend

1 Beportit Arehaologieal Survey, XV, 60, XYU, 131, tq : XXII, 75.
» Probably Kunwara, ** Prince, •* Neura, Neola, " weasel."

• Memoir of OhAeipur, I, 51.
4 Batlem India, I, 24.

• Deicriptiv€ Ethnology, 126.

• Tribei and Cadei, 1, 199.

217 CHKRO.

that tbey are like their brethren in Chota Nif^^ur, descendants of
the Nig or dragon/ and Pandobansi, who saj they are connected
with the five Pandavas; another statement of the sections shows
the composite character of the raoe — Kol, Chero, Hardaha (from
the iar^H tree, adina cortiifolia), Kariha, Panariha, Kntaha
Sinduraha (^Hhose who use red lead^'). Some of these are possibly
of totemistic origin. The Census Returns give another list — Bard*
bansi, Bardhin, B&mbansi, Oaya, Khar, and Surajbansi.

7. Their custom of exogamy even is uncertain. By one account

first cousins on the father's side cannot inter*
marry, while marriage of cousins on the
mother's side is permitted, and a paternal uncle's son can marry
a maternal uncle's daughter, but not 9 tee vered. On the other
hand, the more Hinduised Cheros profess to regulate exogamy by
the stock formula — ciaciera, mamera, pkupera, mauiera, which bars
the Une of the paternal uncle, maternal uncle, paternal aunt,
maternal aunt. There can be very little doubt that until compara-
tively recently they used to intermarry with Bhuiyas, as is proved
by niunerous local traditions. The Bhuiyas, on the other hand, say
that they have given up intermarrying with Cheros since the Cheroa
have taken to intermarry with Kols, and the Cheros at any rate
give Kol as one of their sections. South of the Son it is generally
asserted that Bhuiyas and Cheros are the same. From all which
it would appear that Kols, Cheros and Bhuiyas are of one parent*
stock, and have separated by a process of abscission in comparatively
recent times.

8. There is no trace of polyandry among them. It is noticed aa
_ peculiar to the Cheros that, unlike the allied

Dravidian tribes, whenever they go any dia-
tanoe from home, as to the jungle after cattle, to pay their rent, etc.,
they always bring their wives with them. It is a tradition among
them that formerly the custom was that if a man remained six
months absent from his wife, she was at liberty to form a fresh con-
nection : but it is said that this is now obsolete. The standing price
for a bride is five rupees, and it is entirely a question of means how
^ many wives a man has. Monogamy appears to be the rule. Some
Cheros admit that concubinage is allowed, and that a widow or
divorced woman may go and live with anyone she likes ; but this

> DaltuB, be. ciL, Its.

CHBBO. 218

custom^ too^ appears becoming gradually discredited. Girls are said
to be allowed little liberty before marriage ; but il seems certain that
many marriages are carried out when pregnancy is the resnlt of an
ante*nuptial intrigue/ in which case the alliance is recognized on her
father giving a tribal feast {boik bhdi) ; but if her paramour be of
another caste she is permanently excluded. Like those in CShota
N&gpur' the Mirzapur Cheros profess to marry their children
between the age of five and ten« Any relation may act as the nego*
tiator (agua). Though her &ther receives the bride-price it is spent
on the marriage^ and he is expected to give her a dowry as tax as his
means will allow. The customs regarding divorce, widow-marriage,
the levirate, and succession, are the same as among the Kols. The
Gharjaiy&n marriage, where the youth serves for his bride on pro-
bation in the house of her &ther, is common.*

9. The general scheme of relationship agrees with that of the

Kols. A &ther is iilia, iMia ; other's brother,
Idka ; mother, didi ; sister, hakin ; father's
mother, dji ; elder paternal uncle's wife, hatki idti, younger paternal
uncle's wife, e^^n^^i kdki ; elder brother's wife, biaufi ; joxmger
brother's wife, dulkin ; or bride, son's wife,pa/oAfjfa ; maternal uncle,
mAm% : mother's mother ndni j mother's sister mauii j mother's father
mdna; mother's gprandfather, pamdna; wife's father, makio, or
'' leader ; " wife's Other's wife, maktodin /' sister's husband, dr
{ydr, friend), brother-in-law's father, maltoj younger brother of
wife, bdbu. A man names his wife by his wm^^Lallm ki maitdri^^
''Lallu's mother." A father is sometimes addressed as bkaiffa
or '' brother." They remember genealogies only to three generations,
and in the case of females only as &r as the gprandmother. Thej
call clansmen living in the same village ganwdm bhdu

10. The Cheros mark their approach to Hinduism by having

puberty ceremonies which are not usual
among the allied Dravidian races. On eadi
occasion they sacrifice to Durga Devi and the colleotive villago
gods {deokdr). Cocks, hens, pigs, goats, and liquor constitute the
offering which is made by the village Baiga, who first bathes and
then before the platform of the deity makes a oowdung fire, into

1 Wesiemmrok, Bittory of HMman Marriagt, 23.
s BiHiejr, loc ct<., 1, 201 •
* Westoromrck, loc cit , «oe.

210 OHBEO.

which he poura a mixture of eugar^ butter^ Befiamam and * rioe, and
saySi — Dik bdba kamdr kdraj iokarSkifpa se kogail; iejdnab ; kam
mmnauld rakU, to /^i— '' Village Lord I Our business has been com-
pleted through thy favour I Know this I Accept the offering we
owed. *' After this he sacrificee the victim, which the brethren
divide, the head being the Baiga^s perquisite. The worship is sup-
posed to keep evil spirits from the mother and her expected baby,
I'he other birth ceremonies are the same as among the Kols.

IL The binding part of the betrothal ceremony is the payment

of the bride-price, five rupees. If the father
of the girl annul the engagement he is forced
to return the bride-price, and is severely dealt with by the tribal
oouncil besides.

12. There are three varieties of marriage,— Ciariauva, which is

the respectable form ; dola, which is used by
poor people and in which the ceremonies are
done at the house of the bridegroom, and sagdi, for widows. The
ritual is the same as among the Kols, but the Cheros make more
use than they do of BrAhmans in fising the lucky time, and even
now in respectable families Br&hmans attend, but do not carry out
the service. Such people are clearly in rapid progress towards
complete Hinduism.

12. Similarly in the case of funeral ceremonies they are beginning

to employ BrAhmans and to do the regular
irdddha, while they still retain some of the
non-Arjran practices noticed in the case of the allied Dravidian races.
18. Their chief deities are Sain, a vague female form sometimes

known as Devi, Sitala, the goddess of small
pox, and the Dih, or aggregate of village gods,
which are worshipped both by men and women. Fowls, goats, and
pigs are saorifiocd to the Manes, the victim being fed on some rice
and marked on the head with red lead in the name of the sainted
dead before being sacrificed. During the period of mourning they do
worship to the disembodied spirit {prei) with an offering of a
young pig. For their special worship in the Hindu form they employ
a low body of Sarwariya BHihmans. The worship of the rillage gods
is done by a Baiga of their own tribe, and this local priest is generally
the president of the village tribal oouncil. The Baiga pretoids
to great personal purity, and is supposed to fast on the day
he makes the offering. They have apparently quite abandoned the

CHERO. 220

system of triennial sacrifices which prevails among the Eastern
branch of the tribe ;^ but their tribal traditions show that their
disoontinnance is comparatively recent. The site of the Cfaero
shrine (deohdr) is usually under a nim tree where rude earthen^
ware images of horses are collected. The offering very often takes
the form of what is called newa;, balls of sweetened flour fried in
butter. These after being offered are eaten by the family of the
worshipper and the Baiga. All their sacrifices are done in public,
except those to Dulhadeo, the godling of marriages, who is little
more than a household deity, and whose worship is in the hands of
the women.

14. Their festivals are the Anant Chaudas, on the 14th day of

the light half of Bhidon ; the Jiutiya^
during the fortnight sacred to the dead
{pitra patika), in Ku&r, when women fast for a day and night to
procure long life C/fw) for their sons and husbands; and the
Phagua or Holi. Some Sundays are consecrated to the spirits of
the dead, and are called pretak, when a &st is imposed, and on
Sundays generally as well as at the Anant Chaudas, they do not eat
salt. They do the Phagua like ordinary Hindus. In the
Pitrapaksha for ten days they pour water on the ground in the
name of the dead, and on the eleventh day shave and put on clean
clothes. On that day each &mily gives the Br&hman two and a-
half 9erM of uncooked grain {iidka ). The only &mily festival is
the Jiutiya, which some obsei-ve to bring good luck on the family,
and some in the hope of male offspring. One platform in the house
is the residence of the sainted dead and the Devi. They are much
afraid of the ghosts of persons drowned {ImrMa), and whenever
they pass a place where such an accident occurred they raise hands
in an attitude of supplication.

15. Ancestor worship is fairly well established, but not

universal. It can form even the subject of

Ancestor worship. ... , ,

a joke as in a proverb common among these
people — eiir kawar hhUar, tab deota pilar — '' First eat four mouth-
fuls, then think of the godlings and the sainted dead.'' Sickness
in a family is attributed to the anger of the ancestral ghosts : in
such cases fowls and goats are sacrificed in the house, and a few
drops of liquor are poured on the ground. On the tenth day after

Bitl«7, Trihn and CoMtu, 1,202.

221 CHBBa

a death the more Hindaified Cheroe give the family prieet (pmroAii)
a pair of loin-cloths {dAoli)^ a drinking veeeel (/o^), a tray {Udlt),
and grain always in the ratio of one and-a-quarter sen, maande,
measnree {paieri). The ghosts of the dead if not propitiated appear
in dreams and prescribe the necessary offerings. If the injunctions
g^ven by, them in the first dream are not obeyed^ the next time they
nt on the chest and squeeze the throat of the offender. Ghosts
{bA4l) habitually haunt cremation grounds. Neglect of funeral
ceremonies does not necessarily involve the spirit becoming a Bh&t,
but those who are killed by a Bh&t invariably become Bh&ts them-
selves. Tattooing in its present form is little more than ornamental ;
but it is clearly connected with puberty ^^ and is based in case of
women on a religious motive. If a woman die without being
tattooed, Paramesar will tattoo her himself with the thorns of acacia
{babii}^- Women pay special reverence to the fig tree (pipal), and
bow when they pass near it. They have the usual meeting omens.
They do not follow Hindus in giving two names to children. They
swear by touching a cow-tail or the feet of a Brihman or by
standing in water while they make a solemn assertion to speak the
truth. Poverty, leprosy, or loss of children follows a broken oatk
16. Many of these women have a reputation for witchcraft

and the power of casting the Evil Eye. Such
people are hated by the Baiga, who gets them

oat of the village if he can. It is believed that these witches
specially select young men and children as their victims. The head-
quarters of the Ojhas who deal with such cases are at two places called
''the house of Ood'' ( heogkaripa), in Nagar Untiri, District
Lohirdaga; people attacked by witchcraft visit these Ojhas with
trays of flowers. There are also local Ojhas usually of the Kharwiri
Majhwftr, or Bhuiyir tribes, who prescribe in cases of witdioraft
and instruct disciples. A favourite method of injuring an enemy is
to measure his footsteps in the dust with a straw, and then to mutter
a spell over it. This brings on wounds and sores in the foot. There
is a special word for this, pingna.^ Disease is popularly believed to be
due to demoniacal agency,' and people are particularly cautious to dee*
troy cuttings of their hair, nails, etc., lest they should come into the

I W«H«rviarek, History of HuwMn Marriofs, 177. 180.

* This U poMibly d«riT9d from wd^ footi Af. io mor* lortoocMlj.

• 8p«B0«r. FrUu^lm ^ Botioify, I. »«S.

CHEBO. 222 ohhIpi.

hands of witches^ who would thas obtain oontrol over their victimB.^

17. The only meat from which Cheros habitually abstain is that

of the cow^ and the prohibition of its use is

Social onfltoiDB. _ . ... r«i • ,

based on religious motives. Their taboos are
the same as those of the Kols. Men and women eat apart. They
salute Brsllimans and other superiors in the paSlagi form^ to others
they salim. When they meet a superior they very often take off
the turban and stand on one leg. They will eat food cooked in
butter {pakka khdna) only from the hands of Br&hmans. They^
in feet, affect a good deal of ceremonial purity like the Cheroe
of Palamau and the Kharrias.' Kalwirs and all the wandering
fianyas who go about the country for grain will eat pakka khdna
and drink water from their hands. Their usual occupations are
cultivating, ploughing for others, cutting wood, collecting lac and
other jungle produce. They will not breed silkworms, which is
considered a most disreputable occupation and left to Bhuiy&rs and
Chamslrs. They have an elementary communal organisation (eka)
in which the residents of three or four villages join for general
business, fiut this seems to be on the decline. There is no trace
of a periodical distribution of fields, but only the lands near the
village site are habitually cultivated. The others are under a sys*
tern of biennial fallow. In all but the cleared and cultivated lands
the right of pasturage is unrestricted. Cheros have a reimtation
for honesty and good conduct, and they are liked in villages better
than Bhuiyas or Bhuiy&rs : but they are lazy cultivators.

18. Like all these jungle races they keep their houses separate

from each other, partly through fear of witch-
craft practised by neighbours, to avoid infec-
tion, the work of evil spirits, and with this object sick people con-
stantly change their houses, partly through fear of fire, as their houses
are very inflammable. This is also the rule with the Bhils.*

Chhipi.^ — (Hindi, chkdpna, "to print,'' Sans: k9hip, "to
pour '').*-The caste of calico printers and chintz stampers, of whom
there are both a Hindu and a Muhammadan branch. The Hindu
branch have a tradition that they were once R&thaur R&jputs. In the

> Spenoer, Principles of Sociology^ I, 243.

> Dalton, Ethnology, 160, Note; Bisley, loe, cit,, I, 202.
* Bomhay Qatetteer, VI« 26.

4 Baaed on enqairiea made at Mirzapnr and notoa by BAbn Biadao SahAj, Haad-
maater. High School, Farrakhabad, and Nawib Mnhammad All KhAn« BolMidaliahr.

228 ohhIpi.

Mkme way the Bhavsftrs or calenders of Bombay have a tradition that
when Parasuribna was exterminating the Kshatriya raoe they were
B&jpnts living at Mathora, and, fearing the same fate as their
brethren, became followers of one BAmdevji, a mendicant, and came
to Mirwir. This lUmdevji being a calender his followers at first
were called Chhippas. Their present name they derive from the fact
of their having placed faith {bkdv) in this mendicant.^

The Eastern Chh!pis refer their origin to a place which they call
Dheri Avarerachh, somewhere in Bnndelkhand. Dheri is a village
in the Samthar State which lies between Jalaun and Jhinsi, and
Avareraohh is a oormption of Irichh or Erichh, a town in Pargana
Moth, of the Jhinsi District, which is even to the present day noted
for its manufacture of chintz.'

2. The internal stmcture of the caste is very intricate. In

Mirzapur they name seven endogamons snb-
castes — Palhariya (from paliianda, the stand
on which the dye-pots are placed); Bulbulha (from Mbnl, the night-
ingale) ; Dnnsna (said to mean '' a large needle *'); SAdh or '' saints, '*
Who pretend to special purity and will not eat meat or kill animals ;
SArajbans, '* children of the Sun ''; Kanaujiya or Kanaujiha, who
say they come from Kanauj ; and Pariya, or '* those who keep
yonng bofiEalo calves/' These are the explanations current among
the members of the caste, and must, of course, be accepted with
caution. In Fatehgarh there are two endogamous sub-castes-^
BeU or Dilw&ri, that is Dehliwil or '' residents of Delhi ; '' Oola,
''mixed, '^ or Mirwiri or Sanganeri, who take their name from a
place called Sanganer, which is said to be somewhere near Jaypur.
These, again, are divided into a number of sections. Thus of the Reli
are named the Milku ; Cliliuriyapel ; Ajudhiya ; Nauchhirak ; Sima-
wir; P&nisap; Kupendiya; Kachhot; Banawir; Oadhaiya, and
many others. The Gk>las are said to have seven hundred and fifty
sections, such as the DharivnA ; D(isay6 ; Mertwir, and Oothalwir.
In Fatdigarh the rule of exogamy appears to be that a man cannot
marry in his own section nor in a section in which a near female
relation is already married. In Bulandshahr they are reported to
have throe endogamous sub-castes^-Jeni ,or Jaiui, Reliya, and
Tink, and they do not marry in their own family or in that of the

* Bom^y Qmt4iU^, V, 78.

< QmmUmr, lioHK-Wui Pr^vmcm, I. 40.

CHHtPL 224

maternal uncle. The Eastern ChhipiB state that they follow the
standard formula ckachera^ mamera, pkitphera^ mausera, which hars
the line of the paternal uncle^ maternal uncle, maternal aunt, and
paternal aunt.

8. According to the Census lists which record two hundred and
two sub-divisions of the Hindu and twenty-one of the Mahummadan
branch, their sections follow the rule so oonunon in these occupa-
tional castes. Some are of local origin and others imply some real
or supposed connection with other tribes. Thus among local terms
we find AjudhyabSsi^ Chhatarpuriya, Desw&ri, Kanaajiya, Mirw&ri,
Mathuriya, PaehhSin, Panj&bi, Purabiya, SribAstav ; while in the
second class come Agarw&l, Agrahari, Bais, Baiswftr, Bftgri, Chamftr,
Chauhin, Chhatri, Chiryam&r, Ch&rihAr, Darji, Dhakarya, Jidu,
Kachhiya, Koliya, Eori, iSftjput, B&thaur, BAwat, Buhela, Sakar-
w&r, Surajbansi, T&nk, Tomar, and Ummar, most of which are
derived from the names of tribes and sub-castes or septs of Banyas
and Bajputs.

4. They marry their children in infancy. To the east poly-
gamy is allowed to the extent of having two
wives at one time if the first be barren. To
the west, though polygamy is tolerated, it is said to be rare. There
is nothing peculiar about their marriages, which are conducted in the
orthodox way. Intertribal adultery seems to be little regarded,
but an intrigue with a stranger involves expulsion from caste. There
is among the Hindu branch at least no regular form of divorce,
but a man with the leave of the tribal council can expel his wife
for infidelity. Divorced women can marry again with permission of
the tribal council. The levirate is recognized, but is not compulsory
on the widow.

5. To the cast of the Province they very seldom belong to any recog-
nised Hindu sect. Devi and the Pinohonptr
are their tribal deities. Devi is worshipped
on the 1 4th of Philgun with an offering of coooanuts, sweets {bmidtkn,
halwa) cakes (pUri) and garlands of flowers. The Pftnchonptr are
honoured with sweet cakes [malida) and loin-cloths, which the wor-
shippers put on after offering them to the godlings. To the Wert
the Belis are N&nakpanthis and the Golas Vaishnavas. The BeUs
worship Nanak especially on the Uanga S&twin and at the Basaiit
Panchami, when the halwa sweetmeat is offered to him and then
distributed among the worshippers. Women especially worship

225 CHalpr.

Shaikh Saddu. In BulandBbahr thej worship M4ta or the Bmall-pox
goddo88^ Miran Sahib, and Chamar Devi. Their tribal Haint is Nam«
deva, of whom they know nothing save that he was the first printer.
One person of this name is one of the authors of the Sikh Grantb
«nd another or perhaps the same is regarded by the Marathas as
their oldest poet, and is said to have been a contemporary of Kabir,
and to have lived in the twelfth or thirteenth centurj'. Of the
Nimdeopanthis who recorded themselves to the nimiber of 1 0^**^58 at
the last Census, the unity of the deity and the uselessness of cere*
monial appear to be the leading characteristics of the creed. Like
IU£disi Chamirs and Senapanthi Nais, the Nimdeopanthi cotton
printers have been separated from their caste-fellows by the superior
purity of their belief, and now form a separate sub-caste, shown in
the caste returns as Nimdeobansi.^ They employ Brahmans as
their priests; to the east these are usually Sarwariyas; to the
west Saraswat, Kanaujiya and Gaur Brahmans serve them. They
burn their dead in the orthodox way, and throw tlie ashes, if possible,
into the Ganges or one of its tributaries. On the day of the Diwali
they worship the dies with which they stamp the cloth as fetishes.
The more careful perform the annual nrdtUka during the piirapak-
ika or fortnight sacred to the sainted dead in the mouth of
Kuir.

6. The great centres of the calico printing trade in these provinces
Oeevpntion and eooUl ^^ Luckuow, Fatehgarh, Bulandshahr, and
■***^* Mirzapur, where it is largely in the hands of

a colony of Sadhs from Fatehgarh. In Luckuow, according to
Mr. Hoey,* there arc three different olaHstos of wtton printers who
pass under the same name and usc> similar dyt*s. TIh> first class is
the 8tam{)er of real or imitation gold or silver U*af on eoloureil i^otton
fabrics for use as {mlanquin covers, curtains (paniu), UhI covers,
{likdf), quilts, etc. The process is simple but ingi*nious. The
Chhipi makes a mixture of gum, chalk, and glue. He stain]>s the
pattern on the fabrics with this mixture by means of a wooden die.
He then lays strips of silver leaf over thi* {latt^Tu tracHnl in this way,
and taps it gently with a pail. The leaf atlhiTes to th^* gummy
lines of tlu> patU>m stainpiHl, and comes away fn»m the unstani{)tHl
surface. Tlie process of staiupln;; an imitation tif Hilver differs

I (>n«i«« He^Hiti, }i%trih'Wtgt Trw ii •»*•<«, l^^l . j». *J35. For a 'tirth<*r rti nnt of

Vol II ,

OuhIpi. 226

The ChMpi in this case mizM pewter {ranfa), gvm, glue, and ch&lic
and stamps the pattern right off. After it dries he mba it over
-with a piece of wood (miin), and this gives a gloee to the inferior
metal. The second class mark patterns on mnslin for «nbroi-
derers {cMkandoz), and the third prints cotton fabrics in fast colours
for nee as quilts, sheets, bed covers, table cloths, eta. The Chhipi,
as a rule, ranks fairly high in social estimation. To the east of
the Province he does not drink spirits or eat any meat. All Hindns,
including Brabmans will, it is sud, eat pakki cooked hy him, and
tribes like the Kahir will eat iaeheki prepared bj him. In Fatch-
garh he will eat pakki prepared by A^arwila Banyas, and kaekeki
by Gaur Brfihmans. Water they drink from the vessel of a
Brfihman or Banya, but th^ will smoke only from the pipe of a
member of the tribe. Br&hmans will eat pakki prepared by tbem ;
NSis and M&lia will eat kaekeki cooked by them, and drink from
their vetteli.

Ditlribuiiox

o/tk

to tke Centu* qf t891.

DlBTBICTS.

■

DehM Dfin .

...

Sshirnnpar .

...

837

1,M3

1.474

3,<e3

Muzaffaraagar

116

1,366

204

SGS

1968

MwrDt

69a

IJ02Q

2,176

108

s.gM

Bukndihahr .

860

438

SGS

1.SM

AligrTh

1,367

\M7

Uatbara

£37

124

914

iM3

Agr. . .

...

1,216

1,M8

Fernikb&b&d .

...

Uainpuri .

...

£Uiral.

...

£Uh .

lOl

Bareilly

322

419

741

Bijnor

■

__1^

237

958

190

U91

«.77«

227 CHHtPi.

Vistribituit ^tU CkUpU aceor^ng to tU Oumu nfl891—vme\i.

Dmfticn.

BndAnn

...

SIO

MarfUbftd

...

130

UIB

123

6»*

i.Ui

i.m

221

sse

PDbibft

...

Cnpv

...

131

101

FtUhpM

...

™

COS

Bind* .

S80

380

Ilunlrpor

...

1.341

1.S88

All>Ub4d

iao

JUiui

™

III

Jtl.ai,

...

Utitpar

.«

81)

...

888

Bm»m

...

JWBpUf,

...

BMi .

IMi .

171

...

8,4W

:.8»

iMkBO*

...

UbAo .

...

BUBu«U

...

.„

iJi

Sh^pat

... 1 ...

...

„

Kbni .

.. ' IT

...

«,

i«

SIS

P«UUJ

...

OoBdA

...

lt>

...

mhiiwd

...

.' ,

PwUbyarli

... 1 »1

- 1

Toiii.

M7 75»

3.«riB

Ull

lUM 11,811

3I,1M

cuiSHTc. 228

Ghishti ; Chishtiya. — The best available acoount of this class
of Muhammadan faqtrs is that of Mr. Maclagan^ : — '' The Chishtis
trace their origin to one Abu Ish&q, ninth in succession from
Ali| the son-in-law of Muhammad^ who migrating from Asia
*Minor^ settled down at a village called Chisht in Khurasan and
became thus the religious preceptor of a large body of Musalmans.
One of his successors, Khw^ja Mutn-ud-din Chishti, a native of
Sanjar, in Persia, having migrated to India in the time of Ghiis-ud-
din Balban, settled in Ajmer, and was the means of establishing
the order in ladia. His Khalifa or immediate successor was
Khwtlja Qutb-ud-din Bakhti&r K&ki, who is buried near the Qutb
MinS^r at Delhi, and Qutb-ud*din^s successor was the celebrated
Bsiba Farid Shakkarganj, whose shrine is at Pikpatan in the
Montgomery District. The surname of this saint is said to be
derived from the fact that owing to the purity of his body all he ate
became sugar ; if we may trust another story, he nourished himself
by holding to his stomach wooden cakes and fruits when he felt
himgry. This miraculous but inexpensive provender is still pre-
served. An immense fair is held at this shfine every year, and the
object of every pilgrim who attends is to get through the narrow
gate of the shrine on the afternoon or night of the fifth Muhamun.
The saint is adored by Hindu sas well as Musalm&ns, and to be a
disciple of Bdba Farid does not necessarily imply being a Chishti,
aud^ again, the descendants of the saint and his relations, carnal and
spiritual, have formed themselves into a separate caste of men who
are found on the Satlaj in the Montgomery District, and who,
though bearing the name of Chishti, are now in all respects an ordi-
nary lay caste, quite apart from the religious order of the same
name.

2. '' Baba Farid had two disciples, one of these was Ali Ahmad,
surnamed Sabir, whose shrine is at Piran Kaliyar near Burki,' and
whose followers are known as Sabir Chishtis, the other was the
celebrated and mysterious Niz&m-ud-din Auliya (1232*1824 A.D.),
around whose tomb are collected some of the choicest monuments of
ancient Delhi, and whose desciples are known as Nizftmis.

» PanjAh Censut lUport, 193.

' Tho Piran Kaliyar fair is held on the Ganges Canal, abont foar milea ttortli*
east of Rnrki. Its dato is the first of the month Babi-nl-awwal. By Hindiis it U
largely attended, and is by them supposed to celebrate the death of B4|a Karma.

229 CHI8HTI.

S. '' The Chiflhtis in repeating the profession of faith lay a par-
ticular ftress on the words Ilia Uldiu, repeating these with great
violencei and shaking, at the same time their heads and the upper
partsjof their bodies. The sect is said to be specially affected by
Shiahs, and it is distinguished by its adoption of vocal music in its
religious services. The members of the order are worked up by
these religious songs to a high pitch of excitement, and often sink
down exhausted. They frequently wear coloured clothes, especially
clothes dyed with ochre or with the bark of the acacia tree. Their
principal shrines in the Panj&b are the tomb of Nizim-ud-din
Auliya at Delhi, the Khing&h of Miriin Bhik in Ambftla, the shrine
of Biba Farid at Pftkpatan, and the Kh&ng&h of Hazrat Sulaimftn
at Taunsa in the Dera Ghfizi Kh&n District/'

4. The Dargfth of Khwftja Mmn*ud-din Chishti at Ajmer is an
object of veneration and pilgrimage to all religions and sects. The
Emperor Akbar made a pilgrimage on foot to this tomb, and the
Banyas of the Darg&h B&zar daily lay their keys on the steps of the
shrine before opening their shops. Khwaja Muin-uddin Chibhti is
said to have died in the year 12,6b A.D. at the age of ninety-seven,
and to have come to Ajmer at the age of fifty-two. At Madina a
voice is »aid to have come to him from the tomb of the prophet
directing him to go to Ajmer and convert the infidels. " He obeyed
the call, and on his arrival at Ajmer rested on a spot, now known
aa the Kangara Masjid in the Dargah, where at the time the King's
camels were tethered. From this he was ejected and went and
took up his abode on the hill, which overlooks the Ana^agar, the
margin of which lake he found covered with idol temples. The
idolators, enraged at the slaughter of kids by the Musalmans, con-
spred to massacre them ; but coming in sight of the Khwaja, they
remained rooted to the spot, and though they tried to ejaculate
a dm ! Hdm ! could 4>nly articulate tiahim ! Ha him ! In vain did the
idolators, led by the great sorcoror Ajaypal, and the Deota Shidi
I)eO| renew their attacks. They were defeated on every occasion,
and finally begged furgivenebs of the Khwaja, and inviteil htm to
come and take up his abode in the town.^ '' One |)e(*uliar olMier\'ance
at the Dargah is the looting of bi>i!eil rice from great cauldrons
which are filled by pious wurshippers.

&. Another famous plaiv of Chinhti i>tlgrimage is the tomb of
the saint Salim ChiMiti, by whone interccsiiion a son was bum at

> /rijpuMna UMAtitttT^ II. SI89.

CBISHTI.

280

CHf^BIHlB.

Fatehpur Sikri to the Emperor Akbar, and named Salim after the
saint. He was subsequently Emperor in the name of Jah&ngir.

Distribution of the CiisAtis according to tie Centua of 1691.

DiSTBICT.

Number.

DiSTBICT.

Number.

Dehra Ddn

•

108

£&Qda

SaharanpTir

•

486

HamirpuT

312

Mnzaffamagar «

> 1

Allab&b4d

15$

Meerut

» 1

Tialitpar •

14.

Bulandsbahr

260

Jannpur . •

183

Aligarh .

> «

Gbazipar

152

Mathura •

BaUia .

Agra

t a

Basti

837

Farnikbftb&d

•

Azamgarb

955

Mainpari •

• <

Laoknow .

Et&wah .

UnAo

Etali

1 1

B&d Bareli

117

Bareilly •

1 *

175

Sttapnr .

Bijnor

115

Eheri

Bndann .

•

FaizAb&d .

Mor&dAblld

Gonda

377

Sb&bjab&npur

•

BabiAich .

Pilibblt .

•

SulUnpnr

888

Cawnpur .

•

B4rabanki

227

Fatebpar .

TOTAI

5,141

Churihar. — (Sanskrit ci«da-idra),^A maker of glass bangles.
Another name for the caste is Manihar (Sanskrit mani, a " jewel/'
kdra) or Kaehera {idci, Sanskrit idcAa, "glass''). The Lakhera
makes bangles from lac {IdH, Sanskrit lakska). The bangles

231 OHtyRIHAR.

are orDamcnted with foil {pamni), beads (pot), counterfeit stones
{MMgimsy

2. The caste is, judging from its sectional divisions^ of mixed
origin* Out of one hundred and eleven names recorded in the
Census Returns^ the number of local sections is remarkable^ such aa
Baksariya, Bhojpuriya, Dakkhinfiha^ Gop&lpuriya^ Kanaujiya, Kftnh*
puriya, Makanpuriya, Naikanpuriya, Purabiya^ Sarwariya^ Sankar-
puriya, Shaikhpuriya, Sikandarpuriya, Sriv&stab^ Sispuriya, Sital-
puriya, Sukalpuriyai S&rajpuriya, Tijpuriya. Besides these are
some named from or oonnected with other castes^ as Bais,
Chauh&n, Jul&ha, Kachhwaha, Kakan, NftrbAf, Sengara, and Tarki-
h&r. Others are occupational, as Sabungar (soap- makers) , Mirdaha
(heralds), Jonkw&r (leech men). The Jhusiya take their name
from the old town of Jhusi on the Ganges in the AUah&b&d District.'
Another is Todarmalij which takes its name from Akbar's revenue
minister. Besides these are the Bannut, Chelaha, and Solasinghi, of
which the origin is doubtful. All these sub-divisions are endogamous
and practise the ordinary Muhammadan rules of prohibited degrees.
In Mirzapur they represent their head-quarters to be Allah&b&d> and
say that they emigrated from tliere some five or six generations ago.
They do not admit male outsiders into the caste, but admit females,
wbo are converted to Islim and married to members of the caste
after passages from the Quran have been read over them and the
clansmen feasted.

3. They practise infant marriage, marrying children between

Uie ages of five and ten. They have the

If arriaf* rnlM.

usual three forms of marriage — ekmrhMuwa,

where the bridegroom goes in procession to the bride's house and

marries her there ; dola, practised by poor people, where the bride is

brought home quietly and the clansmen entertained ; and $agd% for

widows* &larriage is ])erformed in tlie usual Muhammadan form,

and the binding portion of the ceremony is the rua^l' .ig of the Sharah

by the CUbd or some literate person represeit ing him. A widow

may marry the younger brother of her deceased husband, but the

> For details and oalcnktion of proflU, ••• Hoey, Jfone^ropfc on 7V«<i^ anil
M^nmfmeimrtt, 147, »qq.

' JhiUi moit baTe been ciooe ao important placa. It was tbe bea<l-4)iiarter«
uf tbe kinfdom of Harl>oDS, and is connected with tbe legend ot OorakbeAtb.
aUiet. BuppUmtntal Oio«Miry, i.r., Uarbong U r^ : OiUttUft, N.-IT. P.. Vlll.
Pari 11. isa. $^.

CHtjEIHAR. 232

levirate is not enforced. If a woman commit adultery or is
tually disobedient to the orders of her husband^ he can divorce her
by leave of the tribal council (panehdi^at) , A woman cannot
divorce her husband, but can complain to the council if he is fiiithless
to her or ill-treats her. When a husband divorces his wife he gives
her three and-a-half rupees. They have a special tribal rule of
succession^ partly following Hindu and partly Muhammadan rules,
but adhering closely to the.former.

4. They are Muhammadans of the Sunni sect, but have various

tribal deities of diverse origin. Kitika is one
of the forms of Hindu mother worship.^
Sahja Mai is the feminine element in the quintette of the Panchon-
ptr. Her worship is common in Bihar.' Hardiha or Hardaur
Lslla, one of the agregate of the collective village gods {Deohdr]^ and
three Muhammadan saints known as Ghaus Pir, Barfi Pir^ and Ghazi
Miyan are also venerated. These deities are worshipped in the
months of Karttik and Jeth with offeriags of fowls and rice boiled
in milk with sugar (khir). They bury their dead in a graveyard
like ordinary Muhammadans. At the festivals of the 'Id and Baqar
'Id they offer food to the spirits of the dead {purkha log). To those
who have died a violent or unusual death special ofEerings are made
of rice milk [khir) at the 'Id, and the halwa sweetmeat at the Baqar
'Id. Some females on certain days in the week offer a fire offering
{horn) to the traditional teacher {uiidd) of the trade, whose name tbey
have forgotten.

5. Their primary occupation is making glass bangles.' Many

have taken to agriculture and dealing in hides
occnpation Mid sooial ^^^ ^ioTii^. The women have a good reputa-

tion ; they are not secladed, but go about
village f idrs selling bangles. The use of liquor has been prohibited
by the council in quite recent years. They eat the flesh of the oow,
goat, sheep, camel, fowls, fish, and all kinds of deer. They will not
eat food touched by a Mehtar, Hela, Cham&r or Dom. Women will
not eat food touched by any Hindu. All Muhammadans eat and
smoke with them^ and they say that Doms and Cham&rs will eat food
touched by them.

1 See Monier WiUiams, BraKtnanitm and N%ndu%$m, 227.
< Qrierflon, BehAr PtoMani Life, 403.

s k fuU list of the imploments nied will be found in Oriertoa B§M/r P§mttm€
lif$, 108, $qq. , and Rural and Agricultural Gh$$ary, f.v., ChMki^.

233

CHtyBIHlR.

UhiribuHott of the CMrihdn by the Censui of 1891

DI8TBICT.

Nnmber.

D18TBIC r.

Nnmbtr.

Mathun ....

Lalitpar ....

lis

Agm ....

155

YtdikhIA

mnda ....

2a2

Bahr&ioh

89.

AllfthibAd

7
92 '

ToTAt

Jb&nti ....

708

235 DABOAB.

Dabg^r— (SanB : darvatdra, ''a maker of any spoon-shaped

»l "). — The caste who make the raw hide jars in which oil, clari-
fied batter, etc., are carried.

They are also known as Kuppds&z, from iuppa^ the -leather
vessel which they make (Sans : k4pa, kuiupa). They have a Hindu
and Muhammadan section, but no regular sub-castes. They are
divided into got rat, of which the most common to the east of the
Province is the Srib&stab, who take their name from the old town
of Srftvasti, in the Oonda District.

Others are Dehliwil, Dari, Moehi, Sripat, and Bengar. The
Census Usts give for the Hindu branch Bankar, Benbansi, Dhalgar
or '' Shield-makers/' Goliwala, J&ti, Kanaujiya, and Srib&stab, and
for the Muhammadan Panjabi.

It is possible that they are an occupational olEshoot from the
Chamirs.

2. The Dabgar makes usually two classes of vessel, the kuppm^
^^ or large oil and butter jar, and the pkuleli^

a sort of little phial for holding scented oil,
which may be seen in the bazars hung up over the shops of the
Gandhi or perfumer. These vessels are made of the clippings
{kaifu) or the scrapings {g^dar, ckktlan) of raw hides. These he
cuts up, crushes and bruises in water till they become a soft, pulpy
mass. This he plasters over a mould of soft clay made in the shape
of the vessel which he proposes to produce. The leather pulp is
laid on in layers. He then shapes the neck on an earthen ring and
dries the vessel in the sun. The inner core is extracted and the
mouth-ring left to give stability to the vcsmI. Vessels of this kind
are doubtless a very primitive survival of the leather bottle which
was universally used by all nomad tribes.'

S. There is nothing peculiar in their marriage customs, and their

Mamift and toeiAl ^^ "^ exogamy is of the ordinary type. To
eosioaM. ^^ ^jj^ ^f ^jj^ Pro^-ince they are worshippers

of the Panchon])ir, to whom th(>y offer a mixture tif peppei and sugar
{mirckwdn)^ which is jx^ured im the shrine, and the remainder dnmk
by the worshipiiers. Sometimes they albo offer in the same way
cakes {p^ri), sweets, and, when serious trouble comes, a he-goat.

> 8ehit<Ur, Ff^kiituHc AmtiqmUits^ MO. MifU,

DABGAR.

236

bIdupanthi.

Distribution of Dabgars according to the Cchmus of 189 L

DI8TBICTS.

Hindiu.

Mnbam-

Total.

8ah&ranpnr • . • .

. • •

Matburik

...

Et&wah

•••

ShMijah&Dpar • • • .

• • •

Pilibhit

•••

Cawnpnr

•••

Fatehpar

Hamirpnr . • • • •

.*•

Allab&b&d ....

J&laun 4 • • • •

• • •

Qb&zipar . • • • .

132

182

Ballia

230

Qorakbpar ....

330

830

Ba«ti

Azamgarh . • • •

223

22s

Kheri

Gonda . . . •

...

Babr&icb

• ••

Total

1,353

129

1.482

Dadupanthi. — A Vaishnava sect which derives its name from
DiAu, a Dhuniya or cotton-carder by caste, who died in
1703 A.D. He was, according to popular belief, a direct successor
of R&manand, and the line of descent is given— Mmanand, KabCr,
Kamil, Jamil, Budhdhan, and D4du. Dfidu was bom at
Ahmad&bad, in Gujarilt, and at the age of twelve migrated to
Sambhar, and then to a place called Naraina, about fifty miles
south-west of Jaypur. There, at the age of thirty-seven, a voioe
from heaven enjoined him to renounce the world and pass his life in
ng good to mankind and in devotion. His biographer, Jin

237 bIdupanthi.

QcfU, in a biography containing 2,864 linesi deficribee how he spent
hiB li£e in the country between Ahmadabdd, Delhi and Agra, teach-
ings discussing, and making many disciples. He seems to have
lived a good deal at Amber, the old capital of Jaypur. He had
frequent interviews with the Emperor Akhar at Fatehpur Sikri, and
some wonderful stories are told of his miracles and adventures th?re.
Finally in the neighbourhood of Naraina he was absorbed into the
godhead in 1603 A.D. He is said to have had fifty-two disciplet
who spread his doctrinest hrough R&jputina and the neighbouring
Provinces.

The chief of these were Rajab, Gharib Das, and Sundar Dis,
and others also are named, such as Jaisa^ Prayag DAs, Bakhnagi,
Sankar Das, Bfiba Sanwari Das, and Mftdho Dia. Of these Rajab,
the first disciple of Didu, was a Musalmin, and his Hindu fol-
lowers are sometimes known by the name Uttaradhi, as distinguished
from the N&ga, who are Hindus. The latter take their name from
the Sanskrit ttagnaia, '^ a naked ascetic/'

2. The D&dupanthis are usually divided into the Virakta, or
*' those void of attachment to worldly objects, '^ who go bare-headed,
wear only a single garment, and carry a drinking vessel ; the Naga
or '' naked ascetics,'' and the Yastimlh&n, or '' those who wear
clothes" and lead a family life. They have, in fact, like most
religious communities in India, an exoteric and an esoteric order.
The exoteric or uninitiated are the householders and disciples of the
Swimi SAdhu, or initiated order. These householders (jrikattka)
read, believe, and practise certain of the doctrines of the B&ni or
book of songs, which embody the rules of the sei^t, and furnish the
Didupanthi Swami with food and accommodation when he visits their
Tiilaget. They are not put out of caste for becoming disci])lea
(ckeU)^ and so retain all their marriage and social rights and privi-
leges.

Those of high caste retain their BrAhmanical cord (faneu) and
other cfaarms, and are frequently found in the temples at idol worship.
Tliey regularly attend the fairs {mela) of the sect and provide for
the support of the mendicant members of the community.

8. The esoteric branch are known as Swami, " master/' Sailhu,
** saint ; " Sant, " holy man," or Guru, ** teacher." Tliey renounce
the work! and live under rules of celibacy and chastity, which are veiy
strictly enfort'ed. Some of them are teachers (ysri), of whom
many are good scholars and have a large following of disciples to

dIdupanthi. 238

whom they toach the bdni. These wander about tho countiy
and are entertained by the faithfnl. Others are mere beggars with-
out any learning. They usually beg from door to door^ wear ochre-
ooloured clothes^ and the bead necklace which is forbidden by
the strict rules of the order. Others practise worldly professions.
Thus some of the richest money-lenders in Jaypur are Dftdupanthis ;
others are doctors^ who have no knowledge of sdentifio surgery or
physic, and mwely know some Sanskrit verses and charms for the
treatment of disease ; a few keep grocery shops ; others sell milk.

4. The Naga or Military Dadupanthis live in seven camps or
villages in the neighbourhood of Jaypur. Their pay is one anna
per able-bodied man a day. Th^ are occasionally sent out to
coerce revenue defaulters. They are nev^ all oat on duty at the
same time, and while they are employed they are paid at the rate of
two annas per diem. Those left at home cultivate land, breed
camels or lend money. Their founder is said to have been Bhim
Sinh, a younger brother of one of the R&jas of Bikaner. They
have done good service to the State in former times, and were faith-
ful in the Mutiny. They are simple, quiet men, but now hardly
deserve the name of soldier. They are recruited by adoption from
all the higher Hindu castes, and as a natural result of a generation of
peace their numbers have much reduced.

5. Dadu appears to have taught the unity of Gk>d. ** To this
day,'' says Mr. Coldstream,^ ^'the D&dupanthis use the phrase
Sat Rdm^ the True God, as a current phrase expressive of their
creed. He forbids the worship of idols and did not build temples ;
now temples are built by his followers, who say that in them they
worship '• The Book.'' " The worship," according to Professor
Wilson, ''is addressed to R&ma, but it is restricted to the Japa or
repetition of his name, and the RAma intended is the deity negative-
ly described in the Vedanta theology." In feet the doctrine of
DMu is sometimes described as pantheistic. The religious works of
the sect contain many of the sayings of Kabir. The chief of these are
the D^ubani, the Sakya-granth and the Janamlila, which contains
an account of the Guru and his disciples. In the Paujfib the celi-
bates of to-day wear white cloths in contrast to most other S&dhs
who wear ochre-coloured clothes. They abjure flesh and wine, and
they shave both beard and moustache. They wear necklaces and

> MaoUgan, TanjdJb SettUmeni Report, 147.

dIdupanthi.

289

dafAxi.

have white round cape on thoir heads^ to which is attached a piece
of cloth which hangs down the back.

6. At the CensuB of 1891 there were only five membere of this
sect recorded in these Provincee, of whom four were found in the
Sahlranpar and one in the Muzaffamagar District.

Diiifibniion of tie Nd§ms and Dddupantkii according to tic Ccncui

of 1891.

DlSTBICTt.

D&dopanthia.

NAipM.

Total.

Dehra DAn

• • •

S»)i4raiipiir

Mntaffkmagar .

Aligarb

• • •

Agrm

• • •

llainpnri .

• • •

EUh

• •

ShihjahAnpur

...

Vatebpar •

•••

BilldA

• ••

Hamlrpar

••*

AlUhibid

•••

Gorakbpar

• • •

BMi

••t

2S0

280

OarbvU .

» 4

• • •

Tariki

• • •

Total

411

410

Malea

336

Fematea

DafaliJ — A tritic of lie^p&rs and musicianB who arc found
throughout the Province except the Ililln, and take their name from

* Maialy baaad on Informatiun oollaeUd at llirtapnr.

dafAli. 240

the daf or tambourine which they play. Aoeording to their own
account they are allied to the Mad&ris ; but there is this difference,
that the Dafalis worship Sayyid S&lir Ohizi, of Bahrsdch, and the
Mad&ris, MadSr Sahib, of Makhanpur. Both are called Darwesh,
but the Dafalis try to distinguish the tribes by calling themselves
Darwesh and the Madaris Durwesh. They say that they are the
descendants of Roshan Darwesh, to whom they make an occasional
offering of cakes and bum incense.

2. In the Census Returns they are recorded under sixty-eeven

sections : but these appear to have no influence

Tribal organisation. . « • i

on mamages. Some of these are purely
Muhammadan titles, as Ans&ri, Quraishi, Lodi, Madariya^ Mirftsi,
Muj&wir, Sadiqi, and Sunni : others are Hindu names, as Jit, Jhojfaa,
Rftjput, R&nghar : others are local, as Bahraichi, Dakkhin&ha, and
Uttarslha. They have a council {paneidyai) under a hereditary pre-
sident {chaudhari), which generally meets at marriages and funerals
and settles cases of breach of tribal rules. Offenders are usually
fined in sums varying from five to ten annas. The money thus col-
lected is spent in feeding the clansmen.

3. They practise the ordinary Muhammadan law of exogamy,

but object to marry their daughters into
families which reverence different saints or
godlings. A man cannot marry a second wife in the lifetime of;the
first without her consent. Divorce is permitted for infidelity, and
also if one paii^y become an idiot, lunatic, or suffer serious mutilation
But in all cases the divorce must be with the sanction of the tribal
council. Widow-marriage and the levirate with the usual restric-
tions are both allowed. Divorced persons can remarry in the tribe,
provided they were not divorced for any serious violation of caste
custom. The usual service [tharah] is read at marriages by one of
the tribe who is known for the nonce as Maulavi.

4. There are no ceremonies during pregnancy, except the tying

round the woman's neck of a charm to ward
off the evil spirits which attack the mother.
When parturition is delayed she is given water to drink in which a
sword has been washed, and the person who draws the water muat
do so with his ri£:ht hand only. When the^child is born a Chami-
rin is called in to cut the cord. She remains in attendance only one
day, and her place is then taken by the wife of the barber. The
mother is isolated for twelve days; but she is allowed to cook and do

241 ]>af1li*

other household work. On the twelfth dav is the baraki. when a
dinner consisting of urad pulse, rice and meat is given to the brother-
hood. When the dinner is over some sweetmeats are offered to
Ghazi Miyin, and then distributed among those present. When the
diild is a year old they take it and the mother, if possible,
to the Ganges in the month of Bhidon during the asterism
{nahh^ira) of Magha. The mother makes a little paper boat^
and in it she puts a garland of flowers^ a lamp, sugar, and
bread, to which some add betel, and lets it float down the stream.
This, a custom derived from their Hindu neighbours, is known
aa Ghmga pujaiya. When a boy is seven years old they perform
the rite of circumcision {Muiaimdnt), This is usually done at
the 'Id, Baqrid, and Muharram. The friends are invited ; a
fquare is marked out in the courtyard, and the friends sit round.
The boy is bathed by the barber and dressed in new clothes. Then
his Other's sister's husband {pk Upha) takes him in his arms to the
nearest mosque to pray. On their return the boy is given a dose of
ma*JHm, and when the narcotic begins to take effect he is placed in the
square by his uncle (phiipha) and seated facing the west. Then the
barber i)erforms the operation invoking God and the Prophet. The
only application wwi for the woun<l is some rose water. After the
operation is over the boy's father gives a turban, loiOy and a few
annas to the barber, and each of the friends present puts a pice or two
into his cup. After this a dinner of meat and bread is served.
When the wound is cured the barter bathes the boy again, and
receives some grain and a money present.* When they adopt they
usually adopt their son-in-law, or in default of him preference is
given to a brother's son. No adoption is valid unless publicly com-
municated to the assembled clansmen. A feast is given anil the
adoption formally declared.

5. As an instance of a low cai^te Muhammadan wedding that of

a Dafali mav be described. The betrothal is
arranged by some fnend of both ])ariies.
When both parties agree, on an auspicious day ielected by the \nllage
Pandit the bride's father takes to the house of the bridc*groom a
ring and handkerchief on her bi^ialf. These are accepted, and the
boy's father announces to the assembU»d friends that the marriage
will take place. On this the girl's fit her payn two and-a-half annas^

I For Um rafttUr ciroomeiatoo ritiul. ••• Lam, M»<i«rfi ffi^yf lidna, 1, 71.

Vol. 11. q

bafIli. 242

and the boy's father five annas, and with this sngar is bought and
served round, after being offered to God and the Prophet. Next
morning the girPs father returns home. Some time after the boy's
father pays a visit to the bride and makes her a present of bangles
{churi)y a suit of clothes {tul kapra)^ a bodice {rholi)^ and some sweets.
After a meeting of the tribesmen the wedding day is fixed. Poor
people, however, send the girl beforehand to her husband, and any
ceremony they can afford to do is done at his house. On the day
before the wedding is the ratjaga, when the women sit up all night
and spend their time making sweet cakes (gulgula). These are
offered next morning to God and the Prophet, and to the spirits of
the ancestors of the family. They are then distributed among the
guests. The bridegroom is bathed and dressed in a yellow coat
{idma)y trousers, and a turban. A large chaplet [nehra) hangs down
from head to knee. He rides to the bride's house followed by his
friends playing on the dafla. They halt under a tree near the village,
and from there the boy's father sends a present of bangles, clothes,
curds, oil, and henna. Then they come to the girl's house, where the
service is read by some old man of the tribe who can read or repeat
the words. Some sugar is put close by which is distributed among
the guests, and the mai^riage feast, consisting of sugar, rice, and curds,
is served. This is known as skaiardna, or " the sugar feast." Next
day the bride's father gives presents to her barber, bangle-maker,
water-woman, and the village watchman, and then starts for the
place where the bridegroom's party are staying, with a basket con-
taining vessels, grain and anything else he can afford to give as the
dowry of his daughter. He places these before the father of the
bridegroom, and asks his forgiveness for not being able to give more.
The bridegroom's father says the same, and they exchange compli-
ments. After this the dowry basket is passed round, and all the
friends present contribute as far as their means will go. ThiB is
termed "the giving of the dowry'' (jahe$ dildna). The husband
then takes his wife away, and when he returns home he entertains
his clansmen on curds, sugar, and rice, and next day gives th^n a
ree:iilar dinner of bread and meat.

Every one present contributes two annas as dowry. After this
the Ganga pujaiya is done, as already described at births, and the
wholo Inisinoss ends with an offering of rice, curds, and sugar to
GliAzi Miyan, wliieb is divided among the audience.

243 dapAli.

6. The funeral is carried out in the usual way of Muhammadans.

When it is over the mourners assemble at the

DMith 06r6moDi68«

house of the deceased and drink sharbat. On
the fourth day they again assemble, and some verses of the Qurftn
are read over a vessel containing some sweets {6aid9^a), grain, and oil.
This is known as iul parhan, and the contents of the vessel are
divided among the audience. The clansmen are fed on nrad pulse
and rice, and the faqir in charge of the grave is given a present. On
the tenth and twentieth day bread and meat are offered to the spirit
of the dead man, and on the fortieth day a final dinner is given, and
next morning they put the clothes, beads, and water vessel {badkana)
of the deceased on his bed and take them to his grave, where they
are left for any one who wishes to carry them away. An offering of
food is made to the family dead at the Shab-i-bar£t.

7. Their tribal deities are chiefly Kilika, Sahj&di, and Ghizi

Miyan, three of the quintette of the Pinch
Pir. To K&lika areoffcred in the month of
Aghan bread and rice cooked in milk. Sahjadi is worshipped at the
same time. Ghazi Miyan^s day is the first Sunday in the month of
Jeth, when his wedding is celebrated. Animal sacrifices are made,
and the meat is consimied by the worshippers. They also worship a
number of local martyrs {siaAid), and they are in great fear of
various demons and ghosts.

8. The Dafili is a beggar, and goes about with a wallet {jiori)

in which he collects what he can get. But
he also acts as a sort of hedge priest to the
lower class Musalmins, and ofliciates at marriages, funerals, and the
Uke, for people who cannot afford to pay for the services of the
regular Qazi. Thi^y beg in beats, and each house has its body of
parishioners (j^'jmdn). One of their chief duties is the exorcising of
evil spirits by beating the drum, and driving the effects of the Evil
Eye from children. When a man's children do not live he gets the
liaBli to tie a string {baddhi) round the neck of the liaby. They
are particularly coniipicuous at the fairs of Gliazi Miyan, whoM
slirines thc^y tend, act as his priests, and receive the offerings.

Vol. 11. «J2

dafIli.

244

DALSBA.

Distribution of the Dafdlis aeearding to the Cemui of 169U

DI8TBICT8.

Nnmber.

D18TBICT8.

Number.

Debra IMn

• •

J&laun • • • •

Sab^ranpnr •

• •

4^161

LalitpOT .

•••

Mozaffarnagar «

• •

1,797

Benaiea •

2^12

Meernt «

• •

1,783

MirzapQT .

1,739

BnlandBliabr

k • •

Jannpnr

2,442

Aligarb • <

» • •

211

GhAaipor

662

Matbnra •

• • •

Ballia .

489

Agra

• • •

118

Gorakhpar

2,206

Farrakb&b&d .

1 • •

360

Basil .

2,416

Mainpari

» • «

153

Azamgarh

1,189

Et&wah .

■ • •

209

Tiirld .

216

Etah

k • •

408

Lnoknoir

378

BareiUy •

• •

1313

UnAo .

865

BiJDOT •

1 • •

162

BAdBarali

882

Budaun .

• •

788

Sltapor •

677

Mor^^b&d

» • •

315

Haidoi •

287

Sb&bjab&nptir <

• •

666

Kheri

Pilibblt .

k • •

472

Faia&b&d

1,934

Cawnpur

• • «

149

Gonda •

2,214

Fatebpur

• • •

289

BahiAioh

1,770

B&nda •

1 • •

250

Salt&npar

IfiM

Hamtrpnr

» • •

121

Pariibgarh

Allab&bAd

t • •
• • •

1,998
21

B&rabanki

1,885

Jb&Dfii

Total

42,075

Dalera.^— A tribe of basket-makers^ day-labouiere, and tliievaa

1 From notes by Pandit Janardan Datt Josbi, Depnty Collector, Barwlly, and
fijport, ln$ptctor'Q9A9raX of Police, N.*W. P., 1869, p. 125, iqq.

245 DALEBA.

foand in Bareilly and the Tarfli. The name is derived from the
Hindi daliyti^ '' a basket/' A common half humourous derivation
\m from diler^ '' venturesome/' According to the tribal tradition
a BargAjar Th&kur once violated a Kadi&r woman and was
exoommunicated. His descendants are the present Daleras. They
are supposed to be closely allied both to Khigis and Malllhs. Their
head-quarters in Bareilly are at the village of Ginganwa, in Tahstl
Aonla. They are also found at Munjkhera, in the Bulandshahr
District. They have no distinct traditions regarding their place of
origin, except that they came from somewhere in the South about a
hundred years ago. The Bareilly story is that they were driven
from Meerut and Bulandshahr by a &mine.

2. Their sections, of which the last Census Returns enumerate
forty-four, do not throw much light on their origin. Many are
derived from well-known tribes, as Bais, Band, BargAjar, Chauhan,
Chiryamir, Gurkha, Jidubansi, Kinhpuriya, Mall&h.

8. Some of these are perhaps of totemistio origin, such as the
ifArriAM ml Sirisiya of Bareilly, who will not cut or injure

the iihi tree {acacia tirisa). Their mar-
riages are carried out according to the standard ritual in force among
the higher Hindu castes.

4. The Daleras will not thieve at night, and carry on their opera-

Mtthod. a thkfing. ^^°* principally at fairs, bathing places, and

the like. At such places a Dalera takes his
teat near a pilgrim and pretends to cook. While his neighbour's
attention is occupied, the Dalera steals his vessels or other property.
When he steals a brass pot, he goes into the water and with an iron
•pike he carries, makes holes in it, which prevent the possibility
of identification. Sometimes they make a mock disturbance in a
bAxir, and in the confusion snatch articles from shops which they
rapidly pass into the hands of a confederate. Or they go dressed
as Th&kurs or Br&hmans and make a boy steal while they keep the
shop-keeper engagitl. If the lads are caught they never give their
oorrect age or address. The thief gets a double share of the booty,
and most of the gains are spent in drink. If a boy is arretted his
well-dressed companions intercede for him. In tlieir methods of
orime they closely resemble those of the Barwirs and Sanaurhiyas.

DALERA.

246

dAngi.

Distribution of the Dalerai aecordin§ to ihe Census of 1891.

DI8TBICT8.

Knmber.

DISTRICT!.

liambof.

Bareillj
Bijnor
MorlidlkUd .

2,009
23
29

Pilibhtt .

Gorakhpar

Tari^i

Total

105

2,233

Dangi.^ — An agricultural tribe found chiefly in Jhansi. The
caste professes to deriveits name from a certain Bilja Dang, a
Raghubansi Rajput, from whom they trace descent ; but the word
probably means no more than " hill-man " (Hindi, danp, " a hill'').
They profess to be immigrants from a place called Nirver, in the
Gwalior State, with which, however, they appear to hold no connection
by marriage or pilgrimage, selection of bards, priests, or barbers ; and
those at present resident in the JhSnsi District have come chiefly with-
in comparatively recent times from the Datiya and Tikamgarh States.
They have nothing in the way of a genealogical tree or traditions
connected with ancient sites or monuments which would throw any
clear light on their origin ; but there seems good reason to suspect
that they may be connected with the Gond and similar races of the
Central Indian plateau.

2. They have no sub-tribes, but are divided into a number of

exogamous gotras, among which we find in
Jh&nsi the Patra, Nirveriya, Disauriya^
Chakauriya, Madhpuriya, Dhauriya, and Pariya. Of these the
Nirveriya is derived from Nirver, their original settlement, and
though local enquiries have failed to explain the meaning of the
other terms, they are probably of similar local origin. Of the sixty*
seven names given in the Census lists very few can be connected
with those of other tribes, except perhaps the Basoriya, Luniya,
Niy ariya, Pahriya, and Sarwariya. The others appear to be of purely
local origin, and this would lead to the inference that the tribe haB
been little, if at all, exposed to foreign influence.

Sub-divisions.

1 Based od a series of notes hj MunHbi R&dha Baman, Deputy Collector, JbAiwL

2 17 dAnoi.

5. There is no regular tribal council ; bnt there are certain per-
_ .. . , sons who are rec^arded in each eroup of

TnbU ooanoil. ^ ,

villages as headmen {muk^ifd), and they

afisemble a meeting of the adult householders whenever a case

occurs demanding enquiry. They deal principally with questions

of marriage, excommunication, and restoration to caste privileges.

4. Marriage is forbidden between members of the same

-, _. , Qolra and between first cousins. There are

no prohibitions of intermarriage based on
difference of social status, geographical or local position, worship or
occupation.^ But intermarriage of persons belonging to different

religions is not permitted. When the bride arrives at her husband's
house, his kinsmen make her small presents, which are known as
muckdi or munkdikhdi^ " the showing of her face. " There is no
restriction on the number of wives : a man marries as many as he
can afford to keep. All the wives are much on the same footing ;
but the first wife is known as Jethi or senior, and is held in more
respect in the family than those junior to her. They all live
together unless they quarrel, wliich is very unusual : in fact tlie
senior wife often urges her husband to marry again, as she thus
obtains an assistant in house and field work. North of the River
Betwa at least concubinage is permitted. Polyandry is prohibitixl.
Little girls are allowed a considerable amount of freedom ; but if an
unmarried girl is detected in immorality, she is excommunicated,
and her whole family as well, unless they discard her. The age for
marriage is, for girls seven or eight ; for boys twelve or thirteen.
After betrothal the €*ngagement is not voidable on account of disease
or physical defect. The mat(*h is arrangi>d by the parents, but those
a little higher in the social scale employ a Brahman and liarber.
The consent of the parents is al>solutely neeessar}*, and the parties
have no freedom of choice. No price is paid for either bride or bride*
groom, but when the betrothal [tikn) is being p€»rformed, the friends
of the bride are expected to give the boy a present. Even idicjcy,
lunacy or impotence ap]H'aring aftt»r marriagi* are not grounds for
annulling it. Divorce is perniitti>d on the ground of ailulU'ry in the
wife. It is gi»nerally done by word of mouth, and the woman is
turned out of iXre house. But usually, even if tlk«re hi» no n*^*ar
tribal enquiry, the hiisliand d<»es not divonv his wife with4»ut taking
the opinion of four or Hw^ of tlu» leailing c-lausuivn in an informal
way. A divorctJ woman cannot U* remarried in the re^lar way
bat another man may take her as his roiMnibine, in which easi> he

bInoi. 248

must give a dinner {roft) to the clansmen. Children by concnbined^
provided that they are women of the caste, have the same rights as
offspring by regular marriages ; but children who are the result of
illicit connections which have not been condoned, or whose mothers
were not members of the caste, are not admitted to tribal privileges
and cannot marry in the caste.

5. Remarriage of widows is prohibited; but a man may take a
' . , widow of the caste to live with him without

widow marriage*

any ceremony, except the assent of the lead-
ing clansmen and the giving of a tribal feast. The levirate is
allowed with the usual limitation, that it is only the younger brother
who can claim the woman. But the widow is not compelled to live
with her brother-in-law, and may set up house with an outsider, in
which case the children of her first husband remain with his rela-
tions, and she loses all rights of maintenance in the housdold of
her former husband. Her children by the first husband inherit his
estate. If the first husband was childless his brothers inherit.
There is no fiction that the children by the levir are supposed to
belong to his dead brother.

6. There are no special observances during pregnancy. The

Cham&rin midwife attends and cuts the cord.

Birth oeremoniei. ,% • i. a. A^ j.t i x

Dunng accouchement the mother adopts a
sitting posture, and is held by the women of the family. After
parturition is over the wife of the village barber acts as nurse. On
the Dashtaun or tenth day the clansmen and friends are fed ; the
relations of the mother send her presents {puek) and soaked gram
is distributed. There is no indication of the couvade. For ten days
the women and her relations are considered impure and are not
allowed to touch other people or engage in worship of the gods.
There are no special customs in connection with twins.

7. There is no special ritual in force at adoption. The clan

people are invited; the men are fed on

Adoption. Puberty. . i ^i it

sweets and the women on soaked gram.
There are no observances at the attainment of puberty.

8. The person who goes to the boy's house to arrange the

betrothal gives a cocoanut, some money, and
a packet of betel {pdn). This is the bind-
ing part of the ceremony, and the betrothal is then irreversible.
Betrothal generally takes place when the girl is five or six years of
age, and the consent of both parents is essential. There is no rule

249 dAkqi.

for the repayment of the expenses if the marriage does not take

place.

9. Seven days before the actual marriage ceremony the bride's
father sends a letter {lagan ki ehitthi) to the bridegroom's father
fixing the date and honr of the marriage. A sum of money
already agreed on accompanies this letter. When the procession
starts to fetch the bride, they halt outside her village at a place pre-
pared for them called the Janrdnsa. In the evening they march
in procession to the bride's house, being met half«way by her
friends. At the door the iiia ceremony is performed, and another
present in money equal to that sent with the iapan is made to the
bridegroom. The bridegroom is then taken inside, where he throws
a tan on the marriage shed {mandap) and returns to his party.
Next day, after the dinner, and generally at night, the actual
B^anwar or perambulation of the bride and bridegroom round the
•acred fire and the '' giving away '' of the girl [kanjfdddn) are
performed. The parents of the bride are not allowed to be present
at the Bhanwar ceremony. On the third day the third dinner
{roit) is given, and the ceremony of permitting the girl to go with
her husband (bi*fdi) is done. Here, again, the bride's &ther makes
a third present equal in va'ue to the jirevious two, which is known
as Ma or '' cup. " It is optional with the parties to }>erform the
ceremony of changing the seats of the married pair \laulpatta).
In case this ceremony is performed at the marriage it is not neoes-
■uy to repeat it when the bride is leaving for her hiu»band's house.
If done, then it is known as Chanht, and the presents made at it by
the farther of the bride must equal in value half the presents matle
at the marriage. 1*he binding part of the marriage ceremony is
ttie perambulations round the tire and the giving away of the bride.
1 he only api^arent survival of marriage by capture is the ceremony
of fikm or d*$rwdza performed the firnt day. In this hb maternal
uncle takes the bridegroom in his arms inside the houi^e of the
bride, and there he strikes the marriage hut with a fan. As ho is
going away the women of the fanuly beat the nian who in <*arry-
ing him with their fists and shout, *' He has t»tnick the mamdap
and is going away.''

9. The dead are cremated and the a^hes finally consigned to the

Ganges. Imnu*diate!y after death the

coq>toe IS covered with a piece of calico,

white for men and red fur women, and a few p^in leaves are

DANGI. 250

put over the head and breast. No offerings are made^ nor is the
body washed at the house. When they reach the cremation ground
(ghdt) a fire is lighted and the corpse laid with the head facing the
south* Offerings of sesamum {til) and barley are made, and sesa-
mum, barley and honey placed on the eyes of the corpse. The
pyre is then lit by the heir^ and he finally breaks the skull {kapdl
krii/a) to release the spirit. On the third day the relatives and
clansmen are shaved. In the ease of males the obsequies go on for
thirteen days^ and on the last day at least thirteen Br&hmans or
more are feasted. The usual Srdddha is performed at the Kan%at
or Pitrapaksha in the month of Ku&r. It is incumbent on the head-
man of the family during each of the sixteen days to pour a libation
of water in honour of his deceased ancestors before he touches food
or drink. The death ceremonies are carried out by the^&mily priest,
and in his absence by any Brahman. There is no trace of the sister's
son or other relatives on the female side exercising religious functions.
10. The rules of ceremonial purification are carefully obeyed.

Thus, if a person commit suicide on account
of the misconduct of another, the offender is
rigorously boycotted and is considered to bear the guilt {hat^a) of the
death. The same is the case with a man who has killed a cow,
buffalo, or cat. The impurity after child-birth lasts for ten days.
The death impurity lasts for ten days, except in the case of infants,
when it is reduced to three days. The period of menstrual impurity
extends to five days. The impurity due to death, child-birth, and
menstruation is removed by the performance of the stated cere-
monies, and by bathing after the expiration of the fixed period. But
in the case of impurity due, as above described, to suicide or the
killing of a cow, the matter is much more serious. The offender in
order to purify himself is obliged to bathe in the Granges, to feed
the clansmen and Brahmans, to perform the marriage ceremony of
the Tulasi plant and the Salagrama, or to pay all the expenses of
the marriage of a pair of poor children in the caste. The interdict
lasts until this expiation is undergone.

11. Dangis are Hindus and worship all the ordinary deities, such

as Ramacliandra, Krishna, Mah&deva, Durga,

etc. They also worship the village god lings.

Thus Sitala is worshipped in the months of Asarh, Kuftr, and Chait,

with an offering of boiled rice and cakes, pice and cowries ; the food

18 taken by a Brahman, the cash by a Mftli. Ilardaul, the cholera

251 DANGI.

godling, is worshipped in Asarh, and during epidemics of the
disease. His offerings are cakes, sweetmeats, and packets of betel.
All these things, except the cakes, are taken by a Brahman. Sitala
has usually a regular masonry shrine, while Hardaul has only a
platform. These deities are chiefly worshipped by women and chil-
dren, adult males seldom visit their shrines. At marriages they
propitiate the sainted dead, whom they call dera ^ilra, but they
hare no definite idea of their nature or functions. An old snake
represents BhAmiya or the godling of the hamlet, and is worshipped
in the month of As&rh (June-^July). Their sacred trees are the
pipal {I^icus religioio) and iheehhonkar (ProioptM npicigern), EWI
spirits (bkUt, prei) are propitiated in cases of sickness supposed to
be due to demoniacal agency. It is said that Brahmans have no
objection to eating paiki rati from the hands of Dangis. Their priests
are D&b£ or TiwAri Brihmans, and are received on the same footing
aa other Brahmans. Sometimes they have a Guru in addition to a
Pnrohit ; sometimes the same man fulfils both functions. They iiave
a special festival known as the maur ehhut or '' loosing of the mar-
riage crown,'' when in the month of Bhadon the marriage crown of a
pair who have been married during the year is thrown into the wati*r.
The only festival at which drunkenness is ])ermitted is the Holi. Tlie
cows of the family are worshipped at the Diwili and horses at tlie
Daaahra.

12. Oaths are made in the name of the Ganges and the Tulasi

plant ; in the name of the gods ; by holding
a lota full of Ganges water ; by holding a
■on or grandson in the arms ; by going to a shrine and opening the
door at the time of swearing. Taking a false oath involves loss of
property, disease, and death. Exorcism of evil sjnrits is in the
hands of the Syana, or '' cunning man. " Sickness due to the
Evil Eye is relieved by waving some mustard and salt round the
head of the patient, and then throwing it into the fire.

IS. Meat is forbidden; some will not eat onions. They will not

touch a Bhan^i or Basor, or a person guilty
of Ilatya, as above descrilied. Women are
not alk>wed to touch the Salagrama, aiul children uinler U^n are not
permitt€:d to join in any rfligious celebration. Tliey ol>siTve the
tunial taboo against the wife calling her hunltaml by his name. It
is said that at Uie Akhtij festival, on tlie tliird of tlio light half of
Bais&kh, ttie wife, in order to bring luck on tik* Ihuim*, is obliged t4>

dInOI. 252 DARYBSH.

call her husband once by his name. They abstain from wine^ the
flesh of monkeys, beef, pork, flesh of cloven-footed and uncloven-foot-
ed animals, fowls, fish, and all kinds of vermin. The head of the
family does not eat the baingan or egg-plant {Solanum melongena)
from Asai'h till the Deouthin feast in K&rttik, and this vegetable is
not eaten on the eleventh day of the light and dark fortnights in
each month. Women and men eat apart^ and before eating two
morsels are offered to the gods with folded hands, and a libation of
water is poured on the ground. The use of intoxicating drugs is not
forbidden, but excess use of them is considered disgraceful.

14. Their form of salutation is Bdm!

Salatation.

Edm I with the hand raised to the forehead.
15. They will eat close to Ahirs, but not out of the same disL

They will take food cooked by • a Br&hman
and will drink water from the hands of a
M&li, K&chhi, Dtumar, or N&u. They will not smoke out of the
pipe of a Basor, Bhangi, or Cham&r.

16. The Dftngis are ordinary cultivators

Oooupation. u j- ^

and practise no handicrafts.

Duiribution of the Vdngi nccortling to the Cetieui of 1891,

Districts.

Nnmber.

Sh&hjah&npur

• •

. • • •

2,186

J41aiiD •*..•••••

TjalitDur • . - - - ....

Total

2,363

Darvesh.-^A general Persian word for a faqir. Mr. PlattB
derives it from the Zend root drigh, " to be poor, to beg," and com-
pares the Sanskrit d^rbh, root dribk and daridra. The term in
these Provinces does not seem to denote a special caste ; but Mr.
Ibbetson' notices in the Panj&b that there seems to be a colony of
people of this name, who cultivate land, play musical instrumentB,
beg, make ropes, go to a house where there has been a death and

> Panj^b Eihnografihy, para. 523,

BEBVESH.

253

dabtadIsi.

chant the praiseB of the deceased, hang about mosques, and so forth«
They are hardly ascetics, yet the small number of women seems to
show that they have not yet formed into a separate caste, and are
•till recruited from outside.

Dutribuiion of ike Darvenh aceordiug io fie f Census of 189 1,

DiSTBICTfl.

Namber.

PlBTBICTl.

Namber.

Farmkbibid •
Mainpiiri •
BtAwah
Pilibbh

890
2
8

Allah4b4d .

Jannpur • •

Sitapur

Kheri • * • •

Total

13
76

498
92

1,076

Daryadasi. — A VaishnaTa sect in the Ohizipur district,
founded by one Darya Dis, a Vaishnava mendicant of the Koeri
caste, whose followers now number 2,310.

Darsi.-* (Persian dars, " a seam '') the tailor caste : pedantically
known as Khaiyit (Arabic iia/yd^, ''to sew''}. — The caste is purely
occupational and consists of a Hindu as well as aMuhammadan
branch. Like all similar so-called castes it shows a tendencyto break
up into endogamous occupational branches, such as the Rafugar or
darner of old clothes, the Khaimadoz or tent-maker, and the Dastar-
band or maker of the elaborate turbans, such as are worn by oflSce
clerks and native servants. The patron saint of the Muhammadan
branch is Ibrahim or Abraham, who, according to them, practised
the craft. In the month of Siwan they make offerings to him of
rice stew {puldo ) and cakes. These Musalmin Darzis take the
titles of Shaikh and Khalifa.

2. The Hindu Darzis arc made up, as is shown by their exoga-
mous stib-dlvlsionii, of various elements. Thus, among the five hun*
dred and twenty-six sections of the Hindu and one hundred and
forty-six of the Muhammadan branch, we find the names of many
well-known tribes and castes, such as Agariya, Agarwala, AtishbaZy
Bichhal, Baddhik, Uaid, Bais, Baiswir, Bamhan, Baniyina, Bar*
gAjar, Benbans, Bhat, Chamir, Chaudeli, Chauhin, Chhatri,

DARZI. 264

Dhstnuk, Gujar, Gaur, Jadon, Janwar, Kachhw&hiya^ Kiyasth,
Kharwar, Koli,.Maratha, Mukeri, Ojha, PanwS.r, R&jput^ Rathaur,
Raghubansi, SakarwaritSolankhi, Sfirajbansi, Taga^ Tank^ Tomar,
and Turkiya. With these are many local titles, such as Bareli,
Bathmi, or Srivatsav, Bhadwariya, Bhagalpuriya, Dilliw&l, Hard-
wai'iya, Jaiswar, Jalalpuriya, Kanhpuriya, Mathur or Mathuriya,
and Sarwariya. The Kayasth caste has contributed many recruits
to them who call themselves Sribastab or Sribastak Kayasths &om
Dundiya Khera, the head-quarters of the Bais Bajputs. The name
18 derived from the town of Sravasti, now Sahet Mahet in the Gonda
district. In Garhwal the Hindu Darzi is known as Bora, most of
whom seem to be of the Dom tribe. In the Western Districts their
endogamous sub-divisions are Rathaur, Mathuriya, Mahor, and
Saksena (from Sankisa) : of these the Rathaur, who claim descent
from the Rajput tribe of that name, are the highest, and Mathoriya
and Mahor, who aie often contemptuously termed Chamar Sujiya
or Chamars' tailors, are the lowest. In Benares, according to Mr.
Sherring, their sub-divisions are Sribastav, Nimdeo, Tinchara,
Dhanesh, Panjabi, Gaur, Kantak, and Saksena. Among sections
locally important we find the Zahuri of Saharanpur : the Chauhin
and Jogi of Muzaffainagar : the Sadiqi of Sitapur : the Turkiya of
Kheri, and the Pirzada of Gonda. The Musalm&n Darzds follow
the ordinaiy rules of Muhammadan exogamy ; but it is said ihaA
there is now-a-days a tendency to replace these by the usual stand-
ai'd Hindu formula. Widows remarry by the sa^di or idj form,
and the levirate is optional.

8. Tliough most of the Darzis in the east of the Province pro-
fess to be Sunni Muhammadans, they still
cling to many Hindu usages. -They worship
K&lika, Bhawani, and the*Panchonpir, among whom they particular-
ly reverence Ghazi Miyan.* These are worshipped in the month of
Jeth, when the wedding of Ghazi Miyan is commemorated. The
offerings to them consist of rich cakes {malida), bread^ fowls,
sweetmeats, melons, cucumbers, gram-flour, and cakes made of pulse
and pumpkin (konirauri). They bury their dead in the usual
Muhammadan form, and lay offerings to the spirits of their deceased
ancestors at the ^Id and Shab-i-barat. They are said to eat beef

1 In Gujarat on tho sixth day of tho birth a pair cf soistora ooTered with oloth
it laid down, and the child mado to bow to them.— Bom6av QoMHteer, V, 78.

% 255 DARZI.

more freely than ordinary Muhammadans of their class. Those who
are Hindus follow the rites and customs of the hi^i^r castes.

4. The ordinary Darzi is a very low-paid and hard-worked crafts-

Occnpatioii and .ociAl ^^^' According to Mr. Iloey* in Luck-
^*'** now the rate for making men's jackets

(angarika) is from three to eight annas according as the work is
plain or more or less ornamented : for men's drawers (marddna pde^
jdma) one and-a-half to two annas : coats {kurta) one and-a-half
annas : jackets (saluka) one and-a-half annas. The only articles of
female apparel made by them are drawers {pd^dma), which are
either of the ordinary tight pattern {eiuriddr), or wide with gussets
{kaliddr), such as are worn by dancing women and servants. Some
are master-tailors, and these, according to Mr. Hoey, make as much
profit by each workman as his daily wages, one and-a-half annas to
three annas per diem. Their women are said to be constantly
divorced, and there are few women who have not changed, husljands
m ore than once.

5. The occu}>ation is an ancient one. In the vocabulary of
Amara Sinha there are two words for workers with a needle —
iunmavdfa, ''or those who dam'' (tlie modem Rafugar), and the
other the ianckika (repritk*ntetl by the modern SAji), a general
tailur. The profession of tlk> latter was of sufficient importance to
necessitate tlie establishment of a special tribe and a mixed class.
Tlie lawful issue of Vaisyas by a S&dra woman were, according to
tlu* ancient law l>ook of Usanas, destined to live by it and were
called Sauchi or " needle-men. "". The occupation is a poor one
and held rathrrin (Nintempt. The village proverb runs, — Darji ka
pmi jab takjiia tab fab $Um— ** tlie tailor's brat will do nothing
but st'w all his life long." Another i^,-^ Darzi ki itii kkabkitdsk
ifftf/i, kibki tdt M^«— .*'the tailor's needle now in embroidery,
now in canvass.^'

* Monti^r^ph on Trni^ and Mamti/afiuMt, lOOi.
2 IUi«ndim UU If lira, /iiiio-iry«iiiJ, 1. iSi.

JDABZI.

256

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Vol. II.

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DABZI.

268

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Vol. IL

pasitImi. 260

Dasnami. — An order of the Gnsains. The word means '^ the
ten names/^ and is derived from their practice of affixing a special
name to define the endogamous sections. The term Sanny&si pro-
perly means a person who is undergoing the stage {asrama) of
meditation and abandonment of the world prescribed by the early
law-givers. But it more specially means a follower of the reformer
Sankara Acharya. He is sidd to have had four pupils^ from whom
ten orders were derived. Fadaman Ach&rya founded the Ttratha and
Asrama classes ; Sarupa Ach&rya the Yana and Aranya; Tamaka
or Tank Ach&rya the Giri^ SSgara and Parvata; Prithodar or
Prithivi Ach&rya the Puri^ Bh&rati and Baraswati. The lists^
however^ disagree in the enumeration of the ten classes. In these
Provinces they are usually given as l%*atha; Asrama; Yana;
Aranya ; Sarasvati ; Puri ; Bhirati ; Oiri ; Parvata^ and Sigara.
Mr. Maclagan, writing of the Panjftb, says : — '^ According to some
the order is divided into four divisions (called maiJ^, *^ the hut of an
ascetic ''); the Joshi Math, containing the Oiri, Puri, and Bharati;
the Sangri Math, containing the Yana, Aranya,, and Tiratha ; the
Nar&gani Math, containing the Parvata and Asrama ; the Brahma*
chari Math, containing the Saraswati and Dandi. The fact that
there are ten groups of Sannyftsis is well known, but different
versions are given of the names. Of eight lists which I have before
me from different parts of the Province, the Oiri, Puri, Aranya, and
Bharati appear in all ; but one or other of the following names, Ast&-
war; Jati; Bodla; Dandi; Datta; Acharya; Kar; Nirambh, or
Pari, is often substituted for one or other of the remaining class
names. According to some accounts only eight of the classes are
really Sannyasis, the Bharati being Jogis and the Dandis Yaishna-
vas. Three classes only, the Nirambh, Asrama, and Saraswati, are
allowed to wear or use arms. Five of the sub-divisions are said to
be recruited from Brahmans alone, viz,, the Saraswati, Ach&rya,
Aranya, Yana, and Anandi, the others being open to the public A
man of any caste may become a Sanny^i, but in practice the order
is made up of Brahmans and Khatris mainly, and according to
some the true Sannyasi will partake of food only in the house of a
Br&hman or a Khatri/'^

1 Fanjdb Ceiwiw RepoH, 112.

BASNllfl,

261

bhIkara ; bhIkba.

DiitribMtion of Datndmi Ouidimi according to fke Centm of 1891.

DlSTRICTt.

Number.

DlSTBICTt.

Number.

Dehrt i^txk • • •

168

Lalitpiir

SahAranpnr .

• •

Beoaret

•

• •

1.899

Ifusafl'arDagar

• «

U19

Minapnr

•

• •

4,268

Meerut • •

• •

6,083

Jatinpar

•

• •

3,638

Bulandihahr •

• •

2;i7l

GhAiipiir

•

• •

2,891

Aligtrh •

• •

Ballia .

•

• •

3,804

Agim .

• •

M24

Gorakhpor

•

• •

7.010

FiimikhAUd

• •

899

Btati .

•

• •

2,693

Hsinpori •

• •

U69

Kamtno

•

• •

2,944

EtAwah

• •

277

Taiii .

•

724

fiuh •

• •

1,816

lAokoov

» <

» •

738

Btreilljr

» •

4023

UnAo .

•

• •

2.289

BiJDor • •

• •

667

BA4Bmli .

> 4

• •

2,621

DudAon •

2,766

Sttapnr

• •

4.414

MoridAlAd •

» •

2,018

Hardoi

> 1

» •

1.128

ShAhJAhAniwr

> •

1.483

Kb«ri . .

> <

•

8,631

Pilibhlt

» •

1»622

FdtAbAd .

> •

6,871

CawDpar • «

•

1.336

QondA.

•

11,478

FaUhpor

•

709

BahrAieh .

) •

8.634

BAnda .

•

296

Stupor

•

2,048

Ifamlrpar

•

488 '

PftHAbgmrb .

•

1,807

AllahAUa

•
•
•

279

B4rmbMiki .

•

•
•

<006

JhAn.i .

Torn

108.320

J4Uan • • •

877 i^ MalM .

6ft.347

F«DftlM

•

47^78

Dhakarm ; Dhakra. — A M-pt of RijpuU who have been identi*

fuHl with tho Ti

kkoraii

(M of Ptolen

ny.» To the

Wtf«t of the Pronnon

t J. W. MeCrimlW, IaJiaa A%iH^n% XIII, 378.

bhIkasa ; dqIkba..

262

they claim S{irajbansi origin ; but this is not generally admitted.
Some are said to be emigrants from the banks of the Narbada ; but
the main body of the sept in these Provinces say that they came
fi'om Ajmer in the beginning of the sixteenth century and occupied
the country now traversed by the East Indian Railway from Etawah
to Barhan. In Hardoi ^ some say that they came from Dharwar ;
others from Mainpuri^ of which place their ancestor was Raja, and
expelled the Thatheras. They were notorious in the eighteenth
centuiy for their lawlessness^ and we learn from the letters of
Ezad Bakhsh' that in the neighbourhood of Agra they gave the
Imperial officers much trouble and rendered the commimications
between that city and Etawah insecure. ** Their chief stronghold
was then Balampur^ in the Chandw&r pargana^, whence they issued
in bands and harassed the country far and wide up to the very
walls of Agra. Their lawless conduct brought about its own
punishmentj for before the close of the century we find that they
had greatly diminished in numbers^ and that thdr possessions had
dwindled down to a few scattered villages.'' They seem to have
gained their power by a close alliance with the Bhadauriyas. In
the Mutiny they broke out again and endeavoured to seize their old
fort at Barhan from the Raja of Awa ; but they were defeated by a
combined force of Jadons and Mewatis. Since then they have sunk
into insignificance; but they are a turbulent, ill-conducted sept,
always ready for petty acts of violence and cattle-stealing.

2. In Unao the Dhakara give girls to the Gaur, Panwir^
Chandel, Gaharwar, Bachhal, Janwar, Nikumbh, Ahban, and Kachh-
waha: they take girls of the Gaur, Chandel, Ahban, Janwdr, Chauhan
and Bais, and claim to belong to the Bharadvaja gotra. In Aligarh
they receive brides from the Gahlot, Pundir, Chauhan and BargAjar
septs; and give girls to the Chauhan, Gahlot^ Sakarw&r, Panwir,
and Rathaur.

Distribution of the Dhdhara Bdjputi aeeording to tie CemuM

of 1891.

DiSTBICTS.

Number.

DlSTBICTI.

Niunber.

MooTut • • •
fialandsliabr .

256

Aligarh • •
Mathara • • •

851
83S

» SetiUment Report ^ 89.

' Elliot, BuppUmtntary Qlouary, t. v.

^^^^^^^^^^^^K D1•t^'';,^K Kllt^'GAil. ^_jfl

^H Af<

^B IknJ,

■■ , . - .] uo. ■

n 1 r.lei. if 1

■ 1 1

1*":

^^^1 DWVAicn. k«ulM«. ^H

^H MMU4 ^^fl

■ ^ 'H

^1 11^ ^^1

1" J

1 J

DHAkARA ; DHAKRA.

263

DhIlOAR ; I)h1k0AR.

Distribution qftk§ Dkdkmra BSjpmtt according to ike Ctmtuo of 1891^~toneid»

DiSTBICTt,

Number.

DiSTEICTt.

Number.

Agrm ....

6,178

PUibbIt

Farrakkibia .

170

GawnpQr • • •

Mainpnri •

1,4S2

AIUb4b4d .

EtAwah

957

J41aan* •

150

Etmh ....

494

Lalitpnr •

Btreilly

BmU • • • .

BadAan

289

SHapiir . •

MoT4d4b4d .

Hardoi

uoi

8hAbjah4Dpor

Kbori . • • .

T6TAL

11.096

Dhalgar— (Sans: dkdlakdra). — A small occupational caste who
make leather shields, a profession now almost extinct. They are
allied to the Dal>f2^r (q. r). The Census Returns show their sections
as Bankar, Benbansi, Daras, Dhaba^ Koliwftla, Sribistav, and Fhldtu

Di$irihution of the Dhdfgar$ according to ike Ceneui of 1891.

DirrBtcn.

Nnmber.

Fait4b4d
Qonda

Total

40
5

matamt

Dhangar.— A Dravidian tribe found in some of the eastern
districtn of tlic Province.^ They are only sh«)wn in (forakhpur,
but there are certainly a few in the south of Mirzapur, who are, how-
ever, possibly not re^^lar residents. According to Colonel Dalton

I la CMitrU 1b«1U a eommon luime for them U Halkar. TIm tale mas that a
DhAagar of tba Mafhal Vicaroj't bodj-froard aaad to aalota hit maater aTtfy dajt
bat ii*T<>r to wait aft«r ha made hia bov. la apita of raa»aBstraiieaa ha eoBttaoad
the prartiea, and aa a paaiahmaat tha Viearoy ordarad tha door throof h whieh
ih«* Dhinfar oame to ba eloaad with sworda. Tha DhiBffar rtfardlaa o# wovada
IMtancKl oB and mada hU bow. Tha Viearoj waa ao plaaaad thai ha oallad hia
Uatkar or '* ■tabbcnu '**fi<r4r QoM4H4m,W90i BaaiWy 0«Milatfr, XVI. M.

dhIngab. 264

'^ the Ehumkh or Orftons of Chutia N&gpur are the people best
known in many parts of India as Dhingar^ a word that from its
apparent derivation {ddn^ or dhdng^ *' a hill ^') may mean any hill-
man^ but amongst several tribes of the southern tribntary Mahals
the terms Dhaugar and Dhingarin mean the youth of the two sexes
both in highland and lowland villi^es^ and it eannot be considered the
national designation of any peculiar tribe/'^ According to Mr.
Risley, Mr. Oldham says in a note on some historical and ethnical
aspects of the Bard wan district that the M&IS Pahariyas call their men
of fighting age Dhangar or Dhingariya. The MalS are cognates of
the Oraons, the typical Dhangar labourers of Chota Nigpur^ so that
on this showing the word may well be nothing more than the
Oraon for an adult. According to another interpretation the name
has reference to the fact that persons working as Dhingars receive
the bulk of their wages in nnhnsked rice (dhdn)? In Bilispur^ in
the Central Provinces, they are regarded as a sub-division of the
Kanwar^ who are the largest sections of the aboriginal population
next to the OondS| and have there taken to wearing the; Br&hmani-
cal thread.' In Sambalpur they are said to be emigrants from
Chota Nagpur/ and in Sslranggarh they act as weavers and village
watchmen.^ M. St. Martin veiy doubtfully connects them with the
Tank Rajputs^ the Tangana of the Mahabh&rata^ and the Tanganoi
or Ganganoi of Ptolemy.^ The people known as Dhingar, in the
Dakkhin/ whose name is derived by Dr. J. Wilson from the Sans-
krit dhenukdra^ 'dealer in cows/^ are described as a quiet and
innocent race of people who wander about with their flocks and
herds. Their religion, manners, and language are to a great extent
like those of the Kunbi, but the temples at which they worship are
mere piles of large unhewn stones. The founder of the Holkar
family of Malwa sprang from this race.^

2. The Mirzapur Dhingars say that the Munda K'ols, the

Khariyas ^ of Chota N&gpur, the Ouriyas,

Tribal orgAiUAaiioxL ^^

Dh&ngars and Urain or (Mon are all

1 DtMcripHne EiKnologyt 245.

> THhtM and Cattw, I, 219.

> Central Province QaMeitser^ 106.
4 Ibid, 458.

> Ibid, 468.

• J. W. MoCrindle, Indian Antiquary, XITI, 876.

7 There is an aoooant of theie Bombaj DhAogara in the Oa§§it€ir, ilV, 856^ •§»

• Ibid 1, 222 : III, 225.

• For theee people, tee Ritlej, Tri6«t and Ca$t§», I, 466.

265 dhAnoab*

endogamoHB divimons of the same race. They name eight exogamous
septs, most or all of which are certainly of totemistic origin.
Thus Ilha is said to mean a kind of fish which this sept does not
eat : Kajur is the name of a jungle herb which members of this
sub-division do not use : 'Jink, which is possibly the same as the
IXrki or bull sept of the Oraons. In Chota N&gpur members of
this sept cannot touch any cattle after their eyes open.^ On the
other hand, Colonel Dal ton describes the Tirki sub-division as pro-
hibited from eating: young mice {iirii).*

The Lakara sub-division, which is apparently identical with that
called Lakrar among the Or&pns, who must not eat tiger's flesh,'
derive their name in Mirzapur from the hyseoa {laiar baffka)^ which
they will not hunt or kill. The Bara sept, who are evidently the
same as the Barar of the Orftons, who will not eat from the leaves of
the Bar tree ( Fieus Indiea), in Mirzapur will not cut this tree. The
Ekka sept in Mirzapur say that the name means " leopard,'^ which
they will not kill. In Chota NSgpur the same word is said to
mean " tortoise, '^ and to be a totemistic sept of OrAons. This is the
Ekhar sept in Colonel Dalton's list.* The Tiga sept, in Mirzapur,
say they take their name from a jungle root of that name which
they will not eat : but the Oribn Dhangars of Bhagalpur have a
Tig sept which they say means " monkey."' The last of the Mirza-
pur 5«epts iB Khiha, which they say means " crow, " a bird whidi they
respect and will not injure. This is evidently the same as the Kha-
khar sept of Orions, who will not eat the crow.* Prom all this the
identity of the Mirzapur Dh&ngars with the Bengal Orions is
oonclusively established. At the same time the diverging significance
of these totemistic titles within a limited area is interesting. The
Census lists supply a much more Hinduised set of sections includ-
ing the Beld&r, Bdw&r, Benbansi, Janwir, Jhuar, Pauwir, and
SrilJbtam.

5. Colonel Dalton's description of the Orftons applies very close-
ly to their cognates the Mirzapur DhAngars.
" Although the Oraons when young are pleas-
ant to look upon from their good humoured and guileless expression,

I RU1«7, TViU« and CasUs, II, 227.

> I>e9€ripiiv4 EihmoU>^, 254.

> lh%d. tbi.

« BiaUj, lo€. t%t^ 1. 261. Dmcriptirt EthmMgy, 2:^
•BUUj.kK. (^I..II. 822.
• iMlUiB, k>c cil., *.i&i.

bhAngar. 266

they are on the whole to be regarded as a dark oomplexioned and
by no means well-favoured race. When we see nnmbers of them
massed together in a market^ the features we find to predominate
are excess of jaws and mouthy thick lips pushed out by the projec-
tion of the jaws^ a defect which age increases^ the teeth becoming
more and more porrect till they appear to radiate outwards from
the upper jaw. The forehead is low and narrow^ but not as
a nile receding ; and the eyes have nothing very peculiar about
them^ often bright and full, with long lashes and straight set, some-
times small and dim, but not oblique. These upper features give
them a human and intelligent expression notwithstanding the Simian
characteristic of the lower. There is the indentation usual in the
Turanian races between the frontal and nasal bones, but the latter
are more pronounced than we find them in the Lohitic tribes. The
colour of the majority is darkest brown approaching to black.^ '^
Mr. Bisley adds that no signs of Mongolian affinities can be
detected in the relative positions of the nasal and malar bones ; the
average naso-malar index for a hundred Oraons, measured on the
system recommended by Mr. Oldfield Thomas, comes to 113'6.*

4. The Mirzapur Dhangars say they emigrated from a phoe

named Barwai somewhere to the south about
nine or ten generations ago. They say that
they occupied a narrow valley called Sathorwa, where they used to
beset and rob travellers. At last a General of the Emperor made
terms with their leaders, Jura Mahto and Buddhu Bhagat, and on
promise of giving them a rent-free estate {jdgir) induced the tribe
to lay down their arms, and then ordered a general massacre. The
few survivors escaped to Mirzapur. These two leaders, Jura and
Buddhu, are the deified heroes of the tribe. It is said that their
heads spoke seven days after they were decapitated, and advised
them to emigrate.

5. They have a tribal council [panehdyat) presided over by a

hereditary president, the Chaudhari, which

Tribal councU. . - . i • • -

meets for caste business on occasionB of
marriages and deaths. For caste oftences the punishment is usually
the providing of a feast including rice, one or two goats and ten

1 Dalton, Xoc. ctf.,250.
• Ttihes and Caitet, II, 139.

Tho Or4oDB of Benfral aro found to be extraordinarilj fertile. They haT« 7,7M
children in erery 20,000 pereont of both ■exes^CfiuiM Report, 175.

267 dhIngaiu

bottles of liquor. If a girl intrigues with a clansman, her father
has to provide two dinners to the clansmen, and she is then restored
to caste. Her lover has to provide the same feast if he seduces an
unmarried girl in the tribe. The pair are then married. If a girl
is detected in an intrigue with an outsider she is permanently
expelled, and so with a man who intrigpies with a strange woman.

6. The totemistdc septs are exogamous^ and in addition the

children of tL9 mother^s brother, the sister
and father's sister are barred. Polygamy is
permitted only when the first wife is barren, and then the consent of
the Chaudhari and clansmen is required. The marriage age is ten
or twelve for boys and girls. The bride-piice is two rupees, and is
invariably fixed by caste custom. No physical defect subsequently
ascertained can annul a marriage ; but both parties are carefully
examined by the relatives before the engagement is made. A man
may divorce his wife if he discovers that she is a witch, and habi-
tual mlultery on the part of husband and wife justifies divorce with
the U^ve of the council. Women who have been divorced can marry
again, but the general feeling is against the practice, and it is not
allowed in respectable families. Tlie institution of the Bachelor
Hall, descril)Gd by Colonel Dalton among the Or^ons,^ does not
prevail among the Mirzapnr Dhangars.

7. The levirate prevails, and a widow can marry an outsider by
Wiaow-DuuTiAfT* and Um i^i^di only when her younger brother-in-law

^^"'^ gives up his claim to her. The only cere-

mony is tliat the lover comes with a yellow sheet to the widow's
hiiuse. She puts it on and comes home with him, when he gives a
feast to his clansmen, and it is essential that the cooking should
be done by tlie new-made wife. By remarriage a viidow loses all
right to the profierty of licr first husband.

In the case of the levirate the property of the first husband
passes to the le^-ir, and when they grow up, the sons by the first
marriage are entitled to a share in all the property of their step-
father on the same scale as his sons. There is no fiction of attri-
buting the sons of the levir to his deceased elder brother.

8. Adoption is unknown. The heirs of a man are his sons : but

the eldest son gets sometliing more than the

BllCO— IJOD.

others. When the father and sons live joiot-

I I>9»eripiit€ llAnoIo^, SA7.

dhInoar. 268

]y and distribution takes place after the father's death, all the sons
share equally^ no matter whether any part of the property may have
been acquired by any particular son.

Grandsons get their proportion of the share that would have
fallen to their fathers. The widow has a sort of life interest in her
husband^s estate, but is liable to expulsion for unchastity . Daughters
have no right of succession. But a girl who is ill-treated by her
husband is entitled to return to her own home and be maintained
by her brothers.

9. The birth ceremonies resemble those among Bhuiy&rs (;. v.).

Domeatio oeremoniea. ^^ *^® ^^^ ^7 *^ ciioiH Oeremony is

Birth. performed, and after tins the mother is pure.

The husband does not cohabit with his wife for two months after
her confinement.

10. The betrothal is solemnized as among the Bhuiyas by the
, . exchange of platters of liquor between the

parents of the parties. After this both
salute in the form known as R&mrahii.^ Notice is given of the
day of the ceremony. This is called din dharna. The pair revolve
round a branch of the iiddh tree [Hardwiekia binaia), and a water
jar (kalsa) fixed in the marriage shed {mdnro). Before the pro-
cession starts, the bridegroom's mother sprinkles some water over
him with a branch of rice stalks, and waves the water jar over his
head to keep ofE evil spirits. The binding part of the oeremony
is the rubbing of red lead by the bridegroom on the head of the
bride. After marriage the bridegroom has to eat rice and pulse
{ikickari) with the bride, and refuses to do so until he gets a
calf or eight annas from his father-in-law. The bride walks bdmid
the bridegroom on her way to his house, and is supposed to weep
bitterly all the time. When she and her husband reach the door,
they have to walk in over a series of baskets arranged in a double
line, while the women sing the song of rejoicing (ioiar). Then
the bridegroom salutes his male relations outside the house. Inside,
the bride, shading her breast with the comer of her sheet, touchee
the feet of the senior women, and they reply with the blessing iuidr
akibdl barhS"^^^ May your husband live long."

> Aooordiniir to the Bengal Betonis the Orion man marries earlier thaa aaj
of the other Dravidians, nearly five yean earlier than the Mnnda KoL Thirteea
and-a-half it the general marriage age for girls of the aboriginal tribes, bat ths
Bhoiya, Orion, Agariya, and Karmi giye their daughters in marriagt alittU aiidsr
thirteen years. — OmiBUM Report, 200.

260 dhJLkgab.

1 1 • The dead arc cremated exactly as is done by the Bhniyas ;

after the mourners return from the cremation

Death oeremoniM. . .i i 0 ,^ % 11

they come to the house of the deceased and
there some butter is thrown on a fire lighted in the courtyard^ and
tlic mourners pass their hands through the smoke and rub their
bodies. The ashes of the dead are thrown into a neighbouring
Btream. Ihey have no idea of the careful preservation of the
bmes as described by Colonel Dalton among the Orions.^ On
the day of the cremation all the women walk in a line to the river
or tank close by. They are very careful not to touch each other
with their toes, as they walk one after the other. The woman
thus struck is believed to lose her son or husband during the
year. When they arrive at the water the red powder is washed
of! the parting of the widow's hair. The chief mourner is impure
for ten days, during which he places a leaf platter {dauna) full of
food daily on the road by which the deceased was remo>'ed for
cremation. On the tenth day the male relatives shave and return
to the house of the deceased, where the chief mourner sacrifices
a pig in the name of the deceased, and cutting ofE its feet and
snout buries them in the courtyard and covers them with a stone.
Then striking this stone with another stone he says,<^*' I have
buried you here, never to come out ; you are to rest here no matter
how hard an exerciser {Of to) or anyone elee tries to wake you.''
Then he pours some liquor over the stone. There is no priest
employed in the funeral ceremony, and no formulie of any kind are
recited.

12. The Dhingars in Mirzapur are nominally Hindus, but

worship none of the regular Hindu deities.
Their deities are Bama Bhawani, a female,
who may be the same as Barhona^ a deity of the Kurs, identified
with Varuna, the spirit of the waters,' and Ooraiya Deva. Bama
Bhawini is worshipped by some once a year, by others four times a
year with the sacrifice of a he-goat, a she-goat, and a pig. Goraiya
is the god of cattle, and is worshipped every year on 15th Kirttik,
A {vig and a white and black oock are sacrificed to him in the cattle
pen, and sume liquor is poured on the ground* They carry on the
usual worship of the village gods ( Jii) through the Baiga. When

bhInoab. 270

small-pox prevails the women worship Sitala BhawSnL Her
offering, which is conditional on the recovery of the child from the
disease, consists of bread and a sort of sweetmeat {ialwa). If the
child recovers he wears all his life a silver image (nrjana) of the
goddess, with her figure gilt, round his neck. All the worship, except
that of the village gods, is done by the head of the household^ and
the worshippers consume the flesh of the victim.

IS. In Bhadon they observe the Ntigpanchami by eating better
F hvaI ^^^ a^iOi usual, but they do not make any

special worship of the snake as Hindus do.
In Magh they have the Ehichari, when they eat pulse, parched
grain, and scsamum. They do not light the Holi fire, but they
celebrate the Phagua by drunken revelry and foul abuse of women,
particularly of the brother's wife {bhaujdi).

14. Old wells and tanks are the special abode of malevolent ghosts.
_ , , These are propitiated throuefa the Ojha. who

Demonologry andancea- ^ -^ * ^ ^ ^ *

tor worship. is bclicved to have special control over them.

They have no special ancestor worship, because they consider the
spirits finally disposed of by the pig-sacrifice already described.

15, The women tattoo themselves only on the arms. In this th^

differ from the Or&ons, who are tattooed in
childhood with the three marks on the brow
and two on each temple that distinguish the majority of the Mnnda
women. ^ There is no special pattern and nothing resembling
a tribal tattoo. The women wear bracelets {mtUki^a), pewter
anklets {pairi), necklets {Aansli), ear ornaments {uiarna), bead
necklaces [gurija). They eat beef and pork, and almost any
meat except that of the lizard, jackal, alligator, and monkey.
They use liquor and smoking and chewing tobacco. The use of
liquor they believe keeps off malaria. They will not touch or name
the wife of the elder brother. They treat their women fairly well,
consult them in family affairs, and follow their advioe. Their bnsi*
ness is generally to work as ploughmen. Their wages are four ierM
of grain for each working day, a rupee and-a-half at the end of the
agricultural year, one blanket and half a bigha of rent-free land*
They also get food on the Panchaiyan, Khichari, and Phagua festi*
vals. They have no regular communal organization, but they are

1 Dalton, Dt»cripiiv€ Eihisology, 251.

dhAkoar.

271

dhAkuk;

very clannish and afraid of strangers. In Mirzapnr they are
little better than a miserable, depressed tribe of field serfs.

VUtribution of the Dhdngan according to He Cemui of 1891.

DISTBICT.

Benb«nti.

JanwAr.

P^wir.

Others.

TOTi L.

Oorakhpar • •

218

292

200

788

Dhanuk^ (Sans, dhanuska^ ^'an archer ''), a low tribe who
work as watchmen, musicians at weddings, and their women as
midwives. They are most numerous in the Agra division, but
are found all over the Province except in the Benares, Oorakhpur,
and Faizabad divisions, and in the hills. Their origin is very
uncertain. According to Dr. Buchanan' they are a '^ pure agri-
cultural tribe, who from their name, implying archers, were pro-
bably in former times the militia of the country, and are perhaps
not esiK*ntially different from the Kurmis; for any Jaisw&r Kurmi,
who from poverty sells himself or his children is admitted among
tiK' Dlinnuktf. All the Dli^nuks were at one time probably slaves,
and many have been recruited to fill up the military ranks— a
method of recruiting that has been long prevalent in Asia, the
armies (>f Parthians having licen composed almost entirely of slaves,
and the custom is, I lielieve, still pretty general among the Turks.
A gri>at many of the Dhinuks are still slaves ; but some annually
pnxMire their liU'rty by the inability of their masters to maintain
tlk*m, and by thi*ir unwillingness to sell their fellow-creatures. I
liave alri>ady montioncHl tliat the Dhanushkas or Dhamin Brahmans
are prolably the original priests of the tribe.'' Mr. Risley* admits
tliat tlk* only evidence from Bihar in support of Dr. Buchanan's
th«^ry of the connection Wtween the Dhinuks and the Kurmis is
timt, aceonling to some authorities, the Chhilatiya sub-caste is also
known by the name of Jaiswir. Considering, however, how wide-
hpri'oil tlk* term Jaiswar is for ttu? sul>-castes and sections of the
minor cantos, this pii*ci» <if evidence is of little value.

I Almoet entirvlj \mt^\ cm noUt by BAb« Oo|k4l PrmMd« Kaib TdlialldAr W
I'lu}>hAn'l : umI ChMdhari iHuwhiui Biagh, of Awaijii, EUwak dialriei.
« Kaifrm /ii«i»4S. I. 166.
* TrUKS amd CtuUt vj B€%$^1^ I, 230, f^f •

DHiNUE. 272

2. At the last Census the Dhftnuks were recorded in the following
^ , , , ^ important sub-castes:— DhAkara, Dusidk

Internal atrnoture, xr • i • ▼»- t .

Kaithiya, Kathanya, Kori; and Bftwat. The
complete lists show three hundred and twenty sections of the usual,
mixed type, some the names of well known tribes, others of local
derivation. A full list received from Et&wah names twenty sub-
divisions— Laungbarsa (the name means " raining cloves/' and is
said to arise from the custom prevailing in this sub-division of tying
a string of cloves round the necks of the bride and bpidgtoom during
marriage. They do not, however, appear to treat the clove otherwise,
with any particular respect, and do not forbear from naming, eating,
burning, or otherwise destroying it), Haz&ri, Kathariha, Lakariha,
Bhuseli, Garuhaiya, Hdthichighar, Garpetha, Atariluk, Pichhauriha,
Jashar, Jalaliya, Kaehhwaha, Jugeli, Ruriha, Kharaiha, Taheld,
Dunhan, Bagheli. Sir H. M. Elliot gives the seven sub-divisions
as follows : — Laungbasta (probably the same as the Laungbarsa of
the Etsiwah list), Mathuriya, Eathariya, Jaisw&r, Magahi, Dojwar
Chhilatiya. In the east of the Province another list^ gives Jais-
war, Dhanuk, Magahi, Dojwar and Chhilatiya. The Dhinuks have
no tradition of the origin of these names, and it is dangerous to spe-
culate on such a subject. But there seems no doubt that the
Eathariya or Eathariha are so-called because they make a sort of
mat called iathri, which is one of the special handicrafts of this sub-
division to the present day. The Lakariha and BhuseU have
obviously somothing to do with wood and chafE. The Hathidiighar
are elephant keepers ; the Kaohhwaha and Bagheld must have taken
their names from the similar Rajput tribes ; while the Jaisw&r and
Magahi are clearly local names derived from the town of Jais and
the country of Magadha, respectively. There is little or no reeem«
blancc between these lists and the BihAr list given by Mr. Risley, a
sufficient proof, if proof were needed, of the astonishing facility by
which tribes of this social status modify their internal structure.
3. Tlic rule of exogamy as stated by the Dh&nuks of Etftwah is

that (a) no man or woman can marry in their

Marriaga rules. ..... ..% v*i:3 «^ • m

own 8ub-di Vision; (o) no child can be mmmed
in a family in which tlie &ther or mother have been married. The
age of marriage is usually between seven and eleven. No one can
have more than two wives at the same time. Unchastity on the
part of an unmarried girl is punished by a fine imposed on the

I Baohanan* loc. fit*

273 dhInuk

parents by the tribal council. A man can ^t rid of his wife for
adulter}', but a wife cannot abandon her husband for this cause.
Divorced women and widows can 1x5 remarried by the form known
as (iharanna or dharukh. The le>'irate under the usual restrictions
is permitteil. If a widow marry an outsider she loses all right to
the ^oods of tier first husband. If he leave children they are hit
lieirs ; if he dies childless his elder brother, or if he himself be the
eldest, then the brother next to him in age succeeds. If she marry
the loir he takes the goods of his deceased elder brother unless he
has left children. There is no fiction that children by the levir are
attributed to his late brother.

4. There are no ceremonies during pregnancy. The mother is

attended by some old woman of the tribe.

The only purificatorj' ceremony is the
chkaihi on the sixth day after delivery. There is no trace of the
couvade. The only observance at adoption is the feeding of the
clansmen.

5. The marriage ceremonies are of the common low caste type.

In the ret<])ectable form {sAadi, btwdh) the
ceremony, tlie binding part of which is the

ruvolutionrt [bhann^ar)^ is done at tlie house of the bride; in dola it

is done at tliat of the bridegroom.

0. Tlioy liurn their ailult and bury the unmarried dead. The

aithes are thrown into any river or stream.

Dtftib.

Tlu'y perform irdddka for the repose of the
souls of the dea*!. The malevolent dead are propitiated in the
months of Magh and Bh^on. The service is done in the daytime
but secretly with all tlie doors closed. A fire is lighted and to it
caki*s (pMri) are ofTen^d, and then eaten by the worshippers. On
this occasion if the house-holder lie a rich man, he entertains the
brotherhood; if he is poor, he feeds only his sister^s or daughter^!
husband* a custom which may be a survival of descent in the female
line. The ashes of the fire made on this occasion are carefully pre-
served, and if any sirkmss come upon the household during the year,
thi*y are rubbi*d on the i>art affected, and a vow is made to rcfieat thn
service wlun thi» next anniversary comes round. During the first
fifteen days of the month of Kuar water is thrown daily on the
ground, in houour of tlie deail» anil flour, butter, etc., are given to
Hriihmans that they by consuming them may convey them to the
hungry dead in the other world. A fire is lighted and cakes otfer-
Vol. II. s

dhInuk. 274

ed to it^ and a piece of a cake is attached to the wall ia the place
where marks have been made representing the deceased ancestors of
the family.

7. The Dhanuks are Hindu by religion and are classed as SiktaB

because they are worshippers of Deri. But
none of them are ever regularly initiated.
They make pilgrimages to the tomb of Mad&r S&hib at Makhanpur^
in the Cawnpur District^ and in the month of M&gh ofEer a sort of
pudding (malida) and money which are taken by the Kh&dims in
charge of the shrine. They also worship the two Miy&ns: the
great or Bara Miyan has his tomb at Jalesar^ in the Etah District,
and the little or Chhota at Amroha^ in Morftd&bid. These saints
are worshipped after child-birth ; if the child happened to be a son
they offer a he-goat ; for a daughter the offering is a kind of cake
(gulgula). These are consumed by the worshippers, and so is the
goat, which is the right of Devi. They are firm believers in the
demoniacal theory of disease. In such cases a sorcerer is sent for ;
he sits down with a broom in his hand, which he waves while he
smokes a Auqqa, and thus drives off the evil spirit which is the cause
of the mischief. In cases of disease caused by the Evil Eye the pro-
cedure is similar with this addition that some chillies are waved
seven times round the head of the patient and then thrown on the
fire, when the evil influence incontinently disappears in the stench.
Another plan is for the magician to summon one of his domesticated
spirits, which puts him under its influence, and he is then able to an-
nounce with certainty the evil spirit which has affected the patient*
Another approved plan is to bum a hair from the patient's head, and
this invariably gives relief.

H. When they sink a well they erect an image of Hannmto near

the spot, and on the completion of the work
feed Brahmans and distribute charity. Be-
fore sowing a little grain is sifted through a sieve, and when
the work is done] the oxen are washed and the plough worshipped.
Before the grain is garnered a little is given to the poor and to Brah-
mans.

9. Dhlnuks will eat mutton, pork, the flesh of the cloven-footed
. , animals, and fish. They drink freely. They

Soouil rules. ' J ^ ^

will not eat the flesh of monkeys, beef, flesh

of uncloven-footcd animals, fowls, crocodiles, snakes, lizards, jadbala,

s, vermin, or the leavings of other people. Their salutation ia

276

DHiirUK.

lUm I Rdm I They have the usual ceremonial taboos. Elder relativet
are addressed not by their names but by their title of relationship.
Younf;;er persons and all male strangers are addressed by name. All
female strangers are addressed by name when spoken to by women ;
but when men address them they call them ^^ so-and-so's wife'' or
" so and-so's mother.'' If they are immarried they are addressed by
name. So a husband calls his wife '' so*and-8o's mother."

10. Their occupation is playing on trumpets at weddings and

other occasions of festivity. They act as
servants, day-labourers, village watchmen,
and their women do midwifery. Some hold land as tenants and
work as field labourers. Many receive a patch of land rent-free in
lieu of wages.

Diitribulion of Didnuh and ihrir iub^eaiUi bf tie Cemui

of 1891.

Oocapatioo.

DiSTBICTt.

•

• • ■

■5

•1

• ••

•g

•

i
S

Total.

D<*bm Ddn

•♦•

ISS

•••

...

«5

914

8*hiranpar

■ ••

• •«

■ ••

• ••

...

MosaffATiMgAr.

••«

• •<

• ••

1 ...

• * •

...

••*

IfMnmt .

• ■•

••

• ••

...

18,758

••.

11.268

25.091

BalAodihAhr

•••

• •<

■ ••

...

• •■

...

Altfarh •

• ••

• •

• ••

.••

• ••

286

854

610

If aiharm .

•••

• •1

• • -

...

• ■•

...

Af m

216

• •«

• ••

229

• • •

156

M50

1,744

FarmkhiliAd .

• ••

• •!

• ■ ■

8,0»4

• • •

237

18,524

15.84»

Ifainptin .

379

• •1

, 19JM

• ••

...

1.2»

15.540

EUwah •

• •<

• ■•

8,820

• ••

423

6,897

16.709

EUh

U*7«>

965

113

5U6

978

3,819

BamUj •

• ••

IJB9S

•«•

...

• ••

872

899

3.608

BiJBor •

• ••

•..

• •■

• * «

■ ••

ShibHhiDpv .

• ••

S79

•• ■

8,928

• ••

2.508

1,140

12>4T

Paibkll .

•••

180

2,133

• ••

1.929

837

4.574

Oftwnpar .

• •«

• • •

• ••

439

1 3

• ••

19,452

19.iM

Hanlrpnr

• • •

• •

• ••

■ «•

••«

Vol. II.

• 9

dhInuk.

276

dhArhl

Distribution of DhAnuk% and their iuh-ccutet 6y ike Cemius of 1891 — eoneld

DiSTBICTfl.

•

•
P

•

•g

•

Total.

Allah&Ud

• ••

•••

• ••

•••

• ••

Jhinsi

• ••

•••

JUaun

• •■

•*•

• •.

•••

2,439

S,4M

Lalitpar .

•••

• ••

•«•

••.

•••

••

Benares .

•••

• ••

•*.

•••

Gbizipnr.

•••

• ••

•••

Ballia .

•••

■ ••

••*

•••

• ••

•••

TarAi

•••

• ••

•••

Lacknow

•••

••«

•••

••.

788

789

Uxi4o

296

...

. ..

••*

• ••

•••

5,218

5,509

SItapnr •

•••

• ••

••

467

•••

2,235

2,702

Hardoi •

•>•

• ••

••..

8,808

• ••

•••

8,8H

11,402

Kheri

•••

• ••

1,121

• •.

1,005

1,405

8,521

Faiz&bid.

•••

• ••

•••

- 15

Bahr&ich

•••

• ••

•••

...

• ••

Solt&npar

•••

• ••

•••

• ••

TOTAl

1,448

! 2.478

1.103

48.446

18,874

7,504

71,886

146,189

Dharhi (possibly from Sans. dhrUta, ^'impadenf ), a tribe
of dancers and singers of whom there is a Hindu and a Mnhammadan
branch. They have been described under one of their many names,
Kingariya or Kingriya^ in another place. Another name for them is
Psiwariya or Fawanriya (from the foot (pdnw) carpet {pdnwrnrm)
they use. In the hills^ though socially ranked with Dome, they do
not belong to thcm^ for they properly include only those Khasiyas
who have been put out of caste for some offence or other and their
offspring form a new caste with the special avocation of singing
and dancing.

2. The Census lists show forty sections. Many of these are local

as Audhiya, Balr&mpuri, Chaurasiya, Desi,
Gujarati, Jaunpuri, Haripuriya^ Kanaujiya^
Madhesiya, Pachhwahan, and Sarwariya. Others connect them with
well-known castes or tribes^ as Bansphor, Boriya^ Dhelphor, Dnsldl^
Ghosi^ Kewat.

Internal stroetnre.

277

bhAbhi.

8ockl rules.

S. The Dhirhi has two distinct functions. In the fixBt place ha
OooDpatioo ^* * musician and singer, and appears at hoosea

on occasions of festivity^ such as a marriage
or when a woman is purified after the birth pollution and rejoins
the household. lie and the women who accompany him, who are
usually of equivocal reputation, sing and play the double drum
(mtidang) or the guitar (tambmra)^ for which he gets presents of
grain, money or clothes. Secondly, the Hindu Dh&rhi keeps swine
and acts in many villages as the priest of the local god {Gdnwdeoia,
deokdr) cleans and plasters his platform, and takes anything in tha
way of an offering which is not consumed by the worshippers
themselves.

4. The Dhirhi from his habits of begging and going about with

women of bad character has rather an
unsavoury reputation, and socially ranks very
little above the Cham&r. They permit widow-marriage, divorce
and remarriage of divorced women, but if a woman separate
from her husband without cause she must repay through her
second husband any charges which may have lx?en incurred in her
first marriage. Muhammadan Dhirhis have their marriages done,
if they are well-off, by the Qizi ; if they are poor, by the village
Dafili.

The Hindu Dh&rhis sddom or never employ a Brahman except
to take the auspices and fix a lucky day for the wedding. Two
common proverbs show the opinion generally held of the Dhirhi—
Dens lena kdm Dom Dhdrki^on ka, mu^ab^i dusri ekU kai.^-^
** Taking presents is the way of pimps and buffoons ; true love
is quite a different thing. '' Randi i* iamdi, pa kkde Dkdrki, pm
kkd$ gdri. ** The prostitute's earnings go to the pimp or cabman."

DUirib%tion of Dkdrkii according to iki Cemiui of 1891.

HlllDOt.

DitTBicn

DoaAdh.

MadhMTa OtlMrt.

Total.

Bolandihfthr •

• ■ ■

• • • •• •

MathorA • . • .

* . •

• • . • • •

A|^ni • • • .

...

• • • * • •

FarrnkhAlMd •

•*•

«7

279 dharkAr.

(Hindi diar, Sanskrit ^iar«, "a rope/' tdra,
" maker'') a snb-caBie of the Eastern Dome. They are also known
as Bentbansi, because they work in cane {bent)^ which some
corrupt into Benbansi or of the race of Raja Vena. Their sections
in Mirzapiir are quite distinct from those recorded by Mr. Risley
in Bihar.* South of the Son there are four sections (kuri) which
are exogamous : Axil^ which is said to be the name of a fine
kind of bamboo used in making winnowing fans, baskets, sieves,
etc. : Neoriya, said to be derived from newar, a young soft bamboo :
Dauriha, said to take its name from daMriwa, a strong hard
bamboo used for baskets {damri) which is not attacked by
weevils : Nagarha, from na^ar, a very high thick bamboo. These
sections intermarry on equal terms, except the Aril, which is the high-
est, and with it the others practise hypergamy. This rule of exo-
gamy is reinforced by the restriction against intermarrying in the
family of the maternal uncle ( mimit ) and father's sister's husliand
(pktUpka) for at leost three generations. In Oudh the rule of exo-
^rarny is said to be that a man cannot marry the daughter of his
histor and a son cannot be married in a family to which a bride
lias been given until three or four generations have passed. Two
sisters cannot l)e married at the same time ; but a man may marry
the sisU^r of his deceased wife. They also very often marry by ex-
changing sisters in the form knoii^ni as Ourawat, the simplest form
of marriage by purchase. ' North of the Son they name three sections
which are eiKlogamous— Benlans, Bania and Dom ; but the
Benljans have developed under the influence of Hin«luism regular
exogamous poiraM, of which they know only two,— Bilkhariya and
Matar. To the whole trilie, as is shr>wn more particularly in the
se(*tions south of the Son, the bamljoo is a sort of totem and is
treated with great respect.^

The Mirzapur Dharkirs say that when Parameswar created
their ancestor he seated him under a lAmh^o and gave him the
cur^'cd knife {iJmia) with which he was to make his linngby basket
making, etc.

> BaAcd on •DqnirtM at Uimpar am! m n**im \tj B*ba 5>4b«»1 DdU, l>«p«l7
CollMrtor. Htfdoi.

> Tr%lt$ and Cm§t»$, 11. App. 43.

* WMUnnarck, Hufury ^tf Human Mattimft, SM,

* Thm b«mUjo is «ur«lupp«a by tea* ol Um Chtttefosf Hill TribMb Dftlloa*
Ehnolo^, toe ; Ubboeli, Ori^n •/ Civtl«#«lk«,

dhabkAr. 280

2. The tribal council (panehdi/af) with a permanent president

imahto) and an assistant (ditcdn) is very

Tribal council. n , mi mi i

powerful. The council hears the evidence and
gives its opinion, which may or not be accepted by the Mahto, who
gives the final order. The usual punishment is an order to feed the
clansmen for two days on goat^s flesh and rice. For a second offence
excommunication for twelve years is the sentence, and during this
time, unless he make humble submission and receive pardon from the
council, all marriages in his family are stopped, he is not allowed to
eat or smoke with his clansmen, and cannot sit on the tribal mat {idi)
at meetings of the council. In Oudh, however, it would appear that
they have no regularly constituted council. Whenever a case affect-
ing caste discipline occurs, a meeting of the adult householders of the
neighbourhood is convened : they appoint a Chairman for the meeting
and decide the case. They have a sort of local organization
{eka) for marriages, which generally take place within an assigned
local area. They seldom go any considerable distance to find wives.*

3. A man may have as many wives as he can afford: but mono-

gamy is the rule. In Oudh they say that no

Marriage rales.

man can have more than seven wives at one
time ; but it is needless to say that very few Dhark&rs can afford
more than one. If a man marries more than one wife, the senior
wife {jethi mehrdru) rules the household. Concubinage and
polyandry are prohibited. Women have considerable freedom, and
intertribal fornication is visited by a fine of a two days' feast to the
clansmen. The lover has to pay the girl's father in such cases eight
rupees in cash and to give her mother a cloth — an arrangement so
common apparently that there is a special name for it, — tndi kdpar^ or
" the mother's cloth." He then feeds the council on goat's flesh and
rice, and after this the young couple are recognized as man and wife.
Dharkars practise adult marriage, the age being seventeen or
eighteen. The marriage is arranged by the father's sister's husband
(pAilpka) of the bridegroom. The bride-price paid by the boy's
father is fixed — eight rupees in cash^ one loin cloth {d^oU}, and one
hundred cakes (puri). This is used in the marriage feast, and the
oloth goes to the girl. The parties are so carefully examined before
marriage that no physical defect subsequently ascertained is a bar to
marriage. If the wife without reason shown to the satisfaction of the

* Seo in<«tancen of thin coUeotod by Wei* ier marc k, loc cH , 3S5» 9q,

281 DHARKAR.

council refuse to live with her husband^ her father has to refund the
cash brideprice. If the husliand refuses to keep his wife, the council
will punish him and compel him to bring her home. If either hus-
band or wife habitually commit adultery, the injured party may
divorce the other, but before they can do so the case must be heard
by the council and the Mahto must give his permission, which will
not be granted unless the fact is proved by the evidence of eye->wit«
nesses. If a woman is divorced, she may be remarried in the tribe by

the form known as 9a$di or dharauna. The children of a regular
wife and a widow taken in nttgdi rank equally as heirs. If a man
keep a concubine or even eat from her hand, he is put out of caste
and not restored till he gives a tribal feast. Illegitimate children
follow the father, but such a child cannot eat or marry in the tribe.
Only a widower can marr}' a woman by the sagdi form. He goes
to the widow's house and proposes for her in a regular form — kamdr
ghar bi*ddt'\'* make my liome inhabited. '' Iler father receives the
same bride-])rice as in a regular marriage. Her father gives a feast
and assembles the council. If at this meeting any person entitled
to claim the right of the levirate comes forward and says,--" Why are
you giving my woman to a stranger ? " the council order her father
to ]tay him the bride-price. 1 hen her lover takes her home, puts
retl lead on her forehead and palm l(af ornaments (iarif) in her
ears, and after feeding the clansmen on goat*s flesh and rice the con-
nei'tion is U^galined. The levirate is recognised under the usual re-
strictions, and there is no fiction of theafliliationof the children to the
former husland. A childless man can adopt his brother's son. The
sons are heirs, but the eldest tum gets sometliing in excess as deter-
mined by the couiu'il. Daughters have no rights, and after marriage
even the claim to maintenance is not recngniied. The mother has a
life interest if there are no brothers of the deceased. The heirs of a
sonless man are his associated brothers and they are supposed to give
the widow something unless she is remarried, which is usually the
case, unless she is disabled by age or infirmity.

4. Tlie father is called dauwra : the grandfather h%iba : the

mother ddi : the grandnuither b^rH ddi: the
ReUiicnaliip.

father's elder bri»tlH*r Lmra or bitrJta ("great'').
The wife is always ralleil ** the mother of so-and-so," her son. They
call a daughter 6a Aim or siiiter, whirh perha{Ni {loints to loose ideas of
family life. The wife's father is makio ** lemieT. "

DIIARKAR. 282

Relations generally are mii or jfdr ('' friends '0* In particular
they call mil all persons who have the same name as ihranselveSy
and with such they are particularly friendly. People resident in the
same village are gaunwa pariwdr,

5. When the birth pains begin they worship the ancestors with

the sacrifice of a he-goat and a cock, and

Birth oeremonieg. ,.i.v tii i*. -i^j

bathe the woman's hands and feet or, in bad
cases, her whole body with a decoction of the uark of the Rohina or
fig tree. The child is born on the ground and the oord is cut by a
Chamarin midwife, who buries it in the place the child was born,
placing a bit of iron and a copper pice in the earthen fire pot. On
the sixth day {chhathi) the Cham&rin retires and the mother is
bathed by her husband's sister (nanad)^ who cleans thedelivery-room
(saur) . '1 he house earthen vessels are replaced, and one or two of
the clansmen fed. On the twelfth day (baraJii) the woman is again
bathed and the house cleaned. On that day she cooks for the family
and is pure. Her husband does not cohabit with her for six months
after her confinement. They have the usual horror of touching
menstrual blood or clothes defiled at child-birth. The only puberty
ceremony is the ear-boring^ (kanchhedan)^ which is done at the age
of eight or ten, after which the child must conform to caste rules
about food,

6. The betrothal is sealed by the exchange between the two

fathers of platters of liquor, one containinir
two rupees placed there by the boy's fiither,
which the girl's father takes. 1 hey have the usual matmangar cere-
mony.' The usual anointing of bride and bridegroom follows^ which
is begun by the fathers on each side taking up a little oil in a wisp
of duh grass and sprinkling it on the bride or bridegroom, as the
case may be. During this time he calls out,—** If my son or
daughter is happily married we will worship the ancestors {piira)
with a fire offering of butter and a goat or fowl/' Here follows
a curious emblematical ceremony. The boy's mother sits on a
grain mortar {oi^ari) in the centre of the marriage shed, and her
son is seated in her lap. Then the boy, his mother, and the weddiufj^
water-pot {iahaj are all tied together with a string and a fire sacri-

> The rural proverb runt, E gur khdyen, kdn chheddyen, '* Yoa iiiii«t tat thfa
tugarand hare your ears bored/' doiufr a thing noUiu voUnt. Chtiatitok, B^kmr
Provrbi, G8,

3 For which lee Bhuiya, para. 14.

283 dhabkAr.

doe {torn) is done with rogar and butter. The boy's stster holds
her band over the blaze and collects some lampblack on her fingers^
which she rubs on her brother^s eyes. Then the mother comes
under the influence of the goddess Amina Bhawfini and begins to
tremble, on which her friends throw some rice over her and take
her into the house, whence she soon emerges again to do the ware
ceremony {paraeHaw). She holds a vessel {iofa) full of water, a
grain pounder {misal), and a tray {Ikdli), on which is plaoed a
lighted lamp. First she waves a lump of dough five times over her
son's head ; she does the same with the lota, and i)ours the water on
the ground. Then she moves the rice«pounder five times over him,
and with it touches the spot on the ground where the water was
poured out. He finally salutes her with the pdelagi form, and she
says,—" Oo son j Oo son I'' When he arrives at the bride's door her
father meets him with a new basket, the emblem of his craft, in
which is a new loin-cloth dyed with turmeric. This b put on the
bridegroom, and the basket is handed to one of his friends. All the
friends on both sides stand at the bride's door, beat drums and
dance. In this dance the men fasten rattling bangles {gkmngru) on
their ankles and play on the tambourine l<iajfa), flute {6dnMMli),9LnA
largo drum {mdmdar), while they leap high in the air and shout.
Then they retire to rest under a tree outbide the village. One of
the bride's friends then comes and washes their feet, after which the
boy's father sends a loin cloth {dkoii) and one hundred cakes {pdri)
to the bride. These, when they arrive, are carefully counted, and
twenty -five are sent back to the bridegroom, who gives a piece to
each of his friends.

7. At night the bride and bridegroom are seated in a square
(ekami) in the bride's courtyard. The father's sister^s husbands
(apparently a survival of the matriarchate) who manage the business,
sit on each side of the pair. They join the hands of the boy and
girl, and putting a ring of grass on her finger pour water over their
hands while they cry £ar iamj/s ciira^ji r<ii#»— >^' LoQf? lif^ to
bride and bridegroom." This is said five timet, and water is pooxed
over their hands five times. Then the pair walk five times round a
branch of the cotton tree (»€mml) which is fixed up in the marriage
shed.' Next a curry stone is placed before the pair and on it is

I For Um rMp«ei p^id to ik« ooiton tr«» aaoaff Ik* KUadbi^ tM Tjrkv. frimi-
ii94 CiUlvrf, !!•

DHAEKAR. 284

laid a piece of betel-nut. The bridegroom holds the bride's foot and
knocks this off with her toe. This is known as iuri meinm — " to
obliterate the pile^ '' and is said to imply that the role of the prohi-
bited degrees has been observed in the marriage.^ Next the
bridegroom takes some red lead and robs the girl with it from the
tip of her nose up to the crown of her head, while her sister oomes
forward and collects {iendur bakorna) any loose g^ns in the comer
of her sheet. For this she gets a fee of two annas. Next the pair
go into the kohabar or retiring room, where a good deal of coarse
merriment goes on at the expense of the brid^room.' 1 he cere-
mony winds up with a feast and the escort of the bride to her bus-
band^s house. A day or two after bride and bridegroom take the
two wedding jars {kalia) to a neighbouring tank. The bride stands
with her back to her husband and with an affectation of secresy
throws her jar into the water {kalsa duldna). He then stands with
his back to her and throws in his jar. Both proceed to search for
them^ and when they find them fill them with water and bring them
home. On the way they rest them on the ground and pour a little
of the bundiya sweetmeat made of gram flour and butter on the
ground. Then they proceed to the tree under which is the shrine of
Deonath; the tribal god, and there make a fire offering (J^om) with
sugar and butter. This closes the marriage ritual, the binding por-
tion of which is the application of red lead {fenduridn) to the part-
ing of the bride's hair.'

8. The tribe appears to be in the transition stage between barial

and cremation of the dead. In Oudh they

Death oeremonieB. .

bury : in Mirzapur they usually bum the
corpse. The dead are cremated in the usual way on the bank of a
neighbouring stream. After the cremation is over they pour some
oil on their toe-rings, which they take off and warm over a fire and
then return to the house of the deceasedi where they sit silent for
some time before dispersing. On the third day the chief mourner
collects the ashes and throws them into running water, and plants
near the stream a few stalks of reed grass {jhnrai) as a receptacle
for the vagrant spirit. Water is poured on this daily for ten days.
On the tenth day is the Ghat ceremony when the clansmen shave
each other, no barber being employed. Three balls {pinda) of floor

I Kuri iiitiunH *' a pilo," and also tho ezogpamous ■ection of the tribe.
3 Fur tho significanotf of this Ceremony, Hoe A*o(, para. 13*
I Thia reprcaenta the primitive blood coyenant.

285 bhabkIs.

are thrown into the water by the chie£ mourner, and he poura thr«e
handfuls of water on the ground in the name of the dead. While
he doee this he turns his hands backwards. No Brahman is
employcil and the part of priest is taken by the sister's eon of the
deceased, (another survival of the matriarchate)/ for which he
receives as his fee an axe and a knife. After this the relations and
members of the council sit round the chief mourner, and his sister^a
husband {bahnoi) ties a turban on his head in proof that he haa
taken the place of his father.

8. They are in g^reat fear of the ghosts of the dead who appear

in dreams and worry people if they are not
propitiated. Their sacrifice is done at the
Phagua (Iloli) festival when a goat, fowl, and some spirits are
ofTered to them. \Vhen people are sick they make vows to the
sainted dead (jturkha log), and, when they recover, make ofFerings to
them. In Oudh they are beginning to get a low Brahman to
perform a sort of Srdddha.

9. The Dharkftrs call themselves Hindus but have a special pan-

theon of their own, the functions of which are

exceedingly vague. Pahar Pando is a sort of

mountain god. DArasin is possibly a local development of Jara-

sandha, the deified King of Magadha. Banhiya Bir (the hero of the

VLTTti — tdiik) and Di^onath are deified tribal worthies. Angirmati

Bhawiui (*' the goddess of the blazing charcoal '') is a >'ague female

divinity. Further north towards the Ganges they worship Birtiya,

a vague deity who is apparently merely a guardian godling (Sans.

prifti, ** support, maintenance "), Dulha Deo, the god of marriage,

and the five saints of Islam (Panchonpir), especially Parihir. Dulha

Deo in worshipped on a Saturday in the light half of Kfirttik or

Baisakh. when a castrated goat iiia#i) is ofFercd in the house and

the woriihippers consume the fleslu He is also propttiat^^l with a

loin-cloth dyed in turmeric : and when the wornhipper puts this on

he gets into a state of frenzy, shakes his head ami announces oracles.

If Dulha Deo is not worshipped he sends fever ami sumlry other

diseases. The Pandionpir are worshipped with the sacrifice* nf a cook

and cakes [roi) ; all who worship thimi keep a house shrine in their

honour. In Oudh tlM*y wornhip Devi with an offering of a goat.

10, The more Southern Dharkars worship the pantheon above

5m Labboek, Orifim i/Ci««l«MliM. IIS.

DHAKKAB. 286

described collectively every second or third year in the hoofie. First
they make a burnt sacrifice {kom) with butter and treacle, then offer
a goat and cock^ and pour spirits on the ground. Any one can do
this worship, and no Brahman or Baiga is employed. They worship
the sainted dead at the Holi, Dasahra, and in the month of Knar.
On these occasions they all get drunk and dance in a special way
with rattling bangles ighHngru) attached to their ankles to Hbe
music of the tambourine {fiafio) and the flute {bdnsmli). Then they
visit in procession the houses of the respectable people in the village^
dance, and receive fees {pMriAri), The usual allowance is a sieve
{sfip) full of any kind of grain. They believe sunstroke to be due to
the attack of Angarmati Bhawani, who rides in her chariot through
the sky in the hot weather. She is appeased on such occasions with a
burnt offering {iom) and the sacrifice of a goat. All the oolleetive
godlings of their pantheon have their abode in a mud platform
(chaura) erected in the dwelling house. Traces of tree worship are
found in their adoration at marriages of a branch of the cotton tree
which has the special name of Kalyani or *'the auspicious one.'^
Among the myriad ghosts which surround them they particularly
fear the ghosts of drowned people {birna) who infest tanks where
people have been drowned and push in unwary travellers.

11. Fields have also their special Bh&ts, and the shrine of a
person killed by a tiger [baghaut) -is specially reverenced. Their
special worship of the bamboo consists in their cutting one bamboo
in the month of Aghan when the general cutting begins. This they
bring home with marked respect and make a burnt offering {kom)
before it with butter and treacle. After this bamboo-cutting and
basket-making go on. The women tattoo themselves in the usual
way : if they do not, Bhagwan brands them with a torch when they
die. Friday is their lucky day, and on that day they commence bam-
boo-cutting. They have the usual meeting omens and the ordinary

ideas about the quarters of the heavens. They believe in the demon-
iacal theory of disease. In such cases they get the Baiga to do a
sacrifice to the collective village gods {deohdr) : a goat or cock is
the usual offering. In specially bad cases of illness the Baiga or
Ojha is called in and recognises the particular Bh&t, which causes
trouble, by shaking about and counting some grains of barley in a
sieve. WTien a person is attacked by the Evil Eye they get some
cow-dung ashes, blow into it five times in the name of the sainted

287 DHABKAB.

dead, and then rub it on the child. In very bad cases a special
ofierin^ is made to the spirits of the dead {purk^a lop),

12. The women wear pewter anklets pairi)^ glass or lac liangles

(ehirt) on the wrists, and brass rinirs Ickurlui)

Social oustomi. '

on the upper arm, with a pewter nng on the
big toe. They al)andon this ring on widowhood, and, as has been
seen in trt'ating of the death ceremonies, it is supposed to have some
' mystic significance. On the toe next the big toe women wear a
small ))ewter ring (ekkulki). This is also taken off at widowhood.
On thi*ir foreheads they wear spangles (tlkuli)^ palm leaf ornaments
[Urk%) in the ears, and beads (gnriya) round the neck. They swear
by putting a bamboo on the head, and think that if they forswear
themselves they lose their children and property. They have now
prohibited eating beef and punish its use by excommunication : but
this is quite recent, and hardly pre\'ails generally among the less
Ilinduised branch of the tribe south of the Son. In Oudh some of
them will not eat meat during the fortnight (vitrMpakska) sacred to
the deail. They will not eat fmxl C(X)ked in Imtter {f*ak^a kkdim) if
touchecl by a Chamar, Dhobi, Patari, Bhuiya, or Dom. They consider
themselves much superior to the Doms. as they liave abandoned the
filthy habits comm<»n to the ordinary Doms. F«H)d cooked in water
[kdckci'i khtina) tliey will eat (»nly if cooked by one of their own
eaHte. Tliey have the usual Dom prejudice againi«t the Dhobi. They
will not touch their younger bnithtys wife, thi»ir wife's elder sister or
the mother (iamtlkin) of their sons^ or daughters' wi\*es and husbands.
They use spirits and tobacco frilly. Men and women eat apart ;
men first and women after them : but a verj* old woman is allowed to
eat with the men. Seniors they salute in the jnielagi form, and re*
ceive the blessing (<i#m) in return. They are very hospitable and will
harrow to enti*rtain a guest. As a rule they treat women fairly well,
but Ijeat them if they misbehave themselves. They are respectful to
the old. No Dharkar was ever known to read or write. They have
aver}' strong tribal crmncil, and very seldom come before the courta.
Tliey work only in Ijamboo, not in reed (ientka). They make win-
nowing fans OmV), baskets {thmri)^ boxes (petdra), lietel boxee
(hiUkra), and red lead boxes (pamli). These in the villages aie
maile alwa)*s on prain wages, and it is only in towns that tbej are
{laid in ca^h.

DHAEKAB.

288

DHOBI.

Distribnlion of Dharhdn according to ike Cewvii of 1991.

D18TB10T8.

Bansphor.

Dehra Ddn

Saliaranpnr

Allah&b&d .

BenareH

Gh&zipur •

Gorakhpur

Basil

Azanigarh

Lucknow •

Faiz&bad .

Gonda

Babr&ich

Sultanpur .

Partabgarh

Total

198

102
213
798
28
144

285
37

1,805

Benbansi.

986
1»559

3,588

4.712

2.505

2.274

1.311

1,453

555

Others.

13
32

4,050

Total.

5,234

19.010

323

1,882

1,53d

5.228

379

5,304

431

3,734

278

2.696

485

1.796

636

2,374

602

1,194

8.824

29,639

Dhobi^^ — the washerman caste who take their name from
the Hindi dhona (Sans, dhdv), to wash. Dhobis have no very
distinct traditions of their origin. In Bihar, according to Mr.
Risley,* they trace their descent from Gari Bhuiya— one of the
local gods of that part of the country. Another account makes
them out to be the offspring of a Kshatriya father and a ChamAr
woman. In Mirzapur they name as their ancestor a personage
named Rawat, and say that Mahadeva and Pdrvati^ disgusted at
the filth of the people of the world, created the Dhobi to keep their
clothes clean in future. Mr. Nesfield suggests that '^the washer-

1 Based to some extent on notes by Pandit Bhin PratAp TiwAri of ChimAr,
s TribeM and Cattet, 1, 283.

289 BHOBI.

man represents an impure caste, but is many degrees higher than

that of the Bhangi, from whom he has sprung. Both are descended

from the Dom, whose sole wealth, according to Manu, must be dogs

and asses. The Indian washerman has always been associated with

the indigenous ass, which carries the soiled clothes down to the

bank of the river or tank, and takes them back clean to the house.

No Hindu of any caste, even the lowest, will wash his own clothes,

and so the Dhobi has been formed into a caste which shall bear the

impurities of all.^' Mr. Risley disputes this connection of Doms

and Dhobis through the common use of the donkey on various

grounds. "In the first place the use of donkeys by the Dhobi caste

is so far from l)eing universal that it has given rise to the formation

of a slightly inferior sub-caste called Gadhaiya. Secondly, beyond

the highly conjectural identification of the Doms with the Chand&ls

spoken of by Manu, there is nothing to show that the Doms have

the bintest partiality for the donkey. On the contrary the

Magahiya Doms of BihAr will not touch a donkey and regard the

Dhobi with very special aversion/' It does not appear necessary to

connect the Dhobi with either the Dom or Bhangi in order to

ai*connt for the low social rank which he holds. One of his chief

tasks, except among the Dravidian tribes who do the work them*

selves, is to wash the clothing of women after child-birth, and his

astkKMation with blood of this kind, which is particularly aliiorred^

stamps him as s])eeially impure. Like the Kumhir he keeps asses ;

but every Dhobi does not necessarily do so, and may use oxen for

carrying clothes to and from the river.

2. Like many castes of the same social grade DhoMs assert that

. . there are seven endogami us divisions or sul>-

castes. Thus Sir 11. M. Elliot gives the

feub-cantes as Kanaujiya, Magahiya, Pagahiya, Belwir, Bitham,

and SriUtham (who take their name from Srivasti) and Bharka. The

Iant CeuKus gives elewn— Aju'-hyaliiii, Bais, Chithoriya, Detwir,

Kaithiya, Kanaujiya, Kathariya, Mathuriya, Purliya or Purabiya,

and Sribdntak A list from Mirzapur gi^'es them as Kanaujiya,

KeUir, Magahiya, SrihasUb, Musalmin Dh4>bi, Baiswara, and

Bln»jpuriya. Another fri»m Agra gives— Mathuriya, Bharka,

Marwari, Purhiya, and Purliij-a Kampu. In Bareilly we find

Katliariya, Dohliwala, Kampuwala, and Musalmin. All ihcve

are ondogatnouH. Tln-ir rule uf exogamy, as stated by them, al

Minaimr ig that thi^ will not m4rry in the family of their mater^
Vol. II.

DHOBI 290

ual uncle^ father's sister or their own family {iul) as long as anjr
connection by mai'riage is remembered. The complete Census Ite-
turn shows no less than 925 sub-divisions of the Hindn and 216
of the Muhammadan branch. Of these the most important locally
are the Chauhan^ Chhonkar and Gaur of Muzaffamagar, the Chhon-
kki- of Meei-ut, the Purabiya of Agra, the Deswali of Farmkhabad,
the Sakarwar of Mainpuri, the Bakhar, Jalchhatri, Magadhiya,
Mangasha and Pathak of Bareilly, the Rajput of Moradabad, the
Bhadauriya, Jalkhatri, and Mahadwar of Shahjahanpur, the
Deswali and Purbiya of Pilibhit, the Amethiya and Bel war of
Cawnpur, the Mathur of Fatehpur, the Bel war and Mathur of
Banda^ the Dakkhinaha, Sarwariya and Uttaraha of Basti, the
Dakkhinaha^ Deswali^ Sarwariya and Uttaraha of Azamgarh,
the Purabiya of Lucknow, the Jalpachhar, Magaraha and Sar-
wariya of RaS Bareli, the Jaiswar of Faizabftd^ the Ujjaini of
Gonda^ the Bahraichiya of Bahraich, the Jaiswar of Soltanpur,
and the Mangaraha of Barabanki.

3. To the east of the Province the age for marriage is twelve

for girls and fourteen for boys. A match

Marriage ceremonies. x x xi- x * xu • i>

maker (a(;ua) at the request oi the girls
father looks out for a suitable match. When the auspicious time
(sa^at) has been fixed by the Brahman, he casts the horoscopes
(ganna ^tra»a),and when these are found to correspond, the parents
meet and the rite of kori katori is performed. In this the girPs
father fills a glass full of liquor^ puts into it a silver coin and passes
it over to the boy^s father with the words lidm ! Ram ! When he has
drunk he hands it back to the girPs father^ who also drinks out of it,
and then liquor is served to the clansmen present. This constitutes
the betrothal [mangni). Then a Brahman is called in for the tikdm
pdn. In this the girPs father takes one ser of paddy, two packets
of betel and two betel-nuts. Both fathers hold a cloth in thdir hands.
The Brahman first throws one packet of betel and one betel-nut into
the cloth where it is held by the boy^s father, and does the same for the
girPs father. He next throws a handful of paddy five times into
each side of the cloth. Both parents tie this up, and it is parched
and used for throwing over the pair at the wedding. Then the
Brahman explains to both the fathers the lucky days for the oolleo-
tion of the sacred earth (matmangara) and for the anointing {iel
hiirdi), and the pro|)er date for the wedding. For this servioe
each gives the Brahman a pice and a ration of uncooked grain.

201 DHOBL

The girl is feasted that night and returns home the following
morning,

4, On the day of the maimangara the women assemble and sing
after they have anointed their heads with oil. Then the sacred
earth is collected in the way already described in the case of the
Bhuiyas. On the day of the anointing five men of the tribe
erect the marriage pavilion in the usual manner. The barber's
wife rubs the boy with a sprig of duh grass soaked in oil and
turmeric. No Brahman attends. On the hkatwdn day the clans-
men are fed on rice and pulse, and at night they get drunk and
sing the song known as hirka. Wlien the bridegroom, dressed in
his wedding garments, starts with his procession, he is carried out as
far as the door in the arms of his brother-in-law. When he gets
outside the village his wedding clothes arc taken off, and he does the
rest of the journey on foot until he approaches the bouse of the bride,
when he is dressed again. His brother-in-law again carries him in
his arms to the door of the bride's house, where the wave ceremony
(patachhan) is done by his future mother-in-law, who moves a rice
pounder, sie>'e and a lota full of water round his head. During
this time a Dhdrhi plays the mridang or double dnim, and the
women l^eat earthen saucers (Hiliya) with pieces of stone. Then
men sing the biria and the women the Idckdri songs. The wedding
party then retire to the reception place (jamwdma) where all the
clansmen assemble. There some food is sent for the bridegroom
from the bride. Then the bridegroom and another boy who acts as
his best man (%hdhbdia) eat together. This food is brought by the
girl's brother-in-law, who receives one anna as his perquisite. Then
the clansmen have a drink and salute each other. When the lucky
time arriv(>s for the marriage, they take the bridegroom to the
parilion and scat him on a stool facing the ea^t. The friends sit
on eai'h Kide. A pieoe of mango wood is lighted and some clarified
butter dropped on it with mango leaves (taUo). Ihe men recite the
auspicious marriage songs {Mnmangata iwdia) and then the bride is
brought into the pavilion by her sister or sister-in-law and she
knoti* together the clothes of the pair. Then the bride's (ather
washes tlie great toes of the pair in a tray full of (langes water,
wliit'h he drinks, and throws a little of the water on his head. Then
behind the shelter of a sheet which is held up before them the boy
applies red lead to the parting of the girl's hair, and they walk fi?«

times round the marriage pavilion. The boy's elder brother throws
Vol. II. rf

BHOBI. 202

parched rice over them, and pats a necklace ronnd the bride's oecL
Then her sister-in-law escorts the pair into the retiring room
(kohabar) and makes them bow to the ftunily god. After this the
boy's wedding crown is removed and he returns to the wedding
party.

5. Next comes the wedding feast {bydh ka hkdt). Unmarried
boys among Dhobis do not eat boiled rice {hhdi). They taste it
first after they are married. The next day the bride goes off with
her husband. On the third day is the panwpAeriy when^ if the two
houses are near, the bride goes alone back to her father's house and
comes home by herself to her husband. Widows are married in
the ordinary way by the soffdi or dharauna form and the levirate
is allowed, but it is not compulsory on the widow to take the
younger brother of her late husband.

6. The ceremonies at birth and death are of the usual type oom«

mon among tribes of the same social standing.
^^^ moDielJ^^^ ""^'^ '•^ ceremonial shaving {mdnran) is not usual.

ly done unless the parents have been blessed
with a son in answer to a vow {manauti).

7. Dhobis usually worship the Panchonpir and Devi. They are

. much given to the worship of ghosts, one of

whom named Ghatoriya has a great reputation
in Bundelkhand. They have a very strong tribal eouncil and are
very severe on breaches of caste custom. They rank of course very
low in the social scale, and no respectable Hindu will take anything
from their hands. He is the subject of many proverbs :

Nai dhobinina aweli^
Ckirkuiwe sdbun laweli.

" The new washerwoman will apply soap even to rags.'* " A new
broom sweeps clean." Dhobi par Dhobi ba9e^ tab k^pre par idbnn
pan, *' Wlien many Dhobis compete, then only does soap reach the
clothes.'^*

1 Cbriitian, Bthar JVover^f.

203

DHOBL

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DHOBI.

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297 DHUNITA, DHUNA.

Dhnniyai Dbuna (Hindi dkunna^ " to card : '' Sans. Hku^ ** to
Estate''), the ootion-cardinp^ caste. Other names for them are Behna
I Sans. r//j, **seed ''), who is properly the man who removes the cot-
ton seed from the fibre; Katera {idlna " to spin'^), Kandera (Sans.
kar$ha^ *' draf^ging/' idra, ''doer ^') ; if he is a Muhammadan or the
speaker a pedant he is called Naddif^ which in Arabic means *' sepa-
rator.'' There are some Hindus who carry on this occupation;
but most of them are Muhammadans, and these alone find an entry
in the returns of the last Census.

2. To the west of the Province the Hindu Dhuniyas cUim to

be of Bfijput origin. They are divided into

The Hindu Dhaniyis.

five endogamous sub-castes — Chauhin and
Barg&jar^ which are well-known Bajput septs ; and the Dhakeri,
Bargali and Chhunkari, which take their names from the dhdi
tree {b»Ua frondoia), the bar {Ficm Indiea)^ and the ckhonk^r
{proiopti ipieigeru)^ all of which are sacred trees and regarded with
special respect by those Dhuniyas who take their names from them.
Tliis idea is probably of totemistic origin. The sub-castes are endo-
gamous, and though there does not appear to be any regular formula
of exogamy, marriage is usually forbidden in the families of the
uncles and aunts on both sides. Their marriage, birth, and death
cust(»ms are of the usual t}'pe common to low castes in the same
stH'ial grrnle. Their deities are Mata, the smalNpox goddess,
Miran Sahib, the saint of Amroha, Chamar, Den. and the Ganges.
They onploy Brahmans in their religious ceremonies and perform
tlie iftiddAa for deceased ancestors. Tliey drink spirits and eat the
flesh of goats, sheq) and fish, but not beef, pork, f(»wls, or carrion.
8. Tliese were recorded in the general Census Bep(»rt under only

Tb« HahiMniwuUo ^^ ^^^ sul>K?astc, the Mansfiri, who take
DhuDi,-. ^heir ^^^^ f^^„^ ^ ^rilml saint, Khwija Man-

sftr, of whom they can give no account, save that he was a faqir
of wondrous piety, who had the power of working miracles. He
is believed to have lieen a native of Rfim or C«»nstantinople, and to
have sc^oompanied the Dhuniyas when they entered the cimntry in
tlie train of the emrlv Muhammadan im-adem. To the east of the
Province they call themseU'es Sonni Muhammadans, but tlu»y have
retained in their domestic ceremonies many of tlie forms of the
Hindu ritual of tlie lower ca*teft from which most of them are pro-
bably c<»nverts. Thus they collect the sacred earth (««/Mev^tfr«)
at n arriages, carry out the night watch (r«(/«^«) before marriage^ .

DHUNIYA, DHTJNA. 298

and there is a distinct survival of marriage by capture in the
observance by which the bride, when the bridegroom arrives at the
house for the marriage, is furnished with a small stick with which
she gives him two or three slight blows on the head as he enters the
door. The marriage service is read by the Qftzi if the parties are
well-off ; by the Daffi,li if they are poor. At death if there is an
educated Muhammadan present he reads the Fatiha; but this is not
indispensable. They are usually worshippers of the Panchonpir,
and they have one special usage, known as the Pij/dla or " cup, "
when on a Tuesday in the month of Aghan the men and women go
to the riverside and o^er up some spirits and sweetmeats to Sahja-
mSi, one of the quintett eof the Panchonpir ; this is consumed by
the Dafali who acts as priest. They spend the whole night by the
river listening to the songs sung in honour of the goddess by the
Dafali.

4. The complete Census Returns show 152 sections of the Mu-
hammadan branch of the tribe. Many of them are local terms,
such as the Ajudhyabasi, Audhiya, Bahriichi, Baksariya, Gbmga-
pari, Mathuriya, Purabiya; others are taken from well-known
castes or septs, such as the Baheliya, BanjsLra, Barg&jar, Chauhin^
Dhangar, Gaur, Gorakhi, Gujar, Kharebindi, Mad&ri, Mukerii
Naddaf, Panwar, Pathan, Rajput, R&thaur, Rawat; others are
purely Muhammadan in form as Ans^ri, Ch&ry&ri, JaUli, Khwftj*-
mahar, Khwaja-mansuri, Khwaja-Muhammadi, Khw&ja-Sarai, Mu-
hammad Hanfi, Muhammadi, Momin, Sayyid, Sh&hmans&ri, Shaikh
Shiah, Sunni, Turkiya, and Usmani.

5. The primary business of the Dhuniya is the carding or rather

scutching of cotton. This is done by sub-
jecting it to the vibration produced by a bow
string [dhannhi^ Sanskrit, dhanm). The bow is usually suspended
from the roof so as to hang at a convenient height above the pile
of loose cotton. The string is then twanged with a wooden catch
so as to strike a small portion of the cotton, the fibre of which is
scattered by the impact and thrown off in an uniform condition of
soft fluff. At the same time any dirt which is entangled in the
fibre falls out and the clean cotton is made up into" balls, some of
which are passed on to the spinner and some are used for the padding
of quilts and wraps [razdi, lihdf) and the warm-padded garments
used in the cold weather. The Dhuniya also sometimes keeps a
small shop where he sells thread and various articles, sudi as

290 DHUNITA. DHUNA.

pewter bangles, fordiead spanglee, and nmilar things. Another
trade which he often follows is the making of the little charcoal
balls {liii^a) used for lighting the tobacco in the hnqqa,

6. The Dhnniyas have in Nftmdco Bhagat a tribal saint who is

much respected by them. He is said to have
been bom in Mftrwilr in A.D. 144S and to
have flourished in the time of Sikandar Lodi (14S8-1512). Accord-
ing to one account he was a Mahratta and was bom at Pandharpur,
in the Dakkhin. '* lie is said to have Ixjcn persecuted by the Musul-
m4ns, who tried to persuade him to repeat the words Alldk ! JUdk I
instead of his favourite Bdm ! Bdm ! but by a variety of astonish-
ing miracles he escaped from their hands. After a considerable
amount of travelling to and fro, he at last settled in the village of
Ohumin, in the Batila Tahsil of the Gurdispur District, where he
died. A shrine, known as the Darbdr, was erected in his honour in
Ghimn&n^ and on the Sankrint day of every Magh a crowded fair it
held there in his honour. Ilis followers can scarcely be said to
constitute a sect. They are almost entirely Chhimbas (the Dhuniyas
of these Provinces) or Dhobis by caste. Their founder appears to
have stoutly resisted the pretensions of Muhammadanism, and was
looked as a follower of Kimchandra, Imt his Hinduism was by no
means of the ordinary iyfe- He taught emphatically the unity of
God and the uselessness of ceremonial, and his doctrines would appear
to have approached fairly close to those of Nanak and the Eastern
Sikhs ; and several of his poems are included in the Sikh Adi Granth.
At any rate the followers of Elba Nimdeo are very largely Sikhs by
religion, and they are said, whether Sikhs or Hindus by religion, to
hold the Granth in reverence and to follow many Sikh cuitoma.
They have no distinctive worship of their own.''^

DtMiribution of ike Dkmnijf^t mccordimg to th§ Cfntm of 1891.

I !

DlSTBlCTS. ! Manari. Othtn. ' Totai^

I>«hra I>An
8ah4f»apor
llniaffariuifar
Macnit

•••

179 I

179

1799

8.018

44)11

4481

MMlMma, P^^ik Cmuus Mtf^H. Mil» 144 ; alM sm ChMfi. I.

DHTJNIYA, DHUNA,

800

Distrihution of the Dhuni^at aeeording to the Cemw qf 1891^'tOntd.

DI8TBICT8.

Mani&ri.

OUien.

TOTJII..

Bulandshahr • • *

•••

1,600

1.600

Aligarh . 1

» <

1,330

6,041

6.371

Mathnra .

••t

Agra

399

410

Farrukh&b&d

7,829

7.330

Mainpuri

»••

8,263

Et&wah .

8,737

8,788

Etah

•••

4626

4625

Bareilly .

1,620

11,708

13328

Bijnor

•• t

11,066

11.066

Bad&un . .

1,808

1.862

Mori^&b&d

t««

7,862

Sb&hjah&npur .

118

8,689

a707

Pilibhit .

6,932

6,947

Cawnpur • •

120

8,383

8.600

•

Fatehpur .

1,639

3,766

6,395

£&nda

2,681

4724

7,405

Hamirpnr .

•••

8,341

Allah&b&d

2,238

16,841

1&079

JL&nsi

228

4374

4602

J&lauii • <

2,894

2,964

Lalitpur •

•••

1,116

Beuares • •

703

4663

5,256

M irzapur •

372

6,003.

6,375

JaunpuT •

11,710

2,049

13.769

Qhizipar • «

2,056

2,318

4373

Ballia

608

3,042

3,650

DHXJKITA, DHUKA.

801

DHtSAB; DH^KSAB.

Distribution tftke Dkuniyas aetording to the Cmnu qf i^i— ooneld.

DitTBICTt.

UumM.

Oth«n.

Total.

Gomkhpar

80,5S0

9.949

40.469

BMti

tSM9

IfiM

29,688

AxAiDgtrli

2,266

17.428

19,684

TaHLI

•••

1.746

Lockoow •

1,400

4^186

6,646

Un4o

606

7.844

7.910

•

116

9,036

9.150

SlUpar •

6346

7,749

13,694

Hftrdoi

ia708

10,768

Kheri

611

11.127

11,638

Faiiibid

12.787

12,788

Goiida

699

J2J64

16,968

Bahriieh .

1.096

16,037

16,133

8alt4npor

> — i

1 1*

7.909

PkH&bg«rh

168

7.369

7.6«7

lAnbMiki

1,064

13,186

14»260

TOTAI

98.620

303.467

4014^

DhtLiar; Dhftntar/ a tribe utually classed as a sub-oaste^
of Banyan, Imt who claim a higher origin than the ordinary Yaisjras.
Tlu>y take their name from a hill called Dh&si or Dhosi, near
K&maul, on the borders between Alwar and British territory, lliere
their ancestor Chima or Chimand Bishi is said to have performed
liis devotions. This Bishi is said to have married a daughter of the
BIja of Ksshi or Benares. Heir head-quarters in Western India
are Bewiri, in Gurgion. Their pretensions to Brihmanical origin
are admitted by Brihmans themselves, and they are now usually

» ParUy bM«l OB a BoU by BAlm UkBB CkMdn Bmuw)!. Hssa lUrtw. Bifk
School, IU« BbibU.

DHijSAR ; DH^NSA^R. 302

known as Bhargava or " descendants of Bhriga,'' who was one of
the Prajapatis or great Bishis, and is regarded as the founder of the
race of the Bhrigus or Bhirgavas, in which were bom Jamadagni
and Parasurama. Manu calls him son^ and says that he confides to
him his Institutes. According to the Mahabharata he officiated at
Daksha's celebrated sacrifice, and had his beard pulled out by Siva.
The same authority also tells the following story : — *' It is related of
Bhrigu that he rescued the sage Agastya from the tyranny of King
Nahusha, who had obtained superhuman power. Bhriga crept into
Agastya' s hair to avoid the potent glance of Nahusha^ and when
that tyrant attached Agastya to his chariot and kicked him on the
head to make him move, Bhrigu cursed Nahusha and he was turned
into a serpent. Bhiigu on Nahusha^s supplication, limited the dura-
tion of the curse.' '^

2. In the hills they appear to be in some places Banyas and in
others Brahmans. " They take their food before morning prayer,
contrary to the usual Hindu custom. Of late years, however, they
have begun to adept the more orthodox custom. They do not eat
animal or other prohibited food, and do not drink spirits. They wor-
ship the orthodox deities and consider Brahma, Siva and Vishnu the
same God under different forms. The Brahman Dhiisar marries
among his caste fellows, and the Bany a with Bi^yas, avoiding always
the same family (golra) or one having the [same family deity/'*
The only sections shown in the Census Betums aie Kans and Mahur«

3. In the plains their traditions vary. According to one ac-
count they were driven from their original home, Kashmir, by the
tyranny of their inilers, and settled in Delhi. In Benares they fix on
Delhi as their home. Those in Mathura have emigrated from Gur-
gfion and have acquired considerable property and influence. " They
combine the oflice aptitude of the Kayasth with the keen scent for
money- making and the flinty hard«heartedness to a debtor charac-
teristic of a Banya. They are consequently mostly hard landlords
and wealthy men. They are the hereditary Qinungos of Mathura
and Chhata.^s

4. Dhflsars are all Vaishnavas, and in these Provinces at least
none of them are Saraogis. They regulate their Uves by the most

I Dowson, Cla$»%cal Dictionary^ $. v,

3 Atkinson, Himalayan Oatt liter, II1« 448.

* Seiilemfnt KepoH, 27.

303 DiitsAR ; dhCksab.

orthodox rules of Hinduism and are particularly careful in the
observance of Hindu ceremonies. They are a rising, ambitious^
thriving class, excellent clerks and men of business. They are also
noted for their skill in music.

5. The Bhargava Sabha of Jaypur has supplied an account of
the caste which represents that the DhOsars were formerly family
priests {Purokit) of various R&jas, but they now, since the Muham-
madan invasions, have discontinued these functions. Other usages
{dckdr) they practise like Brihmans. Only those who are noted
for Sanskrit learning are known by the title Pandit. Like other
Brahmans they worship the Kishis, from whom these eponymous
gotrat are derived. Some do the oblation {tarpana) daily : others at
the Pitrapaksha, or fortnight devoted to the dead. They worship
the ordinary P&ncha Devata or five greater gods.

The main saints of the creed are Charand&sji, Navaldisji and
Nariyanddsji, who flourished at Delhi, Mathura and Bindrabao,
respectively.

6. Their goiras are—

(1) Vid or Bandlas, with the Pravaras, Bhirgava, Chivan, Apt-

van, Aurab, Bayidit.

(2) Bachhias or Vatsa, with Pravaras, Bhirgava, Chivan,

Aptwan, Aurab, and Jimdagna.

(3) Bichhias or Vatsa, with Pravaras, Bachhal, Arjuna and

Batsat.

(4) Kiiiib or KAsliip with Pravaras, Kiship, Kutsa, Bhirgava,

Chivan, Aptvin, Aurab, Jimdagna.

(5) Girglas or Giglas, with Pravaras, (lirgal, Dhriti, Mtn-

dava, Chivan, Vaishama, or Vinait.

(6) Kutsa or Kuchlas, with Pravaras, Kutsa, Aurab, Jim-

dagna.

(7) Gilas or Oolas, with Pravaras, Bharga\'a, Chivan, and

Jimdagna. All follow the ritual of the Yajur Veda.
They claim to belong to the* Pancha Gauda stock. Ilicj
are invested with the Brilimanicml cord in the ordiiwry
way. Eac^h family has its own houseli'^ld god {Kulm
dirata).

DH^SAB ; DHtNSAB.

304

DisirtbuUon of the Dhilsarg bjjf the Cemus of 1891}

Districts.

Dehra Diin

8aharanpar

Muzaffarnagar

Meenit

Bulandsliahr

Aligarh

Mathura

Agra •

Farrtiltlj&bAd

Mainpuri

Etawah

Etah .

Bud^un

Morad&b^

Sh&hjah&npur

Caw n pur

Fatebpur

B&nda .

Ilamirpur

Nnmber.

D18TBICT8.

21
395

11
148
956
316

28
106

247 \

3 !

18 j

258

495

Allah&bAd

Jh&nsi

Jftlaon

LalitpuT

Beoares

Mirzapnr

Jaunpar

Qh&zipnr

Goiakhpar

basti

Lucknow

Sitapur

Kheri .

FaizAl>Ad

Gonda •

Bahr&ich

860 I Sult&npnr
470 PartHbgarh

535

Total

Number.

4,020

121

696

212

703

373

864

260

12,497

> On tho oonfuHion botwoen Ddsar and DhiUar, see DiUar.

305 bikuit; dikhshit.

Dikhit; Dikhshit (Sans, dikhikita, ''initiated, consecrated '0,
a functional di\n8ion of BriLhmans. — " The priest specially employed
to initiate a Hindu boy into the performance of his religious duties,
and to give him the second birth is called a Dikhshit. The word it
simply a corruption of Dikhshitri, '' one who initiates.'^ It is only
boys of the upper castes^ that is those who are called " the twice-
born'^ (dvifa) who are entitled to the privilege of Diksha. Bui
Brahmanism has for the last thousand years and more been steadily
descending into lower and lower strata of the population, absorbing
one indigenous tribe after another ; and hence the possession of this
privilege cannot now be considered a mark of twice-born ancestry.
\\The orthodox age for undergoing the rite of dikika is on the com-
pletion of the seventh year. The Hindu book of ceremonies, known
as Karam Kand, calls it the eighth, but the figure is raised to eight
by counting the nine months preceding birth as an additi<^nal year.
At the present day the orthodox age is not always obser>'ed, and a
boy can be initiated a year or two after if it suits the convenience
of the {wrents to postpone incurring the expenditure which these
riU*H entail. A boy, whatever his parentage may be, is not a full
Hindu until tlie d^kuka has been performed. Up till then he is
little bi>tti*r than a SQdca or unregenerated person. But on and
afU*r tliut day he incurs the religious responsibilitiet to which hit
]»ar(ntM Imve all along intended to dedicate him, as a Christian boy
clofM by the doublo rite of baptism and oonlirmation. Girls are
never initiatitl as Utys are ; and thus a high caste woman who
marries a man of the Siklra rank cannot but become a SAdra her-
self. Tliiri, I sus|XH*t, is the real explanation of the abhorrenee felt
by Hindus to a woman Unng married into a caste lower than her
own. The same aMmrrenoe has never been felt to a " twice-born'^
man marrying or eolialHting with a S(^ra woman ; for the womaa
can rine to the rank of her husband, but as she hat never been
initiated she cannot raise the husband to her own. Thus in Manu^t
CixU a Brahman was allowed to take a S&drm woman into hit
house ; but if a SAdra man married a Brahman woman, the ton
UTaune a Chanxlala, a sinf\il and abominable wretch.

2. ''The entire ceremony of dtkika lattt tome eight or nine
days. Ttirouglk»ut those days the hty is put upon a very strict
diet, and undergoes a vigorous course of ablutions. He it bathed
n^^ilarly at certain hours ; after the bath mustard and oil wr%
nibk^l all over his body, and he then undergoes a second hath la
Vol. IL o

DIKHIT ; DIKHSHIT. 306

wash them all ofE again. All tiiis time he should wear nothing,
day or nighty but a string of the sacred grass called kuta^ wiiicb \b
tied round his waist and to which a narrow cloth, called langaii^ is
attached^ fastened between the legs before and bdbind. Meanwhile
the usual homa offerings are thrown on the sacred fire by priests of
the Hotri class, who have been summoned for this purpose. When
the last and the greatest of the homa ofEerings has been made, the
sacred thread (upavita, janeiS) is thrown over ibe left shoulder of
the boy by the Dikshit, and the first act of the initiation is com-
pleted. The Dikshit then throws a doth over his own and the
boy's head^ and under cover of this cloth he instils into his ear (in
the undertone so that no profane ears may catch what he says) the
GSyatri and all the other sacred verses which a Hindu should utter
on stated occasions every day of his life. The repetition of all
these vei'^s, and especially the GrJLyatri^ which is repeated first,
constitutes the closing ceremony by which the boy is formally
initiated into the rites of Hinduism. The boy must have heard and
seen something of these rites beforehand through living with his
parents ; but until he has been formally initiated, and this by a
Brahman competent to dischai'ge the office, he is a mere heathen.
For some weeks after the conclusion of the ceremony the Dikshit
remains with the novitiate so as to help him to perform the sev^ml
daily rites and make him sufficiently perfect to be left to himself ;
and after leaving him he continues to be his spiritual adviser for the
rest of his life whenever such advice may be required."^ I^Hie rite
is obviously analogous to the similar initiatory oeremomes which
prevail among various primitive races.*

Dikhit; Dikhshit (Sans. ^t'M^/it/a, '' initiated, consecrated ^0»
a powerful sept of Rajputs. — The traditions of the sept* relate
that they are descended from the SArajbansi Rijas who for fifty-
one generations mled over Ajudhya. In the fifty-first generation
from Ikshwaku, Raja Durgavahu left Ajudhya and emigrated to
Gujarat, where his descendants took the title of Durgbans after
their founder. In the twenty-fourth generation from him Halyftn
Sah Durgbans went to pay homage to B4ja Yikramaditya;, the
great King of Ujjain, the supreme monarch of India. From him

1 Netficld, Calcutta Review, CLXVII, 266 ; Monier WiUiaou, Brdhmamimi^ mnd
Himluitm, 360.

s Frazor, Qo^den Bough, II, 342, aqq.
* »lliott. Chronicles of Undo, 34, iqq.

807 niKAiT ; DiKasHiTp

(about 50 B.C.) lie reo^ved the title of Dikhit. whibh bis desoeod*
antB bore instead of Dnrgbaus. For many years tbey remained
stationary in Oujardt, and at the time when the kin^om ol
Kanauj was at its zenith Balbhadra Dikhit took service with the
Rathaiir Hija, and his grandson Jaswant saw the death of the BIja
of Kauanj and the destruction of the power and family of bis bene-
factor. The name of BallJiadra's father was Samapradban, whieh
is a i$ingnlar name for a Rajput, and suggests a reason why the
Dikhits do not rank so high in the precedence table as they ought
to do if their tradition was correct. Pradh&n was the old name for
a Registrar (QanfiLngo), which office was only given to Kiyastha.
There may be some intermixture of Kayasth blood which spoils the
purity of their Siirajlans descent. It is curious that in the two
sets of villages bordering on old Dikhtiy&na and now held bj
Dikhits, there are traditions that the land (mce belonged to Kayasth%
who, when hard pressed by their enemies, obtained help from the
Dikliits by ceding part of their villages to them. If the above
hypothesis be true, the Kiyasths in this case only called in their
own distant kindred. Jaswant Sinh had four sons, the eldest of
whom remaine<l in Samoni, and his descendants possess the estate to
this day. The second, Udhaybh&n, migrated into Oudh and oolo*
nized the district of Dikhtiy&na. The third, Banwiri, went still
further north, crosiang the Ghigra and Rapti, and, choosing a wUid
retreat in the sub-Himalayan forests, founded there the great
Siniet Raj of Bansi. Hie fourth, Khairij, migrated to the east, and,
settling down in the district of PartAbgarh, took the town of Bilkhar,
whiuce his descendants are known as Bilkhariyas. The further
fortunes of the sept are given in great detail by Sir C. Elliott.

Z. The Dikhtiyana territory is said to have extended from the
liorders of Baiswara on the east, to Sandi Pali on the west, and
from tlie Gomati to the Ganges, including fourteen parganaa.
\Vhate%'er \ic their chum to an extensive dominion in tlie west,
there can l)c no doubt that during this |H.'riod the Dikhit RAja
Md a very high position in the country, and that this was the time
whi*n Dikhtiyana became famous as a geogra|)hical oxprtmon.
Tlk> list of marriages preser\'ed by tlie (jard proves this, containing^
as it d<H^, the names of the daughters of the JAngra lUja of
Dliauruhm, tlR* Bai*hgoti of Knrar, the Gautam of Argal, the
Band)ialg«»ti of Garb Anu*thi, and the Bisen of Manikpur. With an

Oudh Rajput it is always an object of ambition to marry his dangb*
Vol. II. v3

dikhit; dikhshit.

ters into a family of a higher rank and position than his own, whatever
the attendant expense may be, The chiefs of Eastern Oudh make
it their ambition to marry their daughters only into the great
KachhwSha and Chauhan clans of Mainpuri and Etawah ; that they
should have chosen the Raja of Dikhtiyana for their son-in-law is
a proof that at that time his rank and influence were as great as
those of the older Western ESjas are now.

3. The SBpt in pargana Pachotar of Ghazipnr' is called from
ThaDikWtflofthe *^*' Country they occupy Pachfcoriya. They

Korth-weHt Proiinoea. claim to be Surajbansis of Ajndhya, whence
they emigrated to Gujarat. The Ghazipur branch say that they
came from Bulandshahr about twenty generations ago, and now
occupy nearly the whole of the Pachotar pargana. In Azamgarh*
they have been dispossessed of most of their property by the Bir-
wars, There is another Azamgarh sept known as Dikhitwar, who
are probably their kindred. They say that their ancestors came
from somewhere in the west and occupied untenanted land, where
the sept now resides. According to Sir H, M, Elliot, they give
their daughters in marriage to the Sombansi, Raghubansi, Gahar-
war, and Bais, and take brides from tl»e Scngar, Donwir, and
Kausik septs. In Oudh they have recently been allied only with
neighbouring clans — Sengar, Sakai'war, Raikwar, Janwar, etc., and
infanticide used to be the general rule of the sept.

4. In Unao the Dikhits generally give brides to the ChauhSn,
Bhadauriya, Kachhwaha, Sengar, and Rathanr
gepts beyond the Ganges, and occasionally to .

the Panw&r : they generally marry their sons in the JanwSr,
Bisen, Mahror, Gautam or Chanhan septs of the district, Sombansi,
Baghubansi, Amethiya, Gahai^wfir, Kath, Bais, Gahlot, Panwfir, or
Solankhi septs.

Marriftge oonneationB,

Dutribiition of the Dikkii Bujputu according to the CemuM
of 1891.

DiBTBICTB.

Nambor.

DiaTBICTS.

Number.

Bnknd-lialir

12
2

Mathum .
Agra

Oiaham, afcti

0.. I, 58.
porl. 87.81.

-J

DIKHIT ; DIKHSHIT.

809

BIWiHA«

DUMbutian of the DihkU Bdjpu^ ae&ording to the Cemnu rf 1891— ooneld.

DI8TBI0T8.

Numl)er,

DiBTBIOTB.

Himbfli?*

Famikh4b4d

Jannpor

• •

799

Mainpnri . . •

OhAzipnr <

15^176

Et&wah

117

BaUia

1,090

Rtah

Goiakbpar .

8,618

BareiUy

Aaungarh

6,168

Bnd&un • •

Lncknow

984

Mor&d&bid

219

UiiAo

9/»4

Sh&hjahAnpur •

BAABanU .

8,099

Cawnpnr •

868

Shapor

299

FaUhpnr • • •

6^560

Hardoi

S84

B&oda

8,169

Kh0ri

S22

Hamlrpar • •

8JM6

Faii&faAd .

Allah&Ud .

818

Gondft

JliAnid •

869

BahiAioh

J&lauQ

SnllAnpor

864

Lalitpor • •

Partlbgarli .

698

Benares • • •

632.

•

162

BATmbaaki

■

410

Mirzapnr

TOTAI

60,727

Diwana> '^ those possessed of an evil spirit {det^ dh),
mad^')^ — a tenn applied in these Provinoee to an order of Mnham-
madan faqirs^ who have not been separately enumerated in the
returns of the last Census.

In the Panjab they are Hindus, wear uncut hair, a necklace
of shells^ and a large feather in their turbans. There is a consider-
able colony of them in connection with the shrine of the saint
Q&sim Sulaimdni, near the fort of Chun&r, in the Mirzapur district.

2. Those at Chun&r call themselves the disciples of one Jam4I
Diwina. Boys are usually initiated into the order at the age of
twelve. His &iends take the candidate to the head faqtr of the
order, who says,-^'^ Are you ready to drink of my cup {pifdla) and

BrwANA. 310 BOOAR.

obey me in all things ? ^' If he agrees fire artioles of dress of an
ochre colour are prepared for him^ viz., a head covering {pieta)^ a
robe {tafani), a neck handkerchief {guluhand), and waist cloths
{lunQy langot). A barber is sent for and his head completely
shaved ; he is bathed and invested with the garments of ihe order.
Then the Murshid or preceptor sits facing the north, and the
Murid or disciple opposite him. An earthen cup containing one
and-a-quarter ier* of sharbat made of sugar and water is brought.
First the Murshid recites the Diriid or benediction and drinks a
little. Then he passes it to the Murid^ who drinks^ and while doing
so keeps his eyes fixed on the Murshid* During this part of the
rite he must not even wink. The Murshid then says to him, — " I
am now responsible for your sins. Take care and fix your attention
on me. Do not close your eyes.'' When he has drank the draagfat
the Murshid gives him a necklace made of jaitnn wood or (A earth
from Makka known as khdk safa or of the seed of the Canna
Indica {'aqiq^ l-bahr), a handkerchief of ochre-coloured cloth, a
thin walking stick made of the wood of the peach tree {dru), and
a wooden begging bowl {kctjkol) . With this he begs from nXL the
company. He also receives a wooden scraper {phdora), which he
ties to his waist. This over, he salutes the other members of the
order present in the word Miydn ; and they reply Uaqq Miydn.
When he is thus initiated he gets a station {takya), and the
Sarjjada-nashin or Abbot gives him daily for his food two cakee m
the morning and three in the evening with some pulse. If the
disciple does not care to live in the Dargah or head-quarters of the
order, he can remain with his friends by leave of the Murshid.
Those who live in the Darg^ remain celibate ; if they live with
their friends they can marry.

The non-celibate members of the order marry according to the

regular Musalman formula. The dowry
[mahr) is generally fixed at fifty-one thousand
rupees. Women in childbirth are secluded for forty days ; a fire
is kept lighting in the room — and she is watched by her female
friends, a custom known as Qdzi Sdhib ki chauii. In their death
customs they conform to the usual Muhammadan ritual.

4. Tlic Diwanas are a useless set of beggars and not held in
much estimation by any one,

Dogar, a Punjabi tribe who hav« emigrated in small numbers

311 DOOAR.

into the western districts of these Provinces. Of than Mr. Bran*
dreth writes in his Firozpur Settlement Report^ :—

" The Dogars are supposed to be converted Chanhftn Bijputs
from the neighbourhood of Delhi. They migrated first to the
neighbourhood of Pak Pattan, whence they spread gradually along
the banks of the Sutlej, and entered the Ftrozpur district about one
hundred years ago. The Firozpur Dogars are all descended from a
common ancestor named Bahlol, but they are called Mihu Dogars,
from Mahu^ the grandfather of Bahlol. Bahlol had tiiree sons, Bam-
ha, Langar, and Sammu* The Dogars of Ftrozpur and Mullan-
wftla arc the descendants of Bambu ; those of Khai the descendants of
Langar; the descendants of Sammu live in the QasAr territory.
There are many other sub-castes of the Dogars in other districts
along the banks of the Sutlej, as the Parchat, the Topara, the Cho-
para, etc. The Chopara Dogars occupy Mandot. The Firozpur
Dogars consider themselves superior in rank and descent to the
other sub-castes. They are very particular to whom they give their
daughters in marriage, though they take wives from all the other
families. At one time infanticide is said to have prevailed among
them, but I do not think there is much trace of it at the present day.

2. Sir H. Lawrence, who knew the Dogars well, writes of them
that tliey are '' tall, handsome, and sinewy, and are remarkable for
having almost without exception, large, aquiline noses ; they are
fanciful and violent, and tenacious of what they consider their
rights, though susceptible to kindness, and not wanting in courage,
they appear to have been always troublesome subjects, and too fond
of their own free form of life to willingly take service as soldiers.
The Jewiiih face whi(*h is found among the Dogars, and in which
thi*y rettemble the Afghlns, is very remarkable, and makes it pro-
bable that there is very little Chauhin blood in their veins, notwith*
standing the fondness with which they attempt to trace their con-
nection with that ancient family of Bijputs. Like the O&jars and
Naip&lis they are great thieves, and prefer pasturing cattle to cul-
tivating. Their favourite crime is cattle-stealing. There are, bow-
ever, some respectable persons among them, especially in the Ftros*
pur Illqa. It is only within the last few years that the principal
Dogars have begun to wear any covering for the head; formerly
the whole population, as is the case with the poor classes still, wore

> Q«ot«a bj IbUUcio, Pdi^V^ Ktkm^futpkf, para. €Sk,

DOGAR. 312 DOM.

their long hair over their shoulders without any covering either of
sheet or turban. Notwithstanding the difference of phygiognomj^
however^ the Dogars preserve evident traces of some connection with
the Hindus in most of their family customs^ in which they resonble
the Hindus much more than the orthodox Muhammadans/*

8. Mr. Ibbetson adds : — " The Bajput origin of the Dogars is
probably very doubtful^ and is strenuously denied by their Rajput
neighbours^ though I believe that Dogar or perhaps Dogfaar
{doghla, probably Persian dughol, dagh^ '* a stain '') is used
in some parts of the Province to denote one of mixed blood.
Another derivation of the name is doghgar or *' milkman/' The
Dogars seem to be originally a pastoral rather than an agricultural
tribe, and still to retain a strong liking for cattle, whether their
own or other people^s. They are often classed with G&jarB, whom
they much resemble in their habits. In Lahore and Ftrozpur they
are notorious cattle thieves^ but further north they aeon to have
settled down and become peaceful husbandmen. They are not
good cultivators. I'heir social standing seems to be about that of
a low class Rajput ; they are practically all Musalm&ns. Their
chief clans in the Panjab are M attar ; China ; Tagra ; M2hn, and
Chokra.'^ In these Provinces they are all Musalm&ns.

Distribution of the Dogar g according to tie Ctmnun of 189 !•

Districts.

Komber.

Sah&rxnpnr ..•••••.
M uzaflfarnngar . ,

1
838

Total

889

Dom;^ Domra; Domahra (Sans. Doma; Dama; Domim),
a Dravidian menial caste found scattered throughout these Pro-
vinces^ regarding whose origin and ethnological afl^ties there has
been much speculation. To the east of the Province they are

1 For the Eaatom Dome the yalaable note by Mr. J. Kennedy* C.S., liM bMB
largely need, and that of Pandit Jaila Dat Joshi for the Hill Doms. In ftddHiM to
thean. notoe by Mr. H. D. Ferard, C.S., Binda : M. Chhedi L4l, Depoty Insptelor»
Sohools, Qorakhpur, and the Deputy Inspeotor of Schools, Bijnor and Doloa Bia*
hare been oonsnlted*

^-j"'?

0* • 1

J • ^

* !;■

:.l

/ ■" . ■ . •■■ .' V ■ ' ' •■ '

< .1

-111 J

".v'-l

. I

■■'■•• 'litT'-' hits

J. ■ . .. «■* N.. s. ., >,.,.n
L' ■ ■■ .■ !■ ■,', ■ u«r

813 DOH.

usually known as Dom, but arc sometimes called Jallid, '' eze**
cutioner/' HatyAra, "murderous, blood-thirsty," or Supach, which ii,
as we shall see, traditionally the name of the founder of the tribe,
and who also enters into the legends of the Bhangis. The name
seems to represent the Svapika or'' cooker of doorg/' a man of a
deprnuled and outcast tribe, the son of an Ugra woman by a
Kshatriya. He is required to live outside towns like the Chandila^
to eat his food in broken vessels, to wear the clothes of the dead,
and to \ic exehulod from all intercourse with other tribes ; he can
possess no other property than asses and dogs, and his only oflSoe
is to act as public executioner or to carry out the bodies of those
who die without kindred. His kinsman, the Chand&la, according to
Manu,^ ranks in impurity with the town boar, the dog, a woman
in her courses, and an eunuch, none of whom must a Br&hman /
allow to see him when eating. According to Dr. Caldwell' they are
the sur>iving representatives of an older, ruder, and blacker race
who precede^l the Dravidians in India. Sir H. M. Elliot* consi*
di*rs them to Iw ''one of the original tribes of India. Tradition
fixes their residence to the north of the Ghigra, touching the
Bhars on the east in the vicinity of the Rohini. t<everal old forta
U*««tify to their former importance, and still retain the names of
their founders, as, for instance, Domdiha and Domingarh, in the
Oorakhpur District. Rimgarh and Sahnkot, on the Rohini, are
also Dom forts.^' Attempts have, also, been nude to connect them
in some way with the Domkatir or Domtikir Rijputs of Gorakh*
pur, and with the Domw&r Bhuinhirs.* All this discussion i%
as Mr. Uisley say*, somewhat profitless; bat oat of it seems to
emerge " a general consensas of opinion that the Dome belong to
one of the races whom, for convenience of expretaion, we may
call the aborigines of India, Their personal appearance bears oat
this opinion. Mr. Beames* describes the Doms of Champiimn
as " small and dark, with long tresses of unkempt hair, and the
peculiar glassy eye of the non- Aryan autodithon, ** and Mr. Sher-

> /MfifiiUi, ni, 88S.

* Orammar pf ik4 Df^^dim.% Lmm§um§M, MS, qaoltd by Riafey. THkm
CasUs. I, UO.

* DarhanaB, JTmNth IndU, lU S&S : Artkmolofuml E#forlt, XXII, 65^ tf 1 <te>

DOM. 314

ring^ remarks that ^' dark-complexioned^ low of stature^ and
somewhat repulsive in appearance^ they are readily distinguished
from all the better castes of Hindus/' " The type, however,'' Mr.
Bisley adds^ ''as is the case with most widely-diffused castes,
seems to display appreciable vaiiations. In Eastern Bengal, accord-
ing to Dr. Wise, the Dom's hair is long, black, and coarse, while
his complexion is oftener of a brown than a black hue ; and amon^
the Magahiya Doms, whom I have seen in Bih&r, only a small
portion struck me as showing any marked resemblance to the
aborigines of Chota Nftgpur, who are, I suppose, among the
purest specimens of the non- Aryan races of India. On the whole,
however, the prevalent type of physique and complexion seems to
mark the caste as not of Aryan descent, althdhgh evidence is
wanting to connect it with any compact aboriginal tribe of the
present day. The fact that for centuries they have been con-
demned to the most menial duties, and have served as the helots
of the entire village community, would, of itself, be sufficient to
break down whatever tribal spirit they may once have possessed,
and to obliterate all structural traces of thdr true origin."

2. To this must be added another point which cannot be left
out of consideration in dealing with these menial races. The tribes
of scavengers, such as the Bhangi and Dom, have for many gener-
ations formed a sort of Cave of Adullam for the outcastes of the
higher races, and the notorious immoral character of the women
of these tribes must have had a powerful effect in modifying the
physique and appearance of castes such as these. If the Dom
varies in physical character from one part of the Province to another,
it is only what might naturally be expected. On the whole it may
perhaps be safer to regard the Doms, not as a single, individual
aggregate, but as a more or less mixed body of menials, who have
been for ages in a state of the utmost degradation, and whose
appearance and physique have been largely modified by the rigour
of their occupation and environment.

3. The origin of the Dom to the east of the Province is thus

Tradition of origin- ^^^ ^ themselves. In the good old timei
EaBtern Doms. ^11 people Were equally well-to-do and happj.

The Brahmans had no property and built no houses for themselveB.

When Parameswar desired to appear in the world he took the

1 Hindu Tribe$ and CaiUi, h 401.

316 DOH.

form of a Brfthman. Then intending to divide men into castee,
he went about begging as a Brfthman, wishing to ascertain what
occupation each family followed. As he begged for ahns no man
gave him aught but silver and gold. At last he reached the house
of a man who had killed a cow and was preparing to feed on the
beef. He begged for alms^ and the cow-killer brought from his
house a handful of gold coins. Parameswar refused the money
and asked for a little barley. The Domin, or woman of the house,
went inside and found a place in the courtyard which had been
trampled into mud by the feet of the cow in her death struggle,
and there a few cars of barley had suddenly sproutoed up. The
woman plucked the grain and offered it to PiO'ameswary who asked
her where she had found it. She told him how the grain had
sprouted in her courtyard. Parameswar asked where was the cow
which had prepared the ground in which the grain had grown.
She replied that it had been killed by her husljand. Then Para-
meswar was wroth and cursed her husband : ^' Thou and thy pos*
terity shall kill animals and remain beggars for ever." Then the
Domin cursed Parameswar in the form of a Br&hman—

Jakdm Brtkman jdme^

Ckdr dkakka kkdwe,

Ek piekkdri, ckkatiU paaiks.

^' Wherever the Brfihman goes he shall receive four pushes. Thirty*
six knots in a single sheet." So ever since Doms are beggars and
skyers of animals, and Brihmans are poor and Kve on alms. This
legend, of course, cannot bo of any great antiquity, as the feeling'
of respect for the cow is of comparatively modem origin.

4. According to the Panj4b legend the ancestor of tbe Dona
was a Brihman named Malhidant. He was the youngest of the
family, and his elder brothers expeHed him. One day the calf of
their cow died, and they asked Malludant to take away the csroass
and bory it. When he did so he was treated as an outcast, and
wan obliged ever after to make his li^-ing fay skinning and boryiag
dead anhnals. This legend, under a slightly different form, is told
at«o in oonneetion with the Bhangis.

5. Another story, again, makes the Doms the descendants of
RIja Ben or Yena, and from him one of their sub-castes has takes
the name Benbamii. The legend of this king suggests that he
was some early reformer who made himself obnoodous to BHQumas.

DOM. 816

When he became king he issued a proclamation, — " Men mnst not
sacrifice nor give gifts nor present oblations. Who else but myself
is the object of sacrifice? I am for ever the lord of offerings^'
The sages remonstrated respectfully with him, but in vain. They
admonished him in sterner termsj and when he persisted in his piety
they slew him with blades of the sacred iuta grass. After his
death the sages beheld clouds of dust, and on inquiry found that
they arose from the bands of men who had taken to plundering
because the land was left without a king. As Vena was childless,
the sages rubbed his thigh, and from it there came a man ''like a
charred log, with flat face and extremely short.'' The sages told
him to sit down {nuhdda). He did so, and hence was called Nishib-
da, from whom sprang the *' Nishadas dwelling in the Vindhyan
mountains, distinguished by their wicked deeds." It may be noted
that Benbans is the title of a modem B4jput sept which is of
obvious Kharwar origin. By another account the name is derived
by the Doms from their trade in making fans {bena, Sans, pyajana),

6. As might have been expected in the case of a tribe which is

obviously composed of various elements their

Internal straotore. ., t i i • a » a * . »-ri

internal structure is most intricate. Under
the general term Dom there are in these Provinces at least three
distinct classes of people. There are, first, the wandering race of
houseless thieves and vagrants who infest Bihir and the eastern
districts of the North- Western Provinces. Some of these have
gradually raised themselves above the degraded status of their
vagabond brethren. Some of them have settled down on the out-
skirts of towns and villages, and have taken to scavengering or
industries connected with cane-work and basket-making. Such are
the Dharkar and Bansphor or Basor, whom it is more convenient to
discuss separately. Next come the Doms of the Himalayan dis*
tricts, who deny all connection with the eastern branch of the tribe,
and have gained a fairly respectable position as husbandmen and
artisans. Lastly come the Dom or Diim Mir&si, who are singers
and musicians, and are treated of under the head Mirftsi.

7 . Like so many of the lower castes the Eastern Doms profess

The Doms of the East- to have seven eudogamous sub-castes. Ac-

ern districts. cordiug to the Mirzapur enumeration these

are,^Magahiya ; Bansphor ; Litta ; Domra or Domahra; JaUld

or Hatyara; Dharldr; and Harchanni; which last take their

name from the famous R&ja Harischandra, whose legend is given

817 BOM.

in connection with the Bhangis. Again^ in B&nda, we have a list of
so-called exogamous sections or gotras inasmuch as they will not
give a bride to a section from which within memory they have taken
a bride. These sections are Tarkiya ; Oepar ; Gemar or Gaymar ;
Pesadeli, Barhel ; Ilaziriya ; Usarbarsa ; Kundahor ; Dharkil or
Dhark&r ; Chamrel ; Chureliya ; Satchuliha ; Samand ; Asrcnt ;
Mahtama ; Naharkarei ; Mungariya ; Nanet ; Kaithel ; Suador ;
Jugin; Nagarband; Dhaunsiya; Birha; Sarkhiya; Baksariya;
Gu jariya ; Lungtaya or Langotiya. Some of these names probably
denote some connection with other tribes, as the Chamrel with
Chamars, Kaithel with K&yasths, and Gnjariya with G&jrat.
Others are perhaps occupational or totemistic; but we know at
present too little of the origin or metamorphosis of these section
names to make any speculations as to their meaning of any value.

8. From Gorakhpur, ^g^n* ^c have another enumeration which
is thus described by Mr. J. Kennedy : — ** The Doms say that they
formerly cultivated and owned the land, but when pressure came the
Magahiyas divided into two great sub-divisions — the Magahiyaa
and the Binsphors. The Magahiyas took to thieving, while the
Binsphors were content to weave baskets and cultivate what land
they could. These two sub-divisions do not intermarry, and it
must be remembered that my notes relate to the thieving claM
alone, Magahiyas proper, who count themseU*e8 the true, original
stock. They always describe themselves as subdivided into seven
dibtinci families ; but excluding the B&nsphors, of wh<>m I have
spoken, there are really six— Sawant ; Balgai ; Chaudbari ; Chau*
han ; Bihari, and Ilazari. Ihe most of these names are taken from
the Hindus, and as Ilazari is a Muhammadan title of honour, this
division into families is probably of a comparatively recent date.
Chaudhari and Chauhin are evidently also meant as honorific titles,
and at the time the division was first made it must have been purely
artificial. The families have no reoollection of any common ancestor,
nor have they any cult in memory of the founder. The Binsphors,
I am titid, have no such sub-divisions. The recent and artificial
origin of the six sulMlivisions is, therefore, tolerably certain ; they are
imitations of Hinduism, and the only use to which they are put is to
regulate marriage. Neither Magahiyas nor Bansphors can many
their first cousins by blood, and this was prolsd>ly the original role.
Besides this po Siwant can marry a S4want or a Balgai, hot
any of the six faonilies can intermarry with any other. The

DOM. 318

wandeiing gangs of Magahiyas are compoeed indiscriminately of men
belonging to each clan family ; but each gang has its own leader
and the office is hereditary in the leader's &mily. An outsider
is never selected unless the family stock has failed. ^' At the same
time it may be ui'ged that this form of sectional exogamy is prob-
ably much more primitive than Mr. Kennedy is disposed to believe.
It is^ of course^ possible that the names of the exogamous sections
may have been changed under Hindu or Muhammadan influence^
but it seems also certain that this form of exogamy is one of ibe
primitive institutions of the caste.

9. The Magahiya Doms take their name from the ancient king-
dom of Magadha or South BihsLr. Curiously enough the Mirzs^ur
Magahiyas have lost all traditions of any connection with Magadhi^
and say that their name means 'Wagranf from the Hindi wiag,
Sanskrit marga, '^ a road. '' They have been identified with the Mac-
cocalingae of Pliny/ and they are found as far south as Madras.'
In their original state the Magahiyas are vagrants pure and simple,
who have not even mats or tents to cover themselves in rainy or c(dd
weather. In this respect they are in a lower grade than nomads
like the Sansyas or Haburas, They frequent the jungles, but seem
to have no aptitude for hunting or fishing* They live by burglary
and theft^ while the women prostitute themsdves. In dry weather
they sleep under trees^ and in the rains or chill of winter they slink
into outhouses or crouch under a thatch or any other shelter they
can find. In their depredations they « never use tiie zabari or
" jemmy '' used by the ordinary Indian burglar. Their charac-
teristic weapon is the cur\'ed knife {bdnka)^ with which they are
supposed to split the bamboo for making baskets, which with be^
ging are their ostensible occupations. But this knife is generally
used for making holes beside doorposts {paghli)^ In cold weather
they carry about at night an earthen pot full of hot coals, over
which they crouch and warm themselves ; and this, when closely
beset, they fling with great accuracy at their assailant?^ often causing
severe wounds.

10. Various attempts have been made to reform this branch of
the tribe. To quote a note by Mr. D. T. Roberts^ prepared for the
last Police Commission :— '^ In Grorakhpur almost every sofaeme pos-

1 McCrindIo, Indian J nh'^uary, VI, 337*
' MnllaJy, "Sotf^ 70, tqq.

319 BOH.

iible to think of luu) been considered over and over again and rejected
as hopeless, the premlini^^ opinion being that nothing short of oonfine-
uent between four walls would do any good. In 1873^ and again
in ISSO, the quc:ttion of bringing them under the Criminal Tribes
Act was considered, and the conclusion come to in ISSO was that no
s|)ecial measures for the reclamation of this tribe seem likely to be
suci^essful, and there was no use proclaiming them under the Act,
because they have no means of earning their livelihood honestly, and
the only thing to be done was to keep them under unceasing sur*
veillance, and to punish with severity on commission of crime.

11. ''In 1SS4, Mr. Kennedy, the Magistrate of Oorakhpur,
again applied himself to the task. Some of the Doms were collect-
ed in the city and employed as sweepers, taught brick-making, and
ma^le to work on the roads, and others were settled in larger or
smaller groups in different villages, and received assignments of land,
and up to date this scheme, supported by an annual grant of
Kh. l,5i)0, is being carried on. Some Doms do regular work as
swiM'pers ; n^ne (»f them have as yet acquired any handicraft, even
the siin]>le 4)nc of brick-making. No work can be got out of them
exc^pt under incessant Kuper\ision. Their fields are cultivated only
when some one is standing over them, and when assistance is render*
ed by oilier cultivators.

12. *' Nevertheless, on a comparison of the earlier with the later
reports, a certain advance is observable. The Doms no longer skulk
in iields and forests. They are all settled in some village or another
which tliey recognise as tlieir home* "Whereas formerly Doms said
tliat tlu>y could not sleep under a roof because glvMts troubled them,
th«>y now take kindly enough to living in houses, and will complain,
not of glu)sts, but of the ruuf leaking. It is something to have re«
strained their wandering propensities to this extent, and to have
given them some appreciation of a settled and cirilised life.''

13. According to one story Mahide%'a and Pirvati invited

EMUm Dow; tribal ^' ^ *»*^ ^ ^ f®"^- Supach Bhagat,
irMliiiuM. (jj^ ancestor of the tribe, came late ; ami

being verj' hungry' ate the leavings of the others. Since that

time Uk>y have )jei>n di*graded, and oat the leavings of the other

people.

l\. Another h^gend connects them with lUja lUmchandra, in

whose camp one of their ancestors committed theft; henoo the deity

cursed them with a li£e of begging and stealing.

DOM. 820

15. A third legend tells that onoe apon a time the gods held a
council for the distribution of the nectar among themselves. A
demon came and stole some of the nectar and was detected by
Vishnu, who severed his head from his body ; but as the demon had
eaten the nectar he had become immortal, the two pieces of his body
became the demons, BAhu and Ketu, who periodically devour the
moon and cause eclipses. As the Doms, who worship these demons

f^ are able to induce them to release the moon, pious people give alms

to this caste at eclipses in order to secure their good offices to
release the moon.

16. By another story Rftmchandra once blessed Supach Bhagat,
and said that if any one were cremated with fire, received from him
or any of his descendants he would go straight to heaven. Since
then the descendants of Supach Bhagat supply fire at cremation
grounds. //

17. Lastly, a story explains the hatred of the Magahiya Doms
for Dhobis. Supach Bhagat once put up at the house of a Dhobi
who, when he was drunk, fed his guest on the dung of his ass*
Supach Bhagat cursed him and his kin for ever, and since that time
no Dom will touch an ass or a Dhobi, In the Bih&r form of the
legend, as told by Mr. Bisley, Supach Bhagat had a quarrel with
a Dhobi and killed and ate his ass. He subsequently cursed the
Dhobi. Mr. Rislcy suggests that the legend may perhaps be a
distorted version of some primitive taboo in which Dhobis and
donkeys somehow played a part, but it is perhaps equally possible
that the story may have been invjented to explain why the general
Hindu taboo against the Dhobi and his ass is followed by a caste
so little scioipulous as the Doms.

18. The Bansphor branch of the Eastern Doms forms the sub-

The Bansphor Doms. ^""^ '^ ^, ^^""^ ^^^'^' ^^^ *^^y need DOt be

discussed more specially here.

19. The Litta branch of the Doms are said to derive tbesr

name from some word which means " wander-

The Litta Doms. ii rm

er. They may perhaps be connected with
the Let sub-caste of the Bengal Bagdis, who are probably akin to
the Doms. These people have no home and live by begging.

20. Tlie term Domm or Domahra, which is applied to the whole
The Domra branch of ^^^^ ^^ »•«> apparently somotimes used in

th« Eantern Doms. the moro restricted sense as designating
those Doms who supply fire at cremation grounds.

321 OOM.

21. Tlie term Jallid, which \» an Arabic term for '^a poblio

The JaiUd or Hatyira flogger/' and Ilatyara (Sans, ki^iga, " mar-

Doms. der '') is more specially applied to those Doms

who arc employed in cities to kill ownerless dogs and to act aa

public executioners.

The DharkAr branch of ^2. The Dharkar branch of the Eastern

the EaaUim Domi. Doms lias been treated of in a separate article.

23. The Harchanni branch of the Eastern Doms claim their

The Harchanni branch ^^^^ ^^'^ ^^"^^^ ^ ""^"^ ^^ Celebrated Rija

of the Kaaurn Dome. Harischandra who, as told in oonneotion with
the niianps, gave away all his wealth in charity and was reduced
to become the slave of a Dom. In return for the kindness of his
mast^^r the Raja converted the whole tribe to his religion, which
they followed e\^r since.

24. Writing of the Magahiyas of Oorakhpur Mr. Kennedy

The tri».al conncil of ^Y^ '—' ^" ^^^V^^ ^ settled by the

the fcaetem Dome. pancliavat, but the longest term of exclusion
from the brotherhood is twelve years. During that period no
oompanionnhip can be held with the outlaw even in a theft. Out*
lawry in, however, redeemable by a fine and feast. The abduction
of a Domra girl by force and the intro<luction of foreign women
into the canip are a freipient cause of {lanchayats. I am told that
nuinler (»f any human being or of a cow is also severely punished ;
but thin is abiiut the boundary line of Domra morality with regard
to outniderM. Strangers are occasionally adopted by the Magahiyaa.
Two or tlirei> Clianiani, a Muhammadan, an Ahir, and a Teli, who
lud turn<4 Domrafi, were lately among the inmates of the jail. It
irt the women who chiefly attnu*t these recruits.^' Another frequent
cau*«e of meetings of the Domra council is interference with the
l«*ggi"g l«*At of one camp. These brats arc carefully recogniaed,
and are nometimes given as a dowry at marriage. Any strange
Domra wlio begs or xti-als in the beat of another is lialJe to excom*
munii*ationy and the Domra of that lieat will have no hesitation in
giving up to the Police a stranger of the tribe who steals within hia
juriniliction.

25. Among the Doms of Mirzapur the endogamoua aub-oastea

have exogamous sections, some of which are

territorial or tituhur, and some apparently

totcmiHtic ; but no Dom can give even an approximately correct

list of his sections. If he is asked all he says ia^— "The

Vol. 11. x

DOM. 822

know." This rule of exogamy is reinforced by the prohibition <
maiTiage in the family of the maternal uncle^ the father's siste
or their own sisters, as long as there is any remembrance <
relationship, which is nsnally about three or perhaps four genen
tions. Polygamy is prohibited except the first wife be barren, i
which case a man, with the previous sanction of the council, ma
take a second wife. But there seems no restriction in regard t
concubinage. Sahay, the &mous Dom executioner at Gorakhpui
used to keep four women. In Mirzapur if an unmarried girl i
detected in an intrigue with a member of the tribe, her lover ha
to pay a fine of five rupees and a sheet to her father, and he the:
takes her over as his recognised wife with the sanction of th
council. They practise adult marriage, the usual age for th
marriage of a girl being eleven or twelve. The marriage i
arranged by the Chharidir or *' wandsman, '^ who is the assistan
of the Chaudhari or headman. The consent of the parents is saic
to be necessary, but runaway matches appear not to be uncommon
The bride-price among the settled Doms of Mirzapur is five rupees
five sen of treacle, a sheet, five lumps of tobacco, and five packeti
of betel leaf. The persons of both bride and bridegroom arc
cai-efully examined, and any physical defects which may subsequent-
ly appear are not sufficient grounds for annulling the marriage
After betrothal if the bride's friends refuse to make her over they
are obliged to refund the bride-price, and if the man fidl tc
perform the engagement he is severely punished by the council.
Divorce is allowed when habitual adultery is proved to the satis-
faction of the council, but, as a rule, only the direct evidence ol
eye-witnesses is considered sufficient. Divorced women can marry
again by the lower or Sagdi form. Bastard children follow the
caste of the father ; but a man who intrigues with a woman not s
member of the tril)e, if the union has not been recognised, must
pay a fine of two-and-a-half rupees and give a feast of pork and
rice to the clansmen. Widows can marry by the Ss^di form, and
arc generally married to widowers. The bridegroom has to make
over eight rupees and one hundi'cd cakes {pilri) to the father of the
woman. He then gives a feast to the clansmen, in the course of
which the relativcf* of the deceased husband come forward and claim
the woman. Then the assembled clansmen direct the woman'i
father to make over the compensation he has received to therelativea
of her first husband. When this is done the man takes the woman

828 DOM.

home, puts rod lead on the parting of her hair and palm leaf
ornaments (iarit) in her ears. After he does this and feeds the
clansmen on rice and pork the marriage is considered valid.

The levirate under the usual restrictions is admitted ; but there
is no fiction that the children of the levir are attributed to the
deceased brother. Adoption is, of course, unusual; but if a man
adopts, he generally adopts the son of his brother,

26. In Oorakhpur it appears that the bride-price is always spent
on the marriage, and it is alleged that if either party after marriage
become blind, crippled, or leprous, the marriage may be annulled.

27. Among the Doms of Mirzapur the mother is attended by

Eftitmn Domi • birth ^^^ Chamirin midwife and the ceremonies
c^remoniM. of puriBcation common to the menial castes

are performed. On the twelfth day after birth the hair of the baby is
shaved to remove that last taint of the birth pollution. 1 he child
is named by the senior man in the family a year after birth. When
a man^B children have died in succession tlie next baby is sold to
some one for a nominal sum ; and then is called Pachkauri, Cbha-
kauri, ** he that was sold for five or six cowries,^' or by some other
opprobrious epithet. In Gorakhpur the services of the Chamirin
midwife are dispensed with on the sixth day.

The Barahi or twelfth-day ceremony is done on the tenth day.
The mother and child are bathed ; her hair is smeared with ver*
milion, and tiie relatives are feasted, then a little liquor it sprinkled
over the woman, and after that she is considered pure.

2S. Of the Magahiyas of (Jorakhpur Mr. Kennedy writes :«•
" The birth of a Domra is always celebrated by a sacrifice to Gan*
dak and Samaiya. Marriages are contracted when the boy is about
ten years old. The matter is settled by a go-between. The boy's
father pays for the marriage feast and gives presents to the father
of the girl; but the Iblagahiyas deny that there is any idea of
purdiase. No religious ceremony accompanies the marriage. A
panchiyat is assembled, a feast bekl, and the girl henceforth resides
wiUi Wr father*in-law. A man is not restricted in the number of
hift wivcH, and comrubinage is also permitted, but the concuUne ia
hi»ld in somewliat lens t^steem than the wife. A woman is apiiareni-
ly all«>witl to leave lu*r huslsmd and transfer herself to another;
but in tliat ease Uie liecomes a concubine. The pau(*hayat will not
restore a wife wlio lias devain])eil, but they will give Lack any pro*

perty slie Um'Il away. The frequent reudence of the Magahiyaa in
Vol. 1L x S

DOM. 324

jail often obliges women to transfer themselves to other husbands
for support, and makes polygamy advantageons. Polyandry is
unknown/'

29. In Mirzapur the maniage is arranged by the sisteHs hus-
Mo^^o^n nnrnm««;«. ^^^ ^^ ^^^ boy^s fatheF. The betrothal
Eastern Domg. (barrekhi) is done in the usual way by the

interchange of two leaf platters full of liquor, into one of which the
boy's father puts a couple of rupees, which he passes on to the
representative of the bride. They have the ordinary maimangara
ceremony, with the difference that the lucky earth brought from
the village claypit is used for constructing a large fireplace with a
single opening on which the women of the family cook a mess of
rice and pulse, which is placed on a leaf mat in the place where the
marriage is performed. This is un offering to the Manes, and the
phrase used is piir eharhdna. The usual anointing of bride and
bridegroom follows, which is begun by the two fathers, who sprinkle
a little turmeric and oil on the ground and invc^e the sainted dead
to assist them in bringing the marriage to a successful conclusioa.
It is a peculiainty of the tribe that both men and women join in the
marriage procession. No Brahman is employed. The boy's father
repeats the names of his ancestors for five generations, and the
father of the bride does the same for her. Then the pair are seated
close together on a mat made of leaves. The husband of the sister
of the bride's father drops water on her hands and says :— " Bar
kau^a chiranjiva ra^en" — ^'May the bride and bridegroom live
long/' This is done five times. The prominent part taken by the
sister's husband is possibly a survival of the matriarchate. Then
the garments of the pair are knotted together, and they walk round
a branch of the cotton tree (semal), planted in the middle of the
company, five times. After this the boy puts red lead on the part-
ing of the bride's hair, and this constitutes the binding part of the
ceremony. Tliey then go into a retiring room {iokabar) or behind
some bubhes close by, and there a good deal of coarse merriment
goes on — an obvious survival of the habit of immediate eonsom*
mation of the marriage. Besides this, the respectable form of
marriage among the settled Doms, which is known as ekarkanwrn^
there is another form called gurdwat, where two persons exchange
bibters, and a still lower form of the dola type, where the girl is
nuTcly taken by her father to the house of her husband and lives
with him at his wife. after a dinner has been given to the brethren.

325 DOlf.

The temporary connectionB of women whose husbands are in jail
with other men are also fully reco^ised. In addition to this
almost any kind of runaway match is allowed ; in fact it would be
hard to say what form of sexual intercourse is not recognised as a
niarriaf2:e.

30. "Accordinjj^ to Dr. Wise it is universally believed in

Death coromonies : ^"^' ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^"^" "^^ ^^^ ^^^^

t:A«u«ni Domt. dead, but dismember the corpse at night,

like the inhabitants of Tibet, placing the pieces in a pot and sink-
ing them in the nearest river or reservoir. This horrid idea pro-
bably arose from the old Hindu law which compelled the Doms to
bury their dead at night."' This idea does not seem to prevail in
thet« Provinces. The Doms appear to have no settleil usage as
reganls the di6|K)iHal of the corpse. Those who are fairly well off
i'remate the (H)rp»ie, but unlike Ilindns, take with them from the
house the tire which is applieil to the pyre. The poorer and
\*agrant Doms either bury, or sometimes cremate in a very rude
and perfunctory way, or, when it is more convenient, throw the
cor))^ into running water. Bodies of unmarried children are
always thrown into a river or buried. The Magahiya Doms of
(forukhpur often leave the Uxly in the jungle. Among the settleil
Doms of Mirzajnir after a cremation they return to the house of
tho deceabC^I, light a little oil in the courtyard and warm their
feet in the smoke, the object apparently being to bar the return of
the ghoht. Some of them, once the corpse is burnt, do not take
anv trouble about the a»>hes, but leave them where the cremation
t4N)k pla(*e. (Hliers who are more si*rupulous collect them on the
third day and throw them into a neighbouring streanu Then they
fix ui>on the bank a few bhules of grass as a refuge for the wander-
ing hpirit, on which a httle water is poured daily. Others lay out
a little platter of ftMxl for the use of the departed during the days
of mourning. On the tenth day they assemble at a tank, shave
themselves, bathe*, and offer three IaIIs {pimtia) of flour. At these
ceremonies tlie sister's husbantl of tlie chief mourner officiates aa
)»ri(>ht. This freems to be another surA'ival «)f the matriarrluite.
The Mime rule applies in the Bihar branch of the tribe : — ** The ton
of a di*«*c3u<ed man's sixter or of his female (*oasin otIUnates as priest
at his funeral and rci*ites approjtriate texts {mantra) receiving a fee

* Rialtfj. Tfiiti ^nd (affri. I. 2IS.

DOM. 326

for his services when the inheritance comes to be divided. Some
Doms, indeed, assured me that the sister's son used formerly to
get a shai'e of the proi)erty, and that this rule had only recently
fallen into disuse ; but their statements did not seem to be definite
enough to carry entire conviction, and I have met with no corrobo-
rative evidence bearing on the point. So also in marriage the
sister's son or occasionally the sister {sudiiu) repeats mantras and
acts generally as priest . Failing either of these the head of the house-
hold officiates. No other indications of an extinct custom of
female kinship appear to exist, and the fact that in Western Bengal
the eldest son gets an extra share on the division of an inheritaDce
seems to show that kinship by males must have been in force for a
very long time past/'^

31. The religious practices of the tribe vary with the social

status of the sub-castes, and there is no

Baliffion : Eastern Dome. , -t t , <» i* i ^i

standard type of worship because they are
not controlled by BrS-hmans. Of the Magahiya Doms of Gorakh-
pur Mr. Kennedy writes : — '^ The Magahiya Domras have two
special divinities of their own ; the chief is Gandak, whose grave is
to be found at Karmaini Garhi, two days' journey to the east of
Motihari, in Bengal. According to their traditions Grandak was
hanged for theft a long time ago, and when dying he promised
always to help the Magahiyas in trouble. He is worshipped by
the whole tribe and is invoked on all important occasions ; but he
is pre-eminently the patron god of thefts. A successful theft is
always celebrated by a sacrifice and feast in his honour. They
also worship Samaiya, a female divinity. She is without any spe-
cial histoiy, and there is no sharp distinction between her sphere
and Gandak's. Her functions apparently relate chiefly to birth
and illness, etc.

82. '' The Magahiyas sacrifice young pigs and wine with sugar
and spices to these two deities. Every Magahiya is capable of per-
forming the sacrifice, and the remains are divided among the com-
pany, when a vow is made to Samaiya, e.g., on the birth of a child
or when it is teething, or on the occasion of an illness a special
pig is chosen and devoted to her, and is sacrificed in the fulfilment
of the vow. The Magahiyas have neither altars nor idols^ nor do
they erect any platform {chabutra) for worship, A spot is cleared

* Bislev, loc eii.

827 Dox.

and plastered in the middle of a field, and tlie sacrifice is then
offered.

^S, ''The Magahiyas naturally believe in ghosts and spirits.
When a man dies, my informant told me, he turns into an evil
spirit ($kaif(fu). The godlings (deoia) also, he added, were innu-
merable. In most villages of this district there is a special ahar
for all the local ghosts and deities, which may reside within the
vilhige boundaries, and the Magahiyas are always ready to share in
the sacrifices of the villagers to them. They also reverence trees
and platforms consecrated by Hindus in passing, but pay no further
homa^. They acknowledge the village K&li and sometimes sacri-
fice to her ; but the sacrifices do not differ from those of the Hindus.
They do not acknowledge Mahade\'a or any other divinity, but they
share the general Hindu belief in Parameswar, the giver and
deiitroyer of life and the author of good and evil. He created the
MagahiyaB, they say, and ordered them to be filth and outcasts
among the Hindus. They somehow resort to a Brahman for the
rcaiUng of the Vedas (is/ia). My informant had given a imiim
in this way on the last occasion of his release from jail. In these
cases the Magahiyas go to the Brahman's house, but I could not
find any other trace of special reverence for the Brihmans, nor
have they any necessity for them. '*

34. In Mirttpur Doms of the betttf class worship Bhawfini, to
whom at the Nauritra of Chait they make an offering of hogs,
cakes (/>«Vi), gruel {iapst), and wreaths of flowers. The BhawAni, if
appeased, keeps off illness from her votaries. They have a vague
idea of an all-powerful deity, Parameswar, who punishes the guilty,
and of a hell, but what it is and how sinners are punished thej
know not. The scavenger Doms, like the JalUd, have a special
female deity called Kukarmari, " the killer of dogs," to whom a
sacrifice of a young pig and some spirits is offered ouUide the
village as a propitiation for the death of these animals. In the
mme way when a Dom hangman is tying the rope round the nedc
of a criminal, he shouts out Doidi MmkdrAni, Dokdi Sartdr^
Doidi Judge Smkih. " Help O great Queen ! Help O Government I
Help Mr. Judge I" in order to free himself from any guilt attaching
to the death. They woriiiip the collective \iic9A gods {deokdr) at
marriagen ; but the wandering, vagrant habits of the tribe prevent
th*m |K«seftsing any real respect for the vilUge deities. Women
have no wornhip special to themselves. On the hu^t dav of the first

DOM. 828

foiiinight of Kuir they make ten lumps {pinda) of flour and throw
them into a river, and when they come home they put some
cakes and sweetened rice on a leaf-platter^ and lay it in a field to
propitiate the dead. Some fast on Sunday in the name of the
Sun god Suraj Narayan, but these practises prevail only among
the more Hinduised Doms in the neighbourhood of towns.

35. In Gorakhpur, besides the worship described above, they
also venerate their Guru who is said to have had his head-quarters
at Bhojpur, in the Ballia District, and to his shrine they make
occasional pilgrimages and make an offering of a pig at least four
years old, wine, and flowers. To a goddess named Juthaiya
Bhawani, of whose functions they can give no account, they offer
a young pig and some red lead, with a lock. of thdr hair^ a fore-
head spangle, and a cake of flour boiled with pulse.

36. Their demonology is much of the usual type common to
^ , the lower castes by whom they are surround-

ed. They believe that trees are mhaUted
by evil spirits, and unless they bow down to trees of this kind, their
ghosts revenge themselves by bringing disease and death upon
them. To such malignant ghosts they offer a young pig, which is
eaten by the worshippers. In Mirzapur the chief Dom festi^'als
are the Kajari and Phagua or Holi. At the Kajari in the month
of Sawan they get dinink, dance, and sing. It is the regular
woman^s saturnalia, and on this occasion gross sexual license is
tolerated. At the Phagua or Holi the same is the case. In
Gorakhpur, besides the Holi, they observe the Jiutiya on the eighth
of the dark half of Kuar, and the Khichari on the day the sun enters
the sign of Makar. On the Jiutiya the women fast in order to
ensuie long life to their husbands, and the Khichari they beg boiled
rice and pulse from door to door.

37. The Eastern Doms are particularly afraid of the ghosts of
drowned people who are called Burna [bUrna " to be drowned").
These malignant ghosts drag under the water and drown boys
who bathe in tanks and rivers infested by them.^ Fields are in
charge of Mari Masan, the deity wliich haunts cremation grounds,
and Kukarmari, the dog goddess, already mentioned. They are
ever in dread of the ghosts of the dead, which torment them in
dreams if not propitiate<l with an annual sacrifice. If neglected

> On thi» BOO Tylor, Primitive CuUurt, I 109.

329 DOM.

they appear in their ori^nal shapes and demand a sacrifice.
Women are tattooed on the arms, wrists, breasts, and cheeks. If a
woman not tattooed attempt to enter heaven the gate-keeper of
Paramebwar pitches her down to the earth a(^n. They have the
usual omens of nu'eting. Many of their women, as in the case of
all solitary and uncanny races such as they are, are said to practise
witchcraft. One way such persons acquire influence over a man
is by throwinpf a cowry shell at him. They, believe firmly in the
Evil Eye. When children have been overlooked and pine away, the
cure is to wave some garlic and pep))er pods round the child's heaul
on a Tuesday or Sunday, and then to throw them into the fire.
The evil influence is supposed to {)ass away with the filthy smoke.
88. The occupation and social posit i(m of the Eastern Domii

ocrnpation. an.: iocw ^^^^^ ^^"^^ according to the sub-castes,
^ajon of the EMiern Que duty of the ordinary Dom is to supply

fire for cremation.\^Ir. Sherring^ <lescribes

the custom at Benares as follows :— '' On the arrival of the

dead hoAy at the place of cremation, which in Benares is at the

bai$e of one of the steep stairs {gitU) called the Burning Ghit^

leading down from the streets above to the be<l of the River Ganges,

the Dom supplies five l«>gs of woo<l, which he lays in order upon

the ground, the rest of the wikkI being given by the family of

the decreased. Wlien the pile is rea<ly for burning, a handful of

lighted fire is brought by the Dom, and applied by one of the chief

members of the family to the wood, llie Dom is the only person

who can furnish the light for this purpose ; and if, from any dr*

cumstance, the services of one cannot be obtained, great de^ay and

incf>uvenicnce are apt to occur. The Dom exacts his fee for three

things, namely, firi»t, fur the five k>gs, secondly, for the Imncb of

straw, and thirdly, for the light.^' There is no fixed fee, and as

the Dom naturally makes tlie best of his position and raiiics hit

denuinds according to the position and wealth of his custoniera,

this class of Dom, who is known as Kai^hiwala or '* he of Beiuiros,"

has a bail reputation fur insolence and ext4»rtion. .

59. From his business and enrironment the Dom is, of course,

regarded by all re»|iectable Hindus with a)ntempt, fear, and abhor*

enoe. No one will touch food or water from his hands. The

M agahiya Dom of Uorakhpur will eat anytliing exi'ept the fleiih

I U%Hdm TriUt mmd <*«•!««. 1. lei.

DOM. 330

of the monkey, serpenty and lizard. Mr. Kennedy says that they
eat most things, including carrion ; but certain animals, beasts
of prey, cats, and dogs, etc., they will not eat. In Mirzapor I
have seen them squabbling over the carcass of a dead horse in an
obvions condition of advanced decomposition. They are always on
the look out for tiger flesh, but they say that they stew it down
more than once, as it is very heating. They will, as already stated,
refuse the leavings of a Dhobi, and to this the more settled Dome
of Mirzapur add those of the Hela, Masahar, and Cham&r. Doma
who have adopted more cleanly occupations than their vagrant and
scavenger brethren, such as basket-making, are naturally beooming
more Hinduised and more careful in matters of diet. Those Doms
who have settled down, like the BAnspbor and the Dharkftr, to
working in cane, and the Jall&d to scavenging and acting as public
executioners, are fairly respectable, industrious people. Those who
work in cane use a peculiar curved knife known as bdnii. They
make fans {6ena), baskets, (//a»ft),boxcs {petdrd), scales (tardzu),
winnowing fans (<i^;)),lampstands (^f^vo^), irrigation baskets {dala),
and betel boxes (belhara). These workers in cane are known in
cities by the Persian title of Bedb&f ^ (Pers. bed, " cane ; " bdfian
" to weave ''). They split the cane into eight strips (tdr), with an
instrument (taraunihi) like a lemon-slicer. The outside outtingshe
sells to bakers for making the mould {tdnehd) used for applying
cakes to the walls of the ovens. The Bedbftf weaves the backs and
seats of chairs and makes baskets, etc. The B&nsphor makes baa-
kets, but works only in bamboo. He splits the bamboo into stripe
{pat to) y which are soaked and woven into baskets. The allied people
known as Eori Chhapparband make door-screens {ekiq, imiti) and
thatches (ehhappar). They work in bamboos and the reed grass
known as Mentha (saecharum iara). The Parchhatti and Oudariya
make stools {mondha), and the Dhark&r fine furniture, fine door-
screens, baskets, fans, etc., from bamboo, but he works in bamboo
and they in reed.

40. Of the Gk)rakhpur Magahiyas Mr. Kennedy writes :— "They
eat cow's flesh readily, but they will not kill the cow. They also
offer milk, like Hindus, to snakes at the Nigpanchami, but have
no reverence for tigers or other animals. They express some
reverence for the great rivers, Ganga and N&r&yani, etc. This, I

For A good aooouDt of tbia indoBtry, see Hoey. Uonogto^^h on Tradef , 78.

SSI DOM.

tliink, nearly marks the extent to which they have been HindoiBed.
The pipal is the only eacred tree, and no Magahiya will pluck its
leaves. They hold this snperiitition so firmly that I «uf>pect it is
alioriginal. No reverence is paid to the banyan or any other sacred
Hindu tree or plant. They have a special superstition about iron,
and will not use it for certain purposes. A Magahiya who com-
mits burglary with an iron instrument will not only be excluded
from the brotherhood, but his eyes will some day start out of his
head. Their most solemn oath is celebrated after the following
fashion : A piece of ground is cleared and plastered as if for sacrifioe.
A piece of iron, a dish of water, some leaves of the pipal, and a parti-
cular kind of Tarii grass with some lighted charcoal are all put
separately on the ground. On the top a pice is placed, and the oath
is taken over it. An oath by the Dhobi is also particularly
binding.^'

Other oaths of the Eastern Doms are on the altar of the deities
they worship, on a pipal leaf, on a knife stuck in the ground, with
tlie tingers of the right hand resting on a vessel full of spirits^ or
with some cow-dung fixed on the horn of a dead cow. They use
none of the ordinary forms of salutation, but simply join their
hands as a mark of respect. *

41. The Doms of Kumaun have been thought to be akin to

Th«Do».oeth.Hi«ii^ *^* aboriginal Rijis ; but the latter repu-
>*J^ diate the idea and profess the very greatest

contempt for the Doms ; so that if one of that class enter the
dwelling of a Raji, the place must be purified with water brought
from twentytwo different sources. They arc supposed to be
the relics of the original inhabitants of the country, correspond*
ing t<> the Dhiyar or ore^melters of Jammu, the Batal of the
KaiJimir Valley, the Bern of LadAkh, the Newir of XqiAI. In
Uarhwil they appear to have been enslaved by the immigrant
Kliasiyas. Under the name of DAm they are described in
Jammu^ as " dark in colour, small in limb, and their oounteii*
ance is of a much lower tyfte than that of the Dogras generally,
though one sees exceptions, due no doubt to an admixture of
blood, for, curiously, tlie separation of them from the daily hCe of
the others does not prevent an occasional intercourse that tends in
some degree to assimilate the races.'' In the Himalayan Die-

I Dnw's/

DOM. 332

tricts of these Provinces the Dom has been recognised as a desoend*
ant of the Dasyus of the Veda, who are supposed to have held
Upper India before the advent of the Njlga or Khasa race.

42. The complete Census Returns show as the main sections of

Snb-castoB of the ^^^ ^ill Doms the Auji, Badhai, Bera,
Himalayan Dome. Baioda, Chamar, Chunara, Darzi, Das,
Dhaki, Dhobi, Dholi, Dhunar, Eamar, Koli, Lobar, Mochi, N&th,
Pahariya, Sahiya, Tamoli, Tamta, and Tell, most of which are
occupational. In Garhwal, according to Mr. Atkinson,^ they
are divided in popular estimation into four classes. To the first
belong the Kolis, Tamotas, Lobars, Orbs, and DhS,rhi8. The Eolis
weave cloth, keep pigs and fowls, and are agrieultui*al labourers.
The Tamotas or Tamtas represent the Thatberas of the plains^ and
are workers in brass and copper. The Lobars are workers in iron.
'1 he Orbs comprise both masons and carpenters. Dharbis, though
socially ranked with Doms, do not belong to them, for they proper-
ly include only those Khasiyas who have been put out of caste for
some offence, and their offspring form a new caste with the addi-
tion of the fresh avocation. To the second class belong the Bbdls,
Chunyars, Ruriyas, Agaris, and Pahris. The Bhftls represent the
Telis of the plains, but also do field work. They are also called
Baryas. The Chunyaras are turners, and make wooden vessels
and the bottoms of huqqas. The Ruriyas make various kinds of
bamboo baskets and sieves. The Agaris are iron smelters, and
must be carefully discriminated from the Dravidian Agariyas of
Mirzapur. They are Doms attached to the service of the mines by
the former Rajas, but are gradually exchanging a very ill-paid
and dangerous avocation for that of road-making and other pro-
fitable work. The Pahris are village messengers, and are the same
as the Chamar village watchmen of the plains. To the third class
belong the Mallahs, Daryas, and Chamars. The Mallfths are also
called Dhunars, and are for the most part engaged in agriculture.
The Darj'as are village sorcerers, and conjure away hailstorms
and the like, for which service they receive annual dues of grain.
The Chamgirs call themselves Bairsawa, and will never acknow* *
ledge the name of Chamar. They sew leather and perform all
the usual service duties of the Dom.

* Himalayan Qatetteer, III, 277, tq.

333 DOM.

4-). Tlie fourth class iiirludt^ the iirofctiHional lM^(i:arrt and
vaf2:raiit muKU'iaiiH of the Hills— the Badi, Ilurkiya, Darzi, and
Dholi. The Badi is the villa^> miiKieian ; id the ]>lainH he is ooiisi*
dennl to be a Nat. He plays on various instruments and sin^s at
festivals. He pvs from villa^ to tillage bcf^pufir f>'om door to
<loor, and bel(»np:s to the class of sturdy liegf^s who, if they do
not ^*t wliat they ex|)eirt, lampoon the people of the house and
abusi' Uk^m* For these n^asons tliey are, to some exti*nt, fearttl, and
are able to maintain themselves at the expense of their neighlxmrs.
They also snare fowl and lish. The Hurkiya are so emlleil from
the small double drum {iHruk^ imrnka) shaped like an honrglamr
whieh he carries. This is an archaic musicd instrument like the
damarn^ which is one of Siva's emblems. They never tike to
apT'iculture, and wander ab»ut with tiieir women, who dance and
sing. The Darzi, also called Auji and Suji, Uvea by tailoring,
though often solely by agriculture. To the Darzi ckss bek>ngs
the Dlioli so enlled f^>m beating the drum (dkoUk). Tliis is done
by way of incantAtion to cauM* sprites and ghosta to enter or leave
the pen«on of any one, and so induce tliat person to give mi»ney in
the pt^rformer. The IWya, liadi, Hurkiya, and Dh^H are all
Doms, and *' arc in tlu; hills the recognised priests of the malig-
nant spirits of the hill and glen, whose aiil is always sought
lifter l)efi»rc an>'tliini? serious is undei taken or any ditricult task
ih attempte<l. It is the Doms who preserve to tlie present day the
pure demonism of the aborigines, while the Kha^i^as te*npor it
with the worship of the village deities, the named and hKadiard
divine «*ntitics, and furnish from their ranks the prieatn. M«iit uf
the Karliais belong totheOrh division of the D<»ms, and the Chuiia*
par. or liine-buniers lielong to the Agari and Lobar branchea of
the Doms. Finally there is a claaa known as Uomj(»gi, whi> are
l>eggars. The p<irtion of the village site asaig^ed to Doms is in
the hills known as Domaura or D«mt4»la, like tl>e Chamrauti
where the Cliamars of the pUins congregate/'

\\, Meet of the»e divisions of the Docs of the hilla are
thus purely occu|mtional, and, as might have been ^xiNH*t*d, tiie
enumeration vari^. Thus l^dit Juala Dat Jo»hi writing of
the Doms of Kumaun says that D(»ms usually d* not use the
t«rm Dom in siicaking of themselves, Imt call themaelvea Itain*-
wa, or Tallijati or Baharjati, '* outcasts,'' or tbey call themaelvas
l>y their c€cu{iation Orb, Liobar, and fo on. lie cnumeratea the

DOM. 331

KumauQ Doms under the heads of.Sarki Dotiw&la^ who work in
leather; Tamta^ workers in brass; Lohftr, workers in iron; Qrh
and Barele masons; Tima, who do tinning and making of horse
shoes ; Bhul, oilmen ; Mochi^ workers in leather ; Koli^ cloth-
weavers ; Bamri^ makers of bamboo baskets^ Dhnni, Dhoni Dom^
and ordinary Doms who are said to be a mixed race of men from
the plains and ordinary Hill Doms who work as ploo^men
and day labourers ; Dholi^ who play on drums at festivals ; Hurkiyay
who play and sing and prostitute their women; Cham&r^ who
skin animals ; Bidi, who play on drums and work as tailors. He
^adds that the reason of the increase of this caste is that they admit
outcasts from the superior tribes. The Baura are separate from
the Dom^ and say that they were originally J&ts.

According to the same authority, the Orh^ Tamta, Loh&r^ Bird,
Bhiil, Tinia, Mochi, Dhuni, Koli, and Bftruri are exogamous, but
as they advance in wealth, they show a tendency to break up into
endogamous groups. The Cham&r, Dholi, B&di, and Hurkiya are
endogamous, and will eat kaehchi and pakki only from members
of their own sub-caste. Their rule of exogamy is simply that
the recognised descendants of one common ancestor will not
intermarry. Some of them, as they are becoming more Hinduised,
have adopted the rule of not intermarrying within five generations
on the side of the mother and seven on the side of the father. They
can marry as many wives as they please, of whom the youngest
and best-looking is regarded as head. He says that the Doms
do not prostitute their women before marriage; but that among
the Bhotiyas it used to be the habit for young men and girls to
meet in a special house in the village, where, after drinking, each
youth selected a girl and cohabited with her in^perfect freedom.
The custom is now disappearing. We have here a good example of
that form of promiscuity before marriage, of which Dr. Westermarck
has collected numerous instances.^

46. Girls, he goes on to i^ay, are married between the age of
eight or ten. When the parties are of that age, their relativee ar-
range the marriage for them ; but when a girl has passed the age of
puberty she may choose a husband for herself. There are two
recognised forms of marriage, the superior, in*which the father of
the bride gives her away with a dowry, and the less respectable

• History of Human Marriage, 14.

335 DOMC.

form in which the relatives of the bridegroom pay one-third of
the expenses of the marriage.

47. Tbi*y put away a woman when she is attacked with leprosy,
becomes a lunatic or loses caste. A divorced woman, provided she
basnet \ieeu divorced on account of disease, may be taken on as a
concubine, but she cannot be married again by any of the regular
forms. The levirate and widow*marriage are recognised, and the
chiklren of a widow regularly married and of a widow rank equally;
but the children of a concubine hold a k>wer rank, as they cannot
join in the worship of deceased ancestors. A{widow taken over by a
man is known as rakkmi^ and it is said to be the custom for widows
not to live with a man unless they have no one to support them.

4S. When a woman comes to the seventh month of pregnancy

Dnm..tic refmonie. : "^ ^ forbidden to Cook for her family or to
HiiDAUyMi Doms. perform the domentio worship. When the
child is bom, a lump of coarse sugar is distributed to those present ;
the child is bathed, and red powder (roti) applied to its head and to
tliat of the mother and all the women of the house. For eleven
days the male members of the family are considered impure. In
tiie case of the birth of twins, they perform a propitiatory ceremony.

49. Tlie marriage ceremony is in the form usual among the
lowor <*ajiti'A. No Brahman officiates, and his place is taken by the
liitUT^H tuin who receives a fe«» for his ser^-ices. The binding |K>rtion
of the ceremony is the feeding of the brethren*

50. Th(*y burn their dead and dispose of the ashes into a
m'ighbuuring stream. In this case also the sister's son or the son-
in-law of the dead man officiates and is given a loin cloth and some
money. The d4«ith impurity lasts fc»r eWvcn days. At her first
mcnstruatii»n a girl is im{mre for eleven days, and only for four
days at each suliM*quent occurrence of the meawa.

&I. According to Mr. Atkinson,' '* Uuir montane ami non-Brih*
R«liirinti of %h. Him*, vummvwl origin is suffi<Mrtitly shown by the
Ujao Duma. namcs of the deiti4>s worshippetl by them—

(langauaUi, UlMiUnatli, Massn, KhabiMh.Cioril, Kshetrpal, Saim, Airi
Kailtihht nr Kaluwa, Cliaumu, Badhan. lUru, Latn, Bheliya. the
(katyuri Uajas, Kuniya, IVaWhan* KaWhan, Hhausi, Chburmal.
(ian^atiith is tlie fmvuurite deity of the IXims and his origin is thns
ac<*<»unt4tl for. Tlie son of Bhalsohand, Kija of Duii, quarrelled

DOM. 336

with his family and became a religious mendicant. In the course of
his wanderings he arrived at Adoli, a village in Patti S&lam, and
there saw and fell in love with the wife of one Krishna Joshi. This
Joshi was a servant at Almora, and the Jogi disguised himself and
took service in the house in which the woman lived. When Krishna
heard of the intrigue, he set out for Adoli, and, with the aid of one
Jhaparna Lohar, murdered his wife and her lover. like BholanSth
and his companions, the Jogi, his mistress, and the unborn child
became gobUns and vexed the people so that they built a temple and
instituted a regular service in honour of the three sprites. From
Adoli the cult of Ganganath spread over Kumaun, and at Taknriya
Lwali and Narai in his home patti we have temples in his honour.
.He is supposed especially to harass the young and beautiful, if they
do not propitiate him. When any one is aggrieved by the wicked
or poweiiul, he goes to Ganganath for aid, who invariably punishes
the evil-doer. He sometimes possesses a follower, and through him
promises all that they desire to those who offer the following arti-
cles— to Ganganath himself a kid, cakes, sweetmeats, beads, a bag
and a pair of Jogi^s ear rings ; to his mistress Bhana, a petticoat, a
sheet, and a nose ring; and to the child a coat and amulets — altoge-
ther forming a fair spoil to the Ghantuwa or astrologer who con-
ducts the ceremonies.

52. " The current legend regarding the origin of the local ddty
Bholanath and his consort Barhini forms one of the connecting
links between the Brahmanical system of the present day and the
universal hierarchy of sprites and goblins common to all moun-
tainous countries. With the better classes Bholanath is recogniEed
as a form of Mahadeva, and Barhini as a form of his Sakti,^ thus
meeting the requirements of the popular worship and the demands
of the orthodox school, but it is evident that the idea of deifying
mortals is an old one, and in this case merely localised to explain
the orispn of a class of temples which are acknowledged not to belong
to the orthodox fonns of Mahadeva, One story tells us how Uday
Chand, Raja of Almora, had two queens, each of whom bore him a
bon. When the children arrived at man's estate, the elder of the
two took to evil courses and was disinherited and left Kumaun.
The younf]^r in course of time succeeded his father as Gyfin Cfaand*
and his administration gave great satisfaction and relief to the

I On thin ace Monior Williama, Brahmanitm and Hinduism, 180, tqq.

337 BOM.

people. Oydn Chand had been some years on the throne when
his elder brother returned to Almora, and took up his quarter*
there in the guise of a religious mendicant. In spite of his dis*
guise several recognised the disinherited prince, and oonTeyed the
news of his arrival to his brother Oyin Chand. He became
alarmed and gave orders for the assassination of his brother whieh
was carried out by a man of the Bariya or gardener caste. The
elder prince and his pregnant mistress were both slain near the tern*
pie of Sitaki Devi. The mistress was the wife of a Brihman, and
her connection with the Chand prince was considered something
more than adulterous. After death the elder brother became a
biii. A small iron trident is sometimes placed in the comer of
a cottage as an emblem of BholanAth, and is usually resorted to
when any sudden or unexpected calamity attacks the inmates.

53. "The demon Mai4n is usually found at burning grounds.
He is supposed to be of black colour and hideous appearance. He
comes from the remains of a funeral pyre and chases people passing
by who sometimes die of fright, others linger for a few days and
some even go mad. When a pcrvon becomes possessed by Matin,
the people invoke the beneficent spirit of the house to come and
take possession of some member of the family, and all begin to
dance* At length some one works himself into a state of frenzy
and commences to torture an<l belabour the body of the person
possessed by Masin, until at length a cure is effected or the patient
perishes under this drastic treatment.

54. " Khabish resembles MasIn m his malignant nature and
fondness for chamel grounds. He is also met with in dark glens
and forests in various shapes. Sometimes he imitates the bellow of
a buffalo, or the cry of a goat«berd or neat-herdt and sometimes
he grunts like a wild pig. At other times he assumes the guise
of a religious mendicant and joins traveUers on their way, but his
conversation (like that of all the Indian |itfl# who speak through
their nose) is always unintelligible. Like MasAn he often frightens
people and sometimos possesses unfortunate travellers who get
benighted.'*

55. (tnril, (toriya, Gwel, Owill or Ool is another doified mortal
of wh<»m the legend is given by Mr. Atkinson* He was beatea
out of Garhwal by Sudarsan S4h. The idea thai a lis'l can be
driven out by beating is embodied in two wolNknown Hindi pro-
verbs—ifir i/ //# HA kUftm iei, '' A thrashing makes % Uii

Vol. 1L t

DOM. 3^

run;^^ and Ldton JcS hhut bdton senahin mdni/, ''Gh>blms tbat
want kicking won't mind words*" ,

56. Khetrpal is the same as Bhvimiya^ the protector of iGeld and
homestead, extensively worshipped in the western districts. Saim
or Sayam^ ^^the black one (Sans, ihydma) is another form of the
same deity. He sometimes possesses people^ and his sign is that
the hair of the scalp-lock becomes hopelessly entangled.

57. Kalbisht or Kaluwa is said to have been a neat-herd who
lived some two hundred years ago. His toemies persuaded his
brother-in-law Himmat to drive a peg into the hoof of one of
Kalibisht's buffaloes^ intending that he should be killed in attempt-
ing to extract it, but no harm ensued. Himmat next attacked him
from behind with an axe, and so woxmded him on the neck that he
died, but not before he had torn the treacherous Himmat limb from
limb. He has now become a benevolent sprite, and his name is
used by herdsmen as a charm against wild beasts, and oppressed
persons resort to his temple for justice against their oppressors.

58. Chaumu is also a deified mortal and a god of cattle; so
is Badhan. On the eleventh day after the birth of a calf his linga
is washed first with water and then milk and cakes, rice and milk are
offered at his temples. Haru is the deified Haris Chandra, Rija of
Champawat who built the sacred bathing place at Hardwar. Lata
was his brother. The Katyuri R&jas are the defied last independent
Rajas of Katyiir. R&niya is a malignant bhut who wanders from
village to village on coursers formed of huge boulders, and at night
especially exercises his noisy steeds. He attacks only females,
and should any woman attract his attentions she invariably wastes
away, haunted by her ghostly lover and joins him in the spirit land.
BcLlclian, Kalchan, Bhasni, and Chhurmal are malignant hkdU of
the same l^ind.

59. To quote again Mr. Atkinson's excellent account of this
_ ,. . ^ . , caste—" Doms do not wear the sacred tiiread

Kelifir^ons and social

oustoms of the Uimaiay or the bracelet [rdkhi) nor do they have

^ ' marks or wear, as a rule, the top-knot {%ikka)

and in a rough way they imitate the customs of the better classes,
especially those who have made money in their contracts with
Government. Their offerings to deceased ancestors (irdddha)
when made at all, are performed at the Am&was or last day of the
Kanyagat of Kuar. The sistei^s son, younger sister^s husband or
sun-in-law act as Br&hnians on the occasion and receive gifts ma

830 DOM.

such. Dome eat the flesh of all animals, use their skins, and eat food
{rem all classes except the Bliangi, Mnsalm&n, and Christian*
There is no fixed time for marriage. When an elder brother diee
the younger takes the widow to wife whether (he has children or
not ; hence the proverb Mat Mr adkari ber, taUi ekir men onekki
'* When the upjier walb fall they come on the lower wall/' When
the elder brother dies, the burden falls upon the younfi^r. The
elder brother cannot, however, take to wife the widow of a deceased
younger brother, and contracts a fctain if even her shadow crosses
his path« lie transfers her to some other of the brotherhood,
but if during the lifetime of her second husband he or she be
dissatisfied, another may take her by paying the cost of her mar-
riage. This may be repeated several timet. The prohibited degrees
are only a daughter, sii»ter, uncle, aunt^ brother, and these thej
cannot eat or smoke with.''

60. To this may be added from the notes of Pandit Juila Dat
Joshi that their greatest oath is to place the hand on the head of
their son ; others say : '^ If I swear falsely may I eat your flesh.''
They also swear by placing their hands on the grain mortar (oli/t),
flour mill (ckakki,) or on a bell. When there is a dispute about
boundaries they write a curse (Issifa) on a piece of paper and
holding it on the head of a son recite the words which run as
follows—" If the land in dispute be mine may I and my children
enj(»y it, if it be not mine may Parameswar prevent me from en*
joying it." They believe in the Evil Kye and remove it by waving
sonie mustard over the patient ami then burning it near him in a
pan. They fully believe in the demoniacal theory of disease^ and
patients are treated by an exorcisor known as Oannua. Ibey
salute one another by the term /KfAiysa ; Brahmans by the wonl
iewa and Englinh and Musalmiiis by $aidm. Many of them in
addition culti\*ate and some practise a kind of nomadic cultivation
by burning down pat<*hes of jungle.

61. There seems reason to believe that some at least of the Oypsj

Ocmii<.rikm h^mmn ilM ^"l** «*' Euri>pe are akin to the Magahiya
Duma and Uj|M«. p,,^, . ^^ ^ «>nnectii»n has bsun traced be-

tween their Unguages. Much spei*ulation has been devoted to the
term Uoinani, the dottignation df the European g}'psies. Accord*
ing t<» one theory it means K4>man or Roumanian. Aooording to
an«ither " the word Rom in all the g}'|>iiy dialects of Europe has a
twofold meaning signifying "man" and '* husband" as well as
Vou IL T I

BOIL

340

" gypsy/' A satisfactory oonnection has still to be found tor it,
that connected with lUma, the incarnate Yishnn of ibe Hindus
being discountenanced by the authority of Professor Asooli of
Milan« By a curious and unexplained coincidence the identical
word Bom or Borne occurs with the meaning '' man '' in modem
Coptic^ and according to Herodotus belonged also to the language
of the ancient Egyptians. Although this isolated fact in no
way affects the general bearing of the question, it is worth
noting as an etymological curiosity. It is not impossiUe that
amoDg the original elements of the Aryan mother speech may
have existed a root ro or rom, expressive of power, the survival of
which we can discern in the Greek rome, " strength,'' the Latin
robur, and perhaps in the illustrious name of Bome itself.'' On
the other hand Dr. Schrader^ suggests that the word roimr
in the sense of " oak " is the equivalent of arbor " a tree." At the
same time there seems some reason for believing that Bomani
in the sense of ^'a gypsy" may be connected with our Indian
terms Dom and Domra.'

DistribuHon of the Domt according to ike Cen$u$ of 1691.

DiSTBICTfl.

Benbansi.

DhAnnk.

Others.

Moham-
madans.

TOTAI..

Dehra Ddn
Sah^ranpnr
Mnzaflfarnagnr .
M eerut
Bulandshahr

18,438

254

•••
•••

210
2,488
2,299
4,257
5,663

18,648
2,541
2,553
4,257
5,663

1 Prehialoric Antiquitiet^ 272.

s Edinburgh Review^ 1878, p. 140 ; Orierson, Indian Antiquary , XT. 14^ «9. XYI.
85, iqq» Encyclopadia Brttonnio, 9th edition, article Gypnet i Leland, .leoiemy,
19th J une 1875.

In the life of Edward Henry ?almer by Walter Beeant (p. 184), Mr. Lelaad
writes — '* Several times I interviewed, in bis company in London, a natire of India
who had been a Bom, that is to say, a iryP^J* Palmer examined the man long and
closely in his native langnagre, that is to say as a shrewd lawyer would examine a man
whoso assertions he wished to discredit. The result of the interview waa thai
there is, in Palmer's opinion, one distinctive race of gypsies, who oaU themselvec
Bom, who spoak a language which is not identical witii any Indian tongue, tboogk
much like Panj&bi, bat which is identical with Bomany. The man asanred ma
subsequently that ho would never have known from his language that Falmer
was not a born Hindu."

841

DOM.

ofik§ Doms aeeTrdiuf io ^i# C#fli#aw of 1^1— otatd.

DiSTKlCTt,

Btobanii.

DbABttk.

OUmk.

Mttbaoi*

TOTAU

Aligarh •

•••

* 906

1.018

Hathum .

•••

873

881

Agrm.

•••

• • •

889

884

FMmkUbAd •

•••

117

190

llAinpiiri • ,

•••

169

BUwah

• • •

143

169

BUh

•••

BftKiDy .

•••

638

688

Bijoor • •

•••

1999

9.929

Bndian

•••

808

MoHkUUd

•••

S.4SS

8,499

SbibjahAapor

•••

••«

•••

807

907

POibkH .

•••

996

Cawnpor •

•••

199

FaUhpar .

•••

• ••

BiQdA

•••

Hftmlrpqr •

—

•••

AlUkAl4d .

•••

908

108

818

Jh4iui

•••

Jikon .

•••

•
•••

Lalitpar •

•••

Bntrat n

•••

lfi7S

1,164

MtrSApvr •

••«

•••

Bfi99

^/m

Jaanpvr

•••

8,187

196

8J99

OkAitpor .

9,888

9,174

BallU

•••

1.871

•••

W07

Gorakbpar

***

•••

7,817

7^99

BmU

••«

•••

101

188

DOM.

842

DOMAB ; dokwIb.

Distribution of the Doms according to the Cennu o/ i^i— ooncld.

DI8TBIOT8.

Benbansi.

Dh4niik.

Others.

Mnham-

TotaIm

Azam(!:arb •

•••

1,234

135

1,372

Kamann

•••

137,760

•••

137.760

GarhwM «

00*

•••

66,529

•

•••

66,529

Tar&i

•••

4,996

519

5,515

Lnoknow .

•••

751

908

1,671

Ud&o

•••

1,285

1,904

3.219

JRad Bareli .

• • •

1,411

. 4,084

5,546

SitapuT

•••

Hardoi «

• • •

•••

Gonda «

•••

129

1,790

1,946

Bahr&jch <

327

109

461

Snltlinpar .

•••

• ••

•••

102

Part&bgaTb

•••

Blirabanki •

• • •

780

2,441

272

3,403

TOTAI

4 •

211

4,400

265,949

28,363

298,923

Demar. — A caste recorded at the last Census in AUah&bad Divi-
sion. The Census returns show their sections as Lod in Fatehpur ;
in Banda, Bansphor, Basor, Benbansi^ Janw&r, Malik^ Saijid^ Siipa-
bhagat^ Thai), and Tharkari. This shows that they are really only
a sub-caste of the great Dom race.

Distribution of the Domar aeeofding to the Census of 1S9L

DI8TBICT8.

Turaiha.

Others.

Total.

Cawnpur . ....
Fatebpur ••••••

B&Dda

HamtrpnT •••••.
AUabablkd

18
349

.••
•»•

•••

141

1,745

10,371

2,308

159

2,094

10.371

2,308

197

Total

367

14,762

15,129

Donwar ; Dunwar.— A mixed Rajput-Bhulnhar sept found in
the districts of Goi^akhpur, Ghazipur, and Azamgarh. According

dokwIb; duhwIb. 818 bob.

to Sir H. M. Elliot' at one time they were Btroii(( enough to
eetablish a principality on the Kou in Western Tirhftt, and there
are several monuments still existing in that neighbourhood which
attest the power of the Donwir Rija Kama Deva. In GhAzipur '
the Rajput and Bhuinhir branches are quite distinct. They hava
a dark complexion and a cast of countenance which is not what is
usually called Aryan, In Azamgarh* both sects admit descent
from common ancestors, Sonpil being the father of the lUjput, and
Kuspal of the Bhuinhir. The Rijput branch say that they came
from Don Darauli in Siran, and are descended from May&ra Bhatta^
the mythical ancestor of the Bisen &mily of Salempur Majhanii,
who, however, disclaim all connection with them. Among Rijputa
they are of little consideration. The Bhuinhir branch say that
they came from Baindih near Delhi, but they admit their connec*
tion with the Donwirs of TirhAt and Siran, and speak of themselTes
as the descendants of Jham Bhatta, whom they connect in a vague
way with May lira Bhatta. They are sometimes known as Bainiya
from the village of Raini in Pargana Muhammadibid, an early
settlement in Azamgarh.

Dor.— -A Rijput sept, now almost all Muhammadans, who
before the coming of the BargAjart were the chief owners of the
country now included in the Aligarh and Bulandshahr Districts.
Colonel Tod* remarks "that though occup}nng a place in all the
genealogies, time has destroyed all knowledge of the past history of
a tribe to gain a victory over whom was deemed by Prithivi Raja
worthy of a tablet. " The local traditions in Aligarh and Buland*
shalir agree that they were lords of a hurge tract of country between
the Ganges and Jumna long anterior to the Muhammadan invasioD.
They were at all times probably subordinate to the Delhi Rijas ; and
in Bulandsliahr their power had been weakened, and their possessions
encroached upon by the attacks of the Mewitis, and the colonisation
of their territories by the BargAjars, Jits, and other races. In and
about Koil at least they seem to have retained some remnant o(
their former authority until the defeat of Prithivi Rija and the
oomiuest of Delhi and Ajmer.* They claim kinship with the

I SiippUm#«l«nr (lt4«Mrv, «. r.
s (HdhttB, M0mc, 1. S3.

« Anmmts ti B^msikAn^ 1. 12S.

ix)r; dorha. 844 ^ drAtiba*

Panwars and say that they came from the Upper to the Middle
DuSb in the tenth century. They have a corions legend that their
name is derived fi'om the fact that one of their kings offered his head
to the local goddess, Dor being a corruption of D(bid^ " headlefis. "
Hai-adatta was their king at the time of the invasion of MahmM of
Ghazni, and most of the mined forts in the Central DnUb are attri-
buted to him and his descendants. They were final ly, in the middle
of the twelfth century^ expelled by the Mina Meos, BargftjarSy and
Gahlots, and their power was finally broken by Shahftbmd-din Ghori.
They have now little influence. A clan of Giijars of the same name
in Khandesh claim their origin from thenu^

Dorha ; Daurha ; Danraha.' — A small caste found only in the
Kheri District, who are so called because they make baskets {dauri).
They have no sub-divisions. They call themselves B&jputs, the
descendants of Raja Vena, who was the old world Brdhmanical type
of impiety. They allege that the poorer members of the tribe were
obliged by poverty to settle down in the Kheri District and take to
their present occupation. Their rules of intermarriage and social
position are very much the same as that of the Gt)rchhas (9.9.) •
Their present occupation is the making and selling of &ns, baskets,
boxes, etc. A few of them have taken to agriculture. They marry
in the ordinary Hindu form, and employ a village Pandit to take the
auspices The essential part of the rite is the sevenfold perambu*
lation of the bride and bridegroom round the central pole of the
n'arriage shed {wando). The widow usually lives with her younger
brother-in law. The only rite at such marriages is investing her
with a new set of glass bangles (churi) and feeding the brethren. A
wife can be turned out for misconduct, and can then marry again
like a widow. They eat mutton and goat^s flesh, fowls and fish, and
drink spirits. They will not eat the flesh of the cow, monkey, pig,
or vermin like crocodiles, jackals, snakes, lizards, rats or the leavings
of other people. No one will eat, drink, or smoke with them. They
number only 68 souls in the Khen District.

Dravira. — One of the five sulw^astes of Brdhmans which go to
make up what is called the Pancha Dravira, one of the two great
Brahmanie groups. According to Dr. Wilson,' connected with their

1 Census Reportf North West ProvinceSj 1S65, I, App. 17 ; Baja Tifl^^^"*ftT! Sinlit
BulamUhahr Memo., 147, 165; Bombay Oagetteer, XII, 67.

3 Baaed on information supplied by Lt.-Col. W. P. Harriaon, Deputy Comiiiia-
Bioner, Kheri.

• Indian Caste, II, 56, sqq.

dbAtiba.

845

DUODHA«

Vedic relations, tbcy are divided into Big Vedis, Krishna Yajnr
Vedis, Shukia Yajur Vedis, Sama Vedis, Drftvida Atharva Vedis>
and Nunbis. And by sect they are either SmArtas, Vaishnavas,
Sri Vaishnavas, Bhljirvatas or Siktas. "The Dr&vira Brihmans
profess to be the most scrupulous in India in reference to caste obser-
vance and practice, and in support of their pretensions in this respeet
ihvy exhibit all kinds of absurdities and puerilities. They are great
opponents of the re-marriage of widows and other proposals of re*
form/' Thur country lies to the south of Tailang&na and Maisfir
and to the east of the Cochin and Travancore territories.

IHsiributioM of tk$ Drdvira Brdkma9$ mctordimg lo tkt Census

qf laSL

DitT RIOTS.

Namb«r.

DirraicTt.

Numbtr.

Sshiimapur . • •

•

JAlaan ....

Mtihnra

OkAsipQr • •

Bircilly

. 1
1

OathwAl

MoridibAd

UnAo ....

181

CawDpnr • •

FabAUd

FaUbpor •

BsbrAieh

B4ikU • • . .

ToTi^l

t97

Dngdha. — A tribe of inferior BrAhmans on the borders of Fateb*
pur and AllahAbad. " They date their origin from the time of Jay
Chand, who figures in so many fabulous legends of those parts. A
certain PAnr£ BrAhman by name Barrui set up his abode as a recluse
in Parsak hi, between ShAhiAdpur and the Ganges, and withdrew
himself entirdy from wordly ooncems. His credit as a holy man
was so great that Jay Chand became anxious to see him, and pro*
mised to reward any one who would bring him into his prescnoe.
After several unsuccMsful attempts by all the chief oflScers of his
Court, a woman of the RAjput tribe, and of great personal charms,
ventured on the difficult undertaking. Her wiles and blandish'^
mtmts could not be withstood, and before long, the holy hermit ooii*

DtlGDHA; DTJRGBANSI. 346 DUSIdH.

fessed himself the father of several children; and as the lady saoceed-
ed in the object of introducing him to an audience with Jaj
Chand^ a grant of several villages was bestowed upon her. On the
death of the heimit^ she is said to have married a Qazi^ but it is not
probable that such a connection took place at the early period of the
Muhammadan conquest. However, she divided Hihe inheritance, it is
asserted, amongst her children. Those by the Panrfi, who were
Dugdha Brahmans(/.^., of mixed blood) received forty -eight villages,
of the greater part of which they are ia possession to this day. The
Musalman descendants also retain some of the villages said to have
been granted at the same time. The Dugdhas are reckoned in. no
repute as Brahmans ; indeed they are properly Bhtunhirs and are
very indifferent about the rank of the families with which they
intei-mai-iy, not unf requently receiving the daughters of BajputB as
wives.'' ^

Durgbansi. — A Rajput sept found in the eastern part of the
Province and Oudh. They are said to be a branch of the Dikhit
sept. In Oudh it is said that they take their name from B&ja
Durga Vahan Dikhit of Ajudhya ; according to the Partabgarh
story, they ai'e really an offshoot from the Bilkhariya sept, and are
named from their ancestor Durga Das, the second son of Baja
EAmdeo. Their social position may be judged from their giving
daughters in marriage to the Chamar Oaur, Bandhalgoti, Tilokchandi
Bais, Sombansi, Surajbansi, Sirnet, Baghel, and the Gaharw&r of
Kantit. Their sons marry in the septs of Chandel, Pu&r, Gk^ntam^
Raghubansi, Uj jaini, and the inferior grades of Bais.*

Dnsadh,^— A menial tribe found to the east of the province.
An attempt has been made to derive the name from the Sanskrit
dusk " to be corrupted '' and ad "to eat;'' or from dauk^Mddkika,
" a porter.'' But the name is more probably of non-Aryan origin.
By the account current among themselves they are the descendants
of Duhsasana, the son of Dhritara&htra,who, when the P&ndavas lost
their wife Draupadi, in gambling with Duryodhana, dragged her
forward by the hair and otherwise misused her. By another story
they are the descendants of Bhimsen. In the hills they call them-
selves Khasiya Rajputs, and say they are so called because they lived

» Elliot, Swipvlcmentary Glossary, s. v.

> Elliot, Su^-pUmeniary Qlossary, i, v. : Elliott Chronicles of UnAo, 34 ; Pa^Uh'
garh Settlement Report, 95, Note,
* Based on enquiries at Mirzapnr.

847 dusAdh.

<m the borders of Knmann and Garhwil. Another lefi^d makes
them the descendants of the hero Sallies, who is connected with the
Lorik cycle. He was the companion of Ilarua and Bama who were
defeated by Lorik.

2. There is another famous trihal legend which is thus told by

Mr. Beglar.^ ''There was a Du^adh living
in Rsjpr, whose dauf^ter used to take the

household pigs out in the field to feed. It happened that as she
80 engaged on the day of the full moon of a certain great festival,
fihc saw a Bnihman walking on very rapidly. On questioning him
\ie rqilied that be was going to bathe in the Ganges on the full moon.
The girl replied *' You cannot possibly reach the Ganges in time ;
but if you believe me and your mind be full of faith, this is the ex-
ai*t moment of the full mgon, and here is a pool (in which her pigs
were wallowing) ; dip into it and you will realise the full fruits of
Ijathing in the Ganges at this auspicious moment.' ' The Brahman
did as she desired and when he was in the pool, she said ** Now is the
exact moment. Dive in and see what yon get.'' The Brahman
did as desired and found the bottom full of valuable gems, of which
he clutched a handful and came up. '' Dive again, " said the girU
He dived again and found only mud at the bottom. '' You see»^
said the girl, " that I told you only the truth, when I said yoa
will be too late if yuu go to the Ganges, for at the moment of yoor
first dive the moon was at its exact full and you got your rewaid/'
II. " The Brahman was astonished and seeing her as lovely as shs
was wise prciiiosad marriage* She referred him to her £atber who
nfuied, saying he could not presume to ally his daughter of low
cante to a high caste Brahman. The Brihman thereupon threatened
to kill himself, and the Dusadh fearful of incurring the guilt of
Urahmahatya, consented after or^nsulting his friends ; the marriage
was duly solemnised, and the girl then taught her husband to ask
DO dowry of her £ather except a particular cow, a particular pig, and
a particular parrot. Hie Dusadh, on bidding his daughter giM)d*bye
and (fud^peed when they weredqiarting, desired his son-in-law to
aide for any gift »he chose. The Brahman refused, but lieing pressed,
Im* bimnd the DuNulh by a promiM* to grant his re«|uest, and then
%iAiv%\ for the cow, the pig and the parrot, as he had been taught.

I ArtkmvUfitml Rtf^U, Vni.,10t

dtjsAdh. 348

The DusMh being taken aback was bound by his promise to me
them up.

4. " The parrot was an extraordinary one^ as he would daily go
to Indra^s palace and bring the news of what took place thei« to his
mistress ; the pig was the leader of all the pigs in the oountty, and
the cow was no other than the famous SurabhL One day the parrot
told his mistress that Indra had given orders that during the
approaching rainy season, it should rain nowhere in the district ex-
cept on the sterile valleys and stony slopes of B&jgir« The girl on
hearing this immediately called her pig and directed him to dig up
ihe whole of the stony valleys and hill slopes of B&jgir ; the pig
with the aid of his subject pigs did as she desired. She thai directed
her husband to go and scatter paddy in all these places^ explaining
the object to her husband. He did as desired* When it rained the
paddy seed sprouted and the whole of stony Bftjgir was fall of
paddy, while outside not a blade of paddy was to be found owing to
want of rain. It being reported to Indra that within B&jgir enough
of paddy had been grown to stave off famine, he ordered an army of
mice and rats to be sent to destroy the crops ; but the girl informed
of this order by her parrot, got her husband to procure an army of
cats as guard ; when it was reported to Indra that this plan of de*
stroying the crops had failed, he directed that when cut, each load
of the paddy sheaves should produce only one and a quarter $er of
clean paddy. The girl informed by her parrot of this order, diiected
her husband to make bundles of only two stalks of paddy each tied
end to end. The order of Indra having gone forth and become
irrevocable, each of these bundles produced one-and-a-quarter ier$ of
paddy. Indra infoimed of this and seeing himself outwitted, ordeied
a furious storm to blow and scatter all the paddy which had been
threshed out ready for storing. The girl informed of this and aware
that no wattle but would resist the storm should he store it in mxotk,
directed her husband to dig the deep moat now seen round Bijgir.
When the storm blew it naturally carried all the paddy into theee
trenches where it lay safe till the storm had blown over, and thus
was the country saved from famine through the cleverness of this
girl, in memory of whom the pool where her pigs used to wallow
was named Bawan Ganga or the fifty-two Oanges. " This story ia
interesting as it marks the custom which still prevails among the
Dusadhs of introducing men of higher caste than their own into
their tribe, and this is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to fix

840 i>U8Ai>H.

their position ethnologically, and to lay down with certainty whether
they are a degraded Aryan race or of genuine Dravidian stock.
The tribe is clearly very mudi mixed and is probably a oompoond of
many different races.

5. At the last Census the Dnsidhs entered themselves under

seven sub-castes beside others whose num-

bers were not sufficient to warrant their

inclusion in the returns. These sub-castes are Bharsiya^ Dhirhi,

Gondar, Kanaujiya, Madhesiy% Magahiya and Bigar. Of these

wo have the Dhirhi separately noticed and the Oondar perhaps

maik a Dravidian branch akin to the Gonds and Minjhis.

Another Minapur enumeration gives the sub-castes, which as usual

are supposed to amount to the mystical number seven, as Magahiya

or " residents of Magadha''; Kanaujiyafrom Kanauj ; DArhi, Dhirh

or Dhirhi which may correspond to the drummers and singers cl

that name ; Baheliya who have been separately described as a tribe

of hunters and fowlers; TirhAtiya or those of Tirabhukti or

TirhAt ; Palwir which is also the name of a sept of lUjputs, and

Oondar. A third Mimpur list supplied by a member of the tribe

gives the sub-castes as Dusidh, Khatik, Pisi, Pahri, KQchaniy%

Kujra, and Dharkir, where we have a mixture of various well known

tribes. The detailed Census lists ^how the sub-castes of k)cal impor*

tance as the Gujahua and Panwir of Mirsapur ; the Barwir and

Uelwlr of Ballia and the Bangariy% Gaoriya^ Katoraha^ Khariy%

and Kotiya of Gorakhpur. All this goes to corroborate the thecHy

of the mixed character of the tribe. These sub-castes are now

endogamous, but there is some reason to believe that this process

of fission into endogamous groups may, in some instances at Inast,

be of comparatively recent origin. Thus in Minapur they assert

that up to modem times the Magahiya and Kanaujiya Dusldhs

used to intermarry ; but now they have osased to do so faecansa

when the Kanaujiyas gave their danghters to the Magahiyas, they

would not allow them to return home with their husbands, bol

insinteJ on their sons«in-law coming to lire with their falhers^ia*

law ; in other words ie^ms marriage was the rule in these two

groups. The mult of this is said to have been that marriage

ct«f«d between them and the groupe became endogamous. Tha

Miiii4iur Dusadhs fix their original home in Magadhaor Bihir,

and left it when their ancestor Bibn, of whom more will be

said later on, who used to live in a plaoe called Kedallean b Bengal

BUSADH. 350

was shut up in the temple of Jagannath at PorL He sometimes
comes outj and only ten years ago^ he appeared to a Dns&dh lad in
Mirzapur who was ploughing in the field for his master. The
godling took pity upon him and showed him where a pot of gold
was buried^ wherewith he purchased his freedom from slavery.
Another of their revered ancestors was one Churla of whom many
stories are told. He fell in love with the daughter of a Baja and
was killed by him ; since then he has become a tribal godling.

6. The Dusadhs have a tribal council known as PanchAyat^ of

which the Chairman is known as Sard&r or

Tribal oounoil. _ ,

Majauy a corruption of Mah&jan or ''great
man.^^ Under him a summoner or wand bearer^ the ChhaHdir,
who simimons the members to the meetings of the council. All
adult members of the tribe have a seat on the council ; but minors
are not allowed to attend. The council deals with theft^ adultery,
eating and diinking with a stranger^ keeping a daughter unmarried
or not allowing her to join her husband or seducing another man's
wife. The case is decided by the votes of all the membeis present.
The usual punishment is a fine which varies from five to twenty
rupees. Besides this the culprit has to give a feast to the members of
the council. Money realised by fines is spent in providing spirits
for the entertainment of the council. Those members who are too
poor to pay a fine^ are punished with a shoe-beating which is ad-
ministered by one of the members. The council, as in all these
tribes^ act as compurgators and use the knowledge they themselves
have obtained in deciding a case. When the Chairman whose office
is hereditary is a minor^ his duties are discharged by one of his
adult relations.

7. They do not marry in the family of their maternal uncle,

of their father's sister, of thar sister, till
three generations have expired since the last
connection by marriage, and in their own family (tul) as long as
any recollection of a marriage relationship exists. They can marry
a second wife in the lifetime of the first if she be barren. The
second wife is known as adheli or only half a wife, and her position
is veiy much inferior to that of the first wife. They are not
allowed to keep a concubine of a tribe lower in the scale than their
own ; but a man can keep a woman of a higher caste, and she and
her children are admitted to full caste privileges when the man ,
who cohabits with her gives a tribal feast. Marriage is, as a role.

851 busAdh.

adult, and if a girl has long pasted the age of paberty, the it
URually treated at a widow and married by the inferior $a§di form.
Tlio parents of the bridegroom in Mirzapor pay a bride«price which
it 6xcd by established catte cottom at five rupees in cath, three
sheett, and four rupees worth of tweetmeatt. The content of the
parents is in all cases necessary to make a marriage valid. The
occurrence of any physical defect after marriage it a valid ground
for repudiating the woman ; but tuch conduct it ditcouraged, and
in all cases such proceedings must have the sanction of the council
A man can expel a wife who it detected in adultery, and tuch
women may marry again by the $afdi form; but before this it
allowed, the parents of the guilty pair have to feed the brethren*
It is remarkable among them that the offspring of the adkeli or
second wife are excluded from inheritance in the estate of their
father.

8. Widows and divorced women, if the fine have been discharg-

ed, are married by the $a^di form. Usually

Widow mMrlA^fiw

a widow it married to a widower. The
mati*h it arranged by a memljer of the tribe. A Pandit it called in
to announce a lucky date. Then the man with a few friendt goat
to the house of the widow and gives her parentt tome clothet and
swe<*tm«its. Then the friends on both sides are entertained and at
night the bride is taken into a dark room where the bridegroom
goes and gro|)es about until he catches her and smears tome red
lead on her forehead. It is the etiquette for her to avoid him for
some time. This smearing of powder it usually done in the
J^€o§har or room devoted to the worship of the tribal godling.
Next morning the bridegroom takes the bride home and when he
has fesMted the clansmen the marriage is recognised at valid.

9. The umbilical cord it cut liy a ChamArin, and if a woman of

the caste were to perform thit duty, she

Birili __-.

would be turned out of caste. She puts
it in an earthen pot, the mouth of which the closes tightly
and carries it to the bank of a lank where she buries it seorst*
ly in the gnmnd. In the confinement room a fire is lighted in
which a piece of iron is placed. At the door of the room a braaek
of a thorny shrub called $emkar is tied, and some hang a bunch of
onions. All these precautiims are taken to bar the entranee of tlia
evil spirit Jamhua, which clutches, in the form of an owl, the throat
of the child and chokes it. Jamhua appears to take its nama fioa

DU8ADH. 358

Tama, he god of death. The disease is leaDy iii£aiitile tetannit,
which is caused by the cardess catting of the ooid with a Uont
instmment and the neglect of all antiseptic piecaations. The
disease runs a course of about twelve day s^ and this aocoants among
this and the allied castes for the selection of the twdfth day (imraki)
for the performance of ceremonies to ward off the evil spirit. TImb
Chamarin attends for six days and for twelye days the mother is
daily rubbed with the condiment called ubtau. On the sixth day
is the Chhatkij when the women of the tribe are provided with oil
to rub their heads and red lead to smear on the parting of their
hair. On this occasion some treacle is distributed ^fnong them.
The mother and child are bathed while the women sing the Mokar
or birth song. The Chamarin reodves as her perquisite the dd
clothes of the mother. The ceremonies of the sixth day are repeat-
ed on the twelfth day, and the house is purified in the usual way.
On both these occasions, they worship the clan deities Parameswari
and Bandi-Bhawani in the family oratory {Deogkar) and ofEer to
them balls of ground rice mixed with sugar and water. Some add
a Ijfumt offering [h<m) with flowers and betel. In the same way
they worship Gangaji and all rivers generally in connectdon with
marris^. The women go in procession to the river side, and there
are met by the Dafali who sings songs in honour of the Ganges,
and the women offer sweets {laddu), flowers, betel leaves, and make
a burnt offering. All these things are the perquisite of the DaQdL
On their return home the women of the tribe are entertained on
cakes {purt) and rice boiled with sugar {mUia bhdi),

10. Adoption is common among Dusidhs. Usually the boy

adopted is the son of a brother or other

Adoption.

relative. All the members of the caste reei*
dent in the villages are invited, and after the adoption has been an-
nounced, they are entertained on spirits, boiled rice, and pork. They
say that the ceremonies on the sixth and twelfth day after birth
amount to an initiation into the caste equivalent to the Brihmani-
cal investiture with the sacred thread {janeu), and they have a great
contempt for any one in whose case these ceremonies have not been
duly performed. When a boy is two years old, they get a goldsmith
to pierce his ears at the Kkichari festival. The child is seated
facing tho cast, and is given some sweets during the operation.
The goldsmith receives as his remuneration one anna and a ration
of uncooked grain.

353 dusAdh.

11. Matches are arranged by one of the men of the caste, who

18 known as the apna.^ On an auspicious
day fixed by the Pandit, the father of the girl
goes to the house of the boy accompanied by throe or four friends,
and when he has inspected the boy, and approved of him, he gives
him some sweets. That day the date of the formal betrothal, which
they call ianii Jidm, is fixed. On that day a square is made in
the courtyard and the two fathers sit inside it. A Pandit is called
in and he recites a few verses {mauira). The fathers each exchange
five handsful of paddy, and the Pandit places a packet of betel in
the hand of each. Then the fathers rush together and each puts
his packet of betel leaves in the breast of the other. They each tie
up the paddy in a handkerchief, and salute each other with Ham /,
li4m / Next comes the changing of cups {pijiala bajalma),
when the fathers sit in the square each with a cup of spirits in his
hand. They exchange cups and drink the contents, and the friends
are treated to a drink Then at the house of the bov a dinner of
rice, pulse, and pork is given, and next day the Ptodit fixes an aus-
picnous day for the wedding.

12. The marriage ceremonies begin with the digging of the

sacred earth ( maiii ki^u ), which is done by
the women, each ot whom reoaves some oil
and rod lead to decorate the parting of her hair. The earth b
brought and placed in the marriage shed {mdmro), in the centre of
which a ploughshare is erected. Each woman gets tome cakes and
in return presents four annas as a contribution to the expenses of
the wedding. The marriage ritual is of the normal t}'pe. When
the b>y starts to fetch his bride, he is armed with a dagger {iaijr).
He in accompanied by a party of musicians (b^jamifa). On tbetr
arri\*al at the bride^s bouse, the boy's father sends the bride some

I Writint t4 BcDgttl Mr. 0*I>oaa«l mj% t •• In tli« «p|Mr MatM, in whiek • fiH
in pmp«rlj looked nttar nad Mclad^d froai (Uiic«n>a« MqaaisUaoM vitmB lk«
f«>mal« A|«rtai«Btfl, it in tti* to !•*▼• h^r oBmArriMl till, with AaiMie prteoeiim*-
oett«« 0h« IB BB BfJalt; Iral ia tb« lovvr onUrv, pBTtiealBrly B«oBfsl IIm UboBrisff
rU«B««Nif Bitir, wb4i*B vooimi go Bbcml opvBly nwA work is tb* SbMb, it k iapBrn*
tiT«lj Df««MBi7 to BBtieipBiB th* p«ri4)d c»f botldtQf wooiBabwKt. Tb« piBfOtie* of
iafBBt BiBrriaffo Ba«mf DBaA«ibB. MBOBbBr*. BBilCbBmArBU Bioaaiacl«'B« vitbuBttbto
•ipUnBtum. Tbo oeio* aro iB frj •tob proportiua*. Tbor« m bu Uek of BBtotiBl
for buftbaadt Bad wir«o« At tbo mubo tiBM pooplo tbai nUow tb#ir firU b fr«al
do*] of Ulwfty ia tbo wbj o| Umdum fruoi tbo portoBal roAtraiat ct tbo ■oaiaa, bmi
«bo moy looo oa«to. wbicb ovob to a I>«4b biobbb b ^mrj rroal doal. bj aaj vagarioa
ia tboir coaaBhtB) arraafoaivBto, mast apply aaotbor flalocaard affaiaot familj dto*
fTBco. It U aoeooaary to BMrrj tboir daaf bti»r« aa rbiblroa. aad aol to wall to b
poriud wbMi giBBt riak woaU bB UM^iUbU." C#Bra« l^poH, SOS.

Yokll. f

BUS Ad u. 354

cheap jewelry^ known as dal, which is placed in the marriage shod.
The friends all get drunk that night. At the actual wedding, the
bride's father worships the feet of the bridegroom^ and then an
offering is made to Gauri and Ganesa. The pair have their clothes
knotted and walk five times round the shed. After this the bride*
groom goes into the oratory {deoghar) and worships the family gods
of the bride. At the door as he comes out, the bride's sister bars the
way and will not let him pass until she receives a presenti apparent*
ly a survival of marriage by capture. After the husband brings his
wife home, the brethren are fed and Gangaji is worshipped in the
way already described.^

13. The infant or unmarried dead are buried. Adults are

cremated in the usual way. After the cre-
oeremonieB. i^ation is over the mourners chew leaves of
the bitter nim tree as a sign of sorrow, and touch water, their feet
and head with a piece of iron to keep off the BhiU. Then the man
who fired the pyre pours a little spirit on the ground in the name of
the deceased, and takes a drink himself, which is also distribated to
the other mourners. Next day the chief mourner goes to the cre-
mation ground and pours some milk on the ground in the name of
the dead man. In the evening the clansmen assemble. A pit is dug
in the ground and over it they hold a leaf of the pipal tree on which
they fii*st pour a little milk and a little water, and let it drop into
the pit. The death impurity lasts for seven days On the tenth
day^ there is a ceremonial shaving of the mourners and clansmen ;
grain is given to Brahmans, and the brethren are feasted. They
perform the usual srdddAa, and some even go from Mirzapur to
Gaya for this purpose.

14. DusMhs assert that they are orthodox Hindus. They are

very seldom initiated into the ordinary sects ;
c igion. ^^^^ .£ ^j^jg YyQ done, they prefer the Vaishnava

cultus. But as appears from their tribal worship, they have retained
a large amount of the primitive animistic beliefs. Their tribal
deities in Mirzapur are Rahu and Ketu, the abcending and descend-
ing nodes, Chlialh, Bandi, and Manukh Deva. The legonils and
worship o£ R&hu, the eclipse demon, havebjcn considered elsewhere,*

> At tho last Censufl no less than 284, r»94 persons doclared thcmstjlvca w.»r<«hip-

per 8 of 0;inj;Jiji'

' Jnttudtution to Pop-dnr UtUjion and Fvlfclore, 10,

365 dusAdh.

and Mr. Rislcy^ lias ^ven a very complete and interesting account
of the woruhip as it prevails in Bihar. In Mirzapur the worship
of Rahu ia done in this wise. A pit is Aug in the ground, one-and*
a-quarter cubits wide and seven cubits long. In this logs of wood
are evenly laid, and on them oil is poured. Then a Brahman is
calUtl in who does the tire sacrifice {iom). When the woo<l in the
trench has burnt away until only some hot cinders are left, the
worshippers walk one after the other along it followed by the
Brahman priest. In Bihar, it is a tribal priest known as the Bhakat
who presides, and the association of the Brahman in Mirzapur is a
very remarkabk fact. Another form of the worship is to fix up two
lAnilMX)8 in the ground a short distance apart. Between the poles a
couple of swords are tied and thus a sort of ladder is made. The
officiant climbs up these and stands on one of the sword blades
with his naked feet and from the top pours some milk on the gnmnd
in the name of Rahu. Then he descends and a young pig is
brought Ixrforc him wliich he kills by repeated thrusts of a sword
or 8])ear« Some s]>irits are also poured on the ground and the meat
and the rest of the offerings are consumed by the worshippers.

15. As a further illustration of this very primitive form of
SoBfft in hoMmr of worship it may be worth quoting the song
^^'^°* sung on this occasion by the Dusadhs in

the Mirzapur District :^

i. Kmi itUi ik^nU la iff khmnammU / iaa sms tkaUmwa

bojkai ho f
8. A'ai msn hi^tU fkim ikarkdmml^ f UikeU ^gimifim kmi

dkdf ho r

3. &/// WA hk^s^Ulnifi kkamwale i mum dm ekmUmm

bofk^m ko f

4, S^wm m0m 6kaf4f a pkiu ikmrkdmalt ; uikela ^gimifdn kdi

ikAr ko.

** O devotee I IIow many euhita long is the ditch which thou
hast dug? IIow much wood hast them laid therein? How many
mannds of butter hast thou pound therein thai the billows of (ire
rise in the air? O devotee I seven enhits long is the tivnc*h which
thou hast dug. Ten mannds of firewood hast thou piled

I Tri'^^iamd Catit§ L tSI^ 9f^. Fur wUkisf iKrt^Of h ir» ••• tmAUn inli^tMrf
II. 190;III.S;Vn. i:iS

Vol. II. s3

BUSADH. 356

One maund and a quarter of butter bast tbou ponred thereon that
the billows of fire arise/'

i. BerUdnhi heri tonhi barajon maliniydn baiij/dm daman*
awdn mati Ido.

2. Yahi bdten aiken mdlin Rdhu kai ihatolawa Keiu tai

macholatoa dawanawdn jani Ido,

3. Awe dehn Rdhu kai khatolawa Keiu kai macholwa ; kam

debe anchara pasdr.

4. Ghorawa ta bandhdwaJi asoka ki darij/dn ; dkapati kai

pnilhalen phulwdr,

5. Kethuen sivchdwali mdUn dawana menrawa^ ketkuen

sinekdwali mdU arabul kai ph4l,

6. Vudkawon sinckdwalon mdlin dawana menrawa Ganpa

nire arabul ke phul.

7. Dawana menrawa mdlin benrki khoeki khaika arabul kai

phill, mdlin rahhiye pratipdL

*' O wife of the gardener I I warn thee bring not thus the
marjoram leaves. The great litter of Bahu and the little litter of
Ketu will by and by pass this way. Bring not then the leaves of
marjoram: — Let the great litter of Bslhu and the little litter of
Ketn pass this way and I will spread the robe that covers my
breast. Rahu tied his horse to the Asoka tree and passed qniekly
into the garden. Said he — ^^ O wife of the gardener ! With what
didst thou water the millet and the marjoram; and with what
the Arabul ?'** She answered " With milk did I water the marjoram
and the millet ; with Granges water the Arabul.'' Said Rahu — Sell
the marjoram and the millet and Uve on what you can make
from them ; but preserve the Arabul."

16. They worship Chhath or Chhathi, the sixth, on the sixth
_ , ._ lunar day of Kufir. All the previous day

Worship of Chhath, etc. , . "^ , _ _ f . ^

they fast and before sunnse go singing to the
river side. They strip and walk into the water where thqr stand
&cing the east till the sun rises^ when they stand with folded hands
and bow in reverence to him, and make an offering of various kinds
of cakes (thokwa^ gnlgula) and any other kind of wood which they
can procure. Some offer in addition grain, rice, and sweetmeats.
These are afterwards distributed among the friends of the family.

1 ArahuX is perhaps the same as arihand, the lotas. For more of these aonga
to Bihn see Qrierson, MaithiX Chrestomaihy, S, 179.

867

BuaiDn.

SoeklmlM.

1'he other tribal deitioSy Bandi and Mannkh Deva, who if the '^ Bian
gpirit/' the Bkii of some dead worthy of the tribe, are worshipped
on the tenth day of Knir in the houfe temple {deo^iar) with a
sacrifice of fowls and a young pig and an oblation of spirits. They
also offer se\'en cups of milk and seven pairs of cakes which they
range round the earthen mound which is the common abiding place of
the tribal gods. Ihey oliserve most of the ordinary Hindu festivals
and take ad\'antage of the Phagua or Holi and the Kajari to indulge
in a good deal of drinking and gross sensuality. In hci, on these
occasions, the rules of modesty and decency are allowed to fall into
abeyance.

17. Their oaths are done by standing in water^ or on a pt/fml

tree, or by touching the head of one of their
sons. They will not eat beef; but use
freely mutton, goat^s flesh, and venison. They are now beginning to
abandon the use of fowls. Before eating they put a little food on
the ground in honour of Dharti M&ta, the Earth goddess. 'I he
women wear the ordinary Hindu dress with thick bangles (widih)
on the wrist and hea%'y anklets {paifi). They eat kmekcki and
pakki cooked by all Brahmans, Vaisyas, and Kshatriyas, and also
by the more respectable lower castes, as the Ahir. They will not eat
anything touched by a Dom, Chamir or Dharkir.

is. It is said that most of Lord Clivers army which fought at

Plassey consisted of Dusadhs. Now they do
not take miUtary service. Their drunken
laxy habits pre\'ent them from rising to the position of occupancy
tenants and most of them are ploughmen in the service of other
tenants or landlords or they serve as village watchmen {goraii,
ek^ukiddr). They practise no handicraft and some of them live bj
wood cutting or collecting jungle produce.

Ooonpatioa.

Duhibnti'^n of Dmiidki mccotding to iko Cmf ■# o'f lS9t.

l>i»rBict«.

i I

4 I

f I I

t*bAfsa|««ir

I •••

i^v*

dusAdh.

868

DtSAB.

Distribution of DusAdhs according to the Cenatts of tB9t — ooneld.

DiBTBICTS.

Bareilly
BudaoA
Mor&dftbad
CawDpar
Allfth&bad
Benares
Miriapar
Gh&eipor
Ballia
Gorakhpar
Ba«ti .
* Azam^arh
Hardoi
Kheri .
Part&bgarh

Total

291

o
O

6,616

7,692

337

13,6ii

3.966

8,4U

11.778

2,474

8,001

8.307

17,293

204

24.167 1 20,701

m
1^

I,7U

2.369

719

646 14

733

1,729

1.766

1,471

4.090

0.678

S,816

100

19.283

•4

860

4.787

7.834

UI.188

Sl.OOO

38,284

1,388

82,913

Diisar (dusra, "second''), a sub-caste of Banyas numerouB in
parts of the AUahabad and Lucknow Divisions. In the returns of
the Census of 18S1 great confusion was caused by the amalg^ama-
tion of the Dusar Banyas with the Dhusar or Bhargava^ who claim
Brahmanical origin. Even in the returns of 1891 it is not certain
tliat this error has been completely eUminated. The DCisars rank
low among Banyas, admit widow marriage, and are said to be a
bi*anch of the Ummar sub-caste descended from a second wife,
whence their name. From Cawnpur the curious rule is reported
that the parents of the bride pay a do\« ry, the maximum of which
is Rs. 211 of the pice current in RaS Bareli, which are worth about

eleven aniias. From this it is aasumed that R3S Bareli
early settlement of the DCtsars.

btilrilution of tke Dilaar Bani/ai aeeording to tio Cenaui of 1891,

DisTRtcra.

Number.

I„„„o„.

Nombat.

Benarw .

Mathnra .

Luck DOW

2.926

F»rrakb&bAd

488

DDto .

11,968

Elaoah .

138

Rie B»K]i

e^4S

Pilibl.lt .

SIlRpiir .

Cawnpar .

10,001

llnrdoi .

fi.817

Fatehpur .

6.566

Ivh^ri .

138

Hsmirpor

Fftitibid.

718

Allsh&b&d

B&rabaobi

TOTA

4S8
46,601

361 OADARITA.

Oadariya*/ Oarariya; Oaderiya; Oanreriya— iHindi ydd^r,

** a Bheop : *' Sanskrit gandkdra^ so called because orifjrinally brought
from the country of Gandhira or Kandahar) . — The caste of shepherds,
^at-herds, and blanket-weavers found all over the Province. In
many parts they arc known as Guil Gadariya, and there seems
stronf^: reason to Wlieve that thc^y are in some way connected with
the Ahir or Guala race, tlioug^h their personal appearance indicates
a much lar^r admixture of non-Aryan blood. This is strenf^thened
Ity tlu' fact noted by Mr. Risley' that in Bihir they will take
l)oth kackehi and pakki food from Gualas.

2. According to the last Census the Gadariyas of these Provinces

recorded themselves in twelve sub-castes
besides several more whose numU*rs were too
small to find a place in the final retams. These sub-castes are
Baghel ; Bamhaniya ; Chandel ; Dhingar ; Haranwal ; Kachhwaha ;
Nikhar ; PhAI-singhiya ; lUthanr ; Rmutela ; Sigar ; Saraswir.
Nearly half of these are the names of well-known lUjput septs, and
this may possibly go to show that the formation of these endoga-
mouR groups, under at least their present names, may be of com-
parati%'ely modem date. It is asserted from Bareilly that they
a4lmit outsiders into the caste: this is doubtful and apparently not
tlie case in the Eastern Districts. In Benares Mr. Sherring' fH^w
an entirely different set of sul>-castes— Dhingar ; Nikhar ; Jaunpnri,
or "those fn>m Jaunpur ; '' I llahaljAdi, "those from AllahibAd;''
Bakarkai«u, or " goat liutc*hers ; " Namdawala, or " makers of felt,''
and Cliikwa who are usually classed with the Qassab. He asserts
tliat the timt four sub-castes keep sheep an<1 goats, not so the remain-
imr three. Th(*y also manufacture Mankets. The BakarkasAu and
Namdawala sub*castes do so likewise. The Chikwas are Muham-
madans. lie also names two other iiub-castes — the Bharariya, who
derive their name from bker^ a sheep. " Nevertheless they are not
employed in tending sheep, bat in other kinds of labour. Tlie
Baikatas are the lowest in rank among the (fadariyas. They Kve
by U»gging scraps of hair from the other sub-eastes thai keep

> lUiMil OB notM bv thr D<»p«ty lMpM^«r %4 8rli< oU, IWr«illy M Niyai AliaMa,
ll«ad M*«Ur. Iltf h HcHo.il. Kaivlipnr. and % iK'tr fro« Jb^iwi rvcvivf^l llirr«f b Mr.
\V. O. Jark»'fi. C.S.

G ADA RITA, 362

flocks^ and selling the proceeds/^ Sir H. M. Elliot names also the
Taselha or PachhMe, " those of the west/' Chak, Bareiya, Paihwir,
and Bliaiyatar. From Agra it is reported that the women of the
Dhingar sub-caste wear bangles of glass, bore their noses, and do
not eat meat ; while those of the Nikhar do not wear glass ban^es,
do not bore their noses^ and eat meat. Of the 1,113 sections of
Hindu and 8 of the Muhammadan branch included in the detailed
Census Returns, those of the chief local importance are the Chandan,
Mokha, and Sahla of Saharanpur : the Alur, Chhotisen, Sahla^ and
Uchahri of MuzafiEainagar : the Bhatti, Ganga, Panw&r, and B&S of
Bulandshahr : the Hans, Madariya, and Sengar of Aligarh : the
Vaiieli of Mainpuri : the Baikwar of Etiiwah : the Sengar of
Bareilly : the Sahla of Bijnor : the BautelS and Sahla of Moridi-
bad : the Magar and Panwar of Cawnpur : the Panw&r of Fateh-
pur : the Rohingar of Hamirpur : the Darsiya of Ghjzipar : the
Sailiya of the Tarai : the Thengar of BA& Bareli : the Barharw&r,
Dokhar, and Panwar of Hardoi, and the Nikhad of Soltanpur.

3. The .Western Gadariyas call themselves Marhattas and de-

scribe themselves as emigrants from Gw&lior.
ra lonso ngi . g^^^^ ^f u^gm still visit Gwilior to woiship

the goddess Kali Devi, and they employ a colony of Gw&lior Bh&ta
who have come irom. Gwalior and settled at Anupshahr in the
Bulandshahr District. The Gradariyas fix Uieir emigration from
Gwalior in the time of the Dor or Tomar Rija Buddh Sen.

4. The Gadaiiyas usually mairy their girls at^ the age of fromr

seven to twelve. To the west it is a rule
Mamage ea. among them after marriage to lodge the
bride first on her arrival with her husband in a separate room, and
then she is not admitted into the house imtil she pays a sum of
money to the men or persons connected with her husband by
marriage with women of his family. In the course of this function
a mimic struggle goes on between the two parties. Next morning
after she is thus received into her husband's family, the women of
the house fill an iron pan with water and place in it two silver
rings and some blades of grass. The married couple then struggle
to see which of them will secure the rings. The bridegroom's
female relations do their best to help him. Whichever of the pair
secures the rings will have the masteiy during married life. When
the mock struggle is over, the winner pours the contents of the
vessel over the loser. There are no marriage brokers ; matches are

36S QADA&nrA.

arranfi^ed by a member of the cmsie. He reoeivet a rupee and a
turban from the father of the bridegroom ; bat if he commit anj
fraud in arran^nf? the matchi the cooneil have one side of his
mouDtaohe shaved in the presenoe of the brethren, and alto impoae a
fine. A man may discard his wife for infidelity, but snch women
are not allowed to remarry in the caste. Widow-marriage and the
levirate are })ermitted, and the children by any form of recognia«d
marriage are eqnal heirs. Illegitimate children ar» not allowed to
intermarry or even smoke with thoee of pure Uood. A man who
marries a widow has generally to pay something to her relations^
and in any case he has to pay any debts she may have contracted
during widowhood.

5. The woman during delivery site on a stool facing the Oanges,

She is attended by a sweeper or Koli mid-
wife for at least throe days. When the
birth of a male child is announced, one of the mother's female rel»>
tions hurries out of the house, and draws all round the walls a line
of oowdung as a magic circle to keep off evil spirits. She aleo
makes a rude cowdung figure at each side of the door, and fixes up
seven pieties of broomstick near it. When a girl is bom» only a
piece of a broken earthen pot is put up over the door. On ths
seoond day tlie mother is given a condiment which is supposed to
conitist t)f thirty-two drugs boiled together. On the tenth day the
mother and child are taken to the nearest well with singing, and
she wor»lii|Mi the well by marking the platform with turmeric, and
placing u|>on it the cowdung figures which had been fixed up near
tlie htmhc door. They all return, and soaked gram and sweets ar«
dibtrilmtM.

6. Tlie marriage ceremonies are of the normal type. There are

some observances which may be survivals of
marriage by capture. Thus, while ths mar*
riagi* in gi>ing on, the women of the bride's family carry on a mock
fight with the relations of the bridegroom, and are allowed to strike
tlicm with the kiieailing roller (Mam). If a giri has a particular
curl (if the hair which is supposed to resemble a female snake
(W«/#t»). Hhe is first married to a cameKthorn bush (Jimr h^i). If
a bsA-hclor in tlie Huno way marry a widow, and she bear him a
daughter, in order t«> overcome the evil infltience which is su|tpassd
to ari^e from the tikarejm form of marriagf", lie geU himself married
t^ a tree liefore he gives away the thmghter in marriage te another.

GABARIYA. 364

7. Gadariyas cremate their adult dead^ exoept those who have

died of snake-bite or small-pox. If sach
corpses are cremated, they believe that at the
burning a steam arises from them which strikes the moumerB bUnd.
On the way to the burning ground a ball {pinda) is offered in the
name of the deceased. .The son of the deceased fires the i^re, and
each of the mourners throws in five cakes of cowdung fuel. Some
ashes are sifted and placed the following day on the spot where the
death occurred^ and next morning from the marks on the ashes they
speculate as to the form which the soul will assume in the next
birth. They perform the usual srdddia.

8. Gradariyas are orthodox Hindus, the Musalmin branch of

the caste being very inconsiderable. l%eir
chief deity is K&li. They also worship a
local deity known as Chamar. This is more especially done in the
Naudurga of Chait and Kudr and when cholera or other epidemic
disease is about. The offerings consist of cakes (puri), coarse sugar,
and sometimes a goat. The last is taken by the Cham&r priest
and the former by the local Brahman priest or Kherapati. Another
spirit named Jakhaiya or Jokhaiya is largely worshipped by Oadft-
riyas in the Western Districts. He is said to be the ghost of a
Muhammadan Ghosi. His priest is a sweeper, and his offering a
young pig. The chief shrine of Jokhaiya, who, according to the last
Census, was worshipped by 87,061 persons, is at Pendhat, in the
Mainpuri District. He is there said to have been a Bhangi, who
was killed during the war between Prithivi Rftja of Delhi and
Jaychand of Eanauj. His offering is a pig, which is presented by
women who long for children and pray for easy delivery. The fair
is said also to bring timely winter rain. To the west of the Pro-
vince they are sei^ved by Sanadh Brahmans ; to the east by low
class Brahmans of various tribes,

9. In Bihar, according to Mr. Risley, the Gudariya ranks higher

than the Ahir ; but this does not eeem to be

Social statue. ., * ^i -n • m. i_

the case m these Frovmces. They are, how-
ever, careful about food and drink, and maintain a fairly high standard
of personal purity. Their original occupation is keeping and selling
sheep and goats and making blankets; but besides this they cultivate
and practice various forms of trading. The women have a reputa-
tion for untidy habits, as the common proverb runs, — Mi to Oarerim,
dusre la h tan khde—^^ a shepherdess and eating garlic in the bargain.

365

OADARITA.

' impviD iinn(ii If

o
^

-I

•M«no

JV«e«i«8

•itUlf 8 I

•^•^ntPH

•jnvinva

••»^5|!K

9»

«0

1 1

^ 1^ lO « «> ^

pH ,-4 «-4 «-4 09

fr« 9» Q ^ O

S 3 2 t S
rii4 00 8 S X

o of fo ^ 9S ^ Mf ^ -r

: S S : 8 2 : ? S

9 S

J 3 ff •* a 8

S S CO

s i

: I B § S ^ S

a 2 -^

•%Sf*

■ • • ■
• • • •

■ • • •

: : S 5 :

•9 •

-ffttmuvH

§ 3 S s

•§•58

. p^ •to

: I

'jvfofqa

in^'Ho

•pM^

3 = I » ••

% ; S S a S : S 2

: : i : : : 5? a s s 8

««

{

iJiili

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 '

■ ■ : : I S I : : ■

■«imno

g 1 1 i S 3 i 1 i s

1?«M1BS

• : 5 . i ■ ■ • I =

•jv2re

• :!•.■;;;■

■»[8in»a

•.:■:■:;■■:;■'.

■*n«Hfa

::•:■:■■••

= 1 S :::::. :

■■"•IIIN

617

299
13.743
12.274

2,21S
14.070
16.790

2.79i

■■1?*

:••••• E •■ i

•nr«trawH

= i • I ■ : • : i =

■JwSnnia

25,069

16,083

310

16,726

2,668

16,586
7,948
15,811
10,824

lapimo

60
2,641

•[BilSsa

..........

S 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

869

OADABITA.

O CO

•4

^ 1

Vol. !l

O&DARITA.

•»

'■

■ilfltRO

».

jT^muBS

■jrfss

■»l9in»a

;::::■;■•:

■jD.qna

•

■bKhs

■■"111H

' '

■"O"

.q,o,H

■

■niiaiijBH

S-

■«ama

■lepomiO

•»ftti

-miima

•mua

■ : : : i • : : : !

■•tf

■3

869

OADABITA.

•4

•a -3

1 1

Vol. II.

GADDI.

870

Gaddi. — The caete of Muhammadan cow-herds. They have been
separately enumerated at the last Census^ but they are often regard-
ed as a sub-caste of Ghosis. They are probably closely allied to the
Ahirs ; in fact many of them are almost certainly Ahirs who have
embraced IslSm. In the Panjab^ there are two quite distinct
classes of people known by this name — the Musalmftn Graddis of
Karnal and its neighbourhood^ who are identical with the Gaddis of
these Provinces^ and a hill tribe inhabiting the mountain range
between Eangra and Chamba. Some of them^ again^ are believed to
be of Ehatri origin^ and these General Cunningham is inclined to
identify with the Gandaridae or Gangaridae. In parts of these
Provinces^ according to Sir H. M. Elliot,' it is not unusual to call
any converted Hindu a Gaddi^ which is looked on by a true Musal-
m&n as a term of reproach. They, with other low caste tribes, were
old occupiers of Oudh, and they were powerful enough to make
invasion costly to the advancing B&jputs^. According to one
authority the women in Oudh are notorious for immorality, and the
men for the filthiness of their persons and stupidity.*

2. The complete returns of the last Census show 255 sections
of the tribe. These are of the usual type : some territorial, such
as Aharwar, Audhiya, Bahraichi, Balapura, Gorakhpuri, Kanaujiya,
Mathuriya, Purbiya, Saksena, Sarwariya, and Shahpuri. Others
are derived from the names of well-known castes or septs, as Ahir,
Bachhar, Bais, Bhadauriya, Bhangi, Bhatti, Bisen, Chamarbans,
Chandela, Chauhan, Chhatri, Domar, Ghosi, GAjar, Hurakiya,
Jat, Kamboh, Kori, Mewati, Pathan, Rathaur, Sayyid, Shaikh,
Tank, Teli, Tomar, and Turkiya.

Dutributiov of the Gaddi according to tie Ceneue of 1891.

DiBTBICTB.

•

Namber.

DiSTBICTB.

Number.

Sah&raDpur . .

360

Aligarh • • •

1.298

MazAffarnagar

Mathnra

Me^rut • •

3»421

Agra • • • •

Balandchahr •

1,201

£tah • • • •

886

> Ibbetaon, PanjAb Ethnography^ section 498: Drew, Jammu, lOS.

' Supplementary Glossari/, a.v,

* Elliott, Vhronicki of Undo, 25 : WilliamB, Oudh Centui Report, 88.

OADDI.

oaharwAb.

Dutrihuii^n o/iU Gaddi aceordimg U ik§ Cmums iff /69i— Mield.

DltTBtCTI.

Kumbar.

Ditrmicn.

Nanbtr.

B«reillj

1364 !

AiMDgsrh

479

Badion •

USl :

lirii .

863

Moiidibid .

S87

Imekiiow

ZMl

8b4bjah4npar

1.079

UdAo •

1»198

Pilibhtt

446

£44BmU •

888

C^wnpur •

Stupor

4464

PaUhpor •

Uu-doi

10696

BindA

Kberi .

7^47

Allmb4b4d .

, .i 48

QoimIa

Benar*«

Ikbriieb

f.008

Q hill pur

178

Soltinpur .

Qoimkbpur •

BIrmbaiiU .

1^10

P Al

1 • AmA

IMBll • • • •

1 TotAt .; 61^0

Tiibd tndHioiu

Oaharwar. — An important tept of Rijputs. Their name it
spelt QmhadawUa in the l^rmnts, and an eminent authority, Dr.
Iloemie, connects it with the Sanskrit root paA, in the tenae of
** dwellers in caves or deep junffle."*

2. The tribal tradition, as told bjr the family bards of the head of

the tept, the Rija of Kantit, in the Mim^r
District, is as follows:— 'From Chandrama
the moon came Buddh, and from Buddh came Puniravas. Some
^*nerations later was bom Yayiti, who, when he reached an old age,
longed to recover hb youthful vigour. With this view he called
his sons, born of his two wives, Devayini and Sarmishtha, and asked
them to make over their youth to him. They all refused esoepi
the youngest, the son of Sarmishtha. So Yayiti cursed them all,
and prayed that they might never enjoy riiyal power One of

I Indium Aniiqumry, XV,
at Um OAbTarm or Qirif aliTAr*.

Vol. 11.

Is Um pMiriAik Wits wt tad s psopis kmomm
tho AM dtschbod fts dvsOsfS laottvsB. Wlltoa,

t4f

oahabwAb. 872

thopi^ Yadu^ was the ancestor of the Yaduvansis^ none of wliom have
ever gained sovereignty, Yay&ti reigned many years^ and finally
abdicated the throne and crowned his yonngest son in his room and
became an ascetic. After many generations in his line Deva Disa
reigned at Kashi or Benares. He was famons for his good works,
and hence incurred the envy of ttie malignant deity Sani or Saturn.
He endeavoured to divert Deva D&sa from his life of pieiy^ but he
failed^ and the good king gained the title of graha-rdra or '' over-
comer of the planet, ^' of which Gaharwftr is a corruption. He wor-
shipped Mahadeva so fervently that the deify abandoned K&sbi
and retired to the summit of Kailftsa. But he became tired of his
life of seclusion^ and incited the other gods to mislead Deva Disa.
All failed, but the DhundhS B&ja Ganesa, who overcame the piety
of Deva D^, who was obliged to retire to SLanauj, which was then
called Rashtradesa, and becoming lord of that land, his descendants
were known as Rtlthaur. His descendant was the femons BAja
Jaya Chandra, whose dominions are recorded in the Hindi verse : —
Kara, Kdlpi^ Kamaru, Kashmir lawa desa :
Kind, KdsAi, Kanaftj dhani Sri Jaya Chandra naresa.
" Jaya Chandra, lord of men and powerful sovereign, was ruler
of Kara, Kalpi, Kamaru, Kashmir, Kanauj, and Benares.'^ After
his defeat by Shahabuddin Ghori, Jaya Chandra's nephew is said to
have fled to Rohtasgarh ; another to Krishnagarh, in Marw&r; a
third to Jodhpur, and a fourth to Ju&Iamukhi. The son of the
King of Rohtasgarh was granted by Shir Shih the Pargana of Kera
Mangraur, now in the Mirzapur District, and became a Musalm&n.
The younger fled to Kantit, in the same district, and, with the aid
of a Sukla Brahman of Dhaurahra, near Bijaypur, overcame the
Bhar Raja of that place and founded the family of the Gaharw&r
Rajas of Kantit-Bi jaypur. All the other Gaharwirs trace their
lineage to Benares or Bijaypur. Those in Hardoi say that the
countiy was held by Thathei*as, whom they defeated and expelled.^
3. Sir H. M. Elliot thinks it doubtful whether they preceded
the Rathaurs at Kanauj, or, after being incorporated with them,
were dispersed with them at the final conquest of Kanauj by
Muhammad Ghori. Even now the Cawnpur branch derive their
name from Gharbdhar, because they were turned out of house and
home after the fall of Kanauj.'

1 Hardoi Settlement Report, 89: Oldham, Ohanpur M§mo,^ II, 47, « 9. : Fawrukk^
hdd Settlement Report, 13 : Bachanan, Ea$UmJndia, U, 460: OldliMi, Im ca« L M.
s Cawnpur SettUmeni Report, 22.

878

oaharwAr.

4. The Oaharwin hold a high rank among Rijpat septa.
They give danghtera to the Baghel, Chandel, and Bisen, and take
brides of the Bais, Rijkam&r, Mannas, Oantam, Palwir, Chan-
hin, Parih&r, Sombansi, Simet, and Dikshit.

In FarnikbifaAd thejr give, brides to the Chanhin, Rithanr,
Bhadaurijra, and Kaohhwiha, and take girls from the Nikumbh,
Chandel, Raikwtr, Solankhi, Oaor, Chamar-Oaor, Parihir, and
Ujjaini. They claim to belong to the Bharadwija foira. In Unio
they receive brides from the Dhikrl, Janw&r, and Parihir ; and
pve their girls to the Gaur, Bais, Chandel, and SombansL

Dittribniion pf the Oaiarwdf Bdfput$ aeeordimg to He Cemms of

1891.

DiaTBlOTS.

Nub«r.

DiaratcTi.

Nonbcr.

Ilatbara

Minapiir

80.849

Acra •

•

' jAimimr

1.901

Fam>kkib4d

• •

4,668

ISatnpari

• •

478

oAiiia •

698

Btiwah

• •

889

Qorakhpar •

898

EUh .

» •

1.900

BstU .

869

BodAan

• •

106

Amofsro

860

MorAdibia .

1 •

Loeloiow

\fiU

SbibJAliAopvr

•

869

Ua4o .

1,176

PtUbkH

1 •

164

BIABmli .

609

Cawvpor •

> •

1168

■

I 8tUpar

860

FaUkpar

> •

118

HaiM

8,119

Bifida .

1 •

488

KImH .

176

Huslrpar

•

817

FaisAUa

AAOiAUd

» •

4,018

Qoada

190

JUbsI .

•

BskriMli •

J41«aa •

) •

819 '

8vlt4iip«r .

Ifft

Lalit|Mir

» •

1» J

FWHAbgarli •

411

Bmmtm

•

846

BiiaBMiki .

181

J TOT4]

68L477

6AHL0T. 374

Gahlot. — A sept of Rijputs also known as Sisodiya and Aliar-
iya. One derivation of the name Gahlot is from Sanskrit guia^
'^a cave.'' It is said that when the ancestors of the Rina of
Mewar were expelled from Gujarat^ one of the qneens named Posh-
pavati found refuge among the Br^mans of the Maliya mountains :
she was shortly after delivered of a son, whom she called from the
cave (guha) in which he was bom^ by the name of GhJilot. Others
derive the name from gahla, '^ a slave girl/' in allusion to their eap-
posed descent. One derivation of the name Sisodiya is SivM sad'
hi^tty "a devotee of the god Siva;" another is from «{m^ "lead'^
as one of the tribe once drank melted lead with impunity. A third
is from iasa or 9UBna ^' a hare/' which is supposed to have| been
the tribal totem. But it seems safer to regard the name as a
local appellation^ derived from the town of Sisodha^ the first home
of the sept^ as Ahariya is taken from the town of Anandpur AhAr,
near Udaypur. The name Gahlot was changed to Ahariya when the
sept migrated to Nagindra. The throne of Chithor was recovered
in 1201 A.D. by Bharat^ who was succeeded by Bakflp. Two great
changes were introduced by this prince — the first in the title of the
sept to Sisodiya ; the other in that of its priDce from RsLwal to B&na.

2. According to Colonel Tod^ they migrated from Kosala under
Kanak Sen, and became rulers of Ballabhi and Ghtjni, from which
the last piinee Siladitya was expelled by Parthian invaders in the
6th century. ^^A posthumous son of his, Grahaditya, obtained
a petty sovereignty at Edar. A change was marked by his name
becoming the patronymic, and Grahilaut or Gahlot designated the
Suryavansa of Rama. With reverses and migrations from the
wilds of Edar to Ahar, near the modern Udaypur, the Gahlot was
changed to Ahariya, by which name the race cod tinned to be
designated till the 12th century, when the elder brother, BakAp,
abandoned his claim to the throne of Chithor, obtained by force of
arms from the Mori, and settled at Dungarpur, which they yet hold,
as well as the title Ahariya ; while the younger, Mah&p, estaUiahed
the seat of power at Sisodha, whence Sisodiya set aside both Ah&riya
and Gahlot/^ There seems to have been always a prejudice
against the tribe, and in ancient times they had a reputation for
cowardice. Their name has been identified with the Gallitaluta
of Ptolemy's lists."

I Annali, I, 90.

3 Boamofl, Indian Antiquary, I, 276 : MoCrindle, ihid, Yl^^^moU.

376 OAHIiOT.

8. One brmtieh of so-OftUed Ofthlots, who are now kbown m

Chirir, were in the eerrioe of the Rljm of
North-WMtem ProTin* MaiDpari, hat their olaime to pore Omhlot
c«. aDd Oudh. y^^ ^ ^^ admitted. In FerrnkhlhAd^

the eept cimims to hare oome from Chitbor. OoTind Rio, the
founder of the colony, is eaid to hmve oome with PriUuTi IUj% the
Delhi prinoe, in hii expedition againet Jajr Ohand d Kananj, and
to haTe rcoeiTed one hundred and eighty Tillages in this and the
neighbourhood of Cawnpnr as a reward for the Takmr he displayed.
From him they have preserved a pedigree down to the modem
representative of the sept ; but this shows but thirteen or fourteen
generations from Oovind Rio, while it would require over forty
years a generation to make him a contemporary of Prithivi Kija,
It is most probable that some names have dropped out of the list.
In Unio* the sept were emigrants in the time of Aurangsdb and
dispersed the original Kori inhabitants. In llathura' they are
classed as pure, because they do not practise widow-marriage. The
families there call themselves Sfth, Chaudhari, and lUo. In
Bulandshahr^ they are supposed to have given their name to the
town of OulAothi. In Cawnpur* they sre said to have turned out
the Oaurs from Pargana Bilhaur, where their territory acquired
unenviable notoriety which gave rise to the name Tisih or " thrf«
harvests "-* k hat if, rabi, and plunder, lliey have a very remark*
able legend that Partip Chand Gahlot, the conqueror of Chitbor, waa
married to a daughter or grand-daughter of the famous Nausher*
win, and hence the tradition that the RInas of Udaypur are of
Persian desoent.

4. In Sultlnpnr they are reported to take brides from the
Bilkhariya, TWhaiya, Chandauriya, Kath Bais, Bhill Sultin,
Raghubansi, Oargbansi, Rljkumir, Bachgoti, and Bandhalgoti ; to
receive brides frum Tilokehandi Bais, Mainpuri Chauhlns, 8&raj«
banais of Mahul, Oantams of Nagar, and Bisens of Mighauli. la
Bulaad»hahr they receive brides fn»m the Chauhin, BargAjar,
Pondir, Panwir, SoUnkhi, Tomar, Hlutti, and Rlthaur, and give
brides to the Dhlkr^, Clmuhln, BIchlml, Kachhwiha, Baigftjar, aod

* KUiotl, Vhramulm. 53.

GAHLOT.

876

Tomar. They call their goira Stbrajbansi Sanoha of Chitfaor and
Udaypur. In Unfto they usually many their daaghters to the
Kachhwaha, Rithanr^ Chandel^ and Panwftr ; and select wives from
the Chanh^^ Dikhit^ PanhAr, Chandel, and Sengar aepts. lo
Ballia they take brides from the Doowftr^ Sengar, Karcbbnliya^
Baodphar^ Eaghubansi^ KSkan, Bhriguhansi, Barhauliya^ Ujjaini,
Sombansi, and KiDwir. They give brides to the Ba^ubansi,
Kikumbh^ Elausiky Siirajbansi, Gbvutam, Drigbansi, Maonas, Siriiet,
R&jkum&r^ Jftdon, and Baghel septs. In Agra they daim to belong
to the Kasyapa gotra.

Dislribufion of the Oahloi Rdjpuii according io tie Cemiui of 1891.

< =
DIBTBIOT8.

Hindna.

HffnhaminailaiH 1

TOTAI»

8ah4ranpnr

1 • •

178

181

Musaffamagar

401

166

666

Mderat •

10J89

10089

Bnland^hahr

8,140

L900

4840

Aligarh • ,

2,827

2327

Mathara •

2.177 •

178

8,850

Agra •

8,066

8/)88

Farrokhib&d

1,699

1.7091

Mainpuri •

669

BtAwah

l,4i56

1,470

Etah

2.070

8,108

Bareilly

BndAuD

899

468

Mor&d4b&d .

234

847

8b4hjah4npar

846

861

Pjlibhlt .

CawDpar

2,536

8,649

Fatebpnr •

B4nda

OAULOT.

877

GAHOI.

Dutribmtion t^ih§ Oahloi Sdjpmi* meeordinfi to tk$ Cnums ^ laPi^eoneld,

DitTBICTt.

Hindot.

MttbftmmadmM.

Total.

Hamtrpur «

» <

IftO

160

AIUhibAd .

Jhinst

JiUnn

1 «

853

867

ficoarw

•

108

••••••

108

Jftanpvr •

•

160

116

866

Qhiiipvr .

840

448

Ballia

» <

766

Qoimkhpiir «

167

Biiti .

> 4

▲saingmrii ,

» <

467

464

LnekDOW <

» 4

118

••••••

118

UnAo

1 4

091

081

lUABftrtU ,

» 4

668

Stupor

• <

flardoi

•

KlMri

•

174

•••—

174

Bahriich .

SultAapar

PartAbgATli

BlfBUaki .

TotAl

86J46

1^8

88.818

Oahot.— A sttb-CMto of Banyai, feaiid ehitfly in Bandelkluuid
mod MoridAhid.

2. The Omboij of Mim^mr, who do not ^>pear in tbo Oomm
UsU, mj that they are emignuite from BnndelUMuid in the eooi*
nmotmtDi of Uiii century, wbeiioe they were diifen by the preeeme

GAHOI.

378

o£ the Findiri raids. One Biya P&nrS Br&hman protected their
families in their misfoHunes^ and divided them into twelve goirai
and seventy -two ah. He is said to have been a Bchoolmaster and
their tribal priest ; after marriages his services to them are com-
memorated by the bridegroom pouring some butter and laying
flowers and conseci-ated rice before a rude image of him painted on
the house wall. The twelve gotrat as given by them in Mirzapor
are — Basil, Gol or Groil, Gangal^ Bandal^ Jaital^ Kaunthii^
Eachhil, Bachhal, Kassab or Kasyapa^ Bharal^ and Patiya. The
last or Patiyas act as a sort of Bh&ts or genealogists to the others^
and are feasted and rewarded at marriages and other entertainments.
They eat and drink on equal terms with their constituents. None
of them can give any trustworthy list of their aU.

d. Their rule of exogamy is that they do not marry within their
own gotra or the al of the maternal unclci Other's mi^iernal unde
and mother's maternal uncle. Widow-marriage is prohibited.

4. The Grahois are Vaishnavas ; none have adopted the tenets of
the Saraogi or Jaina faith. Their tribal deity is Srikrishna^ whom
they worship under the name of Bihiri LSI. They rank high
among Banyas, and are said to be considered as respectable as
Agarwalas and Farwals. They abstain from meat and spirits.
Theii* priests are Bhargava Brahmans from Bundelkhand. They
will eat pakki cooked by their clients. The Gahois will eat iaeieii
cooked by their clansmen and priests.

5. They are traders in country produce, commission agents,
money-changers, and bankers.

Distribution of Gahoi Banyai according to tie Cemui

of 1891.

Districts.

Number.

DiBTBICTS.

Number.

Mathura • •

Bijnor

895

Ajjra

248

Mor&d&b&d .

3,510

Farrukb&bad

100

i Sbjkbjah&opar *

Etftwah

266

Pilibblt

Etah

Cawnpur . ,

Bareilly • •

1
Fstehpar . .

GAHOI.

379 GAKDHARB ; OANDHARV.

Duirihmtion 9f Oakoi Bsnfms t^eemriing to ik§ Cemsms $f 1991^'t<mt\d.

DllTBICTII.

Nmnbor.

DltTBICTS.

NamlMr.

Biodft

M40

LalUpor

1,470

Hamtrpvr •

1,614

Tun ... ,

83ft

AnmhAl>id .

Lncknow

•

JHinai •

8.239

RtUpvr

U8f

Jilaas

8^61)0

^ TOTA&

1,198

S9461

Omadharb ; Oaadharv.^ — A emste of tingeni and prottitnteB.
Of the ori^nal OmndluuTM ProfeMor DowBon' writes: — "The
heavenly Omndharvaof the Veda was a deity who knew aod rereaiad
the secrets of heaven and divine truths in general. He is thought
by Ooldstiicker to have been a personitication of the fire of the sun.
The Oandharvas generally had their dwelling in the sky or atmoa*
phere, and one of their offices was to prepare the heavenly sosis juice
for the gods. They had a great partiality for women, and had a
mystic powi«r over thi^m. The Atharva Veda speaks of 6,883 Oan-
dharvas. The Oandharvas of bier times are similar in character;
they have charge of the #mm» are skilled in madicine, regulate the
asterisms, and are fond of women. Those ol Indra's heaven are
generally intended by the term, and they are singers and muaiciaiia
who attend the banquets of the gods.''

2. The Oandharbs of these provinoosare found in small numbers

only in Benares, AUahlhAd and Ohisipur.

They address themsdves by the title of lU^
They name teven exogamous fa/r#j^-Arakh, 8ital» Hams!, Shihi*
mal, Htwan, Pachbhaiya, and Udhomana^ The deUiled Census
Returns give the pidrms as Anmkh, Arakh, Bacha, Bah^hana, Baj-
bhin, Banal, Baturha, BiMJcwa, Chhatn, Oandwir, Kanaujiya,
Kashmiri, Khodari, Manho^ Namahrin, Namin^ Rabisi^ Bamsan,
Riwat, Sahmal, SaUyili, Shihi, and SomaL A man must many
outside his own f sirs, that of hia fiUher, mother, and their anceslofiy
to the fifth degree. lie, moteover, cannot many in the g^ifm of bis

MAirUfv mUs.

gandharb; gakdharv. 380

sister's and brother's father-in-law. He cannot many two sisterg
at the same time ; but if he marry the elder of two sisters and she
die, he can marry her younger sister.

3. Beautiful girls or those who show from their childhood a

The rules of proafcitn- taste for music are selected for prostitation
^*°°* and not allowed to marry in the caste. A

meeting of the brotherhood is held before the girl comes to maturity,
and it is settled that she is to be allowed to have intercourse with no
one but a Hindu of high caste. If she does not abide by this
rule, she is at once expelled from the caste. When the matter is
thus settled, some sweets are distributed, and she is formally declared
to be a prostitute. The first man who engages her services is re-
garded as her quasi-huahvkiiA,. On such an occasion all the ordinary
ceremonies of a Hindu marriage are performed at the house of the
girl, except the walking round the fire (pkera). Other girls not
selected for prostitution are married in the tribe in the ordinary
way. But if a man take to any low or degrading occupation^ not
sanctioned by tribal usage, he is not allowed to marry.

4. The Gandharbs of Benares ascribe their origin to Delhi.

They tell the following legend to account for

Tribal traditioxiB. . , ,

their emigration. The fort of Chandrftvati
was built by R4ni Chandr&vati.\\ This is possibly the place of that
name in the JhallsLwar State in RajputsLna. She was a Chhatri by
caste and married the Muni Uddalaka. Their descendants reigned
there for many generations, until they were driven out by the Raghu-
bansi Rajputs, and were obUged to retreat to the banks of the river
Tons. Khemr^j was the first Raghubansi king of Chandrivati^ and
he was succeeded by his son, Doman Deo. /'He had a groom named
Shim, who one day went out to cut grass in the jungle and fell
asleep. While he slept a cobra raised its hood over his head and a
wagtail [khanjarit) kept flying over him. Doman Deo happened
to observe these signs which pointed to his groom becoming a king^
so he sent for him and asked what he would do for him if he
ascended the throne. Shim for a long time could not understand
his meaning. At last he promised to make Doman Deo his prime
minister. So he went to Delhi, the throne of which happened to
be vacant at the time, and, as was the custom, an elephant was given
a garland which it was to lay on the neck of the fittest.^ Three

> For an •xunple of thii ouatom, sea Tawney, Kaiha Mrii Sdgora, 11. 108.

881 qavdharb; gakdhart,

times, to the sstbDishment of ereryonei the elephant laid the garland
on the neok of ShtrUi and he became Emperor of Delhi under the
name of Shir Shah, and according to hie promiw, he made Doman
Deo hi« prime minister. It need hardly be said that there is no
historical foundation for the story.

5. Doman Deo continued to hold the office of Waxir for some
time, and at last had a quarrel with his master, because he bought a
horse which his master was anxious to secure. So he was banibhed
and had to return to Chandrivati, and with him came a Oandharb^
named Nandu, with his wife Arjuni, the former of the Ramsi and
the latter of Arakh goira^ and from them were descended the
present Gandharbs.

6. They do not admit outsiders into their caste. In most cases

marriage is in&nt ; but there have been oc*
casional instances of the marriage of adults.
Sexual license before marriage of these girls selected for a respectable
life is strictly prohibited. The prostituted girls aie never allowed to
marry. Polyandry is totally forbidden, and polygamy is allowed
only when the first wife is barren or suffering from some loathsome
or contagious disease. A man can marry as many wives as he can
afford to keep ; but they never have more than two or three. Their
marriage ritual is of the usual high class type. Widow-marriagt
is strictly forbidden ; but it appears that the keeping of widows as
concubines is not unknown ; such are known as Surmiiim ; they have no
rights, and their children are illegitimate and not admitted to caste
privileges. If a man suspect hi« wife of adultery, be brings the
matter before the tribal council {PmmcMdj^ai) which, if the case be
proved, permits a divorce, though in some cases a stipend is assigned
to the woman. A divorced woman cannot be remarriedi but she
often lives with some one as a concubine.

7. They follow the Hindu law of inheritanoe. Among the

married people {grUstiA) the daughter has no
rights of succession ; among the dancing
classes, on the contrary, the shares of adanghter and a son are equal,
and if a dancing girl lives with her friends and dies among them, the
uncle, mother, sun, daughter, and brother would share equally. On
this qiM»tion the Hindu law, as laid down by Mr. Mayne,^ is clear.
** It im hardy nei^essary to say that as under the ordinary Hindu

I UtHdm Uw, 171.

GANDH/ifiB; QANDHARV. 382

law an adoption by a widow must always be to ber bosband, and
for his benefit^ an adoption made by her to herself alone would
not give the adopted child any right, even after her death, to pr(^
perty inherited by her from her husband, nor indeed to ber own
property, however acquired, such an adoption being nowhere
recognised as creating any new status, except in Mithila, tinder the
Kritima system. But among dancing girls it is castomary in
Madras and Western India to adopt girls to follow their adoptive
mother^s profession, and the girls so adopted succeed to their
mother's property. No particuli»r oeremoniee are necessary,
recognition alone being sufficient. In Calcutta, however, such adop-
tions have been held illegal, and it seems probable that the
recognised immorality of the class of dancing girls might lead the
courts generally to follow this view."

8. Gandharbs are Hindus of the Vaishnava sect. The women

who are married specially worship Maha^
deva, while Granesa is the special patron of
the dancing girls, since he is regarded by them as the author
of music. They offer wreaths of flowers, and a sweetmeat made of
sesamum and sugar called til'ia''laddu, to him on Wednesdays.
Mah&deva is worshipped on no particular day with the leaves of the
bei {aegle marmelos). They also worship a deity known as Thiknr
Deota, who is probably some form of Vishnu. In the city of
Benares these offerings are taken by a class of Br&hmans called
Panda ; in villages by Bhanreriyas or Husaini Br&hmans. The
Ghindharb women keep a fast exclusive to them in the month of
Bhadon, known as the Tij bharat, in honour of the goddess P&rvatL
Their special tribal deity is B4ba KinnariLm, who was a famous
ascetic. His shrine {asikdn) is at R&mgarh, in the Cfaandauli
Tahsil of the Benai*es District, and it is largely frequented fay
barren women who come to pray for children, and by dancing
girls in hope of success in their profession.^ They always employ
Brihmans for ceremonial aiid seldom for religious purposes. Such
Brfihmans are treated on an equality by other Brihmans: for
their funeral ceremonies they employ Mahibr&hmans. The dead
are cremated in the orthodox way and the ashes consigned to the
Ganges. They practice the usual Mrdddha and feeding of Brih*
mans after a death in the &mily.

1 Fur KinnArAni, see under Aghori,

OAKDHARB ; 6AKDHARY. 888 OAVDHX.

9. The Omndharbs believe dmncing and rinpng to be their

tribal oocnpation. A tew have settled doiwn
in the Benaree Diitriot ae agriealtoriita.
Some live with their dancin^^ girls and aooompany them to ent«r-
tainmente, where they play on the sdt, which oonnste of the
tambourine (tatla) and fiddle {idrmm^. Half of the danoing Ceee
are received by theee men and distributed in the following way :^->
Two tambour'ne men get two annas each; the drummer three
annas ; one tuner of the instruments one anna. Some, again^
act as trainers of dancing girls in music and dancing. Those in
the villages are often tenants ; but it is a peouliaiity among them
that they will never sublet their land to a person of their own
caste. In Benares tlie sowing of poppy is one of their favourite
occupations.

10. They will eat the flesh of goats and sheep and scaly fish and

drink spirits. A good many who consider
themselves specially pious abstain from the
use of meat and spirits. They will not eat kackeki from the hands
of any but Brfthmans and clansmen ; and they will smoke with no
other caste but their own. The lowest caste that they can take pakki
from or drink with is the Ahir. Another peculiarity of them is that
they will not eat ptikki with any Hindu landlord of their village.

DiiirihuiUn of ik$ Qmndkarbt ^^eordinf io ik$ Cemms of 1891.

DltTBICTS.

AIUh4b4a

BfCIATM

Gk4&ipor •••••••••

Total

finmhm.

SI
63

064

(Hndhi (Sanskrit, fomdkikm^gondkm ** perfume **), the manu«
fa€*turer of incenses and perfumes.-^'* The tendency to suppbmt
Hinduiftini by Pemian words has given rise to the use of many
other tenna— ^'Itrfarosh, Khushbusli, 'Itrdli, and 'Attir used in a
perverted sense."^ They are both Shaikh and Sayyid Musalmins,
who marry only among themselves. Some of the more advanced

GANDHI. 384

follow the Musalmftn rules of exogamy, bat among those who
live much with Hindus there is a tendency to revert to the
recognised Hindu formula, and they will not marry the daughter of
the uncles or aunts on both sides. The final Cengus Betoms
include a number of sections which, however, do not appear to
influence marriage. These are among the Hindu branch, which is
not separately marked ofE in the returns, Din&r : and among the
Muhammadans Deswali, Ghmdhik&r, Jagbasa, Kapariya, Kanju,
Shaikh, Sadiqi, Sikhri, and Unta. They believe themselves to be
descended from two ancient worthies. Shaikh Sana and Shaikh
Zainuddin, to whom at various seasons of the year they make
ofEerings of food and sweetmeats. In the Eastern Districts they
look on Jaunpur as their head-quarters. Widow-marriage is
forbidden. Marriage is performed in the forms known as sJ^ddi
or cAarhauwa, and the dola, but by the Musalm&n ritual women
of other castes are admitted by reading passages of the Qurftn over
them and making them eat the leavings of a GfandhL Wives are
divorced for adultery, but the custom of wives divorcing their
husbands is unknown.

2. They principally venerate Im&m Husain, 'AH andiGhizi

Miy&n. To these aie offered sweetmeats,
cakes {malida), and a special kind of pre-
pared rice called iinehdtoali. On the 'Id, Shab-i-bar&t, and Baqar 'Id
they make ofEerings of food to the spirits of their dead ancestors.

3. The process of manufacture is distillation as practised at
Occupation and aocial ^^V^^^ distilleries, but the still {bhahka,

status. hhapka) used in distilling perfumes is of

peculiar construction. '^ I can best describe it as a gigantic goblet
{sufdhi) made of copper. In this is placed what is called the
gdmtn or rndtoa of all perfumes, r»«.. Sandal 'Itr, which is made
at Kanauj. The flowers from which the perfume is to be
extracted ai*e thrown into water in the cauldron on the fire, and
then peifume comes ofE in steam and passes through the worm
into the copper bhapka and combines with the Sandal 'Itr. When
the bhapka is removed the perfumed oil is separated from the
water in the bhapka by skimming the surface with the hands.^'^
They follow the Musalm&n rules regarding food, but will not eat
food cooked by Muhamraadan Mehtars.

> Hoe J, Monograph on Trad* and Mant^faetur€s, 107.

OANDHI.

)5 gakbhIla. s

Diiiributiom if H$ Qamdkh aceordim^ to lit (kmiut rf 1891.

DirrBicn.

Nnmbar.

DitTBIOT*.

Number.

Sabirmnpor • •

Jaonpur •

MoM£Fanugar

124

Gbizipur • • •

Meerut

800

EtXHm ....

FumikhibAd

Qonkbpar .

Kt&wah

Attmgarb •

Euh .

Tftrii ....

Bijnor • •

Locknow • •

MoHUiibAd .

UnAo . . . .

BhihJMbinpiir

BabHUob .

•

CAtropur •

B4nbanki .

FaUbpar

Total

778

1. Qandhila (SanBkrit iandka, ''smell, "in the tense of
" fc*ti(I, " ** mal-odorous^'). — A ^i^rant tribe which was at the bat
C(^n!(u8 found in smAll numbers in the Meerut and Mnxaffamagar
Dihtri«*t8. Their home appears to be in the PanjAb. Thejr are
•aid by Sir H. M. Klliot* to be a few degrees more respectable
than tlie Hawariyas; but in this araertion he was certainly mis*
taken. According to Mr. Ibbetson,' " they wander about bars*
hcailetl and Ijare-fuoted, beg, work in grass and straw, catch quails,
clean and iiliar|)en knives and swords, cut wood, and generally do
odd jobs. They are said to eat tortoises and ^-ermin. They also
keep donkeys (whence their other name OadmkU), and eren
engage in trade in a small way. It is said that in some parts
they leail about performing bears, but this I doubt. They hare
curious traditions which are reported to me from distant parts of
the Province, reganling a kingdom which the tribe once possessed,
and which they seem inclined to place beyond the Indus, Tlifly

VOL.JI.

* fttiV*^ 8U«#f r«f4y. 8mIw« AS*.

gandhIla, 886

Bay they are under a vow not to wear shoes or tarbans till their
possessions are restored to them/' Of the same people Major
Temple 1 writes : — "They are usually described in the courts as
" homeless sweepers/' They are Mnsalm&ns of a very low order
of intelligence, and in appearance more like beasts than men«
They come principally from the Montgomery District, and are
inveterate thieves, especially of dogs, which they eat. They will
also eat animals which have died a natural death, and putrid flesL"

2. In these Provinces' they are all Hindus. Some of them
pretend to have gotras within which a man cannot marry, but of
these they can give no list, and it would seem that they have no
law of exogamy except a vague injunction that they should not
marry near relations. In the detailed Census Returns four goiroM
ai*e recorded —Abri, Chauhan, Grandena, and Gohal. They wander
about with little huts made of reed (Mirki^, and seldom stay more
than a few days in the same place. They call themselves indi-
genous to the Upper Ganges-Jumna Duab. They freely admit
outsiders into their community, and the only ceremony of initiation
is that the new comer has to drink with the members of the tribe.
Marriage takes place both in infancy and when they become adulta.
As a rule they prostitute their girls, and infidelity is little regarded.
They allow the marriage of widows and divorced women by the
kardo form. They do not employ Brahmftns in any of their
domestic ceremonies, and the duty at marriages is performed by the
brother-in-law or son-in-law of the bridegroom known as dkiydmm,

3. They call themselves Hindus ; but they worship none of the
ordinary Hindu gods, except Parameswar, who is worshipped by
the women and children in times of sickness or trouble. All their
other ceremonies are performed by the Dhiy&na above described*
They do not perform the trdddha ; but they lay out a little food
for the ghosts of the dead and then eat it themselves. They eat
any kind of carrion and vermin of all kinds which they oatdh.
They Uve by begging and prostituting their women, and have wilj
the most elementary industries, such as plaiting straw into basketSy
sieves, and the like ; but of this they do little. No other caste
will eat with them ; but it is said that some of them eat food from
the hands of Kanjars, SSnsiyas, and similar vag^iants.

1 Indian Antiquary, Xl, 42«
' Not« by the Deputy Inspector of SohooU, Bailor.

oakdhIla. 887 ganqIputea.

Dutnhmtion of ike G^ndkilaM according to the Ceniui of 1891.

DltTklCTS.

8AbAraopur
MozaffaniAgAr

Total

NninbOT.

194

1. Gaogaputra, '' Bon of the Ganges/' — A cIms of Brihmaiis
who preside over the Lathing, trdddka^ and other oeremonies which
are performed on the banks of the Ganges at Benares and elsewhere
along its oourse. They say themselves that when Bhagiratha
brought the Ganges from heaven, he worshipped certain Brihmanst
and gave them the right in future to rocci\'e all otterings made to
the*, saercd river. They are also known as Ghatiya, because they
occupy ghits or bathing-places along the Ganges bank. The right
to seats at such places is very valuable, and disputes about them
often come liefore the Courts. The Gangiputras belong to no
special tribe of Brihman. They may be Oaur, Sarwariya, or
Kanaujiya, and though thctr profession is very lucrative, they have
an evil n*putation for roguery and rapacity, and not finding it easy
ti) inti*nnarry with respectable Brahmans, there is a tendency among
tla*m t'wards endopuny.

2. II is prinri|ial business is to act as the cicerone of pilgrims
who c«>me to bathe. He keeps a book in which he records tha
name and address of pilgrims whci have acce])ted his ministrations, and
about the time of lAthiiig festivals, he and his oitiissaries beset tha
roods leading to the holy placet and endeavour to attract visitors,
whom he entertains for a consideration, and jiersonally conducts
^lu^d the \-arious shrines and sacred bathing places. At his ghit
\w kiti»s a cow wliich the pilgrim touches as he goes to Imthe, and he
pntvides the wonihip|)(*r with a little kuta grass and the materials
for the ptnda, which he uioially offers up to his deceased ivlations.
In his occufiation the Gaiifrsi^itns clonely resembk^s the Gayawll
who acts as an emissary for tlie owners of the shrines at Gaya, and
wanders aUnit the country inducing villagers to undertake the
pilgrimage, and |ienionally conducting his constituents. A similar
functionary is the Prayigwal, who oflkiates at the bathing fasti-

YoL.n. tat

OANGAPt^TRA. 888

tbIs at Fray%ji or AllaMbsLd and the Mathnriya ChsabS of
Mathurs^.

3. Another class of these mendicant Br&hman9 is known ss
Sarvanriya Grangllputra. There is some doubt whether they are
really Brahmans at all, and some connect them with other mendicant
singers like the Khapariyas. They claim^ however, to be Br&hmans
and wear the Brahmanical cord. They carry about a pair of sticks
called kadalkdthy which they rattle together very much in the
same way as the '^ bones '^ used by negro minsfa:el8w Some have an
iron rattle called cAarua, with bells {g hung km) which ring as
they walk along. Most of them wear an iron bangle on the right
wrist, which is used to keep off the evil spirits who surround them,
attracted by their singing. They derive their name from th^ cus-
tom of going about and singing songs in commemoration of the
tragic legend of Sravana, who is sometimes known as Sravana
Rishi. He is by one account said to be the sister's son of R4ja
Dasaratha, of the solar race and King of Ajudhya. His father and
mother were blind, and prayed to the gods for a son, which was
granted ; but it was decreed at the same time that their son's wife
should be faithless. So when he came of age Sravana refused to
marry; but his parents insisted on his taking a wife. When he
brought her home she turned out to be an evil woman, faithless to
her husband and harsh in conduct to his parents. She had a dish
made with two compartments, one of which she filled with good
food for her husband, and the other with foul scraps for his &ther
and mother. One day the food was changed by accident, and Sravana
discovered her deception. So, as the old people were near their
end, their dutiful son resolved to take them in a basket {kanwari)
slung across his shoulder to the Ganges. On the way he came to the
village of Sarwan, in the Unao District, where the legend is now
localised, and laid his burden by the banks of a tank while he went
into the jungle to rest. It so chanced that R&ja Dasaratha was
hunting in the forest, and hearing something move in the brushwood,
he discharged an arrow, which killed Sravana. His parents, in their
despair, cursed the Raja, and to their curse is said to be due the
trouble which afterwards fell on the royal house. " From that day
to this no Kshatriya lias lived in the town which is founded on the
spot and is called Sarwan. Many Rajputs have tried it, but evil has
overtaken them in one way or another. The tank remains to this
day^ and by it lies under a troe the bxly of Sravana, a figure of

OANOiPUTRA.

889

GANGARL

«tone ; and as he died with his thirst anquenchedy so, if water ifl
poured into the navel of the stone fi^ire, the hole can ne\'er be filled
up, but is inexhaustible in its demand/'*

Srax'anriya Gan^ir^utras used formerly to ji^ about liegging and
ainfciiig; from abont 2 o'clock in the morning;. They acquired an
evil reputation for snatching nose-rings and other jewelry from pious
W(Hnen who got up to minister to their wants : they now usually
defer their visits to a later hour. It is considered meritorious among
Hindus to listen to the songs of the dutiful Sravana early in the
morning, and on suoh occasions, the singers are given alms, which
usually consist of uncooked grain, but seldom of money. Former-
ly they were, it is said, in the habi tof sitting dkama at the
doors of people who refused to give thisn alms. They find it
dangerous to carry on such practices at present. It is needless to
say tiiat they bear a most indifferent reputation.

Diitribmttom of OanjfApmirat according to the Cen9H$ of 1^91.

DirrmiCTt. ' Nani>>«r.

DltTBICT*.

Kiimb«r*

F»mikkAt4a

131

Laliiimr • •

Mainpiiri

Pensres

KtiWAb

Gorakhpar • •

189

BarriQj

LoekBOw

l^dion

112

Uii4o . . • .

lot

Mor4!4U.l .

411

R4I Barvli .

70«

PilibbH

HtiApur

i^wopvr •

1?»

llsfdoi. .• •

1 4$

FaUbpar

i ^^

Faii4b4a

UAintrpiir •

Bahr&ich

AlkbibU

n4nUMki .

1 10

1 1

Total

tsu

Oailg&ri — A dans of hill Brihmans, who are inferior to the
Sarolas, and are so called because they lire on the hanks of the Gan-
ges. " Those who have settled in Chindpur and Lohoa call them*

I BlUott. Ck^^niiim cc( ru#. Mi.

oakgAri. 890

selves Sarolas however, and it would appear that the latter are the
section of the Brahmans living along the Changes, who obtained
employment at the courts of the petty R&jas. The offspring of
any Sarola who sinks by intermarriage with a lower family
becomes simply a Gangari. The offspring of a Saiola and a con-
cubine also becomes a Gangari. Thus^ if a Gairola, a sub-caste of
the Sarola^ marries, his offspring by a lawful wi£e will be called
Sarola Gtingslri, whilst his offspring by a concubine are called C^an-
g4ri Gairola. Indeed the inhabitants of the sub-divisions away
from the river call all the people living along the Alaknanda^
whether Brahmans, Biljputs, Banyas, or Doms, by the generic name
Ghbngari or Gangdl, and there is no marked line of difference
between the Sarola and Gang&ri. The principal sub-divicdons of
the latter are the Ghildyal, the D^ai, and the Malftsi, who came from
the Tardi. The GhildyUs serve the temple of K&nsmardini Devi ;
the Unyals at the temples of Mahikhmardini, E&lika, Rijra-
jeswari, Gharari, and Damanda Uny&l ; the Aswals at Jw&Ipa and
several Bhairava temples. Two explanations are given of the
superior position generally assigned to the Sarolas : one that they
were selected as the parent clan to prepare food for the Rijas of
Grarhwal, and hence their name ; another is that when a standing
army became necessary, they were appointed to cook for the troops
in the field by Raja Abhaya Pal, who further enjoined that all should
eat from one vessel the food prepared by his Brfthman cooks — a
CTistom generally observed to the present day. All the Brihmans
in GarhwsLl are commonly styled G^ngsLris, but the better classes
call themselves Sarolas, amongst whom the following sub-divisions
are found — Koty&l, Simwal, Gairala, usually cooks; Elanyflris
attached to the civil administration of the Rajas ; Nauty&ls, teachers ;
Maithanis, servants ; Thapaly^ls, Rat&ris, Dobh&ls, Chamolis, Hat-
wAls, Dyondis, Malaguris, Karyalls, Naunis, Somaltis, cooks ;
Bijilwars, Dhuranas, ManAris, Bhattalw&lis, Mahinya ke Joshis,
and Dimris. Most of these names are derived from the village
of origin (t/idt) of [the sub-division. The Dimris are the cooks of
Badari Nath, and the food prepared by them may be eaten by all
classes. Some are temple priests and claim to belong to the Dravira
division, the Kasyapa polra and Madhindiniya sdiha^ and to follow the
Yajur veda. Many Dimris claim a southern origin for themselves
and others state that the Dimris are the offspring of the celibate
R&wals of the temple and the BriLhman female attendants who

oakoIbi 891 oIea.

settled in the villaf^ of Dimar^ and hence the name. They are now
the servants of Badari Nath in particular, and some have taken to
agriculture, while others wander all over India, asking for alms
and selling images of the deity stamped on metal, or exposing them
for the worship of the faithful. The Raturis derive their name
from KatAm, a village of Chandpur, and claim to have come there
from MahAr^htra in the time of tlie Pala Rajas to ^'isit Badari
Nath, and to have remained in the scr\ice of the Chandpur Rija.
They belong to the Bhiradvaja §otrit. They now ocaipy them*
selves with agriculture and service and as priests. They and the
Dimris inti^miarry with other Sarolas. The Gangiiris, like the
Khasiyas, serve in the temples of the village deities and as priests
of Bhairava ; but the Sarolas, though not very orthodox in their
ritual, only worship the orthodox deities. TheGarhwil Brahmans
have a reputation for gaining their ends by servile flatteiy, and the
Khasiya section are reckoned so stupid and stubborn as to be
only managed by fear; hence the proverb — GarktrJi iamdndJim
nakin^ hina idiki dita nakU. ** The Uarhwal Brahman will
give only when you stand over him with a cudgel.'*'

Qara (gdma^ "to bury '*). — A tribe of industrious cultivators
practically confined to the Saharanpur and Mtizaffamagar Districts.
Of them Sir II. M. Elliot writes :<^'' They aie Musalmins,
and arc fr«|ttently considered to be, like the Jhojhas, converted
slaves. They themselves assert that they were formerly Sombanai
Rajputs ; that they came from Nagara Bambe^^ to the west of
Delhi, and that Akljar located them in desert tracts, which have
iK)w been cleared by their industry. There sceou reason to believe
that they arc the pn>geny of Rajput ckns, becaose among them*
selves they have the snb-dirisions of Barg&jar, Chauhan, etc., but
there are also perhaps among them descendants of several inferior
castes. All those on being converted to Muhammadanism, wevs
called (pcrha|)s contemptuously) (lara, from the new practice thsry
had adopted of burying, instead of burning, their dead. They now
apply the term to themselves, but endeavoor Ui disguise its origin
by pfiiending to high birth. The Uaras generally intermarry in
their own cUn ; but there is a set of rillages in Saharanpur, called
Sayyid Gara, from the fact of the daughters of G Iras marrying into

892

dARO«

Sayjid families/' He complete Census Betorns name 61 sections*
Some of them are locals snch as Chanrasijra, Mnlt&ni ; others are
those of well-known castes and septs^ snchas Bargiijar, Bhil, Bhattiy
Chandela^ Chauhan, Julaha^ Pundir^ R&jpat^ B&thaor ; others are
purely Muhammadan, as Ansari^ Aziz, Bahlim^ Ghori, Mughal,
Mughal-Bharsawa^ Muhammadi^ Shaikh^ Shaikh Haidar^ and Yir
Muhammad.

2. The Graras are good cultivators^ but very quarrelsome and
litigious. This is recorded in the native proverb that a Gara is as
great a nuisance in a village as thorns in a GdA-^Gdnw men Gdra ;
Khet menjhdra.

DiftribuUon of the Odras according to the Cemui of 1891.

DI8TBICT8.

Kamber.

Districts.

Number.

Dehra Dtn •
Sali&ranpnT .
MuzafEamagar

203

45,768

5,053

Mathura • ■ • •
Agra • • • •
PaiUbgarh •

Total

1
2

Meerat

61,08S

Garg; Gargbansi. — A sept of Rajputs, They represent
themselves to be the descendants of the Rishi Garga who was the
fcither of Sini, from whom, according to the Vishnu Pur&na, the
Gargyas and Sainyas, " Brahmans of Kshatriya race, " were sprung.
The statement of the Bhagavata is that G4rgya from a Kshatriya
became a Biahman. With him we reach an age when the modem
distinctions of caste were unknown. In the Grargbans are some-
times included the Chanamiya {g. v.). In FaizsLbdd^ the sept assert
that their ancestor the Rishi was summoned from Kanauj by Rija
Dasaratha to assist him in poi*forming the horse sacrifice ; others
say that Yikramaditya sent for him from Kaikaides on his restora-
tion to Ajudhya. In the Eastem Districts of the North- West
Provinces' they are both Bhuinhai's and Chhatris^ and in the latter
caste they do not rank high.' Those of the Grarg Bhutnh&rs^ whose
blood has not been tainted by admixture with inferior raoes^ take a £air
rank among Bhuinh^rs. There can be no doubt that both are of

» Seiilement Beport, 213.

> Atamgarh SeiiUment Report, 29, 57: Sir H. M. Elliot.

> Supplenuntary Qlouaryt «• v. v. Qarg Chanamiya*

OABG.

893

OADB ; QAJTDJL.

the flame stock. One division of the ChhAtri branch is called Soiv
haniya, from Surhan in Pargana Mahnl of Axam^rh. In Faiza-
bad thoy arc reputed to be thieves. The Chhatri 8q)t are generally
regarded as Bais of inferior stock.

2. In Sult&npur they are reported to marry girls of Bilkhariya,
Tashaiya, Chandauriya, Kath Bais, and BhalS Sultan, Panwir,
Chandel, Palwar ; and to give brides to the Tilokchandi Bais, Main*
puri Chaubans, Siiiajbansi of Mahul, Bisens of l^Iajhauli, Rijku*
mar, and Bachgoti. In Faizib&d they marry Palwar, Raghabanii
and Chandcl brides, and give girls to the Bachgoti, Sombansi, and
Bais septs.

DiMtribution of the Oargbami Rajputt aeewdinf io tk0 C0it8u» pf

lh95.

DiiTBicrt. 1 Niimb«r.

DiSTBicn.

Nrnnbtr.

Sahirmopnr

> ■

Gormkbpar .

•

183

Afr» •

BmIi .

•

Euh .

Atamgmrb

) <

8,40S

HorAdAbAd .

Locknow

) 1

3:1

Cawnpar

^ lUA Bftrtli

> 1

FAtebpnr

8ttAptir

■

AlUh4l>4a

1 F«tt4o4d

3.193

Lalitpur

' Oonda

133

Bt-narM

M '

' BabrAieh

t <

Jaanpor

113

, Sultiripar

3.316

Gh&iipmr

Part4b|pirli

•

Bdlu .

BArabaaki ,

ToTAI

11.176

Oaur; Oanda.^ — One of the five divisions of the Northern
Brihmans which make np what is known as the Pancha Oandai
as distinguished from the Pancha Diavira or Soathem Bribmana,
There has been mach controversy as to the origin of the name. The

I I^ATftly band tm
€f 8ckooU. BiJ

wo%mhy Puidtt
DkjiB

RAnNrkftHb CiMbi, IkeDsra^

895 GAUB.

The Adi Gfaudas or "original'^ (Jaudas^ who follow the
white Yajur Yeda, and are by sect Smarttas^ Saktas^ or
Vallabhacha ly as .
>) The Suklwala^ who are a branch of the Adi Gaudas
and come from Jaypur. Of these there are two
sections — Ojha and Joshi.
^ i) The Sanadhya, who have been separately enumerated at
the last Census and form the subject of a special article.

(5) The Sri Graudas or " honourable '' Graudas, of which one
division is called Tamboli, and deals in betel leaf, and
another Adi Sri Gb*uda, found at Delhi, Mathura^ and
Brindaban.

(6) The Otijar or Giirjjara Graudas.

(7) The Tekbara Gaudas.

(8) The Chamar Graudas, who serve the C!ham&rs as priests.

(9) The Hariy&na Ghbudas, who take their name from the

country of Hariydna, in the Hiss&r and Rohtak Dis-
tricts of the PanjSb.

(10) The Kirt&niya Ghiudas, who wander about these Pro-
vinces and Rajput&na as singers^ reciters, and players
upon instruments,

(11) The Sukal Gaudas, who live by mendicity, accepting
alms from Brihmans, but not from Kshatriyas, Banyas,
or people of other castes.

S. According to Sir H. M. Elliot the chief Ghiur tribes in these
Provinces are the Adi Ghiur, Jugad Granr, Kaithal Graur, GAjar
Ghiur, Dharam Ghbur, and Siddh Graur. A list obtained from a
member of the tribe at Mirzapur makes them out to be divided into
Gujar Gaur, Dadhicha or Daima, Sikhwftl, P&rikh, Ehandel-
w&l or Adi Graur, and Siraswata. Of these the Dadhicha are
classed by Dr. Wilson^ among the Ghijjara Brfthmans; the Piri*
khas or Purohita Parikhas are the family priests of the B4jas of
Jajrpur, in whose territory they are especially abundant. " They
claim to be descended from Vasishtha. When his hundred sons
with their wives were destroyed through the jealousy of his rival
Visvamitra, a son named Sava fell from the womb of one of
these wives, who had Parasara as his son, the father of Vyisa. "
The Sarasvatas, again, are generally classed as distinct from the
Ghtur^ and have been so recorded at the last Census.

1 Indian Caste, II, 117, 190.

GAT7R. 894 QAJJBA.

tribal traditions all point to the ruined city of Gaur or TjaVhnanti,
in Malda^ which was once the capital of Bengal, whence the story
rons that they emigrated to the neighbourhood of Delhi in the
time of the Pandavas. By another account they emigrated to
Bengal on the invitation of Raja Agarsen^ the eponymous found-
er of Agarwala Banyas. The objections to this account of
their origin are two-fold. In the first place their supposed emigra-
tion fi'om east to west reverses the usual course of the Br&hmanical
movements^ and^ secondly, it is difficult to understand how they
could have passed through the intervening Br&hmanical tribes^ such
as the Sarwariya and Kanaujiya. This is not avoided by Mr.
Colebrooke's supposition that Oauda was the name of a division of
the country in the neighbourhood of the modem Patna. And still
less probable is Sir G. Campbell's theory, that the name is derived
from their residence on the banks of the Ghaghar, a tributary of
the Saraswati, the lost river of the Western India desert. Perhaps
the most plausible explanation is that of General Cunningham, who
writes :^ — " These apparent discrepancies are satis&otorily explained
when we learn that Gauda is only a sub-division of Uttara Kosila,
and that the ruins of Sravasti have actually been found in the
district of Gauda, which is the Gonda of the Maps. I presume
therefore that both the Gb*uda Brahmans and the Gauda Tagas
must have belonged to this district originally, and not to the
mediaeval city of Grauda in Bengal. Brahmans of this name are stiU
numerous in Ajudhya and Jahangirabad, on the right bank of the
Ghighra river, in Gonda, Pakhapur, and Jaisni, of the Gonda District^
and in many parts of the neighbouring division of Gorakhpur,"
Our last Census Returns show the Gaur Brahmans most numerous
in the Meerut Division, and in decreasing numbers as we come
through Rohilkhand and the lower Ganges- Jumna Du&b.

2. The divisions of this branch of the Brahmans are very intri«

Diyi8ions of the Gam ^^> ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ '^^^^ i«> as a rule, SO ilU-
BrAhmana. teratc and unintelligent, that it is very diffi-

cult to ascertain their tribal constitution. Dr. J. Wilson' divides
them into eleven divisions :—

(1) The G^udas or Kevala G^udas, who are said to be Yajor
Yedis, and to have their head-quarters at Hardw&r,

1 Archceological Survey Reports^ I, 327 ; also see a long diaoataion on the Dra¥i«
dian origin of the term in Oppert, Original Inhabitanti of Bharatavargck, Hi, §fq,
s Indian Castes, II, 159, sqq.

806 Qkvn.

(2) The Adi OmdM or ''original'' (JaudM, who follow the

white Yajur Veda, and are by sect Smirttas, Siktas, or
Vallabhachiryag.

(3) The Suklw&Ia, who are a branch of the Adi Gaudaa
and oome from Jaypur. Of thene there are two
sections — Ojha and Joshi.

(4) The Sanitlhya, who have been separately enumerated at

the last Census and form the subject of a special article.

(5) The Sri Oaudas or " honourable '' Oaudas, of which one

division is called Tftmboli, and deals in betel leaf, and
another Adi Sri (Janda, found at Delhi, Mathura, and
Brindaban^

(6) The O&jar or Gftrjjara Oandai.

(7) The Tekbira Oandas.

(S) The Chamar Oaudas, who serve the Chamlrs as priestn.

(9) The Hariylna Oandas, who take their name from the

ooontry of Hariyina^ in the Hiss&r and Rohtak Dis*
tricts of the Panjib.

(10) The Kirtiniya Oandaa, who wander about these Pro-
vinces and Rajput&na as singers, reciters, and players
upon instruments,

(11) The Sukal Oaudas, who live by mendicity, accepting
alms from Brihmans,but not from Kshatriyas, Banyat,
or people of other castes,

S. According to Sir H. M. Elliot the chief Oanr tribes in these
Provinces are the Adi Oanr, Jugad Oanr, Kaithal (taur, Odjar
Oanr, Dharam Oanr, and Siddh Q%nr. A list obtained from a
member of the tribe at Mirtapur makes them out to be divided into
Oujar (Hur, Dadhicha or DAima, SikhwAl, Pirikh, Khandd-
wftl or Adi (}aur, and SAraswata. Of these the Dadhicha are
chssed by Dr. Wilson* among the Oujjara Brihmans ; the Piri*
khas or Pnrohita Pkuikhas are the family priests of the Rijas of
Jaypur, in whose territory they are especially abundant. " They
claim to be descended from Vasishtha. When his hundred sons
with their wives were destroyed through the jealousy of his rival
Visvamitra, a son named Sava tell from the womb of one of
these wives, who had Pirasara as his son, the father of VyAsa. **
The Sirasvatas, again, are generaUy cfauised as distinct from the
Oanr, and have been so recoided at the hut Census.

I lnd%mm C««ltf, U. 117, 190.

GAUR. 396

4. Adopting this classification^ it may be noted tiiat the

Dadhicha of tliese provinces claim descent

The Dadhioha. x^ii'i t

from Dadmcna^ the son of Atharvan, who
was son of Brahma. The story runs that Dadhyang or Dadhicha
had a wife, Satya Prabha, who was left pregnant when her husband
died. She tore her womb open, and taking out the child^ which she
laid at the foot of a pipol tree, joined her husband in beayen.
After some time she remembered her child and prayed to Miil
Devi or Sakti, who promised that the child should be incarnated out
of a human skull. From being laid beside the pipal tree he
came to be' known as Pippalayana, and begot twelve sons, who were
the ancestors of the twelve gotran of the tribe. Each of these
sons had twelve sons, and from these one hundred and forty-four
persons are named the sections {at). The following are the go trot
and aU as far as it is has been possible to ascertain their names : —

(1) Gautama gotra with sections — Patodya; Palod

Nahawal ; Kumbhya ; Kanth ; BadSdhara ; Khatod
Badsaran ; Bagadya; Bedwant; Banrasidara ; Ledodya
Kakarah ; Gagwari, Bhuwil ; Disiyel ; Masya ; Mang

(2) Vatsa goira with sections — Ratawa; Koliwal
Baldawa; Rolaryan; Cholankhya; Jopat; Ithodya
Polgala ; Nasara ; Namawal ; Ajmera ; Kukarin
Tararayan ; Abdig ; Didiyil ; Musya ; Maug.

(3) Bharadwaja gotra with sections — Pedwil; Sukl ;

Malodya ; Asopadyaki ; Barmota ; Indokhw&l ; Halsara ;
Bhatalya ; Godiya ; Solyarin.

(4) Bhargava go Ira with sections — Inaryan ; Patharyin

Kasalya ; Silrondya ; Kurarawa ; Jagodya ; Khewar
Bisawa; Ladrawan ; Baragaran ; Kadalawa ; Kaprodya

(5) Kavacha gotra with sections — Didwftryin; Malodya

Ghawarodya; Jatalya; Dobha; Murel; Maurjawil
Sosi ; Gotecha ; Kudal ; Tretaw&L

(6) Kasyapa gotra with sections — Choraida; Dirolya;

Jamawal; Shergota; Rajthala; Baiawa; Balaya;
Chaulankhya.

(7) Sandilya gotra with sections— Raiawa; Bediya ;

Bed ; Gotharawal ; Dahwal.

(8) Asraya gotra with sections— Sulwal ; Yajrodya ;

Dubarya; Sukalya.

(9) Paribara goira with sections — Bheia ; Par&sara.

(10) Kavala ^oira with section — Chipara.

897 6AUB.

(11) Gk)r^ ffoira, with section— 'TiikchhyB.

(12) Mamraka ^oira of which the sectiont hare dit-
a|)|)eared.

5. A litft from Mirzapur givcfi the golrat and sections (a/) of
Th«i oajar Q*or. the (i Ajar Gaur as follows :-»

(1) Kausika goira with sections — Jakhimo ; Kurakyo;
Tatlukyo; Raradolya; Surolya; Modharj'in; Sarsu;
Guhadra ; Katattala ; Jirawalya.

(2) Rauhika golra with sections — Chahadhota; Gobalya;

Nagavalya ; Kaitha ; Kalaitha ; Tetrawa ; Kilsanda ;
Kcthuryin ; Dudn.

(3) Vasishtha golra with sections — Pa^hlida ; Dn^hah»»
sya; 4Charar}'an; Akodra; Jhujhroily&n; Kibdoliya;
Pandarya ; Sankhwat ; Achraundya ; LaiwAI ; Poparud-
yan ; Raclihtinari ; Kbiyar}'an ; Pbaf^rj'tn.

(\) Sandilya gotra with si*ctions^ Naut>alya ; Pachaswa;

(talhwa ; Jajpura ; Nanera ; Katboriwil ; Sanjia ;

Jhamkolya ; Karauriwal ; KusnnibhiwAl.
(5) Kausika gotra with sections — Bhairjwil ; K&noilya ;

Naa^ra ; Dii^hdolya ; Gnnitarj'in ; AdharApa ; Jodha ;

Ilarkhahi ; Jastaryin.
(0) IMianMlwaja gotra with sections— Pisa ; Ganr}'an

Ja^la ; Raurinja ; Bapraundya ; Lad ; KallMtlra

Silaura ; Jipirj'an ; Chitar}'in ; Gugaarj-an ; Pijnrj-an

Kajaura ; Gauhandya ; Baf^la.
(7) (Gautama gotra with sections— Bhawlnly a ; Jajada;

Bijarjan ; Thinksara ; Bilovar}'an ; Pandaita; Dikhat ;

Bilu ; Unitar^-an : Mandovai^va.
(^) KaHya|)a pdra with Motions — Bararaila ; Rewal ;

(tunwal ; Sanbhar}'a ; Baja|^*a ; Thariwal ; Lohdolya ;

Ainialya ; Sajijjanwa ; Dewalya ; Jajandya ; I^Iatir^

van ; Kajdolya ; Kihdolya.
(1)) Vatha gotra with sections — Kintra; Bachh ; Kaim*

alya \ Cliatbuwa ; Dodwadra ; Vyas ; Ghil ; Gutaradya ;

Paiwal ; Chanwadra ; Didwar}'in; Chhichhiwata ; Pal*

liat ; Chulhat ; Suraulya]; Rainhata ; Sanuda ; Khinwa*

vara ; Chhadak ; Baf^ada.
(It)) Atrima gotra with setrtions^Bardundhya ; Ba^^^her*

wal ; Akodra ; Kariudiwil ; Priyalaoja ; Bakherwil |

Paljhailra ; Kvnjaiidra ; Irhharmarua.
(11) Muhrila gotra with sections— Surtaryln ; BhntAr*

van, Dhamanntya ; Thlwalya, Liuhawa ; Bamhaorya %

Kiimlera ; Gadaryin ; Raiswil ; Kunjodrm ; Moth |

Piimlya.

OAUR.

898

(1'^) Parasara gotta with sections— Khataad ; Daigjra;

Pahadra ; Nariry &n ; Kuchila ; Baresnra ; KachraudTa ;

Dewalya ; Dobarhatta ; Qumataryftn.

(18) Grarga gotra with sections— Oudnftda ; Elacharya ;

Ladaryan ; LaiwslI ; Bhangdolya, Ukhairwal.

6 Graur Brahmans are^ as a rule^ endogaroons, but they are

singularly libeial in their views as contrasted
with the Kanaujiya, and as in Bihar^
where the groups consist of hmited namberS| they have commenoed
to intermarry with the Ssiraswata. In other repeects they practise
the ordinary rule of exogamy common to other Br&hmans. When
the bride is introduced into the house of her husband there is a
solemn confarreatio rite known as d4dhahkML Their domestic
ceremonies are of the usual orthodox type.

Marriage.

Distribution of the Gaur Brdimans according to He Ceneue of

1891.

DiSTBICTB.

Number.

DiBT BICTS.

Number.

Dehra Ddn .

1,904

Bud&an

7^74

8ah&ranpur •

40,821

Morl^&bAd .

28,0m

MazaffarDagar

37,786

Sh&hjah&npnr •

1.160

Meerut . «

94 723

Pilibblt

S.625

Bulandshahr

77,132

Cawnpor • •

4,473

Aligarh

25.179

Fatebpar

«77

Mathara

24,630

B&nda

18S

Agra • . 1

3,792

flamtrpar • • •

817

Farrukh&bad

1.613

Allab&b&d .

1.296

Mainpuri •

1,559

Jh&nsi • •

486

Et&wah

1,313

J&Iaan . •

EUh .

1,485

Lalitpar • •

190

Bareilly

7,289

Benares •

3,179

Bijnor • i

24,969

Mirzapar

3J67

899

GAUR.

Dutribmiian ofik§ Qtur BriAimmns aet9rdittg to I4« Cmmm ^1891^^

DlSTBICTS.

Nombcr.

DlflTBXCTS.

Namb«r

Jaunpnr

463

RAABftreli .

117

ObAiipor

S46

SiUpnr

1.462

Ballia •

1,284

Hardoi •

882

Oormkb]rar <

672

Kh«ri • • • •

2.286

BmU .

876

FaiiAbAd •

808

Kamaan

Qimim . .

828

(iarkirll

1.987

Babr4ieh .

2;146

TAr4i •

2^7

Sultinpor .

112

Lacknow

ifie% ;

ParUbgArb .

UnAo

» ^

877

BinUuiki .

Total

846

414.082

Oaur. — A nept of RAjputs who are sappoeed to tako thdr name
from the kin^om of Gauda, in Bengal ; bat aa shown in the
artiekfl on Gaur Brahmans, their name may be derived from Oaud%
the modem Gk>nda in Northern Oudh. Coknel Tod^ ranks them
among the thirty«mx royal races and remarks :— '' The tribe was onoe
respected in Rajasthan, thongh it never attained to any consider*
able eminence. The ancient kings of Bengal were of this race, and
gave their name to the caintal Lakbnauti. We hare every reason to
believe that they were possessors of the land afterwards ocenpied by
the Chauhins, as they are styled in the old Chronicles, The Gaor
of Ajmer. Repeated mention is made of them in the wars of
Prithivi RAja as leaders of considerable renown, one of whom formed
a small state in the centre of India, which sanrived through seven
centuries uf Mughal domination, till it at length fell a piey in*
directly to the successes of the British over the Marhattas, when
Sindhiya in 1809 annihilated the power of the Oaur and todc
possession of his capital Supar/' lie gives the five »JJHd of the
Gaur as Untahir, Silhala, Tunwar, |^snns, and BudAno.

I iMMl^ 1, 184.

0AT7B. 400

2. According to Sir H. M. Elliot^ they fall into three
The Oanra of the sub-divisions, the Bhat Gaur, Bihman

North- Western • Pro- '

vinoea and Oudh. Gaur, and Chamar Graur, names derived

from some intercourse with Bhats^ Brslhmans^ and Chamirs.
*' To these are sometimes added the Katherija Ghiur, descended
from a Katheri ; or carpenter. But it may be doubted if the
Katheriya are really Gb,urs. No argument, however, can be
derived from the fact that daughters of Gaurs marry in Katheriya
families, because the Chamar G^ur and B&hman Graur also
intermany/' The Katheriya really take their name from Katdiar,
the old name of Rohilkhand. " The Chamar Gaur, who are divided
into Raja and RaS, i*ank the highest, '' which is accounted for by
the legend already given in the special article on that sept. In
Farrukhabad* they call themselves Rathauriya, and are said to have
come from Shahjahanpur under the brothers SarhS and Barh£.
Each received a Chaurasi or block of eighty-four villages. Barh^s
descendants chiefly settled in the country now forming the
Pargana of Shamsabad West, while Sarhe kept to the south in
Shamsabad East and Bhojpur. The Etowah bianch say they
came from Supar in the west as early as 650 A.D., having
expelled the Meos, and they allege that their power was broken by
the Banapliar heroes, Alha and Udal, early in the 12th Century.*

3. As regards the Gaurs of Oudh, the Hardoi tradition* runs

that Kuber Sah Gaur was deputed bv Jay

The Gaurs of Oudh. ^ o rjr . n . m •

Lhand or Kanauj to collect tribute from
Thathei-as. While he was at Kanauj twin sons were born to him.
Of these the Bi-ahmans in attendance on the Thathera chief pre-
dicted that they would achieve greatness and expel him from his
kingdom. To avert such disaster the Thathera Chief ordered the
babes to be done away with ; and the Brahmans, giving out that
i£ Kuber S3h should i-eturn and look upon his children's faces he
would die, canted them to be buried alive. Hardly had the deed
been done when Kuber Sah returned, heard the evil news, and had
the babes dug up. Both wei*e still aUve. One of them had lost
an eye and was hence named Kana, — *^ one-eyed." The other was

1 Supplementary Qhssaty, «• v.
^Settlement Report, 13.
*Cefi8u8 Report, 1865, I, App. Si,
* Settlement Report, 100.

401 OAVH.

named Andi or Pakhni,-^'' under the wall.'' From them are
bprung the Kina and An&i or Pakhni sub-divisions of the Gaur»«
One family in UnAo^ profess to hold their lands by virtue of a
^n^nt from the Emperor Bibar. They are Bihman Gaurs of the
Minlal gotra. There is another colony of Gaurs in Pargana Ilarba,
who arc claimed by the others as an offbhoot from themselves
They aliK) are B&hman Gaurs of the same gotra^ but ^ve a
different account of their origin. According to them Banthar was
formerly inhabited by a race of Gaddis or cow-herds who lived
by the pasturage and paid an annual tribute of ghi to tlie Govern-
ment. One year, whether with intent to defraud or to bhow their
insulionlination^ they filled the vescels in which the tribute was beni
with cowdung and covered it o\'er with a small quantity of ghi.
The fraud was dibcovcred at oourt, and Gorapdes Gaur, wh«> held a
military command at Delhi^ %vas directed to raise a lio'ly of followem
and extiqiate the offen<lers. After performing tliis ber\iei*, lie
r(M«ived a grant of tlie conquered nllages and bettled there with
liib clan.

4. In the village of DudliAwal, in the Lucknow' District,

stands a pipal tree, and there is a small
monument, a memorial of the place wheie
the Bahman Oaur widows used to perform «a/i\ to which tlie
Bahnian (laur t<» this day bring offerings for the old family
priests of their tribe on the occasion of I marriage or any other
solemn ceremony in their bouse.

5. In Sitapur thvy api^car usually to give brides to the Tomar
and Ahlian scpt^, and to take brides from the Bachhal, Janwir, and
€H.rabiunally fn»m the AhlAn. In Farrukhabad the Katheriya
Gaur give their daughters to the Sombansi, Bais, and Bamtel^, and
receive girls from the Chandel and Kaithiya septs. In Ilamirpur
they give brides to the Chauhan, Bhadauriya, KaohhwAhay
Parihar, Chandel, Rathaur, and Chamar Gaur, and take wivea
from the Dikhit, Nandwani, and Bais. In Hardoi tbey claim to
belong to the Bharadwaja ^o/fa, marry girls of the Raikwir,
CIuiihU'I, Dhakrj, Janwar, Kachhwaha, and Gaharwir septs, whtia
they give wives tu tlic Sonibausi, Chauhan, Pramir, Rithaur^
Dhakie, Nikuuibb, and Itaikwar.

VuL. II. t c

GAUR,

402

OAURAHAB.

Diatrihution of the Gaur lidjputs according to the Censmi of 1S9U

DiBTBICTB.

Nnmbers.

BiSTBIOTP.

x^mnbon.

Bah&ranpur .

102

Jbftnai •

1/BS

Mnza0*araagar

132

J&laan •

1,816

Meerat

958

LHlitpnr •

5«5

Bnlandsbahr •

3.063

Benares <

Aligarh

147

Jaunpnr

Matbura

1,053

Ghazipnr .

Agra .

465

Ballia .

Farrukhab&d

4,741

Gorakbpur ,

184

Mainpari

1,908

Azamgarh

£t&wab

3,224

TaiAi .

Etab .

2,804

Lucknow ,

S69

Bijnor •

Un&o .

1,847

Bud&QD

6,123

R&d Bareli .

47S

MoradlLblid •

2,442

Sitapar

^6d5

Sb&bjabAnpar

2,531

Hardoi

11,687

Pilibbit

323

Kberi •

1,145

Oawnpnr •

13,246

Faiz&bAd

Fatebpur

1.663

BabrAiob

B&nda •

1,477

Snlt&npur

Hamirpar

1,770

Partftbgarb

•

386

Allab&b&d .

197

Bftrabaaki

S16

TOTAI

nMo

Oanrahar. — A small Rajput sept found in Roliilkhand and the
borders of Aligarh. They are supposed to be descended {rem the
Chamar Ghiur, and it is sometimes added, by way of reproach, thai
ibey have a little Ahir blood in their veins. They trace their origin

GJLUIIAHAR. 403 OAUniTA.

to Kftinftr ib the weet^ whenoe they say they came to servo the
Emperore of Delhi*^

OMiriya; Bangali Om&tn.— A VaitbnaTa order of recent
ori(;^iL This oommunity ** has had a more marhed influence on
Brindaban than any of the others, since it was Chaitanya, the
founder of the sect, whose immediate disciples were its first temple
builders. lie was bom at Nadiya, in Bengal, in 1485 A.D., and in
his youth is said to ha\'e married a daughter of Vallabhachirya.
However that may be, when he had arrived at the age of twenty*
four he formally resigned all connection with secular and domeatio
atTairs and commenced his career as a religious teacher. After
spending six years in pilgrimage between Mathura and Jagannith
he finally settled down at the latter place, where, in 1527 A.D.,
being thtMa only forty-two years old, be disappeared from the world.
There is reason to believe that he was drowned in the sea, into whioh
lie had walked in an ecstacy, mistaking it for the shallow waters of
the Jamuna, where he saw in a vision Krishna sporting with the
GoiHH. His life and doctrines are recorded in a most voluminoua
Bengali work entitled Chaitanya Charitimrita^ composed in 1690
by one of his disciples Krishna Dis. Two of his colleagues
Adwaitanand and Nityanand, who like himself are »tyled Mahi
Prabhus, presided over his establishments in Bengal, while other sax
Gussjuri settled at Brindaljan. Apart from metaphysical subtleties^
which naturally have but little bold on the minds of the populace,
the hpccial tenet of the Bengali Vainhnavas is the all-sufiieieDoy of
faith in the divine Krishna; such faith being adequately expressed
by the mere repetition of his name without any added prayer or
concomitant feeUng of genuine devotion. Thus roughly stated, the
doctrine appears absurd ; and possibly its true bearing is as hi
regarded by many of the more ignorant among the Vaishuavas thi
selves, as it is by the majority of superficial outside obMnreis. It
is, however, a legitimate deduction frum sound principles; for it may
be prenumed that the formal act of devotion wouU never have br«i
commenced, had it not been prompted st the outset by a devoiaonal
intention, which intention is virtually continued so long as the aet
i« in performance. Th^ sectarial mark consists of two white perpeo-
dicular streaks down the furebead united at the root of the nose and
continued to near the tip. Another ebsracteristic is the use i^ a

> Rllioi, BffUwk^nUf^ Qlimrf, •.*• : OamUmt, Hmtik^W^ti JV^riaMs VI* 41*
Vol. U. Scl

QAUBIYA ; OAUBUA.

404

GAJSTAM.

roBary of one hundred and eight beads made of the wood of the

2. The order takes its name from the city of Gaur, the indent
capital of Bengal, which now lies a mass of rains in the Milda
District.

Distribution of the Gauriya Outdi/a according to iho Census 0/

1891.

BiSTBICTS.

Number.

D18TB10TB.

Nvmben.

Balandshahr • •

GawnptiT

Eheri

283

246

Bahr&ioh • • •
Bkabanki

TOffAl

Females • .

70
M

Gonda

Males • • • .

48S
186

Oanrna. — Hardly the name of a special B&jpnt sept^ but a
general term applied to those Rajputs who have lost rank by the
practice of widow-marriage {kafdo) Those to the west of the
Jnmna are said to have emigrated from Jaypur about nine handred
years ago. In Mathura some call themselTCs Kaohhwihai, others
Jas&waty others again Sisodiya. Towards Delhi they axe said to
be particularly quarrelsome^ but stui-dy in build and olannish in
disposition.*

Oautam.-* A sept of Rajputs who claim as their eponymous
ancestor the Rishi Gautama. They are usually treated as one of
the Chandrabans, but not in the thirty-six royal races. Their ori*
ginal home is Fatehpur^ and they claini to have been originally
Br&hmans^ the descendants of the Rishi Gautama, By another
account they are descended from the Rishi Siringi. The descendant
in the sixth de<>rce from Gautama is said to have married the
daughter of A jaypal^ the Gaharwir Bija of Kanauj^ and to have
received as her dowry the whole extent of the country from Praylg
(Allahabad) to Hardwar. From this event the sept ceased to be
Brahmans and became Rajputs ; the issue of the marriage took the

> GrowBO, Mathura, 183, sq.

s Knioi,Supi}lementaryGUssary,8,v.: Growse, ifaC^ttra, 12 : IbbtliOli» Pcm jtt
Ethnography, para. 446.

406 GAUTAH*

title of RAja of Argal, a villaf^ in the Tmvines of tbe River Rind,
alkmt thirty miles west of Fatehpur.^ Sir H. M. Elliot'
distmsts the Bt«>ry of tlieir connection with Siringi Rishi or with
the Gaharwirs, hecanse it is, in the first place, impossible that Siring
Rishi could have l)een the contemporary of any Gaharwir Rija ; and
in the second place, it is highly improl^able that tbe (Hharwirf
conld have prece led the occopation of the Gantams. Nevertheless
the story is devoutly believed by many Gantams. In Oudh' they
were oertainly very early settlers. They chum to be an offshoot
from the Ar^al RAj, bat their traditions as to the cause and manner
of their occupancy are too faint and varying for record. In the
Eastern Districts of the Province^ there is both a Chhatri and a
Bhmnhir branch : the former ignore the latter, and ssy that they
themselves came from Argal. Tbe Bhutnhsrs allege that they art
sU one stock of Sarwariya Bribmans, the Cbhatris bavins^ assumed
their present caste only when tbe ancestor of tbe RAja of Azamgar
became a Muh^immadan and rose into power. In the Ayin*i«Akbari
they are described as zamindArs in Pargana Nizan:abad. The
Cawnpur branch is said to have emigrated from Argal four and-«-
half centuries ago, and to have expelled tbe Arakhs.

2. The Sakyas of Kapilavastu also redu>nfd the saint Oantamm
among their forefathers, and they are repretented by tiie existing
Guutamiyas.* These Gantamiyas are an inferior branch. Tbey
seem to lie Gautams, who from the low marriages <if their daoghtem
or other reasons have fallen from a higher status or Cbhatris of
inferior stock who Iiave adopted tbe patronymic of the more famous
clan. The real Gautams hold a respectable rank among HAjpata.
Those of the Eastern Districts give their daughters in marriage to the
Somfaansi, Rachgoti, Bhandhalgoti, RajwAr, and RAjknmAr. Thosa of
the DuAbgire their dangfaters to tbe Bhadaiiri}*% KacbbwAha^ BA-
thaur, Gahlot, ChanhAn, snd Tomar. To the east tliey marry their
daughters in the Simet, Risen, OaliarwAr, SArajbansi, Baghel, and
Chandel septs, and take brides from the Kalltans, PalwAr, RajkamAr,
Kansik, ChanhAn, and Sengar. In Patohpur they give their daugli*

* KlUot, Cknm%ci€$ ^ Vmim. S4.

« OldhMi. CIA iMrvr M*mo, I 3S : A—m^mtk a«fflm#«l Jkp^rl. H. •§•

• DmaelMr. Huf«ry </ iAli|«ilf IV» SSS iff. BathnuM, Mt/lm% imMm. TL.
4AS.

gautam.

ttrs to the Ghaahin, PariMr^ Bhadauriya^ Kaohhwtlia^ and J&doo
tepts^ and marty wives from the Bab^ 'Pbhw&i, Dikhit^ Somhana,
Chandel^ Bidei>, and Khicbi. In Bundelkhaiid thej espedall/
worship Gajpati Rae Durga at the Naui&tra of Ku&r and Chait.
Nothing but a b word is kept in tlie temple^ and it is wonhipped with
prayers and offerings of sandalwood, rieei perfumes, in<«i8e,
and kmpsw On the first lunar day of Ku&r a decorated jar (Jtatsa)
is placed in her temple^ and ten Pandits^ sitting round it, recite ib«
praises of Durga Devi : a buffalo and a he^goat are daily saorifioed
during the feast. On the ninth day twenty or more boSaloea and
fifty or sixty he-goats are sacrifioedf None but a Gautam can per-
form this sacrifice ; and only a man of the Bargstti caste, who aie the
hereditaiy servants of the clan, is allowed to hold the victim.
Before ofEering the sacrifice the sacred sword is worshipped. On
the last day {naumU) the Mja himself offers the sacrifice. The
heads of the victims are buried deep in the ground, but the goat-
meat is regarded as holy (jprusdd) and divided among the worship*
pers. Only Chamars eat the meat of the bufEaloes offered to the
goddess. It is beheved that if anyone but a R&ja perform thifi
sacrifice, he will be destroyed root and branch.

3. In Lucknow they worship a tribal saint Biba Nahok, of
Nigohan, and burn a hght daily at his shrine,^

Distrtbulion of the Oautam BdjpnU according to the CemiUi

of 1891.

DiBTBICTH.

Hindus.

Moham-
madana.

DiBTBICTS.

Hindus.

Muhaai-
madana.

Dehia Diin

•••

FarnikhAl>&d •

•••

SahAraDpur

• • •

Mainpuri .

217

Mazaffamagar

• ••

EtAwah

•••

Meerut

•••

Etah

•••

BdlandBhahr

Bawilly . "^^

765

Aligarh

• • •

{ Bud&iiii

7.780

MathurH

#••

MorftdAb&d

1.377

Agra

• ••

ShahjaliAaptir

843

...

1 Oudh Gatetteer, III, 31.

GAUTAM.

407

OHAKt^K.

DUtribuiiom vfth€ Oauimm S^'pmU aetordim$ to IA# CnMiu of 189l^~towi\L

DitTBICTt.

Hiadua.

llaham-

DllTBIOTB.

Hiadna.

•

llabam*

Pilibhh .

178

AwBgarb •

6348

22)

Cawnpur •

i^i

Tarii

• • •

FaUbpar •

11,613

1.883

Lueknotr

1.786

£4iida

8.8S0

Un4o

2,691

Hantrpiir •

8.1W

• • •

Bi6EbreIi.

3348

AlUhibid .

854

• ••

Stupor •

161

Jhinit

Hardoi

236

•••

JAIauo •

110

... t

Kbari

634

714

Lalitpar

•••

FaixAb4d .

849

•••

B«nare«

2.293

Qonda

690

129

Minapnr •

2.772

BabiAidi .

240

Jaunpar •

3,694

StiltAopur •

1J92

Ghiiipur •

7,777

238

ParUbgarb

900

lUllia

8,407

•••

B4nbanki .

430

Gof akbpvr .
Iktti

2.610
6,204

411

778

Total
QRAKD TOTAL

6,926 1

6.198
123

Obar&k. — A tub cante of Kahire, bat they have now so com-
pletel y miMumUid from the parent ftock that they may be moft ooii*
vcniently treated at an abnolutely dijiiiict icix>iip. Their only vague
tradition is that they are the detocndantt of the PAndavai, and thcj
alk*ge that there b a temple at Ilastinapur dediofted to Kali Darga,
at which they womhip. They have a tribal ooanctl [PmmcSdfi)
preaidcd over by a ehairman {wutiam^ who U elected by the mem*
ben of the caste. They do not marry in the familiee of their ma-
ternal uncle, fiuher^f niter, and mother^t sister. Tliey can many
two kiaters, but not at the same time. Polygamy is permitted to
an unhmited extent. Inoontinenoe before marriage is seriously
dealt with, and the girl's parents have to pay a fine to the tribal
oiuncil, and so has the man who subsequently marries her. Divorce
is allowed, and divorced W4»men may remarry by the lower form :

OHARtyK. 408 GHA8ITA.

such wives are called uriari. Widows can. marry again, and the
levirate is allowed under the usual restrictioiiB.

2. Their domestic ceremonies are of the normal type. They live
much in fear of ghosts, demons, and the Evil Eye^ the effects of
which are removed by the sorcerer. Their oath is by the Gmnges.
Their chief object of worship is K&U Durga. They drink spirits,
but will not eat pork, beef, fowls, or vermin. They abetain from
meat and wine during the fortnight in the month of Ka&r sacred to
the sainted dead. They will not eat from the hands of low castes,
like the Chamar, Bhangi, or Pasi ; but they can eat from the hands
of Brahman s, Rajputs, and Bhurjis. Their chief occupation is fish-
ing; eome do a Uttle cxdtivation; and they supply many of the
bearers in the service of Europeans.

Ghasiya. »A Dravidian tribe found in the hill ooontry of
Mirzapur. They do not appear in the returns of the last Censos, and
it is now impossible to say among which of the allied Dravidian
castes they were included. Under the name of Ohiai they are
found in the adjoining Bengal districts.^ In Mandla one of their
septs, Markam, is the title of a sept of Gonds.* They extend aa far
as Bastar, where they are described as an inferior caste who serve as
horsekeepers and also make and mend brass vessels. Thejr dress
like the Mariya Gonds, and subsist partly by cultivation and partly
by labour.' Dr. Ball describes them in SinghbhQm as gold-washers
and musicians.^ Colonel Dalton speaks of them as an extraordinary
tribe, foul parasites of the Central Indian hill tribes, and submitting
to be degraded even by them. If the Chand&las of the Porinas,
though descended from the union of a Brahmani and a Siklra are
'^ the lowest of the low,'^ the Ghasis are Chandalas, and the people
further south, who are called Pariahs, are no doubt of the same
distinguished lineage. If, as I surmise, they were Aryan hetoto,
their ofBces in the household or communities must have been of the
lowest and most degrading kinds. It is to be observed that the
institution of caste necessitated the organisation of a class to
whom such offices could be assigned, and, when formed, stringent
measures would be requisite to keep the servitors in their position.

1 Bisley, Tribes and Castes, I, 877 : Dalton, Descripiiv Ethnology, 825.

s Centrdl Provinces QoMetteer^ 278.
. > Ibid, 34.
4 JungU Life, )28.

409 GHA8ITA.

W«^ ini^ht thence cxi)eot that they would avail themeclves of every
o)>i>«>rttiTiity to escape, and no safer asylums oould be found than
the retreats of the forest tribes.^ *' In the uncertainty that still pre-
vailH as to the connection between the forest tribes and the menial
caKtes of Hindu society, it is premature to deny the possibility of
this the(»r}'; but their totemistic system of septs and their appearance
generally, which approximates closely to that of th«> tribes which
surround them, p»int to the supposition that they arc of local Dravi-
dian origin and not refugees driven into the jungles liefore the advano*
ing Aryans. The legend recorded by Colonel Tickell makes them
of common origin with Kols, Bhuiyas, and Santils.* The word
Gliasiya appears to mean a grass-cutter. (Hindi $ids, grass: SMim*
krit pkdia\

2. Tliere seems to be little doubt that the clear distinction which

now prevails between the Ohasiya and the
neighbouring tribes is of com])arativeIy modem
growth. A case recently occurred in which a Ghasiya adopted a
Chero \n\y, and ho has been n*adi'y received and married among
them. Uniike many of the kindred tribes, the Ghasiyaa in Mirta«
pur have retained a complete set of totemistic septs. Tliese are
se\'en in numlier. Tlie first bcpt is the Khatangiya, which is said
to mean " a man who fires a gun. ^' This sept worship the matdi-
lock. Then comes the Sunwan or Sonwin, who are the highest in
rank. When any Ghasiya becomes impure, one of the Sunwin sept
is ^aid to take a little bit of go'd ($o»s) and put it in a vessel of
water, which he sprinkles on the impure person with a mango leaf.
Frnm this practice of using fi>»1d it is said that the tribe takes ite
name. It may more probably be connected with their bii»ine«i of
gold-u aching.' The Janta is haid to take their name from the
qi:ern or flour*mill ijami^). Thi*y have a story that a woman of
tlie sept was delivered of a chikl while sitting at the mill, from
which her descendants gained their name. The BhainM say they are
dfH'ended frnm the godling (deoia) Dhainsisur,* whf^m they war*
ship with the sacrifice of a ycmng pig on the second of the light half of

s tbtd, 8S&.

* 8m tb# rttm*ne% to Dr. BaU is p«i». i.

« Tbu tM Om Mcidtrm rtprMraUtiv* ol %hm baido drnw^on U^kUk^ or lUki»MssrBi
wbo, AoeurtiiBc to varioM Icgvad*. nm kUUd by kMttU*jr*. hkaailA t Uttig^
1 Im iMt Ctmss rMonb l\UI pmtma m wmnktppun ol Wmub^av.

GHASIYA. 410

K&rttik. Of the Simariya or Simarlokwa sept there is a cariooB
legend which explains their abhorrence of Eliyaflths^ and is told in an
imperfect form by Mr. Bisley. The Mirzapor version rons that
once upon a time a Ghasiya was groom {iais) to a Eliyasth. One
day he went with his master's son for a ride in the jungle. They
came to a very large and deep well : the boy dismounted and looked
into it. The Ghasiya said^ — ^^ Let us both look down and see whose
reflection looks best in the water.'' Then the Ghasiya pitched the
boy into the water. The boy was hurt^ but managed to hold on to
the side of the well. He called out to the Ghasiya,— *' You have played
a vile trick on me^ but as we are old friends I vnH give you some-
thing which will ensure your prosperity.'' So he took a piece of
tile which lay in the well^ and having scratched on it an account <^
what had happened^ he gave it to the Ghasiya saying,— *' Take this
to my father, and he will give you a great reward.'' The foolish
Ghasiya did as he was told, and when the K&yasth read the message,
he sent men to the well without the Ghasiya's knowledge. They
found the boy dead. So the Kdyasth planned his revenge. One
day he said to the Ghasiya, ^^ As you have been my old and faith-
ful servant, I intend to give a feast to your tribe." On the day of
the Holi all the Ghasiyas — men, women, and children-— collected.
Then the Kayasth said: — ^'Therc is a great cotton tree (ieMal) in the
forest which I wish to cut in order to bum the old year {8ambai)y^
but not a bit of the wood or leaves must touch the ground,
otherwise there will be no merit in the sacrifice, and you must
bring the tree as it stands." So all the Ghasiyas stood under
the tree and tried to hold it up as it was being out, but it
fell down and crushed them all. Only one pregnant woman
escaped, who took refuge with a Panika. The Kfiyasth tried to
seize and kill her ; but the Panika passed her ofE as his wife, and her
descendants were called Simarlokwa, or ^^ the people of the cotton
tree, " and to this day this sept eat with Panikas, and on eadi Holi
festival throw out all their earthen vessels in memory of this tra-
gedy and cherish a hereditary hatred of Kayasths.' The Koiya
sept have a legend that a Ghasiya was servant of a Gond R&ja^
and went out hunting with him. One day the R&ja killed a ¥rild

I Fur thiri ouMtom.Boe Biydr, fmra. 17.

' ThiH Htory of a tribe recruited from a ainglo pregnant woman who etoapdd ib«
(general deHtruction iH common ; see the legend of OrandoOj tho progei|itor of tlM
Chuudol Hujputfi, aud that of tho Chamar Qaur tribe.

411 OUASfTA.

dog [Kuija, Choh rniiUHM) and permuuled the Ohasiya to eat it ;
whence this contemptuous title clung to his descendants. The
Markim sept take their name from the tortoise. This is also a
sept among the Oonds. ^ One day a Ghasiya crossed a river in a
boat. The floods arose and he was unable to return, when a tor*
toise took him on his back and carried him across. Hence the sept
worship the tortoise. The Bengal Ohisis have a Kachhua (tortoise)
and a Simarloka or cotton tree sept.' These septs are exogamous,
and hypergamy is so far practised that the Sunwin is the most
respectable of all, and marriage alliances with that sept are much
desired. The Mirsapur Ohasiyas are very mgne in their traili*
tions : some fix their head-quarters at a place cattled Koriya in
Sarguja, others say they come from Nigpur, others from Singrauli,
in Mirsapur. In Sarguja there is said to be a mountain called
DidihikAra, in which there resides a deity called Janta Deo, whose
only representative is a stone in the form of a flour-mill {janta).
He is said to have some connection with the sept of that name, and
many Ohasiyas worship him through a Baiga.

3. The Ohasiyas have a very powerful tribal council (/las^M/^i).

The president (mmkto) is always a member

The tribal eoQiiou*

of the Sunwin sept. The post is hereditary ;
but if there is any dispute about it, a reference is made to the RAja
of Sarguja. The council deals with three cksses of cases-* As sitil^,
Pkilftariy mad Zinatdri. A'svi^/i or *' ear cutting " is when any
woman in a squabble gets the k>be of her ear, in which thick |ialm •
leaf ornaments {fsrH) are worn, torn. It is belie^-ed that any
wonmn who gets uito a m^U0 of this kind is a shrew, and if it is
proveil tieforo the council that her ear was torn, she is put out oC
caKte. She is not restored till her friends give a three days' feast
of goat's meat and rice and a fourth of butter calces {j»Jri) and liquor.
Pkiipari is when any one gets on his body any white mark or
scab of the nature of leprosy, or has a wound or sore which bresds
>>>^g^^* Such persons are put out of caste, because it is beliersd
tlM^ such diaiasfs art a punishment for seriaas crimes eommitlad
in a pre% ious life. In sncfa cases the line is five goats and two days'
rif-e for the clansmen. After tUs the Sonwin Mahto purifies
the utFendcr as already dcM^ribed. Zimsidri embraces all otFences

* 8m M^fciMr, para. S.

GHASITA.. 412

against morality. In adultery or incest oases the fine consists of a
certain number of goats and rations of rice according to the means
of the offender; and^ in addition^ he has to give, as a special fee, to the
MahtO; a water vessel {lofa), tray {tkdli), turban (pagri)^ jacket
(kurta)^ and loin cloth {dhott).

4. As already stated, the septs are exogamous, bat the only

additional provision is that the children of a
sister are barred, while marriage with the

children of the mother's brother {mdmn)^ and Other's sister are

allowed.

5. If a man takes to shoe-making, no one will many in his family,.

and the making of drums {mdndar) is also
thought a low occupation. Polygamy is
allowed, and the number of wives depends on a man's means. Few
have more than one. Polyandiy is unknown. If a girl is caught
in an intrigue with a stranger, the father has to give two dinners :
one pakki (or food cooked in butter) and one kacieki (or plain)
with five goats and a still of liquor. They practise adult
marriage, men being married at eighteen or twenty and girls at
fifteen or sixteen. The marriage is arranged by the Mahto, who
gets as his fee a turban and Re. 1-4 in cash. All marriages are
supposed to take place with the consent of the parents ; but as a
matter-of-fact the parties often arrange their matches, and if a
girl fancies a young man, all she has to do is to give him a kick on
the leg at the tribal dance of the Karama, and then the parents
think it as well to hasten on the wedding.^ In fact, it seems
often to be the case that the man is allowed to try the girl first
and if she suits him, and seems likely to be fertile, he marries her.*
The bride-price is twelve rapees in cash, two cloths, one for the
bride and one for her mother, and ten bottles of liquor. This is an
invariable rule. If after marriage the husband becomes insane,
impotent, blind, or leprous, his wife may leave him ; but no fault
of this kind in the wife will justify the husband in discarding her.
Mistakes of this kind are provided against by the careful
tion of each by the friends of the other previous to marriage.

1 For a similar onstom among the Garcs, see Dalton, Defcrij>K«« BihmnAogyt 64:
Oraons, ibid, 248; Khandhs, ihid 300. Qonds, Central Provinces OaMdt§0r, 277.
> On this see Westermarck, Uittory of Human Marriag; 580.

418 0UA81TA*

6. DivoroeB, or imther the putting awsy o( wives, are uii*

_. oommon, becmase intertribal immorality ie

DiTorc«. 111. !• <ii .» •

thought httle of, and the punishment on the
relations of a woman for liahon with a stranger are so severe that
women are looked after. Besides this nothing but the evidence of
eye witnesses to the act of adultery is accepted. But it appears to
be good tribal law that a woman may leave her husband if he
intrigues with another woman«^ In such case her parents can
give her in sagdi to another man ; but if they do so they must
return the bride-price.

7. Women married in the regukr way and those taken in iafdi

Widow.marrUice and ^^^ equaUy, and both are known as AWtia.
the UriraU. Though there is a rule against concubinage,

the children of a concubine are recognised as children of the father,
and admitted to caste. When a man wants to take a widow, he
goes to her father with a set of glass bangles {eitlri), some red lead,
a sheet, a boddice {jAnta)^ and a set of ear-ornaments {iari*). The
father says:— "All right I Put on the things/' Then she touches
them all, and takes them inside the house, where the other women
decorate her with theuL Next morning the father makes a pretence
of pushing her out of the house as a disgrace to her family, and then
she goes off with her husband. When he comes home, he feasts a
few clansmen, and returns to her younger brother-in-law the bride*
price. A widow can marry an outsider only if the levir refuse to
have her. She leaves bdiind her all the children by her first husband
save a child at the breast. If she takes a young child away with
her, her first husband's brother gives her a cloth every year for her
trouble in taking care of it. There is no pretence of attributing
the children of the le^ir to his elder brother.

8. They have some vague adoption rules in imitation of their

Hindu neighbours. There is no religious

Adoptios.

sentiment in the matter, and when a man
does adopt, he takes his brother's son, the son of the eider brother
being preferred. An adopted son does not kise his rights in the
estate of his natural hther.

V,U4.

GHASITA. 414

9. Beena marriage known as ghafjaigdm is common; intbis

case the period of probation is one year,
during which the son-in-law works for his
&ther-in*law, and is entitled to maintenance ; but has no right to
inherit from his estate.

1 0. Tribal offices are hereditary. When an old Baiga is giving

up office he goes with his son to the

shrine {deohdr) with two fowls, which he
makes his son sacrifice. Then he is considered to have abdieated his
f onctions. The sons are a man's heirs, and primogeniture so far
prevails that the eldest son gets a tenth more than the others. In
a joint family the sons can claim partition inter ffivoi : the sons get
each the same share as their father, and his share is divided at his
death. A widow, if she remain unmarried, which is nnosoal, ia
entitled to maintenance ; but can be expelled for nnchastity . A
daughter has no rights ; but if she becomes a widow or leaves her
husband she is entitled to maintenance in her father's house until
she remarries and as long as she remains chaste. A sonless mother,
too, has a life interest in her husband's estate. She may spend
something in charity, but not waste the inheritance. If there are
no sons, the associated brothers succeed ; a sister or her sons never
succeed.

11. The system of relationship is the same as among the Kols.

They remember the names of male and female

Eelationahip. i. u xi. i? ^•

ancestors for three or four generations.

1 2. When a woman is ascertained to be pregnant, they invoke

the marriage god Dulha Deo in the words —

Birth oeremonies*

" If you cause the woman's child to be bom
without trouble, we will give you an offering. " The offering to
him is a goat and a red cock. The woman is delivered on the ground
facing east. When the child is born the Cham&in midwife is called
in, and she cuts the cord and buries it in the place the child was bom,
over which she lights a fire into which she puts a bit of iron and
copper to keep off evil spirits. While the cord is being cut, the
women of the clan sing the Sohar or song of rejoicing. For three
days the mother gets nothing but a decoction of herbs.^ On the
third day she is given a decoction of the root of the KhajAr palm
(Phanix dactylifera) and of the sarpat grass {Saccharum procerum)

1 This is also the rulo among the Birhora. Dalton, De»cr\pt\v9 Bthhology, 219*

416 OHASITiu

mixed up in a hall with some of the mantftail teed (nifMm indiem),
ginger [tonH), coane sugar, and the loni? P^PP^i^ (P^P^O* ^^*^ ^
this doee is drunk hy the husband, probably a mirm'al of the cou\'ade«
On the sixth day (clitiHi) the midwife bathes the mother and child,
and the barber's wife cuts the nails of all the women in the family,
and colours their feet with lao dye (mtikdmar). The Dhobi takes all
the clothes to the wash, and the barber shaves all the men. On thai
day the husband's sister (namad) cleans the delivery room Uamr) and
receives a present, g^enerally a calf, for her trouble. On the twelfth
day is tlie bar^ii : the child ^s head is shaved, the mother is bathed
by lier sister-in-law, and the barber^s wife cuts her nails and colours
lier feet with lac dye. She puts on clean clothes and she cooks for
the household and a few clansmen.

13. As umial among these tribes the ear-boring (kamekkedam),

which is done for boys and girls at the age
of eight or nme on a lucky day nxcd by the

Mahto, represents their introduction into caste and thrir abstention

from food cooked by a stranger.

14. Tlic father of the lioy inspects the girl, and when he is

satisfied, he sends the Mahto, who compktoa
the negotiations. The girl is produced before
him and her father says : — " I intend giving you to the son of so-and-
so. Are you Mtistied ? '* Generally the girl agrees, but someiimca
she nrfiiscs. In the bitter case the affair ends. If she agrres a date
is fixi*<l for the betrothal {$ukkdan), whan the boy's father, acoom*
panicil by the Mahto, makes over to the girl's father semi rupees in
caiih, t4'n ))ottles of liquor, a set of glass bangles (ckiiri), some red
lead, a set of ear ornaments (UfH), some oil, and five 9tr$ of butter
cakes (pmri). Then the fathers exchange platters of liquor as
described among Bhuiyas (psf«. 13). A marriage shed is erected at
both houses containing nine bamboos on the sides and a ftole of giddk
wood {Ihrditiekia 5ts4/4) in the centre. Xmr this is placed a jar
{kalsa) full of water mvered with a lamp saucer with a burning
wirk surroundM with some mrsd pulse. ITien follows the m^tw^ngarm
ceremony as deN*riU*tl among Bhuiyas (/v»f«. 14). The mother oC
tlv* bride or bridcgnMim, as the case may be, stands near the Baiga
an<l throws the border of her sh<vt over him as lu* digs the earth*
Ho {lasses five handfuls to her over his shoulder, and some maideii
of the tn)ri> brings it in the comer of her sheet and places it in the

OUASITA^ 416

marriage shed, and lays the sacred water jar over it. On that day
the anointing begins {kardi mtkna). It is b^an by the Brihman,
who takes up a little turmeric and oil with a bunch of the holy dub
grass and sprinkles it over the bride and bridegroonu Then the
women relatives anoint them vigorously^ and this is done five times
a day for three days. On the day the procession starts^ the mother
does the imli ff Aetna " or mixing of the tamarind, ^' as described
among Bhuiyas (para. 1 4) . Then she warns her son to behave nicely
to the relatives of the bride, not to take it ill if they play jokes on
him. " If you lose your temper your marriage wiU not come off. ^'
After this she kisses him on the head and sends him off accompanied
by music. As they approach the bride's village, her friends come
out to meet them {agwdnt), and at the bride's door her mother waves
over his head for good luck a rice pounder [muiar), some cowdung
and seed of the cotton tree (semal). After this they retire to the
place arranged for them (f'anwdnta), and the bride's father goes there
and washes their feet and invites them to dinner with the words
ai^usf ai^as ! Then the marriage is done. The bridegroom comes,
and, in the form of marriage by capture, drags out the faintly
resisting bride into the courtyard. They walk seven times round
the branch of the aiddh tree, and each time as they pass, her brother
pours a handful of parched rice into the fold {kkoinehkm) of the
bride's sheet, then the BrAhman puts five pinches of red lead
(sendnr) into the hand of the boy, who rubs it on the parting of the
bride's hair. After this her sister-in-law (bkanf'ai) comes and wipes
ofE as much of the dust as she can into her own sheet, and gets a pre-
sent of four annas. They then go into the retiring room (iokabar),
andthere each of them fills with rice a little earthen pot. If after
filling it once the rice overflows the second time, it is an omen of
good luck. The rice, it is needless to say, is pressed down the first
time and then filled in loosely. After this, indirect opposition to the
customs of the kindred tribes, the bridegroom at onccKSU'ries off the
bride to the Janvdnaa, where his clansmen are staying, and passes
the night with her in a shed arranged for the purpose. Next day
he takes her home. The day after they arrive, they go through the
ceremony of drowning the water jar [kaUi dubdna) as already
described among the Bhuiyas (para, 16j. The binding part of this
marriage cercniony (ckarhnuwu) is the payment of the bride-prioe
and the marking of the parting of the bride's hair with red lead.

417 eHASITA.

15. They have abo the form of marriage by exchange {^mrdwtii),

when two persons agree to exchange nsters.
Mr. Wcfltermarck calU this ''the simplest
way (»f purchasing a wife. ''^

IG. Like all these trilies the Qhasiyas are very lax in the disposal

of the dead. Many simply singe the faoe
and throw the corpse into the jungle, where
it is eaten by wild animals. Those who are more exposed to Hindu
influence cremate the adult dead. The corpse is cremated on a pyre
arranged near the bank of a stream : it is laid with the feet pointing
south. The chief mourner walks five times round the pyre, and
after throwing a small piece of gold on it sets it alight. After
bathing he ]>lant8 on the edge of the stream or tank a few stalks of
the jkurai grass.' Returning home all the mourners wash their
fivt ainl then touch some oil in which a flower of any variety has
Uvn placed. AfUT this tlu*y hit silent round the chief mourner for
an hr»ur. On the tenth day they go to the place where the grass
haK iKvn planted and sliave. On returning home the chief mourner
preM*ntH a turlan, jacket, and loin-cloth to the chief mourner, fay
whom the whole death ceremony is carried out. In the e%'ening the
clansmen are fed and the death impurity ceases.

17. On the lant day of the fortnight of the dead lpiir€pai$ia)

in the mtmth of Kuar, they plaster a place

AocMtnr wonhip. - • i • • i

under the eavea of the house, sprinkle some
flowers there, and lay out five leaf platters {dammm) containing all the
u^uaI f(MMl, iMiilcd T\i\\ meat, etc. Then they call out, "O ancestors,
take this and lie kind t4> our children and cattk*.''*

1^. They call tWrnHclvi^tt Hindus, but their Religion is of a very

irregular tyjw. They sometimea worship
Maliadeva with a Imrnt offering {iom). At
marriages i\u*y worship Dulha Deo. When they are cntting the
ri(v, tlM*y kwe a little uncut in ca<'h field, and when harvest ia done
<'Ut this, ckiui it, and Isiil it, and then offer it to the field gcddeH
Harivari Din-i, with a sa4*ritiM» of rvA cHiloured hens and cock.^ This
itfTcring is consunutl by the family of tlu* wonihi|»|ier. Thry abo

■ U%$tory of Human Miarrut/t, 9P0,
^ On thii COtttoin. ••« l>iy Ir, i^ira U.

* Fcir utb«r ••lanjilrs < f tin* t*^ H|M*tir9r. PtintiyUi of .*4Mno7*^y, 1, lU.

* Thii m^j |>rrhA|ff )•«» a relic of tlie c«»r«m(tffiy tir«mK««| bf tW Aslbrtf ..,•«
HIi.»tt, iiuikmrn^mhrnd H^UUmtni kt^ri^ ITf.qo^Ud hj I'mMr, iM^m H^if i^ I, ITS.

Vol ir. Sa

GHA8TYA. 418

worship the village bouBdary deify Srw&na (Terminns) with a goat,
some liquor and a thick cake {rot), the head of the goat and the cake
being the perquisite of the Mahto, who performs the worship.
Curiously enough in this worship they do not employ the Baiga.
On the sixth of the month Migh^ they worship an obscure tribal
god Chhat Baba— ''The lord of the sixth,'' of whom no informa-
tion can be obtained except that he appears to be some deified
worthy of the tribe. In Bhidon they have the tribal dance of the
Karama. Unmarried girls fast that day, and in the evening drink
liquor, dance, and indulge in rude debauchery. As already remark-
ed [pora, 5) this is the time when young couples arrange their
matches. In the month of Mdgh or Pus they have the Khichari
festival^ when they eat coarse sugar, a sweetmeat {chtlra)^ made
of rice and sesamum, and drink liquor. They do the Phagua in
the ordinary way, but do not Ught the HoH fire unless any of their
Hindu neighbours do so, when they join in the ceremony.

19. They are greatly in fear of evil spirits, which particularly

infest rivers, wells, or tanks, where a person

Various snperstitions. - ,, .

has been drowned, or trees, by a tall from
which a man has been accidently killed. They are propitiated by a
bumt offering {horn) and by pouring Hquor on the ground. They
have the usual omens and lucky days. They commence sowing on a
Friday, when the Baiga sets the example to the village. They swear
by the Granges, and by placing their hands on their sons' heads.
If they forswear themselves, they believe they die and contract lep-
rosy. They do not practice sorcery or witchcraft themselves, but
they believe in the evil influence of witches. This is reUeved by
passes {ihdrnd) done by the Baiga.

20. They do not eat beef or the flesh of the monkey, alligator,

lizard, rat, jackal, or snake. They eat fowls.

Social cnstoms. , . , i

goats, and pork, which last is not allowed to
women. The yuse liquor, smoking and chewing tobaooo freely.
They will not touch a Kayasth or Dhobi, or the younger brother's
wife ; nor will a male connection by marriage ($amdh%) touch the
mother of his son's wife or daughter's husband. Juniors salute se-
niors in the form known as pdelagiy and an old woman repUes,yijro
putra Idl'h baras ! " Live child ten thousand years !" They treat
jiG^ed relations and women well, and respect the latter for their powers

* A mull); liiixluti tLis is solcmuized on tho luflt day of Magb.

ghasita; ghasiyAra. 419 OHoai.

of work. They drad Btrangers and are very clannish among them-
velvet. Thej' work generally as groomB and ktvpew of clepliantg.
Their Boeial status is decidedly low, tliough as oom^iared with the
Bengal tribe, tliey are somewhat higher, as they do not eat beef.*
They will not do degrading occupations, amung which they consider
shu^niaking ditfres]H!ctable, and one who practises this trade is
deliarrcd from marriage in the caste. Dr. Ball notes that one of
tlH»ni refused to carry his dog in a basket.* No Uindu exoept
a Duni will cat fotxl touched by them.

Ohaaiyara, Ghasyara— (Sanskrit yi«f*«, "grass," kJraia
''occupied with*';.— Grass-cutters, merely an occupation. But a
few Muliainmadans so entered themselves at the last Census as a
K»i>arate lafcte. They have, of course, no connection with the Dravi-
dian (ilia^iyas.

Viitribuiion of (ie Ohaiydrat actordinf to the C€n$n$ of 1891.

DltTEICT.

Nnmb«r.

ShV(ij.ili4npur
Ootid* .
IWhriiicU

•i

Total . IM

Ghoti*— (Sanhkrit jf^oiko, root gkmik^ " to shout,*' as he herds
his cuttk*).— 'A triU^of Muhammadan henlsmen. There can he little
doubt tluit like the Oaddi most of ttiem are Ahirs who have been
oonvcrU^l to Ihlam. To the cmst of thi^ Province they claim a
(f ujar (»ngin ami profi-«s to be divided into three endogamous sub*
caHtiH — Lilar. C'h«>|iar, an<l (taddi Oujar. In North Oudh again thej
liave thnv endi»gaiiKiUH sub-caste« — Padhan or Pradhan ; (taddi and
Lala. The detaiktl Cefinuji liitUi give 1 1 1 sei*ti«As ; but it is at pre*
mmt irii|HHihible to di^tinguil»h tlu* exoganioua from the endugamoos
grouiw. Tiu-M'are of the tistal ty|H% some kxtil like Desw&li, Kanaa*
jiya, Magliadya, Puiab.ya ; antl otlM-n* folkiwing the names of

* Pa««<l %m •B^airiM al MiriApof mmI « ttoU Vj B4btt Btdri Nfttk, l>*p«|j Osl-

Vol. ll« tat

OHOsi. 420

well known castes and septs^ such as Baghela^ Behnaiy Chaudhariy
Chauhan, Gaddi, Gahlot, Gaur, Oual, Gn&lbans, J&dabansi, Pathin,
Rajput, Sayyid, Shaikh, Sadiqi, Tomar, Turk. The word Ghosi is
in &et rather vaguely used. In the PanjslW it is applied only to
Musalmans, and is often given to any cow-herd or milkman of that
rehgion, whether Gujar, Ahir, or of any other caste, just as Guala
is used for a Hindu cow-herd. In Lucknow the Ghosis have no
other employment but the keeping of milch cattle, chiefly buGEaloes
of all kinds, and they breed buffaloes. They sell milk to Halwiis,
and make inspissated milk {ikoa). The Gu&la, on the other hand,
is generally an Ahir or Gadariya, and keeps both buffaloes and cows,
and frequently cultivates some land. They seldom sell milk and
curds to Halwais. The Shirfarosh or DudhwSla is a still more gen-
eral term. They are of no special caste, but are generally Ahirs,
Lodhas, Kurmis, Gadariyas, Halwais, or Br&hmans.

2. The Ghosi conforms to the rules of Islam, but retains, Uke

many of these lower Muhammadan tribes, some

Manners and oastoms. tt'iii'i» i a' mi «

Umdu beliefs and practices. To the east of
the Province they say that the ancestor of the race was one Daya
Ram Gujar, who was in high favour with one of the Muhammadan
Emperors, and was by him induced to accept the &ith of Islam. He
was settled in the neighbourhood of Karra Manikpur, which they
regard as their head -quarters. They profess to follow the Sunni
sect, and to the east worship as their tribal deities the P&nchonpir,
Imam Sahib, andGhazi Miyan. To these they offer sugar and water
and cream. Like all Muhammadansthey bury their dead and wor-
ship the spirits of the sainted dead at the Shab-i-barat and 'Id. On
the former feast they offer the kalwa sweetmeat and cakes of wheat-
en flour ; at the Litter vermicelli (iiwaijudu), milk, and dates. In
North Oudh they worship Gorakh, Shah Madar, Sayyid Sal&r, and
Bliairon, besides various saints and martyrs (phyShahid). They em-
ploy Brahmans to fix the auspicious times for marriage and other
observances. To the east of the Province they will not eat beef nor
will they eat with any Muliammadans who consume it. This is
said not to he the case in North Oudh. They rank rather low in
the social scale, and are proverbial for their stupidity and for never
takinpr to any other occuimtion, but the care of cattle and dealing in
n ilk, buttxT, curds, etc.

J Panjdb Ethnography, para. 497: Hoey, Monograph, 104.

0H08I.

421

GIKDAUaiTA.

Uiiiribuiion of the Giosii according lo ike (7#i»««t of 1891.

DltTBlCTl.

Nombar.

DltTMICTS.

Nnmbar.

Dehn DAn

JhiDti . . . .

874

Sahiranpar

S.066

b«iuirM ....

Mauflarnaf^r .

817

Minapar

118

Me«»rat • . . •

763

Ballu . . . .

Bulandfhahr

; Gorakhpur

1*641

Alif^arh ....

488

'Haiti . . . .

830

Hiithiirft ....

187

1
Ataagarfa

Ajfn ....

118 Tarii ....

1.818

FarmkhAUd .

Looknow. ,

866

Euh ....

83 Ufi4o . . • •

Bareillj ....

RiA Barali

1,108

Bijnor

1.898 i Kheri ....

866

MorAdiUJ

4.180

FaiiAUa.

|/>68

Pilibhlt ....

Gooda «...

746

CairnpQr • • • .

881 ;

Bakriieh ....

1J70

Fateliptir ....

190 1

SultAnpnr

8.188

BAndA . . J

818

Partibfarh

646

AlUhiUa.

886 .

Birabaaki

Total

868

87.760

^^ % • »r^ ••

m •

\ » ■• .

• • . a

at marrapw, etc.). — A aniall iiub-cm«teof Uanj-ma, mnat numrroua in
Mwnit. Tiny worship Dvn, Mahadcn-m, Si^rmj Nariran, the Sun*
f(<Kllin^, aiifl Pan-aii, the unake. and Uie Gan^^, and hare a apocial
rtii|»ivt for the cow and the Pi|ial tmr. Siioie of them now huU land
aa Lmillonlii or tenanta, and live by Government or private fervioa.

6INDAI7BIYA.

422 Q0LAHE£; OOLAPl&BAB.

Distribution of Oittdauri^a Banya* aeeording to the Cemus of 1801.

DI8TEICT8.

Nnmber

DlBTBICTS.

Number.

Muzaffamagar .

Meerut . • • •

Bnlandsbabr

211

6,974

Bijnor • • • •

Mor&dAbftd

Allab&b&d

Total

686

lOQ

7,003

6olalir§ — {goloy "a grain mart"). — A small sab-caste of
Banyas foand only in Jhansi^ numbering 603. They are all
Jainas.

Golapurab.^ — An interesting caste of agriculturists found only
in the Agra District, where they occupy several villages in the
southern parganas, and a few in the northern pargana of Ihtimad*
pur. The fonner claim to be the earlier residents ; but they have
no traditions as to the period of their emigration. They are,
however, unanimous in fixing the village of Birthara, about 2S miles
south of Agra, as the head-quaiiers of their ancestors; and this
assertion is corroborated by the fact that one of their most influen-
tial gotras is called Birthariya, though they have been residing for
generations a long way from that place. The caste is known by no
other name than that of Golap(irab. In Khairagarh they attribute
their origin to Dholpur. According to Raja Lachhman Sinh, their
correct and original name seems to be Golak Purna Brahman, wfaieb
is equivalent to Golak Brahman or "bastard'' Brahman. The ad-
verb p4rna is often inserted between the two component parts of a
compound word, when periphrastically expressed in Sanskrit. As
for Gola, which is evidently a corruption of Golaka, " a bastard," it
is well known tliat the sons of concubines among the higher castes
are known as Gola or Chefa, and in Sholapur there is a tribe known
as (Jola, who say tliat they were originally Brahmans who were
degraded for killing cows. The triljal tradition which derives their

* Thin account ifi almost entirely based on a note by B4ja Laohhrnan
Botirod Deputy Collector, A|^a.

423 golapCrab.

name from the Rishi Oulava. who, accordinfif to the Ilanvansa^ wm
the son, and, according^ to the Mahahhilmtay the pupil of Visvamitra,
n»st8 on no authority, and no rtile of syllabic mutation would con-
vert the di»t«ci*n4lantH of Galava into (lulap&rab. This Rishi, some
SUV, wa.s marrieil to a low caste widow ; aecordin^^ to others to
Sukseni, the daufi^hter of the Chandraljans Raja Chandra Sen.

2. Raja Lachhman Sinh ^ves various reasons for believing that

the GolapQraljs are a spurions branch of tha
CunnecUcn jHth SanAdh Sanadliya Brihmans. Hi« argument is Ortt

that the villa^^es occupied by the two tribts
are cloK'ly intermixed ; secondly, that the namea of the ^oirss of
both are derivi^i from tiie names of villages occupied by thair
un<'ostor, and not, as am<»ng other Brahmans, from the namea
of their anei^tors or their titles. Several g^trai, again, notably
Birthariya, are «*ommon to both. Tliirdly, the customs and cera-
moniiiU of (iolapArabsc lot*ely resemble those of the Sanidhyaa.
BoUi wear tlie sacred coni {J^netf) and do not permit widow-mar-
ria*;e. l^nlike the* Sanailhyas, howo'er, they employ family prietta
[purokit), which implies that they are not pure Brahmans. Fourth*
ly, they will eat kaehchi from the hands of Sariadhj'as alone, and
from no other eastt^ or even trilie of Brihmans. Some of the
Ihtimailpur families attriltute tlieir origin to tlie village of Chitora,
whi(*h is said to lie somewhere south of Agra. They pi*rform the
tonsure {m^imfan) cerem<my under a ntm tree, which tlk*y consider aa
sa4*rt*d ait t Ik* pipat. ()f this custom they can give no explanation ;
but tlM>re are some Rijput clans whi«*h reverenoe the mim tiae, and
will, im no aix^ount, cut e%'en the smalU«t l»rani*h «if it. In Agra
tli«* names of the chii«f yo/raf of the caate are derived from thoae
of villagi*ii situated immediately roimd Birthaim, such aa Birthariya^
P.tiriha, Khosariya, Madheriya,and Badhiya. Their conDertion with
th«> Sanadhya Brihmans is also shown by the lisct that their priasia
are all «lrawn from that sul>-di\niuon uf Brahmans.

«H. At tik* same time tlieir sections, as given in the detailed
(Vnsiis lists to tik* numl#r «if 70, do not tend to establish their
Brahntaniral ori^nn, ami we finil »> trat^e of even the »t4krk namea
siu'h as Hharail«iaja. Ka«iya|ia, and ttk* Uke. On the contrary are
found l(H*ml terms such as Jaiswar, Mathnriya, or titU*» derived from
Hajput (»r other triU-s such as Cliauliin. Kaildiwiya. Panwir,
Kajput. Tluikur. or oivupational as (ihaskata, '* grass cutteia,^'
All thin decidedly weakens thair claim to Brihmanioal origin.

eOLAPtRAB. 424

4, Marriage of two sisters is permitted. Difference of belief is

no bar to inteimaniage. Generally polygamy
is permitted only when the first wife is barren
or unfit through some infirmity or disease for household work.
When there are two wives, the senior enjoys more respect than the
junior, who, however, naturally receives more of the affection of her
husband. Unless serious quarrels arise, the wives hve in the same
house. There is no fixed age for the marriage of males, but g^is are
almost always married before puberty, when they are about nine or
ten years old. The marriage negotiations are carried out by the
village barber and the family priest. The marriage is void in the
absence of the consent of the father or other legal guardian. No
physical defect subsequently ascertained can annul a marriage, and
divorce is prohibited. Bastards or the offspring of illicit connec-
tions are known as Dasa,^ and are not admitted to full caste rights,
and do not inherit. As a rule they follow the tribe of the father, and
only in very i*are eases that of the mother. Not only are illegiti-
mate children excluded from inheritance, but they are not admitted
to the domestic meals or to tribal feasts. Illicit connections involve
the excommunication of both parties. Widow-marriage and the
levirate are both prohibited.

5. There are no ceremonies performed during pregnancy.

During parturition neither the mother nor the
midwife must face the south. Some elderly
woman of the family, or in default of such a person, a hired woman
acts as midwife, and after deliverythe mother is attended by the
women of her own family. On the fifth or sixth day after the
child is bora is the Chhathi worship, and on the twelfth day the
Dashtaun. On the former the women of the family and iheir
neighbours sing songs, eat rice and sugar, and worship the goddess^
Shasthi, the protectress of children. On the Dashtaun food and
presents are given to Brahmans. The child-birth impurity rests on
the family until it is removed by the Dashtaun feast. There are no
special ceremonies in connection with twins.

6. The adoption ceremonies are of the normal type, as laid
,^. down in the Dattaka Mimansa and the

Adoption, initiation. -nw i /-.i i ., „« . •

Dattaka Chandrika. The regular mitiati<»i

* I>aiia and Bina, aa we have Boon in connection with some of the Bany* tribei^
mean '* the t«nB " and " the twenties/' the hitter claiming to be of blae blood.

426 oolapCrab.

coromony or iiivrstituro ci*iTnu>ny (^njnopatUa ) i8 pi»rforined
amon^ all " twict»-lM>ni '' csiHtet*.

7. Tlio inarrmifi* cfn*m(»nii*s van* liltlo, if at all, fn>in tliot4e

etirrt'iit anxm^ the higher ('aiitctt. Tlit* bridc-'t
fatluT or ^iianliaii hi'iulK a C(M*4)uiiut aim a
rujH»o <»r a ^oltl mukar to the brulejFpH»iii. If i\w*<* an* at^t-cpt*!!, the
IttrU'r who carrit*H tliem piitn a mark of naiulal ( roli ) <*ii tlk* tMiy'M
fon^hc;!*!, and placei* a t(\vi*ftiiu*at ( bai*thha ) and a U'tvl liaf in hin
mouth. This (vromony is kno\^n a«i lika, $tkkit^ or jaimt, Tlio
first nam<* it» dorived from tht* ntl forvhitul mark, tlie KtH'oud frt»m
the coin ukchI ok a ]>lt*d^e of lM*trothal, and tin* third is tht* fi'ast
Ijivcn to the ImrK-r at tin* hi»use of tla? hridi*jjnK>m. While tlu»
negotiations for tlu* betn»tbal are ^oin^ f*n tlu* Inrber niay visit the
hride^rtMimV house si*venil timt*s, but he will not eat there until
the mateh is finally settled. Tlie U'trotlial is not t^»mp!ete before
the Ciia ivremony, and aftiT this eeremony it ean lie annulled, first,
if eitlhT of the parties is found to be suffering from some 6t*riouB
disi'use ; Mrondly, if it ci»incs to lipht tliat they are within tlie prohi«
Ikited diHrrees ; tliinlly, when a doubt is raised as t4> tht* purity of
deseent of either |»arty. Ketn>tlial takes place any time liefore
marria^o. jji-neially when the jifirl is K»ven years «»f ajje. If the
b(*trotliaI is annulled tin* pn*s(*nts are Ubually rt^tuim'd.

^. Tlie a<iual marria^* eervmony is of tlu* normal typo. The
hindinir {nirtion of it is the nsptapa'it or walking K*ven Jimes rouiid
the hutchI fire. In moi»t eases now-a-<lays «>n]y six |»eramUilationift
are |ierformetl. Tlie «»uly ap|karent survival of niarriap* by cupture
is wliatis known as tlie *'d<Nir''or ** vt^tibuk* <vremony " {*imfwdta^
t^arotki ) in wliieh a nuH'k ii^rht ik i^rriul i»n by tlie reUtions 4if the
bride and bridi'trMuni. It is |K*rfornu<d at tlie diior of tlie bride's
hous4\ and tla» bridegroom is alway» girt with a sword while it is
going on.

9. The diwl are rremaU'd. Customs vary in different pbu\s.

as to tia* |Ni»ition in wliirli tlii* i-virpsi* is laitl
Di«|M««l <if the ti««d. , , • • I ' I *

f(ir eremation. In some plait's it is laid faiv

downwanls, in others ontia* Isu'k. The latter is tia* more p*neral.

Till* Ikad is ill H*me pkuv laid in tla* dire<'ti«»n of tlie ni»rtk, in

otlk«*r ti'Wnids the lu.uth The latter is in at*t*«inlaniv with the

ruli> of the Sliastra. If tla*re be a river vVm.* bv tla* aslies are oon*

t'i^iKil to it, while any fragnients «if Uiue whieh remain art* reserved

ti» lie thruwn into the (laiiges when a cunvenieut oi^irtunity oooors.

GOLAP^^BAB. 426

The fire is lit and the skull broken by the nearest relation of the
deceased. After disposing of the ashes if there be a river close by the
mourners return home.

1 0. Besides the ordinary srdddhay which is performed in honour

of deceased relations^ childless relations {opul,

Propitiation of the dead. . ^ ^ . ... i ,

a corruption of aputra) are propitiated by
performing the Eirtan ceremony. At this certain professional
Brahmans sing religious songs, and a feast is given to them. The
srdddha performed on the eleventh day after death is known as
EM dish t. or "directed towards this single deceased person
alone." The subsequent srdddhas are common to the whole body
of deceased relations. They are done either monthly on the day the
deceased died, or annually in the month of Kuftr (September-October).
Tliose who are paiticularly religious visit some holy shrine, such
as the confluence of two sacred rivers, or, in preference, Gaya, for
this purpose. In most \dllages there is a particular spot on the out-
skirts which is supposed to be haunted by the ghosts of deceased
relations, particularly those who have died childless or perished by a
\'iolent death. Some pieces of stone are thar representatives, and
these arc worshipped by women at marriages, when the bride goes
home with her husl^and, and at some other festivals. If there have
boeu a .sati in the family she is worshipped at the same time.^ Ti»
ordinary »rdddha is performed in accordance with the standard
ritual, and in all cases among Golapurabs, by the family prieet.

1 1 . The parents and the nearest relations in the direct line are

impure for ten days after the Irirth of a child.

Ceremonial impurity. m, i , • . i

ITie death impunty lasts for twelve or
tliirUvn days, and a woman in her menses is impure for four days.
In the first two cases the impurity is removed by a regular cere-
mony in which Brahmans are feasted ; in the third case the woman
purifies herself l)y bathing on the fifth day.

12. Golapflrabs invariably belong to the Vaishnava sect, and

employ as their priests Sanadhya BnUnnans.

Beligion. • i i i i «

In common with other and lower castes they
worship the xnllage godlings, Chamunda Devi, a form of Durga,
Pathwari Devi, who is the guardian of roads [patka) and the protec*
tress of travellers. Ilardco Buudela, the cholera god ling; Sitala, the

1 At the Iai<t CenPUH 8,533 porsona soatterod all oyer the proTinod reo«rd«d
themaelvca as Sati woruhippers.

427 qolapOrab.

god(lo88 of gmall-pox ,^ mm\, Bhumiya, the gfiiartlian of the village
B\tc. Cows and ImliookB are wrtrnhipiK'd on the Govanlhana day in
th(* middle of Karttik (Oc*toU*r-Novenilier), and horses at the Dasahra
in Kuar ( Si*pteniU*r-OeU»b(T). The animals are smeari'd with
colours^ and are ^iven a special feed of i^i^i^- ^^ only mtana of
propitiating the gfhosts of the dead is by the ordinary itiddka.
Tliey U'lieve in dreamt and visions in which the spiritu of the
dejtarted apiK^r to their relations, and there are certain places which
are («]Kviallv liaunted hy malignant ghostn, which very often appear
in animal forms, such as those of the dog, cat, buffalo, etc. The
appi'arance of such malignant ghosts is generally understood to
imply tliat their obsequies have not been duly performed ; and this
can be remedied by a performance of the srdddAa, or pilgrimage to
(iaya, and by erect ing a tomb or platform in the name of the deceased,
or by planting one of the varieties of fig tree {pipml, bar^ gdUr)
in his h<»n<mr. The ghoste of persons who have died childless are
much dreaded and are kni»wn as tftf/, or those who have ni^m* to pour
water for their refreshment in the world of the dead. The only
tnuf of special tree worship is the N^neration felt by some of the
gvlran for the nim tree. llu*y believe in astrology and tht* influence
of e>nl stars : thes«* are propitiated ljy worship (pdja \ and by givin|[^
f(MKl and pretients to the low class of astrologer Brahmans, known
ah Kliaiblri. Bharara, Parokhiya, or Dakaut. They lielievi* in the
UMtial meeting omens. When a first child dien, the next l^iby b
given an opprobrious name as a protect ir^n against the Kvil Eye
an<l deiii(»niacal influenc^e generally. Such names are Tinkauri or
Parhkauri (** liought for three or five cow rites'' ) ; Kanc^hheda (''ear-
piiTeeil), Nathiia, Nak«'liheil. Chhidda, (" nost^pieiccd '') ; Bhika or
Bhikari ( " U^ggar " ); ChhiUriya, Gha«ita, Kadhera (" one put in
a lAKket imnutliately after Urth and dragged aliout the house '^ ;
(fhasi (<<eh(«p as graM''); Jhiu (" valuekis as tanuuisk'') ; Phiba
(*' i*h4«p as straw'') ; Mi*nda (" one taken immediately after birth
and partly buried on the boundary of the field a* if it were already
dtiMl ">; C'huri (*' thr«>wn on th» dung-hill '') ; NakU (" withont a
iioM* "), and m» on. Tlii>e prai*ti<^e» are rarely i*niployed in the
of girU, who are ronritlered naturally protected.

I At th« '.A*t Cfbtto*, llV.ia^ p<foi rtcunUJ iti— imU— •• ttorsLipptrs ti

OOLAPtBAB. 428

13. The common forms of oath are — swearing in a temple, by

holding Ganges water in the hand or touching

Oaths* , "

the idol, by the leaf of a jpipal tree, by the
sacred cord of a Brahman, by going seven paces in the direction of
the Ganges, by touching the forehead of a Br&hman, by jBwearing
with son or grandson in the arms. The last oath, if taken falsely,
is supposed to cause the death of the child in a &w days. Violation
of the other oaths brings sickness of men and cattle, plague and
pestilence, loss of ci'ops, and so on.

14. The control of witches and other forms of demoniacal
_ , agency is in the hands of the Sy&na or " cun-

Domonology*

ning man.'^ He is called in .in cases of sick-
ness and smokes some tobacco which has been touched by the sick
man since the attack began. This causes him to fall into a state of
ecstacy, in which he mutters the name of the evil spirit which is
attacking the patient, and suggests the proper means of propitia-
tion. The Syana generally has a private devil or two of his own,
which he lets loose to pursue the evil spirit which is afflicting his
patient. The office of Syana is not confined to any special caste :
any one may undertake the duty if he learns the appropriate spell
[mantra) from some teacher (^f#f«), or by intensity of devotion
reduces an evil spirit into his power. Some people learn the inter-
pretation of dreams from the special printed manuals on the subject.
Any tiling valuable is liable to the Evil Eye, because malignant people
covet its possession. The best means of obviating it is to throw
grains of the small mustard irat) salt and bran into the fire. Great
care is taken of substances, such as clippings of the hair, fragments
of the nails, etc. These if allowed to lie about may get into the
hands of some witch and enable her to obtain influence over the
original owner.

15. Meat of all kinds is prohibited food, and so are onions,

garlic, and turnips. They will eat with no
caste which they consider lower than their
own, and will not touch a Bhangi, Dhobi, or Cham&r : Khattks and
Kanjars are aiho held in abhorrence. A man should not mention
by name his Haja, his Guru, his father, elder brother, eldest son, or
father-in-law. Similarly women should not name their husbands,
mother-in- law, or the wife of the husband's elder brother. If a
Kaja is mentioned it is Rajaji, the Guru as Guruji, the father as
Kakaji, the eider brother as Bhaiyyaji, the eldest son as Lallu or

429 OOli kVtRAB.

Nanhfl. For other senior re'ations they um a periphrasis^ calling
them " the son o£ so-and-so " or *' the father of so«and-so/'

16. A Brahman is always consulted as to the most propitious

day for lie^inninir to plouph, sow, or reap.

AgricoltunJ beliefs. _, • . i *%

The most important operation is the first
plou^hinf^ after the first fall of rain. This is known as kalaiin
Una, The time is fixed by the Pandit, who also names the member
of tlie family who should drive it, and in which dire<'tion it should be
worked. A shower is unlucky if it &li on the first day of the li^ht
half of Jeth (May- June), and at midnight on the fifth of Siwan
(July-Auprnst). These indicate a bad rainy season. Rain on the
Heventh of Sawan is lucky, and thunder on the seventeenth of Jeth
in ronsidcred propitious. Vegetables and <»ther more N-aluable crops
are protected from the Evil Eye by subpending a black }>ot in the
field.

17. Inhere is no special kind of food allowed to men and pro-

hibited to women. When a person is initiated
into any of the Vaishnava sects (iHrw^iakk'
nk'i Unt^ gufumukh hona) he is ob*ige<l to aljandon the use of one
jiartirular kind of f<K>l or frait. Women do not eat with men, and
youn«^ children, who are re^ardtnl as impure becaune they tmch dirt
and eat without reganl to eabte rules, are not allowtnl to enter the
c« oking plat^e [ek.iukm) of the ailult males of tiie £|^ily. All the
men eat together or a|iart as is found moht convenient. At the
<*ommencemi*nt of meairt ofTenngs are maile to the deities, and those
who are htrict and in a p>hition to (»)Kser\'e tlie religious nikv, per-
form wliat is known as the rai^watitva ^'tJ¥a, ^liich consists in
cmhting a little of the f(M)d as an offering to the deities at the com-
menc^emont of a meal. Others mert»ly rejHut the wonls Ai'/Vfe
TkakHfji M^kdrdj, ** \\e pl<*a»ed Great Ii<»nl to accept our offering."
The smoking of gdnja is (considered disreputable ; against (»hanp and
opium theie is no prohibition; anyone drinking spirits is excom-
municatttl.

IS. Eldrrs, Rrahmanb. and men of rank an* entitleil to a salute

fmin ail males. The salute to a Brahman is
the wonl PdlJtj'tn ; *• I tourh thy livt ' to a
lUjput JukAr or .l/»7**'a, ar.d toothers Ram ! Kiim .' or the name of
tl»e ]«krtlriiliir doity w«»rhhip|MNl by the ]vrH»n nuikin;; tlk» halute.
Pethons of mnk an* givMi tlie highe-it plaice at a feast or social
nii'eting* If a superior and inferior Imppen io sit (»n tlie same cot.

qolap^rab; goli. 430 gond; goxr.

the former sits at the head and the latter at the feet. They will eat
kachch i roti or food cooked without ghi, with no one but a Sanadh
Brahman, and they will eat ^ahhi roti with no one lower than a
barber.

19. The Golapiirabs are a purely agricultural caste, and are one

of the most industrious peoples of the pro-

Ocoupation. . , .. i , i

vince, and the women are particularly noted
tor their excellence in domestic work.

Bistrihnliofi of the Golapiirabs according to the Cen$ui o/ l%9l.

Distsicta.

Agra

Etah

Total

Males • • •

Females • •

Numbers.

Goli. — A caste shown at the last Census only to the number of
21 in the Muzaffarnagar District. As far as can be ascertained
they are really only a sub-caste of Luniyas. The detailed Census
Returns give only one section, Kaprahti.

Oond ; Gonr. — Probably meaning an " inhabitant of Grauda^' or
Western Kosala; according to Mr. Hislop from the lelegu. Konda,
''a hill.'' Dr. Oppert^ suggests that the names of tiibes with the
first syllable Ko or Go, such as the Kodulu, Konda. Gonda, (}anda,
Kurava, etc., are derived from the Grauda Dravidian root Ko^
Konda, etc., in the sense of "mountain." In the Census Returns
under the name Gond two quite distinct classes of people seem to be
mixed up, — the true Gonds of the Central Indian bill country, and
the Gonr of the Eastern Districts of these Provinces, who is usually
clabised with tiie fishing tribes of Eahar and Mallab and is a domes-
tic servant, stone-cutter or grain-parcher. In the detailed Census
Returns the sections of these two distinct tribes are inextricably
mixed up together and defy analysis,

' Original Inhahilanii oj Bhaf€Aavar»Ka, 13.

< ■ '

■; » I ■■».■.

r. A • '

. \ I" '..}\** 1...:: *•'•! I :'

■ 1 1 ] k: .1- - I* • • i . . -•• I

■I- : ' * f

'■'..;' \ ii \ h^a'" or

.' .■ .;• ■ ••^■ • i* '. !•' . ^^ iT '. :h-'

]** ' ■ - * ■'■'^ '" ^*-'

• ■ ' . 1- ■ ' . ' :■ ■-. •..•y. !• ii

1- ' . '■ I '• .1 ...

. J -. ;. ■ .1

• ■

I* •

•• •!.. '

• .1 , • -
I .- 1 1 ■ ■ .

431 OOND ; QONB.

2, Of the Central Indian Gondi there are very few in tbete

Provinoas exoept in Jhansi and Lalitpur.
Th« Central Indian flut as will be se«n from the aeocmnt of the

U<*IMlt«

Manjhis and Kharwars of South Mirzapafi
they are almost certainly an offuhoot from the great Ooiid raee, and
still preserve much of the tribal organisation of the real Gouds
aloti^ the Hills to the wt-st. According to Mr. Hisk>p> the true
Ootids divide tliemMlves into twelre and-»-half castes or class* s in
imitation of the Hindus. These are Raj Gond ; Raghuwal ; Da*
dav«; Katulya; Patial ; Dholi ; Ojhyal ; Thotyal ; KoiUbhutal ;
Koikopal ; Kolam ; Madyal, and an inferior sort of Padal as tlie
half coste. The first four, with the sddition, aecordinir t<» some,
of the Kolam, are comprehended under the name of Koitor, the
Gond par ereeiience.

3. The only branch of the tribe which seems to exist under

this name in these Provinces is the Raj

The BAj Oood«. *

Oondy some of whom are reported to exist
in the Jhansi District. They are divided into the following sretions
{go^ra) :— Soham; Chagaba; Markam; PosAm ; Koram ; Dewar,
which are exogamous. Of the Kij Gonds Mr. Hislop writ«*s:—
''The Rsj (fondh are so called iMHsame they have furnished from

tlieir numbr most of the fumili«'S who have attainid to roval

•

piiwer. They are widrly spread over the plains and mountaiits of
the Pri»vim*«' of NAg|»ur, and mie found in Berar and tlie jun^rle
s«»uth of the Warda, a** well as those north of the Xarbsda. The
Rsgliuwal and Dadavd are m(»re limited m their range, being ci'n-
finrd print'ipally to the District of Chhindwara. Thrs«> thrt<e
cbudieti generally devot** lhrm»(*lves to agiiculture. llwy eat with
ea4*h other, but do n4>i intermarry. The Katulya, though not a
very numerous ebus in ngard to individuals, is extensively scatter*
rd. it iiichiJes all those wh*>, originally belonging to one or other
of the preceding Koitor classes, have begun tooonform t4> the Hindu
relipou ami to a|)e Hindu manners. ProfsMiing to be Kshatriyas,
they have invest^ themselves with a sacred thread, and make great
efTnrts to get the «*laim allowed by contracting marriage with needy
RAJinit brides. With scrupulous exactness they perform the pre-
scrilied aMuti(»ns of their adopted faith, and carry their passii>n ta€
puritkatioti do far as to have their faggota duly sprinkled with water

GOND ; GONB. 432

before they are used for cooking. At the time of dinner if a stranger
or a crow come near them the food is thrown away as polluted.
These practices, which other Koitors regard with profound contempt,
are gaining ground among the rich. It was only one or two genera-
tions ago that the Zammdar or petty R&ja of Khairagarh, the pre-
sent Ijearer of which title still carries in his features unmistakeable
traces of his Gond origin, was received within the pale of Hinduism ;
and similar transformations, though at a more distant date, seem to
have been undergone, by the royal dynasties of Bastar, Mandla, and
various smaller principalities. The tendency to claim connection with
Rajputs is not peculiar to ambitious Gonds : it prevails among the
]3hils of Malwa, and is not unknown to the wandering Kaik&dis of
the Dakkhin, both of whom boast of being Yadavas or Panwirs, or
some equally highborn section of the Kshatriyas.'^ Exactly the
same is the case with the Kharwars of Mirzapur, one of whom has
in quite recent times blossomed into a Rajput and invented a clan,
the Benbans, for himself. He has succeeded in marrying into a
clan as respectable as that of the Chandel.

4. Of the physical appearance of the Gonds Mr. Hislop writes :

— " All are a little below the average size of

^^^of Tbo Sfnd*?''*'® Europeans, and in complexion darker than

the generality of Hindus. Their bodies are
well proportioned, but their features are rather ugly. They have a
roundish head, distended nostrils, wide mouth, thickish lips, straight,
black hair, and scanty beard and moustache. It has been supposed
that some of the aborigines of Central India have woolly hair ; but
this is a mistake. Among the thousands I have seen I have not
found one with hair like a Negro. A few, indeed, have curly locks,
as a few Britons have ; ])ut I have not met with one inhabitant of the
forest who exhibited any marked resemblance to the African race.
On the contrary, both their hair and features are decidedly Mongo-
lian.^^ ^' Their women/' writes Captain Forsyth,* ^* differ among
thems?olvps more than do the men of these races. Those of the
Gonds are somewhat lighter in colour and less fleshy than the Kor*
kus. Bui the Gond women of different parts of the country vary
greatly in appearance, many of them in the opener parts near the
plains being great robust creatures ; finer animals by far than the
men, and here Hindu blood may be fairly expected. In the inte-

1 Highlands of Ceniral India, 156.

488 €K>ND ; OOKR.

rior, ftgiun, bevies of Oond women may be seen who are liker monkejs
than human beings. The features of all are strongly marked and
coarse. The girls occasionally possess such comeliness as attaches
to general plumpness and a good-humoured expression of face ; but
when their short youth is over, all pass at once into a hideous age.
Their hard lives, sharing as they do all the labours of the men,
except that of hunting, sufOce to account for this. They dress
decently enough, in a short petticoat, often dyed blue, tucked in
between the legs so as to leave them naked to the thigh, and a
mantle of white cotton covering the upper part of the body, with a
fold thrown over the head. The most eastern section of the Kor-
kus add a boddice, as do some of the Hinduised Gonds. The Oond
women have the legs as far as they are suffered to be seen tattooed
in a variety of fantastic patterns, done in indigo or gun-powder blue.
The Pardhans are the great artists in this line, and the figures they
design are almost the only ornamental art attempted by these tribes.
It is done when the girl becomes marriageable ; and the traveller will
sometimes hear dreadful shrieks issuing from their villages, which
will !« attrilmted to some young Oondin being operated upon
with the tattooing needle. Like all barbarians, both races deck
themfielves with an inordinate amount of what they consider orna-
ments. Quantity rather than quality is aimed at; and both arms
and legs are usually loaded with tiers of heavy rings, in silver
among the more wealthy, but, rather than not at all, then in brass,
iron, or coloured glass. Ear and noserings and bulky necklaces of
coins and beads are also common ; and their ambrosial locks are
intertwined on State occasions with the hair of goats and other
animals/'
6. The following account of Oond domestio ceremonies by a
I>aBMttc ntM-MM^ writer in the Cemiral Pro9imce9 Gaseih may
"•*•• be quoted, as the book is rare : — " Some of

the Oond ceremonies are peculiar. 1 hus, they have seven different
kinds <if marriages, some much more binding than others, but all
supposed to contain a suflicient quantum of matrimonial lanctity
abr>ut them. The first and surest is when a G<*nd wants to marry
his daughter, he first looks for a huslrimd among his sisteHs chiklren,
as it is considered the proper thing fur first cousins to marry when*
ever such an arrangement is possible ; though, strange to say, Iha

■ FBiSfie,M.

Vol. II. i 8

gond; ookb. 434

rule is only thought absolutely Iwding wfaeH the brother's child
happens to be a girl, and the sister's a boy. Evea in the opposite
case, however, it is very commonly done, as by so proyiding^ for a
relation for life, the man is said to have p^iormed a Tery ri^it
and proper act. Another reason is that less expense is entailed in
marrying a relation than the daughter of a stranger, who in apt to
be more exacting. Among the poorer classes who can afEord do
money as a dower, the bridegroom serves the bride's &ther £or perioda
vaiying from seven or eight months to three years, or sometime
more, according to arrangements made by the parents. When the
children are ten or eleven years old, a committee of the village elders
is generally held, and the term of apprenticeship decided ; the term
of service being usually somewhat longer when the youth is serving
his uncle for his cousin, as relations are iK)t supposed to exact so
much work from the Lamjina. The youth lives in one of the out*
houses, and has to perform all the menial work of the household^
l)oih in the house and in the field. During his period of probation
he is forbidden to hold any intercourse with the girl.

6. '' Anotlier dchcnption of mai'riage is when the woman makes
her own match, and declining the husband provided for her by her
relatives, inns away with the man of her choice. A case of this
sort Bcldom happens. It is, however| quite recognised among the
(iondH tliat the women have the right to take their own way if they
have the courage ; and the elders of the village in which the man
resides generally endeavour to arrange matters to the satisfaction
of l)oth pailies. Connected with this is compulsory marriage. Even
aft^n* the girl has run away from her father's house, and taken up
her rc^hidenee in the house of the man of her choice, it is quite
allowable for the man she has deserted to assert his rights to her
person by carrying her ofE by force ; in fact not only is this right
allowed to the deserted lover, but any one of the girl's first cousins
may forcibly alxluet her and keep her for himself, if he has the
power. Once carried off, she is kept in the house of her captor,
carefully wateheil, until she finds it useless to attempt to resist, and
gives in. Occasional ly where the girl has made what is considered
an objeetioiiable match with a pooraian, who has few friends, abduc^
tions of this sort are successfully carried out; but, as a rule, they are
not attempted. The last form is for very poor people^ or girls
with no relations. In the latter case she selects some man of her
awiuaintaiice, nn-l ^oin*,^ to his house takes up her abode there.

435 €K>in>; QOKE.

He signifieB his aooeptance by patting on her arms banglet {cMrH
and giving a small feast to the village etden. Sometimes ha objects^
if the woman is useless or of bad character ; but he gets little redresa
from the elders ; and unless be can induoe some other man to taka
her off his hands he is generally supposed to be bound to keep the
woman. As, however, the women are usually good labourers, and
well worthy of their hire, a man of property addom raises any ob-
jection, and the women, too, are usually sufficiently worldly-wiaa to
choose for their keepers men &irly well*to-do/'

7. ''^Vidows are expected to re-marry, and the Oond customs

provide for their re-marriage in two ways.

The first consults sunply m the woman
proceeding to the house of the man she has agreed to live with
after her husband^s death. The other is where the younger brother
marries his elder brother^s widow, which he is expected to do by
the custom of the tribe, unless the widow should inxint on making
some other arrangi»ment for hi'melf. The ceremony in both tha
casi*s consists simply of a presentation of Ijangles by the husband to
the wife, and a feast to the village elders. Elder brothers am
n* it allowed to marry the widows of their younger brothers. Tha
only limit to the number of wives a Goiid may have is his means
uf supp<»rting them.

8. '* Cremation is considered the most honourable mode of dia*
. P^^i^? <>' ^hc dead, but being axpenAva ia

very seldom resorted to, except in the caaa
of elders of the tnbe. The rule is that, if possible, men over fifty
should lie burtiul ; but as those wild tribes have no means of telling
the agt*s of their fricMids, it results that all oU men mte bamk
Women arc al^-ays buried. Formerly the Uonds usud to buiy tiMir
Aemd in the houses in which they dicil, just deep enough to prevani
their being dug up again by the dogs ; now they ha%ie geneially
some place, set apart as a burial-gnmiid near the village. Their
fuiieml ceninonies are very few ; the grave is dug so thai the head
sliall lie to tlie stiuth and the feet to the north ; the idea being thai
tla* dctxttscd has g«»ne t4> the home of the deities, which is supposed
t*) U* iHinu-where in the north ; but the Ootids do not apfiaar to hava
any real theory as regards an after-life, or the immortality of tha
soul. 'I hey sivm t«) consider that man is bom to Uve a ceitain
number of years on the earth, and, having fulfilled his time, to dia«
apjicar. When tha Cather of a family dies, his spirit is suppofad lo
Vol II. iaa

OOND ; GONR. 436

haunt the house in which he lived until it is laid. The oeremonjr
for this purpose may be gone through apparently at any time after
death, from one month to a year and-a-half^ or even to two years.
During that period the spirit of the deceased is the only object of
worshipr in the house. A share of the &mily food is set aside for
him, and he is supposed to remain in the house and watch over its
inmates. After his funeral, when, if the relatives can afEord it, they
clothe the corpse in a new dress, a little turmeric «nd a pice is tied
up in a cloth, and suspended by the Baiga to one of the beams of the
house ; there it i^emains till the time comes to lay the spirit, which is
done by the Baiga removing the cloth and offering it, with a portion
of the flesh of a goat or a pig, to the god of the village ; a feast is
given to the relations and elders, and the ceremony is complete.''

9. In Jhansi they worship all the ordinary Hindu gods, Mahar-

_, .. . deva, Bhaw&ni, B^a, Krishna, Mahabir,and

Hardaul ; but their special tribal ddty is Oonr
Baba, who is apparently one of the deified worthies of the tribe;
They seem to have become completely Hinduised : cremate their dead^
throw the ashes into the Ganges or one of its tributaries, and employ
the ordinary village Brahmans in their domestic ceremonies.

10. In theii' real home the number of their deities seems every-
where to differ. Mr. Ilislop says that he could never get any one
man to name more than seven. The best known are Dulha Deo,
Narayan Deo, Suraj Deo, M&ta, Devi, Bai-a Deo, Khair Miia, Th4-
kur Deo and Gansyam Deo. Besides these, the Gond peoples the
forests in which he hves with spirits of all kinds, most of ihexa vested
with the power of inflicting evil, and quite inclined to use their power.
To propitiate these he sets up a shiine (pdl) in spots selected either
by himself or by his ancestors, and there performs certain rites,
generally consisting o£ small offerings on certain days. These
shrines are sometimes merely a bamboo with a piece of rag tied to
the end, a heap of stones, or perhaps only a few pieces of rag tied to
the branches of a tree. However, the spirit is supposed to have
taken up its abode there, and, in consequence, on the occasion of
any event of importance happening in the Gond's &mily, the spirit
has his share of the good things going, in the shape of a little spirit
and possibly a fowl sacrificed to him. In Mandla Thakur Deo is
supposed to represent especially the household deity, and to preside
over the well being of the house and farmyard ; he has no special
residence, but lias the credit of being omnipresent, and is oonse-

487 OOND ; OONR,

qoently not represented by any image. In RImgarfa, too, this deity
is held in great reverence ; but there he is suppoiied to occupy more
than one shape. One village in the Shahpur Ta'aloqa is snid to be
very highly favoured as one of the residences of their deity. Captain
Ward was shown there a few links of a roughly forged chain which
the superstition of the people had gifted with the power of volun-
tary motion; this chain looked very old, and no one could say how
long it had been at Jata ; it was occasionally found hanging on a
itr tree, sometimes on a stone under the tree, at others in the bed
of a neighbouring stream. At the time of Ca{itain Ward's visit it
was on a stone under the tree, from which it was said to hare
descended four days before*. Each of these movements is made the
occasion for some petty sacrifice, of which the attendant Baiga
reaps the benefit, so that it is, of course, his ad%-antage to work on
the credulity of the Gonds ; he does not appear, however, to abuse
his power, as these movements only occur about once in four months ;
so that the Oonds can hardly complain of being priest-ridden to
any extent."

1 1. The following account of Gansyim Deo may be compared
with what has been elsewhere said about this deity. ^ "Throughout
the greatet part of Ramgarh, and also in parts of Mandia, Gan*
syim Deo is held in great reverence, and about one hundred yards
from each village where he is in favour, a small hut is built for him.
It is generally of the rudest material, with little attempt at orna-
mentation. A bamboo, with a red or yellow flag tied to the end,
is planted in one comer, an old withered garland or two is hung
up, and a few blocks of rough stone, some smeared with TermiKon,
are strewn about the place, which is thus especially dedicateil to
Gansyam Deo. He is considered the protector of the crops, and in
the month of Kirttik (November) the whole village assembka at
his shrina to worship him : sacrifices of fowls and spirits, or a pig
occasionally, according to the sixe of the village, are offersil, and
Gansyim is said to descend on the head of one of the w<mhip|iers»
who is suddenly seixed with a tort of fit, and wJttm staggering
about for a httle, rushes ofT int4> the wildest jungles, mhers, the
popular theory is, if not pursued and brought Ladi, he wouM inevi*
tabiy die of starvation, a raving lunatic ; for as it is, after being
brought back, he does not recover his senses for one or two days.

gond; gonk.

438

60RITA.

The idea is that one man is thus singled out as a scapegoat for the
sins of the rest of the village/*

Distribution of the Gonds according to tie Cemun of 1891,

Districts.

Dhuriya.

Jetwant..

Others.

TOTAf..

Cawnpnr •

•••

Bftada

■ »«

•«•

, 166

160

Allahibftd .

• w

€

Jbftnsi

••-•

• ••

J&laan

••'

• • •

Lalitpur •

) t

•••

• ••

625

626

Benares • *

» <

11,363

1.407

12,779

Mirzapur •

8,368

• ••

493

8,861

Jaunpnr .

2,171

•••

• ••

2,171

G^iAzipuT •

( i

6,976

6,407

1,926

141,309

Bftllia

•

1,227

2p,868

4,200

•

28,735

Gorakhpur

7,431

38,603

1,960

47,884

Azamgarh

4,586

•••

4;387

8,972

Ud&o

•••

•

• ••

Babr&ioh •

• • •

Total

41,138

68,278

16,088

124,504

Goriya, Guriya.— A fishing and cultivating caste of the East-
cm Districts, in all respects analogous to the Gonrhi or Ghinrhi of
Bihftr.^ They are usually treated as a sub-caste of MallAh. They
correspond closely to the other allied castes in manners and customs ;
but their women are said to bear an indifferent character — a state
of things naturally resulting in a caste the male members of which
ai-e compelled by the nature of their occupation to absent themselves
from home for long periods. Their tribal gods are the P&nchonpir.
'' Some again worship a water god called Koila JMha, described as
an old grey-bearded person, who, as Ganga ji ka beldar, ' the navvy

1 For whom see BUley, Tribet and Ca$Us, I, 294, sqq.

GORITA. 439 GOVIKDPANTHi; 6UJAK.

of our Imij the Osnges ^ mqm mnd swallows up whatever oppowi
the Miered stream. Before castinfif a new net or starting on a com-
mereial venture, offerings of mohsscs and se\'en kinds of grain^
kneaded into balls, are offered to him, aiid at the end of the oere»
monj one of the balls is placed on the edge of the water, another
on the bow of the boat. Another rite common to many, if not to
all fisher castes, is the Barwariya or Barahi PAja, when a subscrip*
tion is made, and in the alisenoe of a Br&hman a pig is sacrificed in
a garden or on a patch of waste land outside a village. Jay Sinh,
Amar Sinh, Chand Sinh, Dayal Sinh, Kewal, Marang Bandi,
Ooraiya, and a ri\'er named Kamalaji, arc regularly worshipped.
Jay Sinh, who is also a favourite deity of the Tiyar caste, is said to
have been a Gonrhi of Ujjain who had a large timber trade in the
Sundarihan. On one o(t*asion the Raja of the Sundariban im-
prisoned 700 Oonrhis in coniiequencc of a dispute about the price of
wood. Jay Sinh slew the Rilja ami released the prisoners, and has
ever since been honoured with daily worship. Ooats, sweetmeats,
wheaten cakes, ^</« nf/hiri and flowers are offered to him at regu-
lar intervals, and no Oonrhi will light a pipe or eml*rk on a fichtng
excursion without first invoking the name of Ja^ Sinh. Once a year,
in the month of Sr^van, a flag is set up in honour of Hannman on a
bamboo pole in tlie courtyard, and offerings of sweetmimts and
fruits are presented to the god. These offerings are ivcei%*ed by the
Brfthmans who ofRciate as priests, while the articU*s of food given to
the minor gods are eaten by the memliers of the cahte. Tlie dead
are buried, usually on the brink of a river, mmI the ai^hea thrown
into tlie stream. In Sui^al the practice is t^i iNim in a mango grovo.
SrJM^it is p(«rformed on the thirteenth day after death.'^^

Govindptiithi, Oobindpanthi.'— A Vaisbnava sect whose
adherents at the last Census numbered 4,605 persons. It waa
fr>undi*il by Govind DAs, a mendicant Imried at Ahrauli, in the
FUzih^l District, in whose h«>nour an anmuil fair, attemled by
several tliousand wt^rshippers, is held in thi* month of Aghan.*

Odjftr» Ol^ar*^An important agricultural an«l pastorai trilie
found principally in the Western District!!. Thfy take their name

> Bial«7. lot, cit.

« Cmsut §Upori, Ni^rth'Wesi^m Pm^iw^'ri. 5IA.

* Rii»d OQ Botot r«r«ive«l fr« m Mr. F. W. Hr\>wBhfff, C.R. SolUnpvr : Kavib
MaKAa«iMd Ali KUq. HalaiiathAhr . Bilm Taritti Ob*iuifm tf MjAl, Haad MmUt,
High 8o1mm>I, HfthAnuipw : thm Dvpvty ImpttUr of aelhwl*, M Mrak

GtjAR. 440

from the Sanskrit Ourjara, the original name of the ootmtry now
called Gujarat. The current derivation from gd4^kafdma ''to
pasture cattle *' cannot be accepted ; as a cariosity of folk etymology
it may be added that some derive it from the fact that the tribe
once took to feeding their cattle on carrots {gdjar) . The traditions
of the tribe give little information as to their ori^n or history,
fiy one legend current in the Fanjab they claim descent from a
certain Nand Mihr^ who is perhaps Nanda, the foster father of Krish-
na^ who was raised to distinction because he slaked the thirst of
Alexander the Great with a draught of buffalo milk. They are
identified by General Cunningham^ with the Koshan or Ynchi or
Tochari^ a tribe of Eastern Tartars. ''About a century before
Christ their Chief conquered Kabul and the Peshiwar country ; while
his son, Hima Eadphises, so well known to the numismatologist,
extended his sway over the whole of the Upper Panjib and the banks
of the Jumna as far down as Mathura and the Vindhyas, and his
successor, the no less familiar King Kanishka, the first Indo-Scy-
thian Buddhist prince, annexed Kashmir to the kingdom of the
Toehari. These Toehari or Kushan are the Kaspeirsei of Ptolemy ;
and in the middle of the second century of our era^ Kaspeiray
Kasyapura or Multan was one of their chief cities. Probably about
the beginning of the third century after Christ, the attack of the
White Huns recalled the last king of the united Yuchi to the West^
and he left his son in charge of an independent Province, whose
capital was fixed at Peshawar ; and from that time the Yachi of
K&bul are known as the Great Yuchi, and those of the Panjab as the
Kator or Little Yuchi. Before the end of the third century a por-
tion of the Gujars had begun to move southward down the IndnB,
and were shortly afterwards separated from their northern brethren
by another Indo-Seythian wave from the North. In the middle of
the fifth century there was a Gujar kingdom in South- Western
Bajputana, whence they were driven by the Balas into Gkgar&t of
the Bombay Presidency ; and about the end of the ninth oentoryf
Ala Khin, the G&jar King of Jammu, ceded the present Oftjaidesa^
corresponding very nearly with the Gujarftt District, to the King of
Kashmir. The town of Gujarat is said to have been built or
restored by Ala Khan G(ijar in the time of Akbar.''

2. The present distribution of the Gdjars is thus described fay

^ ArchiMological Rtportit II, 61.

441 QtJkRs

General Cunningham : ^^" At the present day the OAjars are found
in great numbers in every part of the north-west of India, from the
Indus to the Ganges, and from the Hazira Mountains to the Penin*
sula of Oujar&t. They are specially numerous along the banks of
the Upper Jumna near JagidH mmI Buriya, and in the Sahiranpur
District, which during the last century was actually called Gujarftt.
To the east they occupy the petty State of Samptar, in Bundel-
khand, and one of the northern districts of Gwilior, which is still
called Gftjarg&r. They are found only in small bodies and much
scattered throughout Eastern Rajputina and Gwilior ; but they are
more Numerous in the Western States, and especially towards Guja*
'.it, where they form a large part of the population. The lUjas of
Riwiri to the south of Delhi are GAjars. In the Southern Panjib
they are thinly scattered, but their numbers increase rapidly towards
the North, where they have given their name to several important
places, such as Gujrinwila, in the Rechna Duab, Gujarit, in the Chaj
Duab, and Gftjar Khin, in the Sindh Sagar Duib. They are
numerous about Jahlam and Hasan Abdil, and throughout the
Ilazara District ; and they are also found in considerable numbers
in the Dardu Districts of Chills, Kohli, and Palis, to the east ct the
Indus, and in the contiguous districts to the east of the river/'

?). As regards their ethnical affinities Mr. Ibbetson writes :*— *
'* It has been suggested, and is, I believe, held by many, that Jita
and Gujars, and perhaps Ahirs also, are all of one ethnic stock ; and
this because thi*re is a cloae connection between them. It may be
that they are the same in their far distant origin. But I think
th€*y must have entered India at different timet or settled in sepa*
rate parts, and my reason for thinking to is precisely because they
eat and smoke together. In the case of Jit and Rijput the reason
for differentiation is obvious, the latter being of higher rank thaa
the former. But the social standing of Jits, Gujars, and AUis
being practically identical, I do not see why they should ever have
separated if they were once the same. It is, however, possible thai
the Jits were the camel grasiers and perhaps boshandmen, tha
G A jars the oi>wherds of the hills, and the Ahirs the cowherds of tha
plains. If this be so, they afford a classification by occupation of
the yeoman class, which fill up the gap between, and is abaolnlalj

eontiimous tvitb^ the simllai* olassification of thd caates above them,
as Br&hmans, Banyas, and Rajputs, and of the classes bdow them,
as Tarkhans, Chamjlrs, and so forth. But we mnst know more of
the early distribution of the tribes before we can have any opnion
on the subject. I have noticed in the early historians a connection
between the migrations and location of Gfljars and Biljpnts^ which
has struck me as being more than accidental, and Mr. Wilson notes
that the Gfljars and the Bargdjar tribe of R&jputs are often found
together, and suggests that the latter may be to the Giijars what
the Khanzadas are to the Meos, and what most B&jputs are to the
Jats/'

4. In these Provinces they do not, as a rule, claim to be BUjputs :
but say they are descended from a Rajput father and a woman of
some low caste. The Kalsan branch, in Muzaffamagar, claim des«*
cent from Kalsa, a Rajput chief. " The R&wal Gfljars of P4nipat
say that they are descended from a Khokhar Rijput (a clan which
has been considered the same as the notorious Ohakkar) ; the
Chhokar from a J3don ; the Chamayan from a Tomar; the Knl-^
siyan of Kairana and the Mavi from a Chauhin ; the Pilwan from
a Pundir ; the Adhana from a Bargfljar, and the Bhatti from R&ja
Kansal, a Bhatti R&jput from Jaysalmer/'^ Besides this an
examination of the sections shows that it includes the names of
many well-known Rajput septs, such as B&gri, Bais, Chandel,
Chauhdn, and Tomar.

5. On the whole it seems probable that in the Panjab and in the
Western Districts of these Provinces, at least, the tribe is &irly
free from intermixture with the lower races. Mr. Ibbetson
describes the Gftjar as " a fine, stalwai-t fellow of precisely the same
physical type as the Jat, and the theory of aboriginal descent
which has sometimes been propounded, is to my mind conclusively
negatived by his cast of countenance. He is of the same social
condition as the Jat, or perhaps slightly inferior ; but the two eat
and drink together in common without any scruple, and the pro-'
verb says : — " The Jat, the Gujar, the Ahir, and Gola, are all four
hail fellows well met.'* Of the Kashmir Gfljars Mr. Drew*
writes :— ^'^The race is Aryan, but their countenance cannot be called
high Aryan ; their forehead is narrow ; they want the well-fonned

^ Elliot, Supplementary Qlosiary, «,v«
* Jammu, 109, sq.

443 otJkU.

brow of the finer nces. The lower part of the faee Is narroWi too ;
but the note hae always eomething of the cunre as is often seen in
Aryan nations. Some I met with had lig;hter eyes than ar^
common among the other tribes of the coontry, and generally their
beard was scant. In figare they are tall and gavnt, in motion slow
and nngainly. They are rather snrly in disposition^ having that
kind of independence which consists in liking to be left alone, and to
hare as little as possible to do with other races. When, however,
one does come in contact with them they are not bad to deal with/'^
On the other hand, the eastern branch of the tribe, and particnlarly
those who have become Mnhammadans, appear to be verj much
mixed in blood.

6. Like many castes which have a preference for seven or one

of its multiples, the GAjars pretend to have

Tribal ftrgmnitrnti^yn.

eighty«four exogamous ^tras or sections*
It has been 'found impossible to procure any consistent or definite
Kst of thef«. In the appendix to this article three lists are given,
two of the Hindu GAjars of the Upper Dulb, one from Buland-
shahr, and the other collated from Sir H. M. Elliot's account of
the tribe ; the third of the Mufealman OCijars of Snhinpur. The
Census lists contain no less than 1,1 78 gotra^ of the Hindu and 330
of the Muhammadan branch. Of these those k>cally of meet
importance are the Datar, Buchar, Chhotkana, Hamar, Kanas,
Khatina, Khabar, Rath£, and Riwal, in Sahiranpur : the KaUyin
and KhAlAr, of Muxaffamagar, the Adhsna, Bhatti, Chandel%
Dhandhal, Hela, Kasina, KharA, KhAliar, Marsi, and Nagari, of
Meerut : the Adhana, Bbadana, Bhatti, Kasflna, and Nagari, of
Bulandslmhr : the Tomar, of Mathura : the Dalel and Pomar, of Agra :
the IxihAr, of Jilaun. It will be seen that the names differ alnnvt
all thruuf^h the lists. Most of these names arc iaid to he derived
from the titles of tribal leaders or from the villages in which their
early settlements were formed. It is now im|Kissible to identify
many of these with any degree of certainty. Tiie most important
sections in the Upper Duab are the Bhatti, who claim descent from
Bhatti Rijimts, and date their settlement fmm the time of Prithivi
Rlja. One <if them was gi^-en theoflSoe of "thief taker *' {ctarwkiri)
by the Emperor Shah Akm. The Nagari aay that they are the
illegitimate descendants of Rija Nagraj, fourth in descent from
Anikpal Tomar of Delhi. Thi«y date their immigration from
Ilastiuapur in 799 A.D., when thej expelled the aboriginal

otJAR. 444

Botijas, with whom and the Oiijars they intermarried and thus
became degraded. The Nadwasiya claim to be Panw&r BAjpnts, and
are said to have come from Badli in the thirteenth century, and
settled on the banks of the Ealinadi^ whence they take their name.'
It also appears that hypergamy occurs among some of the sections;
thus in Saharanpur the Ealsiyan, Khapr&£, Rathi, and Banse sec-
tions hold the highest rank and intermarry, while the Kalsiyan will
not give their daughters to the Chhokar, Diveru, and Ddpu sections.
The sections, as already stated, are exogamous ; but they have an
additional formula of exogamy, which is thus stated by the Saharan-
pur branch of the tribe. A girl may be married who is not of the
gotra of the paternal or maternal ancestors of the boy within six
generations, or who is not shown by her family name to be of the
same stock as his father or mother. But this rule seems not to be
of general application. In Bulandshahr a man will not marry
within his own section or that of his maternal uncle ; but the chief
rule which seems to be most genemlly observed is that a man will
not marry in his own village and will not give a bride to a &mily
from which within ordinary memory they have received a bride.
On the other hand, there seems no doubt that G&jars are very lax
in their matrimonial arrangements. The infanticide reports swarm
with instances of those clans, who used to practice this form of
crime, supplying the resultant want of wives by the introduction of
women of other castes, and even now-a-days when in&nticide has
practically disappeared, as is believed, among them, they take
concubines freely from other castes, and their ofEspring are in most
cases recognised as legitimate.'

7. Another social arrangement arising from the same canse is

polyandry, of which we have perhaps the

i olyftnory*

only well established instance among the
Hindus of the plains. On this subject Baja Lachhman Sinh,
who is a most competent authority regarding the Hindus of the
Bulandshahr District, has kindly furnished the following note : —
" I was assured on the spot that in almost every O&jar village in
the vicinity of the Jumna, in the Bulandshahr District, polyandry
was a fact. The custom was mainly due to the scarcity of women
in the tribe, and this scarcity was the result of female in&ntioidey

^ B4ja L&chliman Sinli, BuXanilthahr Memo,, 175, sq.

' At the same time it is significant that at the last Cenaat tlM Hindo Q^^Jan
«howed 160,573 males to 119,540 females.

4M etjAB.

which several seotions of the caste practiied very largely before the
passing of the Infanticide Act of 1870. Polyandry was not reoog-
nised as an acknorvledged or legal custom; but if adopted in a
village the neighbours made no objection to it, nor was it considered
a serious scandal. It was to the benefit of the married brother and
his wife that all the brothers should live together, and that the joint
earnings should be enjoyed by the single wife and her children.
It was through this feeling of self-interest that the wife and her
real husband permitted the other brothers to share her favours.
The cufetom prevailed only among the poorer families, the male
members of which found it difficult to get married in oontequenoe
of the scarcity of girls in the caste, and also from the natural desire
of parents to marry their daughters to as affluent persons aa
possible. Brothers only and not other relations or strangers were
allowed to be the joint husbands. The wife was formally married
to one of the brothers, usually to the eldest, if he were not too old,
and her children were known as his children only, though he aa
well as the other brothers knew that she was at the disposal of all
of them. Now as the Infanticide Act has put a stop to the murder
of infant girls the scarcity of women is no k)nger felt, the custom
of polyandry is dying out, and will soon be a thing of the past.
While making these enquiries I was struck with the fact that poly*
andry did not, as might hs%'e been expected to be the case, affect
the child-bearing powers of the women who practised it, that is to
say, these women gave birth to as many children as those who had
but a single husband. I questioned my informants on this sobjcoC»
and was informed that the visits of the brothers wtie not io fra-
quent as to produce any efltect of this kind.'^^

h. Girls are allowed no freedom before marriage, and an un*

married girl detected in immorality is ex*
pelletl from the community. It is only if her
lo%'i*r be a member of the tribe that she can be restored and remarried
in the tribe if her parents feed the clansmen. Marriage usually
takvs place between the age of nine and sixteen* A wife may pro*
cure a se^iaration if tier husband be impotent, and he can put her
away for infidelity proved to the satisfaction of the brethren.
Widow-marriage and the levirate under the usual restriction are

* Ob thu frmtonud poljMidnr, Ms WMtsrwATok, HuUwy 1/ Hmmmm Mmnim^^
471, *n.

CktyjAH. 446

permitted. Betrothal consists in the acceptance of a sum of money
in the presence of the brethren^ and then the girl's barber, who ads
as envoy, makes a knot in the boy's sheet, which clenches the
engagement. The marriage is of the ususd respectable form, and the
binding part of the ceremony ie the giving away cf the bride
{ilranydddtt)y and the usual procession of the pair {diamwmri) round
the marriage shed.

9. There are no ceremonies during pregnancy except sat occa*

sional vow to do some act if the delivery be
easy. The mother is secluded for ten days,
but is not allowed to cook or enter the cooking room for thirty
days more. If the first child be a boy the women of the clan
assemble daily and sing songs of rejoicing as long as the seelasion
of the mother lasts. The family priest ofEers some dM grass to
the father as a sign of congratulation, and receives a present in
return. On the third day the bed of the mother is moved with a
rite known as " the coming out '* {bdkar nikeUna) On the tenth
day the confinement room is purified by being plastered with cow«
dung, and Ganges water is sprinkled on the clothes and utensils of
the household. A Brahman is called in, who recites some verses
and does a fire sacrifice {horn), casts the horoscope of the child, after
which some Brahmans are fed.

10. Gujars cremate their dead, and all the rites are of normal

type. They perform the *rdddka^ and some
even go on pilgrimages to Graya for that
purpose.

11. In religion they appear to be usually Siuvas or Saktas,

and are particularly careful in the worship of
eigion. sttala Bhaw&ni, the small -pox goddess.

Among minor gods they worship Chamar, but their real tribal
worship is that of Pyarfeji^ and Bdba Sabha Ram. The temple
of Pyareji is at Randewa, the parent [thika) village of the DApu
Gujars, equidistant Ix^tween Nakur and Ambahta, in the Sahiranpnr
District. Ilis father, Ramji Paddrath, born in Sambat 1545,
at Durjanpur, in Pargana BurhSna, of the MuzafEarnagar District,
disap^x^arcd suddenly after his birth. The consternation of the
infantas father, Sajan, a rope-seller (bddkfarotk) was, as may be
imagined, great. In six days he mysteriously reappeared. After

1 Thero is a eo: d uccouat of this saint in CaUMa Review^ LVII* 207.

447 otJAM.

diif he was piit to herd cattle. One day the herd strayed into m
■u^rcane 6eld, and the owner made a complaint. Before the
official eent to make an investigation could reach the epot* the crop
was miraculously restored. The lad then gained lOMuy diaoiplee,
and he married a daughter of Bhaw&ni Daa, rope-tdler of Kbodi*
Shikarpur. Their son was Kaghu Niith, and his soUt the famoof
Pyardji. Abiut this time there was a feud between the GAjars and
Brahmans of Sadarpur, in the course of which the GAjara^ having
invited the Brahmans to a feast, treacherously murdered several of
them. Thoir ghosts avenged themselves in the form of terrible
Rakthasas, and tlieUAjars were in such evil plight that hearing of
the fame of Py&r^ji, they invited him to take them under his pro*
tection. He expelled the demons, and Sadarpur reguned its former
proHperity, so that its name v^-as changed to Annadeva."lord of grain,^
of which RandcMi is said to be a corruption. PyirAji died there, and
prayers are said and offerings made liefore his cenotaph. His son,
Lil ji, having no male issue bequeathed everything to his wife. Jada
Bairagi managed her affairs, and the people elected one of his discipleS|
Hargoviml, to succeed him. Ever since the appointment has been
in the hands of the people of the Badhfarosb clan, descended from
Mailari, brother of Pyarcji, and the brothers of his son's widow.
1'lioy own ono-third of the village ; the Mabants two-thirds The
Saint's followers are Vaishnavas, ami wear Uack necklaces. His
holiday is on the sixth of the dark fortnight of Chait. Baba Saliha
Kam, another tnlnl worthy, has a shrine on the banks of the Jumna^
in the Ambala District, where the GAjars make occasional pit*
grimagcH.

12. The O&jars as a tribe have always been noted for their turbu*
^ . , ^ . lentv and habit of catt'e-steiding Bihar*

cMxa(*ati.D. in his IU$moiri describes how thea>mmander

(»f the rear guanl captured a few GAjar ruflSans who followed the
i*uiiip, decupitatitl them and M*nt their hnuls to tlie Km|)enir. 1 he
(iujar<( of Pali and Palial IxHaine exc^eeiliiigly audacious wliile 8htr
Sh&h waft fortifying Delhi, so he marched ti> the Hills and expelled
them S4> tliat ** not a vi>tigi» of their haUtations was lefU*** JahA«*
gtr* remarks tliat tlie G A jars hve chiefly un milk and curds and

I IX.«KHi*a riKtfl, IV, 851 «:

Mfiom 'TiIttLTate Und ; ami Biiar^

HLxutniiraa 'mi^ J^4 and Grijjga hwm msgrdasiY {jwuiml tovx

prvti^nna 3nznhtf?i &111L ^& BEiI» and wiid» lai (sxrw »iS

oar/uhipft ami w^si^ anilt^y at ^ifae «;kief -ipynfMiin in. zSm dunnficv.'
THit^ 3UttTuaini»fi ^^exr out kdteGkioil in !;&« Xunn.^
p«7p#^fnr:in«t iiTxmi^Ans iTitra<E» ami xnoixAy iiiyfal dv
"if itui ErltSitfi Armj bi£irv( Deiln. Acisaimne tsa db^^nxxeic TOatoim.
<^f Hofi enimtrj fiii«» an i» aa TmdeszaUe ryrglrfwiir —

'* Tlu^ ^r.<; vcA niie <!ac. tdie G:ijar ami tfe Bimeftagy if Aa» fijor

Ckmrs ekwrm jkar hiTiifm. £mr.
"^ Whim ^ Dom made friemis widi tifas Gspv k waa idbbfli of

Ti** Gi;ar ^iioneJi in poptilar estimai&bii
w"lt;fi nlift J4c ia ^^ niTuih, inferj-.r to him in

ffaq/^a, rmkka, knrkani, G-ij^r ^-mr JSl^

"* Pipe, ror^u^no, coorteian, the Cdjar ami the Jit ave aQ
lib^ nhe hne of Ja^annadi ^ tiempie winckail eastes majraUtofeethci.*^

i he G 11 jar Ls in £a«!t mi:re a man of docks ami hezdi> than tbe Jat,
whr. ..4 one of the most indnstnijtzs and skilled eoltDraton in the
pro^-: riru>. TlieT will tirlnk fprrita and eat mutton, p*^^ soii fiTwIa.
Thev f^an in mr.fet piact^ »>at, tirink. and smi:>ke witb Aliin and Jita.
Iq Brianpr.r the K^are Gijars are i2i£erii3r to the Laar,
pnQi:ipaii7 engrae^i in makiii:; butter and ^fai. which their
Aeii, and whii:h. is 'Li:<>ke<i ^n by the tTtfaers as deroeatorj. Thej
have a «:Tirl»}rL'» cuifC<}ni <:f making a cow of cowdnng*, corerin^ it
with •:ott«..n an«i grin^ throt^jh the prxrew of k^] Hti g it^acnstom
wh:4:h •>eem.<* ti') ihi>w that the reverence for the cow which thej ik>w
pr y£ft4:4 may *>» of •2t>mparativeiT m*jdem growth,*

449 QtjAU.

IS. The Musalmln G&jani are most numerous in Oudh and

the Meerut Division. I'hey were apparently
Maialmin 06jar.. converted to IsUm at various times ; but their
tradition in Oudh attributes this to tlie compulsion of Tirour when
he attacked Delhi and converted all the people in the neighlx)urhood
by force. Some of them still maintain their Hindu sections and
reflate their marriapres by them as their Hindu brethren do ; but
in some places this is beiuf^r replaced by the Muhammadan law of
prohibiteil de^ri^s. 1 hey arc mostly Sunnis, and Sunni will not
intermarry with Shiah families In spite of their conversion they
retain a number of their old tribal practices. When the bride
arrives at the house of her husband her mother-in-law does the wave
ceremony {parackkam) over her head to scare evil spirits, and then
takes her into the household chapel {deopkar), where she worshipe
the puirdian deities of the family, for whom they still retain respect.
After this the husband's mother is allowed to see the face of the
bride for the first time, and f^^^ ^^ ^ present. Widows marry by
the nihH rite, and the levirate is allowed. Some families retain
the rule that the elder brother cannot marry the widow of his
youn^r brother, but this is violated by some of the tribe in Oudh.

1 k When a baby is bom the Chamirin is called in and bathes
the child in n broken earthen pot {kkaprti) : in this the father puts
two pice (kkaprf ka iaka)^ which are the fee of the midwife. Then
the Pan«lit is asked t) fix a lucky time for the first bathin^^ [nakdn)
of the mother, and he aptin has to fix a time, ^nerally on the
twelfth «lay, when she leaves her room. When a boy is four or five
years of a^e he is cinnimcisetl in the UHual way.

15. Betrothal is done on a lucky day fixeil by the Pandit, and
the only rite is that the fathers exehanj^e cups of spirits. When
the pro<'esi(ion arrives at the house of the britle the usual door rite
(liuiir ka rk,ir) is perfurmtt)| and after the document fixing: the dower
(fli«if } i>ayable on divorce is drawn up, the Qazi rtmds the mttJi
in the f»nlinary way.

10. TI117 bury their deail. When the burial is over they make
a fire ofTirini; {^9^dn) by buminf; incense in the name of the dead,
and after waitings a i^hort time they upnet a pitcher of water near
the (rrave.

17. Ihey riMt the shrine of (thssi Miyin at Dahraich, and offer

there sweet cakes (sM/tWn). Ihey alflo venerate \*arians local sainta

and martyrs, such as Ali-ud-din Shahid, MaiUr ShUi, and Buddhi
Vol. II. as

otJAIU

460

Chandra B&ba. They employ Sarwariya and Sanidh BrftlimaDS
to give them omens and propitiate the &mily gods. Tbey so &r
observe the Holi and Nsigpanchami festivals that on those days they
do not work. On Fridays they make offerings of food to their
deceased ancestors^ and when a death occurs in their fiunily tbejr
feed beggars in the hope that the food will throagfa them reach the
dead man in the world of the dead.

18. They observe the ordinaiy Muhammadan rules about food,
and will eat with any Musalm&n except a Dhobi, Dhuniya^ or
Mehtar.

Gifar Sections »

Snlt&npnr.

Balandahahr.

Sir H. M. Rlliai.

Adh&na.

AdhAoa.

Akija.

Amota.

Anbaota.

Awana.

Badbnrd.

Badkina.

Bagri

Bahk.

Paj&r.

Bahrana.
Bais&ho.

l^nja.

Baislo.

Bailie.

Barakat.

B&sakta.

Baletar.

Bharaila.

BanoL

Bokan.

Bh&ti.

BhatAr.

Bukar.

BbattL

Chauh&n.

Chandela.

ChamAyan.

Clihanchhi.

Chaprana*

CheobL

Ckhokar.

Chh^chhi.

Cbhokmr.

ChhAort\

Cbotkand.

Chhokar.

Dhuiulhar.

Dahariya.

Dedd.

Dhanga.

461

0<^JAft.

Of^ar S0efiM#— •ontd*

BolUnpar.

Bolandahahr.

Sir H. M. EUloi.

DhatrewiL

Dohb.

DoaqU.

Gborariip.

Goni.

OOTM.

Hon.

J&ngar.

JAtli.

Jsuhar.

Jaabar.

Jindbar.

JhabftDKha.

JawAra.

Joja.

KakArt

KaUrA.

KadAhaa.

Kiraa.

Kaithtriya.

KaksjAa.

KaUriya.

KaljAaa.

KapAtija.

Kaimbioa.

KanAna*

KatAaa,

Kaa«Qiil«

KbanAaa.

KbarA.

KbnUkiui.

KbatAaa.

KkatAoa.

Kliokar.

Kbogar.

KbAbar.

KorL

LoboMaiA.

KaOaA.

MA^L

MabaiBM.

Mewili

ModAr.

MolA.

M UiUo.

ModlMM.

Mannra.

MAndaa.

Paii'idpi&ta.

NAc«rA.

NA«.iA.

•••

Fwuir.

PatAow

nuiB.

Sou II.

tvB

ot^JAS.

462

Oujar Seetioni — ooncld.

SnlUnpor.

Bnlandahahr.

Sir H. M. Kllioi.

Phagna,

Phagna.

Pt^rbar.

Phnlar.

PuswAr.

B4tbi.

R&thi.

R4thi.

Baanso.

Baosd.

8akarw&r.

B&wal.

Sardawa*

8ar&ndbina.

SukuL

Sarwan.

SnrAdnd.

Tomar.

TWohar.

TJntw&r,

Tangar.

Distribution of OHjarn according to the Census of 189 U

DiBTBICTB.

Hindaa.

MfilifLTtHfnn«

TOTAI..

Dehra DAn

527

439

966

Sab^raDpnr

67,053

18,454

75,507

Mazaffarnagar <

27,856

13^39

41,066

Meerut

69.387

69.458

Balandshabr

46.632

• • •

46,638

Aligarh

11.397

11.408

Mathura •

7,430

7.468

Agra

13.238

13.839

Farrnkh&blid

111

Mainpnri . «

111

•••

111

EUwah

3.113

•••

8.118

Etah

Bareilly

7.361

• • t

7,361

468

Of^JAR.

IHsirihution of Q^ar$ according to ik$ Cennts ^1691— etatd.

DitTBICTt.

Hindat.

MflHiimTi>~
<Uaa.

Total.

Bijnor •

6,265

860

6,685

Budian

8.8S1

8350

MorAdibld

11.490

330

11338

8b4h]a].4DpQr .

8.1(46

••«

8.855

PaibhH .

3,460

•••

8,460

CAwnpor •

878

868

Faithpur . •

•••

BmuU

1 <

184

••

185

Hmmlrpar

•••

AlUbibAd

Jhlosi

747

741

Jlbmn

4,606

4.704

lAlitpor •

•

880

•••

880

B^narM

•••

Mirxaptir •

868

1 •*.

868

Jaanpor •

•••

Qhiiipor •

•••

Oorakhpor

8J48

UTS

BMti

•••

TO*

706

AiamfArh

676

677

UarhirAl .

) 4

•••

144

IVrii

)

078

006

Luck DOW •

)

880

887

Unio

* • •

KAABmH

•••

11,060

11350

8IU|>ar •

) <

*• •

Hardot

•

•••

110

FMt4b4d .

•

1
* • • •

880

G^JAB.

464

GUJARATI.

IHttrihution of Oujan cteewding to the Ckniu§ of 189i —caaalL

DiBTBlCTS.

Hindns.

Mnbammft-
danB.

Total.

Bahr&ioh . • • • •
SulUUiptir • • • •
ParUbgarh • • • •
B4rabanki • • • •

•••
•••

•••

1,884

8,108

844

4,689

1,907
ai08

4,639

Total

280,113

64,424

344,637

GnjaratL— A sub-caste of Banyas wlio take their name from
their place of origin^ Gujar&t. There are a large number of them
in Bombay, where they bear a poor reputation. They are osnally
Jainas, and much opposed to the killing of animals. Mr. Sinclair^
describes them — '^The males are usually gross in &ce and the
women featureless and clumsy.^' Their chief settlement in these
Provinces is at Benares, where they are generally Vallabhach&ryas.
They are keen, perhaps excessively keen, men of business, and
strongly inclined to a fanatical observance of their creed.

Disfribution of the Oujardti Banzai aeeording to the Cetuus

of 1891.

DlstBICTS.

1
Number.

DiBTBIOTB.

Number.

Dehra Diin .

J^lana «

8ah^raTipnr . i

BeDares

459

Aligarh

JauDpur

Mathura

Qh&zipar

Agra .

Basti .

EtAwah

Azamgarh

Mor&cUb&d .

Laokoow

8b&hjah&npnr

Sttapor

Hamirpnr

1
4

Bahr&ich

AUahlib&d .

rOTAL •

788

1 Indian Antiquary, Maroh 1874.

465 oujarAti.

Onjarfiti'^A terriioruU dmsion of Brfthmmniy those of Onr*
jarfishtra or Gujarat. Of the Ourjara Brfthmani Dr. Wilson
says' — *'In the general classification of the Brihmans nsnally
current the Uurjara Brahmans are said to belong to the Pancha
Dmvida, though the greater portion of Gujarat lies to the north
of the River Namiada and the Vindhya range. An examination
of them in detail shows, however, that not a few of their castes
belong to the Pancha Gauda, while some of them have been so long
isolated from the other Brahmanical fraternities that they have lost
sight altogether of their former connections. They toe generallj
estimated at eighty four in number.''

2. To quote the best account of this class of Brahmans in their

native home*—'' In Sholapor the Guja*
^ ^bSSSLm.^"*^ ^^ Brahmans are diWded into Audich

NAgar, and SrimalL The names of their
family stocks are 6haradvaj% Kapila, and Vasishtha, and persona
belonging to the same family stock cannot intermarry. Their sur-
names are Acharya, Bhat, Pandy% Raul, Thikur, and Vyis ; and
families bearing the same surname can intermarry provided tlieir
family stock or pofra is different both on the father's and on the
mother's sides. They are generally fair, with regular features, and
neither very strong nor tall. The men wear the moustache, n his-
kera and heard. The topknot oovcn three-fourths of the heail, and
the hair is bbu^k ami sometimes curly. The women are fairer than
the men, with deUcate features, oval face, and small hands and feet.

3. " Their home tongue is Gujarati, but out-of-doon they speak
Hindustani or Marathi mixed with Gujarati. Tliey do not own
houses, but live in hnises of the middle sort, one story high with
mud and stone walls ami flat roofs. Their bouse goods consist of a
wooden box or two, one or two cotton bags, a <mrpet, some |neoes
of saek-cloth, woollen waistckths, and a few metal vessels. They
keep neither servants nor domestic animals. They are vegetarians,
ami their staple food is rice, wheat-breail, pulse, butt«r, sugar or
moksscs. Their favourite spices are bkck pe|>per, cloves, and cinna*
mon. They generally eat once in the afternoon. They avoid
onions, garlic, and sistsV pulse, and use no intoxictOing drinks.
Many drink hemp wat^ at midday and in the afternoon, but aai

GTjJAHAxr. 456

opium often twice a day— in the morning after bathings and in the
afternoon. They neither chew nor smoke tobacco.

8. "The men dress in an irregular, carelessly folded turban,
with the end left dangling a foot or a foot and-a-half from the
head. It is shorter and not half so broad as the Deccan turban,
and is called baiti or " the lamp/' because if twisted it would be no
thicker than an ordinary lampwick. They wear a fine, white coat
reaching to the knees, with creases at the waist ; the waistcloth,
which is twelve feet long^ is worn doubled as Kunbis wear it ; the
shoulder-cloth is an old waistcloth doubled to make it look short ;
and their shoes are not double toed like the Deccan shoes, and have
a top to the heel. They generally wear a rudrdkika tobbixj round
their neck. Their women wear the hair in a braid, which fchey
afterwards either twist into a knot, or leave hanging down the
waist. They do not wear false hair, or deck their heads either with
oiiiaments or flowers. Their dress includes a petticoat or a short
robe, whose skirt they do not pass between the feet ; they draw a
cloak (orhni) over the head, and wear a short-sleeved, open-backed
boddice. The robe is twelve feet long, or only half as long as a
Deccan woman's robe. They sometimes buy a Deccan robe, cut it
in two and wear the cut end inside, and the bordered or ornamental
end outside, drawn from the left over the head, leaving the left arm
bare. The left arm is loaded with ornaments, while the right
has no ornaments. Their ornaments are worth ft 200— 1,000, or
more.

4. " These Gujarati Br&hmans are extremely careful and frugal ;
they are neither neat nor clean, but sober, thrifty and orderly.
They are beggars, astrologers, family priests, and cooks. Thqr are
well paid by their Banya patrons, and are free from debt, and
generally caiTy back considerable sums to their native country.
They are a religious people. Their feunily deities are Amba Bii
and Balaji, and they worship all Brahman gods and goddesses, and
keep all fasts and festivals. Their priests belong to their own caste,
and they go on pilgrimage to Benares, Nasik, P&ndhaipur, and
Tuljapur. They believe in sorcery, witchcraft, soothsaying, omens
and lucky and unlucky days, and consult oracles. They are bound
together by a strong caste feeling, and settle social disputes at
meetings of caste men, and punish bi^eaches of caste rules by fines
varying from one to fifty i-upees, which are spent on sweetmeats or
in the repairs of their temples. They send thar boys to school.

457 gujabAtl

but do not keep them long there. They take to no new pursuits,
and are in easy circumstances/'

5. " The Ghujariti or Byls Brahmans who come from Gujarit

in Sindh are in some respects the highest

^^"^ uTul^PaSlAK™"' ^* •" Brihroans ; they are always fed first ;

and they bless a Oaur when they meet him,
while they will not eat ordinary food from his hands. They are fed
on the twelfth day after death, and the Oaurs will not eat on the
thirteenth day if this has not been done. But they take inauspicious
offerings. To them appertain especially the Bihu offerings made
at an eclipse. They will not take oil, sesame, P»^ts, or green or
dirty clothes ; but will take old clothes, if washed, buffaloes, andtlie
seven varieties of grain («<i/stf/a). They also take a special offering
to mhu made by a sick fierson, who puts gold in ghi, looks at his
face in it, and gives it to a Oujariti, or who weighs himself against
ialnnja and makes an offering of the grain. A buffalo which has
been pisscssed by a devil to that degree that he has g^t on the top
of a house (no difficult feat in a village) or a foal dropped in the
month of Siwan, or buffalo oalf in MAgh, are given to the Gujariti
as being unlucky. No Ganr would take them. At every harvest
the Gujarftti takes a small allowance {9$ofi) of grain from the
threshing floor, just as does the Gaur. " '

6. Of the Gujariti Brihmans of Central India Sir J. Makx>lm

writes ' : — " Some are employed in the offices

^j^u*iwjS^°" of ""Pon. ^Wle other. t»de and gain

a respectable livelihood as writers and
accountants. Many of the Mirwir and Jodhpur Brfthmans are also
trailers; but the great mass from that country as well as from
Udayinir are labourers and oultivators, forming indeed a very
considerable proportion of the most industrious husbandmen of Cen*
tral India.''

7. The Gujariti Brahmans of these Provinces are most numerous

according to the last Census in the lJ|iper

'^^^r^Pu'^r^i^J?.'^ •xiA Central Oanges^Jumna Duib. They

mm ProviocM Mia tnct their origin to a sacrifice said to have

Iicen performed by Kija &I&la Deva or MiU
Ksj Solankhi, wht) reigned early in the 1 0th century A. D. For

I IbbviaoD. r«iv^ JriAaofftti'Jby. pWA. 51S.
t C*niCr«l /ii4Mi, It. ISL

Vol. JU.

oujaeAti. 468

this rite he is said to have collected one thousand Brihmans, of
whom two hundred were Kanaujiya^ one hundred from Benares, one
hundred and five from the Duab, one hundred from Mathnra, one
hundred Sarwariya^ sixty-nine from Kurukshetra, one hundred from
Ajudhya, and one hundred and thirty-two from Pushkar. He
worshipped their feet and settled them in his kingdom. To some
he gave Sihor^ and their descendants form the Sihoriya branch ; a
few rejected his gifts for a time ; but he persuaded them at last
and gave them Cambay and twelve dependent villages. They were
called Tolakiya and form a separate division. Some others he
settled at Sidhpur^ and they are hence called Sidhpuriya. The
following is a list of the ffotras of the Sidhpuriya Ghijanltis as far
as it has been possible to ascertain them in these Provinces — Bhrigu,
with the title DubS ; Bhirgava, DubS ; Kausika^ P&nrd; Daribhya,
Tivari ; Gautam, Dube ; Vatsa, Thakur ; Parasara, Dttbfi ; Bharad-
waja, Dub6 ; Sandilya, Thakur ; Saunaka, PAnrd ; Vasishtha, TivAri
Maunas, Thslkui- ; Jani, Garggotra ; Katasas^ Dfibfi ; Udvah, D&bd
Krishnatri, D&bS ; Kaudinya, Dubfi ; Mandavya^ P&nrd or Pandit
Upamanyu, Panr6; Svetatreya, Dubfi, This, it will be seen, differs
considerably from Mr. Sherring's Benares Usts, and illustrates the
difficulty of obtaining precise information on such points.

8. The Sihoriya Gujaratis are again divided into the following
gotras: — Krishnjltri, Gtirga, Bharadw&ja, Svetatri.

9. It is also said that after their emigration into these provinces
they fell into two groups, the Bara Samudaya, or superior group, and
the Chhota Samudaya, or inferior group. One colony of them, settled
at Anupshahr, in the Bulandshahr District, are said to use arms hke
Kshatriyas, and to devote most of their time to athletic exercises,
which is not the case with the ordinary Gujaratis.

10. The Nagar Brahmans, again, are usually classed as a sub-

tribe of the Gujar4tis, "NAgara,'* writes

Tho Nugar Brahmans. i r, • . i j* ^. * #

Dr. VV ilson,* *' is the adjective form of nagar^
"a city/' It is applied to several principal castes of Br&hmans in
Gujarat, getting their designations respectively from certain towns in
tho north-east portion of that province.'* Thus there are the Vadar
nagiiia, who take their name from the city of Vadanagar, lying to
the oast of Anhilvada Pattana ; the Visalnagar, from the town of
Visal ; the Satodra, from the town of Satod, on the Narmada ; the

1 Indian Casta, 11, 96.

450 gujarAtc.

Prashnora of Prashnora ; the Krishnom of Krishnapura; the Chi-
tmda of Chitrod ; the Barada^ the result of a split between the
Visalnagar and the Vadana^aia.

II. In Gujaiit^ the '^ Nftgar Brfthmans will not take food from
any other Brahman^ and are very strict in their obscr^-anccs. Of
these the most strict is what is called the nawett or purity in respect
of food. Having: lathed he dresses himself in silk or woollen clothes,
or, if he is required to use cotton ferments, they must be dipped in
water, wrung^ out and dried in some place where nothing impure
can touch them. Thus habited he sits down to dinner ; but he must
preserve himself from numerous accidents which would render him
impure and compel him to desist from his meal. If he touch an
earthen vessel he is impure, unless the \-essel have never contained
water. The touch of a piece of cotton cloth, or of a piece of leather
or paper, which he may have accidentally sat down upon, renders
him impure. But if Hindu letters have been written on the paper,
they preserve him from defilement, because they represent Siraswati.
If, however, letters be written on cloth or leather, they remain
impure. Thus, if the Gita or any portion of Scripture be required
for use at the time, it must be bound with silk and not with cotton ;
leather must be avoided, and instead of a common paste of flour and
water the Under must employ paste of pounded tamarind seed. A
printed liook ^-ill not answer his purpose, liecause printinf^ ink con-
tains impure matter. Some think that the touch of a deer or tiger
skin does not defile. Raw cotton does not render him impure ; but
if it has been twisted for the wick of a lamp by a {lerson not in a
state of ceremonial purity, it does ; and, again, if it have been dipped
in oil or ckrificd butter, it does not. Bones defile, but women's ivory
armlets do not, exoept in those parts of the country where they are
not usually worn. The touch of a child of the «une caste, who haa
not learned to eat grain, does not defile, but if the child have eaten
grain, it does. The touch of donkey, a pig» or a dog defiles ; some
•ay that the touch of a eat also defiles ; others are inclined to think
it docK not, because, in truth, it is not easy to keep the cat oat. If
a Brahman who Is pure be eating or if he has risen from eating, the
touch of his person defiles another Brihman who is pure, but has
not begun his dinner.''

rorUa, BitmiU. II. SMI

gujarAti. 460

12. The Benares Nfigar BriLhrnans are said to be divided into
two distinct classes, the Bhikhshu or *' mendicants/' and the Mahta.
The latter opposed Mahmud of Ghazni when he attacked Vadana*
gara, and thus lost the peaceful habits of life which still eharao-
terise the Bhikhshu class.

13. The following account of the domestic rites of the Gujarati

Brahmans was given by a member of the

Domestic ceremonies \ " tt xwri i -j

of the Qnjar&ti Br&h- tribe resident at Mirzapor :— When a bzide

mans. Birth. al*** iiij _j-x i_

after joming her husband menstruates, she
becomes pure by bathing on the fourth day. At the same time she
worships Ganesa and the patron goddesses of the tribe. Ganesa is
worshipped with an offering of water, washed rice, sandalwood,
flowers, incense, and lamps. The worship of the goddesses is more
intricate. A red cloth is spread over a wooden seat {ptrka), and on
it sixteen compartments are marked out with powdered rice. In
each compartment is placed some rice dyed with red (rori), and on
the top of each pile of rice a betel-nut. The seat is placed beside
the wall of the room. On the wall a set of spots of red are made
in the form of a triangle, of which the base has seven marks, dimin-
ishing by one at a time up to the apex. On these marks the woman
pours an oblation of ghi. This is known as baiodhara. Next the
betel-nuts on the seat are worshipped with an offering of incense,
lights, sandalwood, curds, sugar, and rice. This done the woman
is pure and is allowed to return to her house work.

14. '^ When a woman becomes pregnant for the first time, and
when the eighth month of pregnancy arrives, the trimant rite ia
performed. This is accompanied by the nandi mukk srdddka and
the graha sdtUi — rites intended to guard the embryo from injury
Some fruit of the Dhak and Anwla trees, millet, curd, washed rice
and saffron are pounded and mixed in a ball. Then twelve betel-
nuts are placed on twelve beteUleaves, and a portion of the mixture
is offered to each. These twelve betel-nuts are supposed to repre-
sent the twelve relations of the unborn child, that is, six generations
on the side of the father and six on that of the mother. After
this a fire sacrifice {homo) is performed, and two Br&hmans are fed
in the name of each of the twelve ancestors. This constitutes the
nandimnkh srdddha,

15. '' Next the expectant father and mother make nine compart-
ments on a board, and each of the nine planets^ is represented by a

Of special pUnot worshippers 45,9f>2 were shown at the iMt Ctntat.

461 gujarAti.

piece of cloth of a different colour. Each of these receives aa
appropriate offering. Then Siraswati is worshipped in the form
of a water jar with a spout, and to her the same offerings are made
as to Ganesa. Then the officiating Brihman repeats texts and
sprinkles washed rice over the father and mother, and the jar
{kalaia) is worshipped with an offering of a cocoAnut, the embkm
of fertility, and some rod cloth.

16. ''A small raised platform is next made in the courtyard, and
on it three lines are drawn. From each line they take a pinch of
dust and throw it on the ground. Some mango wood is then light*
ed on the platform. On the north side is placed a sacrificial vessel
made of wood and known as pramita parokikoni^ With this a mix*
ture of five different kinds of fruits, ghi, sxigar, and incense are
poured upon the fire. An offering is made in this way to all the
deities, and the rite concludes with the feeding of BrAhmans.

17. '* When the child is bom the parents are instructed by the
officiating priest to worship Ganesa and the tribal goddesses in the
manner already described. They then worship the knife with which
the umbilical oord was cut by the midwife, and to it is made the
usual offering of incense, flowers, sandalwood, as in other cases.
The mother during the period of seclusion after child-birth bathes
three timcs^on the sixth, ninth, and twelfth day. At the sixth*
day bath she offers an oblation of water (9r§ia) to the Sun-god,
Sdrya. Slie also does this at the subsequent bathings. On the
twelfth day after bathing and making the obktion, four women of
the tribe move over the head of the child the family pestle in order
to scare c^'il spirits. The Chamir midwife attends for three days,
and after that her place is taken by the wife of the barber. If the
child lie a boy the midwife's fee is one rupee; for a girl four anuM,
On the twelfth day the Punihit or family priest produces the
horosc4>i)e {Jam^m-paUri) of the child, and is suitably rewarded.

IS. '' When the child, if a boy, is six months' old, the rite of

grain-feeding'' (M^maprdtama) is per-
formed. Ganesa and the goddesses are wor*
shipiied in the way alitady described, by the {larpnts, and then the
fatlier marks tlie baby's forehead with red powder. Then the
m(»tlif>r, or some <»ther lady of the house, takes the child in her lap
and makes it lick some rice milk from a mango leaf.

19. ** In the third year the miimram or hair shaving is done. Tlie
^ . , barber is sent for on an auspicious dar and

the parents do worship to his imior. Afler

TIm ffTaia-fMdiBf .

gujabIti, 462

the shaving is over the child is bathed and the Qsatd worship of
Ghinesa and the tribal goddesses is perCormed. A fixe flacrifioe ia
done by the Br&hmans.

20. '^ In the fifth year comes the rite of ear-piereing^ (JtarMS"

. . bedha). The usual worship is performed : the

The ear-pieromg. . _

child^s ears are bored by a Suiiir ; Brihrnans
are fed^ and the SunsLr gets a present.

21. ^^ In the eighth year of the boy^s life comes the upauajana

Investiture with the ^^ investiture with the sacred cord. The
sacred cord. ^^1 worship of GaDCsa and the tribal god-

desses is performed as already described. Then the women of the
household go to the house of the potter and worship Us wheel leidl),
which is regarded as an emblem of fertility. From there they
bring two earthen jars^ which are placed in a holy square (ekami) in
the courtyard. This is done some twelve days or more before the
actual initiation. On the day of the rite these jars are worshipped
with the same offerings as those g^ven to Ganesa. On the day of
the rite the officiating priest makes two platforms of sand and clay
facing north and south. The candidate for initiation with three
other Brahman boys is seated on the platform, and is fed on milk
and boiled rice. The candidate is then shaved by the barber and
bathes. He takes his seat on the platform and worships Ganesa and
the nine planets. Then the officiating priest invests the boy with
a sacred cord made of m^nj fibre (Saeeharum mmnja) and a deer
skin^ thereby implying that he has entered the stage of the Brahma-
chari. He again worships Ghinesa and puts off the m4nj cord and
the deer skin and receives a cotton cord. Next a stick of the wood
of the palSaa {Butea frondota), to the end of which a coloured thread
[raksha) is tied^ is placed on his shoulder, the inference being that
he has reached the Sannyasi stage. Then the priest whispers the
gdyatri mantra into his ear at the first platform known as the
upanat/ana and at the second {rambha vedi) ; he again worships
Grancsa, and the priest putting some rice in a dish with his finger
writes on it the gdyatri mantra. He is then made to do the fire
sacrifice with the recital of the appropriate texts. Next the priest
sprinkles the l)oy from the sacred jai*s with a bunch of k%»a grass*
In this water he bathes and cleans his teeth. He dresses, takes a
bamboo stick {dand), and prctends to go to Benares to learn. He is
led from doing this by his maternal uncle, who promises to

463 qvjarAti.

get him married. With the final worship of the tribal goddeteei the
rite concludes.

22. '* The age for marriage is fourteen or sixteen for a boy and

nine or ten for a girl. After the preliminarr
comparison of the horoscopes a day is nxed
for the betrothal (iogdi). This is done by the girl's father sending
to the father of the boy through his priest or some relative a sam
in money, a cocoanut, and some s^-eetmeats. A piece of ground is
plastered in the lM>y's courtyard, and upon that he sits and worships
Gauesa. The girPs representati\'e marks his forehead with red (rm)
and puts the presents in the comer of his robe {dopaUa)^ while
the friends who have been admitted to t)^ ceremony chant songs.
The boy eats the sweetmeats and the friends are entertained. This
completes the betrothal.

23. '' After this the boy^s father sends invitations to the persons
wbo arc asked to attend the procession (bdrdt). Distant friends
usually come f(»ur days before the date fixed for this event. Then
the boy's father informs the father of the bride of the date fixed for
the rite of *' setting up the little and the great Oanesa,'' presently
to be described, and for the marriage.

24. '' The bndegroom, his father and other friends go to the house
of the bride four days before the wedding day. They are lodged in
a garden or empty house close W. On their arrival some $kmriM
is sent for their refreshment from the house of the bride. Then the
two fathers meet and embrace. Contrary to usual custom the ladies
of the bridegrriom's family also go on this occasion. They are also
treated to ikarhml by the ladies of the bride's household, and the
mothers of the pair meet and embrace. Then the bride's father seta
up in his oirurtyard a p(»le of bamboo fixed in the direction of the
sun as ])ointed out by the family astrologer. On this pole wooden
imager of birds, fmrrots, etc., are fixed. The pole is stained with
turmeric and near it is placal a water jar (id/«4i) and a ciMNianut.
The technical name of the {mle is $iambk^. In the room of the
houne reserved for the wornhip of the tribal goddesses two water
jam are placwl ; one represents the great Oanesa, Bam Ganesa ; the
otluT the little Ganesa, Clihota GaneM^. Near them is a wooden
wat (//iVia), on whirh is laid a ivtcoanut iH>vered with a piece of rsd
cloth. This rvjireiients some woman of the family who in former
times has oommitted Sati. The father and mother of the bride
offer to this Sati washed rice, sandalwood, water, fiowers, and a

gujakIti. 464

burnt ofEering (ioma). Then the Navagraha or the nine planets
are worshipped in the courtyard, and the father and mother of the
bride, after bathing and putting on new clothes, do the fire sacrifice
before them. Next all the ladies of the family and their female
friends go to the potter's house and worship his wheel {ekdk) with
water, washed rice, sandal, incense, flowers, and a lamp, and smear it
with red powder {rori). Then they take twenty-eight jars trooL
the potter, and on each of them a representation of Ganesa is made.
The potter receives a suitable present. In each of these pitchers
betel-nut and washed rice is placed, and on the mouth of each a
small earthen saucer {matuki) is laid. The pitchers are then
arranged in a square, fteven on each side, and each row iB bound
together with a piece of bamboo. This is known as ehauri. In-
side this square the pair are made to sit. Before she takes her seat
her mother and four other women of the tribe sprinkle her with a
mixture of oil and turmeric from a wisp of ku$a grass. The other
women sing songs while this is being done. Then her body is
rubbed with barley-flour, turmeric, and oil. The same rite is gone
through for the boy in the place {janwdnsa) where he is staying
with his friends.

25. ^^ When the lucky time for the marriage comes the pair are
dressed in new clothes and a crown {maur, mutut) is placed on
their heads. The boy goes to the house of the bride mounted on a
mare. At the bride's door is placed a pole on which are hung
some wooden images of birds. This the bridegroom knocks down
with a stick — possibly a survival of marriage bv capture. This pole
is known as tor an. When the bridegroom alights his mother-in-law
comes to the door, holds him by his nose, and leading him in marks
his forehead with red powder. Then he takes his seat in the square
of vessels and does the fire sacrifice. The bride also comes into the
square and sits on his left side. She also does a fire sacrifice.
Then some henna {menhdi) is powdered and rubbed on her hands, and
the bauds of bridegroom are laid on her hands, while the priest
recites the appropriate verses. Their robes are knotted together
and they walk four times round the fire and do the fire sacrifice.
Then they go into the family oratory and worship the household
deities, and the bride goes with the bridegroom to the place where
his })arty are staying, and there worships his family gods.

£6. ^' Next morning the bridegroom bathes, and puts on a silk
{pitambar) loin-cloth. The bride puts on a similar dress, and her

460

QViASltl.

D#itui oomnoDMS*

faoBband oomes to her house and sits in the square {ekmmri) already
described. The bride sits on his left, and her mother lays before them
a dish of boiled rice and milk« Each of the pair feeds the other with
this. This is known as the *' rite of the fourth '^ (eksturiAi karma).
The dowry is next paid over; and if the bride is nubile, which is
usually the case, she returns to his house with her husband. Next
day he worships the Ganges or some other river, and the marriage
rites come to an end.''

27. The dead are cremated in the ordinary way. When the.

burning is over the chief mourner ofFeri to
the spirit of the deceased a jar of water and a
lamp for his use during the period of mourning. This pitcher he
breaks with a stone. The stone is placed at the ghit where the
chief mourner usually bathes. For ten days he pours water and
sesamum {lUamjuli) on the stone, and on the tenth day, after offering
a holy ball (pinda), he throws the stone into the river or tank near
which it has been placed. On the eleventh day he offers eleven
pindat, and the tribesmen are fed. On the twelfth day is the piirm
nirauni^ when four pimtias are offered; three in the name of deceased
ancestors and one in the name of the deceased. After offering them
the chief mourner says : — '* The deceased has now joined his sainted
ancestors.^' Brahmans are then fed. On the thirteenth day the chief
mourner worbhipH (ianei«a, the nine planets, and the water jar (k '/«««)•
The oldest man in the family marks hits forehead, and he is invested
with a turban, i>howing that be has taken the place of the dead man.
Then he ])ours the water out <»f the sai*red jar at the root of a utm
tree. Vorbes are rf]ieatet1, and the rites are conoludcd with the wor*
ship of the tribal deity and the feeding of Urahmans.

Di$(rtbmiion of Gttjardii Bfdkmama according io He CcH9m» 0/

1891.

DtSTKlCTt.

■

Nnmbcr.

DitTaicTt.

NnmWr.

l>ehrm Udn •

•

Dalund«bahr

•

530

8«hirAn|>i]r •

•

3i3

Aliicurh

•

• '

119

^luiafTamaicar

•

8J1

Mttknia

•

S09

Mtrmi

•

731

Ajfa •

•

• 1

336

Voi. II.

gujabIti.

466

SUBCRHA.

Distribution of Oujardti Brdhmdns according to ik^ Cennt$ of 1891 — condd.

D18TBIOT8.

Nnmber.

DiBTBiOTB. Kvmber.

Farrnkb&bftd

669

J4Iaan • •

100

Mainpori • • •

133

Benares

•

Et&wah

Mirzapnr

> •

Etah ....

JaanpQr •

» •

Bareillj •

Gh&zipor •

» •

IBijnor

178

Gorakbpnr •

» •

Bnd&un

Kninaan

• •

Mor&d&b&d .

Tarfti . . ,

» •

116

Sb&jah&npar

364

Lacknow •

» •

130

Pilibhlt

UnlU) •

» «

180

Cawnpar

235

E&dBareli .

» .

Fatehpur

107

Sltaptnr

» •

Basda

Hardoi

•

802

Hamirpur

Eheri . . «

•

106

Allah&blld .

263

Babraich

•

Jb&Dsi . • . •

TOTAI

1 .

7.044

Gnrchha ; Gnrchliiy a ; Gorchlia.^ — A small tribe number-
ing only 963 persons and confined to the Eheri District. It is
said that they were formerly known as Knles or Ealhans Chha-
tris, and having emigrated to Kheri from Oorakhpar they were
known as Gorakhiya, which was subsequently corrupted into Gor-
chha. They say they came originally from Chithor and emigrated
thence to Gorakhpur. They were once six brothers. When some
enemy attacked them only two of the brothers assailed him
and when they returned successful, they ejected their four cowardly
brothers from their possessions^ and the latter were obliged to leave
their original home. Those in Kheri have severed all connections
with their brethren elsewhere. They also say that they had onoe
a set of annals of their race which was destroyed by file when
in charge of one Jaddan Gorchha.

1 Baaed on a note by Bibii Bidri NAth, Dapnty CoUteior* Kbari.

GUBCHHA. 467 OOECHHA.

2. Few of them can name any of their rab-caates or §Uf%9.

The Census lists eive Kalhans, Kananjiya,
and SnUian. Their rule of exogamy is that
they cannot marry the children of their maternal uncle, and cannot
marry their sons in a family to which they have already given a
daughter as a bride. There is no restriction as to the number of
wives a man may have ; but they seldom have more than two. Im-
morality on the part of a prl before marriage is reprobated ; if she
intrigue with a clansman, her parents are obliged to pay a fine and
give a feast ; if her lover be a man of another caste, she is permanent-
ly expelled from the tribe. Marriage takes place at the age of ten
or twelve, and is arranged by the parents of the couple. The bride
is generally given some presents at marriage, which remain her
own property. The offspring of connections with an outsider are
not received in the tribe ; and they do not admit strangers to casta
rights. The levirate seems to be practically compulsory on the
widow, who always lives with a relative of her late husband.

d. There is no ceremony during pregnancy. When a child is

born a barber is sent to the house of the

Birth MmDcnict. . , .

mother of the bnde to announce the fact ;
this is known as loekana hkefmrn, and he receives a present and takes
ha<^'k with him some clothes, food, etc., for the mother. The mother
is isolated for twelve days after delivery, and the}' have the usual
sixth (ckk'itki) and twelfth day (httraki) cercmonies. In the third
or sixth month the paternal aunt of the child is expected to make it
u pret«ent of clothes, etc., and a sheet for the mother. In the third
year the ceremonial shaving (mwmdan) of the child takes place; and
in tlie third, fifth, or seventh year, its ears are bored {k^i^ckked^n).
Thoy liave no s{iecial adoption or initiation ceremony.

4. The marriage customs arc of the usual

respectable form.
5. Gurchhas are orthodox Hindus and worship Dc%'i, Mahadeva

and Parameswar. I>evi nwi\Ts a sacrifice

of g<iats, rams, and a burnt offering (kom)
of butU*r, rii-e, Imrley, and sugar. To Mahatlcra are offered kaves
of tlu* bel tnv and milk. To ParamesWar they present cocoanuta,
butU*r, W*UA leaves, milk, and sweet meats. IWi is sent J fay a
Piinda, Muliade\'a hv a Gusain, Paramcvwar bv a Urahman. Those
^\\o aa* Uhagats offer only the ear of the victim. The}' do not kill
tlie cow or eat beef, and will not cut d«^*vn the /n/m/ or ktl treew
Vol. II. tut

6URCHHA

468

6UBKHA.

Social rules.

6. They drink spirits and eat goats^ sheep, hares^ fish^ etc., but

not ifowls, jackals, or other vermin. When
eating they ofEer a little to Bhagifrin by
throwing a morsel on the ground. They will not eat kaeAeki or
pakhi from any one but a clansman. They say they were once
landholders ; now they are only tenants, and some work as labourers
and makers of mats.

Gurkha; Gorkhai {gdu-raiska, '^keepers of cows*'). — The
name for an aggregate of various races who inhabit the numerous
valleys interspersed through the mountains of Nep&L *' The aborigi«
nal inhabitants appear from their physiognomy to be of Tartar or
Chinese origin, bearing no resemblance to the Hindu either in
features, religion, or manners. The period when the mountainous
regions were first invaded by the Hindus is uncertain ; but accord-
ing to the most authentic traditions, the date is supposed to
have been about the 14th century. In the eastern part of the
country the aboriginal tribes still remain ; and, until the predomi-
nance of the Gurkhas, they enjoyed unmolested their customs and
religion. But west of the Kali river the case is different, almost
all the inhabitants claiming a descent from Hindu colonists. They
accordingly consist chiefly of the two superior classes of Hindus,
Brahmans, and Kshatriyas, with their various sub-divisions. East
of the Kali the tribes which possessed the country were chiefly (1)
Magars, who occupied the lower hills in the western parts, and are
at present enlisted by the Gurkha sovereigns, composing a great
majority of their troops; (2) the Gurungs, a pastoral tribe; (3) the
Newars, an industrious people, following agriculture and commeroe,
and more advanced in the mechanical arts than the other mountain
tribes ; (4) the Dhenwars and Manjhis, the husbandmen and fishers
of the western districts ; (5) the Bhotiyas ; (6) the Bhanras, a sept
which branched off from the Newars; (7) the Jariyas.^'*

Distribntton of the Gurkhas areording to the Cenntti of 1891.^

DisrBiCTs.

Number.

Districts.

Nmnbttp*

AgTA

262

Jh&nsi ....
Gorakhpur .

Total

9
1»056

1,388

' Imptrial Qaaettetr^ VII, 106, $q.

469 ousltN; QoaAtH.

Ons&ln ; Oot&in^— (Sanskrit goirdmin, " lord of cows,*' or
'' one who is master of his senses or organs '').«- A term whidi
is often used in an uncertain sense. Thus in the Panj&b Mr.
Alaclagan* writes :—

" The term may, roughly speaking, be said to denote an ascetic
of any onler, but with a slight implication that the ascetic is a man
of some standing and influence. This, however, is by no means the
universal meaning of the term ; it is often used for a Sannyisi and
as often for a Bairftgi ; not unfre([uently it seems to denote a
separate order different from either ; anrl often the Br&hmans alone
are considered entitled to be called Oosiins. On the whole, the
commonest use of the word appears to be that which refers to the
Bairagis, who are of high caste, such as the Brahmans/'

2. It would seem that in this part of India the term Oufeiin
is generally restricted to the spiritual descentlants of the famous
Sankar Acharya. The common account is that Sankar Achirya
had four disciples, Sarlpa Acharya, Padma Acharya, Naratroka
Acharya, and Prithi Udra Acharya. The first, Sarftpa, was sent
by the master towards Dwarika^ and he had two disciples, Tirtha
and AsranuL Nanda Brahmachi^ri was their teacher. llieseOosAIna
do not wear sewed clothes, and have garments dyed in ochre. They
will not eat kaekeki cooked by any caste except Brihmans, but will
accept pakki from Banyas, Kiyasths, and the like. They do not paee
more than one night in ordinary villages, but may stay three nights
at regular places of pilgrimage. Their chief sacred places are Benares,
Ajudhya, and Mathura. They do not touch with their handa
any kind of metal, nor do they cook their own food, because they are
prohibited from touching fire. They do not use intoxicating liquors
or toljacco, and do not eat fish or meat of any kind. They carry a
begging bowl {ktmamdal)^ wear a rosary of rmdrdiskd seeds, and
smear their faces with aiJies {kkmkkmi). They specially worship
Narayana, and admit none but Brahman initiates. They bury their
dead. A grave is dug with a niche towards the south, in which an
alms bowl is placed. The faoe of the corpse is turned towanls the
niche, and the bxly is covered with an ochrs-coloured cloth. The
grave is filled up with salt and a pot {mdd) placed at the top, whk

I B««<nI on enqoiriM at Mirsapar asd boIm hj Cb*ab* Dhjia fettali* He
r%Tj Magutimt*. M(ni'Ut>4tl ; Monahi Cbbattaa Ul. I»ii>Qtj CoUMtor. VnAo;
Munsbi MAUa«TA PnMd, Umd UmUt, ZilUh Bchool, Pilibkli.

> i*anjik C«iu«« Rfpyrt, 1S4.

gusaIn ; gosaIn. 470

is covered with an earthen mound {ismddA). There are no farther
death ceremonies, except that after a year or two a feast {bkantidr)
is given to the brethren.

8. The Becond disciple, Padma Acharya, had two discipleB, Vana
and Aianya, and Chetan Brahmaehari was their teacher. Their
mode of life is like that of the Tirtha and Asrama, but some of
them have some property in Gonda and Bahr&ich, which was grant-
ed to them by one of the Mughal Emperors.

4. Naratroka had three disciples Parvata, Oiri, and Sagara,
and their teacher was Sariipa Bi*ahmachiri. The Barua, who are
found in the Rohilkhand Districts, are said to be connected with
these.

5. Pii-thi Udra Acharya is said to have had three disciples,
Ahoni, Bharati, and Giri.

6. These ten sections, which are generally given as 'Hratha,
Asrama, Vana, Aranya, S&rasvati, Puri, Bh&rati, Giri, Parvata,
and Sagara, constitute what is known as the Dasn&mi Gus&ins. The
last Census classes under the head Ghisain the Brindabani, Das-
nami, Gauriya, Gokulastha, Niranjani, Badhavallabhi, which have
been separately discussed.

7. Gusains are both ascetics and family men ; the former are
generally known as Kutich^r, Asandh^, or Mathdh&ri, and the
latter Grihastha. The head of the ascetic branch is called a Mahanti
and he is generally appointed by the votes of his disciples {Ckela)}

Mr. Sherring' describes the mode of initiation as follows :—
'^ 1 he candidate is generally a boy, but may be an adult. At
the Sivaratri festival water brought from a tank in which an image
has been deposited is applied to the head of the novitiate, which is
thereupon shaved.

'' The Guru or spiritual guide whispers to the disciple a sacred
text [mantra). In honour of the event all the Ghisdins in the neigh-
bourhood assemble together, and give their new member their bles-
sing ; and a sweetmeat called laddu, made very large, is distributed
among them. The novitiate is now regarded as a GnsAin, but he
does not become a perfect one until the Yijaya Homa has been per-

' For the law on the iubject see Oenda Puri, v.i. Chhaiiar Pwi,
Law Report$^ Allahabad^ IX, 1. The rale to be followed ii that foanddd oa iTTHitftim
and practice, which mast be proved by evidenee.
> Hindu Tribei and Caste; I, 256.

471

ouaAbr.

formed, at whicli a GhiB&fn bmions for religion and learning ifirei
him the original mmuira of Siva. The oeremony generally oocnpiea
three days at Benares. On the first day, the OnsAIn is again
shaved, leaving a tuft on the head, (Cknndi $ikkn). For that day
he is eonsidered a Brfthman, and is obliged to beg at a few houses.
On the second day he is held to be a Brahmach&ri, and weani
coloured garments and also the sacred cord {janeu). On the third
day the janem is taken from him and the headlock cut ofF. Thtf
manira of Siva is made known to him, and also the Rudri Giyatri
(not the usual one daily pronounced by Brfthmans). He is now a
full Ousiin or Vanaprasta, is removed from other persons, and
abandons the secular world. Henceforth he is bound to obeenre all
the tenets of the OusAins. The complete Oui>fiins who have per-
formed the ceremony of the Vijaya Homa are celibates. It is
customary, therefore, for men not to perform it until they are forty
or fifty years of age, as it involves the abandonment of their wives
and families.''

Among the trading Ghisltns the Mahant of Mirzqmr, who
belongs to the Oiri section, was for a long time notorious among the
merchants of Northern India, Such Gnstins have practically aban*
doned all claim to living a religious life, and exercise no priestly
functions When a Mahant dies his corpse is taken in a sitting
posture to the Ganges, where it is bathed and barley is sprinkled
over it. It is then inclosed in a stone coffin, which is taken on a
barge to the middle of the river, and consigned to the sacred water.

DtMlriLutiom of ike DsMmdmi OmsdUt Meeordimg io ike Ceneme

of 169 J.

DXSTBIOTI.

NwbOT. i

DiSTBIOTt.

KttMbtr.

Dskrm I)6n •

AUgark

8«h4ranpiir . •

Agia • . • •

US4

Mniaflsrusgsr •

L119

FsmikkAbAd

199

6/)83

Msiapori • •

1,169

Biiland«bAlir • • • ,

2^71

Eiiwsk

irr

1 GUS&tN. 472 ^^M

DlBtBICTB.

Number.

DlaTBICTB.

Number.

Etah .

1.315

GUzipac .

2.891

BareiU;

4,023

B<aii».

3.804

BijODT .

667

Qorakbpur

7.010

Bnd&un

3,766

Basti .

2,693

Moiidab&d

2,oia

Kumaus

2,944

SbAhjnhftDpnr

1,483

Tat&i .

784

Pilibhlt

1,622

LuokuDw

738

Cawnpor

1,835

Unfto .

2.289

Fatelipiit

709

Bit BareLi

2.521

Bftuda .

296

Bttapnr

4,414

EDlnilpttT

438

Hardoi

1,128

AUahftUd

1,061

Eheri .

3,631

Jhfinai .

279

FaiiAb&d

5,371

J^acQ

877

Gonda.

11.478

Lftlitpur

Bahrftioh

3,634

EetiuM

1,899

Saltaopnt

2,04S

Mirzftpnr

4,268

Fartfibgarh

1,307

Jaonpar

3,638

BinbftDki

4.006

ToTit

1,03,330

Males .

65.347

Female. . .

47,973

- J

HABA8HI.

473

HlBtRA^

Habashi: Habshi — (Arabic kabasi^ '' tooollect or congregate '').
— A general term for all persons of Abyssinian, Kafir, or negro blood.
They are Mubammadans. Their sections, according to the complete
Census lists, show a curious mixture. Beside the Chauhin section wo
have purely Muhammadan names, such as Abbisi, Hanafi, Sayyid,
and Shaikh.

Diiirihution of the Haba$iii according io the Cemui (ff 1891.

DitTBICTS.

Nomb«r.

Districts.

Knmbor.

MorAdAbAd

Gswnpar

Qorakhpnr

Lnekoow

RAABmU

BabrAich

Total

168
6

H&bftra.' — A vagrant thieving tribe found chiefly in the
Central Oanges-Jumna Duib. The derivation of the name is very
uncertain. It possibly means a "bugaboo'' (kmwma, which is prob*
ably through the Prakrit the representative of the Sanskrit 6Adim
''an evil spirit'' )> expressive ofthe fear in which they are held by
their neighbours. Ethnok)gicaUy the Hib&ras are no doubt veiy
closely connected with the regukr gypsy tribes of SAnsiya and
BhAtu ; in Csct there seems reMon to believe that these have only
become quite recently endogamous groups, and even now it is assert-
ed that they occasionally marry. Though the IIAb&rM are now in
much a superior grade to the Beriyas, who hve by prostituting their
women, both the tribes have the same traditional connection with the
old ruined city of Noh-kbera to the north of Pkrgana JaleHur, in
the Etah District, and many of the gangs who traverse that part ct

I BAMdoo boUb Vt Mr. F W. Obart, Dirtriet 8«p«rtatoMl«iil ol Puliot, AUfwli,
B4b« AtaA B4a« H«m1 MMtor. Hifli Sekool. lUtkui, Md tW Dt^j 1i
of 8«tools. Byaor Md McvAdAbAd.

h^bOka^

474

Lsgandt of otigiii.

the country make their way to Noh-khera daring the rainy Ecason
and there arrange marriageB and other caate matters in a series of
geoeral tribal connctlB.

3. According to one story their ancestor was a certain Rig who
one day went out hunting and pni'sued a. hare
into the forest retreat then occapied by Sita
in her eiile. She was so offended at the intrusion, that she cursed
him that all his descendants were to be wanderei-s and live by the
chase. By another account they were once Cbauhan Eajpnts who
lived at Jartauli in the Aligarh Distiict. They rebelled against the
Emperor, and Ala-ud-din sent a foi-ce to coerce them. They were
defeated, and most of them had to take refuge in the jungle, where
they hved on the game they killed. Meanwhile some of their
brethren compromised with the Emperor and returned to their
homes. They ascertained that one of their wild kinsmen had died,
so they went to see his widow become laii. When she was brought
out she saw a hare and immediately started after it with cries of taut
hau ! whence the tribe was called Habi^ra. The respectable Chau-
hans were so disgusted with her impiety that they excommunicated
all the E;lvage branch of the tribe, and they have remained outcastes
to the present day.

3. They usually name four exogamous septs which areall named
after well-known Eaiput tribes— Solan ki

Tcibftl organiealion. mi -n - i m ■ i ii i

Chauhan, Punwar, and Bhatti, also called
Blthaur. The Census Returns giveahstof sections which illustrate
the mixed elements out of which the caste has been formed, —
Ajudhyabasi, Baddbik, Babadsiya, Bahilli, Bahaniya, Bahas, Banjara,
Banohi-a, Banwar or Banwariya, Barchandi, Chauhan, Chiryamar or
" bird- killers," Dfili, Dom, Gauriya,|HindubaIana, Jadwar, Kalkanaur,
Kargar or Karigar, Khauna, Khaurkhal, Lodh, Mardarbatti,
M4rwar, Nahali, Nandak, Pharli, and Tahah. These septs are
exogamous. In Eijuor they ai'e said to have two endogamous sub-
divisions : those who wear a bead necklace {k-intht) and those who do
not. According to another account their only rule of exogamy is that
they do not many blood relations, and it is very doubtful how far the
sept system i-eally prevails. There is some reason to believe that all
or at least some of them practise a sort of group exogamy, not marry-
ing in their own camp or horde. They have a strong tribal council
{paachd^ati'i under a president {larddr), who manages all i
business.

475 HlBtaA.

4. It is quite certain that up to modern times they were in tlie

habit of recruiting? the clan by kidnapping
girls of other castes ; since they have been
placed under more careful supennsion this has, it is believed, in a
great measure ceased, but there seems good reason to believe, though
the Il&biiras themselves are very reticent on the subject, that they
still introduce and marry in the tribe outcast women of other castes.
In Bijnor it is reported that people of other castes introduced into
the tribe in this way hold a lower social position than the Hab&raa
of legitimate descent. For a virgin bride the price fixed by the
tribal custom and payable by the father of the bridegroom is twenty-
five rupees, and he has also to pay the expenses of the marriage feast-
ing. The fi-eling against in ti*r- tribal immorality appears to be
strong, and it is said that a man who seduces a married woman has
to ]iay as much as one hundred and twenty rupees liofore he will be
readmitted to caste. On the other hand the girls have considerable
liberty before marriage, and a faux pat is not very seriously dealt
with. Their women from their vagrant, mendicant Ufe naturally
liear an indifFerent character ; but though not particularly virtuous,
they are not habitually prostituted by their male relatives as the
Reriya women are. Widows and divorced women are married in
the tribe according to the tardo or dkarirka form, and their childien
are re^fanled as legitimate.

5. The marriage is arranged by a go-between, who is a member

of the tribe and is called bieknnliwa. He
takes two rupees from the boy's father to the
father of the girl, and aceeiitanoe of this constitutes the betrothal. If
the rehitions of the bride break the engagement they are fined from
ten to twenty rupees by the tribal council, and return the earnest
money to the relations of the boy. The marriage ritual is entirely
carried out by the father of the girl and the man who acted as
marriage broker. No Brihman is employed, and all that is done is
that the pair a<*knowkdge in the prwence of the tribesmen that they
are man and wife, and they then make five or seven revolutions
together round the marriage shed. In Etah a curious form of mar-
riage is reported. When the friends on both sides assemble, one of
the men mounts a horse and rides some distance on the plain close to
the camp. All the others, men and women, pursue him, and mean-
while the bridegroom being left akne with the bride carries her into
a grass hut prepared for the purpose and immediately consummates

HAB^BA. 476

the marriage. When the friends return the event is celebrated with
singing and dancing. The ceremony at widow-marriage is the
same as that prevailing among other low castes.

6. The mother during her confinement is attended by a mid-

wife of the Bhangi caste, and after that fay
the women of her own &mi]y. They per-
form the usual sixth day ceremony (ckAntii), and on the tenth day
the mother is taken to worship the well from which the family sup-
ply of water is obtained. This is known as iudn puja.

7. Like the Beriyas, the Hab&ras are in the intermediate stage

between burial and cremation. In Mathnrm

Death oeremonies. i • i

they either cremate or throw the corpse into
the Jumna. In Bijnor they either bury or expose the corpse in the
jungle. In no case is the Mahabrdhman called in. In Mathurm
when they cremate the dead they leave the ashes where the corpse
was burnt. They cover the corpse with cloth, tie it to the bier, and
fasten a number of wheaten cakes to it before they set fire to the
pyre. Then, on the next Monday or Thursday, whichever comes
first, the mourners are shaved and a dinner is given to those mem-
bers of the caste who joined in the funeral. On the twelfth day some
uncooked grain is given to Brahmans and the brethren are feasted.
Then, in the month of Ku&r which next follows, on the date corres-
ponding to that of the death of the deceased, they do themselves a sort
of srdddha and pour water on the ground in the name of the dead*
On this occasion, too, uncooked grain is given to Br^mans and the
relatives are entertained. In Aligarh, when they are well oft and
cremate the dead, the relatives make an earthen platform on tlie
site of the pyre, and there they make periodical oblations in tlie
name of the dead. From Etah it is reported that when a man
dies at home he is cremated, the bones are buried on the spot, and
a masonry platform erected over them. If a man dies at a distance
from home his bones are brought to one of the regular camping
places of the tribe, and are there buried as above described. From
the date of the burial of the bones the days of mourning, including
the lija or third day and the Terahwin or thirteenth, are fixed.
The tombs of old men of the tribe are specially venerated, and they
are recognised as tribal godLngs. When the bones of an old and
respected member of the tribe are being buried, the senior man of
^he tribe who is present makes a sort of funeral oration in which he
I on the fact that the Habftras are the only really free peopls

477 RkstnA^

in the conntry, as thqr are snbjeot to none ; and he thus showt
in detail how much superior they are even to Brfthmans and Rljpata.
Part of the speech is devoted to explaining one by one in what
respect other castes are inferior to them, and he ends by imploring
Pararoeswar that if it is fated that the soul of the dead man b to
be bom again, he may be reborn as a Hibib^a.

8. All the Hftb&ras in these Provinces call themselves Hindus;

but, as we have seen, they accept little or no
service from Brihmans. In Aligarh it is
said that when a boy reaches the age of twelve they initiate him
before a Jogi and then begin to train him in thieving. In Bijnor
they usually worship K&U Bhaw&ni. In Mathura they have a
local goddess, Kela Devi, to whom they make offerings in the
months of KAar and Chait. These offerings are consumed by the
wor8hipi)er8. But it is only on special occasions that they sacrifice
a buffalo or goat in her honour. This sacrifice is done at the house
of the person making the offerings; the goddess has no regular
temple. The victim is killed in her name, and the flesh distributed
among the relatives and friends. They celebrate the usual holi*
days^Salono, Holi, Diwah, and Dasahra. They never go to Oay»
to propitiate the saercd dead, but they bathe in the Ganges in their
honour, and in Mathura visit for the same purpose the temple of
Dauji.

9. Like the Beriyas they appear to be in a transitional stage
s«»rW putQ. and ^ regards food. In Aligarh, it is reported

occupation. ^Y^^ ^Y^y ^jll ^|. ^i^^|. ^y IjJ^j ^^f f^_

the pok or iguana, the uittda or lizard found in tfiar plains, the
ho(Igi*hog, jackal, i%ild cat, tortoise, buffalo, and deer; and thai
there are only four ca*teH from whoM hands they will not take
fooil— the Chamar, Bhangi, Dholi, and Kalar. They will not eat
the c*ow or the donkey, and they have this much respect for the
oow that they will not geld an ox with their own bands. It is
alno asHfrted that they do not drink spirits, which is almost cer«
taiiily iiioorrci*t. In Bijnor they drink spirits and cat pork, fowlsy
the fleiih of deer and goats, fish, the crocodile, jackal, and other
vermin, as well as the leavings of all respectable IlinJus. They
will drink from the hands of all Hindus except Chamlm, Bhangie,
Kan jars, Sannyas, and the like. In Mathura they assert thai thej
have given up the use of vermin and cat the flesh of all oloven*
footed animals, except the cow, and fowls, and fish. As in other

HAB^RA. 478

places^ they will eat the leavings of all high caste Hindns. The
fact is that there are two classes of HftbiiraB : those who hava
settled down to agriculture aud become fairlj respectable members
of society, and those who still preserve their vagrant mode of lifo.
The former are gradually shedding ofE the filthy habits and
customs of their vagrant brethren under the example of the Hinda
castes by whom they are surrounded. By and by as they become
more civilised they will assert a descent from R&jputs, and will, as
they rise in the world, be accepted as such. From Etah it is
reported that if a member of the tribe commits an offence' such as
theft or immorality, he is excommunicated for a certain time and is
not admitted until he draws blood from some part of his body,
usually the nose. Women are not allowed to eat goafs flesh or
rice, or to partake in the funeral feasts. If any woman touches
this food of the dead she is expelled from the caste.

10. They do not use any medicine in disease but pray to Devi
and Zahir Fir. They attribute disease to the displeasure of their
deceased ancestors who have not been suitably propitiated. They
have much fear of the Evil Eye, and their remedy for it is to get a
Faqir or a Jogi to blow on a vessel of water, which is then waved
over the head of the patient. In Aligarh if a woman is caught
committing adultery with a stranger to the tribe she is branded
three times on the left arm with a hot iron and has then to bathe
in the Ganges, while her husband is obliged to feast the brethren.
Her paramour is not punished. When a boy is bom he is named
on the tenth day by a Brahman, who receives 6ve 9er9 of grain.
Then some wheat porridge is cooked with coarse sugar and eaten
only by the women. As a rule they are truthful among themselves,
but lie to others to procure the release of a clansman. Their oaths
are as follows : — The most binding is to light a lamp (citrayil and
then blow it out. By this he means, — " If I lie may my family be
destroyed as I blow out the light.'' If a Habura can be induced to
take this oath, he will never lie. Another is to cut the root of a
pfpal tree. The third is swearing by Devi.

11. The \'agrant branch of the tribes supplies some of the most

audacious criminals in the Province. A re-
Criminal babita. </ mi i •

cent report says : — They are tue pest of

the neighbourhoods which they frequent, are continually pilfering,

robbing standing crops, attacking carts and passengers along

the loaJs^ committing robljcries aud even dakailies," It is

479 BABt^&A.

preposterous to connect them, as luui been done in this report* with
the Thftrus, a particularly harmless, inoffensive race inhabiting the
Himalayan Tar&i. The boys are trained at first on field robbery,
and are then taken out on excursions for the purpose of burglary.
When they go to rob fields the gang consists of not less than
twenty men. When out for the purpose of burglary eight or nine
go together. Unlike the Sinsiyas the Ilftb&ras very seldom use
violence except to save themselves from arrest, and they never carry
any weapons but bludgeons. Mr. A. O. Hume^ writes of them :—
''I'hey never worship Thikurji except in sickness or great mis»
fortune, such as the \asit of the Police or of a Magistrate to their
camp. At no time is their ritual a complicated one ; it consists of
an extraordinary manipulation with grains of wheat, the petitioners
making at the same time a vow of sacrificing a goat or a fowl,
which is subsequently performed by half roasting the offering in a
flame of ghi in which salt and frankincense are thrown, and then
feasting upon it. If a crime has been committed and traced to any
horde, the chief immediately determines who are to be given up.
Usually a compromise is made with the Police ; two out of six or
three out of eight are made over to justice, the rest escaping. All
the chief docs is to retreat a form of words, and then taking two of
the grains of wlieat offered to the god, he places them on the head
of the i«ca))egoat. The oath of the brotherhood is upon him, and
whether he be guilty or n(»t, he confesses to the Magistrate or Judge
and giics to the gallows or to a lifelong exile c<»nfident that his
chii>f and brethren will, as they are bound, feed and protect his wife
and children that he leaven belli nd even before their own. Marriage
seeniH hoarcrly to W with them a religious ceremony ; it couMhts in
placing four small coins in a figure of diamond shape outside which
a circle is drawn, and round this the bride and bridegroom walk
seven times."

12. In Aligarh at the present day if a Ilabura is kilk<d in the
commission of any crime his aroomplici'S give his widow one hundred
and fifty ru|)ves ; if he is only am'sted they have to sup]>ort his
wife and family until he is n*kmsed. If an innoi>ent man is con*
victi<d tlie real offender has to siip|H>rt his wife and family while he
is in priAf»n. Tliey will not inform against each other ; if anyone
do so lie is turned out of the gang. Neither men nor women wear

> 84U€iiam» fr^m iks B4€Ofd» </ G«Mr«mnif, JT.-lf. t», 1, 4aS«

BlfityRA. 480

my jewellery. They do not go long distances to oommit crime, and
[n the dayUght they can easily be identified as H&bfiias, becanse
[>oth men and women wear the modicum of clothes consistent with
leeency. They do not attempt to conceal their movements from the
PoUce ; and if one of the gang be arrested, the headman will at once
^ve notice of the fact. The only stolen property they bring into
bhe camp is grain ; jewellery, vessels, and clothes they conceal in
earthen vessels and bury them in the neighbourhood of the
encampment. They are generally supported by some landowner, who
assists them in the disposal of stolen property and gets a commis-
sion of four annas in the rupee.

18. Habiiras have a regular Thieves' Latin of their own, of
Their argot. which the following are examples :^

Com of all kinds — iau.

Bread — tuk.

Mother — at.

F&theT—bdbu.

Son — diira.

Daughter — dikri.

Wife — dhaniySnu

Husband— rf^a»fif.

Son-in-law— /?aiJ««fl (guest).

Vessels of all kinds«— ^anic^ara.

Clothes— /«^ar»ya.

Shoes — khakra.

Bullock — dhanda.

Cow —jengariya. •

Go from here — paro hind.

Run away — nanja.

Policemen — kapdhi.

Police officer — Mota modhana.

14. A full account of the measures taken from time to time with a

view to the reclamation of the tribe will be

SchemeB of reformation. t.,, .^.-^^^

found m the report by Mr. D. T. Roberts
.ppended to the report of the Police Commission of 1890. In the
Stah District they have been brought under the operations of the
Criminal Tribes Act but without much success, as the only persons
ubjected to the Act were the settled branch of the tribe who are,
s a rule, comparatively harmless. A scheme for their colonisatioii

hAb^ra.

481

halwIl

in the Morftd&Uld District seems to have met with compantiTelf
small success.

Ditiribuiion of He

Hdbirat aeeording to the Cem9m$ of 1891.

DiSTBICTS.

Number.

DitTBIOTt,

Nnmbir.

Sabiranpor • •

MoiidibAd .

Aligarh

868

SbAhjabAnpor • •

lit

Mathoim •

731

paibbit

Agim • • • •

Mimpor • • •

FkrrakhAbia

Laoknow • • •

Maiopnri •

132

Stupor •

111

BiiwiJi

189

Haidoi

BUh • . • •

Total

Bareilly

2fi9^

InimnaX ttrvotnr*.

Halw&L^— *The confectioner class. They are often confounded
with the Kindui who is properly a grain parcher, though he also
deals in sweetmeats. These two castes are, bowerer^ totally distinct,
and do not intermarry. The Ilalwii takes his name from kalwu^ a
sweetmeat made of flour, clarified batter, and sugar, coloured with
saffron and flavoured with almonds, raisins, and pistachio nuts,
t. There are a number of endogamous sub-castes, which are some

of territorial origin and others which are
possibly recruited from ether Hindu tribes
who have taken to the occupation of making sweetmeats. The last
Census gives the Kanaujiya as their only important sub-caste ; and
among those of local importance, the Kaithiym of Fsrrukhihid,
Sh&hjahinpar, and Cawnpur ; the Bharsiya of Minapur ; the Jais*
w4r of FaizabAd ; the Oodhiya of Oonda, and the P^hhwihAn or
*' Western '' of »ahriich. According to the complete lisU the Hal-
w4is are peculiar for the very large number of sections derived from
local towns and places. Thus we have the AUapuriya, Ahalpuriy%
Ajudhj-aljAsi, Akhpuriya, Alamnagari, Alipuriya, Amalpuriya, Amrit*

I BftMd OB BciUt oollMUd St MiriBpar Bad bj M . Cbbpis Ul, hnkmAnnfimX
8aiT«7, Laekaow.

Vol. II. S ■

HALwii. 482

puriya, Asodpuriya, Audhiya, Aurangfthftdi, Balipuriya;^ Bargpariya,
Bhikhpuriya^ Bilupuriya, Chandpuriya, Chanr^ya, Drigpuriy%
DuLi^puriya^ Hsljipuriya, Hazirpuriya, Illahibftdi^ Imdidnagari,
Indauriya, Isljlmpuriya, Jagatpuriya, Jaypuriya, Jajapariya, Janak-
puriya, Jaunpuriya, Kauaujiya, Khairabadi, Khur&s&ni, Mahabadi,
Mainpuriya, Makhd&mpuriya, Maqsud&badi, Mangalpuriya^ Misri-
kha, Muhammadabadi, Marad&badi, Nauraag&bftdiy Nimkhar,
Pachhw3,han, Purabiya, Bajauriya^ Bamnagari, Basiilpariya, Rns-
tamnagariya, Saksena, Sarwariya, Siupuriya, Sior&jpariya, Sliib-
jahanpuriya, Siy&mpuriya, Sribdstam, Tajpuriya, 'Hkaitgauji, Tllok-
puriya, Uttaraba. Those that suggest a connection with other
castes are not numerous, such as Kaithiya, Kalwir, Mehtariya,
Sunarha, Surajbansi. To the east of the Provinoes we find the
Kanaujiya (who take their origin from Kanauj) : Kalwftr possiUy
recruited from the distiller caste : Madhesiya (residents of the middle
land) (Madhya desa) : Madhubansi ('^sons of sweetness'') : NijrfLHyaor
Naipariya (from Nepal) . Mr. Sherring adds from Benares Pachpiriy%
Bauniwala, Gonr, Tihara, and Lakhnawa (from Lucknow). Sir H.
M. EUiot gives Chailha, Bukarra, DQbS, Kanaojiya, and Til-
bhunja or ^^ parchers of sesamam/' All these tribes are endoga*
mous. Mr. Sherring assei*ts that in Benares the Kanaujiya inter-
marry with the Madhesiya; but this seems very doubtful. But
within these endogamous tribes they have a most elaborate system
of exogamous groups known as bdni,^ Those persons who belon(^
to the same bdni cannot intermarry. These groups seem to be
territorial, and many of them have a mnemonic verse ^attached to
them, a few of which are given to illustrate a curious variety of in-
tertribal exogamy : —

NdiA ke sarna.

Tu Samai ati ke ddn.

Nangen kapara^ bhukhe hkdi.

Biswandtk ke larua ckdrkawa.

Siva Kdsi men darsan pdwe,

AladAeiiya baithe na pdwS.

Than Benares.

" Under the protection of the Lord I You Samai are very oliari-
table. Gai-nients for the naked, boiled rice for the hungry. Otter

1 The word hdni may represent either Sanskrit vama, " ookmri " " OMtt;" or
vani ** voice", in allusion to the commemorative vertet. Tb« Utt«r U th« popviUr
and poMibly incorrect explanation.

4fi8 HALWiU*

laddu sweetmeats to Viswanith (Siy% " Lord of the Umvene ^.
Pay your vows to Siva at Benares. Let iiot one of the Madhesiya
8ub*caBte sit with you. Head-quarters of the B&ni— Benares/^

LarkharS khambh.

Pdt Sink iakkt dandwd :

Battkak iandwa.

Tkdn Karwati.

" Pillars tremble. Pit Sinh made a seat ; arranged a retting plaoe.
Head-quarters Karwati.^'

iladku ki ekofi :
Bick ban.
Tkdn Kandawa.

" The robbery of the honey in the midst of the jangle. Head*
quarters Kandawa.''

Batja men kai tingkor :
Kutamhan kai batcr.
Jo ban kai sarbar karai,
Baian Sdkm kai kkdnia sarai.
Tkdn Bi9kal.

" Under the Singkora tree on the way is the gathering of the
kinsmen. If any one discuss the Bini, the pillar o£ the house of
Batan, the merchant decays. Head-quarters Bishal.

Ckkot moi gkorama :

Barakai lagdm.

Jkamai ekark gage ekkufi bkdri t

Ramai Paddraih.

Tkdn Anguri.

'* The hori« in small and fat ; the rein is long. On it quickly
Jhaiiiai niounteil. Ramai Padlrath. Hetd-quarters Anguri.''

Kidnre kd bkusaul :
Miriek ekabena.
Tkdn Nagmr Mahai.^

** A chaff store houM for sugar. Pkrohad grain of ohilKes.
Head-quarters Nagar Mahai.

Amrii kai biro •
* Praikam ddn, prmikam pnnigm.
Tkdn Ckmndrgark.

'* A tree of tlie water of immorlality : the first gift^ the daef
merit. Head-quarters Chunar FurU''

Vol. U. t ■ S

HALWil. 484

Chhdnahe parwar.
KMra tamnndar.
Thdn Sndhawai.

Head-quarterB Sndhawai. '*

*' Ninety-six fianilies, the Salt Ooean.

Sone sohhawa :

B4pe ardds.

Thdn Kheli.

*^ The beauty of gold^ the desire of silver. Head-qnarten

Kheli.''

8one iai khardun :

Dupahar Kaniaiya,

Dupahar rdo.

Thdn Laehhagiff Jmawa, Barwar.

''Bathing sandals of gold: for two watches like Krishiai: tor
two watches a king. Head-qnarters Laohfaagir, Axnaw% Barwar.^

8one iai tinidr
Bandi ehkor,
Thdn Kurtatk.

" A chain of gold and a gold ornament for the head. Head-
quarters Eursath/'

8one kai diya,

BUpe kai bdti

Chdr pahar barS din rdti,

Thdn Dotpur.

'^ A golden lamp with a silver wick. Four watches o£ night and
day. Head-quarters Dospur.'^

Sabhddhar Pandit.
Sabarne kai harwa :
P hits kai mdla gaffS jkufina.
Bifiiha Bdbhan bhojan karat,
bare gaye bydh kar IdifS.
Boni r4pe kai katas dkardyf.
Tkdn Kantit.

*' The Pandit Sabhadhar ; a gold chain for the neck. The flower
garlands have withered. Feed the hereditary priest. He went to
marry and returned successful and laid down the sacred marriage
pitchers of silver and of gold. Head-quarters Elantit/'

Lohai kai kardki.

Kdihe kai ddb :

485 HALWll.

Pigie M kardki,
T4ie M ddb.
Tidn KdrS.

''The iron boiling pan and tlie wooden pounder. May the paa
never ciimok and the pounder never break* Head-quarten K4rt.

Kmnehmn bdri :
Tansu Mansu ;
Tidn Jkdmsi :
Parwar Sanioik :
Ttdm Manaei.

^ Lumpe of gold : Taiuu Mansu : head-qnarttfi Jhlnai : flia
Santokh fiunily : head-quarters Manack.'^

BJtUiki pdkuf
THtmrS d§i ekaU ghana niiUn :

''Hie fig tree worth a Ukh of rupees before whioh the drama
•ound and the flags flutter. Head-quarters Nanganwa.''
miaHi pdkar
PkarS to kkaiydn •
Nakim hekkdl$mjurmfS9^
ndn Kantii.

^The fig tree worth a llkh of rupees. Eat of it when it fruits,
otherwise refresh yourself under its shade. Head-quarttfs Kantit^'

DkarS Kdndm ki sMfjrya.
ndm RUal.

*^ Sharers catch the mother of the Kindu. Head-quarters RisU/'
Bdn\ pamgar :
DdUkaitaddidr.
Bkim^ Bitmai siW.
ndn Karl

" Powerful arms : a hundred streams of milk. Bhtm^ Bhfanaa
and Mai. Head-quarters Kar£/'

Bkar iarmi, kkat kmrama :
CkkiUn tdku pial hkat ikarmm.
Tkdm Bkarikara.

'' Chhitan, the merchant drank a full dish, a small copfol and a
large cup. Head-quarters Bharthara.''

HALwii. 486

Dui khairui kai musdr*

Jahare marcy dibare praiifdl harai.

Than Benares.

'* Pestle made of two acacia trees. Beat the etrong*, protect the
weak. Head-quarters Benares/'

What the exact meaning of some of these verses majr be it is not
easy to determine. The places desigtiated are all to the east of the
Province or in the adjoining Districts of Bengal. In many of
them some ancestor of the exoganions group seems to be designated :
others may be of totemistic origin. Among the city Halwi is of
Lucknow these gronps have disappeared, and their role dE exogamy
is that marriage within seven degrees of paternal and maternal
kinship is forbidden.

S. The age for marriage rons from five to twelve, and the better-

off members of the caste marry their dangfa-
ters m infancy. One of the clansm^oi acts as
negotiator (agua). It is forbidden to marry again daring the life-
time of the first wife without leave of the tribal council. The levi-
rate is permitted and prevails generally, but it is not enforced on the
widow, and her right to select a second partner is recognised.^
Marriage is as usual of three forms \ ihddi or ekarkauwa^ the respect-
able ritual ; dohy that used by poor people, and sagdi for widows. In
the first the worshipping of the bridegroom's feet (pairpija) by the
father of the bride and the smearing of vermilion {tendurddm) on the
parting of the bride's hair are regarded as the binding part of the
ceremony, which goes through the usual states of betrothal {barrekki)
and fixing of the marriage day [lagan). Then comes a special
ceremony called ''the touching of the grain" {andj ekkHna); at a lucky
time fixed by the Pandit they send for some urdi pulse and gram,
and the women beg^n to grind it. During this ceremony no widow
or woman married by sagdi is allowed to be present. Then follows
the singing (gifgauna), when the women commence the marriage
songs, and next comes the matmangara, when some euih is eoUected

I It has been jadicially decided that a man who is » member of the Halwii
easte may oontraot a marriagfo Id the sagAi form with a ifidow even if he has » wife
liviniTt proyided in the latter case ho is a childless man. QuBte, whether a married
woman may not contract a tagAi marriaffe, notwjtbstdnding that her hnaband is
living if the panchdyat has examined the case and reported that her hiuband im
unable to support her.

Kally Chum Shaw versus Dtikhu Bihei, Indian Law R^pwrtt, Cal^wUm,
V,«92.

487 halwAl

and brought into the marriage shecl^ when all the women get sonie
Bweetfi and oil for their hair. Then follows the anointing {iel Aartii),
and on the day before the procession starts the clansmen are fed
(b^siwdii), while the father and mother of the bridegroom do the
mdfri or maHiri pUja, which is an emblematical remarriage. Their
clotlies are tied together by the Brihman, their feet stained with
dye {makd»ar)y and they worship an image of the nine planets
{nangraka) made of cow-dung. At the bride's door the dndr pija is
done in the usual way. The clansmen are then fed, and some food is
sent from the bride's house for the brideg:room. While he eats it the
barber rubs his Other's feet with a mixture of barley flour and
turmeric known as eitias, and the clansmen are given a mixture
of sugar and pepper dissolved in water {mirchmin) to drink. On
the di^ after the marriage (fiaridr) the boy is solemnly fed on
rice and pulse {tkiekari). When the bride arrives at her hus-
band*9 house, Oangaji, 9ati and Mahideva are worshipped, and
on the fourth day {ekauiki) the bride's father sends a present
of rice, sweetmeats, butter, clothes, etc., out of which part is set
aside as an offering to the godlings (deota). This is known wm
b^jhwat,

4. When a woman is in the eighth month of pregnancy the

aikwdma ceremony is performed. Uusband
and wife are dressed in new clothes and five
kinds of butter cakes and five varieties of fruits in season are placed
in hur cap. The other ceremonies are the ordinary type. When a
boy is five or six years old the ceremonial shaving (munran) and ear
piercing (kanekkeian) arc done at some shrine, such as that of the
Vindhyabftsini Devi at nindhioluil. This marks the boy's initia-
tion into caste pri\'ilege8, and from that time he is bound to conform
to the tribal rules reganling food.

5. They have both a Hindu and a Muhammadan branch,

Hindu Halwais arc rarely initiated int^) any
Rtlifion. , ^

of the recognised siH'ts, but are by preference

Vaihhnavas. Their clan deities are Mahideva, Hardiya or Hardaur

and the Panchonpir, among whom Ghazi Miyin is most regarded. He

JH worshipped on the ninth of Kuir with cakes {baro)^ uraJ pulse,

boiled rice, brcail, and a goat is sacrificed. These offerings are placed

on seven stones near the family shrine. Alahibir and MaUulevaare

propitiattnl withfiweetji (hddy), fried gram (yilir«f iari), and sweet

lakes in the n;onth of Sawan. When a child is attacked with

halwIt.

488

small-pox a pice is waved round its head and put beliind its pQIow :
a pit is dug in. the ground and sharhat prepared of five different
fruits is poured into it^ and Sitala M&ta worshipped with an
offering of sweets (batdiia), fried gram (^ivnyAttrf), and garlands of
flowers. Their priests used to be of the special class of Brahmans
known as Kinnara Misra, but these have now taken to music as
their profession^ and have Mien into disrepute. Their place has
been taken by ordinary Sarwariya Brflhmans.

6. Making of confectionery is the special business of the caste,

Occnpation and Bocial ^^* ^^^ *^^® ^^"^ *^ agricnltuw and

standing. a good many to money-lending and other

mercantile business like Banyas. Their women, who often manage
their shops^ have in some places an equivocal reputation. But they
enjoy a character for personal purity. BriLhmans will take water
from their hands^ and all Hindus^ except the Sarwariya Brihrnans,
will eat pitrit or cakes of wheaten dough fried by them in mdted
butter. They nearly all indulge in spirits. They eat the flesh of
goats and sheep^ but more particularly that of animals which have
been offered in sacrifice. They eat food cooked with butter (paUi),
cooked by Brihmans^ Kshatriyas and all respectable Vaisyas except-
ing Kalw&rs. Food cooked in water {iacAeHi) they wiU eat aoHj
when prepared by members of their own caste or by their priests.
O ly Chamirs and other menial castes will eat their leaving!.
The Acharw&la or preparer of pickles, jams, etc., is generally an
independent Mussulman trader, not a Muhammad an Halwii, as
seems to be the case in BengaL^ In the eastern parts of the Prov-
ince the Hindu Halwai often makes jams and condiments {eAaint).

Distribution of Halwdit according to the Census of 1891.

Hindus.

Muham*

Districts.

Eanan-
jiya.

Others.

Toi»L

Okaxd

TOTAI..

Debra Diin

8ah4Tanpur • .
Hazaffamagar .

•••
••t
*••

8
*«t
1

8
• *•
1

0*0

2,104
1.858

2,164
IM9

> Hoey, Monogra/ph on Trad* and Manufacturu, 50 : BitUj, Trih$$ and OomUm^
1,818.

489

BALWkL

DMHftirfiM of* EalwiU aeeonliag to (A* Cvnu ofMH—etnti.

Hindus.

MllbMB-
BUldABt.

0«AND

DUTftlCTS.

Jijiu

Otbert.

ToUl.

TOTAb

Matnit

•

•••

0**

•••

817

tiy

Bnkadalialir

•

•••

0*0

•••

191

AUgarh •

•

•0*

•00

lUtbum •

•

•••

AgTA

•

000

•0*

•••

FamkbibAd

•

100

1407

1,867

IMO

Mainpari •

•

••0

176

•••

176

Xtiwmh •

•

185

188

197

SUk

•

0««

0**

•••

819

S19

BmiHy .

•

•••

888

S41

BiJBor

1 0

0*0

•••

1.684

i.eu

Badinn

1 •

• ••

129

189

115

MorAdAUd

» •

• ••

•0*

•••

618

tl8

8h4bjikAnpor .

» •

444

488

409

897

Pilibklt .

• 0

•••

890

198

Caimpor •

1 •

1,066

1170

8,856

SJ91

Fat^bpnr •

• •

13<^

8«»4

1,590

•••

U90

Mnda

• •

615

817

988

•••

9»

Ilamlrpar •

• •

•••

AlkbibAd

• •

67S

8,4S5

8,097

9.894

JbAnsi •

• •

•00

•••

Jibon

• •

•••

Btnstti

• •

8.6ca

614

4,888

U89

Minapor •

•

7,117

64S

7.769

7.771

Jaonpar •

• •

6.408

608

6.016

198

6J09

ObAsipor •

• •

1340

184

1.474

•••

1.474

flAtiWAI.

490

HARA.

Distribvtion of HalwAis according to tk$ Cemtu* ^

Hindus.

' Mnham-
madans.

Districts.

Eanan-
jiya.

Others.

Total.

Orahd
Total.

Ballia . • . .

185

438

623

•••

623

%
Gorakhpur • •

2.781

378

3,159

8,223

Basil . • • .

2,698

]10

8.706

252

2,960

Azamgarh • • • •

2,610

948

3,553

3,583

Tar4i . . . .

• • •

•• •

...

103

Luoknow • . • •

784

2,868

3,658

560

4^12

UnAo . . . .

1,767

1*839

3,696

3,646

B^dBareli

689

894

1,683

458

2,041

Sitapur . . • •

2,224

1,345

1,569

8,794

4863

Hardoi • • • •

1,916

1.965

2,004

Kheri ....

476

555

2,880

8.436

FaizlLb^ ....

1,922

645

2,567

273

2.840

Gonda . . • •

965

853

1,818

1.976

8.794

Bahr&ioh . . • •

107

789

896

6,362

6,258

Sult&npur

895

615

uio

198

1.608

PartAbgarh

973

1,072

1,164

a826

BAra Banki

446

2,677

3,123

6.173

9.296

Total

38,414

26,288

64,702

31,544

96.846

Hara. — A famous Rajput sept which is now represented only
in small numbers in these Provinces. They trace their descent to the
mythical cow Kamdhenu, from whose bones {Adr) they say that
they were produced. The founder of the sept was Ishta Pila, a
decendant of M^nik R46, King of Ajmer, who in A.D. 685
'^ sustained the first shock of the Islamite arms. '* Ishta Pila was
FTOpnded in battle with the invading force of MahmM of Ohami.
" His limbs which lay dissevered, as the story goes, were collected by
Sflra Bai ; and the goddess sprinkling them with the water of life,
he arose. Hence the name Hftra, which his descendants bore front

hAra; haedoi.

491

HARISCHANBL

the bones {idr) thus colleoted ; but more profadbly from haTing left
{kdrm) Asi. '^ There are nineteeii eponyous clanSy of which Colonel
Tod gives a hst}

Hardoi--^A sub-oatte of Banyas who take tiieir name from the
of that name.

Disiribulion of Uardoi Ba%ya% according io the Cemsui of 1891.

DltTBIOTS.

Nnmber.

DitTIICTfl.

NoBib«r,

pArrnkhAbAd •
SkAl^aliAapiir •
PilikbH
Oiimpiir •

874

Lucknow • •
8ftapar

' Hardoi • • •
Kii6n • • • •
Total

4220

2,141
8.92S

11.187

Hariachandi. — A Vaishnava sect who take their name from the
celebrated lUja Ilaris Chandra, whose legend is thus told by Prof.
Dowson :' — ** He was the twenty-eighth King of the Solar race and
son of Trisanku. He was celebrated for his piety and justice.
There are several legends about him. The Aitarej^a Brihmana tells
the story of his purchasing Sunahsephas to be offered up as a
vicarious sacrifice for his own son. The ^fahabhirata relates that
he was raised to the heaven of Indra for his performance of the
Bijas&ya sacrifice and for his unbounded liberality. The Mirkan*
deya Purftna expands the story at considerable length. One day
while Haris Chandra was hunting he heanl female lamentations,
which proceeded from the Sciences, who werebi*ing mastered by the
austerely fernd sage Vis warn itra, and were crying out in alarm at
his superiority. Haris Chandra, as defender of the distressed, went
to the rescue, but Visu-amitra was so provoked by his interference,
that the Sciences instantly perishcul, and Haris Chandra was
reduced to a state of the most abjivt helplessness. Viswamitim
demanded the sacrificial gift due to him as a Brahman, and the
King offered him whatever he might choose to ask — gold, his own
son, wife, life, kingdom, good fortune, whatever was dearest.
Viswamitra stripped him of wealth and kingdom, leanng him

I BQChaoaii, Katitm India^ 11. iSl : Tod, AnmaU, 11, ISS.

HAEISGHANDI. 492

nothing but a garment of bark and his wi£e and son. In a state at
destitution he left his kingdom^ and Yiswamitra struck Saibya, the
queen^ with his stafE to hasten her reluctant departure. To escape
from his oppressor he proceeded to the holy city of Benares, but the
relentless sage was waiting for him and demanded the completion of
the gift. With bitter grief wife and child were sold, and there
remained only himself. Dharma, the god of justioe, appeared in
the form of a hideous and offensive Chandila and offered to bay
bim. Notwithstanding the exile's repugnance and borror, Viswa-
mitra insisted upon the sale, and Haris Chandra was carried off
bound, beaten, confused, and afflicted, to the abode of the Chandila.
He vtB^ sent by his master to steal clothes from the graves in a
cemetery. In this horrid place and degrading work he spent
twelve months. His wife then came to the cemetery to perform
the obsequies of her son, who had died from the bite of a
serpent. They recognised each other, and Haris Chandra and his
wife resolved to die upon the funeral pyre of their son, though he
hesitated to take away his own life without the leave of his master.
After all was prepared he gave himself up to meditation of Vishnu.
The gods then arrived headed by Dharma and accompanied by
Yiswamitra. Dharma entreated him to refrain from his intention,
and Indra informed him that he, his wife, and son had conquered
heaven by their good works. Haris Chandra declared that he oouli
not go to heaven without the permission of his master the Chandila.
When this difficulty was removed, Harischandra objected to go to
heaven without his faithful subjects. This request was granted by
India, and after Yiswamitra had inaugurated Bohitaswa., the king's
son, to be his successor, Haris Chandra, his friends and followers,
aU ascended in company to heaven. There he was induced by
the sage Nirada to boast of his merits, and this led to his ex-
pulsion from heaven. As he was falling, he repented of his faults
and was forgiven. His downward course was arrested, and he and
his followers dwell in an aerial city, which, according to popular
belief, is still occasionally visible in mid air.''

2. The Harischandi Faqirs follow the principles which Haria
Chandra taught his Dom master during the period of his servitude.
Most of them are Doms, and they are found in small numbers in
these Provinces. They appear to adopt merely a belief in Viahna
as the Creator of the universe.

HABJALA. 498 HATOBAHSy HAIHOBAmL

Haxjala.^ — ^A Bmall tribe found only in Sttapor and Kheri.
Aooording to their own aocoont of themselvee thej were onoe Gull
Ahirs, and after the captnre of the fort of Chithor they were obliged
to wander away in the disgoise of Jogis and other beggars. As
they need to assume all sort of disgnises they were called
HardioKya {tar, "every, " ciola, ''body^')^ which was afterwards
oormpted into Harjala. Another story represents the word to be
derived from the fact that they will drink water from any one's
hand, (iar, " every /' jal " water ") . They are divided into three
ezogamons sections— Bahrlichi^ Khairftbftdi, and Lakhnawi, which
take their names from their places of residence^ Bahrlich, Khairlbldi
and Lacknow. Hie Censns Returns add Baranikali, Brempuri,
(possibly a corruption of Ibrahimpuri), OuAlbans^ and Lodh, the last
two of which would connect them in some way with Ahtrs and
Lodhas. They are all Hindus. Their occupation is begging in the
disguise of Jogis and other regular mendicants. Iliey sing m
special song known as Sarwan^ which is said to be originally m
lament for the Rishi Sarwan who was accidentally shot by RiJA
Dasaratha as he was taking his blind father and mother slung
in a basket over his shoulders to a place of pilgrimage. The legend
has been localised at a place called Sarwan, in Pargana Manrlnwin,
of the Unio District.' Some of them keep bu&loes and sell
ghi ; others cultivate and live by cutting grass and day labour.

ibmiion of He Harjalai according lo He Cemim of tS9t.

DitTEIOTS.

StUpiif
Khtri

Total

Kmmlw;

HayobanSi Haihobans (said to be derived from Atfjrs-MMtf,
" the race of the horse "). — A Rajput sept found in the Ballia dis-
trict. They are of the Lunar race and in the highest rank among the

* BamiI on iBfonnAtion roeeived ihroajrh litattiSBt-Coloaal W. P. Ilinlisa,
Dtpntj OommiMionvr, KiMri.

• EUioU, CkrmU€i4$. ft, 9q.

HAY0BA.N8, HMHOBAN8. 494

tribes of the District. Acoording to Sir H. :M. ElUot^ >^'' MaluB-
wati^ the capital o£ the Lunar BajputQ^ in the Narbada inailey , waf
founded by Sahesra Arjuna^ of the Hihya or Hayobapa raqe. Thpr
dynasty for fifty-two generations was establidied at B*taiiiHur, in
the Central Provinces. The last o£ the dynaaty. Raja Ba^oitli
Sinh^ died about one hundred and ton yeiifs.ago; The Haiy<>liMMi of
Ballia claim descent from the Batanpnr. kings. • Chandra QMb, a
cadet of this house, is said to have^ in 8&0; A.D.^ nignat^d vtxtik*
wards and settled at Manjha^ on tjie (jkmgoa^ now inchided in tb#
Sftmn District, and waged suecQs^l wftr with tha ab^ginul
Cheros. After nearly a couple of hundred yeaia hia deaoendaote
left Manjha and settled south of the Changes jat Bihiyi^ wkere thqr
remained for five centuries and subdued the Cheio^'' I& o€ nboet
1528 A.D. the Raja Bhopat Deva, or porhafA one <iC'}ti8 soMy
violated Maheni, a Brahman woman of the bouae of .the Puohit
or family priest of the Hayobans clan. She burnt lianelf .to death,
and in dying imprecated the most fearful curses on tlie Hay^obuiii
race. After this tragedy the clan left Bihiya, and piussed bqroi»l
the Gtknges to the Ballia Fargana, where for a tiine tfiey w&n
located at GaS Ohat, and finally settled at Haldi, from whk^ the
Hayobans Raja now takes his title. The tomb of JyEaheni, «nder a
pipal tree close to the Railway at Bihiya, is still visited by women
of every caste, who come in numbers either to invoke her ae a
deified being or to offer oblations in conmiemoration of her. None
of them dares to enter Bihiya, which contains the remains of their
ancestors ' iort. They are more swurthy than most R&jputs, and
Mr. Camegy suggests that they may have been originally a Tamil
race.*

2. These people may possibly be connected with the Haihya of
tho Puranik lists. We read that they with the Jalajanghaa,
descendants of Yadu, conquered King Bahu or Bahuka and were
finally destroyed by Sslgara.' A tribe of Haihayas still exists in
the valley of Sahajpur, who, according to Colonel Tod, are ''aware
of their ancient lineage, and though few in numbers, are still cele-
brated for their valour/'* Professor Wilson suggested their
connection with the Ilia, Hoiei-ke, Hoieiha, and similarly denomi-

1 Supplementary Olosiary, i,v.
s Oldham, OhdMipur Memo,, I, 55, iq.
> Wilson, Vishnu Purdna, 373, $q.
* Annals of Rajaslhdn, I, 41.

HATOBANS, HAIHOBANS.

496

HIJBA, HUKHAllirA84

nated Hun or Turk Tribes, who make a figure in Chineee flittory.
'^ At the same time it is to be observed that these tribes do not
make their appearance until some centuries after the Christian er%
and the scene of their first exploits is far from the frontier of India :
the coincidence of appellation may therefore be merely accidental^.
In the word hay a, which properly means ' a horse, ' it is not impos*
sible that we have confirmatory evidence of the Scythian origin of
the Haihyas. ''^

H^ra, Hukhannas.— The class of eunuchs. In spite of the
operations of the Criminal Tribes Act (XXVII of 1871) ibeM
people are still found in considerable numbers throughout the
Province ; but under the rigid supervision to which they are now
exposed their numbers are gradually decreasing. Formerly when
a deformed boy was bom in a family the Hijras of the neijp^hboor^
hood used to beset the parents and endeavour to obtain possession eC
him. This practice has now, of course, ceased. Ilijiras divide
the country into beats for the purposes of begging, and none oE
them ventures to trespass in the beat of another. Most of them
wear a sort of female dress, and, as nearly all of them are Mubam^
madans, they call themselves by Musalm&n names such as Ban
Begam, Chhoti Begam, etc. They go about and attend marriage
feasts and other ceremonies. They play on the drum {diol) and
cymbals {manjira). Their death customs are the same as thoseof
the low castes in their neighbourhood. The Census Returns show
that they have a considerable number of women dependent on
them.

2. The Census Returns give as sections of the so-called Ilijra
caste some of purely Muhammadan origin, as Bani Ilftshim, Khwftja^
Khw&ja Sar&i, Khw&jazid, Pathin, and Shaikh, with others of
Uindu origin as (JangarAnii and Tilokbans.

biMtrihuiiom 6f Rijrmn aecordimg to iki Cemtm of J89t,

DiSTEICTi.

Bsbiimopar
Jfrnaffarnftgar .

HlllDOS.

MaIm. : FraiAlM

••«

MORAMI

■AOAPS

Maltt.

FmmOm.

lift
SI

las

TbTlAL.

> liM. tM., ilSi Iff.

HUSA.

406

DUtrihution qf Hijra9 aeeording to the Cgntus of 2891^coniL

Districts.

Hindus.

MnHA.IflfA.DA]fa.

1 Total

Males.

Females.

Males.

Females.

Heerat • <

•••

Bnlandshahr ,

•••

...

Aligarh .

•••

••«

Mathnia •

...

•••

.«•

Agra

•••

*••

Farrnkli&b&d

•••

Mftinpnri •

...

•—

•••

Btiwah

••.

••«

EUh

.•*

•••

BndAaii

.••

•••

Mor&d&b4d

...

•••

••«

Bh&hjah&npur

•••

Pilibhlt .

•••

••.

•••

Cawnpar • «

...

Fatehpur • i

•••

.••

BAnda

...

.• •

Hamirpar • <

•••

..•

Allabibid .

•
2

JliAnsi •

•••

JAlaan •

•«.

...

—

Jannpar • •

•••

...

Qb4zipar •

...

•••

Ballia

..•

...

Gorakbpar •

...

-••

Baiti

••.

•••

-59

Azamgarb •

•••

• ••

Lnoknow •

•••

•*•

HIJBA,

497

HOTRIt

Distrihuiian of H\jrai according to the Cemui of ifiPi^oonrld.

D18TBICTS.

BiUpar
Kheri

FaixiUd .
Gonda
B^iiteh .
SoltAnpnr •
ParUbgarh
BAiabanki .

H1NDO8.

MUHAMMADAMI.

Males.

Femalei.

Total

•••

44
18
15
28

84
82
40

FemiUei.

Total.

65
34

53
18
15
48
16

147
74

3 > 749

369

1,125

biidi

!• — A functional 8ulMli\i8ion of Brahmans, ''he tliat offers
an oblation or burnt offering.'' His title and functions recall the
animal bacriiices of tlie Vcdic a^e. " His but^iness is to make the
koma ofTering, and to recite Vetlic hymns at the openiufi^ of new
temples, or wlien lar^c feai*t8 are given to Brahmans and sometime*
in the private houses of rich men. Ttie last instance of a Vodio
fi^oat sacriiice, which is tlie only form now allowed, that of the
cow and horse lK*in^ prohibited, was ))crform€d in Ik^narcs about
thirty years ago. Ttie acc4>unt which I ha\'e received of it is as
follows :«-A certain Brahman from Southern India, who had
inlierited the charge of an eternal tire fp)m a remote and dihtinguibhed
anocfitry, had, through an inadvertence for which he blamed himself,
allowed the fire to go out. In order to relight it and make a suit-
able atonement for the crime which he had committed, he deter-
mined to celebrate a great tiacrifict*, and collected from all the Hindu
Rajas who could be induced to contribute*, a sum of ak»ut thirty
thousand ruj)ee« for the jniqtose. The cen*mony la^teil for twenty-
one days. All this time Brahmans were biMiig feil in thoa»ands,
offerings of koma were bi*ing thrown on the altar, and hat*red words
{mantra) were repeated with each oifering. The goat intended for
Vol. II. % I

HOTRf. 496 HUBKIYA, HURUKITA.

the sacrifice^ which was to crown the work^ was stalled in an enclo*
sure set apart for the sacrificial floor ; and the greatest attention,
amounting almost to worship^ was paid to it till the day of sacrifice
came round. As the goat was being led up to the altar^ its neck
was garlanded with flowers^ and red powder was showered on iti
head. The most learned and distinguished Brahmans who could be
found were summoned from hundreds of miles round to take part in
this Vedic sacrifice. The spot on which the goat was at last kiUed
was screened off, so that no pro&ne eye might behold what the Brah-
mans were doing, or witness the relighting of the extinguished fire
from the flame of the sacrifice. On receiving this fire reUghted, the
man was taken to the Ganges to be bathed by the Ach&rya or presid-
ing priest ; and such was the sanctity ascribed to that part of the
river where he had bathed, that almost the whole city of Benares
turned out to get a drop or two of water thrown at them by the
hands of the priest. It is said that no such sacrifice had been per-
formed before within the memory of any man living, nor is it
expected that such will ever be performed again«

2. '^ There is one more function left to the Hotri, which may be
traced back to the Vedic age, vie,, the recitation of long passages
from the ancient hymn books. This is done at times when new

temples are opened or when large feasts are given to Br&hmans, and
sometimes in the private houses of rich men. A Hotri is sometimes
employed by men who are wealthy enough to engage his services
to stand before an idol and read extracts from the Veda on their
behalf. Such repetition is placed to the credit of the man who pays
for it, and is believed to benefit his soul in the life beyond the
grave."^

Hurkiya, Huruldya«'-~A small tribe of musicians and pimpe,
attendants on dancing girls, of whom some account has been given
under the head Tawaif . They are by religion Muhammadans. As
sections, according to the Census Returns, they recorded some of the
other sub-castes of a similar mode of livelihood, such as Kanchan and
Paturiya; others connected with higher castes, as Bihamaniya^
K^hhi, and others of local origin, as Bihariya from Bihir, Kilpi
and Purabiya or *' Easterns."

> Nesfield, Calcutta Jitview, CLXVU, 263, $g.

HUEKITA, HT7EUKITA.

499

HUflAIHI.

Ditiribniion of tie Huriiyai according to tie Centut of 1891.

DiSTEIOTS.

BolAodahalir

Aligarh

Agn

Fftrrukbibid

Etiwah

JilMIO

Total

Mnmber.

106

221

432

801

Hnsaini— -A class of so-called Brithmans who take their name
from the Mohammadan saint Husain. In the Panj&b they are
called Musalm&n BrAhmans, are found chiefly in the Delhi Division,
and are said to receive oblations in the name of Hindu floods from
Hindus and in the name of Allfih from Musalmins. In Azamgarh
they are described as half caste Brfihmans and are also known at
Bhanreriya, which is another term for the Dakaut {q.v.). In
Bombay they act as priests of the Bhangis. According to
Dr. Wilson they are found near Ahmadnagar^ formerly the seat of a
Muhammadan dynasty. " They are half converts to the Muham-
madan faith, though they retain some of their Brihmanical practi-
ces ; generally only intermarry among themselves* They ask alms
both from Muhammadans and Hindus.^' Dr. Wilson suspects that
iheir origin may have been connected with the Brihman to whom
the Muhammadan founder of the Br&hmani dynasty of the Dakkhin
was so much indebted.^

> WiboB. Indian Caite, II, 29, 1$4 : Ibb«Uoii, Paisjdh Eiknography, pMra. 512 :
AMaw^ark S^HUmtni lUpori, 43A, app.

G. 1 C. P. U.-lla. 17 S. to G. M.-W. P.-l»4l-«.-IOa.

> >•

^ /*

/•

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Harvard College Widener Library
Cambridge, MA02136 (617) 4g5-2413

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