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A GLOSSARY
OF THE
TRIBES AND CASTES
OF THE
Punjab and North^West Frontier Province*
Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883,
by the late Sir DENZIL. IBBETSON, K-CSL,
and the Census Report for the Punjab, 1892,
by the Hon. Mr. E. D. MacLAGAN, C.S.I., and
compiled by H. A. ROSE.
VOL. II.
A.— K.
!lLabore :
rfilNTED AT THE *' CIVIL AND UILITAEY GAZETTE " V&L3S, BY SAMUEL T. WESTON.
Price :— Rs.5-0-0, or 6s. 4d.
iPii.
GLOSSARY OF THE TRIBES AND
CASTES OF THE PUNJAB AND
N. W. F. PROVINCE.
622219
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PREFACE TO VOLUME 11.
This niossary of tlie Tribes and Castes found in the Pimjal), the North-West Frontier Province and tlie l^^^tected Territories on the North- West Frontier of India, is based upon the works of the late Sir Denzil Charles Jelf Ibbetson, K.C.S.I., Lieutenant- Governor of the Punjab and its Dependencies, and of the Hon'ble Mr. Edward Douglas Maclagan, C.S.T., now Secretary to the Grovernment of India in the Revenue Department. Sir Denzil Ibbetson's Report on the Punjal) Census of 1881 was reprinted as Pun jab Ethnography. Vohime HI of the present com- pilation will include the rest of this (rlosaari/, and Volume I will comprise the valuable chapters of Sir Denzil Ibbetson's Report which deal with the Physical Description of tlie Punjal), its Reli- gions and other subjects, supplemented by the matter contained in the Hon'ble Mr. Maclagan's Report on the Punjab Census of 1891, and from other sources.
This Glossary embodies some of the materials collected in the Ethnographic Survey of India which was begun in 1900, under the scheme initiated by Sir Herbert Risley, K.C.I.B., C.S.I. , but it has no pretensions to finality. The compiler's aim has been to collect facts and record them in the fullest possible detail without formulating theories as to the racial elements which have made the population of the modern Punjab, the growth of its tribes or the evolution of caste. For information regard- ing the various theories which have been suggested on those topics the reader may be referred to the works of Sir Alexande^ Cunningham,* Bellewf and Nesfield.J
The Census Report for India, 190^, Sind The Races of India may also be referred to as standard works on these subjects.
It is in contemplation to add to Volume III, or to publish as Volume IV, a subject-index to the whole of the present work^
* Archieological Stiruey Ri!porl.-< : more ospeoially Vols II, V and XIV for the Punjab. Also hi^ Ancient Geography of India, The Bitid'ii^l Perioi, 1S71. t Rice-i of Afghanist in and Yu-^nfzai. X Brief view of the Oasfe System of fli? Nn-th-We^'ei-n Rrouin-es and Oadh : Allahabad, 1885.
together witli nppendices containing exhaustive lists of tlie numerous sections, septs and clans into which the tribes and castes of these Provinces are divided.
A few words are necessary to explain certain points in the Glossary. To ensure brevity' the compiler has avoided constant repetition of the word " District " e. g., by " Lahore " the District of that name must be understood thus " in Lahore " is equivalent to the " in the District of Lahore," but by " at Lahore " is meant " in the city of Lahore."
The printing of the name of a caste or tribe in capitals in the text indicates that a reference to the article on that caste or tribe is invited for fuller information. References to District or State Goi^:ettenrs should be taken to indicate the latest editio n of the Gazettepv unless the contrary is stated. References to a Settlenipvt liepoH indicate the standard Report on the Regular Settlement of the District in the absence of any express re- ference to an earlier or later report.
Certain recognised abbreviations have also been used, e.g.,
J.R.A.S., for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.
J.A.S.B., for the Journal of the (Royal) Asiatic Society of Bengal.
P.N.Q., for Punjab Notes and Queries, 1883-85.
I.N'.Q., for Indian Notes and Queries, 1886.
ISf.I.N.Q., for North Indian Notes and Queries, 1891-9G.
E.H.I., for Elliot's History of India.
T.N., for Raverty's Translation of the Tahaqat-i-Nasiri.
In certain districts of the Punjab lists of agricultural tribes have been compiled by District Officers for administrative pur- poses in connection with the working of the Punjab Alienation of Land Act (Punjab Act XIII of 1900), and these lists have been incorporated in the present Glossary for facility of reference.
The two following extracts from an Address delivered by the late Sir Denzil Ibbetson on J;he Study of Anthropology in India to
Ill
the Antliropological Society of Bombay in 1 890 are re-printed here as of permanent interest and value : —
" Another scheme which suggested itself to me some years ago, and met with the approval of Sir Charles Elliot, would, I think, greatly simplify and lighten the labour of recording customs, but which I unfortunately never found leisure to carry out. It was to publish typical custom-sheets printed with a wide margin.'^ The ])rintod portion would give a typical set of, say, marriage ceremonies, divided into short paragraphs, one for each stage. The inquirer would note opposite each paragraph the depar- tures from the typical ceremonial which he found to obtain among the people and in the locality under inquiry. The main lines of these and similar ceremonies are common to many tribes over a considerable area, and the system, which is of course capable of indefinite expansion, would save a deal of writing, would suggest inquiry, would be a safeguard against omissions, and above all, would bring differences of custom into prominence.
•3f * * * «■ *
" And now I have come to the fourth and last head of my discourse, and you will, I am sure, be relieved to know that I shall be brief. What is the use of it all ? I must premise that no true student ever asks himself such a question. To some of you, I fear, I shall appear profane, but I take it that the spirit which animates the true scholar is the same in essence as that which possesses the coin-collector or the postage stamp maniac. He yearns for more knowledge, not because he proposes to put it to any definite use when he has possessed himself of it, but because he has not got it, and hates to be without it. Nevertheless, it is a question which, if we do not ask ourselves, others -will ask for us, and it behoves us to have our answer ready. In the first place, it is impossible to assert of any addition, however apparently insignificant, to the sum of human knowledge, that it will not turn out to be of primary importance. The whole fabric of the universe is so closely interwoven, mesh by mesh, that at whatever out-of-the-way corner we may begin unravelling, we may presently assist in the loosening of some knot which has barred the progress of science. What Philistine would look with other than contempt upon the study of the shapes of fancy pigeons, of the markings of caterpillars and butterflies, and of the respective colourings of cock and hen birds. Yet from these three sources have been drawn the most vivid illustrations and the strong- est proofs of a theory the epoch-making nature of which we are hardly able to appreciate, because it has already become an integral part of the intellectual equipment of every thinking man. But Ave need not trust to the vagueness of the future for evidence of the value of our studies in India. They have already cast a flood of light upon the origin and nature of European tenures, and they have even modified the course of British legislation. I do not think it is too much to say that, had we known nothing of land tenures in India, the recognition of tenant right in Ulster would have been indefinitely postponed."
The scientific spirit which inspired the above remarks laid the foundations of all anthropological research in the Punjab and
* This method was adopted in carrying ml the Ethnographic Survey in these Provinces. H. A. R,
IV
Nortli-West Frontier Province. The practical importance of an intensive study of tlie minutest data in the popular religion, folk-lore, traditions, survivals and superstitions cannot be easily exaggerated, and the present writer is convinced that nothing but a closer study of them will, for example, reconcile the apparently hopeless inconsistencies of the Punjab customary law.
/
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Glossary
OP
Punjab Tribes and Castes.
A
AbazaIj a section of tho Yusufzai Pathans, found in Buner.
Abba Khel, one of the six septs of the Baizai clan of tho Akozai Yusufzai Pa^hd,Q8, found in Peshdwar.
Abbassi, the name of the ruling family of the Daudpotrds who are Nawabs of Bahawalpur and claim descent from tho Abbasside dynasty of i^gypt : see Daudpotra and Kalhor^.
Abual, a small caste of Muhamraadans found in Kdngra and the Jaswiin Dun of Hoshiarpur. The Abddls arc divided into 12 tolls or septs. The Abduls of Kangra do not associate with those of Sukhdr and Nurpur. The Abddls are beggars and wanderino- singers, performing especially at Rdjput funerals, at which they precede the body singing and playing dirges, len or hirldp. In the time of the Raj^s when any Rdjput was killed in battle and the news reached his home, they got his clothes and used to wear them while singing his dirge. Thus they sang dirges f»r Rdm Singh, wazir of Nurpur, and Sham Singh, Atd,riwdld,, who had fought against the British, and for Rajd, Rai Singh of Chamba. The Abdals now sing various songs and attend Rajput weddings. They are endogamous. Abddl means 'lieutenant* (see Platts' Hind, Dicty,, s. v.) and is the name of a class of wandering Muhammadan saints.* Whether there is any connection between the name and the Chihil Abddl of Islamic mythology does not appear. For the Abdals in Bengal see Risley, People of India, pp. 76 and 119.
Abdal, an Arain clan (agricultural), found in Montgomery.
Abdali, (1) a term once applied generally to all Afghans {q. v.), but now apparently obsolete : (2) the name of a famous family of tho Saddozai Pa^hdns which gave Afghanistan its first Afghan dynasty: Now known as Durrani, this family belonged to the Sarbani branch of the Afghans, and is believed by them to derive its name from Abddl or Avddl bin Tarin bin Sharkhabun h. Sarban 6. Qais, who received this name from Kwhdja Abd Ahmad, an abddl't or saint of the Chishtid
* It is the plur. of hadal, ' substitute,' and the Abdal, 40 in number, take the fifth place in the Sufi hierarchical order of saints issuing from the great Qutb, Also called 'Rukabi,' * guardians,' they reside in Syria, bring rain and victory and avert calamity ; Eticyclopxdia o/ Isldm, s. V, p. 69.
t See Abdal supra.
2 Ahddli — Adam Ehel,
order. Driven from their lands near Qandaliar by the Ghalzai, the Abdi'ili had long been settled near llerdt, but were restored by Niidir Shah to their old homo, and when Ahmad Shilh became king at Qandahiir his tribe served as a nucleus for the new empire. Influenced by a faqir named Sabar Shah he took the title of Durr-i-durrdn, ' pearl of pearls.' The two principal Abdali clans are the Popalzai, (to which belonged the royal section, the Sadozai) and the Barakzai : M. LoDgworth Uames in Encycl. of Islam, p. 67.
Abdalke, a Kharral clan (agricultural), found in Montgomery.
Abduut [avadhuta)* a degree or class of the celibate Gosains who live by beorging. They are wanderers, as opposed to tho viatddri or dsanddri class. Sec Gosaia.
Abhiea, the modern Ahfr {q. v.).
Abhai'Anthi, one of the 12 orders or schools of the Jogis (5. v.).
Abkal, a sept of Rdjputs, descended from Wahgal, a son of Sangar Chand,
16th K^ja of Kahlur. Adlana, (1) a Jat clan (agricultural), found in Multan : (2) a branch of the
Kharrals, found in Montgomery and the Minchin^b^d nizdmat of
Bahiiwalpur.
Abioia, an ancient tribe of Jat status found in Sindh and the Bahdwalpur State. It is credited with having introduced the arts of agriculture into the south-west Punjab and Sindh in the proverb : —
Kar7i hahhshe hiror. Abra bahhshe hal di or.
' Let R^jfi Karn give away crore of rupees, the Abra will give what he earns by the plough.'
The tribe is also said to be an offshoot of the Sammas and is numerous in Bahawalpur.
Abui, a Jdt clan (agricultural), found in Multan,
Abwani, a Pathdu clan (agricultural), found in Amritsar.
Acha Khel, an important clan of the Marwat Pathans, found in Bannu.
AcHi-LAMO (Tibetan), a group of actors, singers and dancers, found in Kanawar. They wear masks of skin with conch shells for eyes and a dress to which woollen cords are so attached that in dancing they spread out. Tho women play a large tambourine, and the men a small drum shaped like an hour-glass. Parties of five, — two men, two women and a boy — perform their dance.
Achran, an agricultural clan, found in Shdhpur.
Achakj(a), see under Brahman : syn. Mahabrahman.
Adam Khel, one of the eight principal clans of the Afridi Pathans: said to be neither Gar nor Samil in politics. They have four septs— Hassan Khel, Jaw^ki, Galli and Ashu Khel.
» Avadhuta is also the name of a Vaishnava sect. Ramanand founded the Ramawat sect whom he called Avadhuta, because his followers had ' shaken off ' the bounds of narrow- mindcdncss. To this sect belonged Tulsi Das, one of whose works was the Vairagya-Sandi- pani or ' kindling of continence.' {NoUs on Tuhi Dds, by Dr. G. A. Grierson. Indian Antiquary, 1893, p. 227),
^ / -^ / ^-/V^
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Adan Shdhi-^Ahangar. 3
Adan SHAHf, a Sikh sect or, moro correctly, order, founded by Adau Shdh, a disciple of Kanhyd. Ldl, the founder of the Sewapanthis iq.v.).
Adh-nath, ono of the 12 orders or schools of the Jogis {q. v.), Admal, a sept of the Gakkhars {q. v.).
A'dpanthj, possibly a title of those Sikhs who adhere to the original (ddi) faith (or to the ddi-granf;h) : cf. Census Report, 1891, § 88, but see Adh-ndth.
Advait, a Hindu sect which maintains the unity of the soul with God after death.
Afghan, pi. Afaghina: syn. Rohilla or Rohela and Pathdn {q. v-). The earliest historical mention of the Afghans occurs under the year 1024 A. D. (414-15 Hijri) when Mahmud of Ghazni made a raid into the mountains inhabited by the Afghjinian— after his return from India to Ghazni — plundered them and carried off much booty.* Afghan tradition makes Kashighar or Shawdl their earliest scat, and the term Afghdnistan or land of the Afghans is said to be, strictly speaking, applicable to the mountainous country between Qandahdr and the Derajiit, end between Jalaldbad and the Khaibar valley on the north and SiwI and Dadar on the south, but it is now generally used to denote the kingdom of Afghanis- tan. The AfgMns used to be termed Abdalis or Awdalis from Malik Abdal under whom they first emerged from the Sulaimdn Range and drove the Kdfirs or infidels out of the Kdbul valley. (See also s. v. Pathan, Bangash, Dildzdk). By religion the Afghans are wholly Muhammadan and claim as their peculiar saint the ' Afghan Qntb,' Khwdjah Qutb-ud-din, Bakhtidr, Kaki of Ush (near Baghditd) who probably gave his name to the Qutb Mindr at Delhi.
Agaei, Agri or Agaria "a worker in salt," from dgara, salt-pan. The Agaris are the salt-makers of Rdjputana and of the east and south-cast Punjab, and would appear to be a true caste. t In Gurgaon they are said to claim descent from the Rdjputs of Chittaur. All are Hindus, and found especially in the Sultdnpur tract on the common borders of Delhi, Rohtak and Gurgaon, where they make salt by evaporating the brackish water of the wells. Socially they rank below the Jdts, but above Lohdrs. A proverb says : " Theafe, thejawdsa, the Agari and the cartman — when the lightning flashes these give up the ghost," apparently because the rain which is likely to follow would dissolve their salt. Cf. Nungae.
Aggarwal, a sub-caste of the Banias {q. v.). Agie, a doubtful synonym of Agari {q, v.). Agwana, a Jdt clan (agricultural), found in Multdn. Ahangar, a blacksmith.
* For fuller details see the admirable articles by Mr. Longworth Dames on Afghanistan and Afridi in the Encyclopaedia of Islim (London: Luzac & Co.) now in courso of pub- lication.
t But the Agarfs are also said to be a mere eiib-castc of the Kumhars. In Kumaon dgari means an " iron-smolter " : N. I. N. Q. I., §§ 214, 217. It is doubtful whether Agi-a derives its name from the Agaris, as there is an Agi-a in the Peshawar valley. For an account of Uio salt-industry in Gurgaon, see Qurgaon Qazettecr, 1884, page 57.
4 Ahdri^^Ahir,
A.HARf, a doubtful synonym of Aheri {q. v.).
AHEEf (a), Ileri, Ahiiri (?), an out-caste and often vagrant tribe, found in the south-east Punjab, and originally immigrant* from Rdjputana, especi- ally Jodhpur and Bik^ner. The name is said to be derived from her, a herd of cattle, but the Ahori, who appears to be usually called Heri in the Punjab, is by heredity a hunter and fowler. He is however ordinarily a labourer, especially a reaper, and even culti- vates land in Hiss^r, while in Karnal he makes saltpetre.* In ap- pearance and physique Aheris resemble Baurias, but they have no dialect of their own, and are not, as a body, addicted to crime.
Of their numerous gots the following are found in the B^wal nizdmat of Ndbha : —
|
Bhata. |
Gahchand. |
Panwdl. |
|
Chdhurwdl. |
Ghaman. |
Rathor. |
|
Charan. |
Gogal. |
Sdgaria. |
|
Chanddlia. |
Got^l^. |
Sailingia. |
|
Dekhta. |
Hajipuria. |
Samelwdl |
|
Dahinwal. |
Jbindia. |
Sandlas. |
|
Dahmiwal, |
Junbal. |
Sdrsut. |
|
Dharoria. |
Mahta. |
Sendhi. |
|
Dhariiheria. |
Mewal. |
The Aheris are almost all Hindus, but in the Phulki^n States a few are Sikhs. Besides the other village deities they worship the goddess Masdnl and specially affect Bd,bd,ji of Kohmand in Jodhpur and Khetrp^l. In marriage four gots are avoided, and widow re-marriage is permitted. All their rites resemble those of the Dhdnaks,t and Chamarw^ Brahmans officiate at their weddings and like occasions. The N^iks, who form a superior class among the Heris, resemble them in all respects, having the same gots and following the same pursuits, but the two groups do oot intermarry or even take water from each other's hands. On the other hand the Aheri is said to be dubbed Thori as a term of contempt, and possibly the two tribes are really the same.
For accounts of the Aheris in the United Provinces, see Elliot's Glossary.
Ahie. The name Ahir is doubtless derived from the Sanskrit ahhira, a milkman, but various other folk etymologies are current. J
The Ahirs' own tradition as to their origin is, that a Brahman once took a Vaisya girl to wife and her offspring were pronounced amat' sangyd or outcast ; that again a daughter of the amat-sangyds married a Brahman, and that her offspringr were called ahhirs {i.e., Gop^s or herdsmen), a word corrupted into Ahir.
They are chiefly found in the south of Dehli, Gurgdon, and Rohtak and the Phulki^n States bordering upon these districts, and in this
• Ahen's also work in reeds and grass, especially at making winnowing-baskets and stools of reed.
t The Aheris claim that they will not take water from a Dhinak, as the Chuhras do. Yet they rank no higher than the latter, since they eat dead animals, although they will cot remove filth.
X One of these is ahi-dr, " snake-killer," due to the fact that Sri Krishna had once killed a snake. But according to the Mad-Bhagwat, Askaad 10, Addhiyae 17, Sri Krishna did'^oa kill the snake, but brought it out of the Jumna.
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limited tract they form a coDsiderable proportion of the whole popula- tion.
The first historical mention of the Abhiras occurs in the confused statements of the Vishnu Parana concerning them and the Sakas Yavanas, Bahlikas and other outlandish dynasties which succeeded the Andhras in the 3rd century A. D.
In the 4th century the Abhfrap, Arjundyanas and Malavas are de- scribed as republican tribes settled in eastern Rdjpnt^na and Malwa.* They are divided into three hhdwps or sub-castes : —
(1) the Nandbansi, who call themselves the offspring of Nandil, the
foster-father of Sri Krishna.t
(2) the Jdduhansiy who claim to be descendants of the Yadu, a
nomadic race.
(3) the Gudlhanai, who say that they are descended from the Gu51d
or ' herdsman ' dynasty and the Gopis, who danced with the god Krishna in the woods of Bindraban and Gokal. The Jadubansi Ahirs are mostly found in the Ahirwati J and Haridna,
while the Nandbansis and Gudlbansis are found in Mathura and
Bindraban,
All three sub-castes are endogamous and avoid four gots in marriage.
The gots of the
1 . Abhiryd,.
2. Bachhvvalyd,,
3. Balwnn.
4. Bhankary^,
5. Bhogwarjii.
6. Bhunkaldn.
7. Bhusaryd,.
8. BhusU.
9. Chatasya.
10. Chura.
11. Dabar.
12. Dahiyd.
1 3. Datarli.
14. Dholiwdl.
15. Dhundald.
16. Dumdolyd.
17. Harbald.
18. Jadam.
19. Jdnjaryd.
20. Jarwal.
Jddubansis are: —
21. Jharudhyd.
22. Kakralya.
23. Kakudhya.
24. Kalalyd.
25. Kalg-dn.
26. Kdnkas.
27. Karera.
28. Khdlod.
29. Kharotya.
30. Kharpara.
31. Khatodhya from Khatode inPatidla.
32. Khiswa.
33. KhoM.
34. Khorryd.
35. KhosL
36. Khurmya.
37. Kinwal. 33. Kosalyd from Kosli
in Rohtak.
39. Lanba.
40. Lodiyd.
41. Mahla.
42. Mandhdr.
43. Mitha.
44. Mohal.
45. Nagarya.
46. Narbdn.
47. Notiwdl.
48. Pacharya.
49. Sanp.
50. Sonaryii.
51. Sultdnya.
52. Thokardn.
53. Tohrmijl.
54. Tundak.
55. Solangia, original- ly Solanki Rdjputs.
* V. A. Smith, Ancient History of India, pp. 240 and 250,
t Sri Krishna, through fear of Raja, Kans, was changed for Nand's daughter and so brought up by him. Nand was an Ahir ; Krishna, a Kshatrya. J4du was the son of Jaeat from whom Krishna was descended, and the Jadubansi also claim descent from him '
t Another account says that the Ahirwati is held by the Jadubansi and Nandbansf who smoke together, whereas the Gualbansi will not smoke u-ith them (in spite of the latters' inferiority).
It is not easy to define the boundaries of Ahirwati. It includes Rewari and the country to the west of it ; R4th or Bighauta lying to the south-west of that town and apparently overlapping it since Narnaul appears to lie in the Riiix as well as in the Ahirwatf.
Ahir origins.
56. Bhanotra, originally Nathawat Rajputs, from' Amla Bhanera in Jaipur: their ancestor committed murder and fled, finding a refuge with the Ahirs : and
57. Ddyar, originally Tun war Rajputs till 995 Sambat : the legend is that Anangpal had given his daughter in marriage to Kalu R^ja of Dhiirc4nao-ar, but her husband gave her vessels for her separate use, and she complained to her father. Anangpal would have attacked his son-in-law but his nobles dissuaded him, and so he treacherously invited Kdlu to his second daughter's wedding. Kdlu came with his four brothers, Parmar, Nil, Bhawan and Jagpdl, but they learnt of the plot and fled to the Ahirs, from whom Kdlu took a bride and thus founded the Ddyar got.
Some of the Nandbansi gots are : —
1. Bachhwdl.
2. Harbanwal.
3. Kaholi.
4. Khatban.
5. Pachary^.
6. Rabar. 7. Sanwary^.
The Ahirs again give their name to the Ahirwati dialect, which is spoken in the tract round Ndrnaul, Kanaudh and Rew^ri. It differs little, if at all, from the ordinary Hindi of the south-east Punjab ; * for a full account of it and its local varieties the reader must be referred to the Linguistic Survey of India, Vol. IX, pp. 49 — 51 and 233 — 241.
The Ahirs are all Hindus, but in spite of their traditional connec- tion with Sri Krishna,t they affect Shivaji, Devi and Thdkarji. They also worship Bandeo, whose shrine is at Raipur in the Bawal nizamat of Ndbha and who is said to be a black snake : hence no Ahir will kill a black snake. In Saharanpur their marriage deities are Braha and Bar deotas, but no traces of these cults are noted in the Punjab. |
Ahir women dress differently to those of the Jdt tribes, wearing red and yellow striped gowns, with a shawl of red muslin. But in Jind they are said to wear a gown {lenghd) of blue cloth.
The Ahirs were probably by origin a pastoral caste, but in the .Punjab they are now almost exclusively agricultural, and stand in quite the first rank as husbandmen, being as good as the Kamboh and somewhat superior to the Jat. They are of the same social standing as the Jd,t and Gujar, who will eat and smoke with them ; but they have not been, at any rate within recent times, the dominant race in any considerable tract. Perhaps their nearest approach to such a position was in the State of Rampur near Rewdri, whose last chief, Rao Tula Rd-m, mutinied in 1857 and lost his state. His family still holds a jdgir and its members are addressed as Rao, a title which is indeed grateful to every Ahir.
They are industrious, patient, and orderly ; and though they are ill spoken of in the proverbs of the country side, yet that is prob- ably only because the Jdt is jealous of them as being even better cultivators than himself. Thus they say ii). Rohtak : " Kosli (the head
* C. R. 1891, p. 263.
t Still, according to Mr. Maclagan, Krishna is their patron, C. R. 1891, p. 120. Moreover, they adopt Brahman or Bairagi gnrus, receiving from them a kanthi (necklace) and the Krishna-mantra in return for a hket or pujd of Rs. 2 or 3.
i N. I, N. Q. IV § 460.
/-
Ahir-^Ahidwat. f
village of the Ahirs) has fifty brick houses and Bovoral thousand swaggerers." So in Delhi : " Rather be kicked by a Rajput or stumble uphill, than hope anything from a jackal, spear grass, or an Ahir" ; and again: "All castus are God's creatures, but three castes are ruthless, when they get a chance they have no shame : the whore, the Bdnya, and the Ahir." The phrase Ahir be-plr refers to their sup- posed faithlessness. But these stigmas arc, now-a-days at least, wholly undeserved.
Their birth, death and marriage ceremonies are like those of tho Mdlis, Gujars and Jatg. Kareiva is permissible, but in Jind, it is said, a widow may not marry her husband's elder brother and this is also the case in Gurg^n, where some of the higher Ahir families disallow widow re-marriage in toto* and hold aloof from other Ahirs. Like the Rdjputs the Ahirs recognise concubinage, and a father has a right to the guardianship of a concubine's son [b-uretiocil) , bat ho does not inherit. The Ahirs who disallow widow re-marriage also follow the rule of ch{indavand,f
They eat kachchi and pahht with all Brahmans and Vaisyas, but the latter do not oat hachchi from them. They will eat kachchi with Raj- puts, Jats, Hindu Gujars, Rors, Sunars and Tarkhans, while the latter eat also with tho former. They do not eat flesh. {
In and around Delhi city the Ahir is also known as Ghosi and claims descent from Nandji, adopted father of Krishna (Kanliyaii). Anciently called Gwdlds the Ahirs were called Ghosi after their conver- sion to Isk'im§, but any cowman or milkseller ia also called ghosi. The principal Ahir or Ghosi gots are :—
Mukhiall which ranks highest of all the gots.
Charia (graziers).
Ghur-charha (cavalry men) and Kasab.
Tho Hindu Ghosi customs resemble those of tho Hindu Rtljputg. A Gaur Brahman officiates at the fhera rite in marriage. The Ghosi have a system of imnches and hereditary chaudhris. If ono of the latter's line fail, his widow may adopt a son to succeed him, or, failing such adoption, the panch elects a fit person.
A very full description of the Ahirs will bo found in Elliott's Races of the North-Wett Provinces, and also in Shcrring, I, 332 fi.
Ahlawat, a J^t tribe, said to be descended from a Chauhdn Rajput who came from Sambhar in Jaipur some 30 generations ago. From him sprang the Ahlawat, Olian, Kirma, JMare, and Jun Jats who do not intermarry. Tho tribe is found in Rohtak, Delhi, and Karndl, Its members worship a common ancestor called Sadu Dob.
*P. C. L. II, p. 132.
+ Ibid. p. 137.
t Ihid. p. 138.
§ Tho meaning appears to be that any Muhammadan who became a cowman by trade was caUed Ghosi, and that this name then became applied to any Ahir or Gwala, so that we now find the Hindu Ahir as well as liis Miahammadan competitor commonly called Ghosi.
II MuliMa, ' spokesman,' is also a title given to a leading member of the caste, but it doM not appear to be equivalent to chaudhri.
d', Ahl-i'Eadis'^Ahmadzai.
Ahl-i-Hadi!^, or " Pcoplu of the Tradition," formerly styled WaMbis from the name of their founder. The Ahl-i-Hadis are Musalman purists. •* They accept the six books of traditions as collecied by the Sunnis, but reject the subsequent glosses of the fathers and the voice of the church, and claim liberty of conscience and the right of private interpretation. They insist strongly upon the unity of God, which doctrine they say has been endangered by the reverence paid by the ordinary Musalmdn to Muhammad, to the Imdms and to saints ; and forbid the offering of prayer to any prophet, priest or saint, even as a mediator with the Almighty. They condemn the sepulchral honours paid to holy men, and illumination of, visits to, and prostration before, their shrines, and even go so far as to destroy the domes erected over their remains. They call the rest of the Muhammadana " Mushrik," or those who associate another with God, and strenuously proclaim that Muhammad was a mere mortal man. They disallow the smoking of tobacco as unlawful, and discountenance the use of rosaries or beads. Apparently they insist much upon the approaching appearance of the last Imdm Mahdi preparatory to the dissolution of the world. Politically their most important and obnoxious opinion is that they are bound to wage war against all infidels. The orthodox deny them the title of Musalmans."
A full history of the " Ahl-i-Hadis " is beyond the scope of this article. Its founder, Abdul- Wahhab, was born in Nejd in 1691 A. D., and his successors reduced the whole of Nejd and then overran the Hijaz. In 1809 their piracies compelled the Government of Bombay to capture their stronghold on the coast of Kirman, and in 1-81 1-1 8 the Sultan of Turkey beheaded their chief and reduced them to political insignificance. Their doctrines were introduced into India by Sayyid Ahmad Shah of Rai Bareli, originally a free-booter who, after a visit to Arabia, proceeded to the North- West Frontier, and there, in 1826, proclaimed a jihad, or religious war against the Sikhs. His extra- ordinary ascendency over the tribes of the Peshdwar Border and hia four years' struggle, not wholly unsuccessful, with the Durrani s on the one hand and on the other with the Sikhs, and his ultimate defeat and death are described in James' Settlement Rejwrt of Peshawar (pp. 43-44) and more fully in Bellew's History of Yiisufzai (pp. 83—102). Patna is the head-quarters of the sect in India, but it has also colonies at Polosi on the Indus and at Sittana and Malka in Yusufzai beyond Buner.
[For a general history of ' The Wahdbis in India ' see three articles in Selections from the Calcutta Review^ by E. J. O'Kinealy].
Ahl-i-Hdndd, [i) Indians: lit. * people of the Indians' (Hundd,'pl, of Hindi, Catafago's Arabic Dicty. 6-. v, Hunud) ; (m) Hindus, as opposed to Muhammadans.
AhLuwaLia, one of the Sikh vnials founded by Jassa Singh of Ahld, a village in Lahore, and now represented by the ruling family of Kapurthalti.
AtiMADASi, one of the unorganised Baloch tribes found in the lowlands of Dera Ghdzi Khdn.
AhmadzaI) one of the two main divisions of the Darwesh Khel Wazirs.
Ahmadzai^'AkdU. 9
Ahmadzai, Amazai, one of tho two principal clans of tlioUshtaraua Pa\.bdn8.
AifUJA (I) a Jdt clan (agricultural), found in Multan. (2) Alsoa section of the Dahra Aroras.
Ahulana, one of the two great dharras or factions of the Jiits found in Rohtak, etc. See Dahiya.
Aibak, a small sept found at Wahind Sarmana near Kahror in Multin District which, despite its Turkish name, claims to bcloDg to tho Joiya tribe.
AiNOKE, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
AiPANTHf, a follower of tho Aipanth, one of tho Jogi orders. It is found in Hissar and Mast Nath, founder of tho Bohar monastery in tho llohtak District, originally belonged to it.
AiTLE, a sept or clan of Kanets found in the Kaljuii imrgand (Palidla (State territory), Simla Hills.
AjAKi, ajjari, arydii, ayali, ajari/r. ajjar, herd, a goat-herd — in Rdwalpindi, Jholum, etc. In Jhelum, it is tho name of a sept of turbulent Awuus found in the village of Bhuchhal Kalan.
Ajddhia-panthi, (t) a Hindu Vaishnava sect, so called because Riim Chandar lived in Ajudhia (Oudh) ; [ii) a Vaishnava. The latter is probably the only correct meaning.
Aka Khel, one of the eight principal clans of the Afridis.
Akali. The sect of the Akalis differs essentially from all the other Sikh orders in being a militant organization, corresponding to the Ndgas or Gosains among the Hindus. Their foundation is ascribed to (Juru Govind* himself, and they steadfastly opposed Baoda's attempted innovations. The term t is sometimes said to be derived from ahdll- jmrusha 'worshipper of tho Eternal.' But ahdl meaus ' deathless,' i.e., ' God,' and Akdli is simply < God's worshipper.' The Akdlis wear blue chequered dresses,^ and bangles or bracelets of steel round their wrists, and quoits of steel in their lofty conical blue turbans, together with miniature daggers, knives, and an iron chain. §
In their military capacity the Akalis were called Nihang, || or reckless, and played a considerable part in the Sikh history, forming the Shahids
* Govind Singh, the tenth and last Gurii of the Sikhs, 1675—1708.
t Murray's Hist, of the Panjab, i., p. 130 ; Cunningham's Hist, cf (he Sikhs, p. 117.
J Malcolm points out that Krishna's elder brother, Bal Ram, wore blue clothes, whence ho is called Nilambari, or 'clad in dark blue,' and Sitivas, or 'the blue clad ' {Asiatick lie- searches xi, p. 221).
§ Strict Akalis do not wear the jatd or top-knot, but some do. Those who do not only use 'dur and Inta' water and also smoke, which tho ./a/d wearers may not do. Others, again, wear a yellow turban beneath the blue one, so as to show a yellow band across tho forehead. The story goes that a Khatri of Delhi (Nand Lai, author of tlio Zi>id<i,jindmn) desired to see the Gurii in yellow, and Govind Singh gratified his wish. Many Sikhs wear tho yellow turban at tho Basant Panchmi. Acouplet erroneously ascribed to Bhai Gurdas says : Sidh, sufcd, jo ptihnc, 8urk)i, zarddc, soi Giirbhdi.
• They who wear dark blue (the Akalis), white (tho Nirmalas), red (the Udasi's), or yellow are all brothers in the Guru. '
II Ibbetson.§ 522. Cimningham (p. 379) says nihang.' naked ' or ' pure ' and it has that meaning litera lly (cf. Platts s. v.), but in Sikh parlance the word undoubtedly means ' free from care,' * careless,' and so ' reckless.' In Hinduism it bears its original meaning.
10 Akdli^'Akezai.
or iirst of the i'our dehras. At the siege o£ Multan in 1818 a few A kill i fanatics'^ carried the faussebraye by surprise, and precipitated the fall of that fortress. The career of Phuld Singh illustrates both their defects and their qualities. This great Akali first came into notice as the leader of the attack on Metcalfe's escort at Amritsar in 1809. lie was then employed by Ran jit Singh, who stood in consider- able awe of him, as a leader in the Indus valley, where he was guilty of atrocious cruelty towards the Muhammadan population, and ia Kashmir. Finally, Phula Singh and his Akdlis contributed to, or rather virtually won for Ranjit Singh, the great Sikh victory over the Yiisafzais at Teri in 1823. In this battle Phuld, Singh met with a heroic death, and his tomb at Naushahra is now an object of pilgrimage to Hindus and Muhammadans alike.
Under Phula Singh's earlier leadership, and perhaps before his rise, the Akdlis had become a terror to friends and foes alike, and they were dreaded by the Sikh chiefs, from whom they often levied contributions by force. t Ranjit Singh, after 1823, did much to re- duce their power, and the order lost its importance.
The Akdli headquarters were the Akal Bunga X at Amritsar, where they assumed the direction of religious ceremonies and the duty of convoking the Gurumat^; indeed, they laid claim to exercise a general leadership of the Khalsa. Since Ranjit Singh's time Anandpur has been their real headquarters, but their iufluence has to a large ex- tent passed away, and some of them have degenerated into mere buffoons.
As an order the Akdlis are celibate. They have, says Trumpp, no regular chief or disciple, yet one hears of their Gurus, whose leavings are eaten by their disciples {seivak or chela). They do not eat meat or drink spirits, as other Sikhs do, but consume inordinate quantities of hhang.
LiTERATCRE.— The general histories of the Sikhs, see art. 'Sikh'; J.C.Oman, Mystics, Ascetics and Saints of India, London, 1903, pp. 153, 198 — 201 ; A. Barth, Beligions of India
AsAZAi, (i) one of the principal branches of the Utmanzai Pathans, [ii) a Black Mountain tribe, a section of the Isazai clan of the Yusufzai Pathans, whose modern history is described in the Hazdra Gazetteer, 1907, pp. 164—182.
Akeke, an agricultural clan, found in Shahpur.
Akezai, a Pathiin clan (agricultural), found in Montgomery.
* They were headed by one Jassa Singh, called Mala ('rosary ') Singh, from his piety. ' He denied himself the use of bhang, the only intoxicating drug in use among the Akalis. See Carmichael Smyth's Reigning Family of Lahore, p. 18S, Prinsep, On the Sikh Power in the Punjab, p. Ill, and Phoola Singh, the Akali, iu Carmichael Smyth, op. cit., pp. 1^5—192.
t Contemporary writers had a low opinion of their character, e, g., Osbfrne describes their insolence and violence {Couri and Camp of Ranjit Singh, pp. 143—140, 1«1^
X One of the fakh/s or thrones, of the Sikhs, M'Gregor, Hisi. of the Sikhs, i. 238, says that on visiting the temple (sic) of the Akalis at Amritsar, the stranger piesents a few rupees and in return receives some sugar, while a small mirror is held before his face so as to reflect his image. This practice, if it ever eiisted, is now obsolete.
4 -?
^
/'
r/.^-^ok. -^. =1'^ -< 6.^-^f.--t. <
*' ,
(
^^•/.t..w/ ^^'>-
AJchund KJiel^Ali Shcr KJicl H
Akiiund Khel, tho section of the Painda Khel sept of tliQ Malizai Yufiufzai Patlijins to which tho Khi'in of Dir belongs. It occupies the lower part of the Kashkar (Dir) valley, in which lies tho village of Dfr. It owes; its uanio to tho fact that it was founded by ]\Iulla Iliils or Akhund Baba Avho acquired a sahitly^ reputation. [This Akhuud Babil is Bot to bo confused with tho Akhund of Swdt, who was born in 1784 of Gdjar parents in Buner or Upper Swat and as Abd-ul-Ghafiir began life as a herd boy, but acquired the titles of A'khund and Buzuro" (saint) by his sanctity. He married a woman of the Nikbi Khel.]
Akhundzada, or Pieza'da, a descendant of a saint of merely local or tribal reputation (as opposed to a Mian) among the Pathans of Swat and Dir. The descendants of Mulla Mushki Alam rank as A'khundzadas because ho held that rank, otherwise they would only bo Sahibz^das {q. v.).
Akkdke, a Kharral clan (agricultural), found in Montgomery. Cf, Akiik.
Ako Khel, sept of the Razzar clan of the Razzar Pathilns, found in Peslid,war.
Akoba, the branch of the Khattaks descended from Malik Akor, who found- ed Akora on the Kabul river in the Peslidwar District in the time of Akbar. The Akora or eastern faction of the Khattaks is opposed to the western or Teri party.
Akra, a tribe (agricultural) found in Jlielum [Gr., p. 126].
Akozai Yusapzat, tlie tribe of Yusafzai Pathans which now holds Upper and Lower Swdt. Their septs hold this territory as follows, workino- upwards along the left bank of the Sw^t river : the Ranizai and Khsin Khel hold Lower Swd,t : while the Kuz-Sulizai (or lower Sulizai) compris- ing the Ala Khel, Musd, Khel and Babuzai ; and the Bar-Sulizai, com- prising the Matorizai, Azzi and Jinki Khels hold Upper Swat : Baizai is a generic term for all these septs except the Ranizai. Working down- wards on the right bank of the Swdt are the Shamizai, Sebujni, Nikbi Khel and Shamozai in Upper, and the Adinzai, Abazai and Khadakzai, all, except the two last-named, known collectively as Khwazozai, in Lower Swat. Tho Akozai also hold most of Dir, tho Painda Khel holding the left bank and tho Sultan Khel the right below Chutiatanr, while lower down the Sultau Khel holds both banks ; and below them again lie the Nasrudin Khel and the Ansa Khel.
Akuke, a great ?ept of the Joiyas found in Montgomery and MuU;in, and also in Bahdwalpur State, in large numbers.
Aldang, a sept of Kanetg found iu tho village of Labrang in Kanawar (in the Bashahr State).
Aliani, one of the four clans of the Laghfirl tribe of tho Baloch. Tho chief of the Laghdris belongs to it.
Ali Khanana, a clan of the Siiils : Chenab Colony Gazetteer, p. 54.
Ali KheTv, an affiliated hamsdya or client clan of the Orakzai Path.^ns.
Ali Sheb Khel, one of the four main clana of the Shinwari Pathiin.% when eastern sections are the Khuja or Khwaja, Rhekhmal, Ashn, Pirwal and Pisat. Other sections are th& Aotar or Watar and the Pakhcl.
12 Alizai-^Ansari,
Alizai, AllezAi, (1) ono of the five great clans of the Orakzai Pathdns. The name is now practically obsolete and the clansmen are known by the names of blieir sopfcs, e.g., Rturi, And and Tazi. The two last-named are Sliias, (2) a distinguished family in Multan (see Gazetteer 1902, p. 103).
Allazai, ono of the principal branches of the Utmdnzai Pathflns. Of the three Utmi'mzai branches (Akazai, Allazai and Kanazai)the Allazai are most numerous in Hazdra and comprise three clans, Khushhdl-khdni, Sakl-kluini and Tarkbeli. The leading families are by clan Said- klutni, the most important being that of Klialdbat, of which Mirzamdn Khdn, Sir James Abbott's bravest a)id most loyal follower, was a member.
Alpah, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural), found in Montgomery and Multdn.
Allahdadi, a Baloch clan (agricultural), found in Montgomery.
Alpial, a tribe of Muhammadan Rajputs found in Rawalpindi where they hold the southern corner of the Fatah Jang tahsil. Their marriage ceremonies still bear traces of their Hindu origin, and they seem to have wandered through the Khushdb and Talagang country before settling in their present abodes. They ai'e "a bold lawless set of men of fine physique and much given to violent crime."
Aluajia, a synonym for Kaldl [q. v.).
A'luwala, i^LuwALiA, Aluwabi (see Ahluwdlid).
Alwer, a Kharral clan (agricultural), found in Montgomery.
'Alwi, (1) a Jat clan (agricultural), found in Multdn. (2) — or Alvi, a branch of the Khokhars which claimed descent from the Khalifa Ali and is found in Bahdwalpur, Multan, Muzaffargarh and Ludhidna.
Amazai, a section of the Utmdnzai Yusufzai Pathans, lying north of the Utmdnzais. Their territory marches with the trans-Indus territory of the Tanawali Khdn of Amb.
Amlawat, a tribe of Jdts claiming descent from Amla, a Rdjput : found in Jind.
Amritsaria, a Sikh, especially one who worships at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
ANANDf, a title found among Sannidsis.
Andar, a Pathdn sept, which occupies most of the district south of Ghazni in Afghanistan and is associated with the Musd Khel Kakar who are descended from an Andar woman. Probably Ghilzais.
Andar, a Jdt clan (agricultural), found in Multdn.
Andwal, a sept of the Dhund tribe, found in Hazdra. ^
Angar, Angra, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur. Q '- .• •.• ^^.i : ,^p
Ansari (pi. of nisdr, a helper),* lit. auxiliaries, was the title given to the believers of Madina who welcomed Muhammad after his flight from
* Ansari appears to be really an adjectival form from amdr, pi. of nitir.
/^
if '
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A^ /- <; 1, ^
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On the 3rd. September 19^3 o^^ ^s-'i R^-J son of Pokhar ■'■^ of T^ultan v/ho had turned faqir some 10 years ago and
in:ui^^arated a religion which he termed Appa-panthi, -ied. His relatives and followers some ^COQ in numher Iressed his "body in silk clothes, placed some tiki on his 'orehead, a garland round his neck and a tiladar (gold" .aced) cap on his head. They then placed his "body in a sitting position in a coffin and after carrying it round /:ie city, had it photographed. They then took it to the ."iver arriving about 11 p..m., put it in the water, pro- -ceeded to cook and eat some halwa and finally returned •:ith the grave clothes and coffin. Besides these proceed •ings which were a.gainst the principles of Hinduism, they rmitted to perform that portion of tie funeral ceremony called the kirya karm. The Hindus were disgusted at these D"bsequies and wi^h the relatives and followers for tran- -grer-sir.--; ^11 the regular Hindu funeral rites.
Ansdri-^Arain, 1 3
Mecca,* and those ^vho claim descent from those men stylo themselves Ansdri. Ono of the most interestiuK Ansari families in the ]\injab Ib that of the Ansilri Shaikhs of Jullundur. It claims descent from Khalid ' Ansar' (Abii Ayub), who reoeivod Muhammad in his house at M ad ina, til rough Shaikhs Yusuf and Siraj-ud-din (Shaikh Darwesh). From the latter was descended the Pir Keshan, founder of the Koshanias. These Ansarifl are said by Raverty to be of Tajik extraction. They in- termarry with the Barkis or Barikkis of Jullundur who aro Path;ins.
Ansari, a Jat clan (agricultural), found in Multan.
Anuja, a Jii^ clan (agricultural), found in Multan.
Anwal, a Jjit clan (agricultural), found in Multan.
AoR-MAR, a tribe of Afghslna : see Urraur,
ApA-PANTiif, possibly a follower of Padmakar Bhitt of Banda, a courHer of the Mahratta chief, the Apa Sdhib, and a worshipper of the Ganges. The sect is mainly found in Rohtak and Hiss.i.r.
'Arab, a Jat clan (agricultural), found in Multan. [It is very doubtful if the Arabs of the Census returns are true Arabs, though there may be a few Arab merchants, etc., found occasionally at such centres as Peshdwar and Multan. It is possible that a certain number of Quresbis, Shaikhs and others return themselves as Arabs.]
Aeain, Rain (the latter form prevails in the Jumna valley), is a term which has at least two distinct meanings : in the Sutlej valley and throughout the eastern plains the Arains form a true caste, but in all the rest of the two Provinces the term i^i applied to any market-gardener and is synonymous with Baghbdn, Mali, Maliar, and oven JiU in the South- Wesfe Punjab. We are now concerned with the Arains as a caste.
Almost to a man Muhammadansand strongly inclined to orthodoxy, t the Arains claim to be immigrants from Uch and have some affinities with the Kambohs. On the other hand some of the Arain and Hindu Saini clan names are identical, and those not always merely names of other and dominant tribes. From Uch they migrated to Sirsa and thenco into the Punjab.
In Sirsa the Sutlej Arains meet those of the Ghaggar. The two do not intermarry, but the Arains of the Ghaggar valley say they were Rajputs living on the Panjnad near Multdn who were ejected some four centuries ago by Saiyad Jakil-ul-diu of Uch. They claim some sort of connection with Jaisalmer. Till the great famines of 1759 and 1783 A. D. they are said to have held all the lower valleys of the Choya and Ghaggar, but after the latter date the Bhattis harassed the Sumnis, the country became disturbed, and many of the Arains emi- grated across the Ganges and settled near Bareli and Rilmpur. They marry only with the Ghaggar and Bareli Arains. The Sutlej Arains
* See Muir's Li/e of Muhammad, p. 188-89 (abridged edition). The viuhdjarin were the refugees who accompanied Muhammad, but the two names are sometimes confuwed. For further details see Tcmple'a Legends of the Punjab, III. The Saintu of Jalandhar and D. G. Barkley, in P. N. Q, II.
t So much so that in Ambdia the Shaikhs, though really often identical with the Bains, arrogate to themselves a much higher place in the social scale.
14 Arain groups,
in Siraa say that they are, like the Arains of Lahore and Montgomery, connected by origin with the Hindu Kambohs. Mr. Wilson thinks it probable that both classes are really Kambohs who have become Mu sal mans, and that the Ghaggar Arain s emigrated in a body from Multan, while tlie others moved gradually up the Sutlej into their present place. He describes the Arains of the Ghaggar as the most advanced and civilised tribe in the Sirsa district, even surpassing the Sikh Jdts from Patidla ; and he considers them at least equal in social status with the Jd-ts, over whom they themselves claim superiority. The Arains of Ferozepore^ Ludhidna, Ambd,la and Hissar also trace their origin from Uch* or its neighbourhood, though the Hissar Arains are said to be merely Muhammadan Malis.
On the whole it would appear probable that the Arains originally came from the lower Indus and spread up the five rivers of the Punjab; and that at an early stage in their history a section of them moved up the Ghaggar, perhaps then a permanent river flowing into the Indus, and there gained for themselves a position of some importance. As the Ghaggar dried up and the neighbouring country became more arid, they moved on into the Jumna districts and cis- Sutlej tract .srenerally, and perhaps spread along the foot of the hills across the line of movement of their brethren who where moving up the valleys of the larger rivers. Their alleged connection with the Malis is probably based only upon common occupation ; but there does seem some reason to think that they may perhaps be akin to the Kambohs, though the difference must be more than one of religion only, as many of the Kambohs are Musalm^n.
In Amb^la the Rains are divided into two territorial groups, Mult^ni and Sirsawald. The former regard themselves as Shaikhs and will not intermarry with the latter.
The sections of the Rains in JuUundur, in which District they form more than 19 per cent. o£ the population, and in Kapurthala are : —
Adan, Sh^hpur.
Arki, Sialkot.
Bagga, GujrAt.
Baghban, Bah^walpur,
Barar.
Bet or Bhat.
Bhaddu, claiming to be Hindu
Rajputs from the Deccan. Bhohar.
Bhambhani, Dera Ghazi Khd,n. Bhatti, Dera Ghdzi Khiin and
Bahawalpur. Bhutta, Bahd,walpur. Bot.t
Brahmin. Burji. Chachar. Chdbe, Siiilkot.
Chandor, Sialkot and Maler Kotla. Chanidl, Sialkot. Chandpal, Mdler Kotla. Chhanni.
Chaughatta, Shahpur and Baha- walpur. Dabri.
Dhanjun, Bahawalpur. Dhenga, Mdler Kotla. Dhinga,! Sidlkot.
* Possibly the persistence of the Uch tradition points rather to religious influence than to the place of origin.
tThe Bot or But claim descent from Maluk (tutor of Jahangir !), who received a grant of land when Nurmahal was founded.
:j: The Dhinga claim to be descendants of Fattu, son of Mitha, a Dhariw'41 Jat of Dhola Kangar. Fattu was converted to Islam in Akbar's reign.
[ram origins.
15
Dhofc, Baliawalpur.
Dole.
Gailana, claiming Hindu-Rajput
origin. Garhi, Gadhi (jiindar.
Ghabar, Bahawalpur. Gher, Siiilkob. Ghiluj Sialkofc. Gilan, ]\Ialer Kotla. Gilin, Darbiih.
Had wan i; in Uora Gliazi Klidn. Hdsi. Indrai. Janaln.
Ja(n)jua,* Gujrjit. Jhanjhiina, in 8 hah pur. Jindran, Bahawalpur. Jiya, Bahawalpur. t Jutdla, Sid,lkot. Kamboh, Bahdwalpur. Khatura, (Katuri in Bahawalpur), Khuhara, Gujrtit. Khokhar, Gujrat, Shahpur and
BahdWalpur. Kir, Siiilkot. Mahmania, SitUkot. Maqsiidpuria. Mandu.
]\[ctla, in Dcra Ghdzi Khan.
]\lirok, BalKiwalpur.
Nadhi, Bahawalpur.
Nain, JMiilor Kotla.
Naiii (Gujrat).
Padu.
Parj i.
Pathan, also a Kamboh section,
Bahawalpur. Quraishi. Kahla.
Kai or Rami. Kanbi.
Sonkal, in Dcra Ghuzi Klu'ui. Salija, Bahawalpur. Saki. Salota.
Sapal, in tSialkot. Siudhi, Bahawalpur. Sindhu. Sohad. S oh and,.
Tarar, in Gujrat. Thinda, Bahawalpur. Tind.
Thanow, in Sialkot. Thekri, Bahawalpur. Waband in Gujrdt and Rawalpindi.
In Gujrat the Wahand, Khokhar, Bagga and Nain do not intermarry with tho Kamboh and Khohara sections — whom they regard as inferior.
The nucleus of this caste was probably a body of Hindu Saini or Kamboh cultivators who were converted to Isldm at an early period. Thus in Jullundur the Arains say they came from Sirsa, Rania and Dehli and claim descent from Rai Jaj (grandson of Lau, founder of Lahore), who ruled Sirsa: that they were converted in tho I2th century and migrated to the Jullundur Doab about 300 years ago. But the Bhuttaa claim descent from Raja, Bhiita, fifth in descent from Rdjji Karn and say they were forcibly converted even earlier— by Mahmud of Ghazni — and driven from Uch : —
Uclih na dite Bhutidn cJiatd Basant! ndr, Dana, pdui, cJouJcgyd, cliahau vioti hdr.
' The Bhutas neither surrendered Uch, nor tho lady Basanti, Food and water failed, and they had to eat pearls.'
* Janjua claims to be descended from a Hindu Rijput of Pindi Bhattian. Mihr Uardana one of its ancestors, is said to liavc laid out the Shalimar Garden near Lahore. *
t Said to be really Kambohs, not Arains.
are ir
16 Arain^—Arord.
Tlio Araios, apart from their orthodoxy, dlifcr little in their customs and dress from the Muhammadans generally. In Mnltan they prcicr the blue mnjJild or waistoloth to the white and those of one village (Jalla in Lodhran tahsil) are in consequence known as the nili imltan or ' blue regiment.'
Akaii. Arr, a tribe of Muhammadans of Jat status found in Dipdlpur tahsil, Montgomery District, where they are settled along the Lahore border on the upper course of the Khan wall canal. They claim Mughal descent, yet say ihey caiiie from Arabia, and are fairly good cultivators. Their ancestor came from Delhi, where he was in service 500 years ago, and settled in their present seat. By contracting marriages with J^ts they have sunk to J at status. In the Minchinabad nizdmat of Bahawalpur they are to be found intermarrying with, or giving daughters to, the Wattus. Also found in Shdhpur, and classed as agricultural in both districts.
Akbi a Muhammadan clan, said co be of Arabian origin, which was, in Mughal times, given several villages round Multan, but it has now to a large extent lost its hold of them. It is classed as Jiit (agricultural) both in Multan and Montgomery and is also found in the Ahmadpur East tahsil of Bahawalpur.
Aek a tribe of Muhammadan J^ts, found in Jind, whose members ai said to still revere their jathera Sain Dd,s' shrine, and to give the dhidnis Re. 1 at weddings in hia name.
Arke an Arain clan (agricultural), found in Amritsar.
Arora, or Rora as it is often pronounced, is the leading caste par excellence of the Jatki-speaking, or south-western part of the Punjab, i.e. of the lower reaches of the five rivers and, below their junction, of the Panjnad, extending through Bahawalpur into Sind. Higher up the courses of the five rivers the Arora shares that position with the Khattri. The caste is wider spread and far more numerous than the Bhdtia, but fully half the Arords of the Punjab dwell in the Multan division and the Deraj^t ; though the caste is found, like the Khattri, throughout Afghanistan and even Turkestan. Like the Khattri again, but unlike the Bania, the Arord. is no mere trader, but will turn his hand to anything. He is an admiratble cultivator, and a large proportion of the Aroras on the lower Chenab are purely agricultural, while in the Western Punjab he will sew clothes, weave matting and baskets, make vessels of brass and copper, and do goldsmith's work. Despite his inferior physique, he is active and enterprising, industrious and thrifty. "When an Arora girds up his loins (says a Jhang proverb), ho makes it only two miles to Lahore.""^
In Bahawalpur the Aroras are very numerous and have the whole of its trade in their hands, dealing in every commodity, and even selling shoes and vegetables. Some are contractors, hankers or money- lenders, and in the latter capacity they have now acquired a considerable amount of land by mortgage or purchase from Muhammadan owners.
* A variant of this proverb current in Gujrinwala is Lak badha Aroridn, te munna koh Lahor—' if the Aroras gird up their loins, they make it only three-fouiths of a kos to iiahore.'
ujl^f*-
U.'X-
JZ c
^ ^t^cV
Arora groups', 17
thougli 40 or 50 years ago they did not own an acre of cultivated land. In the service of the State more Arords than Mubummadans are employed, though the latter are nearly Hix times as namerous as the former. As several land-owning families have been ruined in their dealings with Arords such sayings^ as Kirdr howl yur, dusJiman dhdr na dhdr, " he who has a Kirar for a friend, needs not aD enemy," are current in the State. t
By religion the great majority of the Aroras are Hindus, but a good many are Sikhs.
Asa body the Arords claim to be Khattrig and say that like them they were dispersed by Paras Rdm. Folk etymology indeed avers that when so persecuted they denied their caste and described it as a7cr or 'other,' whence 'Arora'; but another tradition, current in Gujrat, Fays they were driven by Paras Rilm towards Multiin near which tboy founded Arorkot. Cursed by a faqir the town became desolate and the Arorfis fled by its three gates, on the North, South and "West, whence the three main groups into which they are now divided. But certain sections claim a different origin. The ruins of Arorkot are said to be near Rohri in Sindh.J
The Arora caste is organised in a very similar way to theKhattris. Its primary divisions are the genealogical sections, as in all Hindu castes, but it has three or four territorial groups : —
1. Uttarddhi, Northern.
2. Dakhana or Dakhanadhain, Southern. 1 Sometimes classed as
3. Dahrd, Western. | one group.
4. Sindhi, of Sindh.
Numbers 2 and 3 intermarry in some parts, bnt not in others. In Jhang they do not, but in Fazilka they are said to have begun to do so. The probability is that the Dakhand still take wives from the Dahnl group, as they used to do.§
The Uttaradhi sub-caste appears to be absolutely endogamoua east of the Indus, except in Bahdwalpur where it takes wives from the other three groups : in Hazara whore it occasionally takes them from
* Kirir, a term applied by Muhammadans to any Hindu shoj -keeper or trader, is by no means equivalent to Arora, see s. n. Kirar.
t The justice of Iho above quotation from the draft Gazettcpr of the Bnhawalpur State is disputed, and it is pointed out that the earlier Daudpotra rulers of Bah4walpur employed Arovas in positions of trust, and even appointed them to semimilitary office as Uakhsliis or paymasters. At present the Aroj-as are losing ground, especially in the liigher grades of the State service.
X A correspondent, referring to the Arorham AoU, an Urdu pamphlet published by the Khatri Samachar Prps3, Lahore, edds some interesting details. The pamphlet appears to be based in a History of the Arorbans inNaprri and the Bhu Sufr (Oricin of the World) Punln. In the latter is piven a dialogue between Parasu Rama and Art, a Khatri, in wliich the latter stoutly refuses to oppose the Brahmans and wins Parasu Kama's respect, being advJRed by him to settle in Sindh. The pamphlet also ascribes a sectarian origin to the Arora proups. and declares that in 10.5 Vikrami social dissensions arose at Arorkot among the Aroras, so their purohit Gosain Sidh Bhoj convened a meetiner at which the upholders of the old customs sat to the north, the reformers to the south and the moderates or neutrals to the west. Accordingly the North of Arorkot. was assigned to the conservatives and the South to both the other parties, a fact which explains why the Dakhauis and Dahras are sometimes regarded as one and the same.
§ Punjab Census Report, 1883, § 514.
13 Arom traditions,
tho Dahriis or Daklmnda on payment but not by exchange ; and in Fero/oporo where it takes from the Dahras.*
The Uttarailhi alone seem, as a rule, to have the Bdri-Bunidbi divisions. The B6ri group consists of 12 sections, thus—
Suh-group (i).
|
1. 2. 8. |
Ghumai. Narule. Monge. |
4. 5. |
Bazdz. Shikri. |
|
|
6. |
Manohande. |
Suh-group {it). 1 7. |
Pasriche. |
|
|
8. 9. 10. |
Kantor. Mdtiak Tahle. Guruwdre. |
Suh-group (m) 11. 12. |
Wadhwe. Sethi. |
And of these numbers 1-7 intermarry, but will only take wives from numbers 8-12, and there is a further tendency on the part of numbers 1-5 to discontinue giving daughters to numbers 6 and 7. In the south-east of the Punjab the Bdri and Bunjahi groups exist both among the Northern and Southern Arords.t
A list of the Arord gats or sections will be found in Appendix I to this Volume.
There are a few sections, e.g., Sachdeo, Lund, Bazaz and others, which are found in more than one of the territorial groups. The Sethi section may possibly be the same as the Seth or Sethi Section of the Khattris. The Rassewat or ropemakers are clearly by origin an occupa- tional section like the Bazdz or clothiers.
The names ending in jd are beyond all question patronymics. Others such as Budhraja or Bodhrdji suggest a religious origin.
The Gosain Mule-santie claim to be descendants of a Gaur Brahman who came to the Jhang District and assumed the name of the Guruwdrd section, but became a devotee or gosain who made converts.
Other sections have various traditions as to their origins : Thus the Ndrangs say they were originally Raghbansis who denied their race when Paras Ram destroyed the Khattris, with the words nd rag, ' No RaghbanBi.' Ndrag became Narang. The Chikur, a sub-section of the Sachdeos are so called because on a marriage in that section sweet- meats were as plentiful as mud (chikur). Naruld is derived from wirdZa, * unique,' because once a snake got into the churn when a woman was making butter, so the men of this section never churn, though its women may.
The Gogias or Gogas have a saying :
Khat khuh, hhar pdni, Tan tani parsing Gogidni.'
i.e., they say to a would-be son-in-law:
' Dig a well and fill it with water. Then marry a Gogiani.
* Trans-Indus Captain O'Brien notes a solitary case of a girl of the Jam section (Uttari- dhi) being given to a Kumbhar (Dakhana). jSirsa Settlement Report, 1884, p. 114.
Arora totem sections.
IS
As in other castes some sections of the Arojas are credited wita inherited curative powers. Thus the Dalewdnia of Janipur can cure hydrophobia by spitting on a httle earth and applyin<j it to the bite. This power was conferred on their forbears by the blessinr^ of their 'pir, tho saint of Daira Din Pand-h. The Duds^ have an inherited power of curing a sprain in the back or loins by touching the part affected. The pain called chuk may also be cured by this section which uses tho following charm: — 'Dun, sith bdri, i^Jmlon hhari dari, hhannv chit (waist) karcndd sari.' The charm is read over a cloth and this is then applied thrice to the part, a push being finally given to it to expel the pain. The power was conferred on Seth Hari, the ancestor of tho section, by faqirs. It is also said to be essential that the patient should go straight home without looking back. The power is exercised gratis.
A man of tho Chugh got can cure chuh or pain in tho loinst by pushing tho sufferer from behind. If a Chugh is not on band, it in sufficient to go to his house and rub one's back against the wall. Chugh may bo derived from chuk, because the tribe has this power, but perhaps the idea is simply that a Chugh has power over chuk. It can also be cured by a family of Dhingr^ Arords of Bajanpur who apply a part of their clothing to the part affected and push the patient thrice, or if none of them are present their house- wall is as efficacious as a Chugh.
Several Arora sections are named after animals such as : —
Babbar (? 1) in Montgomery.
Chutdni,t bat.
Gaba, calf.
Ghira, dove, Montgomery and Multdn.
Giddar, jackal.
Ghord, horse, Dora Ismail Khan.
Hans, goose, Montgomery.
Kukar,§ Kukkar, cock, Mont- gomery, Multan and Hissar.
Kukreja, cockerell, Dera Ismail Khan.
Lumar, fox, Montgomery.
Machhar, mosquito, Gujrat.
Makkar, locust, Gujrat.
Menddi (?) ram or Mindhd, long- haired, Montgomery.
Nangidl, snake, Dora Ismail Khan.
Nag-pdl, Nang-pdl.II
Nangru.
(?) Sipra, a serpent.
Other sections are named from pla)its, etc., and are perhaps more likely to be totemistic. Such are :—
ChdwaM, rice.
Gerd, said to avoid the use of
ochre, gerii, (in Dera lemail
Khdn). Gheia, fr. ghi, clarified butter.
Jandwdni, named after the j and tree in Dera Ismail Khan.
Kasturia, said to avoid tho use of musk, kadilri, (Dora Ismail Kluin).
* In Hissar this section of the Aroras may not wear blue Unghd (trousers).
t A child born feet foremost can euro pain in the loins by kicking the part alTcctecI;
t Chutini, bat : a child was once attacked by bats, which, however, left him uninjured. The section worships bats' nests (chnruchitti) at marriages.
§ The Kukar will not eat fowls, but most Hindus have a prejudice against them as food and in this very caste the Mchndiratta have for the last 12 or 14 years refused to eat them too.
II Nangpal does not appear to mean ' snake,' but protector or raiser of snakes.
25 Arom customs.
Mnngi, a kind of tree (Hissar). Pabreja, a kind of plant (Multdn) Rihdni,§ basil. Siiwi-buti, green-herb. Sel4ni(?), piiml tree, Dera Ismail
Khdn. Taneja,II a kind of grass, tiran
(Multan and Montgomery).
Katbpill, wood or timber (Mont- gomery) .
Kati'iria * dagger (Multan).
Khani-jau, Ijarlcy-oater.
Lot/i, a vessel. t
Manak-tahlia : said, in Hissdr, to reverence the tdhli or shisham tree.
Mehndirattd,t henna : (Mont- gomery and Multiin). Tareja, tarri, ' a gourd ' : their ancestor once had to conceal himself
among gourds, and they do not eat gourds.
Veh-khani, Vid-khd,m poison-eater : fr. veh or viit, 'poison ', in the
Sindhi dialect as spoken in Bahawalpur. Possibly arsenic is meant. With regard to the sections mentioned as existing in Dera Isnaail
Khan, it is distinctly said that each shows reverence to the animal
or plant after which it is named, thinking it sacred. The animal is
fed, and the plant not cut or injured. The Chdwal^s, however, do not
abstain from using rice, or show it any respect.
The women of the Uttarddhi group wear red ivory bracelets (and
affect red petticoats with a red border, in Ferozepore), whence this
group is styled Ldlchuriwdld,
The Dakhand women wear white ivory bracelets (and also affect
red petticoats, the lower part 'laced ' with hlacJc^),
By gotra the Aroras, in Gujrat at least, are said to bo Kushal, but their real gotra appears to be Kasib, ? Kishab or Keshav.
At weddings the Uttarddhis in Ferozepore are said to have a distinc- tive custom in the do rate phere, i.e., the boy's party must reach the bride's house on the afternoon of the 5th if the date fixed be the 6th or night of the 7th and the viilni must be on the 5th-6th. Dakhnds and Dahras must on the other hand arrive before or on the afternoon of the 6th and if the lagan be fixed for an early hour on the 6th the bridegroom and a Brahman go in advance for that ceremony, the wedding-party following so as to arrive in the afternoon.
Widow marriage** is in theory reprobated, but in practice tolerated among the Aroras, and in the south-west of the Punjab it is often
* This section has a legend that a dagger fell from a wall amongst a number of children who were playing beneath it, but did not hurt them. Hence the section became known as Kataria, and worships the dagger, putting flowers before it at marriages.
t Declare they milked a cow into a lotd and presented it to their guru.
X The Mehndiratta in Multan abstain from the use of henna, but so do other Hindus.
§ Because one of its members once received a faqir cordially, and the faqir blessed him saying he should prosper like basil {rihdni).
II In Multan the Tanejas abstain from eating tarli (gourd) : or at least their women do, in Montgomery. The Tanejas of Jhang say tdey are Khattris and that their ancestor instead of employing his own purohit called in some other Brahman and seated him on a kind of grass called tiran, whence came the name Taneja.
^ Dahra women are said to have red petticoats with a green border. These refined distinc- tions may possibly be observed in Ferozepore, but they are not general. It is also said that in some places Dahra women alone wear white, and Dakhanas spotted bracelets of both colours.
**• In Muzafiargarh widow re-marriage is not approved, and a couple who marry in defiance of the prejudice against it are called kachchrd, i, e., mulish or wicked.
Arora — Arya Samdj. 2l
Holemnized by tho couple going out and circumambulating burning reeds. The Brahmans recognise widow marriage and assist at it, in fact if it is solemnised without a Brahman, people refrain from eating or drinking with the couple for a short time.
The customary law of the Aroras differs both from Hindu Law and the ordinary Punjab Custom. In its main features it resembles that of the Hindus generally in the south-west Punjab, and one of its distinctive features is tho 6'au"ai, an extra quarter share which <''oes to the eldest son. Many Arord sections allow sons by the wife of another caste provided she was married as a virgin, not as a widow one-third of their father^s property, two-thirds going to tho sons by the other (Arora) wife. The position of daughters and sisters is more favourable than it usually is among Hindus under the Punjab Custom.*
Aewal, a Jat tribe, found in the Sangarh tahsil of Dera Ghdzi Khdn Dis- trict. Fiike the Manjothas and Sanghis it follows the Baloch customs in all matters connected with marriage, etc., thus differing from nearly all the other Jat tribes of that tahsil. Also found in Multau, where it is classed as agricultural.
AryX, a Jiit clan (agricultural) found in Multilu.
AiiYA Samaj. — By far the most important modern Hindu sect in the Punjab, the Arya Samaj was founded about 1847 by Paudit Dayanand JSaras- wati, a Brahman of Kathiawar. Born in 1824, Uayanand had an equal aversion to idolatry and marriage, and aftei- profound researches in Sanskritic lore ha founded a samdj or union at Lahore soon after 1847 — and subsequently in the rest of the Punjab. The latter part of his life was spent in travels in the Unitca Provinces and Kajputana. His attacks on existing Hinduism roused great antagonism. He insisted on a special interpretation of the Vedas and left behind him several works such as the Vede Bhdtshya, or translation of the Vedas, the SatydHh Frahash in which tho Arya religion is contrasted with others, and the Bhumka, an introduction to the study of the Vedas.
" The Arya or ' Vedic' religion", writes Mr. Maclagan," is primarily the outcome of the solvent action of natural science on modern Hinduism. Tho members of tho Arya Samaj find the fantastical representations of the world and of man which are put forward in the eighteen Puriinas to be inconsistent with natural science, and so reject their authority, looking on them as the outcome of the ignorance and craft of comparatively recent generations of Brahmans. The original and only authoritative scriptures in the eyes of the Arya kSamaj are the four Vedas, and its professed aim is to restore the paramount authority of the Vedas by purging away subsequent accretions. Scrip- tures more recent than the Vedas and anterior to the Puranas (such as the Brahmaniis, the six philosophic Darshanas, the ten Upanishads, etc.), are regarded OS explanatory of the Vedas and authoritative only where they are not contradictory thereto. The Vedas themselves con- stitute the only infallible revelation. — 'The Vedas', wrote Dayanand,
* are revealed by God. 1 regard them as self-evident truth, admitting of no doubt and depending on the authority of no other book, being
* F unjab Customary Laiv, XVIII, pp. vii, ix, xvii, cf. also Introd., p. 8.
22 Arya Samdj doctrines.
reprosontod in nature, the kingdom of God.' The bases of the Aryan I'aith are the revelation of God in the Vedas and in Nature, and the first pructicul element in this belief is the interpretation of the Vedas in conformity with the proved results of natural science.
In the interpretation of the Vedas the Arya Sani^j finds itself at issue with the Sanskritists of Europe, whose translations represem the Vedaa as the religious literature ot a primitive people and, like the literature of other primitive peoples, quite regardless of, and inconsist- ent with, scientific accuracy. The Aryas contend that such a view arises from a mistaken literal translation of their scriptures, and that the earlier, and consequently more trustworthy, commentators having always refused to construe the Vedas in their literal sense, it is a mistaken view to suppose that they were originally composed with any meaning other than a metaphorical or derived one. FolloAving these principles, the Samdj not only defends the Vedic rishis from all imputations of pantheism and polytheism, but finds in their writings numerous indications of an accurate acquaintance with the facts of science. It holds that cremation, vegetarianism, and abstinence from spirituous liquors are inculcated by the Vedas, and inculcated to a laro-e extent on purely scientific grounds. It l)olds that the great relio"iousrite of Vedic times, the agnihotra or homa sacrifice, is instituted with a view to rendering air and water wholesome and subservient to health, and because ' it plays a prominent part in putting a atop to the prevalence of epidemics and the scarcity of rainfall.' It is con- Tinced that the latest discoveries of science, such as those of electricity and evolution, were perfectly well known to the seers who were in- spired to write the Vedas.
"While conceding this much to modern natural science, the Aryas refuse to see in it anything tending to materialism or atheism. Retain- ino- their confidence in the Vedas, they have avoided the radical materialism of some of the earlier opponents of popular Hinduism. The Arya philosophy is orthodox, and based mainly on the Upanishads. The tenets of Daydnand, though leaning rather to the Shankya doc- trine, do not fit in precisely with any one of the six orthodox systems ; but these systems are all regarded by the Aryas as true and as differ- ent aspects of the same principles. The three entities of Dayanand's philosophy are God, the Soul and praJcriti or Matter. Soul he regarded as physically distinct from God, but related to Him as the contained to the container, the contemplated to the contemplator, the son to the father. Soul enters into all animals and there are indications of soul in the vegetable kingdom also. In most of its details the Aryan system retains the terminology of the traditional philosophy of Hinduism. It maintains above all things the law of metempsychosis and places the aim of virtue in escape from the law ; but this moksh or beatitude is for an era {kalp) only, after the termination of which the soul resumes its wanderings. The localization of the Hindu paradises, Parlok and Swarg, is rejected : heaven and hell lie in the pleasures and sorrows of the feoul, whether these be in this life or in the life to come.
As a consequence of this doctrine it holds the futility of rites on behalf of the dead, and by this cuts at the root of that great Hindu inBtitutioD, the srdddh. Like other Hindus the Aryaa burn the dead,
Arya Samdj aims. 23
but for alleged sanitary reasons they employ spices for the hurninf^. At first they took the q^hul to the Gant^pR, but now thoy cast it into the nearest stream : tliey do not call in the Acluiraj, and they omit all the ceremonies of the kiryaharm. At marriage thoy ^o round the sacred fire and walk the seven steps like the Hindus, but omit the worship of Ganesh. They generally employ Brahmans at wedding^s, but in several known instances these have been dispensed with. The Sami'ij finds an efficacy in prayer {prdrthana) and worship (iijxjftnd) ; but it greatly limits the number of ceremonies to which it accedes any meritorious powers. It discourages entirely the practice of bathing in sacred streams, pilgrimages, the u«se of beads, and sandal-wooi marks, gifts to worthless mendicants, and all the thousand rifos of popular Hinduism. Only those rites (sanskdra-t) are to bo observed which find authority in the Vedas, and those are IG in number only. Ido- latry and all its attendant ceremonies have, according to tho Aryas, no basis in the Vedas and no place in true religion. Ri'im, Krishna and other objects of popular adoration are treated euhemeristically as pious or powerful princes of the olden time; and in their salutation to each other the Arj^as substitute the word 'Namasto' for the ^ Kitm Ram' of the vulgar.
Social and political aims of the Samdj. — The Aryas are careful to defend their religion from a charge of novelty : thoy regard it as a revival of an old and forgotten faith, the decay of which Avas due mainly to tho Brahmans. The Arya theory of to-day is that the real Brahman is one who is a Brahman in the heart ; tliat the Vedas are not con6ncd to one class ; and that all castes are equal before God. It is careful, however, to accept the existence of the four castes of ancient Hinduism : it retains the sacred thread for the three superior castes, and by implication debHrs the Sudras from some of tho privileges of the twice-born. In practice no Arya will marry with another caste or cat with men of another caste. The sect being almost entirely composed of educated men and being based on theories unfitted to the understanding of the lower castes, tho right of Chuhras and tho like to join its ranks has not, I understand, been put to the test. But the Samdj is said to have been successful in receiving back into Hind n ism persons converted to Christianity or Muhammadanism and in reinstating such persons in caste. Tlie Aryas do not regard the cow as a sacred animal, but follow Hindu prejudice in considering the slaughter of a cow more heinous than that of other animals : and in the anti-cow-killing movement the Samaj was to some extent identified with the movement, though less so in the Punjab than in the United Provinces. In other respects the social programme of the Sam/ij is liberal and anti-popular in the extreme. It sets its face against child-marriage and it encourages the reman'iago of widows. It busies itself with female education, with orphanages and schools, dis- pensaries and public libraries, and philanthropic institutions of all sorts.
The Arya doctrines have been formulated in a series of ten somewhat wide propositions, and any person professing belief in tho funda- mental principles of the Samilj is elieible for membership, and may, after probatiorj, be admitted as a full member and obtain a vote in tho affairs of the society. Weekly meetings are held — generally on Sun- days, so asi to admit of the presence of Government servants and
24 Arya Samdj^Aujla,
ploaclers— ^vitli prayers, lectures on the Vodas and other subjects, hymns sung on the S:ima Veda system, and other miscellaneous pro- ceedings. At an annual meeting, a report is read and an Executive Committee with office-bearers appointed. Each local Samd,j is inde- pendent of the others : but a considerable number of the local Samdjea have voluntarily submitted to the ParopaHrini Sabha op Provincial Committee, which in a general way supervises the local centres and arranges for the duo provision of Upadeshaks or missionaries. The Arya Samtij, though paying extreme reverence to the memory of Sw^rai Daydnand, refuses to look on him or any one else as an infallible Guru ; and in the absence of any central control exercised by an individual, the organization above described has been very instru- mental in keeping the society together and preventing so far any serious schism in its ranks. A still more marked influence is un- doubtedly exercised by the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College, which was founded in Lahore some time ago and has been conducted entirely on Aryan lines. The College, while preparing students in the ordinary subjects with considerable success for the university examinations, pays special attention to instruction in Sanskrit and Hindi, and imparts a certain amount of religious training by the institutions of morning and evening prayer in the boarding houses, and by the reading of extract3 from the 8atydrth PraMsh."
The above quotations show how inadequately the Arya Samdj is described as a sect. Since they were penned, in 1891, the Samdj has been divided on the question of the lawfulness or otherwise of animal foods and two parties have been formed, one the vegetarian or Mahatma, the other the flesh-eating or ' cultured.* The former is, however, by no means narrow in its views, for it favours female educa- tion. The latter holds possession of the Dayanand College and is thence also called the Anarkalli or College party as opposed to the vegetarian or City party.
AsANDAEi, syn. matddrl, a degree or order of the Gosains- The term is applied to those settled in mats, as opposed to ahdhut.
AsAR, Asra, JiU clans (agricultural) found in Multdn.
AsiAL, a clan of the Manj Bajputs.
Asra, see Asar.
AsRAM, a title found among Sannidsfs.
AsTAWAR, a title found among Sannidsis.
Athangal, a Jd.t clan (agricultural) found in the south of Multdn tahsil, where it settled from Jammu in Mughal times.
Attar, a dispensing drusrgist. "You get the drugs from the fanmri, and take them to the attar to make up. He also roakeo nrah and sherbets. He no longer makes itr (otto) which is only made by the gcindi or perfumer." [D. C. J. L].
AughaN, Aghwan, synonyms for Afghdn, {q. v.).
Adjla, a tribe of Jdts descended from their eponym a Hajual Rdjput and found in vSinlkot : also found in Montgomery where thny are Muhamma- dans and classed as agricultural.
— ^ / •/ / / /
AulaJch — Avoan, .25
AuLAKff, Aurak, a Jdt tribe, whose head-quarters would appear to be in the Amritsar district, where they own a 6dra/i of, originally, 12 villages, but they are found in the northern Mdhva, as well as in the Mdnjha. They are said to be of Solur descent, and their ancestor Aulakh lived in the Mcinjha. But another story maizes their ancestor one Kaia Lui Ldk, a Lunar Kdjput. They are related to the Sekhu and Deo tribes with whom they will not intermarry.
In Amritsar they give the following pedigr(^e :-—
Ram C bandar
I
Kasab
I Bhaul
I
Raghupat
I Ude Rup
I Pura
I Majang
Markhanb
I Goe
I Mandal
I Dhanicb
I Aulakh.
This would make them akin to t'le Punnun. They are also found as a Jdt (agricultural) tribe west of the Rdvi as far aa Leiah. In Mont- gomery they are both Hindu and Muhammadan. The Muhammadan Aulakh of Leiah have a curious tale. Complaint was made to Uumdyun that Pir Muhammad Rajan drank hhang, in defiance of the Quranic prohibition. So the emperor summoned the saiut to Delhi and made him walk along a narrow path beset with poitioned swords, while a ferocious elephant pursued him. But as he walked the steel turned to water and one of his disciples killed the elephant with a single blow of his staff. Among the courtiers was Rdja Aulakh, a Punwar Rdjput, who at once embraced Islam. The saint returned to Kdjanpur, and Aulakh followed him, conquered the country from the Balun tribe and gave it to the Pirs, on whom the emperor also conferred it in jdgir, though the Aulakh continued to administer it until about 175 years ago, when their power declined.
AuRAK, see Aulakh.
Adre, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Adrakzai, a branch of the Afridis in Tirdh. See Orakzai.
AwAN. — The Awans are an important tribe, exclusively Muharamadnn, chieOy foun<l in the Salt Range, where they posnesa an Awilnkari,* but also widely spread to the east, south and west of that tract. Extend-
* There is also an Awank«ri in Jiillundur : Purser's S. R , § 42. And in Hoshiarpur the Awins hold a bdra in the Dasuya pargana on the high level plain near Mukerian P. N. Q. I., § 465.
25 Awdn origins.
ing along the whole length of the Range from Jhelum to the Indus, they art) found in great numbers throughout the whole country be- yond it up to tho foot, of the Sulemtlos and the Safed Koh* ; though in traus-Indua Bannu they partly, and in Dera Ismail Khdn wholly, merge in the JjUs, a term which in those pg-rts means little more than a nondescript peasant. In Peshdwar the Awd,ns are included in the hamsdya or faqir class. In Kohd,t towards Khushalgarh they resemble the Awaus of the Salt Range, but elsewhere in that District 2b'c are hardly distinguishable from the Bangash and Nid,zais among whom they live.
The independent possessions of the Awdns in the Salt Range were once very considerable, and in its western and central portion they are still the dominant race. As a dominant tribe the eastern limits of their position conicide approximately with the western border of the Chakwdl and Find Dddan Khdn tahsils, but they have also spread eastwards along the foot of the hills as far as the Sutlej, and southwards down that river valley into Multd^n and Jhang. They formerly held all the plain country at the foot of the western Salt Range, but have been gradually driven up into the hills by Pathdns advancing from the Indus, and Tiwanas from the Jhelum.
The word Awd,u is not unplausibly derived from Ahwan, 'helper,'t but various explanations of its origin are given. According to one tradition the Awans, who claim Arab origin, are descendants of Qutb Shdh, himself descended from AH, and were attached to the Mu- hammadan armies which invaded India as ' auxiliaries,'! whence their name. In Kapurthald a more precise vt-rsion of their legend makes them Alwi Sayyids, who oppressed by the Abba^sides, sought refuge in Sindh ; and eventually allied themselves with Sabuktagin, who bestowed on them the title of Awdn. But in the best available account of the tribe§ the Awdns are indeed said to be of Arabian ongin and descendants of Qutb Shah, but he is said to have ruled Herat and to have joined Mahraud of Ghazni when he invaded India. With him came six of his many sons : Gauhar Shdh or Gorrara, who settled near Sakesar .• Kalan Shdh or Kalgan who settled at Dhankot (Kdlabdgh) : Chauhan who colonised the hills near the Indu8|| : Khokhar or Muhammad Shah who settled on the Chenab: ToriT[ and Jhajh whose descendants are said to be still found in Tirdh and elsewhere.
* Raverty says 'Awan-kirs' held the Karwin darra in Kurram, but none appear to be found now in the Kurram Valley : Notes, p. 82.
I Another tradition is that when Zuhair went forth to fight with Hasan, he left his wife, then pregnant, with Zain-ul-abidaia in amdn or ' trust,' whence her son's descendants are
■ called Awan. A curious variant of this appears in Talagang where it is said that Qutb Shah's descendant having lost all his sons was bidden by a saint to place his next born son in a potter's kiln 'on trust'. He did so, and after the kiln had been burnt the child was taken out alive.
^ For Awan as equivalent to Auxiliary we may compare euergetai : McCrindle's Ancient Indt>, p. 38
§ By Mr. W. S. Talbot in the Thelum Gazetteer, 1905, pp. 102— 104. He disposes of Cunningham's theory that Janju^s and A.w»ns were within historical times one race : (Arch. Survey Reports. II 17 fE ) : and of Brandreth's theory that the Awans, though recent immi- grants into the Punjab, are descended from Bactrian Greeks. Mr. Talbot also mentions the Gangs and Munds who are generally reckoned as Awans, but who are probably only affiliated indigenous clans,
II One of his descendants waa Khattar, founder of the Khattara of Attock,
^ Tossibly Tuii is meant, and the Kurram Valley is referred to as their; locality.
/■
'■:7
i*^ ^*.l
.r /f i^. /f.
/
Z L
<.^ 6'' n /Cl^^^':^Ai ^ /f^ '-^-/^ A • -^ ^ -M
Awdn groups. 27
The originally Hindu character of these names is patent, and not explained away by the tradition that Chauhan and Khokhar took their mother's name.
In Gujrdt tradition gives Qutb Shah three wives, from whom pprang the Khokhars and the four muhins or clans of the Awans. By Barth, his first wife, he had a son named Khokhar : by Sahd, he had Khurara or Gurara : and by Fateh Khatuu, three sous — Kalgdn, Chauh^a and Kundan.
These four clans are again divided into numerous septs, often bear- ing eponymous namt^s, hut sometimes the names of Guiar, Jdt and other tribal septs appear. Thus in Si^lkot^ the Awans are said to be divided into 24 muhins. But in Gujr^t the Khurara clan comprises 21 sub-divisions, including such names as Jdlap and Bhakri : the Kalgdn comprise 43 sub-divisions, including Dudial, Andar, Papin and others : the Cliauh^ns have three septs, Ludain, Bhusin and Ghuttar : and the Kundan Chechi. Mahr, Malha, Maydn, Puchal and Saroia. Few of these look like Muhammadan patronymics.
Note. — The Awans in Kapurthala are said to have the following oots : — Kalg>in (really a m'lhin , Rai L'ul, Ghalli, Jand, Bagewali, Jaspal, Khokuar, Gobu or Gulistan, Harpal and Khor Joti.
The A wan septs give their names to several places-names, such as Golera in Rjiwalpindi, Khiora (Khewra) iu Jhelum, Bajara in {Sialkot, Jand, etc.
As claiming descent from Qutb Shdh the Aw^ns are often called Qutb-shahi, and sometimes style themselves Ulami. In Gujrdt they only marry inter se, refusing to give daughters even to the Chibbs, and not inter- marrying with the Khokhars. In Jhelum too "Awdns give their daughters in marriage to Awans only as a rule, though there seems to be some instances of marriages with leading men of the Chakwdl tribes : it is said, however, that the Kalabdgh Mallik refused to betroth his daughter to Sardar Muhammd Ali, chief of the Kdwal- pindi Ghebas. In some families at least, prominent Awdns not in- frequently take to wife women of low tribes (usually having an Awdn wife also), and this practice does not seem to meet with as much disapproval as in most other tribes of equal social standing : but ordinarily Awan wives alone are taken.t Certain families marry with certain other families only : and in all cases marriage is generally but not necessarily within the muhl."
* The Customary Law of this District (Voliune XIV) p, 3, gives the following list of Awan 8ub-clans :—
1 BagwAl 9 Harpal 17 Mangar
2 Bijra 10 Jalkhijh 18 Mirza
3 Biddar 11 Jand 19 Pappan
4 Chandhar 12 Jhan 20 Ropar
5 Chhaila 13 ^Khambre 21 Salhi
6 Dhinqle 14 Kharana 22 Sangwil
7 Ghulie 15 Malka 23 Saroya
8 Gorare I 16 Mandu 44 Wadhdl
Those in italics arc returned as Khurara iu Gujrat. Kos. 1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 14, 22 and 24 arc classed as Kalgan.
+ In Rawalpindi the childrpn of a low-caste woman by an Awan are not considered true AwanO:
28 Awdn-^Azdd.
This passage is entirely consistent with the popular classification of the Awans as zamhiddr or yeomen, in contradistinction to the sdhu or gentry (Jaojuas and Ghakkars), but on a level with the Mairs and other leading tribes of Chakwdl.
The loading family among the Awd,ns is that of the Malik of Kd,- Idbagh, and throughout the Jhelum Salt Range they have numerous rnaliks* notably Lfil KMn of Nurpur in Find Dadan Khdn, head of the Shidl (descendants of Shihd,n, a great malik in the latter part of the eighteenth century).
Like the Kassai's, Janjuas and Khokhars, but unlike the Ghakkars, the Awdns have the institution of sirddri, whereby the eldest son of a chief gets an extra share. In other respects their customs of inheritance are closely alike those of the other Muhammadau tribes among whom they live. In Shd-hpur and Jhelum, however, the Awdns recognize a daughter's right to succeed.
In the Awdn villages nf Talagang tahsil all the graves have a vertical slab at either end, while a woman's grave can be at once distinguished by a smaller slab in the centre. t
An Awdn girl plaits her hair on the forehead and wears only ear-drops, this style being given up after marriage. J Betrothal is effected by the girl's father sending a bard or barber to the boy's home with a few rupees and some sweets : or no ceremony at all is observed. ,
Ayasi, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Ayesh^, (heavenly), the name of the ruling family of Hunza& : for the legend of it! origin see Biddulph, Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh, p. 27.
AzAD, "free", a term applied to the he-shara or irregular orders of Isldm also called majziib ; opposed to sdlik. Also used as a synonym for Qalandar. ^zdds hold that the shard or ritual law is only for the masses, not for those who have attained marifat or full comprehension of the Godhead.
• But Brandreth says the chief is called ' Rai,' and his younger brothers and sons ' Malik.' Settlement Report, § 49, p. 23.
t P. N. Q. I., § 594.
t Ibid, n, § 352. There is a history of the Awans in Urdu, published by Dr. Ghulam Nabi of Lahore,
['
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|
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r,'?':^ //.
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29
APPENDIX.
M. Ami'n Chand's Hi.itory of Sidlkot gives a curious pedigree of the Awd-ns which is tabulated below : —
MUHAMMAD
I Zahir Q4sim*
Ausl SMh— 15th in descent
Qutb Shih
r r
Khokhar Jahan
"■^
Pusu Hamir
Progenitors of the Julians of Siilkot.t
(~
Golera Kulugan Mirza 1 (15 families.) Bindia I
^ 1
"1
Wirj
I Rai Rakh
I
Malik Saniba. (? Saroia.)
r
Tiir
~"1 Banj lir
Dengla
~1 Mandu
r
Singi
Bharahwiu Samduh
Kahambara.
* Another account makes Ausl Shih descended from Muhammad Khaifa, the Prophet's son, by a woman of Janir.
t See article Jun.
In Siilkot the Awans are known under these 4 branches :— Gohera [there is a tract in the Rawalpindi District still called Guhcra, (or Gohera) after this tribe], Kahambara, Dengla and Mandu.
31
B
Bab —A Muhammadan J^t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery and
Baba Lal Daryai, a sect, followers of a addhu whose ehrino is on the Chenib in the Wazirabdd tahsil of Gujrdnwdld- and who miraculously turned water into food.
Baba Lku, a follower of one of several Bab^ Lal^. B^ba Ldl Tahliwdld was a Bairdgi of Find Dddan Khdn who could turn dry sticks into fihisham [tahli] treea. An(,ther Biiba Ldl had a famous coutroversy with D^rd Shikoh * Another Bdb^ Ldl had his headquarters at Bhera, and yet another has a shrine in Gurddspur.
Babak. — A small tribe allied to the Sherdnis — indeed said to be descended from a son of Dom, a grnnd<on of Sherai-ai. They are divided i'lto two main branches, Maiisand and Ghor* Khel. The former are sub- divided into four and the latter into eiglit sul)-di visions.
The Babavs are a civilised tribt^ and most of them can read and write. t They are devoted to commerce and are the wealthiest, quietest and most honest tribe of the sub-Sulaim^ti plains. Edwardes called them the most superior race in the whole of the trans-Indus districts, and the proverb says : ' A Bdbar fool is a (randapur sage.' Intensely- democratic, they have never had a recognised chief, and the tribe is indeed a scattered one, many residingr in Kandahar and other parts of Khor:isdn as traders. A few are still engaged in the powinda traffic. The B^bars appear to have occupied their present seats early in the ]4tb century, driving out the Jiits and Baloch (?) population from the plnins and then being pushed northward, by the UshtHrnni proner. Their centre is Chaudwan and their outlying villages are held by Jdt and Baloch tenants, as they cultivate little themselves.
Babbak, a Jdt tribe in Dera Ghazi Khdn — probably immigrants from the east
or aboriginal — and in Bahd-walpur, where they give the following
genealogy : —
RAJA KARAN.
I Kamdo,
I Pargo.
I
Janjuban.
I
Khakh.
r 1 i 1
Bdbbar. Oabbar. Rabbar. Jhaggar.
Babla. a Bpction of the Bhfttias, to which belong the chaudhris of Shujabad.
MuMnGr., 1902, p. 166. Bachhal, a tribe of Jdts, found in pargana Bhirug. Nar^ingarh tahsil,
Amb^la : descended from a Taoni Rcljput by his JAt wife. Badah. — A 36.\ clan (asricultural) found in MultSn.
* This sect ia noticed in Wilson's sects of the Hindus. . rr ^ t, i i /» *
+ A Bnbar, the Amin-ul-Mulk Nur Muhammad Khin, was Diw4n-i.Kul-.Mamlak<it to
Taimiar Shah and gave a daughter to Shah Zaman Abdili. Four Babar families are al»o
Settled in Multaa : Oatetteer, 1901-02, p. 161^
32 Badanah — Badu,
Badanah, &3U clan (agricultural) found ia Multan. Baddun, see Badu.
Badechh, a tribe of Jiits, claiming to be Saroa Rajputs by descent through its eponym and his descendant Kura Pal whose sons settled in Si^lkot under Shah Jahan : also found ia Amritsar.
Badee, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Badgdjar, Bar-, a class (or possibly rank) found among the Brahmans, Rajputs, Meos and possibly other tribes, as well as often along with Gujars. Thus the Bargujar Rd-jputs about Bhundsi in Gurgd,on border on villao-es held by Gujars, and in one village there Gujars hold most of the village and Bargujar Rd,jputs the rest. Similarly in Bd,sdalla near Punah^na in Gurgdon Meos hold most of the village and Gujars the rest. (Sir J. Wilson, K.CS.I., in P. N. Q. I., § 130). But according to Ibbetson, the Bargujar are one of the b6 royal Rd,jput famihes, and the only one except the Gahlot which claims descent from Ldwa, son of H&m Chandra. Their connection with the Mandahd,r is noticed under Mandah^r. They are of course of Solar race. Their old capital was R^jor, the ruins of which are still to be seen in the south of Alwar, and they held much of Alwar and the neighbouring parts of Jaipur till dipossessed by the Kachwdha. Their head-quarters are now at Anupshahr on the Ganges, but there is still a colony of them in Gurgd,on on the Alwar border. Curiously enough, the Gurg^on Bargujar say that they came from Jullundur about the middle of the 15th century ; and it is certain that they are not very old holders of their present capital of Sohna, as the buildings of the Kambohs who held it before them are still to be seen there and are of comparatively recent date.
Badhan or Pakhai, a tribe of Jdts, claiming Saroa Rd,jput origin and descended from an eponym through Kala, a resident of Jammu. Found in Sidlkot.
Badhar, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Badhade, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Badhi, a sept of Kanets found in Bashahr. They also own joargana Qhir
in Kuthdr. Badhi, the carpenter who makes ploughs and other rude wood-work among
the Gaddis : (f r. hadhnd, to cut with an axe or saw). See Barhd^i.
Badi, a gipsy tribe which does not prostitute its women. The word is said to be a corruption of B^zi-(gar) q. v. Cf. Wddia.
Badohal, a tribe of Jdts who offer food to their sati, at her shrine in Jasr^n in N^bha, at weddings ; also milk on the 9th sudi in each month. Found in Jind.
Badozm, a Pathan family, found in Multdn the Derajat and Bahawalpur
State.
Badeo, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Badu Baddun, a gipsy tribe of Muhammadans, found in the Central Punjab, chiefly in the upper valleys of the Sullej and Beds, Xiil^© the Kehals
0?:„-.v/j?-
C*^ L^
* V - r ^
H. r^ I /A
/7 ^ ^
C Ui^*» -»- <t/2 • <t -^
(
l.J.rr?,^;^-^, /^.
Badu~—Bahman. gg
they are followers of Im^m Slidfi* and by his teaching justify their habit of eating crocodiles, tortoises and frogs. They are considered outcast by other Muhammadans. They work in straw, make pipe- bowls, their women bl^ed by cupping and tliey arc also said to load about bears and occasionally travel as pedlars. Apparently divided into three clans, Wahhi, Dhar.4 and Balara. They claim Arab origin. First cousins cannot intermarry. See Kehal.
Badwal, a Rd,jput clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Badyb, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bagdar, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Baghban, Baghwan, the Persian equivalent of the Hinili word M^li meaning a ' gardener,' and commonly used as equivalent to Ar^in in the Western Punjab, and even as far east as Lahore and Jullun- dur. The Baghbdns do not form a casbe and the term is merely equivalent to Mdli, Malidr, etc.
Baqhela, lie. ''tiger's whelp," one of the main division of the K^thi^s, whose retainers or dependent*; they probably were originally. Conhtiod to the nei^^hbourhood of Kamdlia in Montgomery, and classed as Rajput agricultural.
Baghue, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Baqiyana, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Bagrah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Bagrana, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomerj.
BAG9,i,t (1) a term applied to any Hindu Rajput or Jat from the B^gar or prairies of Bikaner, which lie to the south and west of Hiss^r in" contradistinction to Deswala. The B^gris are most numerous in the south of that District, but are also found in some numbers under the heading of Jat in Sialkot and Patidla. In Gurdaspur the Bagri are Salahria who describe themselves as Bdgar or Bhagar by claii and probably have no connection with the Bagri of Hisskr and its neighbourhood. (2) a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Baha DARKE, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery : also a Joiya sept.
Bahali, a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Baha?,, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bahi, a tribe of Pathans which holds a hdra of 12 villages near Hosbi^r* pur, (should be verified ?).
Bahman, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
* It is said that in the time of the Prophet there were four brothers, Imam Azoin Imara Hamil, Imam Shafi, and Imam Naik, aud Shaikh Dbamar, ancestor of the Badus, -was a follower of this lm4m Shafi. Once Shaikh Uhamar killed a tortoiae an act which was reprobated by three of the brothers, bat Imam Shafi, approving bis con- duct the Shaikh ate the animal whereupon the three Imams called him had and hence bis descendants are called Badu ! Such is the Badii legend, but the four Imams were woi
walpur it is applied to any Hindu or Muhammadan from Jaisalmcr or Bikaner who speaks Bagii.
34 Bahniwdl — Bahti.
Bahniwaf,, a Jdt tribe, found cViipfly in His?ar and Patidla. They are also fourd on the lower Sutlej in Montfjomery, where in 1S81 thpy probably returned th('ms<4ves as Bhatfci Rajputs, which they claim to be by de- scent. Ill His-iir tliey appear to \>e a B-Agri tvve, though they claim to be Deswali, and to have been Chauhans of Sambhar in Haj'mtana whence they spread into Hikdner and Siisa. Mr. Purser says of them:— "In numbers they are weak; but, in love of robbery they yield to none of the tribes." They gave much trouble in 1857. In t)>e 15th century the Bahniwal held one of the six cantons into which Bikciner was then divided.
Bahoke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Bahowana, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Baheiipia. — Bahrupia is in its origin a purely " occupational term derived from the Sanskrit hahu ^ many ' a,nd riipa 'form/ and denotes an actor, a mimic, one who assumes many forms or characters, or engages in many occupations. One of the favourite devices of the Bahrupias is to ask for money, and when it is refused, to ask that it may be- given on condition of the t3ahrupia succeeding in deceiving the person who refuses it. Some days later the Bahrupia will again visit the house in the disguise of a pedlar, a milkman, or what not, sell his goods without beiui? detected, throw off his disguise, and claim the stipulated reward. They may be drawn from any caste, and in Rohtak there are Chuhra Bahrupias. But in some districts a family or colony of Bahrupias has obtained land and settled down on it, and so become a caste as much as any other. Thus there is a Bahrupia family in Pd,n]pat which holds a village revenue- free, though it now professes to be Shaikh. In Sialkot and Gujrd-t Mahtams are commonly known as Bahrupias. In the latter District the Bahrupias claim con- nection with the Rajas of Chittaur and say they accompanied Akbar in an expedition against the Pathans. After that they settled down to cultivation* on the banks of the Chenab. They have four clans — Rathaur, Chauhdn, Punwar and Sapawat— which are said not to in- termarry. All are Sikhs in this District. Elsewhere tht-y are Hindus or Muhammadans, actors, mountebanks and sometimes cheats. The Bahrupias of Gurd^spur are said to work in cane and bamboo. The Bahrupia is distinct from the Bhand, and the Bahrupia villages on the Sutlej in Phillaur tahsil have no connection with the Mahtons of Hosbiarpur.t Bahrupias are often found in wandering gangs.
Bahti, a term used in the eastern, as Chang is used in the western, portion of the lower ranges of the Kd,ngra Hills and Hoshiarpur as equivalent to OJiirtli. All of them intermarry.
Bahti, hill men of fairly good caste, who cultivate and own land largely; and also work as labourers. They are said to be degraded R^ijputs. In Hoshiarpur (except Dasuya) and Jullundur they are called Bahti; in Dasuya and Nurpur Chang ; in Kd,ngra Ghirth; all intermarry freely. In the census of 1881 all three were classed as Bd,hti. The Chang are also said to be a low caste of labourers in the hills who also ply as muleteers.
* As cultivators they are thrifty and ambitious. They also make baskets, ropes aud tope-nets — travggars, and chikkaS in Gujrat. t P. N. Q. I„ § 1034.
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Baid — Bairdgi. 35
Baid, a got of the Oswal Bhnbri'is, Mulii;'il Bralunans and other castes : also a physician, a term applied o-eneraly to all who practise Vedic me- dicine.
Baidwan,* an important Hindu-Sikh Jat tribo in Ambala.
Bains, a J;U tribe, whose h^ad- quarters appear to be in Uoshidrpurf and Jullundur, thougli they have spread west^vards oven as far as Riiwal- pindi, and eastwards into Anibrila and the adjoining Native Statfs. 'I'hey say that they are by origin Janjua lliijputs, and that their ances- tor Bains came eastwards in the time of Firoz Shiib. Bains is one of the 36 royal families of Hajputs, but Tt^d believes that; it is merely a sab-division of the Suryabansi section. They give their name to Bais- wara, or the easternmost portion of the Ganges-Jamna dodh. The Sardars of AUlwalpur in Jullundur are Bains, whose ancestor came from Hoshidrpur to Jalla near Sirhind in Nabha some twelve genera- tions ago.
The Bairagi.
Bairaqi. — The Bairdgi (Vairagi, more correctly, from Sanskr. vairdgya, ' devoid of passion,') is a devotee of Vi<' nu. The Bainigis probably represent a very old element in Indian religion, for those of the sect who wear a leopard-skin doubtless do so as personating Nar Singh, the leopard incarnation of Vishnu, lust a? the Bhagauti faqir imitates the dress,J dance, etc., of Ki-ishna. Tlie priest who personates the god whom he worships is found in 'almost every rude religion : while in later cults the old rite survives at least in the religious use of animal masks,'§ a practice still to be found in Tibet. There is, moreover, an undoubted pun on the word Ihrdg, * leopard ', and Bairdyi, and this possibly acfount'^ for the wearing of the leopaid skin. The feminine form of Bairagi, hairdgan, U the term af^plied to the ^aif-shaped crutch on which a devotee leans either sitting or standnig, to tbe small enblematic crutch about a foot long, and to the crutch hilt of a sword or dagger. In Jiud tlie Bairdgi is said to be also called Shdmi.
The orders devoted to the cults of Rdm i.nd Krishn are known generically as Bairdgis, and th^ir history commences with Rdmdnuja, who taught in Southern India in the ll-12tli centuries, and from his name tlie designation Ramdmiji may be derived. || But it is not until the time of Rdmanand, i.e., until the end of the 1 4th century, that the sect rose to power or importance in Northern India.
The Bairdgis are divided into four main orders {f^ampardas^ , viz., Rdmdnandi, Vishnuswdmi, Nimdnandi and Mddliavachdri.
* FrtDcifnlly derived from baid, a pbysiciftn — who rescued a bride of the clan from robbers and was rewarded l)y their adoptinpf his njirne.
t The Bains hold a bdrah or pronp of 12 (iictuaily 15 or 10) villages near Mahilpur in this Distri'^t.
t Tnimpp's Adi-Granth. p. 98.
§ Robertson Smith : Religion of the Semites, p. 437.
II See Ibbetson, § 521 : vphere the llamanxijis are said to worship Mahndeo nnd thus ap- pear to b-i Shaivas. Further the Bair^gis arc there said to have been founded by Sri Anand, the 12th disciple of Ranuinand. The termination ?i a h J t appears to be connected with his name.
It is only to the followers of Raminand or his contemporaries that the term Bairagfis properly applied.
8(J The Bairdgi caste.
Of these the first-named contains six of the 52 dwdrds* (schools) of these Bairdgi orders, viz., the Anbhimandi, Dundaram, Agarji, Telaji, Kubhdji, and Ramsaluji.
In the Punjab only two of the four sampardds are usually found. These are (i) the Kdmdnandis, who hke the Vishnuswdmis are devotees of Rdmchandr, and accordingly celebrate his birthday, the Rdmnaumi,t study the Rdmayand and make pilgrimages to Ajudhid : their insignia being the tar pundri or trident, marked on the forehead in white, with the central prong in red or white.
The only other group found in the Punjab is (m) the Nimanandi, who, like the Mddhavachdris, are devotees of Krishna. They too celebrate the 8th of Bhddon as the date of Krishna's incarnation, but they study the Sri Madh Bhagwat and the Gita, and regard Bindraban, Mathra and Dwarkdndth as sacred places. On their foreheads they wear a two-' pronged fork, J all in white.
In the Punjab proper, however, even the distinction between Rama and Nimd-nandi is of no importance, and probably hardly known. In parts of the country the Bairdgis form a veritable caste being allowed to marry, and [e.g.] in Sirsa they are hardly to be distinguished from ordinary peasants, while in Karnal many (excluding the sddkus or monks of the monasteries, asthal, whose property descends to their spiritual children§) marry and their hindu or natural children succeed thetn.ll This latter class is mainly recruited from the Jdts, but the caste is also recruited fromi the three twice-born castes, the disciple being received into his guru's sampardd and dwdra.*^ In some tracts, e. ^ , in Jind, the Bairdgis are mostly secular. They avoid in marriage their own samjjar da and their mother's dwdra. In theory any Bairdgi may take fond from any other Bairdgi, but in practice a Brahman Bairdgi will only eat from the hands of another Brahman, and it is only at the ghosti or place of religious assembly that recruits of all castes can eat together. The restrictions regarding food and drink are however lax throughout the order. Though the Bairdgis, as a rule, abstain frorn flesh and spirits, the secular members of the caste certainly do not. In the southern Punjab the Bairdgi is often addicted to bhang
To return to the Bairdgis as an order, it would appear that as a body they keep the jata or long hair, wear coarse loin-cloths and usually affect the suffix Das. As opposed to the Sanidsis, or Ldl-pddris, they style themselves Sitd-padris, as worshippers of Sita Rdm.
*Itmay be conjectured that the Va'abhacharis, Biganandis, and Ni'mi-Kharak-swamfs are three of these fh/'dra'« : or the latter term may be equivalent to Nimanandi. Possibly the SIta-padris are really a modern dwdra The Kadha-balabhi, who affect Krishna's wife Badha, can hardly be anything but a divdra.
fTheinh of Bhadon.
X Its shape is siiid to be derived from the figure of the Nar Singh (man-lion) incarnation which tore PraVdad t) pieces.
§ Called nadi, is contradistinction to hivdu children. Celibate Bairagfs are called Nagas, the secular ghar-bd-i or i^/iir/sfi, i.e. , householders.
II It is not clear how property descends, e o., it is said that if a .g-urii marry his property descends on his death to his disciples, in Jind (just as it, does in Karnal^. But apparently property inherited from the natural family devolves on the natural children, while that in- herited from the quni descends to the chela. In the Kaithal tahsil of Karnal the agricultural Bairai^is who own the village of Dig are purely secular,
1[ But men of any caste may become Bairagis and the order appears, as a rule, to be re- cruited from the lower castes.
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Bairdgi developments. 87
As regards his tenets a Bairdgi is pometimes said to be subject to five rules : — (i) ho must journey to Dwarka and there be branded witli iron on the right arm :* {ii) he must mark his forehead, as already describefl, with the gojn chandan clay : [Hi) he must invoke one of the incarnations of Krishna: {iv) he must wear a rosary of /mZsi : and (t) he should know and repeat some mantra relating to one of Vishnu's incarnations. Probably these tenets vary in details, though not in principle, for each samparda, and possibly for each dwdra also.
The monastic communities of the Bairagis are powerful and ex- ceedingly well conducted, often very wealthy, and exercise much hospitality. They are numerous in Hoshiarpur. Some of their mahants are well educated and even learned men, and a few possess a knowledge of Sanskrit.
Baibagi developments. The intense vitality of the Bairagi teachings maybe gauged from the number of sub-sects tn which they havf given birth. Among these may be noted the Hari-Dclsis (in Rohtak), the Kesho-panthfst (in Mult4n) the Tulsi-Dasis, Gujr^nwala, the Murdr-panthisl, the Babd-L^lis.
The connection of the earliest form of Sikhism with the Bair<4gi doctrines is obscure, but it is clear that it was a close one. Kalladhilri the ancestor of the Bedi family of Una, was also the predecessor of the Brahman Kalladhari maliants of Dharmsal in the Una tahsil, who are Bairdgis, as well as followers of Ndnak, whence they are called Vaishav-Nanak-panthi. This community was founded by one Nakodar Dds who in his youth was absorbed in the deity while lying in the shade of a banyan tree instead of tending his cattle, and at last after a prolonged period of adoration, disappeared into the unknown. Another Baitdgi, Kdm Thamman, was a cousin of Nanak and is some- times claimed as his follower. His tank near Lahore is the seetie of a fair, held at the Baisiiklii, and formerly notorious for disturbances and, it is said, immoralities. It is still a great meeting point for Bairagi ascetics. Further it will not be forgotten that Banda, the successor of the Sikli gurus, was, originally, a Bair^i, while two Bairagi sub-sects (the Sarnddsi and Simrandflsi§) arc sometimes classed as Udd,sis.
A modern offshoot of the Bairdgis are the Charand^sis, founded by one Charan Das who was born at Dehra in Alwar State in 1703.|| His father was a Dhusar who died when his so-j, then named Kanjit Singh, was only 5. Brought up by relations at Delhi the boy became a
* These brands include the conch shell (s/ianfc),discu<' or fhfli-fcar, club or gada, and lotus. Besides the iron brands (f apt wia/)«, lit. fire-marks) watermarks (si'aZ juwdra, lit. cold-* marks) are also used. Further the initiatory rite, though often performed at Dwarkk, may be performed anywhere especially in the guru''si house. Some B..iragis even brand their women's arms before they will eat or drink anything touched by ihem.
t t'robally worshippers of :i Inoal s.iinl or of Krishna himself.
j Possibly followers of a Biba Murar whose shrine is in Lahore District, or worshippers of Krishn Mur4ri, i.e., the enemy of Mur, a demon.
§ Sometimes said to be one and the same. Simran D4s was a Brahman, who lived two centuries ago, and his followers are Gosains who wear the tuhi necklace and worship their gurus bed.
II Another account says he became Sukhdeo's disciple at the age of 10 in Sbt. 1708, 1651 A. D. For a full account of the sect see Wilson's quoted in Maclagan's, Punjab Census Report, 1891, p. 121.
38 Bdirdgi'—Bajwd.
disciplo of Sulchdeo Dds, himself a spiritual descendant of Bi^sji, in Muzaffarna^ar, and assumed the name of Charan D^s. He taught the unity of God, preached abolition of caste and inculcated purity of life. His three principal disciples, Swdmi Ram-rup, Jagtan Gos^in and a woman named »Shahgoleai encli founded a monastery in Delhi, in which city there is also a temple dedicated to Charan D^s where the impression of his foot [cliaran) is worshipped.* His initiates are celibate and worship Krishna and his favourite queen Radha above all gods and goddesses. Tliey wear on the forehead the joti sao'up ov ''body of flame," which consists of a single perpendicular line of white ;t and dress in saffron clothes with a tulsi necklace. The chief scripture of the sect is the Bhagat-sdgar, and the 1 1th day of each fortnight is kept as a fast. Charan Dds is believed to have displayed miracles before Nddir Shd,h, on his conquest of Delhi, and however that may be, his disciples obtained grants of land from the Mughal emperors which they still hold. Bairwal, a tribe of Jats who claim to be descendants of Birkhman, a Chauh^n Rdjput, whose son married a Jat girl as his second wife and so lost status. The name is eponymous, and they are found in the Bdwal Niz^mat of N^bha.
Baistola, a Jain sect : see Jain.
Baizai, one of the two clans of the Akozai Yusafzai. It originally held the Lundkhwar valley, in the centre of the northernmost part of Peshawar, and all the eastern hill country between that and the Swdt river. It still hoLis the hills, but the Khattak now hold all the west of the valley and the Utm^n Khel its north-east corner, so that the Baizai only hold a small tract to the south of these last. Their six septs are the Abba and Aziz Khels, the B^bozai, Matorezai, Musa and Zangi Khels. The last lies south of the Ham range which divides Sw^t from Buner. Only the three first-named hold land in British territory.
Bajar, a Gujar clan (agricultural} found in Amritsar.
Bajarah, j 10 tf t!io 15 Awan families descended from Kulugan, son of Qutb Shdh: see History of Siillkot, p. 37.
BajU; Bajju, a Rdjput tribe found in Si^lkot and allied to the Bajw^ Jdts.
Bajwa, a Jdit clan (agricultural) found in Sid^lkot, Amritsar and Multdn, and as a Hindu Jdt clan in Montgomery. The B^jwa Jats are of the same kin as the Bajju Rajputs. J In Sialkot they have the customs of rasoa or lagan and bhoja twixt betrothal and marriage.
The ja^/jera of the Bajwd is Bdbd, M^nga, and he is revered at weddings, at which the rites of jandian and chhatra are also observed,
Tlie Bfljwa J^ts and Bajju Rdjputs have ^iven their name to the Bajwd-t or country at the fo 't of the Jammu hills in the Sialkot District. They say that they are Solar Rdjputs and that their ancestor Raja
* Clearly there is some connection here with the Vishnupacl or foot-impression of Vishnu- t It is also called simply sarup, or " body " of Bhagwan. X It might be suggested that wd la a diminutive form.
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Bajwd — BaTchtiar. 3 9
Shalip was driven out of Multan in the time of Sikandar Lodi. His two sons Kals and Lis escaped in the disiJruiso of falconers. Lis went to jHramii and there married a Katil Rajput brido, while K^ls married a J at girl in Pasriir. TIih descendants of both live in the Bajwiit, but are said to be distinguished as Bajju Kajputs and Bajwa Jats. Another story has it that their ancestor Jas or Hai Jaisan was driven from Delhi by Rai Pitora and settled at Karbala in Si^ikot. Yet another tale is tliat Naru, Rdjii of Jamrau, gave him 84 villages in ilaqa Ghol for killing Mir Jagwa., a mighty Pathfm. The Bajju Rdjputs admit their relationship with the Bajwa Jt^s. Kals had a son, Dawa, whose son Dewa had three sons, Muda, Wasr, and Nana surnamed Chachrah. Nana'a children having all died, he was told by an astrologer that only those born under a chachri tree would live. His advice was taken and Nana's next son founded the Chachrah sept, chiefly found near Narowdl. The Bajju Rfijputs have the custom of chundai-and and are said to marry their daughters to Chibli , Bhau and Manhds Riijputs, and their eons to Rajputs. 'i'ht» Bajju Rdjputs are said to have had till quite lately a custom by which a Mussalman girl could be turned into a Hindu for purposes o£ marriage, by temporarily burying her in an underground chamber and ploughing the earth over her head. In the betrothals of this tribe dates aroused, a custom perhaps brought with them from Multan, and they have several other singular customs resembling those of the Sahi Jats. They are almost confined to Sidlkot, though they have spread in small numbers eastwards as far as Patiala.
Bakarki, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Bakhar, a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
BakkhaRj an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Bakhri, a clan found in the Shahr Farid ilaqa of Bahawalpur. They claim to be Sumrds by origin, and have Charan bards, which points to a Rajput origin. They migrated from Bhakhkhar to Multdn, where they were converted to Islam by Gaus Baha-ud-Din Zakaria, and fearing to return to their Hindu kinsmen settled down in Multan as weavers. Thence they migrated to JSurpur, Pakpattan and other places, and Farld Khdn I settled some of thom in Shalir Farid from Nurpur. They make lungis. (The correct form is probably Bhakhri).
Bakhshial, a family of Wahora Khatris, settled at Bhdun ia Jhelum, which has a tradition of military service.
Bakhtiar, a small Pathan tribe of Persian origin who are associated with the Mian Khel Pathans of Dera Ismail Khan, and now form one of their principal sections.
Raverty however disputes this, and ascribes to the Bakhtiars a Sayyid origin. Shiran, the eponym of the ShiraAii Pathdns, gave a -?^ -J* daughter to a Sayyid Ishaq whose son by her was named Habib the Abu-Sa'id, or 'Fortunate' (Bakhtyar). This son was adopted by his step-father Midnai, son of Dom, a son of Shirdz. The Bakhtiars have produced several saints, among them the Makhdiim-i-'Alam, Khwdja Yahya-i-Kabir, son of Khwaja llias, son of Sayyid Muhammad, and a contemporary of Sultan Muhammad Tugbluq Shah. Ho died in
{40 BaJchtidr — BalJcd.
1333 A. D., and his descendants are called Shaikhzais. Raverty says the Persian Bakhtiaris* are quite distinct from the Bakhti^rs. Bakhtmal sddhs, a Sikh sect founded by one Bakhtmal. When Guru Govind Singh destroyed the masands or tax-gatherers one of them, by name Bakhtmal, took refuoc with Mat^, a Gujar woman who disguised him in woman's clothes, putting bangles on hia wrists and a nath or nose- ring in his nose. This attire ho adopted permanently and the mahant of his gaddi still wears bangles. His followers are said to be also called Bakhshish sddhs, but this is open to doubt. The head-quarters of the sect appears to be unknown.
Bal, a Jat tribe of the Bids and Upper Sutlej, said to be a clan of the Sekhu tribe with whom they do not intermarry. Their ancestor is also said to have been named Baya Bal, a Rajput who came from Malwa. The name Ba.1, which means " strength," is a famous one in ancient Indian history, and recurs in all sorts of forms and places. In Amritsar they say they came from Ballamgarh, and do not inter- marry with the Dhillon.
Bal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Balagan, a tribe of Jats, claiming to be Jammu Rajputs by descent from their eponym. Found in Sidlkot.
Balahab, in Gurgaon the haldhar (in Sirsa he is called daurd,) is a village menial who shows travellers the way, carries messages and letters, and summons people when wanted by the headmen. In Karnd^l he iv, called lehhar\ ; but is not a recognised menial and any one can perform his duties on occasion. In Sirsa, Gurgaon and Karnal he is almost always a Chuhra, cf. Batwdl.
Balahi, Balai, (/. haldhar. — In Delhi and Hissar a chaukiddr or watchman : in Sirsa a Cham^r employed to manure fields, or who takes to syce's and general work, is so termed.
Balbie, a sept of Kanets which migrated from Chittor in R^jputdna with the founders of Keonthal and settled in the latter State. The founders of Keonthal were also accompanied by a Chaik, a Saldthiand a Pakrot, all Brahmans, a Chhibar Kanet, a blacksmith and a turi and the descendants of all these are still settled in the State or in its employ.
Balfaeosh, a synonym for Bhdt (Rawalpindi).
Balham, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Bali, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Bali, a section of the Muhials (Brahmans) : corr. to the Dhannapotras of the South-West Punjab.
Balka, an agricultural clan found inSh^hpur: balkd in the east of the Punjab is used as equivalent to chela, for ' the disciple of afaqlr.'
* There is said to be a sept of the Baloch of this name in Bah£walpur and l^uzaffargarhi on both sides of the Panjnad.
f Or rehhar, probably from rdhbar, ' guide.' In Karnal is no Balahar caste, the term being applied to a sweeper who does this particular kind of coiv6e— which no one bufc a sweeper (or in default a Dh^nank) will perform.
Bdlmiki-^Baloch. 41
Balmiki, Valmiki. — The sect of tlie Chuhras, synonymous with B^ldshfihi andLalbet^i, so called from Balraik, Baliikh or Bald Shah, possibly the same as the author of the Rdmdyana* Biilmik, the poet, was a man of low extraction, hnd legend represents liim as a low-caste hunter of the Ndrd;ik in Karnal, or a 13hil highway-man converted by a saint whom he was al>out to rob. One It-gen I makes him a swt-eper in the heavenly courts, another sis living in austerity at Ghazni. See under Ldlbegi.
Balo, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in MuUdn.
BALOCH. Meaning of Baloch.
The teim Baloch is used in several diffe ent wavs. By travellers and historians ir is employed to denote (i) the race known to them-elves and rheir neighbours as the Baloch, and [ii] in an extended St-nse as incluHini]^ all the thcos inhabiting the preat geographical area shown on our toMps as Biilichistan. In the lattersense it comprises the Brahui'^, a tribo which is certainly not of Bah ch origin. In the former sense it includes allrhe Baloch tiibe>^, whether fonnd in Persia on the west or the Puniab on the east, which can claim a de-icent, more or less pure, from Buloch ancestors. Two special uses of the t<-rm also require notice. In the great jungles below Thdu'^sai- in the Karnal district is settled a criminal tribe, almost certainly of Baloch extraction, which will be noticed below page 55.t Secondly, throughout the Punjab, except in the extreme west and the extreme east, the term Baloch denotes any Muhammadan caniel-nian. Throughout the upper grazing grounds of the Western Plains the Baloch settlors have taken to the graz- ing and breeding of camels rather than to husbandry; and thus the word Baloch has become associated with the care of camels, insomuch that in the greater part of the Punjab, the word Baloch is used for any Mu.-«almdn cauiel-man whatever be his caste, every Baloch being supposed to be a cacnel-man and every Muhammadan camel-man to be a Baloch,
OiaoiNs OF THE Baloch Pnttinger and Khanikoff claimed for the Baloch race a TurkoTnan origin, and Sir T. Holdich and others an Arab descent. Bellew assigned them Rajput descent on very infidequate philological grounds, while Burton, Lassen and others have mainramed that they are, at least in the mass, of Iranian race. This last theory is supported by Mr. Longworth IJames who shows that the Baloch came into the r present locations in Mekran and on the Indian border from parts jr the Iranian plateau fui'ther to the west and north, bringing with them a language of the Old Persian stock, with many features derived from the Zend or Old Bactrian rather than the Western Persian.
History of the Baloch.
Dames assigns the first mention of the Bnloch in history to the Ara*<ic chronicles of the 10th century A. D., but Firdausi (c. 400 A.H.) refers to a still earlier period, and in his Shah-nnmaX the Baloches are described as forming part of the armies of Kai Kaus
* Temple (in Legends of the Punjab, I, p. 529) acceptR this trarlition and says Balmikl is the samo BB Bala Shah or Niiri ^hah B^la, but aseigns to him 'the place n<>zt to Li\ Bep.'
t This group is also found in Ambala, and the Giloi Baloch of Lyallpur are also said to bo an offshoot of it.
X So Dames, but the text of the Shdh-ndma is very corrupt, and the reading Khoch "crest " cannot be relied upon implicit^.
42 Baloch history.
and Kai Khnsrao. The poem says tbat the army of Ashkash was from the wanderers of the Koch and Baloch, intent on war, with exalted coekscotnb creBts, whose back none in the world ever saw. Under NaushlrwSn, the Uliosroes who fought against Justinian, the Baloch are agaiu mentioned as mountaineers who raided his kingdom and had to be exterminated, though later on we find them serving m Nausbirw^n's own army. In these passages their association with the men of Gil and Dailarn (the peoples of Gildn and Adharbaijan) would appear to locate the Baloch in a province north of Karman towards the Caspian Sea.
However this may be, the commencement of the 4th century of the Hijra and of the 10th A.D. finds the Balus or Baloch established in Karmiin, with, if Masndi can be trusted, the Qufs (Koch) and the Zutt (Jatts). The Baloch are then described as holding the desert plains south of the mountains and towards Makrdn and the sea, but they appear in reality to have infested the desert now known as the Lut, which lies north and east of Karmd-n and separates it from Khorasan and iSistan. Thence they crossed the desert into the two last-named provinces, and two districts of Sistan were in Istakhri's time known as Baloch country.^ Baloch raiders plundered Mahmud of Ghaznfs ambassador between Tabbas and Kbabis, and in revenge his son Masud defeated them at the latter place, which lies at the foot of the Karmdn Mountains on the edge of the desert.
About thi-i time Firdausi wiot^^ and soon after it the Baloch must hnvH migrnted bodily from Karmdn into Mekran and the Sindh frontier, after a partial ai^d temporary halt in Sistan. With great prnbability Dames conjectures that at this period two movements of the Baloch took place : the fir;t, corresponding with the Saljuq invasion and the overthrow of the Dailami and Ghaznawi power in Persia, being their abandonment of Karm^n and settlement in Sistan and Western Makran ; while the second, towards Eastern Makran and the Sindh border, was contemporaneous with Changiz Kh6n's invasion and the wanderings of JaUl-ud-Din in Makran.
To this second movement the Baloch owed their opportunity of invading the Indus valley; and thence, in their third and last migration, a great portion of the race was precipitated into the Punjab plains.
It is now possible to connect the traditional history of the Baloch themselves, as told in their ancient heroic ballads, with the above account. Like other Muhamraadan races, the Baloch claim Arabian extraction, asserting tbat they are descended from Mir Hamza, an uncle of the Prophet, and from a fairy (pari). They consistently place their fir>t seitletnent in Hulab (Alejipo], where they remained until, siding with the sons of AH and taking part in the battle of KarbaU, they were expelled by Yazid, the second of the Omayyad Cahphs, in 680 A.D. Thence they fl^d, first to Karm^n, and eventually
* Their settlements may indeed have extended into Khorasan. Even at the present day there is a considerable Baloch population as far north as Turbat-i-Haidari (Curzon's Persia, 1892, i, p. 203), ^
?,
Baloch history. 43
to Sist^n where they wore hospitably received by Shams-ud-Din,* ruler of that country. His successor, Badr-ud-Dfn, demandef^, according to eastern usage, a bride from eacli of the 4 i bolaks or clans of the Baloch. But the Baloch race had never yet paid tribute in this form to any ruler, and they sent therefore 44 bovs dressed in girls' clothes and fled before the deception conli be discovered. Badr-ud-Din sent the boys back but pursued the Baloch, who had fled houth-eastwards, into Kech-Makrdu wheie he wa^ defeated at their haa'is.
At this period Mir Jaldl Khd,n, son of Jiand, was ruler of all the Baloch. He left four sons, Rind, Lfiyhdr, Hot and Kor^i from whom are descended the Rind, Lashari, Hot and Korai tribes ; and a son-in- law, IVlurad, from whom are descended the Jatoif or children of Jato, Ja]i\ Khiin'a daughter. Unfortunately, however, certain tribes cannot be brought into any of these five, and in order to provide them with ancestors two more sons, All and Bulo, ancestor of the Bulod/ii, have had to be found for Jalal Khdn. From All's two sons, Ghazan and Umar, are descended the Ghazani Harris and the scattered Dmrdnis.
Traciition av^rs that Jalal Kh^n had appointed Kind to the phdjh or turban of chiefsliip, bur that Hot retused to join him in ere iti'ig the dsri'kh or memorial cunopy totdeir father. ' Thereupon each p'^r- formed that ceremony separately and tiiu-* tl-ere were five dsrokhs in Kech.' But it is far more probable that five principal gatherings of clans were formed under well-known leaders, each of which became known by some nickname or epithet, such as rind " cheat," hot, "warrior," Lashdri, " men ot Ldshar" and, later, Bulei/ii, " men of Boleda." To these other clans became in the course of time affiliated.
A typical example of an affiliated clan is afforded by the Doddf, a clan of Jdt race whose origin is thus described : —
DoddJ Surara, expelled from Thatha by his brethren, escaped by swimming his mare across the Indus, and, half frozen, reached the hut of Sdlhe, a Rind. To revive him Sdlhe placed him under the blankets with his daughter Mua/io, whom he eventually married. " For the woman's sake," says the proverb, " the man became a Baloch who had been a Jatt, a Jaghdal, a nobody; he dwelt at Harrand under the hills, and fate made him chief of all." Tims Dodd; founded the preat Dodai tribe of the Baloch, and Gorish, his son, founded the Gort«hd.m or Gurchdni, now the principal tribe of Dodai oriij;in. The great Mirrd,ni tribe, which for 200 years gave chiefs to Dera Ghazi Khdn, was also of Doddi origin.
* According to Dames there was a Shams-iid-Din, independent malik of Sistan. who claimed descent from the Saffaris of Persia and who died in 1104 A.D. ;559 H.) or nearly 500 years after the Baloch migration from Aleppo. Badr-ud-Uin appears to be unknown to history.
t It is suggested that Jatoi or ' husband of a Jat woman,' just as hahnoi means ' husband of a sister,' although in Jatoi the t is soft.
X "Doda, a common name among the Sumr^s whose dynasty ruled Sindh until it wa» overthrown by the Sammas. About 1250 A.D. or before that year we find Baloch advt-nturert first allied with the Sodh(is and Jharejap, and then supporting Doda IV, Sumra. Under Umar, his successor, the Baloches are found combining with the Sammas, Sodhss and Jatts, (Jharejas), but were eventually forced back to the hills without effecting any perma- nent lodgment in the plains.
44 Baloch history.
Affer thfl overthrow of the Sumr^s of Sindh notliin^ is heard of the Baloch for 150 yeai-s and then in the reiofn of Jam Tutrhlaq, the Sarnmd (142:3 — 50), tliey are rei^orded as raiding near BhaUliar in Sii'dh. D'Mibtless, as Drttnes holds, Taimur's inva'^ion of 1399 led indirectly to this new movement. The Delhi empire was at its weakest and Triiiniir's descendants claimed a vague suzereignty over it. Prob- ably all the Western Punjab was effectively held by Mughal in- tendants until the Lodi dynapty was established in 1451. Meanwhile the Langah Hd-jputs had established themselves on the throne of Multan and iShah Husain Langah (14d9 — J 502) called in Baloch mercenaries, granting a j'igir, which extended from Kot Karor to Dhankot, to Malik Sohrab Dod^i who came to Multan with his sons, Ghazi Khan, Fath Khan and Ismd^ii Kh^n.*
But the Dodd,i were, not the only mercenaries of the Langdhs. Shdh Hussain had conferred the jagirs of Uch and Shor(kot) on two Sammd brothers, Jd,m Bayazid and Jam Ibrahim, between whom and the Dodtiis a feud arose on tShd,h Mahmud's accession. The Jdma promptly allied themselves with Mir Chdknr, a Rind Baloch of Sibi who had also sought service and lands frotn the Langd,h ruler and thereby mused the Doddis' jealousy. MirClidkuris the greatest figure in the heroic poetry of the Baloch, and his history is a. r«inarkable one. The Raids were at picture-que but deadly feud with the Lashdris. Gohar, the fair owner of vast herds of camels tavdured Chakur, but Gwaharam Lashari also claimed her hand. The rivals agreed to decide their quarrel by a horse race, but the Rinds loosened the girths of Gwahardm's saddle and Chd,kur won. In revenge the Lashd,ris killed some of Gohat^s camels, and this led to a desperate 30 years' war which ended in Chakur's expulsion from Sibi in spite of aid invoked and received from the Arghun conquerors of Sindh. Mir Chakur was accompanied by many Rinds and by his two sons, iShahzadt and Shaihak, and received in jdgir lands near Uch from Jdm Bayazid, Sammd. Later, however, he is said in the leyends to have accomftanied Humayun en his re-conquest of India. Hovvever this may have been, he undoubtedly founded a military colony of Rinds at Satgarha, in Montgomery, at which place his tomb still exists. Thence he was expelled by Sher Shdh, a fact which would explain his joining Humdytan.
At this period the Baloch were in great force in the South-West Punjab, probably as mercenaries of the Langah dynasty of Multdn, but also as independent freebooters. The Rinds advanced up the Chenab, Hd-vi ami Sutlej valleys; the Dodd,i and Hots up the Jhelum and Indus. In 1519 Bd,l>ar found Dodais at Bhera and Khushab and he confirmed Si hrab Khan's three sons in their possession of the country of Sindh. He also gave Ismail Khdn, one of Sohrdb's sons, the ancient 'pargana of Ninduna in the Ghakhar country in exchange for the lands of Shaikh Bayazid Sarwdni which he was obliged to Burrender. But in 1524 the Arghuns overthrew Shah Mahmdd Langah
* The founders of tbe three Dehras, which give its name to the Derajit. Dera Fath Khan is now a mere village.
t Shahzad was one of miraculous origin, his mother having been overshadowed by some raysteiious power, and a mystical poem in Balochi on the origins of Multan is ascribed to iiiaa. Firishta says he first introduced the Shia creed into Multan. a curious statement.
Baloch organization. 45
with bis motley host of Baloch, Jdt, Kind, Dodai and other tribes, and the greatest contusion reigned.
The Arghuns however submitted to the Mughal emperors, and thTs app^'ars to hHve thrown the bulk ot the Bal<ch into opposition to the empire. They rarely entered the imperidl service — a fact which is possibly explaiued by their dislike to serve at a distance from their homes — and under Akbar we read of occasional expeditiona against the Baloch. But the Lnshdris apparently took service with the Arghiins and aided them against Jdm Firoz — indeed lej^end represents the Laghari as invading Guzerat and on return to Kachhi as obtaining a grant of Gundava from the king.* The Jis-tk^nis, a Lashariclan, also established a principality at Mankera in the Sindh-Sngar Doab at this time, but most of the Lash^ris remained in Makrjin or Kachhi. Among the earliest to leave the barren hills of Balochistan were the Chdndias who settled in the Chiinriko or Ohandiika tract along the Indus, t in Upper Sind on the Punjab border. The Hots pressed northwards and with the Doddis settled at Dera Ismd,d Khdn which they held for 200 years. Close to it; the Kulachis founded the town which still bears their name. Both Dera Ismail Khan and Kuldchi were eventually conquered by Pathans, but the Kulachis still inhabit the country round the latter town. South of the Jistkanis of Mankera laj the Dod^is of the once great Mirrdni clan which gave Naw^bs to Dera Ghnzi Kh^n till Nadir Shah's time. Further still afield the Mazaris settled in J hang and are still found at Chatta Bakhsha in that District, The Rinds with some Jatois and Kordis are numerous in Multan, Jhang, Montgomery, Shahpur and Muzaffargarh, and in the last-named district the Gopiings and Gurmanis are encountered. All these are descendants of the tribes which followed Mir Chnkur and have become assimilated to the Ja^t tribes with whc>m in many cases they intermarry. West of the Indus only has the Baloch retained his own language and tribal organization.
In the Deiajdt and Sulaim^ns the Baloch are grouped into tumans which cannot be regarded as mere tribes. The turn an is ni. facta political confederacy, ruled by a turnandor, and comprising men of one tribe, with aflSliated elements liom other tribes not necessarily Baloch. The tumans which now exist as Organisations are the Marri, Bughti, Mazari, Drishak, Tibbi Lund, Sori Lund, Leghari, Khosa, Nutkani, Bozdar, Kasr6ni, Gurchdni and Shambuni. Others, such as the Buled/ii, Hasani, Jakrani, Kahiri, are found in the Kachhi territory of Kalat and in Upper Sind, with representatives in Bahdwalpur territory.
The Bozdar tuman is probably in part of Rind descent, but the name means simply goatherd. They live in independent territory in the Sulaimdns, almost entirely north-west of Dera Ghazi Khan.
The Bughti or Zarkdni tuman is composed of several elements. Mainly of Rind origin it claims descent from Gydndar, a cousin of Mir Chakur. The Raheja, a clan with an apparently Indian name, is said to have been founded by Raheja, a sou oi Gyandar. The No/Zidni
* The Maghassis, a branch of the 1 asharfs, are still found in Kachh Gundiva. t Ch&ndias are also numerous in lUuzafargarh and Dera Ismail Khan.
'^ The Baloch tumans.
clan holds the guardianship of Pir Sohri's shrine though they have admitted Gurchani to a share in that office, and before an expedition , each man passes under a yoke of guns or swords held by men of the clan. They can also charm guns so that the bullets shall be harmless,* and claim for these services a share of all crops grown in the Bughti country.
The Shambd,nis, who form a s\ib-tu7na7i, but are sometimes classed as an independent tuman, trace their descent to Rihan, a cousin of Mir Chakur, and occupy the hill country adjacent to the Bughti and Maz^ri tumans. The Bughti occupy the angle of the Sulaimau Mountains between the Indus and Kachhi and have their head-quarters at Syahaf (also called Dera Bibrak or Bughti Dera).
The Buleci/ii or Burdi tuman derives its name from Boleda in Maktan and was long the ruling race till ousted by the Gichki. It is also found in the Burdikd tract on the Indus, in Upper Sindh and in Kachhi.
The Drishak tuman is said to be descended from one of Mir Chaknr's companions who was nicknanied Drishak or ' strong/ because he held up a roof that threatened to crush some Lashd,ri women captives, but it is possibly connected with Dizak in Makran. Its head-quarters are at Asni in Dera Ghazi Khdn.
The Gurchdni tuman is mainly Dodai by origin, but the Syd,hph^c?fe Durk^ni are Rinds; as are probably the Pitafi, Jogd,ni, and Chang clans — at least in part. The Jistkanis and Lashdris (except the Gabolt and Bhand sections) are Lasharis, while the Suhri^ni and Holawdni are Bulei/iis. The Gurchani head-quarters are at Ldlgarh near Harrand in Dera Ghazi Khan.
KasraniJ (so pronounced, but sometimes written Qaisardni as descended from Qaisar) is a tuman of Rind descent and is the most northerly of all the organised tumans, occupying part of the Sulaimans and the adjacent plains in Deras Ghdzi Khdn (and formerly, but not now), Ismail Khdn.
The Khosas form two great tumans,^ one near Jacobdbdd in Upper Sindh, the other with its head- quarters at Bdtil near Dera Ghdzi Kbdn. They are said to be mainly of Hot descent, but in Dera Ghdzi Kl'dn the Isani clan is Khetran by origin, and the small Jajela clan are probably aborigines of the Jaj valley which they inhabit.
The Legrhdri tuman derives its origin from Kohphrosh, a Rind, nicknamed Ijephd,r or 'dirty.* But the tu,man also includes a Chandia clan and the Haddiani and Kaloi, the sub-iwman of the mountains, are said to be of Bozdar orig:in. Its head-quarters are at Choti in Dera Ghazi Khdn, but it is also found in Sindh.
* The following Baloch septs can stop bleeding by channa and touching the wounds, and used also to have the power of bewitching the arms of their enemies : — The Baj4ni sept of IheDurkini, the Jabrani sept of the Lashari, anu the Girani sept of the Jaskini ; among the Gurchanis : the Shahmani sept of the Hadiani Legharis, and, among the Khosas, the Chitar and Faqi'rs.
t A servile tribe, now of small importance, found mainly in Muzaffargarh.
t The Qasranis practise divination from the shoulder-blades of sheep (an old Mughal custom) and also take auguries from the flight of birds.
§ The Khosas also form a s\x\>-tuman of the Rinds of Shoran and a clan of the Lunds of Tibbi.
Baloch tribes, 47
The Lunds form two tumaiis, one of Sori, with its head -quarters at Kot Kandiwdirt, the other at Tibbi, both in Dera Gh6zi Khan. Both claim descent- from Ali, son of Rihd,ii, Mir Chakur's cousin. The Son Lunds include a Gurcli^ni clan and form a large tuman, livin^r in the plain!^, but the Tibbi Lunds are a small tuman to which are affiliated a clan of Khosas and one of Rinds — the latter of impure descent.
The Marri tuman, notorious for its marauding habits which neces- sitated an expedition against it only in 1880, is of composite origin. The Ghazani section claims descetit from Ghazan, son of Ali, son of Jal^l Khdn and the Bijardnis from Bijar Phuzh^ who revolted against Mir Chdkur. The latter probably includes some Pathdn elements. The Mazaranis are said to be Khetrdns, and the Lohar^nis of mixed blood, while Jatt, Kalmati, BuletZ/ii and Hasani elements have doubtless been also absorbed.
The Mazaris are an organised clan of iinportancp, with bead-quarters at Hojhan in Dera Ghd,zi Khan. Its ruling sept, the BdMchdni, is said to be Hot by descent, but the rest of the tribe are Rind-^. The name is derived apparently from mazdr, a tiger, like the Path.ln 'Mzarai.' The Kirds or Kurds, a powerful Brahui tribe, also furnish a clan to the Mazd,ris. The Mazdris as a body (excluding the Baldchdnis) are designated Sydh-Uf, or 'Black-bellies.'
Other noteworthy tribes, not organized as tumans, are —
The Ahmd^nist of Mdnd, in Dera Gh^zi Kh^n. They claim descent from Gydnddr and were formerly of importance.
The Gislikfiuris, fcund scattered in Dera Ismdil Khan, Muzaffargarh and Mekr^n, and claiming descent from one of Mir Chdkur's Rind companiouR, nick-nam^^d Gishkhaur, But the Gishkhaur is really a torrent in the Boleda Valley, Mekrdn, and possibly the clan is of common descent with the BulecZ/ii.J
Tdlpur or Talbur, a olan of the Leghdria, is, by some, derived from its eponym, a son of Bulo, and thus of BulecZM origin. Its principal representatives are the Mirs of Khairpur in Sind, but a few Talpurs are still found in Dera Ghazi Khdn. Talbur literally means ' wood-cutter' (fr. tdl, branch, and buragh, to cut).
The Pitdfis, a clan found in considerable numbers in Dera Ismdil Khan and Muza£fargarh.§ Pitdfi would appear to mean 'Southern.'
The Nutkini or Nodhti'k&m, a compact tribe, organized till quite recently as a tuman, and found in Sangarh, Dera Ghdzi Khdn District.
The Mashori, an impure clan, now found mainly in Muzaffargarh.[|
The Mastoi, probably a servile tribe, found principally in Dera Ghdzi Khdn where it has no social status.
* The Phuzh are or were a clan of Kinds, once of great importance --indeed the whole Rind tribe IS said to have once been called Phuzh. They are now only found at Kolanah in Mekran, m Kachhi and near the Bolan Pass. a xv i nau ui
JLarge Ahmdani clans are also found among the Lunds of fori and the Haddi4ni Leghfirig.
;itie Lashari sub-h/»na»i of the Gurohani also includes a Oishkhauri sept, and the Dombkis nave a clan of that name.
§ Also as a Gurchani clan in Dera Ghazi Khin. The Bughtis have a Masori clan.
48 Baloch tribes.
The Dashti, another servile tribe, now found scattered in small numbers iu Deras Ismdil Khan and Gh^zi Khan, in Muzaifargarh and Bahdwalpur.
'J'he Gopd,ng, or mora correctly Go\)}\anft [ic. gophanh, 'cowhprd'), also a servile tribe, now scattered over Kachhi, Dera Ismdil Khan, Multan and Muzaffargarh, especially the latter.
The Hot (Hut) once a very powerful tribe (still so ia Mekr^n) and widely spread wlierever Baloches are found, but most numerous in Dera Ismdil Khdn, Muzaffargarh, Jhang and Multdn.
The Jatoi, not now an organized tribe, but found wherever Baloches have spread, i.e., in all the Districts of the South-West Punjab and as far as Jhang, Shahpur and Lahore.
The Kordi or Kauddi, not now an organized tuman, but found wherever Baloches have spread, especially in Dera Ismdil Khdn, Multdn and Muzaffargarh.
The history of the Baloch is an instructive illustration of the trans- formations to which tribes or tribal confederacies are prone. The earliest record oftlieir organisation represents them as divided into 44 holaks of which 4 were servile.
But as soon as history begins we find the Baloch nation split up into 5 main divisions, Rind, Lashdri, Hot, Korai (all of undoubted Baloch descent) and Jatoi which tradition would appear to represent as descended from a Baloch woman (Jato) and her cousin (Murdd), Outside these groups are those formed or affiliated in Mekrdn, such as the Buled/iis, Ghazanis and Umardnis. Then comea the Doddi tribe, franklv of non-Baloch descent in the male line. Lastly to all these must be added the servile tribes, Gopdngs, Dashtis, Gliolds and others. In a fragment of an old ballad is a list of servile tribes, said to have been gifted by Mir Chakur to Bdnari, his sister, as her dower and set free by her :
' The Kirds, Gabols, Gadahis, Tdlburs and the Marris of Kdhan — all were Chdkur's slaves.'
Other versions add thePachdlo (now unknown) and * the rotten-boned Bozddrs.' Other miscellaneous stocks have been fused with the Baloch — such as Pathdns, Khetrdns, Jatts.
Not one single tribe of all those specified above now forms a tuman or even gives its name to a tuman. We still find the five main divisions existing and numerous, but not one forms an organised tuman. All five are more or less scattered or at least broken up among the various tumans. The very name of hohk is forgotten — except by a clan nf the Rind Baloch near Sibi which is still stjled the Ghuldm (slave) holaJc. Among the Marris the clans are now called takdr (cf. Sindhi fakara, mountain), the septs phalli, and the smaller sub-divisions phnrd. The tuman (fr. Turkish ti'imdn, 10,000) reminds us of the Mughal hazara, or legion, and is a semi-political, semi-military confederacy.
Tribal nomenclature among the Baloch offers some points of interest. As already mentioned the old main "divisions each bore a significant name. The more modern tribes have also names which occasionally look like descriptive nick-names or titles. Thus Lund (Pe is.) mean
Baloch Ctistom. 49
knave, debauchee or wanderer, just as Rind does : Khosa (Sindhi) means robber (and also ' fever '): AJarri in Sindhi also chatices to mean a plague or epidemic. Some of the clan-names also have a doubttuUy totemistic meaninj^ : e.g., Syah-phari/i, Hlaek-leet : (jul-phadh, Klower-fe'i't (a Drishak clan) : (jan-ia-gwalag-h, small red ant, (a Duikani clan) Kalpbur, an aromatic plant, Glinus lotoides (a Bughti clan).
Baloch Customary Law in Dera Gbazi Kban.* Custom, not the Muhammadan Law prevails among the Baloch as a body but the Nutkiinis profess to follow the latter and to a large extent do in fact give effect to its provisions. Baloch often postpone a girl's betrothal till she is 16 years of age, and have a distmctive observance called the hiski,f which consists in Cristing a red cloth over the girl's head, either at her own h'-use or at. some pUce ag' eed upon by thft kinsmen. Well-to-do people slaughter a sheep or goat for a feast; the poorer Balocti simply distribute sweets to their guests. Betrothal is considered almost os binding as marri'ge, especially in R^janpur tahsil, and only i-npotence, leprosy or apos'asy will justify its breach. Baloch women ar^ not given to any one outside the race, pave to SHyyids, but a man may mairy any Muhammadan woman, Baloch, Jat or even Pathd,n, but not of course Savyid. The usual practice is to marry witliin ihe se^t, women beino^ sold out of it if they go astray. Only some sections of t'lO Nutkdni:^ admit an adult woman's right to arrange her own marriage ; but such a marriage, if effected without her guardian's consent, is considered ' black ' by all other Baloch. Public feeling demands strong grounds tor divorce, ar.d in the Jdmpur tahsil it is not customary, while unchastity is the only recognised jjround in Rd,jaripnr. Marriage is nearly always according to the orthodox Muhammadan ritual, but a foim called tan-hakhshi (' giving of the person ') is also recoirnised. It consists in the woman's mere declaration that she has given herself to her husband, and is virtually only used in the case ot widows* The rule of Rucce-'sion is equal division among the sons, except in the families of the Mazdri and Urishak chiefs in which tho eldest son gets a some- what larger share than his brothers. U!>ually a grandson got no share in the presence of a father's brother, but the custom now univer- sally recognised is that gi'andsons get their deceased fathers' share,t but even now in Sangnrh the right of representation is not fully recognised, for among the Baloch of that tahsil grandsons take 'per capita, if there are no sons. As a rule a widow gets a life interest in her husband's estate, but the Gurchanis in Jampur refuse to allow a woman to inherit under any circumstances. Daughters rarely succeed in the presence of male descendants of the deceased's grandfather equally remote, the Baloch of Kdjanpur and Jampur excluding the daughter by her father's cousin and nearer agnates ; but in Sangarh tahsil daughters get a share according to Muhammadan Law, provided they
* From Mr. A. H Diack's Customary Law of ihe Dera Qhdzi Khan District, Vol. xvi of the Punjab Customary Law Series.
|The '-isfci is falling into disuse in the northernmost tahsil of Dera Ghazi Klian and among the Gopang along the Indus in Jampur.
:|: A few Nutkini sections in Sangarh still say that they only do so if it is formally b«« queathed to them by will.
60 Baloch customs.
do not make an unlawful marriaore.* Where the daugfhter inherits lier righi is not extinguisheil by her marriai^e, but the Balofh in Rajanpur t-ihsil msisr. tnat if marrie'l she si. all have married withm her lathe' 's ^/la/^i, or if unmHTi-ied tihall nanny within it, as a condi- tion ufii-r siiic^ssioii. The resilient son-inlaw acquires no epecial rights, bat tlie daughrer's son m Jdmpur and Kdjdnpur succe'eds where his mother would succeed. No other Baloch appear to rec'>gnise his right. When brother succeeds brother the whole blood excludes the half in Sangarh and Dera Ghd,zi Khan tahsils, but in Jd,mpur and Rdjanpur all the brothers succeed equally. Similarly, in Sangarh, the associated brothers take half and the others the remaining half. Sii|^ers never .succeed (exc-'pt in those few sections of the Nutkdois of Sangarh wnich follow Muhammadan law). A step-sou has no rights of succession, but may keep what his step-father gives him during his life-time, and, in Sangarh and Kdjanpur, may get one-third of a natural son's siiare by will. Adoption is not recoy^nis^d, except possibly among the Baloch of Sangarh, and those of Rdjanpur expressly forbid it. But adoption in the strict Hindu sense is quite unknown, since a boy can be adopted even if the adoptor has a son of his own, and any one can adopt or be ad' pted. In Sangarh, again, a widow may adopt, but only with the consent of her husband's kinsmen. The adopted son retains all his rights in his natural father's property, but in Sangarh he does not succeed his adopti^^e father if the latter have a son born to him after the ad -ption (a rule curiously inconsistent with that which allows a man to adopt a second son). Except in Jd,mpur tahsil, a maa may make a gift of the whole of his land to an heir to the exclusion of the rest, and as a rule he may also gift to his daugh- ter, her husband or son and to his sister and her children, but the Lunds and Legharis would limit the gift to a small part of the land. Gifts to a tion-relative are as a rule invalid, unless it be for religion, and even then in Jdmpur it should only be of p>irt of the estate. Death-bed gifts are invalid in Sangarh and Jampur and only valid in the other two tahsils of Dera Ghd,zi Khdn to ihe extent allowed by Muhammadan Law. Sons cannot en I orce a partition, but in Sangarh their consent is necessary to it ; yet in that and the Dera Ghdzi Khd,n tahsils it is averred that a fatlier can make an unequal partition (and even exclude a son from his share) to endure beyond his life-time. But in Jampur and Rd,janpur the sons are entitled to equal shares, the Mazdri and Drishak chiefs excepted. The subsequent birth of a son necessitates a fresh partition. Thus among the Baloch tribes we find no system of tribal law, but a mass of varying local nsuage. Primitive custom is ordinarily enforced, and though the semi-sacred Nutkaois in Sangarh tahsil consider it incumbent upon them to follow Muhammadan Law, even they to do not give practical effect to all its niceties.
Birth customs. The usual Muhammadan observances at birth are in vogue. The hang is sounded into the child's ear by the mullah six days aft«r its birth and on the 6th night a sheep or cattle are slaugh- tered and the brotherhood invited to a feast and dance. The child
* But the Khosas and Kasrinis in this tahsil do not allow daughters to succeed at all, unlfips their father bequeath them a share, and that share must not exceed the share admis- sible under Muhammadan Law,
Baloch kinship . 51
is also named on this occasion. If a boy it is given its grandfather's name, if hp be dead ; or its father'." name if he is dead: so too an uncle's name is triv^ n if both f ther hikI irrandfather be alive, ('omm n name's are Dcidu, Banjoul, Kaiiibir, Thag a (fr. thayagh, to be loni<-rved,, Drihan.
Circumcision (sha-ie, tahor) h performed at the age of 1 or 2, by a tahorokh. or circumcisor who i.>4 a Domb, not a mullah or a Pirhain, ex- cept in the plains where a Pirhain is employed. In the hills a Baloch can act if no Domb be available. Ten or twelve men bring a ram and slaughter it for a feast, to which the boy's father (who is called the tahor rvnzha*) contributes bread, in the evening : next morning he entertains th« visitors atid they depart. In the plains rattle are slanyhtered and the brotherhood invited; /lewdr being also given — a usage not in vogue in the hills.
Jhand, the first tonsure, is performed, pror to the circumcision, at the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar, the weight of the child's hair in silver being given to its mujdwars.
Divorce (called sd wan as well as h7n A;) i-< effected in the hills by casting stones 7 times or thrice and dismissing the wife.
Concubinage is not unusual, and concubines are called suret, but winzas are not known, it is said. The cl ildren by such women are called suretwal and receive no share in their father's land, but only maintenance during his life-tiTne. These surets appear, however, to hold a better position than the mol'id or slave women.
Terms of kinship. The kin generally are called shad or brdthari (brotherhood), hrahmd&^h.
Pith-phiru, fore-fathers.
Father's sister,— Father, pith ( X Mother, mcif ft)— Father's brother,
phupM. I ndkho
( ^ X
Son, bachh or phusagh Daughter, jinkh <ri§
X X I
nashdrf or dakhunX Son-in-law, zamdth Cousin, i e.,
(Daughter-in-law) paternal uncle's child,
I ri.dkhozdkhf. Grand-child chhuh-zdkht
Brother, ] _ p _ C Sister, giudr or gohdr X sirzdkht, i.e , sister's husband. hrdth, bird\\ ) I I
X I
Brother's wife, nashdr. Sister's child, gohar»zdkht
The mother's brother is mama as in Punjabi, but her sister is tri and her son tri-zdkht.
In aMressing relatives other words are used, such as ohha, father; addd (fem.-i), brother (familiarly). A wife is u-ually zdl, also dmrish.'
A step-son is patrdk, pazddagh or phizndngh (fr. phadha, behind, thu-^ corresponding to the Punjabi pizhhlag). A st^p^daugliier is' nafuskh.^
* Wdth,i=Khv:aia or master. The father is 'lord of the tahor or purification,'
t It will be observed that nns/idr^son's or brother's wife
j Dakhun or dnhundXso appe rs to mean brother's wife.
§ iri ihus equals mother's sister or father's brothers wife.
II Bardf/iar is a poetical form.
if Dames' Monograph, p. 25,
52 Baloch mythology.
A namesake is amndm and a contemporary amsan. Equally simple are the Baloch marriage customs. The youth gives shawls to his betroth ed's mother and her sisters, and supplies the girl herself with clothes till the weddinpr. Before that occurs minstrels (doms) are sent out to summon the guests, and when assembled they make gifts of money or clothes to the bridegroom. Characteristically the latter's hospitality takes the form of prizes— a camel for the best horse, money to the best shot and a turban to the best runner. The actual wedding takes place in the evening, Nendr* or wedding gifts, the neota or tambol of the Punjab, are only made in the plains, but among the hill Baloch a poor man goes the round of his section and begs gifts, chiefly made in cash. Similarly the tribal chiefs and headmen used to levy benevolences, a cow from every herd, a sheep from every flock, or a rupew from a man who owned no cattle, when celebrating a wedding. It is also customary to knock the heads of the pair together twic*^ and a relation of tbemties together the corners of their c/iddar« (shawls).
A corpse is buried at once, with no formalities, save that a mullah, if present, reads the jandza. Dry brushwood is heaped over the grave.
Tliree or four days later the asrokhi or sehd takes place. This appears to be a contiibution also called pathar or mhanna, each neighbour and clansman of the deceased's seciiou visiting his relations to condole with them and makinar them a present of four annas each. In thw evening the relations provide them with food and they depart.
On a chief's death the whole clan assembles to present gifts which vary in amount from four annas to two rupees. Six montlis afier- wards the people all re-assemble at the grave, the brushwood is removed and the grave marked out with white stones.
Of the pre-Islamic faith of the Baloch hardly a trace remains. Possibly in Noci/i-bandagh [lit. the cloud-binder), surnamed the Gold- scatterer, who had vowed never to reject a request and never to touch money with his hands, an echo of some old mythology survives, but in Baloch legend he is the father of Gwahardm, Ch^kur's rival for the hand of Gohar. Yet Chdkur the Rind when defeated by the Lash^ris is saved by their own chief NocZ/i-bandagh, and mounted on his mare Phul (' Flower').
The Baloch is as simple in his religion as in all pise aiad fanaticism is foreign to his nature. Among the hill Baloch mullahs are rarely found and the Muhammadan fasts and prayers used to be hardly known. Orthodox observances are now more usual and the Qur^n is held in great respect. Faqirs also are seldom met with and Sayyids are
• Also called mhanna, lit. 'contributions.'
t See Dome, Bilochi noma, pp ti4-tii'. But Dames {The Baloch Race, p. 37) translates darokh by memorial canopy, apparently with good reason. Capt. Coldstream says : ' Asrokh is a ceremony which takes place on a certain day after a death The friends of the deceased assemble at his house and his heirs entertain them and prayers are repeated. The cere- mony of dastarhandt ov tying a fa ri on the head of the dec-^ased's heir is then performed by his leading relative in presence of the guests. The date varies among the different tumans. In Dera Ghazi Khan it is generally the 3rd day after the death : in Balochistan there is appearently no fixed day, but as a rule the period is longer,'
Baloch legends. 53
unknown.* The Baloch of the plains are however much more religioua outwardly, and among them Sayyida possess considerable influence over their murids.
The Bugtis especially affect Pir Sohri ('the red saint') a Pirozdni of the Nod/ianit section. This ptV was a gOKtherd who gave his onlv goat to the Four Friends of God and in return they miraculously filled his told with goats and gave him a staff wherewith if smitten the earth would bring forth watt-r. Most of the goats thus given wei-e red {i.e., brown), but some were white with red ears. Suhri was slain by some Buled/iis v?ho drove oft' his goats, but he came to life again and pursued them. Even though they cutoff his head he demanded his goats which they restored to him. Sohri returned home headless and before he died ba^ie bis eons tie his body on a camel and make his tomb wherever it rested. At four different places where there were kahir trees it halted, and these trees are st'll there. Then it rested at the spot where Sohri's tomb now is, and clo.so by they buried his daughter who had died that very day, but it moved itself in another direition. Most Baloohes offer a red goat at Sohri's tomb and it is slaughtered by the attendants of the shrine, the flesh being distributed to all who are present there.
Another curious legend is that of the prophet Dris (fr. Arab. Idris) who by a faqir's sarcastic blessing obtained 40 sons" at a birth. Of these he exposed 39 in the wilderness and the legend describes how they survived him, and so terrified the people that public opinion • compelled Dris to bring them back to liis home. Bnt the Angel of Death bore them all away at one time. Dris, with his wife then migrates to a strange land but is false'y accused of slaying the king's son. Mutilateil and cast forth to die he is tended by a potter whose slave he becomes. The king's daughter sees him, blind and without feet or hands, yet she falls ni love with him and insists on marrying him. Dris is then healed by Health, Fortune and Wisdom and returning home finds his 40 sons still alive! At last like Enoch he attains to the presence of God without dying. J
It must not however be imagined that the Baloch is superstitious. His nervous, imaginative temperament makes him singularly credulous as to the presence of sprites and hobc<oblins in desert place, but he is on the whole singularly free from irratiouHl beliefs. His Mu'hamma- danism is not at all bigoted and is strcngly tinged with Shiaism its mysticism appealing vividly to his imagination." " All the poets give vivid descriptions 6l the Day of Judgment, the terrors of Hell and the joys of Paradise, mentioning the classes of men who will receive rewards or punishments. The greatest virtue is generosity, the crime demanding most severe punishment is avaiice," a law in entire accord with the Baloch code. One of the most characteristic of Baloch legends is the Prophet's Maidj or Ascension, a qnaintlv beautiful narrative in anthropouiorphif form § fc:;ome of the legends current
* There are a cotisiderablH mirnher f)f Say^'iHa amon^ the Hozdirn.
+ More correctl}' Noii/iakani, descendants of No(i/iak, a diminutive of 7iodh. 'cloud ' a com mon proper name among the Baloch. The word is corrupted to Nutkani bj' outsiders
JFor the full version see The. Baloch Race, pp. IGi)— 175 where the Ic^jend of the Chihil Tan zidrat is also given. That shrine is held in special reverence by the Brahilis
§ It is given in Dames' Popular Poetry 0/ the Baloches, pp. 157 — 161.
54
The Magassi Baloch.
concerning Ali would appear to be Buddhist in origin, e.g., that of The Fig eon and the Hawk.*
Music is popular atnong the Baloch, but singing to the damliro, a foui-.sirinf<ed guitar, and tlie sarindd, a tive-strmged iuatrument like a banjo, is contined to the Uombs. The Baloch himself uses the war, a wooden pipe about 'SO inches in length, bound round with t.trips of raw gut. Upon this is played the hung, a kind of droning accompani- ment to the singing, the singer himself playing it with one corner of his mouth. The effect is quaint but hardly pleasing, though Dames says that the nar accompaniments are graceful and melodious.
The Magassi Baloch.
The Magassi Baloch who are found in Mult^n, Muzaffarg'arh, Dera Ghdzi, Mi^nwdli and Jhang,t appear to be a "peculiar people" rather than a tribe.J As both Sunnis and Shias aie found among them they do not form a sect. Most of them in the above Districts are murids or disciples of Mian Nur Ahmad, Abbdssi, of R^janpur in Dera Ghdzi Kbdn, whose grandfather Muhammad Xrii's shrine is in Mid,nwd,li. The Magassis in Balochist^n are, however, all disciples of Hazrat Ghaus Bahd-ud-Din of Mult^n. Like all the murids of the Miin, his Magassi disciples abstain from smoking and from shaving the bpard. Magassis will espouse any Muhammadan girl, but never give daiitjhters in marriage outside the group, and strictly abstain from Hny connection with a sweeper woman, even though she be a cnnvprt ti) Isl^m. At a wedding sU the Magassi who are murids of the Midn assemble at the bride's home a dny before the procession and are feasted by her parents. The guests offer prayers § to God and the Midn for the welfare of the married pair. This feast is called shddmdna\\ and
* Hid. p. 161.
|
I 1 |
Rind-Madari-Gadf. |
11 |
Gurmani. |
|
2 |
Rind-Lagh!iri. |
12 |
Hindrani. |
|
3 |
Rind-Chandi4. |
13 |
Hot. |
|
4 |
Rind-Kerni. |
14 |
Jamih'. |
|
5 |
Rfnd-Gadhi. |
15 |
Jiskani |
|
6 |
Bhand. |
16 |
Jatof. |
|
7 |
Almani. |
17 |
Lagharl. |
|
8 |
Gishkauri |
18 |
Lishari. |
|
9 |
(iopang. |
19 |
Ion'. |
|
10 |
Gorah. |
20 |
Marath. |
They are divided into the following septs :—
|
21 |
Mirrani. |
|
22 |
Miruana. |
|
23 |
N-otkani. |
|
24 |
Parlhar. |
|
25 |
Patafi. |
|
26 |
Sabqf. |
|
27 |
Shalobf. |
|
28 |
Galkale. |
|
29 |
Kifirai. |
|
30 |
Mangesi, &c |
The Madan'-Gadi Ri'nds will not give brides to the Laghari, Chandia, Kerni and Gidhi Rind septs, from whom they receive them, but all these Baloch will take wives from other Muhammadans except the Sayyids. The Mangesi only smoke with men of their own sept.
t In Balochistan the Magassi are said to form a. turn an under Nawab Qaisar Khan, Magassi, of Jhal Magassi. They say that in the time of Ghazi Khan many of them migrated into the present Sangarh tahsi'l of Dera Ghazi Khan, but were defeated by Lai Khan, tumanddr of the Qasranis and driven across the Indus, where they settled in Nawankot, now in Leiah tahsil Their settlement is now a ruin, as they were dispersed in the time of the Sikhs, but a headman of Nawankot is still regarded as their sirdar or chief
§ In Multan these prayers are called dzi and are said to be offered when the feast is half eaten.
II In Leiah a i^hddmdna is said to be observed on occasions of great joy or sorrow All the members and followers of the " Sarai ' or Abbassi family ass'^mble and first eat meat cooked with snlt only and bread containing sugar, the leavings being distributed among the poor after prayers have been recited. Every care is taken to prevent a crow or a dog from touching this food, and those who prepare it often keep the mouth covered up. A shddmdna is performed at the shrines of ancestors. It is a solemn rite and prayers aie said in common. A boy is not accepted as a disciple by the Pir until he is circumcised, and until he is so accepted he cannot take part in a shddmdna.
The Baloch criminal tribe. 55
precet^es all tbe other rites and ceremonies. Contrary to Muhammadan usape a Maprassi bridegroom may consnmmate his marriafro on the very first niglit of the we'idinyr procession and in tlio Imu.-e of the bride's father. At a funeral, wheth-r of a male or female, the rela- tives repeat the four takhirs, if they art^ Sunnis, but disciples of the Mi4n recite the jannza of the Shfas. Magassis, when they metit one another, or any other viurid of the Midn Sdhib, shake and kiss each other's hands in token of their hearty love and union.
The Magassi in Leiah are Shias and like all Shias avoid eating the hare. But the following customs appear to be peculiar to the Magassi of this tahsil : When a cliild is born the water in a cup in stirred with a knife, which is also touched with a bow smeared with horse-dung and given to the child to drink. The sixth nigtit after a male birth is kept HS a vigil by both men and women, the latter keeping apart nnd singing sihrd songs, while among the men a mirdsi beats his drum. This is called the chhati. On the 14th day the whole brotherhood is invited to asseiTible, women and all, and tlie boy is presented to them. The doyen of the kinsman is then asked to swing the cliild in his cradle, and for this he is given a rupee or a turban. From 14 paos to as many sers of gur and salt are then distributed among the kinsmen, and the boy is taken to the nearest well, the man who works it being given a dole of siij^ar and bread or flour. This is the rite usually called ghari gharoli, and it ought to be observed on the 14th day, but poor people keep it on the day after the chhati. The tradition is that the chhatti and ghari gharoli observances are kept, because Amir Hamza was borne by the fairies from Arabia to the Caucasus when he was six days old, dud so every Baloch boy is careful? guarded on the sixth night at'ter his birth. Amir Hamza was, indeed, brought back on the 14th day, and so on that day the observances are kept after a boy's birth. For this reason too, it is said, the bow is strung ! All wedding rites take place at night, and on the wedding night a couch and bedding supplied by the bridegroom are taken to the bride's house by mirasis, who sing songs on the way, and get a rupee as their fee. The members of the bridegroom's family accompany them. This is called tbe sejband.
At a funeral five takhirs are recited if the mullah happens to bo a Shia, but if he is a Sunni only four are read. The nimdz in use are those of the Shias.
The Baloch as a criminal tribe*
The Baloch of Karniil and Ambdla form a criminal community. They say they were driven from their native land in the time of Nadir Shdh who adopted severe measures to check their criminal tendencies, but they also say that they were once settled in the Qasur tract near Lahore and were thence expelled owing to their marauding habits. They give a long genealogy of their descent from Abraham and derive it more immediately from Rind, whose descendants, they say, are followers of the Imdm Shdfi and eat unclean things like the Awdns, Qalandars, Mad^ris and the vagrant Baloch who are known as
66 SaMch'-'BangdU.
Hnburag. Gullu they insert in their gfenealogy as the ancestor of the
Giloi Baloch. Speakino^ an argot of their own called Balnchi Fdrwi,
tl>ey are skilful burglars and wander preat distances, disguised as
faqirs and butchers. When about to start on a plundering expedition
sardnrs or chiefs are appointed as lenders, and on its termination they
divide the spoil, receiving a double portion for thems^'Ives. Widows
also receive their due share of the booty. The Giloi Baloch of Lyallpur,
however, claim descent from Sayyid " Giloi," a nickname paid to mean
" freebooter." This tribe was formerly settled in the Montgomery
District, but has been transplanted to two villages in Lyallpur and
is settling down to cultivation, thougli it still associates with criminals
in Ferozepur, Montgomery and Bahdwalpur. It now makes little use
of its peculiar patois.
-^ BALtJCH, Bli^ch, a Pathd,n sept, see Bluch,
Bald-panthi. — A small Bair^gi sub-sect. B'lM Thappa* or B^ld, Sahib was a Baiidgi sddhu of Jdt birth who lived in the Daska tahsil of Sidlkot.
Balwatrah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Bamba, an important tribe in Kashmir, and represented by two families in Hazdra: District Gazetteer, 1907, p. 34.
Bam-maegi, Vamachari, tiie 'left-handed^ worshippers of Kali and the most notorious division of the Shdktiks. Said to have been founded by the Jogi Kanipa, chiefly recruited from Saniasis and Jogis, and to be found chiefly in Kdngra and Kashmir. As a rule their rites are kept secret and they are perhaps in consequence reputed to be chiefly indulgence in meat, spirits and promiscuity. The Choli-marg and Bira3pani are more disreputable groups or sub-sects of the Bam- mdrgi.
Bamozai, an Afghan family, settled in Multdn, which came from Khordsan in the time of Ahmad Shah Abdd,li : Multdn Gazetteer, 1901-02, pp. 161—2.
Banaich, a J[)ogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Ba-nawa, ? a synonym for be-nawd, g.v.
Ba?jb, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Ba^^p, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Bandal, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Bandechh, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Banpejah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Bandial, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Bangakh, see Bangash.
Bangali, (1) a native of Bengal : (2) a vagrant tribe, probably akin to the Sdnsis (with whom they certainly intermarry) and found chiefly in Kangra, whither they were probably driven from Hoshidrpur by the passing of the Criminal Tribes Act.
* This title suggests a Gurkha origin, as Thappa is a common title among the Gurkhas.
0?/t
c-^ -. ^777
/
^,./../^ ^^-.'f.i^
IJ
f
i •J '-'
AX^
i. 6, <--W r'
:7_
f^J^'^ (Jcu^c f^*/ci »
9. J 6Z
'-J''^- ^
c /•► «-*-. r * >^
The Bangash. 6!?
The Bangalig are a small group, Vmt aro in constant communication with tlio Sapehras and other criminal tribes of the plains. They live by bf'gging, exhibiting snakes, hunting and pilfering, but are probably not a'ldicted to serious crimo. Their camps are said to contain never less than 7 or more than 15 male adults. They make reed huts and can strike camp on the shortest notice, travelling with donkeys as pack-animals. Dogs arc kept for hunting, ancl the Bangdli will eat any wild animal, even a hyajua, but he eschews beef or pork according to the prejudices of the people among whom ho finds himself. There is said to be a special Bangali argot, known only to the tribe. Their women are prostitutes, os well as dancers and singers. Besides propitiating local deities the Bang^lis arr^ said to specially affect Sakhi Sarwar as * Lakhdd,tcl ' and occasionally visit bis shrine at Dharnikot near Nasirdbdd. (3) The term Bangali is applied to Kanjar in some districts and in others to any 8apd-da or snake-charmer in the plains.* There is no evidence that (2) or (3) have any connection with Bengal. In Panjabi Bangdli means a braggart, as in hhukhkhd Bangali, a boastful person. Bangash, BANGAKH.t This is the name given to a number of Pathdn tribes, formerly estimated to amount to some 100,000 families, as well as to the tract of mountainous country wliich they held. This tract was onc6 divided into Bella (Upper) and Pdin (Lower) Bangash and was thence called the Ban^ashat (in the plural) or Hhe two Bangash.' The first historical rafntion of the Bangashat occurs in Babar's Tuzi'ik, but the two tracts had long been under the control oi the Turk and Mughal rulers of the Ghazniwi empire as the most practicable routes from Ghazni and Kdbul into India lay through them. At a period when the Khataks and Orakzais are barely referred to, we find constant mention of the Afghans of Bangash. Roughly speaking, Upper Bansrash included Kurram and Lower Bangfash the country round Kohat, but it is difficult to define accurately the shifting boundaries of the turtidn as it was called by the Mughal*. According to the Ain-i- Akbari this tumdn formed part of the sarkclr and subah (province) of K^bul.
The Afghan tribes of Bangash were of Kurani (KarMrni) origin and the following table gives their traditional desceut : —
KARLARNAI.
I Eakai (necond son\
f ' .
Sulaiman. Sharaf-ud-Din, (called Shitak by
I the Afghi.n8>.
r i ^ i , ,.
Wazir. Bai. Malik Kakhai Mir. The Bannuchie.
The Baizai, descendants of Bai, and the Malik-Miris or Miranzais, sprung from Malik Mir, were the parent tribes of the Afghans of Bangash, and to thef^e were affilinted the Katrhzi, descended from Kilkhai or Kilghai, daughter of Malik Mir, by ahu<band of an unknown tribe. The Malik-Miris, as Malik Mir's descendants in the male line, held tho chieftainship, but it subsequently passed to the Baizais. The latter
* Because of the belief that charming is most succosaf ully pr\cti8pd at Dacca in Benpal. There is or was a wild tribe in the rocks above Solon called V ingilis. Bapehra and Sapida are doubtful forms of Sapela, snake-charmer.
t The Eaetern (or rather Northern) Afghan form.
58 Bngash Jvistor'^ .
lias several brandies, the Mardo, Azu, Lodi and Sh^liu khels. The Miranzai khels are the Hassan zai, with the Badah, Khdkhd, and Umar khel^^. A third branchy the Shamilzai,"^ apparently identical with the Kdghzi, produced the Laudi, Hassan Khel, Musa Khel and Isa Khel.
Like the other Karlarni tribes the Afghans ot Bangash were disciples of the Pir-i-Roshdn, and tlieir attachment to that heresy brought about their ruin, the Mnghnl government ore^anizing conaiant expeditions against them. Afier the Khataks had moved towards tlie noith-ea^t from tlie Shuwal range (in Waziristdn),t the Baizai, Malik-Miris and Kaghzis then settled in the Upper Bangash, invaded the Lower (Koh^t) and, in alliance with the Khataks, drove the Orakzai who then held the Lower Bangash westNvards into Tirdh. This movement continued till the reign of Akbar.|
The history of the Bangash tribes and the part they took in the Mughal operations against the Boshanias are obscure. Probably they were divided among themselves. § but those of them who had remained in Kurram appear to have adhered to the Eoshania doctrines.
After Aurangzeb's accession in 1659, we find Sher Muhammad Khdn, of Koh^t, chief of the Malik-Miris, in revolt against the Mughals. He was captured, but subsequently released and became an adherent of the Mughals. Khushhdl Khan the Khatak gives a spirited account of his little wars with Sher Muhammad Khan which ended m his own defeat and the final establishment of the Bangash in their present seats.
Among the Bangash Pathdns of Kohat, betrothal {kwazda, ' asking') is privately negotiated, the boy's father taking the initiative. Then a day is fixed upon for the father and his friends to visit the girl's father. At the latter's house prayers are read and swee's distributed, the nikdh being sometimes also read on this occasion. But as a rule the girl simply puts on a gold or silver coin as the sign that she is betrothed. If the wedding is to be celebrated at no distant date, the rarmana or bride- price is paid at the betrothal — otherwise it is not paid till the wedding. But a price is invariably expected, its amount varying from Ks. 100 to 1,000, and Ihe boy's father also has to supply the funds for entertaining the wedding party on the wedding day. The day following the betrothal pitchers of milk are exchanged by the two parties and the milk is drunk by their kinsfolk. The boj's father also sends the girl a «uit of clothes and some cooked food on each Id and the Shabrat.
On the day fixed for the commencement of the festivities sweets are distributed by the boy's father among his friends and kinsmen and music is played. Three days before the weddmg comes the kenaiii(il,yvhen the boy's kinswomen visit the bride and observe this rite, whicli consists in stripping the bride of all her ornaments and shutting her up in a room by herself. The next night the women visit her again for the kamei Wdasical or unplaiting of her hair. For this the barber's wife receives a fee. On the third day the bridegroom gives a feast to all his friends
* Also interesting us having given birth to the Bangash Nawabs of i'arrukhabad,
j The Miranzai give their name to the Miraczai ta'ppa, Upper and Lower, which forms the Hangii tahsil of Kohat.
:j: The .4m still includes the Orakzai in the Bangash tumdn, but its Taguely defined boundaries may have been at that time deemed to include Tiral.
I Some huudiedij of them were deported into Hindustau,
N
-- Bdnhor — Bania. 59
and follow-villagors, and in tlio afternoon he and hia friends don garlands. Tho neundra is also presented on this day. Then the boy and his wedding party go to the bridn'a house, returning that same night if it is not too far away, or else remaioing there for the night. On the fourth day in the morniner churi is given to tho woddinf pHrty and coloured wafer pprinklod on them, some m^ney being placed on the dish used fr.r the cJitiri as the perquisite of the bridle's barber. After a meal the girls of the party, accompanied by tho bri.legroom's b^st man [sauhhalnd) , go to a spring or- well to fetch water in which the bride bathes. This is called ghari gharol, as it often is in tho Punjab. Then the pair are dressed in new clothes and the nikdh is solemnized. Some parents give their daughter a dowry of cl thes and ornaments, called flarganni mdl or ' paternal wealth.' On the next day but one after the wedding churi* is brought from the brid -'s house to the bride- groom's— an observance called tirah. On the seventh day, nwamma wraj, the bride is fetched to her house by her kinswom' n, but three or four days later she returns to her husband, sometimes with more presents of clothes and ornaments from h-r parents.
The ]3angnsh of Kohslt are tall and good looking, they shave the head and cHp the beard like the people of Peshdwar. Though neat in dress which is generally white, they have not much courage. Tho Shiah Bangasht are much braver. In Upper Miranzai the Bangash still affect the dark blue turban and shirt, with a ^rey sheet for a lungi, which were once common to the whole tribe — as Elphinstone noted. They shave the head and eradicate tnost of the hair on the chin and cheeks, leaving little but the ends of the moustache and a Newo-ate fringe. Young men often wear love locks and stick a rose in the turban— when they feel themselves irresistible. The mullds have not yet succeeded in preaching down the custom of clipping tho beard. The Miranzai woaien wear the ordinary blue shift with a loose trousers of susi and a shirt, but the shift is often studded with silver coins and ugly silk work. Few other ornaments are worn.
Banhob, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Bani, Bal, a female servant, a ddi.
Bania. — ^The word hdnid is derived from the Sanskrit bdnijya or trader • and the Biinia by caste, as his name implies, lives for and by com- merce. He holds a considerable area of land in the east of the Pro- vince ; bnt it is very rarely indeed that ho follows any other than mercantile pursuits. The commercial enterprise and intelligence of tho clnss is preat, and tlie dealings of some of tho great Banii houses of Dohli, Bikaner, and Marwar are of the most extensive nature. But the Bdnia oP the village, who represents the great ma'sa of the caste, is a poor creature, notwithstanding the title of Mahtljan or " great folk," which is confined by usage to the caste to which he belongs.
* Wheat flour cooked with ghi and dry sugar.
t Those of Samilzai dre.-)9 in white with a coloured Zungi and tnrban of r reculinr pattern woven locally. In Upper IMi'ranzai a pecnliar tunic is worn— it ia not very ionp and about 13 inches below fho collar is crathered into numerou? pleaiB— which dii- tinguiehes them from pardchas or Muhammadan shop-keepera.
60 The Bdnia organisation.
He spends bis life in his shop, and the results are apparent in his in- ferior physique and utter want of manliness. He is looked down upon by the peasantry as a cowardly inoney-grubbe^r ; but at the same time his social standing is from one point of view curiously higher than theirs, for he is what they are not, a strict Hindu; he is generally admifted to be of pure Vaisya descent, he wears the janeo or sacred thread, his periods of purification are longer than theirs^ he does not practise widow-mart in ge, and he will not eat or drink at their hands ; and religious ceremonial and the degrees of caste proper are so interwoven with the social fabric that the resulting position of the Bania in the grades of rustic society is of a curiously mixed nature. The B^nia is hardly used by the proverbial wisdom of the countryside : " He who has a Bdnia for a friend is not in want of an enemy j" and, ''First beat a Bdnia, then a thief." And indeed the Banid has too strong a hold over the husbandman for there to be much love lost between them. Yet the money-lenders of the villages at least have been branded with a far worse name than they deserve. They perform functions of the most cardinal importance in the village economy, and it is surprising how much reasonableness and honesty there is in their dealings with the people so long as they can keep their business transactions out of a court of justice.
Organisation. — The organisation of the Baniiis is exceedingly obscure. They have certain territorial divisions, but there is also a true sub- caste, called Bdra-Saini"^ in Gurgaon, which is said to be quite distinct from the others. They are descended from Chamdrs and at marriage the boy wears a miikat or tiara of dak leaves, shaped like a basket, into which a piece of leather is fixed.
The territorial groups are at least three in number. Of these the > chief is the Ag'i.'arwAls, and there is a curious legend about their origin.
Bdshak Ndg had 17 dangliters, who Avere married to the 17 sons of Ugar Sain, but these snake daughters of Bashak used to leave their homes by night to visit their parents, and in their absence their hus- bands lived with their handmaidens, and descendants of the-^e are the Dasa or Chhoti-sarn gots of the Banids, each got taking its name from that of the handmaiden from whom it is de(«cended. The children of Bdshak N/ig^s daughters formed the 17 gots\ of the Aggarwal. Once a buy and girl of the Goyal got were married by mistake and their
♦From hdrd, 12, and sent, an array (Crooke's Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh /, p. 177.)
t Cf, Punjab Census Report, 1883, § 533. The Aggarwal gots include :-
1. Jindal. 8. Mangal.
2. Mindal. 9, Tahil. ;<. Gar. 10. Kansal.
4. Eran. 11. Bansal.
5. Dheran. 12. M ah war.
6. Mital. l.S. (JovalorGoil.
7. Mansal. ^ 14. Good.
Of theae Kansal and Bansal are named from l-ans, a grass, and hdn-i, bamboo, and they do not cut or injure these plants. The Mahwar are said to be descended from a son of Agar Sain who married a low-caste wife, so other Banias will not smoke with them, Aa other account adds Sengal.
The Bdnia organisation. 61
descendants form the hoM-got called Gond,* so that there are 17^ got* in all. And asfain one of the sons of Ugar Sain mtirried a low-cHHte woman and liis descendants aro the Mahwar got wfiich c»nnot. smoke with otliei" Banias. The Aggarwdl MahJljaoa only avoid their own section i«» marriage (Jind).
The seconc^ group is the Saralia, who aro an off-shoot of the Aggarwdl and appeur to have the same gots.
The third group, the Osvval, appears to form a true sub-cas^e.t They strenuously claim a Puuwar Rajput origin, but other Kajputs of various tribes joined them. They followed one of their Bra'hmans iu becoming Jains, in Sambat 422.
Hence there are tl-.ree territorial groups or sub-castes, aud a fourth of lower status bftsed on descent: —
'Sub-groups:— \
Sub-caste 1. Aggarw^l ,
I Data or Chhoti- [ '"^^^ ^groha.^ I" West-
Sub-caste IT. Saralia, from Sara la. J P^^''"^-
Sub-caste III. Oswal, — from Osianagri — in Eastern Rajputana. Sub-caste IV. Biira-Saini.
Apparently tliere are, besides these tf-rritorial groups, cross-divisions of the caste based on religious diffarences. These seem to be Saraogi or Jain, Maheshri or Shaiva, Aggarwal-Vishnoi or Vaishnavaa. But the Maheshri, who undoubtedly derive their name from Mahesli or Shiva, are not now all Shaivas, for one of their number was in consequence of a miracle converted to Jainisru and so founded the Talitar got of the Oswal, among whom the Kamfiwat got is also Maheshri. It would appear that the Shaiva groups formed true sub- castes, for the Maheshri certainly do not intermarry with the Aggarw:ll (»r Osw^l§ though Vaishnava and Jain Aggarwd,ls intermarry freely in Gurgaon.
* Or Gand, cf. the Garni or impure section of the Bhitias. Hissar Gazetter, 1892, p. 137. In Jhelum the Goiid and Billa sections do not intermarry, being said to be descendanta of a common ancestor.
I The origioal Oswal gots are said to be : —
1. Thaker, 10. Bahadur, Punwar,
2. Baphna (Rajput, by origin), I 11. Kanbat „
3. Sankhli. ^ 12. Baid,
4. Kamawat Pnnwar (Maheshri), 13. Tagu Srishtri, Sankla, J). M or RiikhPokarna, Sankla Punwar, 14. Burugotra, Bhatti,
tj. Kuladhar, Bj-ibat; Punwirs, 15. Didu ,,
7. Sri Srim, Sankla ,, 16. Chorbheria. Raghubatisi,
8. Srishtsjota, Punwar, 17. Kanaajia, Rahtor,
9. Sachanti, Punw4r, i 18. Chuichat.
19. Kotari, or keepers of the treasure-house, but the last does not seem to be a true got, so that there were only 18 got$, as there still are among the Aggarw4l.
The B'lid are said to have been originally a branch of the Srishtgota and to have been BO called becaiiHe Devi effected a miracnlons cure of tho e3'e3 of a Rirl belonging to that section by causing a special kind of al lo giow, the juice of which healed them.
X To which place the Aggarwals make annual jiilcrimages, as it is the ancient city of Agar or Ugar Sain. They also have a boy's hair cut there for tho first time.
§ An acionnt from Jind divides the Biniae (like the Bhibras) into the Srimal and Oswal groups, e^ch with different gots
|
Srimal gots. |
Osw41 gots. |
||
|
Chanalia. |
B&ngaria. |
Ranke. |
Bambel. |
|
Bor4. |
Junfwal. |
DuKar. |
Bambh. |
|
Kanodia. |
Tank. |
Gadia. |
Nihar. |
62 The Bdnias in Bdwal — Banjdra.
But from the extreme sonth-eaat of the Punjab comos the following account which differs widely from those pjiven above. The Bawal nizdmat borders on Rajputana, and formrt part of Nablia, in which State ho Banids are represented by four proups : — (I) AggHrwil. (2) Rnstagi, (3) Khandelwal, (4) Mahi'ir, who rank in this order, each group being able to take water from the one above it, but not vice versi.
(i). The Aggarwilfl of Bawal msdmnnn N4bha perform all the ceremonies observed by the Brahmans of thnt tract, but they have a special custom of boring the ears and noses of clildren, both male and female. This is called parojan. For this ceremony they keep some of the rice used at the lagan preceding a wedding in another family; and carry tho deotas, which are usually kept in the parohifs chaige to their own house. The deotas are worshipped for seven days. The pandit fixes a mahurat or auspicious time for the boring and the rite is then performed, a feast being given to Brahmans and relatives. In the case of a boy, he is made to sit on a he-goat which is borrowed for tho occasion and alms are given, a present being al'^o made to the boy. In Nabha town some Aggarwal families perform this ceremony, but others do not,
(ii). The Rustagi* group is found only in the Bawal nizdmat, in Gurgaon, Delhi, Alwar, Budaon, Bulandshahr and Gwalior. They are most strongly represented in Bawal, at Bhora in Rewari tahsil and at Barand in Alwar State, hut probably do not e/cceed 1,000 families in the whole of India. Though in marriage they only avoid one got, yet owing to the paucity of the numbers the poorer members cannot get wives and so die unmarried. They say that Rohtasgarh was their original home and that their name Kustagi is derived from Rohta*. They have 18 gots named after the villagea which they originally inhabited. They avoid widow re-marriage, but do not invariably wear the janeo, as the Aggarwals do. They perform the first hair-cutting of a boy at Nagar- kot or Dahni in Alwar at the asthdn of Devi. They observe the milni, i.e. when the parents of a betrothed couple meet the girl's father must give the boy's father from one to twenty-one rupees, and the girl's father must not visit the village where his daughter has been betrothed until afrer the marriage under the penalty of paying the milni, but once paid it is not payable a second time. At the Dewali Rustagfs pay special reverence to their sati. They are all Vaishnavaa and also worship Gopi Nath. The bardt must arrive the day before the wedding, but they have no other special marriage customs.
[Hi), The Khandelwals are few in number. They have 72 gots, the principal one in Nabha State being the Bajolia. They claim to have come from Khatu Khandela in Jaipur. The hardt in this group also arrives the day before the wedding but the boy's father has to feed the bard himself on that day. Like the Ahirs the Khandelwals on the widai day have a special custom. The women of the bride's family cloths the boy's father in yellow clothes and put a pitcher of water on his head, with a necklace of camel's dung round his neck and compel him to go and worship the well just as the women do. He only escapes after much teasing by paying them from 11 to 51 rupees. They do not wear the janeo, and as they are devotees of Bhagwan Das, Mahatma, of Tikha in the B4wal Th^na they do not smoke or sell tobacco.
(iv). The Mahur are few in number in Bawal. They have two gots Mawal and Kargas. They are Vaishnavas and specially reverence Han-uman.
Banjara. — This and the Labana caste are generally said to be identical^t being called Banjara in the eastern districts and Lahdna in the Punjab proper. But Banjd,ra, derived from hanij, 'a trader', or perhaps from hdnji 'a pedlar's pack,' is used in the west of tho Punjab as a generic term for ' pedlar.' Wanjdra {q. v.) is doubtless only another form of the name.
The Banjdras of the eastern districts are a well-marked class, of whom a complete description will be found in Elliott's JBaces o/" //le JV.-W. P., I, pp. 52—56. They were the ^reat travelling traders and carriers of Central India, the Deccan and R^iput^na ; and under the
* According to an account from Pataudi State the groups are Aggarwal, Basangi, Maheeri Saraogi and Kalal, and in Gurgaon it is said that the Saraogi and Vishnav (sic) Kanids do not intermarry though they can eat kachchi and pahki with each other.
t In Southern India the Brinjara is also called Lawanah or Lumbana (fr. Hti, Sanskr lavan, ' salt'). See also und« Multmi.
(I
r
'%■
S^c. /
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1
'7 «.o^ £.
Banjdra'^Bannvchi. 63
Afghdn and Mughal empires were the commissariat of the imperial forces. A simile applied to a dying person is :
Bnnjitra han tnen fhire liye lakrid hath; Tdnda icdhd lad gay a, koi sangi nahin sdth.
*^The Banjara goes into the jungle with hin stick in his hand. He is ready for the journey, and there is nobody with him."
From Sir H. Elliott's description they seem to bo a very composite class, including sections of various origin. But the original Banjara cHste is said to have its habitat in the sub-montane tract from Gorakhpur to Hard war. The Banjdras of the United Provinces come annu«lly into the Jumna districts and Eastern States in the cold weatVier with letters ot credit on the local merchants, and buy up large numbers of cattle which they take back again for sale as the summer approaclies; and theee men and the Banjara carriers from Rajputana are principally Hindus. The Musalman Banjdras are probably almost all pedlars. The headmen of the Banjara parties are called ndih (Sanskrit ndyaka, "chief) and Banjaras in general are not uncommonly known by that name. The Railways are fast destioying the carrving tiade of these people except in the mountain tracts. The word hanjdra is apparently sometimes used for an oculist, and any Hindu pedlar is so styled. Synonyms are bUdti or manidr in the central, and lanati in the eastern districts, and, amongst Muhammadans, khoja aud pardcha. In Amritsar their gots are said to include M;inh^s, Khokhar and Bhatti septs, and they have a tradition that Akbar dismissed Chaudhri Shah Quli from his service whereupon he turned trader or banjara.
Bannuchi. — The hybrid branch of the Pathdns which holds tlie central portion of the Bannu tahsil, between the Kurram and Tochi rivers. This tract they occupied towards the close of the 1 4th century, after being driven out of Shawal by the Wazirs and in turn drivin"- tho Mangal and Hanni tribes back into Kohat and Kurram. The Banndchis have attracted to themselves Sayyids and other doctors of Isldm in great numbers, and have not hesitated to intermarry with these, with the scattered representatives of the former inhabitants of their tract who remained with them as hamsdyn, and with the families of the various adventurers who have at different times settled amongst them; insomuch that "■ Bannuchi in its broadest sense now means all Muham- madans, and by a stretch, even Hindus long domiciled within the limits of the irrigated tract originally occupied by the tribe." The descend- ants of Shitak, however, still preserve the memory of their separate origin and distinguish themselves as Bannuchi proper. They are of inferior physique, envious, secretive, cowardly, lying, great bigots, inoffensive, and capital cultivators. Sir Herbert Edwardes says of them : ' The Bannuchis are bad specimens of Afijhans ; can worse bo said of any race ? They have all the vices of Pathans rankly luxuriant, their virtues stunted.' Their Isakhi clan, however, is famed for the beauty of its women. ' Who marries not an Isakhi woman deserves an aes for a bride.'
Shitak, a Kakai Karlaori, by his wife Bannu had two sons, Kiwi and Surani. The former had also two sons, Miri and Sami. To Miri's tioub fell the boutb, to Sami's the centre, and to Surani's tho north and
64 Banot — Barar.
west of Datid, the modern Bannu, which was named after Shitak's wife. When Bannu became a part of the kingdom of Kabul the Bannuchis split into two factions, ' black ' and ' white/ which left them a prey to the Wazirs. Banot, a sept of Hindu Rdjputs, which holds a hurah or^roup of 12 villages near Garhshankar in Hoshidrpur. The Banot say they ure of the same origin as the Narus, and the name is said to mean ' shadow of the ban' or forests of the Siwaliks in which they once dwelt.
Bansi, a class of musicians, players on the pipe {bans) at temples and village shrines, but virtually employed in the same way as Halis or Sipis, in Chamba.
Banwra, a Muliammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Banya-i, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Banyi, see Banya.
Baoei, a tribe of Muhammadans, of Jdt status, found in Montgomery.
Bapar, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in MuUd,n.
Baphla, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Bappi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan : see Bosan.
Bar, a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Bar Mohmand, see Mohmand.
Babai, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Baraiya, (Sanskrit, varajivi), an astrologer according to the Dharma Purdn, begotten by a Brahman on a Sudrd,. But under the same name the Tantrd describes a caste sprung from a gopd (cowherd) and a Tantravdya (weaver) and employed in cultivating betel (Colebrooke, Essays, 272-3).
Baeakzai, a famous clan of the Abdali or Darrdiui Afghans which sap- planted the Sadozai family of that branch early in the 19th century. Its most famous members were Fath Kh&n and Dost Muhammad his brother. The latter took the title of amir after Shdh Shuj^'s failure to recover Qandahar in 1834 and founded the present ruling house of Afghanistan: (for its history see M. Longworth Dames in The Ency- clopsedia of Islam, 1908).
Baeae, (1) a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan, and in Montgomery in wliich District it is both Hindu and Muhammadan : (2) a Hindu and Muhammadan Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Babae, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Baear, fern. Barfi, alow caste given to begging and roguery. In Jullundur the Baiars make winnowing fans {chhaj), baskets, and sieves (chhanra) of reed. They also hunt with dogs. Their observances resemble those of the Chuhras. At a wedding one of the caste is selected to officiate, and he kindles the fire and makes the couple go round it. The bride's ■ parents keep the wedding party one or three days, feeding its members on ricej sugar and bread. On its departure the girl's father gives her
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Bardr—Barid. 65
a (marriage portion) dower. The women 8in» songs, and the men chant a ballad called guga. The Bardfs believe in Ldl Beg and every Rabi they offer him a rot of 2.\ sers with a fowl, boiled and smothered in ghi. This is either given to faqirs or eaten by them- selves. (Some of the caste are vagrants and form a liuk between the Sinsis and Chuhrds.
Baba^, (I) The name of a caste of Jdt'^ around Bha^incU; Barar bans, a p-^rson belonging to, or descended from, the Bardr caste. See under Sidhu Bardr ; (2) a Jd,^ clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Bara^la, also called Barar and Bardri, a basket-malcer and bamboo-worker in the higher hills who has als > spread into the sub-montane tracts. He is not a scavenger by profession though he is said to worship L^l Beg, tlie Chiihras' deity. See Koli an i Nirgilu.
Barghat, a Giijar clan (agricultural) found in Amtitsar.
BAjgiBiAL, a sept descended from Andeo Chand, son of Udal Chand
fourteenth Rdja of Kahlur. Another account makes them descendants
of Rdj^ Ajit Chand's younger son.
Ba^hai. — A wood-cutter or carpenter in the hills (root badhna, to cut cf. Bddhi). In Kullu the Barhdis and B^dhis are the same, but not' iii Kd,ngra Proper. In Kullu they do not scruple to eat the flesh of dead animals. The Barhdis are not a separate caste, but Kolis or D^ots that use the nxe, and one of the Koli groups is returned as Barh^i. There is also a Barhdi tribe or clan among the Kathis of K^no-ra.
BAipni. — The synonym for Tarkhdn in the Jumna Districts. The B^rhi considers himself superior to hi^ western brother the Khflti, and will not marry with him : his married women wear the nose-ring. Cf. Bldhi and Barhdi.
Bkni, a caste in Bdwal who make pataJs and dimas* of leave.'*, while some are cooks to Hindu Wdjputs. Tliey are immigrants from Ra-jput^na and claim Rajput oriyin to which their got names point. Tnese are Chauhin (who are AsAwariast by persuasion), and others.
In marriage they avoid four gots, and also fellow-worshippers of the devi. Thu« an A-^waria may not marry an Asd,\varia Chauhdn. At a wedding the p/j.eras are not performed until the bride has put on ivory bangles— like a Rdjput hride. Tliey affect Bhairon, eat Qe>*ix and dnnk liquor, but Hindu Riljputs will eat food cooked by them and though now regarded as Sudras they are admitted to temples.
Baria. Varya, a Rajput tribe, said in Jullmdur to be Solar Rjijputa descended from R<ijd Karan of the Mahabharat. Their ancestor Mai (!) catne fro-n Jal Kdhia in Patiala about 500 vetra ago. Those of Sidlko^, where they are found in small numbers and rank as J4ts, not Riijputs, sny they are of Lunar Rdiput descent. The tribe is practically confined to Patiala and Ndbha and the name of the ancestor Mai, if common to the tribe, looks a.s if thoy were not Hajputs at all. Another form of the name appears to be • Wardh.' 1 he Warilh are descendants of WarAh, who-se grandson
* Fatal a plato mado of leaves (also a screan, made of reeds), duna, a cup made cf leaves. Both are generally mado from the leaves of the dndk tree. t Devotees of Asawaria Devi, whoaa temple is at Sambbar in Jaipur.
QQ Baridn'^Barwdld.
RdjA Banni Pdl, is said to have founded Bhatinda, after conquering Bhatner and marrying the daughter of its Raj^. Banni P^l's son Udasi was defeated bj a king of Delhi but received fijagir. Bis son Sundar had seven sons, of whom the eldest founded Badhar m Ndbha. (C/. Baridn).
Babian, a tribe of Jats, claiming to be Lunar Edjputs of the Jaler, Sahi and Lakhifarailies— through its eponym whose descendant Tok settled in Sidlkot. (c/. Barid).
Babik (? Barakki) , a clan of Pathdns, claiming Arab descent. With the Ans^^ri Shaikhs they came from the Logar valley between Kdbul and Gliazni and settled at Jullundur. It includes the Guz * Aliik and Babdkhel families and one branch of it is called Suddkhel. Elphin- stonet describes the Barakkis as a class of Tdjiks, mixed with the Ghiljis (Gliil/.ais or possibly Khilchis). The Barakkis are also described as a T.1jik people, speaking a language of their own, and Baverty notes that some Barakki Tajiks also dwell among the Urmurs at Kaniguram in the Wazir country. For the connection of the Bdrik Pathans with Shaikh Darwesh see the article on the Roshauias.
Bakikka. (s. m.). A low caste of Muhammadans.
Babkandaj. (s. m.). Corrupted from the Arabic word Barqandfiz. A police- man J a constable ; a village watchman.
Babkezai, a Path^n clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Bablas, BarMsyi, a Mughal clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Babukzai (? Barakzai), a Pathan clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Baewala, Batwal. These two names, though probably of different origin,
are used almost as synonyms, the former being more common in the
lower hills and the latter ia the moantain ranges of Kangra\ But in
Chamba the Barw^ld is clearly distinct from the Batwal, being a maker
of mats and winnowing fans, and the name is probably derived from
lara or haria, the kind of grass used for them. Batwal or hatwdr on the
other hand means a tax collector, and hatwdl is an ordinary peon of any
caste even a Brahman, though of course he may be by caste a Batw^l.:{:
At the capital, Chamba, Barwdlds used to be employed as watchmen
and thus went up in the social scale as Batwdls. In Kdngra however
the Batwal form a true caste, while Barwald, is little more than
the name of an occupation. Both words correspond very closely
with the Lahbar or Baldhar of the plains, and denote the village
■watchman or messenger. In the higher hills this office is almost
♦ For the Ghnzz Turks in Kurram see Raverty's translation of the Tabaqdt-i-Ndsiri. t Caubul, p. 315. , •
'aIpO see the Saints of Jalandhar in Temple s Legends of the Punjab. ± Dr J. Hutchison notes regarding the Batwils of Chamba that they claim descent from Siddh kaneri, a deified ascetic of whom they know nothing. Formerly employed as watch- en a few are still enlisted in the State Police. Barwalas and Batwals are all Hindus and have their own gotras, but Brahmans do not officiate at their weddings, which are solemnised hv two literate men of the caste. Their observances follow the usage of the locality in which thev aie settled. Thus in Chamba the biyah or full wedding rite is observed as among the hiffh castes though expense is curtailed and the ceremonies abridged. A Brahman fixes the day of the wedding. The dead are burut.
Batwdl customs, 67
coDfined to the BatwdMs, while in the lower hills it is porformed by men of various low castes who are all included under the generic term of Barwald. These men are also the coolies of the hills, and in fact occupy much the same position there as is hehi by the Chamdr s in the plains, save that they do not tan or work in leather. In Kdngra they are also known as Kirjlwak or Kirauk, a word which properly means a raan whose duty it is to assemble coolies and others for begdr or forced labour, and they are also called Satwiig or " bearers of burdens." Like most hill menials they often cultivate land, and are employed as ploughmen and field labourers by the Rajputs and allied racfs of tho hills who are too proud to cultivate with their own hands. They are true village menials, and attend upon village guests, fill pipes, bear torches, and carry the bridegroom's palanquin at weddings and the hko, and receive fixed fees for doing so. In the towns they appear to be common servants. They are of the lowest or almost tho lowest standing as ih caste, apparently hardly, if at all, above the Dumua or sweeper of the hills ; but the Batwal has perhaps a slightly higher standing than tho Barwfil^. Indeed the name of Barwala, is said to bo a corruption of 6a/iarwa^a or " outsider," because, like all outcasts, they live in the outskirts of the village.
At Batwdl weddings in Sialkotthe learned among tho Meghs officiate. The Batwdls have Brahman priests, but they do not conduct their marriage rites : they also avoid contact with them. The Batwd-la marry their girls at an early age, but allow widow-remarriage, and that too without regard to the husband's brother's claims. Two gots only are avoided. Batwdls* are menials.
Birth observances. — Four or twelve months after the birth of a boy ritan are observed as follows : — Loaves of bread fried in oil are arranged in piles, seven in each heap, and the head of each family takes a nile and distributes it among its members. Only those who belong to the got in which the birth has taken place can take part in this feast. Among tho Jhanjotra the head of a boy or girl is not shaved till the child begins to talk. Sometimes a bodi is retained, as among Hindus.
Their wedding ceremonies are thus described : —
Four posts are fixed in the ground and four more placed over these. On these four latter two turbans, supplied by the fathers or guardians of the bride or bridegroom, are spread. Then tlie bride's father places her hands in those of the bridegroom, saying : ' In God's name I give you this girl (my daughter or relation).' Then the pair, the bride's hands clasped in the bridegroom's, walk round an earthen pitcher placed inside the four upright posts. This duly done, the marriage ia completed.t On his way home the bridegroom has to wind some raw cotton seven times round a shrub.
Tho Batwdls either burn or bury their dead. In cither case on tho way to the ground they halt and place two balls of leavened barley bread at the shoulders, and tvio at the feet, of the corpse. Thirteen
* The Batwils' folk-etymology deriveR their name from heticdl, ' son of a daughter '. A Rija's daughter became enceinte by an illicit amour and was expelled her father's kingdom. A Chi±r4 took her to wife, but her child founded the Batwdl caste.
t At weddings food is thrown to tho crows — which birds tho Batwils aro said to chiefly "worehip— and until they take the food tho Batwils themselves will not eat.
^S Barydr — Bashera.
days after the dfath they tnke to a Bralimnn a rupee and 4 sers of wheat flour, and these lie carries to a tank, where he recites prayers. As araongs-t Hmdns hhajjaa* is performed after a death. Two yards of cotton cloth, knotted ab the four corners, are hung over the left shoulder, in token of mourning, by the kin.
The remains of a body are taken either to the Ganges or to Parmandal.
The Batwdls are not allowed to si ley do not, eat ghi until some has b(
In Sidlko^ the Barwdl6 gots are : —
The Batwdls are not allowed to sell ghi^ and after a cow has calved they do not, eat ghi until some has been offered to a Brahman.
Dhagg4
Jhanjotra
Kaith
Lakhutra Lahoria Moitin or Molin
Nandan Sangotra Sargotra Sindha
Ench of the Batw^i gots in Si^lkot has its own temple, e. g.^ the Jlianjotra at Ghulhe in ZafariTf^l tah^il : the Kaith at Amranwali in Si^lkot: and theMolln atGillanwdM in Zafarwal. The temple is simply a mound of earth before which they prostrate themselves, each head of a family sacrificing at it a goat in honour of his eldest son.
In Kapurthala the Barwala gots are: —
Badial Chakmak ChandgiraiB Chauhan
DMdi
Phankriin
Eatri
Soner
Jhajriha
Kahra
Pamb^lia
With the Chandgirain got the other Batwdlshave no connection, and do not even smoke with them. Like theBatw4ls the Enrw^l^s in Sidlkot employ Meghs, wlio rank Idgher than the ordinary Meghs, as priests in religious and cei emonial observances.
The Bar w aids make baskets in Si^Iko^, In Kapdrthald they are village watchmen and messengers.
Babyar, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Baryb, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Basan, an Ar^in clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar : Basan in Mont- gomery.
Babati, Basdtia, a pedlar ; a petty merchant.
Basha, a synonym for Bh^nd, q. v. The term is applied to a jester or tumbler kept by wealthy men, also to an acior (and so equivalent to Bahrupia, especially in the Central Punjab). In Sialkot the Bssha is said to be a class of Pernas. The Bashds are usually Muhammadans, and though probably mostly Mirasis by origin will not intermarry wiih them. The term is also apphed generally to any immoral person. Bashds are also cuppers and toy-sellers.
Ba-shaka, * regular : a term applied to the four great regular orders among the Sunni Muhammadans, viz., the Chishti, Qd,diri, Saharwardi and Nakshbandi, who all uphold Sufi-ism. Opposed to Be-shara \
Bashera, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
* Worship.
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Bashgdli-'Bathmdnu. 60
BashoIli, a tribe of the Sidh-posh Kafirs : see under Kd6r.
Basuear^ a group of non-Pathdn tribe'? which used to occupy the Panjkora Kohist^n or KohistAn-i-Malizai ia Dir, the upper part of this Kohistda being known a'^ Bashkdr and the lower as Sheringal, but the Ba^hk^r are now chiefly confined to the tract of that name. The Bashkari language is said to bo the same as the Garhwf.
According to Birldulph the Bashkdrik, as he terms them, have three clans ; Mulanor, Kutchkor and Joghior. The Bashk^rik name the months thus : —
Hassan Uusain
Safar
Param Ishpo (first sister)
Dowim Ishpo (sf cond sister)
See under Torwd,l.
Tlui lehpo (third sister) Chot Ishpo (fourth sister) Siiepi (great month) Shokadr
Roe
Loityul (small festival) Miina (intervemngi GAnjtil (great festiral)
Basi. a tribe of J^^s, whose forebear Tulla has a mat at Gopalpur iu Lndhiana. At the birth of a son, and also at the Diwili, earth is dug there in his name.
Base^, a JA\, clan (agricultural) found in Shdhpur : Basrao, a J^\ clan (agri- cultural) found in Amritsar.
Bat, a. J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n. Also a sept of Kashmiri Pandit, converted to laldim and found in the north-west submontane Districts of the Punjab.
Batahra, (c/ Patahar), a stone-mason, a carver or dresser of stone, in the Kangra hills. In KuUu he is said to be a Koli who has taken to slate quarrying. In Chamba, however, they appear to fonu a true caste, working generally as stone-masons, but sometimes as carpenters or even cultivators. In Gurddspur and Kangra the word is synonymous with
EAJ.
Batakzai, a Pathan clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Batar, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multao.
Bat, Bath, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Crowther gives the following list of the Bdt septs : B?,t, Dhol, Jhandol, Pophart, Khairo, Jhandhor, Desi, Tatla, Anjla, Ghuman, Ghumdn, Khak, Dhawal, Janna,* Randher, Madri, Sadri, Hoti, Seti, and Kirbat, which may all inter- marry, so that a Bat sometimes may marry a BA^. All tbeso septs are said to be descendants of San-or Sainpdl, who came from the Mdlwa 800 years ago. They first settled at Odhyara in Lahore. Khair(a)'8 descendants have two jatheras, Rajpal and his grandson Shdhzdda, who fell in a fight with the Kang Jats at Khadur Sdhib in Amritsar. The Bd-th are also found as a Hindu and Muhammadan Jd^ clan in Montgomery.
Batheke, a sept of the Wa^u Rdjputs, found in Montgomery and Bahdwalpur.
Bathmanu, a Brahman al, of Bathmdna village in Dhami and one of the chief tribes in that State. With the Jamogi Kanets it gives the raj-tilak to the Rand, and like them belongs to the Garg gotra. Tho tcazir of the State usually belongs to one of these two septs.
* There is said to be a settlement of Januas (PJanjiias) ' beyond Pcshiwai* ' whohavo become Mnhammadans.
70 The Bauria tribal system.
Bhi, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Battar, a Jd,t sept.
Batti, a Hindu Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Bauria, Bawakia. The following is Sir Denzil Ibbetson's account of the B^iuria groups : — " They are said to be divided into three sections : the Bidiiwati of Bikiiner who trace their origin to Bidiiwat in Jaipur, do not eat carrion, disdain petty theft but delight in crimes of violence, will not steal cows or oxen, and affect a superiority over the rest; the Jangali or Kiilkamlia, also called Kdldhaballia — fr. dhabla, a skirt, the blanket, kanial, forming a petticoat, — generally found in the Jangaldes of the Sikh States, Ferozepore, and Sirsa, and whose women wear black blankets ; and the Kd.paria who are most nnmeroua in the neighbourhood of Dehli, and are notoriously a criminal tribe. The three sections neither eat together nor iutermariy. The Kalkamlia is the only section which are still hunters by profession, the other sections looking down upon that calling. The K^paria are for the most part vagrant ; while the Biddwati live generally in fixed abodes."
This account is amplitied in an interesting account of the tribe by Mr. H. L. Williams of the Punjab Police. He gives the following table of their tribal system which is clearly based on the usual principle of territorial and other groups which cross-divide the natural sections* : —
* As regards the Baurias in Lyallpur Mr. J. M. Dunnett writes : —
" There is a further and occupational division among tho Baurias, Non- cultivators are Kapria, Gumria, and Gadera, while Kaldhablia, Deswalia, Dewawate and Labana are culti- vators. The division, I think, really means that some live by himting pure and simple, the others combining agriculture with it. At any rate the difference in izzat is so great that intermarriage between two divisions is imknown. Why Gadera, which must mean a shep- herd, is classed as iion- agriculturist, while Lab^nas, who hunt pigs are classed as cultivators I do not know."
11
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Buuria beliefs, 73
Besides the derivation from bdwar, a saarc, which is the one usually given, Mr. Williams records other traditions aa to tho origio of the name * Bauria/ According' to one thu emperor Akbar demandnd a dold from S.iiidal, Hiij;! of Uhitor, and on the lattor's refusing, a battle was fought, in which some of the waniors werr) engaged near a bdolt or well. Those on the Rajput side were called Baolias or Bawaliag. A third explanation is that, after the capture of Chitor, a young man of one of the tribes which had taken to the jun^^les saw aud love J a Rajput mai(i of good lineage. They were married, but the young man returned to jungle life aud was called Baola (imbecile) by tho brido'a relations for doing so, or on account of his uncouth manner. Mr. Williams' account continues : —
" IVadition says that the Bd-warias are descendants of Chanda and Jora, and when Fatta and Jaimal, Rd.jputs of tho Surajbans or Solar race, were joint Riijas of Cliitor, Shnh^b-ud-din of Ghor assailed th« fortress. It was defended by the Rd,jputs and their feudal military classes, of whom the Bhils were the professi(jnal bowmen ; the Aheris, the skilled swordsmen ; and the B^warias, the bandukchis^ or musket- eers. In this connection the Bdwarias, although claiming Rajput origin, do not profess to have been the equals of the Hdjput ruling class, but rather their va-^sals or feudatories. Some few Bdwarias still wear the Rajput badge of metal kara, or ring, on the right ankle.
"Of the now outcaste tribes, whom the Bawarias recognize as having shared with them the defence of (Jhitor, the Gridi Lobars, or wandering cutlers, are not only distinguished by the Rd'jpnt clan designations and silver and metal karas, but openly proclaim that they are doomed to a wandering existence till the Rajput power is again established in Chitor.
" The Bidawati Bd,warias and others, whose place of origin is said to be Chhauni Bahddurjtn in Bikd,ner, claim to be descendants of Rd-jd, Hasdlu.
"Religion. — The religion of the Bawarias is ancestor worship com- bined with allegiance to certain deities who are common to them and other outcaste or foul-feeding tribes." Mr. Williams then remarks that several Bd,waria cluns affect Guga, many of their members wearing silver amulets with his image in relief. It would appear that the cult of Giiga is specially affected by the clans of Chauhd,n descent, as Guo-a was a Riijput of that tribe and is peculiarly the patron of all clans which claim Chauhdn origin. The Bhdtis and other groups also affect Guga, and such groups as worship him do not affect Devi. Mr. Williams adds : —
" Rdm Deo, supposed to have been an incarnation of Krishna, was the pon of Ajmal, a Kfljput of Ranchhal. He is specially reverenced by the PHnwd.r sept and several of the wanderintj tribes. Siinilarly Kd,li, Laltii Masdni and other deities have devotees amonj? the Bawarias. But the criminal members of the tribe make a special cult of Narsingh and pay their devotions to him in the following manner:— When planning a criminal expedition, a chiriUjh filled with (fhl is ignited and a live coal placed beside it, (jhi and Jialivd are added till both are in flatne ; on the smoke and fumci^, called Jiom, arisin<T, tlie persons present fold their hands and make supplication, saying : ' He,
* Similarly tho Machhis or Jhiwars claim to have been artillerists in the Native Indian Armies.'and they also manufactured gunpowder, shot being made by the Lobars,
74 The Bdurias in Gurgaon.
Nar Singh, through thy blessing we shall succeed. Remember to protect us.* The remains of the halwd are given to black dogs and crows.
Worship of the Sun also obtains in some septs. The cenotaph of an ancestor named Jujhar at Jhanda, in Patidla, is visited for religious parposes."
In Gurgaon and the tracts round that District the Bdurias are divided into num(3rous groups. Of these the most important, locally, is the JaruldwJlld or Laturi^,* so called because its members wear long hair, like Sikhs.t This group is endogamous and includes 14 gots:-^
1 Badgujae. 10 GangwilXt
2 Chauhan.J 11 Jaghotia.§§
3 Panwar. 12 Katoria.||||.
13 Kotia.
14 Mewatia.
15 Bhatti
16 Parwar [ in Labor*.
17 Sangra
4 Rathaub,
5 Agotia.%
6 Baghotia.ii
7 Berara.^f
8 Chiond .*•
9 Dabria.ft
18 Jagonsa 1 ^
19 Konja
These 14 gots are strictly exogamous. "Widow re-marriage (karao) is permissible ; but not marriage outside ihe JaruMwdJa group. Even marriage with a Rdjput woman, of a khanp from which the Bauriaa are sprung, is looked down upon, and the offspring are called suret- wdl, as among the Rd-jputs, or taknot. Such children find it difficult to obtain mates and, if boys, can only do so by paying heavily for their brides. Such men too are only allowed to smoke with pure Bdurias after the nari has been removed from the huqqa.
The addition to (or possibly overlapping) this grouping are a number of occupational groups, as follows : —
I. Sehd,dari^,^^ skilled in entering [sic) the burrows of the seh (porcupine) and found in Bhawdni, Hissar District.
* But see ||l| below.
t The Banriaa do not appear to become true Sikhs but, probably because many of them wear long hair, they are often said to be so. Regarding the Biurias of Lyallpur Mr. J M. Dunnett writes : —
" They are, I find, all Hindus, out-oastea of course, but still wearing the ch.oti and bnrning their dead. In one Police station in anticipation of registration (as members of a Criminal Tribe) they had become Sikhs, but in no case had the 'pahul been taken before orders for registration had been issued. One man thus naively explained that he had all the kahkas except the hcichh, and I had really come before he could get that made. In their zeal they had even gone the length of wearing a six^h hakka, called Ttanpan, a amall Bpade, with which they said the patdsha used in the pahul is stirred."
X Sub-divided into 8 septs in Lahore, in which District they rank highest,
§ Of Panwar origin.
II ? Bighotia, from Bighoto, but they are said to be named from Baghot a village in Nabha and to be descended from Jatii Rajputs.
^ Berara, so called from berar, a mixture of several kinds of grain ; the got is descended from a Panwar who married a woman of his own got by karewa.
** From Chaond, a callage.
tt From dab, a grass found in the Jumna riverain lands whence they came ; the got claims Panwar or even Chauhan origin.
XX From beyond the Ganges : cf. Gangwalia a group mentioned below.
§§0f Badgujar origin. BHEA 111! The Katorias claim Rathaur extraction. But it is also said that the Baurias who live 'n Punjab are called JaniUwila or Katoria and wear long hair, like Sikhs. The Biurias of the U ted Provinces are styled Bidkias.
If^ Or Sehodharia.
The Bdurias in Gurga&n. 75
2. Telbecha^ dealers in the oil of the pelican and other birds, and found east of the Ganges. These have an off-shoot in the
3. Bailia, a group which raodesfely claims Jhfwar-KahAr origin, and is distinguished by churis (or an iron bangle) worn on the wrist.
4. Ugarwa, an off-shoot of the Bfigris who live by burglary.
5. Bhaurjalia (sic) who cse the baur {bdwar) or snare.
6. Badhak or Badhakia, hunters, found in Bhaxatpur State, Mathra, etc.
7. Chirim^rs, bird-snarers, found in tho same tracts. Other groups are territorial, such as the —
1. DilwAHs, found in Delhi and its neighbourhood. An off-shoot of this group is the Ndriwal which sells ropes.
2. Nagauria, from N^gaur in Jodhpur State.
3. Bdgfi, from the Bagar of Bikdner.
4. Marus, from Mdrwdr.
Other groups of less obvious origin are also found. Suoh are the —
1. K^ldhablia or Kaldhablia, who wear the black woollen clnak (kavxli) and are found in the Pati61a State and to the west of Bhiwdni.
2. Gangwdlia,* found in Jaipur State.
3. HdburJl, vagrants from the east of the Jumna.
4. Gandhila, found on any riverain in the Punjab (? proper) and also east of the Jumna.
5. Ahiria, foand in and about llodal and Palwal. According tea Brahinan parohit of the Ahirias at Hodal the Bdurias and Ahiriaa are descended from Goha, a Bhil, one of whose descendants married a Thakur.t Her children by him became Ahirias (Heria or Heri, lit. a hunter), while the Bdurias are of pure Bhil blood. Closely allifd to the Ahiria are the Badhaks. The Ahiria and Bduria do not intermarry.
The panch, who are chosen from thp four khdnps and the Mewdtia group, are regftrded as leaders of the tribe. They form a panchayat (or ? a panchayat for each khdnp) for the whole group. Offences are tried before ttie panchayat which administers to the offender an oath on tho Ganges or tho Jumna : or he is made to advance fivo paces towards the sun and invoke its curse if he is guilty : but the most binding oath is that taken while plucking the leaf of a pi-pal tree. Fines go towards the expenses of the panchayat, and any surplus to the panch. Panchdyats also solemnize the marriages of widows and the fee then realised is paid to the widow's father-in-law. The Bduria sehrhs.
Tradition avers that when a rdiii of Nimrdna married she was accompanied by five families of Rdthaur Baurirts from whom are descended the present Rathaur (? Bdurias or) Kdjputs. Hence the
• Not, apparently, the same as the Gangil got mentioned above, t Apparently named Karaul, and founder of the State of Karauli.
^6 The Bduria cults.
Rdtliaurs* regard Niinrd/na as their Sehrh and worshio Devi at her temple there. The Panwdrs have their sehrh at Kali^na near Narnaul : the Badgfijars theirs at Kanaund : and the Chaubans at Ranmoth near Mandi>an (?) in Alwar.
The Dabrias Bpecially affect Musd-ni Devit but the B^urias as a whole have no distinctive cults and few special observances. Some of them wear the hair long in honour of Masd,ni Devi, k> whom a childless man vows that if a child be vouchsafed to him its hair shall remain uncut. Some B^urias also wear the patri, an ornament shaped like a jugni and made of gold ; in case of sickness prayer is offered through {sic) the pa^.v to the pitars, 'ancestors/ and on recovery the sufferer has a patri made and wears it round his neck. At meal times it is touched and a loaf given in alms in the pitara* names. J Another charm is the devi M ddnd, a few grains of corn, which are carried on the person and which, like the patri, avert all evil.
The Devi at Nagarkot, Z^hir Pir (Giaga) and Thakurji ( ? Krishna) are other favourite deities of the Bd-urias, but the Sun god is also propitiated in times of calamity or sickness. Fasts (hart) are kept on Sunday in honour of Hhe Sun, and water thrown towards it. The janeo is never worn. For some reason not explained an oath on a donkey is peculiarly binding. Mr. Williams notes that B^urias are said not to ride the donkey and to regard it with peculiar aversion. Oaths are also taken on the cow and the pipal tree.
The Baurias are strict Hindus, refusing to eat anything, even ghiy which has been touched by a Muhammadan, though they will drink water from a bhishti's skin, but not that kept in his house. Bdurias will only eat meat procured by themselves or killed by jhatka. Pork they eschew, but not the flesh of the wild pig.§ The nilgai is regarded as a cow and never eaten, nor is the flesh of a he-buffalo save by the Baurias of Shaikhd,wati in Jaipur. As they are no longer per- mitted to possess swords they slaughter goats with the chhuri.
In Lahore, where the Bd^urias are said to be non-criminal, they have a dialect of their own called Ladi. Elsewhere their patois is called Lodi and is said to be understood by Bhils, Sdnsis, Kanjars and such like tribes. The Bd-wariah dialect is called Ghirhar, and sometimes Pashtu.
* And the Katorias, as being of Rathaur descent.
I Mr. Williams says : — 'boats are offered to Devi and, at the time of oblation, water is sprinkled on the animal's head ; if it shakes its ears the omen is propitious and Devi has accepted the sacrifice.' And Mr, Dunnett writes : — " In Lyallpur the worship of a devi is admitted by all but the Songira Dharmwat who revere Bhairkiya and Narswer (Nar Singh).
The devi is worshipped in jungles at the sacred tree. At its roots a square is marked out with stones, and in the centre a hole is dug. A he-goat is then slain, and the blood poured into the hole, the holy tree and the foreheads of the worshippers being also sprin- kled. Over the hole a hearth is then constructed, on which the skuU, the left fore-leg, liver, kidneys and fat are burned. The remainder is then cooked on the same hearth, and eaten by the worshippers. The ceremonial is of course based on the idea that the god is of the brotherhood of the tribe."
^ ' When anyone is in trouble, the cause is ascribed to his having angered a departed spirit, called patar, to appease which some crumbs are fried in oil and put in a brazier, before which all those present fold their hands and beat their brows.' (Williams).
§ Tn some parts the Bauria* will, it is said, cat the flesh of animals which have died a uai\u:al death.
Bduria customs. 7 '
Birth observances. — The child's name is chosen by a Brahman. On the fifth day after birth the mother takes a lota full of water on her head to the nearest well, a Brahmani and Nain, with other women, accompany- ing her and binuing songs. She rakes with her hhanjor (moistened grain) of gram or hnjra and after worshipping the well throws some of the hhanjor, with a little water out of her lota and a makka brought by the BrahmHni or Nain into the well. The rest of the bhanjor is distributed among children. The motiher is deemed purified on tho tenth day. Kathaur children are ttikon to the sehrh at Nimrana to have their heads shaved, but the Panwdrs, Chauhdns and Badgujars all take theirs to Masani Devi at Gurgaon.
Wedding rt^es.— Betrothal is not specially initiated by either side, but as soon as the negotiations have reached a certain stage the girl's father, his Brahman or nai goes with the tika and even the poorest man confirms the agreement by presenting a rupee to the boy. Well-to-do people give him a camel or gold earrings.
Biiuria men are, in their youth, sometimes branded. Most of their women are tattooed in one or more places on the face, viz., near the outer corners of the eyes, at the inner corner of the left eye, on the left cheek and on the chin : hence Bauria women are easily recognizable.
Bdiurias do not marry within their own got, and it is said that the bridegroom must not be younger than the bride, and that a blind or one-eye'd man must espouse a blind or one-eye'd woman ! In some tribes, adds Mr. "Williams, fair women are only married to fair men, and the blackskinned, which form the majority, mate with one another.
The girl's father intimates the date fixed for her wedding by sending a ici/ia c/it7^^2 written in Sanskrit, and on tho day fixed the wedding party goes to the girl's house. The bridegroom wears the aehra and his forehead is smeared with haldi. The ceremonies aro all in essence the same as those observed by the Rdjputs, except that no khera is named, for the simple reason that the Baurias have no fixed abodes. Weddings are, however, not solemnised by sending the patka or katdr in lieu of the bridegroom. Bduria brides wear a necklace made of horse hair on which aro threaded gold and silver beads. This is called sohag sutra and it is worn till the husband's death, when it is burnt with his corpse.
On a man's death his elder and then his younger brother have tho first claim to his widow's hand. Failing such near kinsmen a stranger may espouse her on payment of pichha, a sum assessed by tho panches and paid by the new husband to tho nearest agnate of tho deceased's father.
Co-habitation with a woman of another caste is punished by not allowing the offender to smoke with the brotherhood, and the woman is regarded as a suret and her children as tmretwdl even though she be a pure Rajput by caste. Infidelity on a wife's part is purged away by pressing a red hot iron into her tongue.*
* Mr. Williams' account of the Bdwaria marriage customs is however different and runs as follows : — / . .
"Each tribal sub-division is cndogamous, anc! Ciu:h got exogamous to tho father s po*^ Marriage is permitted in the mother's got excludiDg near relations. Blarriage within th
78 Bduria sport.
The observances at death differ in no way from those current among orthodox Hindus. The bones of the dead are taken to Garh Muketsar and there thrown into the Ganges. Mr. Williams however writes : — "The dead over seven years of age are burnt among most of the tribes, though some, as the Bid^wati, practise burial. The corpse of a young: person is draped with fine white cloth, of an old man with coarse cloth, and of a woman with turkey red. On the third day after a funeral, boiled rice is distributed among young girls. When a BAwaria wife is cremated her widower lights the pile. A father per- forms the same office for a son, a son for a father, on failing such relationship, any near relative. On the third day following, the ashes are collected and rice is laid on seven pipal leaves and placed at the foot of the tree, certain persons being told to watch from a distance. If a crow eats the rice, it is a good omen ; but bad if a dog devours it. The period of mounrnig lasts twelve days. The ceremony of shrddh is per- formed in Assu, when rice is given to crows, the idea being to supply the necessities of the deceased in another world."
Sporting Propensities. — A distinguishing feature of this people is their shikarring: proclivities. In all parts of the Province they have dogs, large meshed nets for catching jackals and other vermin, and thong nooses for antelope. Where jungle is thick and game plentiful, sport sometimes takes the form of slaughter. Game is gradually driven into an enclosure formed by two lines of stakes, several feet apart, each tipped with a coloured rag and forming an angle at the apex of which are planted in several parallel rows the little bamboo stakes with slip knot thongs, looking in the distance like a patch of dry grass. The third side of the triangle is formed by the B^warias with dog and torn toms. When the beat begins, the line of beaters advances
prohibited degrees of consanguinity is punished with excommunication up to a period of 12 years, as among the Kuchband and other cognate tribes. The higher gots in the social scale are the Solkhi, or Sulankhi, Panwar, Choh4n, Bh4ti, and Sankhla, and hence intermarriage ■with them is sought after for the sake of their blue blood.
Marriage and betrothal occur when both sexes have arrived at adult age. Sons may remain immarried without incurring odiiun ; but, in the case of daughters, the panchdyat interferes and penalties are inflicted if too much time is allowed to pass.
The ceremonies at betrothal — sdk or mangani — are simple. An emissary of the suitor meets, by appointment, the girl's relatives and hands a sum ranging from Rs. 5 to 9 to the senior male relative present, who pays the amoimt to the girl's father. The suitor is then invited, if acceptable, to the evening meal, when the contract is made. An interval then passes before tlie date of mariage is fixed, previous to which the girl's paternal imcle visits the suitor and gives him a rupee. Seven days before the wedding, the same relative presents himself and ties black cotton tags round the youth's ankles.
Marriage is always by fhera, as among tribes of the same category . On the day ap- pointed, four wooden pegs, a span long, are driven into the ground forming a square, a fire lit in the centre and cotton seed steeped in oU placed over it. A square copper coin (mansuri faim) is put on the top of each peg. The couple circle seven times round the fire with a knot tied in their garments, and the ceremony ends. A Brahman is usually present and receives a donation of Rs. 2 to 5, Rs. 24 to 100, according to the status of the parties, is paid to the bride's parents, who prepare an outfit of cooking utensils and clothing, and return some of the rupees in a thdli, or brass vessel. The home-coming, or mukldwa ceremony comes last and consists in the bride's being sent to her husband's house with a gift of a chadnr from her parents.
Marriage by karewa is permitted and is the only form permissible to widows. It is availed of when a woman is destitute, or has no parents. A surviving brother is required to marry the widow, and, in default, she may claim compensation through a pnnchdyat. When a widow marries, bracelets of lacquer are put on her and a fine of Rs. 5 imposed. A woman convicted of adultery is disgraced and her chadar torn, the male accomplice being fined from Rs. 2 to 4 by the panchdyat"
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Bdwd^Belddr. 79
with great noise and howling, causing the game to gallop away until the line of stakes is reached, when scared by the coloured rags the animals glaoce aside and speed towards the apex, where a clear space appears with no visible obstacle hut some tufts of familiar grass. In attemptino- to clear these, some antelope are caught in the thongs and thrown violently to the ground, when their throats are cut.
Bawa, fern. Bawi (1), a title given to the male descendants of the first three Gurus of the Sikhs ; (2) a. fakir or sddhic; the head of an order of monks.
Bawah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Bawre, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Shdbpur.
Bazaz, (1) a cloth-dealer; (2) a section of the Aroras.
Bazid Khel, a section of the Jawaki Afridis found in Baizai, Kohdt.
Baziqar, /r. Pers. bdzi, ' play.' The Bdzigar is usually a Muhammadan the Nat a Hindu. Among the Bdzigar both sexes perform, but among Nats only the males. Some say the B^zigar is a tumbler and the Nat a rope-dancer, others that the former is a juggler and also an acrobat, the latter an acrobat only. In the Eastern Punjab the B^zigar is termed Bddi. See Nat.
In Ferozepur the Bdzigars have a shrine at Sadhaiwala, built in honour of an old woman who died not many years ago. Liquor is poured into a cup-shaped hole in this tomb and drunk. Weddings in families which affect this shrine are generally solemnised there. They have a Kd,ja, and his wife is H^ni. Both settle disputes without appeal and are almost worshipped, the latter being attended by a number of women who carry her long train. Bdzigar camps consist of reed huts pitched in regular lines. The 'caste' is said to be recruited from various castes, even Brahmans and Jats, but each sub-division is endogamous. The Bdzigara are in fact only an occupation- al group.
Bed,* a section of the Muhidls.
BEDA,t (1) a musician caste inLad^kh : see Ind. Art. 1901, p. 330 ; (2) the caste which supplies the potential victim who rides on the rope at the Bihunda sacrifices in the Upper Sutlej valley : see North Indian Notes and Queries y IV, § 144.
Bedi, fem. Bedan [i.q., vedi), a section of the Khatrf caste to which Guru Ndnak, the founder of Sikhism, belonged. It is divided into two sub- sections, which intermarry.
Begeke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery, Bkokb a sept of the Joiyas in Bahd,walpur.
BELDAR,/r. helj mattock. One who works in mortar, etc., with a hoe or a spade, a labourer whose work is to dig or delve. In the Western Punjab the term is applied to the Od, q. v.
* The Sanskrit atnbas7if/»d or vaidyd 'vulg. laidya, bed), a professor of medicine ^begotten by a Brahman on a Vais} a woman. (Colebrooke's Essays, p. i!72). "
f In Traill's Statistical Account of Eumaon (reprinted from Asiatick Researches Vol XVI in uffirial Reportx on the Province of Kumaon, 1878) at p. 51 an account is given of the propitiatory festivals held in villages dedicated to Mah^deva. At these badii^ or rope- dancers are engaged to perform on the tight-rope or slide down an inclined rope stretched from the eniDmit of a cliff to the valley beneath. The iadis do not appear to be a caete
80 Benach'^Bhabra.
Bknach, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Be-nawa (?ba-nawa) (1) a doubtful syn. for he-shara: (2)— or Bd-nawd,* according^ to Mr. Maclagan one of the most prominent of the Be-sliara or unorthodox orders of IsMm, and said to be followers of one Khwdja Hasan Basri. The term is sometimes apparently applied in a loose manner to Qddiri and Chishti faqirs, but it is properly applicable only to a very inferior set of beggars — men who wear patched garments and live apart. They will beg for anything except food, and in begging they will use the strongest language ; and the stronger the language, the more pleased are the persons from whom they beg. Many of the offensive names borne by villages in the Gujrdnwala District are attributed to mendicants of this order, who have been denied an alms. The proper course is to meet a Be-nawd beggar with gibes and put him on his mettle ; for he prides himself on his power of repartee, and every Be-nawd wears a thong of leather which he has to unloose when beaten in reply, and it is a source of great shame for him to unloose this thong [tasma khol dend). The Be-nawds appear to be rare in the west of the Punjab, and those in our returns are mainly from Karnal, Julluudur, LudhidiUa and Hoshi^rpur.
Bkeag, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Be-shara, a term applied to the irregular or unorthodox orders of laMm whose followers, while calling themselves Musalm^ns, do not accom- modate their lives to the principles of any religious creed : c/. dzdd. The Be-shara orders include the Be-nawd, Gurzmar, Maddri and Rasul- shdhis.
Beskd, s.m. (K.), the watchman of harvested grain.
Beta (incorrectly BATiA),a small outcaste group found in Spiti, correspond- ing to the Hesis of Kuliu. They live by begging, making whips for the men and bracelets of shell for the wot&en, arfd attending weddings as musicians along with the blacksmiths. Blacksmiths do not eat with them or take their women as wives. Merely to drink water out of an- other man's vessel conveys no pollution in Spiti, and in the higher parts of the Spiti valley the hookah is also common to all : while in the lower parts Hesis are merely required to smoke from the bowl of the common pipe through a stem provided by themselves.
Betu, the synonym for Ddgi {q.v.) used in the Sar^j tahsil of Kullu. Bethi, a Sayyid clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Bhabha, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn : a sept of the Samwas in Bah^walpur.
Bhabra, fem.Bhdbri,a caste of the Jainis, chiefly engaged in trade. The term Bhd,br4 appears to be of great antiquity, being found in an inscription of Asoka. The name is now fancifully derived from Bhaobhala, * one of good intent,'t but in Jullundur the Bliabr^s attribute their name to their refusal to wear the janeo at the instance of one Bir Sw^mi, who thereupon declared that their faith (bhu) was great. The term BMbra however appears to be used by outsiders of any Bani^s, especially of the Oswals and ochers whose home is in Rajputd.na, whether they
* Be-nawa can be the only correct form, meaning " without the necessaries of life, '' a a mendicant.
+ Bhao, motive, hbala, good
^/
^'il^ « -u ^ tT*.
\
^ C-Z 9
***• *■ ^ Ji
Hie Bhdbra groups.
81
are Jains by religion or not. This would appear to be the casein Rawalpindi, an'l in Siisa the Sikh immigrants from Paliala certainly call the Oswal B^nias Bhabras.
The Bhdbrds of Hoshidrpur are an interesting community. As a caste they have two groups, each comprising various gots or als, viz. : —
Group I. — Oswals. Gots.
Bhabhii.
Nahar.
Gadhia.
Mahmia.
Duggar.
Liga.
Lohra.
Seoni.
Tattar.
Barar.
Geodp II. — Khanderwals.
Ranke.
Karnatak,
Baid.
Bhanddri.
Chatar.
Gots.
Bhaursa. Sethi.
Seoni. Bhangeri.
The Osw^l came originally from Osia in Jaipur, the Khanderw^l from Khandela in Jodhpur. As to the origin of the got names, Mahmia or Maimia is derived from Mahm, the Down in Rohtak, and was originally called Dhariwal. Seoni (which occurs in both the gcoups) is a Khatri clan. The Liga (who perform the first tonsure, or mimdan, at home) came from Sultd-npur, in Kapurthala : the Tandw^i, of Tanda (? in Hosbiarpur) are an al of the Bhabhus, formed only a 100 years ago and not yet a got. The Nahar or ' lions ' once drank the milk of a lioness and hail from Jaipur. The Gadhia are called Churria in R^jputdoa. Most Bhabras cut their boys' hair for the first time at Dadi Kothi (now called Kangar Kothi), their temple near Jaijon. Most of the Hoshid-rpup Bhd,br^s are Oswals, of the Bhabhu and Nahar, those of Balachaur being Gadhia and Naha.r by got. Some Bhabras respect Brahmans and employ them on social occasions, at weddings and funerals, and for the shradhs, though the Jain tenets forbid the shrddh observances. The Khanderwals alone appear to wear the janeo. In Jind the Jains are said to be recruited, from the Aggarwal,* Oswal, Srimal, and Khandelwal Bdnias, but the last three are also styled Bhabrds— whether Jains or not. Jain Aggarwdls are said to intermarry with the Yaishnava Aggarwals in that vState but not in Karndl. Another account from Jind states that the Oswdl are bisa, i. e., of pure descent, while the Srimal are only dasa, i. e.,t of impure descent, and that these two groups do not in- termarry. The Oswal are also stated to avoid only the paternal got
* An account of rather doubtful authority makes the Oswals and Khandelwala only ' Bbaos,' the Bagri form of hhd{, ' brother ' — and derives Bhdbra from bhdo — because Parasnath was an Oswal of the ruling family of Osnagar. It makea the Aggarwalaa Saraogis, i.e., sikha or disciplea. Each group ia said to be endogamoua, i. c, Bhabfia do not intermarry with Sar^ogia.
t Another account says that both Oswil and Srimal contaia hisa and dasa claases, the dasa being in a minority in both groups-
82 Bhachar — Bhagti.
in marriage, while tlie Srimal observe the ionx-got rule. On the other hand the BMbras of Nabha are said to have two sub-castes : Oswd,l, who observe the four-grot rule, and Kundewal (? Khandelwd,!), who avoid only the paternal got in marriage.* And again in Maler Kotla the * Bh^br^s or Oswd,ls ' are said to avoid two gois. The Jain Bhdbrd,s are strictly monogamous, a second wife not being permitted during the life-time of the first under any circumstances. t For further information regarding the Aggarwdl, Oswal, etc., see Bania, and for the Jain sectarian divisions see Jain.
Bhachar, a Khokhar clan (agricultural) found in ^hahpur.
Bhadah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n,
Bhaddar, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Bfadiar, a tribe of Jats, in Sid^lkot, which claims Solar Rajput origin and is descended from its eponym. Atu, 7th in descent from him, came from Ajudhia and took service under the R.ajas of Jammu.
Bhadko, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Montgomery.
Bhagar, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Bhagat Bhagwan. See under Udasi.
Bhagat, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Bhagat-panthi. — A sect of the Nanak-panthis which appears to be quite distinct from the Bhagtis or followers of Bdba Suraj of Chd,ha Bhagtdi in the Kahiita tahsil of Rawalpindi. It is found in the Bannu District, in Pah^rpur, and in tahsil Dera Ismail Khan. Though they reverence the Granth, the Nanak-panthis observe the usual Hindu ceremonies at marriao-e or death, but the Bhagat-panthis do not. They take the Granth to their houses, and read certain portions of it at weddings. Marriage and betrothal ceremonies may be performed at a dharmsdla, or the marriage may be celebrated by taking the Granth to the house and there reciting portions of it. No funeral rites are performed and the dead are buried, not burnt. Passages from the Granth are read for a few days after the death. And on occasions of marriage or death Jcardh imrshdd is distributed. There is no rule of chhiit or * touch,' forbidding contact with other castes. The sect makes no pilgrimages, avoids idolatry, and performs no shrddh for the dead. Daily worship is an essential duty and consists in recitations of the Granth at six stated hours of the day, viz., before sunrise, before noon, afternoon, before sunset, in the evening and at night. At worship they sit down eight times, rising eight times and making eight prostrations. This sect thus strives after pure Sikhism and freedom from Brahminical supremacy.
Bhaggo, a sub-division of Jats.
Bhagti, a Gosain sub-sect or order, said to have been founded by Kanshi Ram, a brother of Saindas. The latter was a Brahman Bairdgi whose son Ramdnand has a shrine, well-known in and about the Gujrd,nwal^ District, at Baddoke. His sect has many followers among the more respectable Khatris and Brahmans of Lahore and its neighbourhood.
* Till recently the Oswal of the Punjab avoided two gots in marriage, and the Dhundias among them still do so, but in 1908 a great asseciblage of the Pujeias resolved that only the paternal gob need be avoided.
+ This is however said to be merely a counsel of perfection.
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Bhagiid — Bhango. 83
Bhagtia, a musician who accompanies dancing boys.
Bhains, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhainsyi, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhajoka, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur. ^
Bhakhri ; see Bakhri. ^'zy'
Bhakral, one of the group of tribes whicl/ hold considerable areas in the soutli-east of the Rtlwalpindi District. The Hliakral are also found in some numbers in Jhelura and Gujrat. Like the Budhal they probably came from the Jammu territory across the Jfielum. They do not approve oF widow marriage. A laige number of the tribe also return themselves as Pun war in Hi1,wal()indi, and the tribe may be classed as Hajput.
Bhakri; a Sayyid clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Bhalar, a Jd,t claa (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Bhalerah, a Jat cJ^n (agricultnral) found in Multdn.
Bhalka, a sept of the Baloch in Sindh, Bahdwalpur, and Dera Ghdzi Khan said to be addicted to robbery.
Bhallowana, an agricultural clan found in Shd,hpur.
Bhaman, a Jilt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhamrai, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhamye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhand, Bhand. — The Bhand or Naqqd,l is the story-teller, joker, and buSoon, and is often also called Bd^sha. The name comes from the Hindi bhdnda "buffooning.^' He is separate from, and of a lower professional status than, the Bahrupia. Beth are commonly kept by Rajds* and other wealthy men like the jester of the early English noble, but both also wander about the couutry and perform to street audiences. The Bhd,nd is not a tiue caste any more than the Bahrupia, and is probably often a Miidsi by caste. Elliott seems to imply that Bahrupia is a caste and Bhd,nil an occupation j but the former statement is certainly not true in the Punjab.
Bhandar, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhandela, a minor caste found in Sirmur, and cn'respouding to the Sikligar of the plains. 'J'hey appear to have come from Marw^r in the Mughal times and retain their peculiar speech and intonation. Sikhs by religion, they are dealers in arms, etc , by occupation, and are said to be much given to crime.
Bhander, a Jat clan (agricultural) foun 1 in Amritsar.
Bhanggi, fern. Bhanggan (also a woman who drinks bhang). A man of the sweeper caste : also a man belonging to the Bhanggi misl.
Bhangqia, fern. Bhanggeban, a dealer in bhang.
Bhango, a tribe of Jd,ts found in Sialkot which claims Solar Riijput ancestry and is descended from its eponym, who came from Nepal. Also found in Amritsar (agricultural) ; and in Montgomery as a Hindu Jclt clan (agricultural).
* Kadeh Bhand, known as Kidir Bakhsh. was a famous Bhand, who peed to go frcpi one court to another. The Maharaja of Pati^la gave him a village.
84 Bhangu-^Bhardi.
BnANGtJ, Bliang^ij,* a J^t tribe which does not claim Rdjput origin. The Bhangu and Nol were among the earliest inhabitants of the Jhang District and held the country about Shorkot, the Nol holding that round Jhang itself before the advent of the Sid,ls, by whom both tribes were overthrown. Probably the same as the Bhango, supra.
Bhaniwal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhanjra, a synonym for Dumna in the lower hills of Hoshidrpnr and Gurddspur. He makes sieves, winnowing fans and other articles of grass and bamboo. Like the Sansois, Sarials and Daolis, the Bhanjr^s may be regarded as an occupational group cf the Dumnds, with whom they intermarry.
Bhanot, a Rajput clan which occupies a hdrah or 12 villages immediately north of Garhshankar round Padrawa, S^lempur and Posi. The name is fancifully derived from Imi, because they once dwelt in the hanot or shadow of the ha7i or forests of the Siwdliks, and they are said to have come from Bhatpur, a village close to that range not now held by them. They appear to have been an al of the Ndrua.
Bhaneanaye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhanrae, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bhanwala, a small J^t clan in Jind, whose jather a is a Gosain.
BhAo, a sept of Raorhbansi Rajputs, found in Gujrat, immigrants from Ajudhia into Jammu and thence into the Gujrd.t sub-montane. The name, which perhaps suggests a Rdjputana origin, is said to be derived from the fear (bhao) which the tribe inspired : but others say the Bhao were free-booters and hence earned the title.
The Bhao rank high, and they, the Manhas and Jural, greet one another ' Jai deo. ' They also intei marry with the Chibhs of Kadhdle and Ambariala; but not with the rest of that tribe, owing to an ancient feud. The first tonsure is performed at Kilit, a place in Samrdla, in Jammu territory.
Bhar, a Jd.t clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Bhaeah, Bhaeah, two Jat clans (agricultural) found in Multd,n : (possibly one and the same).
Bhaeais— The Bhardis who are scattered throughout these Provinces are also known as Pirhain,t a name which is explained thus: —
(i) One Bukan Jdt was a devotee of Sakhi Sarwar who one day said to him twjhe piri di, *the saint's mouth has fallen on thee,^ whence the name Pirhai.
(m) Another account says that after leaving Dhaunkal, Sakhi Say y id Ahmad went to Multdn and rested for a while at Parahin, a place south of Shd,hkot, which was the home of his mother's ancestors, Rihan Jdts by caste. At Multan an Afghan chief had a daughter to whose hand many of the Shiihkot youths aspired, but none were deemed
* The Panjahi Diciy. gives Bhangias {sic) as ' an original tribe (M ).' t The form Pirhain is said to be in use in Saharanpur. The word pariah is also said to mean drummer and is possibly connected with Bharai - Crooke : Thinc/s Indian
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Bhardi traductions. 85
worthy. One day, however, the Afghdn invited Sayyid Ahmad to a feast and begged hira to accept his daughter in marriage. This offer the saint accepted, and the sihra below, wliich wrs composed on this occasion, is still sung wirh great reverence. The mirdsi, however, neglected to attend the wedding punctually, and when he did appear, rejected the saint's present of a piece of blue cloth, 1^ yards in length, at the instigation of the Jjits and Pathans, saying it was of no use to him. Hearing this the , Sayyid gave it to Shaikh Buddha, a Jdt who had been brought up with him, saying : "This is a bindi (badge), tie it round your head, and beat a drum. We need no mirdsi, and when yon are in any difficulty remember me in these words : — Daimji Rabdia saicdria, bohar Kali Kakki-wdlia — Help me in time of trouble, thou owner of Kd,li Kakki ! You and your descendants have come under cur protection, pandh, and you shall be called ijandhi.^' This term became corrupted into Parahin in time. Thus the account contradicts itself, as the name is said to be derived from Parahin, a place.
The term Bhar^i itself is usually derived from chauhi bharnd, lit. 'to keep a vigil,' in which are sung praises of the Sakhi. But another and less simple account says that owing to his marriage Sayyid Ahmad incurred the enmity of the Jdts and Pathd,ns of Shdhkot and left that place for Afghauistd,n, accompanied by Bibi Bai, Rd,nd, Mian, and his younger brother. Twenty-five miles from Dera Ghazi Khd,n they halted. No water was to be found, so the Sayyid mounted his mare Kali Kakki and at every step she took water came up. His pursuers, however, were close at hand, and when they overtook him the Sakhi was slain, and buried where he fell. The spot is known as Nigaha and still abounds in springs.
Years after Isa, a merchant of Bokhara, and a devotee of Sakhi Sarwar, was voyaging in the Indian Ocean Avhen a storm arose. Isd invoked the saint's aid and saved the ship. On landing he journeyed to Multdn where he learnt that the saint had been killed. On reaching Nigd/ha he found no traces of his tomb, but no fire could be kindled on the spot, and in the morning as they loaded the camels their legs broke. Sakhi Sarwar descended from the hill on his mare, holding a spear in his hand, and warned the merchant that he had desecrated his tomb and must rebuild it at a cost of 1^ lakhs. He was then to bring a blind man, a leper, and an eunuch"^ from Bokhdra and entrust its supervision to them. One day when the blind man stumbled near the tomb he saved himself by clutching at some kahi grass where- upon his sight was restored and his descendants are still known as the Kahi. 'I'he eunuch was also cured and his descendants are called Shaikh. The leper too recovered, and his descendants, the Kalang, are still found in Nigahii. To commemorate their cures all three beat a drum, and Sakhi Sarwar appeared to them, saying ; *' He who is my follower will ever beat the drum and remain barahi,f ' sound,' nor will he ever lack anything." Hence the pilgrims to Nigdhd became known as Bhardin.
* For eimuchs as attendants at shrines see Burton's Pilgrimage to Medina and Mecca Vol. I, p. 371.
tCf. Bhara in the phrase raho hnra bhara, ' remain green and prosperous or fruitful ' y., p. 430.
86 Bhardi — Bharhhunja.
Strictly speaking the Bliarais do not form a caste, but an occu- pational group or spiritual brotherhood which comprises men of many castes, Dogar, Habri, Uawat, Dum, Rajput, Mochi, Gujar, Tarkhdn and last, but not least, Jdt. They belong to the Muhammadan religion, but in marriage they follow the Hindu customs. Thus a Jd,t Bhar^i may only uiarry a Jat woman, and in Kangra, it is said, she too must be a Bhardi. In Ambfila, however, a Bharai may marry any Jdtni, and in Kapurthala it is said that, being Muhammadans, marriao-e within the got is permitted, and tliat; Hd,jput Bliarais may take wives from Jilt Bhaidis. There appears indeed to be no absolute or even general rule, but the tendency apparently is for the Bhardis recruited from any one caste to form a separat'^ caste of Bharais, marrying only in that caste, e.g., in Ludhidna the Jdt Bhardi only marries a Bhar^i Jdtni, and the gots avoided are the same as among the Jdts. The Jdt Bhardis are numerous. They claim descent from one Gdrba Jat, a Hindu attendant at Saklii Sarwar's shrine, who was in a dream bidden by the saint to embrace Isldm. On conversion he was called Shaikh Gdrba. The Jdt Bhardis have several gots: — Dhillon, Deo, Rewal Garewdl, Mdn, Randhdwa, J ham, Karhi and Badecha.
Marriage Doicer. — The amount of mehr, given according to Muham- madan Law to the wife by the husbar.d, never exceeds Hs. 32-6 ; while the minimum dowry given to the bride by her father consists of Rs. 21 in cash and 5 copper vessels.
Insignia. — The Bhardi's insignia are a driun {dliol), beaten with a curiously-shaped stick, like a short crook ; a wallet {khallar) hung round the neok by a string. The stick and khallar are peculiar to the Hhardis. The standard of the Pirhais is a fringe [jagddhri) of tassels on a long pole. These fringes are presented by women as thank- offerings for the birth of sons and at weddings. They are supposed to be tied round the forehead of the saint as they would be tied on a bridegroom's forehead.
Food. — It is f^aid that in many places Bhardis eat only goat's flesh, and that leprosy would aflflict him who ate any other kind of flesh. But this restriction is certainly not universal. Beef is avoided, because, it is said, the Bhardis have many Hindu votaries.
Bharal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Bbaranch, a smallJat clan in Jind who have the same Sidh as the Kale
{q. v.). Bharat, a tribe, which gives daughters to the Jalaps, found in Jhelum. Bhae BHONCHr, a class of Jogis who charm away scorpion stings.
Bharbhijnjas— B/iar&/ii'»iya, lit. one who roasts grain in an oven — form an occupational caste comprising only 4 got^^, viz. : —
1. Jadubansi ,. (an Ahir got).
2. Bhatndgar) ,. -c^- ,-, ..
3. Saksain" f ••• (t^^o Kayath sro^.).
4. Bdsdeo* ... ... (a Brahman groi).
* Basdeo, father of Krishna, appears to have been worshipped by the Ahfra also.
XI /^^
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Bhafhhunija groups. 87
As the gots are so few, only one got is avoided in marriage, but the caste is said to be strictly endogamous in Pati^la, and outsiders'aro never admitted into t)ie caste.
By religion Bharbliunjas are both Hindus and Muhanimndans. Like other Hindus the former invoke Sada 8hiva when commencing work, as the shop is regarded as his thard (platform). Subha.i, another deota, is also worshipped at weddings, sherbet and some copper pice being offered him, tmd cooked food distributed in liis name.
A Bharbhunja wife may not wear glass bangles or blue clothes or a nose-ring {lauvg).
Bharbliunjas only make harts at weddings; and only eat food cooked by Brahinans. They wear the janeo, but permit karewa, the husband's brother's claims being recognised. /I'hey preserve an old system of local jianchdyats, with hereditary chaudhris, in which all caste disputes are settled. At weddings, etc., the chaudhri gives the lag and receives li shares in the hhaji. Bharbhunjas mostly pursue their creed and calling, but some take to service. In appearance they are dark and under-sized.
In the N^bha State the Bharbhunjas have two occupational groups, the Dhankuta or " rice-huskers " (from dhdn, ricp, and kutnd) and the Malld,hs or boatmen. Thesp two groups do not intermarry, or drink togefclier, but they smoke from the same hxiqah with a different mouth- piece. The Malldhs use a large spoon, the Dhankutas a sharp crooked instrument, in parching gram. Both groups are found in the Bd,vval Niz^mat of this State. In the Phul and Amloh Nizdmats the Kd,yasths, a sub-group of the former, claim origin from tliat caste, audit is said : — Pa^hgiya jo Kdyastha, ivarnd bhatti jhokan Id'iq : 'He who acquires knowledge is a Kayastha, otherwise he is only fit to parch grain.' Hence many Kayasths have joined the Bharbhunja caste. In Bd,wal the Bharbhunja gots are named from the place of origin, e.g., Mandauria, from Mandaur in Alwar, and Chhatagia from Chh^tag. Elsewhere their gots are JMu-bansi, Cbandar-bansi, (claiming l^djput origin) Bhatnagar and Chandan Katar, and of these the Bhatnagar again suggests Kdyasth affinities. The caste is endogamous, and four gots are avoided in marriage, but widow marriage is said to be only allowed in Bawal. Jats, Gujars and Ahirs take water from a Bharbhunja's hands, but Bdnias, Khatris and Brahmans will only take fresh water brought by him, not from one of his vessels. The gurus of the Bharbhunjas are always Brahmans and perform the phera. Their women wear no nose-ring, its use having been prohibited by a sati in each group. The Bharbhunjas of Baiwal affect the cult of Bhairon, to whom the Mallahs of Agra used to marry their daughters. Tradition says that the god once saved a boat from sinking and thenceforward the family married one of their girls to the god and left her at his shrine where she survived for less than a year. But now only a doll of dough is formally married to the god. Other Bharbhunjas also reverence Bhairon, and their guru is Subh^n Sahib, whose shrine is in a town to the east. He is worshipped on the hhdi duj dnj in Katik. The Bbarbhunjas of Phul and Amloh have a pecuhar form of be- trothal contract. The bride's father goes to the bridegroom's and gives him 4 Mansuri pice, and the latter gives him twice as much in
^S JBharech — Bhargava Dhusar.
return. This is called paua hatdnd or exchange of presents, and the contract is then said to be irrevocable. If any one violates it without reasonable cause he is excomiDunicated by the chaudhris, but may be re-adtnitted on payment of a fine which is spent for the benefit of the brotherhood. All the Bharbhunjas, except those of Bdwal, wear the janeo. If a traveller or a wedding party of Bharbhunjas halts in any village the Bharbhunjas there are bound to entertain the whole party, otherwise they are excommunicated.'^
The Bharbhunja in Delhi claim to be Jaiswdl Edjputs, and have three gots, Jaiswil (the highest), Kherwii and Td,jupuria, which all intermarry and smoke and eat togethei'. Each village has a chaudhri and of two chaudhris one is called chaukrdt. The chaudhri can only act with the advice of t\vQvanchdyat. Each chaukrdt has what is called the * half pagrl ' and each chaudhri the ' full pagrL' The chaudhri has jurisdiction over petty disputes within the caste. Fines ranging from Re. 1 to Rs. 100 are levied and the smaller sums spent on feast, while larger fines are expended on such public objects as guest-houses. Each chaudhri and chaukrdt gets double hhdji at weddings.
Bhakech, (Barech more correctly), one of the branches of the Pathans.
From it was descended the family of the Naw^bs of Jhajjar which was
called Bahidurwati after the name of Bahadur Khan, one of its members.
The State of Bah^dargarh (Dadri) also belonged' to this family. Bharera, a term said to mean silver-smith, in the Simla Hills. The
Bliareras intermarry with the Lohdrs. Bhaegava DeusAR, Dhunsar, a sub-division of the Gaur Brahmans, now
mainly employed in trade or as clerks. They give themselves the
following pedigree : —
BRAHMA.
Bhrigu X Paloma Raja Sarjaiti, a Kehatrij-a.
I I
Chiman rishi x Cukanya.
!
Pramata rishi x GhartacU. Aurab Raja Gadh, a Kshatriya.
I I i
Ruru X Parmadabra. Rachik x ?atwati Raja Parsainjat.
) II
Sonak. Jamdagnya X Ranuka.
I Parasurama.
All the descendants of Bhrigu and Chiman were called Chimanbansi Bhargavas, and as Chiman the rishi used to perform his devotions at the hill of Arahak, near Rowdri in Gurgaon, which is now called Dhosi, those of his descendants who settled in that locality became known as Dhusars. Chiman rishihsis an ancient temple on this hill and a new one was built in recent years. Adjoining these temples is a tank, the Chandrakup. The Dhijsars have the following seven groups or gotras : —
* Popular legend distorts this descent in a curious way. It says that once Chaman, a Brahman of Narnaul, took as his mistress a woman of menial caste, who bore him 7 sons and as many daughters. When asked to marry them he bade them appear on an amdAvaa with a cow and made each touch its different parts : so one touched its tail {puchal) and foimded the Puchalar gotra ; another its horns {sing) and founded the Singlas gofra, and soon. Each gotra has five panvaras, except the Kashib which has three or occasionally seven. The Kashibs are thus known as triparwaras or saptparwaras and the other gotras as p'^^ichpanvaras.
Bhargava Dkusar history.
89
The Dhusars affect the Yaj-ur Veda, the Mad3'andaDi sakha and the Katj'ani sutraj and invariably wear the sacred thread. Only the Brahma form of marriage is tolerated among them and in the choice of a bride the ffotra and worshippers of the same kulJevi (family goddess) are avoided. Widows never remarry.
The Bhargava Dhusars claim to have given a long list of parohits and ministers to Hindu kings, from Chanda Bhargava who officiated at the sarp yng or serpent sacrifice originated by Rfija JamaijayatoHemu Shah, the Baqqal of Rewari, who revolted against Akbar, as the following table shows :—
BHARGAVA. PAROHITS AND MINISTERS TO HINDU KINGS.
|
Name of parohit and |
King. |
Yudhisterian |
Samvat Bik- |
Christian |
|
minister. |
era. |
ram. |
era. |
|
|
Sanapat Bhargava 1 |
Sayanak |
1429 |
||
|
Mahipat Bhargava 1 |
to |
to |
||
|
1 Siravidat Bhargava and |
Suraj Sain |
1800 |
||
|
their descendants. |
||||
|
Jag Naraia Bhargava and |
Birshah to |
1800 to |
||
|
his descendants |
Padhmal |
2251 |
||
|
Samdat Bhargava and |
Murar Singh to |
2319 to |
||
|
his descendants |
Jit Mai |
2503 |
||
|
Jai Narain Bhargava and |
Pal Singh to |
2532 to |
||
|
his descendants |
Bhagwant Kohi |
... 3097 |
||
|
Sundarpal Bhargava ... |
Raja Bir Bikramajit ... |
... 3110 |
||
|
Indarpil Bhargava and |
Samandarpal Jogi to ... |
135 to |
||
|
his descendants |
Bikrampal |
355 |
298 A. D. |
|
|
Jaideva Bhargava and |
TilokChandto |
367 to |
310 to |
|
|
his descendants |
Kuar Sain |
574 |
517 |
|
|
Indroman Bhargava and |
Hari Sain to |
|
579 to |
522 to |
|
his descendants |
Jaipal |
983 |
926 |
|
|
£heo Narain Bhargava and |
Kaurpal to |
|
1000 to |
943 to |
|
his descendants |
Pirthwi R«j |
|||
|
(Rai Pithora) |
1199 |
1141 |
90 Bharhir—Bhatia.
Bhirhi a tribe which claims descent from Gaur Brdhmans, and observes the same ceremonies as they do, but at a weddmg performs seven 2)hera8 instead of four. Work as sculptors, etc. (Found m Gurg^on).
Bhaeoi, fern. Bharoia, s. m. one who attends travellers at a hharo.
Bhaeth, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Bhaeth, a Rdjput sept found in Gujrdt, descended from their eponym.
Bharwal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Bhaewana, (1) a Muhammadan J at clan (agricultural) found in Mont- gomery ; (2) a clan of the Sidls, descended from Bhairo.
Bhairyae, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found iu Amritsar.
Bhat, see under Bhatt.
BflAfE, an Ardin and Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Amritsnr.
Bhati, see Bdhti.
Bhati, a Jat, Arain, Gujar and Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar, also a Jdt and Rajput clan found in MuMn.
Bhati, a tribe of Hindu Rajputs, chiefly interesting as being the ancestors of the Bhatti Rajputs and the SiDHtJ Barar Jd,ts, as the following table
shows : —
BHATI, BROTHER OF SUNRIJA.
!
r ^^,
Jaisal. Dusal.
Hindu BMtis. Junhir or Ji unra,
J
r i
Batera. Achal
I r )
, Sidhu Bar4r Barsi. Rajpal.
Jats. I I
Bhatti Rajputs. Wattn K4iputs.
[Fagan—Hissar Gazetteer, pp. 124, 127—129.]
Bhatia. — A caste originally from the country round Delhi but more recently
from Bhatner and the Rajputana desert, and claiming tobeRdjputs
of Yadubansi race, one branch of which became rulers of Jaisalmir
■while the other took to commercial pursuits. The name would seem
to show that they were Bhatis (Bhatti in the Punjab) ; but be that
as it may, their Rajput origin seems to be unquestioned. They are
numerous in Sind and Guzerat where they appear to form the leading
mercantile element, and to hold the place which the Aroras occupy
higher up the Indus. They have spread into the Punjab along the
lower vallpys of the Indus and Sutlej, and up the whole length of the
Cliendb as high as its debouchure into the plains, being indeed most
numerous in tSialk't and Gujrdt. In these Provinces however they
occupy an inferior position, both in a social and in a mercantile sense.
They stand distinctly below the Khatri and perhaps below the Arora,
and are for the most part engaged in petty shop-keeping, though the
Bhatias of Dera Isma'il Khan are described as belonging to a ' widely
spread and enterpj-ising mercantile community.' They are often
supposed to be Khatris, are very strict Hindus — iar more so than the
other trading classes of the Western Punj5,b-~eschewing meat and
liquor. They do not practise widow-marriage.
/^^^^, /..< . /^<Z.^'^, ^
The Bhdtia sections.
&i
The BMtia caste has 84* sections, called wwA;/i5, divided into two groups thus —
Grodp I. — Bari-
Sections.
Status
\
1. Babla
2. Dhagga ^ Dhdighar.
3. Anda )
4. BaJ^ha
5. Jdwa
6. Soni
Chdrghar.
8ection$.
7. Gandhi.
8. Chachra.
9. Chabak.
10. Kandal.
11. Ghanghal.
12. Kore.
Both Bald,ha and Jdwa claim to be chdrghar. All the above sections are of Bardghar status. It is hardly necessary to explain that dhdighar may not give daughters to any but dhdighar, though they may take from chdrghar and so on. A breach of this rule involves degrad- ation and hence the same section may be both dhdighar and chdrghar.
Group II. — Bunjahi, which comprises the remaining sectionsf such as Baila, Chotd,k, Dholia and Naida.
There are no territorial groups, but the orthodox idea among the old men is that daughters should be given to the Western Bhatids of Shd,hpur, Jhelum and Dera Isma'il Khan as they are of superior status to those in Gujrdt, while the Eastern Bhatiiis of Sidlkot and Gujrdnwdla are considered inferior and wives are taken from them.
It should, however, be noted that in Bahdwalpur these groups
appear to be unknown, but of the wSk sections given in the margin the
RaSha. Sijwala is the highest and the Rilla
Challhar. the lowest. The Bhdtids have a
Jilla. proverb ' dhan di wadi ai ' or
^ ••''• ' wealth is greatness.' In Bahawal-
pur, they live in large rectangular hawelis, each comprising 30 or 40 houses.
Sijwila. Gandhi.
Chachra
Wadoja. ra.
(Sip. \ An-Sip.
1. Rai G^jaria, fi'oin
2. Rao Haria, from Rai Hari Singh, a hliagat.
3. Rao Sapat, from S4pt4, a village of Mar war, the home of Bimi, a Bh4tf. The Bhatis of Sipta, were great devotees of Devi and as such held in great respect.
4. Rao Paral- sauna, ' the sept of the five heroes,' Jasaji, Rawalji, Nawal Singh, Jodhraj and Bfr Singh who fell bravely fighting in Jaisalmi'r. Bahadar 8ingh belonged to this nalih. —All the above nakhs affect Devf.
5. Rai Ramayi. Agai-raj, brother of Ram Chandar was a great bhagat who was ever repeating Rim's name.
6. Rai Padamsi, from Padamsi Bbitf who fell bravely fighting in battle. He had i a son Udhe Rai.
7. Rai Paleja, from Paleja a village, the home of Parma Bhatl, in Marwir.
8. Rai Ved (Waid), from Man Singh, son of Megh Raj Bhati who was skilled in waidak (physic) : all the Bhatis who joined him became Eai by Rept.
9. Rai Surya, from Sura Bhatf who fell in battle.
10. Rai Ditya, from DiSta a village, the home of Arjan Bh4tf, a hhagnt of Devi.
11. Rai Gokal Gandf, from Gokal Gindi of M ultin under whom served Nawal, son of Rawal Bhatl. R4wal fell in battle,
12. Rai G4da, from Gida Bh4ti, a bhagat of Hanuman.
13. Rai Nae Gandi, from Hegh Rij, son ofJodh Raj. Megh Ktij opened a shop at Bahawalpur, and was known as Niya G4ndi.
* An 85th is also named below.
t There \% also a lower ^roup called Gand, the oilsprin^ of Bbitiis married to Arora women or of widow remarriages. The Pushkama Brahman is their ■parohit^
92
The Bhdtia sections.
14. Rai Midia, from Medi a village, the home of Kumbha Bhati, who fell ia battle. He had a son Oga, who was a servant of Bahadar All, Nawab.
15. Rai Chhachia, from rhhe {six). Six families joined Desa Bhati.
16. Rai Bablla, from Bablla, son of Jodha Bhati, of Nigu village.
17. Rai Panchal, from Panchalpuri, the home of Rai Bhi'm.
18. Rai Gulgula, from Gulgula Bhiii who was killed in battle. He had a son Man Singh.
19. Rai Subra, from Subra, the name of a haithak* of Bhatls.
20. Eai Nagra, from Nagra, a village in Marwar.
21. Rai Saraki, from Nawal Saraki, the name of those who sided with Nawal Singht in a dispute about some custom which the Qazi decided in his favour.
22. Rai Soni, from Son a village, whose spokesman was Ratan Kai Bhati.
23. Rai Sopla, from Bhopat Singh Bhati.
24. Rai Jia, from Jia Bhati who display- ed great courage in the afmy.
25. Rai Mogia, from Mogia Rhati who fell fighting
26. Rai Dhadha, from Dhadhalu, a village of the Thati country.
27. Rai Rika, from Rika Bhati, who fell fighting. He had a son Gassa.
28. Rai Jidhan, from Jidhan Bhati, who was a great cultivator.
29. Rai Kothia, from Kothiar, a village.
30. Rai Kotha, from Kothapur, a village.
81. Rai Dhawan, from Dhawan Rai, who was famed for his generosity. He had a son Megha.
82. Rai Devla, from a famous Deval Bhati, who lived in the village of Ganth.
33. Rai Jia, from Jia CWdak, a cultivator, who lived in the Marwar Thati.
34. Rai Baura, from Baura, a village in the Thati.
35. Rai Dhage, from Dhaga Bhati, who fell bravely in battle.
36. Rai Kandhya, from Shuja Bh4ti, who though his forehead was split in the Jai- salmir war, yet his trunk fought on for a long while.
37. Eai Rathia, from R^thia Bhati, of Ratnar, a village in the Thati of Marwar, He was famous for his hospitality.
38. Rai Kajrid,, from Kajarya, a village towards Multin where Man Singh mukhia lived. He had seven sons, all called mulehias.
39. Rai Sijwala, who were proficient in archery.
40. Rai JabaU, from Jabala, a village in Sindh.
41. Rai Malan, from Malan, a family of Gogla village, whose members knew an- tidotes to poisons.
42. Rai Dhaba, from Dhaba muhhia of Rori village, who raised camels there.
43. Rai Uhiran, from Dhiran Bhati, who fell in battle. He had a son Udhe Rai.
44 Rai Bhagta, from Bhagtanand Bhati, who showed great valour in the Jaisalmir war.
45. Rai Bira, from Bira Bhnti, who showed great valour in battle. He was a bhagat of Devi.
46. Rai Thula, from Thula, a village of the Thati.
47. Rai Sodhaya, from Sodha, a caste, Singh Mai Bhati having married the daughter of a Sodhi Rijput.
48. Rai Biiri, from Bisra Bhati of Bakhar village.
49. Rai Miichha, from Arjan Bhati, who was nicknamed Arjan Muchha, as he had long moustaches. He was a bhagat of Jasra Devi, and wore the 5 kes.
50. Rai Tamboli, from Nanda and Niga, tainhoUs (betelnut-sellers). They were bhagats of Shiva.
51. RaiTh4kar.
52. Rai Bisnaw, from Bisanwant Bhati, who was a man of great good furtune. He had 4 sons. All the members of this family specially worshipped Ram Chandr and in one year 107 sons used to be born to it.
53. Rai Bhudria, from Bhudar, a Bhati.
54. Rai Indhar, from Indhar, a branch of the Bhatis.
55. Rai Dhadha I, from Dhadhala village, the home of Rama Bhati
56. Rai Beg Chandr, from Bega and Chan- da, Bhatis, who were customs collectors.
57. Rai Bipal, from Bipal, the residence of Kunbha and Kana, Bhatis.
58. Rai Potha, from the brothers Potha, Parm4 and Naga, Bhatis.
59. Rai Premla, from Prema and Parma, Bhati Rajputs of Rasa village.
60. Rai P-nrdhaga, from Puradh, a yag, performed by Kana and Kumbha, Bhatis, who were followers of Guru Mnak.
61. Rai Madhr4, from Madhra Bhati, a servant of a Kh4n at Multan, who gave much in alms.
62. Rai Pharas Gandi, from Pharas, the name of Jit4 Mai, Bhati, who had transac- tions with Maujiid Khan in Multan. He had perfumes, oil and aftar.
63. Rai Puri Gandi, from Pare, a Bhiii, performer of Raipul.
64 Rai Jujar Gandi from Jujar vUlage, the residence of A jit Singh and Ranphi, Bhitts, who sold perfumes.
65. Rai Panwar, from Panwar, a branch of the Bhatf.
66. Rai Prema Siij, from Prema and Suj4, the sons of Gondha, Bhatf.
67. Rai Raj4, from Raja, a village in Marwar.
* A room or building where male visitors are received.
tNot apparently the Nawal Singh of No. 11. This Nawal Singh was in the employ of one Qutb Khan,
Bhafidni^'Bhdtrd. d&
68. RaiParjia, fromParja, a caste. Rasan.l 78. Rai Nisat, from sat (juice) because
son of Bhfm Singh, Bhati, in a fight with robbers killed 100 of them, while on his side only two of his 5 sons and 6 Bh4tis fell.
69. Kai Kupwar, from Kapiira, a, Bhati, who attained a great age.
70. Rai Dhadar, from Dhadar, a village in the Punjab.
71. Kai Kartarya, from Kartaryi, the family name of one Kana Bhati.
72. Rai Gogla.
73. Rai Kukar, from Kukar, a village iji the Punjab.
74. Rai Multani, from Multan where Jod-u Rai, a Bhati clothier and his family lived.
75. Rai Cham uja, from Chamujn, a village-
76. Rai Dhiya, from Dhiya, a village.
77. Rai Karan Gota, from Kama, Bhdtf, who was called Kama after his gotar. Two of them, Mul Raj and Megh Raj, served with distinction under the Nawab of Bahawalpur.
Sam-un and Hamiin extracted juice from wheat and made lialwd of it.
79. Kai Udesi, from Udhe Hai, the elder son of Parma. Bhati. He had a hitter feud with his younger brother.
80. Rai Budhiya, Bhoj Kaj, Bhati, did Badh Pal's work, had camels and hired them.
81. Rai BaUi, from Balayakar, a village in the Pimjab which was the home of Bhan, son of Bhoj R4j.
82. Rai Pawar, from Pawri village, the home of Preman and Parmdn.
83. Rai Kina, from Kina (enmity). The family of Mbs4 destroyed their enemy.
84. Rai K4zia, from K4zi. Ir .Mai, Bhati, who worked as a clerk under a kdzi of Bahawalpur.
85. Rai Mota, from Moti, daughter of Narii Mai Sohana, a resident of Multan,
Bhatiani, a donkey owner in Dera Ghazi Khan, who also bakes bread while his womenfolk act as midwives. Said to be connected with the Kahdrs and Kumhdrs.
BHAfi-DAE, one on whom land is bestowed as hhdtt, i.e., a rent-free grant of land given to a Brahman oj- jdgir by a ruler.
BoATi Wad, a tribe of Jdts found in Sidlkot which claims Solar Rdjput descent and originated in Ajudhia whence its eponym migrated to Amritsnr, where it is also found as a Jat (agricultural) clan.
BHAT9.A. — Like the Mani^r, Banjdra and others the Bhdtrd, is a pedlar. He claims Brahman origin, and his traditions say that one Mddho Mai, a Brahman rishi, a singer and a poet, once loved and wedded Kd,m Kundala, a dancing gii-1. From this pair are descended the Madhwas or Bhdtras.* The latter word appears to be a diminutive of the Sanskrit bhatta, a bard. However this may be, a curious legend accounts for the Bh4trd,s' location in the Punidb and their conversion to Sikhism. Madho was born and died in Ceylon,T but in the reign of Babar, GuriJ N^nak visited that island, and there made a disciple of Changa Bha^ra, a descendant of Mddho. The Adi Granth records that 20 maunds of salt a day were required for Changa's numerous followers, many of whom were converted to Sikhism and followed Guru Nd,nak back to India.
The M^dhwd,'', however, did not at first settle in the Punjab. Originally they were to be found chiefly in the Dadra Dos, along the banks of the Ganges in the Bijnor District of the United •Provinces, whero many of them are hanjdras or pedlars by trade, some hawking cheap ornamButs for women, others so-called Vedic medicines.! Thence they migrated into Hoshi^rpur and Si4lkot, but
♦ This tradition is said to be preserved in the Mahabharata and Singh 4 san Batisi. In a j)ttri/;a7ia of Mahi^rnja Ranji't Singh of 7th Asauj, 1866 Sambat, and now in the possession of a Bhatra of Dhariwil, the Madhwas w^ere exempted from the grazing tax.
t A Sikh temple, known as Dera Baba, was built in Ceylon to the Guru's memory at the Madhw4s' original home.
± Gullible patients are made to sign bonds for Ra. 50 or so, as the Bhitra's feo» if tney recover.
§4 The Mdt or Bhatt
they are now to be found in the great towns and places of pilgrim- age all over India. In Hoshiarpur theBhdtr^s are virtually all Sikhs (though children under 12 have their heads shaved) and here they pose as magicians, foretelling the future by gazing into a cup of oil. Thence they mainly frequent the K^ngra District. In Sialkot a moiety are true Sikhs, obssrving all the Sikh customs, and often posing as gurus, Akd^lis or Nihangs when on their wanderings.* They prey on the credulity of the people by astrology. The other moiety are jatadhdris, but smoke, and generally assume the characteristic garb of the Udasis, pretending to be emissaries of certain temples and col- lecting subscriptions for them. After the Diwdli the Bhdtrds set out on their tours, returning at the commencement of the rainy season. They travel in gangs generally of half-a-dozen or so, and the Sikhs are occasionally accompanied by their wives and daughters, for whose marriages they collect subscriptions. Various forms of swindling are practised by them and they earn large sums which they promptly squander on drink and gambling. Besides hawking small hardware for sale they pierce children's noses and ears for rings,t Hke the Ramdiya of the eastern districts.
The Bhdtrds' claim to Brahminical origin is borne out by the fact that they wear the janeo and tilak, and even at eclipses receive certain offerings, while standing in water, from each and every caste. They also practise palmistry {rekha). Other castes call them harar- popo or Thags, and the higher Brahman groups disown them. Probably they are a branch of the Pakauts.
The Bhdtras have 22 gots, of which 13 are found in Sialkot, viz. ;—
Bhains. Gaml. Kasba. Lohi.
Bhattf. Gojra. Lande. Rithor.
Bhotiwil. Kag. Lar, Rod.
Digwa. Bhatt, fem. Bhatten, Bhattni, Bhdtni, Bhatani : dim. Bhatetd, : fem. Bhateti, the son or daughter of a Bhatt : also, contemptuously, any one of that caste. The Panid,bi form is Bhatt, but it is very commonly pronounced Bh^, especially in the Hills.
The organisation of the Hindu Bh^ts almost baffles descriptioD, so fluid are its intricacies.
In Hissar are found two sub-castes, Brahm and a few Rdj. The former are clients of the Mahdjanpt, performing certain functions for them at weddings, &c.§ ; they wear the janeo, avoid widow marriage, and only eat food cooked by a Gaur Brahman ||, while the Rdj are land- holders and cultivators, receiving dues at Jdt weddings.
The Brahm, Brahma or Brahmi Bhdts are very widely spread, and always appear to stand higher than the other sub-castes or groups, which vary from place to place. Thus in Rolitak the other groups are
* Recently, however, some of them have taken to disguising themselves as Bairagi sddMs. Others, of Daska, make an indelible mark on their necks and call themselves Hosaiai Brahmans, collecting alms from Muhammadans.
t See p. 268 of Punjab Manufactures for the implements used.
% And also of the Brahmans in Rohtak.
§ They sing kabits in public when the bridegroom first sets out for his father-ili-law's house, receiving a rupee as then* fee on this occasion and also at the kdj of an old man.
II Or Aggarwal Mahajans in Bobtak.
The Bhdt groups. 95
three in number, viz., Japrg^ or Tappawd,r,* Ch^rant, and a fourth class, to which belonged Udd, Bh^t.J The Jagg^s comprise the BLaria, Roria, SbakkarwdU, Solanki and other gots.
In Gurg^on on the other hand the Bh^t or Rai, as he is called, is de- scribed as a Mir^si, and is divided into four clas6es§ ; —
y ( 1. Brahm Rai, Bhdts of the Brahmans.
X 2. Bero (^Baro) Rai, of the Rajputs.
jj f 3. R5.J Hai, who eat fiesh and drink liquor.
(4. Jag^, or genealogists : of whom I is superior to II.||
The Brahm group then extends right across the south of the Punjab into Mult^n, Dera Ghdzi KhSn, Dera Isma'il, Mi^nwdli and even Bannu • the group below them being called K^timar.^H
On the other hand in Multd,n the Brahm Bhd,t8 are said to be divided into four classes : —
Chandi Dds. I Mahal.
Jangd Bhambd,. | Sutrak.
This group is also called Vateshar and regards itself as Bahrf or superior, while the Bunjd,his, who are not recognised as Brahm Bhd,ts comprise the following gfois : —
Dehi Palsihar. Shenor. Sipal. Sugerlu.
Agan-hotrl.^* Lakhnauri.
Chandan. Manjhor.
Dharor. Palsihar.
Ghanghar.** Pali Palsihar. Guru Dat.
The real grouping in MuUin however appears to be into four func- tional groups, viz. : —
1. Brahm, eulogists and genealogists.
2. Vartishar, who live upon dues payable at weddings and funerals for their services. At weddings they summon the brotherhood, and so on. At deaths they notify its members, and also procure certain
*Jaggi, so called because they rise early and seated on their patron's roof recite hi <! genealogy. Tappawar is not explained.
t Charan, a wanderer, pilgrim : singer, dancer : Platts, sub voce.
I But another account says the Bhats include the following classes -—Brahm (the onlv one found in Rohtak), Jagg4, Raj and Charan, (already mentioned n together with the Monii
and Garara.
§ Apparently sub-castes : if not, I and II each form a sub-caste. But it is also said that the mirdsi^ of the Kajputs are called Kana or Ucharn Bhats, the E4nas being storv tellers and eulogists, as well as genealogists. And yet another account divides the ithats into four classes :— (1 . Rai Bhat, or ' meisteisingers.' (2^ Ranas "heralds " who used to act as envovs as well as encourage the fighting men by their singing of legends, (3) Kathaks or musicians' and (4) JagJis or genealogists and story tellers, '
The following kubit from Gurgion describes the superiority of the Rai Bhits •— Hamin That, Hamin Bhatt, Hamin Bhaunra, Hamin Bhdgi Bamin lir Betdl, Hamin javgal ke jogi. '
Kaprd pharen mdng Tcarar bdndh mandar aren, Betdl kahen Bikram suno dev dan kirat karen II The Bhat ?o<s are:-Bimblan, Bhardwaj, Chand Bardai, Chandlin, Kali^, Mirchal Sair Tind and Sodhian. ' ""-"»*> *"^^t
^ But according to an account from Mult^n the groups are four xiz -—Brahm Vartech war, Chandisar and Kutichar, each with functions of its own '
** These two ?o<s are by some classed as Brahm, in other words some of their ttfmters are of Brahm status, others only of Bunjihl rank. ^i^miLCJc
96 , The Bhdt groups.
articles for tbe corpse. At funerals their females take part in the sidjpd (mourning), being paid annas 2 per day. At a girl's wedding they get Ke. 1-8, but at a boy's only Re. 1, the sum which they also get at a funeral. Their perquisite on other occasions is called vel badhdi.
3. The Chandisar live in the villages and live by begging. The Kdtimdrs who used to be numerous in Multdn, are an off-shoot of this branch.
4. The Kutichar are vagrant beggars.
Accounts from Mi^nwdli, in which District the Bhd,ts are very few in number, give a threefold division of the caste, as follows :—
J C i. Brahmi. I jj f ii. Kdtimdr or Sheni Khel.
^iii. KhosU. 1 ^ |iii. Baddu.
I performs ceremonies : II does not, though at weddings the Kd,timd,r sing songs of congratulation. The Baddii in virtually an out-caste.*
A second account points to the fact that the Bh^ts derive their origin from the Pushkarnd, Brahmans as well as from the Sd,rsut, and says the Pushkarni Bh^t are equal in status to the S^rsut.t though the status of the sections varies, and a family whose widows marry outside the brotherhood is looked down upon.
Lastly a third account gives the old functional groups : the out who sing songs and recite chronicles ' in the afternoon 'J ; the Md,gadh, who keep pedigrees of kings, and recount their deeds : the Windijdn, who teach princes ; and the Bh^t or Jagak§ who sang songs in the early morning hours to awaken the king-. Yet this same account divides the Bhdts into Brahms and Kd,timdrs.
In Multd,n, tahsil Shnj5bd,d, only the Brahm and Kdtimd,r groups are known. The former comprises 7 gots : Chandi Dds, Mahol, Sutrak, Changar, Palsa, Chandaria, and Channan, all of which are said to be Sdirsut gots and intermarry. The Kd,timd.r8, also said to be Sd.rsuts, form a distinct sub-caste. They have, as a rule, no clients, and live by blackmail, but in Shujd,bd,d itself they receive fixed dues (from one to four annas a h^ad at weddings). They still compose habits which the Brahm Bhdts do not.
In the accounts from Karndl, Patid,ld. and KapurthaldH allusion is
* The Baddd takes alms from Muhammadans, which other Bhats will not do. No other will eat with him, yet he wears the janeo. His corpse is not burnt like a Hindu's, but is cast into a stream. It is to be regretted that no further particulars of this interesting group are given. t it is said that the gots are : —
fChandiDas, f / Panian.
1 Gandhor. DrT.r„,,„«.' ) Josi.
SABS.T JHararRai. ^^'^^^^^ j Asuv.
HABSUT -j Hatiara / CGhangar.
1 Kdtimdr' ? I
I^Thor, etc. I
j; Just as the Jaggi have a stated time for their recitations : see above. § Not to be confused with the Jajik, who in Dera Gh4zl Khan is a sewer of shrouds : see infta.
II In Kapurthala to the Siit is assigned the duty of reciting verses from the Purans : and to the Magadh that of eulogising the Surajbans, Chandrbans, etc., while to the Vandijan is allotted the recitation of chronicles, and eulogising Deo, rilchi, pjtar and Hati kinondan, whence they are designated Kabishars or bards. The latter also announce betrothals, set forth the dowry at weddings, and so on.
The Bhdt groups.
97
made to an older and apparently extinct organisation of the Bhdt caste into three main groups, viz. : —
1. Sut, reciters of myths.
2. M^o-adhs, chroniclers.
3. Vaiidis, or Vandijan, who acted as advisers to Rdjas and as poets laureate.
The Vandis alone are found in Patidld. where they are known as Brahmd Bhdts or Brahmsi Kais. They wear ihe janeo and retain their Brahminical gotras such as Konsal (in Kapurthald), Bhardwdj, etc.
In their internal grouping the Brahm Bhdts imitate the Khatri organisation, having two groups as follows : —
I. — BaRI, or the 12 GOTS.
10. Phdg.
11. Chandi dds.
12. Dhiran.
1. Gun deo. 4. Lakhau Sain. 7. Bhdriimal.
2. Kataria. 5. Dhur. 8. Tdhu.
3. Pangan. 6. Bisbel or -wel. 9. Kalian.
and of these numbers 1 — 6 form a I)hd,ighar group, wiiich avoids only one got iu marriage, (as indeed does the whole Bd,ri group, apparently) whereas the Bunjahis avoid four. This latter group includes the following g^ois : —
Bhulddia. Malaunia.
Manohia. Saroha.
Suridn. Tetia.
Tuhdnia, etc.
On the other hand in Shd,hpur the Bhdt are divided into Bunjdhis and Khokhars, the latter suggesting the Khokharain group of the Khatris, thus : —
I.— BUNJAHIS.
II,— Khokhars. <
Section. f Ayupotri. I Dherru. •^ Jandidds.
Mdhal. ^Rai Pc4l.
Sigarre. Nadhipotre. Apat. Jain.
Gotra. Bhdrdwdj.
»
Koshal.
Kushab. Bhdrdwdj. Bdlash. Vashist.
Of these the Jain section will intermarry with any other, but from the above notes it is abundantly clear that the Bhdts are simply an offshoot of the Brahmans, being differentiated from them by function. And to explain their origin various legends have been invented. One is that when -Janmeja celebrated a sacrifice he sum- moned the Gaur Brahmans and tricked one of tliem into accepting an offering of a diamond hy concealing it in some pcin. This Brahman became a Bhdt. Another, to whom Janmeja offered a gift, refused it and became a Taggd. Another ia that iShiva was celebrating the marriage of his son, and giving alms to Jogis, Jangams, Sanidsis and Suthrds, who received them with a good grace. Thereupon the god asked if any would constrain him to give alms, and a drop of sweat falling from his brows to the ground the first Bhdt pprang from
Bhdt legends.
it, with a Jcatdr in hia hands, and uttered a kalit which runs : — " 0 goddess Kd^likd., give the Bhdt a Jcatdr whose sight will cause a close- fisted man {shum) to flee. Let the Bhd-t cleave him from head to foot with his /ca^dr." Shiva replied : — "0 Betal Rai, Bhdt, I would have given you the kingdom of the whole world had you not appeared thus. Now I grant you great influence and all will be terrified at your voice, but you will get what you may/' This habit, obtained from a Bhdt, would make all the Bhdts professional extortioners. A third tradition is that Brahmd offered gifts to Brahmans, but they all refused it, until one of their sisters' sons accepted it and thus became a Bhdt.
Two legends from the Simla hills also describe the origin of the Bhdts. The first explains how they acquired the power of reading men's thoughts. Under Rdjd Bhoj,* it sayp, lived Kdli Dds, a famous Bhdt who held that a man could say anything he wished in poetry, and so Kdli, the goddess, pleased with his devotion, conferred on him the power of thought-reading. The other legend goes further back, and describes how Rdjd Jaswantt had a wise counsellor in a woman Khankdli. Once when he was holding his court at Srinagar in Garhwdl the Rdjd of Mdrwdr, Jagdeo, came to see him and found him and Khankdli in council. The lady veiled her face, explaining that as a man had come to that cowardly court she could not show her face before him. This reply naturally annoyed Jaswant who declared he would give her 10 times as much as Jagdeo would bestow. Khankdli then went to Jagdeo's tent ; but as he was at his devotions his Rdnl gave her a dish full of gold coins and gems which Khankdli refused to accept, as she could take no alms from a woman. When the Rdjd came she presented him with a rupee, as a nazr, and said she was the wife of a Bhdt and had come to demand dan (charity), which one of Rdjput blood could not refuse. He bade her ask a favour, and she de- manded his head, which the Rdjd at once cut off, and she carried it in a dish to Rdjd Jaswant. Tauntingly Jaswant asked what she had got from Jagdeo, who had fled from his own kingdom and sought a refuge with himself. In reply Khankdli showed him the head and demanded those of himself and his 9 sons in fulfilment of his vow, threatening him with the ruin of his kingdom if he refused. The king's sons, his queen, and he himself, however, all declined to sacrifice their lives in fulfilment of the Rdjd's rash promise.
Khankdli then returned to Jagdeo's tent. She had forbidden his queen to burn his body till she returned, and when she found the Rdni lamenting over his corpse she restored it to life and promised him the empire of all India. This he soon achieved. In the first encounter Jaswant was overthrown and Jagdeo seized his kingdom. Gradually he subdued all the petty chiefs in India, compelling them to pay 6 annas in the rupee as tribute. From Khankdli and Kdli Dds the Bhdt chain descends.
In Sirmur the Bhdts are by origin Brahmans,J but having adopted karewa they lost status and are iiow by occupation genealogists. Many, too, are cultivators and trans-Giri mairy with Kanets. The
* Cf. Legends II, p. 183.
t See Legends of the Punjab III, pp. 242, 252.
J There is a Wateshar or Bateshar group among the Brahmans also.
The Muhammadan Ehdl.
d9
Blidts of Nd,haTi retain Brahman customs, but those of the interior have adopted those of the Kanets. With the Kanets the Bh^t3 furnish the Dewds or priests to the temples. Trans-Giri there is a sub-division of tVie Bhd,ts called Deti, but the rest of the Bhdts do not intermarry with them and they are inferior to the other groups.
The Muhammadan Bhats. The Muhammadan Bhdts are even fewer in numbers than the Hindu, and far less elaborately organised. In Hissdr they date their con- version to A'lamgir^s reign, and still continue to minister to Mahdjans and other Hindus as well as to Mughals and Pirzildas, but Shaikhs only fee them at a daughter's wedding; as do also oilmen and weavers who give them 8 annas. But they get fees on the birth of a son. In Rohtak they have only three sections, Bijhdu. Sil Saha and Gur Deva, of whom the latter recite genealogies and compose songs.
Their patrons are Muhammadan Rajputs and Hindu Mahiijans, and they receive —
Ceremony.
Girl's betrothal
Boy's
Girl's
Birth of a son
Function.
The Bhat women sing songs and chant
l<ahits. The Bhat women sing songs and also the
brotherhood.
Women sing bandhdwa
Sing congratulatory songs
Fee.
8 MansTori takas.
Re. 1 or as. 8 with tahaa.
8 iahas for each. Re. 1.
At weddings when the dower arrives the Bhats read out the list of articles and recite the following kabit : —
Zar Tci&i sone gota kindri murassa inoti kanchan chhahhha7-i hai, Kimkhdb atlas bdtvald jhurm Idt mehndi moti sut pda dhari hai.
Bhukan rdtub hlrd pannd jardo jurat gird men chhuhdre sab ndr kahin khari hai. Sundar sohdg hhdg bhari jaisi khilli phul jhari hai.
In Sb^hpur the Muhammadan Bh^^s ^^^ divided thus :—
Section^ Gotra.
Chiir^l. Koshal.
Panj. „
Samit. t,Gudr^l.
Kaprdl, which is said to be purely endogamous and not to
I.
II.
marry with any other Bh^t under pain of excommunication, other four sections marry inter se.
The
The Bhat's fdnctions.
The functions of the Bhdt differ in different parts of these Provinces. In the south-eastern districts he is not entrusted with any religious functions at all. Thus in Rohtak the Brahm Blidts merely get annas 4 to 8 on the bridegroom's departure at a wedding ; and the guests at a rich man'ss funeral are invited through a Bh^tj ^^° receives Re. I in cash, and a turban when the pagri is tied round the heir's head. A Bh^^ also summons the kinsmen to witness an excommuni-
100
The Bhdt's functions.
cation or a re-admission into caste.* As we go westward, however, the Bhd-t's functions become more definite, assuming at times almost a priestly colour, while his perquisites are correspondingly larger and more certain. Thus ia Kapiirthal<i the Brahm Bhdt sings congratulatory songs at a betrothal, at the saia chitthi, at a chhotd tikd, or marking of the bridegroom's forehead, the milni,i or meeting of the bride and bridegroom, at the lawdn or turina, the mittha bhdt and the chirJcani, receiving a fee of annas 2 or so, together with other rails.
After a death the Bhdt remains for 13 days in the deceased's house and helps to procure what is required ; at a shdnt he gets a rupee ; and at a such he gets a similar fee with certain clothes : —
Ceremony.
r(l) Marriage procession ..
. ! {2) Pilra
I (3; Dowry
•S !
t I (4) Warisui ...
r(l) Procession to the funeral pyre.
(2) Sidpdiov 1st four days... ■( (3) Dahdya
Function.
(4) On the 13th day
j (5) Dharm shdnt
Sing Manglachdr habits
Ditto
Proclaim publicly the presents given
as the dowry. Carry baskets (chhdhds') of dried fruits, etc., to the bridegroom's father's house, and chant congra- tulations to the pair.
(i) Sew the fca/aTi;]:
(u) Buy what is necessary for the
deceased's relatives. (ui) Sing in the procession. A. B hatni leads the mourning of the
women of the brotherhood. On the tenth day the Bhatnf as- sembles the women in the house of the deceased's heirs. A Bhat assembles the male members of the brotherhood, and the deceaS' ed's heir is proclaimed. On the 17th day the shrddh is per- formed.
Fee.
1 or 2 annas. 1 anna. 4 annas.
2i aimas.
8 annas or a rupee.
2 annas and 2 sers of wheat flour.
1 anna.
A meal of cooked food.
In the western districts the Bhd,tni fulfils the duties of a professional mourner. Thus in Shdhpur she leads the mourning by the women of the deceased's brotherhood for a fee of Re. 1, and in Dera Ghd,zi Khd.n she does this for a wage of 2^ annas a day, besides what the relatives may give her.
In Kd,ngra§ the only relic of the Bhdt's former functions is the making of hahits, and a proverb runs : — Bhdt hi bhet kahit, i.e., a Bhat will always make a present of a kahit. Like the parohit and the barber
* This account comes fi-om the Sampla tahsi'l of Rohtak. Elsewhere the Bh^ts merely sing congratulatory songs on auspicious occasions for a fee of four double-pice, raised at weddings to Re. 1-4-0.
t They sprinkle the red coloured water on the white garments of the wedding guests.
X But in Dera Ghazi Khan this is done by the Jajik,
§ This is the account from Hami'rpur. In Nurpur tahsil Bhats merely visit the house of a newly married couple and receive a small fee, earning their living by cultivation. In Kangra tahsil they sometimes at a wedding get a fee called durbhia, which varies from 3 pies to 2 annas : they also get one at an investiture with the janeo, and at weddings the girl's father gives his Bhat annas 2 and some cloth, while the boy's Bhit gets Re. 1-4.0, but they perform no rites. "
Bhattahdr — Bhatti. tOl
they are looked npon as ligifi, but aro virtually only employed as messen^'era at weddin^Ts, beint): pud a tritla by tho rooipiont for the message {neondar). In the Hill States, however, ten or twenty Bh^^s sometimes collect and recite habits, reaeivinsf a sum of money, called rinj, which is divided proportionately among them, the Bh^t; of the r^ji:! who gives it getting the lion's share. In former times, it i^ said, they were compelled to work, but this is not now the case. Elsewhere the Bhdt is now, speaking generally, a cultivator or a servant to a Mabd;jan.
The Rliats act as parohits to the Khatris, while their own ^^aro/iiis and 'pcidhas are Sd,rsut Brahmans.
BHATTAflAB,-HABA, fem.-liiiri, Bhattiar,-drdij a person who takes food to labourers in the field.
Bhatti. The name Bhatti would appear to be unquestionably connected with Bhat, Bhatt, Bhd,ti and Bhatiti, Bhatt bearing the same relation to Bh^t as Jatt to Jat, kamm in Punjabi to kcim, etc. As a tribe the Bhattis are of some antiquity, numerous and wide-spread. They give their name to the Bhatti^na* and to the Bhattioraf tracts, as well as to various places, such as Bhatinda, Bhatner, Pindi Bhatti^n and possibly the Bhatti^t in Chamba. Historically the Bhattis first appear to be mentioned in the TLirikh-i-Firoz-shdhi of Shams-i-8iraj Afif, and the following notes are culled from the translation of that work in Elliott's Sist. of India : —
In the reign of Ald-ud-Din, Tughlik of Khurasan obtained the district of Dipd>lpnr, of which Abohar was a dependency. To Abohar were attached all the jungles belonging to the Mini (Mina ?) and Bhatti tribes. Tughlik, anxious to ally his family with the native chiefs, heard that the daughters of Rdna Mall Bhatti were beautiful and accomplished, so he sent the amalddr of Abohar to negotiate the alliance of one of them with his brother, Sipahsd-lar Rajab. In his pride the Rana rejected these overtures, and so Tughlik proceeded to levy the outstanding revenue from the talivandls of the Bhattis with great severity. The Rdna's daughter, Bibi Naila, hearing of this, urged her own surrender. ' Consider,' she said, ' that the Mughals have carried off one of your daughters.' She was accordingly married to Rajab, assumed the name of Bibi Kadbanu, and became the mother of Firoz Shah III in 1309 A. D.f
In 1394 Strang Khan was sent to Dipdlpur to suppress the rebellion of Shaikha Khokhar. There he raised troops and, taking with him Rai Khul Chain Bhatti and Rai Daud Kamdl Main (? Mina), he crossed the Sutlej near Tirhdrah (Tihjira, in Ludhiana).§
In 1389 we read of Rai Kamdl-ud-din Main (? Mina) and Rai Khul Chand Bhatti whose fiefs lay near Samana, being sent with Prince Hum6yun to raise troops at that fortress. I|
* Sec the art. Bhattiana in the Imperial Gazetteer, t In the Ghiniot uplands north of the Chenab. t E. H. I. Ill, pp. 271-2. 5 E. H. I. IV, p. 29. fj E. H. I. IV, p. 22.
1 02 Bhatti clans.
Timur found Bhatner unJer the rule of Rao Diil Chain,* a Rajput,
and probably a Bhatti. Curiously enough he is represented as having
a brother named Kamal-ud-din, and in one history Khul Chain is said to have been the Rai of Bhatner.t
Again in 1527 we read of Mirza Kd,mran'8 coming from Lahore, with many horses and much wealth taken from the Bhattis and Khokhars.f
The legends of the Bhattis are, however, silent on these events and ascribe the origin of the tribe to Achal through Barsi, who extended his dominions from the south to Bhatner, which they held until expelled from it by the Rdjdof Bikaner early in the 19th century. Then they spread over Bhattiana, which comprised the modern tahsil of Sirsa and the northern part of Fatehdbad. The tribe is now found princi- pally along the Ghaggar valley as far as Bhatntr.
Various other traditions are, however, current in different localities and of these the most probable is that which connects the Bhattis with Jaisalmir. The story current in HissAr is that they were in very early times driven across the Indus, but returned and some 700 years ago dispossessed the Langdh, Joiya and other tribes of the country to the south of the lower Sutlej, Rud founded Jaisalmir, which State they still hold. Bhatti, the leader under whom they recrossed the Indus, had two sons Dasal and Jaisal. The former settled in Bhattiana and from him are descended the Sidhu-Bardr J^ts, the "Wattu being also descendants of his grandson, Rjijput. With this tradition may be compared the foUowing detailed account of the Bhattis of BahdiWal- pur, in which State they have 15 principal clans :—
i. The Bhattis, or pure Bhattis, who are generally landowners or cultivators, though some are weavers and blacksmiths.
ii. Pahor, found throughout the Lamma.
iii. Chus.
iv. Jogi and
V. Jandd,ni.
These five septs are closely connected, do not give daughters ont- eide the group, and usually intermarry.
vi. Shaikhra.
vii. Chakar-HuUe : a small sept, of recent origin called Chakar- ullah or servants of God.
viii. Lallu.
ix. Bhdbhe : a small sept.
X. Katesar : also a small sept, which rears sheep.
xi. Kulyar or Kawalyfir which has an interesting history :—
Kulyar was a son of Rd-na Raj Wadhan, who had four other sons, (1) Dtterd, (2) Ntan, (3) Kdnjun, (4) Hatdr. The tradition is that the
* The Zafarnima has Chan, probably for Chand : or Chain may be due to some confusion between Sain and Chand. Timur explains that R4o means ' brave.' (E. H. I. IV, pp. 422.5, 488-90.)
t E. H. I. IV, p. 34.
X E. H. I. V, p. 37.
Bhatti clana. 108
ancestors of Rdj Wadhan lived in ancient times near Ghajni, whence they migrated to Delhi, which after a time they left for Bha^ner. In the 7th century of the Hijra Rdj Wadhan together with his tribe left Bhatner and settled near Chhanb Kulydr (now in the Lodhrdn tahsil of Mult^n), which in those days lay on the southern bank of the Sutlej and formed part of the dominions of Rai Bhuttit, the ruler of a city, the greater part of which was destroyed by the Sutlej flowing over it; ; but parts of its ruins are still to be seen on the right bank of the Gb^ra (in tahsil Lodhrdn). R^nd, Rd,j Wadhan had a beautiful daughter whom Rai Bhuttd, desired to marry. The request was refused by Kulydr, the eldest son of Rilj Wadhan ; and the result was that a sanguinary battle took place in which Rai Bhuttd, was slain. The tract of the country thus conquered by the Kulyd,rs became known as Chhanb Kulyilr, which name it still retains. At this time Sher Shdh Sayyid Jaldl was living in Uch, where Rfln^ R^j Wadhan and his sons went to see him and embraced IsMm. Rdj Wadhan remained Jat Uch, Utterd, occupied the ' Vidh ' (Bi^s)*, Nun began to live on the Rdvi, (and that tribe is now dominant in Shujdbdd tahsil), Kanjun at the Don^ri Mari (?), and Kulyilr made Chhanb Kulydr his residence. Hat^r was deprived of his share of the inheritance.t xii. Daragh.
xiii. Sangrd, : with a famous sept called W^gi. In the 8th century Hijra the Sangrds migrated from Rdjput^na and settled in Kathdla, then a large town on the Gurang or Hariari, the ruins of which are still to be seen near Tibba Tdnwin-wd,la. Kath^la was at that time held by the Joiyas.
xiv. Mahtam : the Muhammadan Mahtams claim to be Bhattis and say a mirnsi once ironically called their ancestor 'Mahtam, 'or chief. They appear to be distinct from the Hindu Mahtams.
XV. Bhet : who claim to have been Bhattis who accompanied Shaikh Hakim from Delhi, but are said by others to be Dhedhs or Menghwals, whom that saint converted.
xvi. Markand, Bokha, Jhakhkhar, Dhandla, Phanbi, Bir^r, Dadu, Kap3,hi (cotton-workers and reed-cutters), and K^hin, are nine clans descended from the same ancestor and they intermarry. Some are landowners, others tenants, but some are boatmen, and though Bhattis by origin they are regarded as of low status.
On the south-east border of the Punjab the subject population of Bikiiner is largely composed of Bhattis, and tradition J almost alwajs
* The tradition is that in those days the Bias flowed separately to the north of Kahror towards Shuj^bad.
t The Mittru Bhatti of Multan say they came from Bikaner.
J The Hissar tradition is very different and says that the ihattis are of the Jdtu family, and that like the T-unwar Rajputs they trace their origin to remote antiquity. At some distant period, two persons named bhatti and feumija are said to have come to this country from Mathra. The latter had no male issue, and his descendants (called Joiya Rajputs) live in Sirsa. After some generations tne of the Jamily of the former, niinnd Kusalu, became Baja— he had two sens, Dusul and Jaisul. 'J he latter became haja oi Jaisalmir, where his descendants still reign. The former remained in Bhatti«na— hf had cnJy ore son, named Janra, who had several wive." (all of other castes) by whom he had 21 gons, whoee
104 Bhatti traditions.
carries us back to the ancient city of Bhatner, which lies on the banks of the long since dry Ghaggar, iii the territory of that State bordering on Sirsa. But in that tract, which corresponds to the old Bhatti^na, the Bhatti is no longer a dominant tribe and the term is loosely applied to any Muharamadan Jdt or Rajput from the direction of tbe Sutlej, as a generic term almost synonymous with R^th or Pachh^da.
In the central Punjab, however, and towards the north of it, the Bhattis, though scattered, hold strong positions. In Amritsar tradition avers that they have a Mong pedigree' beginning with Adam, 10th in descent from whom was Krishna, sim of Jad, the son of Jadam. And the present State of KapurthaU was held by a Raj^ who sought the aid of Lakhanpal and Harpal, sons of theR^oa, Purab Chand, of Bhatner against his foes. Accompanied by Panp^l, a third son of the Rand by a J at wife, tbey overran the neighbouring country ; but the Raja refused to give them the share he had agreed to bestow upon them, so they put him to death and partitioned his kingdom, Lakhanpal taking the Bdri Dodb, Harpal that of the Bist Jdlaudbar and Panpll the modern Ferozepur District, ilai Viru, Lakhanpd,l's great-grandson, founded Vairowal in Amritsar some 540 years ago and his grand- daughter, a sister of Rai Mitha, was married to Rai Ibrahim of Kapurthald., himself a Bhatti and descended from Harpal. But after a futile attempt to subdue Rai Mitha, Ibrahim forbade intermarriage between the two branches.
Kapurthald, tradition is, however, quite silent as to Lakhanpal or Harpal, and, according to leorends current in that State, Rai Nd,nak Chand is said to have left Bhatner and settled in Bhuldua, in that State. Three brothers Bhatti, Manj and Chauhd,n founded the Rajput tribes so named, which settled in the Punjab only 14 generations ago.
Nevertheless reciprocal marriage is confined to the Bhatti, Manj Naru and Khokhar* tribes, which avoid marriage with the Chauhdu, Awan, Nipdl, Bajoha, Janjua, Punwd,r, Varyd.
The Khokhars and Nd,rus are regarded as foreign by race to the other Rdjputs, who all trace back their desoent to R5,ja Salivahan who has a shrine at Sidlkot. He is said to have been defeated by Imdm N3,sir.
In Gujrdt tbe Bhattis trace their first settlements back to Dulla Bhatti, Rd.jd. of Pindi Bhattid,n who was put to death by Akbar. All his family was in Akbar's camp on the Jhelum, where they were kept in durance until released at the intercession of a faqir whose shrine is still pointed out at Chhapar on the bank of that river. Bulla's son, Kamdl Khd,n was allowed to settle on the waste lands near Ghamd;n, still a Bhatti village, while the rest returned to Pindi Bbatti^n.f
descendants established different tribes, such as the Lal-hhcdl, Sidhij, and Barar Jats. Janra foiinded the town of Abohur, naming it after his wife Abho— by this wife he had three sons- Rajpal, Chun and Dhum :— the Wattu Bajputs are descendants of the first- the Mai Bajputs of the second— and the Nawab of Rania and his family, of the third. Inasmuch as the Bhattis were more num.erous than the rest, the country was called Bhattiana. The habits, manners and customs of Bhatti Rajputs are similar to those of the Tunwar Hajputs. Bissar Settlement Report, p. 8, §§ 25, 26.
* The Khokhars (alone) give daughters to Sayyids.
I The tribal.mircist gives the following pedigree of the tribe, "which claims Maharaja Eanjit
/
^, t^ <--;^''^.^ /^'--'--^ '-~'^'' ^ '^
A Bhatti pedigree.
105
The Bhatti of the Guji'anwdla Bdr, where they are the " natural enemies of the Virk," are descended from one Dhir, who eighteen generations ago left Bhatner, and settled in the Nur Mahnl jungles- as a grazier and freebooter. His grandson went furtlier on to the banks of the R^vi, and his son again moved up into the uplands of Guirln- w^ia. The modern descendants of these men are described as " a muscular and noble-looking race of men, agricuUurists more by constraint than by nntural inclination, who keep nu'nerous herds of cattle which graze over the pasture lands of the Bir, only plough just sufficient to grow food for their own necessities, and are famous as cattle-lifters and notorious thieves." The Bhatti of Gujranwala enjoyed considerable political importance in former times, and they still hold 86 villages in that District. In Sidlkot the Bhatti claim de^jcent from Bhoni seventh in descent frrim their eponymous ancestor Bhatti, who came to Gnjr^nwala from Bikdner, and thence to Sialkot. None of these Bhatti of tlie Bdr will g'ive their daughters to the
Singh as one of its scions : —
Wichar.
PADAM RATH. I
Sahnsi. M'lharaja Ranjit Singh was descended from this branch.
~"1 Bhaani.
Kaji.
"1 Shadi.
Gujranwala,
Danu.
I Lakhira,
I Chuhar.
r
^
Nampal. Jarat. Gaundhar. Ratanpal. Sahnp^I.
Gujranwala.
f Ato.
Tahsil Phaliin.
Amhar.
Pindi Bhattian.
Dhairvi. I
f
Ohs.
I
Karto.
Seo.
1 Ghawnaj.
Gujranw4Ia.
Dehli and Bikdner.
Dhang.
I Katho .
I Nathu.
Rai Puthora. Gujr4nw41a.
Bahlol.
~1 Bijli. I Farfd. I
"1 I 1
Masti. Daim. Dalla.
Pindi Bliattian. I
r
Muhammad Khin. Pindi Bhattidn. [another genealogy of tho^Bbattia aoe under Samil.]
Kamtll Ehin. Gujr4t.
l06 JBhatti Chane-^Bhittanni.
neighbouring Jfit tribes, though they will take wives from among them without scruple.* In the Salt-range the Bhatti seem to bold a very Subordinate position as Bhatti, though it may be that some of the innumerable Rajput tribes of that tract may consider themselves Bhatti, as well as what«-ver their local name may be. The Bhatti of Jhang hold the considerable Bhattiora tract north of the Ghendb, They came first from Bhatner to the right bank of the Jhelum near the Shahpur border, and thence to Bhattiora. They are described as "a fine race of men, industrious agriculturists, hardly at all in debt, good horse-breeders, and very fond of sport. They do very little cattle-lifting, but are much addicted to carrying off each other's wives.^'
The persistence of the traditions which connect the Bhattis with Bikdner, Jaisalmer and the old fortress of Bhatner cannot be disre- garded. But for a fuller discussion of their origins see Rajpdt,
Bhatti is also (I) a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery, aa well as (2) a Muhammadiu Kamboh clan (agricultural), and (3) a Muhammadau Jat clan (agricultural) in that District.
Bhatti CHA>fB, Bhatti Naul, Bhatti Tahar, three Rajput clans (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Cf. Bhdti Wad.
Bhaw AN A, an agricultural clan found in Sh^hpur. ^7
Bheda, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur. •-^ <-*. r^ ^ ^/z^
Bhekh-dharI, bbekhi, a faqir, a sadhu: from bhekh, dress, disguise, and so ' a sect of Hindu faqirs'.
Bhidal, a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
BhikhaeI, fem. -an, a beggar.
Bhikzbak, bliichchak q.v.
Bhin, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Bhindal, a tribe of Jdts claiming Solar Rajput origin, through its eponym, whose descendant Badar embraced Islam. It holds five villages in Sidlkot.
Bhindab, a tribe of Jats of the Lunar branch of the Lunar Rdjputs, through its eponym, who settled in the Punjab under Rai Tanar. Found in Sidlkot.
Bhisti, fem. -an, {hhistd, facetiously), lit., a dweller in Paradise, fr. Pers. hihisht ; a Muhammadan water-carrier.
Bbittanni occupies a tract of hill country some 40 miles long by 1 2 to 16 wide, stretching along our border from the Marwat tahsil of Bannu to the Gumal valley. Along the northern part of this line, it owns little or
*A8 among the Muhammadan Chibh, Manhas and other tribps. a Jati who esponsea a Bhatti becomes a Bhattini ^y tribe according to the proverb Chhutti Raja, te hoi Hani : ' Touched by a Raja (a woman) becomes a Kini.'
In Ladhiana the Shaikhs, a Bhatti clan, derive their name from Shaikh Chachu, a descend- ant of Raja Kanshan who accepted Islam and was granted the State of Hathur by the Muhammadaa emperors. For some other Bhatti clan names see the Appendix.
/p
^*,^< <. '^ ^
7
/ y
vC-. ^ ;^ . ^A'-^^
y
,^ j"**^ <^t.
^.
^ ^^.
^ t<
^- ^c^^.^ ^,
/-./-
/
^
y^j^"
^<^ -^
/ -^
^
<r^- <- ^..^ ^ — fdc^...
-j"
rf ^1 r.'^ J /-^-^^
l>'^/-
■ ^^
Bhojiya — Bhojki. 107
no land in the plains ; to the south it holds a strip of very fertile country extending from the Takwdra along the hills as far as Dabbra. It has a few scattered liamlets in the Nasrd-n country north of the Takw^ra, and is also found in considerable numbers in the north-east of the Gtimal valley. To the west the hill couniry of the Bhittannis ia hemmed in by that of tlie Wazirs. The two tribes are generally more or less at feufi, though the Bhittannis, til] recently, never scrupled to assist Wazir robbers in their incursiona into British territory.
The Bhittaonis live in small villages, generally hidden away in hollows. Their houses are mud and brushwood hovels of the poorest description, and sometimes they hve in caves hollowed out of the rock. One of their principal places is Jandola, ou the road leading up the Tdnk zam to the Wazir country.
The tribe is divided into three sections : Dhanna, Tatta and Wraspun. In the plains the lands of the Bhittannis were originnlly dividend into numerous s-nall divisions, known as ndlds. Each naldy as a rule, forms a single plot, owned by a number of families generally closely connected by birth. The waste land in each ndld is the property of the ndld proprietors. B«^fore land became valuable, the proprietors of the different TiiZ'is used readily to admit men of their own sub- section to a share in the ndld lands, and in this way, men, who had before lived exclusively in the hills, were continually settling in the plains. There has never been, therefore, any actual division of the conrtry on shares, and tlie present proprietors hold purely on a squatting tenure. The lands of the Wraspuns lie to the no i th^ the Tattas to the south, and the Dhannas in the middle. The Dhannaa own much less land than the other two sections, and fewer of them reside in the plains. The plain Bhittannis live in scattered hirris or villages. The larger ndlds have separate kirria and headmen of their owUj but more generally the people of several ndlds live together in one kirri, under a common headman. Bhojiya, a Muhammadan Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Bhojki, a term applied to the pujdris or officiants at the great shrines of Devi, such as that of Jawiilamukhi, that at Bhaun in the Kangra District, Naina Devi io Hoshi^rpur, etc. The Bhojkis were said by Barnes to be *' not Br^hmans, thoufj;h they are the hereditary priests of these celebrated temples. They all wear the sacred thread; they intermarry among themselves alone, eat flesh, drink wine, and are a debauched and profligate set ; the men are constantly in the Courts involved in litigation, and the women are notorious for their loose morality." Colonel Jenkins writes of them: — "The Bhojkis are perhaps a unique feature of the Kdngra District. They claim to be Sdrsut Br^hmaus ; but if so, have certainly sunk in the social scale, as no ordinary Brahmans would eat kachi rasoi with them. They appear to occupy much the same position as the Gangaputras of Benares, and the probability is that they are mere Jogis who have obtained a reflected sanctity from the goddesses whose service they have entered. The name is evidently couneeted with the Sanskrit root bhoj to feed,"*^ and is taken from the nature of their duties. They
* The term is probably derived from bhoj in the sense of 'grant' and the Bhoj kf a are probably merely beneficed Brdhman devoteeB of Devi.
108 Bhojudnd — Bhular.
intormarry among themselves and with a class of Jogis called Bodha Pandits. Another account states that the Bhojkis of Bhaun do not give daughters to those of Jaw^lamukhi or Naina Devi, though up to Sambat 1936 they used to accept brides from the latter, whom they regard as inferiors. The Bhojkis of Bliaun now otdy intermarry among tliemaelves, excluding their own got and the mother's relatives up to the 7th desrree. But they also intermarry with the Pandit Bodhas and the Bararas. The former are said to be Brdhraans, but both they and the Bararas take a deceased's shroud, etc., like the Achdraj. The Bhojkis of Chintpurni are Brahmans and marry with Brahmans, and will not even smoke with those of Bhaun, etc.'^
Bhojuana, a clan of the Sidls.
Bhola, a Muhammadan J^t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Bholae, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar (same as Bhullar). Bhonah, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn. Bhonbye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. BhotaHj a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Mult an. BaoTAKj a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n (same as Bhuttar). Bhoto, an ignorant hillman, a simpleton,
Bhuchangi, a title given to Ak^lis : fr, hhuchang, a black snake. Bhukk, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery, Ferozepur, and in Bahawalpur, in which State they call them.selves Jd^ts.
Bhukyal, mentioned in the Tabaqd.t-i-Akbari as a tribe subject to the Gakhars,* but in tbe Waki'dt-i-Jahangiii they are said to be of the same stock and connected with the Gakhars, occupying the country between Rohtds and Hatyd, to which they give their name of Bugi^l.t
Bhular. — The Bhular, Her, and Min tribes call themselves asl or " original'^ Jd-ts, and are said to have sprung from the^ai or " matted hair" of Mnhd-deo, whose title is Bhola {' simple') Ma hadeo. They say that the Mdlwa was their original home, and are commonly reckoned as two and a half tribeN, the H^r only counting a? a half. But the bards of the Man, among which tribe several famihes have ris^n to political importance, say that the whole of the Man and Bhular and half the Her tribe of Rajputs were the earliest Kshatriya immi- grants from Rajputana to the Punjab. The head-quarters of the Bhular appear to be Lahore and Ferozepur, and the confines of the Md^njha and Malwa; but they are returned in small numbers from every division in the Punjd,b except Delhi and R^walpindi^ from almost every District, and from every Native vState of the Eastern Plains except Dujdna, Loharu, and Pataudi. The tribe is probably not a wholly homogeneous one. In Jind its Sidh is Kalanjar, whose samddh is at Mdri, and to it milk is offered on the 14th feat^j of each month ; also cloth at a wedding or the birth of a son. In Si^lkot its Sidh is Bhora, whose khdngdh is revered at weddings. In Montgomery the Bhular are Hindu and Muhammadan Jdts and classed as agricultural.
Bh^n, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Shd,hpur.
' •E.H.I, v., p. 278. t Ibid VI, p. 309. —
--;.
-7
iBhunid-^Bihizai. lOO
BhundX, an aboriginal tribe, a man of that tribe. (P. D, 145).
Bhut, a tribe found in the Sddiqdbdd hdrddri of Bah^walpur where they are landowners and tenants. They are formed from two distinct groups, one a Baloch, the other a J^t sept, the former being few, and the latter numerous. The Bhut Jdts are possibly a branch of the Abralis, with whom they intermarry, but they are also said to be a branch of the Bhattis.
Bhutar, M., a landowner.
Bhutha, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Sh^hpur.
Bhutri, a Jat sept.
Bhuts, a Jd,t sept.
Bhutta. — The Bhutta are said by the late Mr. E. O'Brien to have traditions connecting them with Hindustan, and they claim to be descended from Solar Rajputs. But since the rise to opulence and importance of Pirzada Murad Bakhsh Bhutta, of Multdn, many of them have taken to calling themselves Pirzddas. One account is that they are immigrants frooi Bhutan — a story too obviously suggested by the name. They also often practise other crafts, such as making pottery or weaving, instead of or in addition to agriculture. They are said to have held Uch (in Brthawalpur) before the Sayyids came there. They are chiefly found on the lower Indus, CheniibandJiielum, in Shahpur, Jhang, Multdn, Muzaf- fargarh, and Dera Gh^zi Khan. In Jhang most are returned as Rdjputs. The Bhutta shown scattered over the Eastern Plains are perhaps mem- bers of the small Bhutnaor Bhutra clan of Malwa Jdts. kSeealso Butar. and Buta. Maclagan describes them as a Jdt or Bdjput clan found in Multiin tahsll and allied to the Langahs, etc., Bhutta, Langd>h, Dahar, Shajrd and Naich, being said to be sons of Mahli in tne couplet : —
SagJii, jihdndi dddi, Sodi jihdndi md,
Mahli jdi panj futr — Dahr, Bhtdtd, Langdh, Naich, Shajrd.
A branch of this clan at Khairpur near Multaa is in the transition stage towards becoming Sayyid.
According to the Bahawalpur tradition the Bhutta are of the same stock as the Bhdtia.* When Dewa Rawal, sister's son ot Raj^ Jajja Bhutto, was building the fort now called Derawar Jajja in a fit of jealousy stopped its construction ; whereupon his sister who was married to a Bhatia Rajput thus addressed him : —
Rdi Jajja Bhutta sen ivain hi hhain puchhde, Kaya Bhutta hay a Bhatia Kot usdran de.
" His sister besought Rai Jajja, the Bhutta :
Whether thou art a Bhutta or a Bhd,tia, let the fort be built."
Bhdtta, an Ai-ain clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Bib, a small and humble (agricultural) tribe, holding one or two villages in Abbottibad tahsil, Hazara district, and possibly connected with the Awans.
BiBizAi, a Pathdn clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
* The Bahawalpur traditions make the Bhatia (Jaisalmer family), the Bhuttas, Bhatti^ and Watt us all one and the same family.
110 Bih anggaU'-^Bisknot.
BiHAxaaAN, one who has not a fixed abode, a /agftr who subsists on alms. BiLAi, a low Purbid caste of syces and grass-cutter. But see also under
Chamar. BiLAiTi, fem. -A^j a foreignerj a European or an Afghan.
BiLHARA, <le9cribed as a donkey-keeper, the Bilhdra is really a liranch of the Malldl or Mohana (boatmen) group, like theNihaya and Manabhari. In Bah^walpur they are cultivators as well as boatmen and own several villages on theChend,b and Indus. They are also found as land- owners in Multan, Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghdzi.
BiMBAK, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
BiBAJPANi, a disreputable sub-sect of the E^m-margi, q.v.
BiSHNOij* Pablad Bansi, (fr. Vishnu, one of the Hindu Trinity), a sect whose founder Jhdmbaji lived towards the end of the 15th century. Tradition says that at Piupdsar, a village soutli of Bikdner, in the Jodhpur territory, lived Laut, a Rajput Punw^r, who had attained the age of 60 and had no son. One day a neighbour going out to sow his field met Laut, and deeming it a 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 bewailed his childlessness until evening, when a faqir appeared to him and told him that in nine months he should have a son, and after showing his miraculous power by drawing milk from a calf, vanished from his sight. At the time named a child miraculously appeared iu Laut's house, and was miraculously suckled by his wife Hdnsa.t This happened in Sambat 15U8 (A.D. 1451). For seven years the boy, who was an incarnation {autdr) of Vishnu, played with his fellowR, and then for 27 years he tended cattle, but all this time he spoke no word. His miraculous powers were shown in various wayn, such as producing sweets from nothing for tbe delectation of his companions, and he became known as Achamba (the Wonder), whence his natce of Jhamba, by which he is generally known. After 34 years, a Brahman was sent for to get him to speak and on bis confessing his failure Jhd,mbaji again showed his power by lighting a lamp by simply snapping his fingers, and uttered his first word. He then adopted the life of a teacher, and went to reside on a sandhill, Bome thirty miles south of Bikaner, where after 51 years he died and was buried, instead of being burnt, hke an ordinary Hindu.
Another account of Jh^mbaji says that —
" When a lad of five 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 astonishment, attempted to follow the boy when he left the well. He was on horseback and the boy on foot, but gallop as fast aa 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 welcomed him by name, though he then saw him for the first time. The bewildered tjdaji exclaimed Jhdmhaji (omni-
♦ Pronounced Viahnoi in Buhawalpur and £fk4ner.
I Aooordiog to the Hiasar Settlement Report bia parents were Lohub-aad Kesar,
Biahnoi tenets, m
scient), and henceforth the boy was known by this name. On attaining manhood, Jbdimbaji leit his home, and, becoming a faqir or religious mendicant, ia said to have remained seated upon a sandhill called Samrathal in Bik^ner, for a space of 51 years. In 1485 a fearful famine desolated the country, and Jhduibaji gained an enormous number of disciples hy providing food for all that would declare their belief in him. He is said to have died on his sandhill, at the good old age of 84, and to have been buried at a spot about a mile distant frora it.'^
A further Account says that his body remained suspended for six months in the pinjra without decomposing.
The name Bishnoi is of course connected with that of Vishnu the deity to whom the Bishnoia give most prominence in their creed though sometimes they themselves derive it from the 29 {his-nau) articles of faith inculcated by their founder. In fact it was very difficult in our returns to distinguish the Rishnoi from the Vaishnav who was often entered as a Baishnav or Bislino. The Bishnois some- times call themselves Prahlddbansis or Prahlddpanthis,"^ on the ground that it was to please Prahld,d-bhagat that Vishnu became incarnate in the person of Jhdmbaji. The legend is that 33 crores of beings were born along with Prahldd and five crores of them were killed by the wicked Hirndkash, and when Vishnu, as the Narsin^h avatar, saved the life of Prahldrd and asked Prahliid to name his dearest wish, the latter requested that Vishnu would effect the salvation (mukt) of the remain- ing 28 crores. To do this required a further incarnation, and Jh^mbaif was the result.
Tenets of the Bishnois. — Regarding the doctrines of the sect Sir James Wilson,t from whom I have already quoted, writes: —
" The sayings {sabd) of Jhambaji to the number of 120 were written down by his disciples, and have been handed down in a book (pothi) written in the Ndgri character and in a dialect similar to B^gri seemingly a Md,rwd,ri dialect. The 29 precepts given by him for the guidance of his followers are as follows : —
Tis din sutak—vdnch roz ratwanti ndri
Sera karo shndn — sil — santokh — suchh pydri
Pdni — bdni — idhni — itnd lijyo chhdn.
Dayd — dharm hirde dharo — garu hatdi jdn
Chori — nindya — jhiUh — barjya had na kariyo koe
Amal— tamdku — bhang — Hi dnr hi tydgo
Mad — 7nds se dekhke dur hi bhdgo.
Amar rakhdo that — bail tani nd bdho
Amdshya barat — ri'inkh lilo rue ghdo.
Horn jap samddh jnljd — b'ish baikunthi pdo
TJntis dharrti ki dkhri garu batdi soe
Fdh'il doe par chdvya jisko nam Bishnoi hoe, which is thus interpreted : — "For 30 days after child-birth and five after a menstrual discharge a woman must not cook food. Bathe in the morning. Commit not adultery. Be content. Be abstemious and pure. Strain your drinking water. Be careful of your speech. Ex-
♦ Bee also under Narsinghie. tSirsa Settlement Heport, page 136,
112 Bishnoi observances,
amine your fuel in case any living creature be burnt with it. Show pity to livinof creatures. Keep duty present to your raind as the Teacher bade. Do not speak evil of others. Do not tell lies. Never quarrel. Avoid opium, tobacco, bhang and blue clothing. Flee from spirits and flesh. See that your goats are kept alive (nob 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 29 duties prescribed by the Teacher — ' Baptize your children, if you would be called a true Bishnoi'."
Some of these precepts are not strictly obeyed ; for instance, although ordinarily they allow no blue in their clothing, yet a Bishnoi, if he is a servant of the British Government, is allowed to wear a blue uniform ; and Bishnois do use bullocks, though most of their farming is done with camels. They also seem to be unusually quarrelsome (in 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 auy living creature, but they do their utmost to prevent others from doing so. Conse- quently their villages are generally swarming with antelope and other animals, and they forbid their Musalmdn neighbours to kill them and try to dissuade European sportsmen from interfering with them. They wanted it made 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 mitjht 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 this would lessen the merit {'pun) of their good actions in protecting the animals, and they must be treated just as the surrounding villages were. They consider it a good deed to scatter grain to pigeons and other birds, and often have a large number of half-tame birds about their villages. 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 morning, afternoon, and in the evening — saying'' Bishno, Bishno " instead of the ordinary Hindu " R^m Rd,m." Their clothing is the same as of other Bagris, 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 ceremonial 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 the last camel of the string, the Bishnoi would consider his food defiled and throw it away."
The ceremony of initiation is as follows : —
" A number of representative Bishnois assemble, and before them a sddh or Bishnoi priest, after lighting a sacrificial fire {horn) instructs the novice in the duties of the faith. He then takes some water in a new earthen vessel, over which he prays in a set form {Bishno gdyatri), stirring- it the while with his string of beads [rudla), and after asking the consent of the assembled Bishnois, he pours the water three times into the hands of the novice, who drinks it off. The novice's Bcalp
Bishnoi rites. H^
lock {choti) 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, ouly shaving the chiu on the father's death. Infant baptism is also practised, and 30 days after birth the child whether boy or girl, is baptised by the priest {sddh) in much the same way as an adult ; only the set form of prayer is different {garbh- gdyatri), and the priest pours a few drops of water into the child's mouth, and gives the child's relatives each three handfuls of the con- secrated water to drink; at the same time the barber clips off the child's hail'. This baptismal ceremony also has the effect of purifying the house which has been made impure by the birth {sutak).'^
The Bislinois intermarry among themselves only, and by a ceremony of their own in which it seems the circumambulation of the sacred fire, which is the binding ceremony among the Hindus generally, is omitted. They do not revere Brahmans,t but have priests {sadhs} of their own, chosen from among the laity. They do not burn their dead, but bury 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 Prahldd was tortured by his infidel father Harn^kash for believing in the god Vishnu, until he was deliver- ed by the god himself in his incarnation of the Lion-man, and mourning over Prahld,d's sufferings, they light a saciificial fire and partake of consecrated water, and after distributing unpurified sugar iguf) in commemoration of Prahldd's delivery from the fire into which he was thrown, they break their fast. Bishnois go on pilgrimage where Jhdmbaji is buried, south of Bik^ner, where there is a tomb {mat) over his remains and a temple (mandir) with regular attendants (pujari) . A festival takes place here every six months, in Asauj and Phdgan, when the pilgrims go to the sandhill on which Jhd,mbaji lived, and there light sacrificial fires (horn') oi jandi wood in vessels of stone, and offer a burnt offering of barley, til, ghi and sugar, at the same time muttering set prayers. They also make presents to the attendants of the temple, and distribute moth and other grain for the peacocks and pigeons, which live there iif numbers. Should any one have committed 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 once a year in Chet. There the pilgrims bathe ia the tank and help to deepen it, and sing and play musical instruments and scatter grain to peacocks and pigeons,"
The Bislinois look with special attention to the sacred /lom or sacrifice; it is only the rich who can perform this daily ; the poor meet together
* But according to the Hissar Settlement Report, the ceremony of admission to the sect is as follows : — The priests and the people assemble together, repeat the pahul-mantar over a cup of water, and give it to the candidate to drink ; who thereafter goes round the assembly and bows to all. His head is then shaved after the mamier of the founder of the sect. According to his means he has to pay a certain sum of money (Rs. 5 to 500 is the limit), for the purpose of buying gram, which is then sent to the Samrathal sandhill in order to feed pigeons,
t But in F^zilka the Bishnois are said to employ Brahmans for religious as well aB secuilar purposes.
Il4 ' Bdchah — Bodla.
to carry out the rite on the Amdvas day only. The gaenas or sddhs* who are their priests and are fed and feed by them Uke Brahmans, are a hereditary class and do not intermarry with other Bishnois, nor do they take offerings from any but Bishnois. The Bishnois themselves are a real caste and were shown as such in the Census 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 as Vaishnavas, and vice versa. It is said that a member of any of the higher Hindu castes may become a Bishnoi, but as a matter of fact they are almost entirely Jd,ts or Kh^tis (carpen- ters) or, less frequently, Rdjputs or Banias, and the Bd,nia Bishnois are apparently not found in the Punjab, their chief seat being Mur^ddbM, in the United Provinces. The man who becomes a Bishnoi is still bound by his caste restrictions ; he no longer calls himseK a Jd^, but he can marry only Jd,t Bishnois, or he is no longer a Khdti, and yet cannot marry any one who is not a Kh^ti ; and further than this, the Bishnoi retains the got of his original tribe and may not marry within it.f Karewa is practised among them, but an elder brother cannot marry a jounger brother's widow, though her brother-in-law or father- in-law are entitled, if she do not marry her dewar, to a payment called hhar from her second husband.
There is not perhaps very much in the teaching of Jhdmbaji to distinguish him from the orthodox pattern of Hindu saints, and in some points his doctrine, more especially with regard to the preservation of life, is only an intensification of the ordinary Vaishnava tenets. But in the omission of the phera at marriage, the cutting off of the choti or scalp-lock, the special ceremony of initiation, and the disregard for the Brahmanicul priesthood, we find indications of the same spirit as that which moved the other Hmdu reformers of the period.
BocHAH, a J^t clan (agricultural) in Multdu.
Bodla. — The BodMs are a small section of the Wattu RijputsJ of the lower and middle Sutlej, who have for some generations enjoyed a character for peculiar sanctity, § and who now claim Qureshi origin from Abu Bakr Sadiq ; and many of them call theoiseives Qureshis. They still marry Wattu girls,- though they give their daughters only to Bodlds. They were till lately a wholly pastoral tribe, and still hold a jdgir, the proceeds of which they now supplement by cultivation. They came up from Multd,a through Bahawalpur to Montgomery, where they were described by Purser as " lazy, silly, and conceited/' From Montgomery they spread into Sirsa, where they occupied the Bahak pargana which they still hold. They are credited with the power of curing disease by exorcism, and especially snake-bite and hydrophobia; they are recognised samts, and can curse with great efficacy. They have no relations with the other Qureshis of the neighbourhood, and
* According to the Hissar Settlement Report the sddhs are priests and the tha'jpun are secular clergy, generally elected by the people. Priesthood is not hereditary. In Fazilk4 it is said that Bishnois never employ a Brahman if a Bhat is available. The Bhi.t too is a Bishnoi.
t In F?izilka the Bishnois are said to have 1^60 divisions : one named Roja, meaning nilgai, but no reverence is paid to that animal by the Rojas. Cf. Goraya.
X No Wattu would claim affinity with the Bodlas, who are held in great respect in Bikaner, as Parmeshicar ro sakko ro aakko, i.e., ' Xin of Uod's kith and kin.' The use of Parmeshwax for Allah points to a Hindu origin.
§ Bodla in Western Punjabi means ' simpleton ', and simplicity or lunacy is regarded as asign of sanctity in the East.
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J C3
■C 3i i-^ J
y~FZc ^^ /i. ^ J
<iM/J f
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^;
i**- A, i /-^ ,
Bohra-^Bond. 115
their Wat^u origin is hereby open to question, though they may possibly be of Qureshi extraction, but now so completely affiliated to the Wattus by constantly taking brides from that tribo as to be undis- tinguishable from them. Their power of curing snake-bites is con- nected with a historical fact. When the Prophet and his companion Abu Bakar left Mecca, they concealed themselves in a cavern, and there the devoted companion, in order to protect his master, tore liis turban into rags and closed the holes with the pieces. One hole he stopped with his toe, and it was bitten by a snake. When the Prophet learnt what had occurred he cured it by sucking the wound, and the Sadiqis sometimes seek to prove their descent from the first Caliph by claiming the power of curing snake-bite. There is also said to be a class of wondering gharishti faqirs called Bodld,. A Sanidsi sub-sect also appears to bear this name. Possibly the word is confused with Bhola, 'simple', an epithet of MahMev. See also Qureshi. BoHEA. — The Bohrd includes two distinct classes : one Brahman money- lenders from Mdrwdr, who have settled in the districts on the Jumna, and acquired a most unenviable notoriety for unscrupulous rapacity. There is a rustic proverb : Bore kd Ram Ram aisd Jam ha sandesd : "A Bohrdi's 'good morning!' is like a message from the angel of death." These Bohras appear to accept brides from BcLnias, but do not give them daughters.
In the hills any money-lender or shop-keeper is apparently called a hohrd (from the same root as beohdr ' trade '■^, and the word is used in the same general sense in the south of Rdjputdna and in Bombay, taking the place of the ' Biinia ' of Hindustan, though in Guzerat it is specially applied to a class of Shia traders who were converted to IsMm about 1300 A. D. [For the Mnhammadan Bora see Wilson's Sects of the Hindus, p. 170. They are represented in Multd,n.] In the Punjab all the Bohras are Hindus. In those Hill States in which Bohras are numerous, Banids are hardly represented in the returns, and vice versa ; and both the Bdnia and Boliia are in the liills also known as Mahd.ian. The Hill Bohrd,s are said to be exceedingly strict Hindus, and to be admitted to intermarriage with the lower classes of Rdjputs, such as Ei,this and Rd,wats. In Gurdd;spur there is said to be a small class of traders called Bohrds who claim Jd,t origin, and who are notorious for making money by marrying their daugrhters, securing the dower, and then running away with both, to begin again da capo.
BojAK, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
BoKHiA, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery : also called Bokhe
and found as cultivators and camel-breeders in Bahdwalpur. BoLA, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan. BoMi, a Rd.jput sept, according to the Punjabi Dicty., p. 166. BoNAH, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn. Bon, Bona, fem. Bonai, a weaver of the Chamar caste.
* Beames gives iv<hora as the true form of the word. Wohra is a got or section of the Muhammadan Khojas. It is fairly clear that the Bohras are connccti d in some way with the Khojas. In Jlewar there are Muhammadan B(h)oras <as well as Bora Hrahmans 'I ho former are united under elected mnlldhs and are said to be Hassanis by sect . cf. Malcolm'e fltfif. o/ Persia I, p. 395. Their chief coh'ny is at Ujjain. See ifemoiV on. Central India and Malwa, by Malcolm, II, pp. 91-92.
116 Bopdhrde — Brahman.
BoPAHRAE, a J at clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. BoPERAi, a Hindu Jflt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
BosAN, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn, to the south of the Vains. Their ancestor is said to have been a disciple of Bahdwal Haqq and to have received from him some of the land granted to him by the ruler of Multd,n. They came from Haidar^bad in Sind and are also found in Bahdwalpur as landowners. The Bappis, with whom they intermarry, and Sangis are said to be of the same stock.
BoT, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
BoTAB, BuTfAR, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
BozDAR, an independent Baloch tribe situated beyond our frontier at the back of the Kasrdni territory. They hold from the Sanghar Pass on the north to the Khosa and Khetrdn country on the south, and have the Luni and Musa Khel Pathdns on their western border. Those found in Dera Ghdzi Kh^n live in scattered villages about R^janpur and among the Laghdri tribe, and have no connection with the parent tribe. The Bozdd^r are hardly of Rind extraction seeing that their pedigree only makes them descendants of a goat-herd who married Bdno, widow of Rind's great-grandson, Shau Ali. They are divided into the Duldni, Ladwdni Ghuldm^ni, a suh-tuma7i, Chakrd,ni, Sihd,ni, Shd,hwdni, Jal^ldai, Jdfirdni and Rustamd,ni clans. They are more civilized than most of the trans-frontier tribes and are of all the Baloch the strictest Musalm^ns. Unlike all other Baloch they fight with the matchlock rather than with the sword. They are great graziers, and their name is said to be derived from the Persian buz, a goat.
Brahman, (Panjdbi Bdmhan, Bahman; fern. Bd,mhani: dim. masc, Bamhanetd j fern. Bamhaneti, a Brahman's son or daughter : cf. Bamhanau, Brahman- hood).
The Brahmans in India are divided into two great geographical groups, the Utrahak, who live to the north of the Vindhias, and the Uakshnat, who inhabit peninsular India to the south of that range. The former are further divided into 5 groups, viz. —
1. S^raswat, (modernised Sdrsut).!
2. Kankubj. (
3. Gaur. ^Also called, collectively, Gaur,
4. Utkal. I
5. Maithal. J
The southern groups* also number 5 and are : Darawar, Mahdrashtri, Borashat, or Karnfltik, Tailing and Gorjar.t Of these the only repre- sentative in the Punjab are the Pushkarnd Brahmans, who sprang from the Mah^rashtri group. t The mass of the Punjab Brahmans
* Also called, collectively, Darawar, from the saint of that name. Another account says the Darawar comprise the Maharashtr, Tailing, Gurjar, Dakhshani and Indrik : (Amritsar).
t Lest it be too hastily assumed that Gorjar, Gurjar or Gujar Brahmans have any connection with the Gujars, folk-etymology has suggested that the name is derived from gujjh, ' secrecy ', because their ancestor had once to conceal his faith.
X But unlike the southern Brahmans the Pushkarnaa observe ghunghat (i. e„ their women veil their faces), but they have no garhlm dhan (pregnancy rite) and in other respects their customs are dissimilar.
1
7
7
r
.'.).' .^<.<.J1Z.
o
' / / /
The Pitshhamds.
117
are Sarsuts, but Gaurs are found in the eastern districts of the Province. JBut certain groups of Brahmans are neither recognised aa Sdrsut nor as Gaur, or have become totally distinct from the Brahman community. Such are the Pushkarn^s, Muhials, described below, and the Bhojki, Dhakochi, Taqa and Tagu groups.
The Pdshkaenas.
It will be convenient to describe first the Pushkarnds, a comparatively small and unimportant group found only in the south-west of the Punjab. They are divided into two territorial groups, (i) Sindhu, " of the Indus valley," and (ii) Mdrwari, of Mdrwdr, or Marechd.
The Pushkariids claim to be faroMts of all the 'Bhdt Rd,jputs ' who are divided into Bhdts, Bhattis and Bhdtid,s,* and are described by Ibbetson as more strict in caste matters than the Sd/rsut.
'i'he Pushkarnas are divided into two groups : Sindhu and Marechd, and are said to have 84 gots as given belowt : —
I. — Sindhu —
|
• |
•1. Tangsali. |
9. |
Biaji-a. |
17. |
Ears |
• |
25. Nang-a, |
|
|
•2. Vias. |
10. |
Maulo. |
18. |
Chaawatia. |
• |
26. Kalla. |
||
|
• |
•3. Mattur. |
til. |
Gandriya. |
19. |
Muttur. |
• |
■27. Visha. |
|
|
• |
■4. Kapta. |
12. |
Dhaki. |
20. |
Munda. |
■ |
28. Ratta. |
|
|
5; Prohat. |
tl3 |
Mutta. |
t21. t22. |
Parhihar. |
29. Billa. |
|||
|
6. Machhar. |
U. |
Jiwanecha. |
Kaudia. |
t30. Wasu. 13 1. Karada. |
||||
|
t7. Wattu. |
tl5. |
Lapishia (Lapia). |
23. |
Kcrait. |
||||
|
8. Matma. |
16. |
Pania. |
t24. |
Viasra. |
32. Chiara, |
|||
|
II.— MareohA— |
||||||||
|
1. Kakreja. |
14. |
Gota. |
27. |
Kopalia. |
40. Ramdev. |
|||
|
2. Chullar. |
15. |
Gotma. |
28. |
Wachhar. |
41. Upsidhiye. |
|||
|
3. Acharaj. |
16. |
Thakar. |
29. |
Mastoda. |
42. Achhu. |
|||
|
4. Heda. |
17. |
Badal. |
30. |
Padoya. |
43. Sheshdhir. |
|||
|
5. Gajja. |
IS. |
Dodha. |
31. |
Tojhi. |
44. Vegai. |
|||
|
6. Kadar. |
19. |
Kovasthilia |
32. |
Vejha. |
45. Vidang, |
|||
|
7, Keerla, |
20. |
Kaulo. |
83. |
Jhund. |
46. Hethoshi4. |
|||
|
8. Naula. |
21. |
Jabbar. |
34. |
Bijra. |
47 Somnath. |
|||
|
9, Kewlia. |
22. |
Dhagra. |
35. |
Nohora. |
48. Singhi. |
|||
|
1 0. Teriwari. |
23. |
Pedha. |
36. |
Mumatia. |
49, God^ni. |
|||
|
11, Sandhu. |
24. |
R4ma. |
37. |
K4i. |
50. Kh^khaf. |
|||
|
12. God4. ^ |
25. |
Waheti. |
38. |
Karmana. |
51. Khanesh. |
|||
|
13. Godanu. |
26. |
Meratwal. |
39. |
Ranga. |
52. Khoh4r4. |
|||
|
This list is given in a |
book. In Mi^nw^l! only those markedf ar |
e found. |
||||||
|
Daughters are generally given in marriage in on |
e and the same |
|||||||
|
family, and if possible to brothers, accordin to a |
very wide-spread |
|||||||
|
custom. |
||||||||
|
On the other hand in bah^walpnr |
the Marechd |
are described as |
||||||
|
pure Pushkarnst and comprise 15 gots :- |
- |
|||||||
|
1. AcMraj. |
6. Khidana. |
11. |
Pardhi. |
|||||
|
2. Bhor^. |
7. Kir^ru, |
12. |
Ramde. |
|||||
|
3. Ciihanganfi. |
8, Kullh4. |
13. |
Ranga. |
|||||
|
4. Gujja. |
9. Ludhdhar. |
14. |
Wias. |
|||||
|
5. Kabta. |
10. Muchchan. |
15. |
Wissa, |
* Incidentally this indicates that the Bhattis and Bhiltias have a common origin — both come from the country to the south of the Punjab. There are said to be Bh4t Rijpata in Jaisalmir.
t It is said that the Pushkarns used to be called Sri-Malis, that they rank below the Sarsut, Piirikh and Gaur sub-castes, and are (only) regarded as Brahmans because of their skill in astrology. But thoy are by origin possibly Sarsuts who made Pushkar or Pokhar, the sacred hike near Ajmer their head-quarters. One section of them is said to have been originally Beldars or Ods who were raised to Braluninical rank as a reward for excavating the tank and it still worships the pickaxe, but this tradition is not now current in the Punjab.
18 Brahmans in the South- West.
Next come the Dassd or half-breeds and lastly the Sindhti with 2 gots: Mattar and Wattu.^
In Bahawalpurt mention is made of a sub-caste, called Pdrikh, which I cannot trace elsewhere. It has 6 gotsX : —
Bora, I Kathotia. I Parohit,
Joshi. I Pandia. ! TiwM,
It is distinct from the S^wanis.
The Bkahmanical Hierarchy in the South-West Punjab.
Before describing the Sdrsut Brahmans it will be best to describe the organisation of the Brahmanical heirarchy in the South-West Punjab, where the Sdrsuts aud Pushkarnds overlap, combining to form groups of beneficed and unbeneficed priests which are further attached to the different castes.
The Wateshar. — The Wateshar§ are a group of Brahmans whose clientele is scattered, and who receive fixed dues from their patrons, irrespective of the services rendered to them. If they preside at a religious function they receive fixed fees in addition to their stand- ing dues.
In Midnwdli the Wateshar class comprises the following sections of the Sarsutjl and Pushkamd; Brahmans : —
T^u i. ( i. Kandiara.
1. Dhajinanpotra ... J ^ Lain.
* The Wattu 50* is the lowest of all: Brahmandn men Wattu, ghoron men tattii — "The Wattu among Brahmans is what a pony is among horses."
I But towards Bikaner is a group known as Parik.
J The sub- divisions of these sections are variously given thus : —
f Ambruana, from Amar Nath, Rangild4si, from " Rangil
Bhojipotra is said to include \ Dis," Wajal, from Wajalji, Tejal from Tejalji, all four
i, ii and iii as in text and 1 with Ram Nand, Machhindraji and Bhara Mai, sons of
C. Sidh Bojh, the saint and eponym of the section. This section also includes the Dand-dambh, the nick-name apparently of some family earnt by curing an ox, as the name implies.
The Samapotra also in- ) the Kalkadasani, Prayagdasi, ^ and all six sub-divisions are eludes i and ii, as above with ) Prithwi Mai and Shamdasi S patronymic.
The Samapotras are descended from Sidh Saman and perform a special worship on the Rikhipanchami, the 5th of the bright half of Bhadon. They also worship HingUj devi at births, weddings and on the 3rd of the bright half of Bais^kh.
r Sidh Bhardwaji. The Bhardwija sub-divisions are ) Aror „
1 K^njar „ C Eatan „
TheKatpilare {|^°f;-
? Takht.
TheLalfiare U^^^^
v. Jan.
For the correspondence between these sections and those of the Muhiil Brahmans see infra., § It has been suggested that Wateshar is derived from hirt, ' dues.' It is doubtless the same' word as Vriteswar, derived homvritti or virat. and may be translated 'beneficed.' Thus the Wateshar form an occupational group and the description given of their sub-divisions is certainly not absolute.
II Among the S4rsut Wateshar the matrimonial relations are complicated. The Sethpal marry with the Bhojipotra and Simepotra, if such alliances have been actually made in the past. If however they cannot obtain brides from these two sections they try to get them from the Bhardwaja or Kathpal. Agaia the Dhannanpotra only take brides from sections Nos. 2—4, but give none to them. Under these circumstances it is not surprising to learn that the Bhojipotra and Samepotra sections used till recently to practise female infanticide habitually. Lastly sections Nos, 5— 7 are willing to effect exchange betrothals with the Narainis, if no suitable match offers within this group of three sections, which intermarry. The Pushkami Wateshars also effect exchange betrothals as do the Shahri and Naraini.
Brahmans in the South-West.
119
2. Bhojfpotra
S^mepotra
Sethp41.
Bhardw^ja
Kathp41
Kandi4ra
Lalri
Ra,ma-Nanda Machi^na Bharojike > Maghwrlai j Wadhw^ni
intermarry with tho Bharogo and Maghw4ni. ,, ,, Wadhwini.
„ „ R4ma-Nanda.
,, ,, MachiAna.
Sindhu Pushkarn^
L9. Of the Watesliar sections of Arords.*
intermarry.
Nangu. Lapiya. Parial. Tanksali.
Mattar.
Gandhria.
Wasu.
Wessa.
Sohana,
class each
section is said to minister to certain
* For instance the Kdthpdl Brahmans minister to —
1. Gorwara, 2. Dhingra, 3, Dang, 4. Mad^n, 5. Chhabra, 6. Popli, etc. The Lalri minister to —
1. Gera, 2. Lulla, etc. The Bhardivdj minister to—
1. Haija, 2. Makheja, 3. Anej4, 4. Taneja, 5, Sareja, 6. 8. Dhamija, 9. Sukhij4, 10. Nakr^, 11. Chugh, 12. 14. Nangpal, 15. Maindiratta, 16. Kalra, 17. Minocha. The Bhojpotrd minister to—
1. Gambhir, 2. Batra, 3, Chawla, 4. Khetarpal, 5. Gand, 6. Narag, 7. Billa, 8 raji, 9. Rewari, 10. Chachra, 11. Busri, 12. Virmani. The Parhihdr minister to —
1. Khera, 2. Khurani,, 3. Bhugr4, 4. Machhar. The Nangu minister to —
1. Chikkar, 2. Sachdev, 3. Gulati, 4. Hans, 5. Kiir^bhatia, 6. The Sdmepoto-a minister to —
Fareja, 7. Khanduja, Chhokra, 13. BathU,
Budh-
Kathuriye, 2 Khanijan, 3. Naroole, 4. Babar, 5. Dua, 6. Wasudev, 7. Bhangar, 8. Hans, 9. Ghoghar, 10. Manglani, 11. Piplani, 12. Rihani, 13. Mandiani, 14, Jindwani, 15. Pawe, 16. Salootre, 17. Jimeji, 18. Kawal, 19. Kansite Sunare, 20. Lakhbatro, 21. Bhutiani, 22. Jatwani, 23. Nandwani, 24. Rajpotre, 25. Danekhel with eleven others. The Lapshid minister to —
1. Ch4wl^, 2. Kharbanda, 3. Mongi4, 4. Khattar, 5. Kaliicha, 6. Kurri. The Dhannanpotra minister to—
1. Dudeja, 2. Chotmurada, etc. The Singopotrd minister to —
1. Baj4j,etc. The Sethpdl minister to Sapr4, etc.
All these are sections of the Aroras. The Dhannanpotra minister to the Dawra, Bugga, Janji Khel, Danjri, Rohri, Madanpotre, Dhamija, Sanduja, Uthra and other gots. Sarsut —
I.— Bhojfpotra 1
Shamipotra* { jntennarry (and take wives from H, III, IV and
rhannanpotra \ Y j^gj. ^^ jj intermarry and take wives from
Singhupotra n.— Bhenda.
rthardvvaji.
Kandiari,
Ketliupotra.
Kathpali.
Shamjipotra.
* To this sectioa belonged Li41j( Goeam.
120
Brahmans i/n the South-West,
Of the Siodhu-Pushkarnd, Wateshar the Nangu minister to the Gurmalia, Kaura, Gulati, Sadidev, Chikkar, Mungiya and Raon-khela and many other sections of the Aroras, and the Sajulia section of the Bhatids. The Lapiya minister to the Kharbanda, Chawala, Mongid, Karre, Khattar and Kalache gots, and the Parial to the Khera, Bugra and Khurana, all sections of the Arords. The Tanksali* minister to the Nangpal, Mutrija, Dua (Seth Hari) ; the M attar minister to the Khurana, all Sateja Aroras; the Gandhria to Mahesri Banias ; the Wasu to Bhatias ; the Wesa to Mahesri Banias and the Sohana to Bhiti^s.
The Astri have fewer patrons than the Wateshar, and the clientele of each is confined to one place, where he resides. If a Wateshar is unable to officiate for a patron an Astri acts for him, receiving |ths of the fee, the balance of fths being handed over to the Wateshar.
The Astri sections in Mid,nwali are —
1. Ramdeh,t 2. Shason, 3. Bhaglal, 4. Ishwar, and 5. Dahiwdl.
The Naraini is an immigrant group, and is thus without patrons, but if the Wateshar and Astri are illiterate, a literate Naraini is called in to perform any function requiring knowledge. As a rule, however, the Naraini only presents himself when alms are given to all and sundry.
|
Patrons. |
Patrons. |
||||
|
1. |
Bambowal. |
9. |
Lapshah |
... Ehathar and Dhol |
|
|
2. |
Brahmi. |
10. |
Ojha. |
||
|
3. |
Chanana .. |
G4reri. |
11. |
Pandit. |
|
|
4. |
Chandan .. |
Aneja Aroris, |
12. |
Pharande. |
|
|
5. |
Chuni |
, Dhupar Aroras, |
13. |
Ramdeh |
... Dhaneja Aroris. |
|
6. |
Gaindhar.. |
Chatkare Aror4s, |
14. |
Soharan, |
|
|
7. |
JosM |
Nakra. |
15. |
Sutrak. |
|
|
8. |
Kakrah ... |
Khurana and Taloja |
16. |
Tilhan. |
|
|
Aroras. |
17. |
Wohra |
... Manocha Aroris. |
Only a Brahman may be an astri, a parohit or a thdni. He may also oflSciate as an Acharaj, a Bhdt, a Gosd,in or a Ved-patr, (and so may any other Hindu), but if he does so he must not accept any dues for the rites performed. Only a Brahman can take sankalpa, no other Hindu.
|
in.— CMni |
BhagUl. |
|
Channan |
Gangahar. |
|
Sutrak |
Rughanpotra (or Aganhotrf ?), |
|
K^kre |
N^rath. |
|
Ramde |
Sethi. |
|
Gaindhar |
Mihla. |
|
iLapsha). |
■ Brahmans of Khatrfs.
IV. — Jhangan Tikhi Mohla Kamrie Jeth' Bagge
Sant )
v. — The Mahta Brahmans, whose sections are the Chhibbar, Dat, Mohan, Ved, Bali and Lau, do not act as parohits, but are engaged in agriculture, trade or service. Obviously these are the same as the Muhials of the North -West Pimjab.
* The Tanksalis are called Jhani and receive certain dues on marriage and Dharm Sand in the Hadd Jaski,ni, i.e., in the tract under the rule of the Jask^ni Biloches. -j- Minister to the Danekhel section of the Aroras.
The Muhidl Brahmans,
121
A Brahman's own religious observances are performed by daughter's father-in-law, or by some relative of the latter, thou^li may, in their absence, get them performed by any other Brahman, sister's son is also employed. This is purely a matter of convenie
his rh he A . , , ^ - convenience,
the relations of a daughter's husband being entitled to receive gifts, but not those of a son's wife.
The Skcular Brahmans.
The Muhial Brahmans, — This group of secular Brahmans is said to derive its name from tmihin, a sum of money given by them at weddings to BhiUs and Jiljaks, varying from Rs. 5 to Rs, 7 or Rs. 12. The Muhid^ls are also styled Munlii'ils, and are said to be so called from tmihin, a sept. But it is also suggested that the name is derived from mukhia, 'spokesman,' or 'principal.' By origin the Muhiflls are cer- tainly Silrsuts and still take wives from that group in Gujrfit, while in Rilwalpindi the five superior sections (Sudhdn, Sikhan, BhaklAl, Bhog and IC4h) of the Bunjfihi Silrsuts used to give daughters to the Bhimwdl (Bhibhill) ' Muhiill Sarsuts' and occasionally to the other Muhiill sections, though they refused them to the inferior sections of the Bun]Yihis: Rawalpindi Gr. 1883-84, p. 51.
Their organisation is on the usual principles and may be thus tabulated : —
Group I.— Bari.
/i.
|
Serf ion. |
|
|
1. Chhibbar. |
|
|
Datt |
|
|
Mohan. |
|
|
Ved or Baid |
,.. |
|
B41i |
... |
|
Lau |
|
|
BibhowAl or |
Bhibh^l. |
i. Dablijiya. ii. I'lm or coinmon.
Group II. — Bonjahi.
j Setpal (Sahanp41). Dhannanpotra.
Bhojipotra. Lalri,
Samepotra.
/4r'
^ 4./^Ui, ^*^^ i'
The Bd.ri group either intermarries or takes daughters from the Bunjiihi, but the two sections of the latter (Lau and Bibhow^i) can only marry inter se.^
* The Bhats eulogise the Muhiiils in the following verses : —
Daft data, Lau mangtd, \ ' The Datts are generous, and the Lau beggars,
Cnhihhar wich Sardar. The Olihibbars are Sardirs.
Walidn hath katariydn. The Haids dagger in hand
Chaldc pahdn de hhdr. Walk full of pride.
Bibho khdtc bimb phal, The Bibho (liibhownl) eat bimb phal (a fruit),
Mohan Bali chakddr. I Mohan and Bali are chakddrs.
There are further sub-divisions, but among the Waid the Samba, among the Datt the Kanjruria, among the Bnli the Khara and among the Chhibbar the Barra, are considered superior clans.
122
The Sdrsut Brahmans.
The following table illustrates the origin of the Muliial sections and
sub-sections : —
MUHIAlS.
I
r
Chhibbar.
Sidh Suhan.
I Setp41 (Bari).
('
Baid.
I
Sidh Bhoj.
I
Bhojepotre.
I
Laii.
1 Sidh Sam.
Shamepotre. f
I Datt.
I Sidh Chdr.
I
"^
Midho Daa. Rama Nand.
I, I
Machhane. Rama Nandune.
Amrii-
Bheru. w!lle.
Babe, wale.
Dand- Dumbh,
Kali Chand.
1^ Kundiare (Bnnjahi),
Dhiru.
!
Phfrapotre (Bunj^hi).
~1
BAli.
I
(Name of Sidh
not known).
r
I)hanan. Lalfi
(, Bnnjahi).
~1 Takht Lalri
(Bari).
Phananpotre (B^ri).
Chuuiwal (Hari).
Tnlumbiya, (Rari).
r
Prithwi Mai.
Wadhu Ram.
Manghu Ram.
I , Mangwaiii.
"1 K4lka Via.
id). Sit-pnria, (Bunj^hi),
Prithwi Malane. Wadhwani. Mangwani. Kalka Dasani, The descendants of thefiveSidhs are further sob-divided into pdnchtoUas (wVio give their daughters not less than 5 tolas of gold as dowry) and tritoliyas (who give not less than 3). The latter rank below the former.
The origin of the Mnhidls is thus desci ibed : In Sambat 200 Vikrami the five Sidhs went to the Naunuthi Hill and there practised asceticism. About that time too the Khatris of the Aror family (now the Arords) and the other Khatris fell out, so the latter separated from the Aroras and became jajmdns of the Sidhs. The Muhidls who did not attacli themselves to the Aroras refused to accept alms (dan) and are still purely secular. They are found chiefly if not exclusively in Rd,walpindi (where many are Sikhs) ; in Jhelum and Shahpur as lanHholders or io service. All Muhidls may marry girls of Brahman families which are not Muhidl.
A small group of secular Brahmans found at Harid^na, in Hoshidrpur is the Kanchan Kawal. They are also called Suraj Duaj (Sun- worshippers). Their ancestor came from Delhi as a hdnungo to Haridna, whence they are also called Kdnungos. They can marry in the ndnhd's got, avoiding only the father's got. They do not take charity {dan), and either take service or engage in trade or cultivation. If any one of them takes alms he is outcasted and they do not intermarry with him.
Other purely lay groups of Brahmans are : the Dhakociii of the Dhund and Karral Hills in Hazara, who are also called Mahajans : the Tagas of Karnal, who are Gaurs by origin and agriculturists by avoca- tion : and the criminal Tagus of the same District.
THE SARSUT BRAHMANS.
The Sdrsut is essentially the Brahman of the Punjab, jast as the Khatri
is distinctively a Punjab caste. The Sarsut, as a body, minister to all
the Hindu castes, possibly even to those which are unclean and so stand
outside the pale of Hinduism. Uoon this fact is based the leading
Brahmans of the Rhatris. 123
principle of their organization, which is that the status of each section depends on the status of the caste to whicli it tninistere. Inaccordanco with this principle, Ave may tentatively classify tlie iSdrsut thus : —
Sub-group i. — Brahmans of Brahmans, called Sbukla.
Sub-group ii. — -Bi-ahraans of theKhatris —
5. Khokharan.* G. Sarin.
1. Punch-zati. 4. Bunjahis.
2. Chhe-zati. 3. As^th-bana.
Sub-group uY. — Brahma tis of Arords.
Sub-group iv. — Brahmans of Jdts.
Sub-group v. — Brahmans of inferior castes, e.g., the Chamarwd.
Further, each of the sub-groups is divided into grades on the analogy of the Khatri caste system thus —
1. Panchzciti. 3. Butijahi.
2. B^ri. 4. Inferior zdtL:
Thus we may take the Shuklaf Brahmans to comprise the following gots : —
fGallia ~1 ( Jetli.
I Malia I I Jhing^n. ^
Pauchziti ...-j Kapuria ^ or < Mohla.
Bhaturia I 1 Kumaria.
t J I Trikha.
The Sdj'sut Brcihinans of the Khatris. — The connection of the Khatri with the Sarsut Brnhman caste is peculiarly close. One tradition of its origin avers that when Parasu Rama was exterminating the K^hatriyas a pregnant woman of the caste took refuge with a Sdrsut. When her child, a son, was born, the Sarsut invested him Avith the janeo and taught him the Vedus. Hence the Sarsuts are invariably the parohits of the Kliatris, and fiom this incident arose the custom which allows paruhit Sindjajman to eat together.
The boy manied 18 Kshatriya girls and his sons took the names of the various rishis and thus founded the gotras of the Khatrisj, which are the E.ame as those of the Brahmans. Tliis legend explains many points in the organization of the Sdrsut Brahmans in thn Punjab, though it is doubtless entirely mythical, having been intended to account for the close dependence of the Brahmans of the Sarsut branch on the Khatri caste.
Gtoup I. — Panjzati i. At the top of the social tree stand five sections,
. ,, , ,„ -v which are the parohits of tlie Dhaigrhar
1. Monia. 1 t/-i j^ ' rrn • • ^ ■ ° 1
2. Jetli. I Khatris. lliis group is known as the
3. Jhingan. |^ Group Panjzati or Panjzati or ' five sections,' and also as *■ Kumada J P^^l^^^^^^'- Pachhdda or ' western.' Ii the Brah- mans followed the Khatri organization
in all its complexity we should expect to find these sections constituting the Plidighar sub-group of a Bdri j^roup, and they are, \i would seem^ called phaighar-Lah(n-ia, at least in Lahore.
There are'also said to be two groups, each oibzdtif<, which once formed themselves into endogamous cliques. These were : {i) Kalia, Malia, Bhaturia,
* Probably this is correct. The Muhial having ceased to be Brahmans at all, no longer minister to tha Khokharan-Khatris and so a special group of Khokharan-Brahmans haa had lobe formed.
t The Shuklas are beggars, who come from the east, from the direction of the United Provinces. They beg only from Brahmans, but arc not their parohits. They are quite distinct from the Shukal of the Simla llills.
124 Brahmans of the Khatris.
Kapnriaand Baggas, and [ii) Jhingan"^, Trikhat, Jetli]:, KuiiLhria§, and Punbu.ll The last-named got was, however, replaced by the Mohlas^ be- cause one of its members was discourteous to his daughter-in-law's people.
The Bari group further, in addition to tlie Panchzdtis, comprises the following 7 gots : Paumbu, Gangd;har,*=» ]\lartha, Sethi Churavaur, Phiranda and Purang.
Group II. — Bunj^hi. This group contains several sub-groups whose relations to one another are obscure, and indeed the subject of con- troversy. They may be classified, tentatively, as follows :— -
Sul-group i. — Asht-bans, with the following eight sections: —
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1. Sand. |
1. |
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2. Shori. |
2. Patak. |
2. |
Suri. |
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3. Patak. |
3. Joshi Mat |
rur. |
3*, |
Patak, |
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4. Mahrur. |
4, Joslii Mai |
mai. |
4. |
Joshi Malmai. |
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5. Joshi. |
5, TiwBDJ. |
5. |
Joshi Mahror. |
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6. Tiwari. |
6. Kural. |
6. |
Tiwari. ft |
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7. Kural. |
7, Regne. |
7. |
Kural. |
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8. Bhardwaji. |
... |
8. |
Ratn Bhardwaj. |
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Suh.groiqj |
u.— B |
ara-ghar or Bara-zati |
(also called Bari) : — |
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1. Sarad. |
7. |
Manan. |
In |
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ra. Sang. |
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2. Bhauot. |
8. |
Bhambi. |
Vasdeo. Sudan. |
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3. Airi. |
9. |
Lakhan Pal. |
Paonde. Majju. |
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4. Kalie.Jt |
10. |
Patti. |
Bhogr. Sem. |
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5. Parbhakka. |
11. |
Jalpat. |
Ishi |
ir. Dbammi, |
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6, Nabh. |
12. |
Sabjpal, |
Ramdeo. Tara. |
• Jhingan is said to be derived from j/uVigra or ;^«jyV!., a bell, because the sound of a bell was heard at its eponj^m's birth. This got is supposed to be only 20 generations old. It has three sub-sections, Gautam, Athu and Nathu. Further, Nathu's descendants are sub- divided into the less known sub-divisions of Cbamnapati and Kanwlapati. The Jhingans gotra is Bhardwaj ; iheir pur vur as Bhrign, Bharjan and Bhardv/aj, their slidkhd Madhunjan and the Rig Veda their veda. At Dipalpur at the house of an ancestor, Baba Chhajjil, they hold a fair in Magh, at which the cliUa, jhand, janeo and other rites are performed. Nathu's descendants all wear a noth in the nose.
t Trikha's gotra is Farashar and it is sub-divided into the Palwarda, Aura and Dwija bub- sections.
t The Jetli !7o^ra is Vatsa, and its sub- sections are Vialepotra, Chandipotra, and Rupe- potra — all eponymous. The two former are replaced by Hathila and Harnpotra, according to another account. The Mihrotra Khatris make them ofierings on the 12th of the light half of each lunar month.
§ The Kumbria gotra is also Vatsa and they too have three sub-sections.
II Apparently the same as the Paumbu. below.
*|[Lhe Mohlas gotra is Somastam, audits sub-sections are Dalwali, Shiv-Nandi and Akashi.
*" Of the Vasiaht gotra. They have five sub-sections, Veda Vyas, Gacgahar {sic), Gosain, Saraph, and Gangawa&hi, so-called because they used to lead bands of pilgrims to the Ganges. They were exempt from tolls under former governments. The Sar4ph (Sarraf) were bankers. The Gosains had many jajmdns and the Veda Vyas were learned in the Vedas. 'the Gangahars still perform their jhand or tonsure rite near the ruins of old Jhang, near which town they possessed a number of wells, each inscribed with their names.
■ft Or Tawaria. At marriage they do not let the bride go to her father-in law's house, but send instead a big gur cake wrapped in red cloth. If however the mukldwd ceremony is performed at the same time us the wedding, they let the bride go also, otherwise they sen4^ her afterwards when her mulddud is given.
+1 Probably the same ;isthe Bhabakkar, a. got named after a llishi. Its members make a boy don the janeo (sacred thread) in his 8th j'ear. Clad as a sddhu in a faqirs dress with the alfi or chola, the mirg-chhdla (deer-skin) and kachkol (a wallet for collecting alms) he begs from door to door and is then bidden to go to the forest, Lut his sister brings him back.
Brahmans of the Ehatrts. 125
The Zdt-wdle : —
Sith-group Hi. — Panj-zati ii. About 116 years ago the Brahicans of the five sections below used to give their daughters in marriage to the Dhdighar- Lahoria Brahmans ; —
(1) Kalie. I (3) Kapurie. I (5) Eaggo.
(2) Malie. I (4) Bhaturie. |
When their daughters ' began to be treated harshly in the houses of tlieir fathers-in-law, these Bralimans {i-)anjzatov five sections) arranged to contract marriages only among themselves ' and ceased to form re- lationships with the Dhaighar-Lahoria.
Sub-group iv.- — ChheZcit-wala. — Similarly several other sections of Brahmans gave up giving daughters to the Dbaighar-Lahoria Brah- mans, such as—
(1) Pandit. I (3) Dhniide. ( (5) Dhan Kaji.
(2) Patak. I (4) Gadhari. I (6; Chhukari.
Stib -group v. — Panchzdt-w^le iii —
(1) Chuni. I (3) Lamb. I (5) Sarballie.
(2) Rabri. I (4) Neule. *
Suh-group vi. — Sat-zdti —
(1) Sajre. (4) Neasi. j (6) Sardal.
(2) Punj. (5) Chujii. (7) Anni.
(3) Bandu, '
The above four sub-groups are called collectively Zat-wale,
Suh-group vii. — This comprises the remaining Bunjdhi sections.
The Zd,t-wd,Ie stand higher than this last sub-group vii, in that they do not accept offerings from, or eat in the houses of, Ndis, Kaldls, Kumhdrs or C'hhimbjis, whereas the latter do both. Moreover, the Asht-bans and Chhe-zdti sub-groups claim to be superior in status to the B^ris, but some families of these two sub-groups stooped to give daughters to the latter sub-group, and were, therefore, excom- municated by the remaining families of the Asht-bans and Chhe-zati sub-groups, so that they lost status and formed a new sub-group called Bans-puj. This sub-group now gives daughters to the Asht-bans and Chhe-zati sub-groups, but takes its wives, it is alleged, from the B^ris.
Thus the Brahman organization reflects the main outlines of the Khatri scheme, but, thougli on many points of detail our information is incomplete, it is certain that local conditions modify the organiza- tion. For instance in Bahd-walpur the Khatris are few, while the Aroras are numerous aud infiuential, so that we find the following scheme : —
Sub-group i. — Five sections, Mohla, Jetli, Jhingran, Trikha, Kumaria.
Hyper gamous sub-group ii. — Five sections, Dhaman-potra, Sama- potra, Bhoja-potra, Setpal, Takht-Lalhdri ; and
fJypergamous sub-group m.— Seven sections, Lai hd,ri, Bias, Kandaria, Kathpala, Shangru-potra or "Wed, Malakpura, and Bhenda.
Of these three sub-groups, the five sections of the first are Brah- mans of the Khatris generally, not of the Dhdighar-Bdri Khatri9 exclusively, while sub-groups ii and iii are Brahmans of the Arorfie in that part of the Punjab.
126 Brahmans of the Khatris.
The rules of marriage. — Like the Khatris, the Bunjdhi Brahmans profess to folJow the usual ' ionr-got ' rule in marriage, but, precisely like the Dhiiighar Khatris, the Zd-t-wale Brahmans avoid only their own section and the mother's relations. At least this appears to be the usual rule, but it would be rash to say it is an invariable one. For example, the B;ins-puj are an exception. The Asht-bans obtain wives from them, but if a father has taken a Bans-puj wife, the son may not : he must marry an Asht-bans or lose status. That is to say, the Asht-bans may only stoop to iuter-marriHge with the Bans-puj in alternate generations.
Similarly the ' ionr-got ' rule is relaxed in other cases. Thus the Kanchan-Kamal section of Hoshiarpnr are also called Suraj Doaj, (Sun-worshippers). Their ancestor came from Delhi as a qdnungo at Haridna ; hence they are called Qanungos. These Brahmans can marry in the ndnka got, avoiding only the father's got. They do not take any dan (charity) and may either take service or engage in trade or cultivation. If any one of them takes to receiving charity, he is considered an outcast! and they do not intermalrry with him.
The ages of marriage. — Among the Bunjahi Brahmans the age of betrothal is from 4-8 and that of marriage from 8-12 years in Rawalpindi. It is, however, impossible to lay down any universal rules, as, generally speaking, the ages of betrothal and marriage depend upon the status of each family within the group, as is the case among the Khatris.
The revolt against hypergamy. — It will be seen how the lower sub- groups of the Khatris have endeavoured to shake off the yoke of the higher in matrimonial matters. A similar revolt against the position of the JDhd-ighar occurred amongst the Sarsut Brahmans. About 116 years ago, says the account received from Areritsar, the Lahoria Pbdighar used to take daughters from the Panj-zat ii; but owing to the ill-treatment meted out to the girh by the phd.iKhHr, they resolv- ed to discontinue the custom, aud the three other groups of the Zat- wdle followed suit while the remaining Bunjahis continued to give wives to the Zdfc-wale, but no longer received them in return. The result was that the Bunjahis could not obtain wives and many fami- lies died out, so it was resolved by the Bunjahis that they should for the future break off all connection with the Zat-wdle, unless any of the latter should agree to give them daughters in return. This was prior to Sambat 1932 when a second meeting at Amritsar renewed the compact.
It may be worth noting that in both castes the proceedings of these conferences were conducted in a formal manner, written agree- ments being drawn up, and the families which agreed to the de- mands put forward being entered in a register from time to time.
The territorial groups. — Like the Khatris the Brahmans have terri- torial groups, but these groups do not usually correspond with the territorial groups of the former. For instance, the Brahmans of the Murree Hills are divided into two sub-castes-^ Pahdria and Dhakochi, who do not interman-y or eat together. The Dugri Brahmans corre- spond to the Dugri Khatris of the Si^lkot sub -montane, but they are said, on the one hand, to give daughters to the Sarsut, aud, on the
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r Bbojapotra. .. < Shamapotra. |
Sitpal. Takht Lalri.* |
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( Dhannanpotra. f The Panchzatia, together with the— 1 6. Puchhrat. .. -) 7. Shingnpotra. 1 8. Malakpiira. 1,9. Khetopotra, |
10. Rlifirdwaji. 11. Kathp4la.t 12. Kandhiara. |
The Brahmans of Knngra. 127
other liand, to intermarry with the Batehru group of Brahmans in Kangra. Allusions have been already made to tlie Paclibflda and' to the Laboria, terms which seem to be applied exclusively to the five highest sectior-s who serve the Dhdighar Khatris.
The Sarsdt Brahmans op the ArorAs.
The gfrouping of the Brahmans of the Aroriis has already been des- cribed iu dealing with the Wateshars' system, and they further are said to be thus divided :
Panch-z^ti
Biri
But the most interesting territorial group of the Sdrsut is that of the Kd,ngra Brahmans whose organization shows no traces of the Khatri scheme, but reflects that of the Hindu Rajputs of Kilngra, and which will, therefore, be described at some length.
The Brahmans op Kang^a.
The Sarsut des or jurisdiction extends from the Saraswati river in Kurukshetr to Attock on the Indus and is bounded by Pehowa on the east, by Ratia and Fafehdbad in Hissar, by Multan on the south-west, and by Jammu and Nurpur, in Kangra, on the north.
Thus the Brahmans of Kangra, who are or claim to be Sdrsut by origin, stand beyond the pale of the Sarsut organisation, but they have a very interesting organisation of their own.
We];find the following groups : —
i. — Nagarkotia. ii. — Batehru. iii, — Halbaha, or cultivating.
Group I. — ^The Nagarkotia are the Brahmans of the Katoch, the highest of the Rdjputs, and they were divided by Dharm Chand, the Katoch Raja of Kdngra, into 13 functional sub-groups, each named ft; er the duties it performed in his time. These are —
i. — Dichhit, the Gurus of the Katoch, who used to teach the Gayatri mantra.
ii.— Sarotari, said to be from Sanskrit saw ladh. Their duty was to pour alioii or offerings of ghi, etc., into the hawan kund when a jag was performed. They had learnt two Vedas.
iii.— Achdria, who performed the jag.
* The Lalri have five sab-sectiona :-Lal Lalri, Viaa Lnlri, Takht Lalri, Ghauijal Lalri and Raj Bakht or Jan.
t By ffofra Shamundal, the Kathpdlaa have fonr sab- sections, Surangu, Sidha, Gilkala and Fathak.
128 The Brahmans of Kdngra.
iy. — Upadbyaya, or TJpadlii,* or ' readers ' of the Vedas at the jag. V. — Awasthi, those who ' stood by ' the Icalas or pitcher at the Muni- pursh, and who received the pitcher and other articles (of sacrifice).
vi. — Bed birch, who made the hedi, or square demarcated by four sticks in which the halas was placed.
Yii. — N^o- Pundrik, whose duty it was to write the prescribed in- scriptions on the hawan Jcund.
viii. — Panchkarn or secular Brahmana engaged in service on the Rajds. They performed j^t-e out of the six duties of Brah- mans, but not the sixth, which is the receiving of alms.
ix. — Parohits, who were admitted to the seraglio of the Raja and
were his most loyal adherents. X. — ^Kashmiri Pandit, literate Brahmans from Kashmir, who are found all over the Punjab.
xi. — Misr,t said to mean ' mixed,' also Kashmiri immigrants, who had preserved their own customs and rites, but had intermarried with the Nagarkotia.
xii. -Kaina, who helped the rulers by their incantations in time of
war. (Said to be from ran, battle-field.)
xiii. — Bip (Bipr), now extinct in Kdngra, These were parohits of the Nagarkotia and of some of the Batehru,
Of these 13 sub-groups numbers x and xi seem to be territorial rather than functional. One cannot say what their relative rank is or was. The first six are also called the six Achdrias and were probably temple priests or menials of inferior status. The Bip pro- bably ranked high, and the Raiua, or magic men, were possibly the lowest of all. The Khappari are also said to be found in Kaiigra, but, no account from that District alludes to them.
Group II. — Batehru. — There are two sub-groups— i, — Pakkd Batehru. — With 9 sections—
(1) Dind, (2) Dohru, (3) Sintu, (4) Pallialu, (5) Panbar, (6) Rukkhe, (7) Ndg-Kharappe, (8) Awasthi-Chetu and (9) Misr-Kathu.
* But apadhi is in Orissa translated ' title.' Vide Tribes and Castes of Bengal, I, p. 161. Upadhyayais, correctly speaking, qnite distinct from Upadhi.
t It will be observed that the Misr (section) occurs in both the Batehru snb-gronps and among the Nagarkotia, so that we have three sub-sections —
(1) Kasbmiri-Misr, Nagarkotia.
(2) Kathu-Misr. Patka Batehru.
(3) Mali-Misr, Kachcha Batehru.
Of these the last named are parohits of the Kashmiri Pandits, the Kashrairi-Miara and the Rainas.
The Nag (? section) are also thus found, for we have —
(1) Nag-Pandrik, Nagarkotia,
(2) Nag-Kharappa, Fakka Batehru.
(3) Nag-GosaUi, Kachcha Batehru.
It is explained that Kharappa (cobra) and Gosalu (? grass-snake) are nicknames im- pljit.g contempt, as these sub-aections are of low status. But a comparison with the Brahmans of Ur'issa suggests a totemistic origin for those sections : V. Tribes and Castes of Bengal, I, p. 161.
The Awasthi too are found in all three groupa.
The Brahmans of Kangra, i20
ii. — Kachchd Batehru. — With 13 sections —
(1) Tagnet, (2) Gbabru, (3) Suglie (Parsr^mio), (4) Chnp]ial, (5) Chatlivvan, ((3) Awasthi-Tliirkanun, (7) Awasthi- Gargajnun, (8; Ghogare, (9) Nag-Gosaiu, (10) Mali-Misr, (11) Acluiriapathiarj, (12) Pandit Bariswal and (13) Awasthi-Kuiarial.
Group III. — Halbalia. — The Halbahas have 29 got.s or sections : — (J) Pandit-Marchu, (2) Bhntwan, (3) Khurwal, (4) Gidgidie, (5) Lade, (6) Pahde-Koptn, (7) Pahde-Saroch, (8) Korle, (9) Awasthi-Chakolu, (10) Pandit-Bhangalie, (II) Narchalu, (12) Mahte, (13) Diikwal, (14) Saiihalu, (15) Pahde-Daroch, (16) Pandore, (17) Thenk, (18) Pahde-Kotlerie, (19) Bngheru, (20) Bhaiiwal, (21) Bashist, (22) Ghutanie, (23) Mir.dhe- Awasthi, (24) Prohit-Golerie, (25) Prohit-Jaswal, (26) Hasolar, (27) Poi-Pahde, (28) Faiiarach and (29) Pharerie.
Of these the first fourteen now intermarry with the Batehru, giving,
and, apparently, receiving wives on equal terms.
Hijpergamy. — The Nagarkotia take brides from both sub-groups of the Batehru, and th^y have, since Sambat 191 J, also taken brides from the Halbaha. The Batehru take wives from all the sections ot the Halbaha. When a Halbaha girl marries a Nngarkotia, she is seated in the highest place at marriage-feasts by the women of her hus- band's brotherhood. This ceremony is called sara-dena and implies that the Halbaha bride has beconio of the same social status as the hus- band's kin. Money is never paid for a bri-ie. Indited Barnes observed : —
" So far do the Nagarkotias carry their scruples to exonerate tho bridegi'oom from all expense, that they refuse to partake of any hospitality at the hands of the son-in-law, aud will not even drink water in the village where he resides.''
Social relations. — The accounts vary and tho customs have, it is explicitly stated, been modified quite recently. The Nagarkotia may eat with Batehrus and have even began to eat 'kachlii from the hands of a Halbaha according to one account. According to another this is not so, and a Nagarkotia who has married a Halbaha girl may not eat at all from the hands of his wife until she has borne at least one child, when the prohibition is said to be removed.
The Batehru and Halbaha section names. — These show an extraor- dinary jumble of Brahminical gotras {e.g., Bashist.), functional and other names, so that the accuracy of the lists is open to doubt. It appears certain, however, that some of the sections are named from the tribes to whom they minister. Thus, we may assume, the Pahda-Kotleria are Pahdas of the Kotleria Kiliputs ; the Parohit- Goleria and Parohit-Jaswal to be jiarohits of the Goleria and Jaswal Riljputs, and so on. This is in accord with the system, which has been found to exist among the Sd,rsut of the plain?, whereby the Brahman takes his status from that of the section to which he ministers. But status is also determined by occupation. Like tlie Gaddis and Ghirths of the KAngra and Chamba hills the Brahmans of Kdngrabave numerous als with vaguely totemisLic * names. Thus among the Nagarkotia the
* In Hiflsar there is a section of Br&hmanH, called Bh^da or sheep- This is interesting', because on the Sutlej, at least in Kulla Sarilj, there is a small caste called Bb^hv, who are hereditary victims in the sacriiicial riding of a rope down the cliffs to tho rirer. Other*
130 The BraJimans of Kdngra,
Pakkd Bateliru have tlie section called Kharappd, (or cobra) Ndg and the Kaclichd Batehru, a section styled Ghoslu (a species of fish or possibly grass-snake) Nilg. Pundrik also appears to be a snake section. These snake sections are said to reverence the snake after which they are named and not to kill or injure it.
In addition to these, the Batehrn (Pakka and Kachchd.) have the following sections : —
(i) Chappal, an insect ; no explanation is forthcoming.
(ii) Sugga, a parrot ; no exi^lanation is forthcoming, (iii) Bhangwaria, fr. bhdngar, a kind of tree.
(iv) KhaJTire Dogre : Date-palm Dogra, a section founded by a man who planted a gar- den of date-palms, and which originated in the Dogra countiy on the borders of Jammu.
^v^ Ghabru, a rascal ; one who earns his living by fair means or foul.
In the Chaniba State the Brahmans form an agricultural class, as well as a hierarchy. Those in the capital are employed in the service of the State or engaged in trade, while others are very poor and eke out a living as priests in the temples, or as parohits and even as cooks, but they abstain from all manual labour. Strict in caste ob- servances they preserve the ancient Brahmanical gotras, but are divided into numerous als which form three groups : —
Group I. — AU : Baru, Banbaru, Pandit, Sanju, Kashmiri Pandit, Kolue,* Baid, Gautaman, Bugalan, Atan, Madyan.f Kanwan, Bodhran, Baludran, Bilparu, Mangleru, Lakhyinu, Suhklu, Nunyal, Nonyal, Sungl^l, Bhararu, Turnal, Haryan^, and Purohit.
Group II. — Als : Chhunphanan, Thulyan, Dikhchat, Osti, Pads, Bhat, Dogre, Pantu, Kuthla, Ghoretu, Pathania, Myandhialu, Mangleru, Katochu, Pande, Datwan, Dundie, Hamlogu, Bhardiathu, Gharthalu, Hanthalu, Gwaru, Chibar, Barare, and Datt.
Group III. — Als: Acharaj, Gujrati, Gwalhu and BujUru."
The first group only takes wives from the second, and the first two groups have m caste relations with the third. The Brahmans of Chaniba town and Sungal§ disavow all caste connection with the halbdh or cultivating Brahmans who are hardly to be distinguished from the general rural population, though many act as priests at the viUage shrines and as iiurohits. Many Brahmans are in possession of sdsans or grants of land recorded on copper plates. The hill Brahmans, both men and women, eat meat, in marked contrast to those of the plains. In the Pangi wizdrat of the Chamba State Brahmans, Rajputs, Thdkurs and Rath is form one caste, without restrictions on food or marriage. In the Rd^vi valley, especially in Church, and to a less degree in Biahmaur also, free marriage relations exist among the high castes, good families excepted. But in recent years there has been a tendency towards greater strictness in the observance of caste rules. H
wise traces of totemism are very rare among the Brahmans of the plains, though in the Bub-montane district of Ambala two are noted. These are the Pila Bheddi or 'yellow wolve^',' so called because one of tlieir ancestors was saved by a she-Wolf and so they now worship a wolf at weddings ; and Sarinhe, who are said to have once takf^n refuge under a sari7i tree and now revere it.
* From Kullii, so called because they came with an idol from that country. They are priests of the Lakshmi Narain, Damodar and Radha Krishna temples.
t The Kanwan are descendants of the Brahman family from which Raja Sahila Varma of Chamba purchased the site of the present capital.
X The Ilaryan are in charge of the Hari Rai temple.
§ The ancient Sumangala. a village noAv held entirely by Brahmans under a fdsan grant of the If'th century A.D They are descended from two immigrants, a Brahmachari and his rhe'a, from the Kurukshetra. The two families intermarry and also give daughters to the Brahmans of Chamba town.
11 See the Chamba State Gazetteer by Dr. James Hutchison, pp. 130 — 132.
i/cfi t::^JZzi^c. j^ ^^^^1^^ 'C^, 7.^.0
The Brahmans round Simla. 131
The Brahmans op the low castes.
As we have seen the Bralimans of the higher castes form a scries of groups whoso status depends on that of their cHcnts. On a similar principle the Brahmans of the castes which are unclean and so outside the pale of Hindiiisui form distinct sub-castes outside the circle of those who minister to the higher castes.
These sub-castes are—
I. — The Chamarwd. — The Brahmans of the Chanor sub-caste of the Chamdrs.
II. — Dhanakwa.~The Brahmans of the Dhdnaks or Hindu weavers in Rohtak.
III. — The Brahmans of Chiihr.'is.
Each of these three sub-castes appears to be now strictly endogamous, though the Chamarwa are said to have until recently intermarried with Chamiii'S. However, it seems clear that they do not intermarry with the other Sdrsut Brahmans if indeel they have any claim to Silrsat ancestry. No Charaarwa Brahraaa may enter a Hindu's house. According to a tale told in Amh^Xa, the origin of the Chamarwa Brahmans was this : — A Brahman, on his way to the Ganges to bathe, met> Ram Das, tlip famous CliHtnar hliagat. Ram Das gave him two coteries and told him to present them to Gangaji (Gangos), if she held out her hand for them. She did so, and in return gave him two hangans (bracelets). The Brahmnn went back to Ram Das, who asked him what the goddess had given him, and he, intending to keep one of the two hangans, said she had given one only; but when he looked for them they were not on his own body, but in the kiinda (breechea) of Ram Das. Ram Das then gave him the bracelets and warned the Brahman in future to accept gifts only from his descend ants, otherwise great misfortune would befall him. Accordingly his descendants only serve Chamars to this day. The Chamarwa are only iiaroliits of theChamars, not gurus. They must not be confounded with the masands who act as their guriis, though either a Chamarwa Brahman or a (Chamar) mnsand can preside at a Chamar's wedding. It is said that tlie Chamarwa is also called a Husaini Brahman.
The Brahmans in the Simla Hills. North and east of Simla the Brahmans both Gaur and Sdrsut have three groups : Shukal, Krishan and Pujdri or Bhojgi, the two latter equal but inferior to the first. The Shukal are further divided into two occupational groups (i) tlioso who hold /ay/r^^ granted by chiefs and who receive ample dues and (ii) those Tvho receive little in fees. The former are generally literate and do not cultivate: they observe the rites prescribed by the ShAstras. The latter ai'e mainly agricul- turists and practise informal as well as formal marriage and even polyandry. The former take wives from the latter, hut do not give them. The Shukal gi'oup does not intermarry with the other two*.
The Krishan Brahmans are also cnltivatf)rs and accept {dmost any alms. They also practise widow remarriage and the rit custom. The
* The Shukal are not stated to correspond to the Shukia, or to le Brahmans to Brahmaca only.
132 Brahmans degraded hy function.
Pujdris or Bliojgis are temple-priests or chelas of a god. They appear to have only recently become a distinct group. Some are merely 'pujaris and accept no alms living by cultivation. These do not intermarry with the Krishan Brahmans. Others accept alma in the name of a deceased person and use the ghi with which idols are besmeared in Mdgh, They intermarry with the Krishan group.
When Paras Ram* a Gaur Brahman overthrew theRdjputs the Sdrsuta protected those oi: their women who survived and when the Rdjputs regained power they replaced the Gaurs by Sdrsuts. Parns Ram had extended his conquests as far as Nirmand in the Sard,] tahsil of Kullu and there he established a colony of Gaur Brahmans in 6 villages, still held in mucifi by them. These colonists are now spread over Bashahr, Kulld, Sard] and Suket, and they are called Palsrdmi or Parasrdmi to this day.
Both the Gaur and Sarsuts are also cross-divided into the Sasani, or beneficed, and Dharowar groups.t The former are priests or parohits oi the ruling families, being supported by the rents of their lands and the dues received from their clients. The latter live by cultivation, but do not hold revenue-free grants. Neither group accepts alms given to avert the evil influence of certain planets or offered during an echpse.J
The Impuee Brahmans.
We now come to deal with the groups of Brahmans who exercise degraded or spiritually dangerous functions. In contradistinction to the uttam or 'pure' Brahmans discussed above — Brahmans who serve pure castes and fulfil pure functions — we fiud groups of Brahmans who exercise impure or inauspicious functions. These groups are known by various names, but in some parts of the Punjab, e.g., in Midnwdli, they are divided into two classes, the Madham. Mahd-Brahman or Acharaj, and the Kanisht. The Madham form a kind of * middle ' class, performing functions which though unlucky and even unclean, are ritualistic. The Kanisht on the other hand are minor priests, whose rites are Lirgely magical, rather than religious; and they include such groups as the Ved-patr, Dakaut and Sawani.
* The tradition begins by asserting that the Gaur accompanied the Rajputs from the plains, and that the latter usurped the Gaur's power. 'Ihey then made the Gaurs their parohits, but annexed their principalities. Later Kankubj and Maithila Brahmans accompanied those Rajputs who escaped from the plains after the Muhammadan invasions and found a refuge in the hills.
t The Dharowar intermarry with the Krishan Rrahmans of the Hills, and give daughters to the Sasani and Shukal groups, but not to the Krishan group.
J Jt must not be iuiagined that this description exhaut^ts the ramifications of the Bill Bra^|^lJ^ns. Ihns in Kumi.aisain we learn tliat there are Sar^iut Brahmans, Jhakbrii by family, descended from Gautama rislii, aud other families descended from BLardwaj rishi. These bitter came, some from Ka^hi, others from Sitidh, and they intermarry intei' se or with Bhardwaj Brahmans settled in Basbahr. They worship Brahma, as well as VishTiu, Mahe»h and the 10 incarnations. These Bhardwaj, wtio are known as the four Bri.hnian foZs, will not iniei marry with a cliss of Brahmans called Paochi, because the latter have stooped to widow vemarrinfie. Y(4 the Paochi is not the lowest group, for below it are the Pujaras, J.lso Sarmits wearing the jnnco, and affecting the various hill rZeoids, of whose lands they aio mostly hereditary tenants. Pujaras permit the bedani form of marriage, and also the rit syttem which is in vogue among the Kanets of the Simla Hills. They can also eat from a KaneL's hands, but Paochi Brahmans will not eat from theirs. The Pujaras are numerous and fairly widespread from Suket to Keonthal and Bashabr, giving their name to one Pujarli village in the last-named State, and to tinotber in Balsan,
Brahmans degraded hy function, 183
The Maha-Brahman or Acharaj.
MaM-Brahman is usually said to be synonymous with Aclidraj, but strictly speaking, tlio Malia-Bralimans appear to be a Pub-division of the Garagacli^ra]* or Acharaj. They are themselves divided into two groups, (jarg and Sonana. On the other hand in Kangra the Achilraja is said to bo one of the two groups of Mahd-Bralimans.
Of these the Dikhat has the following sections : —
1, Josi. 3. Sonami. 5. Tamnaj-at.
2. Kandarf. 4. Sutrak.
The Mahd,-Brahmans are endogamoug. They give alms in the name of the dead after death to Sanidsis, or occasionally to a daughter's father-iu-law. The Brahmans do not receive anything in return for performance of marriage ceremonies.
In Kdngra they (and the Sdwanis) are said to have the Bd,ri and Bun- jdhi groups, and this is also tlie case in Midnwdli. in Kangra the Acha- raj gots are —
Asil. Baclas, Parasar. Sandal.
A noteworthy offshoot of the Acharaj are the Par-acharajt, or Mahd-achilraj as they are called in Amritsar,J who accept those gifts from the Acharaj which the Achdraj themselves take from other Hindus after death.
The function of the Mahd-Brahman or Achd,raj is to accept the offerings made after a death in the name of the deceased. Originally the term acharija meant simply a guide or teacher in matters spiritual, § and the process whereby it has come to denote a great sub-caste of * sin-eating' Brahmans isi obscure. As a body the Ach^iryas trace their origin to the 5 Gaurs and the 5 Dariiwars, asserting that thoso who accepted offerings made within 13 dayf^H of a death were excom- municated by the other Brahmans and formed a sub-caste. As the only occasion on which an Achdrya visits a house is at or after a death his advent is naturally inauspicious, and his touch is pollution. After he has quitted the house water is scattered on the fluor to avert ' the burning presence of death,* and, io Kangra and Multtin, villao-ers throw charcoal, etc., after him. In the Simla hills the Mahii-acharai occupies a special position. He is the ■paroliU of the I<ino-, chief or wealthy people and represents the dead man and as his substitute is fed sumptuously for a whole year by the kin. In some places he even takes food from the hand of the corpse on the pyre, but this custom is dying out and it now suffices to bribe the Mahd-achdraj to eat to his utmost capacity, tlie idea being that the more ho eats the better it will
* Garagji was a saint who composed the work on astrology called the Qarag Sancrta whicli s said to be rare. ^ '
t In Kangra the Par-achuraj arc called Ojlia and are Again by got. In Kulhl they are known as Bhaf-acharya. ^
Jin Amrilsar and Mianwali the Mahu'-acharya make the death-gifts to their dau<^htprs or sons- in-law : in Kangra Saniasis take theee gifts in certain cases. In Si'ilkc)t the Acharaj make them to Saniasis, or their own daughters, i.e., the Maha-acharaj' appears to be unknown. ^ ^^
§ Especially one who invests the student with the sacrificial thread and instructs him in the Vedas, in the law of sacrifice, etc. ; Platts, UinditMdni Dictrj.
II Or, in Kangra, for II days from Bndimans, 13 from Kshatrias, 10 from Vaisyas and 31 from Sudras, i.e., during the period of impuiity after a death.
134 Dahaut Weather-lore,
be for the soul.* Ordinary people, however, only feed an Ach^raj for 13 days after a death, but Brahmans also receive food for the dead occasionally after that period.
The j^ch^raj, however, also officiates as a Wateshar in death observances.
The Dakaut Bkahmans.
The Dakaut or Dak-putra derives his name from jpaka,t a Brahman who founded the caste. Once on his way to the Ganges, Bhadli, a Kumhdrni,J persuaded him to bathe instead in a pond, professing that she could get him bathed there in the Ganges. As soon as be touched the water he found himself by her enchantment in the river, so he made her his wife. Here we have an obvious allegory.
A Dakaut of Midnwdli gives another version of this legend :—
Dak was the son of Ved Viyds, the author of the Puranas, and was chosen in a Swdyamhar as her husband by Bhandli. Bhandli was the daughter of the Raja of Kashmir, who celebrated her Swayamhar with the condition that she should wed the man who answered her questions. Dak did po and married her. The Granth Bhaoidli in Punjabi gives all Bhandli's questions and Dak's answers in verses of which the following are examples : —
Sat; andheri asliiami ode chand hadlon chhdyd
Chdri pahhi tarmali ganjar basni dyd,
PoochJio, parho Pandato vdcho Ved, Pordn
Ek hi to pdni khoo men ek hi to part nashdn
Nohdri to chdndni sunre kant same kd. hhdo
Na harsi na goh hari na Poorab, Pachham vdo
Bald hleva kharch kar dharn najhali ghds. A rough translation reads :
* What would happen if the moon be covered by a cloud on the eighth dark night of the moon in the month of Asdrh ? All the four signs forebode the fall of rain.
* The Brahman who nte from a dead man's hand was a Kashmiri. In by-gone days when a rdjd or wealthy mail died his direct passage to Heaven was secured by the follow- ing rite. His corpse was laid out on the pround and between it and the pyre, which was built not far o£E, was made a hearth on which khir (rice in milk) was cooked. This was placed in a skull, which was pot in the dead man's hand, and thence the Brahman was induced to eat the hhir by a fee of Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 30,000, or the grant of a village. He thus became a Khappari (fr. hhopri or khapri, a skull), and he and his children after him were cut-castes. Supernatural powers were attributed to them, and as they also pursued usury, they rapidly grew rich. After two or three generations, however, the Khappari's family could be re-admitted into caste on payment of a fine, and so on. A plate or lota is said to have been substituted for the skall. In Mandi State a Brahman, who must be good-looking, is fed and dressed for a year like the deceased Eaja. At the ex- piration of the year he is turned out of the State, and goes to Hardwar.He must never look back on the journey, and is never allowed to return to the iState, which p-riys him a pension.
t In Mianwali the Dakauntri (sic) are said to be Suds by caste and descendants of Dak Bandlf, who composed a gmnfli on astrology called the Bandit Granth. In Rohtak the Daks are said to be descended from Sahdec risM, a dacoit (whence their name) who composed the Sahdeo Bhadli (Bhadli, his wife, was a sweeper woman). In this work natural phenomena are interpreted to forecast the future ; e.g., SuhL-ar vmli hddli rain sanishchar, chde luTxe Sahdeo: 'sun Bddli bin harse nahin jde.' i.e., " If clouds appear on Friday and stay till Saturday, they will not pass away without rain." In these verses Sahdeo usually addresses Bhadli.
J In Gurgaon too Sahdeo la paid to have met a sweeper woman who told him that the auspicious moment had passed and bade him dive in a tank. He did so, and brought up first a gold bracelet and tben an iron one. Thinking her an expert he married her.
>L
./.
Dahaut functions. 185
Ask the 'yandits to study tlie effects of this rainfall in tlio Vcdaa or Puranas.
Tho results are that there will bo no water left anywhere save a little in wells and in other low places (meaning- that this in* auspicious rainfall will be followed by a scarcity of rain).
If it does not rain and the wind does not blow for 9 months what will be the result ?
The land will have no verdure and it is bettor to leave it with bag and baggage.'
Piirah lithe hadU, pachham cliale ivd, 'Qak kahe sun Bhandli manji andar pa. * If a cloud appear from the east and the wind blow from the west ; Dak would ask Bhandli to take her cot inside'
Titar Ichanhht' hadlt ran maldi khd. 0 wase, 0 ujre kkdlt hot na jd. 'A cloud like partridge feathers, and a woman given to eating cream ; the one will rain and the other bring ruin, without a doubt.'
Another story is tbat when Ram Chandar invaded Ceylon, both he and his enemy Kawana were under Saturn's sinister influence, aod before he crossed tho strait which he had bridged Rdta Cbandar desired to give alms. But neither the Brahmans nor the Mahd- Brahmans nor tho Bias, would accept them, aud in answer to his prayer Brahma created a doll of grass, sprinkled sar jiwan* amrit over it by cuttinj? Pilrbati's little finger, and thus endowed it with life. Shivji and Durga bestowed on him veracity, the /anco and tho tilaJc, and Brahma bade him receive the alms offered to Rahu and Ketu, and to Saturn — whence he was also called Sanichari.
The Dakaut, however, bears yet other names. As he knows a little astrology and can divine the evil influence of the planets, he is sometimes styled Jotgi ; in Rupar he is called Pdnda, and round Sirhind and Mdler Kotla Dhaonsif. One group is called ArpopoJ because it is skilled in palmistry §.
From Si^lkot comes a still more curious legend : Var^h Mihr, a great astrologer from the Deccan, came in the course of his Avandering=> to a Gujar village. While discoursing to tho people his period of yoga ended, and he confessed that had he been at home that day his wife would have conceived and borne a son of marvellous intelligence. His
* Whence the name Dakaiit dnld-d-put. In Giirgaon dak is said to mean ' wanderer,' In this District the Dak is said to be no true Brahman, but a singuhirly astute cheat whose victims are mainly ivomen. These he instigates to burn 7 tangas (thatched roofs?) of a hut on 7 successive Saturdays, in order to seciu-e male issue. Or he sots husband and wife by the cars by declaring that their burj or stars do not coincide, and that icmedial measures must be taken. Seated among the women he looks at the hand of one and tho forehead of another : consults his pntrd or tnble, counts on his finger.'^, and then utters common- place predictions. He knows hardly any astrology. On Saturday he goes round bogging with an idol of Sanishchar, and he accepts a buffalo calf born in Magh or a foal born in Sawan, or any black animal.
tSee Piinjdhi Dicfy., p. 305.
X Cf. Harar-popo among the Bhatras, where it is said to equal thgg. In Karnjil the Arar- popo is desfribf-d as a beggar who may be a Gaur Brahman nr a Ghauhati (Rajput).
§ The Bhojkis are quite distinct from the Dakauts, but owing to similarity of function the Dakauts are sometimes called Bliojki, e.j,, in Jaipiu",
136 Dahaut functions.
hostess asked him to form a temporary union with her daughter-in-law on the condition that her child should belong to him. ISo Dak was born. Years after Dak had to be surrendered to his father despite his attachment to his mother's kin^ but on the road home he saw that the corn in one field was mixed with stalks of a different kind like those iu one close by. His father, however, taught him that those stalks belonged not to the sower but to the owner of the field* ; and Pak applying the analogy to his own case compelled his father to restore him to his mother's kinsfolk. He founded the Dakauts.
None of these variants quite agree with the account of the Dakauts given in the Karndl Gazetteer, 1890, which runs : —
The Dakauts came from Agroha in the Dakhan. Raja Jasrat (Dasaratha), father of Ramcbandra, had excited the anger of Saturday by worshipping all the other grahas but him. Saturday accordingly rained fire on Jasrat's city of Ajudhia. Jasrat wished to propitiate him, but the Brahmans feared to take the offering for dread of the conse- quences; so Jasrat made from the dirt of his body one Daka Rishi who took the offerings, and was the ancestor of the Dakauts by a Sudra woman. The other Brahmans, however, disowned him ; so Jasrat consoled him by promising that all Brahmans should in future consult his children. The promise has been fulfilled. The Dakauts are pre- eminent as astrologers and soothsayers, and are consulted by every class on all subjects but the dates of weddings and the names of children, on which the Gaurs advise. They are the scapegoats of the Hindu religion ; and their fate is to receive all the unlucky offerings which no other Brahman will take, such as black things and dirty clothes. Especially they take the offerings of Wednesday, Saturday, and Ket. They are so unlucky that no Brahman will accept their offerings, and if they wish to make them, they have to give them to their own sister's sons. No Hindu of any caste will eat any sort of food at their hands, and at weddings they sit with the lower castes ; though of course they only eat food cooked by a Brahman. In old days they possessed the power of prophecy up to 10-30 a.m. ; but this has now failed them. They and the Gujrdtis are always at enmity, because, as they take many of the same offerings, their interests clash.
In Kangra a confused variant of this legend makes Dak the astro- loger's sou by a Jtit girl, and Bhandli the daughter of a Rdjd,, whom Pak won in a swdyambara, answering all her questions by his art. Their son was Bojru.
Another variant makes Garg give a miraculous fruit to the daughter of Gautama rishi. She eats it and vomits up a boy, who is in con- sequence called 40'k (vomiting).
In the, Simla hills two legends regarding the origin of the Dakauts are current. According to the first the birth of Saturn,t decreased the Sun's lis;ht and power of illumination, so a Brahman propitiated the planet. Saturn was so pleased that he bade the Brahman ask a boon and agreed to become his pupil. He also proclaimed his intention of persecuting mankind unless placated by constant worship and devotion
* The theory of paternity in Hindu Law is based upon a closely similar idea, t Hindu mythology avers that the Sun lost a sixteenth of his power on the birth of Saturn, bis eon.
!rhe Bojrut.
187
His evil influence was to last for 7i years, but ho assured the Brahman that he should be kept in comfort provided ho and his descendants worshipped the god. The JDakauts are his descendants.
The other story is that the Brahman fell under Saturn's evil influ- ence. He was instructing a king's daughter, and in tlio room was a wooden peacock which swallowed its pearl necklace. The Brahman was suspected of its theft and kept in custody for 2i days when, Saturn's influence ceasing, the necklace was disgorged by the bird and his innocence proved. When he reproached the god Saturn coolly told him that he was lucky in getting off with 2^ days instead of the full term of 7 4 years of ill-luck.
In the Kangra hills tho Dakaut is usually called Bojrd*. Bojru means thought-reader and in olden times the Bojrus practised black magic, not astrology, Now-a-days they practise palmistry.
In Kangra the Bojru or Dakaut groups are said to be 36 in number ; of these the following are found in that District :— ^
In Pdlampur tahsil^
1. Subdchh. 3. Bachh.
2. Par^sar. 4. Gol.
5. Panus ? Tanus.
6. Nao-iis.
In Kiingra tahsil — Shakartari ... M&chh. got. I Mallian Bawalia ... '^{ig-is got. ' Bhuchal . . . Nagas gfoi.
In Hamirpur tahsil—
Shakartari. l Gaur.
Lalian. / Gora.
The Dakauts in Mianwd,]i are said to be Vasisht by gotra.
In the Punjab the Bojrus are called Teli-rdjas, because they rub their bodies with oil, wear clothes soaked in oil and make a tikd of vermilion on their foreheads. They mostly beg from women, and carry about with them an image of Jawalamukhi who lives, they say, in Kdngra, and declares her acceptance of an offering by burning one half of it with her fiery tongue. Women are induced to give rings and clothes to the idol in return for dhup and sandhiir sanctified by tho goddess' touch. Small-pox is cured by applying the sandhtlr to the patient or burning the dhiqj before him. The Tcli-rdjas also tell fortunes by the samudrik.
The Dakauts have 36 gats or sdscnis like the Gaurs including tho following ; —
Agarwal. Chhalondia. Dhakari. Gadhigoria, Gangora. Ginia.
Uor, Gaur, from Gaur in Bengal.
Gosi, Ghosi.
Jol.
Kaj-astha.
Kant.
alia n.
Mahar.
Malpian.
Pa.ffoshia.
Paria, Peri a. Rai.
Rawal \ Shankart£h. ( Kesnwal.
Vaid. Satwdl.
In Jind five gofs are found, viz., Raikp, (which stands highest of all), Pagoshia, Lalan, Paryd and Gorya. All these intermarry.
* And the nanic (Jakaut is said to be derived from <lah, a small drum, which the Bojrus beat on Saturdays when begging ; but it is also said that Dak was the son of Garg rish{ hj 4 KumhArni. They also beat a small drum over one's head to drive away evil.
138 The Sdwanis.
Of the 36 scisctns 30 are found in N^blia (where they are called Jotgis) and the other 6 form the sub-caste called the Purbia or Eastern Pakauts who are of inferior status * These two sub-castes eat and drink together, but do not intermarry. Betrothals are negotiated by Mirasis, not by N;us. In marriage 4 gots are avoided,t and karewa is allowed. None of the 5 pure Brahman groups certainly, or any other Brahman, it is said, will eat with the Dakaut or smoke with them : nor will Banid^s do so.
These Dakauts take offerings {ddn) and alms {'pitn). They accept chhciyd da7is, as well as those made to Sanichar (Saturn), Ketu and Rahu. They also beg on Saturdays, receiving oil and coppers from Hindus. When begging they carry an iron image of Saturn. These dans are supposed to be karurl (hard, inauspicious) and to bring evil influences on the recipients, whence the proverb :
Kdl Bdgar se upje, hurd Braliman se hoe.
' Famine comes from the B^gar, and evil is done by the Brahman.*
In Rohtak they live by palmistry and by begging, especially on a Saturday on which day they beg for oil,§ soap, coppers, a goat, he-buffah>, camel, horse, black grain, or other mean gifts. Some of them make a jD/ie7-i or 'tarn,' by going through a fixed number of lanes and repeating a fixed number of sentences at each door at a certain Ijour — usually early in the day. Besides gifts of oil made before bathing on a Saturday, Dakauts take gifts of iron, oil, salt, sweets, clothes, etc., weighed against persons who are under the influence of Saturn.
The Pakauts observe all the Brahmanical ceremonies, and have Brahmans of their own. On the birth of a son they perform the ordinary Brahmanical rites, the ndm-karan, chaul karan, anna-'prdsna, chilra-haran, and upnayan karan. Their betrothal, wedding and general rites are also like those of other Brahmans.
The Pakauts study astrology in the Bhadri Chhand and other Hindi chhandsj sometimes also from Sanskrit works.
The Sawani or Sanwni Brahmans.
Another term equivalent to Pakaut or Yedwa is Sawani, a Brahman who in Gurgaon interprets natural phenomena or the voices of birds and animals to forecast the future. The Sawanis appear to come from
• Because it is said they eat flesh and drink liquor, which the Jotgis eschew. But the real reason would appear to be that they will accept certain offerings which a pure Brah- man would not take, such as those made to avert the influence of Rahu and Ketu. The Dakauta have also the Brahmanical gotms, Bhardwaj, Bashist, etc., (Nabha). t Only one sdsan is avoided according to the Nabha. account.
X Dakauts, however, do not accept offerings made on the dead. These go to the Acharaj or Maha-Bralmian.
§ In Ferozepore they beg for oil of rapeseed in small quantities almost as of right, singing : —
Tel idmhe M mel, I " Oil and copper go together, he who
Chhanichhar mandice, therewith worships Saturn will be for
Sadd suhh pdive. ' ever happy.''
Well-to-do Hindus pour a little oil into a vessel, enough to reflect their face in, and give it to the Dakaut. This ensures them long life.
Tha Ved'pdtrs, 139
Lucknow, but the name is known as far west as Dora Ismd,il Khan and Babdwalpur.*
The Ved-i'atr Crahmans.
It is not easy to say definitoly what the Ved-p.itr ia. Tho word itself would certainly appear to mean " vessel of tho Vedas," and tlioso of tho Ved-patr who study the Vedas and expound them to disciples are styled Ved-pathis.t Others, it is said, merely perform the mjnndi and pind-clihrdan harm on tho 12th day after a death, but these rites are usually pei formed by an Acharaj.
In Gui^gaon the Ved-pdtrs accept alms at eclipses and are also known as Gujnttis, and this is the case in Sidlkct too, but in Amritsar the Ved-ptitr ranks below tho Gujrdtia and traces his descent from Ved Datt, the son of tho Gujrati fciahdoo by a Sudra woman. The Ved- pdtr is also called Vedwa, and the Dakauts are an inferior branch of tho Vedwas, being descendants of Dak who married Patli a Mlechh woman. The Vedwd-s take chhdyi-jxHrX and other forbidden gifts, such as cocks and goats ; but tho Dakaut is on an even lower plane for he accepts buffaloes, malo or female, horses, etc., while standing in water.
In Bannu the Gujrati is said to be also known as Ved-patr, which again is equivalent to Dak, or in Kashmir and the hills to Bojru ; in Peshdwar and Kohat to Paiufit or Madho ; in Dera Ismdil Khdn to Siiwani ; and in Lahore, etc., to Dakaut. Dak, a Brahman, is said to have married Bhadli, a courtezan, and from them are descended tho Daks, whose gotra is Kaplash, their gots being —
I Bakar. In Dera Ismail KMn ... -{ Vcdpiil.
fBakliai-. I Dagwa, In Bannu ...<! Tahir. I Patiwa,!. LRaihor.
I Brahmi, etc. I
The Dakauts accept unlucky offerings, such as satana (7 kinds of grain mixed), oil, iron, goats, buffaloes and chhdyd-pdtr on Saturdays and eclipses. They also practise palmistry according to the Samndrah 8hdstras, and swindle women, whom they frighten by means of charms
• In Jlianwiili the Sawanfs are said to live by astrology and magic, divining evil influences by means of two iron pegs in a cup, in some obscure way, after the manner of the Jogis and Muhammadan Doriis. Jn Bahawalpur they are described as wandering out-castes, descended from a Brahman by a sweeper woman. Khatris, Aroras and other Brahmans will not associate with them and they accept black gifts at eclipses etc.
t See Platts, p. 1208. Platts does not give Ved-patr, but both in Gurgaon and Rohtak pdtr is declared to mean " vessel."
X The Vedwa takes alms on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays, also when tho Bun passes into Rahu and Ketii, as well as to avert their influence at any other time.
Offerings to Brahmans nro divided into bar or oraha, for the days of the week, and the two grahin for Rahii and Kefc, tho two demons who cause eclipses by attncking the sun and nionn. These two are parts of a demon ()-d/,s/(fj,s«), who, when sitting at dinner with the gods and demons drnnk of the nortnr of the god.i instead of the wine of tho demons. The snn and moon told of him, and Bhugwan cut him into two parts, of which Hahu, in- cluding the stomnch and therefore the nectar, is tho more worthy. When any body wishes to offer to Brahmnns from illness or other cniise, ho con!*ulta n Brahman who casta his horoscope and directs v^-hich offering of tho ^even r7)Y(/uis should bo made. The grahins are more commoidy offered during an eclipse, that to Rahii being given at tho bc^inninfj and that to Kot at the end of the transit. The Ganr BrahmatiH -will not take any black olTeritigs, such as a buffalo or goat, iron, FCsamo {til) or tinl, black blankets or cloihes, eatt, etc., nor oil, second hand clothes, green clothes; nor aatndja, which ia seven grains mixed, with a piece of iron in them; these Lelonping to the grahe whose rif[< rings are forbidden to them. An exceptioD, however, is made in favour of a black cow.
140 The Dasaurias and Bids,
written on paper in invisible ink. These practices are, however, said to be confined to Pakauts from Kdngra.
The Dasaueia Beahmans.
The Saurlas or Dasaurias* practise exorcism in the following way :— Four or more are called in and they apply fumes to the patient's nostrils, while lie sits on his feet, reciting meanwhile cha>rm8 like this: Le hulare mere hhalna, ae apii lalier sambhdl, " Jump up, my sturdy one, come in your ecstasy/' What with the heat and the strong scent the patient perspires freely, and this operation is repeated twice a day until his senses return. The exercisers get Rs. 5 or 10 as their fee. The patient is fed on almonds and churi.f The solemnity of the rite is sometimes enhanced by performing it on a burning ground.|
A few Saurias are found in Rohtak where they work wonders with charms. They can thrust a sword through a man without hurting him, and bring sickness on an enemy. In Gurgaon§ by collecting a dead man's bones they magically obtain full control over his ghost, and to defeat them one of the bones should always be hidden. In Siiilkot they are exercisers, but also haunt burning-grounds.
The Gdjeati oe Bias Beahmans.
The Gujrd,ti is a territorial group, which immigrated from Guzerat. Gujrdti Brahmans also bear the following professional titles : —
1. Bias, meaning updeshak or preacher. G. Tarwari, or one who has performed a
a! Joshi, for Jotashi, astrologer. karma land of ten sanshdrs, directed
3'. Pandaji.^Pawflifa. others to perform them and himself
4.' Mahta or chief.' acted as a priest at those rites.
5! Rawal or itinerant sdd/nJ. 11 7. Janji, or family priest, who used to act
as a go-between at betrothals, as the Nais now do.
The Gujr^ti Brahmans also have 4 main groups which rank in the
following order : —
f T f 1- Vadanagar.^ 3. Andich or Pahari.
Sub-caste 1. ^ g^ jjagar or Visalnagars.** 4, Bararia or Srim^li.
Of these groups the Yadandgar are the i^^i (family priests) of the N^gars, whose daughters they take in marriage and with whom they eat both Jcachchi find iiakhi. The Nagars, however, cannot take Vadanao-ar girls in marriage. Both these first two groups avoid ajiy intercourse with the two last. The B^rarias are the Bias of the nichi-sharan or lower grade ; because B^rar married a girl of his own family.
The relations of the Gujrati to other Brahmans are curiously contradictory at first sight, but perfectly logical in reality. Owing to their strictness in religious observances, and their purity in food and
* The practices here ascribed to the Saurias are also said to be characteristic of a Sarsut Bub-caste, called Channan. + Wheaten bread kneaded with ghi.
± But in Mianwali a group of the Sarsuts called Channan performs tins. § The form in Gurgaon is Sevra and in Amritsar apparently Sarorei. jl These occupations are not now followed, necessarily, by those who bear these titles. % The Vadanagar are said to tale thtir name frcm "\ adanfigii, a town east of Pattan. *♦ From Yisal to-wo, but see the text.
The Husainis. 141
drees they rank as the highest* of all the Brahman groups, and confer the ashirbdd or benediction on tlio Gaur and the tSarsut. In spite of this they are all looked down upon for taking the chhaydf (shadow), grahant (eclipse) and tula ddn^ (offerings) : that is to say, they are despised for taking upon themselves the sins of tho community.
In marriage two gotras are usually avoided, but sometimes only one is excluded. Exchange marriages are very common. At a wedding the bridegroom wears a silird or chaplet only, and not a crown [niaur). The pair are dressed like Shiva and Pjirbati in silk.]]
At weddings the Ndgars worship Shiva the destroyer, and at funerals Vishnu the nourisher, a curiously perverse reversal of the ordinary rule. Shiva is their isht-dewa. They observe the ten harms of Shiva, and are guided by the Parvami-mdnsd or Jaimni-sutra.
The Gu jrdti gotras are : —
Gargas. I Itri. I Parisar.
Gaiitam. | Kashiva. i Sangras.
The Gujr^ti are said to have no gots.
The flosAiNi Brahmans.
The Husaini Brahmans are Hindus, wear the janeo and mark the tilak on their foreheads, but they beg from Muhammadans and not from Hindus, and narrate the story of Hazrat Imam Hnsait*, whence they are called Eusaini. They say they were originally Blidt Brahmans, and have some of their gots: — Gappe, Bhakar, Lande, Gi'ire, Dargopal, Kati, Chat Chut, Rabat, Bh^iradwaji, Dangmar, and many more. They marry in their own caste, avoiding 4 gots in marriage. They cannot
* They do not eat kachchi or pahki cooked by Gaur or Sarsut Brahmans : nor any Hindu caste ; but they may take sweet stuff cooked in milk by people of such pure Hindu castes as the Gaur and Sarsut Brahmans, and the Banias. The Gujrati or Biaa Brahmana, who came from Guzerat are in some respects the highest class of all Brahmans; they are always fed first; and they bless a Gaur when they meet him, while they will not eat ordinary bread from his hands. They are fed on the 12th day after death, and the Gaurs will not eat on the 13th day, if this has not been done. But they take inauspicious offerings. To them appertain especially the Rahu offerings made at an eclipse. They will not take oil sesame, goats, or green or dirty clothps ; but will take old clothes if washed, buffaloes, and sahmja. They also take a special offering to Hahu made by a sick person, who puts gold in ghi, looks at his face in it, and gives it to a Gnirati, or who weighs himself against satnoja and makes an offering of the grain. A bnff.do which has been possessed by a devil to that degree that he has got on to the top of a house (often r.o difficult feat in a village), or a foal dropped in the month of Sawan or buffalo calf in Magh are giv^n to the Gujratifls being unlucky. No Gaur would take them. Every harvest the Gnjrati takes a small allowanco (seorhi) of grain from the threshing floor, just as does the Gaur,
tThe chhdyd-ddn is SO called because in sickness the giver looks at his reflection in some ghi poured into a bronze cup (,1-atort). If he is unable to see his face in the ghi he will die. The din itself comprises the cup, with the fanj-ratan.
Other dans are ; the Rah^i and Ketii ddn», which consist of black cloth, flowers, etc., like the Sanichar ddn they are offered to Rahu, Ketii and Sanichar in sickness, or at weddings. The mdhd-ddn or " great gift," consisting of land or elephants, and made at death. The rog- Ihnrvi-hidhi ddn of black cloth is made to avert disease (»-oy).
X The grahn-ddn comprises gold, silver placed in a cocoanut, and ornaments. It must be given by the offerer standing in the water of the tank at Thanesar. Grain, clothes or cows may be given at home.
§ The hdd-ddn is an offering equal to one's weight in grain or coin. It is made by wealthy people on their birthday.
II Other Hindus are, it is said, dressed like Krishna and Radha. The xihra is a bridal chaplet, the main- or inula f is a paper crown, worn by tho bridegroom. Krishna a.^ a wearer of the latter is called Muktdharf. Shiva or Mahadeva had no maur, even at his wedding, whereas Krishna always wears the mulint. This is interesting, but it leaves th^ use of tho crown at weddings unexplained.
142 The Religion of the Brahnans,
marry witli Bhdt Brahmans, but take water from their hands and vice versa. They are ignorant of their own religion and do not worship in viandarfi, but their janeos are made by Brahmans ; and auspicious times for weddings, etc., arc fixed by them. They have the same customs aa other Hindus, and believe in their pantheon. Their own tradition is that Yazid's troops en their return, after cutting off Imd,m Husain's head, stopped in Rd-hab, their ancestor's l)ome at Bdthowdl in the Sialkot District, and placed the head in his house. In the morning, finding the head to be that of the Prophet, he kept it, and gave the soldiers his own son's head instead, but they discovered that it was not the same as the one they h^d brout?ht. So Bahab cut off all his seven sons' lieads in succession and gave them to the soldiers. Since then Husaiiiis beg from Muhammadans.
The religion of the Beahmans. '
The Brahman, even the Hiisaini, is almost always a Hindu, but a few have become Sikhs. Conversion, however, does not appear to have created any new divisions in the caste, though it has liad a disruptive influence in the following case : — The Patak section of the S.irsut Brahmans has two sub -divisions, Machhi-khdn^i and Khir-khilt .4. The former are farohits of the third Guru of the Sikhs (Guru Araar Das), who was a Baishnav (abstainer from meat and drink). The second Guru (Angadl used to eat meat and fish. In order to follow the second Guru's habit and yet maintain his Baishnav- ship, the third Guru gave a fish at the hhnddan (head-shaving^ ceremony of his son to his ^)ar^//l^7, and so liis descendants are called Machhi-kh;ui:ls (fish-eaters) to this day. And the descendants of the third Guru at a son's hhaddan at their temple at Gondwdl in Amritsar give a fish, made of gram -flour and boiled in oil, to their jparohit (a de.scendant of the original Machhi-khan^) instead of a live one. The ceremony, however, no longer called hhaddan — since shaving the head is prohibited among the Sikhs — and in its stead, the custom is to make the boy wear his hair long like a Sikh's, whereas before that the boys' . hair was cut and plaited like a girl's.
Beahm-chaei,* a religmus student ; a Brahman from the time of his investi- ture with the Brahmanical thread until he becomes a house-holder; one who studies the Vedas under a spiritual teacher; an ascetic, a class of Hindu Stldhus.
Beok-pa, 'highlander,' a terra applied to the Shin element in Baltistan : Biddulph, Tribes of the Hinioo Koosh, Ch. IV.
BuBAK, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan and in Bahdwalpur.
BucH, a Jat or Rdjput clan found in Multan tahsil, where they were settled
by Shdhzada Murad Bakhsh, governor of Multan, under Shdh Jah^n. Bddh, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. BuDHEKE, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Bddhwal, a clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur.
BuDLi, Budni, the people, now extinct or absorbed, which held the country from Kangrahar to the Indus prior to the Afghan immigration b. They were divided into several tribes and are described by the Akhiind Darweza as Kafirs, but he does not refer to them as Buddhists.
* Barmh or Baralm, is ccimptcd frcm the SfEtirit wcid Em] 11. a.
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Bughti — Bunirg. 143
BuGHTf, BuGTr, also called Zarkanni, an organized Balocr tnman wliicli occu- pies the angle between the frontiers of the Punjab and Upper Sindh. Its clans are the Raheja, No//;iini,* Masoi-i, Kalphur, Phong or Mondrilni and kShambiini or Kiazai. The last, which is an almost independent section, separates the main tribe from our border; while the Marri lie still further west. The Bugti are made up of various elements, chiefly Rind, but claim descent from Gyiindar, son of Mir Chakur, whose son Ralieja gave his name to one of its septs, though the name has an Indian sound. The Noi/uini clan has supernatural powers (see p. 46, sujpra) and the Shambani form a ^\\h-tuman, which is sometimes con- sidered distinct from tbe Bneti. This tuman has its head-quarters at SyAhttf, formerly Marrao or Dera Bibrak (fr. hlvaragli, a cliief), also called Bugti Uera.
BuHAR, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar : also in the Bahdwalpur, Bikdner and Jaisalmer States, and in Sindh, as well as scattered over Multan and Muzatfargarh. They are labourers, tenants and camel- breeders in the South-West Punjab and intermarry with the Dahas, Palyjirs and Parhars, all branches of the Punwar stock.
Bdk, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
BuKHAEi, a Sayyid clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar : see Sayyid.
BdkneeAj a Kharral clan (agricultural) fouud in Montgomery.
BuLEcZ/ti (Buledi, Bule^/uVBurdi), an organized Baloch tuman in Dera Glu'izi Khdn, also found near the Indus in Upper Sindh, in the tract called Burdika, and iu the Kachhi territory of Kalat.
Buna, Buniya: see Chamar.
BuEA, a small J^t clan, found in Jind. The samddh of its jathera is at Kallu Kotli in Patiala, and it is worshipped at weddings.
BuijiANA, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Sh^hpnr.
BuJKARAs. — The Buraras, originally named Hojali, are claimed by some as a Samma sept, but otluTS say they are a separate tribe. Their tradition is that they are de-'cended from a litija of Girnar near Jundgadh, who migrated to Sindh and was converted to Islam. The saint who converted him gave him a btii- (Ar. for " cloak,^') whence their name. They have three .«^epts : —
[i) Bhojri or Bhojri-pat)as, four.d in Bnliawalpnr and Bikaner, and the highest in status, (ti) Sathia, and (in) Jokhia.
BuBisn : see Yashkun.
BuEEA, a Jat tribe, found in Dera Ghazi Khdn and Balidwalpur. The title of J^im is prefixed to their names and it is probably of Sindhi origin.
BuTA, a Jat tribe, apparently confined to Hoshiarpur. Possibly the same as the Bhutta of the Western Plains or the Buttar of the Sikh tract.
Bdtaba, fr. hut, a stcne. A caste of stone-cutters, found in the Kilngra hills, who used to be emp'oyed on the forts and temples of that tract. Barnes described them as idle and dissijiatcd.
BufTAK, a small Jat tribe found chiefly on the Upper Sutlej said to be descended from a Silrajbansi Kajpnt who C:ime from the Lakki jungle and settled first in Gujranwala. Also found as a Hindu Jilt clan (agri- cultural) in Montgomery.
BuzDEG, a title meaning ' saint,' acquired for instance by the Akhund of Swdt in addition to that of Akhund.
• With two clans Zemakani or Durragh aud Pherozaoi.
U5
NoTK. — Owing to the confusion between Ch and Chh— which is not confined to writinpa in English— and that between J and Ch, which is frequent in Urdu writing, the articlea under this letter are not all warranted to be correctly placed.
Chabeldas(I), -panthi ; a potty sect, founded by an Arora disciple of Shdmii, named Cliabeldiis, whose slirine is at Makhowal Kalan in tlie Sanghar talisil of Dera GMzi Khan. Its tenets differ little from those of Shamji's followers. 8ee Shamdclsi.
Chachar, an agricultural clan, found in Shahpur and Multdn, classed as Ja( in the latter District. In Bahawalpur the Chdchars claim Mughal origin and they produce tables tracing their descent from Timur whom they connect with Abbds, cousin of Husain, son of Ali. But tradition says that the Surar, Subhago, Silro and Chitchat' tribes were once slave3 of Riija Bungit, Rdi, raja of Amrkot, and that Jam Jhakhar redeemed them, and there is a saying :
Surar, Snhlidgo, iS'dro, cliauthi Cliacharld, Anda lid Jam JJiaJchare hd hdhndn Bunga Ra.
" Surar, S'jbhago (or Subh^a), Silro (or Silrii), (these three) and a fourth tribe, the Chachar Avere the slaves of Bung<i Rai ; it was J^m Jhakhar who brought thorn," (effecting their emancipation from Bimg^ Rai).
The Clid,chars have several septs : — Raj-dc, the highest in status ; Rahmjtni, whose ancestors were Tchal/fas of Ghaus Bah^-ud-Din Zakariya : hence they are also called Shaikh- R ah mani, and some sanctity still attaches to the sept ; Narang, Jugana, Jhunjha, Chhutta, Gureja, Rukana, Kalra, Mudda, Diiwdni, Dohija, Gabr:tni, Muria, Kharyani and Zakrid,ni or followers of Ghaus Bahd,-ud-Din Zakariya.
The whole tribe, however, are followers of that saint and never become disciples of any but his descendants. Chachar is also an Ardin clan in the Punjab. Cf. Chachhar.
Chachhar, an Ard,in clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Chadana, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chadbha, (?) a sept of Khatris and of Jdts.
Chaddrar, the correct form of Chhddhar {q. v.).
Chaddu, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Shdhpur.
Chadhar, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur, Multan and Montgomery (Muhammadan) . It is classed as Jdt in the two latter districts. Doubt- less the same as the Chhadhar [q. v.) .
CeApwf, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in AmritspT.
Ciiahak, a doubtful synonym of Chahng.
Chahang, see Chdhng.
Chahar, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsai ,
H6 Chdhil^Chdhi.
Chahal, or more correctly Chuhil.— One of the largest Jdt tribes in tlie Punjab. They arc found in greatest numbers in Patittla, but are very numerous in Ambala and LudhiYma, ximritsar, and Gurdiispur, and extend all along under the hills as far west as Gujr^mwala and Si^dkot. It is SHid that Pi^ja Agarsen Surajbansi had four sons, Ch^diil, Chhina, Chima, and Sahi, and that the four Jdt tj-ibes who bear these names are sprung from them : (yet they intermarry). Their original home was Malwa, whence they migrated to the Punjclb. According to another story their ancestor was a Tunwar R^ijput called R^jd lUkh, who came from the Deccan and settled at Kahlur. His son Birsi married a Jdt woman, settled at Matti in the Malwa about the time of Akbar, and founded the tribe.
In Amritsar the Chahil say that Cbdhal was a son of EAj6, Khang, who once saw some fairies bathing in a tank. He seized their clothes and only restored them on condition that one of theni became his bride. One Jchhr^n was given him, on condition that he never abused her, and she bore him a son, but one day he spoke harshly to her and she disappeared.* But to this day no Chahil ever abuses his daughter ! Settled first at Kot Gadana near Delhi, the Chahil migrated to Pakhi ChahiMn near Ambdla and there founded Eala Joga or Jogarla in the Md,lwa.
The Chi'ihil affect Jogi Pir, originally Joga, son of Eajpfll, who is said to have been killed, after fighting with the Mughals even when he had been decapitated. Jogi Pir is their clihara {?jathera), and a fair is held in his honour on the 4th nauratrn in Asauj. ]n Jind the Chdhil claim descent from Bala, a Chauhan Rtliput who took a J^t wife, and so lost caste, but he acquired influence i3y accepting offerings made to Guga, and Chahils, vdiatsoever their caste, still take these offerings.! In Jind the Chahil worship Khera Bhumia.
They are probably, says Mr. Pagan, B^gris, originally settled in Bikdner.
Chahal, a Hindu and Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Chaong, Cqang, a minor agricultural caste, found in the western portion of the lower ranges of Kangra and Hoshiarpur. In the Dasuya tahsil of the latter district they own some \"illagGS, but are generally tenants. The term appears to be a purely local synonym of Bdhti or Ghirth. The Chang is quiet and inoffensive, diligent and a good cultivator, like the Saini of the plains.
Chaik, a sept of Brahmans, hereditary priests of Keonthal. Chaina, a small tribe, cla'^sed as Jilt, in Dera Ghazi Khd,n.
Cbak, (1) a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar, (2) a sept of Jdts to which Rdniha is sometimes said to have belonged. J
Chaki, Chakani, the Multani equivalent for Teli or oilman.
V ■ .
* Through an opening in the roof— and so the Chahil do not make openings in their roofs to this day. They also avoid Avearing red clothes ; and, till recently, at any rate, did not use baked bricks in their honses— a relic of the time when they were ncmads, probably.
t In Jind tahsil it is indeed said that the pvjdris of Giiga are generally called chahil : in Sangrur they are known as hhagats:. In Patiala Chahil is said to have been born of a hill fairy : and Baland Jogi Pir ia worshipped as their /af/iem.
J Panjibi Dicty., p. 179.
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Chakarhe-^Cha'mdr. ^47
Chakabke, a Kliarral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Chakora, a Jut clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Chakealawi, fr. Chakrd,la a village in Mianw^ili : a new sect, which rejects more than half the Qimin, founded by one Ghuhim Nabi of Chakrtila, whose followers call themselves Ahl-i-Quran, i.e., believers in the Qur^in only. It rejects all the other traditions of the Propliet. Its founder has now changed his name to Abdulhth as he objected to being called ghuldm (servant) of the Prophet. He believes that the Quran is the only book wliich lays dovv'n what is required of a true Muslim and that the other subsidiary books and sayings of Muhammad are of no account. Ho has accordingly devised a new form of prayer which is distinct from that prescribed by the Prophet.
His followers are numerous in the Shdhbaz Khel and Yarn Khel villages of the Mianwali tahsil, as well as in Dera Ismail Kht'm and Lahore. A monthly journal called the Ishaat-ul-Qurdn used to be published by Shaikh Chitfcu, a leading adherent of the sect in Lahore. As the sect did not thrive at Lahore its founder has now settled in Dera Ismail Khan.
Chamal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chamain, a tribe of Gujars, claiming descent from a Tunwar Rtijput by a Gujar mother. They came from Delhi and are very old inh^bifants of the Karnul District, having possibly been expelled from Delhi by Sher Shdh. Chamain is probably only a local appellation.
Chamab, Chamidr, fern. Chamd,ri, -iarf.
The Chamd,r is the tanner and leather-worker of North-Western In- dia,* and in the western parts of the Punjttb he is called Mochi whenever he is, as he grenerally is, a Musalman, the caste being one and tiie same. The name Chamar is derived from the Sanskrit charmal-'h-a or "worker in hides.^' But in the east of the Punjab he is far more than a leather- worker. He is the general coolie and field labourer of the villages; and a Chamar, if asked his caste by an Englishman at any rnte, will answer " Coolie " as often as " ChaTodr."t They do all the hegor, ov such work as cutting grass, carrying wood and bundles, acting as watch- men, and the like ; and they plaster tlie houses with mud when they need it. They take the hides of all dead cattle and the flesh of all cloA'en- footed animals, that of such as do not divide the hoof going to Chuhrds. They make and mend shoes, thongs for the cart, and whips and otlier leather work; and above all they do an ifmnense deal of hard work in the fields, each family supplying each cultivating association with tho continuous labour of a certain number of hands. All this they do as village menials, receiving fixed customary dues in tho shape of a share of the produce of the fields. In the east and south-east of the Punjab the village Charaars also do a great deal of weaving, which however is paid for separately. The Chamars stand far above the Chiihras in social
* Sherring has a long disquisition on the ChaniAr caste, which appears to be much nior« extensive and to include much more varicl tribes in Ilinduct.'m thin in the Punjab.
f Why is a Chamar always addressed with " Oh Cbatnar ke " instead of " Oh Chaioir," as any other caste -would be ?
148 Chamdr synonyms.
position, and some of tlieir tiibes are almost accepted as Hindus.* They are generally dark in colour, and arc almost certainly o£ aboriginal origin, though hero again their numbers have perhaps been swollen by members of other and higher castes who have fallen or been degraded. Tlie people say :
Karid Brahman, got Chamdr In ke sdth na utrie par. " Do not cross the ferry with a black Brahman or a fair Cham^r/^ one beino- as unusual as the other. Their women are celebrated for beauty, and loss of caste is often attributed to too great partiality for a Chamari.
The traditional origin of the Chamars is that Chanu (or Cbanwe) and Banu were two brothers : the former removed a cow's carcase with hia own hands and so Banuf out-casted him.t In Kapurthala, however, another version is current, and according to this Gat told his brother Met to remove a carcase and then declined to associate with him for doing so, and the Mirasi who witnessed the incident, took Gat's part. Frotu Mat are descended the Chamars.
Synonyms. — It is difficult to say what are the real synonyms of Chamdr. The term Chuhra-Chama,r is often used to denote the group formed by the two castes, just as Mochi-Julahd, is used, but it does not imply that the two castes are identical. Just as the Muhammadan Chamar is styled MocHi so the Sikh Chamar is called Ramdasia {qq. v.). In Sirsa a Chamar is called Meghwdl as a compliment, but opprobionsly he is styled Dhecl§ or Dherh, a term applied to any 'low fellow \ The * Meghwd.1' claim descent from Megh-rikh who was created by Narain.
Groups. — The Chamars are divided into several sub-caste?. In the Eastern Punjab there appear to be at least five true sub-castes which do not intermarry. These are in order of precedence : — ■
i. Chdndor, said in Delhi to trace its origin from Benares, possibly from some association with Kabir. It is the principal sub- caste in Hissdr, including Sirsa, and its members do not tan, leaving that to the Chamrangs and Khatiks, and working only in prepared leather. See also under Meghwdl.
ii. Raiddsi or Rabdasi, named after Rai Dd,s Bhagat, himself a Chamdr, a contemporary of Kabir, and like him a disciple of Ramdnand. It is the prevalent sub-caste in Karnal and its neighbourhood.
iii. Jatia, found in greatest numbers about the neighbourhood of Delhi and Gurgaon. They work in horse and camel hides, which are an abomination to the Chandar, probably as having the foot uncloven; and are perhaps named from the word jat
* The Chamars will eat food prepared by any tribe excppt the Khakrob (Clbiihra), Kanjar, Sansi and Nat, Smokino; is only aU'wed anions tbemseWes and they will not eat or drink from a Dhobi, a Bum or a Ni'ljiar (indigo dyer). [KMrnalJ.
t Banu or Banwe here would appear to be the eponym of the Bania caste, which is snid to still worship an dr and a ramhi at weddings.
J A Diim witn-^ssed the occurrence, and so to this day m> Cbamar will eat or drink from a Dum or Miraf'i's hands,
§ The Dhel appears to be a separate caste in the rentral Provinces, though closely allied mth the CharaAr. The Dhed is also a large tribe in Kachh and Sindh, also called Bhambi.
The Chamdr suh-castes. 149
a camel-grazier. On tlio other hand, they aro said to obtain the services of Gaur Brahmans, which woukl put them abovo all other Charaars, who have to bo content with the minisatrtions of the outcast Chamarwa Brahman.
iv. Chambar, the prevalent sub-caste further west about Jullundur and Ludhiana.
V. Golia^ lowest of all the sub-castes, indeed Golia is the name of a section of many menial castes in the Eastern Punjdb, and in almost all cases carries with it an inferior standino- in the caste.
Further west, in Ndbha, the sub-castes are, however, said to be four in number, viz. ;—
1. Buna (Buuia).
2. Chamdr.
3. Chamarwa, ) i. i. i i .i •
4. Chanbar(64) } who touch unclean thmgg.
The Buna appears in Ludhiana as the Bunia, a Sikh Chamar, who having taken to weaving ranks higher than tlie workers in leather. 1'he Bahtia* is also said to be a Sikh Chamar who has taken to weaving, but many Rahtias are Muhammadans.
Territorially the Chamnrs in Patiala are divided into two groups wh ich do not intermarry and thus form sub-castes. These are the Bagvi, or immigrants from the Bagar, found in the south-east of the State, and the Desi.
Among the Desi iu Patiala two occupational gi'oups are found, nz., the Chamdrs who make shoes, and the Bonas, the latter sub-caste being weavers of blankets by occupation and Sikhs by religion.
The Jind account divides the Chamdrs into 5 sub-castes, viz., Rdm- ddsi, Jatia, Chdmar [sic), Pdthi and Raigar, but it is not clear whether these are occupational or territorial or sectarian groups. The Nabha account says they are divided into 4 groups, viz., Chanwar, Jatid., Bahmnia (?) and Ciamar [sic). The Chdnwar are again divided into two sub-castes (?), Chanwar proper, who are Sultdni.s by reho-ion and workers in leather; and the Bonas (or blanket-weavers) who are Sikhs of Guru Govind Singh. The Bonas are not found in the south-east. The Jatias (descendants of Jntti, wife of Ramdds) are found only in the south-east and are regarded as inferiors by the Chanwars, who do not drir)k or smoke with them. A curious story is told of the orio-in of the Jatids, connecting the name with jhant (pubes). No Chanwar Chamar would give the Julias' forefather a girl to wife, so he married a Chuhra's daughter, but the jJicratf were nor, completed when a dispute arose, so the Chuhras and Jatias pei formed half the phc ran outside and the rest inside i he liouse until recently, ihe Jatia tan horse and camel hide, while the Chnnwars of Baw •! only tan the skins of kine which the Jatias rel'uss to touch.
* In Sirsa the word seems to be applieri to the members of any low caste, such as Chamar or Chuhra. Mr. Wilson, however, had never heard the word used. Iu Patiala it is said to be applied t) a Sikh Chamar.
150 Chamdr afots.
t3^
The Calimnia al^^o claim descent from a wife of RiCmdas, and wear the janeo and thus assert their superiority over other Chamd,rs, but they are not found in Niibha.
The BiUi is apparently the village messenger of the Delhi division. He is at least as often a Chuhra as a Chamdr, and ought perhaps to be classed with the former. But there is a Chanid,r clan of that name who work chiefly as grooms.
The Dusddh is a Purbi tribe of Chamdrs, and has apparently come into the Punjab with the troops, being returned only in Delhi, Lahore, and Anibdla,
Of the above groups it is clear that some are true sub-castes based on occupation, while others like the Buna are merely occupational groups which may or may not intermarry with other groups. This differ- entiation of the groups by occupation is most fully developed in the eastern and sub-montane tracts, where the Chamars form an exceedingly large proportion of the population and are the field-labourers of the villages. But in the central districts their place in this respect is taken by the Chuhra. In the west, too, the leather-worker, like all other occupational castes, is much less numerous than in the east. The weaver class, on the other hand, is naturally least numerous in the eastern Districts, where much of the weaving is done by the leather- working castes. And, when the Chamar sticks to leather-working in the eastern Districts, he is apparently dubbed Chamrang or Dabgar, just as in the Punjdb proper a Chamdr who has adopted Islam, and given up working in cow-hide becomes a Mussalman Khatik tanner.
The gots or sections of the Chamars are very numerous, and some of them are large. They include the Chauhdn and Bhatti gots^ (numerous in the (;entral and eastern Districts, especially Ambdla) and
Mahmi.
Phundwal.
Sindhu.
Of these eleven gots all but the Kathana are found in the Jullundur division.
The Chamars are by religion Hindus or S]khs.
Owing to the fact that the famous bhagat Rdmdas was a Chamar by caste, many Chamars are Ramdasiast by sect, and of this sect again some are also Sikhs.
Rdmdas was a descendant of Chanu. His mother, Kalsia, was child- less, but one day a/a^fr came to her and she gave him flour, in return for which he promised her a son. On his return his guru cross-ques- tioned him, as he was unable to pronounce the name ' I'armeshwar,' and learning of his promise declared that, as no aon had been bestowed on Kalsia in her destiny, the faqir himself must be born to her. So he
* The two most numerous gots among the Mochis also, I'hey may of course have adopted these got names from the Rajputs, as Bains and Sindhu may have been b r rowed from the Jats.
f The Ramdasia also claim descent from Ramdas. The Ramdasia (Sikhs) take the pahul from Chamars and drink ainrit at their hands. Ihe Mazhabi take them from the sweepers' hands. (Kapurthala).
|
Badhan. |
/ Ghameri. |
|
Bains. |
Hir. |
|
Batoi. |
Jdl, |
|
Bhdti. |
Kathdna. |
C U^o
Chamarwa-^Chandl 151
was reborn as R^rndda, who is called Raidas in Biiwal. As his mother was a Chamd,ri he refused her breasts, until his gurii bade him suck. One day when placed by his mother at a spot where Iliima Nand used to pass, he was touched by that taachcr's sandals, and when he cried out was told by him to be silent and repeat ' Ram Kdm.' Thus wa3 supernatural power bestowed upon him.
Contrary to the Ciiamars' customs Ramdas wore a janeo, sounded a conch, and worshipped idols. The Erahmans appealed to the magis- trate, whereupon Rarndds cast the idols into a tank, but they returned to him, whereas the Brahmans failed in a similar test. Again, cutting his neck open Ramdas exhibited 4 jdneos, of gold, silver, copper and thread, typical of the 4 yugas. Thenceforth he was known as a famous hhagat.*
Cham^r women wear no nose-ring, but among the Bunas it is wora by married women, not by widows. The Chdrimars of Bdwal do not wear gold nose-rings, and all the Chamiirs of that locality avoid clothes dyed in safEron, and the use of gold. They also use beestings only after offering it to the gods on the amdicas.
Chamakwa Brahman, the Brahman of the Cham<irs : see Brahman. Also a sub-caste of the Chamdrs in Nilbha {see Cham^r).
Chambial, a Rajput sept (Hindu) of the first grade — deriving its name from Chamba State : cf. Maudidl, Jaswd,l, Patbania, etc.
Chambr, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chamang, the caste or class which in Kand^war works in leather, correppond- ing to the Chamar of the plains.
Chamkanni, or Pdra Chamkanui, a small tribe of Ghoeia Kiiel Pathans, found in Kurram.
Chamrang, (a synonym of Chanuir, chiefly returned from Patidla and Si^lkot), the term chamrang is probably a purely occupational term. The chamrang does not stain or dye leather, but only tans it: fr. rangnd (which as apphed to leather means to Man '). The chamrang moreover only tans ox and buffalo hides, and does not work in the leather which he tans. By caste he is probably always a Chamar. ■ In Delhi the term appears to be practically a synonym for Khatik ( q. V. ), but the Khatik is, strictly speaking, a carrier, not a tanner, and a Mnhammadan, while the chamrang is a Hindu. In Gujrat also the chamrang is identical with the Khatilc.
Cham YE, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chanal, or probably Channdl, from Clulndala, whom all Sanskrit authorities represent as begotten by a Sudrd. on a Brahman. His occupation is carrying out corpses, executing criminals, and other abject offices for the public service.t The menial class of Ktingra and Mandi, corresponding to the Dagi in Kullu and the Koli in the Simla Hills,
* In Jind the llamd^sias aio the dominant group and form a sub-c-iste, which lias 9gots:—
Berwal, Chauh'in. Goru. t Colebrooke, Essays, 274.
Mdhi.^ I Siddhu.
Sanyar, Linh-mar.
Laria. Lokra.
152 Chanaii'-'Chandyi,
the Cliandls in Kingm appear to be inferior to the Kolis of that Dis- trict, and some of them at least will not touch dead cattle, or mix on equal terms wifch those who do. On the other hand, in Kullu Sard,] some of the Chanals rank below Kolis. Ddgi-Chanal is a very common term for the caste : and in Kullu it appears to include the Nar. Yet a Chandl of Mandi State will not intermarry with a Ddgi of Kullu. The Ch»n.41 is also found in Chamba, where the proverb goes : Channl jetha, Rdthi kaneiha, ' 'Yhe low cai>te is the elder and the Rdthi the younger brother,' doubtless pointing to a tradition that the Chanal represents an earlier or aboriginal race. See the articles on Ddgi and Koli. Chanan, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Chananyi, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chanbal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
ChandaLj-ni, an outcast, one of lowcaste. Punjabi Dicty., p. 187. See
Chandl. Chandar, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery
and Sidlkot. Cf. Chandarh. Chandarh, a Jat sept, found west of the Rdvi : Punjabi Dicty., p. 187.
Doubtless ='Chddhar or Chhadhar, {q. v.)
Chandaesevi, syn. Parbhu Kdyasth : one of the two classes of Kdyasthas (g, 2,,) — found in the Deccan.
Chandbar, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chandel. One of the 36 royal (Rdjput) races, and fully described in Elliott's Baces of the N.-W. Provinces. It is not impossible that they are the same stock as the Chanddl, outcasts where subjects, Rdjputs where dominant. They are returned chiefly from the Simla Hill State of Bildspur. Ed-iput tradition in Karndl avers that the Chandel once held Kaithal and Sdmdna, bub were driven towards the Siwdliks by the Mandhdrs. It would be interesting to know how this lowest of all the Bdjpiit races finds a place among the Simla States, and whether the ruling family of Bildspur is Chandel.
Chandee, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Chandia, (1) a Baloch tribe : see Baloch : (2) Chdndia, a Jat clan (agricul- tural) found in Multdn.
Chandia, a sept of Edjputs, found in Kahlur and descended from Gambhir Chand, younger son of Pahar Chand, 24th Rdja of that State.
Chandla, a Rdjput sept, of the second grade, said to be found in Hoshidrpur. Probably = Chandel(a), q. v.
Chandrae, a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Doubtless = Chhddhar.
Chandu, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur and in Multdn. In the latter District it is classed as Jdt.
Chaiidde,-war, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery and
Amritsar. ChANDYi, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
n
a^-
Chdng^'Channar. I53
Chang, see dialing.
Changala, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Changgar, fem,-i,-iruii, ni (Clihanggar in MulMni). The Clmnggars are outcasts of probably aboriginal descent, who are most nuinorous in (juiriU Amritsar, Lahore, Ferozepur, a.nd Fai-idkot, but especially in {Sialko^ and they say that their ancestors came from the Jammu hills. 'I'hey are originally a vagrant tribe who wander about in search of work • but in the neighbourhood of large cities they are settled in colonies. They will do almost any sort of work, but are largely employed in agriculture, particularly as reapers ; while their women are very generally employed in sifting and cleaning grain for p rain -dealers. They are all Musalnijins and marry by nikdh, and say that they were converted by Shams Tabriz ol|Multan, who bade their ancestor, a Hindu Rajput, support himself by honest labour and husk the wild saicdnh in the jungles because it was good {changa). Their clans are said to be Phulan, Cliauhan, Manlijis, and Sarohe."^ Their women still wear petticoats and not drawers ; but these are blue, not red. They are exceedingly industrious, and not at all given to crime. They have a dialect of their own regarding which, and indeed regarding the tribe generally, the late Dr. Jjeitner published some interesting information. He says that they call themselves not Changgar but Chubna, and plausibly suggests that Changgar is derived from clilidnna to sift. It has been suggested that Changgar is another form of Zingari ; but Dr. Leitner does not sujiport the suggestion.
Changri, a sept of Kanets which holds Pheta and half Dharuth imrganas in Kuthar.
CnANi, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chankar, a Ji'it clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Chann, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Channar, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Lodhran talisil, Multiln District.
They are said to be connected with the Jhakkars and other tribes
in the couplet:—
Jkakkar, Channar, Kanjun, Nun teatera,
Hin Rdne Shaitdn de i^anje hujh hliard. All these five clans assume the title of Rana. In Bahawalpur they are also called Channun-di and are found chiefly in the Mrddris of Bahawalpur and Ahmadpur East, as cultivators, and in the Kolii, as landowners and cattle-breeders. Their septs are : Admani, Ham, Wisal, Bhojar, and Bharpdl, said by some of the tribe to be descended from Pir Channar, but the more general belief is that the Pir never married and that the Channars are descended from his seven brothei-s, sons of Rai Sandhila. The Channars are, however, believed to be an offshoot of the Mahrs.
Channar Pir: — Four miles from Derawar, on a hillock, is the tomb of Pir Channar, or Chanan Pir, son of Rai Sandhila. Sayyid Jalal visited the city of the Rai, now in ruins some three miles off, and asked if there was any Muhammadan in the city, male or female. He was told that there was none and he then asked if any woman was pregnant. The Rai said his wife was, and the Sayyid then ordered him to em})lc»y a Muhammadan midwife for the child would be a saint. "When the child was born the Rai
* Or, in Kapurthala Bliullar, Bhatti, Cbauhan, Tiir and Kbokliar.
154 Channoml — Chaudhridl.
expossd him on tlie hillock, but a cradle of santal wood descended from heaven for the child. Seeing this Rai Sandhila endeavoured to take the child out of the cradle, but failed, as, whenever he approached, the cradle rose in the air. When the child grew up, he accepted Makhdum Jahanidn as his Pir, and as he was brought up in poverty so his tomb is especially efficacious for the rearing of children. The Channar tribe is descended from the seven brothers of the Pir. Both Hindus and Muhammadans frequent the shrine, rot or thick bread and meat being eaten by both as brethren. Hindus are not polluted by contact with Muhammadans at the shrine.
Channozai, a Pathdn clan (agTi cultural) found in Montgomery.
Chanon, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Chanwal, returned as a Rajput sept in Hoshidrpur.
Chanwan, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Chaitaeband, Chhapriband. See Chuhrd,.
Charan. Cf. Bhat.
Charan-Dasi, a modern offshoot of the Bairdgis, for an account of which see pages 37-38 above.
Chaehoya, Cbarho^j* (the fern, in Multani is said to be chhirohi, P. Dicty,, pp. 195, 22G).
The Charhoa is the Dhobi and Chhimba of the Multd,n division and the Derajat and not un seldom carries on the handicrafts of the Lildri and Rangrez also. In his capacity of washerman he is, like the Dhobi, a recognised village menial, receiving customary dues in exchange for which lie washes the clothes of the villagers. He is also found in Bahawalpur, in Gujrat (where he is described as a dyer in reds), and in Peshawar. See Dhohi.
Chasti, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multau.
Chateea, in M. chatrera, see Chitera.
Chateath, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Montgomery, in the latter District they are both Hindu and Muhammadan.
Chatta, see nest.
Chattha.- — A Jat tribe apparently confined to Gujranwala, in which district they hold 81 villages. They claim to be descended from Chatta, a grandson of Prithi Rai, the Chauhan Kiog of Dehli, and brother of the ancestor of the Chima. In the lOth generation from Chatta or, as other- Avise stated, some 500 years ago, Dahru came from Sambhal in Morada- bdd, where the bards of the Karnal Chauh^ns still live, to the banks of the Chenab and married among the Jat tribes of Gujrdnwala. They were converted to Islam about IGOU A. D. They rose to considerable politi- cal importance under the Sikhs; and the history of their leading family is told by Sir Lepel Griffin at pages 402 _^ of his Punjab Chiefs.
Chattaesaz, an umbrella-maker : probably to be included among the Tarkhans.
Chatyal, a J^t; clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Ohaudhrial, a faction or party which is opposed to the Zamindc4r (also called Chaudhri) party in the Chakwal tahsil of Jhelum. Broadly speaking
* [Cf. the Balochi jano&ha, clotlies-"waslier.
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Chaudri — Chaichdn. 155
the Chaudliritils are the representatives of tlie old taluqddrs, Avhcreas tlie Zanilndiirs represent the new men put in during bikh rule. The former is the more numerous and powerful, but the latter is more united. Marriages between metrberd of these factions are much more rare than marriages between members of diifereut tribes. These fac- tions have ramifications which extend into Find Dadan Khun tahsil, across the Shahpur Salt Range and down into the Sli;ihpur i)lains. For a full account sec the Jhclum Gazetteer, 1904, pp. 12d-b.
Chaudri — {i) A tribe found in Bahdwalpur. They have four main se]its, Janjdni, Jasrdni, Samddni, and Dhadani. They say that their original name was Saluki,(?) Saljuki. {ii) a faction: i. q. Zamindar : see Chaudhriill.
Chadghatta, (1) a Mughal clan (agricultural) found ia Amritsar ; (2) a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Chauhan, a great Rdjput tribe, one of the Agnikulas, and also one of the 36 (royal) ruling races. Tod calls them the most valiant of the whole Rajput race, and to them belonged Firthi Raj, the last Hindu ruler of Hindustfin. Before the seat of their power was moved to Delhi, Ajmer* and Sambhar in Jaipur seem to have been their home. After their ejectment from Delhi they ai'e said to have crossed the Jumna to Sdmbhal in Muradabad, and there still dwell the genealogists and bards of the Chauhan of the Nardakt of Karnal and Ambahi in which Districts they have retained their dominant position more than elsewhere in the Punjab.
The Cbauhfins in Ambala claim to belong to the Bachas got and to be of Surajbansi descent. In this District they hold J 69 vUlages, and their traditions give them the following pedigree and history :•—
Rija Nanak Rao, took Sarabhal in MuradabAd.
I ,
Ralla-kiand.
Rana Harra % ; in the. 5th geDeration founded
Pandri and Habri, c. 988 A. D. \
r ' 1
Augha, ancestor Eantha.§
of the Adhoa |
Rajputs. Subh Mai.
* The Ambala traditions mention Alal-kucdor-puri as their scat before Ajmor was founded. They also add that Kana Har Rai founded Jundla in the Panipat taht-il : thence the Chauhan spread northwards. In Karnil their cliaudhridis are Gumthala, RaoSambhli, Habri and, chief of all, Jundla.
t For the Chauhan migrations and their conquest of the Pundirs see the article on B4iputB,
J Rana Harra alsohad four illegitimate sonfl, by a Rorni, a Glijari, a Jatniand a Hnjamni respectively. The latter's son. Kawal Kaj, founded a hdra^ or group of 12 villages, of Rajputs : the Jatni's son, Bhadhi, was the ancost'ir of the Mndhnl Jats who hold two tarns, one in Kalsora in Thanesar, the other in Saharanpur. But the Karnal tradition i3 different. It assigns to Rana Elarrni two Rajput wives and five of inferior status, viz., n Rorni, Avhose descendants form the Dopla got of the Roi's, a Jatni, a Gujari, a Joerin and a Nain. The descendants of the two latter are the Rajputs <>{ Muatafabad pargava in Jagadhri tahsil, while the Jatni's and Gujari's progeny appear to have settled east of the Jumna.
§ Hantha or Ranta was the son of Kana Har Rai's old ago and his step-brothers disputed his legitimacy. So be appealed to the king of Delhi and his mother said that she had fed the Rana on dolah, a fiah supposed to possess aphrodisiac qualities. Tlie king declared that Ranti's sweat would smell of the fish if he were legitimate, lie ful611ed the test and was declared legitimate.
156 ChauMn — Chdula.
Ranilia's clcscenclants drove tlie Koli Rajputs across tlie Tangri, wliere they may still be found. 'I'llok Cliand, son of Subli Mai, liis descendant, retained 84 out of the 169 Chauhd,n villages — 'the chaurdst ; while Subh Mai's second son, M^nak Chand, turned Muhammadan and took the pachdsi or 85 remaining. Jagajit, 8th in descent from Tilok Chand, was Guru Govind Singh's antagonist c. 1700 A. D. In 1756 his grandson, Fateh Chand, with his two sons Bhup Singh and Chuhar Singh, Qed from Ahmad Shdh Durrani iuto Kotaha where 7,000 Chauhdns were massacred by the imperial forces under the Rai of Kotaha.
In Hissar the true Chauh^ns are immigrants and may be divided into two branches, the Nimr5,na"^ and Sidhmukh or, as they call themselves, Bclril Thai. The Nimran^s who are descendants of Rdja Sangd,t, a great-gTandyon of Chahir Deo, brother of Pirthi Raj, are sub-divided into two clans, Rath and Bagauta, both of which came from Gurgdon, the former tracing their origin to Jatusana. The name Bdgauta would appear to be connected with Bighota.f
The Bant, Thai had a group of 12 villages near Sidhmukh in Bikaner, close to a famous shrine of Gugra.
The Sohu and Chotia Pachadas claim Chauhan descent.
The Chauhans own a few villages to the south of Delhi city and have
a small colony near Jakhauli in Sonepat talisil, but in this District
they have adopted widow reman'iage and are disowned by their fellow
Rajpnts, but they are the best cultivators of the tribe, and otherwise
- decent and orderly.
In the central and some western Districts the Chauhdns are found classed indifferently as Rajput or Jat, e. g., in Sialkot.;]:
In Amritsar they are classed as an agricultural tribe (Rajput, Jat and Gujar), and they are also so classed in Montgomery (Rajput and Jat) and in Shdhpur.
In Bahdwalpur the Chauhdns have three clans : — Khalis ; Hamshira [found mainly in Uch feskhdH — they claim that Muhammad Husain, their ancestor, was Akbar'&i foster-brother [liamshir), but others say they are Hnshmiras not Hamshiras] ; and Khichchi, who claim to be descended from Khichchi Khan, ruler of Ajmer 700 years ago, and say their ancestor founded Shergadh in Montgomery. Few in number they are confined to the hdrdd.ri of Khairpur Bast, where they are carpenters and khatiks by trade, though in Multdn they are well-to-do landowners.
Numerous Jat and other tribes comprise Chauhdn sections or have sections which claim Chauhdn descent, indeed it would be difficult to name a large caste in the Punjab which has not a Chauhdn section, e.g. see Chamdr. The Kichi and Varaich are also numerous Chauhan clans in the Punjab. For the general history of the Chauhans and their organisation see Rajput.
CsaULA, Chdwala : lit. a preparation of rice : a section of the Aroras.
* N'lmrana is a small state, a feudatory of Alwar, and ruled .by a Chauhan family.
t Eliot mentions four tracts as held by the Alanot Chauhans, viz., Riith. Bighota, Dhnndhod and Chandwar. Of these, Rath, the lars&sfc, lies mostly in Alwar. bat it includes Narnaul, now in Patiala territory, Bfghota lies north of Rath, and Dhundhoti between Bighota and Hariaca.
J Punjab Customary Law, XIV, p. 2.
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^ y
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A^.^zT?,
^
MISCELLANEA.
CHEYLA.
'L'his would appear to be the form under wbicli this wcll-kuown word iisiially appeared to the Anglo- Indian of a century ago. It was then in common use in senses which are not to be found in Yule's Hohson-Jobson, nor curiously enough in any of the Indian Dictionaries available to me. Originally a Hindu word meaning a ' servant,' many changes have been rung upon it in Hindu life, so that it has meant a slave, a household slave, a family retainer, an adopted member of a great family, a dependant relative and a soldier in its secular senses ; a follower, a pvipil, a disciple and a convert in its ecclesiastical senses. It has passed out of Hindu usage into Muluimmadan usage with much the same meanings and ideas attached to it, and has even meant a convert from Hinduism to Islam .
In the last century, persons bearing the title — it can hardly be called the stigma — of chela played so important a part in current politics, and the word was so familiar in its applied senses, that to the Anglo-Indian of that day it i-equired no reference and no explanation, though nowadays some of the secondary senses have become so far forgotten that the modern Dictionaries have missed them, and so comprehensive a work as Burnell's and Yule's Hohson-Johaon has failed to record it.
I, therefore, make no apology for the lengthy quotations which follow to prove the uses to which it has been put, and giving its history for the last four centuries. R. 0. Temple.
The Dictionaries. 1854. — " Chera, chelS,, a disciple, a pupil, a Servant, a slave." — Lodiana Mission Panjahi TiicMonam, s.vv.
1857. — " Chet, chetak, chevk, eherS,, chela, a servant, a slave brought up in the house, a pupil, a discii^le." — Forbes, Hindustani Victiouary,
s.vv.
1857. — " Chela, by redup. chcldchdtd (ehelft,, Hind.), a disciple, a pupil, an eVeve of." — Moles- worth, Marathi JJictioaary, s.v.
1872. — " Chit . . . . to Ijc a servant
cheta, chetaka, cheda, chedaka,
a servant, a slave, a minister- who fiilfils an
ajjpoiuted duty." — Moniev-Williamsy Sant-krit
Dictionary, s.vv.
1875. — " Cetako, ceto (ceta), a servant, a slave. — Childers, Fali Dictionanj, s.vv.
1875. — " Chera., chertl^., chelaka, chela, from cheda, a servant, slave Ijrought up in the house, a pupil, a disciple." — Bate, Hindi Dictionary, s.vv.
1879. — " Chela,, .... S. cheta, Pali cheto, a disciple, learnei', follower." — Fallon, Hindustani Dictionary, s.v.
1884. — " Chet, chetak, cherS,, cheraa, cherwft., chelS., chelaka .... servant, slave, . . . . (S. chetakah and chedakah) a servant, a slave (brought up in the house) — a pui)il, disciide, follower." — Plutts, Hindustani Dictionary, s.vv.
1885. — " Cheia (Hindi, said to be from the Sanskrit cheta, a servant), a discii)le, a pupil : esijeciiiUy the disciple of a guru or a mahanta. In Kangra also a magician." — Whitivorth, Anglo- Indian Dictionary, s.v.
1888. — " Chela. (Sanskrit chetaka, chedaka)
— a discij)le of an ascetic or holy man : in slang a hanger-on at a rich man's house who eats scraps."
— Croolcc, Rural Glossary, s.v
INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[July, 1896.
II.
Hindu Usage.
1821. — " We saw a little monastery of Atteets, founded by the chiefs of Bhynsror. It is called Jhalaca .... The head of the establishment, a little vivacious, hot, wild-looking being, about sixty years of age, came forth to bestow his blessing and to beg something for his order. He, however, in the first place elected me one of his chelae or disciples by marking my forehead with a tika of hhaboot, which he took from a platter made of dhak-lenves, to which rite of inauguration I submitted with due gravity." — Tod, Rajasthan,
Vol. i6.,j3. G12-
1832. — "It was one day remarked that, when refreshing in the coond or reservoir, Sirdar Sing lob. 1782] did not lay aside his turban, which l^rovoked a suspicion that he had no hair. The Rana [Raja of Mewar], impatient to get a peep. at the bare head of the son of Chandrabhan, proposed that they should push each other into the water. The sport began, and the Dodeah's turban falling oS disclosed the sad truth. The jest was, however, not relished by the Sirdar, and he tai-tly replied in answer to his sovereign's question, 'what had become of his hair ?,' that ' he had lost it in his service in a former birth as chela by carrying ■wood upon his head to feed the tlame when his sovereign as a jogi or ascetic performed penance [taiyasya) on the hills of Budrinath .... Chela is a phrase which includes servitude or domestic slavery : but implies at the same time treatment as a child of the family. Here it denotes that of a servant or disciple." — Tod, BajastJian, Vol. ii., fp. o27/. a/iti 528h.
1874. — "The menials [of Bikanir] are heredi- tary household slaves called ' chelas.' They are, I believe, never sold by RajpOt families of distinction, though they often form part of a liride's dowry. When not the children of slaves, they have usually been purchased in times of famine from their starving relations. Their work is light, and they are generally well treated, and sometimes placed in positions of high trust. But Thakurs, especially the inferior ones, occasionally act with much cruelty towards their slaves as well as their other dependants. ' Chelas' who have fled from theii- masters are to be met with in British territory, where they often assume the caste of their former owners. The term ' chela ' signifies disciple rather than slave, and was applied to household servants by the large- minded Akbar .... whether in the use of this word the Rajpats were taught by Akbar or he by them, I cannot at present say : — [here is
(lUoted the r>na<=o<->''^ f-..r^.^^ "01 1
254]." — Powlett, Bikanir State, 'p- HI- Repeated in part in Rajjputana Gazetteer, Vol. i., 1879, p. 191.
1874. — " The Karauli forces organized in their present form by the late Maharaja Madan Pal are as follow : — .... Infantry .... Paltans, 1st, Gol Paltan (under a ' kh&sehela ' or household slave; 2n(l, imder a ' nS-nk&rehela ' or slave holding grant of land; 3rd, under a household slave)." — Powlett, Karauli, p. 40.
1878. — " Bakhtawar Singh [of Ulwur] died in 1815 .... Banni Singh, then seven years old, was accepted as Raja by the Rajpiits and artillery [golanddz) headed by Akhe Singh Bankawat and an influential chela or household slave named Ramii .... Ramft and Ahmad Bakhsh [Khan, Vakil, afterwards Nawab of Firozpur and Lobar u] each tried to obtain for their respective parties the support of the Delili Resident, Sir David Ochterlony .... Ramil the faithful old chela died in 1825. His son Mulla had established a great influence over the young chief, and on the whole this influence was used for good, for he was kept under restraint and compelled to acquire some education". But Mnlla treated him sometimes with such indignity as to excite the anger of the Rajpiits and at last Akhe Singh had Mulla murdered to the extreme grief and displeasure of Banni Singh who expelled Akhe Singh from Ulwiu'." — -Powlett, Ulwur, p. 23- Copied into Bajpidana Go.zetteer, Vol. Hi., 1880. pp. 185/.
1878. — " The household slaves or Khawas Chelas [of Ulwur] number about 200 .... Though known generally as kha'was chelas, the special title of kliavjas, which is an honourable distinction, enftbliug the bearer to sit in Darbar is borne by only five. Ramtl, the faithful Minister and adherent of M. R. Bakhtawar and Banni Singh, is the slave most distinguished in the history of the State. His family hold a valualiie rent-free grant. Khawas Sheo Bakhsh, Superin- tendent of stables, woods, etc., is at present tlie chela of most mark.
When in 1870 the Council of Administration was established and a fixed sum assigned for the expenses of the palace, the late chief neglected to supply maintenance to. a number of the house- hold slaves, who applied to the Political Agent for the means of support. The Council thought the opportunity a good one for permanently reducing the number of slaves in the palace and so far diminishing the servile influence which was the cause of much evil. It was consequently determined that the complainius chelas should
July, 1896.]
MISCELLANEA.
201
irmy as Fort Gai'rlson Sepoys. This atteini^fc to onfer freedom upon tbem was resented as a ruel wrong. They had always been accustomed to live in the city of Ulwur, and leave it they declared they would not. It was on^y after a ong time, and after every effort to change the decision of ' he Council failed, that they paii"ai1y yielded." — PowlcU, Ulwitr, i^. 124. Copied hi'.o Bajputana Gazel'eer, Vol. Hi., 1830, pj). 196/.
1884. — " Jd, lancli Ice ! Bhag jd ! tu kydjdne jog 1 Jo dhiire hai jog Ico, oojag sliakal man
hhug. Tiydg shahal man hlwg : kalliaii haljag
men jog daheld! Pdiichon mar, pacliis tiydg de : job jogt
kd chelS,. Go, thou son of cur! Be off! What
dost thoa know of samtship ? Who tales the saial;ship, renounces all
the desi'es of his heart. Renounces all the desires of his hea' b :
the saintship is hard and difficult in
the world ! Put off the five (desi- es) and the twenty- five (lus s) : then canst thou be ajogis
disciple."
TemioL-, Panjah Legends. Vol. i., p. 327, L:gend of Sild Bo%.
1Q85. — " He Gur Deo! haro Uim Iclrpd ! Mdul ne tumhen balde. Kdnjihdrhe mundrd ddio ;jog lenko de. Ndoli, cheTa, har Ujo ; Jog ltd ra>^d dtjo ; Chiro were Jcdn ; Aj, Gar, Izirpd Icyo.
Hail, my Lord Gu d ! Have me-cyj
My mother sent roe to thee. Bore my e. rs, put in the {j' -ji's) r'og :
I am coQie to take the sa ntshlp.
My Lord make me a d'sciple.
Shew me tlie way of devoL'oa.
Bore my ear.^. Have mercy, Gavil, on me to-day."
Temple. Panjab Legends, Vol. ii. p. 9/., Legend of Gcpi Cho.id.
1885. — " Gorahii clielfi,n nun dkhUd: ' Puron
Jcaddho ba mi io bdr. Eh iiuh chhc ii.i bxi as guzar goe, bahali
pdi sut^Je! Eh di jhabde pdo mitndidn, Jogi leo
bande. Cheld. har do Goiakh Ndl^k da, s'uloii
hardparld '.' T~J T.^r,i hr iniiinn. Inn <nie Thikof Ndtk
' ' Chir&ji, ik meri garib di araj hai, eh da ajan nd mundrd pdo.^
Said Gorakh to his disciples : ' Take
POran out of the hole. Six and V dirty years he has spent in it
and suff.'i ed much pain ! Put the rings into his ears at once and
make a Jogi of him. Make him a follower of Gorakh, for he
is a great saint.' Whea they cooimenced to make him a Jogi, Tbikar Naih cried out : ' Sir Gui i5, hear my humble peatlon, put not in the eav-rings without trial.' " Temple, Punjab Legends, Vol. ii., p. 440/., Legend of Puran Bhagat.
18S6. — [The following quotations exhibit the difference between the Hindu and Musalman words in the same docuoient.]
Ik si murid Sliehh dd safar dfir nun turid
* * ♦ ♦ # •
Azhardmdt Miijdn Waliddd Sdllb bllUTeo zindd hond- aur khS-dim mm sher banlcar dilchai dend * * *
Piiirjogi ne ghasse khdkar da'^ vih ehele hor,
Pakarc'i lid) an Imam Sahib de jaldi dlUe tor.
* s * * a *
Aiimff^z'd murid ban gae ; jdve b'^Jiat khudde.
^ * * ♦ *
Hdjiz ne eh sanldjab st'S.gird ■ i sid liamdrd ; — SuJ'i dd murid ban gtd, Icarhe baliutd clidrd.
A disciple of Shekh (Ahmad Ghaus) went on a longjoa'Qey * « o * Miyah Walidadmira- cu'ously restored to I'fe a dead cat and shewed himself to a follower in the form of a tiger
* c * » Then ohe jO(/t in h"& w;ath senttenor twenty disciples irore to seize tne Imam quietly
* » ♦ * The wise {> ad learned became his followers as ali the world Luows ♦ * • The Hafiz hea d that h's own discip^ie had become a disciple of ;ht SMi with all his heart. * • — T"mple, Legendt, af He Panjab, The Saints of
dlandha,,'Vul. -ill, pp. 169^"., 185, 187, 198, 200. 207, 210.
III. Muhammadan Usage.
1583. — " And many of His Majesty's [Akbar] special d^scip'es ."a 081 [A. H.] called themselves chelahs m i mitafon of the use of this term among Jogis." — Badd'^i, ■!'., t). S25, in Blochmann, Ain i-AMa' i, Vot. i., p. 250, n. i.
[TdrMH-:-B:dauni i?Xo, Vol. ii, p. Z24:']. "la A. H.9'?l the 1 'vg [Akbar] erected two buildings
* ■ 1 — T-- .^intUi- font] i'nMrshoth
202
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[July, 1896.
Musulman and Hindu ; one he called Khairptlra and the other Dharmpflra. Some of AbiVl-Fazl's people had the charge and used to spend the king's money in procuring food. As the jogis also used to flock there in great numbers a separate receiv- ing house was built for them and called Jogipiira. Nightly meetings were held in private with some of these men and they used to employ themselves in various follies and extavagrancies in contempla- tion, gestures, addresses, abstractions and reveries, and in alchemy, fascination and magic. The king himself studied alcbemy and used to exhibit the gold which he mad^ One night in the year called Shivrat was appointed for a grand assembly of jogis from all parts of the country, on which occasion he would eat and drink with the best of them ; and used to be gi-atified by their assurances of a life three or four times longer than the natural life of man." — Elliot, Historij of India, Vol. v., ]}. 538.
c. 1596. — " The Chelahs or Slaves. His Majesty [Akbar] from religious motives dislikes the name banclah or slave, for he believes that mastership belongs to no one but God. He there- fore calls this class of men Chelahs, which Hindi term signifies a faithful disciple. Through His Majesty's kindness many of them have chosen the road to happiness, [by joining the Divine Faith] .... The pay of the Chelahs [in the Infantry] varies from 1 R. to 1 d. per diem. His Majesty has divided them into several sections and has handed them over to native and expe- rienced people who give them instruction in several things." — Biochmann, Trans, of the Ain-i- Alcbari, 1873, Vol. i., p. 2bof.
c 1596. — "The Cheelah. His Majesty [Akbar] does not appi-ove of giving these unfortu- nate men the opprobrious name of slave, but calls them Cheelah, which word in the Hindowee language signifies one who relies on another . . . . The daily pay of a cheelah is from one Dam to one Rupee. They are formed into divisions and committed to the care of skilful persons to be instructed in various arts and occu- pations. — Gladwin, Trans, of Aijeen Alibery, 1783, Vol. i., p. 167/., ed., 1885.
c. 1596. — "The Persian Text from which Blochmann's and perhaps Gladwin's Translations were made is to be found in Biochmann, Persian Text of the Ain-i-Alchari, Vol. i„ p. 190, first line ff., where the word is spelt A^.^ chela.
1791.— "Narrative of Mr. Y\'illiam Drake, for- merly Midshipman of the " Hannibal" and other prisoners taken last war, who have lately made
prisoners taken by the French in the " Hannibal '' . . . . to the number of near 500 were landed atCuddalore the 30th June 1782, sent from thence to Chillumbram the beginning of July, where they remained prisoners with the French till August 12th, when they were delivered over to Hyder Ally Khan and marched to Bangalore, the privates in irons. They arrived at Bangalore the 2nd September .... On the 19th October, the youngest of the whole, to the number of 51, were sent to Seringapatam, where they arrived the 31st October. They remained there till the 7th November, when their heads were shaved, and, on the 20th all their things taken from them and they were circumcised. Soon after Mussalman names and dresses were given them, and they were marched about the parade .... [The Europeans] all were bound on the parade and rings (boly) the badge of slavery were put into their ears. They were then incorporated into a battalion of Cheylas, where they remained till the 19th December 1783 .... [In April 1784] the command of a company of Cheyla boys, with exercising muskets without locks, was given to Messrs. Speediman andRutlidge, and the others were made Havildars, having the command of six .... [In February 1785 Tippoo] gave these BattaJions of Cheylas with fire-locks to Messrs. Speediman and RutlLdge and a batta- lion of boys with exercising maskets to Sergeant Dempster, and made the others Havildars in those and other Cheyla Battalions .... The Battalions to which they were posted were four of Christians called Ahmedy, and four of various castescalled Assud Ally e, all circumcised . . . . [In 1786 by Tippoo] all the European Cheylas and many other Europeans were then sent back to Seringapatam in consequence of the desertion that had taken place among them .... [In Jmie or July 1787] the Chittledroog party reached their destination the 27tli December and were incorporated into four Cheyla Battalions that were at that place .... [In February 1791 at the taking of Tul Ryrah] one European Cheyla was killed and one wounded .... Those who have made their escape from Chittle- droog report the garrison of that place to be to the best of their knowledge as follows : — Four nominal Battalions of Cheylas consisting of about 800 .... Several European boys were taught dancing in the country style and forced to dance in female dresses before Tippoo. It is said that of late as they grew up they have been transfeiTcd to the Cheylah Battalions .... The country names given by Tippoo to such of tli£> TT.iT.-^-- —
July, 1896.]
MISCELLAiNJiiA.
enquiry and recovery of those wlio are still alive. They have occasionally been altered." — Scton- Karr, Selections, Vol. ii., p. 311jf.
1795. — "A few days ago a Havlldar formerly attached to the 16th Bombay Battalion arrived from the Mahratta country, having escaped from Tippoo's dominions, where he had been detaiiied a prisoner 13 years, and compelled to serve in one of his Chela Corps. The on.'y intelligence that he brings is, that Tij)poo is diligently employ- ed in fortifying the lines near Seringapatam that wei-e stormed by our Grand Army on the celebrated 6th February, and that he knows of no European prisonei's that now remain under Tippoo's bondage.'' — Bombay Courier, March '21st, 17y5, in Seton-Karr, Selections, Vol. ii., p. 407.
c. 1821. — "Hiyat Mahomed Khan [of Bho- palj, when installed Nabob, had no children by his wife, but he had adopted four Chelahs or family dependants, who were considered almost as rela- tions. The oldest of these, Fowlad Khan, was the son of a Gond. The second, Jumshei-e Khan, was the son of a Gossein ; and the third and fourth, Chiitta Khan snd Islam Khan, were the sons of a Brahmin. The merit of having withdrawn these childi'en from their errors to the true faith no doubt constituted in the eyes of a pious Mahomcdan prince another tie to strengthen that of adoption.
Fowlad Khan, the eldest of the Chelahs, was the first who possessed the power of Minister, and it was during his administi*acion that the detachment under General Goddard passed throughtheterritoriesofBh opal [1778] . . . . Soon after these events a family quarrel occurred in which Fowlad Khan was slain in an attempt to capture the old Fort of Bhopal, then the resi- dence of the widow of Yar Mahomed Khan : who from disgust at his violent and tyrannical acts had for some time resolved to subvei t his authority and to raise to power Chutta Khan .... This virtuous woman had every reason to congi-atulate herself on her choice of Chutta Khan.'' — Malcolm, Central India, eel., 1880, Vol. i.,p. 296/.
c. 1821. — " Chelah means literally an adopted dependant. It neither applies to a slave nor an adopted child, but to a person who is admitted to the claims of a dependant relation." — Malcolm, Central India, ed., 1880, Vol. %., p. 296/.
c. 1825. — " When the Navab Saheb [of Junagadh] perceived that not one of the pillars of the State was able to extricate him from this difficulty in Samvat 1857 [A. D. 1800] he • • • ■ J-"« Bciuie ua.y ivaim xvuan ana Kekuam Khan visited 'Abdul- Mansiir Khan and asked leave to depart. 'Abdul-Mansiir Khun pro- posed their waiting for the troops he had sent for, >Yho would arrive in a few days. Kekuam Khan
despatched some of them . ... to Nagar with letters to the Jam Saheb Jasaji declaring that he would confer a great obligation upon the Nawab by sending back the Divan Raghunathji. Accordingly the latter, although aware of his master's fickle temper and of thf envy of Wania Karsandas, of Nagar Kahandfis, Azam Beg Chela and others, he took into account that sincere excuses had been made and that it was his duty whether he liked it or not to comply with the wishes of his old msister and went to Junagadh." — Tarikh-i-Sorath, trans. Burgess, 1882, p. 196. See also p. 286.
c. 1825. — " The author [Diwun RanchCdji] had been for two years at Porbandar, to which place Prabhudas and Kamal Chela, were sent to recall him." — Tarikh-i-Sorath, trans. Burgess,
1882, j5. 197.
c. 1825. — "Azam Beg Chela, Karsandas, a Vaniya, and Kahandas induced the Nawab Saheb [in Samvat 1861, A. D 1804] to take part in carousals and drinking bouts, with music and dancing and singing and administered the affairs of the state as they chose." — Tarikh-i-Sorafh, trans. Burgess, 1882, p. 202.
c. 1825. — " Navab Saheb Bahadur Khan bin Hamid Khan Bahadur Babi .... After his father's death, however, he was brought back to Junagadh by the Jamadar Omar Makhasam, Azam Beg Cheia,h, Kahandas Vaishnav, Mugat- ram Bakshi, Jhiua Mehta and others and ascend- ed the throne in his 18th year, 9th of Phagan Sud, Samvat 1837 (A. D. 1810J . . . ." — Tarikh i-Sorath, trans. Burgess, 1882,^3. 205.
c. 1825. — " The murder of Ahmad Klian [Faqir] was perpetrated on the 4th Muharram A. H. 124(1 (Samvat 1880) [A. D. 1823] and as a punishment for it Chela Esmayl Khan and Kadava were one year afterwards expelled from the town." — Tarikh-i-Sorath, trans. Burgess, 1882, p. 227/.
1854. — " KalimdtushshiCard Tasntf Sarkhnsh, The Words of the Poets, by Mirza Mohammad Afdhal, whose lukhallu^ is Sarkhflsh and who was generally called Chela.. The title of the book is a chronogram for 1093 [A. H. = 1682 A. D.]
the date when he commenced to compile it."
Sprenger, Catalogue of King of Oudh's Library, Vol. i., p. 108.
" He wrote a biography of the poets of his own time entitled ' Kalmdl-u.sh-Shu'drd, ' the letters of which if taken according to their res pective numbers will give the year in which it . was written, viz., 1682 A. D,, 1093 A. H." — Beale ' Orient. Biograph. Diet. s.v. Sarkhush, ed. 1881.' *
Another expedient resorted to was to seize the sons of Kajputs and Brahmans, who were then made into Muhammadans. Some were obtained by consent, some by payment; others were the
xnjjj iiNJJiAJ^J ANTIQUARY.
[JlTLT, 1S96.
1873. — " The author of the pretty Tazkirah entitled Kalimdtushshu'ai-cl -which contains bio- graphies of the poets of the 11th century was called Chelah. His real name is Mirza Muham- mad Afzal : as a poet he is known as Sai'khush."' — Blochmann, Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. ii., p- 253, n. i.
1873. — "The word Chelah is the same as the Arab, tnurid, a discijile who places implicit belief in his onurshid or jilr, the head of the sect." — Blochmann, Ain-i-Alchari, Vol. i.,p. 253, n. i.
1876. — "Chela, a Hindu boy seized in early life and forcibly made a Mnhammadan by order (jf Tij)pu. These boys, as they giew up, were incorporated in a miJitary corps retaining the name of Chelas." — B'ce, Mijso^x, Vol. ii., Appx. ii, Glossary, p. 6.
[In 1779] " to break up the Bedar population [of Chittaldroog] .... he [Haidar Ali] removed 20,000 inhabitants to people the island of Seringapatam, and of all the boys of pi'oper age formed regular battalions of captive eon- verts, who ill following wars were of great service to him." — Op. clt. Vol. ii.,p, 463.
1878. — The Lauh-i-TdriJch is an Urdu work, j which in its i^resent shape was composed in 1255
A. H. (March 1839-March 1840) ....
[This is a work on the Nawabs of Farrukhabad
prepared] more especially from the recollections I of an old man, Allahdad Khan, son of Mukim
Kh&,n Chela. — Irvine, Bangash Nawabs, in
J. A. S. B., Vol. xlvii., p. 263.
{To he continued.)
228
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[August, 1896.
MISCELLANEA.
CHEYLA.
III. — Muliammadan Usage — contcl.
(Concluded from p. 204J
1878. — "At this time [1721], his 'Aniils or Ejnbordinate governors were : — for AllahiibaJ, Bhure Khan Chela: for Ii-ieh, Bhander and Jvalpi, Daler Khan Chela; for Sipri and Jalaun, Kanial Kluiu; for Bhojpnr, Nekuam Khan Chela ; for IShamsabad, Daiid Khan Chela ; for Budaon, Sahaswan (now both in the Budaon District) and Mihrabad (now in the Shahjahanpur District). Shamsher Khan Chela .... [1719 1720] Daler Khan Chela was ordered oif with a proper force and mai'ching I'ajjidly he ejected the fliunas of the enemy [Bundelas] from the' pargarudis of Kalpi and Jalalpnr [in the Hauilrpur District] .... Daler Khan Chela Avasby birtli aBnndehiThaliur [or possibly a Jat]- He was famed for his bravery .... Daler Khan was bnried in the village of Mandah [20 miles from Hamirpnr] and all the people of Bimdelkhaud mourned his loss. On every Thursday sweetmeats are offered at his tomb. Every son of a Bundela on reaching the age of twelve years is taken by his father and mother to Mandah, where they place his sword and shield on Daler Khan's tomb. They make an offering and the boy then girds on the sword and takes up the shield, while the parents pray that he may be brave as Daler Khan. Kettle drums are regularly beaten at the tomb." — Irvine, Bam/ash Nawahs, in J. A. S. B., Vol. xlvii., fp. 283, 285/. For details of the tra.di- tions regarding Daler Khan, see note C. p. oQhff.
1878. — " [In 1727] Bhure Khan Chela now placed himself at the head of a number of brave Pathans and penetrated the enemy's army, intending to kill Chattarsal. Bhure Khan lost his own life instead .... For the loss of Bhure Khan the Nawab [Muhammad Khan of Farrukhabad] wept and for many days after the battle wore orange-coloured clothes in sign of mourning, saying — ' "What Bhure said was true ; he said he would die before me.' " — Irvine, Bangasli Naumhs, in J. A. S. B., Vol. xlvii.,i\ 293.
1878. — "[In 1729] the Bibl Sahiba mother of Kaim Khun, hearing rejiorts of intended treach- ery sent Neknam Khan Chela to Faizabad. ^ , . . . The same day Kaim Khan and Neknam Khan visited 'Abdul- Mansiir Khan and asked leave to depart. 'Abdul-Mansiir Khan pro- posed their waiting for the troops he had .'^ent for, who would arrive in a few days. Neknam Khan
deliver IMuliammad Kliiin by their means.' He then in a, great rage lead Kaim Khan I>y the hand out of the audience hall. With them were 60 Pathans clad in chain mail, whose orders were to strike at once if any one lifted a finger to touch them." — Irvine, Bang ash Nawahs, in J. Ai !S. B., Vol. xlvii., p. 300.
1878. — "Nawab Muhammad Khan to the last maintained very plain and soldier-like habits . . . . In his audience halls and in his house the only carpet consisted of rows of common mats and on them the Pathans and chelas and all jjersons high or low had to be content to sit . . . . when any noble visited the Nawab no change was made, the same mats were sj^read to sit on and the same food presented .... Then for each day after their arrival the Nawab would name some chela to entertain the visitor sumptuously. [Then follows a story of Nawab Umdatul-Mulk Amir Khan and his extravagant entertainment by Ja'far Khan Chela]. " — Irvine, Bangasli Nawahs, in J. A. 8. B., Vol. xlvii., p. 338/.
1878. — " Slavery is a part of the Muhammadan legal system, but there must be, I think, few instances, in Avhich it has been carried to the length practised by Muhammad Khiin. Slaves were preferred to eqiials or relations as deputy governors of provinces, slaves led his armies, he even kept a bodyguard of slaves.
One of the i-easons assigned for this preference is the trouble given by his brother Pathans of Man. Many of them at one time had farming leases of parganahs. If the Nawab complained of embezzled revenue, their answer was, that they would fight, but not pay. If one of them was imprisoned as a defaulter, all the other Pathans rose in arms till he was released. For this reason it is said, some years after his rise to power, the Nawab remitted large sums to Afghanistan, and induced a colony of the Bangash tribe to emigrate and settle in the city of Farrukhabad. From among them he selected eighteen leaders as Jam'adars. They were petted in every way, the Nawab looking on them as his own right arm, and to them his daughters were given in marriage. He gave them land for their houses on the side of the city nearest to the Ganges, and the quarter to this day bears the name of Bangashpura.
Another expedient resorted to was to seize the sons of Kajpiits and Brahmans, who were then made into Muhammadans. Some were obtained by consent, some by payment; others were the
August, 1S96.]
were tlius obtfiined and tauglit the precepts of Islam. From them were selected the leaders of the army, and the collectors of land revenue in the panjunahs.
Muhiimmad Khan had quite a passion for increasing the number of his chelas. All his managers '^Amils) and deputies (Siibahdars) had orders to send him all the Hindu boys, whom they could procure between the ages of seven and thirteen. When they grew up, they were placed in his police or army, or were appointed to manage the Nawab's j^rivate affairs. When even ;in amil had a fight with a troublesome village or invested it, he seized all the boys he could get, and forwarded them to the Nav.ab. Others l)ecame Miihammadans of their owu accord. In this way, evei*y year one or two hundred boys were made Muhammadans, and by tlie end of his life the Nawab had some four thousand chelas • Many of these were killed in battle in the Nawab's lifetime, many died without issue, and many were never married. The descendants of the rest still exist, and are distinguished as G-hazanfar- bachha (progeny of Ghazanfar), the title of Muhammad Khan having been Ghazanfar Jang. During the Nawab's lifetime these men were never styled chelas, they v/ere always know^n as Tifli-Sirkar (sous of the State). All places of trust were given to them, the Nawab's house- bold was in their charge, and his whole establish- ment under their orders. For many of them he obtained the title of Waw^ab from the emperor. Of whatever caste a chela had been, he was married to the daughter of a chela originally of the same caste, a Rajput was given to a Rajput, a Brahman to a Brahman, and so forth. This plan was followed till the time of Nawab Ahmad Khan Ghalib Jang (1752-1771). After that time they all got mixed together, so that one caste cannot be distinguished from another. Among the chelas were the sons of powerful Rajahs, who by misfortune had been captured and made Muhammadans. Thus Shamsher Khan ' Masjidwala' is reported to have been a Banafir Rajput, Sher Dil Klian was a Tomar, Pur Dil Khan a Gaur, Daud Khan a Brahman, and so forth.
The Nawab used to tell his chelas to collect as much money, goods or jewels as possible. In adversity such property could be made o£ use to him or themselves. But he who built a masonry structure in any village would be at once removed from employment. Nothing was to be built but with sun-dried bricks and mud mortar, and to ench chela permission was given to build a single brick room as reception hall. The only excep-
tion was in favour of Yakut Khan, Khan Bahadui", of whom we will speak again presently.
A teacher was appointed for the boy chelas, his name was Kali Miyan Shah. When a boy could read and write, ho was taken before the Nawab, who presented him with one hundred rupees, a shield, and a sword, by way of khila't.
From among the chelas of eighteen to twenty years of age, the Nawab selected five hundred youths, and trained them as a picked regiment. They had firelocks of Lahore, accou- trements of Sultani broad-cloth, powder-horns each holding two and a half seers of powder, and each a pouch with one hundred bullets. One day, they were drawn up along the Jamna bank under the fort at Delhi while the emperor was seated on the fort wall, with Muhammad Khiin standing in an attitude of respect beside him ; Muhammad Shah ordered him to fire at some moving object in the river, and was so delighted with the good practice they made, that he asked for a gift of the whole coi-ps. — Muhammad Khan made the ol>jection that they Avere a lot of Brahmans and Rajputs, who could do nothing but talk a rustic patois and use their swords. The emperor accepted the excuse, and sent one thousand rupees to be distributed." — Irvine, Bangash Naivahs, in J. A. S. B., Vol. xlvi., p. 3^0/.
1378. — [Mr. Irvine gives the facts known about 47 of the principal chelas, from which it will be sufficient to extract the following as illustra- tive of the subject in hand.] "{I) Yakut Khan, Khan Bahadur .... Seven ganjes [an interesting Anglo-Indian form on its own account !] were founded by Yakut Khan . . . . the chelas of former days used to say that Miyan Khan Bahadur spent 25 lakhs of rupees on the gunges [another foi'm I], his house and the bdghs he planted .... (4) Mukini Khan. This chela held Ujjain during the time of Muhammad Khan, was Subah of Malwa .... He was with the Nawiib from his early days and the Bibi Sahiba observed no pardah to him .... (5) Jafar Khan. He was the Nawab's Bakhshi . . . . (6) Daud Khan. He is said tc have been originally a Br.ihman. He was one oi the chelas with the Nawab in his younger day.' to whom the Bibi Sahiba observed no pardah . , . (9) Bhure Khan. A story told of tbi; man shows the amount of license accorded t'. the chelas. One day Bhure Khan coming int- darbdr late could find no place to sit. Kickin; away the pillow separating Mhd. Khan an< Kaim Khan, he sat down between the Nawab an. liis son. Kuim Khan turned angrily to hi
[August, 1896. I
father and said : — ' You have given such freedom to these chelas that they will never respect me.' Mhd. Khan got np in a rage and went off to his house at Aniethi. Mhd. Khiin then scolded Bhure Kluin sa3'ing that he had lost confidence in him, for if while he was alive they did not respect his sous, who knew what they would do when he was dead. Bhure Khan putting up his hands said :— ' May God Almighty grant that I never see the day when you no longer live 1' .... (10) Sa'dat Khan. He was amil of Mandeshwar in Malwa south of Nimach .... When Mhd. Khan qnarelled with Sa'dat Khan Burhanul-Mulk, Subahdar of Audh, he gave his chela Sa'dat Khan the ironical title of Burhanul-Mulk ! . . . . (11) Weknam Khan. He was one of the four chelas to whom the Bibi Saliiba used to appeal' unveiled . . . . (12) Jahan Khan. He was one of the Bakhshis and an old chela to whom the Bibi Sahibakept no pardah." — Irvine, Bangash Nawahs, in J. A. S B., Vol. xlvii., p. 341^'.
1878. — [In 1748, on receipt of the erpperor Ahmad Shah of Dehli's farmdn to attack the Rohelas, in the days of Nawab Kaim Khan] " the principal leaders were then sent for to be consulted. Chief among them was Mahmud Afridi the Bakhshi and others. These all voted for immediate war, but the Nawab seems to have been reluctant to attack his fellow Pathans. Shuja't Khan Ghilzai, who had formerly exchanged turbans with 'All Mhd. Khan Roliela, Takut Khan Khan Bahadur, Shamsher Khan, Mukim Khan, Islam Khan, Kamal Khan, and Sardar Khan, ehelas, represented to the Nawab that the Rohelas were not his enemies." — Irvine, Bangash Nawabs, in J. A.S.B., Vol. xlvii.,p. 377.
1878. — [After describing at pp. 381f. the
ioings of the chelas at the battle of Dauri-
aasulpur, 22nd November 1748] "the Rohelas
idvauced as far as Khakatman opposite Farrukh-
.bad where they first met with resistance. A chela
vho was 'Amil of the place showed a strong
ront and kept up a vigorous musketry fire at the
nemy, many of whom were killed. He would not
bandon his parganah and the Rohelas thinkinc-
lere was-no need to entangle themselves in bram-
les left the place and marched back. All the rest
I the Trans-Ganges country was thus lost per-
lanently to the Farrukhabad Nawab. Only
mritpur, Khakatman and Paramnagar were
•eserved through the courage of this nameless
lela." — Irvine, Bangash Naioabs, in J. A. 8. B.,
ol. xlvii., p. 383.
1879. — " [After the battle of Khudaganj, 2nd igust 1750] Ahmad Khan [of Farrukhabad]
sent one of his father's ehelas, whom he trusted, his name was Bhiire Khan, with five hundred matchlock-men to take possession of Kannauj . . . . Rahm Khan Chela used to say that his father Dikiwar Khan, then very young, visited Kannauj a few days after the battle and at the commander's invitation he went into the Rang Mahal. There were no people in it, but bags of rupees and gold coins were scattered about . . . . Dilawar Khan lived all his life on the proceeds of the things he carried away with the Kila'dai-'s permission and at his death he left house and a pot full of gold coins." — Irvine, Bangash Naivahs, in J. A. S. B., Vol. xlviii., p. QiQ.
1879. — " [To stop the rising that led to the battle of Khudaganj, 23rd July 1750, 'Abdul- Mansur Khan the Wazir] marched with a large force of his own troops .... and con- tingents under .... Isma'il Beg Khan Chela, 'Ise Beg Khan Chela." — Irvine, Ban- gash Naivahs, in J. A. S. B., Vol. xlviii., jj. 68.
1879. — " The Wazir's orders to put the five Chelas to death reached Jalalu'ddin Ilaidar the Wazir's son (afterwards known as Shuja'uddaula) and on the 20th Ramzan (12th August 1750) he directed their jailor Zainul-'Abidain to bring them forth. [Then follows a long account of the execu- tion of Shamsher Khan and four others]." — Irvine, Bangash Naivabs, in J. A. S. B., Vol, xlviii., p. 69/.
1879. — " According to the ciTstom of his family Nawab Ahmad Khan made about three or four hundred Hindu boys into chelas. Those who had charge of his territory acquired wealth : the rest who received only pay and gifts rose to no eminence. They were all known as Ghalib Bachha. (1) Zu'lfikar Khan. In Ahmad Khan's time there were three men known as Nawabs, at whose houses the naubat was played : 1st, Ahmad Khan himself, called the Bare Nawab ; 2nd, Zu'lfikar Khan, called the Majhle Wawab ; 3rd, Daim Khan, called the Chhote Wawab. . . . . (2) Daim Khan. — Islam Khan, chela of Shamsher Khan, chela of Nawab Muhammad Khan, had two sons: («) Roshau Khan, and [b] Daim Khan .... Ahmad Khan said he would adopt him and gave him the titles of Azim Jang Muhammad Daim Khan Bahadur, but he was popularly known as the Chhote Nawab .... In his childhood the emperor Ahmad Shah had held him in his lap, fed him with his own hand, put on his shoulders miniature kettle-drums {nalckarah and dauU), thus conferring upon him the naubat .... [Here follows an account of 35 chelas.]" — Irvine,
AoausT, 1896.]
MISCELLANEA.
231
Bangash Nawabs, in J. A. S. B., Vol. xlviii., p. I(i0/.
1884.— "Kaim KLau, the Nawalj's [Farukluibud] elder son, besciged Jaraliwar in the east of Banda, while Daler Khan, a trusted chela, advanced from his head-quarters at Sihonda towards Maudha iu Hamirpur. On the 13th May 1721 Dabr [Daler.^] Khan Avas defeated and shiin close to the above- named town now in the Hamirpur District." — N-W. P. Gazetteer, Vol. vii.,p. 154-.
1884. — " The ehelas [of Farukhabad] were slaves by whom most offices of trust under the Bangash dynasty [of Farukhabad] were filled. Such ci'eatures were found better and more obedient servants than the haughty kinsmen of a reigning Nawab. ChieHy Hindu by birth these slaves had been seized as boys and broiight up as Mii.salmans. But in their marriages the i-estrictious of Hindu caste were until Nawab Ahmad's time [1750-71] observed. During the reign of Nawab Muhammad [1713-43] they were never called ehelas or disciples, liut always children of the State (atfal-i-sarkar). Their descendants are now known as Ghazanfar- bacha, that is, ' lion-whelps,' or progeny of Nawab Ghazanfar Jang [i. e., Muhammad Khan him- self.]"' — N-W. P. Gazetteer, Vol. vii.,p. 15-1.
1884. — " When Muzaffar Jang [of Farukhabad] succeeded his father [in 1771] he was a lad of 1 3 or 14 years only. But the princely power was for a time faithfully wielded by the pay-master Fakhruddaula [a chela], whose first task was to repress a disturbance raised by Murtaza, one of the surviving sons of Nawab Muhammad Khan . . . . Murtaza Khan was wounded and taken prisoner. He afterwards died in prison. Not lone after this Fakhruddaula was assassinated by Namdar Khan chela, a partisan of Murtaza Khan." — N-W. P. Gazetteer, Vol. vii.,p. 173.
1884. — " There were two claimants to the succession [in 1798]- The ehelas Parmal and Muhamdi Khans put forward the late Nawab's [of Farukhabad] second son Imdad Husain." — N.-W.P. Gazetteer, Vol. vii.,p. 171.
1884. — " Mukhim Khan, one of the most dis- tinguished of Nawab Muhammad's slave officials (ehelas). He was for a short time governor of Pargana Shamsabad wdiich of coui'se included Kaimganj [in Farukhabad].''— N.-W.P. Gazet- teer, VoL vii-, p. 269.
1884. — "Takutganj [in Farukhabad], origin- ally called Sarai Nuri .... By a eunuch Sarai Nari was certainly founded. Presented as ■^ iTift to Muhammad, first Nawab of Farukhabad
ennobled uiider the title of Khan Bahadur. But of his servile origin Yakut was never asliamod. The slave officers of the Nawab, afterwards called ehelas, were then known as Tifl-i-sarkar oi- children of the State, and the motto which Yakut caused to be engraved on his seal was this : — Yakut- i-Kurkhru ha txifail-i-Mhd. ast. Red -faced Ruby is as the little child of Mahomed. Mhd.'s officers were forbidden to erect any structure more lasting than mud or sun-dried bricks. They might indeed build as a reception- hall one kiln-brick chamber ; but any further dabbling in bricks and mortar was the prero- gative of the Nawab alone. In Yakut's case, however, the prohibition was removed. The Nawab remarked that he could never have children, and that it did not much matter what buildings he left to revert to the State on his death. Yakut thereon built seven m-.irkets (ganj) including Yakutganj. It was foiinded in 1739 [1 lol A. H.] . . . . The remaining fouiidatious were : — (1) Khudagauj iu this district; (2) Kasganj or Yakutganj ; (3) Aliganj ; and (4) Daryaoganj in Eta ; (5) Kauriyaganj, probably the place so named in Ah'garh; and (6) Nabiganj in Mainpuri." — N.-W. P. Gazetteer, Vol. vii., p. 401/. and n. 1884. — " Ddni niin pir beta ditf.d, Seivaddr Sanoar da Mtd ;
Kuttiii churidn Tcare tayijilri Pirdn sadwdidh. Unlidi'i pirdi'b dsdddr ohele Idfe, The Saint gave Dani a son, She made him a follower of Sarwar : Making ready cakes and sweetmeat' She callect the saints. The saints made him a follower an^ disciple. Temple, Panjab Legends, Vol. i., pp> 93/., 97 Three Fragments about Sakhl Sarwar. 1885. — "Air ehele dltid,'
Pliir chele hoe mitthid ! Gurdn Pirdh to mukare Sidh dpi dp saddiije. I gave my disciple a flock. And my disciple iiath becom faithless ! Denying his Saint and Teacher, He hath made himself a saint. Temple, Panjab Legends, Vol. u'., p. 103 : Sukh Sarwar and Jutt.
1893. — " Chelah i^^^ chela, Hind.) froi (cheta San. servant) disciple. Especially Hindo convert to Mahomedanism." — Madras Manui
Chaims — Chet-rdmi. 157
Chawas, an agricultural clan found in Slidlipur. Chaweka, an agricultural clan found in Slialipur. Checbi, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chela, [i] a disciple ; (n) a sept of the Siiils, q. v. ; [lii) a fom. diminutive form {chclri) is used in the sense of 'witch' or ' malignant female spirit/
ChemiyAj a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chenji, U) a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar, (a?') a sept of tlio Gil J;its, apparently confined to Hoshidrpur.
Chet-rami. — The name of a sect founded by one Clict Ram, an Arora of Buchhoke, which is still the central sanctuary of the sect, though its monastic headquarters are outside the Taxali Gate at Lahore. Chet Earn became a disciple of Mahbub Sliah, a J'dl'dlifaqir, of the Chishtia sect. After his death Chet Ham slept upon his tomb and there had a vision of Christ which is described in a Panjdbi poem, partly composed by him, partly by his successors or follower3. On his death in 1894 Chet Ram was cremated and his ashes drunk in water by his euthusiastic dis' ciples. Before dying he had designated the site of a future Chet-rdmi town to be called Isapuri or ' Jesus' town,' and there his bones and those of Mahbub Shah are to find their eventual resting-place. Re- garding the creed of the sect Dr. H. D. Griswoid writes:* — "The Chet-rami sect holds a double doctrine of the Trinity. There is the Christian Trinity consisting of Jesus, the son of Mary, the Holy Spirit, and God, which is found in the Chet-nlmi creed. There is also what might be called a Hindu Trinity consisting of Allah, Parmeshwar, and Khudd. Allah is the Creator, Parmeshwar, the Preserver, and Khuda, the Destroyer. This idea is, of course, based upon the Hindu doctrine of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as Creator, Preserver and Destroyer, respectively. The three potencies of the universe, namely AlUh, Parmeshwar, and Khuda have their counterpart in the human body, which, from this point of view, is a kind of microcosmos. There is a generative part corresponding to
y Allah, a nourishing part (the breast) corresponding to Parmeshwar, and a destroying part (the head) corresponding to Khuda." The Chet-ramis frequently carry a long rod surmounted by a cross, on which is inscribed their confession of faith. Some form of baptism also appears to be practised, but they distinguish between the external and internal rite, and are said to have four kinds of outward baptism, with water, earth, air and fire. Earth-baptism is used when a lay member tears off his clothes, casts dust upon his head and becomes a Chet-rd,mi monk, to mark his renunciation of the world. The monks are tho clergy of the sect, the theory being that 40 persons arc always to subsist on alms and preach the doctrines of Chet Rdm. These 40 are called chclas and are addicted to intoxicating drugs. The sect is probably not very numerous, ai-d it is said to be persecuted by both Hindus and Muhammadans, though, when a chela begs of a Hindu he does so in tho name of Ram, and when from a Muhammadan in the name of AlUh and Muhammad. All castes, even the lowest are recruited, but caste distinctions are at least so far observed that
* In an exhaustive Pafer read at the Mussooric Conjerencc, 1904, which the curious reader may consult for further details and parallels.
158 Ghhahala-^Chhadhar.
each caste o£ converts eats separately. Three melas are held annually at Buchhokc, one on Poh 1st (January) in memory of Mahbub Shah's death, another on Jetli 29f,h (May — June) to commemorate that of Chet K;im, and the third on Sasvan 18th (July— August) in memory of one Malang Shah, of whom nothing appears to be known except that he was a friend of Mahbub Shah.
Chhabala, see Chhabihw^le.
Chhabihwale, a term applied to the Khatri devotees of Shamji. His Gandia Jat devotees are called Eang Rangita and his Chandia Balocli worship- pers are styled Chhabala — both, though still Muhammadans, presenting offerino"s to his descendants. (For an account of the Hindu revival in the south-west Punjab under Bairdgi influences, by the Gosains Shamji and his successor Lalji, see Census Kep., 1891, pp. 127-9.
Chhabri, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chhadhak. Found along the whole length of the Chendb and Ravi valleys, but far most numerous in Jhang, where they for the most part reo-ard themselves as Rajputs, the Chhadhars claim to be descended from Rajii Tur, Tunwar. They say that they left their home in Rdiputtina in the time of Muhammad of Ghor, and settled in Bahawalpur, where they were converted by Sher Slulh of Uch. Thence they came to Jhano- where they founded an important colony and spread in smaller numbers up the Chenab and Rdvi. Steedman describes them as good ao-riculturists, and less given to cattle-theft than their neighbours. Mr. E. D. Maclagan spells the name Chaddrar, which is undoubtedly the correct form, and writes : —
" The Chaddrars are Tunwars. Their chief tribes in the Sandal Bar are the Rajokes, Kamokes, Jappas, Luns, Pajikes, Deokes, Ballankes, Saiokes, etc. The Chaddrars of the B^r are said to have expanded from Dhdban, a small rahna or encampment south-west of Khurid,nwdla. The Luns of iwanwala in the Bar say they have been there for seven generations. At Bajla rahna there is a separate class of Luns or Lunas called Bala Luns, who celebrate marriages, wash the dead and • so forth, and act more or less as mullas '\
The following genealogy of the Chaddrars is given by sunirdsi of the tribe in the Hdfizabad tahsil : — ■
Pandu.
.1
Garjan,
I
Bhin.
I
Batisar.
i
Mandlik.
I
Tunwar.
i
Anak.
I
Jodh.
J
Raji Ravilan,
I
Chaddrar.
\
)i
Chaddrar lallads.
159
The same mirdsi also gave the following cluqi or ballad regarding the o-reat deeds of the Chaddrar : —
Datdr opge Mir Br ah am, Park UcJtdr t^nnded ne : Tiir yhir taicdna hoed, J is kid Tdrd pdcd ne ; Rdjd l-ht'ib hhnld Ravilan. Jis Dilii Kot handed ne ; Dim Kot handhd ne kaisd Jo khutha sachch farlided ne.
Di'id jo maiddn ditto ne
Chaddrar nam dJiarded ne. Dhare ndm te vaddlie agjo,
Alldh Nali dehded ne. Bdkim d, hakumat kiti. hulk »drd kankdcd ne. Chhatti Paint i te Lundke Damra ghar dhoded ne.
Bannhi hattJi Nakodar lijd
Biniar des niu-ded ne. Peihle jd Gagidne hathi,
Phir Lahdur pauhnchded ne. Kharrald ndl pea, jdl jhagrd, Takhto Kharral liafded ne. ilodd de Chiniot Icdne.
Zor changerd Ided ne, Malik Macche Khdn kuitho ne, Ragrd rok rullded ne, Uidrpdr hiikm Chaddrar dd.
Sidld di kurid hercd ddl chikded ne.
Ajj4n, Cha, Sultdna ydge
Ddgar rdh ghalded ne. Vijjar, Vise Idii chdye
Sir chattr Nahi jhidded ne. Hamhi nadi Chitrdng vasde,
Bakhrd px'ird pded ne. Japped ne hhi ruthd chokhd, Dnftar xcdle A-arded ne. Dinglidn Bulglidn Bilochdn. Mdr Biloch vnnjdcd ne. Chulhe ie ral vandi de sa^ihard.
8dr gardhi khded ne.
Mirjd Dhir hoed kurerd :
Bagyd shih chirded ne.
Nitliar, Kdlil, Dalld, Malh'i mani gdicd
Jauro takht 7nachdcd ne ;
Jithe satt shahid akatthe hoe,
Vthe duddh pided ne.
Is kul te data Nilra,
Oahna, Jdni, Wdchi, Ilrahtm Eaqqdni.
Jas ilir Fruhim gded ne.
Saith the Miriisi Ibrahim to the generous, He pronounces as follows ; — ' Tunwar then became, strong. From which family Tara was born ; K4ja Ravilan was a fine hero. Who builfc the fort of Delhi ; Ho built Delhi Fort so That his name of a certainty was soondod in the Kbutba. —
Secondly, when he had cleared a wido space (empire),
He fixed the namo of Chaddrar. His name was established and grew from day to day.
He worshipped God and his Prophet. A ruler came and ruled. The whole country called for help. The Chhattis-Paintis and the Luu country, Carried rupees to the home of the Chad- drars.
With only half a hand the Chaddrara took Nakodar
And made tha Diniar-des do obeisance. First they went to Gagiana (in the Bar) and settled,
Then they reached Lahore. When they quarrelled with the Kharrals, They stripped the Kharrals of their throne. With a push of the shoulder (i.p., with a certain amount of trouble) they took Chiniot. They used more force. They killed Malik Macche Rhan. They hai'ried and destroyed him. The Chiiddrars were rulers on both sides of the river (ChenAb).
They put the Siala' daughters on rafts and dragged them away.
They cleared a wido road of {i.e., dis- persed)
Ajjun, Cha and Sultan the rebels. When Vijjar and Viso (Chaddrars) grew to wisdom
The Prophet held his canopy over them. Hambi (a Chaddrar) lived on the Chitrang nadi,
And divided his sliare fully. The Jappas' line was also good, And separated off a share. Thpy met the Bulghan Bilocheg. They boat and defeated the Biloches. They fed in common, but their share was divided.
They fought to their hearts' content. Mirza, eon of Dhir, was a stalwart man ; He struck tigers (with his swore'). T sing of Nithar, Kalu, Dalhi and Mallii : They also held power : Where seven martyrs were together (i.e., among enemies),
'J'here they gave them milk to drink (killed them).
Of this family were the generous Nur, Gahna, Jaoi, Wachu and Ibrahim the Haqqini. I, Ibrdhlm, bare snng this praise.
160 Chhajju'^Ghhalapddr^
The Rdjoke Chaddrars once got hold of a Mughal empercfr's
elephant and yoked it to a well at a place near Kliurid,nwd,la, still
called the Hilthi Tlieh. The following- clicip on the subject was given by the Mird,si /a^i'r at Shaikh Sd^bu : —
Malik Dddu, Idh chdi, Malik Dadu (aEajoke Chief) lifted his arm ,
Indra Rdja ris de. Indra Raja became enyious.
Vass baddal Jailed ! Kain, 0 black cloud !
Hdthi led ne khass Ho seized the elephant
Mahdicat ne mdred. And killed the mahaut.
Hdthi Akhar Bddahdli de, It was an elephant of the emperor Akbar'a,
If the chare dhdmni, Lahdur kamdnd. Here it grazed on dhaman grass, in Lahore
on sugar-cane.
Rdj'ii ke Rdj'oke, The Rajokes, descendants of Raju,
Sundh vaddhke khuhe j'utte ddiid. Cut off its trunk and yoked it to the well.
CbhAjju, Chhajju-pantbi. — A sect which exhibits a curious combination of the Hindu and Muhammadan creeds among the lower orders. It is said to have been founded by Chhajju, a hhagat of Lahore, who lived about the time of Aurangzeb.* His followers buj-n their dead, but do not throw the ashes into the Ganges ; they take them to a place called Parnaji, in Bundel- khand, where they bury them. They believe in the divine mission of Mu- hammad, but have no social intercourse with the Muhammadans. One of their sacred ^ilaces is Malka Hans, in the Pakpattan tahsil of Montgomery, where their mahant, Lachhman Das, lives, and their sacred book is kept in a kind of temple. It is called the Kul Jama Banip, is written in Bhdsha, and its doctrines are based on a mixture of Hinduism and the Quran. They also have adherents at Qabula Tibbi and Harappa, and are said to be strong vegetarians and teetotallers.
Chhajra. a tribe of J^ts who claim descent from the royal race of the Bhattis of Jaisalmer. They came to Multan under Kao Kehar, a chief- tain of their own, and settled there. Kehar is a name of note in Bhatti annals. One Eehar was contemporary of the Khalifa-ul-Walid, a.d. 713.t He and his sons advanced the Bhatti kingdom of Jaisalmer. Another Kehar ruled Jaisalmer in the sixteenth century, and his son conquered all the Multdn country up to the Indus. The Chhajrda marry their daughters to their own tribesmen only, but receive the daughters of other Jd,t tribes in marriage.
Chhajra, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n tahsil.
Chhajd, a Muhammadan J^t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Chha Khang, a caste found in Spiti (from chlia, ' owner ' and JcMng, ' land '). But according to Sir James Lyall hhdng means ^ house ' or ' household/ not ' land. ' Zing means land : cf. Chdhzang.
Chhala, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Chhalapdaes. a small community of some 10 houses in Delhi, who say that tbey came from the Mewat in Mughal times and that in the United Provinces they are known as Mujdwars.J Shaikhs Mujawar and Qalandar were their ancestors, and so the latter^s descendants are called Qalandars. But this seems to be an absolute fable. That they came from the Mewat may be conceded, but, in spite of what they
* Chbajju's chauhdra is a conspicuous edifice rear the Divinity School at Lahore. The local histories describe him as an Arora who worked miracles in that city, but not as having founded a sect. Chhajju-panlhi would appear to be a local term for the more general term 'ParnAmi' (q.v.).
t Walid was Khalffa from 705—15 A. d, : Elliot's Hist, of India, I, p. 428.
J Ar. lit." u teighbour.' Ihe woxd is used in India to detoie an attendar t at aehrine.
76. TheChajju-panthis. — A curious combination of the two creeds among ■pantM . . 124 the lower orders is found in the sect known as Chajju-panthi "' • • ''2J2 or Parnami. Tliey are said to have been founded by Chajju ^at, a resident of Lahore, who lived about the time of Aurangzeb.* His A^ers burn their dead, but do not throw the ashes into the Ganges ; they take 1 to a place called Parnaji, in Bandelkand, where they bury them. They ve in the divine mission of Mahomed, but have no social intercourse with ^ahomedans. One of their sacred places is Malik Hans, in the Pakpattan 1 of the Montgomery district, where their sacred book is kept in a kind of le. This book is called " Kul Jama Barup" ; it is written in Bhasha, and DCtrines are based on a mixture of Hinduism and the Quran.
Ghhalapddr rites. ICI
say, it is probable that they are Hindu converts to Isldm, and that ia their former faith they were temple musicians or wandering minstrels. On the conversion of the Mewd,t their deities were overthrown, but the spirit of idolatory which remained, and is not yet quite extiuct, set up Muhammadan pirs in their stead, and they found employment in dedi- cating themselves to these saints. But it is doubtful whether they were ever really attached to the shrines of the saints to whom thoy are dedicated, viz., KhwAja Moin-ud-Din of Ajraer, Badi-ud-Din or Maddr Sahib,* or Saiyid Sdldr Masaud Ghazi, known as the
* Bd,ld Mij'dn.' The Mujawars belonging to these shrines are of authenticated descent and certainly of higher status than the Cbhalapdars, who derive their name from cJihalap, the musical instrument which they carry and which is in itself a sign of low social status. That they call themselves Mujd,wars may be taken as a mere attempt to claim a higher origin, though they certainly take upon themselves certain duties comiectcd with the anniversaries of their saints, especially at Delhi, where they are to be seen wanderingf from house to house as harbingers of the approaching ceremonies, and singing songs to the accompaniment of the chhalap in praise of their saints. The anniversary of the first-named saint, who is the most reverenced of them all, is held at Ajmer from the 1st to the 6th of Rajab, when thousands from all parts of India gather at Ajmer. When there were no railways, people used to start on this journey weeks and even months beforehand, so that tbo month preceding Rajab actually came to be called ' the month of Khwdja Moin-ud-Din.^ On the 14th, 15th, and 16th of this month large numbers from the Mcwat, and the countryside generally, assemble at the Qutb, 11 miles from Delhi (which, as the name signifies, is the shrine of Khwaja Qutb-ud-Din, the chief disciple of the Ajmeri Khwdja) for throe days, which are observed as great holidays. On the 16th this great concourse forms a huge caravan which sets out on its way to Ajmer. Even now the journey is mostly performed on foot, though bullock carts are also employed, chiefly for the women. The sight is picturesque and interesting, young and old being dressed in their best attire ; trains of chhaJcras (country carts) which carry the thousands of women and children, singing to the accompaniment of drums, flutes and all kinds of instruments. A conspicuous feature of the procession is the red and green banners and flags, called chliaridn (lit. * sticks'), to which the three days' gathering at the Qutb owes its name of the chhnrlou hi mela or 'fair of the flags', which are moi'o precisely called Khwaja ji ki chharian. In the preparation and erection of these .flags and in the ceremonies connected with them the Chhalapdcirs arc the principal actors. The flags look like so many
* On the first day of Jamadf-ulawal, also called the tiionth of Madar, when tho baiinera or c/i/Kt)td7is of Mad4r were eroctod under tho walla of Delhi tho Chhalapdirs, accom- panied by a band of drummers, used to appear with Madar's banner before the emperor in his court of private audience, and on th^sir arrival ho came out of the palace and hia attendants used to give them trays of malidah, the Chhalapdars in return jjlHcing a bnddi or garland on tho emperor's body in memory of the Saint, Madar. Prayers were tlion offered in the name of the saint and tho malidah was doled out to all present. After tliis the king gave the Chhalapdars a standard from tho top of wliich hung a cloth called pharaira, embroidered with gold (called task or tamdmi, cto.) to the loose ends of which were attached silver cups or katoras. This standard was given to tho Chhalapdars in oidur that it might be preeented at the coDvent of Madar Sahib in tbo king's behalf.
162 Chhalapddr rites.
sfcanclards, distinguisbing the various bands and contingents whicli form the great Khwaja's camp or laahkar. Tlicy aro gaudily draped, have guilded tops, and aro garlanded with flowers, which have pecuHar names. The cloth, and even fragments of it, after having been once twisted round the stick are considered to be not only sacred, but possessed of healing virtues, and aro eagerly sought after, especially by mothers who cause them to be worn by their children, if sick or otherwise in danger, in order to get them cured. They collect women of their kith and kin, form a procession headed by the men beating drums, and follow them singing the Khwaja's praises, till they reach one of these flags, to which they make offerings of sweetmeats, pice and cowries and sometimes even rupees, the whole being the per- quisite of the Chhalapdars, who are in proprietary charge of the sticks. A portion of the sweetmeat, after it has been offered, is returned to those who bring it and also distributed among any others present. Sometimes this ceremony is performed at the bouse of the child's parenta, in which case the Chhalapdd,r takes his stick or flag there and bbe rite is gone through mjdst the singing of the child's relatives and with great festivities. In some cases the ceremony of putting on the garlands and draping a child in the cloth of a flag is repeated yearly during its minority, or until the term of years, for which its parents had vowed to perform it, has expired.
For three days the scene at Qutb is most noisy and the din of the vocal and instrumental music of innumerable processions passing through the streets and crossing each other is enhanced by the noise and rowdy- ism of the jumping Darweshes called Qalandars. In front of every shop and place where a rustic fan^ily is staying during the fair, as well as around every stick or flag erected by Chhalapdars, groups of these Qalandars may be seen marking time with tbeir feet which movement by degrees rises into high jumps. Their chorus,* while they are thus jumping, is—
Mast Qalandar ! Allah hi degd I !
Tdrnhe kd paisd ! Allah hi degd ! !
JDudh malidah ! Allah hi degd ! !
Dham Qalandar ! Dudh malidah ! ! Allah hi degd ! ! !
and so on.
•* O Darwesh free and drunk ! God will give it ! Copper coin ! God will give it! Milk and malidahl God will give it ! Jump Qalandar! God will give milk and malidah ! (lit., a sweet dish)."
This is repeated again and again until the shopkeeper or the person or family addressed, gives them somethiug in cash or kind taking which they mov(! on to jump before others.
In all the songs sung by the Chhalapdars, and others generally, on this occasion the Kbwaja's praises are the principal theme. The following which forms the burden of a popular song is given here as a speci- men : —
3Iere dil darydo Khwdja ! Tere jhalare pe Idgi hai hhir. " My bounti- ful river-like KhAvaja ! Look what a concourse of people (with eager prayers) has assembled at thy jhalara."i
* Sung in a loud and emphatic voice, t Jhalara is a large spring at the shrine of the Khwaja at Ajmer.
Chhdligar'^Chhaner. 163
The second fair of flags is hold in honour of Mad^r Siihib below the walls of the fort or red palace of Shah Jaluin ia Delhi. It is similar to the Olio de^^cribed above, with this diiforenro, that it is less attended and the flags are taken to the tomb of tlie saint at Makkinpur. One of the songs (or sohlds as tliey are called) snug bj the Chhalapd;irs which refers to Madiir Sahib is : — Lei t.o chaloji luilama Makkinpur ? In this song a newly married girl implores hor hnsljand to take her with him to Makkin])ur. These fairs are especially popular among the women.
The third fair is held in honour of 'BalaMiydn' Saiyid Sdldr Masaud Ghdzi, who is said to have lost his life in one of the early wars of the Musalmi'ms with the idokitrous Hindus. lie was young and about to be married, but foiight bravely and died in the hour of victory. As in tiie case of the second fair, the chharidn are erected under the walls of the Dellii Fort. One of the songs sung in praise of Saiyid S^diir runs : — Merd nit hanra Sdldr hdld ! Bald merd jdgo nd : " My bridegroom ever young, the young Salar, whj'- does he not awake ? "
The Chhalapddrs say they have no chaudhri, but a imnchdyat system is iu vogue among them. A transgressor is punished with a fine of 10 or 12 annas with which sweetmeats are purchased and distributed among the jianchs. In extreme cases he is punished by temporary excom- munication. Marriages are confined to the community. The niMh is in vogue, but the bride's dower does not exceed the legal minimum under Muhammadan Law. The ceremonies connected with birth and marriage, such as sachaq, chauthi, etc., and those observed till 40 days after death are the same as those of the other Dellii Muliam- madans. Widow remarriage is not unlawful, and a deceased brother's widow may be taken in marriage. Some of the Chhalapdiirs' songs are :—
(1) Sung on the bridegroom's side: — Apne Hary die lane pe main chunchun wdrun gi Icalydn! Merd jiice hana! Ajjne Earydle bane pe main, etc. " I will pick the choicest flowers and shower them upon my dear bridegroom, the beloved of God ! May he live long."
(2) Sang on the bride's side :~Meri acchchi hano sohdg hanri ! " My good, and of her husband most beloved, bride !
(3) Sung at a hirlh .-'—Aye Idl re tere hath men jhunjhuna. "0 my pretty little baby, with a rattle {jhunjhuna) in thy hand."
One of the ceremonies observed prior to birth is held when the woman has been enceinte for 7 months. It is called sath ivdnsd or * the custom of the 7th month.'
The Chhalapdars say that they also sing the praises of Saiyid Ahmad, surnamed Kabir.
Chhaligar, a syn. for Bdzigar, used in Sii'ilkot.
Chhamia, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Chhana, a Jilt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Multan.
Chhanb, a Jat clan (ngricnltural) found in Multan.
Chhaner, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar,
1 64 Chhangav'^Chhdzang.
CnHANaAR, M. = Changar, q. v.
Chhant, an ao'ricultural clan found in Shrllipnr.
Chhapera, a synonym, rarely used, for CliMpcgar or Chhimba, q. v.
CnnATnA, Chhatta, see Chatlia.
Chhatta, a tribe of Muhammadans found in Montgomery and, as Jats (agricultural), in Amritsar. Probably identical with the Chatta.
Chhazanq. — A term confined in the Punjdb to the Buddhists of Spiti, among whom caate was said to be unknown. It includes all the land-owning classes of Spiti, where everybody except Hesis and Lohd,rs owns land. The Chhdzang are by nationality Tibetan, or as they call them- selves, Bhoti, and Chdhzang means the land-holding class, and the people towards Tibet, Laddkh, and Zanskd,r are known as Chhdzang. It appears to be used in a very wide sense to mean all who speak Bhoti, just as Monpa means ' the people that do not know,' that is, the Hindus.
Mr, A. H. Diack, a high authority on Spiti thus described the tribal system in that country, where four grades of society are re- cognised : —
" (i). Jo or !r90.*— This is a title enjoyed for his lifetime by one who marries the daughter of any high-class family, such as that of the Nono of Spiti or the Thakur of Lahul, or any family of equal importance in Laddkh or Tibet.
(ii). Lonpo. — This term is applied to the class not so high as the Jo or as low as the Chha-zang. Lonpo means ' minister' and is an hereditary title and office. Lohrag and Da-tong-kar- po (Dhongrukdru) are said to be synonyms for Lonpa.
(iii). Chhd-zang. — The word means * middle-class,'t ['good position'] as opposed on the one hand to 'Tarap,' or high- class, such as members of the family of the Nono of Spiti, and on the other to ' Marap,' or Mow class,' which includes the blacksmiths, Hesis, etc.
{iv). Lohon. — The word means ' teacher,' and is probably the des- cription given of himself by some wandering Tibetan pilgrim. Tliere was some difficulty in ascertaining the 'caste' of Tibetan pilgrims at the census of 1891. They treated the question as a joke, and returned themselves as " stones,"" or articles of wearing apparel,t and the like.
Tribal distinctions are recognized in Spiti, the chief being the following : — (l)Nandu, (2) Gyazhingpa, (3) Khyungpo, (4) Lon-chhenpo,
* See under Nouo for the precise meaning of this term. Mr. Diack also added that the same name is borne by the lady whose marriage has invested her husband with the title, but the ffiminine form is generally jo-j'o. The chil iren of the union do not eujoy the title, Jo and Tiio (Cho) are synonyms. This however is contradictud by later information from Spiti, (See under Jo.)
I Mr. Diack refers to the Census Report of 1881, § 562. and apparently accepts the derivation (given therein) fr. ::ang 'land,' chdh 'owner.' But 'land' =^ ehing, and • owner ' is dagpo in Spiti, and the derivation appears to be untenable.
J Using family names, probably.
Social grades in Spiti. ] G5
(5) Hesir, and (6) Nyekpa * Marriage is forbidden within tlio clan but one clan intermarries freely with another. A woman on niarryino- is considered to belong to her husband's clan and the children of both sexes are of the clan of the futhor. The tribes (rto'wa) are not local ; members of each may be found in any village. The members phaibat, of the clan, wherever they may live, inherit in preference to the people of the village, in default of natural heirs. The Lon- chhen-pas and the Gyazbingpas are considered somewhat sujierior to the others, but my informant, a Spiti man, savs that in his country, as elsewhere, wealth is the real criterion of respectability." More up to date information sliows that Mr. Diack using (no doubt) a Luhula interpreter has confused Ljihula and Spiti nomenclature: the true class distinctions are these—
Laduhh. Ldhul, 8piH.
I.— Eoyal or noble ... ... r(gyalrig8) ... Jorica Nono.
11.— Upper official class ... rjeriga ... Lonrigs or Lon- Lonpo.
chhonpo. m.— Farmers or yoomon ... h(mangrigB) ... h(inaDgrig8) ... Chh^zang.
All these three classes are Nangpa or Chajang, ^insiders.' All below them are styled Pipas in Spiti, Chipas in Ldliul, or Tolbevrio-v. inLaddkh. ^ '^
Mr. Francke describes the Spiti people as divided into three main classes : Nono, Chajang and PirA. The older accounts averred that only in the lower ]iarts of Spiti must menials provide their own stems for the common huga, which in the upper part was us^d by all without distinction of rank. Tliis is now indignantly denied, and, it is said a nangpa or commoner will carefully remove the stem from a nono's (noble's) pipe and 'start' it with hi'^ mouth. As a fact any one, bxcoi:)t a fipa, may use an ordinary man's pipe, and the nonos admit that if the stem were used by an inferior it would only be necessary to wash it. The tendency is, however, for etiquette to become stricter. Just as the Lahulas have advanced an utterly unfounded claim to be Kanets by caste, so the people of Spiti, in the presence of Hindus who pride themselves on their caste rules, pretend to caste distinctions of their own.
As to the clan system, it must bo borne in mind that the thino- most necessary to ensure in tlie Buddhist world is that when a man dies there shall be some one ready to prepare his body for burial. Persons reciprocally bound to pc-rform the last offices for each other are called phuspun (father-brotherhoods), as well as p)haihat, as they are in theory of the same rttVa.t as it is called in Spiti. From this orio-in have sprung the clans which are found in every grade of society. Such are the Stond-karpo, the Rumpu, the (b)Lonchhenpa or ' great ministorR,' the Khyung-buba, the (r)Gyansheba and the Dreba all found at Dhankar. Even the fipa class has clans. In marriage the
* For an explanation of these Tibetan clan names see Tibetan. ■j" The word meaus ' bone ' and is pronounced raspa in Ladakh.
166 - Chhatar-^Chhimha,
'bone' must be avoided, just aa in Kullu and the Simla Hills the hadcU hd ndtha is the exogamous limit. It almost goes without saying that the ' bone brethren ' or fhaibat inherit in preference to any one outside the clan.
Chratar, a tribe of Muhainmadan Jdts found in Gnjrat. Its eponym came from Ucli, but his real name is unknown. As a child he visited his maternal grandfatiier's house and was weighed against shces fchhatarj whence his nickname.
CHHECHnAK, an Ar<4in clan (agricultural) found in Amntsar.
Chhelar. a small clan of Jilts whose principal settlement is Chhelar in the Ndrnaul tahsil of Nabha. They revere Bhagwan Dd,s, a Hindu saint of Mukla in that State, and shave their children at his shrine. They avoid tobacco.
Chhibbar, (1) a section of the Muhidl Brahmans ; (2) a sept of Kanets, who give their name to the Chhibrot pargana of Keonthal, to which State they migrated from Chittor in Rd,jputiina with its founders. Cf. Balbir.
Chhibi, Chhibu, syns. of Chhimbd.
Chhimba. The Chhimbd,, Clihipi or Chhimpi, called Paungar or Charhoa in Dera Gh^zi Khd,n, is by occupation a stamper or dyer, but he also turns his hand to tailoring or washing. Hence the caste includes the Darzia or tailors, the Lildris or dyers, and the Dhobis : ^ also the Chhap^ar.f By religion the Chhimbds are mainly Hindus and Muhammadans.
The Chhimba is properly a calico-printer, and stamps coloured patterns on the cotton fabrics of the country, and he is said occasionally to stamp similar patterns on paper, but he can hardly be distinguished from the Dhobi. Besides printing in colour, he dyes in madder, but as a'rule, in no other colour. He is purely an artisan, never being a village menial except when a washerman. In some places, though not in all, Chhdpegar is used to distinguish those who ornament calico with patterns in tinsel and foil only.
The Hindu Chhimbd,s are divided into two sub-castes, which may not intermarry, but may eat and smoke together. J These are the Tank and Rhilla. And in Patiala the Hindu Dhobis are said to form a third sub-caste. §
The following legend explains the origin of the two former sub-castes :— At Pindlapur in the Deccan hved one Bamdeo, who one night enter- tained Krishna and Udhoji, but, as the latter was a leper, the villagers ejected them. They were in mdyavi form, and at midnight both of them vanished, leaving B^mdeo and his wife asleep. Udhoji hid in a shell {sipi), and when Bdmdeo went to wash clothes he found the shell and placed it in the sun. It produced the child Nd^mdeo who was fostered
* Shahpur.
tSee below.
t In Patiala the Hindu Dhobi gots are not separately given, and it is said that the Tank print cloth, while the RLillas are tailors and the dhobis washermen.
§ Bat in Maler Kotla the Tauk claim to be of higher status than the Rhilla, and do not even eat or Bmoke with them.
^A. ci .'^.A^, . ci',:^;^.
^ ^. -I . - . ^ r
^^ 2/7^. ,^
^ -^ ^^^':^^t^^^^
p^
/ 7 . y
/>/^^A>?^V^
The Chhimhd gots.
167
by B^mdeo's wife. N^mcloo taught his son Tank, and Rhilla, his daughter's son, the arts of dyeing, printing and washing clothes.*
Territorially the Hindu Chhiuibas have various divisions, e.gf., in Siillkot they are divided into the Lahori and Dogra sub-castes, which are said not to intermarry and which have separate gats.f In Aniritsar too is found a Lahori group, which is also called Chhapagar or Nawandhi.J It is looked down upon by the other Chhimbas, who avoid all social relations with its nienibers, because at weddings, it is said, they make a cow's imago of flour and shoot arrows at it.
Tho Lahori got a are : —
1. Pharwain. i 3. Takhtar.
2. Bagri^ | 4. Ded.
The Dogra gots are :—
1. Karaku. 5. Rihania. 9. Chebhc.
2. Panotra. 6. Pabe. 10. Bhumral.
3. Dowathia. 7. Saragra. Jl. Tanotra.
4. Andh. 8. Bagri.
The Hindu Clihimbiis have few or no special observances at births, etc. In or near Delhi after childbirth, if the child be a son, the mother wor- ships at a well to which she is taken 1 5 days after her confinement, accom- panied by the women of her quarter of the city who sing songs as they go. The mother docs obeisance to the well, and thi'ows some sweet stuff and rice into it.
Hindu Chhimbas never grmd turmeric, except at a wedding. They will not make harls, and their women avoid wearing kdiich bracelets and the use of henna.
The Hindu Chhimbds§ observe the ordinary Hindu rites, but Namdco, tho famous hhagat, is their patron saint, for no bettor reason than that he was himself by caste a Chhimbji. Accordingly they pay yearly visits to his dera at Ghaman near Amritsar, and oifer him a rupee and ndrial at weddings. Sikh Chhimbas appear to favour the tenets of Guru R^m Rai.
The Muhammadan Chhimbas have several territorial divisions, e. g., in Patialall there are three, the Sirhindis (cndogamous), the Deswals and Multunis,1I who intermarry, as is also tho case in Jind. In Gui-gilon the Dcsi Chhimbas are said to be converts from the Tank and Rhilla
* But in the Maler Kotla version it is said that originally the Chhimbas were a homofieneous casfo, until Nanidah (-dc(i) Chhiniba took unto himself two wives, one » Chhimba woman, tho other of anolher caste. From tho former sprang the Tank, from the latter the lUiiila. Hence tho Tank assert their owu superiority as they are pure Chhfmbas, while the Khilla are not.
t But the Bagri is found in both groups.
X Nawandhi = of low degree.
§ In Gurgaon Hindu Chhimbas, who arc very superstitions, worship a Miihammadan'a grave, real or supposed, calling it a Sayyid's grave, offering a cock in .'he Sayyid'a uamo or a dish of boiled rice at his grave, lest their domestic peace be distarbcd.
II In this State the Muhammadan Dhobis are said to have five sub-castes — Lahori, Sirhindi, Alultani, Purbia and Beswal. Of these the two latter only are found in the State. They do not intermarry. The Deswal sections are : — Goriya, Chauban and Kanakfv41 — all Ba.iput clans.
^ For some of their sections see the Appendix.
i68 Chhina'-Chhul
sub-castes, while the Multd^nis are of the Inroi dan which dwelt in the Indus valley and took to printing calico.
In Leia the saint of the Chliinibas is Ali,the dyer, who is said to have been a pupil of Luquian and to have invented washing and dyeing. Before beginning work they iuvoke him saying: — Fir ustdd Luqvidn Jiakim, hikmat da, hddshdh, All rangrez, chart rahe deg ; i. e., ' Luqmd,n the physician is the priest and teacher, the king of craft, and AH is the dyer. May his bounty endure for ever.'
Most Muhammadan Chhimbas arc Sunnis, but in Karor some few are Shias.
The Muhammadan Chhimbas have a loose system of panchdyats, and in Dora Ghilzi Khan elders or mahtars are elected by the caste.
The women of the Muhammadan Chhimbas and Dhobis wear no laung (nose-ring), no ivory or glass bangles, or blue clothing. The Muhammadan Chhimbcls will not make achdrn or baria ? and avoid building a double hearth.
Chhina, an agricultural clan found in Shd^hpur : also classed as Jat, (agricul- tural) in Amritsar. The Chhina are undoubtedly distinct from theChima Jats of Sidlkot and Gujranwala, though the two tribes are frequently con- fused. That there are Chhina in Sidlkot appears from the fact that the town of Jamki in that District was founded by a Chhina Jd,t who came, from Sindh and retained the title of Jam, the Sindhi equivalent for Chaudhri. Yet if the Chhina spread up the Chenab into Sidlkot and the neighbouring Districts in large numbers, it is curious that they should not be found in the intermediate Districts through which they must have passed. The Chhina are also found in Mianwali and in Bahawalpur ^5tate. In the latter they are mainly confined to the Minchin^Md hdrddri, opposite Pakpattan, and there have three septs, T^reka Mahramka and Azamka, which own land. Other septs are tenants. Their genealogy gives them a common origin with the Wattus : —
Uchchir, _J
r 1 ,
Jay-Pal. Eaj-Pal,
I I
Chhina. Wattu.
Phern, 18th in descent from Chhina was converted to Islam by B^wa Farid-ud-Din of Pakpattan. The Chhinas are courageous and hard- working, but they are also professional thieves, though they will not steal from Sayyids, /a5ir6' or mirdsis, dreading the abuse of the latter. Though a small tribe in comparison with the Wattus they will not allow the latter to got the upper hand, and if they steal one buffalo from the Chhinas, the latter endeavour to retaliate by stealiug five from the Wattus.
Chhinba, fern, -an see Chhimba, P. Dicty., p. 225.
Chholiana, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Chhon, Chhoni, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Chho^i, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Cehul, or Jhul : a synonym for Malldh, used in Hoshiarpur.
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The Chilli feudal system. 169
Chibh.— A Rajput tribe conCnetlj in tlio Punjab, to tlio northern portion of Gujrd,t under tlio Jamniu Hills, but also found in tlio hills above that tract which belong to tho Kashmir State. It gave its name to the Chibhi'il, tho hill country ol: Kashmir on tho left bank of the Jholum river along tho Hazara border, though it appears to no longer occupy those hills. Tho Chibh claim to be an offshoot, at least in the female line, of the Katoch of Kangra, aud their eponym Chibh Chand is said to have left Kitngra 14 centuries ago* and settled at Maghlora near Bhimbar in tho Jammu Hills, receiving from R/ija Sripat of Bhimbai his daughter's hand, with part of his country as her dower, t
The first of the tribe to become a Muhammadan was one Siir Sadi, who died a violent death in Aurangzeb's reign. He is still venerated as a martyr, and the Muhammadan Chibh offer the scalp looks of their male children at his tOTub, till which ceremony the child is not considered a true Chibh, nor is his mother allowed to eat meat.
The Chibha had at one time or another a very curious and interest- ing feudal organisation, survivals of which are still traceable in ita social gradations. Succession to the throne of the Bhimbar kingdom was governed by the rule of primogeniture, but younger sons had a right to a share and so it would seem that the rnj was divided into four onandin — Mahlot, Bund.ila, Kahawalittn and Rajal, and each of these great fiefs was held by a " prince of tho blood," the eldest son being Kaj^ of Bhimbar, Hence the raj always remained in the family of the Ghaniyitl Chibhs, descendants of Ghani Khiin, grandson of Shd,di Khdn, the ancestor of all the Muhammadan Chibhs, wlio is identified with the martyr Sur Sadi.
Tho rdj also contained four strongholds, gnrhs, viz., Dewa, Butdhi, Ambaridl and Kadhd,la. These garhs were distinct from the mandift and were in charge of the Ghaghial, descendants of Ghani Kh^in's cousin. Their pre^-ise relation to the mandi'^ is by no means clear, but both garhfi and mandifi owed allegiance to the Hdja ; though their holders collected their own revenue and were independent in the management of their estates. But whatever the precise nature of the mandis and garhs may have been, there were also minor fief 9, which were bestowed on younger sons : these were 84 in number, at least in theory, and were called dhcris. Tho dheris again were classed as dheri did, i.e., a fief with a few villages attached to it, and dheri adnd or ono which had no dependent villages.
Accordingly the Chibhs are divided into three grades, Mandidl, Garhiill and Dherial, but now-a-days it is difficult to say who are Mandiill and who Garhiill, though feeling still runs high on the point. Further the Ghanidls are all regarded as standing high, since they onco held the rij, though some have now slender means, and they will not give
* Tradition makes Chibh Chand's father, Njihar Chand, Raja of Kangra, a contemporary of Taimiir, but tho Chibhal (Jliibhal) was aheady known by that name to Taimiir's his- torian.
I A variant says that the Chibhs are of Persian descent. Na'mdn, a descendant of Dirih, son of Rahman, ruled Khurasan, and his descendant, Gauhar Shah, came to the Deccan and married Nahir Chand's daughter and their son was named Ahdar Chand, a Hindu. Hi$ descendant N4hir Chand became Rnja of Kangra.
170 The Childsis.
daughters to others. The Samwcilias, Midn^s and Malktlnas are also regarded as superior for uuknown reasons, and either intermarry or seek matches for their girls among the Sayyii^s or Gakkhars whom they admit to be their superiors. Lastly the Chibhs descended from Sh^di Kliitn havo 14 septs, mostly named after oponyms: —
1 . Rupyd,], descended from Rup Khdn.
2. Barwdna, from Baru Khd,n.
3. Daphriil, from Daphar Khdn.
4. Dhurd>l, from Dhaur Khd,n.
5. Darwesdl, from Darwesh Khdn.
6. Jaskdl, from Jaisak Khdn.
7. MaindAl, from Jaldl Din, Kii'is Din and Bhurd Khdn.
8. Bdrdnshdhia, from Bdran Khdn.
9. Samwillid,, S
10. Midnd, > from Muhammad Khan.
11. Malkc4nii, )
12. Malkdl, from Malik Khdn.
13. Ghaniyd,!, from Ghani Khd,n.
14. Ghaghial, from Ghaghi Khdn.
ChilIsi, an inhabitant of Childs, which is a canton comprising six valleys
in the Indus Kohistan. Its inaccessibility has given the Chilasis a
spirit of independence and a distinctive character among all the Kohistan
''' y communities. 'J'hough but somewhat recent converts to Isldm they are
) ' \- more fanatical' than any other Dard community, and being Sunnis, every
V . J Sbia wKo falls into their hands is put to death, without the usual alter-
l^ "^ native of slavery. Once subject to Gilgit, the Childsis were notorious
for slave-raiding and they once repulsed a Sikh expedition from Kash- mir. In 1851 they were however subdued by that State and now give no trouble to its government. The love of music, dancing and polo, so general in the Indus Kohistdn, is unknown in Childs. Tradition says that the whole of Shinkdri was once ruled by a Bindu rdjd, Chachai by name, from Chilas, which, on his death without issue, became divided into republics, as it is now. Later, a civil war between two brothers, Bot and Matchuk, ended in the expulsion of the latter's adherents, and the Bote are now the most prosperous family in the canton. Tradition also preserves the name of Naron, the old tutelary deity of Chilas. Each village is independent and has a number of elected elders, jushteros, but they are the servants, rather than leaders, of those whom they re- present. The elders are mostly occupied in the details of the village administration, but all matters are discussed in the sigas or public meeting, whose decision is announced by them. If several villages combine to hold a sigas, each appoints ajushtero, and after the general discussion, which is as open as that at a village sigas, a loud whistle is given, after which none but the representative jushteros are permitted to speak. The elders' decisions about land disputes are respected, but criminal justice is administered by the mullahs, who profess to follow the Muhammadan Law, but who are really guided by ancient custom, which is very stron^^f in some villages. Murder is rare and is generally regarded as a tort to be avenged by the nearest relation. The blood feud is however not allowed to continue indefinitely and after a time the parties are made to swear peace on the Quran,— Biddulph, Tribes of the Eindoo Koosh, pp. 17 and 18.
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Chiliss — Chish ti. 1^1
Chiliss, a group of some 200 families, so called by their neighbours, but styling themselves Galls, found scattered in the Kohi tract in the Indus Kohistdn. Originally, say their traditions, settled in Buncr, they migrated to Swat and tlionce to the Indus in vain attempts to escape conversion to Islam. They are looked up to by their neighbours and occupy, as a rule, the best land in the country. I'robably an ofl"- shoot of the Torwdlik, they doubtless derive their name from Chdhil,* the principal village in Torwal: Biddulph, Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh, pp. 10, 69.
Chima.— One of the largest Jat tribes in the Punjdb. They say that some 25 generations back their ancestor Chima, a Chauhan Rtijput, fled from Delhi after the defeat of llai Tanurat (Prithi Raj), by Muhammad of Ghor, first to Kangra in the Delhi District and then to Amritsar, where his son Chotu Mai founded a village on the Beds in tho time of Ala-ud-din. His grandson was called Rana Kang, and the youngest of his eight sons, Dhol (the name appears among the Hinjra), was tho ancestor of their present clans— Dogal, Mohtil, Nagara and Chima. Tho Chima have the peculiar marriage customs described under tho Siihi Jdts, and they are said to bo served by Jogis instead of Brahmans, but now-a-days Bhania purohits ai-o said to perform their ceremonies. They are a powerful and united tribe, but quarrelsome. They are said to marry within the tribe as well as with their neighbours. The bulk of the tribe embraced Isldm in the times of Firoz ShAh and Aurangzeb, but many retain their old customs. They are most numerous in Sialkot, but hold 42 villages in Gujranwala, and have spread both eastwards and westwards along the foot of tho hills.
It is noteworthy that tho tribe takes its generic name from its young- est clan, and is descended from Dhol, a youngest son. Another genealogy is—
Rai Tanura.
I Chotu Mai.
Chima (4th in descent).
r " 1
Audhan. Audhar.
I
• lUvan, founded Chima.
The Sialkot PamphlHt of 1806 makes them Somabansi Rdjputs, claiming descent from Rama (sic) Ganj. It also says they follow the chiindavand rule of inheritance.
Chima, a Hindu and Muhammadan Jilt clan (agricultural) found in Mont- gomery.
CniMNE, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Ch[na, a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
China, nee Chhina.
Chishti. — The Chishtis are by origin one of tho regular Muhammadan orders. They trace their foundation to one Abu Ishaq, ninth in succession from Ali, tho son-in-law of ]\Iuliammad, who migi-ating
* But Chiliss also ocours as a proper name in llurza : Ibid, p, 27. t Sic : for Pithora.
172 The ChisUi sect.
from Asia Minor, settled at Chisht, a village in Khurasan and became the teacher of a large body of Musalmans.* One of his successors, Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chisliti, a native of Sanjar in Persia, migrated to India in the time of Ghias-ud-din Balban, settled in Ajmer and established the order in India. His khalifa or immediate successor was Khwdja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki, who is buried near the Qutb Minar at Delhi,t and his successor was the celebrated Bab^ Farid Shakarganj, whose shrine is at Pakpattan in Montgomery. 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 hungry. This miraculous but inexpensive provender is still preserved." An immense fair is held at his shrine each year, and the object of every piltrrira wlio attends is to get through th e narrow gate of the shrine on the afternoon or night of the 6th Muharram. The saint is adored by Hindus^ as well as Musalmans, and to be a disciple of Baba Farid does not necessarily imply being a Chishti ; and, again, the descendants of this saint and his relations, carnal or spiritual, have formed themselves into a separate caste of men who are found on the Sutlej in Montgomery and who, though bearing the name of Chishti, are now in all respects an ordinary lay caste, quite apart from the religious order of the same name.
Baba Farid had two disciples : one of these was Ali Ahmad surnamed Sd,bir, whose shrine is at Pi ran Kaliar near Rurki, and whose followers are known as Sabir Chishtis ; the other was the celebrated and mysterious Niz^m-ud-din Aulia (1232-1324 a. d.), around whose tomb are collected some of the choicest monuments of ancient Delhi, and whose disciples are known as Nizdmis.
The Chishtis in repeating the profession of faith lay a peculiar stress on the words Illalldhu, repeating these with great violence, and shaking at the same time their heads and the upper part of their bodies. The sect is said to be specially affected by Shias, and it is distinguisbed 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 Punjab are the tomb of Nizam-ud-din Aulia at Delhi, Ihe hhdngdh of Miran Bhik in Ambala, the shrine of Baba Farid at Pakpattan, and the khdngdh of Hazrat Sulaim^n at Taunsa in Dera Ghazi Khan.
In Bahawalpur the Chishti sect has in modern times shown great vitality. Shaikh Taj-ud-din Chishti was a gi'andson of Farid-ud-din Shakar-ganj and his descendants founded the village of Chishtian in that State. His shrine is also called Roza Taj Sarwar. Many tribes accepted Islam at his hands, especially the Sodlia and Rath, and this led to war with the Rajputs of Bikaner. The saint on going forth to battle
* " The Cliishti or Chishtia is aa order of Muhammadan faqirs founded by Banda NawaZ \Vho is buried at Kalbargah." — Punjab Census Report, 1881, Section 518.
f See the interesting account of this saint given in the late Mr. Carr Stephen's Archxology of Delhi, p. 1 7-t aeqq. He is the patron saint of the Afghans,
X In Gurgaou the shrine of Shaikh Ahmad Chishti is mainly frequented by Eiadtis.
The Chishti revival. 173
pitched a flag on top of liis liouso and told his womun-folk that as long as the flag stood thoy would know he was safe. Unfortunately the flag was accidentally knocked down and the women prayed for the earth to swallow them up as the saint had commanded. Their prayer was grant- ed and they were engulfed, only the edges of their shawls remaining outside. A tower was built on the spot and at it women still make vows. One of the women, however, a Bhatti by tribe, did not join in the prayer and was not engulfed, but made her escape. Hence the Chishtis do not marry Bhatti women to this day. Near this shrine, at the tomb of Khw:S,ja Nur Muhammad, stood five largo jand trees, called rmijau Pirdn de jand, or the jand trees of the five pirs. Under their shade Bdiwa N^uak once sat and prophesied that ho who should obtain possession of it would indeed bo blessed, for it was a part of paradise. Muhammadans hero sacrifice goats and sheop after offering prayers for rain. Hindus offer a covering of chintz for the restoration of health, and sugar and boiled grain for rain.
The Chishti revival. — The decay of the movement headed by Bawa Farld Shakar-ganj had become marked, when Khwjtja Nur Muhammad Qibla-i-Alim, a Punwar Riljput of the Kharral tribe, revived it. This saint was a disciple of Maulana Fakhr-ud-din, Muhib-ul-Nabi, of Delhi. He had miraculous powers and once saved the sinking sliip of ono of his disciples,* his spirit being able to leave his body at will. ' Ho had promised another disciple to pray for him at his death, and though he pre-deceased him, re-appeared in the flesh and fulfilled the promise. It would seem that in a sense the rise of the Chishti sect marks an indigenous revival of Isldm, under religious leaders of local tribes, instead of the older Sayyid families. Thus the Baloch tribes on the Indus are often followers of the Chishti saints, but even the Sayyids of both branches recognize their authority.
The four chief khalifas of Qibld,-i-Alim were, Nur Muhammad II, of Hcljipur or Narowala, in tahsil Rajanpur, Qiizi Muhammad Aqil, of Chd,chanin Sharif, Hafiz Muhammad Jamal, Multiini, and Kliwiija Muhannnad Sulaiman Khan, of Taunsa Sharif, in tahsil Sanghai*. Klialiia Muhammad Aqil was a Qoraishi and one of his descendants. Shaikh Muhammad Kora, founded the religious tribe of that name. Muhammad Aqil's shrine was at Kot Mitlian, but, when Ranjit Singh confjuorcd the Deraj^t, Khwaja Khuda Bakbsh, Malibub Ilahi, his descendant, settled at Chacharan Sharif, which may now bo regarded as the head- quarter of the Bahawal])ur State religion. Muhammad A{|il displayed many mu'acles and in his old ago, owing to his spiritual enlightenment, had no shadow ; so he used to come out of his house on dark nights only, in order to conceal his sanctity. A cloth [luugi) which passed through liis body is kept as a relic to this day. One of his khalifas was Maulvi Sultan Mahmud whose shrine is at Khan Bcla. This saint was fond of misai, a kind of bread, of fowls and of snuff, in his lifetime; so these are offered at his shrine — a clear instance of anthrojDolatry — very similar are the offerings made to Birs. The Siifis, or devotees of the Chishtia sect, have a number of songs [kdfiK) which they consider the i'ood of the soul. Their principal poets aro Budha Shah, Ghulam Slijih, a
*C/. the story of the Sikh Gurii Bam Rai given at eection 32 of the Punjab Census Report, 1902.
i 74 Chitragupta-hansi — Chitrdli.
Sindlil, and Khwdja Gliuldm Farid, late sajjdda-iiisMn of Chachar^n Sharif. The Chishtis, generally, are devoted to music. Outwardly the followers of tlio sajjiida-nashins of Chacharftn are distinguished by a special head-dress, the Chd-chanin-Wclla top, or hat, which is shaped like a mosque and is about 15 inches high, covering the ears and neck.
As a caste the Chishtis appear to be absorbing the Naqshbandis, many ot the Qadrias and other Sufi sects, especially in the south-east Punid,b. liike the Bodlas the Chishtis were till lately wholly nomad. They take Kiijput girls to wife. There is a saying — " You can tell a Chishti by his squint-eyo " ; but the origin of the saying is unknown.
CHiTRAGorTA-BANsi, oue of the two classes of the Kayasths q. v., found in Northern India.
Chitrali,* an inhabitant of the State of Chitrd,!. The Chitrdlis are divided into three classes — Adamzadas, Arbdbzd-das and Faqir-Miskm. The first-named are divided into some 23 clans including the Katoe, the family of the Mihtar of Chitral, whence it is also called Mihtari. The other Adamzada clans are —
Khushwakte.fi Raza,
Muhammad Bege. Sangale. Kushamade. Khaniye. Burushe. Zundre or Ronos.
From the Rono§ families the wazirs are generally, but not always, chosen. The Ronos are most numerous in Yassin, Mastuj and Chitrd,l, and are found, though in decreasing numbers, as one goes eastward, in Nilgar, Gilgit, Punyal, etc. In Nagar and Yassin they call themselves Hara or Haraiyo, in Wakhdn and Sarikul Khaibar-Khatar, and in Shigh- nan Gaibalik-Khatar. Wherever found they are held in great respect. Three principal traditions as to their origin exist, (1) that they descend- ed from Zun, Rono and Harai, the three sons of Sumalik who ruled in Mastuj before the Shdhrei dynasty of the Shins was established ; (2) that they are of Arab descent, from Muhammad Hanif a, son of Ali ; and (3) that they came from the ancient principality of Rajauri, near Punch, and are descended from three brothers, Sirang, Surung and Khangar Phututo. In appearance generally taller than the other inhabitants of ChitrAl, with rather high cheek-bones, oval faces not thickly bearded, an.d fairly developed features, some of them resemble high-class Rajputs in type. They give daughters to the ruling families, and the children of
|
Atam Boge. Mazbe. |
Shighniye Dachman6 |
|
Mirasiye. Khoshal Bege. Khashe. |
Khoja. Byuriye. Roshte. |
|
Munfiat Khane. |
Kisrawe. |
|
Bayike. Qabile. |
* Chitral, Chitrar or Chitlar, as it is also called, will be found described in the Imperial Gazetteer.
•f The Khushwakt6 were rulers of Mastiaj and conquered Yassin. Descendants of the Kfttore and Khushwakte families are alike called Mihtarjao or Mihtarbak, i,e. sons of Mihtars.
X Called collectively Shah Sangale : descended from the common ancestor and founder of the Katorl and Khushwaktd families.
§ Rono appears to be unquestionably the same word as Rand, the change from d to o being very common. Philological speculation might suggest the following equivalents: Sumalik = Siwalik ; Zun = Jun, the aborigines of Si^lkot ; Khalar = Kshatriya, Khattri, or Khattar (iu Bawalpindi).
Classes in Chitrdl. 176
such marriages can succeed to all the honours of the father's family. They all give daughters to Sayyids, and tlio Zundro of Chitrill do not refuse fchoni to the Pathdns of Dir. In their turn, however, they take wives from both Shins and Yeshkuns, and the children of such wives rank as Ronos and, if daughters, can marry into vuling families. Occasioiially Rono women are given to Shins and Yeshkuns, but this is a penalty for misconduct when they cannot find husbands in their own class. Kulino- families give daughters born of slaves or concubines to Konos, but not those born of lawful wives.*
The Arbclbzddas and Faqir-Miskin are really one and the same, but the latter are the very poor class, some having barely sufficient to live on. The Kho, who inhabit the whole of Kashkar K4la, the Lut-kho and Arkari valleys and the mam valley down to Drosh, are by class Faqir- Miskin. They call the country Kho also, and divide it into Turi-klio (Upper), Mul-kho (Lower) and Lut-kho (Great). Tliey speak Kho- war, and are divided into classes such as the Toriye, Shire, Darkhane and Shohane, but have no caste distinctions. The Yidghal are also classed as Faqir-Miskins, as are the Kalash and Bashgali Kafirs, Danoariks, Gabr, and Siilh Posh — all broken tribes subject to Chitral.
The Arbdbzddas are really well-to-do Faqir-Miskin who have been rewarded for services to the Mihtar. Coolies and ponies are furnished for his service by both these classes, the Adamzddas being exempt, and this corvee falls very heavily on them.
The Ashima-dek (or more correctly Hashmat-diak), according to Biddulph. is a large class, ranking below the Zundre and comprising the following clans : —
Atam Be^6. Bairani Begd. Baiyeke. Barshintak.
Daslimann6. Jikan6.
Kashe, of Kaab, in Baclakhsban.
Koshial Beg6.
Zadimd.
Sha-ukd.
Shighnie (of Shighnan).
The term Hashmat-diakf signiifies food-giver, and this class is bound to supply the Mihtar and his retainers with 8 sheep and as many kharwdrs of wheat from each house whenever he passes through their villao-cs but it pays no other revenue.
In the valley below Chitral, scattered among the villages, a number of the meaner castes are found, as in the Gilgit and Indus valleys. They are called Ustilds or "artificers" and include Dartocho (carpenters), Daro-ere (wooden bowl makers), Kulale (potters), Doms (musicians), and Mochis (blacksmiths j. The two latter rank below the rest and (»nly intermarry among themselves. The other three intermarry without restriction inter se, and occasionally give daughters to the Faqir-Miskin class. Ustilds are not found in Kdshkdr Bdla or Lut-kho.
The physical characteristics of the Chitrjllis vary little. In appearance the men are light, active figures from 5' 5'' to 5' 8" in heio-ht. Thouo-h well made they are not, as a rule, remarkable for muscular development
* It is iiTineceasary to point out tho analogies presented by the social system in Cl.itril to that which prevails in Kangra, as described by Sir James Lyall in hia Settlement Revort on that District. *^
t From hashmat or ashmaf, food, given to the Mihtar and his servants when thev are travelling, by the Arbabzada claas. ^
1 76 Dress in Chitrdl.
presenting in this respect a marked contraCst to the Tartar races, and, despite their hardy, simple lives, they soom unequal to any prolonged physical elTorl. Tlioir constitutions also lack stamina and Ihey succumb easily to disease or change of climate. This want ot physique is strongly marked in the Shins. In disposition tractable, good-tempered, fond of merry-making, the Chitrdlis are neither cruel nor quarrelsome and readily submit to authority, though the Arbdbzdda class compares unfavouralDly with the older tribes, having been guilty of cruelties in war.
The women are pleasing-looking when young, but not particularly handsome. The Khos of Faqir-Miskin status, however, are Indo-Aryans of a high typo, not unliko the Shins of the Indus about Koli, but better looking, having oval faces and finely- cut features, which would compare favourably with the highest types of beauty in Europe. Their most striking feature is tbeir large, beautifift eyes which remind one of English gypsies, with whom they share tho reputation of being expert thieves. They are also proud of their unusually fine hair. The Chitral . women used to be in gi-eat demand in the slave markets of K^bul, Peshdwar and Badakhshdn. The fairest complexions are to be seen among the Burish of Yassin and Hunza where individuals may be found who might pass for Europeans, and red hair is not uncommon.
In Chitrc41, as in some of the valleys to the westward, many customs have in part disappeared under the influence of IsMm.
The usual dress in Chitrdl, as in Yassin, Hunza, Nagar, Sirikot, Wdkhdn, etc., is a loose woollen robe, for which those who can afford it substitute cotton in summer. This is of the same cut as the woollen robe, but has quilted edges, worked round the neck and front with silk embroidery. When first put on the sleeves, which are very full, are crimped in minute folds, right up to the neck, giving the wearer a clerical appearance. Boots of soft leather are also worn. As in WAkhdn and Sirikot the men wear small, scanty turbans, not the rolled cap of Gilgit and Astor. The women wear wide trousers, over which is a loose chemise of coarse-coloured cotton stuff, fastening in the middle at the throat, and coming down to the knees. The opening is held together by a circular buckle, from which hangs a curious triangular silver ornament called peshawez, that varies in size according to the circumstances of the wearer. Round the neck are generally one or two necklaces of silver beads with oval silver medallions, and a piece of carnelian or turquoise set in them. Tliey also wear a loose woollen cap, generally of dark colour such as brown; but this kind of cap is now confined to women of the lower classes residing in the upper valleys^ and Chitral i women of the better classes wear embroidered silk caps. In the Shin caste unmarried women are distinguished by a white cap, which is never worn by married Shin women.
Both men and women wear numbers of charms, sewn in bright- coloured silk, and suspended from the cap or dress by small circular brass buckles. Some of the buckles are veiy tastefully worked. A curious kind of cloth is sometimes woven out of bird's down. That of wild fowl and of the great viilture (G. himalayensis) is most generally used. The down is twisted into coarse thread, which is then woven like ordinary cloth. Robes made of it are very warm, but always have a
Customs in Chitrdl, 177
fluffy uncomfox'tablc look, suggcstivo of dirt. They arc only made in the houses of those in good uircuujstances. The iia^hm of the ibex is also in great demand lor wai'm clothing, but it never seems to lose its strono- goaty smell.
When young the men shave the whole top of the head from tlie fore- head to the nape of the nock, the hair on botli sides being allowed to grow long and gathered into a single large curl on each side of the neck. The beard is kept shorn.* Youths of the better class only shave the top of the head for a breadth of two inches in Iront, tapering to half an inch behind. Those who cannot boast long locks dress their hair into numerous small cork-screw ringlets all round the head — an ancient Persian fashion.t On the ajjproach of middle ago the whole head ia shaved in orthodox Muhammadan fashion and the beard allowed to grow. The effect of the long-flowing locks reaching to the waist is often ex- tremely picturesque.
The mode of salutation between equals, on meeting after a prolonged absence, is graceful and pleasing. After clasping each other, first on one side and then on the other, hands are joined and each kisses the other's hand in turn. When the meeting is between two of unequal rank the inferior kisses the hand ot the superior and he in return kisses the for- mer on the cheek — in the anciout Pei'sian fashion. J
In Chitral and Yassin, as in Shighnan, Badakhshan, VVakhdn, Gilgit and Hunza§ a chief's visit to a chief is celebrated by the kubah, an observance thus described Ijy Biddulpli : — "On arrival, the visitor is con- ducted to the Sliawaran,!! and the followers of both chiefs show their dexterity in firing at a mark set up on a tall pole, from horseback, while galloping at speed. After this a bullock is led out before the guest, who draws his sword and does his best to cut its head off at a single blow, or deputes one of his followers to do so, and the carcase is given to his retinue."
In tho Khowar tongue the term " uncle" is applied to the brothers of both father and mother without distinction : but aunts on tho mother's side are styled " mother " which may point to polygamy as the ancient custom of the Khos.^ Marriage of a widow with the husband's brother is common, though not compulsory.
Cases of uifidelity are extremely common, and the men show more of the jealousy of their wives usual in older Muhammadan communities. In case of adultery the injured husband has the right to slay the guilty couple when he finds them together, but should ho slay the one and not tho other he is held guilty of murder."^* When conclusive proof is wanting in a trial before the icazir, guarantee is taken for the
* These fashions have also been adopted by the Baltis in Baltistan.
f Biddulph cites Rawlinson's Ancient Monarchies, IV.
J Biddulph cites Strabo, Bk. XV, Ch. 3, 20.
§ In N4gar it is customary to kill tho buffalo with au arrow.
|{ Polo ground : ao-callcd in Shine. lu Chitrali it is called jindli.
^[ Maulavi Ghulam Muhammad however notes that the mother'.s sister is Cfllled bia^,
** Tlu3 is the rule in Saiikul and Wakhau as well as south of the Hindu Kvs'd.
U. (fUC
J 78 Chitrdli games.
future by the accused [)laciiijjf his lips to the woman's breast, and so sacred is the tic nf fosterage thus created that it has never been known to be broken. The husband has howover a right to both their lives.'^
The custom ol: fosterage is maintained among all the ruling families of the states of tlie Hindu Kiish and its ties seem stronger than those of blood kinshi}). When a child is born it is assigned to a foster-mother and brought u]) in her house, so that f rec|uently the father does not see it till it is six or seven years old.t The fortunes ol' the foster-mother's family are unalterably bound up with those of the child and should exile be his lot they accompany him. On the other hand if he rises to influence his foster-father is generally his confidential adviser and his foster- brothers are employed on the most important missions.
Friendship too is commonly cemented by the milk tie. If a woman dreams that she has adopted any one, or a man dreams that he has been adopted by any woman, the tie is created in the manner, already dpscribed as in vogue to make the woman tahu to the man. Not many years ago this custom was very common, though it is falling into disuse.J A young couple at marriage sometimes induce a friend to become their foster-father, and the tie is ratified when they eat together : both being seated opposite each other, the foster-father, seated between them, takes a piece of bread in each hand and crossing his arms puts the bread into their mouths, taking care to keep his right hand uppermost. Marriage between foster-kindred is regarded as incestuous. Among the Hashmat-diak the tie of fosterage is formed in a peculiar way, for in order to strengthen tribal unity it is customary for every infant to be suckled in turn by every nursing mother of the clan. In consequence there is a constant interchange of children going on among the mothers.
Polo is the national game and is called ghcil in Chitriil where it is played in a special way. Shooting from horse-back at a gourd filled with ashes, or at a small ball, hung from a pole 30 feet high, is also pi*acti:3ed. Dancing is the national amusement, several different steps being in vogue, each with its special air. Almost all these commence slowly, increasing in pace till the performer is bounding round the circle at top speed. In Chitnll and Yassin the Hashmat-diak affect to despise dancing, but the mlers keep dancing-boys for their amusement. Singing is common and the Khowar songs, which are mostly amatory in character, show a more cultivated taste than those in the Shina tongue, the music of the language and the better rhythm of the verse entitling them to the first place in Dard poetry.§
The Chitrdlis are noted for their swordsmanship, which has gained many a victoi'y over matchlocks.
* But if he does not kill them and intends to divorce his wife, or if his wife or daughter has been enticed away by some one, he can take as compensation some or all of the seducer's property. This form of divorcr' is called in Shina pito phare hdk, i.e.. words uttered while turning his back towards tbe assembly, as by turning his back he signifies his accept- ance of compensation,
t The Raj 4 of Bashahr observes a similar custom.
J Milk from a woman's breast is esteemed a sovereign remedy for cataract and other eye-diseases. lis use establishes the milk-tie for ever afterwards.
§ In Gilgit, Hunza and Nagar the songs are generally of a warlike nature and celebrate the deeds of dillcrcut princes.
Chitrdli feslivah. 179
The Cliitnil calendar is computed by tim aolar year, commencing with tlio winter solstico ; bat tlie inontlis take their names from pecu- haritics of season or agricultural operations : —
1. Thungshal or Tbhongshal (longi 7. Yogh (full).
nights). I 8. Miizho Was (middle).
2. Phhoting (extreme cold). 9. Poiyaniso (the cad).
3. Ariyiin (wild duck). 10. Kliolkrcmi (tlircshing).
4. Shahdagh (black mark).* 11. Kisliman (sowing).
5. Boi (sparrows). 12. Chhauchori (loaf-falling). 0, Ronzak (trembling— of the|
growing corn).
The Muhammadan calendar is, however, coming into use, especially among the Uashinat-diak class. The Muhammadan days of the week are used, but Friday is called Adinna.
In Chitrd,! the new year festival is called Dashti. It corresponds to the Nost of Yasin, Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar, Ponyal, Astor and Gor, but no bonfires are lit as in those territories. J
At the commencement of the wheat harvest the Phindik,§ as it is called in Chitral, is observed. Tlie day having boon fixed with reference to the state of the crop, the last hour of daylight for the precedino- ten diiys is spent in dancing on the f<liawaran. At dusk on the evening before the festival, a mcmbci- of every household gathers a handful of ears of corn. This is supposed to be done secretly. A few of the ears arc hung over the door of the house, and the rest are roasted next morning and eaten steeped in milk, 'l^he day is ]->assed in the usual rejoicings, and on the following day harvest operations are com- menced. As some crops are always more forward than others, and ready to bo reaped before the appointed day, no restriction is placed on their being cut ; but to oat of the grain before the festival would provoke ill-luck and misfortune.
Next comes the Jastandikitik || or " devihdriving " which celebrates the completion of the harvest. When the last cro]) of the autumn has been gathered, it is nt-cessary to drive away evil sjnrits from the granaries. A kind of porridge called mul is eaten, and the head of the household takes his matchlock and fires it iuto the floor. Then, going outside, he sets to work loading and firing till his powder-horn is exhausted, all his neighbours being similarly employed. Tho next day is spent" in the usual rejoicings, part of which consists in firing at a sheep's head set up as a mark.
A festival called Binisik, " seed-sowing " — somewhat similar to the Chilli of Gilgit and the Thumor Piopan or "the Tliam's sowing" of Hunza and Nt'igar — takes place in Chitr.i.1 ; but the present ruling
* In allusion to the earth's appearance when the snow melts.
t Nos means ' fattening,' and alludes to tlie slau.i^htering of cattle whirh takes place. The first day is one of work, and is dovoted in every household to dressing and storing the carcases of bullocks, sheep, and goats slaughtered a few ilays previ(jusly. This is done by drying them in a i)articular way, so that they remain lit for food for several months. This is necessary because the pastures have become covered with snow and only sufficient fodder is stored to keep a few animals alive through the winter.
X In Chilas and Darcl, too, no bonfires are in vogue at the Daikio, as this fesavai is there called.
§ Called Ganoni in Gilgit and Shigat in Wskhan. jl The Domeniko or " smoke -making " of Gilgit.
180 The Chilli festival in Gilgit.
class having novor identified themselves with their humbler subjects, the ruler takes no part in it.'^ The following account of the Chilli festival in Gilgit is contributed by Maulavi Ghulam Muhammad, author of The Festivals and Folklore of Gilgit : —
" At night a big goat called asirkhan ai mugar (the goat of the kitchen) was killed at the R^'s house and a feast prepared by cooking about a maund of rice and two of flour. The baking of the bread was com- menced by an unmarried girl, on whom a gift [khillat] of a chddar (head cover) of longcloth was bestowed, but the other women took up her task. In former times a big loaf, called hi ai tiki (the loaf of seed), of a maund of flour, was also cooked on a fire made of straw, and distri- buted, half to a man of the Katchalat family, a fourth to the yarfa (the Rajfis grain collector), and a fourth to the Rdjd-'s ploughmen. But on this occasion three loaves (two of 20 sers each and one of ten sers) were prepared. The big loaf was about seven feet in circumference and four inches thick. One of them, with 24 sers of flour, wasgiveu to the Katchata in the morning, and the other two were divided equally between the yarfa and the ploughmen in the afternoon. The local band played all through the night with dancing and singing. At 10 in the morning the people of Gilgit, Barmas, etc., assembled at the R^'s house where a durhar was observed, i-e., some ghi, chilli leaves and seeds of the wild rue were placed on an iron pan, beneath which a little fire was made in order to fumigate the air with its smoke. The bandsmen and the man who had brought the load of chilli branches from the jungle, were then each given a khillat of a muslin turban. A khillat of ti turban and a choga (cloak) was also given to Ghulam, one of the Katchata family, whose face was then rubbed with flour, a small loaf of bread mixed with ghi being given him to eat. According to custom while eating this he ought to have bellowed like an ox, but this I'ite was not observed. A maund of wheat was also put in a leather bag. The procession was ready to proceed to the Rd's field by about 11-30. The bag of grain was loaded on the Katchata, one man took the iron pan used in the Duban, and another took the two big loaves, the one uppermost being covered with about four sers of butter with a pomegranate placed in the middle, while two chilli branches were stuck in the butter r-ound the pomegranate. Two men carried a he- and a she-croat, while the remainder of the procession had branches of c/tiZZi in their hands; and the procession, with the band playing in front, started for the Rd,'s field whei e the sowing was to be commenced.
* In Yasin this festival is accompanied by a curious custom. The charvelu is mounted on a good liorse aod clad in a robe of honour given him by the Mihtar. In this way he is conducted to the polo ground, where all seat themselves while the music strikes up, and the tnrangfah gallops twice up and down the ground. Should any accident happen to him, such as either himself or his horse falling, it is regarded as a presage of mis- fortune to the whole community, and of speedy death to himself. In order to avert exil, he and his family observe the day as a solemn fast.
+ A family of Gilgit, which in ancient times became such a source of danger to the chief of Gilgit, that it was attacked and massacred to a man, only a pregnant woman managing to escape towards Darel. After this the crops of Gilgit did not flourish for several years, and a damjdl (soothsayer) said that its fertility depended on the Katchata family, and that until a man of that clan was brought there to commence the seed-sowing the crops would never flourish. After a great search the son of the woman who had escaped towards Darel was fouiid and brought to Gilgit. On his return the crops gave a gocd outturn.
Chohang-^ChoMhi. 181
The Katchata then took from a leather baj^ one affor the other 4 handfiils of wlieat, in eacli of wliich he rnixod a wa.s7ia of gold-dust., and o-avo them to Kajii Ali Dad Khdu, wlio throw the first handful towards tho west, the second towards the east, tho third to tho north and the fourth to the soutii. Then the Rti himself ploughed three turns in his field with a pair of bullocks which were ready on tho spot. The ivazir of Gilgit ought then to have ploughed three turns but this was omitted. The band then commenced pLaying and two grey- beards of good family, with swords and shields in their hands, jumped forward and began to dance amid joyous cheers from the people. This dance is called achhush meaning ' prestige^ or ' pomp,' and is intended to awaken the deity of prestige Meanwhile a hc-go;it was, accordino* to custom, killed by a man of a Rono family. This goat is called acWiush ai mugar, i.e., ' tho goat of the deity of pomp ' and is sacrificed in his honour. Its head and two of its foft were separated and two men, one with the head and thn other with the two feet in their hands, came forward and danced amid the rejoicings of the people. All tho flesh of tho goat was, as is customary, given to the people of Barmas village to prepare a feast. A she-goat, called the yadeni ai ayi, i.e., ' the goat of tho deity of drums,' was then killed and given to tho bands- meu. The procession then started back to the Rajii's house where the feast cooked at night was served. The Rdju had to give some bread to tho niotabars and the bandsmen from his own dish. This custom is called ishjnn ; after that tho people started for the shawaran (])olo ground) to play polo and make merry. After polo the people no-ain went to the Rji'a house and dined there- Tho Katchata commenced ploughing his fields the same day, while the other zamhuldrs did not commence work on their fields till the next day."*
Chohano, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Ami itsar.
CaoHAR, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
CaoKAEi, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Mukan.
* Tho corresponding Thomil festival of Piniidl is thus describod by the Maulavi :
" A very intereatin,!!; ceremony known as tlie Thomil used to bo observed every year at Sher Killa, tho seal of tho Ilaja of Piuu;U, before seed-sowiiii;. On tlio day it was to be observed, the people visited tlic liajii in his Fort and t^ot from him 10 or 2u scrs of Hour, 4 or G scrs of ghi and one big goat. Tim Hour was mado into broad thin leaves on which the ghi was placed. Tho preliminaries were observed in the Fort. All the persons present held in their hands a small branch of tho holy juniper tree, aad thoso possessing oims brought their weapons Avith them. From the gate of the Fort, tho Raja attended by^ his people marcliofl out to (he open Holds among tlieir shouts and cries, a band playini? various war-tunes. The assembly then gatliered in an ojien Held, and tho cooked leaves were presented to the Rija who tasted one of them. The rest was then distributed amonc all present. After tho feast prayer was madn for an abundant crop. Tho goat was then killed, and leaving the carcase boliind, its iiend was brought before the assembly and being greased with butter, lloiu- was spriidded on it from tho forehead down to the nose. Tho head was then placed at some distance as a tar<;et to be lired at. Tho firing was opened by the Raj^ who was followed by his vwtahar.^ and any other who possessed fire-arms. WHiosoever hit tho head was liable to contribute a chalar of country wino. When this target practice was over, the assembly dispersed after a nnti dance, which was civcn by a motuhcir of th« Raja, who used to prcs.mt him with a turban. In the evening the goat's flesh was roasted and enjoyed with tho wino contributed by thos(> who had hit'lts head io tho day. Only the people of Sher Killa had the right to share in this merry-making, no one else from other villages of Punial being even allowed to attend it. A few years ago this ceremony was discontinued, but it was revived this year (I'JIO)."
182 ChoJcar'-^Chuhrd,
Chokar, Chliokar, a Gujar tribe, found in KarnAl, where they have lonpf been settled. Iininio-ratiag from beyond Muttra they once hold a chauhisi, or group of 21 villages, with Namaunda as their head-quarters.
Choke r A, a Muhammadan Jiit clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Choniya, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Mulfcdn.
CnoNPRA, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Araritsar.
Chopea, a Khatri section.
Chosar, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Mnlt^n.
Chota, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
CeoTiA, one oE the clans of the Pachddas (9. v.). They claim to be Chauhd,n Kdjputs by descent from their eponjm, Chotiji. Most of them are Muhammadans and only a few Hindus.
Chowah, Chowan, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Chuchkana, a clan of the Sidls.
CeuHAL, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpnr.
Chuetan, (? Cbauhdn) a sept of Banrias, claiming Chaubd,n descent, found in Fei'ozepur. They avoid the use of oil in lamps, and use ghi instead. After the wedding a girl seldom revisits her parents' home, and if in consequence of a quarrel with her husband's people she does do Fo, and dies in her paternal home, her parents are bound to find another bride for her husband in her stead. Fornication in this sept is punished with excommunication and re-admission to the caste only permitted on payment of a fine, but even that does not remove the stigma.
Chuhra. — The sweeper or scavenger, and hence the out-caste, par excellence, of the Punjab, whose name is popularly supposed to be a corruption of Sudra."^ It has many synonyms, but few of them are precisely the exact equivalent of Chuhr^. Thus a Chamdr is, probably by origin, a Chuhra who works in leather, but the Chamars appear to form almost a distinct caste, though both the castes are placed in the same rank and lumped together in the popular phrase Chuhr^-Chamar, just as Mochi-Juhihd, is used to denote collectively the two castes which bear those names. As a scavenger or rather as a 'sweeper up of dusc ' the Chuhra is termed khdk-roh. As a domestic he is ironically t styled Mihtar or 'chieftain': as a worker in leather he is called a Dhed (lit. 'crow '), as a weaver he is styled Megh, at least in Sid,lkot, in which district the Meghs however form to all intents and purposes a tjeparate caste : and as an executioner he is known as Jallad. Further as a tanner the Chuhra is called a Khatik in the Eastern Punjab, and as a breeder of swine he is known as a Hiili. These two groups appear to form distinct castes, or at least sub-castes which rank below the Chuhrii, proper. The Khatiks have a sub-group called Basur.
Chtinge of religion also involves the adoption of a new title and the Chuhra on conversion to Sikhisra becomes a Mazbi or Mazhabi,
* Once Balmik, founder of the caste, arrived late at a feast given by a Bhagat and found only fragments of it left. These he devoured and earned the name of Chuhra or 'one who eats leavings.'
t But in Gurgaon mihtar is used as equivalent to chcntdhri and the term may be origin- ally free from any taint of irony.
NOTES—CONCLUDED.
'7; They will eut dead bodies of It « "'^' '""-''"'' '^ "^' rds), but not foxes, &c T,!,%W,. ■ n' i"^'' *""«•' '•'>'g« Sandal, a Chdhra, who „sed 7„ 'f "'' ^■'"''•'^' i^''''' f™'"
re was another Club a who use I t„ r"" g;;^^' depredations. : with the "cavern "j a!,jeat men IC "! *''" ^"'^ ^''k (the at night until quite latelvThl '''r ^^'"^^ ""^'^^'^ t" Bar Tattar, I'.e., tlie desert ^' P^°P'^ sometimes call
The Chuhra grotqys. 183
while one who embraces Isli'im becomes a Musalli,* vr in the south-west of the Punjab a Kuitana,t or ho niuy ever aspire to be entitled iJindar : indeed in the villages ol" the i'aclihada KajpiitH of hsirsa the peu|ilo who remove filth are called Dindar-Kluikrob and they follow Muhaniniadan observance.-, being even admitted to tmoke with otlier Muliaimiiadans. Bhangi is also used, but not very correctly, as ii synonym for Cliuliia.
The Chuhras' relations to other castes vary consideral)ly. They aro distinctly superior to the Sausis, from whom alone they will not eat in Niibha. 13ut in Gurgaon they are also said to look down upon the Changars or Dliias, who are makers of winnowing sieves, and they are said to refuse food from the Uhanak's hands too, thongli tJieir claim to superiority is a doubtful one. The Chuhras aro split up into various groups :
Territorial.
Deswali — of the Gangotic plain. B^ofi-i — of the Great Indian Desert.
Sotarwala— of the rivei'ain lands. Janfflilke — of the JanLral tract.
Various other divisions exist, being recognised by the Chuhras them- selves if not by others. Such are : —
1. Bahniki. | 2. Ldl-Begi.
These two are really identical, Lai Beg having been Balmik's disciple. Both terms aro thus equivalent to ' disciples of Balmik or Lai Beg.'
The gots of the Chuhras are numerous and some are wide-spread. Various origins are claimed for them. Thus the Bohat, found in Gurgaon, claim to bo Punwar Rajputs, and the Sdrwdn, also of Gurgaon, to be Chauhans. There is also a Chauhd,u got, south of the Sutlej.
In Rohtak the Lohat also claim to be descendants of one Sdnjhar Das, a Rd,jput, while the Baohar say they are Punwar Rdjputs from Dhciranagri in the Deccan and that their ancestors immigrated into that District with the Ktlyaths. These two gotii do not intermarry with Changars, and lay stress on the necessity for marrying a girl before she is L5 or 16. They regard Bdlmik as God's brother and revere him as their prophet with a Muhammadan ritual, reciting prayers (navidz) in a line headed by an imam, and prostrating themselves with the words : — Balmik hafi, Bdliaik slulfi, Balmik nm'dfi, holo momno icohi ck.
The Pail-powar got, in Rohtak, also claims Rajput origin, saying that a Rdjput woman who was pregnant threw in her lot with the Chuhrds. Her son was called a Pail-powdr on account of her descent. This got reveres Guru Ndnak, docs not employ Brahmans, and gets its weddings solemnized by one of its own members. But it buries its dead.
The original division, Dr. Youngson was informed, was into Lute, Jhae, and Tengre, the Lute being Manhd,s Rajput, wandering Dogras ; the Jhae, Dh^o or Sahi being named from their founder, who, when a child, slept beside a hedgehog [sch) ; and the Te'ngrc being makers of wionowing-sieves, living in the desert, and named Tengre on account of their pride. Besides the three original divisions, there are Goriyd, so called from the fact that their founder was born in a tomb {gor).
* Musalli may bo defined as a Clmhi'a converted to Islam who has abandoned hardin food, eatinf^ only haldl. The Muaallia do not intermarry with the Chuhras, or at least only take dauj^hters from them.
t Kurtaua or Kotaiui is said to be derived from Uindi kora, 'whip,' nixd tan n a 'to stretch,' and thus to mean ' flogger,' because swuepora wero employed aa executioners by Muhammadan rulers.
184 Chuhrd genealogy.
They bail from Delhi. TIio founder was Slmli Jahan^s son. He was also called Kandara, because lie spoke harshly.*
Next come : Pal.han, originally from Kdbul, in Akbar's time. There were three brothers, of wh«m phagana was the eldest. They entered the country as /agiri', or ji5ir5. Gil; from Chakrari in Gujrd,nwdld,. A tree sheltered the iirst of the name in a time of rain: and in Dera Ghazi Khan tlie section respects bricks. Bhatti ; from the Bar in Gujrauwala, Findl Bhattian, Dulla being their chief. Sahotre; in Akbar's time Sahotra was thrown to the tigers, but the tigers did not injure him. In Dera Gha:,ii Khan the Sahotra section respects the lion. iSoeni Bliunniar ; descendants of Raja Karn, the Brahman, who gave away Ij maunda of gold every day before he ate his food.
Then follow Laddar; Khokar, who are said to avoid eating the heart of a dead animal in Montgomery, while in Dera Ghd,zi Khdn they do not eat hharta or things roasted on the fire ; Khonje, Kaliane, Ratti, Mathi, Burt, Mome (in ildqa Moma near Gondhal). The Momi are said to be descended from Biilmik, Hauns, Chapriban (in Khak beyond Lahore, makers of wicker-work), Ghussur, Balhim, Labante, Nahir.
The Dum, the Chulira, the Mirasi, the Machchi, the Jliiwar, and the Changar, are all of the same origin. They claim to be indigenous in the Sialkot District, at least as far as the older divisions are concerned.
In the time of the Pandavas and Kauravas there were four sons of Kanwar Brahma, viz., Puraba, Partha^ Siddhra, and Prashta, the last being also called Jhaumpra, from living in a jungle. There are other names applied to him and to his successors, such as Ghungur Beg, AU Maluk, Lai Beg, Pir Chhota, Balmik, Bala. The following genealogical tree was given, but I presume it is a voiy uncertain one : —
A Genealogy.
Prashta.
1 ■ Kalak Das, and his wife Silawanti.
I Alif.
I Eighteen generations, all jdngli.
B41a Rikhi and his house.
I
Bamrik.
I Bal.
* Another version (Ironi Moutgomcry) is that Jhata, Jhaba, Tiugri, and Athwal were four brotliera, probably Muharamadans. Of these Jhata became a follower of Baba Farid, and his descendants, called Jhatas, continued to observe the Muhammadan law (i.e., did not become Chuhras). Jhaba's and Tingra's descendants worked as Chuhras, and are kuownasJhais (Chais') and TIngras, respectively. Of Athwal's progeny some remained Muhammadans, while others became Chuhras and are now known as Athwal Chnhraa.
The Jhaba (Jhai or Chai) section is closely associated with Multan, When that city was founded, tradition asserts that the king commenced to build a fort which collapsed as fast as it was built. The spot was held by the Jhaba Bhangis, one of whom offered himself as the fort's foundation-stone, and is said to be still standing in the Khani Burj of the Fort. Some people regard this hiirj as a place of pilgrimage. The Jhai — possibly owinfT merely to his fortunate name — was sacrificed to ensure victory in battle — Jhaye sandhi faich ^vandi, which is explained to mean, if a living Chuhra be built into a thick wall of burnt brick before going to war, victory is assured.
In Tarn Taran tahsil, Amritsar District, Brahma's son, Chuhra, had three sons. Lata, Jhaba, and a ^iclMag named Tingru, from whom are dttscynded the 2| original eectioni of the caste.
Att.
I
Patt.
185
Anothcb Genealogy ob EosaiNAMA.
Adis and wife V^shni.
.1 Sadda Saddijiva and wife Govitfcri.
I Ghnng and wife Suranfjiyi.
I Dhand and wife SiU Sakafc.
Nil Kanth and wife G<5 Atma Devf
I Kanwur Brahmi and wife Burhadji or Jasfcrf.
Sidhri. Puraba. Bhilrthi. Prashta, also called Jhaiimpri, lat Incarnation, and wife Mansa Divf.
Ad Gdpal and wife Bhilni.
I Sank^awar and wife Sadawanti, 2nd Incarnation.
Un^sh Deota. MngaL Gosafn and wife Dhanwanti. I Gaur Rikh and wife Naurang^i.
Dayal Bikh and wife Mangl4n. ,
I Jal Bhigan and wife Pavittar^n.
I
Angaeh Deoti and wife Satwanti, I Agganwar and wife Asna.
Sankh Pat or Sant6kh and wife Jaaa Vartf, 3rd Incarnation.
, J Bala Rikhi and wife Sham Rup, 4th Incarnation.
Bfr Barorik and wife Rajwanti, Sth Incarnation.
I
Ball and wife Nan Gbandran.
I lawar B4la and wife Mans4, 6th Incarnation,
J
Balmik and wife Mah^n, 7th Incarnation .
I
I I
Ud Rikh. Budh Bikh and wife Salikin.
Marwar Did4ri and wife Dayali.
, I Nur Did^ri and wife Asiwanti.
I
Shim Snrand4 and wife Surgan, Sth Incarnation,
I Sham Barbarj and wife Lnchhmi.
I Sri Rang Sham and wife Rajwanti.
Sati and wife Salo.
I Shah Safa and wife Savin.
ArjAn and wife Arfin.
i
186
A Chuhrd genealogy.
A
Pir S4val and wife Jafarin.
Qasa.
Asa and wife Janatan Ahir Maliik and wife Sikiawati. Ghungar B6g and wife Naear^n,
Biz B^g and wife Sadiqan. Bar^hhl Beg and wife Varsin,
Lai B6g and wife Patil4n, 9fch Incarnation. Bali Sher (also called Pir Jhdta, the wrestler) and wife Amdlikan, iOth Incaraation. Sada Bala L41 Khan and wife Roshanan.
Fir Dhagana and wife Nur Dfvanf,
I
Shah Siira and wife Gussan.
Mahi Sh4h. Dargahi Shah. Shah Akhlas and wife Lachhmi.
I Ghasiti Shah.
T£ra Shah. S6va Shah and wife Sarsi. I
Saram Shah.
i Karam Shah.
I Fazl Shah.
Jam Shah. Arpar Shih.
! !
Langar Shih | I |
I Zabardast Shih. Chugatta Murad
Mohammed | Shah. Shah.
Shah.
Arif Sh4h.
Falel Shah.
*Karim Qasinti Shah. Shab,
' I
*Qntab I I
Shah. Rahni Shdh. Umar Sh4h.
*Sardar Shah. *Sult4n Shah.
I I I
Fath Shah. *Bahadur Shih. *Nadir Shih.
Bala is a name given to the leaders.
Jawabir Shih. Bari Shih.
I . I
Alim Shah. *Jamiat Sb4b.
I I
*Alif Shah. *Gauhar Shah.
I I I
*Hakim Shah. *Fath Shah. *Bahiwal Shih.
A THIRD GENEALOGY FROM (MALKR KoTLA) 13 —
Akal Purakh (i.e., God).
I Mahadeo Sri Mahiraj.
I Bikhi Deo,
I Rikhi Deo.
I Anaada.
I Sahad Rikh.
I Sandokh Rikh.
I Balmik or Balnik.
* Fresenc representatiTea.
187
A FODRTn GeKtAlOOT,
Bald Shdh Santokh Rilch di, Bala Shah is son of SanWkh Rikh,
Santdkh Rikh Shardp Dit Rikh dd, Santokh Rikh is son of Sharap Dit Rikh,
Bhirdp Dit Rikh Aindh dd, Sharap Dit Rikh is sou of Ainak,
Aindk Rikhi dd, Ainak is son of Uikhi,
Rikhi Bikhi dd, Rikhi is son of Bikhi,
Bikhi Mahddiv dd, Bikhi is son of Mahad6v,
Mahddiv bhagivdn Ant Ehandi da, Mahadev or Shiv is son of Aut Kbanda,
Aut Khandd Alakh Purkh dd, Aut Khanda is son of Holy Person,
Alakh Purkh Sakt dd, Holy Person is son of Alndghty Power,
8akt Agam dd Almighty Power is son of the Unknowable.*
Another version is that Bh^rthd, Sadhara, Paratnd and Purba were four Brahman brothers, and when their cow died they made Purba, the youngest, drag away the carcase, first promif<ing to help him in his task, but eventually out-casting him for doing it. In Dera Ghdzi Khan Urga, Bh^rga, Sidhra and Frastd, also called Chhaumpra, are given as the four brothers, and the following verses are current : —
(«) Alldh chitthi ghalli hai, sab khol bidn, God sent a letter, setting forth all things :
Ithe gid manke hun, kiun karin ahhmdn ? ' Hereunto you submitted, why do you repine
Qokhri te aike sabi kardi arydn. The cow was cast out by one of you, why then
do you plead, Aadn Brahman janam di gal jamd tanydn. That "we are Brahmans by birth," ye who
wear the jdmd\ tied with strings.'
The last couplet is also given thus : —
Odkhri uU daki kardi arydn, ' They are all arguing over the COw : —
Aidn Brahman janam de gal jdme tanydn. (Saying) " We are Brahmans by birth, thongh
we wear the jdmd fastened with tags." '
Further these two verses are sometimes added : —
Ute charkhane doreli larydn, Wearing too the chicken cloth,
Rabbd ! Sdde bha di galldnmushkil banian, 0 Lord ! ' We are in great distress.'
(it) Alaf Alldh nun ydd kar bandidn %ve dhun ' Remember God, 0 Man ! Praise be to him, surjanhdr, the Creator and Protector of mankind 1
Chugdi chardi gokhri ho pd{ mu7-ddfd, The cow fell dead while grazing
Hue deote akathe jdke karin pukdrd. The gods assembled and exclaimed : —
Tubin Brahman zdt de ki hangai bhdrd, " Ye are Brahmans by caste, yet in what
distress are ye fallen !
Tusdde pichhdn kaun hai jiadd maqsad Who is there among ye, of high purpose t '' bhdrd,
Sdde pichhun Chhaumprd jisdd maqsad " Chaumpra is of us and his purpose is high,"
bhdrd, Hiikmho'gidChhaumpre'jdsat^murddra,' Chaumpri was bidden to cast away the
carcase. Usne dhanak charhdt, gokhri jd pdi pichh- He drew his bow and the COw was thrown far
vidrd. away.
Ayd gokhri satke Itahe :' did lachanhamdrd.' After throwing it away he came back and
said :— " Now fulfil your promise." Chaukwn sddidn dur hd terd nich utdrd. (But they said :-) " Begone from our hearths,
thou art now an out-caste." The following stanza is also current in Dera Gh^zi Khan : —
(Hi) Tun, Sdhib, ghar Bdhmandn mcrd janam Thou, God, hast given me birth in a Brahman's
dedi. ^ house.
Ehdke sdnpal pid, ekd thdli ra86i. I was brought up with others, eating together
, with them in the same dish.
Chaumpra age Rab de kart rajo'i :— Chaumpia prays before H ^r^ : —
Khabrdn ghallin tordidn, ho m&nh dhardi. ' ThoU liast seni jii'^ tidings from afar— now
, . , come before me.
Mera janam dio nleh ghar men, sun band. Thou hast given me birth in a low house, heaf
naivdzd. nie, mv Lord.
• Cf. the genealogy given at p. 530 of The Legends of the Punjab, V<-1. III. T The jdmd is the long over;i?arment, faetened with tag8 iastead of buttons
iS^ Chuhrd origins.
Ndle ummat lakhsh, ndle lalchsh jandzd. Grant me followers and grant me funeral
prayers— (or Forgive my followers and also forgive us for
not having funeral prayers). Hindu, nere dwan na detven, Musalmdn na The Hindus do not allow us to come near parheii jandzd. them, and Muhammadans will not read our
funeral prayers. Meri Icaun siffdt Iharegd, sun gharih-nawdzd. Who will bear me up— hearken ! 0 Lord ! ' Alldh dkhe Chauinprid tun ho sydnd. God says : ' Chaumpra ! be wise!
Do mazhab de niin dd mam darydd vagdnd. I will make two rivers to flow of the things
which are forbidden by the two religions
(i.e., one of the carcases of cows and the
other of the carcases of pigs). Pdrjannat bandki sahmnd vilchdnd. I will make heaven across them and show it to
you. Bdm te Rahimne chhip chhiplahnd i?i Ram (Hindus) and Rahi'm (Muhammadans)
will conceal themselves. Sawd neze din Idkar hd'i ddzakh dhdnd. A great tire will be burnt in hell at about 10 a.m.
(i.e., when the sun is H bamboo high). Alldh dJche ChaumpHd ummat teri nun vich God says : ' Chaumpra, now will I send thy
jnnnat pdh'&nch.dnd. followers to Heaven.'
Alldh chitthi likhi he, hath Chatimpre phardi. God has written a letter and given it in the
hands of Chaumpra : — Tunhi isho satnd ji tain'&n di. ' Thou hast to carry out this carcase — it is your
fate.'
Origins. Various legends have been invented to explain the origins of the Chuhra caste as a whole and of its different groups. Most of these carry its history back to Bdlmik as its progenitor, or, at least, its patron saint. Hence it is necessary to recount, in the first instancs, what current tradition has to say of Balmik.
One legend avers that Bd,lmik used to sweep Bhagwan's courtyard, and that the god gave him a robe, which he did not put on but buried in a pit. When asked by Bhagwan why he did not wear it, Balmik went in search of it and found in it a boy whom he took to Bhagwan. The god directed him to rear the boy, who was named Ld;l Beg.
Balmik is said to mean, ' born of the halni' or serpent's hole. Balmik was a Bhil, a race of mountaineers, who used to rob and kill travellers passing through the forest. One day seven Rishis journeyed by, and when Balmik attacked them, they asked him why he did so, as they had nothing worth stealing. He replied that he had vowed to kill all whom he found in the forest. 'J'he Rishis thpn enquired if he had friends to assist him if captured. Whereupon he asked his parents and wife if tJiey would help him in case of need, but they declared they would not. Balmik then told the Rishis he was friendless, and they urged him to give up his evil ways, and to repeat ' mard, mard,' continuously. But rapidly recited ' mard , mard' soumis like ^Ram, Kdm,' and as he thus repeated (jod's name, his sins were forgiven him. By the end of 12 years his body was covered with dust and overgrown with grass, the flesh beingr decomposed. Once more the seven Rishis passed by and heard a faint voice repeating ' Ram, Rom,' under a cover- ing of clay. This they removed, and, having re-clothed his bones with flesh, called hiru Balmik, as one who had come out of a serpent's hole.
1. Tabds and Totems. The Gil will not eat hatdun, the egg-plant (hhatd hart) : the Lute do not eat hare or rabbit : the Kanar^ (?) abstain from cloves : the Sahotr^ refuse to look on a tiger ; at marriages, however, they make the image
Chuhri panchfiyats. 189
of a tiger which the women worship : the Bhat^i will not bit on a bench of boards or bricks : no Chuhrii will cat seh, or hef^gehog.
The Sarwan Chuhras do not dye cloth with hasumha, eallron, and will only use thatch for their roofs. In the Bawal nizdmat of Ndbha they also wear no gold ornaments, thinking this tahu to be imi)Osed on them by their ,sati. In Dera Ghazi Kh^m the different sections reveience diffocnt animals, i.e., the Sahoti respect the lion, the Athwal or Uthwdl the camel, and one section the porcupine, while bricks are said to be revei'ed by the Gil, men bowing and women veiling their faces before them. Thus the Sindhu muliin or got rtispects indigo : the Kandiara respects the horned rat ; while the Khokhar got is said to avoid eating hharta, ^.e., anything roasted on a fire.* Thu Khokhar got is also said to abstain from the flesh of dead wnimals as well as from eating the heart, which all other Chuhras will eat.
The flesh of the hare is also avoided by Clmhras generally — a tahu explained by the following legend : — Once a Chulira by chance killed a culf, and hid it under a basket, but its owner tracked it to the Chuhra's liouse. 'i'he Chuhra declared that the basket contained a hare, and when it Avas opened it was found that the calf had turned into a hare — so from that time all the Chuhras have given up eating hate. iSome, however, do not abide by this rule. In Kiingra it is said that once a hare sought Biilmik's protection, and thus the tahu arose. In Montgomery the avoidance of hare's llesli is ascribed to the influence of the Makhdum Jahaniau of Kher fShcih, those who are not his followers disregarding the prohibition. Li Dera Ghazi Khdn the current legend is that once Billa Shah, the ancestor of the Chuhras, and MuUdh Niir, the Mirasi, were in God's dargah, or court. The latter asked Bald Shdh not to sweep, whereupon a quarrel arose and Bdla Shah struck the bard with his broom, knocking out his right eye. MulUh Nur appealed to God and produced a hare as his witness — so now the sweepers do not eat hare's flesh. In Gurgaon, however, the prohibition is said to be confined to the Sus Gohar got, or, according to another account, to the Balgher got. In Mdler Kotla it is confined to the Sahota got. About Leiah, women are said to eat the hare, but not nien»
2. Governing Body.
Their representative assembly, or governing body, is the Painch, Panch, Panchayat, the members of which are chosen by the people, and the head of which, i.e., the Pir Panch or Sar Panch, is selected by the other members. I have heard them speak of a kharjmuch too, I.e., the most troublesome n, ember of the paiich ! The office of the ^n'r ^anc7i is held permanently, and is even in some cases hereditary. If the pir is unable to pieside at the meetings his place may be tak3n by a narharnh, or substitute, for the time being. The ^jaz/jc/i settles disputes of all sorts, havin<r to interfere especially in matters of mar- riage and divorce ; it also looks after the poor. It punishes offenders by excomnuinication, liukka panl hand, and also by imposing fines of 20, 40, 100 I'Uppes, or even more- Thf punishment of excommuni- cation, of being haradari so jiidd, is a heavy one, pointing to the fact that the people, valuing s-o highly the opinion of their fellow-mexi,
* This peenis imposaiblo. Bluirfhd is pocaibly iutonded. It is a preporatiuu of the irinjal {hatdun) made by roasting it in hot ashes : Maya Singh's Panjabi Dictionary : s. v.
190 Chuhrd marriage rules.
are amenable to tlio rules of their society by reason of sanctions affecting their standing in the society. All over the Punjab the dearest thhig to a Fanjdbi is his 'izzat, i.e., the estimation in which he is held by his fellows. In the south-east of the Province the Chuhras have chahiUras or places of assembly at several towns, such as Hiinsi, Hiss.tr, Barwdla, Sirsa and Bhiwani. Each chahutra is under a chaicdhri, who in Gurgaon is styled mihtar. The chaudhris preside over panchdyats at which all kinds of disputes are decided, and also act at weddings as muMiias or spokesmen. In Nabha the chaudhris are indeed said to exercise supreme authority in caste disputes. 3. Kdles of Intermarriage.
They do not marry within their own section, but they take wives from all the other divisions. Marriage with a wife's sister is permitted after the death of the wife. Marriage with the wife's mother, or wife's aunt, is not allowed- Two wives are allowed; the former of whom is considered the head, and has peculiar rights and privileges. The wives live together in the same house. Marriage takes place when the giii is about 7 or 8, and even 5 years of age.
Marriages are arrauged by the ndi (barber), the chhimhd (washerman), and the mirdsi (village bard and genealogist). The consent of the parents is necessary in all cases, except when the woman is a widow, or independent of her parents. Girls are never asked whom they will uiiirry, or if they are willing to marry. They would not give an ex- pression of their wishes, as they say, sharm he mare, for shame. There is no freedom of choice in the case of young persons marrying.
A price is paid by the bridegroom's family, the amount of it being settled by the two contracting parties. It becomes the bridegroom's property after marriage. An engagement to marry may be broken off in the case of a defect or bleQiish in either the man or the woman, and divorce may be obtained after marriage by a regular " writing: of divorcement." Divorced wives marry again. Children of different mothers inherit on equal terms, and all assume the father's section.
Widows remarry, but they have no price. The widow of an elder brother may marry a younger brother, and the widow of a younger brother may marry an elder brother. A widow marrying out of her husband's family takes her children with her.
4. Food.
It is difficult to say precisely what animals the Chuhras really avoid, and probably the prohibitions against eating any particular animal are loose, varying from place to place and under the pressure of circum- stances. Chuhras in Gujrd;D will eat dead animals, i.e., those which have died a natural death :* also the sahna (lizard) and wild cat, but not the jackal, fi)X. goh (lizai'd), or tortoise: yet one group lives chiefly on the tortoise and is called huchemdnda. Hence the Chuhras are superior to the Sdnsfs who eat jackals, etc., and interior to the Musallis who have given up eating the flesh of animals which have died a natural death. In Si^lkot the Chuhrd,s are said to avoid pork and only to eat flesh allowable to Muhammadans, but they may eat hardm flesh as well as haldl.
* Thus in Moutgomery it is said all Chuhras, except the Khokhars, will eat the flesh of dead animals
Chuhrd observances. 191
II.— DOMESTIC CEREMONIES.
Birth and Peeq nancy.
In accouchement the woman sits, with one woman on each side of her and one behind her. The ddi, or midwife, sits in front. No seat ia used. When the child is born the midwife places h'-r liead on the stomach of the mother to press out the blood, and with her feet and hands presses (dabdli) the whole body. The ddi and women relations attend during and after confinement.
As an expression of joy at the birth of a child a string of shirin, or acacia leaves, is hunp; across the door. Green symholises joy and bless- ing, vnibdrikhddi. The leaves of the akh, a plant with poisonous milky juice, are thrown en the house to keep away evil spirits. If the child is a boy, born after two girls, they put the boy in a cloth, which they tie at both ends as a sort of cradle, and then they lift the child throuo-h the roof, while the nurse says : — Trihhal hi dhdr d-gai, i.e., ' the third time thrives.' Gtir is given to the friends, and ten days after that a dinner, to which the relatives are invited. At the end of 21 days the mother is over her separation, and resumes cooking.
Adoption.
Adoption of children is common, but with no special ceremonies.
Initiation.
A man of any other caste can be admitted into the Chuhra caste after the following initiatory rite has been performed : — The would-be convert asks the Chuhra headman of the place to fix a day, on which all the Chuhras assemble at the than of Bdlmik. At the time and dat" appointed the dhddhis of Balmik go there, prostrate themselves and sing praises to God and Bdlmik, with accompaniments on the rabdna and dotdra. Tho khidmatgdr, or attendant at the shrine, lights &jot, or large lamp filled with ghi and gogal at the candidate's cost, as well five ordinary lamps filled with ghi. He also prepares churmd of wheat or other grains according to the candidate's means, \vith ghi and gur in the name of God and Balraik ; boiling, too, IJ se?'6' of rice in an iron pan in the name of Balmik's orderly. When all these things are placed in front of the than in Dera Ghdzi, the Chuhras assembled say :—
Sihdhe ! Bdli didn karin kardhidn, le dwin than de age,
Jo koi mane tainu ndl sidaq de usnic har shdkhd phal lage,
Awen dekh nahin bhuhid oh raze bage,
Teri matti da buki manid dhar dargdh de age.
Baki ute mnin dcvdn brdtdn jiwen banaydn din te rdtdn,
Bolo momno ' eh sach paun dhani.'
" Make hakva, 0 Sihdhas (Chuhras) in Bd,li's honour, and bring it
before his shrine.
Whosoever adores thee in sincerity, prospers in every way.
Be not misled by whited domes,
A handful of his (or thy) earth is acceptable to the Almighty.
I will bring thee offerings on a camel's back as often as day
follows night,
Declare, ye believers in God, that the One True God is Master of
the Winds."
192 Ghuhfd betrothals.
The candidate is then admitted into the caste. He is made to eat a little cMirmd and rice out of the kardhi, drink some water and smoke. The rest of the churmd is distributed among the other Chuhfas and he is declared a member of the caste.
In Hohtak B^lraiki sweepers admit a man of any caste into the Chulird ranks, except a Dh^nak, a S^nsi or a Dhia. The recruit is merely required to prepare IJ sevf^ of malida and. after placing it under Bdlmik's banner, worship the saint. The followers of Nd,nak admit converts of every caste into their ranks.
In Grurgaon the rite of initiation is a revolting one and is thus de- scribed : —
Over a rectangular pit is put a chdrpdi, and beneath it the candidate is seated in the pit, while the Chuhrd,s sit on the chdrpdi. Each bathes in turn, clearing his nose and spitting,'^ so that all the water, etc., falls on to ihe man in the pit. He is then allowed to como out and seated on the chdrpdi. After this all the Chuhrd,s wash his body and eat with him, and then ask him to adopt their profession.
An initiate appears to be called Bhangi, or in Gnrgaon Sarbhangi. The latter, it is said, may smoke and eat with the Chuhrd,s, but are not admitted to intermarriage with them.
Betrothal.
When a betrothal takes place, the Idgi, the marriage functionary and o-o-between, goes to the house of the boy's parents, taking with him suo-ar and dates for the inmates. He states the purpose of his visit, and there is placed before him five or ten, or more, rupees, of which he takes one and goes. If the people are very poor they intimate to the Idgi how much he should take out of the heap. Returning to the house of the girl's parents he makes his report, describing the boy, bis prospects, circumstances, and so on.
A Idgi now goes from the boy's residence, carrying clothes and jewels for the girl. He himself is presented with a turban {pagri) and songs are sung by the womankind. The bindingr portion of the cere- monies is where the turban is given to the Idgi before witnesses.
In two, three, four, or five years, the girl's parents send the Idgi to say that it is time for the marriage. If the parents of the boy find it convenient, they declare that they are ready, and instruct the Idgi to ask the other house to send a nishdn, hahdchd, hahord, which is a present of three garments, one to the mirdsi, one to the ndi, and the third to the chuhrd who lights the fire. There is gur also in the basket contain- ino" the clothes, and this is distributed to the singing girls and others. The Idgi receives a rupee or two, and goes back with the news that the hahdchd has been accepted. Then a trewar, a present of seven garments, is prepared, and sent from the gii'l's residence, a white phulkdri (embroi-
* Chuliras tliink that ttie dirt of their own bodies purifies others and they so remore it with their own hands. If a man follows their occupation but does not undergo the ordeal described above they do not treat him as a Chuhra or effect any relationship with him.
Chuhrd weddings. 1J)3
dered shawl), a chdb or chop (a red cotton shawl with a silk embroidered edge), a chdli (bodice), a kurtd (jacket), a daridi (narrow silk cloth), a lungi or sdya (a chenk cloth or petticoat), two pagria (turbans) and one chddar (sheet or shawl). The jacket has a gold button, hird, and three silver ones called allidn, and gota, or gold and silver lace, with the Go^ure of a man embroidered on the right breast or shoulder. This present is sent to the boy's residence, where the garments are spread out on a bed to give the inmates and friends an opportunity of seeing them. The Idgi takes with him also giir, patdsse (sweets), and a rupee as rofind, which he gives to the bridegroom. This rdpnd may be seven dried dates, and other tliiners. The boy's hands are dyed with maiudt (henna) to sifjnify joy. Again rupees are placed before tho logi, of which he takes as many as he has been instructed to take. He then says that such and such a day has been 6xed for the wedding and goes back to tell the bride's friends that the day is appointed. On this occasion songs are sung by the boy's sister and mother.
Eight or nine days before the wedding they have what they call «iat pdnd, that is, they take ghungnid^'i (wheat roasted in the husk) to the quantity of five or six parSpi, which they put in tho boy's lap. This he distributes with gicr to his friends, of the same age as he is, seated on a basket. Wheat is distributed to the other friends, perhaps as much as four or five maunds, with gur. The boy is anointed with oil as many times as there are days before the marriage, and a song is sung by his friends.
The ndi anoints the bridegroom to make hira sweet. The ointment is made of the flour of wheat and barley, kachiir (a drug), khardal (white mustard), chaihal charild (a scent), and oil. This preparation is called batnd.
When the boy is taken off the basket they bind a gdnd (ornament) or Jcangnd (bracelet) on his wrist, which consists of an iron ring, a cowrie, and a manka (string) of kach (glass) beads. They put a knife into his hand at the same time. All this is to keep off the evil spirits. The same operation is performed on the giil by her friends ; only she puts on a kangni (wrist ornament) or churi (bracelet of iron), instead of taking a knife in her hand.
Betrothal takes place at any time from five years of age and upward, the consent of the parents only being necessary. If the betrothal is cancelled, the painch aiTanges the amount to be repaid, and recoveT's it.
When the wedding day approaches, a big dinner is given in the boy's home on a Wednesday, the entertainment extending to Thursday morning. This is called mel.
The hharjdi, or gome other relative, with his wife, goes to the well for a jar of water, which they carry between them. With this water the ndi washes the biidegroom on a basket. His hair is washed with buttermilk and oil. Seven chapman (unburnt earthen plates) are placed before him. These ho breaks with his ftx . His uncle on the mother's side gives him a cow, etc., and the bride's uncle gives the same to her. The bridegroom puts on his new clothes, the old
194 Chuhrd weddi7igs.
ones being appropriated by the oidi. After his uncles have sung, his sister sings and gives him his clothes.
He is then dressed on a rug after his bath ; the sdfd or turban is placed on his head, over which the sehra, or garland of flowers, is throvpn and saffron is sprinkled on his clothes.
A tray is put down with a rupee in it, representing 101 rupees. On the rupee gur is spread, while they say, Jagat pai-wd^i sitpri so dharm, Ikotr sau rupaid ghar dd ; " According to the custom which binds us like religion, We lay before you 101 rupees of our own house."
Then into the tray is put the tamhol or neundrd, i.e., the contribution given by wedding guests to defray the expenses of the festival. At each succeeding marriage one rupee more is given, or the same sum is given each time, if it is so arranged. Neundrd is given in the girl's home as well. This custom of giving at each other's wedding is a very binding one. Whoever receives neundrd from his guests must pay back in neundrd one and half or double the amount at their wedding feasts.
The party now gets ready to go to the bride's home. The bridegroom is seated on a mare, or, if poor, he goes on foot. He is accompanied by the sarhahla, or bridegroom's friend, generally seated behind him on the same animal. On their way they give a rupee to the headmen of the villages they pass. This is for the poor. Fireworks blaze as they proceed, while the drums and other noisy instruments of music announce the coming of the bridegroom, who sits under a paper umbrella, or canopy, which has been made by the fireworks-man. This last-named individual gets money also on the way — a rupee or so. As they approach the bride's village the women and girls of the villagfc come out, singing, to surround the whole party with a cotton thread, as if they had made prisoners of them all.
Meantime the bride has been dressed, and songs have been sung by her friends.
Having arrived at the village they rest in a garden, or go to the ddrd, or traveller's rest-house, while dinner is being prepared. .A large tray is brought out {changer la I) with sugar in it. The lagis put some into the bridegroom's mouth, the rest beine: divided among the guests. The sarbahld, or bridegroom's friend, and the others prepare to go to the bride's house with the beating of drums. The two parties meet and salute one another. The bride's father gives a cow or a buffalo, but if he is poor he gives a rupee, which the mirasi, or village bard, gets. Nearing the house they find the way obstructed by a stick , [kuddan) placed across the path by the meMars, or dg hdlnihcdle, (fire- lio-hters). They must be paid a rupee before the party can proceed. They reach another grate formed by a red cloth held by women. This is chunni. The bride's sister receives a rupee at this stage. The mdchhi, or jhiwar {water-carrier), brings a vessel of water, and says, " Mere kumh dd lag deo, Give the price of my earthen water jar." He also receives a rupee.
The marriage party now dine, while the women of the marriage party sbg.
Chuhrd weddings. 195
While the party dines outside, the lard (bridegroom) and the sarhdhld (friend) go inside the house. A chhdnani (a sort of sieve for cleanino- flour or wheat) ia placed over the door with a light barnino- in it. Thrt bridegroom strikes tins vvith a sword or knife seven times, knocking it down, light and all, with the seventh stroke. The sarhdhli, or bride's friend, comes wich a handful of oil and gur which she holds firmly, while the othei" girls tell the bridesfruom to open the hand with his little finger. This he tries to do, but the star fca/tZa advises him to use his thumb and press more forcibly. When her hand is opened, she rubs the bridt^groom's face with the mixture. The young lady also spits rice in his face — phurhrd. The bridegroom is then drawn into an inner room by means of a pair of trousers {piejdma) twisted round his neck. He has to give the girls a rupee before they let him go. They place a small tent made of reeds [ghdrdheri) like a tripod, on a IDiri (stool), and in it kujidil (small lamps and vessels) made of dough. One of tliese is lit, and the bridegroom is asked to put cloves into the little kujidn.
They then take a tray and put it on a cup (katSrd). This they call tilkan. All the girls press down the tray on the cup with their hands one above another, telling the bridegroom to lift it up. He tries to do so but cannot, and the sarhdhld with his foot overturns it. This is the signal for the girls to giyegdli (abuse) to the sarhdhld : they pull his hair, slap him, push him about, and generally ill-treat him until the bridegroom at his cries for help asks them to desist.
They deny having beaten him, and treat them both to sweets [laddu and pardkridTi) and sugar which they call hejwdri or hdjirl. The bride is now admitted and seated. They throw bits of cotton wool on her, wluch he picks off. He takes off her troubles, as it were. They throw them on him also. Daring these observances the girls sing at intervals.
The bridegroom now walks seven times round the bride, and the bride seven times round him. He lays his head on hers, and she hers on him, after which she kicks him on the back. The others follow suit. It goes hard with the unhappy bridegroom then. They seize his chddar (shawl), and tie two pice in it. The bride then fastens it tightly round his neck, meaning by this that he is captured and is hallnn jogd nahin (unable to move). He recites the following couplet : —
Maiyi hhafdngd, tan khdin. I will earn money, and feed you. Meri galo'n patkd Idhiii. RemoTe the shawl from my neck.
The bride then takes off the chddar, but they tie it to the bride's shawl {gand chattr.ivd), meaning that they are now one.
The girl ia bathed, the barber's wife {nain) braids her hair, then she flits on a {{ukra) basket under which is a light. Two pice are placed under her feet. The one that gives the bath gets the pice. The uncle gives the girl a cow, etc. Of the earth wetted with the water of the bath some is thrown to the ceiling. The mother passes before the girl a large basket made of reedi seven times. This is called khdrd langdi, and she then sing& : —
Khdri chiitar machittar, The basket is of divers colours,
Khdrd addiyd, And I sit on the basket.
Khdre ton utdr. Take me ot! the basket,
Mdrnmd vaddhiyd. Great uncle.
198 Chuhrd weddings.
The girl is taken away, and the bridegroom gives the barber's wife a rupee.
The lagi is now sent to bring the clothes that the bridegroom has brought for tlie bride. Jewels also he brings, and she is fully dressed. These jewels are various — for the nose, huldk, laung, nath ; ear, dandidh, pattar, chaunke, bale ; neck and throat, /lass, harnel, takhtidn ; ioTehe'<i,d, chikkdn, chaunk,'ph{d ; arm, pi dan, bowattd,^ chura, gokhru, hangan ; fingers, chhdj) or chhalld, drsi ; foot, paajebdn, karidn.
The bride is now ready and comes to be married. She is seated and the Brahman (or the Maulavi) is called. Four poles are stuck in the ground fastened together, with green branches above. The Brahman (or Maulavi) reads a service, and two pice are handed seven times. The Brahman says : Sntto; eki, meki, neki teki,pd6 dhangd, and snaps the pice.
The bridegroom goes round the bride seven times, and she round him peven times under the green canopy. The Brahman gets four annas in pice, and one rupee. The married pair sit on a bed or seat, while the bride's people bring him clothes, which he puts on over the ones lie has. The mirdsi seizes his turban, and retains it until it is redeemed with a rupee. Tiie parents are next called, and water is brought to be sprinkled over the hands of the married pair. She is thus given over to him. They rise from the chdrpdi, and go inside, throwing backward over their heads barley and cotton seeds which had been placed in their laps. They do not take away all the blessing.
A trewar (21 or 12, etc., pieces) of clothes is now given [khat), all shown to the assembled guests, and vessels also seven, viz., thai (platter), cJihannd (metal drinking vessel), loh (large iron baking pan), hardhi (trying pan), degchi (pot), kaixhhi (ladle), dhaknd (lid). There are 21 kalle, or scones, placed in the basket of clothes. The Idgis who take this away receive presents of money. The bridegroom's father gives alms to the poor at this point, and there is much crying and weeping as the bride prepares to leave her home.
The bride is put into the doll (palanquin), and the bridegroom's father throws money on it, which goes to the poor.
The bridegroom's party return home carrying the bride with them. At the bridegroom's house all the women sing at intervals. When they reach the house the mother is at the door.
The mother has a cup of water in her hand, which she waves round the heads of the married couple. She then attempts to drink it seven times, the bridegroom preventing her. At the seventh time she drinks. Then they enter the house, and the bride is placed on a mat. All the bridegroom's relations are called, and a large vessel called a para i is brought, in which is a mixture of rice, ghi and sugar cooked. This is gotkundld. The* women seat themselves and of this they take a morsel and each puts a little m the bride's mouth. She, sharm ke mare (out of shame) refuses to take it, but they insist as they are her relations.
The women all partake. They call this bharmddld, i.e., union with the family. If they do not have this meal, they do not admit the other party to family privileges.
The Chuhrd tnukld,v^. I97
After this the bride remains two days more in the house, and on the third and fourth day the women again gather. They take a pardt (tray) in wliich they put water and milk, or kachchi las^i, and in another vessel they put citd (meal). In the meal they put gur and ghi, mixing them together (gulrd). Into the tray of milk Hnd water they make the bride put her heel, and in it the bridegroom washes her foot. The bridegroom now puts in his foot, and she is told to wash it. This \b shagun. The bride unties her gdnd (wrist ornament), which is so securely fastened that they sometimes draw it over the hand, while they sing. It is thrown into the pardt o? uiilk and water. Then the bridegroom unfastens the bride's gdnd.
It is placed in the vessel next. They are fastened together. The nain [Idgin] tnkos both and turns them round in the water seven times. She drops them in the water seven times, the bride and the bridegroom grabbing at them. The one that succeeds the oftener in getting hold of them first wins — the caste therefore wins. This is done amid great laughter. Only women are present, besides the bridegroom.
The flour, ghi and sugar are then ciivided amongst them. Other Bongs are sung when the bride first comes to the house. The ^rirls also express their opinion of the dowry in a song.
Mdklava, oe the Home-coming op the Bride.
Next day the bride goes back to her father^s house, and there is sent after her kachchi piuni, or kachchi hhdji, which is rice flour with sugar. She returns to her husband's home in six months, or two years, or three, when there is mukldva, as sending home a wife is called. She brings a suit of clothes for her husbanil, one for her mother-in-law and one for her father-in-law. She wears kach, i. e., glass bracelets because she is still kachchi (unripe) ; not pakki. She now resides in her husband's, her own house. Various songs are sunt: on this occasion.
A few branches of the Chuhr^s, including the Sotarwala, celebrate niarriagfes by the Muhammadan nikdh, but the great majority observe the Bindu p/iera. The following is a specimen of the songs {chhand or shlok) sung at aphera: —
Pahli'm smirdn ek Unkdr,
Duje guru Ganesh, Tije sviiran ddh Bhiicdni,
8at dip nu kund jdni. Atvan ke dil tani sanwdre,
Tin log ke kdraj sdre ; Magh pati pith panchami,
Kaho bed ke sdj. Jis din gaurdn ar ndye,
Chanda charhe ugds ; Ndm lijiyo Ganesh kd,
Bo sdjan nistar. Gaydra din se lagan chalaya,
Le hokar gurudwdre pati sab parwdr ; Ghar ghar turi mewa bichdr,
Do Pdn4i bakhshish.
198 Chtihrd huryings.
One or two customs observed by the Chuhrd,g at marriages deserve notice :—
On the evening when the bridegroom sets out for the bride's house, his mother cooks 10 sei's of rice sweeteued with gur, and invites all the women of the communifcy to eat each a mouthful of it. They then Hsk her to j^ive them a chhdj (a sieve for winnowing grain) and a doi (wooden spoon), and she at once does so. Two or three of the women, one of whom is wearing a ghaghm (the lower part of a petticoat) instead of a frock, get on top of the house with the chhdj and the doi, and the woman in the ghaghrd sings an obscene song at the top of her voice, beating the chhdj after every stanza so violently that it is broken to pieces. This custom is termed iiharuhd (foolery). It is an indispensible observance at a wedding.
Last but not least comes the rite of admitting the bride into the bridegroom's got which is done in this wise : —
Two or three days after the bride's arrival her mother-in-law prepares a maund and ten sers of sweet rice and serves it up on a large tray. Seven sohdgans (women whose husbands are alive) are invited, and they eat with the bride out of the tray. Unless this is done she is not considered a real member of the got.
Bigamy is permissible, that is to say, a man whose wife is barren or who only gives birth to girls, may take a second wife. But he cannot, at least in Mdler Kotla, take a second wife if he has a son, under penalty of excommunication, nor can he take a third wife while the other two are with him.
Divorce is practised.
Death and burial.
The Chuhras generally bury their dead. When a person is dyinj? they call in the Muhamraadan priest to read the sahdni, but if it is in a Hindu village where there is no mulla nothing of this nature is done, except that in some cases they lift the sick man on to the ground.* This they call satthar.f The dead are carried to the grave on a bed, bound in a shroud made of cloth, which is tied at the head and the feet like a sack, and in the middle. The body, after being washed with soap and water, is dressed in a jacket, a cap, and a sheet, or in two sheets, and is sprinkled with rose water. In the grave the shoulder is placed towards the pole star, and the feet to the east. If it is that of a young person they put a black blanket over the bier, if of an old person a red one. This is called khes. The priest sits on the west side and looks towards the east. He recites a prayer, and they repeat it after him. This is jandza. One rupee, called askdt,X is given to the priest
* In Maler Kotla the Chuhras bury the dead, like Muhammadaiis, but on their way to the grave the carriers of the bier change places as among Hindus. And on their return they pick up straws and break them, saying, ' God bless the dead and protect those left behind', while the faqir, who usaally accompanies the parties, recites verses of Guru N4nak, like a Sikh. Three days later the deceased's nearest relative feeds the men who • carried the bier, and on the 17th day h^- listributea food to the poor and to unmarried girls.
I Satthar, lit., a couch.
J A.skdt, probably for zahdt, alms,
The Chuhrd creed. 100
on the Qurdn. A cloth called jde namdz is also given. The blanket becomes the property of the mirdsi. The face of the dead is not placed downwards.
If a very old person dies, his fripnds make a mock mourning : bat their grief is really very great for a young person.
They (the women) ''^ stand in a circle ; the mirdsan (wife of the family bard) stands in the centre. She sings mournful tunes, the other women following her. They beat their legs, breasts and fore- head with their hands in time to the dirge. Nothing could be sadder. The woman that leads repeats the aldhni, and the other women beat the breast, thus making sidpd.
Purification Rites. After child-birth a woman is unclean for 21 days. In the period of menstruation she does not go to a well, and alter it she washes her clothes and bathes. After a funeral all who may have touched the dead body or the grave must bathe.
Many Chuhras reverence sanghar,f in order that sanghat or trouble may be averted.
Sanghar kd vart, — They have a special favour for Vaishnu Devi. They put mehndi on girls' hnnds, and tie a mauli, or cotton bracelet, round their wrists, feeding the girls also in the devVs name, that the children may be preserved.
Devi dd vart. — On Thursflay night they liHve darud,X praying for the dead. They pour water into a cup, and take bread in their hands. They eat a little, drink a little, and give the remainder to a child. They have no special days.
TIL— RELIGION.
(a). — The Dedication op a Temple to Bala Shae.
The principal goddesses or devis of the Hindus, e. gf., Kdli Devi, appear to be of low caste. This is especially noteworthy.
When a shrine is made to Bala, the Chuhrd,s make a mound of earth in which they bury a gold knife, a silver knife, a copper knife, the head of a goat, and a cocoanut, all bound in Ij yards of red cloth. Having levelled the mound, or rather dressed it and made it neat and tidy, they raise on it a sort of altar of mud, in which they make three niches for lamps. Having put oil in the lamps and lighted them they place them in the niches. Goat's tiesh is cooked, of which part is eaten and part distributed to the poor. A chela performs the sacrifice, after which they all eat together.
The order of rehgious ceremony is as follows : — A basket (changcrd) is placed near the mud altar^ which resembles a raised grave more than anything else, and in the basket there is churmdh, made of flour butter and sugar. In front of the altar the chela burns ghi with spices, such as camphor. He spriukles the assembled company with lasai
* The women go half-way towards the graveyard weeping and wailing, f Sanghar is the pod of the jand tree, which is used as a vegetable by the poorer claues especially in times of ecarcity. J Darudfdtia — obseqaiea.
200
Chuhrd lays.
(butter milk or rather whey) for cooling purposes. Five pice are put in the ghi, which become the chela's, as a fee. Silver or gold is put in a cup of water and the water is sprinkled on the people. This is called chandii. The c/ieZa stands before the altar, the people standing behind him, while he recites a dedicatory Htanj.
The Chuhr^s have a lofty conception of Bd-lmik, and believe that when he hoiioured the earth with his existence all the regions of heaven and earth were illuminated as described in the following verses, current in Maler Kotla : —
Arise, mother Mainawanti, from slumber,
Baba Bala has been incarnated. A trembling has come upon Paital, the dust
has come off. Armies have come from Kumbaf shouting
for Khwaja ! Kuhidn,'\ viachh, chirhore and tandueX fly
and demand flesh. The war of Ganesh has been declared at
Dera Ghizi IQian. The heaven was illuminated with lamps, the
burnt dead have been revived. Riding on a brown mare with iron curb in
her mouth. Godhan, the hermit, has come at the door. The bridle of the mare is of hempen rope_ and
her ears decorated with anhan sankan.^ Godhan, the hermit, is standing with his joined
hands. The leader of the armies applies for more
strength. I offer kardhi churma\\ and goats. He is
the One \
Uth Mata Mainawanti* sutie, Babe Bale lid
autdr. Bhamak 'pari Faitdl men : chhutigardghohdr.
Char {an di Kumbd te Khivdjd di pukdr !
Euhidn, machh, chirhore, ud ud mange mds
tandtie. Chher chhiri Gonesh di Dera Ghdzi Khdn.
Jotdn jalen akds ud ud baithke jagd lie
rnasdn. Munh kajiale (Jcandiale=curb) sdr de kakki
keli de asivdr. An khare Gndhan tapashi Darbdr. Eundt san de lagdm die, ankan sankan kdn.
An khnrote Godhan tapashi band kharotd
hath. Chherdn de agwdn uhal mange, hun bal
inange sandeh dd. Dhidn kardhi churma av,r bakre-sakre wahi
ik!
The two following songsl are sung in honour of Giljhapra, one of the titles by which Lai Beg is known : —
In the name of God, the most merciful and
compassionate ! Be on thy head the hand of the priest, the
spiritual guide ; be thy faith perfect. Bounty (springs) from bountiful God ! Compassion** from the Compassionate ! There is no goodness like that of NikahiLft There is no glory like that of Az^ziL^ There is no swiftness like that of Israfil.§§ Even beneath the earth, even on the summit
of the heavens : thou art found everywhere. Empire is Muhammad's, the Bestower of
greatness and blessing ! Thou art the sole master of the faith, who
hadst heard everything. Welfare comes from God, the Most High.
Bism illdhir Bahmdn-ir-Rahim !
Bir par dast Pir Murshid dd, sdhit rahe
yaq^in. Karrn to Earima I Bdm to Bohima ! NeU tan Nekdhil di. Azmat tdn Azdzil di. Daur tan Isrdfil di. Zatnin de daliche : asmdn de samete : simat
simal tu. Bddahdhat Muhammad di ujmo barkat deo !
Ap itiqdd de mdlik, zikar sune the ^dre. Ehair tdn Allah Ta'dla di, Nis Ta'dld di
* Mother of Gopichand.
I Probably the Dame of a place.
J These are auimala, but of what kind Is not known.
§ An ornament worn by horaeB.
il A kind of sweet cooked food.
^ The first of these songa is clearly a variant of the Dedicatory Litany given by Dr. YouDgson.
** " Ram," a corruption of " Raham " " compassion."
ft Nikahll, for Mikdil, the archangel Michael.
tj Azazil, the fallen angel, now called Shaitan.
§§ larafil, the archangel who will sound the trumpet to destroy the whole world on the last day.
Chuhrd lays.
201
Daman Bibi Fdtima de. Chhatar tan Dilli da.
Tabd tan Makke dd.
Ajmer tan Zindd Khwdjd Mauj Din di.
Eazrat Kdti Kafalmin manuJch tan dc.
A^vwal amdn ik nastu.
Dum amdn do nasf.u.
Tidram amdn ta nastu.
Chdram amdn lip nastu.
Awwal Fir Asd.
Dom Plr Hazrat E}uudjd Khdsd,
Soin Fir Safd.
Chdram Fir Dddd Giljhaprd.
Pet nun ruti tan nun kaprd !
Nezd to damdun !
Sadd sadd bdnkrd jduii !
Fir merd ja7nid : sab pirdn lar pdyd.
Jhaggd topi Mdi Gaurjd** leke pahndyd.
Teh muhdrki Alldh Nabi nun di.
Wdh wdh ji mere shdh di sdmali, bel bahut
si barhdi. Bale Siidh Nuri. ■Eaidar Shdh Nuri, Habbut Ta'dld Nuri. Mania Mushkil-kushd Ddkhddkh Nuri. Takht bakht Rabbul Almiii Nuri,
Bald Shdh Nuri kiMe bete ? Amir Shdh Nm'i de bete, A7nir Shdh Nuri kihde bete ? Eaidar Shdh Nuri de bete, Eaidar Shdh Nuri kihde bete ? Rabbut Ta'dld Nuri de bete. Habbut Tadla Nuri kihde bete ? idauld Mushkil'kushd Ddkhddkh de bete,
Manila Mushkil-kushd kihde bete? Takht bakht Rabbul Almin Nuri de bete. Wdh tudh ji Sat Jug men ki bhdnd bartdyd ?
Sonne dd ghat, tonne dd mat :
Sonne dd ghord, Sonne dd jord,
Sonne di kunji, sonne dd tdld, Honne de kiwdr
Dakkhan munh mori, uttar munh diivdr
Ldo kunji kholo kiiodr
La mere sachche Dddd Fir de diddr
Shahanshdh be paricdh,
Wohi ik Alldh,
Tere nam dd palld,
Tu zdhir nam ik Alldh
Wdh! wdh! ji ! Tretd men kyd bhdnd
bartdyd ? Chdndi dd ghat, Chdmdi dd mat ; ' Chdiidi dd ghord, Chdndi dd jord, Chdndi d{ kunji, Chdndi dd tdld, Chdndi di kiivdr
The skirt * of Fdtima (is most trustworthy). There is no crown like that of the Delh
empire.- There is no tahdf like that of Makka. Ajmer belongs to the ever-living Khwaji
jVIaujciin.+ Ilazrat Kati Katalmin of mamikh lan.'\ The Ih-st faith is the first nastu,-f The second faith is the second na^itu. The third faith is the third nastu. The fourth failhjs the lipf of nastu. The first I'ir is Asa.§
The second Pir is His Majesty Khwajd Khnsa || The third Pir is Safa/j The fourth Pir is father Giljhapra, Bread is to tlie belly, clothing to the body, I bend the spear ! I go joyfully for ever and ever. My Pir has been born and committed to the
charge of all the I'irs. Mother Gaurj-i put on him a, jhaggd and a cap. Congratulation to God and the Prophet. How excellent it is, my Lord ! Thou hast
greatly increased my Saint's progeny. The god-like Bale Shah. The god-like Haidar Shdh, The god-like Halibut Ta'ala. Thegodlike Maula ilushkil-kushaft Dakhdikh. The Heavenly Preserver of the Worlds, (Lord
of) throne and wealth. ' AVhose son is Bala Shah Nuri ? ' ' (He is son) of the god-like Amir Shah.' ' Whose son is the god-like Amir Shah ? ' • Of the god-like Haidar Shah.' ' Whose son is the god- like Haidar Shdh ? ' ' Of the Heavenly Habbut Ta'ala.' ' Whose son is the Heavenly Habbut Ta'ala t ' ' Of the god-like Maula Mushkil-kushi Dikh-
dakh.' ' Whose son is Maula Mushkil-kusha ? ' ' Of the Heavenly Preserver of the Worlds.' How excellent, sir ! How was a vat used ia
the Sat Jug ? Golden waterpot, golden dome : Golden horse, golden clothes. Golden is the key, golden is the padlock, and
golden are the door-leaves. Entrance to the south, wall to the north ! Bring the key and open the door. Behold my true Father Saint, The independent King of Kings, He alone is the one God, In Thy name is my refuge, Thou art evidently one God. How excellent, sir ! How was a vat used in tho
Treta? Silver waterpot, silver dome. Silver horse, silver clothes, Silver is the key, silver is the padlock, and
silver are the door- leaves.
* Lit. skin, so ' protection,' f Meaning unknown.
j The correct name is Muin-ud-Din Chishti, § Asa=Isa, Josus Chriet. II Khwaji Khizr.
T[ Saf4, it is not known who thia Saf4 wa3. ♦• P4rbati, wife of Shiv. tt Bemover of diflaculties.
202
Chuhrd lays.
Uttar munh mori, daJckhan munh diiodr,
Ldo kmiji kholo kiwar,
Le mere aachche Dddd Fir de diddr,
Shnhanshdh be parivdh,
Woh{ ik Allah.
Tere nam dd palld,
Tu zdhir nam ik Alldh.
Kijo khaii'sald.
Jumld fuqron kd ishq Alldh.
Wdh ! wdh ! ji ! Divdpar Jug men kyd bhdnd
hartdyd ? Tdmbe dd ghat, tdnihe dd 7nat : Tdmbe dd ghord, tdmbe ddjord, Tdmbe di kunji, tdmbe dd tdld, tdmbe de
kiwar Purab munh mori, pachhajn mukh diwdr, Ldo kunjt kholo kiivdr, Lo mere sachhe Dddd Pit de diddr, Shdhnnehdh be parwdh, Wohi ik Alldh. Tere nam dd palld, Tu zdhir ndin ik Alldh ! Wdh ! lodh ! ji ! Kal Jug men kyd bhdnd
bartdyd. Mitti dd ghot, mitfi dd mat ; Milti dd ghord, mitti ddjord, Mitti di kun)i, mitti dd tdld, mitti de kiwar.
Pachham munh mori, purab munh diwdr,
Ldo kunji kholo kiicdr,
Lo mere sachhe Dddd Pir de diddr,
Shdhanshdh be parwdh,
Wohi ik Alldh.
Tere nam dd palld,
Tu zdjhir nam ik Alldh !
Wdh ! tudh ! ji ! Ldlo Ldl karenge nihdl
Ghari ghari de kdfenge kdl.
Ldl ghord, ldl jord :
Ldl kalghi, ldl nitshdn,
Ldl tambu, ldl pahilivdn,
Ldl mai.ldn,
Sonne di tokri ; rupe dd jharu : gal phulon
de hdr. Jd khare hote sachhe Sdhib de Darbdr Kijiye chhutkdrd.
Ali sdhib Paighambar Duldul sangdrd : Khabar hui Ddnon nu kitd dilkdrd. Yd Pirji, merd bhi dii kartd hai jang men
chalUngd kardrd, Chix-ngi to niwdld. Sarsabz rahe dumdld. Arash pe kurushmen dhuni pd baifhe, Nuri
8hdh Bdld.
Arash te uttard ghard wa pidld,
Hukm hud Sa7ndli Beg nu pi gayd, hud
mativdld. Sirarid, Vgatid, sahnd bidd karnd ikkindrd,
Sdr di chhari Multdn di kumdn, indal hasti zard ambdri.
Entrance to the north, wall to the south,
Bring the key and open the door,
Behold my true Father Saint,
The independent King of Kings,
He alone is the one God.
In Thy name is my refuge,
Thou art evidently one God.
Grant us welfare.
All the saints love God.
How excellent, sir ! How was a vat used in
the Dwapar Jug ? Brazen water-pot, brazen dome : Brazen horse, brazen clothes, Brazen is the key, brazen is the padlock and
brazen are the door-leaves. Entrance to the east, wall to the west, Bring the key and open the door, Behold my true Father Saint, The independent King of Kings, He alone is the one God. In Thy name is my refuge, Thou art evidently one God ! How excellent, sir ! How was a vat used in the
Kal Jug ? Earthen water-pot, earthen dome : Earthen horse, earthen clothes, Earthen is the. key, earthen the padlock and
earthen the door-leaves. Entrance to the west, wall to the east, Bring the key and open the door, Behold my true Father Saint, The independent King of Kings, He alone is the one God, In Thy name is my refuge, Thou art evidently one God ! How excellent ! Lalo Lai will exalt us, (He) will remove the difficulties of every
moment. Red is the horse, red are the clothes : Red is the plume, red is the standard. Red is the tent, red is the wrestler. Red is the field, Of gold is the basket, of silver the broom :
garland of flowers on the neck. (He) attends the court of the True Lord : Release us.
The prophet Ali equipped his Duldul:* The giants heard of it and made a noise. 0 Lord ! I too have a desire, I will certainly
march bravely in the battlefield. Chungi to niwala.f May the dumdld remain green. By the Throne of God on the Arsh the god-like
Bala Shih lighted fire and sat there (extort- ing compliance with what he wanted from
God). From Heaven came down a pitcher and a cup, An order being given to Samali Beg, he drank
it up and was intoxicated. 0 ! Siraria ! Ugatia ! Dismiss ond avert our
difficulties. Of sdl.X the stick, the bow from Multan ; the
tuskless elephant, and yellow (golden) seat
with the canopy.
* The name of Ali's horse.
t Meaningless phrase.
I The sal tree is the shorea robusta.
Chuhrd lays.
203
Came riding on the Father Lai Beg, the true
Saint and Prophet, Welcome. 0 Lai Klwn, thou courtier. Seventy plun two, i.e., seventy-two evils (were)
destroyed under thy hand ! Thou wilt separate water from milk.* Prorisions and a silk skein are offered to thee,
vouchsafe us a little help. On the royal throne, with the Multan bow, in a
golden hoivdah, on a tuskless elephant. Came the Father Lil Beg, the true Saint and
Prophet. Welcome, 0 Lai Khan, darhdrl, By the testimony of Sarwar, by the holy
Kalima of Muhammad, None is worthy of being worshipped but God ;
and Muhammad is His Prophet.
Ai Dddd Ldl Beg sachche Sat Gar Wall dt
sawdri, Ao Miydn Ldl Khd^i Darbdri. Sattar do hahattar bald tumhdre panje tale
■mdri ! Chhdnnnge diidh dd dudh, pdui dd pdni. Toshd xKi Imhhvd, bhet hai tnmhdrl ; Jcuchh
hijo madiid hamdri. Shdh detakht, Mulidn dl human, indal haati,
zard a)nhdrl, Ai Dddd Ldl Beg sachche Sat Gar Wall di
. HnUHh'i.
Ao Miydn Ldl Khdn Darbdri,'
Sarwar dl shahidi Hazrat dd kalima pdk.
" Ld ildha ill-illdho; Mohammad-ir-RasM'Ul- laho."
(2). Another runs as follows :-
Awxoal Fir And.
Dom Plr Khdsd,
Som Pir Sdfd.
Chdram Pir Giljhoprd.
Bare dd mat, jit4 dd pahilivdn, sarjan
umrnat pai ! Sachche Sliahe Tcald tihdl. Jis din Alirdn Shdh Ja^iamid, chauddn
tahaq hoi rushndi ! Thdpi tnili Muhammadon ! Baddi mill Paighambron ! Jhotdjamid ban-khande men ; chhutdphird
Dargdh wich maqtulon bang sundi,
•* Kholo bdivnn topi chird " : htirdn mangal
gdi. Tale bage jmdd Dariydo, jithe pire ashndn
lagdi. Uchche daliche satranjidn, jithe pire mdl
pdi, Sone di fohri ; rupe dd jhdvu, Ki hhandi hai tolcri ; ki khandi hai jhdru, ? Tokri kh'indi hai " pdk dar pdk : '' Jhdru kha)uli hai " khdh dav khdk." Jhdrii jharmidii dil kar safd ! Le borid ah de dere nd jde. Eds di kunji ? Kda dd tdld ? Kaun hai kholnewdld ? Ishq di kunji, prem dd tdld, Jibrdil hai kholnewdld ; Wohi ik hai.
All now seat themselves, and then the ghi having been burnt and horn thus offered, the chimndn, made of flour, sugar and ghi, is distributed to the worshippers. The chongerd, or basket, is carried round. Some of the chtirmdn is given to the dogs, some to the crows, some to the cows, some to the old women, ani then the people eat, beginninor with the most wealthy and resf)ectable. The wrestler for Shdh Eli gets a share. The remainder is given to friends in the neighbourhood who are abgent. A collection of money is also taken.
While they are seated, two stools are placed by the altar, and near them four cakes of dried cowdung are lighted, so that the drummer
* To Hopiralo water from milk, i.e., to administer the hiphost jastice,
t Th« male-buffalo donotinp; Lil Beg.
X Thia phrase meaca "auroad the 52 turbans,"
The first Pir is Asa.
The second Pir is Khasa.
The third Pir is Safa.
The fourth Pir is Giljhapra.
The friend of the defeated, the hero of the
victorious, (he) has followers of repute ! The true saint has done this miracle. When Miran Shah was born the fourteen
regions were illuminated ! He received a pat from Muhammad ! He was glorified by the Prophet ! The male-buffalot was born in the wilderness
and strayed in God's court : from the slain a
call was heard, The virgins of Paradise sang joyfully " Kholo
bdwan topi chird.'''!(.
Below flows the life-giving river where the
saint bathed. Above were spread carpets and rugs whereon
the saint was seated. Golden is the basket ; silver is the broom, What says the basket ; what says the broom ? The basket says " pure and clean " : The broom says " dirt and dust." Sweep with the broom, clean the heart ! Take the mat and go to his dwelling. Of what is the key ? Of what is the lock ? Who is the opener ?
Of ' love ' is the key, of ' love ' is the look : Jibrafl is the opener ; He is the One.
204 The Chtihrd priests.
may dry his rahhnna (tambourine) when it becomes limp. It being evening the two chelas sing to the rahhdna (tambourine) and the dotdra (fiddle). The drum is heated until it gives a ringing sound when beaten, the dotdra goes (as one of the men expressed it) Un^ bin, bin, bin, the rabbana, c/ham, ghavi, gham, gham, and all are ready. Bulanda comes and says, "■ Pir Bashk is here and so is N^nak, but where is the lame man ? He is lying in the house, is he ? What will he be able to tell to-morrow morning?" The farmers gather round and ask them whrttthey sre singing. Thny answer : " Let us sing the five attributes of God, and then we shall have leisure to speak to you.'*
The chelas get their fees and go. Every year after the crop is gathered in Hdr, they go through this service, with the exception of the making of the shrine, the butti on the thard (the altar on the platform),
IV.— RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
(a). — Priests.
With respect to their priests, whose names are Bala Shdh, Markhande. Mid,n Sura, Lai Beg, BRlmik, Jhaumpra, Pir Jhot^, Gungar Beg, Ail Maluk, they look on them as antdrs (incarnations) of the one Bala, Jhaumprd, in one of these traditions is called by Alif Chela, the tenth incarnation.
The priests are called 'pir, and do duty at marriages and funerals. At marriages the mirdsi (bard) places a diva, lamp of dtd (dough) in a clean place and the people bow before it, while he says that the jot, or light of their ancestors, is being burnt.
Their faqirs or sddhus are b'h^h Madd^ri, Naushahiyd,, Nangesh^hiya, Yatimsh^hiya, Bairiigi. The Sh^h Madariya has a lit, or bodi, and a rosary. The Naugeshaliiya have long hair plaited with bor kd dudh (the milk of the banyan tree) and washed with earth. They bind it round the head with a cord of wool, and wear over it a turban of yellow cloth. 'Phey wear a laro^e bead over the forehead. They go naked for twelve years, having the person smeared with ashes.
The Bairagi is dressed much like the Nangeshahiya, but he carries a bairdgan, or prop, on which he sits.
The Naushdhiya has the hair united. He wears a rosary, and on the wrist an ornament called a gajrd. His clothes are yellow — whatever he has of clothes.
The Yatimshdrhiya is like the Baird,gi.
The faqirs^ work is to expel evil spirits with their mantras (incanta- tions).
(b). — Articles of faith. The tenets of their religion are especially — 1. Sin is a reality. 2. There is one God. 3. Bd,ld, is a mediator.
Sdddi MTi tere agge, Our cry is to thee ;
Teri kuk dhur Dargde.—Amin. Thy cry reaches the presence of God.
4. They sacrifice an animal, and also present offerings of corn, gur, ghi. It is cooked and placed on the shrine. It is called hafdhi.
Chuhrd beliefs. 205
The gydni, chela or priest, stands in front, the congi-ej^atiou behind him. When the gryani (knowing one) says, ' Bolo, moniino, sarhgati' they say, * Amin, sarbgati,' i.e., ' let all have salvation.' The victim sacrificed is a fowl or a goat according to their means. It is called All \h da Nam (God's Name). The i\.od is distributed and eaten, and the fanj sifateu (five attributes) are sung.
5. The spirit returns to God.
6. 'i'hero will be a resurrection of the body.
7. There will be judgment.
8. Tlierc are angels.
The priests of the Chuhras are recruited from various sources. Thus in many parts of Gurgaon weddings are performed by pddhas, who will eat with Chuhras, though they are probably degraded Brahmans by caste, like the Cbamarwci. See also Lalbeqi.
(c). — Shrines.
The shrine in a village always faces the east. Ita shape is a dome, or, as they say, gdo dum ki shakal (like a cow's tail), upright. There are only lamps in it, no idols. The name of the shrine is Bala Shah.
(d) . — Rites.
They have no secret rites. Their shrine is worshipped on Thursdays, sacrifices are ofi:"ered, and also chiirmdn (a sweetmeat made of bread crumbs mixed with butter and sugar), and the gydjii prays. It is only at the consecration of a new slirino that the head of the animal sacrificed and knives are buried under the shrine. The shrine is built on the sacrifice and sacrificial weapons, as a foundation.
There is no ceremony for admission among the Chuhrds, except participating in the hardhi.
(e). — Saceifices,
The animal sacrificed is a fowl, a goat, and perhaps a cow.
The gydni, or a Muhammadan mulla, offers the sacrifice.
The sacrifice is offered not near the ahrine but at a little distance from it. It is cooked and eaten. They also burn ghi, rdl or scented resin,* and guggal (a gum, used as incense) . This is called horn.
When a child is born, he is brought on the twenty-first day and offered or consecrated to Billmik, and called Bdlinik ha bor. He is a nazar, or offering.
(/). — Fetishism.
Belief in spirits is general. A spirit may attach itself to a roof and break it, or to a well and throw a man in, or to animals and they will attack and injure man. A bad ruh (an evil-spirit) may meditate mischief and God sends a warning. This is called sabhdicak (of good intent).
Good spirits attach themselves to wood and other things, especially cooking vessels. They bring blessings.
Fields are haunted and may accordingly be barren. • Rdl, resin of the Sho rea rdbusta.
206 Chuhrd beliefs.
(g). — Ancestor- WORSHIP.
The ChulirdiS fear the spirit of a woman who dies in childbirth, because she has become a churel, a witch that is to be dreaded. Faqirs have power over spirits and receive information from them of the designs of the spirit world.
Bad dreams come from the dahdi (the pressure) of an evil spirit. To drive the evil spirits away BAlmik's name is taken. Sickness is caused by had ruh hi say a (the shadow of an evil spirit). Faqirs and jpirs drive away spirits \\it\\ jhdrd'^ karaund, jhdr phunkt (conjuring).
Ghosts of the dead haunt houses, burial grounds, etc. They come as little boys vtith white hair. Not long since in this neigbourhood two children strayed from home in the gi'ey dawn and were seen by some of the villagers, who, not recognising them as children of the village, were terrified at the sight of them, believing them to be ghosts. I understand that the children ran some risk of being treated harshly, if not killed, as evil-intentioned ghosts.
Churels have their feet pointing backwards. They have long paps which they throw over their shoulders. Their hair is long, and face beautiful. A dyer was returning home one day, when he met a churel, who accompanied him to his house. She was very attractive, for she concealed the marks by which he would have recognised her. But at night, wlien it was time to put outthe light, she did it with her hand, which she stretched to such a distance that the dyer in terror found he had a churel by his side. He would have given the alarm, but she threatened him and gave him a rupee. The fag ir found her out, how- ever, being set to do it by the dyer's friends. Usne use qdhu harliyd (he caught her). She then asked for her rupee and disappeared.
If a woman dies before giving birth to her child, she certainly becomes an evil-spirit. When they bury her, they put a nail through, her hands and her feet, and put red pepper on her eyes. They place a chain round her ankles and so bury her. On the way home they sow ■seti sarou (white mustard) that it may blind her. They have tuna for her, i.e., charms, otherwise she would come and hurt every one in the house. " This is a fact," said my informant emphatically !
At a certain stage of the incantations the cheld says, " Are you going ? " The spirit says, " Yes, but I wa,nt a fowl, a goat, a piece of cloth, etc." This is given, and the bad spirit goes.
There are several kinds of spirits, churel, bhilt, kliavis, jinn, deo, pari. The churel we have described. The j^aris are churds when they come in companies. Kfaqir, who dies within his twelve years of faqiri, becomes a bhitt, or a khavis, or a jinn, or a deS. If he dies in his forty days of fasting, when he comes to eat one grain a day, he becomes a hhavis or a jmn, or a deo.
Totems.
Laung (clove) J is the name of one of the ancestors in the clan of Goriye. It is especially revered.
* Lit. 'sweep away.'
t Lit. 'blow away.'
X Also a noaa stud or oraament.
Chuhrd omens and oaths. 207
Among the Gils, the haingyah (egg plant) is particularly noticed. The chiefs name was Parth, so they do not eat the 'part* (rind) of the haingyan.
Women never take the name of their zdt (caste) on their lips.
V.-SUPERSTITIONS.
Omens and Names.
If a Chuhrd goes on a journey and meets a rnirdsi, he goes back. If some one calls after him he goes back. The braying of a donkey meeting him is a good omen, if a washerman meets a man beginning a journey, it is sufficient to send him back, certain of failure if he goes on. Some men are known to carry good fortune, and are sent out to meet travellers.
A Chuhra never steps over a broom. The broom that is used to sweep corn ia hung up on a nail in the house. That for ordinary use is placed on a grave, bat never upright.
Children are frequently given names arising out of superstitions : thus, Kakd is used as a first name. Ghasita means dragged, that is, dragged over a dust heap, ruri. Rur^ hH.s the same meaning. As the name is one of dishonour, tlie evil-eye will not fall on the children that bear it. Likar means having half of tho liead shaved, and the other not ; this ia to keep the child alive. Nathu means having a ring in the nose, to hold him and keep him from going away, i.e., dying.
Oaths, magic and witchceaft. The oath by B^la Shdh is used.
The practice of magic arts is confined to /ajiVg and pzV«. It is the sauhrief that bring evil-spirits. A person possessed is cured in the following manner : — The/ag-iV takes a drum, a thdli or platter and a ghard or earthen jar. The platter is placed over the jar, and the whole is called gharidl.X Thefaqir beats the drum, another person beats the gharidl, and others sing. The sick person shakes his head, and when the music (?) ceases they ask him questions: " Who are you ?" " I am so and so," he replies. " How did j on come into this state?" "Such and such a one put me into this state." " Who bewitched you ?" " So and so." " What did he get for doing it ?" '•' So many rupees." " For how long are you sick? "I have to be sick so many days, and then die." They play and sing again. After a time the sick man perspires and recovers. The evil-spirit goes with the perspiration.
A curious and repulsive cure is used among Hindus and probably others. It is called jari or niasdn. An unmarried person dies, and his or her body is burnt at the burning ghdt. A faqir takes some of tho ashes from the burning pile, goes to tho hills for a certain plant, and makes bread of these two ingredients on a grave. The broad is made into pills, one of which is given to a naked childless woman. She gives the pill in a drink to her enemies, and herself has a child. Her barren condition was caused by an evil-spirit. Masdn means demon, and burn- ing-place among Hindus.
* Part is the form given in Maya Singh's Punjabi Dictionnry, p. 877. I Sauhrd,— i, lit. (I) parenta-in-law; (2) Bimpieton, wretch. % Qharidl, lit. a gong.
208 Chuhrd social customs.
Jhundd is an iron whip which a faqir beats himself with for the sake of another, so that the evil-spirit in him may be troubled and flee. They also burn oil in a tavd (iron dish). The faqir puts his hand in the hot oil and pours it on his person. The evil-spirit feels it, but the faqir does not. Tho faqir also beats his body with a millstone. After the sick man recovers, the faqir takes a fowl, kills it, dips a string in its blood, knots the string, blows on it, and finally binds it round the sick man's neck, assuring him that the evil-spirit will not come again. If the man goes where there is impurity [sutak] the virtue in the string disappears.
Dreams are from evil-spirits, and the Chuhras fear them. To dream that a person who is dead is cutting flesh, is an intimation that there will be a death in the house. Muhammadan Sayyids give the ta^wix (a charm) to keep away dreams.
The evil eye is universally believed in. Some men are very injurious in this way. If a man with the evil eye looks at any one taking food, sickness follows. To cure this, the sick person asks a bit from the evil-eyed man when he is at a meal. The morsel given acts as a cure. "When a cow is sick, and gives no milk, they give her a bit of the evil-eyed {had nazr) man's food.
Sorcerers and witches act on their victim by making a figure of him and torturing the figure by inserting a needle into it. The torture reaches the person who is personated. Nails and hairs are carried away to be subjected to pain that the original owners 'may be tormented. They are carefully thrown away when cut off, lest any enemy should get possession of them. Women are especially careful in this parti- cular.
Sickness is caused by evil spirits.
Ceremonial prohibition or taboo.
The Chuhrds never touch a Gagra, or a Sansi, gipsy. Women and children do not go near graves. The daughter-in-law never mentions the father-in-law's name. Chuhras do not eat monkeys, or snakes, or jackals, or rats.
Agricdltdeal superstitions.
Crops are cut on a Sunday, Monday, or Friday, and sown on a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
If the Chuhyd,s burn a siip (winnowing sieve or fan) in a village, the farmer is injured. It is a curse— the curse of the poor.
Social cdstoms.
The household eat together, but the women eat after the men. If men eat after women they are injured, because women are weak of intellect.
' Yd jidh ya jhuth, donon nuqsdn pahuchdnde : ' * Food touched by others and falsehood are both injurious.' They use shardb (strong drink), opium {aflm, post, hhang) and charas. Drunkards are despised.
Customs op social intercourse. In salutation, they say pairie pan to the great, the answer being terd hhald kare Khudd. Also mathd teknd, saldm.
Chuhrd vocations, 209
COSTOMB BEARINa ON SOCIAL STATUS.
They eat paJcki among themselves, and kachchi with Gagre and Sd,nsis. They smoke only among themselves. No caste above them eats with them.
VI.— OCCUPATION.
The oEioiNAL work op the Chdhras. They were the tanners of the village communities, and used to lire in huts at a distance from the village, the walla of which were made of bones, and the roof of skins. When an animal died, the Hindus beat a drum to let them know that they must come and carry off the dead body. Five rupees was the fee given and also a ehroud. The Chuhr^s took off the animal's hide and ate its flesh. Sweeping was also their work.
Formerly, when a Hindu died, the Chuhrds received a sheet or Jcafan (nhroud), and they still receive clothes. In the old days they got five rupees at the Hindu burning-place, and exacted it with clubs. If a cow dies on a Hindu's laud they call it dushndy and the Hindu who takes the cow's tail to the Ganges to be purified is beaten there by a Chuhra with a shoe.
VII.— RELATIONS TO LAND.
Nowadays their work is farm service. They are landless day- labourers on the farm. They are divided into —
(1) The dthr%, who gets a maund of wheat for every mdni at the harvest ; also odds and ends. He has ghundidn, pir de ddne, the barley that is sown in a strip round the wheat field; wheat soAvn by the water- course ; bread twice a day ; clothes and shoes twice a year ; tobacco ; vegetables and wood :
(2) The se'p hhulli, who receives three-quarters of a maund for every mdni, and bread daily if he goes to a distance to work ; and
(3) The wife, who takes away dung from the farmyard, and receives half a maund of corn.
It was cow-burying that led to their isolation. They say the Mdchhi, the Jhiwar, thn Chuhrd, the Changar, and the Mird,si are all of the same caste, but have different occupations.
There is a story told of the Chuhras by Muharamadans and others that does not reflect to their credit. They are believed to be inclined to be uppish and to forget past favours, being ungi-ateful, and are supposed to work best when they are well beaten, otherwise they take advantage of the kindness of their masters. I give this only as the opinion of their neighbours.
The story ia that once on a time the king of the Chuhrfls met Moses, who was on his way to talk with God.* The king of the Chubrds asked Moses to carry a petition to God from him, that he might be enabled to take the usual tax from people passing through his territory. Moses accordingly presented the king's petition, but God said, " Moses, you do
* They and others call Moses Mihtar Mdsa; mihtar being a title of distinction, although used mostly for the Chnhfas.
210 Chunian^Churdhi.
not know what yon are doing, yon do not know this people. They will turn on you, and dishonour you in the end.*' But Moses persevered, and obtained for the Chuhrd king what he desired, viz,, that he should levy taxes on travellers. The next time Moses passed that way he was accosted in a most humiliating manner. " Oh Musri, are you the man that carried a petition for me ? You must pay the dues." " Did I not tell you, Moses," snid God, " that you would bring dishonour on your head. They have no gratitude."
IX.— THE TRADITIONS OP THE CHUHR^S.
The Chuhrds have oral traditions which they recite at their gather- ings. If a Chuhrd, wishes to learn them, he becomes the disciple of some one who is in possession of them, i. e., who can repeat them from memory. I heard, however, that there was a book of the Chuhrds in Gujrd,nwala District, but I was unable to obtain it, as the owners had the idea that I would use it to their disadvantage,
Chdnian, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Churahi is the generic name for the people of the Chur&h. wizdrat, in Chamba State, who include Brahmans, Rdjputs, Thdkurs, Rdthis, and the follow- ing low castes : — Hdlis, Kolis, Sippis, Barw^las, Lohdrs, Chamdrs, Dumnas, Rih^ras, Chandls, Meghs, etc. The low castes are all endog- amous.
Tradition makes the Thdknrs descendants of the old R^n^s, or petty chieftains, who held Chamba, prior to the foundation of the State by the Rdjd,s, and the Hdlis, its oldest inhabitants. It also makes the Brahmans immigrants from Brahmaur and the Rajputs from the plains ; but the Rdthis preceded these two castes, having been expelled from the Dugar counti'y by Gugga Chauhd,n — a curious legend.
Marriage among the Churdhis is adult, and women are allowed every license before marriage. Three degrees on either side, counting from the grandparents, are avoided, but otherwise there are few restrictions, Brahmans intermarrying with Rd,this, by both forms of marriage, and also with Rdjputs and Thdkurs. Polyandry is not recognized, but polygamy is, and the first or head wife (bari Idri*) is given Rs. 6 when a second wife is admitted into the house. This fee is caWed jethw a ghf.
The observances at betrothal are simple. The initiative is taken by the boy's people, and the binding rite consists in the boy's agents placing eight Chamba coins, worth nearly 2 annas, in the plates used for enter- taining the bride's ruhdrus or representatives, and giving one rupee for ornaments to the girl.
Marriage is of three kinds. In the superior form, called ^'awatj, the per- liminaries are as follows : — Some six months before the wedding the boy's father or brother goes to the girl's house with one or two friends and gives her father Rs. 7 and a goat as his Idg^. A rupee is also given to the bride to buy ornaments, and this is called handhd dend\\. If the parents
• Ldri = wife.
f Fr.jeiha. elder and udgh, a share,
J Jandi (jdni =^ marnage), jandi appears to be a diminutive.
§ Lag, a custorr.ary due.
jl Bandhd — jewelleiy.
Weddings in Churdh, ^ll
agree, an auspicious day is fixed for the wedding, and a day before it two messengers {dhdmu*) from the bride's house come to fetch the boy, who worships the family deva or devi. Next day, accompanied by a few friends and one of the dhdmu, he goes to the bride's house. One of the boy's menial Hdlis accompanies him, carrying the badhdi^f, a present of two mdnisX o^ grain, to her father. This Hdli is called putridr^. On his arrival at the entrance the boy worships the kumhk\\ (a vessel full of water) ; throwing two copper coins into it and then seating himself on a blanket placed near the wall. The bride's sister now has a mimic fight with him and does not let him sit down till he has paid her two annas. This is called bishk^. She then fetches the bride and seats her by the boy whose future brother-in-law brings a vessel of boiled rice which he and the boy's brother scatter over the floor. This is called bhdt chingdna*''^. The pair are then seated, as are the guests, and a feast with songs and dancing follows. The bride's dowry called sudytt is then given to her by her parents. In the afternoon the boy's party returns to his house with two or three of the girl's friends, and the bride herself and other men and women of the bride's party. Before leaving the threshold of the bride's house the ceremony of drtiH is performed, a lighted lamp being waved four times rouud the head of the pair by a priest, who recites verses from the SukUmber and Deo Lild. At the boy's house this observance is repeated, and the kumhh worshipped by the bride and bridegroom, at the door. Then the boy's mother lifts up the bride's veil and presents her with a rupee or half a rupee according to her position. This is called ghundu^^ khard karnd. After this a feast is eaten and another feast given on the following day, and songs and dances performed. The binding portion of the ceremony is when drti is waved round the couple's heads at the boy's house. At his wedding the boy wears a high peaked cap like a Gaddi's, but not a sehra || || .
Within a month after the marriage the married pair pay a visit to the wife's parents and make them a small present. This observance is called har-phera^^i.
Widow remarriage is recognised. Formerly the widow was obliged to many one of the deceased husband's brothers, but now this is not the practice. She can choose her own husband within her own caste or sub-division. This union is solemnized by an inferior form of marriage called sargudhi'^^*. There are no dhdmu, and the bridegroom simply goes to the woman's house with his putridr and brother. The bandhd is given as at a regular wedding, but drti is not performed, and there is less feasting and the cost is much less. The binding ceremony in this form is when an ornament is put on her, usually a nose-ring.
* Dhnmu, fr. dham a feast 1 dhdmu = guest.
+ Badhdi, fr. harhna, to increase.
T Mdniy a measure.
& Putridr^ from pufr, a son .
I Kumhh = a new ghard full of water. ^ Bishk, fr. bishnd = haithnd, to sit down. *• Chingdna, to scatter. "f^ Sudj, dowry : fr. sud, red.
tt.4rh'. to swing round anything from right to left. §8 Ohundtl-thddar, a bride's head-dress. fill Sehra, bridegroom's bead-dress.
^fl Har-phera, fr, flctr, God, and pheriid, to go ; to visit in the name of God, **• Sargudhi, fr. tar, head (hsir) and gudhnd or gundhna, to plait.
212 Marriage in Ghurdh,
A quiet form of sargudhi marriage is called garih chdra*. The lag, etc., are all rendered as iii the other form, but on an auspicious day the bridegroom accompanied by his sister simply goes to the bride's house, and at the entrance worships the kumhh. He then seats himself on the blanket in the usual way, and the girl is seated next him by her mother. After eating the couple take leave of the girl's father and proceed to the boy's house where the kuinbh is again touched. This second worship of the kumhh makes the marriage binding.
The third and lowest form of marriage is the handhd ludndf in which a widow, who is to marry her husband's brother, is married to him on the kiria day, i.e., 7th to the 11th or ISthday after the first husband's death. She puts aside her late husband's ornaments and puts on his brother's, in token that she accepts him. A he-goat is sacrificed at home to the de- ceased husband and a small feast usually given. The widow's parents need not attend, but they are entitled to a lag, called hakrd, as being the price of a goat. If the widow wishes to marry a stranger, he must pay the hakrd of one rupee, and Re. 1-8 or Rs. 3 as chadydliX to her parents. An auspicious day after the kiria karm period is ascertained from a jotshi,^ and the ornaments changed as described above.
Lastly a man who elopes with a girl can, after a certain interval, open neo'otiatioiis with her father, and if he assents, pay him Rs. 7 and a goat as compensation. This observance is termed lag rit\\ and operates as a valid marriage.!
The custom of gharjawdntri or service in lieu of a money payment for a wife, is common among all castes in the State, especially in the Churah and Sadr wizdrats. The term of service is usually three or seven years, and the marriage may take place at any time if the girl's father is agreeable.
A husband may divorce his wife if he cannot get on with her. The divorce is complete if the husband receives back his ornaments and says : " I have divorced you, Bdjd ki durohi^^/' i.e., on the Rajd,'s oath. The husband also breaks a stick in her presence. Divorced wives can remarry if they like.
In succession all sons, even bastards, if recognized by the father, succeed on equal terms, but the eldest son gets the best field as his jethwdgh ; the second son gets a special implement, sickle, sword or axe as his hathidr, while the third gets the family house as his mulwdher.
The son {rand put) or daughter {rand dhidff) of a widow born in her husband's house has all the rights of her deceased husband's own children. It is, however, essential that the widow should continue to live in her husband's house and the child be begotten therein.
* ' The custom (c/idra) of the poor.'
f Ludnd = to put on aa a dress.
j Chadydli, fr. chadnd = chorna, to let go.
§ Jotuhi, an astrologer.
[| Rit = custom.
^ Marriage customs differ considerably in the eastern and western portions of Churah, and the above description chiefly applies to the eastern half. In the western half the bydh or full marriage rite, according to orthodox Hindu custom, is the rule, and the janai is uncommon ; but the other forms are as above.
** Durohi =^ oath,
■\-\-Rand = 'widow, and dhid = daughter.
Tenv/res in Churdh. 213
All doad Hindus except children not yet tonsured are burnt. The head is placed towards the north and the hands on tho chest, the face being turned skyward. _ Tho Hindu rites are, in essentials, observed, but tho place of the achdraj is taken by the Bhd^.
For seven, nine or thirteen days mourning is observed, only one meal a day, called upas*, being eaten, and on tho day on which mourning is to cease, a suit of good woollen clothes (which are prepared beforehand in anticipation of death and worn on festival days) is given to the priest , who presides over the obsequies. Sixteen balls of rice are prepared and offered to the deceased's ancestors and finally removed and thrown into the nearest stream. The relations of the deceased also wash their clothes and a he-goat is killed. Then a feast is given to the relations and the mouruing ends. This feast is usually given by the deceased's wife's parents. Ceremonies are performed and balls made and offered after one, three and six months, a year and four years, to the deceased. At the latter, i. e., at the end of the fourth year, called chuharhi, the ceremonial is done on a big scale.
The obsequies of any man who dies childless are done in tho same way, but if he brings any calamity on the household an effigy is made and placed near a spring or on the roof of the house or in some good place and worshipped by offering him a cap, bread, and an earthen pot of ghi which are finally worn and eaten by the man who is supposed to have been affected by him. The spirit of the person who dies a violent death is appeased by taking an earthen pot full of boiled ghi, a pitcher full of water, and a goat to the spot where he met his death, aad the goat is killed there and his head and the vessels rolled down the hill. This is done onthepaniydru, i.e., on the hiria harm day. The people perform sarddh. Ceremonies are also performed for the propitiation of ancestors in general, t
The Chur^his are zaminddrs and hold land on two forms of tenure. Those who pay half its produce are called ghdrdX and those who pay a fixed share of gi'ain, etc., are called mudydri.^ The half share is alone divided after deducting the seed for the next crop. Occupancy tenants are not allowed any special privilege in the shape of remission of rent or favourable rates. The Chur^his are primarily and essentially cultivators, but many of them own flocks of sheep and goats with which, like the Gaddis, they visit Pdngi in summer and tho low hills in winter.
The Churd.hia worship the deities on the following days :—
Shiv — Sunday, Monday and Thursday.
Sdkti — Sunday, Moaday and Tuesday.
Nag or Mahal — Thursday and Saturday.
Kailu — Thursd ay .
Kyelang — Sunday and Thursday.
Sitla — Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Chaund — Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
* Opd$ = fast.
t Men who have died childless are propitiated by putting garlands of flowera and a red woolleD cap on their effigies on the Sankrdnt and tfdns days. 1 Fr. ghdr = half, f Fr. muda, a fixed amoant.
21* Churdhi festivals.
To Shiv are offered a chola or woollen coat, a sheep, charms of silver oblono; in shape worn round the neck, a nddi (a silver-arch ornament shaped like a drnm). These offerings are taken by the head of the family, and the ornaraentjg are worn by him out of respect for Shiv and to avert his wrath. To Sakti Devi are offered, as elsewhere, a goat, trident and cakes. The offerings to a Nd,g are an iron mace {khan(fa), a crooked iron stick {kundi), (these are left at the shrine), a sheep and cakes (these are divided among the priest, chela and worshipper, and eaten). To Kailu are offered a red cap, an iron mace and a kid. The cap and part of the kid go to the priest, the rest to the worshipper. Kyelang's offerings are a mace, a goat and a red cap. Sitla^s offerings are a goat and cakes like the Devi's. Chaand gets cakes, and occasion- ally a goat, is also sacrificed at her shrine.
Churahis make a pilgrimage to Manmahesh in Bhadon or in Asuj, on the Drub Ashtami day.
Blocks of wood or stone which are supposed to possess some super- natural attributes are worshipped. When a deity is to be set up for the first time and consecrated, a Brahman's presence is necessary. The priests preside at shrines; and in dwellings the elder members of the household. Priests are not selected from the Brahman class only, but from all the other castes except low castes. Brahmans, Rdjputs, Rathis andfhakkara are eligible to hold the position of a priest.
The following are some of the festivals observed in Churd,h :—
1. Biswd., on 1st Baisd,kh, at which pindri or balls of grain are eaten with honey and ghi or gur. People also collect together tor singing and dancing, this being the Hindu New Year's Day.
2. Patvom ki sankrdnt* on 1st Bhadon, held in memory of their ancestors. Flour is mixed with water, salt and spices and spread on bhuji leaves, called patroru, and eaten.
3. Masru, held on the same day as the Drub Ashtami at Manimahesh in honour of Shiva — that is, on the eighth day of the light half of Bhadon. It is accompanied by dancing.
4. Several of the ordinary melas observed in the capital, such as Holi, Diwd,li, Lohri, etc., are also held in Churd,h.
5. Chhinj, or wrestling matches, associated with the Lakhd^ta cult, are held annually in every pargana of Churah.
Ceorbra, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Chub£qar : ( I ) a maker of bracelets, called in the west Bangera or Wangri- gar. Also called sometimes Kachera or glass-worker, the Churigar generally makes bracelets of glass or lac, which are sold in the east by the Manid-r, and in the west by the Bangera. The Churigar also makes bracelets of bell-metal or any other material except silver or gold. The term is probably merely an occupational one, and in the east of the Punjab practically synonymous with Manidr. (2) A Jd,t clan (^agricul- tural) found in Multan.
Sanhr&ni =: firit d»j of the month.
215
D
Dabb, Dab, a Ji\ clan (agricultural) found in Multdn and Shdhpur.
Dabekah, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Pabgar, a low caste who make kuppis for oil and yhi. Tliey prepare the raw hides themselves. The term is, at least in these Provinces, a purely occupational one, but the dabgars are principally recruited from the Chamdr caste, and, in Sidlko^, from the Khojds and Chuhrds also. By metathesis the term becomes badgar.
Dabkaya, Dahaya, cf. Katayfi, a gilder, a beater of wire.
Dachchi, a clan of the Bhattis of the Sandal Bdr, who are said to marry
with the Chaddrars, but not with the Bliagsiri or Jandrdkea, though the
latter also are both Bhatti clans.
Dadd, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Daddcke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Dadi, a sept of Rajputs, descended from Chhatar Cliand, 3rd Bon of Par^ Chand, Slst Rdja of Kahlur or Bilaspur State.
Dadi, see under Dawai.
Dadpotra, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multau (doubtless Ddud- potra, q. v.).
Dadra BHAffi, a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery,
Dadu, a 3a\ clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Dadupanthi, — Founded by DiLdu,* a Gaur Brahman, who died in 1703. The Dddupanthi sect is usually divided into three orders : —
(*) Ndga3,t found in the villages about Jaipur : they wear the choti or scalp-lock, and ornaments, and are wrestlers, fencers and on occasion warriors ;
(»i) the Viraklas,J who wear ochre-coloured garments and do not livo in houses ;
* Didu was born at Ahmad4bad in Ouzerit, wbence he migrated to Narilina 50 miles south-west of Jaipur and now the head-qnarters of the sect. At the gurHdwdra hero the D^d^panthis assemble in Ph^gan and thence go to Sambhar where a fair ia held on the Hnniversary of Dado's death. Regarding his birth, tradition avers that an a"ed Brahman had no son, but one day God, in the guise of an old man, told him in response'^ to his prayers, that he would find floating on the river a box containing a male child, sucking its toe. He did so, and his wife's breasts miraculously filled with milk, so that she was able to suckle the child. When the boy was 10 years old, the aged man again appear, fid to the boy and gave him some betel from his own mouth, whereby all secrets were revealed to him, and the old n.an then named him Dadii Jiv, bidding him remain celibate and found an order of his own. Dadii then exclaimed ; Dddit gaih mahin gur dev mild, pdyd ham parshdd, Mastak meri kar dharyd dekhd agam agdd. " By chance J found a guru ; he gave me pnrshdd and laid his hands upon my hend, whereby all secrett were revealed to me.'' Didii'a death is assigned to Sbt. 17G0 (1703 A.D.) • but he is nlso said to have been 6th in descent from Riiminand. If so he flourished in 1600 A. D. Other accounts make him contemporary with Dar4 Shikoh, others with Govind Singh. According to Vacauliffe, Sikh Religion, VI, p. 140, the D^dupanthfa place D4dd's death at the same time and place as Kabir's.
t N4ga is said to be derived from Sanskrit ndgvaka, naked, but thero ia the usaal play on the words nanjfa (naked) and nag, snake. The Nig4s are mercenary soldiers in Jaipur and other States of R4jputana but are not known in the Punjab. See below also.
J Virakta simply means ascetic. Mr. Maolagan eaya the celibates of to-day wear white, shave the beard and moustache, and wear necklaces, with white round caps to whiob ia attached a piece of cloth which hangs down the baok^-olearly the kapdli.
216 The Dddupanthia.
{in) the Uttradhas, who shave the head with the beard and mous- tache,''^ wear white clothes, and generally practise as physi- cians; besides
(iv) the secular Dddupanthis, who are called Bistardharis.
Dadu is said to have had 52 disciples who established as many deras or resting places.t The head of each dera, the deraddr, presents contributions to the gaddi-nashin or incumbent of the guru'dwdra at Nardind, who is elected by a conclave of the deraddrs. The eect is recruited from the Brahman, Kshatriya, Rdjput, Jdt and Gujar castes, but never from those of menial rank 4 As a rule children are initiated.
Dddu composed a book called the Dddu Bani, of 5,000 verses, some of which are recited by his followers, after cheir ablutions every morning. In the evening drti is performed to it by lighting lamps and reciting passages from it.§ Dd,du forbade idolatry, built no temples,|| and taught the unity of God. In salutation his votaries use the word Sat Rdm, the " True God." But, in spite of Dd,du's denunciation of idolatry, his hair, his tumha (cup), chold (gown) and kharsun (sandals) are religiously preserved in his cave (guphd) at Sdmbhar.^
Before a guru admits a disciple the privations and diflficulties of jog are impressed upon him, and he is warned that he will have to remain celibate, live on alms, abstain from flesh and stimulants, and uphold the character of his order. In the presence of all the sddhus the guru shaves off the disciple's choti (scalp-lock) and covers his head with the hapdli (sknll-cap), which Dd,du wore. He is also given a kurta of hhagwd (ochre) colour, and taught the guru-mantra which he must not reveal. The rite concludes with the distribution of sweets.
On a guru's death the usual Hindu rites are observed, and on the I7th day a feast is given to the sddhus. A fine tomb is sometimes erected outside the dera, in memory of the deceased, if he was wealthy.
Although the Dddupanthis proper are celibate, both men and women are admitted into the community, and a great many have taken to marriage without ceasing to be D5,dupanthi8. These form the histat' dhdri or secular group, which should probably be regarded as a separate caste. Many of them are merchants, especially in grain, and wealthy.
* The Utfcradhi have a guru at Rathia in Hissar. See below.
•j- Of these 52 digoiples, Raijab, Gharib Dis and Sundar D43 were the chief. Raijab was a Muhammadan ; it is said that Muhammadana who follow Dad^ are called Uttradhi in contradistinction to the Hindu Dadiipanthi8 who are called Nagf. But the N^gi is clearly the N4ga already described, and Uttradhi can only mean " northern."
The second, Gharib DAs, composed many hymns, still popular among Hindus, but his followers are said to be mostly Chamirs, who cut the hair short and wear cotton quilting. Bundar Dig composed the Sahya, a work resembling the Sikh Qranth.
J But see the foregoing foot-note. The followers of Gharib Das. at any rate, elude Ohamirs, and Mr. Maclagan adds that many adherents of the sect are found among the lower castes.
§ According to Wilson the worship is addressed to Kama, the deity negatively described lntheVed4nta theology.
II Now temples are built by his followers who say that they worship " the book '' in them.
<|| Mr. Maclagan adds : " In fact, the doctrine of Dadu is sometimes described as pantheistic. It is contained in several works in the Bhasba tongue which are said to include many of the sayings of Kabir. Accounts of the guru and his followers are given in the Janm-lila."
rhe Mall. LAHORE. I Alipur Road. DELHI.
\J c ^ c^ .
Dadwd I — Ddgi. 217
Dadwal. — The Rdjput clan to which belongs the ancient ruling family of Datarpur, but said to take its name from Ddd'i in Kiuigra on the Hoshidrpur border. The Rdnds of Bit Manasw^l, or tableland of the Hoshi^rpur Siwaliks were Dadwdl Rajputs, and the clan still Lolds the tract.
The Dadw^ls are found in the neighbourhood of Datd,rpur, the seat of their former sovereignty, and on the south-west face of the Siwd,lik3 in Hoshidrpur tahsil near Dholbdha and Jatiauri or Jankipuri, its ancient name, which is .still used. Jdnnk was an ancienfc Surnjbausi ruler. The Dadwdls are a branch of the Katoch and do not intermarry with them, or with the Golerid,3 or Sibd,yas on the ground of a common descent. They have an interesting local history which describes how they wrested the tract round Datdrpur from a Chdhng rdni.
The Dadvv^ls have several als or families, whose names are derived from their settlements, such as Janaurach, Dholb^hia, Datd,rpurift, Fatehpuria, Bhdmnowdlia, Khangwarach, Naruria, Rdmpuria, etc. Datiirpur is their chief village, but they have no system of chhats and makdns. (For their history and the septs which intermarry with them see the Hoshidr'pur Gazetteer, 1904, pp. 48-9.)
DaprIna, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Daqar, a Jat tribe, numerous in Delhi and Gurgdon, and with a small colony in Rohtak.
DAaf, Dagdi, (from (^o'gr/i,,''^ a blemish ; the word ddghi is a term of abuse in KuUu), a generic term for an impure caste in Kullu. Koli is hardly a synonym, though, according to Ibbetson, these two words, together with a third, Chanel, are used almost indifferently to describe the lower class of menials of the highest hills. The Koli of the plains is easily distinguishable, by his locality, from the Koli of the hills. The former is probably nothing more than a Chamar tribe immigrant from Hindustan ; the latter, of Kolian origin. The two would appear to meet in the Siwaliks. Cunningham believed that the hills of the Punjab were once occupied by a true Kolian race belonging to the same group as the Kols of Central India and Behar, and that the present Kolis are very probably their repret^entatives. He points out that dd, the Kolian for water, is still used for many of the smaller streams of the Simla hills, and that there is a line of tribes of Kolian origin extending from Jabbalpur at least a<? far as AlUhd,biid, all of which use many identical words in their vocabularies and have a common tradition of an hereditary connection with work- ing in iron. The name of Kullu, however, he identifies with Kulinda,
* But according to the late Mr. A. Anderson : — " The popular explanation of the word Dagi is that it is derived from (iflfir cattle, because they drau away the carcasses of dead cattle and also eat the flesh. If a man says ho is a Koli, then a Kanet turns round on him anl asks him whether he does not dmg carcassea ; and on his saying he does, the Kanet alleges he is a Dagi, and the would-be Koli consents. There are very few in Kullu proper that abstain from touching,' the dead. There are more in Saraj, but they admit tliey are called either Bagis or Kolis, and that whether they abstain from touching carcasses or not, all eat, drink and intermarry on equal terms. It is a mere piece of afiectation for a man who does not touch the dead to say he will not intermarry with the family of a man who is not so fastidious. This is a social distinction, and probably also indicates more or less the wealth of the individual who will not touch the dead."
^18 Ddgis.
and thinks that it has nothing in common with Kol. KoU, the ordinary name for any inhabitant of KuUd, is a distinct word from Koli and with a distinct meaning.
The names Koli, Ddgi, and Chanel seem to be used to denote almos* all the low castes in the hills. In the median ranges, such as those of K^ngra proper, the Koli and Chanel are of higher status than the Ddgi, and not very much lower than the Kanet and Ghirth or lowest cultivating castes ; and perhaps the Koli may ba said to occupy a somewhat superior position to, and the Chand.1 very much the same position as, the Chamar in the plains, while the D^gi corresponds more nearly with the Chuhra. In Kullu the three words seem to be nsi^d almost indifferently, and to include not only the lowest castes, but also members of those castes who have adopted the pursuits of respectable artisans. The interesting quotations from Sir James Lyall give full details on the subject. Even in Kdngra the distinction appears doubtful. Sir James Lyall quotes a tradition which assigns a common origin, from the marriage of a demi-god to the daughter of a Kullu demon, to the Kanets and Ddgis of Kullu, the latter having become separate owing to their ancestor who married a Tibetan woman, having taken to eatmg the flesh of tlie yak, which, as a sort of ox, is sacred to Hindus ; and he thinks that the story may point to a mixed Mughal and Hindu descent for both castes. Again he writes : " The Koli class is " pretty numerous in Rdjgiri on the north-east side of pargana " Hamirpur ; like the Kanet it belongs to the country to the east of " Kdngra proper. I believe this class is treated as outcast by other " Hindus in Rdjgiri, though not so in BiUspur and other countries " to the east. The class has several times attempted to get the Katoch " Rdjd to remove the ban, but the negotiations have fallen through *' because the bribe offered was not sufiBcient. Among outcasts the •'Chamars are, as usual, the most numerous." Of pargana Kdngra he writes : " The Dagis have been entered as second-class Gaddis, but " they properly belong to a different nationality, and bear the same ''relation to the Kanets of Bangdhal that the Sepis, Badis, and H^lis " (also classed as second-class Gaddis) do to the first-class Gaddis." So that it would appear that Dagis are more common in Kdngra proper, and Kolis to the east of the valley ; and that the latter are outcast while the former claim kinship with the Kanet. {Kdngra Settlement Eeport, ^ 67 , -pp. 6b aT:\d t)2 ; 113 shows that in Kullii at least the Dagi is not a caste). Hali is the name given in Chamba to D^gi f*!" Chandl; and the H^lis are a low caste, much above the Dumna and perhaps a little above the Chamar, who do all sorts of menial work and are very largely employed in tlie fields. They will not intermarry with the Chamdr. See also Koli.
The late Mr. A. Anderson, however, wrote as to the identity of Dagi and Chanel : — " In Kullu proper there are no Chand,ls, that is, there are none who on being asked to what caste they belong will answer that they are Chanals ; but they will describe themselves as Dagi-Chana,ls or Koli-Chan^ls, and men of the same families as these Ddgi-Chanals or Koli-Chanals will as often merely describe themselves as D^gis or Kolis. In Kullu Dagi, Koli, and Chanal mean very nearly the same thing, but the word Koli is more common in Sard.j and Chanal is
Dahd^Dahha, 219
scarcely used at all in KuUu ; but Cliandils are, I believe, numerous in Mandi, and in the K^ngra valley. A Dagi who had been out of the Kullu valley, told me he would call himself a Ddgi in KuUu, a Chand,! in Kangra, and a Koli in Pldch or Saraj, otherwise these local castes would not admit him or eat with him. Again aud afain the same man lias called himself a Dagi and also a Koli. If a Kanet wishes to be respectful to one of this low caste he will call him a Koli if angry with him a Ddgi. A Chanal of Mandi State will not intermarry with a Kullu Udgi. In some places as in Mandli kothi, Kanets smoke with D&gia, but this is not common in Kullu, though the exclusiveness has arisen only within the last few years, as casto distinctions became gradually more defined .... A Chamd,r in Saraj will call himself a Dtlgi, and men calling themselves Kolis sai'l they would eat and drink with him. They said he was a Chamdr merely because he made shoes, or worked in leather. Most Ditgis in Kullu proper will not eat with Cbamars, but in some places they will. It depends on what has been the custom of the families."
pAHA, a Rd,jput clan (agricultural) found in l\3ultd,n, Kabirwdla tahsil, Dalid, (Pahd), also a Jd,t sept, found in Dera Ghdzi Khj'ui. Like the Parhdr(s) Jdts, and tlieir Mirasis the Mongla and Sidhar, they are said to eschew the use of black clothes or green bangles.
Da HAL, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Dahalo, Dahalo, two Jdt clans (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Dahamrai, Dahamraya, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multin.
Dahan, one of the principal clans of the tTd,ts in Karnal : head-quarters at Shahrmalpur.
Dahan, a Jdt clan (asrricultural) found in Multdn.
Dahang, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Dahar, a Jat tribe, akin to t'le Langilh, found in Multan (agricultural).
Dahar, an agricultural clan found in ShAhpur.
Dahar, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in MuUftn. In Bahflwalpur they hold an important position. Their descent is traced from Raja Rawan, ruler of Mirpnr Mathila, near Ghot-ki, who wts conveited to Isldm by Sayyid JhIjII and was by him named Amir-nd-Djlhr, or " Ruler of the Age." Once rulers of part of Sindh, the Dilhr power decreased in the time of the Langfih supremacv, anrl in Akbar's time they were address- ed merely as Zaminddrs, but the Nd,hars conceded many privileo-es to them and these were maintained by the Ditudpotr.4s on their rise to power. The Ddhrs are closely connected with the Gihlni-Makhdums of Uch, to whom they have, it is said, given eighteen daugrhters in marriage from time to time. (For further details see the Bahdwalmir Gazetteer.)
Dahar, a Jat clan (asricultural) found in Multdn.
Dahawa, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Dahba, a Muhammadan ZiX tribe found in Gujrdt. It claims Janjua Rajput origin and descent from one Khoga, a servant of Akbar who gave him a robe of honour and a gray {dahh) horse — v^ hence its name.
220 Dahima — Dahiyd.
DahimAj a group of Brahmans, found in Hiss^r.
Dahiya — (1) A J&\ tribe found on the north-eastern border of the S^uipla and the adjoining portion of the Sonepat tahsils of Eohtak and Delhi. They claim to be descended from Dalila, the only son of a Chauhdn Rdjput natned M^nik Rai, by a Dhankir Jdt woman. This is probably the Manik Rai (Jhaulian who founded Hansi. Another account makes their ancestor Dhadhij, son of Haria Harpdl^ son of Prithi Raja.* Another traiHtion derives the name Dahiyd/ from Dadhr^rd, a village in Hissdr, which it thus makes tlie starting place [nikds) of the tribe. The Dahiyd, is one of the 36 royal tribes of Rdjputs, whose original home was about the confluence of the Sutlej with the Indus. They are possibly the Dahiae of Alexander.
(2) A faction, opposed to the Ahuldna, said to be named after the Dahiyd Jats. These two factions are found in Karddl, as well asin Delhi and R 'htak. The Ahulaua faction is headed l)y the Ghatwdl or Malak Jats, whose head-quai'ters are Dher-ka-Ahiildna in Gohdna, and who were, owing to tlieir successful oppo>*ition to the Rajputs, the accepted heads of the Jats in these parts. Some one of the emperors called them in to assist him in coercing the Mandahar Kajputs, and thus the old enmity was strengthened. The Dahiya Jats, growing powerful, became jealous of the supremacy of the Ghatwals and joined the Mandahdrs against them. Thus the country side was diviHed into two factions; the Gujars and Tagas of the tract, the Jaglan Ja,ts of thapa Naultha, and the Latmar Jd,ts of Rolitak joining the Dahiyas, and the Huda Jats of Rohtak, and most of the Jats of the tract except the Jdglans, joining the Ahulanas. In the Mutiny, disturbances took place in the Rohtak District between these two factions, and the Mandahdrs of the Nardak ravaged the Ahulanas in the south of the tract. The Dahiya is also called the Jat, and occasionally th-e Mandahar faction. The Jdts and Rajputs seem, independently of these divisions, to consider each other, triUally speaking, as natural enemies. This division runs right throui^h Sonepat and more faintly through Delhi tahsil, and is so firmly rooted iu the popular mind that Muhammadans even class themselves wiih one or the other parly. Tlius the Muham- madan Giijars of Pdnohi Gdjran call themselves Dahiyas and so do all the neighbouring villages.
* Jn Delhi the legend is that Haria Harp4l, being defeated in battle by the king of Delhi took refuge in a lonely forest which from the number of its trees he called Ban auta — now corrupted into Barauta-in Rohtak. There he ruled and his son Uhaclhij after him. Dhadhfj one day in hunting chanced upon a certain pond or tank near PogLhaU in the same district •where the Jat women had come together to get their drinking-water Just then a man came out of the village leading ■■> buffalo-calf with a rope to the pond to give it water. The animal either from fright or frolic bounded away from the hand of its owner, and he gave chase but, in vain. Neighbours joined in the pursuit, which was nevertheless unsuccessful, till the animal in its headlong flight came across the path of a Jatni going along with .-wo gharrti^ of vvaier on her head She quietly put out her foot on the rope which was trailing along the ground and stood firm under the strain which the impetus of the fugitive gave. The calf was caught, and Dhadhfj looking on with admiration, became enamou.ed of the stalwart comeliness of its captor. Such a wife, he said must needs bear a strong race of sons to her husband, and that husband, notwithstanding the fact of her already being married he forthwith detenuined to be himsnlf. »y a mixture ^-.f cajolery, threats and gift-making he obtained his desire— and the Jatni married the Kshalri prince By her ht- had three sons — 'I'eja Snhja, and Jaisa. Dhadhij gave his name to the Dahiyas. and his children spread over the neiyhi'Ouring tracts, dividing the country between them— Tejrt's descendants live in Kohtak ; Sahja's partly in Rohtak and partly in 13 villages of Delhi ; while Jaisa's descendants live in Rohtak and in Iti villages in Delhi.
■\Vk are asked to anuounce that the third anneal meeting oi' the Dakiiiia-Mahasabhu will he held on the 2:Jrd, 21th and L'oth Marcli at the temple Qf tSri Padhiniati Mataji (family o-oddtss of the Dahima JJrahmaus) situated near the village of Manglod in the Nagor <listr:ot of the Jodhpnr Stat".
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The Ahuldna tradition traces their origin to RdjputAn.^. Their ancestor was coming Delhi-wards with his brothers, Mom and Som, in search of a livelihood. They quarrelled on the road and had a deadly fight on the banks of the Ghdtd, naddi. Mom and Som, who were on one side, killed their kinsman and cmne over to Dellii to the king there wlio received them vvith favour and gave them lands : to Som the tract aciosH the Ganges wht^re his descendants now live as Rajputs. M6ra was sent to Rohtak, and he is now represented by the Ja^s there as well as in Hdnsi and Jind. The Rohtak party had their head-quarters at Ahulana in that district, and thence on account of internal quarrels they spread themselves in different directions, some coming into the Delhi district.
Dahko, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multiin.
DAHLOLf, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multiin.
Daho, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Mult^m.
Dahoka, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Dahon, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar,
Da HONDA, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Dahrala, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multfln.
Dabrija, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
DaIr, a 3&X clan (agricultural) found in Multttn.
Dak, Dakaut, Dakotra : see under Brahman.
Dal, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Dalal, a Jdt tribe found in Kohtak. It claims Rd,thor RSjput origin, and its traditions say that, 28 generations ago, one Dhanna Rao settled at Silauthi, and married a Badgujar Jat woman of Sankhaul near Bahddurgarh, by whom he had four sons — Dille, Desal, Man and Sahiya.* From these sprang the four clans of Dalai, Deswal, M^n and Sew^gt Jats, who do not intermarry one with another. The Daldls are hereditary enemies of the Dahiya J^ts.
Dalani, a Jd.t clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Dalel, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Daleo, a small Jdt clan, found in Ludhiana. They say that Jagdeo had five sons: Daleo, Dewal, Ulak (Aulak), MalanghJ and Pamar. Now R4id, Jail Pangal promised a Bh^tni, Kangali by name, lO times as much largi'sse as Jagdeo gave her. But Jagdeo cut off his head. The BhtUni, however, stuck it on again. Still, ever since this clan has had stiiall necks !
Dallawalia, the eighth of the Sikh misls or confederacies which was
recruited from J^ts. Dalo, Dalo, two (?) Jat clans (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
* Or Drtlla, Desu, Man and Sewa were the sons of Kbokhar, a Chauhan Bijput who married a Jat wife, according to the Jind acconnt. t Or Sawal iu Jfad. t? Bailan^
222 Damai— Darwgfar.
Damai, a Gurkhil clan in the Simla Hill States, who do tailor's work, and are thought a very low caste.
Dammar, (m.) a tribe of Jdts, originally called Ldr, immigrants from Sind. They affect the Sindhi title of Jjlm and claim to be superior to other Jdts in that they do not marry daughters outside the tribe ; but the rule is often broken.
Dandan, a Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dandi, (i) a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in MuUfln, (ii) also a Sany5,8l aub-order.
Dandial, an agricultural clan found in Sbdhpur.
Dandiwal, a Jat clan, claiming Chauhd,n descent, which emigrated from Delhi via Jaisalmir to Sirsa : found in Hissar, ard also in Jind State. In the latter it affects the jathera and jandidn worsliip, and has as its sidh a Pir whose shrine is at Beluwald, in British 'Teiritory. At the birth of a son, they offer to his samddh a piece of gur, a rupee and some cloth which are taken by a Brahman.
Danqarah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Danqarik, lit. ' cow-people' : ^0 a small tribe, confined to four villages in Chitr5,l and said to speak a language cognate with Shina. Though long since converted to l8ld.m, the name Daogarik would seem to show that they were Hindus originally ; {ii) a term applied to all the Shina- speaking people of Chitral and the Indus Kohist^n generally, because of the peculiar aversion of the Shins, which is only shared by the Dangariks and Kd,ldjsh Kd,firs, for the cow and domestic fowls. — Biddulph's Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh, pp. 64 and 113.
Dangk, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Danna — see Wargara.
Panwar, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Daoli, a hill caste of Dumnd status who work for gold in streams in the low hills {e.g., al>out Una) ; in the high hills {e.g., Kdngra) called Sansoi, and correspondmg to the Khirs who are the goldworkers of the plains. Cf. daula, ddula, a washer for gold.
Darah, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Dakain, Deen, see Mallah.
Dard, a term applied by the Mair to the tribes of the Indus Kohist^n who live on the left bank of that river : Biddulph's Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh, p. 12.
Dakqare, wooden bowl makers, see Chitr^li.
Daegh, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Daeol, Daroli, a sept of Rajputs descended from Mian Kela, a son of Sangar Chand, 16th Rajd, of Kahlar.
I>ART0CHE, carpenters, in the valley below Chitrdl, and in the Gilgit and Indus valleys : see Chitrdli.
Dabugar, a maker of gunpowder. This term and its synonyms include various castes ; always Mubammadans.
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Darvesh — Ddtye. 223
Darvesh. — Darveah means one who beps from door to door (tiar "door"). But the Darvesh of our Census returns are a peculiar class found mainly in Batala and Pathaukot and in Amritsar and Kapurthala. They culti- vate a little land, play musical instruments, br'y, make ropes, go to a house where there has been a death and chant the praises of the deceased, hang about mosques, and so forth. They are hardly ascetics, yet ihe small number of women seem to show that they have not yet formed into a Sf'parate cnste, and are still recruited from outside. Elsewhere, e. g. in Gujrat, they are poor scholars who seek instruction in mosques and live on alms or by bogging from door to door, resembling the tdlib-ul-ilm of the frontier. Sometimes they are employed as bdngis at mosques, or in other minor posts.
Darvesh Kbel. — The Utmanzai and Ahmadzai clans (descendants of Mus^ Darvesh) of the Wazir Fa^hans [q. v.).
Darzi. — Hindi syn. suji, a purely occu [national term, there being no Darzi caste in the proper acceptation of the word, though there is a Darzi guild in every town. The greater number of Darzis belong perhaps to the Dhobi and Chhimba castes, more especially to the latter; but men of all castes follow the trade, which is that of a tailor or sempster. The Darzis are generally returned as Hindu in the east and Musalman in the west.
Das(a) — (a) Sanskrit ddsd, a mariner ; according to the Purdn, begotten by a Sudra on a Kshatriya. The Sdstrd and Tdntrd give a differenc origin (Colebrooke's Essays, p. 274) ; (6) Dds, the appellation common to Sudrds. cf. Karan.
Dasa, fr. das, * ten,' as opposed to Bisa, fr. bis, ' twenty ' : half-caste, as opposed to one of pure descent — see under Bdnia. In Gurgaon the term is applied to a group, which is practically a distinct caste, of Tagas who have adopted the custom of widow remarriage, and so lost 8ta,tus, though they are of pure Taga blood : Punjab Ctistoninry Law, Zi, p. 132.
Dashal, fr. Dashwal, * of the plains,' is a group of Rajputs found in the Simla Hills. To it belong the chiefs of Ghund, Theog, Madh^n and Darkoti, four baronies feudatory to Keonthal State. It is asserted tha*; the Dash^ls once ranked as Kanets, wearing no sacred thread and performing no orthodox funeral rites ; and a fifth Dashd sept is still only of Kanet status. This latter sept gives its name to Dashauli, a village in Puuar iiargana of Keonthal.
Dashti, once a servile tribe of the Baloch, now found scattered in small numbers through Deras Ghdzi and Ismail Kh^n and Muzaffargarh. Possibly, as Dames suggests, from one of the numerous dashts or table- lands, found throughout the country.
JPaspal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan,
Dasti, Dasbti (from dasht, ' wilderness '). — A Baloch tribe of impure de- scent. See under Baloch.
Da-tono-kar-po, DaoNQRU-KARU : See Chdhzang.
Datyi, a Labana clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
224 The Ddudpotras,
Daitdpotra.— The sept to which belon^s'J'the ruling family of Bahawalpur. It claims to be Abbdssi* and is practically confined to Babdwalpur and the neighbouring portions of Multdn, part of which was once included in that State.
The Dd.udpotra septa trace their descent from Muhammad Khdn II, Abb^si, loth in descent from Ddud Khd,n I. Muhammad Khdn II had three sons : —
(1) Firoz or Piruj Khdn, (2) A'rib (or Arab) Khdn, ancestor of the Arbd,ni sept, and (3) fsab Kh&n, ancestor of the Isbd,ni or HiBbd,ni sept.
The descendants of Piruj Khd.n are known as Pirjanis, Firozdnis or Pir Pirjcluis and to this sept belongs the family of the Naw^bs of Bahawalpur. A sub-sept of the Pirjinis is called Shamd,ni, from Shah Muhammad Khdn.
The Arbdnis have five sub-septs : Mus^ni, Ruknd,ni or Rukrd-ni, Rahm^ni, Jarabrdni and Bhinbr^ni, all descended from eponyms (Musd. KH^n, etc.). The Miasd,ni have an offshoot called Kandd,ni. The Isbdnis have no sub-septs.
A large number of sub-septs also claim to be Dd,U(lpotra though they are not descended from Muhammad Khd;n II. Thus the Achr^nis claim descent from Achar, a son of Kehr. Kehr was brother to the wife of Channi Khdn, father of Ddud Khda I, and founded the Kehrd,ni sept, which has seven main branches : —
Achrdni.
Haldni.
Bakhshdni."^
Jamdni. I
Mundh^ni. }■ These five are knownf collectively as Panj-pdre.
Marufdni. I
Tayyibani. J A number of other septs also claim to be D^udpotra, but their claims are often obscure, disputed or clearly untenable. Such are the Nohani, Zoraia, Kardni (who claim to be Kehrdnis), Ronjha or Ranuhja (a sept of the Sammas), and Chandr^ni (who intermarry with the Arbd,nis and therefore are presumed to be Arbdnis). The Wisr4ni,t Muldni, Thumra,§ Widani, K^lra, Jhiinri, Bhanbhani, Hakrd and Kat-bal|| are spurious Ddudpotras.
* For the origin of this title see the Bahdioalpur Gazetteer.
\ .'pare, is said to mean ' -fold,' but c/. the Panj-pare among the Path4ns, also the Panj-pao of Multan.
t The Arbani and Isbani Diudpotras do not recognise the Wisranis. The former declare that four families of the Abra {q. v.) tribe migrated from Wlsarwah in Sindh in the time of Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan II. The Abras gave one daughter in marriage to Balawal Khan, Pirj4ni, a second to an Arbani family, and a third to an Isbini, and asked their sons-in-law to admit them among the Daiidpotras, so that they might be entitled to all the privileges which the Daiidpotras enjoyed. This was granted and they were called Wisrani Daudpotras (from Wiaharwah).
§ The story goes that once Muhammad Bahawal Khan III happened to see one Nuria Kharola with his head shaved. A shaven head being generally looked down upon, the Naw4b remarked in Sindhi (which he always spoke), ho disso thora, ' look at that bald head,' and so they were nick-named Thumra. They are really Kharolas (converted sweepers)
by caste. , . , .
II Originally Jits of low status (there is still a sept of Mohanas which is known by this name). They give their daughters in marriage to any tribe while the Da-fidpotras are particularly strict in forming alllancea.
Ddiidzai — Ddwari 225
For a full account of the Dd,udpotra septs, whose modern develop- ments illustrate the formation of a tribe by descent, aflSliation and fiction, reference must be made to the Bahdwalfur Gazetteer. Daudzai.— The Pathan tribe which occupies the left bank of the Kabul river as far down as its junction with the Bara. Like theMohmand, the Ddudzai are descended from Daulatvdr, son of Ghorai, the progenitor of the Ghoria Khel. Ddud had three sons, Mandkai, RJtimur, and Yusuf, from whom are descended the main seciions of the tribe. Mandkai had three sons. Husain, Nekai, and Balo, of whom only the first ia represented in Ppshdwar. Nekai fled into Hindijst^n, while Bale's few descendants live in parts of Tirah. Kalid-i-Afdidm, pp. 167, 168. 179. 182. A. N., p. i., iii. ff i , i
Daul, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amrifcsar.
Dadla, an Arain clan (agricultural) found iu Montgomery.
Daulat Khel. — One of the four great tribes of the Lohani Pa^h^ns''^ which about the bpginni)ig of the 17th century drove the Marwats and Mid,n Khel out of Tank. Their principal clan was the Katti Khel ; and under their chief, Katal Khd,n, the Daulat Khel ruled Tank in Dera Ismail Kbdn, and were numerous and powerful about the middle of the 18th century. They accompanied the Durrdni into Hindustd,n, and brought back mu?h wealth. But since that time the Bhitanni and other tribes have encroached, and they are now small and feeble. The Naw^b of Tdnk, the principal ^rtfjircZar of the District, is a Katti Khel. Raverty described them as ildtsov nomads dwelling to the north of the Sulaiman Range from Daraban town on the east to the borders of Gha/mi on the west, along the banks of the Gomal, each clan under fhe nominal rule of its own malik. Though their principal wealth consisted in flocks and herds they were engaged in trade, importing horses from Persia and majitha into Hindustan, and taking back with them piece-goods and other merchandise for sale in Kabul and Kandahd,r. They used to pay ushr or tithe to the dynasty at Kdbul, but were not liable to furnish troops.
Dauleke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Daura, a messenger : cf. Baldhar, Dauri, see Djiwari.
Dautannj, Dotanni, aPathdn clan, numbering some 700 fighting men, which inhabits the Wilno valley and the country between the Waziri hills and the Gumal. Their lands are comparatively fertile, growing rice and cereals. They are on good terms with the Wazirs, and are well- to-do, carrying on a profitable trade with Bokhara. They brino- down postinft, chakmas, and charras. They have three kirris in ^British territory, near Katmalana and in the Kahiri ildqa. About a third of them are kafila folk and have no kirris. They own about 3,500 camels. They leave their flocks behind in the hills. They come and go aloncr with the Midn Khels, though forming separate caravans.
Dawari. — Living on the fertile alluvium of the Tochi valley in Nor- thern Waziristan, the Ddwari s or Dauris have no necessity to culti-
* Really only a clan of the Mimu Khel, tho Daulat Khel practically absorbed that tribo and gave its own name to it.
226 Ddwari septs.
vate very strenuously or to migrate. Hence they are lacking in military spirit,* unenterprising and home-staying, and a Dawari,^ even when outlawed, will not remain away from the valley for more than a couple of years.
Their descent is thus given : —
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There are also two disconnected sections, Malakh and Amzoni. The Idak sub-section also does not claim descent from either of the main branches. The Malakh are a mixed division, including the Muhammad Khel, Idak Khel, Pai Khel, Dihgans, Land Boya and Ghazlamai. The latter sept includes three or four Sayyid houses which claim descent from t)angar Sahib. The Dihgans are quite a distinct sept, cnniing from Afghanis td,n. The origin of the Malakh is the common Afghan story of a foundling. Some Durrauis abandoned a boy in a box, and as Dangar Pir found him he brought him up, calling him Malakh because he was good-looking.
The Amzoni comprise the following septs : — Chiton, Umarzai, Kurvi Kalla, Raghzi Kalla, Urmur Kail a, Ahmad Khel, Ali Khel, Fath Khel, Bai Khel, Khatti Kalla, Kharri Kalla and Aghzan Kalla.
Amzon, the ancestor of these septs, is said to have been a Shammai Khostwd,l who mixed with the Dawaris. But the Fath Khel and Bal Khel are known to be Wazirs, and the Urmur Kalla are by origin Urmurs of Kdniguram.
The Darpa Khel consist of Darpa Khels, Panakzai and Khozi, and of these tht) Panakzais are Momit Khel Dd^waris while the #Khozis are Akhunds. As regards Darpa Khel himself it is said that he was a Khostwal, but others say that he was a Dum of Tanis.
The Idak sub-section is composed of three different septs, Taritas, Madira, and Malle Khels, who agreed to settle in one village on the Id day, whence the village was named Idak. The Malli Khel are Turis, the Taritas are Kharotis, while the Madiras are Katti Khels.
The Tsori are stated to bie Khattaks. Of the Hassu Khel, the Shinki Khel are the offspring of a baby found near the Shinki Kotal or pass. The Mosakkis are said to be Bangash Haidar Khels. Urmuz and
* But to this rule the Malakh form an exception, being much like the Wazirs, pastoral, migratory and not keeping their women secluded.
Ddwari' customs. 227
Shammarare descendants of Tir who was an Isakhel, but another story is that he came from the Wurdak country. All the rest of tho septs artj Dilwaris proper.
Personal appearance. — The use of the spade in cultivating the stiff soil of the valley has made the Dawaii a very broad-shouldered, muscular man, not very tall, with thick legs and arms, heavy in gait and slow in his movements.
Personal habits. — The vices of the Dt4waris are sodomy and chmras- smoking. The latter habit is said to be on the increase. The Ddwaris are by repute the laziest and dirtiest of all the Wazirist^n tribes. Cut off from the outside world, they had no inducement to cultivate more land than would ensure a supply of grain till the next harvest and their habit of greasing their clothes with ghi makes them filthy to a degree. There are no professional washermen in the valley.
The Ddwaris used to be famous for their hospitality, which took the form of wasliing a guest's hands, spattering his clothes with ghi, and scattering the blood of a goat or sheep ostentatiously on the outer walls of the house as a sign that guests were being entertained. They were also steadfast supporters of their clients' or hamsdyas' riiJ:hts and true to their engagements. They are now said to bo losing these qualities.
Ornaments. — Dawari men used to dye the right eye with black anti- mony and the left with red, colouring half their cheeks also in the samo way.* The men (but not the women) used also to wear coins sewn on the breast of their cloaks as is commonly done by Ghilzai women.
Medicine.— The only treatment in vogue is the common Path^n one of killing a sheep, the flesh of which is given to the poor, and wrapping the patient in tho skin. This is the remedy for every disease and even for a wound. Its efficicy is enhanced by tho prayers recited by a mullah, who also used sometimes to give amulets to, or sometimes merely breathe on, the sick man.
Cultivation. — Owing to the heavy nature of the soil the plough is not used, all cultivation being dono by the im, a spade with a long handle. Wheat, barloy, maize and inferior rice with, in a few villages, millet and 7nung are sown. Fruit-trees are i^rown only near the villages and trees and cultivation used to be confined to the area commanded by the firearms possessed by each village.
Crafts-— The Dawaris practise the weaving of coarse cloth, rude carpentry and blacksmith's work, carpenters being the only artizans known. These are employed to make doors for the houses, which are mere huts, built by the people themselves.
/SociaZ organization. —The Dawaris, as is usual among the southern Pathdn tribes, are intensely democratic. The maliks or headmen havo little influence unless they liave a strong following among their own relations. The D.1,waris are fanatical and l)igoted, and much under the influence of m?<Z^a/is who exercise a powerful weapon in tho right to exclude a man from the religious congregation and other ceremonies.
Marriage Customs.— As among the Wazirs, the Diiwari wedding customs are much the same as among other Pathan tribes. When the
* For a somewhat similar custom see the Indian Antiquary, 190G . 213,
228 Ddwari marriage.
parents are agreed that their son and daughter, respectively, are suited and shall be married, a day is fixed and the bridegroom's kinsmen go to the bride's guardian's house taking with them sheep, rice and Rs. 80 Kabuli with which to feast the bride's relatives and friends. The marriage contract is then ratified, the two young people are formally betrothed, and the price to be paid by the bridegroom for the bride is fixed. The bride's guardians may ask any price they like, as there is no fixed scale of prices in Ddwar, and unless the guardians are amenable and remit a portion of the money demanded, the sum demanded by them for the girl must be paid. The price thus paid is taken by the girl's guardian, who is of course her father, if alive — if noc her brother, and if she has no brother, then by the relation who is by custom her wdris.* The guardian, however, sometimes gives a portion of the price to the girl to fit herself out with ornaments, etc. Some few years ago a determined eifort was made by Vdemaliks and mullahs of Lower Dawar to have the price of girls in Dawar fixed at Rs. 200 for a virgin and Rs. 100 for a widow. This they did because they thought that many D^waris were prevented from marrying owing to the high prices de- manded by guardians, which sometimes ran up to Rs. 1,000 and more, and showed a tendency to increase rather than decrease. The majority of the malihs were in favour of the proposal, and as a test case the mullahs attempted last year to enforce the new custom on the occasion of the marriage of the sister of the chief malik of Tappi. Public opinion, however, was too strong for the reformers and a serious riot was only prevented by the intervention of the authorities. The usual reference to the Political Officer on the subject was, of course, met with the reply that, although he was glad to hear of the proposal, yet he could not and would not interfere m what was a purely domestic question for the Ddwaris themselves to settle. The subject was then allowed to drop and now, as before, everyone can put what fancy prices they like on their girls. The husband has no claim on the girl until this ceremony (known locally as lasniwai or clasping of hands) has been performed.
The next ceremony is that]of nihah which is the consummation of the marriage.
In Dawar and Waziristan boys and girls are betrothed at the ages of 8 and 6 respectively, and the mairiage is consummated at their majority. Should the husband die after the lasuiwai aud before the nikah, the girl becomes the property of his heirs, and one of them can either marry her or they can give her in marriage elsewhere, provided that she is given to a member of the same tribe and village and that the parents consent. If the parents do not consent, then they can buy the girl back again by returning all the money received for her, and are then free to marry her to whom they please. Simi- larly a widow is married by one of the deceased's heirs, or they may arrange a marriage for her elsewhere. She must, however, be supported by them until she marries again, otherwise she is free to marry as she chooses, and they are not entitled to exact money
* No money ie given to the mother of the girl, except when she is a widow and has been turned out by her late Lusband's heirs, and has alone borne the cost of the girl's upbringing.
Custom in Ddwdr. 229
for her. As a rule the bride and bridegroom are much of an age, but occasionally here as elsewhere some aged David takes his Abit^hag to his bosom. These are not as a rule happy marriages. 'J'he expenses of a wedding in Waziribtdn are fairly heavy. A wealthy man will spend HS much as Ks. 1,500 or evi-n ];s. 2,000 Ktibuli. An ordinary well-to-do man spends some Rs. 500 and a poor one Rs. 200 K^buli. There are no restrictions on intermarriage between Dawaris and Wazirs. They intermarry freely, and the majority of the bigger D^war malikti have a Wazir wife, and the Wazir maliks living in D^war have generally at least one Ddwari wife. As a rule Dawaris do not give their daughters to thu.se living far away, which is probably due mostly to the fact that those living far off do not come and ask for them, but content themselves with something nearer home. The Mullah Powindah who lives at Kamjuram bas a Ddwari wife of the village of Idak, but this is an exception, and probably due to the fact that be- fore our occupation and iiis rise to power, be used to live during the six months of ihe cold season in Idak. There is no law or custom regarding marriage.
Inheritance. — The ordinary Muhammadan laws hold good in Ddwar with regard to inheritance.
Customary Law in Da war. General. — With regard lo oflences against the human body, the general principle of the customary penal law in Dawar may be said lo be that ot " an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." For murder the penalty is d^ath; for bodily injury, bodily injury of a similar nature. Nevertheless the Ddwari, though like every other Pathan, has his price, whereby his wounoed body or side may be salved ; and for most offences a fixed sum is laid down by paying which the offender may satisfy the wrath of the party offended. The amount actually paid, however, depends largely on the strength and influence of the oppo ing parties, the weaker usually having to go to the wall, being mercilessly fleeced if the offending party, and having to be content with little or uothmg if offended. As a general rule, for purposes of calculating C( mpensation a woman is considered as equal to half a man, and a Hindu is equal to a woman. Children over two years old are considered men or women, according to sex, for purposes of assessing compensation. Customary law in Ddwar only takes cognisance of the actual deed accomplished and not the intention of the offender; for instance, there -is no such thing in Ddwar, as attempted murder. If the man is merely wounded in the attempt compensatioa is only paid for the hurt actually caused. Again there is no such thing as letting a man oft' because he killed , another man accidentally. Accident or no accident, the man is dead and the penalty must be paid either in cash or kind. The right of self-defence is recognised, but in no case does it extend to the killing or perma- nent maiming of the person against whom it is exercised, not even if he be attempting to commit murder. Should he be Ijilled compensation must be paid to his kins, and if pennnnently maimed to himself. Revenge is, if possible, taken on the actual offender {badiddr) whde he lives. But after his death his brother inherits the feud and after him the murderer'a other heirs. If he leave no such relatives, his section is
2 30 Criminal Law in Dawar.
responsible, if the injured party belongs to another section. If the offendod party kill a relation of the actual hadiddr, while he is still alive, Hs. 100 must be paid as componsafcioa. If the offender and his brothers die without revenge having been taken, and the inheritance falls to a relation, tliat relation can, if he wishes to escape the feud, renounce the heritage with the feud attached to it.
The tendency among the D^waris as among the Wazirs is to exact the blood penalty, but if a man is afraid, he can get the village elders and go and kill a sheep before the house of the offended party (a cere- mony known as nanowali and have the compensation assessed and the case settled in that way.
Murder. — In Ddwar, as far as the consequences of the deed are concerned, there is no difference between murder and the accidental killing of a man or woman. The penalty is the same in either case. The punishment is death at the hands of the murdered man's relations, or if they cannot inflict it themselves, at the hands of assassins hired by them.
A murder can, however, be compounded on the intervention of the village jVrgra by the payment of a sum varying from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,200 in cash. In some cases a woman is given in marriage to a relative of the murdered man by the murderer, in which case the price of the woman is agreed upon between the parties 'and deducted from the amount of compensation to be paid. If both of the parties do not compound the offence willingly, but one is forced to do so by the other, or both are forced to do so by the village or tribal jirga, then compensation is only paid in cash. The amount of compensation paid for a woman is in all cases half that of a man, and the amount paid for the murder of a Hindu is the same as that for a woman. There are four exceptions to the law that the death or hurt of a man or woman must be avenged by the relations, either by taking a life or by taking money in compensation. The exceptions are —
[i) If a man is accidentally killed or hurt in a nandasa (the name given to the local dance at the Id) : unless it can be prov- ed that the man who killed the other had a feud or any grudge against the deceased. [ii) If any one be accidentally hurt or killed in the stone-throwing which sometimes accompanies a wedding : provided always that there is no grudge or feud.
{ii')) At a tent-pegging match if a rider warn the bystanders that his horse is unmanageable, no claim lies against him if any one is injured.
[iv] If a man cutting wood from a tree warn people sitting under the tree, he is not responsible for any accident that may occur from falling branches.
If a person is injured by a runaway horse or other animal, the animal is usually given in compensation. The burden of proof of any injury being accidental is on the party who inflicts it. A council of elders is summoned at his expense, and if he can satisfy them that it really was an accident, they assess the compensation as they think fit. All feuds are suspended while the parties are out with a tribal lashkar or chigha.
Criminal Law in Ddwar.
231
the punishment is for a nose or ear of compensation* This
The rates of compensation for a female are the same aa those for
a male, as also are those for Hindus, but in the Malakh ildqa the
rates for women are only half those for men, and Hindus are con- sidered equal to women.
Under the custom the punishment for a hurt is a hurt of similar nature to that inflicted, i. e., for the loss of a limb the loss of that limb; for a wound, a similar wound ; cut, a nose or ear cut. There is, however, a scale fixed by which nearly every form of hurt can be compensated, scale is as follows : —
For the permanent total disablement of an arm or a leg, Rs. 500. If the disablement be not quite total then the compensation is Rs. 250, and if it bo only slight Rs. 120.
Rs.
For the loss of one eye 250
Ditto both eyes ,., 500
The rates for the loss of fingers are —
Thumb , ... 50
1st finger 40
2nd „ 35
3rd „ 30
4th „ 2o
The compensation for cutting off a nose is from Rs. 500 to Rs. 600. Ears are paid for at Rs. 100 a piece. The compensation for a wound is Rs. JO to Rs. 100 according to its nature, and that payable for teeth is —
Rs.
Front, upper or lower loO
Further back 50
Back teeth 25
Adultery. — 'If the parties are caught in the act, both may be killed, but in the Malakh and Tappizai ildqas (where a woman is considered half
* In the Malakh ildqa the scale is somewhat different, though for permanent disable- ment of a limb it is the same.
For the loss of one eye „ ,, both eyes
Compensation for fingers : —
Rs.
500 1.000
|
First joint. |
Second joint. |
Third joint. |
|
|
Rs. |
Rs. |
Rs. |
|
|
Thumb |
130 |
250 |
|
|
Ist finger |
30 |
60 |
120 |
|
2nd , |
65 |
30 |
15 |
|
3rd |
35 |
17-8 |
8-8 |
|
4th , |
25 |
12-8 |
6-4 |
The compensation for a wonndnd nose is Rs. 85, or if cut off entirely Rs. 500.
A wound in ihe face more than one finger in breadth is Rs, 85, but if- on any other part it is only Ks. 12-8 per finger breadth.
For teeth the compensation is-- Rs.
Two front, upper or lower ... ... ■ ... ... 100 each
Next two, ,, 80 „
Next two, ,, 60 „
Back teeth, ,, 50 „
232 The Dawi PafMns.
a man) tlie woman alone can be killed and the man's foot cut off, and if the man is killed half the compensation for his murder must be paid. This is the invariable rule in the Malakh ildqa.
For rape the man may be killed, and for an assault • with intent to outrage a woman's modesty he may be killed and half compensation paid, or his foot may be cut off. For house trespass in order to commit adultery the man's nose or ear may be cut off, and if the hus- band suspects his wife of being a consenting party, he may kill her.
The penalty for elopement or abduction is death or Rs. 1,000. Should a woman go wrong and become a bad character the husband may cut off her nose and divorce her. Should she then marry again he is entitled 'to no compensation.
Offences against property. — The punishments for burglary, robbery and theft are all much the same. The amount stolen, with compensa- tion for the damage done and the expenses of the suit are recovered, plus a village fine of Rs. 40 to Rs. 200^ according to the offender's means. If no damage is done and no property stolen, only the village fine is recovered.
Arson. — In cases of arson the risker is referred to the village jirga which, if the offence is pioved, realises a village fine of from Rs. 100 to Rs. 200. Compensation is also realised and paid to the offended party.t Should loss of life result from the fire, the pen<y for murder who perishes in the flames, is exacted in addition, for every person.
Cutting of crops. — Compensation for the damage done is paid, as well as a fine of Rs. 5 if. the offence is committed by night, and Rs. 2 or Rs. 3 if the offence is committed by day.
Dawi, a tribe of Ghorgasht Path^ns, descended from Dd,wai, son of Dd,nai, and so akin to the Kakar, Naghar and Payni, The Dawi live in the tract held by the last nam^d, occupying Sanger or Sang-Mandali, and the Zarghun Darra or ^ green valley.' Dd^wai had two sons, Domarah and Homarah and adopted three more, viz., KhAvardai, Zamar and Samar, according to_ the most authentic account, but other traditions omit the two last-named. The story goes that Dawai espoused the widow of a Sayyid of Khujand, and adopted her son by him. His name was Hasan, but in his youth he was notorious as a robber {ghal). He repented, however, of his misdeeds and became the disciple of a saint of Multan, roarried a Pathan wife and had four sous, Musa, Ali, Sikandar and Balil, whose descendants are known as Hasani or Khundi {lit. protected), a corruption probably of Khujandi. The Hasani, being of Sayvid blood dwell among other tribes as their spiritual guide, and Shaikh Hasan Dawi,t one of the most famous of them, attached himself to the Shaikh-nl-Islam Baha-ul-Haqq-wa-ud-Din Zakaria§ of Mnltd,n, and was buried at a spot between Tul and Sambar. His tomb is still a place of pilgrimage and tales of his power of thought-reading are still told. Another Dawi saint was Shaikh Neknam, and a third
* In the Malakh ildqa the fine is Rs. 60 and in Dangar Khel Rs. 100. + In the Malakh iJaqa rlonble compensation is paid. X Not to be confused -wiih Hasan Dawi, tfap prosenitor of the tribe.
§ The ' Saint of Multan ' who died in 1265 6 at the age of 100. He was a disciple of the Shaikh-ul-Kamil, Shahab-ud-D in, 8oa of Abu-Hifz, Umar-ua-Saharwardi,
Ddya-^Deswdli. 288
Shaikh Hd,ji Abu Ishitq, who was accounted an Afghdn because hia mother was an Afghan. He was a contemporary of Sultan Sher Sbdh and dwelt at Kaitbal.
Daya, a synonym for Machhi in Multan, fom. ddi (so called because women of the Machhi caste act as wet-nurses). Cf. Vaidehd.
Dayal, a Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Dedhar, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dehgan, Dihqan, Dihqan, an Iranian (Tdjik) tribe (or rather class, as the word means husbandman) which is represented by the Shalmanis of the Peshjiwar valley. Raverty says that the Chaghun-Sarai valley on tho west side of the Chit nil river also contains several large Dihgdn villages which owe allegiance to the Sayyids of Kunar.
Debia, one of the principal clans of the Jats in Karn^l. It has its head- quarters at Ludhidna and originally came from Rohtak. Probably the same as Dahia.
Dehe, a Muhammadan Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Deo, — (1). A title of several ancient ruling families, used as an aflSx, like . Chand or Singh. It was thus used by the old dynasty of Jammu.
(2). A tribe of Jdts which is practically confined to the Sidlko^ district where they regard Sankatra as one of their ancestors and have a highly revered spot dedicated to him, in tho town of that name, in tahsil Zafarwal. They claim a very ancient origin, but not Rajput. Their ancestor is said to be Mahdj, who came from " the Saki jungle " in Hindustcin. Of his five sons, Soh^l, Kom, Dewal, Aulakh and Deo, the two latter gave their names to two Jdt tribes, while the other branches dis- persed over (xujr^nwdld, and Jhang. But another story refers them to Raj^ Jagdeo, a Surajbansi Hdjput. They have the same marriage ceremony as the Sahi, and also use the goat's blood in a similar manner in honour of their ancestors, and have several very peculiar customs. They will not intermarry with the Md.n Jd,ts, with whom they have some ancestral connection. Also found in Amritsar.
Deoania, a Jd,t tribe found in Sialkot and apparently distiact from the Deo.
Deora, a sept of Kanets descended from a son of Tegh Chand, third son of
Rd,]^ Kahn Chand of Kahlur. Deowana, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Derija, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Desi, (i) of the country, fr. des, country ; (ii) of the plains, as opposed to jmhdri, of the hills : cf. P. Dicty., p. 287 ; (iii) a Jdt clan (agricultural) . found in Multan. Cf. Deswali.
Dbswal, ' men of the country,' a Jat tribe, sprung from the same stock a3 the Dalai. They are most numerous in Rohtak, Gi]rgdon,and KarniU. In Mew^r and Ajmer, Mu-ialman Rilj puts are callei Deswiil, and are hardly recognised as Hiijputs.
Deswala, a territorial term sometimes applied to certain Ji{ tribes as opposed to Pachhamw^la.
Deswali, opposed to Bdgri, q,v.
234 Dewa — Dliamdn.
Dewa, a title given in Sirmur to Kanet families which perform priestly duties in the deotas' temples. A Dewd, will generally marry in a Dewd, family and a Negi in a Negi family. The Dewiis rank below the Bhdts and above the Deth is, an H are intimately connected with the (feoias. wliora they serve : e.g., the temple of Mahasu must be closed for 20 day? if therp is a I'irth or death in the Dewa' 3 family — see the Sirmur Gazetteer , pp. 42—44. Gf. Karan.
The form of this designation in the Simla Hills appears to be dinwdn.
Dewal, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dewala, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
JDewak, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Dhaca, Dabha, Dhabi, Dibha, syns. of Dhobi, q.v.
Phabba, a Khatri sub-division.
Dhadah, a tribe of Jdts, found in Kapurtliala, whither it migrated from Delhi.
Dhadhi, Dhadi, a musician, singer or panegyrist ; fr. dhdd, a kind of tabor. In the Derajdt, however, the Dhadi only chants and never, it is said, plays on any instrument : he is also said not to ijitermarry with the Dum. In Mult^n he is a panegyrist, if given alms ; if not, he curses.
Dhakar, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dhakkae, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Dhakktj, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur and Montgomery. Classed
both as Rdjput and Jat in the latter district. Dhakochi, a sub-caste of Brahmans in the hills of Haz^ra, which allows
widow remarjiage. It does not intermarry or eat with the Pahd^ria, the
other sub-caste of Brahmans in these hills. Dhala, a caster of metals.
Dhalan, a small J^t clan found in B^wal (Nd,bha State). They derive their orio-in from Raja Dhaj, a Tunwar ruler of Hastinapar, who lost caste by marrying a foreign wife.
Dhali, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dbali, a tribe of Muhammadan J£ts, found in Gujrat, where its founder, a Bhatti Rajput, obtained a grant of land from Akbar in exchange for a fine shield, dhdl, which he possessed.
Dhaliwal, see Dh^riwal.
Dhalon, a Jat clan (agricultuial) found in Amritsar.
Dhamali, a class of Muhammadan /agiVs (= Jalali). fr. (i/iamaZ, leaping and whirling.
Dhaman, an endogamous occupational sub-caste of the Loh^r-Tarkhd,n castes, fr. dhaund 'to blow' the bellows. The Dhaman are black- smiths, as opposed to the Khatti or ' carpenter ' sub-caste. The Dhamd,n is by far the largest group among the Tarkhans and forms a true sub-caste in Sirsa, in Hoshiiirpur (in which district the Dham^ns and Khattis will not eat or smoke together) and probably throughout the eastern districts, as far north as Gujrd,nw^la. The Dhamd^ns include the Hindu Suthaes, q.v.
i tf
''^. '- .y ^3L...J-^^-<Cr f^.
/
/7
il, p. < /<»— ^,-f. ^
^f^c ^ -'6^
Dhamra — Dhan. 235
Dhamra, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Dhanak, a caste, essentially of Hindustan and not of tlio Punjab proper, and confined to the south-east of the Province. Wilson derives the names from the Sansk. dhanashka, bowman, but the Dh^naks of the Punjab are not hunters and only differ from the Chuhras in that they will not remove nightsoil, though they will do general scavenging. In villages they do a great deal of weaving also. The Chuhras are said to look down on them, but thev are apparently on an equality, as ncitlier will eat the leavings of the other though eaoh will eat the leavings of all other tribes except Sdnsis, not excluding even Khatiks. There are, practically speaking, no Sikh or Mussahnfln Dhdnaks, and their creed vvould appear to be that of the Chuhras The only considerable tribe the Dhanaks have returned is Ldl Guru, another name for Ld,l Beg, the sweeper Guru. But they are said to burn their dead. They marry by phera and no Brahman will officiate. 'I'hey also appear to be closely aihed to tiie Pasis."^ See Lillbegi.
Dhanda, a small clan of Jats, found in Jind, Their jathera is Swdmi Sundar D<is, at whose samddh milk is offered on the 12th sudi every month : beestings also are offered, and, at weddings, a lamp is lighted there.
Dha^jdsahar, a JiCt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Phaijtqe, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dhanial, a tribe of Rfljput status which belongs to the group of hill tribes of the Salt-range Tract. It is from them that the Dhani country in the Chakwal tahsil of Jhelum takes its name ; and there appears still to be a colony of them in those parts, though they are now chietly found in the lower western hills of the Murree ranore, being separated from the Satti by the Ketwal. They claim to be descended from Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet. They are a fine martial sot of men and furnish many recruits for the army, but were always a turbulent set, and most of the serious crime of the surrounding country used to be ascribed to them. Many of them are of J^t status.
Dhanjon, an Arilin clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Also a Kamboh clan in that District and in Montgomery. In the latter it is both Hindn and Muhammadan.
Dhankae, a Jat tribe of the same stock as the Rdthi. They are almost confined to Jhajjar tahsil in Rohtak, and arc perhaps nothing more than a local clau of the Ratlii tribe.
Dhanoe, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
DHAN9,Ai, a jpogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. j
Dha^^T, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dhar, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dhari, a bard (Monckton's 8. R. Gujrdt, 53), doubtless=I)HApi, q.v.
* In Karnil they are regularly employed in weaving. But they also collect cnw-dung and take it to the fields, and get a chapdUi u day from each client's house and a little at harvest.
236 Dhdriwdl'-Dhaunchah.
Dhakiwal. — The Dh^riwdl, Dhdni- or Dh^liwal, (or, in Karndl, Phor) Jdts, for the name is spelt in all three ways, are said to be Bhatti Rajputs, and to take their name from their place of origin Dhar^nagar. They say that Akbar married the daugliter* of their chief, Mihr Mitha.t They are found chieBy on the Upper Sutlej and in the fertile district to the west, their head-quarters being the north-western corner of the Mdlwa, or Ludhidna, Ferozepur, and the adjoining parts of Pati^la. Mr. Brandreth describes them as splendid cultivators, and the most peaceful and con- tented portion of the population of the tract. Akbar conferred the title of Mi^n on Mihr Mitha and gave him 120 villages round Dhaula Kd,ngarJ in jdgir. The Dhdriwd,l have undoubtedly been settled in that part from an early period, and the south-east angle of the Moga tahsil is still called the Dhdliwal tappa. Mitha's descendants are still called Miiin, but they are said not to have been converted to Islam though for several generations their leaders bore distinctly Muham- madan names. However this may be Mihr Mitha is now their sidh with a shrine at Lallawala in Patiala, and on the 2nd eudi of each month sweetened- bread and milk are offered to it. In Sidlkot, however, their sidh is called Bhoi and his seat is said to be at Janer§ Fatta.
The Dhdriwdl are divided into two groups, Udhi or Odi and Moni or Muni (who alone are said to be followers of Mihr Mitha in Gujrdn- wala) .
Dhaekhan, a synonym of Tarkh^n {q.i\) throughout the South-Wesfc Punjab. In Jhang they are all Muhammadans and have Awd,n, Bharmi, Bhat-ti, Dhddhi, Gilotar, Jaujuh^n, Kari, Khokhar, Sahdrar, S4hte and Sid,l septs. The latter when the first tonsure of a child is performed, cook 2| hhasaria or cakes, each containing I5 sers of wheat-flour, and of these the eldest of the family eats one, the second is given in alms and the third (^) is eaten by the girls of the family.
Dhaeuera, a group, practically a sub-caste, of Brahmans found in Grurgaon, who have become out-castes because they adopted the custom of widow remarriage.il The name may be derived from (i/iare^, a concubine, or dharewa, marriage of a widow. They are Gaurs.
pSAsf, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dhatjl, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur, and, as Muhammadan Jiis, in Montgomery.
DhauLka, an agricultural clan found in Shd,hpur.
Dhau^i (Dhawan), a Khatri got, see P. Dicty., p. 304.
DSAONCHAK, one of the principal clans of the Jats in Karnd,!, with its head- quarters at Binjhaul. Intermarries in Rohtak.
* As her dower 100 ghumaos of land were given her at Kangir and this land was trans- ferred to Delhi and kept as the burial ground of the Mughal emperors !
f Mihr or Mahr, ' chief,' and Mitho, a name unknown to Akbar's historians
j Dhaula, the ' white ' house or palace. Kangar is in Patiala territory to the south-east of Moga.
§ Janer is described by Cunningham, Arch. Sui'vey Reports XIV, 67—69.
II Punjab Customary Law, II, p. 132,
^<^,
D}iaugri~-Dhillon. 237
Dhadgei, see Dhogrj.
DhawnAj a Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Dhed, a tribe of J^ts found in Multan, where they settled in Akbar's time.
Dhed, lit. a crow ; a leather- worker.
Dhedh, Dherh, Dhed, (see above). A synonym for Chaniclr. The te>-ra is, however, used for any 'low fellow/ though especially appliod to a Chamdr. In the Punjab the Dhodh is not a separate caste, as it is in Bombay and the Central Provinces.
pHENDYE^ a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar,
Dher, a tribe of Jd,ts claiming Solar Rajput origin through its oponym and his descendant Harpiil who settled near Kalanaur and thence it migrated into Sialkot.
Dhesi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Dhidha, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Dhiduana, a clan of the Sid,ls.
DfliLA, an agricultural clan found in Shd,hpur.
Dhillon, Dhillhon. — The phillon* is one of the largest and most widely dis- tributed Jiit tribes in the Punjab, especially in the Sikh Districts. Their head-quarters would appear to be Gujranwd,la and Amritsar ; but they are found in largo numbers along the whole course of the Sutlei from Ferozepur upwards, and under the hills to the east of those two Districts. The numbers returned for the Delhi District are curiously large, and it is doubtful whether they really refer to the same tribe. Like the Gord,ya they claim to be Saroha Rajputs by origin, and to have come from Sirsa. If this bo true they have probably moved up the Sutlej, and then spread along westwards under the hills. But another story makes them descendants of a Surajbansi Rajput named Lu who lived at Khdrmor in the Miilwa, and held some office at the Delhi court. They are said to be divided into three great sections, the Bdj, S^j and Siinda.
Another pedigree is assigned them in Amritsar. It makes Iju (Loh Sain) son of Raja Karn, thus :—
SURAJ (Sun).
Karn, born at Karn Bas in Bulandshahr. \
r I j ^
Loh Sain. Chatar Sain. Brikh Sain, Chaudar Sain.
I DhiUou.
Earn's birth is described in the legend that Rajd Kauntal had a daughter Kunti by name, who was married to Rslja Pclndav. War- bhiishd rikhi taup;ht her a mantra by Avhich she could bring the sun under her influence and by its power she bore Karn who became Rdja of Hastimlpur. Whi^n Ptlndav renounced his kingdom after the battle at Kuruchhetar and Rajd Karn had been killed in the battle, Dhillon
* Folk-etymology connects the name with dhilla, * lazy.' It is also said to be dcriTcd from a word meaning 'gentle.'
238 Dhindsa'—Dhiruke.
left Hastindpur and settled in Wangar near Bhatinda, where his descendants lived for 10 generations. Karn is said to have a temple at Amb on the Ganges, where he is worshipped on the Chet chaudas. In Sidlkot the Dhillu jathera is Ddud Shdh, and he is revered at weddings. The Bhangi misl of the Sikhs was founded by a Dhillon, Sirdar Ganda Singh. In Amritsar the Dhillon do not marry with the Bal because once a mirdsi of the Dhillons was in difficulties in a Bal village, and they refused to help him, go the Dhillons of the Manjha do not even drink water from a Bal's hands; nor will the mwdsis oi the Dhillon intermarry with those of the Bal. In Ludhiana at Dhillon village there is a shrine of the trihal jathera, who is called Bdbaji. Gur is offered to him at weddings and he is worshipped at the Diwali, Brahmans taking the offerings. Dhindsa, a Jdt tribe, which would appear to be confined to Ambd.la, Ludhiana and the adjoining portion of Patiala. They claim to be descended from Saroha Rajputs. In Jind their Sidh is Bdbd Harndm Dd,s, aBairdgiof the 17th century, whose shrine is at Khari^l in Karnal. Offerings are made to it at weddings. In Sialkot the Dhindsa also revere a sati's tomb.
Dhing, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Dhinwar, Dhimar. — The word Dhinwar is undoubtedly a variant of Jhinwae,* while the term Dhimar is a corruption of it, with possibly, iu the Punjab, a punning allusion to the custom described below. The Dhinwar is confined in the Punjab to the tracts round Delhi, where the word is also applied to any person of dark complexion. The Dhinwars are divided into two groups, one of which makes baskets and carries jydlkis, works ferries and is in fact a Kahae. Many of this group are fishermen or boatmen, and call themselves Mallahs, while some are Bharbhunjds. The other group is so criminal in its tendencies that it was once pro- posed to proclaim the Dhinwars a criminal tribe, but violent crime is rare among them and though they wander all over the Punjab, disguised as musicians, beggiiig, pilfering and even committing burglary or theft on a large scale, many of them are cultivators and some even own land. The Dhinwars of Gurgd,on once used to marry a girl to Bhaironji, and she was expected to die within the year. The Dliimars do not own the Dhinwars as the latter are notorious thieves. No Hindu of good caste will take water from a Dhinwar's hands, though he will accept it from a Dhimar. (The latter caste appears to be the equivalent of the Jhinwar in the United and Central Provinces). See also under Jhinwar.
Dhiemalia, the second oldest sect of Sikhs. The Dhirmalia owe their origin to Dhirmal,t who refused to acknowledge Guru Har Rai, his younger /<" hrother, as the Guru. The sect has an important station at Chak Rdm Das in Shdhpur, where the Bhais descended from Dhirmal own the village lands. They have a considerable following, chiefly of Khatris and Aroras. Bdba Bar Bhag Singh, another member of the family, has . a shrine at Mairi, near Arab in Hoshidrpur. The sect has no special tenents differentiating it from the Nanakpanthis.
Dhiecke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
* For ih, = d/i, cf. rij/ia, cooked, for Wd/ii: lajha hM, ior bdndhd hud, tied: rvjjha, for ruddhd, busy, and other examples.
t Not the second son of Ramdas, the 4th Gur^, as sometimes stated, but of Gurditta, the Udasi who never became Guru.
Cf-
^J^t^'l^ir' f^ ^t < ^ CC^j/( *^^ 6-W ^t^^^i^"
>«• c^
:^^. C4^^ — ,,1^,7, ^^^ ^o 9->*^ ^^;"-
<^
Dholv-^Dhotar. ' 239
Dhobi, perhaps the most clearly defined and the one most nearly approaching a true caste of all the Menial and Artisan castes. He is found undor that name throughout the Punjab, but in the Derajat and tlie Multiln Division he is undistinguishable from the Charhoa. He ia the washer- man of the country, but with washing he generally combines, especially in the centre and west of the Province, tlie craft of calico-printing, and undoubtedly in these parts the Dhobi and Chhimba castes overlap. The Dhobi is a true village menial in the sense that he reci^ves a fixed share of the produce in return for washing the clothes of the villajjes where he performs that office. But he occupies this position only among the higher castes of landowners, as among the Jdts and castes of similar standing the women generally wash the clothes of the family. The Dhobi is, therefore, to be found in largest number in the towns. His social position is very low, for his occupation is considered impure ; and he alone of the tribes which are not outcast will imitate the Kumhdr in keeping and using a donkey. He stands below the N^i, but perhaps above the Kumhar. He often takes to working as a Darzi or tailor, and in Peshiiwar dhohi simply means a dyer (rangrez). He is most often a Musalmitn. His title is barita or khalifa, the latf er being the title of the heads of his guild.
The Dhobi sections appear to be few. They include : —
1. Agrai. 5. Kamhoh. 9. Rikhari.
2. Akthra. 6. Khohhar. 10 Liirli.
3. Bhalam. 7. Koh^ns. 11. Lippal.
4. Bhatfi. 8. Mahraal.
(Those italicised are also Chili m Via a?icZ Charhoa po^v, Nos 1, 3 and 9 being also Charhoa gots). The Hindu Dhobis in Kapurthala say they are immigrants from the United Provinces and preserve four of their original seven gro^s, fi^., Magia, Miirwair, Balwar and Kanaujia, while the Muhammadan sections are said to be Galanjar, Mohar, Role, Sano-ari, Saukhar and Satal-
Dhoda, an agricultural clan found in Sluthpur.
Dhodi Bhandaet, KeATAR, Namonana and Waib, fonr Rajpijt septs (agricul- tural) found in Mult^n.
Dhoqri, the ironsmiths, miners and charcoal-burners of the Barmaur wizcirat of Chamba State, where, when holding land as tenants, they are, like other low-castes, termed jhumridhc, lit. ' family servants'. In Kullii territory all say the term dhogri is applied to any Dt'iglu or K'oli who takes to iron-smelting : cj. Chhazanq for the Dhongru Kd,ru in Spiti.
The name is probably connected \y ith dhaukni, etc., 'bellows,' and dhauna, ' to blow the bellows. '
Dhol, a tribe of Jats, found in Kapurthala, whither it migrated from the
East, beyond the Jumna, after settling in Amritsar : see also Dhaul. Dbori, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Shdhpur.
Dhot, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Montgomery — in the latter both Hindu and Muhammadan.
Dhotar, a Jdt tribe, almost entirely confined to Guji'iinwala. They are mostly Hindus, and claim to be descended from a Solar Rajput who emigrated from Hindustan or, according to another story, from Grhazni, sjmo 20 generations back.
240 Dhudhi — Dhund.
Dhudhi, Dhudbi, a tribe of Muhammadans found in Pdkpattan tabsil, Montgoraery district, and akin to the Raths, In this district it is clasbed as Rcijput, 3 At, Ardin, and in Sh^hpur as Ji\,. In Montgomery the Dhudhi Hutidna raok as Rajputs.
Dhudhial, an agricultural clan found in Sh^hpur.
Dhudhi, a small clan of Panwdr Rajputs found with their kinsmen the Rathor scattered alonor the Sutlej and Chendb. Their original seat is said to have been in the Mails! tahsil of Multd,n, where they are mentioned as early as the first half of the 14th century. When the Delhi empire was breaking up they spread along the rivers. One of them, Hdji Sher Mu- hamra-id, was a saint whose shrine in Multdn is still renowned. They are said to be " fair agriculturists and respectable members of society."
Dhddi, a Jilt tribe found in tahsil Mailsi, district Multdn, and formerly, in the 13th century, established in the extreme east of it.
Dhul, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur and, as Riijputs, in Montgomery.
Dhul, one of the principal clans of the Jats in Karnal, with its head- quarters at Pai.
Dhdllu Bhatti, a Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Dhund, the Dhund with the Satti, and Ketwal, occupy nearly the whole of the Murree and Hazd-ra Hills on the right bank of the Jhelum in the Hazdra and Rawalpindi districts. Of the three the Dhund are the most northern, being found in the Abbottlbdd tahsil of Hazdra and in the northern tracts of Rawalpindi, while below them come the Satti. Andwd,l appears to be one of the Dhund clans. They claim to be descendants of Abbas, the paternal uncle of the Prophet ; but another tradition is that their ancestor Takht Khd,n came with Taimur to Delhi where he settled ; and that his descendant Zorab Khan went to Kahuta ^ in the time of Shdh Jahan, and begat the ancestors of the Jadwd,l,
/^ Dhund, Sarrd,ra, and Tandoli tribes. His son Khal^ra or Kulu Rai was
sent to Kashmir, and married a Kashmiri woman from whom the Dhund are sprung, and also a Ketwd,l woman. From another illegitimate son of his the Satti, who are the bitter enemies of the Dhund, are said to have sprung ; but this the Satti deny and claim descent from no less a person than Nausherwan. These traditions are of course absurd. Kulu Rai is ■ a Hindu name, and one tradition makes him brought up by a Brahman. Colonel Wace wrote of the Dhund and Karrdl : '^ Thirty years ago their acquaintance with the Muhammadan faith was still slight, and though they now know more of it, and are more careful to observe it, relics of their Hindu faith are still observable in their social habits." This much appears certain that the Dhund, Satti, Bib, Ohibh, and many others, are all of Hindu origin, all originally occupants of the hills on this part of the Jhelum, and all probably more or less connected. Among the Punwdr clans mentioned by Tod, and supposed by him to be extinct, are the Dhoonda, Soruteah, Bheeba, Dhund, Jeebra, and Dhoonta ; and it is not impossible that ttiese tribes may be Punwd,r clans. The history of these tribes is given at pages 592 j(y^ of Sir Lepei Griffin's Punjab Chiefs. They were almost exterminated by the Sikhs in 1837. Colonel Cracroft considered the Dhund and Satti of Rawalpindi to be a ' treacherous, feeble, and dangerous population,' and rendered especially dangerous by their close connection with the Karral and Dhund of Hazdra. He says
tr.^ /
y C^ S^ ^ J
A ^ /
Dhunia — Dllazak. 241
that the Satti are a finer and more vigorous race and less inconstant and volatile than thp Dhund, whoso traditional oneniios they are. Sir Lepel GriflRn wrote that the Dhund " have ever been a lawless untract- able race, but their coiiratre is not equal to their disposition to do evil." On the other hand, Major Wace described both the Dhund and Karral as "attached to their homes and fields, which they cultivate simply and industriously. For the rest their character is crafry and cowardly." Both tribes broke into open rebellion in 1857, and the Dhund were severely chastised in Rfiwalpindi, but left unpunished in Hazdra. Mr, E. B. Steedmnn said : " The hillmen of Rawalpindi are not of very fine physique. They have a good deal of pride of race, but, are rather squalid in appearance. The rank and file are poor, holding but little land and depending cliiofly on their cattle for a livelihood. They have a great dislike to leaving the hills, especially in the hot weather, when they go up as high as they can, and descend into the valleys during the cold weather. They stand high in the social scale." In Haz^ra the local tradition makes two of the two main Dhund clans, Chandial and Ratnic'll, descendants of two Rdjput chiefs who were descended from Gahi, ruler of a tract round Delhi. To this day they refuse to eat with other Muharamadans or even to allow them to touch their cooking vessels. At weddings they retain the Hindu custom, whereby the hardt or pro- cession spends 2 or 3 days at the house of the bride's fattier, and various other Hindu social observances. They rarely marry outside the tnbe^ but polygamy is fairly common among them.'^' Mr. H. D. Watson describes them as physically rather a firie racf, and intelligent, but factious and unscrupulous.
DflUNiA, a synonym for Penja [q. v.). See also under Kandera.
Dhunsar, Dhusar, see under Bhargava Dliusar.
DiiDSSA. — A daughter of Guru Har Rai married a Gend Khatri of Pasrur, named Amar Singh, whose descendants arc called dhussas or intruders, but no sect of this name appears in our Census tables.
DiHADRAE, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. DiLAZAK, an important Pathan tribe.
The Dilazak were the first Afghdn tribe to enter the Peshiiwar valley, and the Akhund, Darweza, avers that they came first into Nangrahdrt
* E. Molloy, in P. N. Q. II, § 281.
t The "Dilazaks first fcntcred Nangrahar from the west or south-west and, prior to Ti'raur's invasion, settled in the Peshawar valley, allying themselves with the Shalmim's. In Bihar's time and under Akbar they held Walasau and the eastern part of Bajaur. They assigned the Doilba to the Yusufzais and Mandars and they in turn to the Gagi'unis, but the latter were defeat- ed by the Uibzaks Upon this tlie Khashis, headed by Malik Ahina 1. the Mandar chief, attacked the Dilazaks and drove them out of all their territorios north of the Kibul river. The Khalfls and Mohmands then induced Kamran to attack the Dilazaks and he expelled them from Pesha- war and all their possessions west of the Indus (c 1533-4). Subsequently (c. 1d4'.)-S()) Khan Kaju. Malik Ahmad's successor, formed a great confederation of Khashi tribes and defeated the Ghwaria Khel, headed by the Khah'ls, at shaikh i'apiir in 154.i-5o. Kh.in Kaju's power may be gauged from the fact that he had at one time a force of 150,000 men under his command and his authority was acknowledged from Nangrahar to the Marigalla pass, and from Upper Swit to Pindi and Kalabagh. Adam Khi'm Gakhar is said to have been his feudatory. Three or four j'ears later in 1552 Hum^yim reached Peshawar, which fortress he found in ruins, and appointed Sikandar Khan the Cossack (Qa/ak) its governor. Soon after 1552 Khan Kaju marched on Bagram and there invested isikandar, but havins; no artillery or other firearms was pompelled to raise the siege. Khan Kaju's Mulla or chief priest and minister was Shaikh Mali who divided the conquered lands among the Khe^shis.
242 Diiiddr'^Dirmdn.
from the west and passed on eastward before the time of Timur. Enter- ing the vale of Peshdwar they formed an alliance with the Shalmfinis, who were then bubject to the Sultd,n of Sw^t, and subdued or expelled, exterminated or absorbed the other tribes which held the valley. Thus they occupied the eastern part of Bdjaur, and their territory extended from the Jinde riv^r to the K^Mpani and the hills of Swat. The Shalmanis held the Hashtna»ar tract, but all the lands from Bd,jaur to the Indus north of the K^bul and south of it as far as the Afridi hills, were Dilazak territory .vhen the Khashi Pathdns appeared on the scene. That branch of the Afg'hd,n ration had been expelled from their seats near Kabul by Mirza (Jlugh Beg, B^bar's uncle, they ap- plied for aid to the Dilaz^ks and were by them assigned the Shabkadr Do-dbah or tract between the two rivers.
Accordingly the Yusufzai ard Mandar tribes of the Khashis settled in the Do-^bah, and some under the Mandar chief, Mir .Jamd,l Amanzai, spread towards Ambar and Diinishkol, while many Mandars and some of the Yusufzais pushed on into Bdjaur. Then they came into collision with the Umr Khel Dilazdks, who held the Chanddwal valley, and defeated them with the loss of their chief, Malik Haibu. The Yusufzai, Mfindar and Khalil'^ then divided Bajaur among themselves, but soon fell out and in the end the Khalils were crushed in a battle fought in the Hindu- raj valley. The Khalils never again obtained a footing in Bajaur.
Meanwhile the Gagidnis had attempted to set a footing in Bdjaur but failed and besought Malik Ahmad Mandar for aid. He assigned the ])o-abah to them, but they soon found cause of quarrel with the Dilazaks, and even with the Yusufzais and Mandars also. In 1519 the Gagidnis brought Bd,bar into the Hashtnagar tract, ostensibly against the Dilazdks, with whom the Yusufzai and Mandars left them to fight it out. In the result the Dilazak completely overthrew the Gagi.anis. The former were elated at their victory, and thus aroused the jealousy of Malik Ahmad, who formed a great Khashi confederacy, including various vassals of the Yusufzai and Mandar. In a great battle fought in the Guzar Kud, between Katlang and Shahbdzgarhi, the Dilazaks were defeated with great loss, but in the pursuit Ahmad's son Khdn Kaju chivalrously allowed the Dilazdk women to escape across the Indus. He subsequently received the hand of the daughter of the Dilazdk chief, and the political downfall of the Dilazak was thereby sealed. As good subjects of Bdbar they were obnoxious to Mirza Kamrd,n, and this doubtless accounts for the failure of all their attempts to retrieve their position, since they were only finally overcome after much severe fighting. In alliance with Kamr^n the Khalils sought to despoil the Dilazaks of their remaining lands, and by 1534 they had obtained possession of the country from Dhdka to Attock, together with the Khyber and Karappa passes.
DiNDAR, 'possessed of the Faith': a term applied to a Chuhra, Chamdr or any other low-caste convert to Islam. Better class converts are called Naumuslim, Sheikh or somewhat contemptuously, Sheikhra. Gf. Kho]ah.
DiEMAN, (a corruption of Abdur-rahmd,n) an Afghan sept of theKBAGiANi tribe.
* The Khalils had quarrelled with the other tribes of the Ghwaria Khel and quitted th northern Qandahar territory to occupy the Lashura valley in Bajaur, some time previouslyQ
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Diwdna'^Dod. 248
DiwANA. — The third oldest sect of the Sikhs. To Guru Har Rai, or perhaps to Guru Rdm Dds, must ho ascribed the origin of the DiwJlna Siidhs or " Mad Saints," a name they owe chiefly to their addiction to ex- cessive consumption of hemp drugs. Founded by Bahl and Uaria with the Guru's permission the order is but loosely organised, and is recruited mainly from the Jdts and Ohamars. Its members are for the most part non-celibate. Outwardly those S^dhs keep the hair uncut and wear a necklace of shells, with a peacock's feather in the pagri. They fellow the Adi Grantli and repeat the true name.'^ Sikh history relates that one of the sect who attempted forcible access to Guru Govind Singh was cut down by a sentry, whereupon Ghudda, their spiritual guide, sent 50 men of the sect to assassinate him. But of these 48 turned back, and only two proceeded to the Guru, without weapons, and playing on a sarangi ; and instead of killing him they sang to him. He gave them a square rupee as a memorial. (Macauliffo : ISikh Re- ligion, V, p. 218). They are mainly returned from Kdngra district.
DiwAR, a family of Oadhioks, settled at Dalwd-l in Jhelum,
DoD, a Rajput tribe found in Hoshidrpur, The Dods are almost entirely con6ned to the Bit tract in the Siwdliks, their head being the Rdna of Mdnaswd.lt. The Dods are Jadav or Chandr-bansi by origin. Tra- dition avers that they once fought an enemy H times as numerous as themselves, and so became called Deorha, whence Dod. The clan once ruled in Orissa, whence Deo Chand fought his "way to Delhi, defeated its rulers, the Turs (Tunwdrs), and then conquered Jaijon : —
Orisa sc charhiya Raja Deo Chand Barydhan Tika ae.
Tur Raja auliydn jo thaJce fauj rachae,
Tur chhadde nathhejo mil baithe hai,
Dod Qarh Muktesar men jo mile chare thdon, —
' Raja Deo Chand marched from Orissa. The Tiir Raja collected a large army in order to meet him, but fled before him. The Dods occupied Garh Muktesar and the places round it.'
Thus Deo Chand came to Jaijon and ruled the Dodba, His descend- ant Jai Chand gave his name to Jaijon. The Dod Rdjd was, however, defeated by a Rdjd of Jaswdn, and his four sons separated, one taking Jaijon, the second Kungrat, the third Mdnaswal Garhi and the fourth Saroa. Jaijon and Saroa were subsequently lost to the Dods, and after their defeat by Jaswdn they sank to the status of rdnas, losing that of Rajas. Of the 22 villages dependent on Kungrat, none pay talukddrl to the rdna who is a mere co-proprietor in Kungrat, as the family lost its position during the Sikh rule. The Rana of Manaswdl, however, maintained his position under the Sikhs and holds most of the 22 Mdnaswal villages (Bit = 22) in jdgir, his brothers holding the rest.
Another account runs thus : —
Four leaders of the tribe migrated from Udaipur to Garh Mandil, I.IOU years ago, and thence to Garh Muktasar. Thence Jodh Chand seized Minaswal, expelling Hira, the Mahton leader, whose tribe held the tract, 40 generations a^o. Rana Chacho Chand, the 19th Rana, was attacked by the Katoch ruler, but his brother Tilok feingh (Tillo) defeated him at Mahiidpur in Una, and Tillo's shrine at Bhawani is reveninced to this day. In Samb»t 1741 Rana Jog Chand repelled a Jaswal invasion. R4na Bakhl Chand annexed Bhalan, with 12 dependent villages, in Una. His successor, Ratn Chand, repelled a Jaswal army under
* Maclagan, § 101. The Diw4na Sadhs appear to be a sect of the Milwa with head- quarters at Pi'r-pind in
t But the Manj Rdjputs have a baiya in Bit Manaswil, according to Mr. ColdBtream in Punj4b Notes and Queries I, § 465.
244 Dodai — l)ogar.
Bhagwan Singli Sonkhla who was killed, and in his memory a sbrinc at Kharali was erected. A treaty now dciined the Jaswal and Dod territories. Under Mian'Gulab Singh/ regent during /\chal Chand's minority, Nadir Shah is said to have visited the tract and ordered a massacre of the Kasali people, but the Rima obtained from him a grant of Bathri, then a Jaswi 1 villaiic. Rai.a Jhagar Chand, however, espoused the Jaswals' cause, when they Wire aUncJitd by Sansar Chand of Kangja in U04 A. D., and repulsed him. On Ranjit Singh's invasion of the Blanaswal plateau, the Rana was confirmed in his possessions, subject to a contingent of 15 horse. The rule of inheritance was primogeniture, mitigated by a .system of lopping olT villages as fiefs for younger sons, many of whose descendants still hold villages, thus reducing the size of the estate.
The Dods are also found aa a Muhammadan J at clan (agricultural) in Montgomery.
DoDAi^ once an important Baloch tribe, but not now found under that name. Its most important representatives are the Mirr^ni of Deras Ghdzi and Ismdil Khd,n, and Jhang, and the most important clans of the Gurcli^ni.
DoDHi, a Gaddi milkman, in Gujrdt.
DoDi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
JDoGAR, fern. Dogarni. — The Dogars of the Punjab are found in the upper valley of the Sutle] and Be^s above the lower border of the Lahore district, and have also spread westwards along the foot of the hills into Si^lkot. There are also considerable colonies of them in Hissar and Karnd,l. 'I'he Dogars of Ferozepur-, where they hold the riverside almost exclusively from 20 miles below to 20 miles above the head- quarters of that District, were thus described by Mr. Brandreth : —
" In my account of the Ferozepur ildqa I have already alluded to the
Dogars, who are supposed to be converted Chauhd,ii^' Kajputs from the
neighbourhood of Delhi. They migrated first to the neighbourhood of
P^k Patfan, whence they spread gradually along the banks of the
JSutlej, and entered the Ferozepur district about 100 years ago. The
Ferozepur Dogars are all descended from a common ancestor named
Bahlol, but they are called Mahu DogarSj from Mahu the grandfather
of Bahlol. Bahlol had three sonsjt Bambu, Langar and Sammu. The
Dogars of Ferozepur and Mull^nwd,la are the descendants of Bambu ;
those of Khai the descendants of Langar ; the descendants of Sammu
live in the Kasiir territory. There are many other sub- castes of the
Dogars in other districts Hlong the banks of the cSutlej, as the Parchats,
the Topuras, the Chopuras, etc. The Chopura Dogars occupy Mamdot.J
Ferozepur Dogars consider themselves superior in rank and descent to
* Francis (.Ferosepwr Gazefteer, 1888-9, pp. 15-16) gives a full account of the Dogar history in that District and on p. 56 he says that the Dogar claim to be Punwar, as well as Chauhau, and are probably a section of the great Ehatti trite and clotely allied to the ^'AIrAL. The Manj traditions say that the Dogars are descended from Lumra (? fox) who, like Naipal, was cne of Rana Blmti's :i4 sons. They thrust aside the Watnis to the west and the Naip^ls to the east, aud piokably subdued the Machhis, Malhihs imd other inferior tribes, assuming the position of social superiors rather than that of actual cultivators, and affecting the title of Sirdar.
t Francis ^Ferczcpur Gazetieer, p. f<6) gives a different account He fays that Mahu had two sons Sahlol (whose descendants live on the Kasur side of the Sutlej) and Bahlol, From Bahlol sprang four branches, Khamii, Phaimaki, Ullaki and Kandarki. The Phaimaki hold Khai and Avill not give daughters to other branches which they consider inferior. Infanticide was formerly common amongst them.
i Francis says the sections mostly locateu in Mamdot are the Mattar, Chluni, Rupal, Pbandi and Kbamma, as wOil as the Chopra,
The pogars. 245
tho other sub-castts. They arc 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 nmong them, but 1 do not think there is much trace of it at the present day. " Sir Henry Lawrence, who knew the Dogars well, writes of them
, that 'they are tall, handsome, and sinewy, and wre remarkable for liaving, almost without exception, large acquiline no.•^esJ they are fanciful and violent, and tenacious of v/hat 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 mode of life to willingly take service as soldiers. The Jewish face which is found among the J)ogais, and in which they resemble the Afghans, is very remarkable, and makes it probable that there is very little Cliauh^n blood ia their veins, notwithstanding the fondness with which they attempt to trace their connection with that ancient family of Kajputs. Like the Gujars and Naipdls they are great thieves, and prefer pasturing cattle to cultivating. Their favourite crime is cattle-stealing. There are, however, some respectable persons among them, especially in the Ferozepur ildqa. 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 poorer classes still, wore their long hair over their shoulders without any covering either of sheet or turban. Notwithstanding tho difference of physsiognomy, however, the Dogars preserve evident traces of some connection v/ith the Hindus in most of their family customs, in which they resemble the Hindus much more than the orthodox
Muhammadans.^'
Mr. Purser wrote that they are divided into two tribes, one of which claims to bo Chauhan and the other Punwar Rdjputs, and he noted their alleged advent from Fak Pattan, but not their previous migra- tion from Delhi. If they ever did move from Delhi to the Montgomery district, it can hardly have been since the Ghaggar ceased to fertilize the intervening country, and the date of the migration must have been at least some centui-ies back ; and the Dogars of Hissar camo to those parts from the Punjab, probably from the Sutlej across the Sirsa district. Tho Dogars of Lahore and Ferdzepur are essentially a riverside tribe, being found only on the river banks : they bear the very worst reputation, and appear from the passage quoted above to have retained till lately .some at least of the habits of a wild tribe. Their origin was probably in the Sutlej valley. They appear to have entered the Ferozepur district about 1700 A.D., and during the next forty years to have possessed ihemsolves of a very consideralale portion of the district, while their turbulence reudoied them almost independ- ent of the Sikh Government. In 1808 wo recognised the Dogar State of Ferozepur, and took it under our protection against Kanjit Singh ; but it lapssed in 1835.
The Rdjput origin of the Pogars is probably very doubtful, and is strenuously denied by their Ivdjpiit neighbours, though Sir Deuzil Ibbetson believed that Dogar, or perhaps Doghar,*^ is used in some
* Doghar means two waterpots, one carried on top of the other. The d is soft. lu Dogar it is hard.
246 Dogli—Dohli.
parts of the Provinco to denote one of mixed blood. Another derivation of tlie 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 Gujats, whom they much resemble in their habits. In Karndl, Lahore and Ferozepur they are notorious cattle-thieves, but further north tliey seem to have settled down and become peaceful husbandmen. They are not good cultivators. Their social standing seems to be about that of a low-class Rajput, but in Sirsa they rank as a good agricultural caste, of equal standing with the Wattus. They are practically all Musalmdns, but in Karndl their women still wear the Hindu petticoat j and in marriage the mother's got is excluded. In Jullundur they marry late, and are said to have marriage songs unintelligible to othor tribes. Some of the largest Dogar clans are the Mattar, China, Tagra, Mdhu and Chokra.
According to an account obtained from Kapurthala the Dogars were originally settled at Lakhiwal, near which was fought a battle between the Man] and Bhatti Rajputs, the Dogars siding with the latter. The Manj were, however, victorious and expelled the Dogears from Lakhiwdl, but for generations no Dogar would drink from the hands of a Manj.
The Dogar septs in Kapurthala are: — Dasal, from LakhiwS,!: founded Dasal which was destroyed by the Sikhs, who had been plundered by the Dogars in their flight from Ahmad Shah Abd^li ; Biljwa, or Ratrd., from Sund,ru; Ripd^l, Nainah, Mattar, Asar all from Lakhiwal.
Other gots are the Si<^hi, Banch, Ddre, Chhane, Khame, Mabhi, M4hu, Daddd, Dhandi, Gug, Dher, Tote, Kohli, Fade, Sanapi, Jakhra, Katwdl, Chhohar, Chopri, Ghangi, Wali, Wisar, Khari, Sombar, Ilsar, Johde, Kotordal, Gosa^l, Saurai, Dbaurdi and Gamload.
In Montgomery the Dogar -Khiwa, -Mahu and -Mittar rank as three agricultural Rajput clans.
DoGLi. — A term applied to the offspring of a Rajput man by a Gaddi woman in Kdngra. Cf. Dogala, a mongi-el. (The d is soft).
DoGBA, a term applied to any inhabitant of the Dugar fZes,t whatever his caste, but more especially to the Hindu Rajputs of that region. Brah- mans also are included in the term, as are Rathis and 'I'hakkurs (as Rajputs), but not Ghirths or Kanets.J
According to Drew [Jammu and Kashmir Territories, pp. 43 et seq.). there are two lakes near Jammu, the Saroin Sar and Man Sar, and the country between them was called in Sanskrit Drigarhdesh or the country between the two hollows. This was corrupted into Dugar. Drew divides the Dogras of the Jammu hills into Brahmans, E^jputs (including the Midns and workiug Rajputs), Khatris, Thakars, Jats, Banyas and K(i;rars (petty shopkeepers), Nais, Jiurs (carriers)', Dhiy^rs (iron-smelters), Meghs and Dums.
DoHLi, a drummer (player on dol) in Gujrat.
* In Hissar the Dogars have a vague traditiou that they camefrom the hill called Dogar in Jammu.
t Deb here does not appear to mean ' plain,' but simply tract.
ISee Bingley's Dogras {Class Band'booki for the Indian Army, 1899).
c^
"^ ^/ ^.n:^ ^^.1^
sj U >,^ i. ^t-
L e^ L a— A
^Jla, -^^ '^ ^^ ^ " /
U. li^i^
Li.'' J^^c i
Dolat—Drigs. 247
DoLAT, DuLHAT, a claii of Jrlts found in Ndbha, Pa^idla and Ferozepore."*^ Rai Khanda, their ancestor, is said to have held a jagir near Delhi. His brothers Ragbir and Jagobir were killed in Nadir Shah's invasion, but he escaped and fled to Siuna Gujariwdla, a village, now in ruins, close to Sunam, and then the capital of a petty state. He sank to Jat status by marrying his brother's widows. The origin of the name Dolat is thus accounted for. Their ancestor's children did not live, so his wife made a vow at Naina Devi to visit the shrine twice for the tonsure ceremony of her son, if she had one. Her son was accordingly called Do-lat (from lat hair).
Dolat, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
DoM, DoMB, fern, dombdni, Bal., a bard, minstrel ; see Dum. In Dera Gh,4zi Khdn the doms or mirdsis arc a low class of Muhammadans who used to keep horse-stallions and still do so in the Bozdd;r hills.
DoMARAH, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
DoMBKi, DoMKi. — Described in ballads as •' the greatest house among the Baloch/ and of admittedly high rank, the Domki are still called the Dapfar fPers. daftar) or recorders of Baloch genealogy. But owing to this fHct and the similarity of name some accuse them of being Doms, and a satirist pays : 'The Dombkis are little brothers of the Doms.' The name is however probably derived from Dumbak, a river in Persia. Their present head-quarters aie at Lahri in Kachhi.
DoMRA, a young bard : a term of contempt, but see Dumril.
DosALi, a small caste found in Hoshidrpur, but not east of the Sutlej.f Its members make dishes of leaves, often of ^awar leaves for Hindus to eat of. At weddings their services are in great request to make leaf platters, and that appears to be their priticipal occupation. They sew the leaves together with minute pieces of dried grass straw, as is done in the Simla Hills by Dumnas. The Dosdli is deemed an impure caste, and Rdjputs, etc., cannot drink from their hands. But it is deemed hifj;her than the Sarera, or the Bhanjrd, but below the Bdhti or Ghirth, and near the Chhimba. The Dosdli rarely or never marries outside his own caste.
DoTANNi, see Dautanni.
DoTOEN, see Thakur.
DoYE, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Drakhan, Bal., a carpenter- contrast dras-hk, a tree.
Dren, see Mallah.
Drigs, a tribe of Jdta found along the Cheiidb in Multdn. They attribute their origin to Kech Makrdn and were probably driven out of Sind late in the 15th century setthng in Bet Kech in Akbar's time. They are entitled Jdm.
* But their Sidh and Pi'r is Didar Si igh, whose shrine is at Mard Khefa in Jmd.
I Ibbetson indeed describes the Dosali as a hill caste, somewhat above the Chamar, or rather aa an occupational group, deriving its name from duKa, the small piece of straw used to pin loaves together. I'.ut the Uosalfs are also found in Amritsar where they have a tradition that their forebear used to carry a lantern before the emperor, whence h« was called Misaali. This menial task led to his excommunication, and the name was corrupted into Dosili.
248 Drishah — Drugpa.
DhisnAK, aro the most scattered of all theRALoCH tumans of Dera Ghdzi KhSn, many of theif villaofes lying among a Jd,t population on the bank of the Indu" ; and this fact renders the tnman less powerful than it shoulc? be from its numliers. They hold no portion of the hills, and are practically- confined to the Ghazi district, lying scattered about between the Pitok Pass on the norhh and Sori Pass on the south, The tribe belongs to the Rind section ; but claims descent from Hot, son of Jaldl Kh^n. Its sections are the Kirm^mi, Mingwani, Gulpadh, Sargdni, Arbdni, Jistkdni and Isanani, the chief belonging to the first of these. Their head-quarters are at Asni close to Rdjanpur. They are said to have descended into the plains after the Mazdri, or towards the end of the 17th century.
Deugpa, * red-cap ' (but see below). — A Buddhist order. Like its sister order the NiNGMAPA, from whom they appear to be distinct, the Drugpa was founded about 750 a. d. by Padanisambhava, who is known iu Ld^hul as 'Guru' or Guru Rinpoche. Padamsanibhava visited Mandi, Ganotara, Ldhul, Kashmir and both the Bangd,hal8, but died in Great Tibet.* One of his great doctrines was called Spiti Yoga, and he may have developed it in Spiti. A sorcerer and exorcist, he helped to decjrade the faith by the most debased Tantraism, but he merits admiration as a great traveller.
The name Drugpa possibly means, according to Mr, Francke, the Bhutia order, the Tibetan for Bhutan being Drukyiil or Drugyiil and for a Bhutia 'Drugpa.' The Bhutan church is governed by a very great Ldma, who is ahnost a Pope in himself.t In Spiti his title is given as Dorji Chang, but in Ladd,kh he is known as N(g)a(k)wang Namgial. The Bhutan Ldma appears to rule the following religious houses in Western Tibet :—
Ganphug*,
Gesar and Sumor in the Daba dzong. According to a Spiti manepa (preacher) his Heu tenant in Tibet is known as the Gangri Durindzin,or Gyalshokpa J and his influence is widely spread. He is or should be appointed for a term of three years.
In LShuI there are two distinct f-ects of the Drugpas : — 1. The Zhung Drugpas (Middle Bhuteas) or Kargiutpa (Tantraists). This sect has 3 Lahula communities all connected with the parent com- munity at Hemis : only one Ldhula house boasts an abbot {khripa), [pronounced thripa] and he is appointed by the abbot of Hemis. The head monastery is at Dechen Choskor near Lhassa.
* Padamsambhava was an Indian monk who became a great friend of the Tibetan emperor Khrising bte btsau (pron. Treshing detsam), who extended his empire from the Chinese frontier to Gilgit.
t Sherring describes the curious P. ru?a administration which rules one of the most sacred regions of Tibet independenth , and sometimes in defiance of the Lhassa authorities ; Westetn Tibet, p. 278.
J Dashok, according to Sherring, op. cU, and the Kangr Donjan of the Gazetteer of the Eangra District, Fart II.
|
(i) (ii) |
Dariphug and Zatulphug in the holy cir- cuit of Kailas, |
(ix) (X) |
|
(iii) |
Jakhyeb in Take Md,na- sarowar. |
|
|
(iv) (V) (vi) |
Khojarn^th, Rungkhung and Do. in the Upper Karn^li river, |
|
|
(vii) (viii) |
Garrdzong, near Gartok, Iti. |
^
^
Duhir-^Dum. 249
But the Zhun Drngpas acknowledge the suzerainty of the pope or Dalai Ld,raa of Bliuti1,ii, and in December 1909 the abbot of Hernia Skoshok Stag Tsang Has Chen passed through Kullu to attend the Bhuti'm Dalai Ldina's court.
2. Hlonilrugpa, pronounced Lodrug]Da (the Southern Bhuteas). There are no less than ivvelvG houses of this order. All are subordinate to Stagna (pron, Takna) in Laddkh and that house again is subordinate to Bhutiln. The abbot of Stagna appoints the abbot of the ancient house of Guru Ghuntd,l or Gandhola which was founded by Guru Rinpoche himself, and the Gandhola abbot appoints the other Lahula abbots of the order. He sends an annual tribute of Rs. 30 to Gangri Durindzin through the abbot of Stagna. The Drugpas of Mhul thus keep up their connection with Bhutan. Orders appointing or relieving an abbot are supposed to be signed in Bhutan, and when the ritual dancing at Krashis (Tashi) Dongltse (at Kyelong) was revised a brother was bent to Bhutiin to learn the proper steps, instead of to the much less distant Drugpa monastery at Hemis in Lad^kh.*
Like the Ningmapas the Drugpas are distinguished for their low moral standard and degraded superstitions which are little bettor than devil-worship. The brethren are allowed to marry and their children {huzhan or ' naked boys ') let their hair grow till they enter the community.
DoBfR, a weighman, in Muzaffargarh.
DuHLAB, an agricultural clan found in Sh^hpur.
DuKPA, Lo-DUKPA, the Buddhist sect to which all the monks in L^hul and the monks of the Pin monastery in Spiti belong. Its peculiarity is that no vow of celibacy is required of, or observed by, its members, who marry and have their wives living with them in the monasteries. The sect wears red garments and is subject to the Dharma R^jd, of BhutJln, in which country it is most numerously represented. The Nyingmd is the sub-division of the Dukpa sect to which the monks of Pin and the families from which they are drawn belong. The word merely means * ancient,' and they appear to have no distinguishing doctrines. (Apparently the same as the Nyimapa sect of § 252 of Census Report, 1881). But see Drugpa and Ningmapa from Mr. Francke's accounts of those orders.
DuM, or less correctly Dom : fern. Dumni, dim. Diimnl. According to Ibbetson the D urn is to lie carefully distinguished from the Dom or Domrd,, the executioner and corpse-burner of Hindustan, who is called Dumna in the liills of Hoshidrpur and Kdngra. But in Chamba the Dumnsl is called Dum and in the Hill States about Simla he is a worker in bamboo.t Aocording to Ibbelson the Dum of the plains is identical with the MiRASi, thrt latter being the Muhamraadan, Arabic name for the Hindu and Indian Dum. But though the Diims may overlap the Mirdsis
* Tt is not, however, certain that all Drugpas are subject to Bhutan. Kamsay gives a separate sect called Hlondukpa (Hlo meaning Bhutin) which includes the Stagna house. It was founded, he says, in the 1 5th century by N(g')a(k)wang Namgial : Dicty. of WeUern Tibet, Lahore, 1890, p. 83. Possibly there was a reformation from Bhut4n in the iDth century.
t In Maya Singh's Pttnjd6i Didy. § Diimn'i is said to — ' a species of bee.
250 Duftf^Dumnd.
and be in common parlance confused with them, they appear to be, in some parts of the Punjab at least, distinct from tliem, and the Mirdsis are beyond all question inextricably fused with the Bh^ts. In Gurgdon the Dum is said to be identical with the Kanchan, and to be a Minlsi who plays the tahla or camoigi for prostitutes, who are often Mirdsi girls. Such Dums are also culled htiarwa (pimp) or sufardai. Dum women fis well as men ply this trade. But another account from the same District says that the Dum is the mirdsi of the Mir^sis ; and that he gets his alms from the menial castes, such as the Jhiwar, Dakaut, Koli, Oliamfir, Bliangi, Juldhd, and Dhd,nak. la Lahore too they arc described as quite beyond the Mirdsi pale, as the true Mirdsis will not intermarry with them nor will prostitutes associate with them, though, like the Bhands,^ they sing and play for them when they dance or siny professionally. In fact they rank below the Chuhrd. So too in Ludhidna tl)ey are distinct from and lower than the Mlrasi.
In Dera Ghdzi Khd,n the Dum or Langd, are said to be an occupa- tional grtmp of the MiRAsis, and to be the mird.n of the Baloch tribes. In other words they are identical with the Dom or Domb, whose name means minstrel in Balochi.
DuMNA.— The Dumnd., called also Domra, and even Dum in Chamba, is the Chuhrd. of the hills proper, and is also found in large numbers in the sub-montane tracts of Kdngra, Hoshidrpur and Gurdd,spur. Like the Chuhrd of the plains he is something more than a scavenger ; but whereas the Chuhrd. works chiefly in graes, the Dumna adds to this occupation the trade of working in bamboo, a material not available to the Chuhrd. He makes sieves, winnowing pans, fans, matting, grass rope and string, and generally all the vessels, baskets, screens, furniture and other articles which are ordinarily made of bamboo. When he con- fines himself to this sort of work and gives up scavengering, he appears to be called Bhanjra, at any rate in the lower hills, and occasionally Sariiil. 'I'he Dumna appears hardly ever to become Musalmdn or Sikh, and is classed as Hindu, though being an outcast he is not allowed to draw water from wells used by the ordinary Hindu population.
TheDumnd, is often called Dum in other parts of India, as in Chamba; and is regarded by Hindus as the type of uncleanness. Yet he seems once to have enjoyed as a separate aboriginal race some povfer and importance. Further information regarding him will be found in Sherring (I^ 400) and Elliott (I, 84). He is, Sir Deuzil Ibbetson con- sidered, quite distinct from the Dum-Mirdsi.
DtJMNA, a low sweeper caste, a 'so called Bhanjrd, in the hills and in Gurdds- pur, Jnllundur and Hoshiarpur. They make chiks, baskets, etc., of bamboo and do menial service. Apparently the term is a generic one, including Barwalds, Batwd^ls, Daolis and Sansois. But in Lahore, where the Dumna is also found, he is described as distinct from the Batwdl, and as a Hindu who is yet not allowed to draw water from Hindu wells. Some of the Dumnd,s will eat from a Muhammadan's hands. Their clans are Kalotra, Manglu, Pargat, Drahe and Lalotra. The word is probably only a variant of Dum.
* The Diain ranks below the Bhand also. The latter are skilled in hhanddr a practise of which the Diim is ignorant. It consists in absorbing all the water in a large bath and ejecting it through the ears, nostrils or mouth.
V'^
Dumrd — Dutanui, 251
DuMRA, DoMRA, dim. of Dura, q. v. In the hills the term is applied to any low caste which works as tailors, masons or carpenters, or in bamboo.
Dun, a tribe of Jdte, found in Jmd, and so called from duhnd, to milk, be cause they used to milk she-buffaloes.
DuND Rai, a tribe of Jdts which claims Solar Rrljput origin through its eponym who .settled in the Milnjha and his descendant Hari who migrated to Sid,lkot.
Durrani, see Abdd,li.
DuSAUH, Dos^d, a Purbia tribe of Chanidrs. They are the thieves and burglars of Behdr where also the c/iatiA;ida7*« have been drawn from this class from time immemorial.
DusANJ, a Hindu Jdt tribe found in Ferozepur, whom tradition avers that Saroia, Jat, had five sons, Sdugha, Mallhi, Dhindsa, Dhillon aud Dusanj, eponyms of as many gots.
DuTANNi, see Dautanui.
253
Faizullaporia, the sixth of the Sikh misls or confederacies, which was rccruitccl fi'om Jilts.
Faqartadaei, a J^t clan (agricultural) fouud in Multan.
Faqib, pi. FDQAKA, 'poor/ a mendicant (Arabic). 'I'he term faqir compre- hends at least two, if not three, vcrj ciifferent classes, exclusive of the religious orders pure and simple. Many of these are of the highest respectabihty ; the members are generally collected in moDasterics or shrines where they live quiet peaceful lives, keeping open house to travellers, training their neophytes', and exercising a wholesome influ- ence upon the people of the neighbourhood. Such are many at least of the Bairagis and Gosains. .Some of the orders do not keep up regular monasteries, but, travel about begging and visiting their disciples; though even here they generally have permanent head- quarters in some village, or at some shrine or tcmjile where one of their order officiates. So too the monastcrial ordeis travel about among their disciples and collect the offerings upon which they partly subsist. There is an immense number of these men whose influence is almost wholly for good. Some few of the orders are professedly celibate, though even among them the rule is seldom strictly observed; but most of the Hindu orders are divided into the Sanyogi and Viyogi sections of which the latter only takes vows of celibacy, while among the Musal- m^n orders celibacy is seldom even professed. Such, however, as live in monasteries arc generally, if not always, celibate. The professed ascetics are called Sadhs if Hindu, and Pirs if Musalm^n. The Hindus at any rate have their neophytes who are undergoing probation before admission into the order, and these men are called chela. But besides these both Hindu and Musalman ascetics have their disciples, known respectively as scicak and murid, and these latter belong to the order as much as do their spiritual guides; that is to say, a Kayath clerk may be a Bairagi or a Pa^han soldier a Chishti, if they have committed their spiritual direction respectively to a Bairagi guru and Chishti pir. But the Muhammadan Chishti, like the Hindu Bairagi or Gosain, may in time form almost a distinct caste. Many of the members of these orders are pious, respectable men whose influence is wholly for good. But this IS tar from being the case with all the orders. Many of them are notoriously profligate debauchcrs, who wander about the country seducing women, extorting alms by the threat of curses, and relying on their saintly character for protection. Still even these men are members of an order which they have deliberately entered, and have some right to the title which they bear. But a very large portion of the class who are included under the name Faqir are ignorant men of low caste, without any acquaintance with even the general outlines of the religion they ])rofess, still less with the special tenets of any parti- cular sect, who borrow the garb of the regular orders and wander about the country living on the alms of the credulous, often hardly knowing the names of the orc^crs to which the external signs they wear would show them to belong. Such men are mere beggars, not ascetics ; and their numbers are unfortunately large. Besides the occupations described above, the Faqir class generally have in their hands the
254 Faqir miskin — Firdusi.
custody of petty shrines, the menial service of village temples and mosques, the guardianship of cemeteries, and similar semi-religious offices. For these services they often receive small grants of land from the village, by cultivating which they supplement the alms and offerings they receive.
The subject of the religious orders of the Hindus is one of the greatest complexity ; the cross-divisions between, and the different meanings of, such words as Joc.i, Saniasi and Sadh are endless. See also Bharai, Chajjupanthi, D^dupanthi, Jogi, Saniasi, Udd,si, etc., etc.
Faqir miskin, see under Chitrd,li.
Faqeakh, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Fardka, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Fattiana, one of the principal branches of the Sid-ls of Jhang.
Fekozkb, a Kbarral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Firdusian, a sect or order of the Sufis, founded by Shaikh Najm-ud-Din Firdus.
25.5
G
Gabare, Gaware (also called Mahron, from their principal village), a group of souie 300 families found in certain villages of the Kohi tract in the Indus Kohistdn. Thoy speak a dialect called Gowro and have a tradi- tion that they originally cauie from lldsliuug in Swat. — Biddulph'a Tribes of the Hindoo Koonh, p. 10.
Gabhal, a Muharamadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Gabir, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Gabr, or, as they call themselves Narisati,* a small tribe found in a few villages in Chitral. Possibly the Gabrak of Bd,bar'3 Memoin, their language differs onsiderably from that of the Gabare of the Indus valley. The Chitrdlis speak oi them as a bald race, and they certainly have scanty beard«. Sir G. Robertson describes them as all Musal- md,ns of the Sunni sect, who have a particular language of their ONvn and are believed to have been anciently fire-worshippers.
The Gabr has no very .listinctivo appearance except that one o^'-cabionally seea a face like that of a pantomime Jew. There are one or two fair-visagpd, well-looking men belonging to the better class, who wouid compare on equal terms with the similar class in Chitral : they, however, are the exception,
The remainder, both high and low, seem no better than the poor cultivator cla-^s )n other parts of the Mehtar's dominions, and have a singularly furtive and mean look and manner. The women have a much better appearance. They dress in loosf blue garments, which fall naturally into graceful folds. The head is covered with a blue skull-cap from which escape long plaits of hair, one over each shoulder, and two hanging down behind. White metal or bead neck and wrist ornaments contrast well with the dark blue material of their clothes. At a short distance these women are pleasing and picturesque.
The Ramgul Kdfirs are also spoken of as Gabars or Gabarik, but they have no relationship with the Gabr.
Gadarah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multiin.
GipARf, a J6t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Gadaria, the shepherd and goatherd of Hindustan. Almost confined to the Jumna zone in the Punjab, the Gadaria has, even in that part of the Province, almost ceased to be distiuctively a shepherd, as the cultivating classes themselves often pasture their own flocks, and has become rather a blanket weaver, being indeed as often called Kambalia as Gadaria. The Gadaiias are Hindu almost without exception.
Gaddi, Gadi.— (I) The Muhammadan Gaddis of Delhi, Kariidl and Ambdla area tribe founii apparently in the upper cZoai of the Jumna and Ganges. Closely resembling the Gbosi, they are perhaps like him a sub-division or offshoot of the Ahirs,t and are by hereditary occupation milkmen,
* Fr. Nureut, one of tho so-called Gabr villages in the Kunar valley. It ifl also called Birkot, and by the Kafirs Satrgran, Niirsnt being its Chitrali name. — The Kdfiri of the Hindoo-Koosh, p. 265.
■j" There is also a Gaddi tribe among the Sainia-
256 Ihe Bill Gaddie.
bnt in Karnal, where they are most numerous, they have settled down as cultivators and own several villages, though they are poor husband- men. (2) The Hindu Gaddis of Chaiuba and Kdngra are billmen. Like the Kanets, Moos an(i other congeries of tribes they are com- posed of several elements. Indigenous to the Brahmaur ivizdrat of the Chainba State they have spread southward across the Dhaula Dhd,r into tlie northern part of Kdngra Proper, and they give their name to the Gaderan, a tract of mountainous country with ill-defined bimndaries lying on both sides of the Dhaula Dhsir, and their speech is called Gddi.
In Chamba they number 11,507 souls, but these figures do not include the Brahman and RAjput sections which returii themselves under their caste names. The majority are Khatris.
The Gaddfs are divided into four class s : (i) Brahman?, (u) Khatris and Riijputs who regularly wear the sacred thread, (iii) Thd^kurd and Kdthis who, as a rule, do not wear it, and {iv) ?i menial or dependant class, comprising Kolis, RihdraH,"^ Lnhars, Bddhis, 6ipis and Halis, to whom the title of Gaddi is incorrectly applied by outsiders as inhubib- ants of the Gaderan, though the true Gaddis do nob acknowledge them as Gaddis at all.
Each class is divided into numerous gotras or exogamous sections, but the classes themselves are not, strictly speaking, exogamous. Thus the Jhunun gotar of the Khatris intermarries with (? gives daughters to) the Brahmans; and the Brahmans of Kukti regularly intermarry with the other groups. Similarly the yaneo-wearing families do not object to intermarriage with those which do not wear it, and are even said to give them daughters (menials of course excepted). t
In brief, Gaddi society is organised on the Rajput hypergamous system.
The Gaddis have traditions which ascribe their origin to immigration from the plains. Thus the Chauhnn Rajputs and Brahman Gaddis accompanied Kaja Ajia Varma to Chamba iu 850-70 A. D., while the Churahan, Harkhd,n, Pakhru, Chiledi, Manglu and Kundail Rajputs and the Khatris are said to have fled to its hills to escape Aurangzeb's persecutions. These traditions are not irreconcilable with the story that Brahmaur, the ancient Brahmapura, is the home of the Gaddis ; for doubtless the nucleus of their confederation had its seats in the Dhaula Dhdr, in which range Hindus have from time to time sought an asylum from war and persecution in the plains.
The Brahman, Rdjput, Khatri, Thdkur and Rdthi sections alike preserve the Brahminical gob'a of their original tribe. But these gotras are now sub-divided into countless als or septs which are appa- rently also styled gotras. Thus among the Brahmans we find the Bhats from the Bhaitiyat wizdrat of Chamba, and Ghungaintu {ghungha, dumb), both als of the Kaundal gotra. The Brahman sept-names disclose none of those found among the Sarsut Brahmans of the Punjab
* A small caste or group of menials, employed as navvies. See footnote on page 259
t It is indeed stated that no distinction is now made between families which do, and those which do not, wear the janeo ; but in former times the Rajas used to confer the janeo on Kathis in return for presents and services— and so some of them wear it to this day.
Oaddi al names.
257
plains, so completely do the Gaddi Bralimans seem to liavo become identified with the Gaddi S3'stem. Many of the a/6* bear obvious nick-names, sucli aa Cliadhu, cross-legf^ed ; * Dundu, one- hand- ed ;t Tanju and Tandetu, cat's-eyed ; j Bhanoretii, jquinter ; § Chutanbru, debaucliee ; || Ghmuiin, one who speaks through his nose ; ^I Jukku, gambler ; *^ Manlntu, one who fled to the plains to escHpe cholei-a, mari ; Jirgh, dumb ; tt Nansain, adopted by a ndni or grand- mother ; Sasi, one who lived with his mother-in-law. Litkar, lame; XX Timaretu, squinter; §§ Chupetu, reticent.
Otlier names denote occupations not by any means Brahminical : Snndheta, sellei- of assafoctida {simdha) ; Palihan, sharpener ;|||| Bardan, archer ; ^[^1 Siihdhrdntu, once a sdli or wealthy man who became bank- rupt ((//tara?i<w) ; Sipainu, tenant of a Sipi menial; Kanetu, a Bdnd's tenant; Adhkfiru, a physician who left his patients uncured (ndh, half : kant, doer) ; Saunpolu. seller of saitnf, aniseed ; Langhe, ferryman ; Jogi ; Lade, a trader to Ladakli ; Khuthlu, A;i<//i-seller ; Jhunnu, idler ; **^ Phangtain, dealer in phamb, wool.
Totemism does not exist, unless Guarete, 'born in a </Mor or cowshed/ and Sunhunu, from one who had a sif?'t7iK tree in frout of his bouse, could be regarded as totemistic sections.
In Kangra one got — Paunkhnu — is said to provide j)nro}iits for all the other Brahman Gaddis. The Brahmans in Kangra, it is said, inter- marry with the Jhunu got of the Gaddi Khatris.
Among the Riljputs wo find the Ordian, 'ill-wishers' : ttt TJanydn, ' squinters ' XXX ^^^ Misan, * pig- nosed ' ; §§§ all als of the Bacliar gntar : Kurralu, * brown-haired,' |||||| and Dinriin, ' black,' ^f^j\ als of the Dewal andUttam gotars respectively. Very doubtful instances of totemism are Phagdn ' bran ( ■phak) eater* (Bhardwdj) ; Khuddu, ' eater of parched maize' (Sunkhy^l) ;Ghoknu, ' shooter of doves' — ghug (Dewal) ; Rikluin- tu, * boar-killer ' (Atar) ; Chakcr, 'purveyor of chikor to the Bajds (Ambak) ; Kadan, 'sower of kadu or punipkius ' (Bh^rdwdj) ; Pakhru
* bird-shootor ' (Bisistpal).
A few aZs refer to occupations ; Charu, fr. char, 'headman' (Bhar- dudri) ; Garhaigu, ' keeper of a stronghold,' garh (Atar) ; Baidu,
* physician ' (Koiulal) ; Makratu, ' boxer ' 3**^'^" Ghiugain, ' seller of
Others again are fanciful : Tharrotu, from an ancestor who thrpat- ened to drag his adversary before the thara or comt at (.hamba; Dakiydn, from one who ust'd to dance with ddkin, Hiili, women: or uncomplimentary, e.g., Kholu, tjreedy ; Jhurjcli\, idle ; Rohaila, noisy ; Jhibidn, mad ; Chutrainya, debiinchee ; Mukhriin, stammerer ; Gulrdn, liar; Judr, liar; Kuhainta, hunch-back; Kangru, scold j Jhirru,
* Fr. cliudda, buttocks : cf. chadha,
' sedentary,' also an al name, t Fr. dundd, one who has lost a hand. j Fr. tandd, cal's-cycd. § Fr. bJiingra, squint. II Fr. chut, debauchee. % Fr. gnnna, speaking through the nose, *• Fr. jud, gambling, ft Fr. firingar, dumb. XX Fr. lattd, lame.
§§ Fr. tirid. squint.
llll Fr. pnlnd, to sharpen.
*i% Fr. bari, arrow
*** Fr. j/iiii-Hii, to idle or to meditate.
ttt Fr. orda, evil.
Xt+ Fr. riiKi, a squint.
§§§ Fr. mitiu, snout.
Ililll Fr. kerra, brown.
^IIT Fr. dimia, black.
**** Fr. muka, fist.
258 Qaddi totems*
tease; Ainlaitu, opium-cater; Dharanibar, pock-marked. In Kdngra the Agiisni got of Rajput Gaddia is said to be really an offshoot of the Jarial lliljputs.
Among the Kliatris, no trace exists of the section-names current in the plains. We find occupational names : Sdhnu, shopkeeper {sdh) ; Fadhotaru, from one who lived on a plain {jmdar) ; Rusahri, cook ; Charhain, climber ; Nakletu, mimic ; Sundhu, dealer in assafcetida ; Bangetc, a physician who powdered zinc [hang) ; Mogu, dealer in coral ; Dhanchu, fr. one who lived with his flocks [dhan) ; Panjaru, wool- comber ; Gharati, water-miller : with two inexplicable names ; Drudhain, one who recovers stolen millet from mouses' holes ; and Druhru, one who so recovers walnuts — fr. drndh, druhri, a mouse's hole ! Other Khatri ah (so-called gots) in Kangra are : Bhundu, Bhakhu, Baddn, Bhatelu, Biluin, Bihantii, Chadlu, Chaledi, Chapetu, Clmgainu, Dagran, Galoti, Kord.ru, Jhuraiii, Phatu, Magletu, Rahlu, Salnu, Sundhu, Targain, Thakleq, Tliosaru, and Thakru. None of these names are found among the Khatris of the plains, as Barnes appears to have been informed. But just as among the Brahmans of the hills, e. g. in Chamba, we find the ancient gotras broken up into countless als, so too among the Gaddi Khatris it may well be that the old sub-divisions have been forgotten amono- the crowd of al names. Other als found in Chamba follow.
Traces of totemism can hardly be said to exist in Gohaina, killer of a lizard {goh) ; Bersain, * one who fetched her trees for his flocks ' ; Potu, one who ate sheep's entrails {poia) ; Thapliag, one who ate wheat-cakes {thoplu) ; Sarw^n, planter of a cypress {Pers. saru !) ; Phakolu, one who was poor and ate phah, ' husks.'
One or two curious names are : — Sanglu, carrier of a sacred chain [sangal) ; Sanjuan, maker of offerings {sanj); Mangnesu, beggar.
Mere nicknames are Kalsain, Kaletu and Kal^ri, * black ' ; Lateti, lame; Phiugaletu, crippled,* Kiari,t blind; Ghusu,J boxer, Tatangru§ and Kachingar, dumb.
Among the R^this the als would seem in a few cases to be really totemistic : Mardlotar, 'born under a mardZ tree,' the ulmus Walli' chiana. Sinuri, 'born while it was snowing'; Salbainu, 'born while locusts were at Kugti'; R^ute, 'born under a rai or silver fir*; Jotain, born in the Sural pass, jot.
Mosi of the names a''e however mf^rely tiicknames, e.g., Jamuhd,n, cl msy (Jam) ; Tanari, deaf; Dhageta, cragsmnn ; Dapher, lazy, etc. Som<- ari- derived from events, e. g., Harokar, said to mean one ostra- cise>l for 'laying a brother by his blood-kin [har, bone).
Ht-ligious nauies also occur : Japaintu, from jap, repetition: Faqir, beggar; Jogian, fiom a jogi ancestor.
Occupational names are : Phakru, maker of combs for cleaning wool, Ghorn (royal) groom; Ghuletu, wrestler; Bhajretu,!] porter; Gdhri, Alpine grazier; Addpi, collector of blankets (fidp) in which part of the revenue was paid; Lunesar, salt-dealer; Kahngherii, trader in combs [hinghio] ; Palnu, sharpenerU of sickles.
* Fr. phingola, cripple. I Fr. fcdno, blicd. J Fr. guthu, fist.
§ Fr. tattd, dumb. II Fr. bhdra, load. ^ Fr. palni, to sharpen.
Gaddi dress. 259
In Ki'ingra tlio Riltlii als aro said to bo Barjati, KuMi, Ghariiti (a Khatri al in Cliamba), and Sakliotru. The H^jas used to confor the janeo on Eiithis in return for presents and services, and this is why sonio of them still wear it.
Among the Thakkurs of Kdngra are tlie Barilu, Harehi, Janwi'ir, Marthdn and Siuri als. Other ah whose members do not wear the janeo (and are therefore presumably Thakkur too) are the Baghretu, Ghdrij Tutdri and Ugbarotu.
The Gaddis are an interesting people^ and offer a striking contrast in several respects to the other inliabitants of Chamba. The costume of the Gaddis, both men and women, is characteristic and striking. The old head-dress of the men is of a peculiar shape, with a flap rodnd the margin, and a peak-like projectiun in the centre, said to represent the Kailds of Mani Mahes. 'I'he flap is tied up for ordinary wear, but let down over the ears and neck in time of mourning, as well as in severe weather. The front is often adorned witih dried flowers or beads. But this head-dress is falling into disuse, save on special occasions its jilace being taken by the pagri. On the body a pattu coat called chola, reaching bolow the knee, is worn. It has a deep collar, which hangs loose in two lappets in front, and in the sowing the wearer stows away various articles, such as a needle and thread, pieces of paper and twine. The chola is tightened round tho waist by a black rope worn as a waist-band. This is made of sheep's wool and is called dora. Above the waist-band the coat is loose, and in this receptacle the Gaddi carries many of his belongings. On the march a shepherd may have four or five lambs stowed away in his bosom, along with hig daily food and other articles. The logs are generally bare, but many wear pattu paijdmas, loose to the knees for the sake of freedom in walking, but fitting tight round the calf and ankle where it rests in numerous folds. Shoes are in common use. From the girdle hang a knife, a flint box and steel and a small leather bag, in which the wearer carries money and other small articles. The hill people are all fond of flowers, and in the topi or pagri may often be seen a tuft of the wild flowers in season, red berries, or other ornament. The chief ornament is the tahit, a square silver plate of varying size covered with carving and hung from the neck. Gaddi women wear a dress like that of the men, made oi pattu and called cholu. It hangs straight, like a gown, from the neck to the ankles, and round the waist is the woollen cord or dora. A cotton gown of a special pattern is now common and is called ghundu. It is worn in the same way as the chnlu. The head ia covered with a chadar, and the leys and feet aro bare. The Gaddi women wear special ornaments, of which the chief is the galsari, and sometimes a tahit, similar like the men. They also wear heavy brass anklets, called ghunkare which are peculiar to the Gaddi women.* Tho Gaddis say that they assumed tho garb of Shiva and Parvati when they settled in Brahmaur which they call Shiv-bhiimi or Shiva's lancl, but it is not their dress alone that makes them conspicuous. Tlieir whole bearing is characteristic, conveying an impression of sturdy in- dependence which is fully borne out by closer contact with them. They are robust of frame, and accustomed to exposure in all weathers owing
♦ Brasa nnklets called jiTidrw, aie wcrn ly Gcdci diiklrpn to waid off tho evil eye and to prevent them from crying. They are made by the meni;il cnste, named rihdra* which ia itself supposed \o have the power of iniiuirg tbildren by sorcery. '
260 Oaddi Weddings.
to the migratory life so many of them lead. In their manners they are frank and open, deferential to their superiors and yet manly and dignified. They delight in festive gatherings^ and are fond of singing and dancing— the latter in a style peculiar to themselves. Their women are pleasing and comely, and have the reputation of being also modest and chaste. The Gaddis are a semi-pastoral and semi-agricultural tiibe,and own large flocks of sheep and goats, which are their chief source of wealth. With them they go far afield, the summers being spent in the higher mountains of lYmgi and Ldhul ; and the winters in the low hills bor- dering on the plains. Tliis duty the male members of the family take in turn, the others remaining at homo to tend the cattle and look after the farm work. Many of them own land on both sides of the Dhaula Dhdr, and reap the winter crop in K^ngra, returning in spring to cut the summer crop in Brahmaur. Ou the whole they are better shep- herds than farmers, and perliaps for this reason they are the meet prosperous agricultural class in the State. The yeaily exodus to Kangra takes place in October and November, and the return journey in April and Mhj. With an appearance of candour and simplicity, the Gaddis have the reputation of being good at making a bargain; hence the saying in the hills —
Gaddi mitr hhola,
Denda tap to mangda chola.
" The Gaddi is a simple friend,
He offers his cap, and asks a coat in exchange." The Gaddi wedding customs merit special notice. In betrothal the boy's parents or guardians send their parohit to negotiate for a girl about whom they have information, and he brings back her parents' reply. If it is favourable the boy's parents send two or more respectable men to the girl's home to complete the bar- gain. Then if it is clinched, two of the boy's family go with the parohit to perform the ceremony. If the betrothal is dliarma puna this consists in the bride's father giving the parohit a bunch of druh grass with four copper coins or more, if they please, to be handed over to tho boy's father in token that the alliance is accepted. The -parohit hands over the driib, and the coins are returned to the parohit with a rupee added by the boy's father. The night is spent at the bride's house, and after a meal her father gives the boy's father 8 copper coins and these he places in a vessel as a perquisite to the servant who cleans it. In a betrothal by exchange [tola] the first observances are the same,but when ali go to finally complete the alliance a grindstone and sil with 3 or 5 roris of gur, supdri, hihan and roUydii^ are placed before the paity and then the parohit -p\Q,cea supidri, hihan and roliydn in the skirt of his sheet and puts them on thesi7. Before tappinfif them on the sil with the grindstone he receives 4 annas from the boy's father and mentions the names of the boy and girl whose alliance is to be formed, and then taps them. After this the supdri, etc., are placed in a vessel, with the balls of gur broken up, and distributed to those present after tho girl's father has taken a bit. The elder members of the girl's family do not take any as it would be contrary to custom. The boy's father puts Ko. 1-4 in this vessel and this is made over to the bride's parents
♦ Roliyan red colour for marking the tila on tlie forehead : hihan, coriander.
/
Gaddi Weddings. 261
who get jewellery to that amount made for her. After this the bride appears before the boy's father and he gives her a rupee. The rest of the ceremony is exactly as described above, but in this case the coins put in the vessel come out of tlio boy's fatlitr's pocket. The ceremony in the other house is performed in exactly tlie same way, though not on the same day for the sake of convenience. A propitious date is not fixed, but a lucky day is desirable, and Tuesday, Friday and Saturday are considered unlucky.
After having the date for the wedding fixed by a fctrohit tv/o men are sent to the girl's people with a iscr of ghi to notify them of the date, and if they approve ot it messengers from both sides go to the parohit and get him to write the lakhnotcri. For this he is jiaid 8 Chamba coins or 4 annas in cash, rice and some red tape [dori). At the wedding itself the sutnhurat rite is first performed by worshipping Ganpati, humhh * and the nine planets and then the avpnri (a mixture of tunneric, flour and oil) purified by mantras is rubbed on the boy. Three black woollen threads are ah^o tied round hia right wrist to protect him from the evil eye. lie is then taken out into the court-yard by his niOthcr, with part of her i-ed sheet thrown over his head, to bathe. At the bath the black thread is torn off and he is led back by his mother. Next he must up- set an earthen lid, containing burning charcoal and mustard placed at the entrance to the worshipping place, and this must be thrown away so as to remove any evil influence which he may have contracted in the court-yard. The j^cirolnt then ties nine red cotton threads round the boy's right wrist and gives him ghi and gur to taste. 'J'hose wristlets are called /k'fi^i^an/j. This is preceded by the ifiZ-sajidl ceremony. Again Ganpati, Brahma, Vishnu, Jcmnhh, diat and the nine planets are wor- shipped, and then a he-goat is sacrificed to the planets by the boy, its blood being sprinkled on the sdndori [bagar grass rope) e.nd muuj mala (a ring of hagar). The sdndori is then spread round the room along the cornice and the bridegroom made to don a white dlioti or sheet round liis loins, to put flour mundrat [jogis ear-rings) in his ears, sling a satchel over his shoulder, tie a black woollen rope round his chests and cover hia buttocks with an animal's skin, suspend ufanani (bow for carding wool) to the black rope and take u. tirnhdr stick in his riglit hand with a Brahminical thread tied round his right thumb. This dress is assumed so that he may appear a regular yogf* (ascetic). After this the presiding priest asks him; 'why hast thou become a ^o^i ?' His answer is 'to receive the Brahminical cord.' Then he is further interrogated by the priest as to what kind of cord he requires, i.e., one of copper, brass, silver, gold, or cotton, and he asks for the latter. The priest then sends him to bathe .'it 15adri Narain, Trilok Nath and Mani-Mahesha, and these sup- posed baths are taken in turn by dipping his hands and feet in, and pouring some water on his face from, a vessel put ready for the purpose in the doer-way. After these ablutions the pretended ^o^i begs, first of liis relations and then at the house, and they give him a piece of bread and promise him cattle, goats, etc.. according to their means. In conclu- sion the priest asks him whether he wishes to devote himself to jdtera
* Kumhh. A small pitcher filled with water, is placed over a handful of rice and peach leaves or a few blades of drub are put into it. It is •worshipped exactly Jiko tho deotas.
t Dia. A small earthen lamp with R burning wick is placed over a handful of rice and TTorshippcd like the others,
262 Gaddi Weddings.
(worldly business) or mdtera (an ascetic life) and he invariably answers * to ji'afera/ and then the priest makes him take off his jogi's clothes, receiving 4 annas as his fee for this. The cattle, etc., which the rela- tions promised to the boy go to him and not to the priest.
This over, the boy is made to sit on a wicker basket, or a sheep-skin bag for carrying grain (called hhalru), and a dagger is placed on the tnunj maid* above his head. Then the people pour oil over bis head, with a few blades of grass {drub], taken from a vessel containing oil and held by his mother's brother or in his absence by her sister. After this the bridegrocmi fits an arrow to the fanani (bow) and shoots it at the head of the dead goat which is placed over the nine planets, thereby pretending to slay them. The rite of tasting gur and ghi by the boy ends this ceremony. The bridegroom is then dressed. He wears a white pcigri (turhan) and kuwd, a red hidncha, and a white j)atha with gtdhadan suthan and ajaulf thrown over the shoulders. The present {suhdg-pafdri) is tlien arranged. It consists of a kharhas,"^ hidncheri, ghngru, § nau-dori, \\ U7igi,% chundi** kdngi, manitidr, 3 roris of gur, dates, grapes, almonds, rice and 7 luchis, aud these are carried by the parohit to the bride's house, with the procession. The boy is then veiled with a purified veil {sehra) by his mother's brother, his brother's wife puts antimony on his eyes, and his sister fans him. After this the boy gets up and the drti is then waved thrice from right to left over his head by the parohit, and his mother throws three round cakes {luchis) on three sides of him. The drti mast be sanctified by mantras before being used at the door. After this the boy's father gives him the tawihol (present) of Re. 1, and 4 copper coins, the latter being the parohit's fee. The boy then gets into a doli in the court- yard and his mother gives him her breast to suck. The pdlki is then carried by four bearers to the entrance, beneath the woollen parrots call- ed toran, whicli the boy, his mother and the parohit worship, aud then the bearers present the boy with a kumhh filled with water and he puts a copper coin in it. The bridal procession, consisting of the male n-em- bers of the house and friends, dressed in their best clothes and preceded by tom-toms, goes to the bride's house. On arrival the boy with his followers is put up in a house other than the girl's, or camps out in the open air. The boy's father or uncle, with one or two more, then takes a basket full of round cakes to the bride's parents : this is called hatpartana. They return from the bride's house, after eating something and putting 4 copper coins in the plate, and rejoin the procession. This observance is called juth •pal. Two respectable men are also deputed to the bride's parohit, to settle the amount he will take for pei-forming the rites at the lagan, and then rejoin the camp. Thehoj^^ parohit then proceeds to the bride's house to deliver the harsuhi^'\ (bride's) dress to her. The harnchi consists of a white sheet {dupatta), ludncheri, ghagaru, naudori,iingi, kangi (comb), (articles
* A small ring or wreath made of hagar grass, ■j- All these are articles of dress.
t Khnrhas^ a dopatta of white cotton cloth : hidncheri, the bride's dress. § Ohagru, coloured cloth for a shirt.
ll The nau-dori or '9 doris ' are red cords, four on either side at the back of the head, plaited into the hair and converging into a ninth thick doul which hangs down the back. V Ungi, of iron with which the hair is parted in front : the ]^avg> is a comb. ^* Chundi is an antimony holder for the eyes, worn on the back of the head. ^\ It will be observed that the banihi coosists of the sanae ai tides as the svhdg.patAri,
Gaddi Weddings. 263
of attire), chundi, 3 balls of giir, cocdh, dates, grapes, almonds, 1 ser of riceand 9 Zi<c/u'.s>, 3 wheat cake.", 7 ^ju?-/? of chandan chura * roliydn, kesar, sandhx'ir, nahi'ini,\ muth and KiiptiriX. The priest then comes back to couduct tlio bridegroom and his followers to the bride's house with tom-toms playing. The boy i» recoived at the eutrance by his mother- in-law who performs the drti ceremony over him, waving it seven times over his head with hei- right hand, holding her left over his turban. Four tnrus are taken from the boy's ri^rht to his left and thi-ee in the reverse direction. Threo cakes, jilacod in the plate with the drti are also thrown out towards the court-yard. The priest gives 4 chnJclis (coppnr coins) to the boy who then places them in the drti after clasping his hands before it. The mother-in-law then re- tires, while the father-in-law comes to the spot and jilacing a i^atka (white cloth) routul his own neck, washes and worships liis son-in-law's feet. The boy's priest gives a duna (leaf-plate) with some rice, a wal- unt, drub and flowers into his hands. Both the palms are held up- wards, with both thumbs joined, and held up in his hands by the father- in-law wlio brings the bridegroom into the verandah while the mantras are being recited. After this the bride is brought to the place and made to stand a foot from him, face to face Avith the bridegroom. 'J'he priest then takes hold of the boy's neck with his right hand and of the girl's with his loft and makes their shoulders thrice touch each other, first pressing the boy's right to the girl's left. Tin's is called vhdn par chdn. After this two torches are held on either side of them. Seven small pieces of mdlti (jasmine) twigs are then put in the o-irl's hands, she drops them into the boy's hands and he breaks them one by one, placing them under his right foot. This breaking of the twjo-s is called chiri. It is preceded by giving hihun into the hands of the couple and they blow it at each other. This goes by the name of /arwr/. The pair are next made to sit down and the bov's father-in-law offers sankalap, that is gives his daughter away, and then washes the couple's feet as they sit before him. Certain minor rites, called chichdri,^ are
* Sandal-wood chips.
t A sweet smelling root : muth, the root of a kind of grass,
X Supdri betel-nut : kcsai- — saffron.
§ Citchdrt. Two or three blades of drub are tied together with red cotton thiead and placed in a cup of green leuves. Then a chaldi (copper coin), <il, rice, roU'ydn (turmeric) some flowers, water aud a walnut are also placed in it. This cup is put in the bridegroom's hands and his father-in-law's hands are laid over them. The priest then recites some mantnif!, aftt-r which the dml is taken up by the father-in-law and with it he sprinkles Water from the cup thrice over the heads of the pair. This is called the pahli bishtar or first char. This is repeated, but the secon'l iinie some blades of grass, kesar CsalTron) sarvdn shadhe and flowers are thrown into the water. While the priest recites mantrat the father-in-law sprinkles water on the couple's feet. This second rite is called jiddfr.
The third or anjli. ceremony is similar, but this time the mixture is made of dhain til drub and rice, and after reciting numtras it is sprinkled over the boy's head. ' '
The fourth rkdr is called daa hi^hiur and is an exact repetition of the first char.
The iifth char {nchmnni) is solemnised l)y putting water, iil, and rice in a cup which is placed on the ground as was done in the otlier c/«ir..<, but at the end of the ceremony the priest thrice throws a few drops of water from the cup on to the father-in-law's hands and the boy and they drinV it from his hands.
The sixth and last char is called madhuparak. The cup is filled with milk til. and rice and put in the boy's left hand ; he daubs the four fingers and thumb of his righ't haod with it and then lifts his hand towards his mouth and. putting it again into the cup sprinkles its contents on thcground. This cup is then taken by one of the bridegroom's' jan (one who has come with the procession) and given to the tom-tom player. This jan returns to the bridegroom and after being purified by mantras is allowed to mix again with the other meo
264 Oaddi Weddings.
now performed by tlie bridegroom and bl3 father-in-law. Then Ganpati/^ Bra]ima,t Vishnu, J Kumbh, dia and the nine planets are worshipped. After this one end of the o-irl's sheet is held out by her brother and on this red Ukka is sprinkled thrice by the boy. Simi- larly the boy's wf»ist-band is held out and anointed by the girl. The girl then holds up her hands ; and into them 4 copper coins, a walnut, drub, flowers, til and rice are thrown by the priest and then the boy is made to lay his hands over hers. The priest then takes part of the bride's sheet and wra})S both pairs of hands in it by running a tape {dori) round it.
The girl's father then performs the hanid-ddn (giving the girl away) with tho fji'oper mantra-i. At its conclusion the girl's maula (mother's brother) touches her wrapper with a copper coin and it is then unknotted, the things in the girl's hands being taken by the boy and given to the parohit. The gur and ghi is then tasted and this concludes the ceremony called lagan. Tho girl 7iow retires, but the boy remains to go through another rite called the manihdr.^ After doing the drti over the bridegroom, the tape with the betelnut is then put on the boy's left toe and he is required to pierce the nut with his dagger. This done, the priest takes the taps up and throws it over the boy's hsad, passes it down to his heels and under his soles, and then ties it round the pagri. The boy is then drawn by the manihdr by his mother-in-law and led inside the house to the kdmdeo.W The girl is also brought there by her brother and dressed in the harsuhi clothes and placed by the boy's side before the picture. Finally the remaining 7 doris of the harsuhi are handed over to the boy by the girl's mdmi (mother's sister) ; ho places then on the bride's head and then her hair is combed and arranged with these doris by her mami and the following sono- is sunor : —
S ARGUN DHI SONG. Kim gori baithi sir kholi, hor Kun baithi pilh gheri,
Gaura baithi sir kholi, hor Isar bai^hd pith gheri.
" Who is that beautiful girl sitting with her hair dishevelled ? Who is sitting with his back turned ?
Oh, Gaura is sitting with her hair uncombed, Isar (Shiva) is silting with his back turned."
* Ganpati is represented by a walnut in a green cup, placed before the boy under the canopy on a heap of rice. It is given a copper coin— Ganpati being thus in^'oked to keep off mishaps,
f Brahma's etSgy is made of a few blades of drub, which are turned down twice, the ends being fixed in cow-dung and placed in a green cup. He is then similarly worshipped as being the Creator of the universe.
I Vishnu is represented and worshipped like Brahma, but the blades are only turned down once from the centre in his case. Vishnu is worshipped as being the first Cause and the Protector of the universe.
§ Mnniltdr. — Nino walnuts (the nine planets) are put on rice and worshipped and their blessing invoked. There must be a separate handful of rice for each of the walnuts. A bored copper coin, a betelnut and a cotton dori (three cords about H spans long) — all these together are called •na?u7itir— but the ceremony is performed by taking the boy out to the doorway and there he takes out lus dagger from the waist and touches the coin with its point, protending to bore it. '1 he string is then passed through the bored coin and put in a «idn» (grain measure) and then the Dvinihar is sanctified and tied round the boy's head* dress by his mother-in-law at the gate-way after the drti.
[I A picture.
/
Gaddi Weddingi. 2Bt
After this the boy's jaul (shoulder-band) and tho brido'd kharvds (sheet) are knotted together and the bride is carried by her maternal uncle {viaula) to tho canopy wliere the wedding is to be celubrated.
Under this canopy (laid) tliey are placed, on bamboo baskets covered with woollen cloths, facing east. The bridegroom sits to the right of tho bride and in front of tho sacred hre {liotiia or havan). The brido's father then washes the couple's feel ; after which Gaupati, Navagirah, Brahma, Vislniu, Kumbh, Sat RisliI, Chaur Vedi, Chaur-disa (the four quarters) and Chaur-updes (the four elements) are worshipped in due order, to war. 1 off mishaps. Thi.s is followed by placing fried barley in a chhaj (sieve) which is brought to the haid. First, the bridegroom takes a handful of this grain and puts it on three ditfer<^nt spots, while the bride's brother keeps wiping it away with his right hand as fast as it i3 put down. This is repeated, but the second time the brid^-'s brother puts the grain down and the bridegroom wipes it away. This is called khtla^ hhedni and is done to break the tio of relationship, if any exists, between the contracting parties. After this hhila hhedni the boy's father puts 4 annas into the chhajX and the bride's brother takes off the red piece which he has worn on his head during tho cere- mony and puts it in the chliaj too. It is then removed and the 4 annas are claimed by the boy's brother-in-law. Then the bride's brother's wife conies and grinds turmeric (lialdar) on the sil and sprinkles it wet on the feet of the pair, three times on each. Sho receives 4 takas, i.e., 16 copper coins, for performing this rite. Then the couple are made to stand up and walk round tlie sacred 6ro four tim^s from right to left. The briilegrooai keeps his right hand on the bride's back all tho while. After each turn they are made to halt near the baskets and their feet are worshipped, by throwing til, drub, milk, and red colour, etc., by the bride's fatlier, and at the end the bride's brother worship:^ the couple's feet in the pame way. These four rounds are called chdrldi, and constitute the binding rite in the wedding. At the chdrldi two women sing the following song :—
CHARLAI SONii.
Pahlia Idjdria 2}hirde kiidure,
Dicjia Idjdria plurdo Isar Gaicraja,
Trijia Idjdria anjan dhrir Idi,
Ghauthia Idjdria anjan tori nahsa,
" In the first round of the lii go bachelors,
In the second round of the Idi go Ishwar and Gauraja.
In the third round they let the anjanX di-ag on the ground In the fourth round the diolha (bridegroom) broke it and ran away.
The bride and bridegroom now change seats and sit facing each other. The bride then h-^dds up her hauls and in them a green leaf cup [duni) containing 8 ^mo walnuts, rice, fl )vvers, 4 coins, etc., is placed by the prinst. Tho bridegroom covers tho bride's h mds with his hands and then the priest unknots the viinikdr from the boy's pagri and puts
* Parched grain. | t Winnowing fan,
X In tha mirriagii cera.no ly the biy wjirs a long .strip of clotti round his shoulder and the girl a kkirviU (coloured sheet) over hit head. Bjlh those are tied together whoa the/ do tho chdrldi and tho knot which fdsteas thooi tosethor is called anjan.
266 Gaddi Weddings.
it on their hands. Tho bride's father then takes til, drub, rice, flowers and copper coins and the sankalap is peiformed to the recitation of mantras. After this he places 4 copper coins and a rupee in the vessel containing water, turmeric, milk and curd and sprinkles the mixture on tbe haid (canopy). Iliis is called sdj iiana or giving of dowry. The bride's mother's brother then comes and touches the boy's and girl's hands with a svr of rice and a copper coin, and then they are released, the laanihdr being given to the girl to be put round her neck. The rice and coin go to the pi-iest. After this all the girl's other relations and friends give her presents, either in cash or in kind, according to their social position. These presetits are then divided thus : — To the bride's and bridegroom's ji)a?o/w7.s 2 annas each; to tho bride's ^^a^fci-carriers 4 annas; to the bridegroom's the same; and to the carpenter {hddhi) who erects tho temple and the canopy [haid) 4 annas also : to the bride's musicians 2 annas ; and to the bridegroom's 4 annas. After this the bride's j^arohit counts the things received in dowry, receiving for this 8 copper coins, with four more as dehl (door-way) for acting as the family priest. Of the residue a fourth goes to the bride and a tenth of the re- mainder is appropriated by her priest. The balance with the canopy is then given by the bride's father as sankalap to the boy's father and forms part of the paraphernalia. After this the gotra-chdr mantras are read and fried rice is thrown towards the couple by both the priests. Each gets 4 annas for reading the gotra-chdr. This is followed by making the fathers of the couple sit under tliR canopy, and a blade of drub is put by the bride's priest into the girl's father's hands. He holds it between the tips of his middle fingers at one end, the other end being similarly held by the boy's father. The bride's father then says : " asmat kania, tusmat gotra," meanint^j "our girl passes to your got." The ends of the blade are then reversed and the bo^'s father says: "tusmat kania, asmat gotra," meaning " your girl has come into our got." At the conclusion the bridegroom comes to the end of the canopy where he receives ruldr (salutation with a present) from his mother-in-law and the other elderly women of the bride's house. The mother-in-law gives a rupee in cash and 4 copper coins, the others only copper coins, and without receiving this gift from the women it is not etiquette for him to appear before them. The boy touches the bride's mother's feet in token of her giving him this privilege. The ceremonies at the bride's are now over and the bride is taken in the pdlki, with all the paraphernalia, followed by the bridegroom, his followers and friends, to his house.
Song sung on the bride's arrival at the bridegroom's house—
Soi ipichaik) aunde-jo ddar de — jdnde-jo bhali mar ; Ballare j<'inde-jo mochar-mdr — bhale hhale ddar.
" Receive the soi (tbose who come with the bride) with courtesy and on their departure give them a good thrashing.
Give to this hallar (bastard) a shoe -boating, this is good treatment for him."
On arrival at the d(;or-way the following song is sung : —
ATHLAI SONG. Ham ku pujna kun gori ai, Ham ku pujna Gaura ai, Ham ku pujdeputri phal mangde.
Gadii Weddings, 267
" Who Is that beautiful girl who has come to worship a pome- granate tree ?
It is (laura who has come to worship,
While she is worshipping she is praying for a son."
Then the drti is presented by the boy's mother anil she also gives the bride a rupee. Next the pair are conducted to the^ Icdmdeo (picture on the wall), and Ganpati, etc., are worshipped, after which they are both made to go four times round the earthc.'n lamp {diwa) atid humhh (pot containing water), tat)e and a bunch of pomegranate. This circuro- ambulatiou is called the athldi (eight rounds).
After this the bridal veil is taken off by the iiarohii and the imitation birds on the veil are given to tho priest, the brothers of tlie couple and their newly acquired mltras (brothers mado by sacred observ-ancs). Having done the athldi the bride and bridegroom's wrist threads are loosened by two men who thus become brothers. These threads were put on by them at the commencement of the prelimiuary observances.
At the conclusion the bridegroom receives presents [tamhol] from the men and women, ard similarly munhsdni from the women is received by the bride for unveiling her. Songs are sung by the women on these occasions.
The following foast-song is sung at the bridegroom's house: —
Kuniaye chauha pdya, kuni dhotore hath 2^0,11" , Janne, chiuha pdya,soi dhotore hath pair, darohi Rdm Rdm,
Bhat parithd, mas parlthd, upar parithe tdre mare, Bhate mdse khde na jdne soi, hahin lidrdi hare, hare.
" Who has smeared the floor with cowdung ; who has washed the hands and feet ?
The^a^i (followers of the bridegroom) have done it, the soi (fol- lowers of the bride) have washed their hands and feet: we appeal to R^m (for the truth of our statement).
Boiled rice has been given, meat has been given, over them have
been given small pebbles, The soi know not how to eat rice and meat, the sister expreeses
surprise (by saying) ' hare h are \"
Four feasts are given in the boy's house to the guests: Ist, on the day of the oil ceremony; 2nd, on the morning on which the procession starts to the bride's house ; 3rd, on the day the procession returns home, and 4th, on the morning on which the bridegroom receives presents.
The 6rst two feasts are given at the brido's house on the oil day to the guests of the girl and the last two on the marriage day to the bride- groom and his followers and to the bride's guests.
Another form of marriage called hujkya is common in which the ceremony is gone through only at the bride's house, thus saving ex- pense.
The Gaddis also practise the form of marriage called jhind phuh, solemnised by burning brushwood and circun: ambulating the fire eight
2GS Gaddi Death Customs,
times lianc? in hand, or with the bride's sheet tied to the boy's girdle. It is admissible in cases where a girl's parents have consented to her betrothal bat refuse to carry out the marriage, and is sometimes done forcibly by the bridegroom ; or in cases in which a girl elopes with her lover. No priest or relative need attend it.
Widow remarriage is permitted, except among the Brahmans. The rite is called gudani or jhanjardra and also choli'dori and is solemnised tlius: — The pair are made to sit down by the dkva and Icumhh, with some dliap burniner. They worship both these objects, then the bride- groom places a dori (tape) on the widow's head and another woman combs her head and binds hor hair with the tape. A.fter tbis the bride- groom places 'a nose-ring (hdlil) in the woman's hand and she puts it on. This is the binding portion of the ceremony. A feast is given to guesta and relations and songs are sung. If no priest presides at the ceremony the kumhli, etc., worship is dispensed with, but the tape and ring cere- mony is gone through and the guests, etc., feasted. A widow used to be compelled to marry her husband's elder or younger brother, but the custom is no longer enforced by the State.
Divorce is permitted by mutual consent, but there ia no special form. A divorcee may remarry.
Sons, whether by a wife married for the first time, or by a widow or divorc<^e remarried, succeed, but illegitimate sons do not, unless they are adopted in default of legitimate sons or heirs. The eldest son gets an extra share, called jaithund, but he has per contra to pay a propor- tionatoly larger share of any debts. Among the sons the property ia otherwise divided miindavand, i e., equally, except in Kangra, where the chundavand rule prevails among that small part of the tribes, which ori- ginally came from the sonthera side of the upper Rd,vi in Ohamba.*
The Qaddis also have the cust Jm whereby a widow's child [chaukandhii) born at any time after her husband's death succeeds to his property, provided that the widow has continued to live in his house and has worn a red dori (tape) in the name of his chula (oven) or dardt (axe). Cases have even occurred in which the widow has retained her late husband's property without complying with these conditions, though the Gaddis consider her rights disputable.
Gaddis burn their dead. Lepei's and those who die of lnhar, a kind of typhus, are first buried, but their corpses are exhumed after three months and burnt. The ceremonies performed are the same as for those who are burnt. The body is placed on the funeral pyre with the head of the deceased to the north, and all the jewellery and the blanket, which is thrown over it when on the bier, are taken off and the body burnt. A copper coin is placed by the pyre as the tax of the land on whichf the body is burnt. Fire is first applied to the pyre under the head by the neai'est relative and the other gotrts (blood relations). The parohit joins the relations in this observance, but no cei-emonies are observed. The light is applied after going round the pyre once from left to right. On the 10th day after the demise the daspindi ceremony ia performed
* Sir J. B. Lyall's Kangra Settlement Report, § 74, quoted in P. C. L. II, p. 183. tin allusion to the idea that the Muhammadans own the world, Hindus the sky, and that the owners' land must not be used unless paid for.
&ddcli Beliefs. 269
by the nearest blood relationa, with tho aid of the 'parohit. Other rela- tions wash their clothes and bathe on this day and remove tlio kaiahal which is spread to receive the mourners. On the 12th day, at nis/lit, a he-goat is sacrificed in the decoaseii's name. This goat is given to tlie parohit. Next moiniiig five finds (balls of rice) or one supindi are again offered to the deceased by the chief mourner, to the recitation of mantras by the paroMt, The clothes, utensils, cnsh, etc., are given to him. On the l4th day the deceased's relations on the wife's side come to the house in the morning and give a feast to tho brotherhood. A goat is killed for this feast and tho mourning ceases from this day. At the end of the third month oblations arc again offered to tho deceased and the occasion is signalised by a feast to the brotherhood. All the ofEerings made in this ceremony go to the parohit who presides over it. Similar ceremonies are gone throngh at the end of the sixth month and tho 1st and 4th years.
If buried the body is laid flat in the grave with the back on the ground and the palms of both hands folded on the chest. The head is kept to the vtar (north). Cliildren and females are buried in the same way. When burnt the ashes are collected, together with tho seven bones of the finger, knee and ankle joints, on the day the corpse is burnt. They are brought to the house in a piece of maaru "^ and kept for ten days in the clothes in which the deceased breathed .his last and in the room in which he expired. After tho daspindl they are washed in honey, milk, clarified butter, cowdung and hilpatri seed and then dried and deposited in a sinall wooden box, wrapped in the piece of mo.sru and buried in a recess made in the wall of the house, with a coating of barley and mustard over it. They should be taken to Hardwar to be thrown into the Ganges as soon as tho family has collected suBScient funds for the journey, and at most within four years.
The religion of the Gaddis presents some interesting features. As we have seen the Gaddis are by preference Shaivas,t but their worship is catholic to a degree. Thus on Sundays and Thuisdays Niigs and Sidhs are worshipped, on Sundays alono Kailung, Devis on Tuesdays, and on Thursdays ' Birs.*
To the Nags, ahri or beestings, male kids or lambs, and ova (the first-fruits of all crops), incenso and small cakes are off ered ; and to the Sidhs a sack, a stick of rose-wood, a crutch, sandals and rot or thick bread.
To the Devis are offered vermilion, hindli (brow-mark), S'llu (a red chddar), dora (waist-rope), sur (a coarse spirit), and a goat.
To the Birs a he-goat, a chola or thick woollen coat, a waistband, a white conical cap {chulcanni topi) and fine bread. Kailu Bir, the numen of abortion, is only worshipped by women. Kailung is a >!ag, and the father of all the Nags. He is worshipped, as is Shiva, under the
• The cloth in which the corpse is wrapped.
t As the verso goes :—
Gaddi t)\drda hheddn Qaddin dindi dupa.
Qaddi jo dinda Iheduji Qaddin jo dindi rxijia.
The Gaddis feed their flecks : The Gaddins offer incense (to Sha),
To the Gaddfs lie (Sliiva) gives she And to the Gaddins, beauty.
270 Gaddi godlings,
form of tho dardt or sickle, which is always carried by a Gaddi when shepherding his flocks. Then there is the worship of autars. An autar is the spirit of a person who has died cliildless and causes sickness. To propitiate this spirit the sick person dons clothes, which are made for him with a silver imago of the deceased, and he then worships the autar idol (which is always set up near a stream).*
The clothes and image are worn " in token of the deceased." ^n^ars are said to have been admitted inio the category of the deities owiug to their evil influences on niea and women. They are propiti- ated also on the Amd,was and Puranmdshi days.
Autars also appear in dreams and warn people that they will carry them off to the next world. To scare away the ghost in such a case jamamvdla is performed, 4 SaZis, offerings of ghunganidn (boiled maize), nettle baths, and bran bread being offered four limes by night.
But these do not exhaust the list of beliefs. Bated is the sprite of springM, rivers and wells, and hhicheri, sodden Indian corn, 3 balls of suhdL (moss), 3 of ashes, 3 measures of water, a pumpkin or a flour- sheep are offered to him.
To joginis or rock spirits, 3 coloured grains of rice, 5 sweet cakes, a loaf, a flour-lamp with a red wick, 3 kinds of flowers, 3 pieces of dhwp, and a she-goat are offered with prayers. RdJcshanis and bandsats would seem to be the same as joginis. Chungu is the demon found on walnut aud mulberry trees and under the karangora shrub. He ia worshipped with a cocoa-nut, a chuhora (handle of a plough), almonds, grapes, milk and a loaf of 5 paos with his eflSgy in flour (a basket on his back), a four-cornered lamp of flour on the bread, and apiece of dhup.
Gunga, the disease-spirit of cows, is propitiated by setting aside a tawa of bread in his name until the final offerings can be made. Then a piece of iron, something like a hockey-stick, is made, and the deity taken into the cattle-shod where he is worshipped by the sacred fire on a Thursday. A he-goat is killed and a few drops of the blood sprinkled on the iron. At the same time cakes are offered and some eaten by one member of the household, but not by more than one or the scourge will not abate, and the rest are buried in the earth. Every fourth year this deity is worshipped after the same fashion. Kailu is, it seems, peculiar to the Gaddis, or at least to Chamba. Early in pregnancy the woman puts aside 4 chaklis, (the copper coin of Chamba) with her necklace in the name of Kailu. Two or three months after delivery the parohit, with the woman, worships the demon by putting up a large stone under a walnut or hainth tree, which is sanctified by recitino" certain mantras and then worshipped. A white goat (which may have a black head) is then offered up to the demon, by making an incision in its right ear and sprinkling the blood over a long cloth, 2^ yards wide by 9 or 12 yards long, and chaklis and some bread are also offered to the demon.
Finally the woman tastes a piece of gur, and places it on the cloth, which she then wears until it is worn out, when a new one ia made and
* Wheu first set up the idol is worshipped with prayers and the sacrifice of a he-goat or sheep. Bhain and IhicUii are also placed before it and then eaten by the axdar's xelativeB.
<r^ ^
^'i*" cc^^t.'Zj ^^
y.
J
yt
Gadgor-^Gadgor. 271
purified in the same way before being worn. The ceremony may be performed at the woman's house, in which case the clotli alone is u.scd as a symbol of the deity. The _i;-oat is returned to its owner with the fcmr coins. No other woman may use this sheet, which would cause her divers bodily ills.
Ploughing, sowing and reaping should be begun on the lucky days — Sunday, Tuesday and Tliursday. Jf the wheat does not grow on a terraced field the plough is not put on it again that year until a goat has been Bacri6ced there, and neglect of this rule will result in a death in the family. When new ground is to be broken up the paroliit must be asked to name the day and a he-goat sacrificed before the plough is ])ut to it. But instead of this sacrilicc, some people lake four young girls to the spot and there wash their feet, mark their foreheads with red and give them gxir to eat before they begin to i)lough. And the first fruits of such land are always offered to the dcuta before being used. The godlings associ- ated with chinia, maize, wheat, pulse and barley are Devi, Chaund, Kailung, Kathura Nag and Sandholu Nag respectively.
The chief fairs are seven in number, viz., the Easua on 1st Baisdkh, the Patroru on 1st Bhadon, the Sair on IstAssauj, the Lahori (cr Lohri) on 1st Mitgh, and the Dholru on 1st Chet. The dates of the Shibrdt (in Phdgan on varying dates) and of the Holi (in Phagan or Chet) vary. The first four festivals are celebrated by games and dances, but there are differences. At the Basua imidiris or flour cakes are eaten with ghi and honey. At the Patroru a cake of a vegetable called siiil is eaten : only young girls dance. At the Sair hahrus are cooked : and at the Lohri khichri or rice and dal. At the Holi l-haddas (parched maize) aro eaten, the fire is worshipped at night and a performance called 6arn held, Bongs being also sung. At the Dholru again inndiris are eaten, but amusements are rarely allowed. There seems to be no aununl feast of dead. Shiva and the Devis are sacrificed to on a Shibnitri.
The seasons for worship are : — Chet, pilgrimages to Bawan and Jawdlaji in Kdngra.
Bhadon and Asauj, pilgrimages to the shrines of Narsingh, Hari-har, Lakshmi Devi, Ganesh, Kailung — all in Brahmaur ; and in Bhadon only, as a rule, to Maui Mahesha. Shiva is not worshipped at any particular season.
The low-castes in Brahmaur are chiefly Halis, Kolis, Lohdrs and Rihrf* rSs, with afew Sippis and Badhis. All these are described in their proper places. An obscure group is the Bararu, sometimes called Bhats, who are d<»scribed as Gaddis, and hold among them the same position as Btahmans do among other Hindus. The name appears to be connected with hardri, a thorny shrub.
The Gaddi salutations are as follows : — Among Brahmins, namankdr .; to Brahrnans from others, pairi jiaiina to which they reply aslr hachan. Rajputs givajaijai to one another Jind receive it from those beneath them ; responding with ram ram. Kliatris, Thakurs ami Rathis offer hidrki to one another and receive it from the low-castes, giving in reply ram rdm.
Gadqkr, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Gadoob, a i&\ clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
2-^2 Qadha^Gadun.
Gadha (?) shophord, cowherd ; also called raivdnri in Peahdwar.
Gadhi, a term of contempfc said to be applied by Nihangs (Akdlis) to those who smoke.
Gadhiok, a tribe small in numbers, but intelligent and enterprising, found in a few villages o£ tho Central Salt Range. Their traditions assert that their ancestor Mahta Uhandu liai came from Mathra to Delhi and entered the Mughal service under BAbar, who employed him with Rdja Mai Janjua to drain the eastern Dhanni tract in the Salt Range. Gharka Kassar and Sidhar Manilas afterwards aided them to colonise the tract, and Babar granted Chandu Rai a percentage in the revenue of tho Dhanni and other tracts in the Salb Range. Humsiyuu granted Kdli orKaiik Dds, son of Chandu Rai, a sanad * (dated 1554) of 30,000 tankds for the improvement of the Kahun tract and the family also received sanads from Akbar and Auraugzeb. In the latter's reign one branch of the tribe was converted to Islam, but most of its members ttre still Hindus. Gadhiok is said to be a corruption of gaddi-hok, on its ancestors having presented 31 gaddls at a Itukdi (the announce- ment of the presents brought at a wedding). The Gadhiok usually marry among themselves, but some intermarry with Khatris of the Bdri group, tliodgh never Avith Bunjahis. In neither case is widow marriage allowed. Their Brahman s are of the Nauli got and at a boy's munnan or head-shaving the father or head of the Family himself decapitates a goat with a sword and gives the head, feet and skin to the Naule parohitb' of the tribe, though they do not eat flesh and other Brahmans would not touch such offerings. The skin, etc., are sold. A similar observance is in vogue at the janeo investiture. Gadhioks eat flesh at weddings, a usage contrary to local Hindu custom. At the viunnan of a first-born son the custom found among some other Khatris is followed and the mother flees to the house of a neighbour who plays the part of her parents. Her husband would bring her back again, and remarry her by the dukCija or 'second wedding ' which costs about half as much as the first. Gadhioks avoid touching weighing Bcale3,t at least in theory, and also usury, but one or two families, not admitted to be descendants of Kali Diis or true Gadhioks, have no such scruple. No Gadhiok will wash, set out on a journey or begin a new task on a Thursday — the day on which their ancestor left bis original home. Hindu Gadhioks eat and dritik with Khatris : Mubammadans with any Muhammadan save a Mochi or Musalli. The latter style them- selves Shaikh : while the Hindus generally use the title of Mahta, but the family of Dahvdl is styled Diwdn, Mulraj, one of its members having been governor of Hazara under the Sikhs. The saviddh of Kdli Dds is a conspicuous object at . Kallar Kahilr. The Gadhioks have many habits, apparently in a down-country dialect, and now claim Rsijput orio^in or statu?, but they are probably of Khatri ertraction as their intermarriage with that caste shows.
Ginf a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur : see also under Garri.
Gauun, or Jadun, as they are called indifferently, are a tribe of Pathdns found in Hazara and in Attock. They claim descent from
1^1 ' ■' ' ■ ' '
* This sanai contains a reference to the Bagh-i-Safa established at Kallar Kahir by Biibar and mentioned in his Memoirs. I Implyiu^ that retail trade is cousidered derogatory.
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Oadwdr — Gdgrah. 273
Sarliang, a groat-gi-andson of Ghurg-liuslit, two of whose sons fletl, they say, because of a blood feud to the momitains of Chacli and Ilaziira. It is almost certain that the Jadun are not of Indian origin ; though it has been suggested that in their name is preserved the name of Jiidu or Yadu, the founder of the Hd,iput Yiidubaiisi dynasty, many of whose descendants migrated from Guzenit some 1, 100 years b«-foro Christ, and were afterwards supposed to bo found in the hills of Kiibul and Kandd,har. They occupy all the south-eastern portion of the territory between the Peshawar and Ilazara borders, and the southern Blopea of Mahdban, having been assigned their present lands in the eastern Sama after Malik Ahmad and the Kashi chiefs of the Afghdns had defeated the Dilazak. And when Jahangir finally crushed the Dilaz^ik, they spread up the Dor valley ns high as Abbottabild. Early in the 18th century, on the expulsion of the Karlugh Turks by Saiyid JaUl Bd,ba they appropriated the country about JDliamtaur ; find about a hundred years later they took theBagra tract from the few remaining Dilazilk who held it, while shortly before the Sikhs took the country their Hassazai clan deprived the Karrtll of a portion of the Nildn valley. They are divided into three main clans, Sdlar, Mansiir, and Hassanzai, of which the last is not represented among the trans-Indus Jadun and has lost all connection with the parent tribe, having even forgotten its old Pashtu language. Bellew made them a Gakkhar clan, but this appears to be quite incorrect. The true Pathans of Hazara call them mldtar or mcrcenai-ios, from the Pashtu equivalent for laJchan or " one who girds his loins". In Hazara a Salar occupy the Kajoia plain ; the Mansur are found in Mangal and in and round Nnwansbahr ; while the Haasanzaia reside in Dhamtaur and the adjacent villages, and in the Mangal and Bagra tracts. The two former tribes keep up a slight connection with the Pathd.ns to the west of the Induw, and a few can still speak Pashtu. After they had obtained a footing to the east of the Indus, in Ilazara, those three tribes elected a Hassanzai of Uharataur to the /s/idn-ship, and his son succeeded him, but the chiefship is now in abeyance, though the family is still looked up to. In rJiis part the Durrani rule was quite nominal and the Jaduus of Ilazdra only paid them a horse, a falcon or two and a small sum of money as tribute. Gadwar, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Multau.
Gag, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amribsar.
GAofs a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar,
Gaqea, a small caste, for the most part Mussabnau, and chiefly found in the central districts. They wander about catchinor and oating vermin, but their hereditary occupation is that of catching, koopiu"-, and ap])lying leeches ; and they are often called Jukora, from jonk, a •leech.' They also make matting and generally work in grass and straw, and in some parts the coarse sacking used for bags for pack animals and similar purposes is said to be made almost entire Ij- by them. The Muhammadan Giigras marry by nlkoh. They seem to fulfil some sort of functions at weddings, and are said to receive fees on those occasions. It is said that they worship Bahi Shah, the Chiihra guru. Also called Gagri or Gegri and Jokliaru.
Gaqrah, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) fouod in Multan.
274 Gagrel — Gahhhar.
Gaqrel^ a Muhammadan Nai converted from Hinduism, in Karndl. Gahi, see under Ghdi.
GAKK^A^l, an important Muliammadan tribe, found in JUelum, Rawal- pindi aud Ilazilra. Regarding tbo Gakkhars in the first-named district Mr. W. S. Talbot writes :—
" The Gakkhars, though not numerically important, are in other respects one of the most prominent tribes in the Jlielum district, and in social position amongst the Musalmans of the tract share with the Janjuit the honour of the first place : in popular estimation indeed they seem to rank a little higher than oven the Janju^s. They are almost entirely confined in this district to the Jhelum tahsil, where they hold the bulk of the Khuddar circle, with a good many villages in the Maiddn: else- where they are found ia any numbers only in the Rawalpindi and Hazdra districts.
Origin, — Of the history and origin of this tribe much has been written : the earliest suggestion, that of General Court, that the name of the Gakkhars points to their flescent from the Greeks, has not found later supporters : though it has now been adopted and improved upon by some of the present representatives of the tribe, who claim descent from Alexander himself ! Mr. A. Brandreth * adopted the local tradition, that the Gakkhars ' came from Persia through Kashmir,' which is still the claim of the majority of the Gakkhars themselves. The views of General Cunningham are set forth at length in his ArcliEeological Survey Reports, II, pp. 22 to 3-:^, to which the curious must be referred for the detailed reasons on which he basos his conclusion, that the Gakkhars represent the ' savage Gargaridae ' of Dionysius the Geographer, (who wrote probably in the 4th Century A. D.), and are descendants of the great Yuechi Scythians, who entered India from the North- West in the early centuries of the Christian era. Sir Denzil Ibbetson t notices with approval Mr. Tliomson^s comment X on Cunningham's theory; though the Turanian origin of the Gakkhars is highly probable, yet the rest of the theory is merely a plausible surmise. On the whole there seems to be little use in going beyond the sober narrative of Ferishta, who represents the Gakkhars as a brave and savage race, living mostly in the hills, with little or no religion, and much given to polyandry and infanticide.'
As already indicated, the story of most of the Gakkhars is that they are descended from Kaigollir or Kaigwar Shah, of the Kaidni§ family once reigning in Ispahan : thac they conquered Kashmir and Tibet, and ruled those countries for many generations, but were eventually driven back to Kabul whence thny entered the Punjab in company with Mahmud Gha^navi early in the 11th Century: thi'S story is rejec'ied by Ibbetson,
* Jholimi Settlement Report, § 48.
I Pinijah Census Report, 1881. § 463.
J § f)7, Jhelmn Settlement Report.
§ It ie not poj^sible to obtain satisfactory information ren^arrlinf? this word. The city of Kayan -was the cnpital of Kai Kayus, Kni Kiibad, and Kai Kliasrii ; and some say that the Gakkhars call themselves Kayini because they claim descent from these three kings. Others say that the Mughals proper, and e.specially the Chughattns and Qizilbashes, are Kav'itii-' ; and that the Gakkhars call themselves Kanani or Gauaanites because they claim descent t'l om Jacob and Joseph who lived la Canaan j and that it is this word which has been misread Kayani.
1/
JU^ / L C / A V CI
. Gdkkhar history. 275
because on Ferishta's showing a Gakkhar army resisted Mahmud : and that it IS at any rate certain that they lield tlioir present poseessions long before the Muharamadan invasion of India : on tho other side it will be of interest to notice briefly below tho contentions of tlio most prominent member of the tribe of tho present time, the late Kluin Bah;'idiir R:'ijit Jah.indiid Kluln, E. A. C, who has made a most painstakincr study of the original authorities : it must bo noted, however, that, particnlarly in the exactness of tho references to the aathoritios cited by him, there is something wanting, owing to his omission to supply further information asked for : his views are as follows : —
All the historians before the timo of Ferishta agree that tlie Kho- khars, not the Gakkhars, killed Shah;1,b-ud-din Ghori. Ferishta cer- tainly confuted those two tribe>i, in other cases : thus ho frequently refers to Shekha and Jasrat as Gakkhar chiefs; therA are no sutsh names in the Gakkhar tree, whereas Shekha and Jasrat appear as father and son in the genealogy of the Khokhars : see tree o-iven in tho vernacular settlement report of the Gujrat district, by Mirza Azim Betr^ l8Qo. {T>ibaqdt-i-Akbari, pp. 18, Id, 127, 147 and 600; Rauzat-ut- T(ihirin, E\Vv)t, I, p. ^01; Muntakhib-ut-Tawdrikh, p. 18; Ibn-i-Asir Elliot, II, p. 43?; Tabaqdt-i-NcUiri, pp. 123-4, etc.)
Ferishta's account of tho Gakkhars as a tribe of wild barbarians without either religion or morality, practising polyandry and infanti- cide, is a literal translation from the Arabic of, Ibn*i-Asir, an earlier historian, who was there, however, writing of the wild tribes in the hills to the west of Peshawar, and not of the Gakkhars : the chapter in Ibn-i-Asir immediately following deals with the murder of Shahdb-ud- din by the Gakkhars : hence perhaps the mistake ; or Ferishta may have borne a grudge against tho Gakkhars, who are said by him to have maltreated an ancestor of his own named Hindu Sh^h. (Ibn-i-Asir p. 82, Elliot, XII, Ferishta, p. 159). '
Gakkhar ShSh, alias Kaigwdr Shd,h, is mentioned as one of the prin- cipal followers of Mahmud of Ghazni. [Iqbdlndma-i-Jahdngiri, p. 109; Ahbar Ndma, p. 242).
The use of the Hindu title of " Rdjd," has been taken as evidence that tho Gakkhar story of their origin is incorrect ; but up to comparatively recent times the Gakkhar chiefs used the title of Sultdn. Some sannds of the Mughal emperors are cited, and other evidence, but the refer- ences need not be given, as it is certain that the title of Sultdn was formerly used by this tribe.
In La Perron's History of the Pdrsis,^ p. 27, it is said that a migration of Persians to China, under a son of Yazdezard, took place in the 7th century : it is suggested that this was tho occasion when the ancestors of the tribe settled in Tibet : an old M.S. pedigree-table produced shows a Sultan Yazdajar some 45 generations back.
An officer who knew tho Gakkhars well wrote of them : ' Some of their principal mo,n are very gentlemanly in their bearing, and show unmistakably their high origin and breeding ' : anotlior says : ' They are essentially the gentlemen and aristocracy of tho (R;twalpindi\ district: . . . Tho Gakkhars still bear many traces of their hiirfi descent in their bearing, and in the estimation in which they are held
• Vol. I, Karaka, 1884, citing the Zend Avcsta, I, cccixivi.
276 The Gahhhar dans.
througliout tho district/ Mr. Thomson wrote of them: 'Physically the Gakkhars aro not a lar^e-limbed race, but tliey are compact, sinewy, and vigorous. They make capital soldiers, and it has been stated on pood authority that they are the best light cavalry in Upper India. They are often proud and self-respecting, and sometimes exceedingly wcll-mannorod.' All this does them no more than justice ; and to any- one who knows them well, tho statement that as late as the 13th century they were wild barbarians, without religion or morality, is in itself almost incredible. Raja, Jahdnd£d Khdn seems to have succeeded in tracing the libel to its origin : he shows also that they have sometim.ea bren confused with the Khokhars ;* but it cannot be said that his arguments in favour of their Persian origin are very couvincing : in the matter of the assassination of Shah^ib-ud-din Ghori, the his- torians who state that he was killed by the Gakkhars at Dhamiak in this district are supported by a strong local tradition.
Clans and Man(li8.--The Gakkhars have split into many branches, of which the most important in this district are the Admal, the Iskandrd,! and the Bugial, who occupy most of the Khuddar circle : a smaller clan named Firozal hold a few villages close to Jhelum : and a still smaller branch, the Tulidl (which is little esteemed, and with which the other clans do not intermarry), has four or five estates on the river near Dina. The clan-names are in all cases derived from those of the com- mon ancestors : the principal seats or mother villages of each branch are called Mandis, of which there are six generally recognised in the Jhelum district : Sultd.npur (Admal) ; Lehri and Bakrdla (Iskandrd,!) ; Domeli, Padhri, and Baragowdh (Bugidl) : Bheth and Salihdl, formerly flourish- ing mandis of the Bugidl, are now decayed.
Character. — Regarding the character of the Gakkhars there is not much to add to what has already been said : pride of race is very strong in them, and though they make good soldiers, they are bad farmers : and where they have not fallen back on Government service, they are almost always in a most unprospeious condition, being much wanting in industry and thrift : their most unpleasing characteristic is their in- tense jealousy of one another, which leads to bitter feuds^ and some- times to murder.
History. — The first settlement of the tribe in this district is generally • admitted to be Abridm in Suitdnpur, under the Lehri hills : thence they spread over the Khuddar, soutliwards towards the river, and as far as Landi Patti to the west, being constantly opposed by the Janjuds who were almost invariably defeated and ejected : in his first invasion of India Bilbar took the part of the JanjiHs, and with them defeated Hati Khdn, the great Gakkhar chief of Pharwala, but in a subsequent invasion made friends with the Gakkhars and procured from them an auxiliary force. When Bdbar's son, Humayiin, was in A. D. 1542 ousted by Sher Shdh, the principal Gakkhar chiefs took the side of the exile: to bridle their pride Sher Shdh built the huge fort of Kohtas, about ten miles from Jhelum : and in the constant warfare that followed the Gakkhar country was terribly harried, but the tribe was never sub- dued, and en Humiiyun''s return to power began to grow powerful.
* See also an article in the Indian Antiquary, 1907 ' The Khokhara and the GakkhafS ip. Punjab HiBtory ' by H. A. Koee.I.C.S
Gnjja^^Gan^apun 277
Their enbseqaent history until the rise of " Snltdn " Muqarrab Khdn, about 1740 A. D., chiefly concerns other districts : he was nn Adniill chief of the Kdwalpindi district; and claimed to rule the \vholo of the tract from Attock to the Chenab ; tiie Domoli Bugiiils however did not acknowledge his pretensions, and or\ his dofcHt by the Sikhs at Gujrjit, they at once rebelled, captured Muqarrab Kluiii and murdered him. The usual internecine feuds then arose, and tlio diileront clans fell in turn an easy prey to the Sikhs, thou^^li the easiern hill iiiand'is were never thoroughly subdued, and were in constant rebellion until the beginning of tlie British rule: in 1849 the Gakkhars nearly all took the losing side, and therefore forfeited much of their possessions and dignities, falling on evil days, from which they have only extricated themselves by the readiness with which they have siuce taken employment under Government."^
In Haz^ra the Gakkhars have had a still more chequered history. Descended from Fateh Khc4n, founder of Kh.1,npur, to whom the hills of Khdnpur as well as those of the Karral and Dhiind were entrusted by his grandfather Sultdn Sarang Khi'm about the end of the 16th century, the Ghakkars could not keep the Karriil and Dhiind tribes under control during the decline of tlie Mughal dynasty. Under Durrdni rule how- ever they were given charge of the lower parts of Hazara, their chief Sultiin Jdfar Khan being famous for his uprightness. But Sirddr Hari Singh drove them from their lands and they were not roiustated till 1868-72, when they recovered almost the whole of the Khdnpur tract.
Gajja, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur. Gal, a Jilt clan (agriculcural) found in Amritsar and Mult^n. Galbaha, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur. Galhak, a Jd,^ clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Galwathah, a Jitt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Gandapur : A Pathdn tribe of Ushtarani (Saiyid) extraction. Besides the original stock they include by affiliation some offshoots of the Shirdni, the Mushezai section of the Ohurghushti Fath^ns, and the H^nizai sec- tion of the Yusufzai tribe. They hold the whole of the north-western part of trans-Indus Dera Ismail east of Tdnk and south of the Nfla Koh ridge of the Salt Range, comprising an area of 460 sfiuare miles, abutting on the Sulaim^^ns to the west ; and the town of Kulachi is their head- quarters. They were originally a poor iiaioindah and pastoral tribe, but they now cultivate more largely than any other Dera Ismilil Pathdna. They reached the height of their prosperity about the middle of the J 8th century, but lost their eastern possessions some seventy years later, they being confiscated by Nawab Muhammad Khdn, the Saddozai governor of Leiah. They still engage in the pawindah traffic. They are lawless, brutal and uncivilised ; and their hereditary Khan has but little power. Mr. St. George Tucker thus described their sections:-—
" The Gaudapurs profess to be all descended from one or two original ancestors, but there is no doubt, as in mcst similar cases, that other
* Further information will bo found in Mr. Brandreth's Jhelum Settlement Report, 1865, §5 55 to 58 ; Mr. Thomson's Settlement Refcrt, 1883, §57; and in Pun;ab Governmtnl Stkctions, Ne%o 89ries,No. XXllJ, 1887.
278 GAndhi'^GangusMhi.
tribea and familiea have been associated with them from time to time, who all claim now to be of the original stock. They are divided into six main divisions or nallahs (valleys*). Most of these nalloha have a single generic name, covering all the men of that nallah ; but there aro also joint nallahs, in which two altof):ether distinct sections aro combined, each having a generic name of its own. The hereditary chiefship rested at first with the Brahimzai nallah, but the Brahirazaia having been very much weakened by losses in a fight against the Bdbars, tlie chiefship was transferred some 200 years ago to the Hamrdnzai, who have retained it ever since. Azild Kluin was the first Hamrdnzai Khdn. It was in his time that the Gandapurs seized Takwdra from the Driskhels. Kuldchi was soon afterwards settled by fugitive Baloch from Dera Fateh Khd^n, from whom it obtained its name. These eventually returned to their own country, and Kuldchi became the head town of the Gandapurs".
Gandhi, a Jdt tribe, which seems to be chiefly found in the same tract with the LUngat.
GANDHfLA, fem. -AN, a low vagrant tribe, said by Elliott to be "a few degrees more respectable than the Bawarias," though in the Punjab their posi- tions are perhaps reversed. They wander about bare-headed and bare- footed, beg, work in grass and straw, catch quails, clean and sharpen knives and swords, cut wood, and generally do odd jobs. They are said to eat tortoises and vermin. They also keep donkeys, and even engage in trade in a small way. It is said that in some parts they lead about performing bears ; but this is doubtful. They have curious traditions which are reported from distant parts of the Province, regarding a king- dom which the tribe once possessed, and which they seem inclined to place beyond the Indus. They say they are under a vow not to wear shoes or turbans till th eir possessions are restored to them.
Gandu, a small J^t clan found in Jind. It has bakkuds at Mddpur, and at these it worships iisjatheras at weddings and on the Diw^li.
GlNof, one who extracts and sells otto {itr), whereas the atdr makes 'arak not itr.
Gandia, a tribe of Ja^s found in Dera Qhdzi Khdn. Like the Chd,ndia Baloch they present offerings to the descendants of Shdmji, though Muhammad- ans, and are also called Rang Rangia. See under Gosain and Chhabih- wdla.
Gang, a tribo which, like the Munds, is generally reckoned as Awdn, though the leaders of the admittedly Awdns do not allow the claim. It is Bur- rounded by Awans on all sides and may be an affiliated clan (see Jhelum Gazetteer, 1904, p. 101).
Ganqah, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
GANao, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
GANGUSHABi.— A Sikh sect, founded by Gangu or Gangadds, a Basi Khatri of Garhshankar. Sikh history relates that he presented four pice weight of giir — all his worldly wealth— to his Guru, Amardris, and was sent to preach iu tlie hill country. He founded, a shrine at Daun near Kharar, and his great-grandson, Jowdhir Singl/, founded one of still greater fame at Khatkar Kaldn in Jullundur. Mahi Bhagat of
J* 0/, the thoha amoug tho Meos.
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Oanj — Gdrd. 279
Mahisar was another celebrated leader of this sect. The Gangushdhis possess Guru Amar Das^ bed and having refused initiation from Gurii Govind Singh were exconimuoicated by him.* Ganj, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
GANJ-BAKHSHr. — A Sikh sect, few in numbers, of which nothing is known, f except that Ganj-bakhsh was a faqir of Gurdaspur wli3 receivuu a blessing from Guru Amar DasJ.
Ganwan, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Ganwanen, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Ganwen, a J^t clan found in the centre of Shujiibdd tahsil, Multdn district where they settled from Delhi in Mughal times.
GANWABf, a Jilt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Gab or Garh and Samal or Samcl. — The two factions into which the Pathans and other tribes of the North-West Frontier were, and to some extent still are, divided. Many legends designed to explain the origin of 1,
these factions are current. When Rajit, runs an old tradition, ruled / in the modern North-West Frontier Province his wazir Gomal o-overned Balochistdn as far as Waziristan as his viceroy. Gomal had two nephews, Samal and Garh, between whom the country was divided. Hence Samal comprises the Spin and Tor gund tribes borderino- on Khost in Afghanistan, and the Zakka Khel, Aka Khel, Sih Pai, Qamrai the Tamam Khatak of Tirah, the Afridi country, and generally speakino- all the tribes of the Kohat and Bannu districts. Gar or Garh comprises the Qamar Khel, Kiiki Khel, Adi Khel, Aya Khel, and many villages of the Orakzai, Musazai, Mula Khel, Mushtai, Bazotai, Alisher- zai, etc. According ta Cockerell these factions are not now of much importance, having been superseded by the more rabid enmity between Sunni and Shi'a, but Major James writing in 1870 described the feud between them as still very strong and bitter and merely supplemented by that between the two sects. He assigned to the Samil half the drakzai and Bangash, tno Molimand, Malik-din Khel, Sipdh (Sih Pai) and Kamr, with the Znkka, Aka and Adam Khels of the Afridis, and to th« Gar the rest of the Orakzai and Bangash and the Khalil, with the Kiiki and Qambar Khels of the Afridis. The tradition, accepted by Ibbetson, that the factions originated in the fratricidal enmity of the two sons of the ancestor of the Bangash, who woro called Bun-kash or * root-de.stroyers ' on that account, derives support from tho fact that the two great branches of the Batjgash arc called Gari and Samilzii, but how the feud spread as far north as the Mohmands and Khalils does not appear.
Gara, Gsrra, a term applied to any doghld, or person whoso parents wcro of different castes, in tho Hill States, especially to the issue of a Muhatnmadiin KdJDut by a wifoof another caste. [? whethcr=:^an'/ of Jammu] (2). A village of Gam; Brahmans converted to Muhammadanism
♦ Mackgan, § b7.
I Murray's History of the Punjab, I, p. l2l.
X Maclagan, § 98. Another Ganjbakhsh, a Muhamniadan, has a shrine outside the BbitI Gate at Lahore. '
280 Garalwdl'^Gathdnati.
in Gurgdon call themselves Gaur Shaikhs but aro styled Gava by their neighbours, and a proverb says :—
Khet men jdrd gdnw men Gdrd,
" As coarse grass tends to S})read in tlio field, so a Gilrd tries to convert liis fellows."
(3). In Karndl the descendant of a Rajput by a widow (of his owner any other caste) married by karewa is called G^ra. Garalwal, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Gardezi, a branch of the Husaini Sayyids, also called B^ghdadi. They once owned a large part of the Sarai Sidhu tahsil of Multdn. The Zaidis are an offshoot of the Gardezls. [See The RojCes of the N.-W. P. of India, Vol. I, p. 125).
Ga9e£, an Ardiii clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Garewal, an important Jat tribe in Ludhiana, which claims to be of sdu or gentle status. Hindu Garewd,l are also found in Montgomery.
Gabh, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Garhar, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Garhwi, a non-Pathd;n tribe which with the Torwals holds the Swat Kohistan.
The Garhwis speak a language of their own called Garhwi. See under
Torw^l. Garno, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Ga]R?-i, or Gadi, a small class of milkmen and cultivators in Karn^l, known as Gaddi in Delhi.
GARRf, a low caste of strolling actors and mountebanks, mostly Hindu who have their head-quarters in Jammu but are not infreqneutly found in the Bajwat, or plain country under the Jammu hills, in Sidlko^. According to Sir Dunlop Smith the Garris are perhaps hardly * actors ' or ' mountebanks,' but rather wandering minstrels like the Mird,sis, only they do not keep to one place like the latter. They stroll about in very small bands and do not visit the Punjab proper. They gener- ally visit the Rajput villages in the Siaikot and Zaffarwal tahsils about the time of the kharif harvest, very rarely at the rahi. They say they are Hindus, but their standing is low and their religious beliefs are hazy. They invariably have a zither-like instrument called a king. They speak the Dogar dialect, which the Jats do not understand, and their songs generally relate to a great ancestress, the recital of whose history is said to have a wonderful effect on the women. They occasion- ally dance to their own singing. They are not at all, criminal, and their women are fairly respectable. They marry within the tribe ^ly.
Gat, a Mahammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Gatab, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Gathwala (from gatlia, a burden). A JtU tribe, once carriers by trade. It holds 10 villages in tahsil Jind, whither they migrated from HuUn^, a village in the Gohd,na tahsil of Rohtak. They have Bdiragis as theiv jdtheras.
GaThanah, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar,
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Gaur — Gaurwdh. 281
Gaur, a variant of Gd,vr or Gabr, 'unbeliever' among the Baloch. The Gaur gave their name to the town of Gauram (Dames' Popular Poetry of the Baloches, p. 163). Cf. also Gibari and Gabr.
Gaujr, agroup of the Brahmans, confined almost entirely to the eastern districts, the Punjab Himalayas and the sub-montano as far west as Gujrdt. The Gaurs a.'o generally divided into two classes, adh- or pure Gaurs, and gattas who arc of illegitimate descent. In the Delhi territory the latter class appears to be called Dhakckka or Doghla. In Sirmur State the ac?/i-Gani*s arc said not to intermarry with the gattas. Tho adh-Gama are themselves sub-divided into chiUi and kali kantJu- todlds, or ' wearers of Avhitc and black rosaries/ a division which is undoubtedly sectarian. Trans-Giri in this State the highest section of the Brahmans Cand apparently Gaurs) is the Pabuch which does not intermarry with the Bh^ts though its members may eat food cooked by Bhdt girls, yet may not eat it if cooke'l by a Pabuch. On the other hand a Pabuch may not eat food cooked by a girl of his own section if she has been married to a Bh^t. Tho Pabuch refrain from killing any animal and from eating flesh.
Tho Gaurs are divided into 36 sasaiis* or sf'ctions which appear to bo exog;*mous, and every Brahman group similarly divided, as are tho Dakauts, may be taken to bo of Gaur origin. It is not at all improbable that tho Khandiiudl Brahmans are aluo a branch of the Gaurs. t
The Tagas of Karnal are certainly Gaurs who have taken to cultiva- tion, and 80 apparently are the criminal Tagus also.
The Gaurs of Hissar say they came originally from Beno-al but more probably they came as parohits or family priests of the various immigrant tribes among whom they are settled.^ As elsewhere they are fed on the 13th day after death, but will not take offerings of black colour [Jcdld dan), nor those made at eclipses [grahn kd dan or on a Saturday. They will however accept offerings not only from ao-ricul- tural tribes but also from Khiitis, Kurahars, Lobars, Nais, BHiido-is and Jogis, though not from Chuhras or Chamars. The great majority of them have, like the Sarsut, adopted agriculture and are not directly engaged in religious functions. The Gaur is held in poeuliarly low estimation by the people, apart from his religious status. Sec also Gautam.
Gaujriwah — (Gaurai or Gaulai appears to be a synonym in Gurgaon)— -a term applied generally to any Rajputs, who have lost rank by practisin:' karewa.^ In Delhi however they form a distinct clan, and thou<i"h both they and the Chauhan permit widow remarriage, they are looked upon as a separate tribe. They are described as noisy and quarrelsome, but
* The term ndsan means originally a grant of land and is still used in that sense in Chamba (Gaictiec)-, p. 131), and in Mandi iGa-cttco; p. 20). The process by which the term sd»a>» came to mean a section of a caste is obscure. The Brahminical (jotrax are of course still preserved by the i^aur and appear lo cross-divide the sdsans. Roth sdsans and gotrus are further sub divided into countless alu. Thus tho Gaur 'sub-tribe' (zdf or jdt) contains an nl called Indauria, ' from Indaur' who arc by r/otm BharadwHJ and pamhita of the Lohin Jits. The vagueness of the Brahmans in ''Urgaon as to theii* aia and gota is however astonishing : Gurgaon Settlement Rep., 1872-83, p. 32.
t Hissar Qa.cUeer, 19C4, p. 78.
X Cf. the note on p, 310 iiijra where it is pointed out that Quda=Thane5ar,
§ Cf. Gava.
282 Gautam — GeluTcpd.
sturdy ia build, and clannish in disposition— in contrast to the Chauhan. In Gurgaon they arc confined ^Jmost wholly to the Palwal tahsil; a lew are Muhammadans, but the majority are Hindus. Gautam(a), a zdt 01" group of Brahmans owning a few villages in Gurgdon, where they arc rcprc-iented by a single got, the Maithal, which has 52 alb: The Gautam appears to rank below the Gaur, for the latter will smoke from the same huqqa as a Gaur, but in smoking with a Gautam or Chaurasia will remove the mouthpiece and use his hand in its stead. Gaurs too will drink from a Gautam's brass vessel, but not from his earthenware, whereas, they say, a Gautam will drink from a Gaur's. But the Gautaius deny this. Gawar, see Gvvar. Also a rustic, a clown, an ignorant person : fem. -ni.
Punjabi Didy., p. 375. Gawaria, a small Jat got (? from gai, cow), found in tahsil Jind. G-AWAsf, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. GAZAR,= Dhobi.
Gazdar, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan. Gazzi a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Gedkf, see under Gidri.
GEaf a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Geblan, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Gelan (1) a Jd,t cUn (agricultural) found in Multd^n; (2) an Arain clan
(agricultural) found in Amritsar. Gelukpa, ' virtuous ones,' a Buddhist order founded about A. D. 1420 by Tsonkhapa, the first Grand Lama ol: Gahldan, and now found chiefly in Tibet, where both the Dalai and Tashi Lamas belong to it. The monks are bound to celibacy, and certainly refrain from marriage, though in the years of their novitiate they are said to be by no means immacalate. Tlieir outward mark is a yellow cap.
The founder Tsonkhapa belonged to a school of reformers of whom Bromston (pron. Tomton) is the best known (circ. 1150). Bromston lived in the Ki monastery and the tradition of his residence there was preserved till the time of Csoma de Kosroes, about 1820, but it was lost during the Dogra War in 1842. Mr. Francke thinks that de Kosroes rightly identified Ki with the celebrated Hons of Rvasgengs (pron. Rareng). Bromston's name is preserved in Bromston-chu (Tointon-chu) and Brorastonsna, ' the stream and rock of Bromston ' near Ki. He apparently founded the Kadempa sect in the Rdreng monastery and either there or at Ki Tsonkhapa studied his works* and inaugurated a new reformation. His object was to restore the ancient Buddhist faith and purify it from Tantraism. His brethren were to bo celibates and use no wine. He even attempted to restore the priestly garb of the ancient Indo-Buddhist church, and to this day the Gelukpa novices {yetahul} wear nothing but yellow, at least in Spiti : but Lamdism as usual proved too strong and though piobably the dress of the whole community was yellow the distinctive colour
* Tsongkliapa eliminated the rgiut, the Sanskrit Tantra txom the Kagiur, whereas the Eiugniapa still accept it.
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is now red, but a fully initiated brother (gelang) still wears yellow in his cap and girdle^, and on high festivals monks of high dt-groo wear yellow silk coats undernoatli their red shawls. To some extent Tsonkhapa's reforms produced a liigher moral standard, and tho Gelukpas are in name celibate everywiiere, though probably not proof against temptation in tlie polyandr(ms homes where their summers are spent. In Spiti they do not even profess to be teetotalers. The Ki, Lhao(t)pai Gonpa near Dankhar, and Tabo monasteries in Spiti belong to this order, and Ki keeps up an intimate connexion with Tibet, those of its monks who aspire to high rank being obliged to qualify at the dGuvai Khamszan monastery in Tashi Lunpo near Shigatze which is ruled by tho Panchan Ldma, the acknowledged head of the order.
Gendas, a small Jdt tribe or got found in tahsils Sangrur and Dadri of Jind. Its name is said to be derived either from ganddsa, an axe, or Gendwds, a village in tahsil Hiasar.
Ghag, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
GlIAGAHj a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Ghageah, a J-it clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Ghagheel, a Avoman who wears a petticoat, a respectable woman. But cf. Gagrel.
Ghai, Gahi, a caste of grass-cutters found in Kangra Proper and in Niirpur, where they also ply rafts and skins on the Beas. Apparently also called Ghasi.
Ghallu, a tribe found in the south-west corner of the Multd,n district since the Ain-i-Akhari was compiled. It is also numerous in tha hdrddris of Bah^walpur and Ahraadpur of Baliawalpur State, as especially in the pes/iHn of Uch. Its eponym was a Hindu Rath (Rdjput), con- verted to Isld,m by Makhdum Jahaniiin. From his seven sons sprang as many septs, viz., the Hanbiipotre, Ghaniinpotre, Dipiil, Jhaubu, Kurp^i, Kanji and Gujj. The Ghallu-? in Bahilwalpur are botii land- owners and cultivators and their tenants and servants are the Gbuliims, once their slaves, a email tribe of unknown origin,
Ghalo, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Ghalo Kanjanarah, a Ja^ clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
GhaloWAknun, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Ghaman, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Ghaman, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in ^miitsar.
Ghamar, -yar, -iar, fem. -AEf, etc., Ghdmar, fem. -i, -ni, see Kumhdr.
Ghambye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Gban, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Ghaneea, a clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur.
Ghanghas, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Karnal. It is also found in Jind tahsil. Folk-etymology derives its name from the tale that its eponym once asked a smith for an axe, but got instead a ghan (sledge-hammer) which ho was told to shape into an axe by rubbing {ghisnd) it.
284 Ghanghra^Ghatwdl.
Ghanghea, a Hindu Kamboh clan (agricuUural) found in Montgomery.
Ghaniere, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
GHARAMf, a thatcher, a maker of lattice work. The Ghardmis form a small
caste, probably distinct, from the Jhmwars, and work in grass, etc. GHARATfA, a miller, also ghur-. GharhanAj an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur. Ghaeiala, a moulder. Ghariali(a), fern. -AN, one whose business it is to strike the hour on a
gong [gharidl). GeARSHiN. in Pashto originally Kharsin, a tribe of Sayyids affiliated to the Minnas but, resident among the U.-htartina 8hiranis. Its progenitor, purnamed the Gharshin,* belonged to the same family as the Sayyids of Uch, and it furnished more than one saint to the Afghans Malik Ydr Pardn, a contemporary of GLi^s-ud-din, Balban, was a Gharshin, and others are found near Kandahar, among the Kakar and Mus^ Khel Panni Patlians and in Uch and other places in Bahd,walpur. Ghaewal, a tribe of Rajputs, found in the upper part of Kahuta, in Rawal- pindi. They claim descent from one Pir Kala, a son of R^jd, Mall (ances- tor of the Janjud-s). He married Kaho Rd,ni when he came to those hills, and named the ildqa in which he settled Kahru after her. Hence his descendants were called Kahrwal or Gharwal. The tribe is numer- ous and important, living in a picturesque country. The DuMl is a branch of this tribe. Ghasi, fem. -ar : also ^r/iassi, a grass-cutter, in Multd,n; the term is also used in the hills. Cf. ghasidrd, fem. -i, -an, a grass-cutter. Neither appear to form distinct castes. Ghattu, a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery, Ghatwal, one of the Jdt tribes of the South-East Punjab. They trace their origin from Garh Ghazni, and place ihat city in the Deccan and not in Afghanistan. They claim descent from Saroha Rdjputs. Their head- quarters are at Ahulana in the Gohana tahsil of Rohtak, and they occupy the country between it and the Jumna, being numerous in the north of Delhi and to the south of Karnal. AhuUna is said to have been founded 22 generations ago, and gives its name to the Haulania faction. The Ghatwal are often called malak, a title they are said to have obtained as follows : —
"In the old days of Rdjput ascendancy the Rd,jputs would not allow Jats to cover their heads with a turban, nor to wear any red clothes, nor to put a crown {mor) on the head of their bridegroom, or a jewel \nat) in their women^s noses. They also used to levy seignorial rights from virgin brides. Even to this day Kajputs will not allow inferior castes to wear red cloihes or ample loin clothes in their villages. The Ghat- wdls obtained some succe-»sps over the Rdjputs, esp<-cially over the M-mdHhars of the dodh near Deoban and Mint,'laur, and over those of the Bdgar near Kdldnaur and Dadri, and removt- d the obnoxious pro-
* The name is said to be derived from ghar, a mountain and shin, green or fruitful, because while residing about Bora and Peshi'n, two Sayyids, at the request of the herdsmen of the tribes, solicited divine aid to turn their bleak and rugged hills into grass-covered ranges.
189. Gharib Dasis are a branch of Dad upan this, Gharib Das bein^ one Gharib
...1,357 of the important diHciples of Dadu.f The sect is, however, (jn Dasi. .. •■ 398 the decline as its strength has come down in 20 years from 1,357 (aee margin).
Ghaunrar — Gheye. 285
hibitions. They thus acquired the title of maldk (master) and a red turban as their distinguishino- mark ; and to tliis day a Jat witli a red pagri is most probably a Gha^wal."
Mr. Fanshawe says that the title is a mere nickname conferred by a malih or chief called Rdi Si'd ; yet in Rolitak they appear generally to be called malak rather than Ghatwiil.* In Jind the Ghatwj'il reverence Bairagis as their jatheras. In Hissdr the Brahmans of Depdl are their paroJiits to this day, because their ancestor rescued the only surviving woman of the tribe, after the Hajputs of Kalanaur had blown up all the rest of the Ghatwi'ils, who had defeated them.
Ghaunrar, a sept of Rdjputs, descended from Mian Bajokhar, son of Saugar Chand, 16th Riija of Kalilur.
Ghazlani, a Pa^h^n clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Ghbba, a tribe of Rdjput status in the Attock district. Tradition makes the Gheba, Sidl and Tiwitna descendants of Gheo, Saino and Teno, the three sons of Rcli Shankar Punwdr.f The Sial and Tiwdna appear to admit the relationship, and it is not at all impossible that this group of Rdjput tribes may be of Punwdr origin. The Gheba are said to have come to the Punjab some time after the SidI and Tiwd;na, and to have settled in the wild hilly country of Patahjang and Pindigheb in Attock. Here they held their own against the Awfins, Gakkhars, and neighbouring tribes till Ranjit Singh subdued them. The Jodra are said to have come from Jammu, or according to another story from Hindustan, whence also Colonel Cracroft says that the Gheba traditions trace that tribe, and to have held their present tract before the Gheba settled alongside of them.J They now occupy the eastern half of the Pindigheb, and the Gheba the western half of the Fatahjang tahsil in Rawalpindi, the two tracts marching with each other. The Gheba is also said to be in reality a branch of the original Jodra tribe that quarrelled with the others, and took the name of Gheba which till then had been simply a title used in the tribe ; and the fact that the town of Pindigheb was built and is still held by the Jodra, and no*; by the Gheba, lends some support to the statement. The history of the Gheba family is told at pages 538 ff. of Sir Lepel Griffin's Punjab Chiefs'. Colonel Cracroft described the Gheba as " a fine, hardy race of men, full of fire and energy, not addicted to crime, though their readiness to resent insult or injury, real or imagined, or to join in hand-to-hand fights for their rights in land, and their feuds with the Jodra and Alpial are notorious."
Ghei, one who sells ghi : a section of the Khatris.
GHETAL-PANTin, -lA, ono wlio has no religious guide, a bad man.
Gheye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
♦There are in several parts of India, especially in Monghyr and its neighbourhood, tribes of low-class Hajputs called (Ihatwal, who hold or held assignments of revenue on condition of defending the glials or passes in the hills by which the hill tribes were wont to make predatory incursions into the plains below.
t An amended gencalogj' is given at page 520 of Griffin's -Pa?) jab Chiefs.
5: But Cracroft also nolod that other tales assign U the Ghcbas the same origin as the Kheoras, now cultivators in the tract,
286
The Ghilzais.
Ghilzai, GhalzAi, a tribe of the Matti brancli of the Pa^hdns, and till the rise of the Durrani power, the most fainous of all the Afghi'in tribes. The official spelling of the name is Ghaleji at Kabul and Kandahar. They first rose into notice in the time of Mahmud Ghaznavi, whom they accompanied in his invasions of India. Not long afterwards they conquered the tract between Jal^il:ibd,d and Keliit-i-Ghilzai, and spread east and west over the country they now hold. In the beginning of the 18th century they revolted against their Persian rulers^ established then'.selves under Mir Wais as independent rulers at Kandahar, and overran Persia. But a quarter of a century later they were reduced by Nadir Shdh, and their rule disappeared, to be succeeded not long after by that of the Durrani. They are of the same stock as the Is^ Khel and Lodi Pathans, as the following pedigree table shows : —
Qais-i-Abdur Rashid or Shaikh Bait. Bibi Mato Shah Husain, a Shansab^ni Tajik of Ghor.
(tHALZAI.
"~1 Ibrahim or Lodai.
r r
Ni4zi. Dotarni I Isi Khel.
~1
Si&rni.
Prangf.
1 Ismail.
I
Mahp&l. SxiT, NuharwI. J
Mama. Mayal. Tator. Shaikh or Patakh. Hud. Marwat,
^- ,
r —
Isot or Sot.
1
Sin or Yasin.
r
Aso.
Mlis4,
Yeain or Y-unas. i
I Haidar or Khizr
~1 Yakdb.
Daulat.
Hassan.
Tradition derives the name Ghalzai fro.u ghalzoe, the 'illicit (first-born) son' of Bibi Md.to by Shd-hHusain, whom she afterwards married. Her descendants first dwelt in the Shilghar territory, south of Ghazni, but when the Ghalzai became numerous, they drove the Nid,zis to the east- ward, and the Andar branch of the Ghilzais still hold Shilghar. Other branches are the Hotak or Hotaki, Kharoti, Nasir or N^siri, Sulimdn Khd,n, Taraki and Tokli. Of thes*- the Kharoti and Nd,sir however do not appear to be true Ghilzais, but to be descendants of one of the several Turk tribes located on the western frontiers of the Ghazni kingdom, towards the Afghd,nistdn, by the Turk feudatories under the Samanis and the Turk Sultans of Ghazni. The Hotaki is the royal
The Ghirths. 287
clan, auJ from it sprang tlio Hsiji, "Wais,* and the Sultans, Mahmud, Ashraf and Husain. Tho Ghilzai aro fciuud almost txclubivcly as nomads in tlio North- Weist Frontier Province and the Punjab, and form with the Lodi Pathd,ns tho bulk of the Pawjndah folk.
Ghirth. — The Ghirths fill much the sirinio position in Kangra proper and the hills below it as do the Kanots in tho parts to tho east. They correspond also to the Bahti iti the eastern and the Changf in the western portion of the lower ranges. All three intermarry freely, and wofO considered by Sir James Lyall as identical. The Ghirths of Kangra and Iloshidr- pur were thus described by Barnes : —
" My previous remarks (sec Rathi) will have introduced the reader to the Ghirths. They form a considerable item in the copulation of these hills, and in actual numbers exceed any other individual caste. With the Ghirths I have associated the few .Jats that reside in this district, and the Changs, which is only another name for Ghirths, prevalent about Ilaripur and Nurpur. They amount altogether to 111,507 souls. The Ghirths are sub-divided into numerous sects. There is a common saying that there are 360 varieties of rice, and that the sub-divisions of the Ghirths are equally extensive, the analogy arising from the Ghirths being the usual cultivators of rice. The Ghirths predominate in the valleys of Palam, Kancjra, and Rihlu. They are found again in the Hal Dun, or Ilan'pur valley. These localities are thu strongholds of the caste, although they are scattered elsewhere in every portion of the district, and generally possess the richest lands and the most open spots in the hills. The Ghirths belong to the Sudra division of Hindus, and this fact apparently accounts for the localities wherein they are found. The open valleys, although containing the finest lands, are also the only accessible portions of tho hills. The more relined castes preferred the advantages of privacy and seclusion, although accompanied by a sterner soil and diminished returns. They abandoned the fertile valleys to less fastidious classes, whose women were not ashamed to be seen nor to work in the fields, and the men were not degraded by being pressed as porters.
The Ghirths are a most indefatigable and hard-working race. Their fertile lands yield double crops, and they are incessantly employed during the whole year in the various processes of agriculture. In addition to the cultivation of their fields, the Ghirth women carry wood, vegetables, mangoes, milk and other products to the markets for sale ; many sit half the day wrangling with customers until their store is disposed of. The men aro constantly seized for b(.';/(/c, or forced labour, to carry travellers' loads, or to assist in tho various public buildings in course of construction. From these details it will be perceived that the Ghirths have no easy lime of it, and their energies and powers of endurance must be most elastic to boar up against this incessant toil.
To look at their frames, they appear incapable of sustaining such fatigue. The men aro short in stature, frequently disfigured by goitre (which equally affects both sexes), dark and sickly in complexion, and with little or no hair on their faces. Both men and women have coarse features, more resembling the Tartar physiognomy than any other type, and it is rare to see a handsome face, though sometimes the younger women may be called pretty. Both sexes arc extremely addicted to spirituous drinks. Although industrious cultivators, they are very litigious and quarrelsome ; but their disputes seldom lead to blows ; and though intemperate they are still thrifty, — a Ghirth seldom waste? his substance in drink. In their dealings with one another they are honest and truthful, and altogether their character, though not .so peaceable and manly as the Rathi, has many valuable and endearing traits. The Ghirths being Sudras do not wear the janeo or thread of caste. They take money for their daughters, but seldom exchange them, Tho .yoimger brother takes his brother's widow ; if she leave his protection, he was entitled by the law of the country to her restitution, and under us he should at all events receive money compensation."
* Mir Wais Hotaki gained possession of Kandahar in 1708-0 and on his death in 1720 was succeeded by his brother Abdul-Azfz, but he was speedily deposed and Mfr Wais' elder son Shah Mahmiid raised to power. lie subdued Persia in 1722-23 and was there succeede<l by his cousin Shah Ashraf, but this ruler was overthrown by Nadir Shah. Meanwhile Shah llusain, Mahmiid's brother had become ruler of Kandahar and he not only refused Shah Ashraf an asylum, but had him put to death. Shiih Husain reduced the Slial district and Fxishang, which the Baloch chief Mihrab Khan had aimexed, and caused Dera Gh4zi Khan to be sacked by a detachment— a disaster from which Ghizi Khan's family never recovered.
288
The Ghirth septs.
The Ghirths are said to be of Edjput origin by mixed marriages or illegitimate intercourse. They are fssentially agricultural, and the proverb says : — " As the rice bends in the ear the Ghirth lifts his head." Their social position is low. "You can no more make a saint of a Ghirth than expect chastity of a buffalo," and they practise widow marriage,. for " You can't make a Ghirthni a widow, any more than you can turn a hill buffalo into a barren cow."
Folk etymology derives Ghirth from ghi, because Shiv made them out of ghi. In Hoshiarpur Ghirths are called Bahti.'^ In Hindustan they arc called Kurmi. Chang is the Punjabi name, and Ghirth the Pahdri word.
The Ghirths have few large sub-divisions. The eight largest are the Kandal, Bhardwaj, Pathari, Chhabru, TJeru, Badial, Chhora, andBhattu. Bhardw^-j (a Brahtninical gotra), is also found as an al among the Brah- mans of Chamba.t Chh^bru is found only in Hoshiarpur, and Chhora and Bhattu only in Kangra. The others occur in both Districts. But the Ghirths say that they have a large number of als or septs — 360 in all. A great part of these are named after villages. Others are named after trades, occupations, etc., etc. A very few are possibly totemistic in origin.
Among these septs occur the following names :—
A. — Names of animals or plants : —
(4) Gidar, jackal, (o) Gadohari, a kind of bird. (6) Garuri, ' an animal like a pig-' B. — Names of occupations or nick -names : —
(1) Dhare, fruit of the wild
fig.
(2) Ghora, horse.
(3) Khunla, a kind of bird.
small
[]) Suran^iala, miner. (2; Nande, nandhi, dumb. (8) Mormar, peafowl-hunter.
(4) Jokhnu, weighman,
(5) Paniari, panidrd, water-
man.
(6) Masand, long-haired
(said to be its meaning).
(7) Lakria, woodman.
(8) Ghord, jockey.
(9) Hariala, born on the
Rihdli or 3rd Bliadon.
C. — Names of colours :—
(1) Kiila, black.
(2) Kahra, red-brown.
(10) Saini, vegetable-seller, fll) Hutl^, stammerer.
(12) Khfiugar, Jchdnsi, a cough.
(13) Lahu, charred or burnt.
(14) To pa, bought for a topd or 2
seers of grain.
(15) Kumhar, potter.
(16) Naul, 7ieoZ(i.
(17) Pathrala, founded by a leaf-
seller {pattdj leaf).
(3) Nila, blue.
* Bauhtia appears to be a variant of Bahti. Possibly, this suggests, Bahti means simply 'ploughman.'
t According to the account of the Ghirths compiled by the late Mr. A H. Gunter, C.S., the Brahminica'- gotras de preserved but each comprises a number of als, e.g., the Kundal got(ra) includes the Chang, Sial, Thetar and Tholi zdts (= als), the Konsal got includes the Panihari, the Tul got the Pataku al, and the Kasab the Katt i. The gots, it is distinctly stated, are named after common ancestors ' who were n's/its.'
Ghirth ohservances. 280
D.— (1) Khera, founded by a woman whose child was born undor a hher tree.
(2) Banyanu, founded by a woman whoso child was born under a
han or oak.
(3) Dadda, founded by a woman whose child was born near a
bamboOj and laid on the tree.
(4) Khunld,, an animal of some kind. The name was given to a
child as a token of affection. Hence his descendants are still called by the name.
(5) Ladhdri^, from ladhdr, a kind of tree.
(6) Ghurl, a wild goat ; so called because its progenitor cried like
one.
(7) Khajurd, date-palm (c/. the Nagarko^ia Brahman al of this name) ; so-called because its founder was born under a date- palm.
(8) Khatta, from khattdf a kind of tree : for a similar reason.
Other exogamous sections {gots) are Bahiru, Banjiira, Barol, Chakotra, Bhut, Didlu, Hangaria, Jalnrich, Kathc, Narotra, Panjla, Panyiu, Panyaria, Sd^kre, Sial, Thimbu, Thirku, etc., all of unknown derivation.
In the Rajput hypergamous system the Ghirth does not rank very high for not till the seventh generation can his daughter become a queen [Satwin 'pirhi Ghirthni ki dhl Rani hojdti), whereas the Rathi'a daughter can attain to that position in four generations and even the Kanet's reaches it in five. But the Rd^jas could pi'omote a Ghirth to be a Rdthi, as Sir James Lyall records (Kdngra Sett. Rep., § 73),
The following accounts of the Ghirth social observances are given as typical of the usaj^es among all the Hindu castes of the Kangra Hills and not as peculiarly characteristic of the Ghirths. They resemble generally tnose in vogue among the Gaddis of Kd,ngra, but the local variations appear to be endless. These are described in the foot-notes to the text below —
In betrothal the father, mother or uncle, if alive, will tell the youth to arrange to marry such and such a girl. If these are not alive, he chooses himself; otherwise he remains passive throughout the arrange- ments. The father then finds a go-between {nibdrii) who goes to the girl's parents and makes the pro|30sal to them. If they accept, a day is arranged for the ceremony of betrothal {natd). On this day the rTlhdrii conducts the boy's father or other guardian (the boy does not go as a rule*) to the girl's house. Ho takes with him cream, delii, in a
* Provided the father has no infirmity rendering the son's assistance necessary, the son will not accompany him. Ho will generally accompany any other guardian. If the boy goes too, he is allowed to stay at the girl's parents' house if the Brahmans declare the occasion favourable, otherwise he must slay in some other house, llie boy's Brahman may be one of the p irty. It makes a point of arriving during the particular wat h of the particular day which the Brahman has found to be propitious. He leads the way in, followed by the father and next relative. The others stay in the enclosure outside. The things are put down and a rupee in silver and a half anna bit in copper are placed by the boy's father in the moveable shrine (called iZitta dcra) of Gancsh on the freshly plastered chaukah. At tiio same time the girl's parents put down a tray containing a little yur of
200 Ghirth weddings.
clay vessel {dehdli), grain, gur and clothes for the girl, and two rupees two pice in cash (and jewels, if rich enough) ; and if a price for the girl has been agreed upon, they take that too. When they get to the house they find a ghard of water and an oil-lamp and a vessel contain- ing a little gur and ghi in the girPs parents' house, and her parents waiting for them, but not the girl herself. They put down the grain, gur and dehi, rupees and pice, and clothes and jewels by the water in a wicker basket put ready for them, and no one speaks a word. Square mats made of suorarcane stalks are placed for the deputation. When they hitve set c'own the grain, etc., the boy's party bow with joined hands to the lamp and water- vessel, and dipping their fingers into the grir and ghi put them in their mouths. Then the boy's party salam and the girl's pnrty salam, and then all sit down for the first time. Then the g;o-between takes the rupees and pice and clothes to the girl who is with the women in another room, gives the money to her, and gets down the clothes. Then the riiharu comes back, and receiving the girl's price from the boy's father, gives it to the girl's father. Then the boy's father gives pice to the girl's party's kamins, i. e., the barber, the parohit (family Brahman) and the watchman. The boy's party stays till night, when the girl's party entertain him with a meal. Then the girl's mother calls in other women of the village, and they sing and the boy's father gives them pice. Next day the boy's party having breakfasted return home.
From this time until the wedding, which in the case of a virgin is called hidh, the boy's father sends once a year rice or maize, cream, gur and clothes for the girl. The person who brings these gifts is entertained at night by the girl's parents and goes away the next day. The date of the wedding is arranged by the girl's father.* It may take place
their own. The boy's father puts a half anna in this and tastes the gur. He puts a pice in the lota of water (garivi) before the shrine, touches his forehead and bends down to Gan6sh, the girl's Brahman worshipping all the time in the usual way. The girl's mother puts the jewelry on the girl, and the ceremony is over. The girl's parents take all the things brouo;ht, including the rupee and pice, into the shrine in the tray, out of which the girl's mother takes them, and not the girl's father. It is the mother's right. There is a feast next morning and pice are distributed to the poor, and a few annas to the Brahman, the dhdi of the girl's family and the local watchman. A few pice are also given to the girl's sisters, if any, and her other female relations.
* The boy's family Brahman settles the day. About 20 days before the day fixed the father takes him to the house of the skirl's parents, where there is a consultation between him and their Brahman as to whether the day fixed is also auspicious for the father, paternal uncle and brother of the boy and girl respectively.
The girl's father puts some rice and gur and a few blades of drub grass and two pice, and the boy's father also one anna in copper, into a tray. These are divided by the two Brahmans who throw out the grass. In the tray the girl's mother also puts the red paste for making the tika on the forehead which is used for all religious occasions, except these connected with death. The girl's Brahman puts the tika on the boy's father's forehead and then on the foreheads of a few of the bystanders. Both families then make their prepara* tions and summon their friends and relations to the wedding.
On the day the boy's party, whif-h always includes the Brahman and the family barber, goes to the girl's house, the boy being carried in a pdlki and musicians accompanying. The boy is dressed in red with a fringe of silk tassels (sera) bound round his turban and hanging in front of his face. He has been washed and dressed by the barber before starting. The sera and a pair of shoes and a coat are given him by the boy's maternal uncle When the party reaches the girl's house they all wait outside until the girl's Brahman announces that the auspicious moment (the conjunction of two stars, ' lagan ') has arrived. The boy and his Brahman with the barber and a friend who has the custody of the money for current expenditure go inside. The chauhah with the diwa dera is ready. The friend puts a rupee and half anna in the shrine while the Bralunans mutter a few words.
Ghirth weddings. 291
when tho girl is 7 years old oven ; there is no limit of age. When tho date of tho wedding is fixed tho boy's fatlier givea whatever it was arranged shouki be then paid, and both parties make p-eparations for it. Oil tho wedding day the boy is shavcl, waslied with b"tnd to rnakft him clean and dressed in a kwah (red cholu.) and a red' r">gri, red paijdmds and kaviarhand and sera (t;isselled head-dress). Mehipii (the plant) is put into his hand to make his fingers red, and he is put info a pdlki and taken to tlie girl's house. The girl's fat 1 1 er's waiii there spreads a cloth. On this cloth tho two fathers meet. The gii-l's father then gives the boy's father's nain pice, and the boy's father does the like to the other nain. This is called awdrinda or in Punjabi lodranda because each of the fathers waves the pice round tho head of the other before giving them to the barbers. This takes place outside the house. Then the girl's party takes tlio boy into the house. Then the girl's parohit reads the Ved mantar over the couple. Then they go into the salin and put four poles previously adorned into the ground, and place others joining their tops. Tho boy and girl arc then set underneath, and more mantars are read. Then the jjirl and boy walk four times round the poles with their clothes tied together [Unjri). The marriage ceremony is now complete. Then the parties feast at the bride's house, but the women are not present. Then behind the pardd the bride's head is anointed with chaunh. Then either on that day or the next the bridegroom takes the bride to his father's house, if it is near enough. Perhaps tho girl's barber and the midwife may accompany
The girl's mother takes tho rupee and half anna. A blanket is spread inside the outer room. The boy and girl sit facing each other on it with the boy's barber supporting him and the girl's barber's wife supporting her, and the respective Brahmans facing each other on the two other sides. Both read the service. The barber's wife puts the boy's cloak over the pair and the barber lifts the .sera from his face and tho barber's wife her cloak from the girl's, so that they can see each other. The boy takes the ring off the little finger of his right hand and puts it on the little finger of the girl's right hand. The cloak over the pair is removed and tho girl's face hidden again. Some gwr mixed with p/u' is put by the girl's mother in a tray and the boy takes some, after which the barber's wife gives some to the girl. The friend with the money bag puts two pice into the tray. These are taken by the barber's wife. The boy comes out to his relations and the girl goes into the inner room among the women. After all have refreshed themselves four sticks with small cross-sticks at the top are fixed in the ground in tho enclosure to form a small square in which 5 or 6 can sit. The barber's wife makes a figure {chaunh) with flour on the ground and a small heap of grain at each of the two points marked with a cross, and these heaps are covered with baskets. The boy sits on one basket, and the girl on the other supported by their Brahmans, the barber and his wife, respectively, the Brahmans being further off than the barber and his wife. A fire is lit at the point marked with a double cross. The Brahmans put rice soaked in water and ghi on the fire. The girl's mother brings a tray containing a little rice and a UUl filled with water and puts them down • by her Brahman in worship. He throws soaked rice over them and gives them to the boy's Brahman, who puts them iii front of the boy. The girl's mother or father then brings another tray with a little rice in it and an empty basket and puts them down by Ihe girl's Brahmaii, and the girl's parents put into the tray whatever jewelry tliey intend to give to their daughter, and the Brahman hands the tray to the boy's Hraliman, who puts the jewelry down in front of the boy and returns the tray to the girl's Brahman.
Friends and relations are then called to bring their presents, and they put money in the tray, which is then offered to the girl by her Brahman. The girl takes out as much as she can with two hands, and this is handed over to the boy's Brahman. The remainder in the tray belongs to the girl's parents. In the same way presents of cloth are put in the basket and these belong to the girl's parents Next morning the barber and larber's wife again show the couple's faces to each other under the cloak as before ; but this time they are sitting on the two baskets, and the girl has all the jewelry on. The boy puts another ring on the girl's finger. They separate again as before, and the ceremonies are over. In the evening the girl will be taken ofl in a falhi, the boy preceding her in his fdlU.
292 GMrth inheritance,
her, but none of her other people. The bride and bridegroom are brought into the house and are set before a Hghted lamp and ghara of water to which they bow with hands joined. They are then given ghi and gitr to eat, and the bridegroom's marriage garments are taken off. Then the bridegroom takes the bride to his mother. Then the bride, the barber, the midwife and the people who have carried the bride's gifts (given by the bride's parents) and the Kahdrs are feasted, and the next day they take the bride home again. If she is not of age, she sleeps with her mother-in-law. If she has attained puberty, she sleeps in a separate room with her husband. Then two or three months later the bridegroom goes to his father-in-law's house and brings her to his father's house again (/iarp/^cra), and she remains there, unless the girl's parents send for her again.
The reading of the mantars (lagan) and the going round the poles (ghumdna) are the binding and essential parts of the ceremony. Some- times wh' n the girl's parents are dead the purchase- money is paid and the marriage completed by the observance of these two ceremonies alone.
A bride-price is paid, but its amount is not fixed. No regard is had to the poverty or wealth of the bridegroom. The older the gu-l, the more is paid for her. The greater the necessity of the bridegroom, i. e., the more difficulty he experiences in getting a wife, the more he must pay, e. g., if he is a widower.
Widow remarriage is common. Indeed as divorce or rather sale of wives is frequent* both widows and divorcees remarry. They go through the simple ceremony called jhanjrdrd or widow remarriage, which consists in the priest putting a red cloak over each party and knotting the corners together as they sit on a newly plastered spot [chaunkah) outside the husband's house. The priest then leads the way in, the woman and the man following him in that order. Both then do obeisance at the small shrine to Ganesh with its offerings of a lota of water and lamp {chirdgh) placed outside, and the ceremony is over. Before the cloaks are knotted a nose-ornament of gold given by the husband is taken by the woman from the hands of the barber's wife and put on. This ornament is the common sign of marriage.
The Ghirths generally think the younger brother has a right to claim the elder brother's widow, but the claim is not enforceable, nor apparently ever was. The elder brother cannot marry the younger brother's widow, but the Ghirths of Pd,lampur say that it is done in the K^ngra tahsil.
Ghirths follow the Hindu law of inheritance, but, it is said, all the sons inherit according to the rule of chun^dvand, i. e., all the sons by one wife get as much as all those by another wife.t But
* Divorce is permitted at the pleasure of the husband ; under no circumstances can the wife claim divorce against his will. It is called chhodni. If a wife be unfaithful, the abductor pays the husband the price of her hartan (lit. ' user ') in the presence of witnesses and receives a bill of divorce. There is no ceremony. The jhanjrdrd takes place with another man.
t The Gaddis who live south of the Ravi and are called Chanoti also follow this rule. Those of Brahmaur observe the fagvand rule. In other words the cMnddvand rule is a
local 911Q,
OMrth funerals. 293
when the property is divided the oldest son will get some weapon or a head of cattle or a plot of land, with the consent of the brothers, in token of his being the head of tho family. The rest of the immoveable property will be divided equally. Thatj which is given in this way_ to the eldest brother is called jetMmda.
A Ghirth can adopt any boy of his own tribe, preferably one descended from an ancestor of his own. If after the adoption a son be born to the adopter, the adopted son will receive a share equal to that of a natural son. If after the adoption offspring be born from a number of wives, then first the share of tho adopted son will be set apart by the rule oFpagva?irZ; tho remainder of the property being divided by chunddvand.
At Ghirth funerals there is always an Acharj Brahman. When the deceased is laid on the pyre (salbi) the Brahman reads prayers and then the heir puts the pind or balls of rice on tfie forehead and breast of the deceased. The fire is then lighted. For ten days after the Brahman comes and reads mantars, and pind is thrown down the kha4 or ravine daily. The ceremony of srcidh is performed on —
(a) The anniversaries of the death of the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather and their collaterals and are thus observ- ed : — A Brahman (not an Achdrj) is called in and makes the pind. The observer the.n places rice, pice, cloth, etc., by the find, which the Brahman gets. The pind is finally thrown into water. The Brahman reads the mantars, and a feast is celebrated. This is done yearly. On the first an- niversary (bdrkhi) and the fourth [chauharkh) there is a special celebration when all the Brahmans of the village must be feasted, and the entertainment is costly.
(6) The suppind (next-of-kin) performs these funeral ceremonies and commemorations when there is no son, just as if he were a son. The hirid takes place for Ghirths 22 days after the death in all cases. Then besides the balls of rice for each ancestor of the deceased a large ball is made which is broken up by the Achd,rj Brahman and added to tho other balls. This is called supindta.
(c) When a man dies a violent death, there are two Jcirids — one in the heir^s house and another, the nardin bal, which takes place at tho Ganges, at Kuruchhetar (in Karn:ll) or at Matan in Kashmir or at tho houso of any of the family who can afford it. This at Matan always takes place in tho month of Malmas (Lend). At the nardin bal there is no supindta.
It cannot be said that the Ghirths have any distinctive belief or special caste cults.* They affect: (1) Jakh, really a form of Shiv in the form of a stone, only without the jaleri and generaly placed among bushes. This is common to all Hindus owning cattle. The milch cattle are devoted to particular jakhs and offerings made for them to their particular jakhs when the cattle calve. Any
* Malaghat is said to bo the ' placo in the Deccan ' whence the Ghirths and their deotd (godling) came, and also their god's name. Ajiipiil, a tree god, is also mentioned, and sainath ' the]|.lamp of Gosain.'
294 Ghirth cults,
one may present the offerings, and those who live near the jaJeh take it — in the case of jakhs in the waste the gwdla who happens to be grazing cattle near.
(2) Ndg or snake worship. Every house or collection of houses has its rough platform about throe feet high, with a few pillars support- ing a thatch, in the enclosure and containing a few flat stones like thin bricks, with reliefs of one or more snakes cut on them side by side, head upwards. This must be worshipped, the first thing in the morning, by every one, by pouring a little water over the stones. Flowers are also to be seen on them and on the similar reliefs of ancestors which will be found under the same shelter. Tuesday is the special day of the week for this worship. The special yearly worship of the snake is on the 5th of Sd,wan (N% i^anchmi). All the available milk for the seven preced- ing days is collected, and on the 5th Sawan rice is boiled in it. A chaukah is made inside and outside the tlireshold with three efiSgies of snakes on each, white, red and black — the white of flour, the red of clay, the black of charcoal. Then follows the usual worship, first with water, then rice, then with a red tika on the snake's and the worshipper's own forehead, and incense. The milk is afterwards distributed. If there are women in the house, they will do this worship and not the men. In default of women, the men. Also at the time of the worship two boys are made to wrestle after giving them as much as they can eat of the things offered. Then they are dismissed with a few pice. This is a test. If the boys go away happy, the god is pleased ; if not, he is incensed. But this snake worship is not peculiar to the Ghirths.
(3) The Sidhs. — The Sidhs are shrines to Sidhs, i, e., seers, scattered over the country. The most noted is Dewat Sidh, whose chief sbrine is in the Hamirpur tahsil. Either a small shrme or merely a pillar is devoted to a representation in relief in stone of the feet of the Sidh and his staff by the feet ; or it may be merely under the shade of a tree and sometimes very roughly cut. A small pair of toy pattens and a toy staff may also be seen lying by the relief. In some cases there is a figure of the Sidli in the shrine. Sidh worship is very general, though particular men may choose not to follow it. It is not confined to Ghirths. The Sidh is worshipped every morning like the other house- hold gods or at least on Sunday. This is the Sidh's day in the week. When crops are ripening the shrine of the nearest Sidh is visited on Sunday. Sidhs are supposed to be special protectors of boys. Ghirths generally wear the singhi or silver ornament at the throat, which is a mark of devotion to a Sidh in the district, but the Ghirths say that it does not specially appertain to a Sidh and may be worn as a mark of devotion to any deity.
Ghirth women worship the pipal tree, so far only as to pour water over it on the death of a child. On the 14th day of the moon, i. e,, at full moon, only sweet food is to be eaten and one must sleep on the ground. When the moon is seen water is poured out to it standing.
Occasionally one to whom a Brahman has said that the sun is in opposition to him will set apart the last Sunday of every month, eat sweet food only, sleep on the ground, and pour out water to the sun early next morning.
GJiogha — Ghoreivuha. 295
Very occasionally a man becomes possessed, which is shewn by contortions. The evil spirit may be exorcised by the charms of a Brahman or there is a temple near Saloh village, at which there is a spot, the earth of which has a peculiar virtue. The mdhant of the temple, who is a Ghirth, pours some water over a little of the earth and makes the possessed one eat it, and puts an untwisted thread round his neck.
Before commencing to plough a Brahman must bo consulted as to the propitious day and the iron of the share is sometimes worshipped. Also as to sowing to find out from a Brahman which particular sort of grain it will be propitious to sow first. A Httle of the particular sort is sown according to the augury.
Gbirths sacrifice a goat in the first field which ripens in the village in order to propitiate the gods and prevent disasters, such as hail, etc. In case of cattle-disease the wooden part of the plough-share is set up in the enclosure of the house and marked with red and black spots or tikas in order that the disease may be averted. Some Ghirths say it is done by a chela or other special person who knows how, and is intended, to keep away evil spirits (bhiits).
Besides the Diw^li, Lohri and Dasehra the Ghirths observe tlie fol- lowing festivals : —
The Birru on 1st Baisdkh. It consists in distributing earthen water vessels [gharas) to Brahman s and married daughters.
The Sairu on 1st Asauj. It consists in cooking bread and distributing it just as at the Lohri. It lasts all day, and marks the ends of the rains.
The Nauld. marks the harvesting of the spring crop. Bread is cooked and eaten and distributed, and those who did not give the gharas at the Birru do so now.
Ghirth women wear an ear ornament called dhStfii, The Nd,i or barber plays a special trumpet called a nafiri for Ghirths only. It is exactly like an English bed-room candle-stick with two handles opposite each other inside instead of outside the rim. Ghirths dance at wed- dings and festivals facing alternately in different directions and bending their raised arms inwards and outwards.
Ghogha, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Qhorewaha, a tribe of Riijputs whose head-quarters are the Jullundur district, of which they occupy the eastern corner, but they are found in smaller numbers in all the adjoining districts. To the west of them are the Manj, and to the north of them the Ndru. They are almost all Musalman. They are Kachwaha Rajputs of the Gosal got, descendants of Kash, the second son of Rama. They say that Riija Man,"^' sixth in descent from Kash, had two sons, Kachwaha andHawaha, and that they are of the lineage of Hawdha. The two brothers met Shahiib-ud-din Ghori (!) with an offering of a horse, and received in return as large a territory as they could ride round in a day ; hence their name. 'I'ho division of their country took place while they were yet Hindus, so that
* Of Kot Kurman, now Udaipnr !
29d Ghorgasht — Ghori.
their settlement in their present tract was probably an early one. The Ghorew^ha of Kdhon, who are still Hindus^ would seem to have im- migrated more lately than the rest of the tribe, as they trace their origin from Jaipur, and their genealogists still live in Kota and Bundi in Rcljputdna. Mr. Barkley was disposed to put the Ghorewdha conquest of their present territory at some five centuries ago. In the time of Akbar their possessions would seem to have been more extensive than they are now.
In Hoshiarpur the Ghorewdha hold a hdwani or group of 52 villages around BaMchaur in tahsil Garhshankar ; near Balachaur they have adhered to Hinduism ; farther north, in the direction of Garhshankar, they are Musalniiins, but they keep Hindu Brahmans and bards, to whom they give presents at deaths and marriages, and retain various other Hindu customs.
The descendants of Hawdha founded 9 chhat or principal villages and 12 mahdn^ (the latter a,re said to be derived from men of inferior position to those who founded chhat), and are also divided into 12 muhins named after 12 of the 13 sons of Uttam. The Ghorewdha also have tika villages, e. g., Bhaddi is the tiha of the 1 2 Ghorewaha villages round it. Another account says the Ghorewaha presented a river horse {darydi ghora) to the ruler of the country and obtained the country in jdgir, whence their present name.t
The chhat in Hoshidrpur are four, viz., Garhshankar, Pundm, Saroa, and SimlijJ all in tahsil Garhshankar, the remaining 5 being in the Jullundur district. There are two makdns, Samundra and Bir^mpur in this tahsil.
The Ghorewaha Rajputs only avoid marriage in their own got and with a girl of the same locality {muhin). Muhammadan Ghorewahas have a further restriction, in that they will not take brides from a village in which daughters are given in marriage, but intermarriage withm the village is not forbidden. The Ghorewahas of Garhshankar and Rahon are said to give daughters to N^ru Rdjputs. These, and the other chhats, take brides from, but do not give daughters to, makdn villages.
Ghorgasht, Ghdegrdshti, one of the great branches of the Pathdns, descended from Ismail, surnamed Ghorghasht, one of the three sons of Qais-i-Abd-ur-Rashid the Patd,n. Ismail had three sons, Ddnai [who had four sons, Kaka?, Panai (Panni), Naghab and Ddwai (Dawi)]. Mandu, and Bdliai, the ancestor of the Bahi Afghans of Kandahar. The tribes descended from Danai are by far the most numerous and include many of the most powerful tribes of jSouth-Eastern Afghanistan, Ghorgasht is said to mean 'leaping and jumping,' 'playing and romping/ and to have been bestowed upon Ismail as a nickname.
Ghobi, a Mughal clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
* For these chhat and mnhdn compare the mandis and dheris among the Chibh Bajputs.
t A variant, from Kapnrtha'a, says that once a bippopotamus covered a mare. The progeny was presented to Akbar who rode round the land afterwards covered by 1,840 villages. He cast his spear and it fell at Silanwali.
J The Simli Ghorewaua do not give daughters to those of Garbshankar, the latter being descendants of the elder (tika) brother, Rfip Chand.
^ ^\.
L'u ci^ ^ :> "-*
a. J
^
\y
V. .---L
/
/
'^
Ghoria^-Ghugiat. 297
Ghoria or Ghwaria Khel, the Ghwari sept or branch of the Pathilns. It comprised five tribes, the Mohmands, Khalils, D.-iudzais, Chamkanni and Zeriini. It was the rival of the Khashi branch and its enmity drove tho latter to abandon its old seats round Nushki and Ghara and seek refuge in the territory of the Gigiani Patlulns near Kdliul. Uzbek inroads however and the breaking up of the Timurid- dynasty of Kho- rd,sdn drove the Ghwaria themselves to the northward, the Ddudzais soliciting lands from the Khashis near Peshawar, while the Khalils and Mohmands obtained considerable power in that valley by allying themselves with Mirzd Kd,mrd,n who then held Kd,bul in fief under hia brother Humdyun. With his aid these two Ghwaria clans suddenly attacked the Dilazdks and wrested from them the lands they still held south of the Kdbul river, about 1533-34. On Kd,mran's fall however their power declined and their defeat by the great Khashi confederation at Shaikh Tapur in 1549-50 crushed the power of the Ghwaria Khel for ever. For accounts of the Ghoria tribes see Khalil, etc., and under Para Chamkanni.
Ghosi, fem. -an, a caste of people who work as grass-cutters and sell milk in the United Provinces ; but the name also appears to be applied indiscriminately to any low caste Purbia. 'fhe term is said to be only used in the Punjab for a Muhammadan cowherd or milkman, whether Gujar, Ahir or any o^her caste ; but there are Hindu Ghosis in Delhi who are gicdlas or cowtierds by calling and appear to be by origin Ahirs. It is said that Hindus will buy pure milk from a Musalm^m Ghosi, but will reject it if there is any suspicion of its having been watered by the latter, as they must not drink water at his hands ! The Ghosis are a purely pastoral group, at any rate in the Punjab. They are, however, sometimes butchers.
The Muhammadan Ghosis in Delhi are called Gaddi-Ghosis, and those of Delhi city have a curious legend that they were once invited by the disciples of a saint to rescue him from a Rjija's tyranny. This they did, though only armed with sticks and clubs, and as their reward the saint gave them gowns and doshdlds to wear, with green dnchals (veils) for their women, but the latter are no longer in fashion. Still the men continue to wear a pair of nnder-kurtas or shirts. The women do not U30 the lahnga and kuHa or petticoat and shift like other Ghosi women. These Gliosis are strictly eudogamous, and a woman of any other caste kept by a Ghosi is denied all social intercourse with the caste, and her partner is not directly invited to feasts or weddings, though he can attend them if other members of his family do so. As these Ghosis protected the saint's gaddl or seat they oarae to be called Gaddi-Ghosi. The Gaddi-Ghosis of Firoz^bdd are also Muhara- raadans, though they claim to be Gaddis from Kdngra, and they certainly have no intercourse with those of Delhi city. They observe parda and are generally strict Moslems.
GnoTTa, Ghotu, a polisher or pounder.
Gbowal, a sept of Rajputs, descended from Midn Sainki, son of Sangar Chand, 16th Rdjd of Kahlur.
Ghdq, Ghdqiat, tv7o agricultural claas found in Shdhpor,
298 . Ohulam—'Qihdri.
Ghdlam. — These men are found in the Peshawar district under the name of Ghuldm-khanazd,d,* and in Multd,n under that of Kh^nazdd simply. The latter may, however, be an error for Khanzadah. The Pesluiwar clans are given as Turkhel Ghul^m, and Malekhel. They are said to be descendants of captives in war who were made plave>* (ghulnm), whence their name. They are still chieSy employed in domestic service, and are generally attached to their hereditary masters, though some of them have taken to shopkeeping and other occupations. In Peshawar the men are also called mnn and the women winza (concubine). In Bah^walpur the Ghulam are a small tribe, slaves of the Ghallus.
Ghdmman, Ghamman, atribeofJdts, found in Si^lkot. It claims descent from Malkir, second in descent from the Lunar Rdjput, R^ja Dalip of Delhi. Fifth in descent from him, Jodha had three sons, Harpd^l, Ranpdl and Sanpdl. The descendants of the two former are the Hajaulif Rajputs, while Sanpdl had 22 sons, from whom are descended as many clans, including Ghumman, the youngest. Sanpal's wives were of various castes and so his children sank to Jat status. Their Brahmans are Bharwdkirs, whom Muhammadans also consult. Ghumman came from Mukiala or Malhid,na in the time of Firoz Shd-h, took service in Jammu, and founded the present tribe. At weddings they worship an idol made of grass and set within a square drawn in the corner of the honse, and cut the goat's ear and the jandX twig like the Sdhi Jd,t8. They also propitiate their ancestors by pouring water over a goat's head so that ho shakes it off. They are chiefly found in Sidikot, though they have spread somewhat, especially eastwards, and in that District they have a Sidh called Dulchi. In Jind their Sidhis called Dadii or Kala, and his samddh is at Nagra in Patiala. Beestings are offered to him on the 11th hadi every month : offerings are also made at weddings.
GiANi, fern. -AN, one possessed of knowledge, especially one versed in the traditional interpretation of the Sikh Granth.
GlARU, a sept or khel of Rd,jputs in the Simla Bills. To it belong the chiefs of Kot Khdi, Kumlid,rsain, Khaneti, Karangal and Delath. Said to be derived from Gayd,, whence it came.
Also a sept of Brahmans of similar origin, founded by a Brahman who married a Hill Brahman's daughter.
GiBAEi, GiBARi, Gabari. — According to Raverty§ Gabar was a town in Ba- jaur and the Gibaris were the ruling race in that tract, speaking a dia- lect different from the other tribes. The Afghdn historian describes the people with whom the Afghd.ns first came in contact in those parts as speaking two dialects, the Gibari, spoken by that tribe, and the Dari, spokenbytheMutriwiandMumiali.il The Gibari, with the two last- named tribes, were septs of the Shilmani. See also Gabare, Gabr and Gaur.
* Muhammad Hayat Kban in his Haiydt-i- Afghani states that the Qizilbash of Kabul are collectively known as Ghulam-khana, and possibly some of the Ghulam-kh4nazad may be Qizilbash.
tBajauli.
J But another account says they cut the ber instead of the jand.
§ Tdhaqdt-i-Naxiri, p 1043-4. Gabr, fire-worshipper, is a difierent word,
\ Notei on Afghanistan, p. 278,
Gidri—Gil. ' 299
GiDRi, Gedri, doubtless from gidar, ' jackal.' Reputed immigrants from Hindustan and Bikanor, the Gidris are now found mainly in tlip Baha- walpur State. Closely resembling the S^nsis of the Punjab Proper, who look down upon thera, the Gidris are split up into various camps, which are supposed to meet once a year in SJiwan at Tulla Darya Khdn in Khd.n Bela police-station in Baliawalpur. There all tribal disputes are settled, just as is done among the Stinsis. The Gidi is live by labour, but also make baskets, cages, fans, etc., and sometimes hawk knives and cheap jewelry for sale. Each camp has its own headman who exer- cises quasi-ju(\\cm\ authority in it. The women journey direct from one camping-place to the next, while the men go further afield in . search of work. Nominally Hindus the Gidris will eat the H' sh of any ■ animal and are regarded as outcasts. The dead are buried without any obsequies. Marriage is always effected within the tribe, generally by exchange, but failing that a bride can be purchased for Hs. 15. No rites are observed save an announcement of the union before relatives. They speak a language of their own which is allied to the dialects of Bikdner and Jaisalmer.
GiGiANi, Gaqiani, a Khashi Pa^lian tribe, descended frt.m Mak, the third son of Khashai. According to one tradition Mak has two sods, Hotak and Jirak, and a daughter Gagai or Gagai, whom he gave in mar- riage to a shepherd. As she had espoused a man of low degree her descendants styled themselves Gagiani. Another tradition makes their progenitor a foundling, who was adopted by Mukai, son of Khashai, and married to Gagai, a daughter of Tur, the Tarin. By her he had two sons, Hotak and Jirak, and from their seven sons are rJescendo"! as many Gagiani clans. Mukai's OAvn descendants are known as the Mukah Khel. Originally settled in territory near Kabul, the Gigianis, despite their alliance with the Muglials of Mirza Ulugh Beg, were over- thrown by the Yusufzai Pathd.ns in the Ghwara Maigha,* near Kabul, Soon after they made an ineffectual attempt to es^tablish themselves in Bajaur, and then besought the Yusufzais and Mandars to grant them lands in the Doaha in the Peshawar valley. Speedily, however, they intrigued against their benefactors and in 1519 also called in Babar to aid them against the Dilazdks, but their internal dissensions led him to suspect treachery and ho left them to face the Dilazdks, by whom they were completely vanquished. Nevertheless in the great reiiistribution of Khashi territory which followed the overthrow of the Ghwaria Khel the Gigianis received half Bajaur, Ambar, Nawagai and Chharmang, in addition to the Doaba.
Gil, one of the largest and most important of the Jdt tribes. Its main set- tlements are in the Lahore and Ferozepur divstricts ; but it is found all along the Bids and Upper Sutlej, and under the hills as far west as Sialko^. Gil its ancestor, and the father of Slier Gil,t was a Jat of Raghobansi Rajput descent who lived in the Ferozepur district ; he was a lineal
* The Pollnted Vlaiii.
t The origin of the name Sher Gil is thus related : Pirthipafc had no son and was advised
Ik) take to wife u woman from a lower clan, eo he espoused tlie dnuphter of a Bhnlar Jit.
She bore him a son, but his three Rijput wives replaced him by a stone, and bad him
abandoned in a forest. But Pirthipat, when out huuting, found him with a lion and
brought him homa. As he was found in h marshy (gilt) place ho was named Sher Oil !
300 !the Gil Jdts.
descent^ani; of Pirtlnpalj Raja of Garh Mithila and a Waria Eajput, by a Bhular Jat wife. The tribe rose to some importance under the Sikhs, and the history of its principal family is told at pages 352 ff of GrifBn^s Panjah Chiefs.
Two pedigrees of Gil are given below. He had 12 sons who founded as many muhins : —
Sobhru, Jaj, Talocharu, Kesaria, Chhaj, Jiuna, Bahawara, Wadhan, Chheli, Mokha, Raji and Shahi.
|
Pedigree I. |
Pedigree II. |
||||||
|
R4m Chandar. 1 |
Suraj (Sun). 1 |
||||||
|
f~ |
n |
Marot, |
|||||
|
Lahu. |
Kashat |
», |
1 |
||||
|
Gaj. |
1 |
Widya. |
|||||
|
r |
"1 |
1 |
|||||
|
1 |
Dhaul. |
Suraj. |
Wanipal. |
||||
|
Harban. |
1 |
,_; |
1 |
||||
|
f'~ |
1 |
||||||
|
1 |
Raghpat, |
r |
1 |
] |
Kaulpal. |
||
|
Talocha. 1 |
Uderdp. |
Hardit. 1 |
Kankar. 1 |
Kara. 1 |
Udasi. |
||
|
Shah. 1 |
1 Majang. |
Daryah. 1 |
Thambar. 1 |
Loh Sain. i |
Nayan, |
||
|
r~ |
1 |
— "I |
1 |
Wani Pal. |
Bachkar. |
Dillhc. |
1 _ |
|
Mai. 1 |
Suratia. 1 |
Achraj |
. Markhaul. |
Kaur Pal. |
I Harpal. |
Jobir. 1 |
|
|
Jogan. |
Kamde. |
Dhanfch. Goi. |
1 |
1 |
Manhela. |
||
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Udasi. |
Kang. |
1 |
|
|
Kang, |
Ruha. Tad. r Wargar. Sindhu. |
Punun. |
Tandal. 1 Manhaj. 1 AulaTch, |
1 Nayan, 1 Jobir. Mathla. 1 Manhaj. 1 Karor. Rathi. 1 Ajanat. 1 Wanbhir. Pirthi Pat. |
1 Chahal. |
Manhaj. 1 Karor. 1 Rathi. Ajanat. 1 Wabhar. 1 Pirthipafc. I GU. |
Gil.
The Gils worship their eponym on the Chet Chaudas at Rajidna, in Moga tahsii, where he has a temple. He also appears to be called R^i^ Pir and to be specially affected by the Wairsi Gils. In Jind their /ai^tera is Surat Ram, whose shrine is at Bajewd,la in Patidla and offerings to which are taken by Mirasis. In Ferozepor the tribe is said to affect Sakhi Sarwar and its men prefer to be called Dipa, Sarupa, etc., instead of Dip Singh, Sarup Singh, and so on, with the title of *Mian* prefixed. At weddings they dig earth from the pond of Sakhi Sarwar near their home. They eschew jhatka meat, but will eat it if haldl, like Muhammadans. When some of the tribe took to eating the flesh of animals killed in the Sikh fashion by jhatka, one lost his eyes, another found himself in jail, and so on, so they reverted to their former practice.
c
Gildni-^Golera. 301
The Gil, like the Her and Sidhu Jdts can intermarry in thuir maternal grandfather's got, contrary to the usual Hindu rule. A Gil bridegroom cuts a branch from the jand tree before setting out on his wedding journey.
GiLANi, a Sayyid clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Montgomery ; see Jild-ni.
GiK, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
GiRWANH, a Muhammadan Jut clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Jn Balulwalpur they are also called Garwunh and are found as land- owners and cultivators in the Bahawalpur and Ahmadpur Kdrddris with three septs^ Attu, Jalap and Karer.
GiSHKAPEi, a Baloch tribe, now found scattered in Dora Ismdil, Muzaffar- garh and Montgomery ; also in Mekritn. Apparently derived from Gishkaur, a torrent in the Boheda valley of Mekran. The Lashari s\ih-tu7nan has a Gishkauri sept and the Dombki a clan of that namo. In Montgomery the Gishkauri is listed as an agricultural cian.
GoDARA, a prosperous clan of Jats, of the Shib^otra group, found in Hissdr, where it owns large areas in Sirsa and Fatehabad tahsils. They trace their descent from Nirabuji, who founded a village near Bikaner, and say that as they could not aarce upon one of their own clan as chieftain they asked the Raja of Jodhpur to give them one of his younger sons as iheir ruler, so he g:ave them Bikii in whose honour Bikdner was founded. To this day, it is said, the rdj-tilah is marked on the forehead of a new Rdja of Bikaner by a Godara Jat, and not by the family priest.
GoHA?,, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
GoHRA, a 5'kt tribo found in Jind tahsil. Its eponym is said to have been a Tur Rajput.
Goj, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
GoKHA, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
GoLAH, a weaver, in Peshawar. There are Gola groups or classes amono* the Jdlahas, Kdmhars, Nais and Sdds.
GoLERA, a tribe which gives its name to the tract in Rawalpindi so called. It is descended from its eponym, the third son of Qutb Shah, and in Sialkot has four branches, Golera, Kahambdrah, Dengla and Mandu.
Golera,
I Bindu.
r '- -1
Tur, Baiijur,
Dongla, Mandu, Bharahwia. Samduh. Singi-
I Kahambirah.
302 Goleria— Gord tah.
According to Cracroft the Golera are Awdns, a statement confirmed by their claim to descend from Qutb Shdh.
GoLERiA, an offshoot of the great Rajput clan, the Katoch, bearing a terri- torial designation from Goler.
GoLiA or Gawalia, a very curious tribe of Jats, only found in Rohtak and Karn^l. They declare that they were originally Brahmans, who lost caste by inadvertently drinking liquor placed outside a distiller's house in large vessels igol). The local Brahmans apparently admit the truth of this story. They now intermarry with Jats, but not with the Dagar or Sulanki ; for while they were Brahmans the latter were their clients, while when they first lost caste the former alone of all Jdt tribes would give them their daughters to wife, and so have been adopted as quasi-hrethren. They came from Jndore to Rohtak some 30 generations ago.
GoNDAL, a Jd.t clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur, Multan, and (classed as Rajput) in Montgomery. They hold the upland known as the Gondal Bar. running up the centre of the tract between the Jhelum and Chenab. They are also numerous in tlie riverain on the right bank of the former river in the Jhelum district, and a few have spread eastward as far as the Ravi. They are said to be Chauhdn Rd-jputs, but they are now of Jat status and intermarry with other Jat tribes. 'Physically they are a fine race, owing doubtless to the free and active life they lead, and the quan- tities of animal food lihey consume ; and if we except their inordinate passion for appropriating their neighbours' cattle, which in their estima- tion carries with it no moral taint, they must be pronounced free from vice.' They say their ancestor came from Naushahra in the south to Pd,k- pattan, and was there converted by Baba Farid ; and if this be so they probably occupied their present abodes within the last six centuries.
Gondal, a tribe of Muhammadan Jats in Gujr^t which claims Chauhan Rajput origin. Its eponym came from the Deccan to visit the shrine of Bd-wd, Farid and Pakpattan and embraced Islam.
GoPALAK, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Gopang, Gophang, one of the broken Baloch tribes of Dera Ghazi Kh^n. It lies scattered along the Indus and is also found in Muzaffargarh and on the Lower Indus and Sutlej in Bahd.walpur and Multan.
GoPA Rai, a tribe of J^ts, claiming Solar Rajput origin and descent from its eponym through Millu who migrated from Amritsar to Si^lkot. Also found in Muzaffai-garh and Montgomery in which Districts they are classed as agricultural clans.
GoE, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
GoEAE, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
GoEAH, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
GoRANGj a Gurkha clan (Nipalese) found in the Simla Hill States.
GoEATAH, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
150 Gorakhpanthis are Jogis who are the followers of Guru Gorakh Nath, Only 2,415 (against 10,730 in 1891) have returned themselves under this title the others appearing under the name of Jogi. For an account of Gorakb Nath, see page 129 of Mr. Rose's Census Report, 1901, and page 390 et seq. ol his Glossary of Tribes and Castes, Vol. II.
Oordya — Gosdin. 303
GoRAYA, a J^t tribe, said to be descended from the Sarolia family of Lunar Rajputs, and to have come to Gujrj'mwiila as a nomad and pastoral tribe from Sirea. Another story is tliat they are descended from a Sombansi Rajput called Gurdya whose grandson Mai came from the Lakki ^/laZ some 15 generations ago. A third tradition is that Rjlna their founder, came from the Jammu hills in the time of the emperors. They are now found in Gujranwiila, Sifilkot and Gurdrlspur. They own 31 villages in Gujranwdla and are excellent cultivators, being one of the most prosperous tribes in the District. Tliey have the same pecu- liar marriage customs as the Sdhi Jiits. In Sialkot they revere Pir Mundd, round whose khdngdk a bridal pair walks seven times, and offer- ings are made to it. This is done both by Hindus and Muhammadans. They are said to be governed by the chundavand rule of inheritance. In Montgomery the Muhamm.adan Goraya appears as a J^t. Rajput and Arain clan (all three agricultural), and in Shahpur it is also classed as 3&X (agricultural). The word gfom^d is said to be used for the nilgai {I orcax picta) in Central India. 'J'hey are sometimes said to be a cfan of the Dhillon tribe, but in Sialkot claim descent from Buuh who had 20 sons, including Gorayd.
GoRi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
GoRiA, a small Jat clan found in Nabha. It derives its name from Goran Singh, a Rajput, who settled at Alowdl in Patidla and thus became a Jdt.
GoEJiYE, an agricultural clan found in Sluihpur.
GoRKHA. See Gurkhd.
GoRON, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
GoRsi, a uujar clan (agricultural) found in Amiitsar.
GoRWAH, a Jat clan (agricultural; found in Amritsar.
GoRYE, (1) an Arain clan (agricultural); (2) a Mughal clan (agricultural): both found in Amritsar.
GosAiN, a term even more vaguely used than 'Sannid,si Balrd,gi ' and very difiBcuIt to define in the Punjab. Roughly speaking, it denotes an ascetic of any order, but it further connotes that he is of some standino- and influence. Strictly speaking, however, the Gosains form a distinct order, which differs both from the Bairagis and the Sanniilsis, thouo-h they are often entitled Gosdins, and often the Brahmans alone are con- sidered privileged to be so styled. In Kilngra the Gosdina form a separate caste, as well as an order, and are known as Sanniasis or Dasndmis, because they are divided into ten schools. These were founded by the ten pupils of Shankar Acliarj and the following scheme exhibits their spiritual descent and distribution"^' : —
* Krom the dasndm of the Gosains : "Bhaktmar'. Nawal Kishor, 1927, p. 77. But another account gives Rukhar and DanJi instead of Asram and Sarasw'ati. It also states that the Rukhar is like an Acharj (Brahman) in that he receives pifts on the death of a Oosain. In the Brahmacharj dsciw, or stage the ' Gosifn ' dons the ja»eo or sacred thread of caste, in the second dsram or degree he becomes a Gosiin and puts it off again. In the third dsmm he becomes a paramh.-.ns. and in the fourth an Abdhut The paramhans shaves his head and the abdhut generall}^ lives naked. This is the order observed in the Sanyas Dharm. but now-a-days a Gosain merely besmears himself with ashes and goes forth as an abdhut. The true Gosain must not appreach a fire and when he dies he is buried, not cremated. *
304
The Gosdins.
VISHNU ^ I
SMv
I
Bashisht
I
Shakt
I Parasir
I
I
Sukdev
I Gor Achirj
I
Govind
1 Shankar Swami J
}>Chelas.
{•Sons.
r —
Sarup Achirj
(ftiirda Mat in
West) ■
Padm Acharj (Gurdhan Mat in East)
Totah Achirj (Toyashi Mat in North)
Pribhui Dhar Acharj
(Sringeri called Singri
Mat in South)
r
Tfrt or
Tirth
Asram
r
Ban
or
Ban
1 Aranya or Aran
r
Giri
Parbhat
or
Parbat
"^1
Sagar
Saraswati
Bharati
or Bh^rthi
"1 Puri
These correspond with the ten pads of the Sannidsis, and the Gos^in may be regarded as a semi-secularised offshoot of the Sanni^si order. When the Muhammadan invasions began, says one account of the Sannidsis, many of them fled to the hills of Kd-ngra and Simla where they formed colonies. In some places they intermarried with Brahmans and took to cultivation, gradually amassing such wealth that the hill people, including their Rajds and Rd,aas, were in their debt and they controlled all the trade between the hills and the plains. In their practice of usury they were rapacious to an incredible degree, charging 24, 60 and even 72 per cent, a year, and making regular tours in state after each harvest, in spring and autumn, to collect their dues in kind. Once in debt to the Gosdins there was no escape for a debtor, and they preached the doctrine that the removal of a debtor's name from their books was an ill-omen to both parties. To the power of capital they added the influence of their own sanctity and though the Gurkha invasions broke up their domination they continued to exhaust the resources of the people in the Outer Sardj tract of KuUu till quite recently. On the other hand the Gos^ins of Kdngra, who are principally found in N^daun and Jawd,lamukhi, were au enterprising and sagacious community engaged in wholesale trade. They mono- polised the trade in opium and specuhited in charas, wool and cloth. Their transactions extended to the Deccan and indeed over all India, but generally speaking, they are now impoverished and their brick- built ware-houses at Jaw^lamukhi are mostly in ruins. Most of the Kd-no-ra Gosains are of the Giri sub-order, and affix -gir to their names.
In theory the Gosdins are celibate, and recruit by adopting chelas from pure castes who may be willing to dedicate their sons to them, but in practice marriage is usual. Those who marry are styled gharhari. Natural sons do not succeed unless adopted as chelaa.
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218. By Gobind Singhi are meant the followers of Guru Gobind Singh. A\ Sikhs wearing the Kes and observing the other restrictions enjoined by Gui-' Gobind Singh, who do not belong to any other specified sect, describe themselvi^ as Gobind 8inghis. In 1891 their strength was 839,138, but in 1901 only 396,056- returned theraeselves as such, and at the recent Census their number has falle further to 107,827. This decrease is accounted for by the large number of un specified Kesdhari 8ikhs, and the Tat Khalsa or Khalsa.
Gosal — Guda, 305
Widows are merely entitled to maintenance. Secular Gosdios will not pli)ugh, but they do not wear a,nj jaueo, letain tlio choti and yet wear a pagri dyed with red ochre. The religious or matdari Gos^ins fo-m frritt-rnitieo and, though they do not marry, keep >/omen. Tiiey are divided into akhnras or small colleges each under a inahant who liaa supreme control of all its property, the disciples beiut; dependent on his bounty A mahant dt-signates his successor, and his selecion is rarely disputed, but if he die without having named a successor the fraternity meets together and with the aid of other Gosdins elt-cta a new mahant. After his instnllation the late mahanVs property is distributed by him as he thinks fit, and this distribution, or hhanddra as it is called, is rarely impugned. Like a Sanniasi the Gos^in is buried, a cenotaph or samddh, dedicated to Mahadeo, being raised over him, as he is supposed at death to be re-united with the god. Initiation consists simply in thn guru's cutting off the choti ; the head is then close shaved and the guric mantar read.
In Sirsa the Gosdina form a separate caste, originating in a Bub-division of the Sanni^sis which was founded by Shitnbu Achiirj. Every Gosdin is given at initiation a name, which ends in gir, pi'iri (the two most commonlv found in this tract), tWath, dsram, dyan o:: nath, by his guru. Each of these sub-orders is endoyiamous, i.e., a gir may not marry a puri.* The Go-^ains are also said to have qots, and to be further divided inio the ghorhdr or secular luid the celibate who are either (I) matdari (whose dwelling, mat, is inside the village and who may engage in all worldly pursuits, but not marry), (2) dsanddri (whone house is on the outskirts of the village), or (3) ahdhut, who wander about berrRino:, but may not beg for more than seven hours at. one place. The ahdhut carry with them a nurial or cocoanut shell, and may only take in almi cooked grain which they must soak in water before they eat it. Nor may they halt more than three days at any place unless it be a tirath (place of pilgrimage) or during the rains. Gosdins are generally clad in garments dyed with geru.
In the south-west of the Punjab the priests of Sh^mji and L^lji who are Khatris atid found largely at Leia and Bhakkar, are called Gos^ins. The Khatris and Aror^s of the south-w^st are either disciples (sewaks) of these Gosains or Sikhs.f Other Gosiins are those of Baddoke,
The Gosd,ins appear to be correctly classed as a Vaishnava sect or rather order, though in the liills they affect Mahadeo and are mahnnts of temples of Shiva.
GosAL, a small Jdt clan which is found in Jind and has a Sidh, Bdla, at Badrukhan, where offerings are made to his samddh.
Geamthi, a reader of the Sikh Granth, an expounder thereof ; but cf. Gidni.
GuD A, a tribe of Jdts found in Kapurthalil State, Sullanpur tahsil. Its tradition avers that it migrated from Delhi in the Mughal times.
* The gurd of the p'Crig resides at Kharak, and that of the giris at B^lak, both io Hi8s4r. Hisbiar Oaxetteer, 1904, p. Rl. f Census Report, 1891, § 6t>, p. 127-8.
806 Gugera-^Gujar.
GuQEBA, (1) one of the principal muhinsov clans of the Sidla in Jhang. It gave its name to the township of that name, once the head-quarters of the present Montgomery district and still of a tahsil; (2) also a Kharral clnn (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
GuJAR, GujJAB, -ur, fem. -i. Dim. Gdjareta, fern, -i, and Gdjretra, fern. -i.. » young Gujar. Derivatives are Gujr^l or Gujrehrd, a dwelling-place of Gujarri ; and Gujrdt, the ' country or tract of the Gujars.' The District of Gujr^t takes its name from the town of Gujrdt, but the present town though a modern one stands on the site of an ancient city called Udanagri, the everlasting or fragrant township. Popular tradition assigns its founHation to Kd,jd Bachan Pd,l, a iSurajbansi Rdjput who came from the Gar getic Do^b, and attributes its restoration to AH Khdn, a Gujar, doubthssthe historical Alakhana, Raja of Gurjara, who was defeated by Sangkara Varma between 883 and 901 A. D. Captain Mackenzie, however, recorded another tradition which assigned the restoration of Gujr^ttownto Rani Gujran, wife of Badr Sain, son of R^,ja Risalu of Sidlkot who rebuilt it in Sambat 175 (A. D. 118). Both accounts aoree in ascribing the refounding of the modern town to the time of Akbar. According to Stein, Shankara Varma of Kashmir, soon after his accession in 883 A. D., undertook an expedition to the south and south-west qf Kashmir and first invaded fiujaradesa, a tract certainly identifiable with the modern District of Gujrat, which lies between the Chendb and Jhelum.* At an earlier period, in the lat^-er part of the 6th century, the Rdjd of Thdnesar, Prabd-kara-vardhana, had also carried on a successful campaign against the Hun settlements in the north-west Punjab and the ' clans of Gurjara't, so that it would / appear that a branch of the Gurjara race was firmly established in the ^ modern Gnjrc4t before 600 A. D.j'
The modern District of Gujrit, however, comprises the Herdt or J^t pargana and the Gujrdt or Gujar pargana.^ These parganas used to be divided into tappas and the tappas into tops, each top being under a chaudhri.
The modern District of Muzaffargarh also possesses a Gujrat on the Indus, in the riverain which runs parallel with the Dera Ghdzi Kh^u
district.
The Distribution of the Gojaes.
The present distribution of the Gujars in India is thus described by Sir Alexander Cunningham : —
" At the present day the Gujars are found in great numbers in every part of the North-West of India, from the Indus to the Ganges, and from the Hazdra mountains to the Peninsula cf Gujardt. They are specially numerous along the banks of the Upper Jumna, near Jagadhri and Buriya, and in the Sahdranpur district, which during the last century was actually called Gujardt. To the east they occupy the petty
* ir<ieir\, Zur Oetchichte der Cdhis von Kabul {Festgruss an Rudolf von Roth, &t\xtig?kTty 1893). See also Stein's Raj&farangim, p. 204, Vol. I.
■f- V. Smith, Early Hist, of India, p 283.
J For the derivation of the word (lujrat see Dr. Fleet's note in J. R. A. S., 1906, p. 459. He derives it from Gujaratra, Prakrit Gujjaratta, the modern name of Guzerat being due to Alberuni's Guz(a)ia,t. «-iujrinwala means the 'Gujars' village,' Gujrit the 'Gujars' country,' a distinction overlooked in Baden-fowell's I'<dian Village Community.
§ Guj'rit Gazetteer, 1892-93, p. 19. Cf. the Sett. Rep. of the Gujrat District, 1861, p. 3. Tba term Herat is of uuknowq origin, but it appears to ba also called the Jat^tar.
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Distribution of the Gujars. ^(jff
State of Samptar in Bundelkliand, and one of the northern Districts of Gvvalior, which is still called Gnjargdr. They are found only in small bodies and much scattored throughout Eastern Riijputiina and Glwalior; but they are more numerous itj the VVestprn States, and specially towards Gujardt, where they form a largo part of the population. The Ildjd,8 of Rewdri to the south of Delhi are (iujars. In the Southern Punjab they are thinly scnttored, bat their numbers increase rapidly towards the north, where they have giv^n their name to several important places, such as Guj I dnwala in the Rechna Doab, Giijrat in the Chaj Dod,b, and Gujar Khsin in the Sindh Sagar Doab. They are numerous about Jhelura and Hassan Abdal,"^' and throughout the Haz^ra district; and they are also found in considerable numbers in the Dardu districts of Chilas, Kohli, and Palas, t») the east of the Indus, and in the contiguous districts to the v/est of the river."
In the Puniab they essentially belong to tlie lower ranges and sub- montane tracts ; and though they have spread down the Jumna in considerable numbers, they are almost confined to the riverain low- lands. In the higher mountains they are almost unknown. Gujrat is still their stronghold, and in that District they form 13^ per cent, of the total population. There alone have they retained their dominant position. Throughout the Salt Range, and probably under the eastern hills also, they are the oldest inhabitants among the tribes now settled there; but in the west the (^akkliars, Janjuns, and Pa^h^ns, and in the east the Rajputs have alwavs been too strong for tliem, and h'ng ago deprived them of political importance. In the Peshawar district almost any herdsman is called a Gujar, and it may be that some of those who are thus returned are not true Gujars by race. But throughout the hill country of Jammu, Chibh^l, and Hazd,ra, and away in the territory lying to the north of Peshdvvar as far as the Swdt river, true Gujar herdsmen are found in great numbers, all possessing a common speech, which is a Hindi dialect quite distinct from the Panjabi or Pashto current in those parts. Here they are a purely pastoral and almost nomad race, taking their herds up into the higher ranges in summer and descending with them into the valleys during the cold weather ; and it may be said that the Gujar is a cultivator only in the plains. Even there ho is a bad cultivator, and more given to keeping cattle than to following the plough. In Chitrdl also Gujars are found in the Shishi Kuh valley, vvliile the Bashgals (the Kafirs of the Bashgal valley are so styled by Chitrdlis) are described as curiously like the Gujars in the Punjab.f
It is impossible without further investigation to fix the date of the Gujar colonization of the lower disti-icts. They are almost exclusively Musalman except in the Jumna Districts and Hoshiarpur, and they must therefore have entered those Districts before the conversion of the great mass of the caste. The Jullundur Gujars date their conversion from the time of Aurangzeb, a very probable date. The Ferozepur Gujars say that they came from D^ranagar in the south of India, that they moved thence to Raiiia in Sirsa, and thence again to Ferozepur via, Kasur. The Musalman Gujars of all the eastern half of the Pro-
* Hassan was himself a Gujar.
t But Bashgali is essentially an Iranian dialect. Sec Stcn Konow's Clamficaiion of Bashgali, m J. E. A. 8., 1911, p. 1.
308 Gujar characteristics.
vince still retain more of their Hindu customs than do the majority of their converted neighbours, their women, for instance, wearing petti- coats instead of drawers, (just a*^ they do in JuUundur also), and red instead of blue. In Jullundur the Gujar shoe is usually of a peculiar make, the upper leather covering little of the foot. It is noticeable that Gujr^t, is to the Gujars what Bhatner and Bhattid,na are to the Bhatti, a place to which there is a traditional tendency to refer their origin.
The Gujar is a fine stalwart fellow, of precisely the same physical type as the J4t ;* and the theory of aboriginal descent which has some- times been propounded, is to my mind conclusively negatived by his cast of countenance. He is of the same social standing as the Jdt, or perhaps slightly inferior ; but the two eat and drink in common without any scruple, and the proverb says : "The J at, Gujar, Ah ir, and Gola are all four hail fellows well met." But he is far inferior in both personal character and repute to the Jd,t. He is lazy to a degree, and a wretched cultivator; his women, though not secluded, will not do field work save of the lightest kind ; while his fondness for cattle extends to those of other people. The difference between a Gujar and a Rajput cattle-thief was once explained to me thus by a Jdt: "The Rajput will steal your buffalo. But he will not send his father to say he knows where it is and will get it back for Rs. 20, and then keep the Rs. 20 and the buffalo too. The Gujar will." The Gujars have been turbulent throughout the history of the Punjab, they were a constant thorn in the side of the Delhi emperors, and are still ever ready to take advantage of any loosening: of the bonds of discipline to attack and plunder their neighbours. Their character as expressed in the proverbial wisdom of the countryside is not a high one : " A desert is better than a Gujar : wherever you see a Gujar, hit him." Again : " The dog and the cat two, the Hangar and the Gujar two ; i! it were not for thes^ four, one might sleep with one's door open" : so " The doyr, tlie monkey, and the Gujar change their minds at every step;" and ''When all other cfistes are dead make friends with a Gujnr." As Mr. Macunachie remarks: "Though the Gujar possesses two qualifications of a highlander, a hilly home atid a constant desire for other people's cattle, he never seems to have had the love of fighting and the character for manly independence which distinguishes this class elsewhere. On the contrary he is generally a mean, sneak- ing, cowardly fellow; and I do not know that he improves much with the march of civilization, though of course there are exceptions ; men Avho have given up the traditions of the tribe so far as to recognize the advantage of being honest — generally."
Such is the Gujar of the Jumna Districts. t But further west his character would seem to be higher. Major Wace describes the Gujars
* This description would appear to require some qualification. The Gujar of Kashmir is described as tall and gaunt, his forehead and his chin are narrow, his nose fine and Blightly curve.!. The Gujar of the United Provinces is above the medium height, Well made ani active, his face long and oval, and his features fine rather than coars«. Ccooke describe.s him as ' a fairly typical Indo- Aryan.' J. R. A. S., 1907, p. 984. The Puijab Gujar might be well described in the above terms. As compared with the Jit he has better features, but is not of sUch a good type.
I Sir J Wilson however, wrote : " 'I'he iiujar villages in Gurgaon have on the whole stood the late bad times better than those of almost other caste — better than the Jats, and almost as well as the Ahirs. Our Gurgaon Gujars are very little given to thieving, and I have wther a high opinion of them,"
The Gujars in Kdngra. 309
of Hazaraas " a simple all-enduring race, thrifty and industrious, with no ambition but to be left alone in peace with their cattle and fields "; and " many of them are fine men in every way." Mr. Thomson says that the Gnjarg of Jhelum are the best farmers in the District (perhaps not excessive praise in a District held by Gakkhars, Awuns, and H^jputs), though the Maliiir or Ardin is a better market gardener; and that they are quiet and industrious, more likeable than (Salt Range) Ja^s, but with few attractive qualities. Mr. Steedman gives a similar account of the Gujar-s of Rawalpindi, calling them "excellent culti- vators." So the Gujars of Hoshiarpur are said to be " a quiet and well-behaved set." In Jullundur Sir Richard Temple described them as " here as elsewhere of pastoral habits, but more industrious and less predatory than usual" ; and Mr, Barkley writes: "At present, after 30 years of British rule, they are probably as little given to crime as any other large class in the agricultural population. It is still generally true that they occupy themselves mor<^ with grazing than with agriculture ; but this is by no means invariably the case." But in Ferozepur again Mr. Brandreth describes them as " unwilling cultivator.H, and greatly addicted to thieving," and gives instances of their criminal propensities. Thus it would appear that the further the Gujar moves from his native hills, the more he deteriorates and tho more unpleasant he makes himself to his neighbours. The following description cf the Gujars of Kangra by Mr. Barnes is both graphic and interesting : —
*• The Gujars of the hills are quite unlike the caste of the same desig- nation in the plains. There they are known as an idle, worthless and thieving race, rejoicing in waste, and enemies to cultivation and im- provement ; but above and below they are both addicted to pastoral habits. In the hills the Gujars are exclusively a pastoral tribe, — they cultivate scarcely at all. The Gaddis keep flocks of sheep and goats, and the Gujar's wealth consists of buffaloes. These people live in the skirts of the forest>', and maintain their existence exclusively by the sale of the milk, glii, and other produce of their herds. The men graze the cattle, and frequently lie out for weeks in the woods tending their herds. The women repair to the markets every morning with baskets on their heads, with little earthen pots filled with milk, butter- milk and gliif each of these pots containing the proportion required for a day's meal. During the hot weather the Gujars usually drive their herds to the upper range, where the buffaloes rejoice in the rich gra'^s which the rains bring forth, and at the same time attain condition from the temperate climate and the immunity from venomous flies which torment their existence in the plains. The Gujars are a fine, manly race, with peculiar and handsome features. They are mild and inoffensive in manner, and in these hills are not distinguished by the bad pre-eminence which attaches to their race in the plains. They are never known to thisve. Their women are supposed to be not very scrupulous. Their habits of frequenting public markets and carrying about their stock for sale unaccompanied by their husbands undoubtedly expose them to great temptations ; and I am afraid the imputations against their character are too vVell founded. They are tall, well-grown Avomen, and may b^ seen every morning entering the bazars of the hill towns, returning home about the afternoon with their baskets emptied
310 Giijar origins.
of their treasures. The Gujars are found all over the District. They abound particularly about JwdMrnuklii, Tira, and Nadaun. There are som^ Hindu Gujars, especially towards Mandi ; but they are a small sect compared to the Musalmans."
** It has been suggfested," continued Sir Donzil Ihbetson, " and ia I believe held by many, that Jdts and Gujars, and perhaps Ahirs also, are all of one ethnic stock; and this becausn there is a close communion between them. It may be that they are the same in their far-distant ori^'in. But I think that they must have either entered India at differ- ent times or settled in separate parts, and my reason for thinking so is precisely because they eat and smoke together. In the case of Ja^ and Rd,jput the reason for differentiation is obvious, the latter being of higher rank than the former. But the social standing of J^ts, Gujars, and Ahirs being practically identical, I do not see why they should - ever have separated if they were once the same. It is however possible that, the J^ts were the camel graziersi and perhaps husband- men, the Gujars the cowherds of the hills, and the Ahirs the cowherds of the plains. If this be so, they afford a classi6cation by occupation of the yeoman class, which fills up the gap between and is absolutely continuous with the similar classification of the castes above them as Brahmans, Banias, and Rd^jputs, and of the castes below them as Tarkhdns, Cham^rs, and so forth. But we must know more of the early distribu- tion of the tribes before we can have any opinion on the subject. I have noticed in the early historians a connection between the migrations and location of Gujars and Rdjputs which has struck me as being more than accidental ; but the subject needs an immense deal of work upon it before it can ba said to be even ready for drawing conclusions.*
The oeigin of the Gujaes.
A full history of the ancient Gurjaras and of the great Gurjara empire, the existence of which the late Mr. A. M. T. Jackson claimed to have established,t would be beyond the scope of this article, but the reader's attention may be directed to certain incidents in their history in the Punjab. According to Dr. Rudolf Hoernle the Tomaras (the modern Tunwar Rajputs) were a clan of the Gurjaras, and indeed their imperial or ruling clan. The Pehowa (Pehoa in the Karnal district) inscription records of a Tomara family that it was descended from a raja, Jaula, whose name recalls that of the Sh^hi Javuvla or Jahula and of the mahdrdj'a, Toram^na Shahi Jaiivla of the Kura inscription. Dr. Hoernle thinks it probable that the Kachwahas and Parihars, like the Tomaras, were all clans or divisions of a Javula tribe, claiming descent from Toramana, king of the White Huns or Ephthalites.J Mr. Bhandarkar has shown that the Solankis (Chaulakyas), Parihars
* Mr. Wilson notes that the Gujars and the Bargujar tribe of Rajputs are often found together; and suggests that the latter may be to the Gujars what the Khanzadahs are to the Meos and what most Rajputs are to the Jats.
t See his note in J. R. A. S. 1905, pp. 163-4, where he identifies the Gurjaras with the Gaudaa ((^aur*-', now Brahmans) and points out that according to Alberiini (Sachau's Trans. i.,P- 3i'0) Gucla = Taneshar. The Gaur Brahmans were and indeed are parohits of the Hindu Gujars and still minister to some who are converts to Islam.
X J. R. A. S., 1905, pp. 1.4. It may further be noted that the Bar- or Bad-Gujar Eajputs are probably of Gujar descent.
Krishna and the Gujara. 31 1
(Pratihdras), Parmars (Paramiiras) and Chauhiins (ChJlhnmJlnas or CMhuvrmas), the four so-called A^nikula clans of Hiijputs, were originally divisions of the Gurjaras, and to these Dr. Iloernlo would thus add the Tomaras and Kachhvvfihas. TJio exact ethnic relation of the Gurjaraa to the Huns is still very obscure, but as a working hypothesis Dr. Hoernle thinks that in the earlier part of the 6th century A. D. a great invasion of Central Asiatic peoples, Huns, Gurjaras and others, whose exact interrelation we do not know, took place. The first onset carried them as far as Gwalior, but it was checked by the emperor of Kat)auj, and the main portion of these foreign hordes settled in Riljputrtna and the Punjab, while the Chaulakyas turned south. In tlie north the invaders fused with the natives of the country and in the middle of the 7th century the Farihars emerged, an upgrowth followed by that the Parmars, Chauhiins and imperial Gurjaras about 750 A. D. About 840 the Giirjara empire, with its capital at Kanauj, embraced nearly the whole of northern India, under Bhoja I, bat after his death it declined.*
Another problem of great interest in the history of Indian religions is the connection of tlie GiJrjaras with the cult of the child Krishna of MathurA, as contrasted with that of the ancient Krishna of Dwdrak^.f This cult was, almost beyond questiou, introduced into India by nomads from the north, very probably by the Gurjaras. No doubt the modern Guj^rs, even those who have retained their Hindu creeds, have lost all recollection of any special devotion to the cult of Krishna, and he is now prominent in the traditions of the Ahirs, but certain groups of the Ahirs appear to be of Gurjara origin. Among them we find the Nandbansi whose name reminds us of Nand Mihr, a legendary progeni- tor of the Gujars, and a Solanki (Chaulakya) got appears among tho Jadubansi. If we may assume that these two great races, the Gujar and Ahir, once pastoral, and still largely so, are really identical, the theory that tho cult of the child Krishna was introduced into India by the Gujars in general or more particularly by the Nandbansi and Gud^lbansi branches of the Ahirs becomes greatly strengthened. Like the Huns, the Gurjaras were originally sun-worshippers, but they have lost all traces of any special devotion to the cult of the Sun-god, and may have acquired some tincture of Christianity either from their neighbours in Central Asia or from their connection with Christians among the Huns. J
Various origins are claimed by different Gujar clans. Thus in Gujrdt the Chauhdn claim descent from Rai Pithora of Delhi.
TheChhokar in Karnal say they are Chandarbansi and an offshoot of the Jadu Riijputs of Muzaffarnagar in the United Provinces. The Bhodwtil, Kalsian and Rawul all claim to be Chandarbansi, the Kalsian being Chauhdns and the Hawjlls Khokhar R.'ijputs by origin ; but the Chham^n say they are Surajbansi and Tunwd,rs.
In Gurdaspur the Bhaddna, Chhdla, Kasdna, Munin§ and Tur gots claim Rajput descent and the Banths and Biijars Jdt extraction, while
* It.id. pp. 31.32, and p. 4.
t Seo Krishna, Christianity and the Oujars, by Mr. J. Kennedy in J R A S 1907 p 975 X Ibid. p. 989. ■ ■ ■'
§ From the Miinfa Gajars some of the Bharaia and Bazigars arc said to have branch- ed off.
312 The Oujar sections.
the Cliapras say they are Khatris by origin, and the Modis, Pathdna. The Chh^la got claims descent from Rdjd. Som Bans, Raid, of Gahr Gajni in the Deccan, and its ancestor embraced Islam at R^hon in Jullundur, mnrried a Gaug Kasiina girl and so becamo a Gujar. The Kasdna declares itself descended from Kdja Kans, the Munin from R^j^ Indar Rai, and the Panddoa from R^ljd Panda R^i.
The Pasw^l ascribe their foundation to Wajih Kalbi, a companion of the Prophet, who accompanied Ahutas, ruler of Yemen, when he conquered Kashmir. The Pasw^l originally settled in Sidlkot but have spread into Gurddspur.
The Hindu Rd,wat Mandan got is found in the Bd;wal nizdmat of Nd^bha. It traces its descent to one R^wat who fell in love with a damsel, Gorsi, whom he only carried off after a great struggle. His mesalliancp. cost him his status as a Rajput and he became a Gujar. The got derives its name from him and fi'om the number of heads .(^andaji) which fell in the struggle for Gorsi. This gut is numerous in Jaipur, where it keeps its women in parda and forbids widow remarriage, bub this is allowed in Nd-bha. Formerly the Rd,wat Mandan did not roof their houses or put planks to their doorways, though they now do so. A child's first tonsure should be performed at the shrine of Swd-mi Pun Dd,s in Rewdri tabsil.
The Chokar of Ndbha, who appear to be distinct from the Chhokar, are Hindus and trace their descent from Sankat, a Chauhd,n Rdjput of S^mbhar in Jaipur, who was a great robber. Once on the road he forcibly espoused a beautiful girl whose kinsmen came to her aid, but Sankat sought help from Ban Deo and he and his comrades took the shapes of birds, and escaped. A barber too ransr a wedding-bell in front of their pursuers, and they resolved to turn back. So the got of Sankat was called Chokar, ' one who misses,' and it still affects Ban Deo, holding the first tonsure of its children at his shrine in Jaipur, never burning cotton sticks for fuel and only using cotton after first offering it to Ban Deo.
In Ndbha the Bhargar, Ohaprd,na, Doi, Kasdna, Khard,na and Sardhd^na Gujars all vaguely claim Rd,jput origin, but unlike other Hindu Gujars they only avoid three gots in marriage, permitting it in the mother's father's got. They specially affect Devi and do not give the beestings of a cow or buffalo to any one till the Amd^was, when they cook rice in the milk, place it on a spot plastered with cow-dung and then give it to their children. The Bhargar, like the Rawat Mandan, use no doors or roofs of timber, and ascribe this tabu to the fact that one of their women became a sati and a house raised in her honour was left incomplete.'^
The Melu Gujars in Ndbha are converts from Hinduism, but still avoid four gots in marriage. They do not build two hearths close together, or wear blue cloth. Their women wear gowns. This got never sell milk, lest the animal fall ill, but they may sell ghi.
The elements of the Gujars are not easy to describe. Local tradi- tions, as has already been shown, vary as to the origins of many clans,
* Or unroofed ? Apparently a hypsethral shrine ii meant.
The Giijar element!^. 313
but the following addenda may be noted as to the clans descended from the various Rdjput races ; — Chaulian origin is claimed by the Bhalesar, * sons of Bhallu,' Babarwal, Jhandar, Kalsid-n (iu Karndl).
Panwd,r descent is claimed by the Bahlo^, Chhdii, Phambhrd, 'sons of Phamar^ and Paur* : Jddu (Chandarbansij descent by the Chhokar (in Karn^l), Janjua origin by the Barrdh, Khokhar (Chandarbansi) by the Kawd,l (in Karndl), Manhas by the Dhinda, Sombansi by the Dhakkar, Surajbansi by the Saramdna, and Tur by the Chhamdn (in Karn^l).
Folk-etymology and legendary lore have been busily engaged in finding explanations of various clan names among the Gujars. Thus of the Barras, (a Avord meaning 'holy') it is said that their ancestor FatihuHa used to bring water from tho river at Multiin barefoot, for his spiritual guide's ablutions. One day the Pir saw that his disciple's foot had been pierced with thorns, so he gave him his shoes, but Fatihulla made them into a cap, as worthy to be so worn, and again his feet were pierced with thorns. The Pir seeing this blessed him and called him Barra.t
The Bharyar claim descent from Rajd, Karn. The children of his descendant Rdja Dhal always used to die and his physicians advised him to feed his next child on the milk of a she- wolf (bhairya), whence the name Bharydr. Buta embraced Islam in Babar'e time and settled in Shdhpur.
Of the Gajgahi section it is said that Wali, their ancestor, was a Khatana who wore a gajgah or horse's silver ornament, so his descendants are now called Gajgahi.
Of the Khatanas' origin one story is that one day Mor and Mohang, sons of R^ja Bhans, came back from hunting and ate on a hhdt or bed. For this breach of social etiquette theBrahmans outcaeted them, saying they had become MuhfimmadanS; so they adopted Islam and were nicknamed Khatana. Another legend makes the Khatanas descendants of R^jA Jaspjil and the Pandavas- Jasp^l had extended his dominions from ThdnesMr to Jhelum and, when Sultan Mnhmud Sabukta^fn invaded Hindustan, Jaspill met him at Attock, but was defeated and slain. His son, Anandpal, ruled for two years at Lahore and then fled to Hindustan, leaving two sons, Khatana and Jaideo or Jagdeo, ot whom the former ruled at Lahore and turned Muhammadan. Oiher Gujar clans also claim descent from Anandpil, and 'Sultiin Mahmud assigned the Khatanas jagirs in Gujrat where they founded Shahpur, now a deserted mound near Chak Dina.
The Khatanas are not only a leading Gujar clan but have many off- shoots in the minor sections, such as the Gajgahis, Topas, Amriinas, Awanas, Bhundp, Bukkans, Thilas, and the Jatigal, Debar, Doi, and Lohsar clans.
Hindu Khatanas are also found in the Bdwal nizdviat of N^bha and there claim Tur Rajput origin, deriving their name from Khatu Nagar, a village in Jaipur. As followers of Bilwa Mohan Das Bhadaw^iswilla
* One is tempted to conuect his name with PoruB.
t No Bucb word is traceablo in the ranjdbi Dicty. The toiiu recalls the Bargujar Bijputs.
314 Gujar organization,
they^ abstain from flesh and wine. At weddings the Jdt ceremonies are bbserv^d and on tlip departure of the bridegroom's party his father is beaten by the women of tlie bride's family.
The Topas are really Khatdnas and when the J&^s and Gujars were competing for the honour of giving the biggest contribution to Akbar's rebuilding of Gujr^t town one Adam, a Khatana, paid a lahh and a quarter of rupees into the imperial treasury, measuring the money in a topa, whence his descendants are so named.
In Hazd,ra the Terus say they are really Rajputs and descended from a raja who was so generous that when once a faqir to test him demanded his head he stooped so that the faqir might cut it off, which he did. Having thus proved his generosity the faqir replaced his head on his shoulders and prayed for his life to be restored to him. The clan name is derived from trer, a scar.
In Delhi certain Gujar clans claim descent from eponyms. Such are Budhana, descendants of Bhopal; Amlaota, from Ambapd^l, Bhotla, from Bharup ; Baliiln, from Baniapal ; Dhaidha, from Diptipdl; Chinori, from Chhainpal; Nangri, from Naghpal, and Tanur, from Tonpal. As to the Adhana, tradition says that Riija Ed.m Chand of the solar race had two sons, Lu and Kush. The latter was the progenitor of the Kachhwdi Rajputs ; while Lu's son Ganwat had a son named Rajd, who made a karao marriage and was nicknamed Gujar. He had two sons Adhe and Swahi. The latter died sonless, but Adhe founded the Adhana clan.
Organization.^-li is generally asserted that the real (asli) or original Gujars are the 2^ sections, Gorsi, Kasdna and the half tribe Burgat, so-called as descended from a slave mother.* Next to these rank the Khatanas who for a long period held sway in the Gujrat, in which tract, hovvpver, the 2^ section-* were the oriyinal settlers, the other sections having iiecotne affiliated to them in course of time, though not necessarily Gujars by origin. As an instance of this process of accreti' n the Gujars point to the Barras, of Hasilanwd^ld, village in Gujrat, whose forebear Fati-ulla, a Janjua by birth, was deputed by one of the saints of MuMn to colonise that tract. All Gujars give daughters to the Barras, but never receive them in return, and the Barras all rank as Midnas, except those of certain families which have forfeited their sanctity, and are designated Pir.t
In Hazara the 2^ ' real' sections do not appear to be recognised, but it is generally conceded that the Katharia, Hakla and Sarju sections are of Rajput origin, though this origin is also claimed by several others. Tradition avers that the Kathdrias once ruled a large part of
*In Delhi the asli sections are said to be 3| •• — Chechi, Nikadi, Gorsi, and Kasana (the half). And in Karnil the 2| sections are said to bo the Gorsi, Chechi and KaSana (the half). But the Chechi are said, in Gujrat, to be by origin Khatanas, so that the accounts generally agree in representing the Gorsi, Kasana and Khatana as the 3 original Gujar clans. Several stories are told to explain their pre-eminence. Thus in Ludhiana it is said that Jagpal, <!or&i, and Abnya, Khatana, successfully resisted Raja Jag's father, D da Dip, in a mock campaign for 3 years, while Nanda Lai, Bargatj gave in after a few months — hence his cl»n was called the half.
t In the Jhelum Gazetteer the Bharras (sic) are said to be descendants of Shaikh Natha, of the Manikhiala family, who fled from his home after killing a kinsman, and died ia the odour of sanctity.
Oujar clubs. 315
the Punch valley, whence the Dogras expelled them, though their chiefs still hold large jdgirs in that fief of Kashmir. Naturally the Kathfirias only take wives from Gujars of Kdjput descent and only give brides to men of their own section.^'
Tlie Gujars are often said to have 84 clans or sections and in Ludhi^na tlieir Mird-sis address them as ' Chaiinisi got da diua/ i. e., 'Light of the 84 clans' ; but other accounts assign them 101, 170 or even 388 sections.
Of these numerous clans none have any definite superiority over the rest, though a few have a vague local standing abf>ve their neighbours. Such are the Khobar, Rawdl, Wape and Dhaldkt in Karnill — because they abstain from flesh and liquor, whereas the Chhokar, Kalsdn, Datyar, Dhosi and Rd^thi sections do not. Of regular classes there is hardly a trace, excepting the Mitlnas who form in Gujrat a semi-sacred class. They are descendants of men who have acquired a name for learning or sanctity and so their descendants cannot give wives to Gujars of less exalted rank.J Indeed the leading Khatana family of Dincra used to consider it dcrogntory to give daughters to any Gujar at all and souyrht bridegroom? in more exalted families, or failintJ^ ihera let their girls remain unwed. In Gnjrd,r, the Gujars also po-^sess a curious soL-ial oryanisatiou, being possess d of 84 darrs or lodges. § Originally the number was only 54 — distiibuttd over the 7 tappas into which the tract was divided in Akbar's time, but 20 have been added from various families, and 5 assigned to the Gujars of Kdla m Jhelum. To become a darr-udld or member requires money, influence and popu- larity. A candidate must first, at his son's wedding, obtain the consent of the existing darr-wdlds, which is not easily done, as there must be no ' black-balls,' and he must be on good terms with the leading men. Having been thus elected he must pay so much per darrto the mirdsis. At present the rate is Rs. 11 per darr so he has to pay 84 x ll = Rs. 924, or nearly 60 guineas as entrance fee. His descendants remain darr- wdlds, but his agnates do not acquire the privilege. At a son's wed- ding in the family a darr-wdld has to pay a fee of not less than 4 annas to each darr for its mirdsi. The darr-wdlds do not as a rule give daughters in mamage to those who do not possess equal social stand- ing. The real origin of this system does not appear to be known, but it has some resemblances to the Rajput chhat and makdn, and perhaps more to the lodges of the Bani Sadiit.
The social observances of the Gujars are ordinarily those of the other Hindus or Muhammadans, as the case may be, among whom they live, bat one or two special customs are to be noted.
In Delhi a child is betrothed in infancy by the barber and Brahman jointly, but he is not married till the age of 10 or 12. Prior to the wedding one or the otlier on the bride's part go to the boy's house with the lagan to discuss the arrangements for the wedding. Half the lik
* P. N. Q. II, § 280
\ The DhalAks of Keorak in tahsil Knithal rpgnrd themselves ns exalted in rank above the other (lujara in Karntil and used to pive daughters to the Kboter and Chhokar Gnjara east of the Jumna. Naturally this led to female infanticide iu Keorak.
X In Ludhiana a few families also bear the title of Mf4n.
I Lit, a door or threshold,
316 Qujar observances.
or duos are paid to both these functionaries at betrothal and the other half at the lagan, whereas Jd,ts pay the whole at betrothal.
A day or two before the wedding madha worsliip is held, the beam of a plough being pitched before the house door with a little straw tied to its top. A large earthen jar with a smaller one full of water on top of it is also placed beside the beam, a red thread {Tcaldum) being fastened round the uppermost pot. Clearly this is a fertility charm, and the usage does not imply that the Gujars are devoted to agricul- ture.
In Hoshiil-rpnr the Gujars have a curious custom at weddings. Mowey, csb[\ed muddaji mpaiy a or ' viudda at one rupee per soul,' is given by well-to-do Gujats on such an occasion to every Mirasi present, regardless of age or sex, and a pregnant Mirasian gets two rupees, one for each life. When a Gujar at a son's wedding gives this money to the Mirdsis of certain speciBed Gujar gots it is called hhdji, and on the wedding of any boy of those specified gots the Mirdsi of the Gujar who gave the original bhdji is entitled to a rupee. A Gujar who gives muddaji rufuiya is held in high esteem socitilly and the Mird^sis style him gharhhdn kd data or 'one who is generous even to the child in the womb.'
The Gujars of Nakodar tahsil in JuUundur have the following custom (called pindwalna) at marriages, a survival of marriage by capture. The young men of the bridegroom's party gallop round the village, so as to encircle it ; those of the bride's party endeavour to prevent this. If any one of the former succeeds in completing the circle, he is given a present by the bride's parents. Another custom is, for the girls of the bride or bridegroom's family to try and prevent one of their brothers-in-law from lighting the fire on which food for the marriage feast is to be cooked. If he succeeds, he is rewarded by a present of some article of dress. Hiis custom is c&Wed jhalka-bhathi.*
In Gurddspur the Muhammadan Gujars date their conversion from Hinduism to the time of Aurungzeb. They still observe Hindu rites, and on the birth of a son the women make an idol of cow-dung {govardhan), which is worshipped. The birth of a son is an expensive event, as besides the Qdzi and Mird,si who are fee'd, the child's sister and paternal aunt get clothes and a she-luffalo or money, and the Gaur Brahman still visits some families as a parohit to bless the child's father by placing dab grass on his head. At a wedding too he observes this rite, but the chauka is made by a Mirasi. Herein the boy is seated on a basket befoie he dons his wedding garments and sets out for the bride's house. No Gujar is allowed to marry in his own got, but the Bhatia have given up this restriction, and generally Hindu customs are dying out among the Muhammadan sections.
In Gujrdt the customs of the Muhammadan Gujars are in general similar to those of the Muhammadan J6ts, but after a birth on the dkawan day, when the- mother bathes and leaves the place of her confinement, a Brahman comes and makes a square [chauka), on which a diwd made of atd (fiour) is lighted. Big rotis too are cooked, each a toya in weight, and given to the menials. The Brahman also gets a
♦ But this custom is not confiaed to the Gujars. It exists among the Meuns also.
Owjar cultst SI 7
topa of cUd. In respectable families hahvd is cooked as well, but it is eaten only by persons of the same " bone," i. e., of the same got. Married daughters cannot eat this halwd because they have left the got, or section. If a son's wife ia away at "her parents' house her share is sent her, but none of her parents' family can eat it.
Milni is not observed at a marriage by the Gu jrdt Gujara, but they obMerve the dawa, or ' imitation ' instead. Before the wedding pro- cession leaves the bridegroom's house, the Mirdsi of the bride's family goes to see what the numbers of the procession will be and so on. Ho gets a present and returns, after which the wedding procession starts for the bride's house. The Gujars also have a darr or cusloin of pay- ment to the Mirdsis of particular families, but it is done only by those families, not by all Gujars, whereas the Jdts have their rathachdri which may be done by any one who chooses. The darr has already been described. Some three or four weeks before the wedding the gala ceremony is also observed. Gala means a handful of grain which is put into the chaki (mill). The gala marks the commencement of the wedding and is celebrated, after the women of the birddri have assembled, by grinding 6ve paropis of grain and putting the ntd into a pitcher round which mauli thread has been tied. Amongst Hindus this mauli is first tied not onl}' to the pitcher but to the chahi, pestle and mortar, chhaj, etc., as well, and then the dtd and other articles required for the wedding are got together.
As a caste the Hindu Gujars appear to have no special cults, though in Gurgaon they fervently celebrate the Gordhan festival, but it is a Hindu, not a special Gujar, fete. In Hissdr Bhairon or Khetrpdl, as a village deity, is their chief object of worship. The tradition is that he was born ol a virgin. His chief shrine is at Ahror (near Hewdri in Gurgaon) where many of the Hissd,r Gujars attend a oreat festival held in his honour in February.
The Muhammadan Gujars of Hazdra have a curious legend which recalls those of Dris, the Prophet, and of Hazrat Ghaus of the Chihltan mountain near Quetta."^ Their ancestor Nand Mihr, they relate, used to serve the Prophet and once gave him a draught of water while at prayer. The Prophet promised to fulfil his every wish and Nand Alihr asked that his wife might bear him children, so the Prophet gave him a charm [tawiz) for her to eat, but she did not eat it. This occurred thirty-nine times, and when the Prophet gave Nand the fortieth charm he made his wife eat them all at once. In due course she bore him forty children, but finding that he could not support them all Nand Mihr turned thirty-nine of them adrift. They prospered and built a house into which they would not admit their unnatural father, so he on the Prophet's advice, surrendered to them his remaining son also. Descendants of these forty sons are said to be found in other parts of the Punjab and Kashmir but not in Hazdra itself, save as immigrants.
By occupation the Gujars are essentially a pastoral race, so much so that in the Gojra (? Gujrst) something like a regular .stdpa is observed on the death of a buffalo, the women mourning for it almost as if for a
* See Dames' Popular Poefry 0/ ?he Baioches, p. 169, and Masson'a Travels London 1844, II, p, 85.
L
318 Gujardti or Bids.
human being. A. similar custom is noted in Attock, in which District the women may often be seen with veiled faces weeping over the death o!:' a milch buffalo.
In Hoshiarpur Gujar women are in great request as ^yet-nu^ses and dwellers in towns frequently put out children to nurse with them for a year or more in order that they may grow up strong. Some Gujars will not allow their women to go into the towns with milk, and regard themselves as superior to those who allow this practice, refusing them their daus;hters in marriage. The freedom of Gujar women in this - respect has given rise to a general idea that they are immoral.
In dress the Gujars are not distinguished by any marked peculiari- ties. In Gurgaonit is said that the Gujri dresses Kke a Kanjri, which reminds one of the proverb :
Zamin ha yah sal hanjar shawad,
Gujar he yah nuhta Kanjar shawad,
" In one year land becomes waste,
By one dot ' Gujar ' becomes ' Kanjar' "*
and probably is just as near the truth. In Kanidl the women weave chausi, both fine {dkotar) and coarse (gnrhd), of cotton, and it is usually dyed blue or red, an^l then printed. In N4bha they are said not to wear gold ornaments.
The Gujars in Bahd,walpur have a hereditary represt^ntative (paghand) who presides at weddings and funerals, but he exercises no powers and receives no fees.
The dialect of the Gajars is Gujari or Gojari. It has strong aflSnities with the language of Jaipur and is akin to R^jasthani. Gujari is spoken by the Himalayan Gujars, including those of the Siwd,lik in Hoshiarpur, but elsewhere the Gujars generally speak the dialects of ihe people amongst whom they dwell, f Gqjarati, or Bids, are described by Sir Denzil Ibbetson as '' Brahmans who came from Gu]ard.t in Sindh, are in some respects the highest class of all Brahmans ; they are always fed first ; and they bless a Gaur when they meet him, while they will not eat ordinary bread from his hands. They are fed on the 12th day after death, and the Gaurs will not eat on the 13th day if this has not been done. But they take inauspicious offerings. To them appertain especially the Rihu offerings made at an eclipse. They will not take oil, sesame, goats, or green or dirty clothes; but will take old clothes if washed, buffaloes, and satndja. They also take a special offering to Rahu made by a sick person, who puts gold in qhi, looks at his face in it, and gives it to a Gujardti, or who weighs himself against satndja and makes an offering of the grain, A buffalo which has been possessed by a devil to that degree that he has got on to the top of a house (no difficult feat in a village), or a foal dropped in the month of Sdwan, or a buffalo calf in Mdgh, are given to the Gujardti as being unlucky. No Gaur would take them. At every harve-st the Gujardti takes a sruall allowance {seori) of grain from the threshing floor, just as does the Gaur." The divisions of the Gujardti are described on pp. 140-1 supra.
* Hoshiarpur S. R., 1885, p. 54, ■J" Census Report, India, 1903, p. 335.
/J 3
Grujjrdl — GuldhddLni. 319
GojJRAL, a Muhammadan J^t tribe found in Gujrdt, nnd descended from a boy Avho was suckled by a Gujar foster-mother. It settled in Gujrdt in the time of Auraogzeb.
Gdlabdasi(a), a Sikh sect, or rather order, founded by one Guldb Dds, an Udclsi of Cha^th^ or Chattianwala near Kasiir. lis doctrines may be described as Epicurean in tendency, though the accounts given of them vary as to the precise tenets of the sect. One story is that they disbelieve in the existence of God, and only revere living priests of their own persuasion. Gulab Das, though originally an Uddbi, is said to have fallen under the influence of one IlirdDiis, nsdclhoi Kasur, and about 70 years ago he discarded a faqlt-'s nudity for ordinary raiment, proclaiming that he had had a vision which convinced him that he had no religious superior, that pilgrimages were waste of time and temples not possessed of any sanctity. Mr. Maclngan says that the real founder of (he sect was an Udasi named Pritam Das who received some slight at a Kumbh bathing festival on the Gauges and so started a new sect. His principal disciple was Gulab Dds, a Sikh Jat, who had been a ghorchdra or trooper iu Maharaja Sher Singh's army and joined the new sect on the collapse of the Sikh monarchy. He compiled the scripture called Updes Bilds, and it is his tomb at Chattianwala which is resorted to by his disciples. Mr. Maclagan added : —
"The Gulabdasis have thrown over asceticism and have proceeded to the other extreme. They originally held that all that was visible in the universe was God, and that there was no other. It is said that Gulab Das declared himself to be Biahm and many of his disciples believe themselves to be God ; and, properly speaking, their faith is that mau is of the same substance as the deity, and will be absoi Ijed in him, but for the most part they are looked on by their neighbours as deuving the existence of God altogether. They do not believe in a personal future life, and dispense with the veneration of saints and with pilgrimages and religious ceremonies of all kinds. Pleasure alone is their aim ; and renouncing all higher objects they seek only for the gratification of the senses, for costly dress and tobacco, wine and women, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. They are scrupulously neat in their attire and engage in all worldly pursuits, some of them being men of considerable wealth. They are said to have an especial abhorrence for lying, and there is certainly little or no hypocrisy in their tenets. In appeai-ance they vary ; some always wear white clothes ; others preserve the Ddasi dress ; others are clothed like theNirmalas; and others are distinguished by being always shaved. They are of course greatly distrusted and, to some extent, despised by their co-religionists, and their numbers are said to be on the decrease. The Gulabdtisis are returned mainly from Lahore and Jullundur.* They admit any caste to the sect, but the different castes admitted do not eat with each other or intermarry."
Gulab Das abolished the hen or Sikh fashion of wearing the Lair, allowed his followers to smoke and only acknowledged such passages
* Thoy are also found in Amritsar acd Ferozepore and have dehras in Amb&la and Karoil.
320 Gulahira-^Ourchdni.
of the Granth as accorded with his own views. The GuldbdMs do not frequent the ordinary fairs, but have a large gathering of their own, which lasts six days, durino; the Holi. Ihe author of the Panjdhi Dictionary says that Gul^b Das inclined on the whole towards pantheism.
GuLAHiBA, fem. -i, a vagabond.
GuLAM, nee Ghuldm.
Gdlekah, see Golera.
GuLHARi, Gdlhaeia, a section of the Aroras, a man of that section, {Panjdhi Didy., p. 410).
GuMHAR, see Kumhar.
GuMRANi, a clan of Pathans found in the Nowshera tahsil of Peshawar.
Gundi-Nawazan, the ' white ' party in the Marwat plain oi Bannu ; see under
Spin. The * black ' or Tor party is known as the Gundi-Abezar. GuNJiAL, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Gdbaha, ^ a tribe of Jats who were originally Rajputs. They claim to have acquired their lands from Nawab Ghazi Khdn to whom they presented a valuable horse, and he gave them as much land as they could compass in a day and a night ' : [Panjdhi Bicty., p. 415).
Guraya, see Goraya.
Gdkbdz an unimportant Pathan tribe, which accompanied the Wazir in their movements, and once occupied the hills between their Mahsud and Darveah Khel brethren, where they disputed the possession of the Ghabbar peak with the Bitanni. They have now returned to their orio-inal seat west of the Khost range and north of the Dawari, who hold the trans-border banks of the Tochi river.
Gdbchani, an organized Baloch tuman, own the Mari and Dr^gal hills^ and their boundary extends further into the mountains than that of any other of the tribes subject to us j while their territory does not extend much to the east of the Sulaimans. They are divided into eleven clans, of which the chief are the Durkdni, Shek^ni Lashdri (a sub- tuman), Pitd;6, Jisatkdni, and Sabzd^ni. The last four are true Baloch and the last three Einds ;* the remainder of the tribe being said to have descended from Gorish, a p-randson of R^ja Bhimsen of ftaidard,b^d, who was adopted by the Baloch and married among them. He is said to have accompanied Humayun to Delhi, and on his return to have collected a Baloch following and ejected the Pathan holders from the present Gurchani holdings. It is not impossible that a consider- able number of the Lashari clan, who are not too proud of their affilia- tion to the Gurchani, may have returned themselves as Lashdri simply, and so have been included in the Lashari tribe. The whole of the Durkani and about half of the Lashari live beyond our border, and are not subject to us save through their connection with the tribe. The
* Dames' account is different. He says that the principal part of the tribe is Dodai, the Syahphad/i Durkani being Rinds, and the Pitafi, Jogani and Chang are probably partly Rinds : while the Lash4ris (except the Gahols and Bhands) and the Jistkinis are Lashkis ; and the fiuhri^nis and Holawanis are Bulethis.
3 ift-m^X. ,
^J. 5 0
C
C ^ t*. H/t* ^V^ <Vl
Gurdali^Gutkd. 321
latter is the most turbulent of all the clans, and they and the Pitd,fi used to rival the Klrosa tribo in lawlessness of conduct. They were given fresh lands prior to 1881 and jj;radua]ly settled down. They are only found in Dera Ghdzi, and have their head-quarters at Liilgarh, near Harrand, in thai District. There is also a Gurch^mi clan among the Luuds of Sori.
GuBDAL!, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
GuuKE, an Ardin clan (agricultui'al) found in Montgomery.
GuBKiiA. — The ruling and military race of Nopal, only found in the Punjab as members of our Gurkha regiments. The Gurkha invasion will bo found described in the Sirmur Gazetteer, pp. 16 — 18, the Simla Gazetteer^ aud the Kangra Settlement Rejwi-t, by Sir James Lyali, § 82, but it left practically no traces on the ethnic elements of vhe Punjab Himalayas. The Gurkhas are of mixed Aryan and Mongolian blood. An interesting account of them will be found in Hodgson's Essays, and their organisation which in some respects closely reproduces phenomena found in the Hindu castes of the Punjab, is described in Vansittart's work.
GoBMANQ. — An insignificant class of criminals found in the Rawalpindi district, where some of them are registered as criminals.
GuRMANi, a Ba?-och tribe scattered through Deras Ghdzi and Ismdil Khdu and Muzaffargarh.
GoERA OR Chamarwa. — Tho Brahmaos who minister to the Chamflrs, Aheris, and other outcasts. They are not recognized as Brahmans by the other classes; and though they wear tiie sacred thread it is perhaps possible that their claim to Brahman origin is unfounded. Yet on the wh.Je it seems tnost probable that they are true Brahmans by dencent, but have fallen from their high posiiicn. They are often called Chamarwa s/d/i*.
GoRDN, a Hindu JA\ clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Gdrzmar or RuFAi. — One of the irregular Muhammadan orders, said to have been founded by one Sayyid Ahmad Kabir. It is so called from the fact th^it its members excite the compassion of the public bv beating their breasts with studded maces {gurz}. Th.y also carry about iron chains which they handle when red-hot, and knives and daggers and needles which they thrust through their flesh. The author of the Qam'm-i-Isldm (a book relating to Southern India) gives some details of their powers : " they level blows at their backs with their swords, thrust a spit through their sides or into their eyes, both of which they take out. and put in again ; or cut ou*^ their tongiug which, on being replaced in their moutds, reunite. Na\ , tliey even sever the head from the body and glue them togeth^^r agan with saliva," and so on, ad nauseam.
GuTKA, a small sept, some 60 souls in » umber, of the Bhall section of the Jdts found in Hadiiira, a village in Lahore. They are Hescendants of OJ.e Gurbakhsh Sin^h, a Sikh Jtit who earned tlie nickname of Gutkd (" a collection of all that is bad ") by his thieving [•ropens^it es n. t limg before the British conquest of the Punjab. He owned little Jand, and poverty compelled his d^scendapts to continue his career of cri^ne,
322 Gydni-^Gwdr.
Gyani, one possessing divine knowledge, a sage, from gydn, divine know- ledge or religious meditation ; among the Sikhs a traditiooal interpreter ot the Granth.
Gyazbinqpa, see Chdhzang.
GwALA, an occupational term for a Hindu cowherd and shepherd. In the Punjab a Hindu milkman, butter-maker and cowherd is called a gwdld and is generally b}' caste an Ahir* ; but if a Muhammadan, he would be called a ghosi and is often a Gujar by tribe. The Ahir gwdlda of the Punjab used to buy milk largely of the gliosis for butter-making, of which they had the monopoly. Till the Mutiny the ghosis were simply milk-sellers, but alter it they took to butter-making also. Hindus will buy milk of a Hindu gwal'i, or a Muhammadan ghosi, but not of th' latter if water has been mixed with the milk, as the water wonld defile them. When gwalas purcha'^e milk of Muhammadan ghosis to make butter they are supposed to see tbe cow milked.
GwARjt GwARiA, a nomad caste of Hindus, low in the social scale, and said to be broken-down Banjdras who having lost their cattle and other property have taken to wicker work and lead a gipsy existence. But other accounts make them an offshoot of the Sansis or Nats. They also make sirki or screens of reed and set millstones. In Hissdr popular legend makes them descendants of a Bhil woman by a Rdjput, and in this District they are settled in Hdnsi and Bhiwd,ni tahsils, engaged in ordinary labour as well as mat-making, and described as intermarrying with Banjdras. They are confined to the south-east Districts of the Punjab.
* For the Gw41bans of the Ahirs see under Ahir. f Possibly Gaw4r, q.v.
325
HABiAsr, a synonym of Kuka.
Hadi, a general labourer who makes brick??, carries earth, Vegetables, etc., for hire, in Kd,ngra. Ha resembles in some respects the Kumhdr iu the plains.
Hadwal, a numerous and powerful tribe in the territories of Kashmir and rivals of the Junhals.
HiiBOKB, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Hajari, see Hazara.
Hajaoli, the name by which a branch of the Ghumman Jats is known. It is of Rajput status, and is descended from Harp^l und Kanpdl, two of the three sons of Jodha. The third son, Sanpdl, espou.bed twenty-two wives of various castes, and so the Hajaulis, Avho remained Rdjputs, refused to intermarry with their children and they sank to Jd,t status.*
Hajjam, a barber ; see Nai.
Hajuah {Rajputs), a branch of the Rajpots, apparently extinct, from whom the Ghumman, Hajudh, Khira, Tatli and Wains Jdt tribes claim to be descended. t
Hajra, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in (Multdn, probably TJijrd or Binjra),
Hakim, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Hakla, a section of the Gujars,
The Haklds of Gujrat boast orifiin even more exalted than tlio Gujars of Rajput blood, for they claim descent from Alexander the Great and give the following pedigree : —
ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
1 Gang, grandson, held Khorisan.
Rija Jagdeo of Matbra, which his descendants ruled for 14 generations.
Rija Nand Pall I
r \ \ ^
Qodan. Misii. Dhor. Dhol.
I
1
Raja Bbam4na.
Edja Sangina, raler of Mathra and Narwarkot.
R4ja Hik.
R4ia Baru, founder of Barnali in 1009. 1 Grandson, dethroned by Muhammad of Ghor,
* Amin Chand's Hii^t. (-/ the Stdlknf Di:>t., pp. 45-6. This account of the Chaman (Ghumman) tribe adds that the genuine Bajoali (sic) Rajputs are still to be found in Riwalpiodi and Jhelum. t Riat. of Sidlkof, pp. 21, 22. 24, 2''^ and 29. [? A misprint for Bajwi.] X In Ludhiana the tradition is that Rnji Garb of Mathra had two sons, Dara (whope descendants became Rajputs) and Nand Mahr, who settled in Guzerat and thus became the progeuitor of th« Gujars, by a woman of Qurerat, who bore him 19 sons.
324 Bdl — Hdli.
As Rajputs tlie Haklas claim to "be Panw^rs, and derive their name from R^ja. Hik or Hikdar who overran 'hII India' and was king of l<^3pijtdni<. Rfljit Ham, however, held the .latch Dodb and Ma'hra, bub Muham-nsid "t Ghor deposed his son and grindson ^<>r aiding Khusrau Mnlik, last of the Gliazmvides.* Under the Sikhs the Hnkld-s again rose to some power. Their chief, Chandu Ahmad Khan recovered Zamdn Shd.h Abddli's guns from the Jhelum for Hanjit Singh and received a grant of Barn^li and Bh%o, with Ks. 25,000 a year. His grandson, Mihr Ali, sided with the British at Chilidnw^ld,.
Hal, a tribe of Jdts which once held the tract now occupied by the Lillas in the Jhelum Thai, but now reduced to a few families. Extensive mounds west of Lilla village mark the site of their ancient settlement.
Halal-khob, a term applied to a converted sweeper, Chuhrd, or any other ontcaste who has embraced Isldra and only eats what is permissible nnd^r its law. Properly, accoiding to the Panjahi Dicty., p. 424, halal- khor, ' one who eats carrion.'
Halawat, see Ahldwat.
Halt, the skinner and dresser of hides among the Gaddi tribes. He also makes shoes and weaves baskets of hill bamboo, and makes green leaf platters. Occasionally the HaH removes nightsoil. The Hdlis are the most numerous and important of the menial castes throughout Chamba and are chiefly employed in field labour, either as farm- servants to the higher castes or as tenants. They also weave pattu or woollen stuff. The following is a list of the Hd.li gots found in Kangra : —
Badhora.
Badi.f
BasWra.
Chilkhwan.
Dhulkan.
Ghahi.
Ghelan.
Jurgho,
Kahan.
Kardocha,
Khawal.
Khripar.
Khar ere.
Kodhe.
Marenu.
Mhahan.
Pachrin.
Rdmsin.
RiMnu.
Torain.
The Hdlis are., or claim to be, endogamous,and would not at any rate give a daughter to a BMi (who was not a Hd-li), a Dhaugri, a Rihara or a Sippi. Marriage is both infant and adult. A man may espouse his wife's sister. Sexual liceuse before marriage is not tolerated, even in the case of a ghar-juantrii (the ghar-jatodi or resident son-in-law of the plains). Halis follow the Gaddi wedding customs. The plaiting of the bride's hair before the bed rite is done by the bride's mother and is called khrdru sir. That done after it is done by her mo'.her-in-law and is called suhdgan sir. Polygamy is allowed and so is divorce. A divorcee can remarry, but a widow may not espouse her husband's elder brother. Widow remarriage is celebrated by the women's putting a dori on the bride, and her husband's placing a bdla in her nose.
* Yet the Haklas are said to have accompanied Muhammad of Ghor when he conquered Herat. (Is the Herat tract in the modern District of Gujrat meant ?) For a ballad composed by a mirdfl of the Haklas Sfe Indian Antiquary, 19C8, p. 209.
f Apparently a separate caste.
^1/^..^
'^ <K J 4. 4»^
-7
^
('. y. f. /cf<^ < ^-
^
^1<^<^^
*/
fry
-/
Saillaii'^EanddU. 829
HiLLAN, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Halwai, a confeftiouer, £r. halwd, a swpetmeat madoof flonr, ghi and sugar.
Hamandke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Monfgomery.
Hamar, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn tahsil.
Hamara, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Maltdn.
Hamath, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Hamdani, a Sayjid clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery and Amritsar.
Hamdi, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Mult/in.
Hamoka, an agricultural clan found in Shalipur.
Hamsaya, a neighbour, a client : as applied to a clan on the Frontier the term implies clientship, subordination to a Irue Pa^lian clan, and, usually, Hindki origin.
Hamsbibah, a J&,\ clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n and in Bahdwalpur.
Hanbali, one of the four great schools of doctrine of the vSunni Muham- madans. Described by Mr. Maclagan as " followers of Ibn Hanbal (A. D. 780-885), chiefly confined to tho neighbourhood of Baghdad and not found in the Punjab — at least none have been entered in our Census returns." The modern Alil-i-Hadis follow, to some extent, the teachings of this school.
Hanbi, a Jat tribe, which lias one branch settled in the Gurchani and another in the Tibbi Lund country of tahsil J^mpur in Dera Ghdzi Khiln, where for purposes of tribal organization they are reckoned as belonging to those tribes. The tribe has adopted Baloch manners, customs* and dress.
Handa, a Hindu Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Handa, a Khatri got or section.
Ha^jdal, a Jdt clan (agricultaral) found in Kapurthala, Amritsar and in Si^lkot, where it claims solar Rd,jput origin, and descent from R^m Chandra. Handal, its eponym, Hved in Ajudhia; and S^r, fifth in descent from him, being outcasted migrated to the Amritsar district in the Punjab and his descendants married Jaf wives and took to agriculture.
Handal, a tribe of Jdts.
Handali, the third oldest sect of the Sikhs. Ti)e Handdliwere the followers of Bidhi Chand, son of Handdlt a Ja^ of tho Md,njha, who had been converted by Amar Dds, the third Guru. Bidhf Chand was apparently a priest at Jandiala Guru, in Amritsar, who was abandoned by hi3 followers on account of his union with a Muhammadan wife, and who then devised a creed of his own. Ho compiled a granfh and a jaiim- sdkhi, ill which he endeavoured to exalt Handal to the rank of chief apostle and relegate Guru Nanak to a second placp,t representing him
* Punjab Custnmai-y Lati', XVI, p. ii.
tHindal was the QunVs cook, but was appointed Simasundi. Maclagan, § 97.
X He assigns Ntinak's birth to the month of K4tik.
82d Bandye — Ednsi.
as a maro follower of Kabir. Bidhi Chand died in 1654 A. D. and was succeeded by Devi Dits, his son by his Muhammadan wife. Under Mnliaitimadan persecution the Handalis denied they were Sikhs of Nd.nak,''^ and subsequently Ranjib Singh deprived them of their lands. The Handali.s are now called Nii^anjanis, or worshippers of God under the name of Niranjan, "The Bright." They reject all Hindu ritea at weddings and funerals, paying no reverence to Brahmans. They have a special marriage rite of their own, aud at funerals perform no hiria harm or phicl.
Handye, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Hanifia, one of the great schools of doctrine of the Sunni Muhammadans. Mr. Maclagan described them as " followers of the Imdm Abu Hanifa (A. D. 699-769), whose doctrines are distinguished by the latitude allowed to private ]udgment in the interpretation of the law. The greater part of the Sunnis of Northern India who belong to any school at all belong to this. The founder of the school is known to his followers as the Imam Azam or Great Imam, and our figures for Hanifis include those who have returned themselves as adherents of the Imdm Azam."
Hanjan, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Hanji, fern, -an, a boatman, a caste in Kashmir. ^
Han J H A, a Muhammadan Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery
(doubtless Hinjrd). Hanjrak, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar (doubtless flinjra).
Hanni, a clan of the Kodai Karlanri Pathans, affiliated to the Mangal, but of Sayyid origin. With the Mangal they left their Karlanri home in Birmil, crossed the Sulaimdns into the modern Bannu and settled in the valleys of the Kurram and Gambila rivers. They were expelled by the BannuchiPathans a century later. Raverty, however, makes "Honai" and Wardag sons of Kodai's sister and adopted by him, but ho relates the story that a Sayyid, a pious Darvesh, Sayyid Muhammad, settled among the Karlarwai and other Pathd-ns and took to wife a daughter from the Karl^rnai and two other tnbes. The Sayyid origin of the Hanni thue appears undoubted.
Hanotbah, a Brahman sept which ministers to the Malhi Jd,ts.
Hans, a small Jat clan found in Jind, Ludhiana, Multan and Montgomery .t In the latter District it has a Sidh, Baba Sulaimdn, at H^ns, to whom bridal pairs make offerings. The name appears to be connected with hane, a swan or goose.
HaNsalah, a J^t cl^^ (agricultural) found in Multan.
Hansabah, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Hanci, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
* Maclagan (§ 97) saj^s the gunU of the Niranjani actually took servicf^ with Ahdad Shah Abdali and thereby drew down on themselves terrible vengeance from Charat Singh a* early as 1762, when he attacked Jandiala.
tin these two latter districts it is classed both as Jat and Rajput (agricultural), but as J4t, aloae, iu Mult^Q, aud in Ludhiana.
Haqiqi—^Hami. ' 327
HaqiQI, a sect doubtfully identified with the Ahl-t-Habis ; but the term simply means '' genuine" or " literal " and may refer to some other sect.
Haeaike, a sept of the Bhattis, found in Sijllkot.
Habar^ a Jdt clan (agricultural) found ia Multdn.
Hardasia, a small religious sect or order of faq'irs.
Hargan, a Edjput clan (agricultural) found in Shiilipur.
HarI, a Ja^ clan (agricultural) found in Multttn.
Hari, a tribe of J^ts found in Jind. They have a jathcra at Shadi Hari and out of a pond there cast seven handfuls of earth at the Dewdli in his name.
Habchand, a sept of Ktljputs found in Hoshidrpur. It ranks below the Dadwdl.
Haripal — Harpail (the latter is the older form), one of the three tons of Dom or Dam, son or grandson of Jtlr and founder of the Haripdl divi- sion of the Sheranni Pa^hiins.
Habl, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Shiilipur (doubtless Harral).
Harni, fern. Harniani, a highly criminal tribe, with a non-criminal minority, found in the Ludhi^na, JullunHur and Hoshidrpur districts.
The Hdrnis of Ludhitina have a curious tradition of descent from one Najaf Khdn,a Pa^hdn, who was a friend of Shah Abdul Karim of Gilan. With his 8 sons Najaf Khdn accompanied the saint in the army of Mahmud of Ghaz'nl, receiving for his service lands at Mansuri near Delhi. The sons married Hindu Rajput wives and thus became Rdjputs. Najaf Khan's descendants settled in various parts of India^ those of his four younger sons in Bhatner, Uch, Dhodukut and Multiin, whence in 1671 A. D. they migrated into Kapurthald. At Hdrnidn Khera, their settlement in Bikciner, the Bhattis among the Harnis quarrelled with the Tur and Manddhar septs, and were driven out. But they were accompanied by those of their women who had married into other septs and whose children fled with them. Another version is that famine drove thorn from Bikfiner.
However this may be, the Hd^mfs became mercenaries of Rdi Kalla Khdn of Rdikot and he gave them several villages in jdgir. In return they ravaged his enemies' lands, but when the Rlii's family declined the Hdrnis' villages were handed over to the Kapurthald chief by Ran jit Singh, and they themselves were soon banished from the State on charges of killing kine. This was in 1818 and in 1847 they made an unsuccessful petition to the British authorities to be reinstated in their land. They were then allotted some waste land near Jagraon in the Ludhidna district, but it was wholly inadequate for their support and the Bariiis settled dovvn to a life of crime, rapidly becoming expert burglars and daring thieves. Almost every form of theft is attributed to them, but they are peculiarly skilful in the form of burglary called idpd which consists in jumping on to the roof of a house and enatchii)g the ornamentsoff its sleeping inmates. The Hdrnis of Kirf in Ludhiiiua, ^.nd two or three villages in Jullundur and Hoshidrpur are known as
328 Udrni gots.
Gaunimdr* Hiirnis. Their women used to enter the houses of well-to- do people as servants, mistresses or even v^ives, and eventually plunder them in collusion with their male relatives, who obtained access to the house in the guise oifaqirs.
In their own argot the Hdrnis call themselves Bdhli. Various expla- nations of the name Hdrni are suergested : from heri, huntsman, from her a herd, and from hdr a road. Others say that Rai Kalla so nick-named them from hdrni, a 'doe,' because Ihey were his huntsmen. Probably the word means thief.
The Hdrni gots are numerous, considering the smallness of their numbers. The H^rni genealogies are reported to be kept by the family of Pir Shd,h Abdul Karim and all the information regarding them was obtained in 1881-82 from the late Pir Zahur-ui-Diu of Delhi, his descendant.
Bhatti Sejpal.
Naru or Chbajle or Bhattf Lakhanp^l.
Bhatti Bharipal or Rahmir.
„ ' Rahmasurke.
„ Rahdir. Dhadda. Bbanas. Chauhan. Walha or Bahli-f Bhatti Phuski. Sangri. JSache. Muri. Jitang.
Tur.
„ Shaikh-parhii.
„ Dhod-aks or Dhuddike. Madahar.
„ Gujjar. Pawanr.
„ Awan. ? Ghunia or Ghumia. Ladhar. Fadhar, Shadiwal. Lathik. Baku
The curious point about these gots is that the forebear of each is specified in the table of descent from Najaf Kh^n. All these gots are descended from his four younger sons. To the'?e must be added the Gul and Pachenke ^ois found in Tappar and Kiri respectively. The superiority of the Bhatti got is recognised by placing several cloths over the corpse of one of its members on its journey to the g^ave : other Hdrnis have to be content with a single cloth.
By religion the Hdrnis are strict Muhammadans of th^ Qddiria and Hanifia sects, it is said, and frequent the shrines of Shahi Shdh in Gagra, of Hassu Shdh in Tappar, of Zdhir W6M in Bodalwdld, besides those of Shd,h Abdul Karim in Delhi, the Chishti shrine at Ajmer and that of Taimur Shdh in Surat. The Hd,rnis do not, however, refrain from liquor.
The male Hdrni averages 5 feet 7 inches in height, is well but not heavily built, wiry and perfectly healthy. In disposition the tribp is frank and out-spoken, and less secretive than other criminal tribes.
♦Probably from gauni, the Harni word for road, and so meaning highwayman : or possibly from guni, ' theft.'
The H^rnis of Kiri are now well-behaved, having given up thieving and taken to cultiva- tion. The Gaunimars are also said by their fellow Harm's to be so called tecaube they slew one of their women, named Gauni, en account cf her frailty. For this reason, and also because the Kirf Harm's ccmmittcd oflences ihiovgh their women, the oth*r H^jnis have few dealings with Gaunimars and rarely intermarry with them— a stoiy which is whcUy incredible.
^ C/. the Harm's' own name for tbemselvep, Biblf,
-:•":> Earpdl^Eatikhel 329
From boyhood habits of endurance and activity are inculcated and a Hdrni man will walk 30 or 40 miles in a single night in carrying out a burglary.
Harpal, a branch of the Awdns.
Harral, a Rajput tribe, which claims to be descended from the same ancestor, Rdi Bhupa, as the Kharral, but by another son ; and to be Punwdr Rdjputs who came from Jaisalmer to Uch, and thence to Kamdiia in the Montgomery district. Mr. Steedman said that in Jliang, where only they arc found on the left bank of tlio Upper Cliondb, tradition makes them a branch of tho Ahirs, and that they are almost the worst thieves in the district, owning large flocks and herds which they pasture in the central steppes, and being ba*i cultivators. Another account says they were originally BliutUl Jilts settled at iMatela, a villaije in Sh^hpur, whence they migrated under their Pir, Shjih Daulat. As strict Muhammadans they employ no Brahmans and will not eat anything left by one who does not perform the daily nimdz, Marriagre withiti the tribe is preferred, but is allowed with Bains, Gondal, Sindhan Jd^s, La,Iis, Laks, Kharrals, etc. In Montgomery the Harral (Hail) are classed as a Jat (agricultural) tribe. 'J'hey are all Muhammadans in this District.
Hasal, an agricultural clan found in Shdbpur.
Hasam, a 3i,\ clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Hasani, see Sayyid.
Hasan Khel, a well known sept of the Adam Khel Afridis, which with the Jawakki occupies the range between Kohdt and Peshd,war, from Akor, west of the Kohdt Pass to the Khatak boundary. The Hasan Khel hold the southern border of the Peshdw&r district.
HasnanAj a clan of the Sials.
Hassani, a Baloch tribe of uncertain origin which once held a large part of the country now held by the Marris, by whom they wore all but de- stroyed. A fragment now forms a clan among the Khetrans near tho Han Pass. Possibly Pathan by origin but more probably Khetran, the remaining Hassanis speak Balochi.
Hassanzai, one of the three main sections of tho Jaduni (Gaduos) in Hazara, settled in and round Dhamtaur and in the Mangal and Bagra tracts. The obsolete chieftainship of the Jaduns was vested in a family of this section,
Hatano, an Ardfn clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Hathab, a J&\ clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
HatIkhel. — The most numerous, orderly and wealthy clan of tho Ahmadzai branch of the Wazir Pathdns settled in Bannu. It, is divided into two main branches, the Kaimal and Idal, tho Kaimalkhel outnumbering the Idalkhel by four to one. The Kaimalkhel has three chief sections, Ali- or Khaidar Khel 'with a Patolkhel sub-section mostly found in the hills), Musa and Purj/ia Khels — all settled in the Marwat plain. The Idalkhel have four sections Bai, Bakkar, Isa and Kaimal (II) — also settled in the plain. The Sirkikhel is a small clan, now practically a
dSO Eatidr'^Sensi.
brarcli of tbo Hatikhel, with three main sections, Tolila, Bahla and Shuni, all settled in the Bannu Thai.
Hatiak, a tribe of Jdts found in Gujrat and so called because they used to practise female infanticide. They migrated from Shdhpur to Gujrdt in Akbar's time.
Hattab, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Hattiahi, a sept of the Bhattis, in Sialkot, descended from Bhoni, 7th in descent from Bhat^i. One of Bhoni's descendants, Uai Danu, in whose family the custom of female infanticide prevailed, had a daughter who was j-escued by a Brahman and kept by him f(>r four years, but at last, thinking that her father would be certain to kill her, if he ever found her, he put her to death himself, and the sept has become known as Hattitlii, lit. * one guilty of killing a cow ' or a Brahman.
Haulb, a se| t of BrHlimans who migrated with the Mairs from Jummu and still receive small fees at weddings, etc., from the Chaudhridl of Ohak- wiil. The weighman's JDusiness of that town is in their hands, but they are still recognised by other Brahmans as of that caste. Their name is ascribed to their former dread {haul) of forcible conversion to Islam.
Hazara, a race usually but erroneously styled Pa^hdn. They are almost certainly Mongol Tartars, and derive their name from hazara, the Persian equivalent of the Turki yning or " legion." Settled m their present abodes by Changiz Khiln they hold the Paropamisus of the ancients, from Kabul and Ghazui to Her^t and from Kandahiir to Balkh. Owing to their strict rule of intermarriage they have retained their physical and physiognomic characteristics and are " as pure Mongols as when they settled over 600 years ago with their families, their flocks and their worldly possessions.'^ In the interior of their country they were almost wholly independent until subdued by the late Amir Abdur Rahman of Afghanistan. They do not give their name to the Hazdra District of the North-West Frontier Province, nor apparently to the Chach-Hazdra in the Attock tahsil.* The Hazdras are not settled in the Punjab, but are found in it as labourers and also enlist in Pioneer regiments. All are Shias by sect, and in con- sequence regarded as heretics by the Sunni Afghans. They are fully described in Bellew's Races of Afghdnistdii.
HiMEAJi, an obscure Bindu sect found in Multdo.
Hambi, Hesi, a low caste of professional musicians and dancers found in Kullu and the Simla Hill States. Their women perform as dancing girls. They appear to be also called Be^a (or the Bedas are a group of the Hesis). In Spiti the Hesi appears to be also called Hesir (see Chahzang) and Beta (iu correctly Batia) and there they form a low caste, which is returned as Hindu, and which, like the Lohdr, is excluded from social intercourse with the other classes. The Hesi is called * the 18ih ca&te/t or the odd caste which is not required, for no
• Bee Imperial Gaaetteer, new ed. X, p. 115.
t The l8th would apparently be the lowest caste or class. The expression reminds us of the 'eighteen elements of the State' referred to in the Cbamba inscriptions; seethe Archmologkal Survey Rep. for 1902.03, pp. 251 and 263.
219. At the same time many of the followers of Guru Gobind Singh have put themselves down as Hazuris, the number being 287,548 Kesdharis and 6,044 Sahidharis. Hazuris are those Sikhs who have paid a visit to Haziir Salub m Hyderabad Deccan (where Guru Gobind Singh breathed his last) and have been initiated there. It is really a title of religious merit similar to that of Haji amongst the Muliammadans (».e., those who have made a pilgrimage to Mecca), but the initiation at the Hazur Sahib is supposed to confer great religious sanctity, at the same time imposing certain restrictions. The orthodox Hazuris are supposed to ^0 about in yellow or blue garments and very often cook their own food, eating trom nobody else's hands. The orthodox type is, however, on the wane.
..-^ Ph
equivalent of atheist and fifteen persons have appeared under this designation, aji. 187. Hem Raj, an Arora and a retired Government servant (Superintend-
ent, Deputy Commissioner's vernacular offire) in the Muzaffargarh District, became a preacher of Vedant on his own lines and gathered a decent following. His disciples are ordinary Sauatan Dharmis with a Vedantic bent of mind, but 6 o: them (2 males and 4 females) have returned themselves as Hem Rajis. Hen
Eev'—Eijra. 881
ono will eafc from his hands. Yot he too has liis infoi-iors and professes not to eat from tho hands of a Lohdr, or from those of a Niith, the Kullu title for a Jogi. Oivlinarily a bsgg.ir the Uesi .somotiraos engages in potty trade, and to call a transaction a Hesi's bargain is to imply that it is m«an and paltry. In Lahul and 8piti tho Hesi is the only class that owns no land, and a proverb says : ' The Beda no land and the dog no load.' Tlia men play tho pipes and kettla-'drum and the women dance and sing, and play the tambourine.
Hbe, Ahkr, or PoKAWAf.,''^ tho third of tho group of J.'it tribes which inclado3 the Bhullar and Miin also. Their lu)mo appears t<) lie north of theSucloj aud they are found in considerable numbers under the hills from Ambi'ila in the east to Gujrac in the west, and throughout the whole upper valley of that river. Thero is a very old village called ller in the Nakudar tahsil of JuUundur wliich is still held by Her Jats, who say that they have lived there for a thousand years; in other words for an indefinite period.
Hkbi, see Aheri.
Hesi, see Hensi.
Hesir, see Chahzang,
Hijra, (I) an important Jclt clan, i.^. Hinjra : (2) a eunuch, also called hhunsd, khojd, khiLHni, viukkannas, or, if a dancing eunuch dressed in woman's clothes, zankha. Fornierly employed by chiefs and people of rank to act a^ custodians of their female apartments and known as khwdja-sard, nnwdh ovnizir, they aro still found in R^jput^na in this capacity. In the Punjab tho kijra is usually a deraidr, i.e., attached to a dera. He wear.-i b ingles on his wrists, and other feminine ornam3nts. If dressed in white, he wears no turban, but a shawl, and his hands are stained with henna. Rijras affect tho names of men, but talk among themselves like women. They visit people's houses when a son has been born to dmce and play upon tho flute, receiving in return certain dues in c ish an 1 cloth. In -^ome villages they are found collected in chaukinyf and, like singing-girls, are bidden to weddings. 'J^hey act as butfo)ns. and are skilful dancers. lu a d^ra a chehi succeo Is his guru, his accession being celebrated by a feast to the other inmates of t;ho dera. Tne hljr-is are all Muham- madans, and especially affect Shaikh Abdul Qidir Muhi-ud-Din Jilani. At the Muharram they make fuzlis. Hindus joining tho fraternity become Muhammadans.
Tho eunuchs of tho Punjab have divided the Province into refi;ular beats from which hirt or dues are collected. IVuiipat contains a tj'pical Hijra fraternity. In thai town thej' livo in a t»'«A;/i;a house in the street of the Miihammalan Blolis and, though retaining mon'.s names, dress like women and call one another by su:h namns as )iii.<i. ' moihor's sister,' phuphi, ' aunt," ani so on. Th^ pjrmanont res'donts of this abolo only number 7 or 8, but
• As regards this name the following tale is told : —
A Minisi happened to meet some childrcu of the M.4n, Bhullar and Her tribes pasturing cattle. Those of the two former tribes wore in chirue of boys, those of the latter in charge of girls, and so he nsksd them which of their tribes was tho chief. Tho boys answered ironically that the Poraw41, who had sent their cattle out in charge of girls, were chief. Owing to their custom of so doing tho Her Jits were only regardel as half a tribe, and the ether two tribes refused to marry with them. The Dhariwil are also cjUledPllor.
j The chauki appears to be much the same as a dera.
832 Eunuchs,
an ura or anniversary is lield at which a fairly large number collect. They also observe the Holi and Daselira. But the largest gathering takes place on the occasion of a gadi nathini or succession to the ollice of headman, when some 200 assemble.
It is commonly asserted that no one has ever seen the funeral of a eunuch ; and the super- stitious belief is that when about to die they disappear. They are, as a rule, long-lived, well-built, and, being so few, deaths among them cannot be frequent. Eunuchs dread a dead body, and when one of them ilies none of them dare approach the corpse. All that they will do is to cry an i weep like women, and it devolves by custom on their Badhi neighbours to wash the dead body and carry it to the graveyard As tht» eunuchs are looked upon as impure, the Bidhis never a imit that they serve as their coffin-bearers and the popular superstition is thus strengthened.
Eunuchs are admitted into the fraternity from all castes ; e. g., Sayyid, Shaikh, Gujar, Julaha, etc. One of them. Sahib Jan, a pious man, who died at the age of loo in Mecca, was a Brahman. All are, or become, Muhammadans. They have a rite of initiation, which they term ckddar urhna (donning the sheet;, but the proceedings are kept secret* None of the eunuchs now in Panipat are natives of the town. Two or three men of Panipat who became eunuchs had to go to Patiiila for initiation and to earn a livelihood. It is admitted by the eunuchs that no person is born a "i/ra, and the common belief that children are so born seems to be wrong ; none can say that he has ever seen sui^h a child.! It appears to be a fact that eunuchs are permanently unsexed, and it was vauntingly asserted that, however rich their food may be, they are never ' intoxicated." They say : — " We are broken vessels and fit for nothing ; formerly we guarded the harems of kings — how could they admit us into the zandna if there was the least danger ? We go into the houses of all, and never has a eunuch looked upon a woman with a bad eye : we are like bullocks." How this is brought about may be guessed, but the eunuchs say they get recruits from the zandna or eanhha class, who are impotent even before initiation. A meal known as Mir buchri ki khkhri has to be eaten by every initiate, and its effect is supposed to render a man impotent for life. What the ingredients of this meal are no one knows, and the eunuchs themselves are reluc« tant even to mention its name, saying that it was a myth, and who would dare to administer such drugs now-a-days ?
Another institution in Panipat is the zandna mandli, which comprises some 25 or 30 persons and is a well-known class or circle in the town. It consists of adult and young men, who flirt and pietend to imitate the gait of women. They learn to dance and sing, nnd pass their days in indolence. They can be recognised by their muta'k chdl (behaving like females'*. Each of them has a " husband." For some years past the zand7ias have celebrated the Holi as a carnival. They assume female names, by which they are called in their own circle. Most of them are beardless youth ; those who have beards shave them. Ndz nakhra (flirtation) becomes their second nature. There is no distinction between Hindu and Musalman in the mandli, but most of its members are the latter : they wear narrow p«ijd?Ha,s and a cap. In Delhi also the zandnas are a recognised class : they hire Aof/ia.s or the upper storeys of shops like prostitutes They are invited to wedding parties, where they dance and act as buffoons (-nakkdl), and iheir fees are high. Their ' friends ' are ttakkds (watermen,), kunjrds (vegetable-men), and other low castes. The eunuchs speak of them tauntinglj', and say that all the members of the zandna-mandli are impotent men given to sodomy, though some of them are married and have children. " They are prostitutes," remarked a eunuch " if we acted like them, how could our jujmdns allow us to come near them ? They have deprived the prostitutes of their means of livelihood : we are not such."
Asked why they do not get more recruits from the zandnax, the eunuchs say that any such attempt is resented by the relations of the laundas (boys); but if a stranger boy comes and asks for admission they initiate him. It is alleged that the number of the zandnas is on the increase in P4nipat.
A. eunuch once initiated very seldom deserts the "brotherhood." If a c^.e/a goes away no other eunuch can keep him without repaying his guru the expenses of his initia- tion and keep. And if he goes to the Khojas the eunuchs are powerless. The Khojas are a separate class who live in villages. They are married men Aviih families, but earn their livelihood by levying birt fees like eunuchs. They employ a eunuch to dance for them and play on the drum after him. If they cannot get a eunuch they get a boy of their own to dance.
The eunuchs in Panipat are fairly well off. Their house is full of furniture and necessaries, and they levy birt or charitable fees on certain occasions. At a wedding or the
* Probably for excellent reasons : see the next foot-note.
t Eunuchs are undoubtedly made by mutilation. There is a custom of placing 5 jice imder the foot of the boy who is to be operated on. Apparently this is done to prevent pain as a similar custom is believed to be follo^'cd at births.
Eindal^'Einjra. 833
birth of a son they go to the family concerned, dance at the houaa and sing, and receive Re. l-i-0, or sometimes less. The zaynindars do not acknowledge them as their Aamin* and they have no claims upon them ; but persons of the lower castes, such as Telis. Rains, Jhi'wars, etc, dare not refuse them their foes, ;ind every shopkeeper has to pay them one pice in the year. Eunuchs do not appear to be employed in mosques in tho Punjab.* HiNDAL, a Muhamraadan tribe found iti Montgomery (doubtless Handal).
HiNDKi, a generic term, half contemptuous, applied to all Muhammadans, who being of Hindu origin speak Hindko and have been converted to Isldm in comparatively recent times. \n Bannu the term usually denotes an Awiln or Jat cultivator, but in a wider sense it inclufles all Muhammadans who talk Hindi, Panjd,bi or any dialect derived from them. The local proverbs t aro not complimentary to the Hindki. One says : —
(a) *' If a Hindki cannot do you any harm, he will leave a bad smell as he leaves you."
And again —
(6) " Though you duck a Hindki in the water he will come up with a dry seat (hence he is lucky).'*
(c) " Get round a Pathan by coaxing; but wave a clod at a Hindki." {d) " Though a Hindki bj your right arm, cut it olf."
HiNDUBiA, a Hindu Riljput sept of the Ist grade found in Hoshidrpur.
HiNDWAL, a synonym of Hindki.
HiNDWAL, apparently a sub-tribe of Tandolis in HaziSra : but probnbly only a variant for Hindki.
HiNDWANAH, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multiln.
HiNJRA, HiNJRAi, HiNjRAONt (or, iucorrecfly, Hijrd), (1), an important J^t tribe, indigenous to the Gujrdnwilla Bdr. Once a pastoral tribe, perhaps of aboriginal extraction, they own 37 villages in Gujrdnwjlla which is their home, but have spread botli east and west under the hills. They claim to be Saroha Kdjputs by origin and say that their ancestor Hinjrilon came from the neighbourhood of Hi.?S{lr to the HilGzabdd parqana in Gujrdnwala and founded a city called Uskhab, tho ruins of which still exist. Their immediate ancestors were Mai and Dhol,^ and they say that half their clans still live in the Hissdr country.
•Tho Persians in remote times were waited ^by eunuchs as we learn from Herodotus (lib. 6) and some attribute to them their invention. But Amniianus Marcelliuus (lib 14) ascribes it to Semiramis. In .li-ZsZam tho employment of such persons about the mosque is a bida,tt or custom unknown in the time of the Prophet. It is said to have arisen from the following three consideration.s : lliat (») these people are concentrated in their profession • (m) they must see and touch .strange women at the .shruies : and (ii.) the shrines are harim or sacred, having adyta which are kept secret from the prying eyes of men and therefore, should be served by eunuchs. It is strange that the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Mo.slem mosque, shouhl have admitted such an abomination Though the principal of the mosque, or xhnikh al-harim, is no longer a neuter... , his mub or deputy is a black eunuch, the chief of the ay/)au(i<, upon a pay of 5,ouo piastres a month. From Burton's Pilgrimage to al-M(ulinah aud Mecca, Vol. I, p. 371, Burton goes on to describe the organisation of the attendants of the mosque at MeJfnah who are all eunuchs
t Thorburn's Bannu, p. 245 note; pp. 240, 247, 250 and 254.
X The original form of the word must have been Ilinjrama :" cf. Jagrdma. now Jagrion grama, now grdon, ' ^
§ Or Kaholia, accordmg to the Bist, of Sidlhot, p. 26.
334 Hir^^Eusaini.
(2) A clan of the Muhammadan Pachiklas, found in HissArj* and also claiming descent from Sarolia Rtijputs.
The Hiniril are also found in Shahpur, as an agricrjltural clan, and in Montgomery, in which latter District tliey are all Hindus.
HiR, a Muhammadan Jdtclan (agricultural) found in Montgomery (doubtless Her).
HiEAJ, one of the principal clans of the Siydle.
HiRRA, a Khokhar clan (agricultural) found in Shdhpur.
HiTHARi, the inhabitants of the Hithdr.
Hlondukpa (fr. Hlo, * Bhutd,n'), a Buddhist sect, founded in the 15th century by N(g)a(k)uang Naragial : Ramsay, Dlcty. of Western Tibet, ^.83, See also under Drugpa.
HoLi, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
HoNAr, see Hanoi.
HoNDAL, a Jdt tribe, found in Sialkot, where they claim Surajbansi Rdjput origin and say that Sai'b, their ancestor, migrated from Ajudhiato A.niritsar, whence his descendants came to Sialkot. They are governed by the chundavand rule of inheritance.
HoNDi, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
HoRAH, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Hot, one of the original main sections of the Baloch and very widespread. They still form a powerful tribe in Mekrdn and ruled at Dera Ismdil Khan for 200 years. Part of th^ Khosa tribe and the Bdl^chd,ni Maz^- ris are said to be of Hot descent, and they are also found wherever Baloch have spread. In Montgomery tahsil they are classed as an agricultural clan, and are also found in Lyallpur.
HoTAK, one of the two great divisions of the Gugid,ni Path^ns.
HuBAiRiAN, one of the Sufi sects, founded by Khw^ja Hubaira Basari, whose shrine is at Marasli in Turkey.
HtJDA, SuDA, a Jd,t tribe found in the Rohfcak and Sd,mpla tahsils. It claims Chauhtln R^jpufc orio:in and descent from one Sudal, who settled soiue 35 generations ago in Rewdri (where the people iiitercharge s and h),
Hdjjhan, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
HuKAL, a Aluliammadan Jd,t clau (agricultnral) found in Montgomery (doubtless Harral).
HusAiNi, a Sayyid clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. See under Sayyid. For the Husaini Brahmans see under Brahman, supra.
Hiodu HiQJraoa PacMdas are also said to be found, but not in His&ar,
/TT'^'^i C */ c*^ ' ^
M
'a^
/
7
'^^a. 4f •! u ? t, '
/•
886
I.
TcBHiR, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
IcHHiADHARi, ono wlio follows his own desires in all things, possibly a
Guldbddsi. IcHHGAL, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur. Idal, soe under Hatikhel. Idia, see under Utmdnzai.
Ikwan, a Mahtam clan (aj/ri cultural) found in Montgomery. Iliaszai, one of the main divisions of the Yusufzai Pa^lidns. They hold
western Buncr. Imamia, a synonym of Shia : one who believes that the Muhammadan
religion consists in recognition of the true Imiim.
iNDAUKii. — (1) A sept of 2nd grade Hindu Rajputs in Kdngra, among whom all sons inherit equally in the has or residential estates, wnilo the remainder, called the chaudlidr go to the eldest son as chaudhri, though the custom is now disputed. (?.) An al or sept of Gaur Brahmans found in Gurgdon. They are parohits of the Lohain Ja^s. In both cases the name is territorial.
Ikani, an inhabitant of Irdn : sometimes used as equivalent to Qizztlbash. Also IraTii, or Baloch. — According to Mr. J. P. Wai-burton the gypsies of Central Asia who migrate between Asiatic Turkey and the extreme south and east of India. They are sometimes to be met with in the cold weather with herds of sorry ponies, and earn a living by selling sham ancient or foreign coins, Brummagem ware and trinkets, and by fortune-telling. Audacious frauds and cheats, ihey have the impudent and truculent dameanour of the Sansi and like them are good lir)guists and very loquacious. They are also addicted to open pillage and the village folk are afraid of them.
IsA Khel, (1) the branch of the Niazi tribe of the Pathdns, which gives its name to the Isa Khel tahsil of Mid-nwdli.
The following pedigree is preserved in an unpublished work, entitled the Tazkara-i- Afghani which was compiled under the supervision of Ahmad Khan, l%i, Khel, about a century ago :—
LODHI.
Niizi.
Khaku, by a lady
dencended from
Patau.
Jamil, by Zakia, a
lady descended
from Prangi.
L
Bahi, by a Sarwani Afghan wife.
r — - — \ \ r i "I
B&pini. Baidar, Machan. Moshani, Mabyir. Sirbang.
Wagan.
I namim.
I T6r.
,, I Jam or Zam.
I Khir.
I Dmr.
Isft Khan^
S36 tsd Ehel pedtgreei.
Bat the Makhzan-i-A/ghdni gives the following table of descent*:-
ShAh hdsain. I
Jakki.
Dotanni,
Lodhi. I
Sijini.
Khaku.
Niazi. I
I
Jam or Zatn.
r r"
Ehizr. Miisa.
I Isa.
n
Mahy4r. Aead.
r
Kundi.
Ala.
Sarhang.
Sud.
Marhal. I
Ali.
I Isa.
I Daulat,
n
Hamim.
Lele or Lelah Nia^i.
Babi.
Khan. Sumbal. Bindar.
* It will be noticed that Jamal has here been confused with Jam or Zam. Jamal was th son of Niazi. It is highly improbable that Isa Khan, a contemporary of Sher Shah Sur and Salim Shah Sur, was a grandson of Niazi.
The present Khans are thus descended from Isa Khan : —
ISA KHAN.
I Zakbu Khan, the Zakhii Khel branch is named after him,
i Khwaja.
^ I Dalii Khan.
I
Sher Khau.
I
Dilawar Khan-
, \ , Bairam Khan,
I Fateh Khan.
J Jhangi Khan.
Dalii Khan.
Kh^n Zaman Khan (or Muhammad Zamaa Khan).
Umar Kh4n.
(' — T
Muhammad Kbaa.
Ahmad Kbin,
■1
r~ i ' i i I I I ■ ,
Mukammad Shah- Muhammad Muham- Muham- Zulfiqar Abdul Muhammad Alam Khan. nawaz Ajaz mad Sar- mad Ab- Kh4n. Sattir Abdul
Khan. Khan. fafaz duUa Khan, Khan. Aziz Khan.
Khan, acknowledged Cbief of the • Isi Khel.
Isdzai-" Ithwdl. 337
Raverty, on the other hand, writes that Jdiu or Jd,!, son of Nulzi, had by liis three wives seven sons, viz., Isd, Ali and Danlat, by the first : Suiibal and Pindar or Punddr, by the second ; and iMarhal and Jalai or Jakai, by the third. But anotliei account giv<^s Jd,m an eio-hth son Khan, and ad^is that Jciin had two brothers, Bai and KIwiko. From the latter are descended tlie Sahrangs of Midnwflli, the Maliyars, Mi- clian Khel, the Musidni Isil Khel, and thn Kuiidi*. who are coulined to Tank. The earlier history of the ls<i Khel belongs to that of the Nifizis, but, it may be noted, they were in possession of the Khushdb pargayia of the Sind-Sagar Sarkar before the close of the 16th century, and prior to that period Babar allude^s to their village of Is^ Khel as concerned in a night attack on his camp in 1505 A. D.
(2) There is also an Is4 Khel subdivision of the Tarakzai branch of the Bar Mohmands on the Peshawar border.
IsAKHEL, a Pathan dan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
IsAZAi, one of the principal clRns of the Yusofzai Pathdns, They hold the north-east slopes of Mahabnn and the mnuntainons C' untry on hoth sides of the Indus in Haz^ra and the Gadun valley. They have three clans, Hassanzai, Akazai and Medu Khel in Hazjiia, and in 1907 elected a Khan to their vacant Khanship.t
IsEKE, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
IsEZAi, a Pathdn clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
IsHAQZAi, one of the four main clans of the Khalils in Peshdwar.
IsMAiLKHEF., a clau of Pa^haus found in Peshawar.
IsMAiLZAi, a sept of the Kamd,lzai clan of the UsniJinzai branch of the Mandaur Pathrins found in Peshd,war.
Iso, see under Wazir.
IsoT, Sot, an offshoot of the great Panni tribe of the Afghans which formerly hold a great part of Siwi or Slhist^n. Their lands lie west of die Jafir Pathans on the Dera Ismail Khiin border.
IsPERKA, one of the five clans of the Ahmadzai branch of the Wazir Pa^hdna settled in Bannu. its main divisions arc the Muhammad Kiiel, who now rank as an independent clan, and Sudankhel and Saldikhei who alone are now termed Isperka. The tribal land of the Muhammad Khel is divided into four tarafs or shares of wiiich one is held by the Shudakai, an affiliated Khel from the remnant of some old hill tribe which cannot trace de-^cent from Isporka. The Sudankhel has four sections, Bagldan, Bokul, Kundi and Bliairat, with a fifth called Dhir affiliated hamsdyas of another stock.
Ithwal, the Ithwal or Uthwal, according to the late Sir Denzil Ibbetson, seem to be found chiefly in Ambala, Ludhiana, Jullundur, and the ad- joining territory of Patijila. But unless two distinct names have been confused, they have a curiously lar^c colony in Delhi, which appears to be completely separated fiom that of Ambala. They are said to be descended from a Surajbansi Rajput called Mahilraj who received the nickname of Unthwdl from his love for camel-riding.
* Said to practise vesh, jHazira Qaxetteer, 1907, p. 185.
J.
Jabae, a J&\ clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Jabli, a group of Sayyid families found near Kahror in Multdn. So called from some mountain [jabl) iu Arabia.
Jabokb, (1) a Kharral clan and (2) a Muhammadan Jdf clan (both agri- cultural) found in Montgomery.
JaCHAK, a beggar, an examiner, a prover,* from jdch, guessing, an estimate, trial or skill. t The word Jajak appears to be a corruption of Jdchak.
Jad, Jab, Zad or Zar, a group or class of Kaneta found in Kand,\var and comprising many khels or septs. , But other Kanets do not form matri- monial alliances with them, because they are considered of low status.
Jadban, Jandram, one of the sections of the Bdla or Upper Bangash tribe of the Manqali Pathins settled in Kurram, on the borders of Khost.
JadiJ, JAdubansi, a Rajput tribe of Lunar race, who are called by Tod '* the mobt illustrious of all the tribes of Ind." But the name has been almost overshadowed by Bha^ti, the title of their dominant branch in modern times. They are returned chiefly from Delhi and the south of Pa^iiila.
Jadi5n, see Gadun. The form Jadun is clearly the later, audit is impossible to follow JamesJ in identifying the Jadun with the Jddu or Y^dii Rdjputs.
Jafik, a weak Pa^hd-n tribe, which holds the village of Drug in the pass of that name on the eastern slopes of the Sulaim^n range. It is an offshoot of the Midna Path^lns, being descended from Jdfar, one of the thirteen sons of Midnai. With the Jdfar are found the Rawdni or Rahdni eept, descended from a brother of Jdfar. Jukes describes the Jdfar Hathdns as speaking Jdtki or Western Punjabi :§ (2) a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn,
Jafieani, a clan of the Bozddr Baloch,
Jaoa, " awakener," see under Bhdt, but cf. Jhdnga.
Jagqel, a clan of the Khosa Baloch.
Jag, a Muhammadan Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jaqal, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jaqhdal, the Multdni and Baloch i term for a Jdt,
Jaglan, a tribe of Jd^s, found in Karndl. They are descended from Jagla, a Jdt of J^iipur, whosn shrine at Isrdna is worshjpp d by the whole thnpa or group of 12 Jagldn villages which forms the bnrak of Naultha. Their ancestor is also worshipped at the village shrine called deh, which is always surrounded by kaim trees, and if a woman who has
♦ Panjdbi Dicty., p. 463.
+ Jukes' Western Panjdbi and Eng. Didy., p. 103.
X Peshawar Settlement Report, 1862, § 17.
5 Jukes' Western Panjdbi and En^, Dicty., p. iv.
840 Jahcinhar — Jain.
married into a Ja^ldn family, parses a hiitn troe, sliG always veils her face as if it were H,n older relative of her husband. In Jind the Jagldn are described as descendants of Jaga, founder of Jilglan in Hissdr.
Jahanbar, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Jahanbo, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Jahangibi, a dynasty of SuUdns who, according to Raverty, once ruled from Nangrahdr to the Jhelum, bur, by the time the Klieshi Pathans over- ran 6w^t, their sway did not extend far beyond the Indus on the east. The last Sultdn of Swdt and of the Gibaii tribe was Awes, a son of Sultln Pakhal,* whose subjects, a Tdjik race known as Dihkiins or Dihgang, were expelled by the m)dern Swati PatMns from Swat. ■Sultan Awes retired northwards towards the sources of the Oxus and for several generations he and' his descendants ruled therein as far as the fi'ontier of Badakh'^hdn after wliich they are suddenly lost sight of, but the rulers of Chitral, Shighndn and Wdkhdn may be their descendants, and like them, they claim descent from Alexander the Great.t The Jahd,ngiri also appears t) survive as a sept of the Gibari.
Jahoja, a Purbi;i casbe which koep mil'.;h citfcle. It is Muhammadan in thy United Provinces.
Jai, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Shrfjdbdd tahsil, Multdn district. Its eponym was a brother of Nun.
Jaikaei (a), a group of Rdjputs, entitled to the salutation j'ai dia.
Jaikisheni, see under Krishni.
Jain, a generic term for all who affect the Jain religion. It is now recogni'^ed that the Jain faith is older than Buddhism and that Buddha's doctrines were probably adaptations or developments of Jain tenets. A. full account of the J^iins and their tenets would be entirely beyond the scope of this article, and the following accounts of the Jains as a religious community, in part from the pea of Ldla Jas- want Rai, a Jain of Hoshidrpur, are reproduced as giving, as far as possible in the words of a Jain, an account of their representatives in the Punjab.
" The Jains ai'e so called as being the followers of the JinasJ, Arhata or Tirthankaras who were 24- in number, but they are also called Saraogis, a corrupt form of Sharawaka or 'disciple ' (sewak). Thoy are recruited from various groups of the Biinias, such as the Aggarwdl, Oswdl, Shrimdl and Khanderwal, the last three of wh')m are also called Bhabras — a corrupt form of Bhao-bhala (from hkao — motive and hhala — good) or 'those of good intent '. Their chief aim is to injure no living creature and to attain nirvana or peace. Among the Jains it is A strict rule that no flesh or intoxicant shall be touched.
As a reliofious community, the Jains are divided into two great sects, viz., the Swetambara and Digambara.
SwETAMBARA— The Swe'ambaras worship idds, vvhich are often adorned with gold and silver ornaments set with jewels, such as
*Frorn whom Pakhli in Hazara derives its name. He was a descendant of a Sultan Bahr^m.
I Raverty in his Trans, of the Taldqdt-i-Ndsiri II, pp. 1043-4.
j The word Jina is derived from the Sanskrit root Ji— to conquer, hence Jain meang * conqueror ',
The Sioetamharn Jains. 841
Mukta, Angia, etc. They have their eight sacred claya, viz., tho Paj asanas, beginning from tho 12th hadi to tbe 4th audi (both days inclusivej in Bl;d,'lon, tho 8th day being called Chhamachhri, the holiest day of tlio Jains. During tho-<e holy days, they spend much time in reading and listening to their scriptures, the Sufrag, and much money in performing certain ceremonies in their temples and in saving the lives of living creatures. Daring the^o days a fast is kept ; some fasting for one day, some for 2, 3, 4 and sf)mo for all the eight days."
Mr. Fagan writes that the Swetambaras believe that a woman can attain salvation [mnkti), while other Jains hold tliat she must 6rst be born again as a man. In Hissiir the principal caste which follows the Swetainbara doctrine is the Oswdl Bania.
The Swetambaras have ascetics who are thus initiated. A man who wislu'S to become an ascetic must first live for some time with an ascetic and become fully ncquainted with the austerities which he will have to undergo. On an auspicious day the Saraogis of the neighbour- hood are invited. The candidate is then fir^-t rubbed with batna* (batlcy flour, oil and turmeric), and then bathed. He is now dressed in handsome apparel, and, seated on an elephant, is carried in proces.-ion throuu;}! the hdzdr to a Jai.i temple or such other place as may have been made beforehand to res^^mble a Jain temple. There his head is shaved, and his tutor or giira, after performing certain religious rites, afivos him saffron clothes, tho ugha or rajoharna (a kind of brushmg stick), the munfi patti, (a piece of cloth placed before the lips when speaking or reading), patras (wooden utensils) and a stick. He accepts these thino;s joyfully and makes the five following vows {pancha mahahratas) of the Jain monk : —
1. 1 take the vow not to destroy life (ahinsa).
2. I take the vow not to lie {asatya).
3. 1 take the vow not to take that which is not given {asteya).
4. I take the vow to abstain from sexual intercourse [brahni'
chary a).
5. I take tho vow to renounce all interest in worldly things,
especially to call nothing my own {aparigraha).
Thus he becomes a monk and is often styled a samhegi sddhu, A Stldhu has to walk barefoot ; to use no conveyance when travelling, to take no food or drink after sunset; to abstain from touching a female ; to refuse to accept uncooked vegetables, and only to eat certain of them if cooked ; to use wooden utensils ; never to prepare his own meals, but, always to bei^ food of his followers -^nd others ; always to drink boiled water; never to give an opinion on any worldly matter ; and never to possess a farthing. In short, he has to break off all conuoction with the world and lead the life of a strict hermit.
The chief aim of the sddhu is to liberate himself from the bondage of karma and thus obtain salvation.
In Hissdr the priests of the Swetambaras are however called jati. * As if he were a bridegroom.
342 ^6 Dhundia Jains.
The sddhu^ is in reality aa ascetic of a different order to the jati and their practices vary in important points.
Both orders admit females, widows as well as unmarried women. The main rules of the two orders are noted below : —
Sddhm. J<iiis.
1. A sddhu must touch nothing feminine whether human or animal. If he do so in- advertently he must undergo certain rites of expiation and be re-initiated. Conversely, a sddhwi must touch nothing male.
2. The sddhus have no proselytizing zeal and admit no disciple who is not desirous of entering the order.
3. A sddhu. must not touch coin, nor anything of metal or made of a combination of metals. All their ordinary utensils are of wood,
4. The sddhus are itinerant monks, never halting at any place save to recover from fatigue, regain strength, or to preach to the people,
5. A sddhu must not use a razor or scis- sors and his hair therefore remains unshorn. The hair of the beard may however be broken, if it grow too long, but not more than twice a year,
0. A sddhu may not wear shoes or ride.
7, A sddhu may not travel by night.
1. The jatis have no such restrictions.
2. The jatis are active in making converts and sometimes buy children of destitute parents making them disciples {chelaa).
3. The jatis have no such rules.
4. The ?af»s live permanently in updsaraa and do not regard itineration as a religious duty.
5. The jatis have no such rule.
6. The jatis may do both.
7. This is permitted to a jati.
i. Among jatis the men and women have separate quarters (in the updsaras) .
8. Sddhus and sddhiuis travel together, lodge in the same house, and study together by night. I
The sddhus are admittedly superior in religious merit to the jatis, and if a jati meet a sddhu the former makes obeisance to the latter. A sddhu may however read the sutras with a learned jati. In Bfkaner the sddhus have three sects : — Dhundia, Samegi and Terapanthi.
Of the 84 sects or orders of the Jain priesthood or Samegi sddhus only four appear to be represented in Bah^walpur and these are the Kharatara, Tapa, Kanwala and Launka gachhas. There is an updsra or monastery of jati gurus or celibate priests of these orders at Mau jgarh, and pil- grimages are also made to the updsras at Bikdner, Rani, R4jgarh, Suj^ngarh, Choru, Bidaspur, Sard^r Shahr and Rajab Desar in Bika- ner Slate. Updsras are to be found at every locality where Oswdla live in any numbers.
Dbdndia. Alexander Kinlooh Forbes writes in his Hindu Annals of the ProvincB of Gujrdt in Western India, that " this sect did not arise, it is said , before Sanibat 1700 (A.D. 1664)^\ They neither use temples nor worship idols, they do not believe in all the Jain Scriptures, but only in 32 scriptures and of even these in the text only. They disapprove of commentaries, etc., and condemn the learning of Sanskrit grammar.
* Feminine jddftw;i, ; Jatiia also the feminine form.
The Digamhara Jains. 343
They too have eighfc sacred days, pajwsanas. The DImndia ascetic is a disgusting object, he wears a screen ol: cloth, munh-patti, tied over his mo'ith, his body aud clothes are filthy an 1 covernd with vermin. The Dhunlia is als ) called sudhmdrgi or thinakbdai. He is initiated hke a sambegi sddhu with some differences in certain rites. The Dhundiaa are divided into several sub-divisions such as Bdls-tola, Jiva Pauthi, Ajfva Panthi, Tera Panthf, etc.
These sub-divisions originated in this way :— The Lanka sub-division of the Swetambaras was split up into three gadiis or schools, viz., Nagari, Gujardti, and Uttar^dhi (northern). Under the influence of 22 gurus the Nagari became a large sect, distinct from the Swetambara and indeed from all the other Jains. It became known as the Bais- tola and eventually DhunHia. This schism occurred in 1909 Sambat. In 1817 Sarabat, however the Dhundias were in turn split up by the defection of the Terapanthi or "sect of the 13." It has had 5 (/urwa whose seat is R^jnagar in Bikdner.
The Biis-tola reverences the 32 Sutras of Mahd,vfr which form the Jain scriptures, but the Terapanthis have a scripture of their own consisting of 52 sZo/bas, They refuse to protect an animal from the attacks of another, but the Bdis-tola rise to even that height of regard for life. The Terapanthis are on the whole more advanced, if more heterodox, than the Bdls-tola.
DiqambAras. — The Digambaras worship naked idols and their monks are also naked. They also keep fasts and have eight sacred days, called athdi, which occur every fourth month — in Asdrha, Kdrtika and Phalgun of each year. They have besides ten sacred days (called the Das Lakshni), from Bh^don sudi 5th to 14th. Many of their tenets agree with those of the Swetambaras. They are divided into two divisions, Bis- Panthi and Tera-Panthi.
The Blspanthi reverence the 24 arhats, the Guru and the Shdstras, while the Terapanthi deny that there is any gurit save the Sh^stras themselves. "They clothe their idols, worship seated, burn lamps before them, but present no flowers or fresh fruit to them, holding it to be a sin to take away oven vegetable life, though they will eat vege- tables if any one will give them ready cut and prepared for cooking, while the Bispanthi worship standing before naked idols, and refuse to burn lamps before them."
According to Professor Wilson they both deny the supremacy of a guru and dispense with the ministrations of Brahmans, and according to the same authority the Bispauthis are the orthodox Digambaras, while the Terapanthis are dissenters. The Bispanthis arc the more orthodox, and they are divided into four sub-sects — Nandi, Sen, Singh, and Bir — caUed after tlie names of their Rishis. The Terapanthi appear to be far the more numerous of the two.
The Jains in His8d,r are thus described by Mr. P. J. Fagan : — ■
"The Jains appear to revere the gods of the Hindu pantheon, but reject the divine origin of the Vedas. Their supreme deity is Nirank^r, corresponding apparently with the Hindu N^rdin, but their
844 The Jain sects.
immediate objects of reverence and worship are the 24 arhats or saints who have obtained final union [mukti] with Nirankdr. They do not appear to reverence or feed the Brahmans, but they have sddhus or priests of their oryn, and their pun on meritorious conduct consists to a large extent in worshipping Nirankdr and in feeding the sddhus. They do not wear the jane o or sacred thread, they have a certain amount of reverence for the cow ; bathing is not considered any part of their worship, nor do they appear to reverence the Ling, the symbol of Siva. Their scriptures consist of the 32 Sutras written by Malid^vir, the last arhat. The leading principle of coudnct inculcated by their religion is abstention not alone from taking human life but from causing harm to any kind of living creature {jiv) ."
Mr. Fagan describes the Jains as " divided into two main sections Mandirpanthi (or Pujari) and Dhundia-panthi, the former being suc- cessors and representatives of the original Jains while the latter are a schismatic offshoot. The Mandirpanthis are again sub-divided into * Swetarabaras and Digambara"/ the ancient sects, of which the former are the ' white-clothed ' and the latter the * sky-clad ' or naked, though they also wear tawny clothes. " The Swetambaras/' to quote from the late Sir Denzil Ibbetson, are somewhat less strict in their observances than the Digambaras : their ascetics will feed after sunset^ are said to use wine, and will eat out of a dish and from the hands of any Hindu : whereas a Digarabara devotee must have his food placed in his hand by another of the faith. Various stories are current as to the origin of the two sects. One account relates how in the time of Chandra Gupta a famine fell upon the country of Ujain, and how a part of the Jains there consented to accept clothes, without which they were not allowed to enter into the city to beg for alms, while the other section emigrated southwards rather than abandon the nakedness which had till then been the common rule of the faith. But the older and better account is that of the 23rd and 24th arhats, Parasnd^th and Mahd,vir, who were probably real persons and the actual founders of the Jain religion : the former wore clothes, while the latter did not, and the disciples of each adopted the example of their leaders."
' The least punctilious of the Jains are sometimes known by the
r name of Mdrgi: they follow the path (mdrg) of the Jains in some
"•^ particulars, such as in their scrupulous regard for animal life, but
• ' / jri other respects revere Brahmans and follow the greater number
of Hindu prevalent practices. The word Mdrgi, however, is also
used as an euphemism for Bdm-margi — those who follow the left-hand
path.
The Bistory of the Jain Sects.
The Jains, as a body, have a remarkably complete historif^al and telia-ious literature which has been, or is being, thoro'jghly studied by German scholars. Unfortunately the results are hardly yet available in a form intelUgible to any but specialists. Further, the Digambara tenets, which are of great interest, are also contained in an extensive lit- erature, but as their pandits preserve the old-world hostility to printing, little has as yet been published regarding them.
![%e Jam pontiffs. dib
To make clear what follows it shonld be noted that the 42 semi-divine Jinas, whoso series ends with Mahdvira, Maliabir, {'the great hero'), were succeeded hyaline of human teachers, called setri5,aterm we in tiy translate by 'pontiff.' Of those the first was, according to one sect (that of the Kharatara gachha), Mahavira himself, and his first disciple was Gotama (Buddha), who did not however succeed liiiu, Sa<iharman becomiufr the second pontiff. The other sect, the Tapa gachha, regards Sudharman as tha 6rst pontiff. Both these sects trace, tliough with some differ- ences, the pontifical succession down to Uddhyotana, who founded the 84 gachhas'^ of the Jain ( ? caste) which still exist, and was 3dth in succession from Mahdvira.
After the time of Uddhyotana there are two distinct lines of pontiffs. One, reverenced by the Kharatara gachha, is a succession of pontiffs who all (with the exception of Abhayadeva who was a leper) bear the title of Jina.t I'he other, accepted by the Tapa gachhas, boars various titles, and was founded by Jagach Chandra, 44th in succession, accord- ing to the Tapa gachha records, from Sudharman. These two historical gachhas or sects of the Jains have apparently been "lost sight of in the maze of sects and orders into which the community has become divided in more recent times.
The origin of the Digambara and Swetambara sects is very obscure. According to one account the former sect was founded by Nataputta Nirgrantha (or Nigantha), who has been identified with Mahdbir himself. Indeed it has been held that Mahdbir only reformed an ancient order of naked ascetics. According to the Kharatara records the Digambaras arose in the time of the 18th pontiff, Chandra, whereas the Tapa gach>-ia account is that the name of the Nirgrantha sect was changed to Kotika gachha as early as the time of the 9th pontiff. It thus seems likely that the Digambaras represent an older phase of belief than even Jainism itself, but, however this may be, it ia certain that in the time of Bhadrabahu, the 27th in succession from Gotama, the Digambaras and Swetambaras had finally separated. The Digam- baras forthwith split up into various sects or rather orders under the following pontiffsj : —
|
Digambara Pontififs. |
Date of accession |
|
Bhadrabaliu II Guptigupta Maghanandia Jinacfiandra Kundakuuda |
Sambat 4 20 3G 40 49 |
The Digambara orders.
The successor of Guptigupta founded the great order of the Nandi Sangha, sakha, or school, which from its importance appears to have overshadowed the three minor orders founded by his other disciples
* These include the Khandewal, Agarwal, Srimal, Vanawal or Oswil ' <jots ' or gachhas according to Wilson; Religious Sect.i of the Hindtis, p. 345.
t Probably as re- incarnations of the Jinas or arhats. The Tapa gachhas by denying to their pontiffs that title may signify their rejection of the doctrine that they rc-incarnato the arhats.
t hid. Ant. XX (1891), p. 341 and XX, p. 570.
346
Later Jain sects.
and which is, ifc would seem, often regarded as co-extensive with the whole Digambara sect. These four orders were thus designated :^
Order.
Synonyms.
r
I— Nandi Sangha
II.— Sena Sangha
Parijata* Gachha. I Balatkara f Gana.
Pushkara Gachha. Surastha Gana. (Vrishabha Sangha).
f Chandra-Kapata III.— Simha Sangha < Gachha.
(. Kanura Gana.
IV.— Devva Sangha
C Piishtka Gachha. .Desi Gana.
Titles of Munis.
Nandin.J Kirtti Chandra, Bhushaua
Raja, Bhadra Vira, Soaa
Simha, Asrava Khumba, Sagara Dewa, Naga Datta. Langa
Founder.
^ Maghanandin : who
I obserV'-d the period of J- the rainy season under I a nandi tree (cedrela J toona),
. ■) Vrishabha : who observed . r it under a Jinaaena or J stnu tree.
. ) Simha : who observed it > in the cave of a lion.
iDowa : who observed it in the house of the courtezan Devadatta.
The Digambavas insist strongly on the essential unity in matters of doctrine and observance b'etween all four orders, who.^e members alone can consecrate images. Collectively these four orders appear to be known as the Saraswati gachha, though perhaps that term is in strict- ness only a synonym of the Nandi Sangha. So too they appear to be called Kundakuudanwaya, or ' the line of Kundaknnda,' their fifth pontiff. In some obscure way the three minor orders would seem to be subordinate to the chief order, the Nandi iSangha, as they all four owe allegiance, it appears, to the same pontiffs.
Later sects.
Subsequent to the rise of these four orders or sakhas, there arose four other sanghas, viz., the Mula, Kashtha, Mathura and Goppa Sangha. But Mula Sangha means literally 'the Original Communion/ and the term is also used of the whole Jain community and of the Digambaras before they spilt up into sects.
Still later ihere arose various panthis, such as the Visa-, Tera-, Gumana, and Pota-Panthis, i.e. those who worship a book fpustaka) in lieu of an image. And again it is said that, in Sambat 1709, Lavaji of the Lnmpaka sect,§ together with one Dharmadasa, a cotton- printer, founded the mouth-covering Dhundakas. These divided into 22 sections (presumably the Bais-tola), one of which was called Dhanaji. Dhana's disciple was Budhara, and the latter^s dit^ciple Raghundthji, whose disciple Bhishma founded the Ternpanthis or Mukhabandhas (mouth-coverers). Whether these sects are confined to the Digambaras or not it is impossible to say.
But even these do not exhaust the list of sects. The Kharatara gachha records enumerate ten gachhabhedas, the last of which was founded as late as Sambat 1700, but whether these still exist or not is not known. Indeed we do not know if they are sects or orders* or
* Parijata is the name of the celestialtree, and also of the coral tree (erythina indie ).
1 1 he ' powerful ' order.
X Strictly speaking then these titles are confined to the Nandi order.
llniian Antiquary, 1892, p. '/2.
Jain tenets. 347
merely theological schools. The Tapa gachhas also have various divi- sions, such as tho Vrihad- or Vada- (Vata-) gachha, so called beoause Uddyotana coneecratod Sarvedevasari, or according to some, 8 auris, uuder a large fig-tree [vata).
The Jain tenets.
The Jain Jinas, Tittliankaras or Arhantas wore 24 in number, each having his 8ef)arato chinha or cognizance and being (Hstinguished by the colour of his com])lexion. Images of one or more Arhantas figure in every Jain temple. Thus Risdhha-Ndtha or Adimitha has as his coo-niz- ance the elephant, Sambhava has the horse, Sumati the curlew, and Other Arhantas the lotus, the stvdstika (doubtless a sun-symbol), the moon, a crocodile, tl-o srivatf^a (like a four-leaved shamrock in sliape), a rhinoceros, a buffalo, a tortoise, or a boar. Parasva-Ndtha's cot^ni- zance was the hooded snake, (shesha-phani), and that of Mahdvira, the last of tlie Jinas, a lion. TheSH two latter, with Risabha-Ndtha, are the most widely worshipped, and next to them come Santi (the antelope), and Nemi (the blue warer-hly). To what primeval cults these jina8 may point one can hardly conjecture.
It is easy to point to the resemblances between Buddhism and Jaiiiism. Apart from mere religious phraseology, which tends to be the same in every religion, Buddha was often called Jiiia, ' the vic- torious': his death was the nirvana: both Buddhists and Jains also employ the sivastika or satya as a sacred symbol : the Buddhists also have or had a Digambara or order of naked ascetics. Further the Jains indicate South Bihar as tho scene of the life and labours of nearly all their Tirthankaras, as it was of Buddha's, and Mah;lvira is said to have died at Pawa, to which place also Buddha's death is assigned. The colossal statues of the Jains also resemble those of the Buddhists.*
The Jain ritual is exceedingly complicated, but it has few features of interest. Their places of pdgrimage are five m number, viz., Satrun- jaya, Parasnath, in Bihar, Mount Abu, Girnar, and Chandragiri in the Himalayas. The oldest Jain remains are probably at Girnar, a hill also sacred to Buddhists and Hindus. Tiieir holy seasons appear to be peculiar to themselves, but the observance of the rainy season as a sacred period of the year is also characteristic of Buddhism.t
It is not at all easy to say in what points the Jain doctrines diverge from ihoso of the Hindus, but apparently the chief differences are that tho Jains repudiate the Vedas, and disavow the authority of the Brahmane. In other words, they represenc an element of Hinduism which never submitted to, or at an early period revolted from, the quasi-social supremacy of the Brahman ca^te, and in this ti.ey have much in c. mmon with the Buddliists and Sikhs. They also resemble the laitei in ha\inga line of spiritual itacbers whom they reverence to the more or less complete exclu^ion of the Biahmans.
* Indian Afitiqvary, 1&73, pp. 14, 134, 354, lb. 1884, p. 191. t Indian Anticivary, XJ, lfc&2, p. 247, aJld IX, I8&0, p. 100,
848
The J aims as a caste.
The Jain sutras.
The Jains hold that their religious books or sidras were 84 in number. About 1,500 years ago the whole of India was visited by a famine which lasted for full 12 years, and during that period 30 sutras were lost, only 45 being preserved.
No Jain in Bahdwalpur will reveal the name of a siitra because, he says, he cannot accurately pronounce it, and mispronunciation of its name Avould bring upon him the wrath of the gods. This, however, is an excuse, and the truth is that an orthodox J^in is reluctant to tell an outsider the names of his sacred books. The sidras are believed to be written in Ma^dhi Bhdka (or Bhdsha), the lat>guage presumably of the Magadha empire. The Jains believe that Magdhi was spoken by the god Indra.
It is also a tenet of the Jain faith that 8,400,000 (84 lakhs) jiws or invisible and visible germs exist in the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms and in surg, narq, etc., according to the details given below : —
Number of jhos.
Where found.
Explanation.
7 IdJihs
7 „
7 ..
7 ..
10 „
U „
2 „
2 „
2 ,,
4 „
4 „
u „
4 ,.
Prithwi ke
Ap ke
Bao ke
TeiJ ke
Pril4k Banaspati
Sadharau Banaspati
Do Indriwale jiw Tin Indriwale jiiu Cho Indriwale jho
Devta
Narq ke
Manukh ke Pazindri or Pashii ke
In the outer crust of the earth. In water. In the air. In fire. In underground vegetation, e. g., carrots,
turnips, onions, etc. In vegetations above the surface of the
ground, e. g., shrubs, trees, etc. In animals having a body and mouth. In animals having a body and mouth and eyes. In animals having a body, mouth, nose and
eyes. i.e. In the snrg or paradise of the Jains In hell.
In one-legged and two-legged men. In quadrupeds.
Perhaps the above tenets anticipate the modern science of bacteriology. The Jain caste.
How far the Jains constitute a true caste it is not possible to say, for the community appears to be organized on two distinct but concurrent principles, one based on natural descent and so on caste, the other sectarian, i.e., on the beliefs of the different sub-sects wi>hin the sect. Hence arise cross-divisions which have yet to be elucidated. For ex- ample, the NandiSangha'^or order is also called theNandi Amnaya, but amnaya means simply kula or fHmily, so that Nandi Amnaya means the ' generations of Nandi.' Gachha (with which gana is said to be synony- mous) is used indifferently for the religious sects or orders, and for the natural groups within the caste, there being 84 gachhas or gois, i. e. families or races, of the Jains. Whether these are in any way con- nected with the spiritual gachhas or not cannot be deBnitely stated.
«This was a matam or mat, (monastery), founded by the Lekhaka Lunka, in Sambat 1508, and from this mat the Veshadharas took their rise.
Jairdmi — Jnlchar. 340
Ifc is curious, if Mr, Pagan's classification bo correct, ihaL lIio Swetambara and Dhnndia isccts intermarry, at least in Bahawalpur (where apparently the Din-atnbara do not intermarry with the other two sects). The Jain teachititr stroiigly reprohates polygamy and in con«equence monogamy is piactised by the 13h{lbra.s generally, e. g., in Siiilkot, wliile in Ferozepur they disallow polygamy under pain of e.s elusion from the caste. On the other hand, Jainism has little effect on social ('bservar.ces for at weddings in the latter District the .fain Bd,nia (Aggarw^il) bri(lei.'ri'om mounts a she-donkey, after putting a red cloth on her and feeding her with gram. Ho then mounts a mare, according to the usual Hindu custom. The donkey-ride is a form of Sitla worship.
Jaieami, ' followers of one JairuTu,' a sect whose founder was also known as Bab^ Kurewala or Bhangewi'ila, which would point to alow origin.
Jaisak, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Jaiswaka, a Purbia caste. In the United Provinces a Jaiswdrd, section is found in many castes, such as the Cham^r, DL^inak, Kaldl, Kurmi, Teli, Bdnia and Rdjput. The name is supposed to be derived from the town of Jais in Oudh. The Jaiswara of tlie Punjab cantonments is probably a Chamdr, and many of them are grooms or grass-cutters, though a few take service as bearers.
Jaj, (1) a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery : (2) a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Ajuritsar.
Jajah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jajak, the term for a Hindu nai in the Rawalpindi Division, and the Deraj^t,
according to Sir Denzil Ibbetson. But in Mult/ini the word is said to mean ' priest' and to be the same as .Iachak, and in Derd Gh.izi Kh<1n the Jajik is a sewe^ of shrouds. The Jdjik is certainly distinct from the JhInga.
Ja.ti, a tribe now ranking as Path^n, and claiming descent from Khugidni, son of Kakai, but perhaps of Awd,n stock. The Durrftni Afglidns, however, admit that the Khugidni are akin to them. The Jdji lie west of the Turis on the western border of Kurram, holding the Irid,b valley west of the Pai war pass. One of their sections, the Uji Khel, holds Maiddn, a large village in the valley of that name, and another section is the Shumu Khel. The Jajis are now at bitter feud with the Turis.
Jajjah (and) Jatfiol, a tribe of Jnts, found in Sialkot. They claim Solar Rdjput origin ami say that their ancestor, Jdm, migrated from Mult«4n. His two sons Jdj and Jathol founded villages in the Pasrur tah.-sil of Sid,lkot. Their rju'ras/* are Posla, their Brahmans Badhar and their ndis Khokhar by got. According to the Customary Law of Sidlkof the Jajjah is distinct from the Jathaul.
Jajohan, a Jilt or Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Jakhar. — A tribe of Deswdli Jdts, claiming Rdjput (Chauhdn or Udhf ) descent. Jdku, their epouyra, migrated from Bikaner to Jhajjnr in Rohtak. A Rdj4 of Dwirk^ had a bow which J^ku failed to bend, in spite of
S50 Jakhar — Jalap.
tbe promised reward. In sbamo lie left his native land and settled in Bikdner. The legend clearly points to the loss of military status by the Jdkhars. Of the same stock are the Sdngwd>n, Pirn, and Kddid,n Jilts. The Jiikhar are almost confined to Gurgdon and the adjoining Jhajjar tahsil of Hohtak. They also own a lar^e village in H^nsi.
Jakhar, a Muhannnadan Jd^ or Rdjput clan (agricultural) 'found ia Montgomery, where they appear also as a clan of the Bhatti E-^jputs.
Jakho, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jalabke, a sept of Kharrals, which like the Piroke is of supposed Chuhr^ descent. Both are hence called Cliuhrere. The legend goes that Sd,ndal the famous Chuhrd. dacoit who gave hia name to the Sandal B4r, demanded a Kharral bride as his fee for allowing them to graze in that tract. But the Kharrals blew up Sdndal and his folio wera and took the Chuhril women as their booty.
JalaiR, ' a well-known Mughal tribe/ according to Raverty. Not apparently represented among the modern Mughals in the Punjab.
Jalalani, a clan of the Bozdd,r Baloch.
Jalali, one of the regular Muhammadan orders, founded by Sayyid Jaldl- ud-d£n, a pupil of Bahdwal Haqq, the Solirwardi saint of Mult:^n, and a native of Bukhara whose shrine is at Uch in Bahawalpur. This teacher was himself a strict follower of the Law, but his followers, who call thenifcelves JaMlis, are in many ways backsliders. They pay little attention to prayer. A candidate for admission to the order shaves completely his head, face, and body, burns his clothes and is branded on his right shoulder.
Jalap, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur and in Jhelum. In the latter District they were classed by Thomson with tlie LiUas and Phaphras as a " semi-Jat tribe," while Brandreth referred to them as being, like the Khokhars, a "gwasi-Rd,jput tribe," who helped to oust theJanjuas from the Pind Dadan Kh^n plain- They are the predominant tribe in the " Jdlap ildqii," the rich well tract between the river and the hills east of Pind Dadan Klidn, and in position and influence are one of the principal tribes of that tahsil, though their numbers at e small and they actually own little more than 25 square miles of land : this is their only seat in Jhelum, and they are not known tj hold land in any other district, except to some small extent on the opposite side of the river.
They say that they were originally Khokhar Rajputs, who took the name of their eponym, Jdlap, who became a famous Pir, and was buiied at Rdmdidni in the tSh^hpur district, where they then dwelt, and where they still go to do reverence at his tomb : they moved to their present location in tlie time of Sidharan, who was several generations in descent from Jdlap, Another account states that in the time of the emperor Shd,h Jahan they were established on the banks of the Cheiiiib, when one of their chiefs was asked by ShAh Jah^n to give him a daughter in marriage, as other Rdjputs had done : the Jdlap agreed, but the brotherhood disapproved of his action, and when he came home to fetch his daughter, set upon him and killed him. Shdh Jahdn sent an army to punish them, and being driven from their homes they crossed the
7
-/ ^, r
^/^
/
H.fl
Jalaphe — Javimun. 8^^
Jhelum, and after many fights with the Janjuas established themselves where they aro now found. A third version, {^iven by the d'.4ractor8 of the tribe, is tliat in the time of tlio Janjua lUjils of Namiana, a fisher- man was casting his net in the river, which was then close nnder the hills, and drew out a box soiitainint; a smdll boy : the child was taken to the Rdja. who called him Jalap, because he was found in a net (jdl), and made over to him as his inheritance the lands along the i-iver: according to this account the Jalaps are really Machhis.
These fables throw little light on their real origin. 'I'neir nein-hboura do not admit their claim to bo considered Rajputs ; and in social standint^ they stand much belovv the triljes locally supposed to bo of hajimt dc> BCent, though on the other hand they rank considerably above the Jats. There is no striking difference between them and the burrouniiin"- tribes either in physique, appearance or manners : as agriculturists they are fair : of martial spirit they have shown but little in recent times, and very few of them are in the army, which may be as they say, because they mostly ha^'e large holdings, and can well afford to live at liome ; and it is certain that without fighting qualities they could not have est^'blif-hed and maintained themselves in the most"valuable tract in the District, against the Janjuas and others: there is no bar to their enlistment and there are some signs that tliey may in future betake themselves to military service more freely than in the past. Their custonis are those of the tract generally, but they maintain relations with Brahmans as parohits : and various common Hindu customs are observed by them at marriages. Their marriages are mr stly inter se ; but they take "iris from the Khi wa, Kallas andBharat, to whom they do not however give their daughters: in marriages with the Janjuas and Khokhars on the contrary they give daughters but do not receive them. Widow remar- riage is very rare amongst them.
Jalapke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery ; doubtless the same as the Jalabke.
Jali, a tribe of Jats, found in Jind. Kalu, their ja^/ienf, has a ma^/i at Lahaward in Pati^la. They offer him IJ man of sweet cakes {purds) at weddings, and these are taken by a Brahman.
Jallad^ fr. the Ar&h, jild, 'skin'; a flogger or executioner. It was applied to the Kanjars in Ambtlla who were employed as executioners at the Delhi court, and in the south-west Punjab is a common term for a sweeper (see Chijhra). Cf. the derivation oJ KurtanA; 'whipper.'
Jaloke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jalozai, a tribe of doubtful origin, affiliated to the Turi brfinch of the Khattak Pathdns.
Jalwanf, a small Pathan tribe lying, with the Harip^l, to the south of the Shirani.
Jam, a Sindhi title, meaning chief or headman. When borne by the head" men of a Punjab tribe it usually points to a Sindhi origin, i. e., to its migration from Sindh or the valley of the Indus. In former times Sindh denoted that river valley as far north as the modern Mianwalf.
Jammun, (1 ) a Riijput and (2) a Muharamadan Kamboh clan (both agricultural) found in Montgomery. Kamboh claa (agricultural) found in Amritsar,
d52
Jamogi — Jamwdl.
Jamogi, an al of tho Kanefcs wliicli derives its name from Jamog, a village in Dhami, and is one of the chief tribes in that State. (See Bathmanu.)
Jamea, a Jat tribe, of notably fine physique, found in Dera Ghdzi Khdn district. Probably aboriginal or immigrants from the eastward.
Jamun, a Muhammadan Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jamwal, a Hindu Rajput clan (auricnltural) found in Montgomery : and also in Siiilko^ where two accounts of their origin are current. According to their mirdsis they are of Solar Rdjput descent, and their ancestor Agnigar migrated from Ajmlhia to the Rechna Do^b. His son Jammu defeated one Ra]a Chanda Rihds and founded the town of Jammu, whence their name, Jamwal. One of the chiefs, however, by name Milhan Miiihas, took to agriculture and founded the Manhas tribe. The other account is that Bhara Datt, migrating from Ajudhia to Kashmir, returned and settled at the place where Mankot now stands. His descendant Jammu founded an independent state of that name, and fourth in descent from him reigned Jogrd,]^ circa 474 Sambat. From him descended the Deo dynasty of Sidlkot, whose pedigree ia thus given : —
RAja RIm Deo, 11th in descent from Jograj.
f
r
Narsingh Deo.
I Jodh Deo.
Sajji Deo. I
Rai Jaggu.
")
Sacsar Deo.
Jaismgh Deo.
r —
Mai Deo,
— )
Jhagar Deo.
I The Minhas.
r —
Pakhar Deo.
Hamir Deo.
r
Raja Khokhar Deo.
I
Jas Deo, founder
of Jasrota.
M4nak Deo, founder of Maukot.
I The Mankotias.
Kapur Deo.
f
Sindha, founder of Sanaa.
I
The Sunial Rajputs.
,1 Singram Deo,
I Dhruk Deo. )
r
'^
Rija Ranjit Deo. Balwant Deo. Mansa Deo. Snrafc Singh I I
Brij R4j Deo, Kas^r Singh,
killed at Kuwul by the Sikhs and tlie laat of the Deo dynasty.
r
Raja Gulab Singh,
founder of the ruling
house of Jammu
and Kashmir.
I
Raj4 Dhi^n
8ingh.
Raja Suchet Singhi
In Hoshidrpur the Rdjputa rank as a sept of the 1st grade.
y>
r/
^ y f I. i u.^^^L ti:C ^ 1^ J "^ a i t. :f Itn^
Ja n — Ja njn a, 353
Jan, a wild and lawless tribe dwelling in the southern part nf She Bilri Dod,b, and famous marauders: Pa ?;jia 6 i D{c(y.,\f. 475. Probably the same as tho Jun.
Jandani, a olan of the Khosa Balooh.
Jandapur, see Gandapur.
Jandi, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amriti?!ir.
Jandrake, a Kbarral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jandra, 'cotton-clad,' a term applied to the Hindus of the plai:is as opposed to those of the hills, e. g., the Gaddis, who wear wool. (Kitngra).
JandRAN, (1) an Arain, (2) a Muharamadan Jdt clan (both agricultural) found in Montgomery, aud (3) an agricultural clan found in Shilhpur.
Janer, a tribe of Jdts, found in Kapurthala, whither it migrated from tho east, beyond the Jumna,
Janoal, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritear.
Janqali, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Jangla, a Jdt clan (agricultural) settled in Multd,n from Jhang in Mughal times.
Janqli, a generic name for the nomads of the Sdndal Bar. The term is of recent origin : see Hithdri.
jANi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Janikhel, see under Utmdnzai.
Janil, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Janjua, a Rajput tribe found, though not in large nnmbers, throuoliont iho eastern Salt Ilangc, their head-quarters, in the south-west Punjab iucluding Bahdwalpur,* in Hoshii'irpur and Amritsar. The Janjua once held almost the whole of the Salt Range tract, but were gradually dispossessed by the Gakkhars in the north and by the Awilns in tlie west, and they now hold only the central and eastern parts of the Range as tribal territory, which is exactly what they held at tfie time of Bilbar's invasion. They still occupy a social posirion in this tract which is second only to that of tlie Gakkhars, and are always addressed as Rdjd,. Various origins have been ascribed to the Janjua.
According to Bdbar the hill of Jud was held by two tribes of common descent, the Jud and Janjiihah. The Janjuhah were old enemies of the Gakkhars.t Bdbar records that a headman among them receives tho title of Rdi (the same purely Hindu title was used by tho Khokbars and Gakkhars), while the younger brothers and sons of a Rai were styled Malik.
According to a modern account Raja Mai, Rather, had eix sons : Wiridl and Jodha, whoso descendants intermarry, their settlements being contiguous ; while those of the other four, Khakha, Tarnoli, Dabochar and Kdla, do not. Disputes between the brothers led to their dispersion and disintegration, so that tlie septs regard themselves as distinct tribes. Moreover many adopted various handicrafts, so that
• Where they are said to bo a clan of the Gakkliars.
t E. II. I. IV, pp. 232, 231-5. Nearly all traces of the Jud, as a tribo, Lave disappeared, but see under Jodb.
354
Tlie Janjua pedigrees,
Janj(ia gots are now found among the Telis, Loh^rs, Tarkhana and even Miisallis : and the Ghumnian, Ganjidl, Bliakridl, Nathi^l, Bdn^h, Basoya and other Jdts are of Janjua descent.
The four younger septs are each endogamous, and it ia considered discreditable to marry outside the sept. Widow remarriage is strictly prohibited. Their observances are the same as those of the Chibhs, The following pedigree conies from the mirdsi of the tribe :—
RAJA MAL.
f— Raja Wir.
I Achar.
I KirpAl.
I Chohar.
Daulat.
I
Descendants at Dalwal in Jhelum.
R4j4 Jodli.
I
Sanpal.
Bililwal.
I Amli Khan,
Khakha. Tarnoli.
I In Hazara,
Descendants Peshawar and found in the ildqn of Pakhli Kashmir. in Hazro.
Dabuchara.
I
Descendants
niunerous in
Hazara: some
also found in
Sialkot.
Pir K^la.
Descendants in
ildqa Kahro
in Rawalpindi.
Ki4s-iid-din.
I
Taman.
I
Budha Kh4n.
I
Aziz.
Sultan Saht.
Nur Ali.
I
Descendants in different N localities.
r
Snltin Bah at a.
1
At Badshahpnr in
Jhelum.
^
I . I
Sultan Alam. Sultan San^u. Sultan Ali.
Sultan Khair Descendants in
Muhammad. Jhelum..
( Sultin Taj a.
I
Descendants in
Makhyala and villages
near Jhelum.
Sultan Raja.
Dasondi.
Descendants in Khaul, Tahsil Kharian,
Nana Kh4n.
I Islam Kuli.
Chuhar.
Descendants at Rajur in Khariin tahsil,
Another pedigree* makes them descendants of Jaipal who opposed Mahmud of Ghazni at Nandana 900 years ago. B^bar certainly de- scribes them as rulers, from old times, of the Salt Range hills and of the tract between NiMb and Bhera. He also describes Malik Hast, Janjua, as hahim of the ih and nlnses in the neighbourhood of the Soh^n. As rulers the Jvid and Janjuha ruled according to fixed customs, not arbitrarily, realizing a slmh-nikM i2\ rupees) yearly on every head of cattle and seven shah-ruhhis on a marriage.t
* Jhelum Gazetteer. 1904, p. 93.
I SMh Rukh was a son of Timiar nnd succeeded to his father's empire in 140-l-0.'i, A. D. The fact that his coins were in use among the Janjua points either to their having been tributary to him or to the inclusion of the Salt Range in his dominions. The latter con- jclusjon is the more probable.
The Janjuas. 3b5
Mr. Thomsou'b account of the tribo in Jhelunij \\\uv\\ follo>\>, ib not contradicted on any material point by tlie prcssent day Janjuas : —
" Al suine uncertain perioil, then, some clans of Rahtor Rijputs, cmi^iating ficni Judlijmr. occupied the uplands of the Salt Ivauf;c. The leader of this nioveinenl accurdjug to the coninion account, was Raja Wal ; but this chieftain is a lilllc mythical, and any liirge action of doubtful origin is apt to be fatheied upon him. 'i'lio Rajputs lirsl se.'.ted themselves at Malot in the west Salt Range. This jdace, although picturesque, i& so inacccssjblo and unfruitful, that it must have been chosen for safety more than convenience. From here the Rajputs extended their supremacy over the uplands of Jhangar and Knhun and the plain country near Girjal<h and Darapur. In these regiouK Ihcy were rather .^etlk-is than con- querors. They not only ruled, but to a great extent occupied also. It sien.s very doubtful wiicther their real territories ever extended much further, but their trr.diiions certainlv point tu a former lordshij) over the western upland of VHuhar, and over much of the present tahsils of Tallagang and C'hakwal. If Babar's account be read \\\\\\ attention, it will be .seen that he represents the Janjiias as confined to the liilJs, and ruling over various subject tribes who cultivated the plains. This account serves to explain the utier extirpatirm that has befallen the Janjuas in the Vunhnr and elsewhere. If we conceive them as holding detached forts in the midst of a foreign jjopidation which giadually grew hostile, then this extirpation cin easily be understood. 'J his also serves, to explain how one or two villages of peasant Janjuas have escaped, while all the Chiefs and Rajas round about have perisht-d. The vague accounts of the people seem to point to some such history as this, and not to any great racial or tribal war.
The Janjcas were long the predominant race in the centre and west of the District. Raja Mai is said to have reigned in the days of Mahnnad of Ghazni, and his authority was pro- bably more or less recognised from Rawalpindi to the Jhelum. When Mahinud invaded India the Janjuas opposed him, were defeated, and fled to the jungles. Mahmud followid Iheiu up, and succeeded in capturing Ruja Jlal himself. The Raja was released on condi- tion that he and his tribe should embrace Isl^rn. When this conversion took place, the jaiiju, or caste-thread was broken, and the neophytes have been called Janjuas ever since.*
Raja Mai is said to have left five sons. Three of these settled in Rawalpindi or Ilaz^ra. Two, Wir and Jodh, remained in Jhelum. They speedily divided their possessions. "Wir took the west, and Jodh the eastern share. Choya Saidan Shah was the boundary between them. AVir's descendants are now represented by the Janjuas of Malot and the Kahihi iluqa. Their chief seat is at Dihval. Jodh's descendants have split into many branches. A general supremacy was long exercised by the Sultans of Jlakhiala in Jhangar. .But the chiefs of Kusak and B^ghJinwala soon became practically independent, as did also those of Liliir, Karangli, and Girjakh, whose descendants are now either eitinct or much decayed. The plain ildqa of Darapiir and Chakri seems to have broken oil from the main stock even earlier than the others. This passion for separatism is fatal to any large authority. The feuds to which it gave rise, joined with an endless Gakkhar war, and the establishment of new and strenuous races beyond the mountains brought the .lanjiia dominion to destruction. The Dhani country, called Maluki Dhan after the great Raja, and the forts in Tallagang and the Vunhir seem to have been all lost not long after the lime of Babar. But in the centre and cast Salt Range and round Darapur the Janjua supremacy remained imdisputed until the advent of the Sikhs. And the rich >SaIt Klines at Khewra and Makrach must have alwavs made this territory important. The Sikhs conquered the whole country piecemeal. Ranjit Singh himself besieged and captured Makhiala and Kusak, Most of the influential chiefs received jiigirs but were ousted from their old properties.
The Janj-uas are physically a well-looking race. Their hands and feet in particidar are often much smaller and more linely shaped than those of their neighbours. They largely engage in miliUiry service, where they prefer the cavalry to the infantry. They arc poor farmers, and bad men of business. They are careless of details, and ajit to be passionate when opposed. Too often they lix their hopes on impossible objects. As landlords they are not exacting with submiissive tenants. They are willing to sacrifice something to retain even the poor parodies of feudal respect which time has not destroyed. Their manners are
* The Janjuas themselves now reject this t-tory, which is not in itself very plausible : thev say the name of the tribe is derived from that of one of their forefathirs. Janjuha. who in xtio<-i of the genealogies comes eight or nine generations before Raja iial. it is moreover improbable that the general conversion of the Janjiias took place 900 years ago ; it is likely enough that Mahrai'id made converts, and that these reverted as soon as his back was turned: but (he Junjua village pedigree tables nearly all agree in iutrcducing Muhaniniadan names only about 15 generations back, A\hich woidd jjoint to their general conveision about the middle of the 15th century. Cracroft however noted that the Janjuas in Kawalpindi etill continued to feast Brahmans, etc., at weddings.
356 Janjukan-^Jaiia.
often good. They have a largo share of vanity which is generally rather amusing than oflensive. Tlioy arc at the same time self-respecting, and not ■without a certain kind of pride, and are eminently a people with whom slight interludes of emotional government are likely to bo useful."
In Hosliiarpur tlie Janjuds are fairly numerous to the nortli-east of Dasiiya.''^" The Bilials of Badla are said to bo an al or sub-iHvision of the Janjua which takes its name from the village of Beata in ta'p'pa Kamiihi. Bah means a settlement, and the Janjua villages seem often to begin with Bah. The Janjuas in this District say they migrated from Hastinapura to Garh Makhuila in Rd,walpindi or Jhelum, and thence, to escape Muhammadan oppression to Badla under Rdja Sahj lYil, 8th in descent from K^jd Jodh. His son Pahar Singh held 132 vilhiges round Badla. They claim to be Kanas of the Dogars, and the head of the family is installed t with the common ceremony of the tiha under a banian tree at Barnd,r or Bah Ata, though Badla (Bar- or Boharwcila) also claims the honour, amidst the assembled Pogars of Mehr Bhatoh, a village near Badla, who present a horse and shawl, while the Bihdls pay a nazar of Re. 1 or Rs. 2 each. They are said to only give daughters to Dadwd,ls, who are 1st grade Rajputs, and to take them from Barangwdls, Laddus, and Ghorewrihd,s, who are in the 3rd grade.
The Badlial is another Janjua sept, deriving its name from Badla, the ancient Rajput i^^•a. Badla is now in ruins and its rand's family is extinct, but the sept has made one of its members their rand and presents nazardna, etc., to him as usual. Still, as he has not been installed or made a tilakdliari, his rdndsJiip does not count for much.
Janjdhan, a MiJiammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery,
Janjuxha, an Arain clan (agricultural) found, in Montgomery.
Janoha (doubtless Janjua).— A Rajput sept, an offshoot of the Bha^tia whose ancestor Johad (? Judh) came to Garh Makhila in Aktar^s reign and founded Niirpur Janoha in Kapurthala.
Jan SAN, a Muhammadan Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Janwas, a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
J A?., a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jara, an agricultural clan found m Sh^hpur,
Jarah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Jaria, a sept of Jcits found in Jind, In that state fire gots of Jats derive their names from as many parts of the beri tree, viz. :■—
(i) Rangi, from the rang, or bark of the heri tree used for dyeing, {ii) Jana, from jar, the root, I [iv) Jbari, or seedlings, and [iii] Beiia, from ber, the fruit, 1 {v) Khichar, or bud.
These five gots may however intermarry and are, collectively, called Jaria, which is also said to be derived from /om and to mean ' twin.'
* The Pahri of Kuhi is a branch of the Janjiias which has taken to l-areica and so lost status, so that Janjuas and clans of equal or higher grade do not intermarry with them.
t The formalities at the accession of a new fcjultan of Makhiala are somewhat similar; 7, 9, 11 or 13 days after his predecessor's death the principal men of the tract are feasted ; in the afternoon they assemble at a rock behind the Sultin's house and the family Brahman puts the tika on his forehead. The Sultan then appoints a %mxir and four diwdns.
'/
/u, ^ t' 4, *. ff/yu^
/
/ /
■ /^ ^^■
7'
:./^<^
7 x; '
/^, /f. ui/;^^^/,/. ■il^y y^''^'
Jaridl — Jdf. 357
Jaeial, a clan of Hindu Rdjpuls found in Hoshij^qiur, in greatest numbers in the north-east of Dasuya laLsil. AUo a clan of agricultiii-il l^ralmians in the Kdjgiri tahika of Haniirpur tahsil in Kungra. Tliey rank in the 2ud grade in both castes.
Jaroi.a, (1] an agricultural clan found in Shahpur, (2) a J^^ clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
jAPvKAn, a surgeon and dentist who is almost always a ncii.
Jaesodh, Balochi : a washerman, iv.jar clothes, ^hodhagh to wash,
Jarwar, a clan of the Khosa Baloch.
Jasgam, a clan of Muhammadan Rajputs, found in the Mm-rto lulls. Liko the Dhdnds and Khatrils they claim descent from Manaf, an ancestor of the Proi)liet, and got possession of the tract they now occujty under Gakkhar rule, when one Zuhair, a descendant of the Prophet, came from Arabia and settled near Kahuta.
Jasial, a clan of Hindu Rcijpufcs, of Saldmia status, found in Hoshiiirpur.
Jaspal, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Jaska, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Jaseotia, a Rftjput clan, an offshoot of the Jamwal. It derives its name from Jasrota and is of Jaikaria status.
Jaswara, see Jaiswitra.
Jastab, a Jilt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jaswal, an offshoot of the Katocli, the great Rajput clan which gave rulers to the kingdom of Trigarta. It derives its name from (or |)ossibly "ives its name to) the Jaswan Dun of Hoshiarpur, and at its original seat, Bhir Jaswdn, are remains of buildings, wells and fountains which attest ita former power. It still ranks high, being of Jaikaria status. In 1596 the Jasuwdlas were described as ' Zamindars with an army ' and gave some trouble to the imperial authorities.^
Jat, fern. Jatni, dim. Jate^a, fern, -i, the child of a Jdt. The form Jdt is used in the South-East Punjab. In the Central Punjab Jatt ftm. Jatti, is usual. Another dim. Jatiinganl, a Jatt's child, is used conteinptuously. In the south-west of the Province the Multaui and Balochi term for a Jat is Jagdal, and Jat (with the soft t) is used to denote a camel-driver, as in Upper Sindli, where jat now means a rearer of camels or a shepherd, in opposition to a hnsbandman.
The Jdfs in History.
Fragmentary notices of the Jdfs occur in the Muhammadan historian? of India, as will be seen from the fallowing excerpts from Elliot's History of India.
Ibn Khurdildba, writing ante 912 A. D., gives the distance from the frontier of Kirmiln to Mansura as 80 />ar«6a?/^.y, and adds :— " This route fat'Ses through the country of the Zats (Jats) who keep watch over it." E. H. L, I, p. 14,
♦ Elliot's Hist, of India, VI, p. 120.
368 The Jdts in history.
Ac-cordiog to the author of the Miijiiial-ut-Tawdrikh^ the Jatst and Mods were reputed desceudauts of Ham. They both dwelt in SindJ and on (the banks of) the Bahar river, and the Jata were sub)eet to tlie Meds wliose oppression drove them across the I'ahan river. The Jats were, however, accustomed to the use of boats and were thus able to cross the river and raid the Meds, who were owners of sheep. Eventually the Jats reduced the Med power and ravaged their country. A J at chief, however, induced both tribes to lay aside their differences and send a deputation of chiefs to wait on King Dajushan (Dur- yodhaua), son of Dahrdt (Dhritarashtra), and beg him to nomin- ate a king, whom both tribes would obey. Accordingly the emperor Dajushan appointed Dassal (Duhsala), his sister, and wife oi" the powerful king Jandrat (Jayadratha), to rule over the Jats and Mods'. As the country possessed no Brahmans, she wrote to her bixither for aid, and he sent her 30,000 from H.industd,n. Her capital was Askaland. A small portion of the country she made over to the Jats under their chief, Judrat.§
Chach, the Brahman usurper|| of Sind, humiliated the Jats and Lohanas. He compelled them to agree to carry only sham swords : to wear no under-garments of shawl, velvet or silk, and only silken outer- garment 8, provided they were red or black in colour: to put no saddles on their horses : to keep their heads and feet uncovered : to take their dogs with them when they went out: to furnish guides and spies and carry firewood for the royal kitchen.^ Of the Loh^na, ^. e. Lakha and Samma, who were apparently Jats, it is said that the same rules were applied to them and that they knew no distinction of great and small. *^ Muhammad bin Qdsim maintained these regulations, declaring that the Jats resembled the savages of Persia and the moun- tains. He also fixed their tribute.t+
The Bheti Thakurs and Jats of Ghazni, who had submitted and en- tered the Arab service, garrisoned Sagara and the island of Bait,t J ^^ the time of Muhammad bin Q4sim, c. 712 A. D.
The Jats, like the Baloch, the Sammas and the Sodhas, revolted against Umar,§§ but they were soon reduced to submission, ante 1300 A. D.
In 834 A. D., and again in 835 Ajff bin Isa was sent against the Jats, whose chief was Muhammad bin 'lJsmaii|| || and commander Samlu. Ajif defeated them in a seven months' campaign, and took 27,000 of them, including women and children with 12,000 fighting men to
» Written circa 1126 A. D.
t ' By the Arabs, ' tlie writer interpolates, ' the Hmdim jire callod Jats.'
X Sind = the valley of the Indus from the modern iJianwali down to the moutha of the river.
§ E. H. I., I, pp. 103-5.
II His usurpation dates from 631, A; D.
<; E. H. I., I, p. 151.
** lb. p. 187.
ttlb. p. 188.
it E. H. I., I, p. 167. this can hardly be the modern Ghazni. It can only U the Oarll Ghazni or Ghajni of modern Jat legend, as it lay apparently on the Indus.
§§ Or Unnai- : E. H. I., I, pp. 220-1.
ililE. H. I., II,p. 247.
The Jdffi in history. H59
Baghddxl, whence they were transported to the northern frontier and Boon perished, exterminated in a Byzantine raid. The seats of these •Tats lay on the roads of Hajar, which they had seized.
Amran, the Barmecide governor of the Indian frontier, marched to Kikiln"^' against tlie Jats wliom ho dofeatod and subjugated. There he founded Al-Baiza, the ' white city ', wliioh he garrisoned, and thonco proceeded to Mnltan and Kandiihil. The latter city stood on a hill and was hold hy Muliammad, son of Khalil, whom Amriln slew. Elo then made war on the Mods, but sunnnonod the Jats to Alrur, where lie sealed their hands, took fioia them the Jizya or poll-tax and ordered that every man of them should biincr wjtli him a dog when he waited nn him. He then again att^acked the Meds, liaving with him the chief men of the Jats.t Amr.in was appointed in 836 A. D. to be governor of Sindh.
The Tuhfat-n'l-Kiram appears to assign to the Jats and Bilochcs the same descent, from Mnhamraad, son of Hd,run, governor of Makran, who was himself descended from the Amir Hamza, an Arab^ by a fairy, t
The Jjits of Jud, which we must take to mean the Salt Range, were, according to the later Muhammadan historians, the object of Mahmud's 17th and last expedition into India in 1026 A. D. It is however hardly possible that Mahmud conducted a naval campaign in or near the Salt Hange, and the expedition probably never took place. It is moreover exceedingly donbtfnl whether the Salt Range was then occupied by Jats at all.§
Jats, under Tilak, hunted down Ahmad, the rebel governor of Mult:4n, in 1034 A. D., until he perished on the Mihran of Sind. For this they received 100,000 dirhamsnsH reward. The Jats were still Hindus.ll
After the defeat of Rai Pithaura in 1192, and the capture of Delhi by Muhammad of Ghor, Jatwan raised the standard of national resistance to Muliammadan aggression at Hansi, but was defeated on the borders of the Bagar by Qutb-ud-din Ibak who then took Hjlnsi. It is apparently not certain that Jatwan was a Jat loader. Firishta says Jatwan was a dependent of the Rdi of Nahrwald in Guzerat.U
In November 1398 Timur marched through the jungle fi'om Ahruni in Karndl to Tohana, throjigh a tract wliich he found inhabited by Jats, Musulnians only in name, and without equals in theft and high- way robbery: they plundered caravans on the road and were a terror to Mnsulmdns and travellers. On Timiir's approach the Jats had abandoned the villnge (Tohana) and tied to their sugarcane fields, valleys, and jungles, but Timur pursued them, apparently after
* Or Kaikan, ' which was in the occupation of the Jats ': E. II. I., I, p. 449.
!E. H. I., I, p. 128 : rf. App. pp. 449-50 E. II. I.. I, p. 330. E H. I., II, p. 477 II E.H. I., II, p. 133 JffT. N.,pp. 51G-7. '
360 The Jdts in history.
n contest in wliich the Jats had held their own, and put 2,000 of the demon-like Jats to the sword.^
About 1530 the Sultitu Muhammad ibn Tughliq had to suppress the Binihas, ]\landahars, Jats, Bhat(ti)s, and Manhis (Minas), who had formed mandals round Sundm and Sdmdaa, withheld tribute and plundered the roads.t
"In the country between Nilab and Bhera, " wrote B^bar, "but distinct from the tribes of Jud and Janjuhah, and adjacent to the Kashnifr hills are the Jats, Gujars, and many others of similar tribes, who build villages, and settle on every hillock and iu every valley. Their hdhivi was of the Gakkhar race, and their government resembled that of the Jud and Janjuhah.' 'J
" Every time," adds Babar, ''that I have entered Hindustan, the Jats and Gujars have regularly poured down in prodigious numbers from their hills and wilds, in order to carry off oxen and buffaloes." They had committed great depredations, and their districts now yielded little revenue. After the ^est of the country had been subdued these tribes began their old practices again, and plundered the Turki parrison on its way from Sidlkot to Babar's camp. B^bar had two or three of the offenders cut in pieces.§ Like the Bhuki^l and other tribes the Jats were dependents of the Gakkhars.|l Fath Kli^n, Jat of Kot Kapura^ devastated the whole Lakhi Jangal and kept the high roads from Lahore to Delhi in a ferment in Sher Shah's time.
The Tdrikh-i'Tdhiri describes the tribes of the Baloch and Nahmrui (? Brahui), of the Jokiya*"^ and Jat, as settled on the hills adjoining the Lakki mountain, which extend to Kich and Makran^tt in the time of Akbar. The Muntahhab-u'l-Luhdh describes the Sikhs as principally Jats and Khatris.Jt
The Jdts of the south-east Punjab formed politically a part of the Bhartpur principality during the decay of the Mughal empire of Delhi. Occasionally a single village would plunder an imperial baggage-train, §§ bub the tribes, as a whole, looked to Bhartpur as their capital. The Nawd,b Safdar Jang employed Suraj Mai, and he obtained the whole of the Mewd,t, up to the neighbourhood of Delhi, besides the province of Agra.
* E. H. I.. Ill, pp. 428-9, 492-3. + E, H. I., ni, p. 245. t E. e.L, IV, p. 234. § E. H. I., IV, p. 240.
II E. H. I., V, p. 278.
<[[ It is very doubtful if Kapura is right. The TdrlTch-i-Sher-Shdhi has " Fath Khan Jat had been in rebellion in Kayiila, and in the time of the Mughals had plundered the whole country as far as Panipat. E. H. I., IV, p. 398.
** Possibly a misprint for Johiya.
tt lb. p. 286.
ItE. II. I.. VII, pp. 413, 425.
§§ As when the Jats of Mitrol, between Kodal and Palwal, plundered the Amir-ul. Umara's baggage in 1738— the 19th year of Muhammad Shah. The Jat plunderers were popularly called the R4m-dal, a name which appears to connote the semi-religious character of the revolt against the Muhammadan domioation : E. H. I., VIII, pp. 55 and 137.
TJie Jdts, 361
The Jilts of Bharipnr. Bajja Singli of Sansani, between Dig and Kaniblior.
r I" ^
C luiraman. Badan Singh, founder of Bhartpur, Raja Kam
I died 1760.1 A. D.
Mohkam Singh. |
SuEAj Mal.
r . '——. T
Jawaiiir Singh, Uatan Singh. Nawal Singh. Bhawani SiaKh
died 17G8. | ^ '
Klieri Singh aliax Ranji't Singh ? sou of Siiraj Mal, died 180G.
The following account of the Juts in the Punjab is largely a re- production of the late Sir Densoil Ibbetsun^s account of them in tho Punjab Census Report, 1883.* He profaced his account by observinr^ that the Vine separating Jdt,--, Rajputs and certain other castes (tribes) is almost impossible of defiuitiun.t More especially is this true of the whole of the Western Punjab, where the term for one of 'gentle' birth is sahu. especially in the Salt Hange, and where the land-<jwuing and cultivating classes arc organised on a tribal basis, so that stress is always laid on a man's tribo or clan and not on his status or ' caste.' As WG go further east the people begin to use the caste terms, Rajput and Jdt, more freely, but in the vaguest possible way, so that a Muhammadau Jat tribe in tiujninwala or Gujiat will api)ear now as Rajput and a decudo later as Jat, or vice versa, or half the tribe will return itself as Hajput and tho other half as Jat, as caprice dictates. Along the Jammu border, and beyond it into Gurda^^pur, the Rdjputs and Jats are well defined, the former being coniined to tho hills, the latter to the plains, as Sir Luuis Dane has jiointed out,| so rigidly that one is almost tempted to suspect that there is something in the physical nature of the plains which militates against the formation of an aristocracy. Within tho hills the Ra.jpdts have their own social gradations. In the plains the Jats al^o are tending to devclope social distinctions which will be noticed later on. In the Central Punjab tho Jc4t is fairly well deBned as a caste, though he is not absolutely endogamous^ as marriages with wunn^n of inferior ca^ti^s may be deprecated but are not invahd. Kven in the eastern districts such marriages are tolerated, but in the true Jat. c;ountry which centres round Rohtak they are probably much rarer than in karmil, Ambala or tho central districts, liroadly speaking, the JAt is a iVIusulmciu in the Western Districts, a Sikh in the Centre, and a Hindu in the South-East. but there are many exceptiuiis to this rule. In the Sikh Districts it is a brother's duty, as well as his privilege, to espouse
* Reprinted as runjub ElhwAoiju.
t Jats and Rajputf, as ot:)sorvod by Sir Dcuzil Ibbelson, togclLev uonstitulo about three- 1 tenths of Hie total population of tiio Punjab, and include the great mass of tho dominant laud-owning tiil)es in tlic cis-lmlus purliun of the Province. Their political i^> even greater than their numerical importance ! while they atTord to the ethnologist inlinitc matter for inquiry and ccnsideration. Their customs are in tlie main Hindu, though in the Wcitern Plaiiifi and the Salt Range Tract tho restrictions upon intermarriage have, in many cases, come to be based upon considerations of social staudhig only. But even here the marriage ceremony and other social customs retain tho clear impress of Indian origin.
J Gmdds^ur Gazetteer.
362 .7«t origins.
liis deceased brutlior's wife. In the south-east the practice of widow remarriage differeutiates the Hindu Jat from the Rajput, but it is not universal even among the Jats, for in Gurgaon some J^t families disallow it and others which allow it do not permit it with the husband's relatiois.''^ In other words, as we go eastwards orthodox Brahmiiiical ideas come into play.
The origins of the Jdt. Perhaps no question connected with the ethnology of the Punjab peoples lias been so much discussed as the origin of the so-called Jdt ' race/ It is not intended here to reproduce any of the arguments adduced. They will be found in detail in the Archxological Survey Reimrts, II, pp. 51 to (31 ; in Tod's Rajasthdn, 1, pp. 52 to 75 and 96 to 101 (Madras Iveprint, 1^80} ; in Elpliinstone's History of India, pp. 250 to 253 ; and in Elliot's Eaces of the N.-W. P., I, pp. 130 to 137. Suffice it to say that both Sir Alexander Cunningham and Colonel Tod agreed in considering the Jats to be of Indo-Scythian stock. The formfr identified them with the Zantlii of Strabo and the Jatii of Pliny and Ptolemy; and held that they probably entered the Punjab from their home on the Oxus very sliortly after the Meds or Mands, who al?o were In do- Scythians, and Avho moved into the Punjab about a century before Christ, The Jats eeem to have first occupied the Indus valley as far down as Sindb, whither the Meds followed them about the beginning of the present era. But before the earliest Muhammadau invasion the J^ts had spread into the Punjab Proper, where they were firmly estabHshed in the beginnir.g of the 1 1th century. By the time of Bdbar the Jats of the Salt Range had been subdued by the Gakkhars, Awans, and Janjuas, while as early as the 7th century the Jdts and Meds of Sindh were ruled by a Brahman dynasty. Tod classed the Jats as one of the great Bdjput tribes, and extended his identification with the GetcC to both races ; but here Cunningham differed from him, holding the Rajputs to belong to the original Aryan stock, and the Jats to a later wave of immigrants from the north-west, probably of Scythian race.
'It may be' continued Sir Denzil IbbetsoUj 'that the original Rdjput and the original Jat entered India at different periods in its history, though to my mind the term Edjput is an occupational rather than an ethnological expression. But if they do originally represent two separate waves of immigration, it is at least exceedingly probable^ both from their almost identical physique and facial character and from the close commnnion which has always existed between them, that they belong to one and the same ethnic stock; while, whether this be so or not, it is almost certain that they have been for many centuries and still are so intermingled and so blended into one people, that it is practically impossible to distinguish them as separate wholes. It is indeed more than probable that the process of fusion has not ended here, and that the people who thus in the main resulted from the blending of the Jat and the Rajput, if these two ever were distinct, is by no means free from foreign elements. We have seen how the Pathan people have assimilated Sayyids, Turks and Moghals, and how
* Pb. Customary Law, II, (Gurgaou), p. 1324
Jdt origins. 803
ifc was sufficient for a Jat tribe to retain its political independence and orffanisation in order to be admitted into tlic Balocih nation ; we know bow a character for sanctity and social exclu.sivrttiess combined will in a few generations make a Quresh or a Sayjid; nnd it is almost certain that the joint Jat-Rajjiut stock contains not a few tribes of aboriginal descent, tliongh it is probably in the main Aryo-Scythian, it' Scythian be not Aryan. Tlic Man, Her, and Blinllar JAts are known as re?// or original Jats because they claim no Hajpnt ancestry, but are suppo!>ed to be descended from the hair (jat) ot the aboriginal god Siva ; the Jdts of the south-eastern districts divide themselves into two sections, Shivgotri or of the family of Siva,* and Kdsabgotri who claim connection with the Rajputs; and the names of the nncestor liar of the Shivgotris and of liis son ]3arbara, are the very words which the ancient Brahmans give ns as the marks of the Barbarian aborigine?. Many of the Jat tribes of the Punjab have customs which apparently point to non-Aryan origin, and a rich and almost virgin field for investigation is here open to the ethnologist.
In other words, the Shivgotri Jits of the south-east like the ^lan, Her and Bhullar, are unassuming tribes which do not lay claim to descent from a once dominant or ruling clan, whereas nearly all the other Jat clans arrogate to themselves Rdjput ancestry, meaning thereby that once upon a time they, or some representatives of the clan, were sovereign or semi-independent chieftains acknowledging no rdjd but their own head.t
* Wc may regard Shiva here as the earth-goil and the Shiv>^otri as autochthones. In ITiss4r, where the.v are few in numbers, they say that their forefather was created from tlie matted hair cf Shiva, who consequently was named Jat Budhra. Regarding thoir origin there is no historical account. But tradition tells that one of the clan, named Barh, became ^ , master of a large portion of Bikiiner ; where, at first he created a village which he called • . /^ after his name ; and thereafter went and resided at Jhansal, where his descendants live to this day, and which i'^d'yc belongs to them. lie had 12 sons: — Punii. Dhania, Chachnk, \,^_ ■ Bull, Burhura, Snhilhun, Chirin, Chandia, Khdk, Duinij, Lifer, and Kakkar. From the.se ^ '
sprang 12 sub-divisions. (Khok is also a Gil )/ii('u'/i.. Piniia was ancestor cf the Punnii). ^ The doscendants of the first were most in number, and had the largest possessions. Tliey > 0 owned the coimtry round Jhansal which was called the Punia ildq<i and which is mentioned ' ' ^^ ' in the Ain-i-Akbari. Marriages among members of this clan cannot, according to their ^
custom, be formed amongst themselves ; i. c, they must intermarry with the Kiisabgotri.H. /
The latter are in reality degenerate Rijputs, and call themselves Kasabgotris after Kitsab, son of Brahma. + Mr. II. Davidson in the following passage cle■^rly went too far : —
" It is not gonerally known that the .T^t race i?? entirely of Rajput origin. A Rajput marrying the widow cf a deceased brother loses caste as a Rajput; the ancestors of all the .fat families were thus Rujputs, who had taken to wife the widows of their deceased brethren, who had died without male heirs. The Phiilkisin family, if questioned as to their R4jput descent, being now to all intents and purposes Jiits. would state this to have been the manner of the transition. I myself have the fact from one of the most intelligent members of the family. The headmen of more than one Jiifc village of different </<>/.<, or clans, have likewise given me the same information, and I am convinced of its general truth. Tlie sub-division of (or) po's among the .Iiits is endless, and I have been at some pains to trace the circumstance, which constitutes the origin of each got. The result is entirely confirmatory of the above account of the general origin of the race. The Rnjput ancestor, who cea?ed to bo a Rajput, furnishes llie nnme of the <iof, not usually directly from his own name, but from some surname he had acquired, as the ' toothless ' ' the fair ' or from circumstance attending his family, or the l>irth of his sons A very powerful got is styled ' the hay-stack ' from the fact of his wife having been suddenlv confined near one; in some cases the name of the village he or his sens founded gave the name of the yoMvhich derives its ancestry frcim him. One got never intermarries within itself, one yof marrying with another jof. Much has been written on the peculiar meaning of the
Rajjmts a7id Jdts,
Are the Jdts and Rajputs distinct ?
' But ' continued Sir Denzil, whether Jdts and Rajputs were or were not originally distinct, and whatever aboriginal elements may have been affiliated to their society, I think that the two now form a common stock, the distinction between Jat and Riijput being social I rather than ethnic, I believe that those families of that common stock whom the tide of fortune has raised to political importance have become IMjjints almost by mere virtue of their rise : and that their descendants have retained tlie title and its privileges on the toudition, strictly enforced, of observing the rules by which the higher are distinguished froin the lower castes in the Hindu scale of precedence; of preserving their purity of blood by refusing to mai-ry with families of inferior social rank, of rigidly abstaining from widow maTriage, and of refraining from degrading occupations. Those w^ho transgressed these rules have fallen fiom their high position and ceased to be IMjputs ; while such families as, attaining a dominant position in their territory, began to affect social exclusiveuess and to observe the rules have become not only Raj^s, but also Rdjputs or " sons of Rdj^a." For the last seven centuries the process of elevation at least has been almost at a standstill. Under the Delhi emperors king-making was practically impossible. Under the Sikhs the Hfi,jput was over- shadowed by the J.4t, who resented his assumption of superiority and his refusal to join him on equal terms in the ranks of the Khi1,lsa, deliberately persecuted him wherever and whenever he had the power, and preferred his title of Jdt Sikh to that of the proudest Rajput. On the frontier the dominance of Pathdns and Baloches and the general prevalence of Muhammadan feelings and ideas placed recent Indian origin at a discount, and led the leading families who belonged to neither of these two races to claim connection, not with the Kshatriyas of the Sanskrit classes, but with the Mughal conquerors of India or the Qureshi cousins of the Prophet; insomuch that even admittedly Ra]put tribes of famous ancestry, such as the Khokhar have begun to follow the example. But in the hills, where Rajput dynasties with genealogies perhaps more ancient and unbroken than can be shown by any other royal families in the world retained their independence till yesterday, and where many of them still enjoy as great social authority as ever, the twin processes of degradation from and elevation to Rd-jput rank are still to be seen in operation. The Rdja is there the fountain not only of honour but also of caste, which is the same thing in India.' And Sir James Lyall wrote : —
'_' Till lately the limits of castes do not seem to have been so immutably fixed in the hills as in the plains. The Raja was the fountain of honour, and could do much as he liked. I have heard old men quote instances within their memory in which a Raj 4 promoted a
word zami'nddr, in different parts of India. Here the use of the word is very peculiar. Those, generally, who derive their livelihood directly from the soil, are not called saminddrs but l-asdns.^ On approaching a village, and asking what people live in it, if any other raco but Jats live in it the name of the race will be given in reply. Rut if the population are .Tats, the reply will be ' zaminddrs live tiiere ' ~ zaminddr log haxte ; in fact the word zaminddv 13 here only applied to the .Tats." This last remark, Sir Donald McLeod noted, applied equally almost throughout the Punjab, even where the Jats have been converted to IsUm. Ludhiana Sett. Rep., 1859, pp. 28-29. The ' hay- stack' ^of is said to be the Garewal.
Jdts as degraded Rajputs, 365
Ghirth to be a Rslthi, and a Thiitur to be a R&jput, for service done or money given ; and at the present day the power of admitting back into caste fellowship persons put imder a han for some grave act of defilement, is a source of income to the )n<jlrddi- R'ljas. I believe that Mr. Campbell, afterwards LieulcnantCJovernor of Hinigal, has asserted that there is no such thing as a distinct Rajpul slock ; that in forinor liinos before caste distinctions ha.I become crystallized, any Iribe or family wiiosc unoostor or head rose to royal rank l)t'carao in time Rajput. This is coitaiuly tho conclusion to wliicli many facts point with regard lo the Rijput families of this district, r/r., Kotlehr and Bangahal. are said to be Brahmans by original slock. Mr. Barnes says tliat in Kangra the sou of a Rajput by a low-caste woman takes place as a lUthi : in Saraj and other places in the interior of the hills I liavn met families calling themselves R;ji)uts, and growing into general acceptance as Rajputs, in their own country at least, wlioso only claim to the title was that their grandfather was the offspring of a Kauctni by a foreign Brahm.-u. On the border line in the Himalayas, hctwcen Tibet and India proper, any one can observe caste growing before his eyes ; the ucblo is changing into a Riij put, the priest into a Brahman, the peasant into a Jat, and no on down to the bottom of the .scale. The same process was, I believe, more or less in force iu Kangra Proper down to a period not very remote from to-day.'
A very similar process has been going on among the Jcits. The Golia J{\U were certainly by origin Brahmans and the Langrijll were Chilran.s. And in the ])lain« countless traditions say that the son of a Rftjpiit by a Jat, (xiijar, llor or other wife of low degree boranio Jilts. Hnt in tlie plains, as in the hills, a llajpnt can lose his status and .sink in the social scale by allowing the practis(^ of kareva, and niunerons Jat traditions point to the adoption of tliat custom as having degraded a blne-blooded Rajput family to J;it or yeoman status. As Sir Denzil Ibbetson wrote : —
* The reverse process of degradation from Rajput to lower rank is too common to require proof of its oxi.stence, which will be fonnd if needed together with further instances of elevation, in the section which treats of the Rajputs and kindred castes. In the eastern di.sfcricts, where Biahmanisni is stronger than in any other part of the Punjab, and Delhi too near to allow of families rising to political independence, it; is ]irobable that no elevation to tlie rank of Raiput has taken place within recent time.^. But many R^ijput families have ceased to be Rajputs. Setting aside the general tradition of the Punjab Jats to the effect tiiat their ancestors were Hajputs who married Jats or began to practise widow-marriage, we have the Gaurwa Rajputs of Gurgaon and Delhi, who have indeed retained the title of Rtii])ut because the caste feeling is too strong in those parts a»id the change in their customs too recent for it yet to have died out, but who have, for all pui-poses of equality, coinmunion, or intermarriage, ceased to be Rajputs since they took to the practice of kareica ; we have the Sahnsars of Hoshiilrpur who were Ri1,jputs within the last two or three generations, but have ceased to be so l)ecause they gi-ow vegetables like the Arain ; in Karnal we have Hajputs who within the living generation have ceased to be R-'ijputs and become Shaikhs, because poverty and loss of land forced them to weaving as an occupation ; while the Delhi Chauhan, within the ,«hadow of the city where their anoestors once ruled and lei the Indian armies in their last struggle with the Musalm^n invaders, have lost their caste by yielding to the temptations of karewa. In the Sikh tract, as t have said, the Jdt is content to be a Jat, and has never since the rise of Sikh power wished to be any tiling else. In the Western Plains the freedom of marriage allowed by Islam has superseded caste i-estrictions, and social rank is measured by tlie tribe rather than by the larger unit of caste. But even there, families who were a few
366 The Jdfs fitatuf}.
generations ago reputed Jdts have now risen by social exclusiveness to be recognised as R.^jputs^ and farailieg who were lately known as Riijpats havo sunk till they are now classed with Jats ; while the great rnlinsr tribes, the Sial, the Gondal, the Tiwdna are commonly spoken of as IJaipnts, and their smaller brethren as Jtits. The same tribe even is Rajput in ouo district and J;lt in another^ according to its position among the local tribes. In the Salt Range the dominant tribes, the Janjua, Manhris and the like, are lUjputs when ihey are not Mughals »v Arabs; while all asricultural tribes of Indian origin who cannot oatabliah tlicir title to Rajput rank are Jdts. Finally, on the frontier the Pathcin and Baloch have overshadowed Jat and Rajput alike; and Bhatti, Punw^ir, Tiinwar, all the proudest tribes of Rajputilna, are included in the name and have sunk to the level of Jd.t, for there can be no Rdjputs where there are no Rdjds or traditions of Rajds. I know that the vieAvs herein set forth will be held heretical and profane by many, and that they ought to be supported by a greater wealth of instance than I have produced in the following j^ages. Bat I have no time to marshal my facts ; I have indeed no time to record more than a small proportion of them ; and all I can now attempt is to state the conclusion (o which my enquiries have led me, and to hope to deal with the subject in more detail on some future occasion.'
These conclusions are confirmed by facts observed with regard to other so-called castes, such as the Gaddis, Gujars, Kanets, Meos, and others too numerous t^ mention. The term J^ may now connote a caste in the ordinary acceptance of the term, but whatever its deriva- tion may be, it came to signify, in contradistinction to R<4jput, a yeoman cultivator, usually owner of land, and in modern parlance J^t- zamindiir is the usual description of himself which a Jt4t will give. As Sir Deuzil Ibbetson said : —
The position of the Jdt in the Punjab. ' The Jiit is in every respect the most important of the Punjab peoples. In point of numbers he surpasses the Rd,jput, who comes next to him, in the proportion of nearly three to one. Politically he ruled the Punjab till the Kh^ilsa yielded to our arms. Ethnologically he is the peculiar and most prominent product of the plains of the five rivers. And from an economical and administrative point of view he is the husbandman, the peasant, the revenue-payer par excellence of the Province. His manners do not bear the impress of generations of wild freedom which marks the races of our f ontier mountains. But he is more honest, more industrious, more eturdy, and no less manly than they. Sturdy independence indeed and patient vigorous labour are his strono-est characteristics. The Jdt is of all the Punjab races the most impatient of tribal or communal control, and the one which asserts the freedom of the individual most stronijly. In tracts where, as in Rohtak, the Jdt tribes have the field to themselves, and are compelled, in default of rival castes as enemies, to fall back upon each other for somebody to quarrel with, the tribal ties are strong. But as a rule a Jdt is a man who does what seems right in his own eyes and sometimes what seems wrong also, and will not be said nay by any man. I do not mean however that he is turbulent : as a rule he is very far from being so. He is independent and he is self-willed; but he ig reasonable,
Jd^ characteristics. 867
peaceably inclined if left alone, and not difficult to njanage. Ho is usually content to cultivate his fields and pay his revenue m peace and ({uietness if people will let him do so; though when he does go w von «• he "takes to anything from gambling to murder, with perhaps a preference for stealing other peopVs wives and cattle." As usual the proverbial wisdom of the villages describes him very fairly, thou<>h perhaps somewhat too severely : " The soil, fodder, clothes, hemp, grass fibre, and silk, those six are best beaten ; and the seventh is thu Jat. " "A Jat, a Bhat, a caterpillar, and a widow woman j these four are best hungry. If they eat their fill they do harm." "The J&i, like a wound, is better when bound.'' In agriculture the J^t is pre- eminent. The market-gardening castes, the Aruin, the Mali, the Saini, are perhaps more skilful cultivators on a t-mall scale ; but they cannot rival tbe Jilt as landowuers and yeoman cultivators. The Jat calls himself zamlndur or "husbandman" as often as J^t, and his women and children alike work with him in the fields : " The Ja^'s baby has a plough handle for a plaything." " The Jiit stcod on his corn heap and said to the king's elephant-drivers — ' Will you sell those littlo donkeys ? " Socially, the Jcit occupies a position which is shared by the Kor, the Gujar, aud the Aliir, all four eating and smokijig together. He is of course far below the RjJjput, from tlie simple fact that he practises widow-marriage. The Jat fatlier is made to say, in the rhyming proverbs of the country side — ' Come my daughter and be married j if this husband dies there are plenty more.' But among the widow-marrying castes he stands first. The Bania with his sacred thread, his strict Hinduism, and his twice-born standing, looks down on the Jat as a Sudra. But the Jat looks down upon the Bania as a cowardly spiritless money-grubber, and society in general agrees with the Jat. The Khatri, who is far superior to the Bania iu manliness and vigour, probably takes precedence of the Jat. But among the races or tribes of purely Hindu origin, 1 think that the Jat stands next after the Brahman, the Rajput, and the Khatri.
There are, lio-wever, Jdts and Jilts. I shall here do nothing more than briefly indicate the broad distinctions. The Jdt of the Sikh tracts is of course the typical Jat of the Punjab, and he it is whom I have described above. The Jat of the south-easteiii districts differs little from him save iu religion ; though on the Bik^ner border the puny Biigri Jat, immigrant from his rainless ])rairies where he has been lield in bondage for centuries, and ignorant of cultivation save in its rudest form, contrasts strongly with the stalwart and independent husbandman of the Malwa. On the Jjower Indus the word Jt'it is applied generically to a congeries of tribe>», Jats i»roper, Rajputs, lower castes, and mongrels, wlio have no points in common save their Muhammadan religion, their agricultural occupation, and their subordinate position. In the great westein grazing grounds it i.s, as I have said, impossible to draw any sure line between Jat and Rcljput, the latter term being commonly applied to those tribes who havft attained political supremacy, w^hile the people whom they have subdued or driven by dispossession of their territory to live a semi- nomad life in the central steppes are more often classed as Jats; and the state of things in the Salt Range is very similar. Indeed tbe word Jat is the Punjabi term for a grazier or herdsman ; though Mr, i-
368 The Jdt elements.
E. O'Brien said tlubt in Jatki, Jat, theculHvator, is spelt with a hard and Jdt, the herdsman or camel grazier, with a sol't //. Thus iho word Jatin Rohtak or Amiitsar means a great deal; in MuzalFargarh or Baunu it means nothing at all, or rather perhaps it means a great deal more than any single word can afford to mean if it is to bo of any practical nse ; and the two classes respectively indicated by the term in these two parts of the Province must not be too readily confounded.'
27ie Jdt elements. The traditions of some of the more important Jat tribes as to their orio-in are summed up below, but it must be confessed that these traditions are not only hazy but often inconsistent and not infrequently contradicted by legends current among the same tribe in another locality.
Afghan origin is asserted by the Langah. Arab origin is claimed by the Tahim and Lilla. Brahman descent is alleged by the Golia and Lano'rial — who say they were ' Brahman Charans.' Jat descent is cidmitted by the Bhullar, Her, and Man ; by the Sipra (Gils by origin), the Bhangu, who say they came from Nepal, by the Wardich and \ apparently the Nol. Bdjpnt origin is vaguely alleged by the Bal, , (Jhhandbar Dhindisa (Saroha), Gliatwul (Saroha), Hijrd (Saroha), Mahal and Sumra.
Other Jat tribes have more specific claims to Rajput ancestry. I'hus thlar Rajput origin is claimed by the Aulakh,* Bains,t Janjua, Bhutta, Buttar, Chabil (Tiinwar), Deo, Dhotar, Ithvval, Kang, Lodika, Pun nun, Sahi,Sindhu aud Tarar ; Lunar Rajput by theDhillou (Saroha), Ghumman, Goraya (Saroha), Kahlou.
And in many cases the Jat tribe can point to the Rajput tribe from which it sprang. For example, Bliatti Rajput descent is claimed by th© Dhai iwal, Randhawa, Sara,t and Sidhu ; Chauhaa Rajput descent by the Ahlawat, Bajwa, Chatta, Chima, Dehia, Jakhar, Marral, Sargwan, and kSohal: Manhas Rajput blood by the Wirk : Punwar Rajput descent by the Kharral, Harral and Sarai : Raghobansi Rajput origiu by Gil : Tunwar, by the Dhankar, Rdthi and Sahrawat : aud Rutlior by the Dalai and Deswal.
Similarly, in Gujrat the Muliainmaclau Jiil tribes claim very diverse origiii.s. Thus Ji 1(1/ /lai origin is claimed by the Bliaddar, Malaua, ^larar ami Narwai, who claim to be Barlas ; aud by the Bahlam, Chaughatta, Phiplira, Mauder aud Babal, who claim to be Chaiighalta. Aa-un origin is claimed by the BhagAval, while the Hir claim to be descend- auts of Qutab-ud-Din, like the Aw;lns and Khokhard. QuraisJi descent is claimed by the Jam.
Khokhar Rajput descent is asserted by the Jali ; Puuwar Rajput ancestry is claimed by the Jakkhar and Sial; Sombansi descent and Rajput ancestry, i. c, a last status as Rajputs- are claimed by the Jaujua Jats, Chauh^n Jyts, Dhul, Suhial, Kalial, Goraya, Laugarbal, Maral, and Maugat; Janjua Rajpul origiu is claimed by the Bhakbel, Tatla, Dabb, Kaujial aud Ghummau; Gakkhar origiu is asserted by the Kotharmal; Bhalti Rajput origiu is claimed by the Bhatti, Dhariwal I'aroi, Tora, DhamiU. Dhali, Kaudhjivva, tiahotra, Soja, Surai, Kalw41, Kaher, kawar, Korantana, Guhlo Gudho, Gujral, Lidclar, Mehar, Mahota
* But OUG tradition makes them Lunar.
I Bains is ono of the c5(j royal families of Rajputs, but was believed by Tod tu be Suryabansi. J Also claim Lunar descent.
i
The Jdt localisation. 369
Multani, Nijjri, Ilunjar and Ilatian; Punnu (Surajbansi) origin is claimed by the Dudhrai Poti, Gil, Thuth'il, Mathi, Nat ; Raghbansi by the Rahang Chauhan ; Rajput origin is claimed by the Thanel, Gobi and Kaler; Tiir Rajput descent is claimed by the Takkhar ; Langah Rajputs gave birth to the Cbtch, and Manhas to the Raihsi, Katwar Lohdra, Mahr, ilair, Nangiil and Wirk ; Gondal Jat extraction is admitted by the Tola, Jaspal, Sandrana, and Ghug; Waraich by the Suggar; Dhariwal by the Sidh, and Ranjha by the Khamb, Qudgor.
Disti'ibution of the Jdts.
Beyond the Punjab, Jdts are chiefly found ia Sindh where they form the mass of the population; in Bikdner, Jaisalmer, and Mdrwar, where they probably equal in numbers all the Rajput races put together, and along the upper valleys of the Ganges and Jumna, from Bareli, Farrukhabiid, and Gwalior upwards. In the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province they are especially riumerous in the central Sikh districts and Srate?, in the south-eastern districts, and in the Derajdt. Under and among the hills and in the Ed.walpindi divisiou Rajputs take their place, while on the frontier, both upper aud lower, they are almost wholly confined to the cis-Indus tracts and the immediate Indus riveraiu on both sides of the stream. The Jdts of the Indus are probably still in the country which they have occupied ever since their first entry into India, though they have been driven back from the foot of the Sulaimdns on to the river by the advance of the Patlidn and the Baloch. The Jats of the Western Plains have almost without exception come up the river valleys from Sindh or Western Rdjputana. The Jdts of the western and central sub- montane have also in part come by the same route ; but some of them retain a traditional connection with Ghazni, which perhaps refers to the ancient Gajnipur, the site of the modern Rdwalpindi, while many of them trace their origin from the Jammu Hills.
The Jats of the central and eastern Punjab have also in many cases come up the Sutlej valley ; but many of them have moved from Bikdner straight into the Mdlwa, while the great central plains of the Mdlwa itself are probably the original home of many of the Jdt tribes of the Sikh tract. The Jdts of the south-eastern districts and the Jumna zone have for the most part worked up the Jumna valley from the direction of Bhartpur, with which some of them still retain a traditional connec* tion ; though some few have moved in eastwards from Bikdner and the Mdlwa. The Bhartpur Jdts are themselves said to be immigrants who left the banks of the Indus in the time of Aurangzeb. Whether the Jdts of the e:reat plains are really as late immigrants as they represent, or whether their story is merely founded upon a wish to sliow recent connection with the country of the Rdjputs, I cannot say. The whole question is one in which wo are still exceedingly ignorant, and which would riclily repay detailed investigation.
The Jdt migrations.
A noteworthy feature of the Jdt traditions is their insistence on the recent advent of nearly every Jdt tribe into the Punjab, or at least into its present seats. Probably the only tract in the Punjab in which the J;U has been well established Ircm a period anterior to the first Muh&minadan invasion is the Eohtak
370 • Jdt migrations.
territory. If tho history of tlie various tribes in Mult^m be investigated it will bo found that there is scarcely a single important tribe now found in the District which has not immigrated within the last «500 or 600 years. Tho whole population in Multdn has for many centuries been in a state of constant flux, and it is of very little use trying to discover who the original inhabitants were even in the pre-Muhammadan times The Khaks, Pdudas, Pahors and Sahus in Kabirw^la tahsil, the Dhudhis in Mailsi, and the Kharas, nortli of Multan, are reputed vaguely to have been converted to Isldm in the Multdn districi. during tho 13th century, but the traditions cannot be trusted. When the Ain-i- Ahhari was compiled the Sahus, Sandas, Marrals, Tahims, Ghallus, Channars, Joiyas, Utheras and Khichis were settled in or near their present seats, and tradition assigns many tribal immigrations to Akbar'a time.* The same might bo said with much truth of almost every Jd.t Bottlemont throughout the Punjab plains. If we except the Nol and Bhangu in Jhang, the Hinjra in Gujrdnwala and a few other clans, tradition almost always makes a Jat tribe a comparatively recent settler in the Punjab. In Dera Ismail Khan, where the term Jdt is applied to Sidls, A.wdns and a host of petty tribes of miscellaneous origin, the lower portion of the District was probably occupied by a few scattered tribes of pastoralJats before the J 5th century. Early in that century all tradition goes to show that an immigration of Siyars, China, Khokhars, etc., set in from Multan and Bahd,walpur. Passing up tho Indus these Jat tribes gradually occupied the country on the edge of the Midnwdli Thai and then crossed the Indus. East of that river the Jd,ts and Sayyids maintained a dominant position, in spite of the somewhat later Baloch immigration which was of the natme of a military occupation rather than a permanent colonisation, and the whole of the Kachi or riverain on the east bank of the Indus was divided in blocks among the Jd,ts, a strip of the Thai or steppe being attached to each block, l&t tribes settled also in the Thai itself, notably the Chinasi and Bhidwdl, the latter a good fighting tribe. The China tract stretched right across the Thai. The modern District of Dera Ismail Khfin was settled in much the same way by the Jd,ts, but the Baloch also occupied it as cultivating proprietors, leaving the actual occupation however to the Jd,ts. Early in the 19th century Sarwar Khdn of Tdnk located large numbers of Jats in the south-east of the present Tdnk tahsil and this settlement gave the tract its name of the Jd,t-d,tar.t Jats however appear to have been settled in the modern Nutkdni Baloch country prior to that period, and to have formed its original population.
The migrations of the Jats into Kapurthala also illustrate the history of the population of the Punjab. Thus from Amritsar came the Gil, Padah, Ojla, Dhol, Randhawa, Khera and Samrai ; from Hoshiirpur the Dhadwal ; from Sialkot came the Bajw4 or Bajwai, Gor^ya and Ghumman ; from Gurdaspur the Mahesh ; and from Lahore the AVirk, Sindhu and Bhullar ; from Gujranwala came the Dhotar, Baraich (Waraich), Panglai, Kaler and Johal, Sujan and Bat;;ah ; from the Malwa the Dhariwal ; and from Patiala the Chabil; from Delhi'came theHundal, Dhadah, Bhaun, Bal, Bhandal, Bisal and Bulai ; from Sirsa thi
• See Mr. E. D. Maclagan's interesting sketch of the tribal immigrations in the Multan Oatetteer, 1901-02, pp. 144-5.
f There is also a Jatatar in Gujrat— see p. 306 swpra. It appears to be identical with the Herat, which may derive its name from the Her Jats, though a local tradition derives ifc from Htrat in Afghanistan. It is curious that the Jats give their name to no other tracts.
Jdt cults. 371
Basrai and Daulal ; Avhilc from beyond the east of the Jumna came the Nijhar and Janer ; and from Sah^ranpur, the Dhillon : while the Baich say thoy camo from the Ganges. The Faddah have a tradition that they came from Ghazni.
The cults of the Jdt tribes.
The Jd,ts of the Punjab cannot be said to have any distinctive tribal cults. When Muhammadans or Sikhs tlicy follow the teachings of their creeds Avith varying degrees of strictness. When Hindus they are very often Sultanis or followers of the popular and wide-spread cult of Sakhi Sarwar Sultdn. In the south-east many aro Bishnois. The Shib-gotri Jats do not form a sectarian group. The only distinc- tive Jdt cults are tribal, and even in their case the sidh or sati, Jogi, Gosd,in or Bainigi, whoso shrine is affected by the tribe, is doubtless worshipped by people of other tribes in the locality. For detailed accounts of these tribal cults reference must be made to the separate articles on the various Jdt tribes in these volumes, but a few general notes may be recorded here. It will be observed that these customs are not as distinctive of the Jdts of Sialkot as Sir Denzil Ibbetson thought.* Parallels to them will also be found among the Khatris, and it is very doubtful whether they can be held to indicate aboriginal descent.
Jathera. — Among the Hindu and Sikh Jats, especially in the north- central and central Districts^ a form of ancestor-worship, called jathera, is common. It is the custom of many clans, or of a group of villages of one clan, for the bridegroom at his wedding [hidh or shddi) to proceed to a spot set aside to commemorate some ancestor who was either a shah id (martyr) or a man of some note. This spot is marked by a mound of earth, or it may be a pakkd shrine. Ihe bridegroom bows his head to the spot and walks round it, after which offerings are made both to the Brahman and the Idgi.f If the mound is of earth, he throws a handful of earth upon it. The name given to the jathera may be, and generally is, that of an ancestor who was influential, the founder of the tribe, or who was a shahid.
Jandi kalna or Jandidn, the cutting of a twig of the jand tree.— The bridegroom, before setting out for the marriage, cuts with a sword or talwdr a twig from a jand tree anywhere in th^ vicinity. He then makes offerings to Brahmans. This ceremony ensures the success of his marriage.
In those parts of the Gurgaon District which adjoin the Jaipur, Alwar and Ncibha States it is customary to fix a small wooden bird on the outer door of the l)ride's house, and before the bridegroom is welcomed by the women standing there he is required to strike it with his stick. This ensures the happiness of the marriage. The rite is reminiscent of the old Tar Pariksha or test of the bride. The bird is made of jand wood. This is almost the only trace of any jandidn ceremony in tho southern Punjab.^
* Ibbetson, § 421.
+ The menial who is entitled to receive dues (Mg) at weddings, etc.
J la Hiasar the janduin rite ia rare, thousb that oi jut Iter a in said to be almost universal. But in that District tho observances are local, rather tliau tribal and the B4gii Jati do nob perform the jatt^lidn in HiaBtir though they would obsorve it in the Bigaj", wharo it is general.
372 The chliatra rite.
The jandian rite is very common in the central Punjab,* but it as- sumes slightly different forms. Thus among the Hans Jilts of Ludhidna the bridco-room's uncle or elder brother cuts the tree with an axe or sword and the bridal pair play with the twigs, chhitidn, the boy first striking the girl hoven times with them, and she then doing the same to him. Worship is then offered to a Brahman and after that the house-Tvalls are marked with rice-flour. The pair solemnly prostrate themselves, worship Sakhi Sarwar and give tlie offerings made to him to a Bhardi. The Daleo, Aulakh, Pammar, Basi, Dulat, Boparai, and Bal, have the same usage as regards the chhitidn, but among the Gurum Jdts the boy himself cuts the tree and both he and his bride 'worship chhairas.' But the Lat do not cut the j an di at all.
CMiatra. — In connection with the observance, common at Hindu weddino's, of the tika, there is a curious custom called the chhatra (ram) or clihedna (to bore — the ram's ear), ]n this a ram is hired, 8 paisa (Nanak-shahi) being paid to its owner. The bridegroom cuts off a small piece of its ear and rubs this pii ce on the cut till the blood flows. He then places the piece in the centre of a chapdtl, with some rice and, smearing his thumb with the ivixture, imprints a tika or mark with it on his forehead. The chapdti is then offered at a shrine, food is distributed and the Idgis each receive at least 14 paisa (Ndnak- shd,hi). In some cases the ram or goat is also sacrificed.
Among the J^ts of the south-eastern Punjab the chhatra rite, involv- ino- as it does animal sacrifice, is unknown. This is clearly due to Jaia influences. It is very rare in the central Districts too, and is said to be unknown in JuUundur, but in Ludhidna it is not uncommon for the bridegroom's forehead to be marked with blood from a goat's ear, e. g. among the Chela, Bhangu and some others.
Not only do these us:iges vary among different tribes, some not observing them at all while others perform one or two or all of them, but a given tribe may have varying usages in different localities. Thus the Bhulars' cult of Kalanjar has already been described at p. 108 supra, but they are also said to have a jathera called Pir Yar Bhuraw^la,t a revered ancestor who performed a miracle by turning a blanket into a sheep, and to this day the Bhular will not wear, sit or sleep on a striped blanket. Their Sidh Kalenjar or Kalangar is also called Kalandra, and he has a tomb at Mari in Pati^la where the first milk of a cow is « fiered to him on the 8th hacli of t-he month. A Bhular too can only build a house after offering him two bricks. The Bhular also avoid the use of ak fuel.
The Chahil as noted on p, 146 sup>ra affect a Jogi p)ir, but he is also said to have been their j at Jiera. He was killed in a fight with the Bhalti Rdjputs at a place in Patiala, but his body remanied on his horse and continued to smite the foe after his head had fallen, so a Bhrine was built to him on the spot where he fell and it also contains
• But it is said to be unknown in Jullundur.
t Apparently llie Bhura Su^/i of the Sialknt Bhulars. Bhind means, a, striped blanket, of licht brown with black t^tripes, or black with white stripes, and the Bhurd are also said to be a division of the Jilts. Bhvrd also means brown, P«»jd6i; Dicty., p. 146. Clearly there ii either a pun iu the name or Bhurd was the original name of the tribe.
Jathera worship. 373
the tombs of his hawk, dog and horse. It Hes in a grove, and tho milk of a cow or the grain of a harvest arc never used witlioui olTering first fruits to this pi'r. Tho fact that the ptV is called or named Jogi points to a Shaiva origin for the cult.
The Chima again are said to be served by Jogis, and not by Crahmans. They perform ,/a,^/iera. and chhatra as follows : — Eight or ten days before a marriage rice is cooked and taken to the spot dedicated to their ancestor ; from one to five goata are also taken thither and Avashed and a lamp is lighted. One of tho goats' ears is then cat, and tho brotherhood mark their foreheads with blood {chhatra). The goat is killed for food, but the immediate relatives of the bride do not eat of its flesh, which is divided among the others ; the rice, however, is distributed to all.
The Deo have their jathera at a place close to some pool or tank where on certain occasions, such as a wedding, they congregate. The Brahman marks each man's forehead as he comes out of the pool with blood from the goat's ear : this is done to the bridegroom also. Tho bread at the feast is divided, 9 loaves to every bachelor and 18 to every married man.
As already noted, on p. 236 supra, the Dhctriwitl have a jathera and also a sidh, called Bhai or Bhoi. The latter was slain by robbers. A Brahman, a Mirasi, a Chuhra and a black dog were with him at tho time. The Brahman fled, but tho others remained, and so Mirasia receive his offerings, and at certain ceremonies a black dog is fed first. The Sidh's tomb is at Ldlowala in Patidla^ and his fair is held on tho Nimdni Ikddshi.
The Dhillon appear to have several jatheras, Gaggowahna being mentioned in addition to those described on p. 238 supra. No particu- lars of these are forthcoming. But the fact that Dhillon was Raja Karn's grandson is commemorated in the following tale : — Karn used to give away 30 ,sers of gold every day after his bath but before his food. After his death the deity rewarded him with gold, but allowed him no food, so he begged to bo allowed to return to the world where he set aside 15 days in each year for the feeding of Brahmans. He was then allowed to return to the celestial regions and given food."^
Other jV/./ieras are Baba Alho, of the Gakewals, Raja Ram of tho Gils, Rtijput [sic] of the Kiiaika, Sidhsan, of the Bandhawas, Tilkara, of the SiDHDS and Kdla Mihr of tho SiNDiius.t
The Dhindsa have a sidh, of unrecorded name, at a place in Patiitla and offer milk, etc., to his samddh on the Gth siidi of each month. The
* The Dhillons have the following kabit or saying — Sat Jindki bahiii, Dhillon kadh kosatti nahin, meaning that a Dhillon will iihvaj's perform what he has promiscil.
■f" Among the genuine Jats, or those who can look back to a Rajput origin, it is not uncommon to find a great veneration paid to the thelis or mounds which in bygone days were the sites of their first location. They are marked by a few scattered tombs or a grove of trees, or have since been selected by some shrivelled fiujir as the place suitable for a solitary life. With the Jats, it is also curious to which Ihe revciencc they pay to the _;(ni(/ tree, which is often introduced into these places of worship. Tiie liajputs are more lofly in their religion, and more rigorous in their discharge of it."— Prinsep's Sialkof Sett. Rep., p. 27.
374 Tribal vs. Village deities.
Gil sidh is named Surat Rdm and only gets a goat and a handful of gur at weddings, an offering which is taken by Mirdsis. The Gandi have a sati whose mat or shrine is in Patid,la.
Jatheras are also commonly worshipped in the central Districts, but the rites vary. Thus in Ludhidna nearly every Jd,t tribe has a jathera though his name is rarely preserved, and a very common fond of wor- ship to him is to dig earth from a tank at weddings in his honour. Thus Tulla, the Basis' jathera, who has a niat or shrine, is com- memorated in this way and earth is also dug on the Diwdli night. The Sarapiya and Sodi Jiits also dig earth to their unnamed jai/ieras— and the Daula, Dhad, Sangra and many others do the same. The Dhanesar have a special custom, for after the jandi has been cut, water is poured over a goat's head, and if he shivers the ancestors are believed to have blessed the pair. The goat is then set free. The Ghanghas in this District appear to have no jathera but make offerings, which are taken by Sikhs, to the samddh of Ak61 Das, their ancestor, at Jandid,la in Amritsar, where an annual fair is held.
Thus the jathera rite is essentially a tribal, not a village, institution and this is strikingly brought out by the fact that in villages composed of several tribes each tribe will have its own jathera. Thus in Kang, in Jullundur, the Kang J^ts have no jathera, but they have one atDhauli Mambli in Garhshankar tahsil, and say he was a refugee from Mu- hammadan oppression. The Mors of Kang have their jathera at Khankhana, the Birks theirs at Birk, the Rakkars theirs at Rakkar, the Jhalli theirs at Dhamot in Ludhiana. But the jathera is often a sati, and the Her in Jullundur have a sati's shrine at Kd,la Majra in Rupar tahsil. And it is not necessarily the progenitor of the clan, or even the founder of a village who is worshipped, but any prominent member of it who may be chosen as its jathera. Thus among the Dhillon of Mahrampur it is not Gola, its founder, who is worshipped, but Phalla, his descendant and a man of some note. And at Garcha the Garcha Jdts worship Adhiana, a spot in the village named after Adi, one of their ancestors who was an ascetic. The place now forms a grove from which fuel may be gathered by Brahmans, but no wood may be cut by Jats under penalty of sickness or disaster. When the jathera is at any distance it is suflScient to turn towards it at a v/edding and it is only visited at long intervals.
In marked contrast to the tribal jathera is the village hhumia of the south-eastern Punjab. There, when a new colony or village is founded in the south-east Punjab the first thing to be done before houses are actually built is to raise a mound of earth on a spot near the proposed village and plant a jau^tree on it. Houses are then built. The first man who dies in the village, whether he be a Brahman, a J^t or a Chamdr, is burnt or buried on this mound, and on it is built a masonry shrine which is named after him. The fortunate man is deified as the Bhfimia or earth-god, and worshipped by Hindus of all classes in the village, being looked upon as its sole guardian deity. At weddings the bride- groom before starting to the bride's village resorts to this shrine and makes offerings to him. If an ox is stolen, a house is broken into, or pestilence breaks out, if crops fail or the rainfall is scanty, if locusts
Jdt divisions. 875
visit the village or any other calamity befall, Bhumia's shrine is the first place to which the Jats resort for divine help.
Such faith is placed in this deity that in the event of plague I ho villagers will not vacate their houses without consulting the Bhuniia.
Thus in Jind we find the Phooat with a tribal Sidh and also a I3humi;i in every village. Nearly every Jat tribe in that State has its lihumia, but some have a Khera instead, and others again stylo their jafJbera Khera Bhumia. Such are tlie Chahil. Tlio Labanah affect the" ICliera alone. The Dalai reverence Jogis aud the Bhanwala Gosains, while the Gathwdl and Larabo are said to have Bairdgis as their jatheras ; and the Ridhu have Ndgiis ior jatheras, but also worship Kliera Bhiimia. Probably the Jogi, Bairdgi, Gosdin or Ndgd is the tribal, and the KheiM the village deity or his representative. But several tribes, the Bhor.dar, Bhangu, Kharod, Uadhdna and Tanidna worship the Khera as their jafkera, and a few, the Baring, Baniwdl, Boparai, Jatdna, Khagura, Ldt, Sohi, Thand and Tur have no jathera at all.
Instances of Jdts accepting votive offerings appear to be very rare, but Jats, not Brahmans, take the offerings made in cash or kind at the shrine of Sitla Devi at Gurgdon.
The divisions of the Jdts. The Jats of the south-east Punjab have two territorial divisions Des- wdli from des, the plain or country, and Bdgri, from the hagar or upland in Bikdner. The Deswdli claim to be superior to the latter, but it is often difficult to say to which group a tribe belongs. Thus the Bhaini- wdl claim to be Deswdli, but they are really Bdgri as are probably the Chahals — whose connection with the legend of Guga is consistent with their immigration from the Bdgar.
The Jdts of the south-east have also two other divisions, Shib-o-otra and Kdshib-gotra. The former are also called asl or real Jdts and%on- fess that their progenitor sprang from Shiva's matted hair and was so called ja^ hhadrd. They have 12 gots, which are descended from the 12 sons of Barh, who conquered a large part of Bikdner. His descend- ants are chiefly sprung from Punia aud they held the country round Jhansal.
These 12 gots are —
5. Barbra. { 9. Khokha.
6. Solahan. 10. Dhanaj, 7- Chiria. H. Letar.
1. Punia.
2. Dhanian.
3. Chhacharik.
4. Bali.
Chandia. j 13. Kakar.
At weddings the Brahman at the snkha or announcement gives out their gotra as Kdshib-gotra — not Shib-gotra. These 12 gots aro said not to form exogamous groups, but only to marry with tlie Kdshib- gotra* who claim Rdjput descent. The Shib-gotras must, however
Original Rdjput clan. Jdt tribef: derived from it.
Tunwar ... Palanii, Bachhi, Nain, Mallan, Lanbi. KhatRar, Karb
Jataagra, Dhaiid, Bhado, Kharwril,' r);idH, SokbirJl'
Bancbiii, Mili'i, Ronil. S^tkan, Berwal nndNarii. '
Cbanhan ... Bh^kar, Khonpa, Likblin, Sawanch, Sohu, ChAhal
Gbel, Kao, Nahri, Pankhal, Luni, Jaglan, 'Bhanni-
376 Jdt totems.
form exogamous sections, though it may be that, as a general rule, they give daughters to the Kashib-gotra. The term Shib-gotra clearly implies some disparagement, but the Tunia were ouce an important tribe be- cause there used to be six cantons of Jdts on the borders of Mariana and Bikaner, and of these four, viz., Punia, Kassua,"^ Sheoran and Godd,ra consisted of 8G0 villages each.t
The Bagri Jdts have certain sections which might appear totemistic, but very rarely is any reverence paid to the totem. Such are :— '
Karir, a tree, Kohar, a hatchet, Waihri, a young heifer, Bandar, monkey, Gidar, jackal ; also Katd-rid, sword, and Gandasid, axe, Pipla, pipal, and Jandi^, jand tree, all in tahsil H^nsi. The Jaria and others are said to be named from parts of the 6er tree, but Jaria itself is also explained as meaning 'descended from twins, J07'a,' and they are said lo be an offshoot of the Gathwdl. Mor is so called because a peacock protected their ancestor from a snake. Pankhal, peacock^s feather, is so called because a Dohd,n Jat girl had been given in marriage to one Tetha, a Rajput of Musham. The couple disagreed and Tetha aided by the royal forces attacked the tribe and only those who had placed peacock^s feathers on their heads were spared.
Jun is said to mean louse, and Gordya, blue cow or nilgdi.X
wal, Legha, Janawa, Bedwal, MaLlu, Wiha, Mehran, Raparia, Bhariwas, Bolila, Mor, Sinhmar, Mahil, Goyat, Lohan, Sheoran* Lobhawat, Somaddhar, Dohan, Held, Lohach, Rdm-purid, Sedhii, Hoda, Samin, Rojia, Bhani alias Chotia, Bhattu, Ear and Lomadh.
Bhatti ... Lahar, Sara, Bharon, M4kar, Mond, Kohar, Sabaran,
Isharwal, Khetalan, Jatai, Khodma, Bloda, Batbo * and Dhokia.
Saroyd ... Kalerawan. Bhore, Hinjr4wan, Saroya, Kajla, Ghan-
ghas, Sarawat, Sori, Khot and Balra,
Punwar ... Kharw4n, Pachar, Loh-Chab and Mohan.
Khokbar ... Bohla and Khokhar.
joiya ... Pasal, Mondhla, Khicbar, Jani, Machra, Kacbroya, ,
Sor and Joiya.
Rathor ... Dullah and Gawarna,
Gablot ... Godari.
Puniar ... Sonda and Tarar.
Lai ... Jaria.
Ude ... Jakbar.
Kachbwii ... Dhondwal.
Kihcbi ... Khicbar.
* The K:isaua cannot be traced.
f Elliot's Races of the North-Western Provinces, II, p. 55.
J Certain villages in Hissar derive their names from a tradition that a giant was killed and each of bis lirabs gave a name to the place where it fell, e. g. : — = where the giant's sar (head) fell. = „ ,, „ hdl (hair) fell. ^^ ,, „ ,, pab (foot) iell.
= „ ,, ,, middle part (lich-l-a-hissa) body fell. = ,, „ „ Ian (ear) fell. = „ „ „ hath (hand) fell.
„ „ „ jeiuar (ornameiit) fell.
|
1. |
Sarsnd |
|
2, |
Balak |
|
3. |
Palra |
|
4. |
Bichpari |
|
5. |
Kanwa |
|
6. |
Hathwa |
|
7. |
Jeura |
Jatdla-»^Jaihidna. 377
Social distinctions among the Jdh.
Among the Jilts the only* social distmctions are the well-known 'Akbari' or Darb^ri 7?ia/ia7i5— 35 in number according to the usual account. But in Amritsar the Akbari is only the highest of a series of four grades, the Aurangzebi (or those admitted to this rank in the time of Aurangzeb), Khalsiii (or those admitted in Sikli times) and Angrezi (or those admitted since British rule began) being tlio other three, and no less than 150 villages, all generally speaking in the Mdnjlia, now claim Darbitri status. There is also a Sliahjalidni grade, the Sdnsi Jdts, of R^ija Sdnsi, having been admitted in the reii^u of Shiih Jahan. The origin of the Akbari group is thus described. When the emperor Akbar took in marriage the daugliter of Mihr Mitha, a J^it, of the Manjha,t 35 of the principal Jat, and 3G of the leading Kajput families countenanced the marriage and sent representatives to Delhi. Three of those Jdt families are still found in Hoshidrpur, and are cr.lleil the Dhdighar Akbari, as they comprise the Bains JatsJ of Miihilpur, the Lahotas of Garhdiwaln and the Khungas of Budhipind, which latt'^r is styled the 'half family, so that the three families are calhd the 2^ {dhdighar). The Akbari Jats follovr some of the higher castes in not allowing remarriage of widows, and in practising darhdra, which is a custom of giving vails at weddings to the lairntiis of other Akbari families. Their parohits also place the jVwjeo on them at their mar- riages, removing it a few days afterwards. Below the Akbari (according to the Hoshidrpur account) is the Darbdri grade, descendants of those who gave daughters to the emperor Jah^ngir. Thus some of the Mdn Jats ai'e Darbdris, and they will only marry with Darbaris as a rule. But they will accept brides from Jats of grades below the Darbari provided the dower {dahej) is sufficiently large.
As regards Gurdd,spur, Sir Louis Dane wrote : — " Some of the better gats of Hindu Jats or those living in celebrated villages or wamas will not give their daughters to men oi gots considered socially inferior, and the restriction often gave rise to female infanticide, as eligible hus- bands were scarce."
JataijA, (1) an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery and Amritsar, (2) a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Jatatib, a Jdt clan found in Sidlkot.
Jathedae, a Sikh title. Lit. one who keeps theyaf or uncut matted hair of a faqir and so a strict Sikh as opposed to the Munna Sikh who shaves. See also under Jogi.
Jathiana, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
* Mr. J. R. Drummond indeed observed :— " There can be no question that the Randhi- was, who arc still Thikurs in their native homes, I believe, in Rajputana, are at the head of the hypergamou3 scale among those .Tats who have a more or less distinctly Rajput origin, such as the Gil, Sindhu, Sidhu-Barar (or Variar). Pannu and the like.'' Unfor- tunately no one seems able to say what the hypergamous scale among the Jit c/ots is, and several informants explicitly say that there is none.
t The Mihr Mitha who fi^nres in the tradition of the Dliaiiwals must be intended. It 18 hardly necessary to saj' that neither Akbar nor Jahiingir ever took a Jat bride.
X The iiains Jat have a Idra or proup of 12 villages near Mahilpnr, bnt the posFession of a bdra does not appear to make the Gil Sanghe or Pote Jats Akb.nri though they too possess hdras. The Man too Lave a hdra, but seme of tbem are only Darbaii and not all of them have that standing.
S78 Jafhol'-^Jdtu.
Jathol, a small Jjlt clan found in Si^lkot, and in Aroritsar (where it is classed as agricultural), lis jathera, Bdbd Amar Singh, has a Ithdngdh of masonry, to which offerings are made at weddings.
Jatiana, a clan of the Sials.
Jatkatta, from /a^ = wool or the hair of the body ; and feaiid— spinning : a weaver (Gujrdt Sett. Rep., Mackenzie, § 53).
Jatke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jatle, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jatoi, (1) an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur ; (2) one of the original main sections of the Balocb, but not now an organised tribe. Found wherever the Balocli have spread. In Montgomery it is classed as agricultural. In the Chen^b Colony it is the most numerous of the Baioch tribes.
Jatowal, a Muhammadan J at clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jatu, a Rajput tribe, said to be a Tunwar clan who once held almost the whole of Hissdr, and are still most numerous in that District and the neighbouring portions of Hohtak and Jind. When the great Chauhan Bisaldeo overthrew Anangpdl II, the Tunwar king of Delhi, the Tdnwars were driven from Delhi to Jdlopattan in the Sheikhawatti country north of Jaipur and there Dul R^m, a descendant of Anangpdl, ruled. His son Jair^t extended the Tunwar dominion to Bagar in Jaipur and the tract is still called the Tunwarwati, In fact the Tunwar of Haridna are said to have been divided into three clans named after and descended from, three brothers, Jatu, Raghu and Satraula, of which clans .Mtu was by far the largest and most important, and once ruled from Bhiwd^ni to Agroha. They are the hereditary enemies of the Punwdr of Rohtak, and at length the sandhills of Mahm were fixed upon as the boundary between them, and are still known as Jdtii Punwdr ka daula or the Jatu-Punwdr boundary. In Karnal, however, the Jdtu describe themselves as Chauhan also.
Jaird-t, the Tunwar, had a son, Jdtu, (so-called because he bad hair, jdta, on him at the time of his birth) by a Sankla Rd,jputni, and his son migrated to Sirsa where he married Paldt Devi, daughter of Kanwarpdl, a Siroh^ Rd.jp ut and sister of the mother of the great Guga Fir. Kanwarpal made the tract about Hdnsi over to his son-in-law and the latter sent for his brothers Raghu and Satraula from Jilopattan to share it with him. Jdtu's sons, Sidh and Harpdl, founded Rdjli and Gurdna villages, and on the overthrow of the Chauhan Kai Pithaura by the Muhammadans the Jd,tus extended their power over Agroha, Bd,nsi, Hissar and Bhiwd,ni, their boast being that they once ruled 1,440 kheras or settlements. Amrata also seized 40 villages in the Kdnaud (Mohin- dargarh) ilirja of Patidla. The three brothers, Jatu, Raghu and Satraula divided the pargana of Hansi into three tappas, each named after one of themselves. Umr Singh, one of theii descendants took Toshdm, and after him that ildqa was named the Umrain lappa, while that of Bliiwani was called the Bachwdu lappa, after one Bacho, a Jdtu. At Siwsni Jdtu's descendants bore the title of Rai, those of Talwandi Rdn^ that of Ran^, while those at Kulheri were called Chaudhri. In
//
C, ^' i^^ J-^lC^ f
, 7 /
ii. ^ ^ ^** c -
191. BabaJowahir Singh, a Sikh saint, has numerous followers in the north- . eastern Punjab, amongst both Hindus and Sikhs. Thei number now registered is, however, mach smaller than that returned in 1891 (as shown in the margia). Baba Jowahir Smgh was the grandson of Ganga Da's, one of the disciples of Amar Das, the 3rd Sikh Guru. There is a temple at Khatkar Kalaa m the Juliundui- District, dedicated to his name and a pond in the Ajmergarh Parganah of the Patiala State is held sacred to his memory. This poad known as Johdrji is said to be of great sanctity and the story related by the followers of Baba Jowahir Siogh at this place is somewhat different to that noted by Mr. Maclagan in paragraph 97 of the Punjab Census Report, 1891. This place is supposed to be associated with the death of Sarwan at the hands of Dasharatha, father of Rama. The particular spot where the tragedy is believed to have been enacted is marked to the south-east of the Joharji. The pond lies in the centre, encircled by two streams, one named Kaushalya (after Rama's mother) which flows in the natural course from north to south, and the other called Kekai (name of Rama's step-mother) folio winc^ an abnormal course from south to north. The unnatural course of the latte° stream is ascribed to the perverse attitude taken up by Kekai, the queen of Dasharatha, in connection with the exile of Rama. King Dasharatha, they say, had a palace on the ridge with abodes for the Ranis. The pond was subsequently possessed by a man-eating R^kshasa (demon) named Mabiya. Baba Jowahir Singh killed him by his Yoga power and rid the place of his oppression. The Phauri (wooden instrument for removing litter) with which he struck the demon is preserved in the temple built by the late Maharaja Narendra Singh of Patiala. But Mahiya is said to have prayed to the Baba Sahib for a blessing, and this was granted, the Baba assuring him that all the pilgrims would worship him (the demon) as well. All pilgrims, therefore, after making their obeisance at the temple of Baba Jowahir Singh, offer a goat in the name of Mahiya. The place where Mahiya died is also marked.
Jaun — Jewdthn. 379
1867 the people at once revived all their ancient titles, but the descen- dants of Harpal, a son of Jdtu, remained loyal, the descendants of Siidb, another of Jatu's sons, having rebelled.
The Jdfus, Raghus and Satraulas do not, it is said, intermarry. The Jdtus are nearly half Hindus, the rest being Muhaminadans. The J^tus appear to give their name to Jatus^oa in Gurgaon.
Jadn, a tribe of Jii^s descended from an eponym, who was a Jdt, of Hinjraon descent.
Jadnd, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Jadra, (I) a Hindu and Aluhammadan Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery, (2) a Khokhar clan (agricultural] found in Shtihpur.
Jadsan, (1) a Hindu Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery ; (2) a Khatri got.
Jawa, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multfin.
Jawiki, a well-known sept of the Adam Khel Afridis, dwelling in the range between Kohdt and Peshawar. In Kohat they hold Upper Gandidli and Togh.
Jawia, a tribe of Jats, immigrants from Sirsa but found in Sialkot. They claim kinship with the Bha^tis, but now intermarry with Jiits.
JjBTHAL, a small clan, found only in the Jhelum Thai between the river of that name and the Lilla estates. It claims Bhatti Rajput descent, but its pedigree is traced to Bhntta who some 12 or 14 generations ago married the sister of Ghorian king's wife. The king, however, drove Bhutta with his 21 sons into the Bar, whence Jethal crossed the Jhelum and settled at Ratta Find, now a mound near Kandwdl. They also say they were settled at Neh of Sayyid Jaldl in Bahawalpur which points to descent from the Bhuttas of Multdn. They usually inter- marry among themselves, but occasionally with the Lillas. Omitting the mixture of Hindu and Musalmdn names which appears in the earlier part of their pedigree table, it is given as follows : — R4j4 Panwar. "1
Gandar.
I |- These four names appear in the tree or the Bhcttas.
Balangi.
,, I I
\ (ran. J
Bhutta.
Jethal (and 20 others, including Langih, Bhatti, Kharral and Harrai).
I Akki.
Sarang. Mela. Kah. Wasawi.
I I I
(Uth generation now (lOlh generation (12th generation m
in Jethal.) in Kabana.) Dhudhi and Musiana.)
JiTozAi, a Pathdn clan (agricultural) found iu Montgomery. JiwATHA, a sept of the Silhuria Rdjputs, found in Sidlko^.
880 Jhahel'-^Jhajhar.
Jhabel (or as they are called in the Ain-i-Alihari Chhabel), a fishing tribe found in the Multan and Muzaffargarh districts^ and in Jullundur, Hoshi^rpur, Kapurthala and Gurd^spur. Closely resembling the Kebals and Mors the Jhabels in Muzaffargarh once had the reputation of being canuibals. They live mainly by fishing and gathering pabhans (seeds of the water-lily), say they cnme from Sindh and of all the tribes in the District alone speak Sindhi. They also enjoy the title of Jam. Many have now taken to agriculture and all are reckoned good Muhammadans. They arc fond of growing samuka,^ a grain sown in the mud left by the rivers. In Gard^spur they say they came from the south, and that their ancestors were sportsmen, a Bhatti, founder of their Katre got, a Naru, from whom sprang their Nareh and Bhugge gots, and so on. They fell into poverty and took to selHng game. These Jhabels do not intermarry with those on the Indus and Sutlej, but only with those on the north bank of the latter river. Some are cultivators and even own land. Others are shikaris, but some are boatmen and they look down on those who are and refuse to marry with them. The Jhabels of Jullundur have the same usages as the Meuns and other fisher-folk of that District. Some of them, owing to want of employment as boatmen have left their villages for the towns and taken to tailoring, weaving, vieii-shiking, chaukiddri, and &m&\\ posts in Government service.
The Jhabels also preserve tliGJhulka custom. The large fire needed for cooking the eatables required at a wedding must be lighted by a son-in-law of the family, but when he attempts to bring a blazing bundle (jhulka) of wood, etc., and put it under the furnace, he is met by all the females of the family and has to run the gauntlet, as they try to stop his progress with pitchers full of water, bricks, dust, and sticks. This game is played so seriously that the women's dresses often catch fire and they, as well as the son-in-law, are seriously hurt. When he finally succeeds in lighting the fire, the son-in-law gets a turban and a rupee, or more if the family is well-to-do. This usage is occasionally observed among Ardins, Dogars, and Gujars too, but it is falling out of fashion.
Like the Meuns the Jhabels will not give the milk or curds of an animal which has recently calved to any one, not even to a son-in-Jaw, outside the family. After 10 or 20 days rice is cooked in the milk and it is given to onaulavis or to beggars. It can then be given away to anybody. The Jhabels are good Muhammadans, but revere Khwd,ja Pir or Khwdja Khizr, the god of water, and offer porridge to him in lucky quantities at least once a year. It is taken to the river or a well and after some prayers distributed there or in the village to all who are present.
Jhab, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Jhaik, a sept of Kaneis which derives its name from Jhd,lri in Rdwin pargana of J ubbal and supplies hererlitary u'aztVs to that State. At one time these wazirs virtually ruled Jubbal.
Jhajhae, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
* Ophismtnut frumentocevi.
L c^u'c^
cS-^c
C^^Cl/1,
<. {^ ^ L^ -^ i ^
ir
4^C ixC- C
<1 ^
i /^ /^ z;;;^ . . I., t^y.
(oii^c^j /- 6
^
<r^
Jhahar—JMnwar. 381
JaAKAR,a J^tclan fagriculfcural) found in Shujab^d tahsil, Multan District.
Jhakkar, son of Jai and eponym of a tribe in Multan : see Nun.
Jhalan, a Jat claH (agricultural) found in Multdo.
Jhalli, a small ulan of Jata in Amb^la. The word is said to mean " mad."
Jhaman, Chlidman, a man, apparently a Chuhra, who fulfils the functions of a Brahman at a Chuhra wedding and conducts the eevtn pheras at it : (Sirmur).
Jhamat, a Muhammadan J.4t clan (agricultural) found in Multau and Montgomery. See Jhummat,
Jhanda, a Malitam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jhandib, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Mult^in.
Jhandir, a semi-gacred tribe of Muhammadans said to be of Qureshi origin like the Nekokdra. Though they do not openly profeti'S to be religious directors, there is a certain odour of sanctity about the tribe. Most of them can read and write, and they arc " particularly free from ill deeds of every description." They own land in the extreme south of the Jhang District and are also found in the Mailsi tahsil of Multan. They are said to have been the standard-bearers of one of the great saints, whence their name.
Jiiando, an Aruin clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jhanduana, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jhanjote, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Jeara, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery,
Jhari, a sept of Jats in Jind : see under Jaria.
Jhatta, a section of the Mirdsis, from one of whose families Jab^ngir (they assert) took Nur Jahdn, who was a Mirdsan, and so it got the title of jhatta.
Jhawari, a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur.
Jhbdu, a Muhammadan J^t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jhinwar, Jhiwar. The Jhinwar,* also called Kahdr in the east, and Mahra,t where a Hindu, in the centre of the Province, is the carrier, water-man, fisherman and basket-maker of the east of the Punjab. He carries palan- quins and all such burdens as are borne by a yoke on the shoulders ; and he specially is concerned with water, insomuch that the cultivation of waternuts and the netting of water fowl are for the most part in his hands, and he is the well-sinker of the Province. He is a true village menial, receiving customary dues and performing customary sei'vice. In this capacity he supplies all the baskets needed by the cultivator, and brink's water to the men in the fields at harvest time, to the houses where the women are secluded, and at weddings and other similar occasions. His
* Or Jhir, fem. Jhiri, in Kangra, where the Jhir is a water- earner.
t Mahra seems to be a title of respect, just as a Bhishti is often addressed as Jaraadar. But in Jind at least the Mahra is a palanquin-bearer and the Saqqi is a water-carrier! Uahdr is a synonym for " chief " in the south-west of the Province. When employed as a waterman the Jhinwar is often called Panihari.
The carriage of burdens slung from a hdnyi or yoke seoras to be almost unknown in the west of the Punjab.
382 Jhimoar synonyms.
occupations in the centre and west of the Province are described under MAcHHi. His social standing is in one respect high ; for all will drink at his hands. But he is still a servant, though the highest of the class. The Bhishti, Mdshki and Saqqii, the terms for Musalm^n water- carriers, may be of other castes than Jhinwar, but as a rule they would belong to that caste.
The Jhiwars, as a caste, are one of these occupational groups found in the Punjab which are conventionally called castes but which really include or overlap numerous other 'castes ' of similar status and kindred occupation. When a man of the Jhiwar caste is a baker or seller of ready-cooked food he is called and apparently becomes a Bhatidra by caste as well as by occupation. Similarly, the Jhiwar who parches gram is styled a Bhaybhunja in the east of the Punjab or a Bhojwa,* whereas in the west of the Province he remains a Jhiwar or rather a Mdchhi and is on the Indus styled a Chatdri.
If the Jhiwar on the other hand plies a boat or skin for hire he will be called and become a Mallah, a Daryiii, a Dren, a Td,ru or even a 3&t or a Mohdna according to the locality in which he works, his religion, and the kind of craft he uses. Mallah is the most usual term for a boat- man but Moh^na which is said to rcean a fisherman in Sindh, is in the Punjab as often applied to a fisherman as to a boatman. The Daryd,i is a Persianised form of Drea, the Muhammadan waterman who ferries people across and down the rapid hill rivers on inflated hides. If a Hindu he is styled Td,ru. On the Indus the boatman ranks as and would be called simply a Jat. Lastly, the Machhi may acquire land, form a tribe and rank as a land-owning community under its own tribal chiefs, as in Bahdwalpur ; or the Dhinwars may sink to the level of a criminal tribe. But even these do not exhaust the synonyms and sub-divisions of the Jhinwar caste.
As in the case of the Mdchhis, the sub-divisions of the Jhinwar are very numerous, the largest are the Khokhar, Mahdr, Bhatti, Manhds, Tank and Suh^l. These groups do not appear to be found in any num- bers among the Bhatyara or Bharbhunja.
Jhiwar origins. Accordino" to one account Akis, a Chauhd,ti Rajput of Garh Mukhidla (in the Salt Range), died leaving a son of tender age named Dhiugar. The people treated him as a servant and nicknamed him Jhiwar. Bhdt his son, who fed the people at each full moon with rice, had four sons> who founded 4 miihins, each containing several gots : —
Mxihins, Gots,
/ Makhu * , N Sotre.
C Dhengi ? /• Gadrl ? „, , \ Harsni. • ^*^HJ iWaddau. C Malle.
Muhins. Oote.
/ Malinf.
o r\i. ' ) Mande,
3. Dhengi JL^^gt,^^
Cfiha].
C Khone.
4. Tak I Gadri ?
(. Dhogl
* The Bhoi'-va is also a grain -parcher. Bhujwas form an " occupational " rather than a regular caste and in the United Provinces include Kaj^aths, Ahirs, etc. In the Punjab Muhammadans also ply this trade and most of them are immigrants from the united Pro- Tinces wbo accompanied the British troops in the Sikh Wars,— N. I. N. Q. I., 313,
JhiniDar groups. 888
According to Sir Richard Temple'^ a Jliiwar Is said to Lave taken to wife RdniKokiMn, the guilty heroine of tlie Kitja Hasdlu legend and she had by him three sons from whom are spruDg the three Punjab gots^- Sabir, Gabir and Sir.
Territorial groups.
The territorial grouping of the Jhinwars is vague. In the Shakar- garh tahsil of Gurd^ispur is a Dogra group. In the Juliundur Dodb the groups appear to be three in number (/) Panjiibi or indigenous, {ii) BdngiUjt immigrants from the Bungai-, and (m) Chliangru. In Patidla we find the usual grouping, Deswd,l and Multdni, but in Jind B/ingru and Panjd,bi are reported. Lastly, in the south-east about Niirnaul are found the Biigris.
The Bdngru do not intermarry with the Panjabis. The former ascribe their immigration to Akbar's reign, during which at the siege of Chitfcaur, a Jhiwar was killed and his brother desired to marry his widow, but she refused to consent and fled to the Bist dodha with her infant son.
The remaining groups appear to bo usually, but not rigidly, en- dogamous.
Occupatiotis and occupational groups.
The Jhinwars are a remarkably composite caste and comprise several groups whose names depend on their various occupations, and indeed probably vary with the occupations they pursue from time to time. In the south-east we fiud DhinwarJ as a syuonym of Jhinwar.
Kahdr may also be regarded as a synonym in the sense that it desig- nates a Jhiwar employed as a carrier, especially a doli-hearer.
Sodiii is the term applied to a Jhinwar who has taken the pahul as a Sikh. The word means pure or puri6er and the Sodid is employed as a cleaner of utensils. Sikh Jhiwars are also employed as jhafknis or butchers who slaughter by ;7ta/A;a ; and in Sikh regiments they work as bakers [Idngris).
We may thus regard the Jhinwar as par excellence the drawer of water and palanquin-bearer of the Hindu community, and Panihitrd, and Kahdr as synonyms of the caste, as a whole, So'lM being restricted to the Sikh Jhinwars.
But the Jhinwar has many other occupations. His association with water confers on him such purity that he can enter any Hindu's kitchen, even a Brahman's ehauka, provided that culinary operations h:.ve not reached the point at which salt is mixed with the food. Nevertheless Brahmans, Khatris and even Banias will not eat kachi food at a Jhin- war's hands.
But besides cookery the Jhinwar follows almost any occupation con- nected with water. He is a fisherman, or mdchhi, and sometimes a
• Legends of the Punjab— I, G5. t The B^Dgni extend into Sidlkot.
X Plntt gives dhhar, dhin^ar, bs tie fisher caste, lahdr, a fisherman. He doei not giTO jhiwar.
884 JMnwar occupations.
boatman,* a sinker of wells, chohhd ; and in the villages he makes baskets, mats and fans. Last, but not least, the Jhinwar is a cultiva- tor, especially of the singhdra or water-nut. t
Jhinwar women also follow divers callings. As a pure caste they parch grain, but they also act as midwives.
Finally, there is a group of Jhinwars called Burid, or Budnd,J which appears to be the same as the Kalbut, Changar or Machhera group, and whose members live by extracting oil from animals and practise cup- ping [singi). This group is looked down upon by the other Jhinwars and is not allowed intermarriage with them. It thus forms an endo- gamous sub-caste, if indeed it can be regarded as a branch of the Jhinwars at all.
Sometimes Saqqd;S, Mdchhis, Panjarid-s, Meos, Chirimd-ra, Chhanbals, Bor, Mir Shikaris, Malldhs, Bhatiards, Pakhiwdrd,s and Gagrds claim Jhinwar descent, or assert that they are jMnwars because they follow the same calling, but they have no real connection with the Jhinwar caste. Similarly, Ghirths, Chhangs and Bahtis work as water-carriers, etc., but they are not thereby Jhinwars.
The social grouping of the Jhiwars is nebulous to a degree. One account divides them into 4 muhins, thus : —
1. Mdhar. ")
2. Naranid,. > Forming an endogamous group.
3. Jamoe. i
4. Budn^ov Buv[^^['^^f^^;^^^,^
The last, as already mentioned, being excluded from all social inter- course with Nos. 1 — 3.
'The term Mahr \\ or Malird, however is applied to all Jhiwars, and it is generally understood in an honorific sense, though it is also said to mean effeminate and to be applied to the Jhiwars because they are employed in domestic service. Panch^ or headman is sometimes ap- plied to them. On the other hand, they are contemptuously termed Tdhli tap, or servile (?) and Bandar-zd,t or monkey cast© (?)
in Gujrat the Jhiwar claim descent from the (Bdri) Khatris and are as such called Barhia Jhiwars.
* They are said to have learnt the art of rowing from Manauti, Jhiwar, (Another account says Kalu bhagat was of the Manwauti got).
t When the singhdra crop is ripe the family got is bidden to a feast, the amount spent being proportioned to the value of the crop and varying from 1:^ to 5^ seers, which quanti- ty, or its value is piven to the chela of Kalu bhagat,
I In Karnal the Biidnas are also said to be called Kanchhi and to worship L41 Guru, as well as Kalu hhagat,
§ The Jhinwars of Panipat in Karnil have two groups Mahir and Bodne or Eanchhis which are divided into a number of gots.
II Mahr. H. = mehtar, chief headman, is applied to men of the Rain, Gujar and Jhiwar castes. In Panjabi it takes the forms mahir and mahird fem. mahiri. Platts says mahrd (an effeminate man) is applied to lahdrs because they have access to the women's apartments.
T For jpanch and mahr in the sense of ' chief ' or ' headman' ef. naih, among the Lob^nas.
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T II J^ J ir I IT Tf A ?v S- A r D S A '^^ 0. A •"- .
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"Jind S;ii_ate.. Tlie ^ ^linvrar s are exclusirel" - - ,
Muhaonadan i,7ater-nen loeln^^ called Saqcias^T-ie JiiinT7ars are Yotaries •f ICalu Bliagat, v;h#se traditional n i s 1 0 ry is as . f o 11 o v;s
Zralu v;as a rajp-at v/ho lived in "astinap'vr, Or.ce
ihe rra.3 catching fisli on. the oanl: of the Ja..ina a/Tcinst the prder of the hing, and seeing the hin^; -.-ith his retinue coning toirards hin from a dista^ice, and oein- afraid he threT7 his ne^t, etc* into the river, ruloued earth on his body,, so as to looh like a f a3:ir , closec.
.his e.yes and sat doy.'n nea.r the 'oanl: tf the river. As the Icing i7ith his officials passed "b:', he svciy^ozeC ICalu to "be a f alcir and threw sone uonp:,' 1:0 him. " "_-en the king had passed "by, ICalu opened his ey^^s and sa-.: the "loney J and ';7as so much impressed "o" the incident
the f5a.ddi .
The Jhinrrars have five sub -castes, viz. /^arhia, . Kachw-ahE, Luraha"., IlaJiar., and Brahiya, v:hicli do not eat, srnolce or riarry one '.vith one other. They have also two other divisions, viz. ITara^iyal and 3ur3ra« The raranvE Jhin'Ji^ars consider the 3urya lOT/er than theiiselves , as the- latter extract oil frori aninals. The.y do not es.t, snoke , or intermarry together* Both
of them practise karewa narriage*
. ■ ■• . ' ■ *.
The 20"ts of the lTara,nya Jhinv;ars are as follOT/s :- u ^ • . ^
1. T'anga,r, 5. Dari, 9. Ilalre , 15. Ijiarar,
2. Chalag, ". :^i"arani , 10. Sonsohe, 14. Dhonchak,
3. 3rahi3'^a, 7. 3hatyare,ll* Laj^bsar, 13. Tuan,
_ 15. Talaiia,
4. Tor, 8. Titarye, 12. ICarare, 17. Haiiar*
In marriage they avoid four gots. Some of the Jhin^ars of this State have n<Jv/ taken the Sildiism.
The Jhinwars follow several occupations, "being T-atei
-carriers, do li_ "bearers., etc. at marriages in to ■mis, v.here they are ■•,iostly foLind. In the villages tliey
malce "baskets and mats and e/re also fishermen and cultivators.
Supdt: of '-^^z:-.
s;!-;ra"Oi-
1. Chaktara 6. Sai
2. Lrjasar 7. Saliole 5. Hande 8. liuldi
4 . j."^gla 9 • Tanda
5. ITila 10. Teprii
Ka£urthala. The Jhinwar is also called liahra, or
(as a-n honorific tern) Pancli, The Hindu Jhinwar (;ots arc :-
11. p e r ij a t 16. B aohal 12i^-Chot 17. Sandal
15. Katoria 18. 'I'^^nkar 14. Satona 19. Dhuchak 15* Sanga 20. Tabahv/aii
Tliere are two territorial divisions, Punjabi and Eangru, v/hich do not intemarry. The Ban^rrus came fron the Bangar 10 «r 12 generations ago. ^'yhen Akbar took Chittaur a Jliinwar p/as slain on the "battle-field and his v/idov; refusing to marry his brother fled and
— r
settled in S^irlqpur in Tahsil Dhilwan. ^Cf : the Lcgcni '^f Jaimal and Patah.J
The Jhinwars are especially addicted to the cults of Devi, Khwaja I-Qiizr and Saba Kalu.
Baba Kalu has three shrines, one at Pancrhat in
Talisil Pliagwara (a great I-aJiton centre?, and ctr.erii 1 and ilj br
4, "Who are the Dhinvmrs ? Are they a separate caste * fron the Jliin^;7ars ?
5, "What do the got nai:ies mean and what are the c rig ins of the gots ?
5» Ilaye tlie Jhinwars any syster. of caste p^E'-nchajats or £haimtras_ or elders ?
7. Can people of other castes join this caste hy adopt- ing its occupation ? If so, h.ovr and on what conditions.
R L ^^ A K P S,
A reward of Us, 50. (or rewards aggregating that arAOimt) will "be paid for host account (or accounts) of the Jlainwar caste receiTed in response to tLiis ITote, provided the following conditions are observed.
Conditions. 1. iHach. account nust be certified to be substantially correct b:;- a,n officer of or above the ra^ii: of a Tahsildar. '
2, }!!ach account must., i- v^rittor; in English., be v.Tittcn c one sidn' of the 'page only, ■ or., if \Tr it ten in Ur'/Iii, accom- panied by a correct translation in English v/hich iirast be written on one side of the page onl:;^.
-^ -'O'-n si^:^. o-^' t'le Superintendent of Ethnograiphy
Jhinwar beliefs. 385
The Cult of Kdlu Bliagat.
The cult of KiXlu hhagat is professed by the Jhinwars in particular, and by members of a certain number of other castes also. Bdwd Kdlu was by caste a Hindu Jhiwar, of the Manauti got, born at Barial near Hari^na in Hoshidrpur and buried at Pancli Nangal in the same t»hsil. His temple, however, lies in Piinchhat, in the Kapiirthala State. Of his two sons Ganesha and Mahesha the latter alone left issue, so his descendants, who are styled Bdwds, live in the three above places and in Khutiar and Kahnpar also. They receive presents from the Hindu Jhiwars, as well as from some Stiliui Jilts, Chuhnts and Chamdrs.
Various stories are told of Kdlu's origin. According to one Pdrbatf made a clay image of a boy and gave it life, leaving it near a well. Two women, a Brahmani and a Jhiwari, came to draw water, and each claimed the child. The village elders decided that it belonged to her from whose breasts milk Bowed, and the Jhiwari fulfilled this test. She named her child Kdlu or ' the dark one. ' As a boy Kdlu was employed as a cowherd, and a scidhu bade him milk an ox, which he did successfully. In remembrance the scidhu gave him his gudri (quilt) which conferred on bim omniscience. Then Kdlu wandered over the world until he came to Panch Nangal, where he died, and there his gudri and sandals {pavve) are preserved.
Kdlu left four* disciples — Lachhmi Cliand, Sri Chand, Megh Chand and Tara Chand, from among whose descendants a priest is elected by divination. t He makes visitations to his followers, going every year or two to every part of the Province, and collecting alms. Each panc/ia- yat gives him Re. 1-4, and in return he bestows four cardamoms, and a red snd blue thread {Ganga-jamni-dhdga) at every mat. This thread is worn tied round the neck. Females are not pemitted to assume this thread, but they and the Jhiwar children of both sexes wear the kanthi, a necklace of black wool and cotton.
' He who chooses the life of an ascetic,' — says Kdlu— 'of him both his enemy and his king ai^e afraid.'
Another version is that Kdlu was a RajputJ who lived in Hastinapur. Once he was catching fish on the bank of the Jumnd against the order of the king, and seeing the king with his retinue coming towards him from a distance and being afraid, he threw his net, etc., into the river, rubbed earth on his body, so as to look like ^faqlr, closed his eyes and sat down near the bank of the river. As the king with his oflScials passed by, he supposed Kdlu to bo a faqir and throw some money to him. When the king had passed by, Kdlu opened his eyes and saw the money, and was so much impressed by the incident that he remained a/ajir till the end of his days, and spent the rest of his life as
* Some add a fifth— Kanh Chand.
t All the available persons are invited to a fpast, and dishes (chiefly of rice) are set before each and covered over with a cloth. After a few minutpg the cloths are removed and he, in whose dish worms are found, is elected. He must remain celibate and eat fruit only, not grain, except porridge made of sinokdra flonr. He receives all ofTerings made at the f^amddh. The idea underlying this rite of divination appears to be that he who hag given up eating grain, and before whom grain turns into worms is the destined priest.
J Or a Mahir Jhfnwar, says a third version.
886 Jhinwar guilds.
an ascetic at Panclinangla. He found fishing less proB table than begging
and justly remarked : —
Band hard dial da, tilah chhdp {gal) aur mdl, Jam darpe, Kdlu hahe, to hhai mane bhopal.
" The garb of an ascetic, with marks of a sacred order on his person and a rosary on his neck, is a great thing. (Before it) even the Angel of Death shrinks back, says Kdlu, and a king is overtaken with fear."
The Jhinwars in Gurgdon have the following 13* sections : —
1 Borna Kanthew415,.
Kalbut (Machhera or Changar).
9 Machhera (Kalbiit or Changar).
10 Mahar.
11 Taraha.
12 Tathi.
13 Tulati.
2 Badhia.
3 Changar (Machhera or Kalbut).
4 Charihar.
5 Dhanwir, a cotruption of Dhinwar.
6 Dharia.
7 Guria.
The Jhinwars of Gurgdon are Kalubansi of the Boria Kanshiwala caste which contains 84 groups.
Guild organisation.
Despite its complex and perhaps heterogeneous character, the Jhinwar caste possesses a fairly strong guild organisation. Thus in Jind the caste has a sadr or principal chauntra, with sobordioate chauntras. Each chauntra has a chaudhri and two kotwdls as his assistants with a chohddr, who acts as convener of the panchdyat. In Eohtak district there are 6 Jhinwar thappas or jurisdictions which are apparently subordinate to the chaimtra at Rohtak itself, and in that town lives the chaudhri who has 84 villages under his control. Each village sends sarddrs or panch as its representatives to the chauntra. Delhi is the great centre of the Jhinwar guild in the south-east Punjab. Other accounts make the panch synonymous with the chaudhri and the organisation is doubtless as loose and elastic as such organisations usually are, though its strength is indisputable. The office of chaudhri is hereditary, as a rule, but if the^ successor is deemed incompetent election is resorted to. A chaudhri gives Idg on ceremonial occasions, receiving double hhdji.
In Sidlkot the chaudhri or panch receives a turban and some money at festive gatherings. He has under him a fcoiwdZ or messenger, and hedhaks or singers, who sing on such occasions.f
The Dhinwars have already been noticed, but fuller information as to their organisation is here given. In Gurgdon they are locally called Malldhs or Thanterias, from their largest village, Thanteri : they are, however, found on the banks of the Jumna as far down as Agra and have three groups— the Bharbhunias, those who live by service as water-carriers, and the pilfering section who are called Thagaras. They appear to have three tribes— Sakkrawdl, J from Kdkota in Agra, Dewal and Nadma, in Gurgaon. The Dhinwar g-o^s are very numerous and
♦ Of these Nos. 1, 10 and 11 can smoke together but not intermarry.
I The Jhinwars held musical reunions at which their well-known roars are sung. These aodrs describe Akbar's dealings with the Rajputs and their heroes' prowess. The song of Jaimaland Fatah is the most famous of these ivdrs.
± Thanteri formerly belonged to a race called Paroki, but they abandoned it. It wja granted to Harp&l, leader of the Sakkarw^l, 580 years ago, but the Mallahs own no Iwtl in it no^'
Jhonjah—'Jodh. 887
include such names as JaisLin, Tunwar, Jddliun, Gaur, Punwar, Badid, Baclgujar, Jjidbansi,Chirimar, Dikhat, Chcin, Morathia, Najar, Ktlmandoa, Dhanu, Mihraiiia, Besli, Chhataiya, Bharaya, Ganglina, Dholdna, Baisla, Sakrawan, Chauharma, etc., in GurgjXon, and Chauhan, Dhankar and J.h^nga, from Muttra, etq.
Jhonjah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Jhoon, see under Pacheda.
Jhor, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan and Amritsar.
JnoTAii, a Jilt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Jhujh, (1) an agricultural clan found in Shahpur; (2) a Muhammadan J^t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Jhdllan, an agricultural tribe found in Bahawalpur. They claim descent from Rai Gajun, and pay dan or nazar to their chief. The Drighs are said to be akiu to the Jhullar, but others say they are a Bhatti sopt,
Jhdmmat, a Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur.
Jhumkiala, lit. " family servant," a term applied in Chambd, to any tenant who rents land in cash or kind,
Jhonjh, a tribe in Bahawalpur which claims to be a branch of the Janjuhas though others say they are Bhattia. They have three septs : Gasura, Ghakhkhar and Tanwari.
JiLDT, see under Ulamil.
JiNPEKE, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
JiNDWALi, a sept of Ri^jputs descended from Mdnak Chand, son of Sangar Chand, 16th Raja of Kalildr.
JisTKANi, formerly a powerful tribe in the Sindh Sagar Doab, with head- quarters at Mankera and still numerous there. They take brides from the Lasli£ris, of whom they arc believed 1o be a branch. Found also as a clan in the Gurcbani and Drishak tribes. Mackenzie calls them Jaskani and says they have 10 septs.*
Jo, (1) vulg. Thakur. — A title applied in Ldhul to the noble families which rank with the Nonos of Spiti and the old ruling family of Ladtikh. The Jos of Barthog in Lahul frequently marry princesses of that family, a privilege bestowed on them because, when the Kullu Rajas attempted to wrench Lahul from Ladakh, they remained true to their allegiance. Like the Nonos of Spiti the Jos of Lahul cannot always find husbands for their own daughters, and so some of the minor Jo families havo begun to sell their girls to ordinary Kanet families in the Kullii valley, the climate of which is very trying in summer to ladies born and bred in Lahul. On the other hand, the Jos have begun to marry Kullu women. (2) a Jut sept without whose nominal leave the Mair chaudhris of Kot Khilan in Jhelum cannot give a girl in marriage.
JoCHO, fem. .lo-jo, Tib., the son-in-law of a high-class family, in Spiti : see Chdhzang.
JoDH, see under Janjua. The Jiid of Babar's time, the Jodh still hold a few villages in the Chakw^l tahsil of Jhelum and claim Janjua descent.
* Jaskani, Satgini, M^rini, Shahani, Mandrani, Momdani, Kandini, Lashkarani, KurcHlNi and Malliaiii : Capt. Hector Mackenzie, Lcia and Bukkcr Scit. Rep., 1865, p. 23, For their history sec under Mirrani.
883 Jodhd — Jogi.
JoDHA, JoDAH, a JDogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
JoDHKA, JoDEA, a Rajput tribe of the Attock District, where it holds the south-east of Pindigheb tahsil, owning a little less than a third of its cultivated area and paying more than a third of its revenue.
It is said to have come from Jammu or, according to another story, from Hindustan and to have held its present tract before the Gheba settled alongside of them. The Jodhras^ eponym was, they say, converted by Mahmud of Ghaxni, yet they still retain traces of Hindu customs iu their festivals and ceremonies. They appear to have come to the District about the end of the 16th century, and possessed themselves of the Soan and Sil ildqas which, with much of Tallagang tahsil. they ruled from Pindi Gheb.* They found Awans in possession of the soil and retained them as tenants. Malik Aulia Khan was the first Jodhra Malik of any importance "known to history. Under the Mughals he held Pindi Gheb, Tallagang and parts of Chakw^l and Fatehjang tahsils as revenue assignee and he probably it was who over- ran Tallagang. The Sikhs found the Jodhra power at its zenith, but it rapidly decayed owing to the secession of important branches of the tribe and the rise of the Ghebas. The tradition that the Gheba is really a branch of the Jodhra is supported by the fact that the town of Pindi Gheb is held by the Jodhra, not by the Gheba. Cracroft described them as " fine spirited fellows who delight in field sports, have horses and hawks, are often brawlers, and are ever ready to turn out and fight out their grievances, formerly with swords, and noAV with the more humble weapons of sticks and stones." The Maliks of Pindi Gheb are the leading Jodhra family. t
JoDSi, see Jotsi. Jodsi is the form used in L^hul, where the jodsis or astrologers hold a little land rent-free, called onvo-zing, and could not apparently now be evicted, however ineflBcient. The heds or physicians hold man-zing land on a similar tenure. Cf. Hensi and Lobar.
JoQi; fem. JoGiN.J — A devotee, a performer of jogr. The Yoga system of philosophy, as established by Patanjali, taught the means whereby the human soul might attain complete union with the Supreme Being. The modern Jogi, speaking generally, claims to have attained that union and to be, therefore, a part of the Supreme^ and, as such, invested with powers of control over the matei-ial universe. The history of the deve-
* Settling originally on the north bank of the Sil the Jodhras founded Pindi Gheb, then called Dirahti. Later they moved their colony to the south bank of the Sil. Pindi Gheb was also named Pindi Malika-i-Shahryar and Pindi Malikai- Aulia, the village of the royal princess or queen of the saints, according to Raverty.
t For a detailed account of the Jodhra families see the Attock Gazetteer, 1907, pp. 78-81.
X Jogini is a female demon, created by Durgi, a witch or sorceress : see Piatt's s. v. The Yoginis or sorceresses of Hindu mythology may be of a modification of the Yakshinis or Dryads of Buddhist iconography.— Grtlnwedel, Buddhist Art in India, ^. \1\, The jogini is a sprite common in modern Punjab folklore, especially in the Plills. Thus in Kullu besides the devtas there are other beings who must from time to time be propitiated, but who do not generally possess temples. The woods and waterfalls and hill-tops are peopled by jognis, female spirits of a malignant nature, the gray moss which floats from the branches of firs and oaks in the higher forests is " the jognis" hair.'' The jogni of Chul, a peak of tho Ja^ri ridge, sends hail to destroy the crops if the people of the villages below fail on an appointed day to make a pilgrimage to the peak and sacrifice sheep.
§ Pandit Hari Kishon Kaul dissents from this view and would say : — " Some of Ihe modern Jogis claim supernatural prowess, acquired by practising austerities or by black magic." The point of tlie observation in the text is that the practice of austerities or religious exercises confers, directly or indirectly, dominion over the material universe.
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The term Jogi. 389
lopment of the modern Jogi out of the ancient profcKsors of Yoga is as fascinating as it is obscure, but it would bo entirely beyond the f>copo of this article, the object of which is to give a mattcr-of-fuct account of the actual beliefs and customs of the latter-day Jogi.
The term Jogi may be said to include two very distinct classes of persons. First are thu Jogis pi-opcr, a regular roligious order of Hindus, which includes both the Aughar Jogis and the Kanphatta Jogi ascetics who arc followers of Gorakh Nath and priests and wurshii)i)ers of Shiva.* These men are fully as respectable as the Bairagis, Gosiiins, and other religious orderp. They are all Hindus, but the gharbhti or secular Jogi, even if a Hindu, appears to be conmionly called Rawaj. and makes a living by begging, telling fortunes, singing and the like.t Another synonym for the Hindu Jogi is Nath. The second class is ihat miscellaneous assortment of low-caste faqirs and fortune-tellers, both Hindu and Musalmd,n but chietly Musalm^n, who are commonly known as Jogis. Every rascally beggar who pretends to be able to tell fortunes, or to practise astrological and necromantic arts in however small a degree, buys himself a drum and calls himself, and is called by others, a Jogi. These men include all the Musalmans, and probably a part of the Hindus of the eastern districts, who style themselves Jogis. They are a thoroughly vagabond set, and wander about the country beating a drum and begging, practising surgery and physic in a small way, writing charms, telling fortunes, and practising exorcism and divination ; or, settling in the villages, eke out their earnings from these occupations by the offerings made at the local shrines of the malevolent godlings or of the Sayads and other Musalman saints; for the Jogi is so impure that he will eat the offerings made at any shrine. These people, or at least the Musalman section of them, are called in the centi'O of the Punjab Rawals, or sometimes Jogi-Rawals, from the Arabic rammdl, a diviner, which again is derived from ramal, "sand," with which the Arab magicians divine.+ The Jc-gi-Rnwals of Kathiawar are said to be exercisers of evil spirits, and to worship a deity called Korial. In Sidlkot the Jogis pretend to avert storms from the ripening crops by plunging a drawn sword into tlie field or a knife into a mound, sacrificing goats, and accepting suitable offerings. Mr. Benton wrote: — '* The Jogi is a favourite character in Hindustani fiction. He there appears as a jolly playful character of a simple disposition, who enjoys the fullest liberty and conducts himself in the most eccentric fashion under the cloak of religion without being called in (|ueslion," The Jogis used to be at deadly feud with the yaniusis and 5U0 of the former were once defeated by two or three hundred tSaniasis. Akbar wit- nessed the fight and sent soldiers smeared with ashes to assist the vSaniasis who at length defeated the Jogis. §
* It might be more correct to say Bhairava, not Shiva.
I This was Sir Denzil Ibbctson's view, but the Gharishti or Grihasti Jogi is now accurately tlescribcd as distinct from the Jogi Riuval. The latter may be by origin a Jogi, but he is a degenerate arid has now no connection with the Jogis projjcrly so called.
X The derivation of R4wal from niindl aijpears {]uite untenable. The word Kawal is used as a title in iiajpulana. It means ' lord ' or ' ruler ' and is thus merely a synonym of fidtli, but appears to be specially allectcd by Jogis of the Nag-nathia iiunih, see ('»'/»■«, p. 'itiu.
§ E. U. I., V, p. 318.
390 Jogi origins.
Tlic Jogis as a body cannot be said to have any history j so numerous and indotorminatu are the branches into which they have split up in the course of time. Regarding their origins the Jogis have a vast body of nebulous tradition, the drbris of much primitive metaphysical specula- tion now hardly recognisable in its fantastic garb.
The origin of the Jogis. According to the Tahqiqdt-i-Chiahti, a devotee of Shiva desired off- spring, so the god, at Parbati's intercession, gave him some ashes from his dhiini or fire and told him his wife should eat them. The wife, however, was incredulous and did not do so, but let the ashes fall on a heap of cowdang. Eventually the devotee found a child where the ashes had been thrown, and took it to Shiva^ who said it would grow up a great ascetic and should be given to him.* He named it GorakhNath, from the place of his birth and instructed him to find a Guru. As Shiva could find no one worthy, Gorakh Nath set forth to seek a teacher, and reaching the sea, offered there a large loaf on a pqial leaf. This was swallowed by Rakho, the fish, who 12 years later restored not the loaf, but a child whom Shiva named Machhendra N^th and who became Gorakh Ndth's Guru. Another version makes Machhendra Nath the issue of Gorakh Nath himself.
Shiva then told Gorakh Nath that he must, though an ascetic, have children, and advised him to make disciples. Shiva also gave him duhh , grass, saying it should be their clothing, and a stick cut from an ak tree, saying it should be tied to his garments, and used as a ndd, to be sounded thrice daily, in the morning, in the evening, and before the Guru. He also asked Parbati to bore Gorakh Nd,th's ears and place earthen ear- rings in them. This she did and also mutilated herself, dyeing a cloth with the blood and giving it to Gorakh Ndth to wear. Gorakh Nd,th then made twelve disciples : —
5. Bah-^gNath. 9. Gangai Nath.
6. Darya Nath 1(>. Dhajja Nath.
7. KaikNath. H. Jalandhar Nath.t
8. NagN4th.t 12. Nfm Nath.§
A tradition says that Narinjan Nirankd,r, the formless Creator, created Gorakh N^th from the sweat of his breast, whence he is also called Ghor Nath (fr. ghor, filth) . The Supreme then bade him create the universe, whereupon a creeping plant sprang from his navel, and a lotus blossomed on it. From this flower sprang Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva and Shakti, the last a woman who straightway dived beneath the waters, before earth or sky, air or fire had been created. As Earth was indispensable to the complete manifestation of the universe, the Supreme sent Vishnu down to the lower regions beneath the waters to bring pjarth to the surface. When he reached the Patal Lok Vishnu saw Shakti with a dhuni in front of her, while light rayed from her body.
1. Sant Nath.
2. Ram Nath.
3. Sharang or Bharang Nath.
4. DharmNath.
* An instance of a child being devoted to the god from birth. This legend is doubtless of quite recent origin, made up by ignorant Jogis out of fragments from the Purdnas. No classical authority is or could be quoted for what follows. It is pure folklore, possibly ancient but probaljly modern.
t Jogis of the Nag Nalhia 'panth are called Rawals.
j Jogis of the Jalandhar-Nathia fanUi. are called pd instead of ndth.
§ Jogis of the Nim-Nathia faidh are called Gaphaiu.
7
Jogi myths. 391
A Voice asked who had como, and Vishnu replied that his errand was to bring up Earth by the Supreme's command. The Shakti answered that he could do so, provided he 6rst wed her, but Vishnu urged that intercourse with her was impossible, sinco even at a distance of 12 hos he found her effulgence insupportable. So he returned unsuccessful. Brahma likewise failed, and so at last Shiva was sent. To his reply that * Shiva had come,' the Voice said : 'There have been croresof Shivae, which Shiva art thou ?' Shiva answered that he was the Lord of Kailds, and he agreed to espouse Shakti when Earth and Sky had come into being. Shakti thon gave forth the four Vedas, and bestowed two handfuls of ashes with some smoke from her ' dimni upon Shiva, who carried them up. The smoke when sent upwards became the sky, and the ashes when strewn upon the waters formed land. Hence the Jogis worship only Gorakh Nath and Shiva. By a process which reminds us of the myth of Hephaistos and Athene,"^" Gorakh Ndth became by a fish the father of Machhondra Ndth, who forthwith went into the wastes to worship. When Gorakh Nfith was reproached with his incontinence he felt that he must seek out a gurii of his own, but finding none better than himself, he bethought him that his own son was fitted for the office and exclaimed : —
Barte khasm, niJcalte puta, Yun Ihdkhe Gorakh abhdiitd.
" ' The husband's embraces cause sons to be born ' : Thus saith the ascetic Gorakh."
He then sought out Machhendra Ndth, who would have fallen at his feet, but Gorakh addressed him as his own guru. This is how Machhendra Nsith became Gorakh's guru as well as his son.
The Brah mans tell quite a different tale: Bhasmasurj a rdkshasa, had long served Shiva, who in return promised him any boon he might claim, 80 he demanded that which when placed on anything would reduce it to -ashes. Shiva thereupon gave him his bangle. Bhasmasur coveted Piirbati, Shiva's wife, and he endeavoured to place the bano-le on her husband's head. Shiva fled, pursued by the demon, and at last hid in a cave on Kailds and blocked up its entrance with a stone. Bhaawfin now assumed Purbati's form and approached Bhasmasur, but when- ever he tried to grasp the vision it eluded his embrace, and at last declared that Shiva used to sing and dance before his wife. Bhasmasur avowed his readiness to learn and while he was dancing as she tauo-ht him she bade him place his hand on his head. In it he held the bangle, and was burnt to ashes. Bhagwan then brought Shiva who was afraid to show himself, cut of the cave. Shiva's curiosity was now aroused and he demanded that Bhagwdn should again assume the form which had enchanted Bhasmasur. This was Mohni, Pdrbati's double, but even more beauteous than she, and when her shape appeared Shiva by a process similar to that alluded to above became the father of Hanumfin, who was born of Anjani's ear, and of Machhendra Nath. By a cow he also fathered Gorakh Nd,th.
Once, says another legend, the sage Bashisht recounted the follow- ing story to Sri Rdm Chandraji : — "My mind was ill at ease, and I
♦ A. Mommsen : Feate der Stadt Athtn, p. 6 ; and Roscher, Ltaikon, s. v. Hephaistos.
392 Jogi myths.
wandered until I came to Bindra Chal, on wbicli hill I spent a long period in worship. One day I saw the wife of Brahma, my father, coming towards me. She approached and said my father was wroth with her and I resolved to go to him, so I went and found a cave whose mouth was blocked by a stone. Unable to move it I created a man by my Brahm-tej (creative power) and ho removed the stone. I then entered the cave, wherein I saw a world, like the one in which I lived. In it were all the gods, and I first made a reverence (parndm) to Brahma and then to all the other gods. But when I told them of my errand they warned mo to quit the cave at once, since the day of judgment was at hand because wives were dissatisfied with their husbands. I did as they had bidden me, but meanwhile stillness had prevailed everywhere, and all the earth had turned to water. Soon a great sound arose from the waters, and endured for a long while, but when it had nearly died away Shakti appeared. I endeavoured to approach her, but could not even do obeisance, and stood like a statue before her. She then cast a ball into the waters, and it made a great sound. As it died away she again appear- ed. Thrice she did this, and the third time Yishnu appeared. Him she bade to wed her, but he refused and again she threw a ball upon the waters. Then Brahma emerged, but he too declined her hand, and again she cast a ball. Shiva then appeared in wrathful mood, and he promised to espouse her, but not yet. Though all these cods were free from mdyd, nevertheless through it they had appeared, and each claimed superiority over the others. Meanwhile a lotus blossomed on the surface of the waters, and they agreed that he who should trace it to its root should be deemed the chief. Neither "Vishnu nor Brahma succeeded in his attempt, but Shiva, leavino- his body, transformed himself into an insect and descended throuo-h the stem of the lotus. But his rivals besought Shakti to transfio'ure his body, so as to puzzle him on his return, and so she took some dirt off her body and of it made earrings (kundal). These she placed in the ears of Shiva's form, boring holes in them, and thus re-animated the body. When it stood up she demanded fulfilment of Shiva's promise, but his form refused to wed her, so in her wrath she threatened to burn it. The body, however, replied that her earrings had made him immortal. Subsequently the earrino-s were changed into miindras, as will be told later on. The Shakti then asked whose body it was, and it replied that it was Bhoo-u-rikh, whereby Jogis mean one who is immortal and has control over his senses. Hence Shiva is also called Bhogu-rikh.
Meanwhile Shiva returned, having braced the lotus to its root. Failino- to find his own form he made for himself a new body''^ and in that married Shakti. The descendants of the pair were called Rudargan, those of Bhogu-rikh being nnmed Jogijan. But Shiva's progeny inherited his fierce temper, and eventually exterminated the descendants of Bhogu-rikh, who told Shiva that he, as a jogi, was free from joy or sorrow and was unconcerned at the quarrel between their children. But Shiva replied : ' Thou art free from mdyd, yet dost owe thy existence to it. Do thy work, I will not
* The Jogis, it is said, do not admit that Shiva thus created a second body.
A Jogi spiritual pedigree. 393
interfere.' So Bhogu-rikh began his task under Shiva's counsel. Initiated by him he became known as Dde Ndth Pdrbati^ and founded the Jogi^Jan^/i or 'door/ (Bashisht's tale would teem to end here).
The following is a table of his spiritual descendants : —
Shaktf.
I Shiva Ji.
I
Udc Nuth Pnrbati,
the gecond of the 9 Kaths and founder of the panth of the Jogis.
Rudargan.
I Jalandbar,
Machhendar Nath. Jalandhari.
^ __!_____ ^ |_J
Gorakh Nath. Nira Nath Paras Nflth Bhartari Kam'pa.
I I Sirtora. Puj. Nath. |
] Pangal or Sidh Shangari. Arjan N^nga.
r I I ' i j i "^
Kapal Muni. Kharkai. Bhuskai. Shakar Sat Nith. Santokh Lachhman
I Nath. I ^'dth. Nath.
f ~1 I Dharm |
Ajai Pal. Ganga Nuth. Handi Pharang. Nath. Earn Nath.
After his initiation by Shiva Ude Nath made Rndargan a jogi and ho by his spiritual poAver, initiated an tu'il spirit (dait) named Jfllandhar, bringing him to the right way. He, in turn, made two disciples, Machhendra Ndth and Jallandaripa. The latter founded the Pa 'panth ; while Machhendra Ndth made Gorakh Nilth liis disciple. And here we must tell the story of Machhendra Ndth's birth.
In the Satyug lived a R^ja, Udho-dhar, who was exceedingly piuns. On his death his body was burnt, but his navel did not burn and the unburnt part was cast into a river, where a fish devoured it and gave birth to Machhendra NAthf — from machhi, ' fish.' By reason of his good deeds in a previous life he became a saint. Gorakh Ndth was born of dung, and when Machhendra Ndtli found him ha made him his disciple, and theu left him to continue his wanderino-;^. At length Machhendrii Niith reached Sangaldip where he became ji householder,]: killed the Rdja and entered his body. Ho beo-at t.vo sons, Fiiras N^th and Nim Ndth. Raja Gopi ChaQd§ of Ujjain was
* Ltt. Noble lord {nath) of the mountain {parhati).
t Matsyendra.
X Grihisht ashram. In other words he relapsed and abandoned the spiritual life. This appears more clearly in the following variant of the legend -.—After making Gorakh his disciple Machhendra went oil to Knmnip— not to Sangaldip— and there he found the country governed by two Ennis, who with magic aids chose themselves husbands. When Machhendra arrived he too fell into their toils and lost his reason, so the llanfs weJded him and posted watchmen to prevent any mendicants entering the kingdom to effect his rescue. Gopi Chand. however, succeeds in evading them, as will be described later.
§ The variant makes Gopi Chand sister's son of Bhartari, and his mother tries to make him a disciple of Jalandhar Niith, but iastead he casts that saint into a well.
394 Jogi legends.
taught yog by his mother, and desiring to becone a jopi sought out Jallandaiipa, who taught him a certain maxim [shabd). Unable to understand this, he consulted his minister who falsely told him that its teaching was contrary to the Vedas and true religion, fearing that if he disclosed its real import, the Rd/ja would abandon his kingdom and retire from the woi'ld. Hearing this false interpretation Gopi Chand had Jallandaripa cast into a well, into which he ordered horse- dung to be thrown daily. There he remained, until Gorakh Ndth, resolved on his rescue, reached Ujjain. The seat of Jallandaripd at Ujjain was then occupied by Kanipa. the mahant. Gorakh Ndth chose a lonely spot for his bathing- place and thither, according to Jogi usage, food was sent him from the kitchen of the monastery by the hands of a inan who was not himself a Jogi. When this messenger, bearing food for one, reached Gorakh N^th he found tivo persons: when he took food for two, he found four, and so on. Hearing this Kanipa guessei^ it must be Gorakh, so he sent him a taunting message, saying : ' Thy gurii is but a worldling, and thou canst not free him.' But Gorakh retorted that Kanipa ought to be ashamed to let his guru remain so buried in the well. Upon this Kanipa, with the Raja's leave, began to clear the well, but Gorakh declared that the horse- dung should ever increase, and left for Sangaldip.*
On arriving there, however, he found that the Rd,ja had posted men to turn back any jogi trying to enter his kingdom, so he turned himself into a fly, and thus succeeded in entering the Rdjd,'s court. There he caused all the instruments and the very walls to chant, ' Awake, Machhendra, Gorakh Nilth has come.* The Raja bade hira show himself, and he appeared before him among the musicians.
(There is clearly a gap in the recorded legend here.t It continues : — ) The RAja's queen died, and, after her death, Gorakh asked Machhendra to come away with him. On the way, after a repulsive incident, Gorakh killed Machhendra's two sons and placed their skins on a tree. When Machhendra asked where the boys were, Gorakh showed him their skins, and then to comfort him restored them to life. Further on their road they were sent to beg in a village, where a man bade them drag away a dead calf, before he would give them alms. They did so and in return he gave them food, but when they reached Machhendra and Gorakh again they found it had turned to blood and worms. So Machhendra cursed the village^ and when the people
* Kamrup in the variant. On the road he meets a troupe of actors (rdsdhdris) on their ■way to Kamr.iip, and is engaged by them as a servant. Bidden to carry all their stage propel ties he bears the whole burden by his spiritual power. On their arrival the rus'i/idn's perform before Machhendra but not one of them was able to play on the tahla, as Gorakh held it spell-bound, and they had to get him to play it. As soon as it began to play, it rang ' Awake ! Machhendra ! ' Rasdharis are found in Lahore and Amritsar and the adjoining Districts They are said to be called hhagats. like worshippers of the Devi.
t The variant too is silent on this episode. It makes the two Ranfs transform them- selves into kites and pursued them for a while, oft compelling them to stop, but at last they escaped from Kamrup. As soon as they had got out of the country they hailed by a well, into which Gorakh threw four gold bricks and as many gold coins, which Machhendra had brought from Kamrup, and this so enraged the latter that he refused to go further. So Gorakh turned the water into gold, but Machhendra thinking this would cause disputes among the worldly, begged hira to block up the well. Gorakh then turned the gold into crystal, the first ever created.
'^ A particular rite.
Jogi legends. Sdfc
asked him to visit them he promised to do so in the Kaljiig (Iron Age).* P^ras Nath and Nim Nath then separated, and each founded a new panth, the Piij and the Sartora, with which other jogri* have no conceJD. Gorakh and Machhendra now reached IJjjaii), aud found Jal- landaripa still buried in the well. With Kanipa they ix'scued him, turning all the horse-dung into locusts wiiich flew away, and, when only a little was left, forming a human body with a blanket and infusing life into it : this man they bade bring the Nath out of the dung.i' The man asked him to come out and give him bread, but tlio fiawd. (saint Jallandaripa) asked who he was. He replied ' Goj)i Chand,' and the saint thereupon burnt him to ashes seven times. But at the eighth time Gorakh asked Raja Gopi Chand to go himself to the saint. Jallandaripa then consented to come out, and declared that since he had not been consumed by fire, he should bpccme immortal, and this is why Gcpi Chand never dies. J He was also made a Jogi by Kanipa, with the saint's permission, and assumed the name of Sidh Sanskaripa, one of the 84 sidhs. The Jogis of this imnth are called spddhd, as they keep snakes. They are generally found in Bengal. One of them initiated Ismail, aMuhammadan into tho j^antJi, and he founded a new panth like that of Sidh Sanskaripd,.^
Gorakh and Machhendra now left Ujjain and came towards the Jhelum. There they took up their abode on the hill of Tilla. Here they initiated the following as Jogis : — (i) Kapal Muniji, Avho in turn had two chelas, one Ajai-pdl, who founded the Kapalanf panth ; the other Ganga Nath who established tho panth called after his own name II : {ii) Kharkai and Bhuskai, each of whom founded a panth : [Hi) Shakar N^th. The last named in his wanderings reached a land where a Mlechh (low caste) Edj^ bore sway. By him the Jogi was seized and promised his liberty only if ho would cause it to rain pugar, otherwise he would be put to the torture. But he induced the Rd,ja to promise to become his servant if he performed this miracle. He succeeded, and then seizing the Ra]?! buried him in the ground. Twelve years later he returned, and found the R^jii a skeleton, but he restored him to life and made him his disciple and cook. Nevertheles.*^ the KtijfVs disposition was unchanged, and one day he took out some of the pulse he was cooking and tasted it.^ Bhairon chanced that day to appear in person,** but he refused the proffered food and tho
* In the variant this episode is different : Gorakh goes with the boys to beg alms at a bdnm's (merchant's) house, and they are ma:lo to take away the dead calf. When Gorakh sees their food transformed he catches them by the hand, takes them to tho hdnias house and there murders them. Thereupon all the Banias complain that he has polluted their jag (sacrifice) by this murder, and he retorts that they had polluted his chelas, but he a^rrees to restore them to life if tho bdnias will henceforth worship him and no other. They assented, and this is why Gorakh left Paras Nath, one of the two boys, with the Banias, among whom the Jains deem him an incarnation of God,
\ In the variant Gorakh makes seven bundles of grass, each of which says : "I am Gopi Chand," in reply to Jalandhar Nath, and is burnt to ashes at his command.
X In the variant the slabs of the Avell were turned into kites, and the horse-dung into locusts and so they were created.
§ So Gopi Chand also founded a jpanth, that called after his second name, tis., Sidh Sanskaripa. See also infra p. 407.
!J A Jogi of this panful in turn founded the Kajan or Kayan-nathi panth, found in th* ancient town of Bhera on the Jhelum. This must be the Kaya-Nathi panth.
51 According to the doctrine of the panth the. food thus became ' leavings * ^ juth). When fool is cooked, Jogis first offer it to Bhairou.
$06 Th6 Jogi Nath.
ex-'Raji/a villainy was detected. As a punishment a hdndi or Earthen pot was hung round his neck and he was condemned to wander the livelong day getting his food out of the pot. Hi:* punishment lasted four years, and he was then pardoned, but his disciples were called H^ndi-pharang and the 'panth still bears that name : [iv) Another initiate was Sant Niith, whose disciple Dharm Nath founded the Dharni-n^thi paJ2</>, which now has its head gaddl on the God^wari, having repUced the llamke panth there : {v) The next initiate, Santokh Nath, made oneRiim Nath his chela, and he founded the Ram-ke panih which, replaced on the Godawari by the Dharm-ndthi, now has its chief gaddi at Delhi: [vi) Lachhraan Nath succeeded Gorakh at Tilla, and his panth. is styled Darbdri Tilla Bal Gondai. Subsequently was born a Jogi who founded a panth called the Sunehri Tills, a famous order : {vii) Arjan Nanga, whose seat is near Jwalamukhi, founded the Man Manthi pnnth, or ecstatics, now settled at B'har. If a,faq>r goes to the mahant of this fanth be is given a hoe and some cord and told to go and cut grass. A long time ago one Sant Nath mahdtmd of the Uharm-nathis went to this wahant and was bidden to cut grass like any one else. So he asked whether he was to cut the grass from below or from above. He was told by a viahdtmi that he should so cut it that it would grow again. Accordingly ever since then when a chela is initiated into this ecstatic panth a gjD'u dies. Sant Nd,thjf's panth is called the Bawdji kd panth. He had many chelas, of whom two deserve mention. These were Ranbudh and Mahnidata. Once as the Bawd, wandered north his cameh^ were stolen and when he told the people of that part that he ■was their pir or spiritual guide, they replied that he must eat with them. When the meal was ready he bade these two disciples eat with the people, promising them immortality, but forbidding them to found any more new j)a?if/i.9. So they did not do so, and are called NdrUgds, and to this day two persons always remain in attendance at their tombs.
One account says that Sharang or Shring Nath, who attained to the zenith of spiritual power after Gorakh Nath's death, introduced new rules of his own and bade his followers bore their ears and wear the mundra of wood. After his death the following sects or orders were formed — (1) the Gin Nath, who marry and indulge in such luxuries as drinking, (2) the Purinama, some of whom are secular and eat meat, (y) the Saniasis, (4) the militant Nd^ngns, (5) the Ajaipdl whose founder was ruler of A j mere and a profound believer in the ear- pierced Jogis. His followers are said to have once ruled India. (G) the Gwd,li-basda, (7) the Ismdil Jogis— one follower of Ismail was Nona Chamari, a famous professor of the black art ; (8) Agam Nath, (9) Nim Nath, and (10) Jalandhar Ndth.
The mythology of Qorahh.
The nine Naths and the 84 Sidhs always follow Gorakh in his wanderings, and the route can be traced by the small trees bearing sugarcandy which spring up wherever they go. It is related in the Bhagvat that Raja Sambhii Manu once ruled iu Oudh over the whole world. When the four mid-born sons of Brdhma refused to beget off-
And Siddhs. 307
spring, Brabma wept and a tear I'ell to the earth, whence sprang Sanibhu. His descendants were —
Sambhu Manii (Swayambhuva, the self-existent).
r ^
Uthan Pad. Piva Barat.
I ■ I
Dhruva, the ascetic. .\gnidhar.
Nibhi.
! Rakh Bhadco or Rikhava (Rishabha).*
Bharat and 90 others.
Bharat with eight of his brothers ruled the 9 divisions [khandds) of the world : 81 became ascetics and Brahma ns, and 9 became the Ndths or perfected Jogis, whose names arc given below.
The Naths are always said to be nine in numbei', in contradistinction to the jKUitlis which are, ideally, twelve. Their names and titles are variously given ; —
Aungkar Adi-nath (Lord of Lords), Shiva,
Shcl-nith (Lord of the Arrow-shaft) : variously said to bo Krishna or Ram <'hai;dra.
Santokh-nath (Lord of Gratification). Acbalachambu-nath (Lord of wondrous Iramoveability) : variously said to be Hanuman or Lakshraana.
o. Gajbali Gajkanth-uath (Lord of the Eleplant's Strength and Neck) : Ganc?& Gaju-karna, elephant- eared, in Sanskrit
u. Praj-nnth, or Udai'-nath (Lord of the People): said to be Parvati.
7. Mayariipi Machhendra-nath (the ivon-
drous Form) : guru of Gorakh.
8. Gathepinde Eichayakari or Naranthar : Shambiijaiti Guru Gorakh-nith.
9. Gyansarupe (or Purakh) Siddh Chuurauju-e-ndth, or Piaran Ihagat.'f
Gorakh plays a leading part in the legend of Guga, and naturally therefore Jogis, both Hindu and Muhammadan, take offerings made to him, giving but a small share to the Chuhras ; and also carry his flag, chhari, of peacock's feathers, from house to house in Bhadon.J
The 8idhs, more correctly Siddlis, are pro])eriy speaking saints of exceptional purity of life who have attained to a semi-divine existence, but who in the eyes of the vulgar are perhaps little more than demons who obtained power from Gorakh. They are especially worshipped in I ho low hiHs,§ e. g. in Ambala and Hoshiarpur, in the form of stones, etc., and under various names. The distinctive emblem of their cult appears to be the singi, a cylindrical ornament worn on a thread round the neck. Ghazidas is a Siddh of some repute near Una : Chanu is said to have been a Chamar, and people of that caste feast on goat's flesh and sing on certain dates to his memory. Another Siddh is the jafhera, or ancestor, Kfila Fir, who is worshipped in the low hills and throughout the eastern Districts generally and more particularly, as Kala Mahar, by the Sindhu Jdts as their forebear. His shrine is at Mahar in Samrala but the Sindhus of Khot in Jind have there set up a shrine with bricks from the original tomb and there they, and the Khdtis and Lobars too,
* The Jain,
t 8«e P. N. Q.. II, § 279.
* P. N. Q., L § 3.
§ Not an inappropriate tract if we regard Shiva as the great hill god and the Siddhs as emanations from him through Gorakh.
398 The Jogi earrings.
worship him. His shrine usually takes the form of a mud-pillar under a tree or by a pond^ and images of him are worn in silver plates as charms. His .samddit at Kliot is in charge of the Ai-panth Jogis.
The tmindra. — How the hundal was turned iuto a mundra is explained in the following story : — When Bhartari was made a Jogi he was put to a severe tost. Jallandarip^ was his guru, but he was also a sddiq or pupil of Gorakh, and his chief companions were of the KapMni panth, whence he was known as Bhartari Kapl^ni and reckoned one of the 84 sldhs. One day he said to Jallandaripd, : " Thou hast put nie to a severe test, but henceforth the faqirs of this panth will be mostly men of the world for they will mingle with such men." Gorakli said that he would be the more pleased with them, and Bhartari asked for some mark to be given them to distinguish them from worldly people. Accordingly a hole three inches wide was made in the Jogi's ears, and clay mundras were inserted in them. Sub- sequently the mundras wei'e made of wood, then of crystal gilt, then of ivory. By wearing the mundras, a Jogi becomes immortal, as Bhogu-rikh had told Shakti. When this practice was permitted, two sidhs Kharkai and Bhuskai began to bore each Jogi's ears, with Gorakh's assent. The latter with these two sidhs and several other Jogis settled at a place on the road to HingMj in Balochist^n, a place which every Jogi of this panth must visit if he wishes to be considered a perfect sddhu and attain yoga. Since then it has been usual to bore a Jogi's ears, but once when the two sidhs tried to bore the ears of a Jogi who had visited that place they found that they healed as fast as they bored holes in them, so they gave up the attempt, and Gorakh exclaimed that the pilgrim was ' Aughar.' Thenceforth Aughars do not have their ears bored and form a body distinct from the other Jogis.
Jogi Nature-vjorship.
The Jogis claim, inter alia, povser to transmute any metal into gold or silver. In the time of Altamsh, says one legend, a Jogi named Dina Nath begged a boy sitting in a shop with a heap of copper coin to give him a few pieces. The boy said the money was not his, but his lather's, and he gave the Jogi food. The Jogi prayed to Vishnu for power 10 reward the boy. Then he melted down the copper and turned the mass into gold by means of charms and a powder. Altamsh heard of the occurrence and witnessed the Jogi's powers, but the latter declined to accept any of the gold he had made, so it was sent to the mint and coined, with his name as well as that of Altamsh upon it. Jogis allege that these * Dinanathi ' gold mohars arc still to be found. /^ Similarly the Jogis claim power over hailstorms, and in .Sialkot the rathhana^ is a Jogi who can check a hailstorm or divert it into waste land.
The connection between Jogis and snake-worship is naturally a close one. In some places Jogis are said to eat snakes — a kind of ritualistic cannibalism — and the snake is often styled jogi, just as the parrot is designated * pan4it.^t
*tr.rath, 'hail,' and bona, ' otie who Imptisons or checks.' This practice is alluded to in Prinsep's Sidlkot Settlemerit Rep., p. 37. t P. N. Q.. li, § 245.
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Jogi rites. 899
The cults of the Jogis contain strong elements of nature-worship which finds expression in tlie names assumed by them after initiation. Such are Nim-n^th,* Kanak-n^th (wheat), Ndg-nath (snake), Tota-o^th (parrot).
The Jogis hold everything made of earth in great respect, whence the saying : — Mitti kd dsan, milti kd hdsan, mitti kd sarhdna, mitti kd bdna. — ^ The earthen dsa?^ (carpet), the earthen pitcher, the earthen pillow and the earthen woof.'
The Jogi Janeo.
The Jogis generally wear a janeo of black wool, which is made ly certain members of the order, not by any member, nor by a Brahman. It is 9 cubits long, made of 3 strands each, woven of 8 threads on a bobbin, and jilaited into a bobbin-thread, like an English braid neck- lace,! Round the waist Jogis wear a similar thread of 2 eoparale bobbin-threads of 8 strands each, twisted together, with a loop at one end and a button at the other.
The Kanphatta should be branded at Kalesar near Dwdrkd with two concentric circles within a third incomplete one, both ends of which are finished off by a circular bt^nd in the arm. J
The rudrakisha^ with two facets is sacred to Shiva, and can only be worn by the Jogi who has his wife with him : One with 5 facets is devoted to Hanumdn ; and one with 11 is highly prized, being sacred to Gauri Shankar and worn by celibate Jogis.
The Jogi funeral rites.
A dying Jogi is made to sit cross-legged. After death the corpse is washed by the deceased's fellow-Jogis, a langoti tied round its waist and ashes smeared over it. A coflSn is then made, if means permit, but a poor Jogi is simply wrapped in a blanket and carried by two men on two poles, and the body thrown into a river. A wealthy Jogi is, however, placed on a wooden chaiiki shaped like a palanquin, and upon this flowers are cast. The procession to the grave is called sawdri and is headed by horses and bands playing music. The grave is made deep, with a spacious niche like that in Muhammadan graves, and the body placed in it cross-legged and facing the north^. The Jogi's hairdgan is placed before him, with a gourd full of Water on his right, a loin-cloth, a kanak or staff of Mahadeo, a loaf of wheaten flour, and two earthen plates, one full of water, the other of rice and milk. An earthen potsherd is also placed on his head. Then a mound
* At P. N. Q., II, 562, it is noted that the chela gets a flower or plant-name for life; but animal-names appear to be also adopted.
t To the ya7!(?o is attached a circlet of horn (rhinoceros it should be), and to this is at- tached the nud or whistle, which makes a noise like a conch, but not so loud : P. N. Q., II, 126.
t P. N. Q., II, 345.
§ Beads made of the seed of the hadnr or jujube.— P. N. Q., 11, 558,
II But Jogis are said to bnrj' their dead facing the oast ; Saniisis east or north-east, P. N. Q,; II, 127. In the Simla hills the ,Togis were originally mendicants, but have noiy become householders. They ^iuh the dead, and for every corpse get 4 annas in money, together with a plate of brass or Aon. s/ and a woollen or cotton cloth. They alsoj get some grain at each harvest. They are considered defiled as they take ofleringi made at death, and the Kanets and higher castes will not drink with them.
400 Jogi miiialion.
is raised overtlie orrave/ and all the Jogis wash their hands with water supplied by the deceased's disciples. They then bathe and the dis- ciples give them sweets. On the third day they are also fed [churma alone being given if the disciples are poor). Later on the shrddh i'*, if possible, performed thus : — Jogis are invited and keep a vigil all night. About a pahr before dawn they are fed with fish, or pakauras (vegetables coated with haisan or paste of powdered gram fried in mustard oil), or khir, i. e. rice boiled in milk, gram and ghungnidn, or pildo, or rice, wine, flesh, fruit, etc. Seven thrones or gaddis are now erected to : {i) the Pir, (u) Jognis, (m) Sakhya or witness, [iv) Bir, {v) the Bhanddri of Guru Gorakh Ndth, [vi) Guru Gorakh Ndth, and {vii) to Neka. Mantras are then repeated, and clothes: gold, silver and copper : a cow and earth given away in charity. The wake is now attended only by Jogis but formerly men of all claasea, even Muham- madans, used to take part in it. Lastly, after all these ceremonies, a council ipindhdra] of Jogis is held, and one of the deceased's disciples is elected Guru or Bir Mahant, three kinds of food, piiri, kachauri and pildo being distributed. The deceased's clothes and the coffin are given to the Icotwdls, or bankias, or else to Jangam/agiVs. As the Jogi is not biirnt his bones cannot be sent to the Ganges, so his nails are removed and taken to Hardw^r. The saniddh of a Jogi may be of earth or brick, and belpattar (leaves) are strewn over it. On it a lamp is also kept burning for 10 days, flowers and water being placed near it and a conch being blown. Rice balls are given in the name of the deceased for 10 days as among other Hindus. On the 10th day clothes are washed and on the 1 3th kirya karam ceremony is performed. The ceremonies are the same as among Hindus.
The following story is told to account for the fact that Jogis bury their dead : In Gorakh's time there arose a dispute between the Hindus and the Muhammadans, the latter saying they were masters of the earth and of all the living and the dead. Gorakh sat on the o-round, placing all his food, etc., by his side, and bade the earth yield to him, if he too had a share in it. It opened and Gorakh sank into it, and so Jogis usually bury their dead.
Initiation,
In theory any Hindu can become a Jogi, but in practice only those of the twice-born castes are admitted into the order. In theory caste is abandoned upon entering it, and as marriage is, in theory, forbidden, no question as to caste can arise in connection with it. But as mar- riage is in practice tolerated the original caste is preserved in practice for matrimonial purposes, though in theory all Jogis are caste-less. Further, there is a tendency to avoid marriage in the same panth, as all the members of a panth are in theory spiritually akin. Within the order there is in theory equality and no restrictions are placed upon eating, drinking or smoking together, but even a Hindu of high caste who joins the panth of Jdlandhar Ndth is excluded by other panths. Moreover, the theoretical equality does not extend to the women, as the Jog:i does not allow his women-folk to eat with him. Women of every panth may, however, eat together.
* Over the grave an earthen potsherd is also placed on a three-legged stool.
Jogi initiation . 401
A would-be disciple is dissuaded frotn bpcorairif^a Josi, the hardships of the life being impressed upon liira. If he persists lie i^ made to fast for two or three days. After this, a knite is driven into tlie earth and the novice is made to swear by it —
(r) not to engSKe in trade ; (ii) not to take employment ; («iO not to keep dangerouH weapons ; (i'y) not to become angry when abused ; and
(v) not to marry.
He is also required to protect his ears, for a Jogi whose ears were cut used to be buried alive, but is now only excommunicated. After this probation his ears are bored by a giiril, or an adf-pt, who is entitled to He. 1-4 as an offering which may or may not be accepted.
Up to a certain point the Jogi initiatory rites resemble those of the Saniclsis. The c/io^i of the novice is removed by the guriL: the janeo is also removed : and he is given saffrou-coloured clothes to wear. Of these the hafni is worn c-ompulsorily. The gurn-mantar is tlien com- municated, eecretly. After this the Jogis of ' a certain sect ' pierce the chela's ears, and insert the kundal or earring, and the chela, hitherto an atighar* now becomes a ndth, certain set phrases (not mantras) being recited. According to Macauliffe Jogis smear ashes on their naked bod'es as clotliing or a protection against the e]ements,t but the ashes »ppear to s-ymbclize their death to the world, like the kajni.
We may thus safely distinguish three stages in a Jogi's initiation. At first he is a chela (pupil or candidate), then an aughar or novice,^ and finally a darshani, vulg. kanphafta,^ (or 'split-eared'). An Aughar is not entitled to all the privileges of the sect, e. g., at a feast he only receives half the portion of a Kanphatta. A Jogi who is fully initiated certainly loses all rights of inheritance in his natural family, but it is doubtful whether an Aughar would do so. It is also not clear wheth^^r initiation involves the loss of property already vested in the initiate, but presumably it would do so,
* According to this account auqhnr simply means ' novice.' Nath is a title acquired by the fully iiiitidte. An account of the Jogis of Katn Nath says that the candidate is given a razor and si-issors seven times by his gum. wlio deters him from entering tue Jugi order, but if he perseveres the ^'o-it cuts off a tuft of his hair and he is then shaved by a barber. Then he is made to bathe and be?meared with ashes, a fc-iyiu' or shroud, a it;i(/(-a' and a cap being given to him. The ashes and ta/(ii clearly signify his death to the world. After six months' probation his ears are pierced and earthen rings inserted in them
t Sihh Religion, VI. p. 243.
X It is indeed said that an aughar can become a Sanifisi, an Udasi, a Bairagi, a Suthrashiihi, etc., etc , as well as a Jogi or a Jangam. On the other hand, some accounts represent the A ughars as a distinct order, followers of Kanipa Nath and, J^landhar Nath, while the Kanphattas are followers of Gorakh and Machhendra *.in other words, the more perfect -Togis) : or again they are connected with two schools of the Patanjali jihilosophy ; while a third account splits up the Jogis into Shiv worshippers and Serpent worshippers.
§ Jogis themselves do not use the word Kanphatta. It is a popular term. So too in common parlance Jogfs are distinguished by various names according to their dress or the ponancps they observe, and so on. Such are the bai^tardltiiri who are deccnty clad and live in temples (among the Saniasi's this term means 'sfcular'^: the dudhddhdri, who livo on milk : the jntiuikdri who wear long matted hair: the muni* who observe perpetual silence ; and the hhnr t'ipe>'nri. who stand in contemplation. The alit, ' destitute* or liberated from worldly restraints does not appear to be a stict of the Jo^is, as Macauliffe ^pys [Slklt Religion, I, p. H\2'i,hnth popular term for any mendicant: see Plaits, p. 18, It is believed that Jogis live for centuries as a result of their austerities,
402 J^ogi divisions.
The derivatioa of Augliar is obscure. The grade or order, however we regard it, does not appear to be connected with the Aghori or Ghor-pauthis who are cannibal /agf/Vs of a singularly repulsive type.* The Aughars of Kirdna in Jhang Hre of good repute and retain large jagirs granted them by the Sikhs. They are distinguished by an ochre- coloured turban over which is twisted a black net-work of thread covered with gold. The mahant is styled 2>it, and once elected may never again descend the hill.
To these three degrees may perhaps be added a fourth, that of mahdtmd, a dignity hardly alluded to in the accounts rendered of the sect. A Jogi who attains to great spiritual eminence is exempt from wearing mundnif, the janeo, and so on.
After initiation a Jogi may apparently select the function which he is to fulfil. Thus he may become a militant member of the sect, vowed to celibacy and styled Nanga, Nd,ga, Nddi, Nihang, Kanphara or Kdnphatta.
Or he may relapse and, breaking his vow of celibacy, become a secular Jogi, designated Bindi-Nagi, Sanyogi (Samayogi), Gharbd,ri or Grihisti.
Lastly, the initiate -Jogi may join one of the various panths or orders. These panths are in theory limited to twelve in number, but in reality they number many more than twelve.
The divisions and offshoots of the Jogis. The grouping of the Jogis is exceedingly complex and appears to vary in different parts of these Provinces.
Thus in Kdngra the Hindu Jogis are classed as ' Andarld,* or Inner and ' Bdhirla' or Outer Jogis ; and the former are further divided into Darshanis and Aughars. t
'I'he distinctions between these loner and Outer groups are not specified, but they have different observances and their origin is thus accounted for : — Once when Gorakh fj;ave two goats to Machhendra's sons he bade them slaughter the animals at a place where none could see them. One boy killed his goat : but the other came back with his alive, and said that he had found no such spot, since if no man were present the birds would witness the slaughter, or, if there were no birds, the sun or moon. Gorakh seated the latter boy by his side and he was called Andatla, while the other was expelled and dubbed B^hirK. Both groups observe the usual Hindu social customs, except at death, the only difference being that the Bdhirld, only give Brahmans food and do not feast them, and at funerals they blow a ndd instead of the conch, which is used by the Andarlas.
* P. N. Q., I, ^■l, 136, 375, 473. There is no sufficient evidence to connect Aughar with ' ogre.' A-ghori = un-terrible, Monier-Williams, Sansk. Dicty., s, v. According to Platts (p .106) nnghnr means awkward, ungainly, uncouth.
t The Darshanis have four sub-groups : Khokhar, Sonkhla, Jageru and Natti ; while the Aughar have six : Bhambaria, Biria, Awan, Jiwan, Kalia, Bharsi and Saroe. It does not appear whether these are schools or sections.
The Bahirla are all Aughars and have a number of sub-groups : Raipur Maralu, Hetam, Daryethi, Molgu, Tandialu, Chuchhlu, Gugraon, Kehne, Tiargu, Dhamarchu, Phaleru, Sidhpuru, Karan and Jhak.
Jogi groups, 403
Elsewhere the Darshanis* appear as a group which is distinguished from the Nangas, who use flesh and spirituous liquor, which the lonner avoid. The latter also are said to wear no clotiios— as their name denotes, but the Darshanis are said to be further divided into two cla>ses, of which one is clothed, while the other, which smears the body with ashes and affects the dhuni, is not. However this may be the Darshanis must have their ears pierced and are thus identical with the Kanphara or Kanphatta Jogis, The latter are celibate and live by begging, in contradistinction to the Sanyogis who can marry and possess property. f
In Jind the Jogis hrc said to be classed as (i) Bari-dargah, ' of the gi'eater court/ who avoid flesh and spirits, and as (ii) Chhot.i-darg^h,| who do not. Both groups are disciples of Mast Nath, the famous itialiant of Bohar. Jalandliar Niith was the sou of a Raja, whose wife remained pregnant for 12 years without giving birth to her child, and she was thought to be aflflicted with dropsy [jalandliar). At last the Rajd, vowed that, if a son were vouchsafed him, he would dedicate him to Gorakhn^th. Jalandhar Ntith was born in response to this vow, and founded the pantJi named after him.
Raja Bhartari was the son of H^ja Bhoj, king of Dhdranagar. He had 71 ranis, of whom one, by name Pingla, was a disciple of Gorakh,§ who g-ave her a flower saying it would remain ever fresh as long as her husband was alive. One day to test Pingla's love Bhartari went a-hunting and sent back his blood-stained clothes and horse with tho news that he had been killed, but the rani, seeing the flower still fresh knew that the Rdj^ only doubted her love for him and in grief at his mistrust killed herself. When she was carried out to the burning- ground the R^jd, evinced great grief, and Gorakh appeared. Breaking his chilli, \\ the saint walked round it, weeping, and Bhartari asked him why he grieved. Gorakh answered that he could get the Rijd a thousand queens, but never a vessel like the one he had just broken, and he showed him a hundred ranis as fail- as Pingla, but each of them said ; ' Hold aloof ! Art thou mad ? No one knows how often we have been thy mothers or sisters or wives/ Hearing these words Bhartari's grief was moderated and he made Gorakh his gurii, but did not abandon his kingdom. Still when he returned to his kingdom the loss of Pingla troubled him and his other queens bade him seek distraction in hunting. In great pomp he marched forth, and the dust darkened the sun. On the banks of the Samru he saw a herd of deer, 70 hhids with a single stag. He failed to kill the stag, and one of the hinds besought him to kill one of them instead, since the stag was as dear to them as he was to his queens, but the Rajd, said he, a Kshatriya, could not kill a hiod. So the hind who had spoken bade the stag meet the Raja's arrow, and as he fell he said: ' Give my feet to the thief
* e.g. in Ambiila. Darahan is said io^^ mundra : it is ordinarily made of clay or glass, but wealthy gurus wear darshans of gold.
I So at least runs one version from Ambala.
j But in Dera Ghazi Khan we find Bari-darg4h given as equivalent to Ai-panthi, and the Chiioti-dargiih described as the foundation of a Chamir disciple of Pir Mast Nalh, who bestowed the title on him in reward for his faithful service.
§ Bhartari, it is said, had steadfastly refused to become a disciple of Jilandhar Niith though repeatedly urged to do so by Gorakli himself.
I] Chipi, a kind of vessel made of cocoauut and generally carried hy fa(iir6.
404 The Jogi sub-orders.
that he may escape with his life; my horns to a Jogi that he may use them as his 7iarf ; my skin to an ascetic that lo may worship on it; my eyes to a fair woman that she may be called mirga-iiaini^ ; and eat my flesh thyself.' And to this day these things are used as the dying stag desired.
On his return the Rajii was met by Gorakh who said he had killed one of his disciples. Bhartari retorted that if he bad any spiritual powers he could restore the stag to life, and Gorakh, casting a little earth on his body, did so. Bhartari then became a Jogi and with his retainers accompanied Gorakh, but the latter refused to accept him as a disciple unless he brought alms from his ranis, addressing them as his mothers, and practised jo^ lor 12 years. Bhartari did as he was bid, and in answer to his queens' remonstrances said : " From the point of view of my raj ye are my queens, but from that of jog ye are my mothers, as the guru has bidden me call you so." Thus he became a peviect jogi and founded the Bhartari Bairdg panth of the Jogis.
Upon no topic is our information so confused, contradictory and incomplete as it is on the subject of the various sub-orders into which the Jogis, as an order, are divided. The following is a list of most of these sub-orders in alphabetical order with a b)ief note on each :
The Abha-panthi is probably identical with the Abhaug Naih of the Tahqlqdt i-Chinhti.
The Aghori, Ghori or Aghor-panthi is an order which smears itself with excrement, drinks out of a human skull and occasionally digs up the recently buried body of a child and eats it; thus carrying out the principle that nothing is common or unclean to its extreme logical con- clusion.
The Ai-panth is a well-known order, said to be ancient.t In Dera Ghaxi Khan it is called the Bari-dargah, and one of its saints, J when engaged in yog, cursed one of his disciples for standing before him with only a la7igoti on and bade him remain ndga or naked for ever. So to this day his descendants are called Nagas. Another account saya that this and the Haith-panthi order were founded by Gorakh Nsith.
The chief dsan of the Ai-panth is at Bohar in the Rohtak district. It is said to have been founded by a famous guru, named Narmai-ji§ who was born only a few generations after Gorakh's time at Khot^ now in the Jind State. In veneration for him hII the succeeding gurus adopted the termination Ai in lieu of Nath, and this is still done at Khot but not at Bohar. Five generations after Narmai, Mast Nath or Mastai-ji became giiru at Bohar in Samhat 1788, and after him the affix N^th was resumed there, though the asan is still held by the Ai-panth. Mast Nath died in Sambat 1804, and a fair is iield here on Phagan sudi 9th, the anniversary of his death. The dsan contains no idols. Hindus of all castes are employed but those of the menial castes are termed Chamarwd,|| but other initiates lose their caste, and become merged in the order. At no('n hhog or sacramental
* With eyes like a deer — one of the chief points in Indian beauty, t It is mentioned in the Dabistan : II, p. 128. X?iv Mast Nath, apparently.
§ From narm, gentle. The meaning of di is unknown or is at any rate not disclosed. 11 They also appear to be called Sirbhangi.
The Jogi sub-orders, 405
food ib ofEo»*ed to all tbe tiurnddhti (of Biibii Mast Ni'ith and other lights of r he order) ; and tlien the hjianridr or refectory is opened and food distributed freely to nil, no matter wliat their caste. A lamp, fed with ghi, is kept burning in each ffainddh. In a dharuL.^iUa near Bohar is a Sanskrit inscri])tion of Siuubat 133-3. 'J'he Banag or Bhartari Bairilg order was founded by Kajil Bhartari, and ranks after the Sat-Niith.* But in the west of these Provinces the Bairag's founda- tion is ascribed to Preni Ndth of Mochh in Mianwali, the lu-ad-quartors of the order being at Midni in .Sli;ih])ur. Like tlio Uaryji-nathi this order is an oft'shoot of that founded by Pir Hatn Niilh of Peshdwar. It has also representatives at Kdliibdgh and Isakhel.
The Bhartari Bairdg Jogi's found in the Bawal tuzdmat of Ndblia are secular and belong to the Punia (Jat) got, which they retain. Their forebear Mai Natli was as a child di-iveu from his home in Delhi di>trict by famine, and the Muhammadan Meos of Solasbari in Bawal brought him up. When the Jats seized the village he lived l.y begging and became a jogi, so the Jats made him marry a girl bel')nging to a party of juggler Jogis. Then he went to Narainpur in Jaipur territory and became a chela of Gorakh Ndth.
The Bharang Natli of the Tahqiqat is possibly the Handi-pharunu-.
The Brahma ka order appears to be the same as the Sat-nath.
The Darya-nathi order is chiefly found in the west, especially trans- Indus. It possesses gaddts at Makhad on the Indus, in Kohat and even in Quetta.
The Dhaj-pantlii order is found in or at least repoited from Peshawar and in Ambala. It may be that the order derives its name from dliaj meaning flag. Mr. Maclagan mentions the Uhaj-panthi as followers of Hanuman. The Tahqiqat gives Dhajd-panthi hs the form of the name.
The Dharm-natlii order is widely spread, but its head-quarters are on the Godawari. Its foundation is ascribed to a Kdja Dharm.
The Gangd-ndthi order was founded by one of Kapal Muni's two disciples. It is mentioned in the TaJtqiqdt as Gangai-ndth.
The origin of the Jdlaudhar-ndth order has already been related. In Annitsar it is known as Bdwii Jalandhar ke, and its members keep snakes.
The Kaniba-ki arc said to be chelaa of Jalandhar Nath. Of this branch are the Sapelas : Maclagan, § 55.
The Kaplani or Kapil-panthi order ascribes its origin to Kapal Muni, and is thus al'^o known as Kapal Peo ke. Or it was founded by Ajai Pal, Kapal Muni's disciple, and is thus cousin to the Gangti- ndthi order.
The Kaya-nathi or Kayan-ndthi is an offshoot of the Gangfi-ndthi. But in Dera Ghdzi Khan it is said that they received their name from Pir Ratn Ndth who made an image out of the dirt of his own body.
* At least in Dera Ghazi, in which district it is returned as Bairaj, another order (said to be flen\vri from it) bein;: .stylpd l-lnirnj Marigka. In Ambiila a Baraj order is mentioned. In Karuil »«irMii and Bhartari appear as two distinct orders.
40^ The Jogi suh-urders.
The Kanthar or Khantar order owes itis origin lo Gaiietlia. In Ambiila it is said to be eudngamous.
LacLliman Nath's order is said in Hoshiarpur to be also known as the Darbari Nath Tilla Bdl Gondai, but in Amritsar is said to be the same as the Natesri (as in Madagan, § 55).
The M4i-ka-panth are disciples of the Devi Kali.
'J'he Man Manthi appear to be identical with the Man Nath, returned from Peshdwar, and the Manathi or Mannati in Jhelum who ascribe their foundation to Rajd; Rasdlu. Mr. Maclagan mentions the Man- Nath as followers of Rasdlu, § 55.
The Mekhla dhdri is a class or order which is returned from Ambdla and its name is said to mean wearer of the tardgf.
The Natesri order appears to have no representatives in the Punjab but see above under Lachhman Nath's order.
The Nim Nathia is distinct from the order founded by Pdras Nath q.v. It is said to be also called Gapldni or Kisgai.
The Papanth appears to be also called Panathi or Panpatai, a sub- order founded by Jalandhar as a disciple of Maiiadeo.
The Pagal appears to be identical with the Rd<wal-Ghalla.
The Pd,ras Nath order is sometimes shown as half an order, the Rdwals being its other half. But Paras Nath was one of Machhendra's two SODS and he founded an order which soon split up into two dis- tinct schools, [i) the Puj — who are cehbate but live in houses and ob- serve none of the rules observed by (ti) the Sartoras, who always wear a cloth over the mouths, strain water before drinking it, never kill aught that has life : further they never build houses, but lead a wandering life, eating only food cooked by others, and smoking from a chilam, never from a hukkah. That these two sub-orders are both Jains by religion, if not by sect, is perfectly obvious, and it is indeed expressly said that this Pdras Nd,th is he whom the Jains revere.
The Rdm-ke, or Ram Chandrn-ke, panth was founded by Ram Ndth, a disciple of Santokh Ndth, and had its head-quarters en the Goddwari till it was replaced there by the Dharm-nathi. It appears to be some- times ascribed to R4m Chandra, but erroneously so.
The Sant-nathi appear to be quite distinct from the Sat-odthi.
The Sat-nath (or Brahma-ke q.v.)
The Santokh Nathi are mentioned by Mr. Maclagan as followers of Bishn Narain, and are probably the Vishnu of Amritsar.
Other orders mentioned are the Bade ke, in Dera Ghdzi Khdn, the Baljati in Karndl, the Bharat in Dera Ghdzi Khdn, Haith-panthi in Ambdjla and Jhelum, Haridni, Latetri and Mai ka panth in Dera Ghdzi Khdn, the Path-sana in Karndl (Patsaina in Jind), Ridh Ndth in Amritsar, Sahj in Ambala, and .the Bishnu in Amritsar.
In Mr. Maclagan's lists also appear the Kalepd and Ratn Ndth : and in the Tahqiqdt-i-Chishti the Dhar Nath, Darpa-Nath, Kanak Ndth and Nag Ndth* are also mentioned.
* Possibly the Rawals.
Jogi offshoots. 407
The P^dha are describecl in Ambdla as a casle, originally Jogie, but purely secular and now endogamous.
The influence of Jogis on and beyond the north-west frontier is one of the most remarkable features of the cult. Legend connects the Gor- khatri at Peshawar with Gorakh, and it was once a Jopi haunt as both B4bar and Abu'1-Fazl testify. The chief saint ot thw Jogis in the north-west is Pir Patn Niltli of Peshawar/ in which district as well as throughout Kdbul and Khordsdn, a kahit is said to be current which describes his power.
The disciples of Pir Ratn Ndth do not wear the ommdra, and to account for this tradition says that once when Jogis of the 12 orders had assembled at Tilla for a tukra observance, Ratn Ndth, who had no earringSjt was only assigned a half share. He protested that a Jogi who had earrinjjs in his heart need wear none in his ears, and he opened his breast to exhibit the mundra in his heart ! So his disciples are ex- empt from the usual rule of the sect. They appear to belong to the Darjd-nd,thi 'panth but the branch of Pir Ratn X^th's dera at Mi^mi in Shdhpur is held by Baird,g-ke- Jogis.
The Bachhowalia is a group of Muhammadan Jogis who claim de- scent from one Gajjan S-k% and yet have more than one Hindu got (Piindhi, Chahil, Gil, Sintlhu and Rathora|). Like Hindus they marry outside the got. They are chroniclers or panegyrists, and live on alms, carrying a y/ioZ* (wallet) and a turban composed of two dopatfas, each of a different colour, as their distinctive costume. Originally Hindus they adopted Isldm and took to begging, their name being doubtless derived from H. hichha, ' alms,' But they have, of course, a tale to explain their name and say that their forebears grazed a Kumhar's hachha — a story inconsistent with the fact that they are not ail of one and the same got, but which doubtless alludes to their ancient worship of the earth-god.
Another Muhammadan group is that of the Kdl-pelias as the dis- ciples of Ism^'il are sometimes called. Little seems to be known about TsmdMl except that he was initiated by one of the Sidh Sanskaripd. He is also said to have been an adept in black magic and 'a con- temporary of one Kamakha devi.' It is difficult to avoid the conjecture that he is in some way connected with the Ismailians.
The Rawals, however, are the most important of the Muhammadan Jogi groups. Found, mainly, in the western districts they wander far and wide over the rest of India, and even to Europe where they practise aB quack occulists and physicians. The name is, indeed, said to be a
* There are Jogi shrines at Kohat, Jalalibad and Kabul, as well as at Peshiiwar, and the incumbent at the three last named is styled Goscffw. Pfr Bar Nath of Kohat was initiated on a stone near the Bawana springs. Even the fanatical Muhammadans of these parts reverence Pir Ratn Nath.
t As a novice (Aughar) he would wear no earrings and only be entitled to half a share. Another version is that Ratn Nath demanded a double share and, when objection was taken' created a man, named Kanian N4th, from the sweat and dirt of his own body. Other stories explain that a Jogi of eminent piety is exempt from the rule requiring a Jogi to wear earrin;^s and & jnnen.
X Add Mandhar (Rajputs') and Sidhu, Ohima, Sahnti, Saharan, Lit, Samrao and Ilambar (Jits^ in Nabha. The Bachhowalia appears to be a numerous group in the Phulkiin States.
408 Jogi offshoots,
corruption of the Persian rdwinda, ' tr&veWev,' 'wanderer': and tradi- tion avers that wlien RiiujhH, in his love for Hir, adopted the guise of &faqir and wandered till ho came to Tilla^ he became Fir Bdla Ndth'a disciple and thence went to Jhang where he sought for his beloved. All his disciples and companions were called Rdwal.*
The Rawals are sometimes said to be divided into two groups, Mandiat and Ghal.J but according to one account they form a half of one of the 12 orders, the other being the P^ras Nath, i.e. tho Jains. Probably this latter tnle merely means that the Rdwals like the Jains are an offshoot of the Jogi cults.
The Jd*fir Firs.
Tn the rei^n of Akhar there lived in Rsjaurl a Jogi named Shakkar Ntlth who was challenged by the Muhammadans to provide suoar in that country, in which the article was scarce. 'Shakkar' by his prayers caused it to rain sugar on the lOth of Rajab, 910 A. Ei. [Shakkar was the disciple of Badeshar Nath of Badeslntr, and when Akbar visited that place and ordered a fort to be built there Badeshar Nd,th caused a'l the springs to dry up, by throwing a stone, which made Akbar abandon his project.]
* Pir ' Shakkar N^th on his death-bed, havinsr no disciples, c«lled to the only man near him, one Jit'fir, a Muhammadan, and made him his successor, thus starting a new order. He advised J^'fir to make only uncircumcised Muhammadans Its disciples, and this rule is still ob- served by the order which employs Hindu cooks, and whose members bore their ears, but do not eat with other Jogis, though they enjoy all their privileges. The Jogis of Pir Jd'fir are Sant-nathid,s by sect.
TheJangams.
The Jangam, or Jogi- Jangam as he is sometimes called in contradis- tinction to the Jogi proper, originated thus : When Shiva married Pdrbati no one would accept alms at his hands, so he created a man from his thigh (jdng) and, giving him alms, promised him immortality but declared he should live by begging. The Jangams are divided into four groups, [i) Mial, celibates, who practise /ogf in the prdoinydm form : {ii) Langoch, celibate, also who carry tiie image of Shiva intheNarbad- eshwar incarnation in a small phylactery round the neck (chiefly found in the south of India) : {in) Sail, also celibate, found chiefly in the hills as they avoid mixing with worldly people ; and [iv] Diru, found in the south-east Punjab. This last-named group is secular and is recruited from the Brahman, Rajput, Bhdt, 3At and Arora castes. Buc the got appears to be often lost on entering the group, for it is said to comprise 15 gots : —
Bhit.
Bainiwdl.
Chandiwal.
Kedhu.
Chhal.
* The story is clearly based on the time-honoured analogy which compares the desire of the soul to human passion. The word Rawinda is of considerable interest, t Founded by Gorakh Nath. X Founded by Mahadeo and also said to be called Pagal,
|
Powar |
Indauria, |
|
Kajw4hi, |
Sadher. |
|
Tanur. |
Nehri. |
|
Duple. |
Sahag. |
|
Laran. |
Narre. |
The Jogi caste. 409
Marriage is effected by exchange, two gots being avoided.* Rupees 50, 25, 15 or 10 are spenr, on a wedding, according to its class. Widows remarry, but, if a widow marry one who is excommunicated, the man ia made to bathe in the Ganges and feast the brotherhood ; then the pair are re-admitted into the caste.
Anotlier version is that Shiva at liis wedding created two recipients of his ahns, one, Jangam, from the sweat of liis brow, the otlier, Lingam, from his thigh. These Jangams accept alms from all Hindus^ at least in the western Districts, wheieaa Lingams only take them from Jogis and Sani^sis. But it is usuall}' said that the Jangam ac- cepts alms from Jogis.
To the Jangam Shiva gave the bull's necklace hung with a bell or fiaras, and everything that was on his head, and so Jangams still wear figures of the moon, serpents, etc., on their heads. Ho also or- d(>red them to live by begging, and so Jangams still sing songs about Shiva's wedding, playing on the jara^t as they beg. Instead of the mnndra they wear brass flowers in their ears, carry peacock's feathers, and go about begging in the bazars, demanding a pice from each shop. They are looked upon as Brahmaiis and are said to correspond with the Lingayats of Central and Southern India.
The Sapelas or Samjielas. The sampelas, or snake-men, claim K^nnhipi (Kanipa), the son of the Jhinwar who caught the fish from which Machhendra N^th had emerged : Kannhipi was brought up with him and became a disciple of Jalandhar Ndth. By which is meant that snake-charmers, like snakes, owe much to the waters. The sampelas are not celibate; though they have their ears bored and wear the mundra, with ochre-dyed clothes, and they rank lower than the Hindu Jogis because they will take food from a Muham- madan and eat jackal. They tame snakes, playing on the gourd-pipe {bin), and lead a wandering life, but do not thieve. Their semi-religious character places them above the Kanjars and similar tribes. Some of their gots are : —
Gadaria
Tkiik.
Phenkra.
Linak.
Chauhan.
Taliliwal.
Athwal. Sohtra. Bamna.
In marriage four gots are avoided.
The Jogis as a caste.
The secular Jogi or Samyogi, as he should apparently be called, does iu parts of the Punjab form a true caste. Thus in Kullu he has become a Nath and in AmbJila a Jogi-Padha. In Loharu there is a small Jogi caste of the J^tu tribe which was founded by a Rajput of that tribe. Of his two sons the descendants of one, Bdre N.ith are secular, when those of the other Bar N4th remain celibate, pierce their ears and wear the nmmdray though how they are recruited is not explained. In all respects they follow the usual rites save at death. They bury the body seated, facing north and place a pitcher of water undei- its right arm and some boiled rice under its left arm. Widow remarriage is allowed.
* Marriage by purchase appears to be forbidden, and if the bride's family has not a boy eligible to marry at once, the bridegroom's family will owe them a girl till one is required."
410 Johal — Joiya.
In Ambdla the Samyogis (not the Pilclhas) are said to have 12 sec- tions, inchiding the : —
Ai.
Dhaj. Kahj. Hait.
Eanthar. Pagal. Paopanthi. Riwal.
The Kanthars are said to be endogamous, but all the others inter- marry. In Niibha the pddhas, however, do not appear to be a caste, but are simply Jogis who teach children Hindi.
Though professing Jogis are forbidden to marry, many of them do so, and it is impossible to disentangle the Jogis who abandon celibacy from those who do not profess it at all and form a caste. In Dera Ghdzi Khiin, for instance, Jogis intermarry but not within their caste as Jogis. There is no bar to Hindu or a Sanyasi taking a Jogi girl in marriage, but respectable Hindus do not do so. Their marriage ceremonies are generally like those of Hindus, as Brahmans perform them. A Jogi who marries is regarded with comtempt by his brother Jogis, who do not sraoke wich him until he has given a feast at a cost of Rs. 12-8 to an assembly of Jogis at some sacred place, such as the bank of the Ganges, or a fair.
On the other hand Grihisti Jogis retain many outward signs of the professing Jogi. They wear saffron coloured clothes and sometimes smear ashes over the body. They use the janeo of black wool which is ^nailer than that worn by a Brahman or other twice-born Hindu. They wear a ndd of horn or else have a bit of wood made in the shape of a ndd and attached to the janeo. They are obliged to wear a paunchi of wool round their hands and feet and a woollen string round the waist. They also use the rosary of rudrahsh beads. Some have their ears bored while others go to Gorakh Ndth's gaddi and get a hanthi tied round the neck. Though the use of flesh and liquor is permissible they follow the Brahmans and abstain from them. They live on alms and by singing the love tales of Hir and Rdnjha, etc., and ballads like those of Jaimal and Fattah, etc. Others live by exhibiting nadia bulls. In Karndl the Jogis by caste are generally Hindus and receive offerings made to the impure gods. They form one of the lowest of all castes and practise witchcraft and divination, being also musicians.
Johal, a Jd^ clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. JoHAR, a Hindu family of Talagang in Jhelum.
Joiya. The Joiya is one of the 36 royal races of Rd,jputs, and is described in the ancient chronicles as "lords of the Jangal-des," a tract which comprehended Hariiina, Bhattidna, Bhatner, and Nagor. They also held, in common with the Dehia with whom their name is always coupled, the banks of the Indus and Sutlej near their confluence. Some seven centuries" ago they were apparently driven out of rlio Indus tract and partly subjugated in the Bdgar country by the Bhatti; and in the middle of the 16tli century they were expelled from the Joiya canton of Bikdner by the Rtlthor rulers for attempting to regain their inde- pendence. Tod remarks that "the Rajputs cai'ried fire and sword i.ito this country, of which they made a desert. Ever since it has
J oiy a traditions, 411
remained desolate, and the very name of Joiya is lost, though the vestiges of considerable towns bear testimony to a reiiiotn antiqi)itv." 'J^he Joiya, however, have not disapi^eared. They still hold all tliu banks of the Sutlej from the Wattu border nearly as far down as its confluence with the Indus, though the Bha^tis turned them out of Kahror, and they lost their semi-independence when their })ossessions formed a part of the Bah.twalpur State ; they hold a tract in Jiik.lner od the bed of the old Ghaggar iust below Bhatner, their ancient seat; and they are found in no inconsiderable numbers on the middle Sutlej of Lahoi'e nnd I*'c- rozepur and on the lower Indus of the Derajat and Muzaffargarh, about a third of their whole number being returned as Jats. The Multan bar is known to this day as the Joiya bar. General Cunningham says flint they are to be found in some numbers in the Salt Range or mountains of Jud, and identifies them w'ith the Jodia or Yodia, the warrior class of India in Panini's time (450 B. C), and indeed our figures show some 2,700 Joiya in Sh^hpur. But Panini's Jodia would perhaps more pro- bably be the modern Gheba, whose original tribal name is said to be Jodra, and Gheba a mere title. 'J'he Joiya of the Sutlej and of Hiss^r trace their origin from Bhatner, and have a curious tradition, current apparently from Hiss^r to Montgomery, to the effect that they cannot trace their Rajput descent in the male line. 'J'he Hisssir Joiya make themselves descendants in the female line of Sejaor Sameja, who accom- panied the eponymous ancestor of the Bhatti from Muttra to Bhatner. ■ This probably means that the Joijas claim Yiidu ancestry. The Mont- e;omery Joiya have it that a lineal descendant of Benjamin, Joseph's brother, came to Bikaner, married a Raja's daughter, begot their ancestor, and then disappeared as ?ifaqir. The tradition is perhaps suggested by the word /oi, meaning "wife." The Montgomery Joiya 6ay that they left Bikaner in the middle of the 14th century and settled in Bahawalpur, where they became allies of theLangah dynasty of Rlultdn, but were subjugated by the Daudpotra in the time of Nadir Shah. ITie Multan Joiya say that they went from Bikdner to Sindh and thence to Multan. This is probably due to the fact of their old possessions ou the Indus having died out of the tribal memory, and been replaced by their later holdings in Bikaner. They are described by Cap tan Elphiustone as '* of smaller statuj'u than the great Ravi tribes, and considered inferior to them in regard of the qualities in which the latter especially pride themselves, namely bravery and skill in cattle- stealing. They possess large herds of cattle and aro bad cultivators." The Maliars are a small tribe on the Sutlej op})osite Fazilka, and are said to be descended from MaVir, a " brother of the Joiya, They are said to bo quarrelsome, silly, thievish, fond of cattle, and to care little for agricultural ])ursuits."
In Bahawalpur the mirdsis of tlie Joiyas have compiled for thcin a pedigree-table which makes them and tlic Mahars Quraishis by origin and descended from lyas, a descendant of Mahmiid of Ghazni. But the mirdm'ti of each sept of the Joiyas give a dilYerent pedigreo above lyas, a fact which tends to show that the Joiyas were in their origin a confederation of warrior clans.
The Lakh wera sept and others recount the following talc. They say that lyas, son of Bakr, came to I'huharbar (now Anupgarh), the capital of Rjija Chiihar Sameja. in the guise of a.fatjir, and married Nal, the Raja's eldest daughter,* by Avhom he became the fatlier of Joiya in 400 II. Joiya was brought up in the house of his mother's father as a Hindu.
* Pal and Sal being the other two.
412 The Joiya septs.
though his father was a Muhammadan and had married Nal by nikdh and so Joiya's children, Jabbu, Isung, Bisung, Nisung, and Sahan Pal, received Hindu names. From the yoiiniji'gt (apparently) of these sons the Joiyas claim descent.* The Joiyas as a tribe regard Ali Kh4n, Lakhwera, ra'is of Shahr Farid as their chief, and his influence extends over the Joiyas in Multan. A Joiya who has committed theft Tvill not deny the fact before this chief.
The Lakhwera, Bhadera, Ghazi Khanana, Kulhera, Daulatana, Kamera and Mangher septs and a few others, observe the n'i Hat/.- ceremony. This consists in slaughtering two rams (oluitt'i)^) and making a pulao (with rice cooked in ghi) of the flesh. This is given in charity in the name of their ancestor Allahditta who single-handed resisted a party of 50 Baloch who tried to raid the cattle he was tending in the Cholistan. Allahditta was killed, but his bravery is commemorated in the iriuaik and his tomb in the Taj-Sarwar is greatly fri-quented by the tribe. Lunan's name is also mentioned in the uinaik, because he fell in s tight with Lahr Joiya, a descendant of Jai Sung at Kharbara in Bikaner, where his tomb still exists. The descendants of the Joiyas shown in the pedigree-table from Bansi upwards observe only the vAnaik of Lunau, not that of Allahditta.
The Joiyas are brave, but, like the Wattus, addicted to theft. The Lakhwera sept is the highest in the social scale and has a great reputation for courage. The tribe is devoted to horses and buffaloes. No Joiya considers it derogatory to plough with his own hands, but if a niHU gives up agriculture ami takes to trade or handicraft the Joiyas cease to enter into any kind of relationship with him. Sahn Pal is said to have coined his own money at Bhatner. a proof that he exercised sovereign power. Bawa Farid-ud-Dfn, Shakar-(janj, converted Lunan, Ber and Wisul to Islam and blessed Lun^n, saying " Lundn, dundn, r.haurtdn" i.e., "may Lunan's posterity multiply." These three brothers wrested the fortress of Bhatinda from the Slave Kings of Delhi and ruled its territory, with Sirsa and Bhatner, independently.
Lakhkho, son of Luna'.n, headed a confederation of the Joiyas, Bhattis, llathors and Waryas against the Vikas, or Bikas, the founders of Bikauer, whose territory they devast- ated until their king. Raja Ajras, gave his daughter Kesar in marriage to Lakhkho, and from that time onwards the Hindu Rajputs of Bikaner gave daughters to the Muhammadan Joi^'as as an established custom up to within the last 50 years, when the practice ceased.
After Lakhkho, Salim Khan rose to power in the time of Aurangzeb. He founded a Sali'mgarh which he gave to Pir Shauq Shah, whence it became called Mari Shauq Shah, and founded a second Sali'mgarh, which was however destroyed by Aurangzeb's orders, but on its ruins his son Farid Khan I founded Shahr Farfd in Bahawalpur. After the downfall of the Mughal empire the Lakhwera chiefs continued for some time to pay tribute at Multan and Nawab Wall Muhammad Khan Khakwani, its governor, married a Joiya girl, Ihsan Biti, and thus secured their adherence, Avhich enabled him to find a refuge among the Admera and Saldera Joiyas when the Mahrattas took possession of Multan in 1757 A. D. After this the Joiyas under Farfd Khan II revolted against Salih Muhanmaad Khan, whom the Mahrattas had appointed governor of Multan, and plundered his territory, but in 1172 A. D., when Ahmad Shah, Abdali, had expelled the Mahrattas from Multan he re-appointed WaU Muhammad Khin to its governorship and to hiiu the Joiyas submitted. Under the emperor Zaman Khan, however, the Joiyas again rose in rebellion and at the instance of the governor of MiUtan Nawab Mubarak Khan of Bahawalpur annexed the territory of Farid Khan II.
The Joiya septs are very numerous, 4G being enumerated as principal septs alone t Of these the more important are the Lakhwera, Daulatana, Bhadera Nihal-ka, Ghazi-Khanana, Jalwana, which has a sub-sept called Bhaon. their ancestor having been designated Nekokara-Bhai or the " virtuous brother " by Abdulla Jahanian. Most of the Joiya septs are eponymous, their names ending in -ka and sometimes in -era.
The following septs are found in Montgomery (where they are classed as Rajput agriculturists) : — Akoke, Bahltlna, Bhatti, Firozke, Bassanke,
* This table is printed in full in the Bahdicalfur Gazetteer, p. 46.
t Joiyas arc divided into a large number of " naks'' : (i) Lakhwera. (ii'y Mahmiidera, Kamrana, Madera (all three equal), (iii) Jalwana and Daulatana. The grading of the tribe in the social scale is as above. They intermarry, as a rule, only among themselves, but a nak of one grade will not give daughters to a iwk of a lower grade, though the former will take from the latter.
In the time o f Akbar they were the predominate tribe of the Maiisi and Lodhran tahsils, and then, or soo n after, four brothers, Jagan, Mangan, Luddan and Lai colonised the country round Luddan, and were followed by fresh bands from across the Sutlei. Multan Gr., 1902, p. 139.
Jojah — Juldhd. 413
Jamlera, Jhandeke, Jugeke, Lakhuke, Lang^heke, Luleke, Mihruke, Momeke, Paiijera, Ranoke, Sahuke, Sanatbeke and Shalb^zi : and in Multdn Sabul and Salhuka, and Saldera, but the latter are in this District classed as Ji\\3. Indeed both in Montgomery and in Multfin the Joijas as a tribe appear to rank both as Jats and Rajputs. Jn Amritsar they are classed as Rdjputs and in Shiihpur as Ja^s. In Montgomery the Kharrals and Hindu Kaiubohs each possess a Joiya (agricultural) clan.
Jojah, a J&\ clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. J OK HARD, a leech or leech-appHer : see Gilgra.
JoLAH, a weaver, rope-maker, etc. : the joldhs in Yusafzai form a trade-guild, rather than a caste like the JuMha.
JoLDAHA, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
JoMAR, a Jilt clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
JoNDAH, a Jdt clan (agriculturatl) found in Amritsar.
Jopo, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Mult4.n.
JoRYE, (1) an Arain, (2) aKamboh clan (both agricultural) found in Amritsar.
JosAN, (1) a Jiit clan (Hgricultnral) found in Multan, (2) an Aniin and (3) a Kamboh clan (both agricultural) found in Amritsar.
J()3i, Joshi, a sub-division of Brahmana, apparently meaning astronomer (J OTA si).
JoTASi, -SH[, an astronomer or astrologer, from jotas (Sanskr. jyolisha, hh- trology). The Lahula form hjndhsl, q. v., and in Spiti the cJtoha is the hereditary astrologer. Josi or Joshi is apparently a derivative.
Jui', a tribe, now almost extinct, which with the Janjda are described by Babar as holding half the Salt Range which was called the Koh-i-Ji3d after them. See under Jodh.
JuHAN, an Awan tribe said to be descended from Pusu and Hamir, the two sons of Jahdn, son of Qutb Sbj'ih, found in Sialkot.
JuLABA, fern, -i, syu. safed-hdf. The weavers proper, of which the Juldha, as he is called in the east, and the Paoli as he is called in the villao-es of the west, is the type, are an exceedingly numerous and importHnt artisan, class, more especially in the western Districts where no weaving is done by the leather-working or scavenger castes. It is very jiossible that the Julahd, is of aboriginal extraction. Indeed Sir James Wilson who had, in the old Sirsa district, unequalled opportunities of com- paring different sections of the people, is of opinion that the Julahds and Chamdrs are probably the same by origin, the distinction between them having arisen from divergence of occupation. Be this as it may, there is no doubt that the present position of the two is widely dis- similar. The Jnlalia. does not work in impure leather, he eats no carrion, he touches no carcases, and ho is recognised by both Hindu and Musalman as a fellow-believer and admitted to religious equality. In a word, the Chamdr is a menial, the Juldha an artisan. The real fact seems to be that the word Julahii, from the Persian julali, a ball
414 Juldhd groups,
of thread, the equivalent Hindi term being" Tiinti, is the name of the higliest occupation ordinarily open to the outcast section of the com- munity. Thus wc find Koli-Julfih^s, Chamar-Juldhas, Mochi-Julahds, Rdmd^si-Juldhds, and so forth : Hnd it is probable that after a few generations these meu drop the prefix which denotes their low origin, and become Julahas pure and simple. The weaver appears to be called Golah in Peshawar and Kasbi in Hazara.
The Julilha proper is scantily represented in the south-east Punjab, where his place is taken by the Koli* or Chamdr- Juldhd. and Dhauak ; and he is hardly known in the Derajtit, where probably the Jdt does most of the weaving, fn the rest of the Province he con- stitutes some 3 to 4 per cent, of the total population. He is generally a Hindu in Kdngra and Delhi, and often Hindu in Karndl, Ambdla, and Hoshiarpur; but on the whole some 92 per cent, of the Julahas are Musalmdn. Sikhs are few in number.
The Jnlaha confines himself almost wholly to weaving. He is not a true village menial, being paid by the piece and not by customary dues. He is perhaps the most troublesome of the artisan classes. Like the shoe-maker of Europe, he follows a wholly sedentary occupation, and in the towns at least is one of the most turbulent classes of the community. There is a proverbial sayitig : " How should a weaver be patient ? " Indeed the contrast between the low social standing and the obtrusive pretentiousness of the class is often used to point a pro- verb : " A weaver by trade, and his name is Fatah Khan {* victorious chief').' "Lord preserve us! The weaver is going out hunting!" " Himself a weaver, and he has a Saiyad for his servant ! " " What ! Pathans the bond servants of weavers ! " and so forth.
Tlie Julaha sub-divisions are exceedingly numerous, but the names of most of the larger ones are taken from dominant land-owning tribes. Some of the largest are: — Bhattis who are very widely distributed; Khokhars chiefly found west of Lahore ; Janjuas and Awans in the Rawalpindi division; Sindhus in the Central Punjab, and the Jarydls in Kangra. The Kabirbansi are found in Ambala and Kangra, and ap- parently this word has become a true tribal naroe and now includes Musalmau Julahds. It is derived from the great Bhagat Kabir of Benares who was himself a Juldha, and whose teaching most of the Hindu Julahds profess to follow. The eastern Julahas are said to be divided into two great sections, Deswale, or those of the country, and Tel, the latter being supposed to be descended from a Julahd who married a Teli woman. The latter are socially inferior to the former. In the Jumna districts there are also a Gangapuri (? Gangapdri) and a Multani section, the former being found only in the Jumna valley and the latter on the borders of the Malwa.
Further west we find the Muhammadan Julahas divided into several o-roups, mostly teratorial, e. g., in Jind we have the Jdngli, Deswali,
* AccordiLg to Mr. J. G. Delmerick Hindu weavers are only found in the Punjab cis- Sutlej. In the Punjab bills they are Kolis, in the United Provinces Kolis or Koris. In tie plains they shlc themselves Banid?lsias. Li the Upper Punjab the weaver is always a Muhammadan, "and is nulled Nurbaf or lialindah as well as Paoli, Sufedbaf or Julaha. In Sikh times they were glad to accept grain as wageS; but they now exact cash.
Jnldhd religions. 415
Bajwarya and Parya sub-castes. But the Ndbha version gives six groups, four territorial, viz., Jdngla, Pawddhre (' of the Pawddli '), Bdgn and Multdni (these two latter are uot fou?id iu the State), one called Pare and a sixth called Mochia which is nominated from the Mochia. The four groups found in Jind all oat and smoke together. The Jdnglis are foand in the Jangal tract of tahsil Sangrur. They have heredi- tary Pirs, who are Sayyids. h\ adopting a Pir a miirid (disciple) takes ?k cuip oi sharhat from his hand and drinks it, believing thnt by so doing he will attain to Bahisht (l^aradise). Thoy revere their l^irs, give them a rupee and a wrapper when they come to their house and entertain them well. The Jdngli (/ots are tliose of the Jdts and Rajputs, and it is said tliat they were converted during the reign of Aurangzeb. Some f)f them still retain their Brahman parohils and give them money at weddings.
They only avoid their own got in marriage.
The Pare iu Nabha follow the Muharamadan Law as to marriage, whereas the other five groups avoid four gots in inai-riage, like Hindus.*
The Muhamtnadan Julaluis are said to be very strict observers of the Id-ul-fitr, just as the Qassiibs (butchers) hold the Id-ul-zuhd in .special esteem, while the Kanghigarans affect the Shab-i-banU and the Sa.yyids the Muharram.f
d
On the other hand the Hindu Julahds of these Phulkidn States are ivided into sectarian groups, such as the Riimdasis and Kabirpanthis.
The Kamddsis are the followers of the saint, Rdm Dds, the Chamdr who was a chela of Lakhmir. Having abandoned his calling as a shoe- maker, he took up weaving and followed the teachings of the Granth. The Kamdasi do not eat, smoke or intermarry with the Chamars. They practise kareica and perform the wedding rite, according to the anand bdni of the Granth Sdhib, fire being lighted before the scripture and seven turns [jiheras) being made round the fire, while the anand hdni is read. No Brahman is called in. They burn their dead and carry the ashes to the Ganges. Some of their gots arc : —
1. Bhangar.
2. Barah.
3. Berwal.
4. Sokri. j 7. Samjar.
5, Chohan. 8, Senhmir. G. Saroe. I 9. Miti.
I 10. Goru.
The Kabirpanthis are the followers of Kabir Bhagat, chela (disciple) of Rdmanand, founder of tho Ramanandi sect of the Bairagis. Kabir is said to have been born at Benares and adopted by a Musalm^n JuMhd during the reign of Sikandar Shdh Lodi (1488-1512 A. D.). The story goes that Kabir wished to be Ramanand's chela but he re- fused to adopt him as ha was a Muhammadan. So one day Kabir lay down on the road by which Rdmanand went to bathe in the Ganges every morning, and by chance Hiiinanand touched him with his foot. He exclaimed " hdm, Rdm,^' so Kabir took the word Ram as his Guru mantra and assumed the mala or beads and tilah or forehead mark of
* Muhammadan Julahas of the Katahra got in Zira tahsil of Ferozepur do not inter- marry in their own got and also avoid that of the mother's father. They also refuse to marry a son into a family in which his sister is married,
t N. I. N. Q., I. 643.
416 Jun-^Juta.
a Bair%i. At first R{lmana,nd was opposed to him, but after som dis- cussion he accepted him as his chela. His doctrine and precepts are very popular and are embodied in the Sukh Nidhdn Granth, the Bijak and other poems.
Kabir used to earn his Hvelihood by weaving blankets which he sold for 7 taJcJcas a-piece. One day Falsehood (jhiith) appeared to him in human guise and urged him to demand 12 takkis instead of 7 : he did 60 but only received 9, so he said : —
Sache }:ahdn to mariye — Jhuthe jagat patidive, Sat tahhe Id hhiird, — Mera 'iiau talche lih jaive,
"If I speak the truth, I shall suffer, since the world is content with lies, so I spoke false and sold my blanket for 9 takkas."
Since then falsehood has been rife in the world. Starch owes its origin to a sparrow's having let its droppings fall on Kabir's cloth, as he was weaving. Every weaver invokes Kabir or LuqniSn on beginning work.
As a Kabirpanthi, or follower of Kabir's teaching, the Juldha calls himself Kabirbansi or a descendant of Kabir, just as the Chhimba prefers to be called Namdevi (descendant of Nd,mdeo). They will never take a false oath in the names of these supposed ancestors, and even when in the right, seldom venture to swear by them. Both castes are offended at the ordinary names of JuMha and Darzi, i. e., Chhimba).^
The Jnld,hds, like the darzis, are recruited from various castes, but especially from the Dhd,nak and Cham^r below, whereas the tailors are recruited from the castes above them.
JuN, lit. ' louse,' a 3^ tribe found in Karndl, originally settled in Delhi.
JuNAN, a tribe in Bah^walpur, descended from J^m Juna,t who ruled Sind in the 8th century of the Hijra. They give their name to the State of Junagadh. The Junans migrated from Shikd,rpur iu the 18th century A. D. and were granted lands in Bah^walpur.
JuND-BuGDiAL, a clan of the Awd,ns, so called from Jund, their principal village, found in Rawalpindi and Pindi Gheb. Their traditions point to their being a race of marauders.
JuNHAL, a Rajput tribe, once numerous and powerful. It is found on the borders of Kashmir and the Kahuta tahsil, in Rawalpindi, in a beautiful country. They were nearly all destroyed by the Gakkhars and were rivals of the Hadwals.
JuNHf, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. JuRAi, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. JdTA, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn and Montgomery.
* N. I. N. Q. I., § 72.
t This must be the J4m Juna, Samm4, who succeeded Unar, the second ruler of the Samma dynasty. Dufi's Chronology of India, p. 302.
y
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417
K.
KabI R-PANTni, a follower of Kabir. A life of Kabir, who was a little earlier than Luther, having been born in 1440, and who died in 1518 A, L), is beyond the scope of this article.* Of all the fourteen persona usually classed as l^liagats or saintSi viz., Bt-ni, Bliikan, Dhanna, Shaikh Farid, Jaidev, Kabir, N^mdeo, Pipd, Rdrndnand, Ravidds, badhnd, Sainii, Surdds and 'rrilochant (whose, lives are, for the most part, given in the BJiaktamdU , or the North Indian 'Lives of the Saint>i ') Kabir and Tulsi Das have had the greate-t iutiuenco for good on the unedu- cated classes of Northern and ('entral India.
A mystery hangs over Kabir's birth, bub it appears that whoever his parents may have been, ho was brought up in a family of Musalman weavers at Benares. He is generally looked on as haviug been a weaver by caste, and the weavers of the country by a process well knoAvn in eastern ethnology are fond of calling themselves the descend- ants of this celebrated member of tlieir caste.J Many of tlie Juldh;is in the Punjab return their caste as Kabirbansi, and many of those who return their sect hs Kabirbansi or Kabirpanthi, are probably little more than ordinary weavers who have no idea of distinguishing themselves from other Hindu weavers in matterM of doctrine. However, Kabir whatever his caste may really have been, is said to have been a pupil of K/imdtiand, and whether this be true or not, it is beyond doubt that he imbibed a good deal of tliat master's teaching. From one point of view the Kabirpauthis are merely Kdmdnandis who refuse to worship idols.
In the 14tli century Rdmdnand, the founder of the Bairagis, lived at Benares. One day he went to gather flowers for worship in bis garden, but there he was seized and taken by the gardener's daughter to one of the rulers of that period. The girl took with her also the flowers which she herself had picked, and on the road found that they had turned into a handsome child. Thinking Ramdnand a wi/ai-d she left both him and the child on the spot and fled homewards. Ramdnand then gave the child to a newly wedded Muhainmadan JuUh^ and his wife who chanced to pass that way, and they brought the boy up as their own son.
Another version is that a Brahman's wife craved the boon of a sow and used to do homage to her sddhii for one. But one day her hus- band's sister went to do him reverence in her stead, and it was to her that the sdiihn granted tlic desired boon, though she was a virgin. On learning this tlie sddhu declared himself unable to recall his gift, and in due C(mrse a child was born to her from a boil which formed on her hand when it was scratched by the rope at a well. In her shame she
* See Kalir ami the KnUr Fanth, by the Revd. G. H. Westcott, Cawnpore, 1907.
I^This list Is from Tmnipp's Bcligion ilcr Silhs, p. C7.
i The coi.TicctioT) bef-ween weaving nml religion in the Punjab is ns interest!; g oi that between cobblir.p nnd irreligion in Enplanri. There nie Fome MusfiJmt.n Inbes (the Khokhars, Chiiphettas find ( haiihiinp foi instnnrt) who nre found in many parte of the T-ii.. Pioyince perfduiing iEdifftirntly the fi rcfi<ri5> of the weavfr and the mullafi.
418 The life of Kahir.
secretly cast the child into a stream, where it was found by a weaver and his wife on their way home after their muhldwa. The child wa3 named Kabir, from kiir, pabn, and blr, a son, and one day his adoptive mother took him to a tauk to bathe. There too came Rlmdnand and hurt the boy with his sandals, but, when he be-gan to cry, the saint endowed hitu with unrai-ulous powers. Oq his death Hiadus aud Muhammadans disputed for possession of his b"dy, so it was placed under- a doth and when that was again removed it had disappeared. Half the cloth was then burnt by the Hindus, and the other half buried by the Muhamniadans.
" In the midst of the dispute," says Professor Wilson, '' Kabir himself appeared amongst them, and desiring them to look under the cloth supposed to cover his mortal remains, immediately vanished. On obeying his instructions they found nothing under the cloth but a heap of flowers." The Hindus took a hnlf of them and burnt them at Benares ; the MuhammadHUS took the other half and buried them near Gnrakhpur, where his death is said to have occurred. Flower-born, Kabir at his death turned to flowers again.
Kabfr is in many ways rather a literary, than a religious, celebrity, and his writings, in the cnmmon Bhasha, are very vuluminous. The Adi-Granth of the Sikhs is full of quotations from him, and he is more often quoted there than any other of the Bhagats. His apothegms are constantly on the lips of the educated classes, whether Hindu or Musalman, even at the present day ; and possibly there is no native author wliose words are more often quoted than those of Kabir. It is noticeable, too, that Kabir instead of impressing on his disciples, like most Hindu leaders, the necessity of absolute adherence to the Guru, was fond of stimulating enquiry and encouraging criticisms of his own utterances.
Kabir was probably a Muhammadan Sufi,* but as a Fufi his teachinfj was addressed to Hindus as well as Muhammadans. Wilson's descrip- tion of the Kabirpanthi doctrines is still exact : —
*' The Kabirpanthis, in cousequence of their master having been a reputed disciple of Bimauand and of their paying more respect to Vishnu than the other members of the Hindu triad, are always included among the Vai^'hnava sects and maintain, with most of them, the Ham^wata especiall}', a friendly intercourse and political alliance. It is no part of their faith, however, to worship any Hindu deity, or to observe any of the rites or ceremonials of the Uindns, whether orthodox or schismatical. Such of their members as are living in the world conform outwardly to all the usages of their tribes and caste, and some of them even pretend to worship the usual divinities, although this is considered as going rather further than is justifiable. Those, however, who have aban- doned th« fetters of society abstain from all the ordinary practices, and address their homage chiefly in chanting hymns exclusively to the invisible Kabir. They use no mantra nor fixed form of salutation ; they have no peculiar mode of dress, and some of them go nearly naked, without objecting, however, to clothe themselves in order to appear dressed when clothing is con.-idered decent or respectful. The 7nahants wear a small scull cap; the frontal marks, if worn, are usually those of the Vaishnava sects, or they make a Btreak with sandal or gopirhmdan along the ridge of the nose ; a necklace and rosary of tuUi are al-^o worn by them, but all these outward signs are considered of no importance and the inward mail is the only essential point to be attended to."
• According to JlaoaulifEn {Sikh Religion^ VI, p. l-fl"), Kabir held the doctrine of ahiTiija or I he duty of non-destruction of life, even that of flowers. This doctrine would appear to be due to Jain influences. Kabfr is reputed to have had a bob, Kam4l, who refused to look with favour on Hindus (VVestcott, op. cit., p, 42) and who was thereupon lost to bis father, though, accordiug to Macauliffe, he li believed bj tha K&bfr-pan this to bave been re-animated by Kabir.
'-r
Kab irpanth i — Eab irwdh. 4 j 9
It is however very doubtful if the view that Kabfr was probably a Muhammadan Sufi can be accepted with con6(lence, and Dr. G. A. Grierson would legnrd the s^cr. founded by Kabir as one of the bhakii-sects. A common feature of many of th<'se sects is the viahdparsdda or paciamental tneal. On the evening of the appointed day the woishippers assemble and the mahant, or leading cel^-brant, reads a brief address, find then adows a short interval for prayer and meditation. All who feel themselves unworthy to proceed further then withdraw to a distance. Those that remain approach the senior celebrant in turn, and placing their hands togetlier receive into the paimofthe right hand, which is uppermost, a small consecrated wafer and two other articles of consecrated food. They then approacli another celebrant, who pours into the palm of the right hand a few drops of WHter, which ihey drink. This foe d and water are regarded as Kabir'a special gift, and it is said that all wlio receive it worthily will have eternal life. Part of the sacramental food is ' reserved' and is carefully kept from pollution for administration to the sick. After the sacra- ment there is a substantial meal which all attend, and which in its character closely resem Ides the early Christian bve-f easts. It is possi- ble that this rite was borrowed !roin the Jesuit missionaries at Ao-ra, but the head-quarters of the Kabirpanthi sect are at Benares, and the rite is now likely to bo a survival of historian influences.*
Tfie Kabirpanthi sddhs or faqirs in this Province wear generally clothes dyed with hrickdust colour [geru) ; and both they and the laitv abstain from flesh and spirits. The present followers of Kabir hold an intermediate position between idolatry and monotheism, but the misf^ion of Kabir himself is generally looked on as one directed against idolatry; and at Kanwardeh, near Ballabgarh, in the Delhi district, there is a C'>ramunity of Kabir fant his descended from an Atrgarwdl Bania of Puri, who used to travel with 52 cart-l-'ads of Shivs and Sdligrams behind him, but who was convinced by Kabir of the error of his ways. Tlie sect of Kabirpanthis is probably better known in the Gangetic Valley than in the Punjab, and the Kabirpnnthis are larcrely found in the south-east of the Province ; but consideral)lo nunibnrs are also I'eturned from Sidlkot and Gurddspur, and it is said that the "Meghs and Batwdls, so common in thoee districts, are very generally Kabirpanthis. The sect is also very largely recruited from the Chamar (leather worker) and Julahii (weaver) castes, and it is open to men of all classes to become Kabirpanthis. The Kabirpanthi will almost always describe himself as a Hindu, but a certain number have returned the name as that of an independent religion, and some as a sect of the Sikhs.
An offshoot of the sect is the Dharm Ddsids, founded by a wealthy merchant of Benares who turned sdd}t,ii. The Dharm Dasids, Itowever, appear to differ in no way from the Kabirpanthis in doctrine, and they are very rarely found in the Punjab. t
KASiRWAH, a Kdjput clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
♦ J. R. A. S., 1 9i(7, p. 326. Dr. Griersim also calls nttent ion to Kabir's dnctrine of the $hdbda or word which is a romark ible Copy of the opening verses of St. John's bOfpel. j* For ao accouat of tU« Dharm Dae McLiuu sua Mr. Wt^&tcott'B book, p. 106,
420 Kachdla— Kafir.
Kachala., a Jcit clan (agricultural) found in a solid group in Sliuj^b^d tahsil, Multan district.
Kachela, a Jdt tribe, found in the Leglidri Balocli country of Dera GhAzi Khan, It has adopted Baloch manners, customs and dress.
K&CHERA, — An occupational caste of glass-workers. The term is sometimes applied to the Ciiurigak or makers of bracelets. The Kacheras in the Bd,\val nizdmat oi JSabha are both Hindu and Muhammadan and claim Riiiput origin, e. g. their gots include Chauh^ns from Jaipur. Thoy were outcast cd for adopting their present occupation and now inter- marry, avoiding lour gots, only among themselves. Their customs are those of the Jats, with whom they can smoke, etc. They still worship the welF after the birth of a son and it is again worshipped at weddings, when the bride's father gives sharbat to tlic hardt, an old Rajput usage. Hindu Kachera womeu never wear blue, because one of their caste once became sati. She is worshipped at all festivities, a cocoanut being offered to her. The Kacheras' giorii is the mahant of a Baird,gi dehra at Bagwdra in Jaipur, but they Lave Brahman 'paroliits.
KACHnr, like the Lodha, a well-known, cultivating caste of Hindustd,n, found in the Punjab chietly in the Jumna districts, though a few of them have moved on westwards to the great cantonments. Almost without exception Hindus, they are said to be the market gardeners of Hindus- tan, and of low standing. In the Punjab they are said to be generally engaged in the cultivation of water-nuts and similar produce ; indeed in many parts they are called Singhari (from ninghdra, a water-nut) as commonly as Kaclihi.
Kachdee, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Kadhar, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Kadian, a tribe of Jats, found in Karn^l. It has its head-quarters at Siwa and its original home was near Beri in Rohtak.
Kadiani, or, more correctly, Ahmadiya. A follower of the late MirzaGhuMm Ahmad of Kadian in Gurdd.spur. In 1900 in view of the approaching census of 1901, the sect adopted the designation of Ahmadiya. The founder of the sect was a Barlas Mughal, whose family catne from Persia in the time of Bd,bar and obtained a jdgir in the present District of Gurdaspur. Beginning as a Maulavi with a special mission to the sweepers, the Mirza eventually advanced claims to be the Mahdi or Messiah, expected by Muhammadans and Christians alike. The sect hotvever emphatically repudiates the doctrine that the Mahdi of Isldm v/ill be a warrior and relies on the Sahik Buhhdri, the most authentic of the traditions, which says * he shall wage no wars, but discontinue war for ttie sake of religion.' In his voluminous writings the Mirza combated the doctrine of jihad and the sect is thus opposed to the extreme section of the Ahl-i-Hadis.
Kafash-doz, an occupational group of the Muhammadan Mochis who 6ew shrouds.
Kafir. — The generic term bestowed b}' the Afghans on the tribes which occupy the large tract of country, called Kd,firistd,n, which lies between
* All the reUlives issemble under a canopy aud driuk sliarlat on this occasion.
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The Kafir septs. 421
Chitral, Afghduistan aud the Hindu Kusli. Kofir means simply 'infidel, aud the Kafirs converted to lalam are styled Shaikhs, but regarded by the K;lfirs as still their kin.
Sir George Kobutson"*^ divides the Kdfirs into Sidhposhor black-robed, Waiguli and Presunguli or Viron and mentions a fourth tribe called Ashkunt, as to whom little or nothing is known, though they are probaljly allied to the Waigulis. The Presun, Waiguli and Ashkan are classed as Safodposh or white-robed. The Siahposh comprise 5 clans— Katir, Mamun or Miiduj^al, Kashtan or Kashtoz, Kdm or Kamtor and Istrat or Gaurdesh. Of these the Katirs are probably more numerous than all the remaining tribes of Kdfiristan put together. They are sub- divided : into the Kamor or Lutdehchis, in the Biishgul valley ; the Kti or Katwiir of the Kti valley ; the Kulam ; aud the Ramgulis or Gabariks, the latter, the most numerous of the Katir clans, being settled in the west of Kdfiristdn on the Afghiin frontier. The Kd,m inhabit the BashgulJ and its lateral valleys. The Gaurdesh folk are said to be very different from the other Siahposh and to be, in great part, a remnant of an ancient people called Arom.
Of the Safedposh the Presun, who are called Viron by their Muham- madan neij^hbours, inhabit the Presungul and are probably a very an^ cient people, different from the Siahposh on the one hand and the Wai and Ashkuri on the other. They are poor fighters and have patient, stolid faces. Though heavy in their movements compared with other Kafirs, they are very industrious and capable of great feats of endur- ance. The Wai speak a language quite different to that spoken in Presungul or by the Sifihposh and are a bravo high-spirited race, quarrelsome but hospitable. The Ashkun, half of whom are Muham- raadans, speak a language like the Wai dialect and are friendly to that tribe though at war with all the others.
Another ancient race, the Jazhi, is said to exist at Pittigul§ and Gaurdesh, but from intermarriages with the Kam and others they cannot now be distinguished from the Bashgul.
The clans are further sub-divided. Thus the Kam have 10 septs and the Bashgul Katirs 7, including : —
f Utahdari, which produces the I tribal priests. — Kam septs. •{ Garakdari ^ the two largest I Bilezhedari 3 septs. I, Demidari, the wealtliiest sept.
rJaimahdiiri. Bashgul ! ?f™°d"ri- Katu sept. , 3i,t,dawadari.
t.Charedari, etc.
* The Kafirs of the Hiadu-Kiaeh : Ch. VII.
f P Yeshkun.
j The Bushgali, a tribe of the Siahposh Kafirs, are found in several small valleys on the weetern side of the Swat and Panjkora valleys below BirkoL juid have been lon^ subject to Chitral.
Biddulph'a division was : (0 the Riiini,Mlis or Luiii{,'alis in tho upper viilleys which run down south-west from the Hindu kush till tliey come into contact Avith the Afghans of Kabul; (ii) the Waigalis, who Luld the valleys which extend south-cabt frotn tiio Uindu-kush and join the Kuner valley : and (lu) the UusligHlis wli« hold the valleys which run from further north in a south-south-easterly direction and join the Kuner valley at Birkot. 'Ihe Waignlis :^lone have 18 clan-.. Besides fhf.xe Biddulph mentions the Kalashi, a br'A-en clan, subject to Chitral but claimed by the Bushgalis as their slaves aud tho Sufedposh. Kittigalis or Wirigalis. Biddulph, Tribes of the Hindoo K(.>ii.<h, p. 126.
§ Pittigul is a village which i3 remarkable for having a priest of its own, which no other K4m village has. Moreover the Kamdesh utab or priest is not only a village, but also a tribal, functionary.
L
422 The Kafir grades.
All the septs are closely connected, however, by marriage ties, as all KdSrs are to a certain extent polygamous and marriage is prohibited within one's own dan or those of one's mother and father's mother. Nevertheless the sept always acts together as such without regard to the marriage ties.
Each sf^pt has one or more chief men to represent it, but some of them are Hbsolutely without weight in the tribal councils. In tbe more im- portant septs these representatives are invariably jast or tribal head- men and they are generally so in the minor clans.
Socially, a Kdfir clan, such as the K^m, is divided into the following grades : —
1. The mirs and priest.
2. The jant (elders or seniors), and ur jast.
3. Members of important septs.
4. Mt-mbers of very Bmall septs or gi-oups of families.
5. Poor freemen, fatsas or shepherds.
6. Slaves.
The family is the unit of the Kd,fir body politic and the importance of a sept depends largely on the number of its families, just as the im- portance of a family depends on the number of its adult males.
The head of the house is an autocrat in his own family, obeyed dur- ing life and honoured after dt-ath by his descendants. A son rarely opposes his father, though if hopeless of redress he may leave the clan and turn Muhammadan for a while. But occasionally a son will be supported by public opinion in a quarrel with his father, and in a case where a man ran away with his own daughter-in-law, his son obtained eight-fold compensation. The father's authority naturally weakens as he grows old and he is succeeded as head of the family by his eldest son (if not the son of a slave mother), but his authority over his brothers is not very great and only lasts until partition of the family property becomes inevitable.
In spite of their social gradations the Kd,6r clans are in theory demo- cracies, but actually they are oligarchies and in some cases autocracies.
No individual can achieve importance until he become a jast. Amongst the K4m to become a jast takes three years'^ and involves giving 21 feasts, 10 to the jast and 11 to the clan. Complicated cere- monies also have to be gone through. Little boys may become jast, though they will still be treated as boys.
A jast wears a woman's coronetted earrings in tbe upper part of the ear and any gorgeous robes he can procure for religious ceremonies and dances.
The feasts are most expensive and among the Kam many men utterly ruin themselves in becoming jast and praise themselves for having done so. To go through the ceremonies a man must have a female co- adjutor,t but she is usually not his wife because the cost of giving a
* Or, among the Katirs, 2 years
f The woman's only privilege is to wear mdrkhor or goat's hair round the top of her dancing boots and to take part in the dancing, when on the completion of all the formali- ties, there is a ceremonial dance at a particalar festiral.
Kafir feasts, 42 8
doable set of feasts would be too gi-eat. Two men therefore usually arrange for one to go through the rites with the other's wife as his com- panion and vice versa.
The initiatory rites are sacrifices of bulls andhe-goats toGisb, and the animals are jealously scrutinised to see that they are up to standard. The meat is divided among the people wl;o carry it hrme. These special I- acrifices atihe shrine recur at intervals, but the great hlHUghter- inga take place at the feast-givei's own hous^, though on these occa- sions too oue or two goats aie offered at the bhrine of Gish. Here, too, the flesh is not eaten but taken home, only cli'iua cakes, clieese, salt and wine being consumed on the spot. At the feast-giver's house, however, flesh is eaten on certain days, but on others it is skewered together in great heaps or portions for the guests to carry home, bread ghi, etc., being partaken of at his house.
The feasts given to ihejasts alone are called mezhom and as the guests are few in number, some he-goats and a bull suflice for a day's enter- tainment. The fenst-givers are known as kaneash and those who have already completed their virtuous work are called sunajina.
Apart from the feasts, the kaneash undergo a complex ritual, which becomes more and more complex as the time approaclies when they may don the earrings. At the sanauknn observance the kaneash is • the simulacrum of a man in that he closely resembles one of the decked out etiigies ,' and Sir George Robertson thus desciibes the initiation of a priest which he was invited to witness : —
" He had on a thick fetumpy turbun, having in front ei frinpe of cowrie fhells etrnng together with red glass bt-ads, and furnished with a tail. A pliinie-like bunch of juniper- cedar was stuck in the front of this strikinp head-dress, between the folds of tho cloth. Bis ears weie covered with a most complicated collection of earrings (.f all shapes and sizes. About his neck was a massive white metal necklace, brass bracelets rudely stamped with short lines and marks adoined his wrii-ts, while he had on his feet the ordinary dancing-boots with long tops, ending in a nvn-Jchor hair fringe. He wore a long blue cotton tunic, reaching nearly to his knees, and the curiously worked black and white nether garments made for these occaBions at Shal in the KonAr Valley. Perhaps the most striking part ot the costume Whs a Badakhshani silk robe of the usual gaudy pattern, which was thrown negligently across the shoulJers. In his hand was the dancing axe of his fathers. He was bur.mii.g with pride and delijiht at his own appearance. After a BhOrt interval, Utah (the kaiieosh) being unable to otBoiate as pru'St, a Jast st^pppd forward and acted as deputy. He bound a white cloth round bis brows, took off his boots, washed his hands, and began the night's procCfdings by the sacrifice <'f two immense billygoats, the largest I have pver seen, the size of young heifers. The sacrifice was con- ducted in the usual way with the customary Details. The special feattire of the ceremony was the dabbling of some of the blood on the forehead of Utah and on the forehead and legs of his son Marak, who, seated opposite his father, was still weak and ill, for he was Only just recovering from suiall-po.x. For the boy, this proceeding meant that he might thenceforth wear trou.sers. Besides the ordinary Hour, bicad, and ghi, placed by the rire ready for the eacrifice there were some nnocmous chnp&tis, aboc:t 15 inches in diameter, like thosf given to elephants in India. At this point thepe were lifted up. a ppr-g of blazing juniper-cedar thrust in the centre, and they were th-n solemnly circled ronnd Utah's head thrpe tim^s and made to tnncb bin Fhoulders, while the deputy prit st who handled them cried 'such' 'such! ' The sametbintr wastben d(.ne to the boy. Af er an in* terval for refreshn ent there was dancing ; but juht before tb^y commenced, a vi»itor from another villagt', Brayamiital, burnt foith into panegyrics upo.n I'tab and on his dfy.d father, and spoke of thf immense amouit of property which bad been expended On the feast. This fulsome flattery was rewarded according til custom by the prcKent of a lungi or turban cloth, which was taken fr< in the waist of the Imle boy, Utah's sOp, who whs •till suffering from the effects of small-pox. Q he fire was then taken awi.y and fcur or five visitor"- were provided with turban> and dancing boots, as well as scarves to wear over their shoalders or rousd the waist."
424 Kafir magistrates.
This double rite of initiation was followed by dancing, the first three dances being in lionour of Gisli, and the next to Imra, Dizane and other deities. The dancers included visitors as well as the initiate's sister and her daughter, the two latter being dressed in full dancing attire. The snnauJcmi was completed next day by ceremoniously changing the initiate's turban for a broad-brimmed crownless hat, into the front of which a sprig of juniper was thrust. This changing of the head-dress is called shara' ute. The kaneanh initiated early in February were con- sidered pure in their uniform which they wore till the spring, and the greatest care wag exercised to prevent their semi-sacred garments being defiled by dogs.
A curious duty of a kaneash is to grow a miuiature field of wheat in the living-room of his house. With this no woman must have anything to do, and jt is remarkable as the only agricultural work done by the men.
Just in front and to the east of the tiny field i;^ a flat stono and an iron tripod, on which lie pine sticks ready for lighting. The whole forms a miniature altar and before it is placed a stool with a flat piece of wood as a footstool. Every evening the kanea^'h goes through the following rite : —
He seats himself on the stool and takes off bis boots, while some friends or relations light the fire, bring forward a wicker basket piled up with cedar branches, a wooden vessel containing water, a small wicker measure with a handful of wheat grain in it and a large carved wooden receptacle full of ghi. The kaneash, having washed his hands, assumes the crownless hat he must never be without except in his own house, and begins by burning and waving, about a cedar branch while he cries. Such ! such ! — ' be pure !'
He thrusts this into the water vessel before him, and then burns a second branch completely, after waving it as before, and sprinkles it with the now holy water.
He then proceeds to sprinkle the cedar branches, the fire, the ghi vessel. Next he piles cedar branches on the fire, with a few wheat o-rains and a handful of ghi, he begins his incantation while the flames are dancing merrily and the smoke rolling upwards in clouds. He pays tribute to all the gods in regular order, every now and then pausing to sprinkle and cast his offering on the fire, as at the begin- ning.
The temperature of the room gradually grows terrific, for the ordinary house fire is blazing on the hearth all the time. The scene altogether is a strange one ; the wa.lls of the room are frequently adorned with grotesque figures painted in black on the clay-coloured ground. Thp sprig of cedar worn in front of the hat shows that the wearer is an ordinary notable who has become a jast. If he has gone through the ceremony before, he wears two sprigs of cedar. This is very rare indeiid.
The ur or iirir jast is the chief of the ?<r or iirir, 13 magistrates who are all elected annually, the other 12 being merely his assistants. As a body it is their duty to regulate the amount of water which each cultivator is to get from the irrigation channels and to keep theni in
Kafir customs. 425
good order. Anothsr duty is to see that no one picks or eats walnuts or grapes before tlie appointed time — a rule relaxed in favour of guests. Disobedience is ])iinished by lines which are the urir^' per- quisite and the only remuneration thoy receive. The urir jant also acts as master of the ceremonies at all festivals and dances and has to light the fire at the gromvia every Wednesday (Agar) night. He is also the official entertainer of guests. The urlr are elpctod in the spring at the Durban festival, aftei* a bull has been sacrificed to Gish and some simple rites. The ur jast receives all the flour not nsed in sacrifices, and basketfuls of flour are also presented to him by the women on the last day of e^ch month. In return he has to feast all comers for several days on election, but on the whole his office is a lucrative one. It is interesting to note that slaves can be elected members of the urir provided they are not blacksmiths and are jast hari* i. e., skilled mechanics. Fines are imposed for making fua of the urir within 7 days after their appointment.
A form of adoption which is clearly akin to the milk-tie of Chitrdl is practise! in Kdfiristdn. A goat is killed, its kidneys removed and cooked at a fire. A K^fir then places the adoptive father and son side hy side and feeds them alternately with fragments of the kidneys on the point of a knife. At short intervals the pair turn their heads towards each other and go through the motion of kissing with their lips a foot or so apart. Then the adoptive father's left breast is uncovered, some butter placed upon it, and the adopted son applies his lips to it. Adoption of a brother is effected in precisely the same way, but the latter part of the rite is omitted.
Murder, justifiable homicide and killing by inadvertence are all classed as one crime for which the penalty is an extremely heavy blood- ransom to the slain man's family, or exile combined with spoliation of the slayer's property. The slayer at once takes to flight and be- comes a chile (? chail] or outca^st, for his sept wall not aid him. His house is destroyed and confiscated by the victim's clan, and liis moveable property seized and distributed, even if it is held jointly with his rela- tives. Their separate property is, however, exempt, nor is his family deprived oP his land. The chile is not compelled to leave his tribe, but he must quit hia village and always avoid meeting any of the family or sent of the slain, though it suffices if he merely pretend to hide so that his face may not be looked upon. His sons, if not grown up, and his daugh'ers' husbands and their descendants, also become chiles, and even Muhammadan traders who have married daughters of chiles must behave like any other chile when they visit the slayer's villao-e. Several * cities of refuge ' are inhabited almost entirely by chiles, de- scendHuts of the slayers of fellow-tribesmen. The chief of these is Mer- grora. The shedding of blood may be atoned for by a heavy payment in cash or in kind, but the amount is uncertain as it is rarely paid. It is paid to be 400 Ktlbnli rupees, and if paid reflects so much honour on the slayer's family that its males are for ever afterwards permitted to carry about a particular kind of axe.
* BaH ia a ilave and ja»t bari would appear to mean ' a jast among the lari.
426 Kafir beliefs.
Slaves (hari) form a curious and interesting class in Kdfiristdn. All the craftsmen, such as the carpenters, dagger-makers, iron-workers and weavers, are slaves, as are also those musicians who beat drums, but the skilled mechanics, wood-carvers, boot-makers and silver-workers are called yas^&ar*. Lowest of all are the blacksmiths. The slave artisans live in a particular part of the village, work for their masters with materials supplied them and get no wages; but if they work for others they are entitled to keep the pay. These slaves are entirely self- supporting. House slaves rank much higher than artisan slaves, live with their masters, and are not treated harshly. Slaves are so impure that they may not approach a god's shrine too closely nor enter a priest's house beyond the doorway. They are always liable to be given up to another tribe to be killed in atonement for a murder, as well as sold, and their children are their master's property. They are how- ever permitted, after giving certain feasts to the free community, to wear the eai rings of the jast, and this privilege exalts the wearer — at least anion » the slave community. Moreover a master and slave oc- casionally l3ecome adaptive brothers. Slaves adopt all the customs of the rest of the community, and give feasts at funerals and on other great occasions. Neither sex has any distinctive badge, but they are recognizable by their physiognomy, being low-browed, very dark- complexioned, but of powerful build. The bondsmen are just as pat- riotic as the rest of the community. There is but little traffic in slaves, as they are not sold unless their owner becomes very poor indeed ; but female children of slave parents are sold to the neighbouring Muham- mad an tribes, who are thereby enabled to make converts to IsMm. Children born to a K^fir by a slave mother would appear to be free, but of very low status. The slaves also are accorded a semi-divine origin, as the following narrative shows ; —
" It appears that one day up in the sky a father blacksmith said to his son, * Bring me some fire.' Just as the lad was obeying the order, there was a lightening flash, and the boy fell through the slit thus caused in tbe floor of the sky on to the earth. From this youth one portion of the slave population is derived, the remainder being the offspring of Waiguli prisoners, taken in war. Of the Presun tbe following account was given me. In the beginning of the world God created a race of devils. He soon afterwards regretted having done so, but felt Himself unable to destroy all those He had so recently endowed with breath. But Moni (sometimes called Muhammad by Kdfirs, under the impression that prophet and Muhammad are synonymous terms) grieving at the terrible state cf afi'airs, at length obtained a sword from Imr^, and was pfiven permission to destroy all the devils. He killed very many, but seven, the ancestors of the Presuns of to-day, managed to escape him."
Kafir theology divides the world into Urdesh, 'the world above,' the abode of tbe p<'ds : Michdesh, the earth ; and Yurdesh, the nether world. Both the heaven and hell for mortals are in Yurdesh, which is reached by a great pit, at whose mouth sits MaraKalik, the custcdian created by Imr^ for this duty. Be permits no one to return. At death a man's breath or soul (shon) enters a shadow form, such as we gee in dreams, and it then becomes a partir. The good appear to
^afir marriage. 427
wander about in Bisht, a paradise in Yurdesli, while the wicked burn in Zo-<iuk,-^ ' hell ' Kilfirs have no great fear of death, but suicide is to them inexplicable.
Presungiil is pre-eminently a religious tract. Devils' villajres abound, the old warer-courses are believed to have been built by the deities ;' miraculous hand-prints are shown on rocks, and much reverence is paid to Imrd. ^
Ka6r marriaget is a very simple business, being indeed merely a bargain whereby the wife is purchased of her parents. When the price has been settled a goat is killed, tiierc is some feasting and the raarriao-e is completed. But the wife is not allowed to leave her parents' hou'se until the full price has been paid and girl-children born to her there would certainly belong to her family. It is not certain, however, if sona would not behng to the father. It is payment of the full pr'co which gives the husband a right to take his wife home to work in the fields.
Girls are generally married before puberty and indeed infants are sometimes atfianced to grown men. A girl of 12 who is unmarried must be of hopelessly bad character. On the other hand, youno- aud even middle-aged women are sometimes married to boys, for an orphan lad who owns land must marry in order to get it cultivated.
All well-to-do Kdfirs have more than one wife but rarelv more than 4 or 5, and it. is a reproach to have only one wife. The price paid de- pends on the suitor's status, a poor man paying Rs. 8 and one fairly well-to-do, Ks. 1 2. A Kdfir takes over his dead brother's wives to keep or sell as he deems fit. Divorce is easy as a man can always sell a wife or send her away. When a woman elopes with another man the husband tries hard to get an enhanced price for her.
"Women are regarded as chattels and can therefore hold no property even in themselves. Accordingly on a man's death his property is divided equally among his sons, but the eldest son gets a single article of vague such as a cow or a dancing robe over and above his share while the youngest inherits his fatliei-'s house. The inheritance is strictly confined to legitimate sons by free mothers, and slaves' sons "-et nothing. If there be only a very young son the brother would practi- cally do as lie chose with the property, provided he feasted the clan lavishly out of it. A son may also dispose of or even marry his stepmothers, and his mother too is often remnrried, her price probably going to her son. Failing near male agnates, the estate o-oos to the more remote and, failing them, to the sept. It never goes to daughters or to relatives by marriage as it might then go out of the clan altogether.
Kdfir religion is described by Sir George Robertson as a somewhat low form of idolatry, mixed with ancestor worship and some traces of fire worship. The diflSculties of getting information were however o-reat
* Clearly the Pers. f/oiai-/i,holl.
t For birth customs see p. 433 injva.
|
1. |
Imra, |
|
2. |
I^loni. |
|
o. |
Gish. |
|
4. |
Bagisht. |
|
5. |
Arom. |
|
6. |
Tauru. |
|
1. |
Sataram or Sudaram. |
|
8. |
Inthr. |
428 The Kafir pantheon.
and in Pivsiingiil t.lie people objected to his being shown their gods at all. The principal gods and goddesses are : —
9. Duzlii.
10. Noiig.
11. Parade.
12. Shomde.
13. Saranji or Sauranju"^
14. Dizane I „„j ■!„„„..»
15. Nirmali [goddesses.
16. Krijinai or Shumai J
Irar^ is the creator. By his breath he created his ' prophets/ Moni, Gish, etc., but iJizane sprang from his right breast. Placing her on his palm Imra threw her violently upwards into a lake where she was hid. Bagisht alone was bom in mortal wise to Dizane.* Besides his prophets luirii also created seven daughters who watch over agriculture and as sowing-time approaches goats are sacrificed to them for ample crops. Imrc4 also created fairies and demons, but the latter gave so much ti'ouble that Moni had to be permitted to exterminate them. One he destroyed by secretly withdrawing seven screws or plugs from his body so that he fell to pieces.
For the legends and myths which gather round Imra the reader must be referred to Sir G. Eobertsou\s book, but one deserves special notice. It relates how Inthr had made Badawan his resting-place and there created vineyards and ple^sanceSj but Imr^ suddenly claimed it as his. In the fight that ensued Imrd drove him from place to place until he had to abandon the Bashgul valley and take refuge in Tsarogul.
Frequent sacrificest are made to Imra, sometimes for recovery from sickness, seasonable weather or other material benefits ; sometimes from motives of simple piety. He is not more honoured than the other gods at the religious dances, and though he receives three-rounds there is none of the enthusiasm which is displayed lor Gish. Possibly Irar^ was once chiefly worship[»ed and he probably still retains his ascendancy in Presungul, where his principal temple is found though he has temples in every village, and they are also met with far from any dwelling. In Presungul his great temple, at Kstitigrom, the most sacred village in all Kd,firistaD, is an iu)posing structure, elaborately ornamented. On its east side is a square portico, as spacious as the temple itself, supported on carved W()Oden pillars which form a kind of rough colonnade. The carving is of three tjpes, a fav('Urite one beintr two rows of rams' heads, one on each side of the pillar, ex- tending from top to base : another consists in an animal's head carved at the base from which the horns extend, crosbing and re crossing each
• The birth of Bagisht happened in this wise : In a distant land in the middle of a lake grevf a large tree— so great that it would have taken 9 years to climb it and 18 to journey from one side of its spread to the other. Sataram became enamoured of it, but, ■when he approached, it burst asimder disclosing Dizane and he fled in consternation. Di/.ane emerged and began to milk goats, but was ravished by a demon who had four eyes, two in front and two behind. To her was born Bagisht in a swift-flowing Presungul river whose waters parted to allow the child to step ashore unaided. On his way down the stream he met a stranger and learnt that he was named Bagisht. Another story is that Dixane was the trunk of the sacred tree and Nirmali its roots: the tree had seven branches, each a family of seven brothers.
\ Cows are commonly sacrificed to Imra throughout Kafiristan.
/
Kafir gods. 420
other at intervals and onding in points, between which a grotesque face appears; and the third is the common basket, pattern. Under this portico many sacrifices are made. The effigies of Imrjlare in wood CJirved in rehef. The figures are about 7 feet hi^h and represent the god seated and working a goat-skin churn. The face of each is prodigious. The square-cut chin reaches Avithin a hand's breadth of the goat-skin on thu god's knee?. The brow and nose are, in the majority of tlie figures, scored witli lines, while those on the two practicable doors have rough iron bells suspended between tlip eyes. The goat-.skin churns are re- presented as carved all over. Above the faces of the images a large circular head-dress appears, with a horizontal line of carving across the middle, and vertical cuttings running upwards and downwards from it. Between several of the figures there are vertical rows of what; appear to be intended for cows' or rams' heads.
From one of these lows the heads can be drawn out of their sockets, and the glories of the interior be partially disclosed. Above the big images is a board ornamented with small figures an-d horns. On the outer side of the temple, to the north, are five colossal wooden figures which help to support the roof. On the south side the ornamentation is almost entirely confined to the upper part of the wall, which consists of a series of carved panels. On the west there is little or no attempt at ornament of any kind.
Moni ranks next to Imrd in the Kafir pantheon and is called ^the ' prophet. He always appears as the god selected to carry out Imr^'s behests. He has a temple in almost every village, and in Presungul, where he retains his rightful position, two small patches of glacier several miles apart are called his marks and said to be the places whf>ro ho stands to play aluts (quoits). Once Moni found himself in Zozuk (hell) and had to be rescued by an eao-lc.
Gish or Great Gish is by far the most popular god of the Bashgul Kafirs and every village has one or more shrines dedicated to him.* Ho is the war-god and as a man was a typical Kafir. Sotnc say his earthly name was Yazid, and he is reported to have killed Ali, Hasan and Husain and nearly every famous Musalman known to the Kafirs. Countless bulls and he-goats are sacrificed to him, and for 15 days in spring slaves beat drums in his honour.
To the east of Kdmdesh village is a very sacred spot with a temple to Gish, fitted with a door which is removed for a limited period each year. I^olcs project upwards from three of its corners and two of them are crowned with caps, one of iron, another of mail, the spoil of a foray; while the third is hung round with a bunch of rude, tongueless bells, which are carried about at some festival .t Itnmedi- ately facing this shrine is a similar, but .smaller, one dedicated to Moni, and this is occupied by three stones in a row, the middle and larn-est of which is worshipped as Moni.
* One is templed to identify 'Sisa with Krishna who appears as Gisane in Arminian. But if Gifh be Krishna at all, he is clearly the elder Krishna.
t This is also done in spring during the period while slaves beat drums iu his honour and for four additional days. They are then carried about by an inspired priest on three rings, 6" in diameter, three bolls on each ring.
430 Kafir 'priests.
During this period of spring alluded to above the door of the temple of Gish remains open, the door being replaced early in July. For 10 days in September drums are beaten morning, noon and night in his honour. Every raid, in which an enemy has been successfully killed, terminates in the heroes of it dancing at the gromma in honour of Gish. Only male nnimals, !*uch as bulls and he-goats are offered to Gish. Certain smooth holes in rocks are often pointed out as his cannon. The god however appears to be less admired iu Presungul than he is among the Sidh-posb.
Bao-isht is a popular deity who presides over rivers, lakes and fountains, and helps good men in the struggle for wealth and power. He appears to have no temples, but three celebrated places are the scenes of his worship and others are sacred to him. Sheep, and occasionally goats, are sacrificed to him.
Arom* is the tutelary god of the Kdm Kafirs and his little shrine resembles one of the ordinary effigy pedestals. At the close of a war the animals which ratify the treaty are sacrificed at his shrine. He had seven brothers. When the time comes for the kaneash to cast aside their distinctive garments, a part of the ceremonial consists in sacrificino- a he-goat to Arom. Satardm or Sudaram is the weather god and regulates the rainfall.
Dizane is a popular goddess and the Giche or new year festival is held entirely in her honour. She also has special observances during the Dizanedu holidays. She takes care of the wheat crop and to increase its culture simple offerings, without sacrifice, are made to hfr. In Presuno-ul a great irrigation channel is attributed to her and a o-ood bridge is called by her name. While the men are away on a raid the women dance and sing praises to the gods, especially to Dizane. Some say she was Satardm's daughter, and she may have been orio-inally the goddess of fruitfulness. She usually shares a shrine with other deitie**, but at Kdmdesh she has a pretty shrine, built by men brought from Presungul for the purpose. It has the wedge- shaped roof common in that tract and is covered with carving. The poles, which are fixed along both sides of the sloping roof, support wooden images of birds, said to be pigeons.
Nirmali is the Kdfir Lucina, taking care of women and children and protecting lying-in women ; the pshars or women's retreats are under her special protection.
Krumai lives on the sacred mountain of Tirich Mir and is honoured by a comical dance which always winds up the performances at the reo-ular ceremonies when each important deity is danced to in turn.
The religious functionaries are the utah or high priest, the dehildla who chants the praises of the gods, and the psJmr, who is temporarily inspired during religious ceremonies and on other occasions. All the utiihs are greatly respected and in Presungul there is one to each villa'^e, some of the elders among them being men of great sanctity. All are wealthy and have certain privileges. An utah may not visit cemeteries, use certain paths which go near receptacles for the dead or enter a room where a death has occurred until the effigy has been erected. Slaves must not approach his hearth.
* For the ancient race of this name see p. 421.
Kafir festivals. 431
The dehildla is also debarred from using certain impure pathways. The pshurs appear to be more or Kss CDnscious impostors.
The lianeash also are considered pure and can, at some sacrifices perform the Utah's duties.
Festivals. — {{) The Gicho or new year's day is called the Kdfir Id by their Muhammadan neighbours and appears to fall about January 16th. All men who have had sons born to them during tlie pn.st year sacrifice a goat to Dizane, and the night i.s spent in feasting. Early in the morning of the 17th torches of pinewood are deposited in a heap in front of the shrine of that goddess and the blaze is increased by throwing ghi on the fire.
{il) The Veron follows about the 3rd February and the ?<nV enter- tain the whole village. It is quite a minor festival.
(m) The Taska falls about February 18th. Small boys areencoarao-ed to abuse grown men and snowball fights take place. On the 20th there is a great dance in the afternoon at the gromma, attended by the kaneash in their robes and by all \he jast in gorgeous attire. Gish is principally honoured, and all the religious functionaries are also pro'^ent. In the evening a subdued revel called the jyracki ndt (dance) is held at the gromma, but only boys of the lower orders appear to indulge in it.
The day following is devoted to throwing an iron ball, called shil. This is thrown by the young men and the victor has the privilege of feasting the village. The contest appears to be in honour of Imrd who made the ball when he created the world.
{iv) The Mamma, falling about March 8th, is essentially a women's festival. On the preceding evening they cook rice and bread, small quantities of which are placed early on the 8th, with ghi and wine in front of the family eflBgies. Tlie offerings are then washed away by gushes of water from a goat-skin. The women next proceed to the jishar, where they feast and amuse themselves with loud laughter. On their way home they exchange indelicate chaff with the men who offer them necklets or other small articles to be danced for. JVear each house a small portion of prepared food is placed on the ground in the name of every deceased relative who can be rcnombored and this too is swept away by water. The food left over is then feasted on.
[v) The Duban is the great festivity of the year, lastino-il days from about March 19th — 29th. It has an elaborate ceremonial, but its chief features are dancing, processions and the antics of the buffoon prie
{vij The Azhindra, on April 6th, is solemnised by a procession to the upright stones which form the shrines of Bagisht and Duzhi The kaneash are allowed to leave the village for this occasion Games of aluts and foot-races are its principal features, but Bao-isht is also honoured by a bull sacrifice and recitations. °
{vii) The Diran, about May 9th, is a festival of purification. A regular procession goes to Imrd's tempi^, the priest sprinkling water
432 Kafir festivals.
on its members with a sprig of juniper. A cow is sacrificed to Imr:'i, and baskets full of flour, with a bread-cake shaped like a rosette en top, are placed before the shiine. Then the assembly moves a little to the north, and a goat is sacrificed to Ba^isht at his distant shrine, the idea being that the sacrifice is offered through the air. A display of archery follows.
[mii) The Gerdiilau falls about Juno 5th and appears to be of secondary importance.
(ix) The Pcitilo, aV-out the 30th of June, is celebrated by picturesque dancing at night in honour of Imr^.
{x) The Dizancdu, falling on July 9th, merits a full quotation of Sir George Robertson's account: *'For two days previously," he writes, "men and boys had been hurrying in from all sides bringing cheeses and ghi. Every 'pshal or dairy farm contributed. At two o'clock the male inhabitants of Kamdesh went to Dizane's shrine to sacrifice a couple of goats, and make offerings of portions of cheese and bread-cakes.
Then the whole company returned to Gisli's temple. An immense pile of fine cheeses was heaped upon the wooden platform close by, and from each one a shallow circular fragment was cut out. The convex pieces were placed on the cpdar branches with bread-cakes and ghi during a regular worship of Gish.
This ceremony over, the people collected into groups, scales were produced, and all the cheeses were cut into portions. Each share was weighed separately, the wake-weights being neatly skewered on to the big pieces with little bits of stick. While this was being done the goat's flesh, divided into "messes", was being cooked in two large vessel ?>, the green twigs used to bind together the different shares simmering away merrily with the meat. Women brought bread from the different houses, and ultimately stood in a row in the background, while their male relations thoroughly enjoyed themselves. There was a regular religions ceretoony performed by Utah, and just before this began, Shahru, the mad priest, at the invitation of the oldest of the Mirs, replaced the shutter which closed the tiny door or window of Gish's temple. This shutter bad remained on the top of the shrine ever since Shahru had removed it early in the year."
[xi] The Munzilo, held about August 17th, appears to be mainly devoted to the final ceremonies for the kaneash. It lasts several days. Gish and Dizane are chiefly honoured.
(aii) The Nilu festival begins late on the evening of September 17th, and on the 18th boys of 6 to 12, the only performers, collect about 4 p.m. and are dressed in gala costumes. After they have danced, Imrii is worshipped, without a sacrifice, and a fireht. On the 19th the men dance and songs are chanted in honour of Gish, Dizane and other deities. The proceedings close with a dance to Krumai.
This is the last festival of the year.
Kafir games. 43^
Birth customs. When delivery is imminent the woman goes to tlio Nirmali house* and remains there for 20 days if the child is a girl, or 21 if it is a boy. After a ceremonial ablution slie then returns home, but is allowed a further rest of 1 2 days there. The instant a child is born it is given to the mother to suckle and an old woman names all its ancestors or ancestresses, as the case may be, and stops the moment it begins to feed. The name on her lips wt that moment is the child's for lifo. ^. uckling continues fur two or three years.
Boys may not wear trousers till they have been taken to Dixane's shrino at the Git he festival, dressed in that g'urb of manhood, and sacrifice has been made there. This is followed by a feast. The sons of poor men are often associated in this observance with boys who aie better off. Boys who take part in the sanaukav oi n. kaneash are exempt from further observances.t
Ganie.s. — Games play an important part in Kdfir life. With one exception boys and girls play separately, the former playing rough games. One is played by lour boys on each side, each player holding a big toe with the opposite hand and hopping on the other foot. The object is to enahle I he 'back' to get through to the other side's goal. The game is played with wonderful pluck and good temper. Shooting arrow?, rough and tumble Gghling and pitciiing walnuts are the less violent amusements. Girls play at ball,, knuckle-bones (in which walnuts are however used) and swinging. The only game played by giils and boys together la an imitation of the national dance. Men play a kind of touch, in which the object is to tread on a, man's inslep to make him prisoner, archery, aluts, which is a kind of quoit, played with flat stones and various athletic exercises. The stone-bow is used by both men and boys jmd exactly resembles the Indian gultl. A fairly popular game is a kind of curling with walnuts on the house-tops.
No game, liowever, plays so important a part as dancing. Kafirs dance when they are happy and when in mourning. They dance to ' amuse ' the injured, the sick and the dyinis, but possibly this is really done as a form of supplication to the gods, who are propitiated by songs, dancings and feasting, which includes sacrifices, and never ii-. any other way. The chief occasions for dancing are the dances of the jast to the gi ds, those to the illustrious dead, tliose performed by the women to the gods while the men are raiiling, tliose of homicides to Gish, at a Kafir's death atid on the erection of cffiyies. These dances are performed insido the grommn or dancing-placo which is thus described by Sir G. Robertson : —
"The dancing-place is always the most important spot in a Kafir village. There is usually only one, but K^mdesh and Bragamat;il
* Or pshar. It is always placed on the outskirts of the village, or even outside it. and is a low, square apartment, in whose construction very little wood enters. In the Bashful valley it is also distingu itched by two or three sheep-skins fastened to a pole and stuck on the roof. Elsewhere it may be the merest hovel, half umlcrgrouud, yet incompletely sheltered. In Presungul the jjs/ior may be separated from the village by a river, but it is much better built and consists of two or three rooms in a line, the doors all facing the water, if it is on a river-bank ; and the sheep-skins are not in vogue.
f For marriage customs, see p. 427 supra.
484 Kdjir dances,
have two eajh. A dancing-place should consist of a house to be used in winter an({ i)i bad weather, a boarded platform, and a level piece of ground, on which particular dances arc performed, furnished Avith a rude stonu altar. A description of the upper K^mdesh dancing- plncc will also apply, with some modifications, to all similar places in the Bashgul valley.
The whole pLico is called the gromvia, a name evidently derived from the word qrom or hrom, the Bashgul terra for a village. A K^fir who had been to India with me always called the gromma the "church" when he spoke Urdu. To tho north of the Kdmdesh dancing-place is the gromvia or dancing-house.
It is 12 feet high, 35 long and 30 broad. Its sides are barred, not closed, by heavy scpiare beams, between the intervals of which spectators can thrust their heads and shoulders restfuily.
During a spectacle these apertures are generally crowded with the h a<ls of girls and women. Down the centre of the gromma run two rows <^i massive pillars which support the heavy roof. They are about six feet apart. The central four are quite plain, except at the top, where they are ornamented with carved horses' heads. The remaining four are completelv covered with the ordinary basket-work carving. In the middle of the roof there is a four feet square smoke- hole. Bordering the gromma to the south is the largfest level space in the village. It is about thirty yards square. On it there is a rude altar, formed of two upright stones, with a horizontal one on top. On this altar there is almost always to be seen the remains of a recent fire. To the east this space is continuous with a platform, which is carried out from the steep slope and maintained in that position by wooden pillars and beams. It looks, and is, a shaky structure. A railing runs round its three dangerous sides. Seats are provided on it in the shape of long planks of comfortable breadth, a few inches off the floor. These platforms are always to be seen if the village is built on the side of a hill. Most of the shrines at Kamdesh are provided with a platform which only differs from that at the gromma in point of size. In villages built on the flat, such as those in the upper part of the Bashgul valley, the platforms are lifted off the ground on trestles. They are indeed an essential part of every dancing-place, because certain ceremonies cannot be performed except upon them.
The gromma of a Presun (Viron) village differs considerably from those of the Bdshgul valley. In the first place, they are nearly all of them half underground, that at Digrom, for example, is like a huge bear-pit and is reached by long passages sloping down from the vil- lage level. They are very large, as they are used for guest-houses, and are capable of holding a large number of people. In one corner they generally have a small shrine, containing a quaintly carved idol of some o-od. The four central pillars are hewn into marvellously grotesque figures, the huge shield-shaped faces of which are more than two feet in length. The arms are made to hang from the line of the brows, while, if a goddess is represented the long narrow breasts, which look like a pair of supplementary arms, start from between the aims and the brows. There is never any doubt, however, about the the sex of an ettigy of this kind. The knees of tho figure are made
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KafsJi-doz—Kahnt. 435
to approach one another, while the feet are far apart, as if, indeed, the god or goddess was swarming up the pole backwards."
Kapsh-doz (Pers.) a boot-sewer: see under Mochi.
Kahar, fern, -i, -Nf, a synonym for Jhiwar. The Kahnr is also styled Mahra, and^ in Forozepur at least settles all his disputes in a caste fanchinjat. Curiously enouoh tlio Mnhaiiunadan Kaluir retains the cult of the water-god Khwdja Khizr, which the Jhiwar also alTocts. On the Jumna he worships the KliAvaja, repeating his name and that of Hanumdn every night and morning to keep himself Siife for tha ensuing twelve hours. They call themselves the ?>«/M or children of the Kinv^ja. Tiic Gharuk sub-caste of the Kah:lrs, however, claim descent from the Kauravas and never bathe in the Kurukshetr.
Katidar, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural} found in Montgomery.
Kahl, a tribe of Jdts, which in Ludhi^ina observes ilxejhavcU rite at weildino-s. A loaf 1^ mans in weight is also cooked and of this \ mayi o-oes to a Bharai, the rest being distributed among the kinsmen.
Kafilon, a J^t cIhu (agricultural) found in Amritsar and other districts especially in Siulkot- Tliey claim descent from Kilja Vikramajit of the Lunnr race, through Rjija Jagdeo of Dardnagar, loncerning whom they tell the well-worn legend that in his generosity he promised his sister whatsoever she might ask. She claimed his head and he fulfilled his promise, but was iniraculously restored to life. His descendant in the 4th generation Kahlwiln gave his name to the tribe. Fourth from him came Soli or Sodi under whom they left Dar^UMgnr and settled near Batdla in Gurddspur, whence they spread into Sidlkof. Muham- madan Kahlons perform the nikah, but they also observe Hindu observanr'.es at a wedding and when the procession sets out, they o-o to a chhari or malha tree outside the village. There a lamp is lighted in an earthen vessel and a thread tied round a branch of the tree. The bridegroom then cuts off tlie branch with a sword and puts it iu the vessel.* Its jathei'a is Bdba Phul Johad.
Kahluria, 'of Kahlur,' one of the Simla Hdl States. A Hindu Rdjput sept of the 1st grade, found in Hoshiarpur.
Kahon, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Multdn.
Kahut, a Jj'it clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur, Gnjrat, Rflwalpindi Hazdra and Jhelum. They give their name to the Kahuta hills of K.-lwal- pindi (now hold by the Ketwfii andDhanial) and to the town of Kahuta now a Janjija possession. Their present head-quarters are found in Mio Salt Range and give its name to the Kahutdni ild(ja of Chakwal tah^il. "JMiey now declare that thf-y were originally located in Arabia, and are Qurcshis, the present tribal name being merely that of their common ancestor: 24 generations as^o. about the year A. D. 1359 their ancestor Said Nawdb Ali migrated to Delhi, in th« reign of " Firoz Sh^ih Ghori": (Firoz Tughlaq, son of Muhammad Tughlaq, is no doubt meant: he reigned from 1351 to 1388 A. D.): on the way to Delhi
* They are said to avoid saying ' has ' (enough) while a wedding party is eating in th« bride's house.
436 Kaimal-khel—-Kdith.
tliey fouglit and conquered a pagan king of Si^lkot, nanifd Sain Pdl, who was, they say, probably a Dogra prince. On reaching Delhi they paid their respects to the king who ordered them to hold the Dhanni and the Salt Range on his behalf: under the leadersliip of Kahat, the son of Nawdb Ali, they accordingly retraced their steps to this district, and settled first at Gragnelpnr, of which the ruined site is shown in Mauza Wariamal near the foot of the Salt Rnnge : here they remained for some time, realising the revenue from the Janjuas of the hills and the Gujar graziers of the Dhanni, and remitting it to Delhi. The Mdirs and Kassars had not then arrived in these parts, but came six or seven generations afterwards. The eastern Dhanni was then a lake, which on the coming of Babar was drained at his command, the Kahuts taking part iu the work and colonising the land reclaimed. Chaudhri Sahnsar, 8th in descen'j from Kahut, was their ancestor in the time of Bdbar.
They have no peculiar customs, except that the males of the tribe never wear blue clothes, or, if they do, fall ill: this is ascribed to the vow of a sick ancestor. The tribe is not divided into clans. They in- tei marry to some extent with Mairs and Kassars, and now and then with Awdns, both giving and taking daughters : but usually marry Avithin the tribe.* The remarriage of widows is permitted, but is not custom- ary in good families: where it is allowed, it is not necessary that the widow should marry her deceased husband's brother.
The mirdsis of the tribe give some of the usual rhymes : one relates to the passage of Bdbar through Kallar Kahdr. the first two lines being as given by the Kassar mirdsis, with the addition of a third, Kahut potre Abu Tnlah de awival a'e : but the latter does not hang well to- gether with what precedes it : the x\bii Td.lab referred to was the uncle of the Prophet. Another runs : Kahut charhia Dihlion sat mar naqdre : chdr hazdr hhird aur Jcainmi sdre : Kahut Dhoni surTchru hoid : sunnid chandal sdre. Dhond. is th.e name of a Kahut leader, they say. A third is a war song relating to fights of the Kahuts with the Janjuas.
Like the Mdirs and Kassars they seem to have been ever violent and masterful, and to have retained their independence in a singular degree, but thouj^h they differ little in character and appearance from those tribes it is doubtful whether they are of the same stock. Though they may be regarded as Rajputs by status they do not appear to have ever claimed Rajput descent and indeed their bards claimed for them Mughal origin.
Kaimal-khel, see under Hatikhel.
Kaim-makam, see Qdim-makam.
Kaith, K'aith, fem. Kaithiani, -ni, -yani. Kanith, fem. -i, -ni, -lANf, Kayath, Kayasth (a).— In the Kilngra hills the Jiaiihf is an accountant.
♦ But they do not marry with. Qureshis, and are entirely agricultural or employed in Government service. They rank a little below the Mi.irs and Ksssars, but occasionally inter- marry with them.
\ With the characteristic Indian tendenry to define status in terms of origin by birth the name of Kaith In the Punjab hills is said to be applied to members of a mixed caete formed by the intermarriage of RrahniHns and Ka.> aths proper and even of Binins who follow clerkly pur'-uits. Their caste would he Mahajan (Pah^ri) and their occupation kdith. Mr. Barnea taid : " The Kayath of the hills is not identical with the K4yath of the plains. He " belongs to the Vaisya or commercial class and i3 entitled fo wear the janeo or sacred " thread. The Kayath of the plains is a Sudra, and is cot entitled to assume the janeo." In Baehahr the kayath is a temple servant.
{TTE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 4
THE KAYASTHAS.
(from a correspondent.)
The Kayastha conference met in Lahore last week, and some information about the Kayastbas may therefore be of interest. Kayasthas have been mentioned in the earliest literature of India. Their mythologi- cal origins have different phases and different interpretations according to the position of compilers as unfriendly or friendly sects.
One portion is said to have descended from Chitragupta, a person who evolved out of the body of Brahma, another portion claims direct Kshatriya or warrior descent, compelled to follow the profession of the first section after the conquest of Parashuram, the enemy of the warriors, the son of Brahma by a warrior mother. People of the first section seem to have always followed the profession of writers, while those of the second wielded the sword as well as the pen. Historically it has been recorded that the second portion, which has all along been wearing the sacred thread, call themselves Ohandrasenyia Kayasth Prabhus. Ohandrasena was a king, which means Prabhu or lord, nd the Kayasth is said to be the fresh ap pellation derived from the fact that they were disarmed and made to work as scribes.
But all these mythological or traditional origins can be easily rendered into possible facta simply by careful examination of the roots and derivations of their caste names. Mr. D. R. Bhandarkar and Rai Bahadur B. A. Gupta have shown that mc^ny of the caste-names of Hindus are originally territorial. Thu3 Deshasth means residents of the Desh (Deccan). Konkanasth means residents of the Konkan, and so Kayasth simply mean?? residents of the Kaya- Desh of the doab between the Ganges and the Jumna — the chief body {Kayo) of the Aryans who immigrated into India.
In this way Chandraseniya may simply mean the threin, sept, or subdivision, which came from the valley of the Chandra alias Chinab through Kashmir, Kayasth, as is shown, may mean those who settled in the Kayadeeh, Dalabhyas may mean those who subsequently
all sorts of Puranas to degrade them. But it seems clear that they are of the same stock ^ with the original Aryans, and have issued 'j out or branched off from the original body "I {Kaya) of the settlement called Kayadesh : after them. Those struggles have now under- i gone great change under the Pax Britannic*. ' Every caste is being treated with squal kindness and justice, and therefore the keenness of the feeling has abated, but there ' are ignorant and uneducated people who keep '• the tradition of the struggle with one sid«d ' interpretations. It is not only desirable in the present struggle for existence with power- ful outsiders possessed of terrific inventions for the destruction of their neighbours, that all the Kayasthas should bo united, but it is more important that Brahmans, Kshatriyas, and all other castes should unite in supporting the British administration which has given unbounded peace and progress to India.
Under these circumstances it is futile to sift old myths and traditions from the origin and social position of people born of the same stock of immigrants. History speaks highly of the Kayasthas ; they produced rajas, ministers, administrators, judges, generals and accountants by hundreds, and will continue to do so in con junction with allied cistes.
THE KAYASTHA CONFERENCE.
The most noteworthy feature of the second day's sittings of the Conference was the presence of His Honour Sir Michael O'Dwyer and the Hon. Mr. J. C. Godley, Director of Public Instruction, the former receiving an ovation on arrival. His Honour spent nearly three quarters of an hour in listening to the speeches of Mr. Sarda Charan Mitra, late Judge of the Calcutta High Court, and Munshi Baldev Parshad of Bareilly, both of whom spoke on the need of writing a history of the Kayastha community. The last named gentleman described the chivalrous deeds of some of the distinguished leaders of the com- munity who occupied positions of trust under the Moghal Emperors and the British East India Company. Mr. Mitra condemned the action of anarchists in Bengal, especially of those who were Kayastha<^, and claimed that the community as a whole were the btst sup- porters of the British Government. Their Dh>irma enjoyed that next to God they owed their duty to the King. Among the resolu- tions adopted at the Conference were those for creating a National Reserve Fund of the community, higher education of boys, relaxa- tion of pardah among women, education of females, co operation with the Government and other communities and of thanks to the Lieute- nant-Governors of the U. P. and the Punjab.
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Kajld — Kdkar, 487
In the plains the Knyath or Kayasth is a caste— the well-known writer class o£ Hindustan, A full account of the caste and of its origins, which are fiercely disputed, would be beyond the scope of tliia article, but it may be noted that the Kayasthas say that they sprang from the body of Brahma who by virtue of his ascetic powers gave birth to a son named Chitril Gupta.* This son he bade go to Dluiram- puri, serve Yama R^ja, and uiake the people of the Avorld fulfil their karma. His desci^ndants are known as Kuyasthas or luiydka Stkdn.f
By Rdja Manu's daughter Chitra Gupta had four sons, Mathar, Bhat- ndg-ar, Saksena and Sribastana. By Snsarman Rishi's daughter he had eight sons, Nigam, Anshat, Gaur, Karam, Rdlmfk, Un.iya, Kiil, JSursat and Suraj Dhaj. 'J'he 1 2 groups of the Kayasthas are named aftpr these 12 siuis. But all 12 arc not represented in the Punjab. In Jind for instance only four are found, viz., Mathar, Bhatmlgar, Saksena and SrivAstana. Asa rule they mix freely but in some places Srivds- tfina and Saksena do not smoke from the same hukka or eat kochchi rati together. They form one endogamous group. In Ji'nd they are chiefly of the Kashyab gotra, but some families belong to the Bhnts and one or two other gotras. In all the groups there are sub-groups (als) named after places, so t^iat there are 84 als in the 12 groups. Two ah, vix. those of the father and mother, are avoided in marriHge.
Kareioa is never allowed and polygamy very rarely practised. Kayasttia marrying a female of a Jcvf or tribe below him in the social scale is usually excotumunicated. But the extreme step is not taken if ibe woman be of good iamily and he strictly abstains from eating kachchi roti prepared by her. Children born of such unions are married to persons of similar status. Marriages are generally performed at mature sge and great attention is paid to a boy's education.
The Knyath is not indigenous in the Punjab, and is found in de- creasing numbers as we go westwards. He is only to be found in the admiuist^rative or commercial centres and is being rapidly displaced, so far as Government service is concerned, by Punjabi clerks. His origin is discussed in Colebrook's Essays.
Kajla, a landless nomad fribe of the Northern Bar in the Gujr^nw^la district,
Kajlan, a J^t tribe found in Jind and Hissdr. It claims descent from Kajla, a Chauhdn Rajput who married an Ahir widow by karetca and thus became a Jdt.
Kakakhel, see Sayyid.
Kakar, a branch of the Parni Afghdns.
Kakah, one of the Pathdn tribes which hold the Koh-i-SilK- or * black range', i. e. the Sulairadn range. It occupies the elevated plateau of Bora, which is described as extensive, well- watered, fertile and carefully cultivated, and other tracts. The valleys between Bora and
* Chitr4 Gupta means concealed liko a picture. Brahma said to his son : ' Thou hast been concealed (sfwyfci) by me like a picture (c/iif; a; and shalt therefore be called Chitra GuDta by the learned.'
f Kayastha in Sanskrit means " one who resides in the body." A detailed account of tho legend is given in the Pdtdl Kliand of the Padain Fiirdn,
438 Kdhar—Kaldl.
tlie mountains south of the Zhob Valley are held by the Musa Khel, a Kdkar clan, and the Isot, a clsn of the Parni Af^hdns who are akin to the Kclkars. Kdkar had 18 sons of his own and adopted 6 more, and these founded 24 clans. It is diflScult< to regard the Kdkars as iScythio.
Kakak, a Pathan clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kakar, an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kakezai, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. See also under Kai^l.
Kakkezai,'^ a class of Muhammadan traders found all over India and as far west as Kandahiir. They claim to be by descent Afghd,ns of Seistd,n, sprang from Kakka, a son of Kam, and the nucleus of the class may well be a pure Pathd,n clan. But the sections of the Kakkezai include such ufimes as Bhursi, Malak, Kethaie, Kasoliya Shaikh, Vansare and Nakhasria, and^in Sialkot^ Bale, Bhaglrath, Ch^ndi, H4nda,t Khoria, Wadrath and Wanjotra, which hardly point to an Afghan origin and lend colour to the theory that the Kakkezai were, like the Khoja, Hindus converted at an early period of the Muhammadan invasions and affiliat- ed to a Pathan clan. A family at Pasrur in Si^lkot is called Mir Daha, and the ofiBce of that name at Bajwdra in Hoshid,rpur was held by a Kakkezai family in 1120 Hijri. In the Jullundur Do^b a branch of the Kakkezais, entitled Shaikhs, rose to eminence during Sikh times and even ^ave governors to Kashmir. The community is an influential and enterprising one in the Punjab.
Kakea, a military Brahman family, settled at Ard. in Jhelum. Kakri, an Ar^in clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kakuana. — The term for Kumhd,rs in the Sandal B^r in Jhang. They are found as cultivators in many rahnas or hamlets, and also have rahnds of their own to which they ha-ve gathered to avoid the hegdr laid on them in other villages. They are called Kakuana, ami say they are not Kumhdrs, but Jdts, descended from one Kdku : and that they took to pot-making a few generations a,go.
Kalal, (1) a Muhammadan J^t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery and Multdn : (2) KaUl or Kardl, a class of very varying status and probably composite origin. The Kar^l claim Hindu E^jput ancestry and derive their name from Karauli, the State in Rd^jput^na. They are divided into 52 clans or gots including the Tulsi and Pital (in Kapur- thala). These Kardls are also styled Ahluw^lia, from Ahlu, a village in Lahore, and the Ahlu w alia sections are said to be: Tulsi, Phul Mali, Rekhi, Sad and Sej^-at. The Kardls are found in all the Districts of the Northern Punjab from Gujrat to Hoshidrpur, and are said to avoid widow remarriage.
Tlie Kalal or Neb are also Hindus, but they more frequently em- brace Sikhism than the Karris. They are by profession distillers, and the word Kalal appears to be derived from kuldl, a potter.
* Mackenzie says the Kakkezai are also called Bulledee (Bileladle), but he does not explain the term. Gujrat Sett. Rep., 1861, p. 27. Bulledee may be a transliteration of Baledi, ' one who herds oxen' : Pujijahi Dicty., p. 86,
I Handa is a got of the Khatris.
196. Kaladharis are the followers of the Bairacri Mahant.s of that designa- 1891 . 5 192 tion belonging to the Hoshiarpur District (nee page 126 of Mr. 1911 Z i',084 Maclagan's Census Report of 1891). Their strength has diminish- ed to about one-fifth of that in 1891.
Kaldl — Kdlir. 439
The Kalal gots are not apparently numerous and includo Bhigar. Bhamral.
BhanrUri.
Bharwathia.
Bhukai.
Bimbat,
Ilatyar. Jajj.
Janwkthia.
Ladhathia.
Mammak.
Paintal.
Pall.
These, it will be observed, differ from the Kar^l gols on the one hand and the Kakkezai sections on the other. Kalandar, see Qalandar. Kalaiqar 'leo Thathera.
Kalar, (1) a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and Multdn ; (2) a
Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Kalas, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. Kalasan, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Kalasaeah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kalash, a tribe of Kdfirs, long subject to Chitral and found in two small villages, Kalaaligum and Bidir of that State. Tfiey speak the Kdldsh languao-e and are Faqir Miskin by status. The Kam Kafirs affirm that the whole of the country froQi the Eastern Kafiristan fiontier as far as Gilgit was once inhabited by the Kalach.
Kalad^t, Kalawant, fern, -ani, -ki, a class of professional musicians and singers : see under Bhat.
Kaleka, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Kalee, (I) a Jat tribe found in Jind, where the savindh of its Sidh, Diddr Singh, at Bharamawadi is revered on the 1st hadi of Mclgh. cf. Bhardnch. It is also found in Sidlkot, where it claims Chaulian Rajput origin, like the Chimas, and descent from R^jd, Kang through Kahr and his descendants Dara and Nattu who migrated to that District in Jahdngir's time. In Ludhi^na the Kaler J^ts at weddings woi ship their jathei-a at his viatt or shrine. They also affect Sakiii Sarwar and at mairiages an offering of bread is m.ide to a Rharai. The first milk of a cow or buffalo is given to a virgin and, if it is abnnddnt to other girls as well. It is al-o found as an a[.'ricultural clan in Ann-itsar and in Montgomery, in Avhich latter District it is Muhammadan : (2) an Ardin clan (aijricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kaleea, a Muhammadan tribe, found in Montgomery (probably Kaler).
Kaleroth, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kalqan, Kalghdn, an Awiin clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KALHfR (? Kalir) a tribe of Jat.s. It holds about 16 villages in mraarm Indii in Karndl but describes the number as I2(ahdrd). Dabkauli Kaldn is its parent village, and it is also the parent village of ]2 Killhir villages east of the Jumna, of J 2 across the Ganges in Moriddbad and of 17 villages in Auibcila. The Kalhirs are divided into two clans' or beong, Mandhan and Turka which cannot intermarry. Mandhan was sou of Mdnd, and Turka of Jejal, and Mtlnd and Jejal were brothers. Originally tbey came from Ajudhya, first migrating toParaaktoda in the Dakhan or Malwa, and afterwards to Dardrehra in Jaipur.
440 i^e KaUioras.
Kalhoea or Saeai, originally a Jdt tribe, also known as Doddi Lati,* which gave a dynasty to Sind and is still represented in Dera Gbdzi KhSn. Its ancestors were darwesJtes or religious mendicants who followed the tenets of the Sayyid Muliammad, the Junpuri, a noted teacher, and one oF them, Harmus, espoused a daughter of the Abara Jdts of Sind, receiving a grant of land as her dower. His son or grandson. Shaikh Nasir, Hnd his son Shaikh Din Muhammad established their temporal and spiritual authority over the Abara territory in Upper Sind. His brother Yd-r Muhammad threw off all allegiance to the Mughals, seized the Siwistdn sarkdr of Thatha, the Siwi mahdll of Bakhar in the Mult^n Province, and Dili^r, and wrested the title of Khuddyar from the Mughal authorities.t His descendant Nur Muhammad drove the Dd,udpotr}is out of the zaminddri of Lakkhi, in the Bakhar mahdll.X In 1736-37 the Lati Khan, Khuddydr,§ received the province of Thatha, together with the southern part of the Bakhar sarkdr, but two or three years later he was stripped of two-thirds of his territory by Nadir Shah. After Nadir Shdh^s death howuver the Khudilyar assumed authority over all Sind, under the nominal suzeraignty of the Durrdnis, but their rule was short-lived. Nur Muhammad Kalhora was succeeded on his death in 1762 by his son Muhammad Murad, but he only ruled for 6ve years and was deposed by the Tdlpur Baloch, who set up his brother Midn Ghulam Shah (1757-5b). An attempt by his brother Attdr Khdn to regain Sind, under the authority of a Durrdni grant, failed, || Ghuldm Shdh died in 1771, while superintending the erection of the fortress of Haidard,bad in Sindh, after a stormy reign of 15 years. He had in 1758 allowed the East India Company to establish a factory in Smdh, but Sarfardz Khd,n, his son and successor, cancelled the permit in 1775. A year previously he had caused Bahrdm Khdn, head of the I'dlpurs, and one of his sons to be assassinated, and this led his dethronement, in or about 1786.
* Lati is said to be derived from the Hindui lat, ' tangled or clotted hair,' and kalhorah in Sindhi is said to bear the same meaning. A derivation from lat, a ' clnb ' in Sindhi, has also been suggested, and in front of the Kalhora chief's tomb al Khadi-abid a number of clubs are suspended.
I According to the Dera Ghazi Khan Oazetfeer^ p. 23, Yar Muhamftiad aided by the Khan of Kalat defeated the governor of Sevi about 170U. After establishing himself in Northern Bindh, he made his formal submission to Jahaudar Shah on his succession to the throne of Delhi and was invested with the title of Nawdh, and the governorship of Sevi.
J And socn came into contact with the Mirranis, ihid. p. 23.
§ The title Khudayar appears to have been hereditary, or to have been beBtowed upon the wanaobiidr or office-holder for the time being by the Mughals But according to the Dera Gh»zi Khan Gatetteey (p. 24-) Niir Muhammad submitted to Ahmad Shah Durrani on Nadir Shah's assassination and received from him the title of Shah Nawaz Khin. A year or two later however he rebelled and was driven into Jaisalmer.
II According to 8hah4mat Ali {Picturesque Shetcheg in Ind<d) Attar Khin was sent, along with a force by Ahmad Shah and on his arrival at Shikarpur Miin Ghulam Shah fled, but he was supported by the Abbissi family, rulers of Bahawalpur, and he and another brother Ahmady^r defeated Attir Khan. The latter obtained a second force from Ahmad Shah, and the brothers then divided their territories, Ghulam Shih taking Thatha, and Attar Khuda-abad and Ahmadabad. Attar was however soon dispossessed again and settled at Ikhtiyar Khan whence he made several more atiempts to oust Ghulam Shah. The story given in the Dera Ghazi Khan (Tozef^per that Mahmnd Shah Gujar helped Ghulam Shah to re-establish the Kalhora power at Dera Ghazi Khan is probably incorrect. The other version, that he was opposed by Mahmud Shah and also by the Ghdzi Khan is more probable. That Ahmad Shah despatched Kaura Mai, governor of Multan, against the Kalhora in 1758 is also likely, but his defeat by Kaura Mai, if it ever occurred, cannot have been severe, for in 1769 Ghul£m Shih finally broke the Mirrani power after taking D«ra Ghizi Khan.
Kdliar — Kalydr. 441
The name Sarai or Serai is borne by the notable Kalhora family of Hdjipur in the Jdrapur tahsil of Deia Ghazi Kh^n. For an account of itreferpnce must be made to the DeraGlu'izi Khan Gazetteer, pp. 91 — 94, but it should be noted that the statement therein made that the Daud- potras are descended from Jam Jnnjar and therefore akin to the Kalhorasis repudiated by the Abbassi or Daudpotra tribe, though it was accepted by Ravert}'. Kaliar, a sept of Rajputs, found at Pduipat. Its family saint, Kald, Say y id, is a great worker of miracles, and anyone sleeping near his shrine must lie on the ground or he will be bitten by a snake. But if a snake bite a man on a Kaliar's ground he will suffer no harm.
Kamrawan, a tribe of Jdts, claiming descent from a Siroha Rajput by a Nain Z&\j wife : found in Hissar.
Kal Khand, a tribe of Jdts, descended from Kala. It has for 25 gen(»ra- tions been settled in tahsil Jind, but came originally from R^mpur Khandal in Delhi.
Kallas, a tribe found in Jhelum : see under Bharat.
Kali.u, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar, in Montgomery (where it is Muhammadan), and also in Shd,hpur.
Kalmat, -I. — A Baloch tribe. Formerly of great importance, the Kalmats fought with the Harris. Dames describes them as a Levitical tribe, probably non-Baloch. They are now found at P^sni in Mekrdn and in Sindh. The name is probably derived from Khalmat in Mekrdti, the connection with the Karmati (,the Karmatian heretics of Elliot's History of India) being doubtful.
Kalo, a J^t clan (agricuHural) found in Amritsar and Mult^n.
Kalon, a Jat tribe, found in Sidlkot. It is described as of Somabansi or Lunar descent, from. Rdj^ J^gdeo of Dharanagar, and has three movis or clans, Nehut^ Jodh and Banna. Doubtless Kahlon.
Kaleu, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn tahsil, where Kdlru employes of Shdh Jahdn's army received grants of land.
Kals, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur, and in Montgomery (where it is Muhammadan).
Kalsan, a Gujar tribe, claiming descent from Rdna Har Rai, Chanhan, by a Gujar wife. He assigned them a part of his conquests in the Jumna Doab and they still hold a little land in the Chauhfin Nd,rdak of Karndl.
Kalsan, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kalsiya, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kaltera, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kalya, (1) a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery: (2) a Hdjput clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar, and (3) an Aw.in clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kalyar, (1) a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Shrihpur: (2) a Jd^ clan (agricultural; found in Multdn.
442 Kdma—'Kamboh.
Kama. — (1) A man, generally of low-caste, who has brought himself and even his descendants for several generations under obligation to serve a land-holder on account of debt, the service being rendered in lieu of the interest while the principal remained as a perpetual debt. This condi- tion of service still exists in Chamba, though more or less secretly, as it is contrary to the State law, and also in Kullu in spite of the law. It pro- bably exists all through the hills. (2) The hdma of the plains is a field labourer.
Kamalia, Kambalia : see Gadaria. In Karn^l Muhammadan J^ts who have taken to blanket weaving are also called Kamalias and are said to marry only among themselves. Bat the Hiudu Kamalias appear to be all Gadarias in fact.
Kamachi, a small tribe of vagrant minstrels, apparently akin to the Mirdsis.
Kamalzai, one of the four main divisions of the Mandanr branch of the Khakhai (Khashi) Path^ns, The Kamd,lzai and Amazai, another branch, are found in Marddn and the Razzar in Peshawar.
Kamangak, Kamagar, a bow-maker. With Lim may be classed the tir-gar or arrow-maker, and possibly the jpharera, but the latter appears to be merely the hill name for the rang-sdzj^ The Kamagar, as he is com- monly called, is chiefly found in towns and cantonments and, except in Kd,ngra, is always a Muhammadan. Now that bows are only made for presentation the Kamagar has taken to wood decoration in general. Any colour or lacquer that can be put on in a lathe is generally applied by the Kharddi, but flat or uneven surfaces are decorated either by the Kamangar or by the rangsaz, the former doing the finer sorts of work. The Kamangar does not form a distinct caste, but is professionally inferior to the Tarkhan or rangsdz, though he belongs to the Tarkh^n caste.
Kambalia. See Gadaria.
Kamboh. — (1) The Kamboh is one of the finest cultivating castes in the Punjab. They seldom engage in market-gardening, but ihey are no less industrious and skilful than the Arains. They are found in the upper Sutlej valley as low down as Montgomery, throughout the northern portion of the eastern plains, and as low down the Jumna valley as Karn^l. They are especially numerous in Kapurthala. The Jumna Kambohs seem to have come into the valley from the west, and there has lately been a very large influx of Kambohs from the northern tracts of Pati^la into the great dhdk jungles between Thd,nesar and the river. The Sutlej Kambohs of Montgomery are divided into two branches, one of which came up theriver from the Multan country (whence they aro called lammawdlas, fr. lamma, 'west') and the other down the valley from the neighbourhood of Kapurthala (whence they are called tappaivdla, from tappa, said to be the region between the Be^s and Sutlej), both movements having taken place under the Sikh
*The pharera or hharera is also said to be a silversmith; see under Loh^r.
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Kamhoh origins, 448
rule. Under that rule they also came mtoJuUundur fro tu Kapurthala* They claim descent from Rija Karan, and say that their ancestor fled to Kashmir. The Kambohs of Bijnor also trace their origin to the trans-Indus country, and Mr. Purser accepts this tradition as evidently true. They are said l>y some to be ancient inhabitants of Persia, and the Karnal Kambohs trace their origin from Garh Ghazni; but the fact that 40 per cent, of them are Hindus and 23 per cent. Sikhs is conclusive against their having had any extra-Indian origin, unless at a very remote period. Arains and Kambohs are commonly supposed to be closely related : indeed in Montgomery a man appears to be called Ard,in if he is Musalm^in and Kamboh if Hindu.t But that this is not always the case is evident, from the fact of a vety considerable propor- tion of the Kambohs of Amritsar, Lahore, Ferozepur, Patidla, N^bha, and Maler Kotla having returned themselves as Musalmans, althoug^h Musalman Arafns are also numerous in those tracts. In Jullundur the village of Bhaiowdl is owned partly by Kambohs and partly by Arains, both being Musalman. It is perhaps doubtful whether the supposed relationship has any further basis than the fact that they both came from the west, and are both of much the same social standing and agricultural repute. It is highly probable that the nucleus of the Arain caste was a group of Hindu Kambohs converted to Isldm. Thus in Jullundnr the Gaure, Hdnde and Monii clans are found in both castes, and in Montgomery several of their clan names are identical. It is said by some that the chief distinction is tliat the Kambohs take money for their daughters, while the Arains do not. But the social standing of the Kamboh is on the whole superior to that of the Ardin, and very markedly so where the latter is a vegetable-grower. The Kamboh, moreover, is not a mere agriculturist. He not infrequently engages in trade, and even takes service in the army or in offices or even as a private servant, while his wife not infrequently lends money even where he is a mere husbandman ; and under Akbar a Kamboh general called Sh^hbaz Khdn commanded 5,000 men and distinguished himself greatly in Bengal. J Musalmdn Kambohs held Sohna'^in Gur- '^ gaon some centuries ago; and the tombs and mosques thatthey have left show that they must have enjoyed a considerable position. The- mili- tary, mercantile, and clerkly Kambohs are said to be distinguished as Qalmi or "men of the pen," and not to intermarry with the agricultural or Khaki section of the caste. But this is probably a mere social cus- tom and not a caste rule. The Kambohs do not seem to bear as high a
* The Kamboh villages in Jullundur are clustered together in Nakodar tashil in the extreme south-west on the Kapiirthalu borJer. Tradition says that in lOol A. D. the Punjab was devastated by floods, so Jahangir sent Slier Shah, a Suba, to restore it and he brought with him from Sunam in fatiala (Mr. Parser thought this possibly a mistake for Sohna, a former Kamboh stronghold in Gurtraon) two men, Achhra, whom he located near Chunian in Lahore, and Rath whom he settled near Sultanpur in Kapurthala where the Kambohs founded a bdm or group of 12 villages.
The Kambohs of Phillaur though few merit special notice. They claim to be Surajbausi R4j puts who came from Kamriip (Assam) on the Brahmaputra to Delhi in Hum^yuns time. Thence Bohd Rai migrated to Lahore and Daia Rai to Jullundur. This may be a poetical way of saying that Shahbaz Khan's career in Bengal raised his family to Rajput status.
t In Multan, where the Kambohs are poor and unimportant, they often cultivate vegetables and those so occupied are not uncommonly called Arafns by the people.
X He had 9,000 men under his command when operating on the Brahmaputra : Blochmauu'* Ain-i-Akbari, I, 399-402.
444 Kamhoh etymologies.
character for honesty as they do for skill. There is a Persian proverb current in the United Provinces : " The Afghans, the Kambohs, and the Kashmiris ; all three are rogues [hadzdt]," and in Karndl Mr. Benton described thera as " notoriously deceitful and treacherous," On the other hand Sardar Gurdidl Sin^'li states, it is not known on what authority that " during the reign of terror io India, it was the Kambohs who were trusted by the rich bankers for carrying their cash in the disguise of faqirs." The Kambohs are said to be exceptionally numerous in Meerut. Their location under the hills lends some slight support to their tradition of origin from Kashmir.
The Kambohs are not very numerous in the State oi Bahawalpur, but they offer some points of interest. The Hindu Kambohs 150 years ago, occupied JhuUan, a village on the right bank of the Sutle] not far from Pdkpattan. Being oppressed they migrated and founded JhuUan, a village in Karddri Minchindbad. Jhullan was a Bodla faqir to whom they paid special reverence and after whom they named their villages, and his descendant Ihsau Ali is still greatly revered by the Hindus. The Kambohs say they oiiginally came from Amritsar and that thf^y and the Ardins have a common origin. The Arains, who are scattered all over the State, claim Rajput origin, and say their old head- qaarters was Uch, whence they migrated to the Ravi and the Ghaggar.
Some popular accounts of the origin of the name Kamboh follow : —
(1) Once a powerful Raja, of the Solar race, whose capital was at Ajudhia, marched Iheiice to Derat and having killed Parmar, its Rsija, toolc possession of his kingdom. He founded Warangar and his son founded another town, which he named Dejapur, and the cities of Lambni and Gajni. The latter was his capital, and lay near the city of Kambay, the peninsula south of Guzerat. At the Solono festival when he was performing religious rites he was attacked by an enemy who had conspired with his pnrohtt, his city was plundered and its people massacred. Of those who escaped some fled to SAmana along the Ghaggar, passmg by Jaipur and Sirhind on their way, thence spread over the country between the Jumna and the Sutlej, and after wandering through the country watered by the Sullej and Beas scattered over the Avhole Punjab. Others reached Multan via Sind and thence spread into Montgomery. They are called Kambohs because they came from Gajni, near Kambay. Others assert that the name is a corruption of ka?nbudh (men of little intellect) because they did not take up arms on the Solono day, but preferred to die.
(2) Raja ?odakhsh of Kamboj of the 8olar race and a descendant of the god Chander Burman sided with the Kauravas in their fight Avith the Pandavas. He perished with nearly all his men in the battlefield, and those who escaped settled in Ndbha and came to be called Kamboj i whence Kamboh.
(3) Kamboh is said to be compounded of Kai and anboh, and the tribe is said to be de- scended from the Kai dynasty of Persia, to which the emperors Kaikaus, Kaikhusro, Kaikubad, Kai-Lehrashab and Darius all belonged. When they migrated to the Punjab they came to be called Kai-ambohs or Kambohas.
(4) Hazrat AbduUa, son of Zuber, was sent with a large army to conquer Persia, where he settled nnd built many huts on the banks of the river. The Persians could not under- stand their tongue (Arabic), so they became kam-go or taciturn. Zuber's army comprised men of many beliefs. In time their settlements were destroyed and the ' Karagos ' fled.
The first story is the one naturally favoured by the Kambohs themselves and the fact re. mains that the Solono festival is not observed by them, because they regard it as inaus- picious. The author of the Alna Tdrikhndira and Our Tirath Sangra has given an account of the Kambohs and assigns their origin to the Kambojas, but against this it may be urged that the Kambohs —
(i) do not observe the Salono or tie the rakhri on it : (^ii) at the p/iem their parohits proclaim Garli Gajni or Ghaggar Has as their original
home : (Hi) that their gots correspond with those of the Brahmans and Chhatris : (iv) that they perform the parojan or bamihau ceremony : (v) that they worship weapons at the Dasehra and wear them at \veddings j and (vi) that they cut the jand tree and sacrifice a he-goat at a marriage.
Kamhoh groups, 445
The only point which nierita notice in these folk-etymologies is the allusion to Sodaksli (Sudakshina), king of Kdmbojn, a territory which lay unde^r the hills, which now form the northern border of tho Attock and Rawalpindi Districts, from the Indus to the Jhelura. That kini;-, according to the Mahdhharata, joined the Kauravas with an army containing Yavaims and Shakas. But Kdmboja al.'^o app^-ars to have been the name of a tribe. These facts are in accord with the tradition that the Kambohs came from Kashmir, but bejond that there is abso- lutely nothing but the resen\blance in the names to enable us to identify the Kambohs with the KdrL-boja?. How their gots can be said to correspond with those of the Brahmans or Chhatris is not clear. The Kambohs have very few Jai-ge sub -divisions. The cine largest are — Dahut, Jaura, Sande, Jammiin, Jhande, Thind, Jauean, Mabrok, Umn4l.
The Kamboha are by religion Hindu, especially in the east, Sikh, especially in the Sikh Districts, while some are Jain, and a great many are Muhammadans. The latter are in Lahore described as hardly dis- tinguishable from the Ardins, but the Sikh Kamboh is better than either, being equal to the Arilin in industry, but more enterprising and more provident. He matches the Arain as a market gardener and is not inferior to the Sidhu Jdt in general farming though he is smaller in physique and less intelligent than the J^^, The Sikh Kambohs in the Chendb Colony numbered over 10,000 in 1904.
The Hindu Kambohs wear no janeo and do not purify the chaukd. Their women wear the gown and formerly wore no nose-ring. Widow remarriage is allowed.
The Kambolis of Montgomery, who are almost without exception Hindus, affect the cult of Bhuman Shah, an Udasi faqir whose shrine is at the village of that name in Dipdlpur tahsil. He is said to have lived from 1687 to 1756 and was himself a Kamboh. He is looked upon as a patron saint.
Hindu, Sikh and Jain Kambohs avoid 3 gots in marriage, the Muham- madans only one. The Hindu Dhat Kambohs perform the first tonsure under a dhdh tree and the J ham got at a Babji's shrine iu Lahore. The Kambohs reverence Sultan and Bhairon.
The Muhammadan Kambohs have two groups : —
(i). Bdwan-gota,*^ i.e., 52 gots.
(ii). Chaurdisi-gota, i.e., 84 gots.
These groups do not intermarry or smoke with Hindu Kambohs, though they arc said to be of tho same origin (as the Hindus?). It is «aid that when Garh Gajni was destroyed a Chaur^si Kamboh took refuge with a bard named Kamdchi and so the ancestor of the Bd,wan- gote severed all connection with him.
The Karndl account is that the Kamboh first settled in Lalachi, now in Pati^la, whence they founded 32 villages. The Lalachi Kamboha claim to be Biiwan-gotas. A section of these Kambohs embraced IsUm only under Jahangir, and hence the mass of the Bdwan-gotas became Muhammadans, while the bulk of the Chaurdsi-gotas remained Hindus.
* The Bawan-gota gots will be found in the Appendix.
446 Kamerd — Kanauri.
The two most important centres of the Bdwan-gotas are Sanaur and Sun^m in PatidUi. The ' 52 ' are in their own estimation superior to the ' S4i'gotasJ The latter are found in the Banur and Thuri (? Dhnri) ildqas of Patiala, in Maler Kotla_, Ndbha, the Nard,ingarh tahsil of Ambd,la and in ^ah^ranpur east of the Jumna; also in Amritsar, Multd,n, Montgomery and Lahore. A note from AmMla makes the * 52-groias' descendants of a cadet branch and the ' S4i-gotas' of an elder branch.
The Kambohs follow many occupations, as confectioners, retail dealers, etc., as well as cultivators. As agents to bankers they are much trusted. (2) an Arain clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery,
Kambra, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Kamil, a sept of Rd,jputs, found in Sialkot.
Kamin, fem. -ani.
Kamika, a weaver, see under JuUha.
Kamlana, a sept of the Sid Is.
Kamoke, a Muhammadan Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery
Kamon, a 3i,% clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kamyana, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kanag, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. (Doubtless Kang).
Kanauri, Kanawari,* an inhabitant of Kanaur, the valley which, lying on the Upper Sutlej, forma an appanage of the Bashahr State. Its inhabitants are almost entirely Kanets or Jdds, but differ as com- pletely from the Kanets of Bashahr proper as do the Ldhula Kanets Irom those of Kullu.
Besides the Kanets or Jads the only two castes in Kanaur are the Ch^mang.t who make shoes and weave, and the Domang,J who are blacksmiths and carpenters.
Water or cooked food which has been touched by the lower castes is not used by Kanets, nor are people of these castes allowed to enter a Kanet's house. If a Kauet eat such food inadvertently he applies to his Rd,jd who bids him make expiation (prdyaschitta) and pay some nazrdna or forfeit. This custom is called sajeran or sacheran.
The Kanets of Kanaur are said to be divided into three grades, each comprising a number of septs, whose names do not appear among the Kanets of Bashahr proper.
The Kanet septs of Kanaur, according to their geographical distrib uiion, 1st Geadb Kanexs. Pargana Bajgdon, Bairyan. Mcelas.
Skamtas. Wangmo. Thangar. Dames.
Sana. Shwal. Daprato. Bitaryan.
Sakban. Rok6ru. D6ran. Dalyan.
* Kanaura appears to be the more correct form. t The Ghamars of the plains, doubtless. % The Doma of the plains.
Kanet septs in Eanaur.
447
B<5res, Tib. Pores.
Ranshyin.
Dhanshyan.
Far«kp4.
Pulsar.
Aldana.
ChimgpcJ.
Bfst. Kdllar
Rdpalhi. Chetba.
Ynldn. Ty^ras.
Br^lbang.
Ch4m4po. Kithu.
Kharydn. Shyiinl
Anchhan, Tib. Angchan.
3rd W4ngcbh4ng.
Dudyfin.
Pargana Shuwd,
Khadiira.
Rarji.
Shyaltu.
Tholpi.
Loktas
Pangtu.
Shuryan.
Pargan4 hiner Tuhpd. R4thu, Nyokch6.
Pargana Outer Tuhpd,
Changkung. Panyan.
Pargana Pandarahis. Chogla
Pargan4 ThdrdMs, Jogt(J.
2nd Gbadb Kanbts.
Pargand Inner Tuhpd,
Mojrang.
Pinkar.
Raksbas.
Pargana Sh'&wd. I Turkyan
Pargana Rajgdon, I Masban. |
QR4DF. KaNBTS who WOBK AS F0TTEB3.
I Wizi. I M6war.
La8p4.
Shili.
(lyolang.
Thirmi.
PnAn, Tib. Puang.
Makala.
Mispon or Miehpon.
Bhangch.
Zintu.
Shyilt Sotbi. Ungya.
K bin pi, Tib. Khyimpa.
Titles $f officials, Cbares, tbe hereditary beadman of a village (in each village), Grokcb, tbe hereditary hdrddr of th9 village deity, who speaks on bis behalf. Matbas, tbe hereditary hdrddr of a deity. His duty is to petition the deity on behalf of the public.
Pujyares. whose hereditary duty it is to worship the deity : Nos. 2, 3, and 4 are found in every village where there is a deity.
5. Bathungru, an official like the dafdddr of the State.
In the Kanaur valley Buddhism is the dominant faith, but though the social customs of the people generally resemble those of the Hindus, the observances bear Tibetan names, and the ritual is conducted in that language.
Birth customs.
During pregnancy the foili)wing chant is sung : — ' 0 goddess Tflr^, I bow down to thee, be pleased to bestow on this woman thy choicest blessings.' And a charm written on a bit of paper or birch-tree bark is tied round the woman's neck.
On the birth of a son the goddess Dolm^ is adored, and the chant called Bhum chung, which runs : Om tdyathd gate gate pdrd gate swdhds {' May God bless the child ') is sung. The old women of the
448 Kanaur customs,
family perform the midwife's functions ; and for a fortnight the mother lives apart, being debarred from touching anything. At the end of that period she and all she possesses are sprinkled with cow's ui'ine mixed with Ganges water, as among Hindus. The child's horoscope is cast by a Idraa, who also names the child when it is 15 days old, or on any ether auspicious day. It is generally brought out of the house for the first time at the full moon and, if possible, at an auspicious moment, when one or two months old. Charms for its long life are also made by the lamas. ^
A boy's head is shaved when one year old, the himas performing a horn,* pujci, or path sacrifice. As the Kanauris only rank as Shudras, they are not entitled to wear the sacred thread, so they wear instead a kanthif or necklace from the age of 8.
Marriage customs.
The marriage customs in Kanaur resemble those of the Tibetans. Brothers marry a joint wife, the lamas solemnizing the wedding by chant- ino" certain hymns and worshipping the gods or goddesses, goats also being sacrificed.
The nuptial rites in Kanaur are peculiar. In the first place the amount of the dheri is unusually high, varying from Rs. 100 to Rs. 1,000. t The custom as to dower is also different. Many people give the bride as many pewter vessels as there are in the bridegroom's family, but ornaments, he-goats, cows, etc., are also given. The wed- ding is thus solemnized : —
One of the brothers, most usually the one who is the bride's equal in age, o-oes with some of his relatives to her father's house on the day fixed by the Idvia (priest). There the party are well entertained, and the lama solemnizes the wedding by reciting some chants in Tibetan after the Tibetan manner. Next day they return to their own house with the bride richly dressed and adorned. On reaching home the bride is made welcome, especially by her mothnr-in-law. After a religious ceremony, the bride's ris:ht hand is held by all the bridegroom's brothers, and then all of them are deemed to have married her. A feast is then given to all who are present, and the lamas and musicians are fee'd. This marriage is a valid one. The child of an unmarried girl is called fuglang (bastard), and has no right to anything by way of in- heritance. Such children live by service and raar^ with some one of their own class, i.e., with a puglang or puglahch.
In case all the brothers have only one joint wife, there can be no question as to the right of inheritance. And just as the bride's
* Horn is a rite in which flames are fed with clarified butter mixed with barley and eesamum seed ; if possible almonds and dried grapes are also mixed in it. Pujn is an offering to the deity of a lamp fed with butter, water, flowers, sweetmeats, fruit, etc., while vdth consists in reading or reciting the Tibetan scripture called Chhas or Chhoss.
t The fcanf/iiis an ordinary necklacp made of <ulst, the holy basil (Oft/mum sacrum). These kanthis are generally made in tiardwar, Bindraban, Ajudhya and Benares.
1 The diieri prevents a woman's going to another man, as Only he who takes on him- self the responsibility for it is entitled to keep the woman. It is a sum paid to the bride'a guardian by those of the bridegroom, and must be refunded to the latter if the marriage turns out badly, e.g., if the wife leave her husband and go off with another man, ha has to refund the amount to them.
S The wife is often older than her husbands, or than some of them, and her age, especial- ly if coupled with a sharp tongue, gives her a decisive voice in the family councils.
Kanaur death-rites. 449
mother-in-law is mistress of the family, so on her death the wife succeeds as its mistress. Thus tho movable and iramovablo property of a family remains in its joinb possess on an! is never divided. But the custom of polyandry is now dying out by degrees.
Death customs.
As the trade and wealth of Kanaur increase and its people come more in contact with India, they are rapidly abandoning the old customs, such &s diibant {drowning) , phulcant (burning), bkaJchant (eating), etc. This last method of disposing of a dead body was formerly observed only by the inhabitants of Hangrang ghori who are called by the Kanaur is Ny^m, and by the Kochi or Pahdri people, Zar or Jtlr, Zad or JSd.
The lamas used to consult their scriptures and advise as to the disposal of the dead according fto the time, etc., of the death, but now tho Hindu shradhs, and so on, are obsprved. The only old custom which survives is the annual shrddh called phulaich* in which a lie-o-oat, reared in the dead man's name, is dressed in his clothes, t^acrificed and eaten by the members of his kindred.
At a death-bed, grain is distributed among all those present, and the lamas read from Buddhist writings. The body is burnt on the same day, or at latest on the next. Drumss, sandis, karndlsf and conches are played when the corpse is carried to the burning-ground. Some of the bones are picked up, and sent either to Mdnasarowar in Tibet, to Raw^Isar in Mandi State, or to the Ganges. J In the deceased's room a lamp is kept burning for seven days from the death, and incense is also burnt in it. The chholpa (Hind, kiria harm) is performed frotu the eighth to the tenth day ; all the deceased's clothes are given to the lamas, with other gifts. The pancliaka or group of five constellations§ is inauspicious for the family of one who dies under it, and to avert the evil, images of roasted flour are made and burnt with the corpse, to the accompaniment of Tibetan chants.
After 15 days the lama does a hompujd, -dnd path, reciting Tibetan chants of purification. This ends the period of mourning. After a year the 'phulaichW is observed, by giving food and clothes to a lama in the deceased's name ; and until this is observed the family must not wear any new clothes, etc. The shrddh, called dujang in Kanauri, is also solemnised by the Idma. The burning-grounds are haunted by Mashan, Rakshas, Shyiinjl and Khar-shyund, of whom the first two are conceived of as evil spirits or demons, and the two latter as Jack-o'-lanterns or ghostn.^
* Fulaich or Fhnlaich, from Hindi phiil, flowtr, is so called because Kanauris d»mnt wear now clothea till one year nfter a death in the family, but after performing the dujang they may wear flowers and new clothes.
■\ The sandi and karndl are both musical instruments used in the hills. The former is made of >vood and is about a foot long: with seven holes on which the fingers are niaoed while playing and its sound ia like that of an algnja ; the latter is made of bi-ass and is like a lonw horn with a round, broad tnintb ; in sound it resembl<»8 the conch.
^ Taking the bones to the Ganges is said to be quite a recent innovation — only dating back two or three years
§ The five >,akshatms are Dhanistha, Shatbhisha, Piirvabhadrapadi, Uttaribhadranadi and Rewati.
II Fhulaiob is also the name of .-i fair held in October eveiy year at Braling, near Ropa. See Ukhyang in the list of fairs.
4 Masli4n and Rakshasa are of course Sanskrit terms. The other two are Kanawari possibly corruptions of Tibetan words. It, is worth remarking that Mashan, Shyiina and Rakshas are also septs of Kanets, found ia Mellam, Asrang and Rirang villages respectively.
450 Religious days in Kanaur.
The following chant ia repeated by the lama more than a thousand times to exovciso an evil spirit from a man or woman : Om hdjrd hild kildyn dimo shakchd uchd thaydld fat. Any one bitten by a mad dog is healed by repeating the following chant more than a thousand times: Om khu'khu rdchd khd-thdm dewd chdng-ghi dwishok.
A chronological list of the Buddhist religious observances in Kanaur.
1. The Kd,ngso, a religious ceremony, in which the hom, pujd and path are performed by the lamds Hud zomos, observed in every temple throughout Kanaur on the Sth, 10th, 12th and 14th of the bright half, as well as on the full moon and amdwas of each month.
2. The Ziushok, celebrated in Kdnam village on the Sth of the bright half, as well as on the full moon cf each month, including the amdwas.
3. The Torgyd, performed at Kdnam, once on the 14th of the bright half and again on the full moon of Ph^gun.
4. The Tond, also celebrated at Kd,nam on the 11th of Chait for one day.
b. The Tib^ngmd, performed at Kdnam on the 20th of Paush.
6. The Kutimf, also celebrated at Kanam on the 15th of Phdgun,
7. The Namgang, also observed at K^nara for two days from the amdwas of every month. H6m, pujd and pdth aie performed by the Idmds and zomos.
8. The Shibrdt (Sanskr. Shivardtri, the birthday of Shib or Mahddeo), is a religious ceremony not only of the Hindus but also of the Buddhists. It takes plaoe on the 14th of the dark half of Phdgun, on which day the people adore Shib, whom they call Lofan, and distribute food among relatives and friends.
9. The Shonetang, (Sanskr. Shravandrchana, meaning ' worship of Sdwan'), is celebrated at Grdmang or Kathgdon m Bh&h6, pargand on the full moon of Sdwan. About a dozen young men, taking with them cooked food for three days, go out to gather wild flowers and plants from the loftiest snow peaks. They pass two nights there, collecting various kinds of wild flowers and plants, and on their return they are received with joyous music by the villagers. The garland which they bring from the forest is offered to the deity, and they then, together with women, dance and sing songs,
10. The Ld,md,-pazd, a Buddhist religious rife, is observed at L^brang, Shuwd pargand, on the am-dwafi of Chait. The Idmds and zomos devote themselves to the worship of the deity Chhakoling Dambar, whilo dancing and singing are performed by men and women with great rejoicing?.
11. The Jdgro (Sanskr. .Jdgarana, a vio;il), is also a religious ceremony, observed thr.)ughoat Kanaur on the 20fch o£ Bhd,d m. The night is spent in singing and dan -ing to music, and worship of the deity is performed in all the temples.
Fairs in Kanaur, 4ijl
A list of the fairs held in Kanaur, with a brief description of each.
1. Losar, or New Year's Day, is observed at K^nam for three days, from Paush shudi 13th till the full moon of Pau'^h. All the people assemble to ask the lamas about their gains and lesses during the coming year. It is the most characteristic fair rf Kanaur. Feasts are given to friends and relatives, but dancing by men and women to music is the chief function.
2. The Kangyur-zalmo (fr. kdngyur, library, and zdlmo, a visit), takes place on the 15th gate of Har (Ashdrh) at Kdiiam. People visit the Tibetan Library, called KaQgyur-td,ngyui-, in the large village of K^uam.
3. The Menthako fair also takes place at Kdnam on the 20th pa^/ of Bhddon (August) and lasts two days. The chief event at this fair is a pony-race, feasting, drinking, dancing to music and singing.
4. The Khwakcha fair takes place at Kanam and lasts for 5 days from the 20i\igateoi Magh, ending on the 25th. The nights are passed in dancing and singing to music before the temple of the deity called JDdbla.
5. The G3,ngd, fair takes place in Chdngmang forest above Lippa, in Shuwd, pargand, on the full moon of Katik. Men, woaien and children climb to the Ch^ngmang forest, and eating, drinking, dancing and singmg are features of the festival.
b. The Jokhyil-kushimig and Jokhyd,-chhugshimig at Kanam are important festivals, at which visits are paid to relatives ana friends, on the 13th and i4th gate of Miigh (January).
7. The Ukhyang (fr. u, a flower, and khydug, a sight of) is the mjst remarkable lair in Kanaur. The people go to the high rami-es to gather wild flowers and leaves, and offer a largu garland of them to the deity. Men and women in rich attire also dance and siug a souo- which is roughly translated thus : —
" The fair called Ukhyang is held first at Rupl village* in honour of the village deity named T6ras,t on the loth of Bhado.
In B4rang village^ it takes place on the 20th ijatc of Bhado, when the upper forests are full of wild flowers and plants.
For whose sake is this monkish garland § 0 Nsges,! of Barang, 'tis for your good sake.
The Ukhyang fair takes place when the forest is dry, in the dry forest there are no flowers.
What is to be done then ? Again we say what is to be done ?
Behold a garland of rdchil kdnamj ;^ to whom are we to offer it ?
It must be offered to Markaling **
Af^ain to whom should we offer a garland of lihixhyur]] ?
We must offer it to the deity of Yana or Mellam, by name Gandrapa?4:j:
Where is the remainder of the fair held ?
* Rupi is a village in Pandarabi's pargand.
t Teras, the deity of Rupi village.
j Barang, a village in Inner Tukpa fiargand,
§ Loshgar, the monkhood flower.
II Nages, the deity of Barang village.
•[[ RrtchM-k5,nang, a plant which has leaves like a calf's ears Avhcuoe its namo, ♦* Markaling, deity of Khwangi, a village in Shiiwa pargand. ■ft Shishyur, a plant found on the snowy peaks. XI Gandrapis, the deity of Yana or Meilamj a village in Rajgaon pargand,
452 Fairs in Kanaur.
The fair of Maheshras*, the Bhaba furgana^ deity, takes place when the autumn moon is full.
A handsome Raja, is Raja Shumsher Singh.
And Maheshras, the deity of Bhaba.
Like Shiiwa Chandika.:|: is beautiful.
In Tukpa pargand there are nine water channels.
But Bhiiwa ■pargand has only one."
8. The Sliogch fair is held at Chiiii and lasts for 5 days, from Mangar shitdi 10th to the full uiooii of that month. People from all the surrounding villages assemble to dance and sing and a great deal of merriment, results.
9. The Rathin fair is also held in Chini on the 1st of Faush and is celebrated by dancing and singing.
10. The Agtarang fair at Richpa or Rispa in Inner Tukpd lasts for one day. All the people of the surrounding villages aSvsemble, and dancing and singing before the temple of Kulyo deity are the features of the fair.
11. The Mdng fair is also observed at liichp^ and lasts for about a week from the 18th of Md,gh. The Zamos and zomos devote them- selves to the worship of Buddha, mer: and women dance and sing to music with great merriment till the end of the fair.
12. The Yungnas or Jungnas fair is al^^o held at Richpa in Paush, the esact day being: fixed by the zamindars to suit their own con- venience, and it lasts for five days. Worship of Buddha is observed with general rejoicings. Eating, drinking, dancing and singing are the principal features of the fair.
13. The Sherkan fair is held in Ktinam on the 3rd of Katik and lasts but one day.
14. The Dumgyur-z4lmo fair tnkes place at. Kwalda, in Shuwa 'par- gand on an auspicious day appointed by the zamindars in Hdr (Ashdrh). Dumgyur means a Buddhist praying wheel, nml zalmo, a visit. The jieople visit the huge praying wheel, and turn it round to the right as often as they are allowed.
15. The Kailds-zalmo, or ' the visit to the Kailds mountain,' is celebrated at Pilo or Spilo, in Shawa pargand, on any auspicious day in Had fixed at the will of the zamindars, and lasts one day. Worship of the Kailas mountain is performed with great rejoicings, dancing and singing being the main features of the fair.
16. The Khepa fair is observed throughout Kanaur, for three days, from Mangar hadi saptami to Mangar badi dasmi. The people bring thorns and put them on the doors of their houses in order that no evil spirit may enter and on the 3rd day they take all the thorns outside the village and bum them, as if they were burning an evil spirit. Dancing and singing with music are main features of the fair.
17. The Ra3-kd,yang {rds Sanskr. rdshi, a zodiacal sign and kd.yang, Sanskr. kdya, body), is the day ou which the sun reaches
* Maheshras (2nd), the deity cf Bhaba pargand,
t Bhaba is apargana in the Wang valley.
% Shuwang Chandika, the goddess of Eothi or Kostampi. a village in Shuwa pargatid.
c/ /i:.:,
*-6a»>. C4. /
<-
'^^.
Monasticism in KaiMur. 4u3
the zodiacal sign of Aries. ]n India known as the Meshi-sankrdnti or Vidbuva sankniuti, throughout the fSinihi Hills it is called Bishu. This fair is celebrated throughout Kanaur and the Simla Hills on the 1st of Baisakh. The houses are well whitewashed and decorated, and danciag and singiug with great, rejoicings are its main features.
18. The L^brang-zalmo fair takes place at K^nani on the 17th of Jeth. At this fair people visit the temple of Diibld, and dance and sing there with great rejoicings.
19. The Chhokteu-zalmo fair is held at Labrang, in Shuwa jiargand, on the 15th of Hdr. People visit the temple called Chhokten at Ldbrang. Singing and dancing to music are its main features.
20. The Suskar fair is observed in Kothi or Kostampi as well as elsewhere, about a week from the 9th of Pbagun. Two parties, one of young men and the other of young women, tight with snow-balls until they are tii-ed. Singing and dancing to music before the goddess Shuwdng Ohandika are the main features of the fair.
21. The Jagang fair ali-o takes place in Kothi on the 3rd of M^gh, and lasts for a day. Dancing and singing songs to music, and worship of the deity are pertormed with great rejoicings. Jagang, from Sanskr., yajna, means sacrifice.
22. The Bishu fair is the same as the Ras-kayang, which takes place on the 1st of Baisakh. In Upper Kanaur the people call it Rcls-kdyang, and in Lower Kanaur, Bishu.
23. The Bang-kdyang fair is held at Gramang or Kathgaon, in Bhabci iiargand, on the full moon of Paush. All the Bhaba people assemble in the temple of Maheshras and worship him. Dancing and singing are the main features of the fair.
Mnnasticism.
Kanet girls, who do not marry, but devote their lime to the study of the Tibetan scriptures are called zomos or jamos. They live in nunneries. The two principal nunneries are at Kanam and Sunnam, and in these a great number of zomos live. Besides this, every village has a few zovios.
Kanet boys, who learn the Tibetan scriptures, and are well versed in the Buddhist doctrines, are called lamas. They live in monasteries and are looked upon as very holy. In fact they are the priests of all of the Kariets. There are several monasteries of these lamas in Kdnam, Sunnam, and other villages. LJmas are either Gyojang or celibate, like the Brahmach;iri, or Dugpu, who marry but never shave the head.
The loma is consulted with regard to every important undertaking. Thus he is asked to name an auspicious day for beginning to plough or sow, and at the time ascertained he recites chants like the one beginning: Om akdni nikdiii ambitd mandate mantdle swdhd,' Ma,y the gods bestow on us abundance ot grain.* When a new roof is put on a temple, which is called shdnt* the lamas perform a ceremony,
* From Sanaki". shdnti, peace.
4^4 Kanazai — Kanchan.
reciting charms and performing /lom, with the sacrifice of sheep and goats. This is called parestong (iSanskr. fratisthd, consecration). When a new house is ready the Idmd fixes the time auspicious for its occupation, and the owner, dressed in new clothes, is then taken into it wilh his wife, who rings a bell. This is called gordsang.'*^ New grain is first offered to the village-god and may then be eaten.
Cults in Kanaur.
An alphabetical list of the deotas in Kanaur, together with the name oj the village in which
each is located.
1. Badn'nath, at Kamrii or Mone village.
2. Bhimakali, at Kamru or Mooe village. (Also at Sarahan.)
3. Chhakoling Dambar, at Labrang village iu pargand Shuvfa.
4. Chandika, at Ropa village in Shuwa paryand, Gangyul ghon. Also at Yawring
village, Shuwa pargana.
5. Chhwedung, at Chango village in Shuwa pargand.
6. Dabla, "at Kaaam, Dabliug, Dubling, Lio, iSpuwa or Poo, Shyasho, in Upper Kanaur.
7. Deodum, at Nako, in Shuvra pargand.
8. Gyangmagyum. at Jacgf, in Stiuwa pargand.
9. Kasurajas, at Rfrang or Ribba, in Inner Tukpa pargand. 10. Khormo, at Pilo or Spilo, in Shuwa pargand.
U, Kulyo, at Richpa or Rispa, in Inner Tukpa pargand.
12. Waheshras, atShungra or Grosnam in Tharabis pargand, at Graraangor Katbgaon
in Bhaba pargand, and at Ch-ngaon or Tholang in Rajgaon pargand.
13. Markaliug, at Khwangi in Shuwa pargand.
14. Mathi, at Chhitkul, in Outer Tukpa pargand. lo. Milakyum, at Akpa, village in Shuwa pargand.
16. N4ges, at Barang, Bruang.t Chasang, Chhota Kamba, Kiiba, Mewar, Miria, Sangla,
Sapni or Rapang villaijes.
17. Nagin, at Bari village in Tharabis pargand.
18. Narayan, at Barsering village in Outer Tukpa pargand.
19. Narenas, at Asrang, Chini, Shohang, Uriii, and Yula villages ; and also at
Chugaon, Gramang and Shungra,, with the three Maheshras.
20. Ormig, at Morang or Ginam village in Inur^r Tukpa pargand.
21. Pathoro, at Rarang and Punnam villages, Shiiwa and Rajgaon pargands.
22. Rogshu, at Kogi village in Shuwa pargand.
23. Shankras, at Pwari or For village in Inner Tukj a pargand.
24. Shanshras, at Rakchham village in Outer Tukpa pargand.
25. Sheshering, at Pangi village in Shuwa pargand,
26. Rapukch, at Th^ngi village in Inner Tukpa pargand.
27. Shiiwaog Chandika, at Kostampi or KothI village in Shiiwa pargand.
28. Tarasang, at Tranda village in Tharabis pargand.
29. T6fas at Rupi village in Pandrabis pargand.
30. Tungma Dambar, at Gyabung village in 8huwa pargand.
31. Ukha, at Nachar and Bara Kamba villages, Tharabis and Pandrabis parganus.
32. Yulsha, at Sunnam village in Shuwa pargand.
Kanazai, a nadddf or cotton-carder in Peshdwar.
Kanazai, one of the three main sections of the Utmdnzai Pathdns in Hazdra.
Kanchan, fern, -i, this like the Kanjar is hardly a caste, Kanchan simply meaning a pimp| or prostitute, and being the Hindustdni equivalent for
* From Sanskr. grihapravtishtha, entering in a house : it is called ghardmi in the Simla Hills.
t Nages deotd in Sangla is thus addressed by the pujydres in worship :—
O thou, who livest within the wall, who livest in holes, who canst go into a vessel, who canst swiftly run, who livest in the water, on the precipice, upon the tree^, in the waste- land, among the meadows, who hast power like the thunderbolt, who livest within the hollow trees, among the rocks, within the caves, be victorious.
J In this sense it has a plethora of synonyms.
Kdnchi — Kandarlce. 455
the Panjdbi Kan jar. The word Tcanchan is said to mean 'gold' or 'pure and illustrious.' The Hindu prostitute is coninionly known as R^mjani, Harkain being also used.* Randi is also used for a prostitute in the east of the Province, hut it only means a * widow ' throughout the Punjab proper. Only two-fitths of the Kanchans are males. They form a distinct class, though not only their offspring, but also girls bought in infancy or joining the community in later life and devoting them- selves to prostitution, are known as Kanchans. lu the south-east of the Punjab, however, the Kanchans appear to form a fairly distinct caste. Those of them who have followed their profession for generations are styled deraddrs and look down upon the later reci'uits. 'J'hej have a more or less definite custom of inheritance,t and the birth of a girl is the occasion for greater rejoicings than that of a boy, as a girl is a source of wealth. The unmarried girls arc^ generally prostituted, but wives and sons' wives are kept in even more rigid seclusion than high caste women. Wives have to be purchased from poor people of any tribe at consider- able cost, as Kanchans do not give their daughters in marriage and can- not obtain brides in their own caste. When a girl attains pubei-ty and co-habits with a man for the first time a feast, called sliadi missi, is given to all the brotherhood, and menials get their doles. Prior to this ceremony the girl may wear a nose-ring, but not after it. Seven months after a pregnancy too the brotherhood is feasted and menials paid their dues. The mirdsi of the Kanchans is called dddd and gets a rupee a year. A woman of another caste is admitted into the sisterhood by drinking a cup of sweetened water and she is then entitled to be treated, even in matters of inheritance, like a natural daughter. The Kanchan, Rdmjani and Harkain are said to rank above the Barikka,J Malzdda, MusALLi and Nat — all of whom appear to be or rank as prostitute castes. The Kanchans of Ludhiana found in Ndbha say they were Chushattli Mughals descended from one Mirza Jeb. His grandFather Mirza Alara was put to dpath for some reason at Delhi and fled to R^mpur. He is said to be still spoken of as ' Rdmpur Juni ' and in order to conceal his identity he joined the Kanchans. See also Perna.
Kanchi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n.
Kanda, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
K AND AN, an agricultural clan found in Sh^hpur.
Kandaeke, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
* The story told is that Ahad's son, the king Shidad, built a magnificent palace, which he named Paradise In it he placed virgins instead of the houris of Paradise, who are lawful to tha dwellers therein. This recalls the practice of the Assassins as told in the Bistnry of that sect by von Hammer, p. 187 of the English translation : —
" A youth who was deemed worthy, by his strength and resolution, to be initiated into the Assassin service, was invited to the table and conversation of the grandmaster or grand- prior : he was then intoxicated with henbane {hashhh) and carried into the garden, which, on awakening, he believed to bo the Paradise : everything around him the houris in particular, contributed to confirm his delusion."
The Rtimjani of course claims descent from R'un Chandra.
t Kanchans and Kanjars generally follow Muhimmidan Law in cases of inheritance P(t«,;ab Record, 95 of 1884, 52 of ]8!M, i;-' of ls;t2 and 98 of 1885. In Nibha, however,' it is stated that sons and daughters succeed equally, contrary to Muhararaadan La^.
:f A low class of Muharamadaas : Punjabi Dicty., p. 100,
456 Kandera — Kanet.
Kandera, the same as tbe dhunia or penja, or rather ' a Hindu dhunia' : but see Kanera.
Kandhar, one of tbe phratries of the Rajputs in Karndl and like the Mandhar, Panihar, Sankarwdl and Bargujar descended from Lao. Intermarriao-e between these tribes is forbidden on the ground of their common desceot.
KandranaHj a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kandwa, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kanera, (1) a mat-weaver but now a weaver of any 'kind (Mult^ni) : (2) the Kaneras form a small Muhammad an caste, found only on the lower courses of the Sublej and Chenab, and on the Indus. They must be distinguished from the Kandera or Penja of Delhi. They are a river tribe, and their original occupation was plaiting mats from gi'ass and leaves, making string, and generally working in grass and reeds ; but they have now taken to weaving generally, and even cultivate land. In Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu, however, they still work in kdthud and hander, of which they make mats and patalis for the roofs of houses, as well as ropes. They are a low caste, slightly but only slightly superior in standing and habits to the other grass-workers and tribes of the river banks. " A Kaneri by caste, and her name is GhuMm Fabinia, and she is an associate of the gentlemen of the desert (wild-pigs) ! " (2) a JAt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kaneran, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kanet. — The Kanets are the yeoman peasantry of the eastern Himalayas in tbe Punjab, and of the hills at their base. On the west they extend as far as Bangahal and the eastern portion of the K^ngra Valley, occupying the whole of Kullu,* Mandi, Suket, the Simla Hill States and Sirmur. A few are also found east of the Sntlej in the Jhandbari ildqa of Hoshid-r- pur and the Kotaha Valley of Ambdla is also held by them. In Kdngra Proper their place is filled by the Ghirths. TIih Rd,jputs are, gc^nerally speaking, their over-lords, but in many places, especially in the Simla Hills, they have retained their original independence and are directly subordinate to the Rd,jput Rd,jd,s.
The common derivation of Kanet or Kanait is from kunit ' indiffer- ence' or 'hostility' to the Shd,shtras, and the Rd,jputs or Ohhatris who did not observe them strictly are said to have been called 'Kanait.' Their Kxity was mainly with regard to wedding and funeral rites and in keeping widows as wives. Others pay that the word is really kania het or 'love for daughters' because Kanets did not kill their girl-child- ren. The true Rajputs used to kill theirs at birth. Another suggestion is that ait signifies sons, just as aik signifies brothers and kinsmen, e. g. R^mait means Rdmu's sons and Ramaik his brothers and kin. Now Rdja Kans of the Purdns is called K^n in Pah^ri and his sons would be called Kanait, but since Kans persecuted Brahmans and was
The Lahul'is, or peasantry in Lihul, m-^ h'qinnln? to call themselves Kanets as they become Hinduized. See under Lahala. The Kaaets of Lahul are said to be called Jad by the Kanets of KuUu, but that term appears to be uukuowa bath ia Lihul and in Sp iti.
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Kanet groups. 457
looked ui^oti as a dait (a devil or rdkshasa), he was killed and left no descendants. Others say that Krishna, also called Kan in Pal.dri mvaded Bashah.- and advanced to Sliurinatpur (now SaraJian i • so his descendants are Kanaifc. But neither suggestion appears tenable!
Speakintj generally, the furtlier wo penetrate into the Hills the lesa pure is the Kanet an;i the lower he stands in Hindu estimation. In the SiwcUik hills, in Sirmur, below the Chaur Peak, in lower Suket, Mandi, N^hlgarh, BiUspur, etc., the pure Kanets at lease rank higher than those in the upper hills of KuUu, Saraj and the other Simla States. The latter in turn look down upon the Kanets whose country stretches from the Negri khad to Kanaur, and they in turn despise the Jdds of Kaimur itself.
In Kullu Proper, i.e., in the Kullu Valley, the Kanets have three '^roups or grades : Kliash, Kdhu and Niru*, the latter appai-ontly confined to the Dugi-Lag ivaziri in Kullu. Sir James Lyall, however, only noted two divisions the ' Kassiya ' and ' Kiio.' The latter say that a Raj^i of Kullu ordered the Kanets to reform their loose practices, and conform altogether to Hinduism ; tl.ose who obeyed were calleii Kassiyas and those who stuck to their old ways, Kilos, it is a fact tliat at the jn-esent day the former are more Hindu in all their observances than the latter and the story is otherwise probable, as one can see that the foreign priests round the Hdjds were always striving to make the Kullu people more orthodox Hindus, greater respecters of Brahmans and less devoted to tlie worship of their local divinities. The Kassiyas wear the ya?ieo_, and pretend to some superiority which, however, is not admittect by the R^ios. They intermarry and eat and drink together out of the same cookino--pots but not out of the same dish or plate. The late Mr. A. Anderson noted that the Kassiya were iroie common in Kullu proper and the Rdo in Sarai. The Kanets of thrf remote JMaldna Valley will be found described under Ra Deo. According to Cunningham Hdos are also in possession of the lower Piibar, Rupin and Tons valleys in the Simla Hills, but those may be the Rdhus of those Hills. They give their name to the petty fief of Rawdhin or R a wain.
In the Simla Hills the groups are Kanet, Khash, Rdhu and Knran (?or Kuthcira), the Khash ranking below the Kanet, who take their daughters in marriage ; while both rank above the Rdhu, who nre votaries of R^hu and the Kuran, devotees of Ketu. These two latter groups keep an
* In Simla the Niru, Noro, Niuru, Nonu, Neona and (or) Notii septus) «r6 said to bp old Kanets and descended from the Kijputa— of a tribn nor, spfcified — who were 7?ia'i(;is or inovannas, Brnhmana and Miaiis or sonn of Hajas who took Kanet wives. They often intermarry with the Kha^h or Khosh. The Nini and Khosh do nor. intermarry with the Riihia and Knran, though the two former eat food cocked by each other, and iiUo with the Kahu and Kuran except at times of sutuk and putak. In Kullu and l^ashalir the Hahii nnd Kuran cook food on an angethn or stove, while the Niru and Khosli nsc chulafi but this is a custom rather than a caste distinction. The Kahn and Kurnn diareurMrd tho'ru e of jillh i. e., they can drink from the sume cup. With them demise mourning ends after three days and on the 5th thoy kill a yoat. Those Kanaita can cohabit with a Koli-., if they keep her in a separate house, and any son by her will be a servant in the family but cannot claim inherittmce. But a Di,oi woman cannot be kept, as the Da^'i i.s inferior in caste to the Koli. These Kanaits eat the flesh of. the ewe, hheri. They^ can marry tho maternal uncle's or father's bister's dau>jlitor. 'I'hey are found in Kullu and Bashahr but there are very few to the south of the No^Ti. The Dahu and Kuran hardly differ at all Thoy intermatry and oat together during sutak and pdtak. R4hu is said to be derived from' Bahu the stm-devouring dragon, or, in Kullu Proper, from mahit-, a bee.
45ft Kanet factions.
eclipse as a fete-day, feasting just as it takes place. On the Shivrdtri too they make an ox of flour and worship it : arid then the head of the family shoots it in the belly with an arrow or cuts it with a sword, and the pieces are distributed to all present, in spite of attempts to rescue the image.*
In Rirmur the Kanets are found throughout the State, but trans-Giri only the Khash. The latter have an offshoot called Sharai from shara, the Muhammadan Law, because their ancestor when hardpressed acknowledg^ed himself the Koli of his Muhammarlan oppressors. The Khash will give no daughters to the Sharai. Most of the Kanets in Sirmur are returned as Punwar.
The relative position of the different groups can hardly be stated with precision. Thus in Kullu Proper the Khash rank higher than the I\ahu, despite the saying :
Khnshia, Khash Ms,
Man eJc, hah his.
" To every Khashia,t twenty Khash,
One mother, twenty fathers."
In Sar^j the Kanets are polyandi'ous, yet they profess to look down on the Kanets of Kullu Proper : and in the Simla Hills the Khash are in- ferior to the true Kanets.
In the Kanaur tract of Bashahr, the Kanets are called Jads or Zads and form a distinct sub-caste with which the Kanets of the lower ranges do not, as a rule, intermarry or eat, though they will smoke and drink with them. They are not at ali particular about their food or drink, and will actually eat yak-heet These Kanets will be found fully described under Kanauri.
Throughout Sirmur and the Simla Hills there were until quite recent times two great factions, the Shd^tis or followers of the Pandavas, and the Bfchis who were adherents of the Kauravas.| Social intercourse of any kind between these two groups was absolutely forbidden, but they now intermarry, and so on. In Sirmur the adherents of the Kauravas are also called Sathnrs, those of the Pandavas Pasars. The origin of thefe terms is lost in obscurity.
The Kanets are, or claim to be, of impure Kd.jput descent, but the race is of diverse origin. In Kullu they are often classed by other Hindus as on a par with the Rathis§ of Kd,ngra, and just as the latter
* In the Simla hills, four classes among the Kanets were said to rank higher than the rest and are known as the Char Khundh. Their names are Bhaunthi, Parhiar, Chhippar, Balhi'r. Other sub-divisions in those hills are :—Kohal, Gahru, Baruri, Chakar, Katlehru, Suraji, Khash, Badni, Charola, Badalwal, Jalanu, Rohal, Katalik, Pirwal, Janwal, Dolal, Rohana, Kulharn^n, NoTia, Lac^dogarh. But a large number of i-?ieZs are now given as superior to the rest of the Kimets.
t Said to mean "female" (PKhaa). The word Khasha in Sanskrit ia aaid to have meant the country inhabited by the fourth class of the Hindus (? Sudras). Ic extended from Kumann to the Simla Hills.
t The Bashis kept the Shivratri on the 14th, the Shatis on the 15th of Pbagan.
S The Kanets rank well above the Ghirths in the hypergamy scale, for whereas a Ghirthni becomes a queen in the 7th generation a Kanetni may aspire to that honour in the 5tb which places the Kanets just below the Kathis.
Kanet septs. 459
claim to be Rd,jputs, who have lost status by taking to the plough, or the offspring of Rd^jputs by women of Sudra rank, so the Kanots say that they are the children of women of the hills by Riijputs who came up from the plains. On the other hand, another story makes the mass of the Kullu population homogeneous and assigns both the Kanets and the Dagis to one stock. Two sons of the demi-gnd, Bhim Sain, Pandava, each had a son hy a daughter of a Kullu rdkshasa or demon. One of these married a Bhotantior Tibetan woman, who fed him on ydk's flesh, 80 that he and his children by her became Dagis. The other son was the ancestor of the Kanets.
But if the mass uf the Kanets claims descent from various Rajput tribes, some, such as the Chibhar, from Kishtwdr and Lahore, and the Dogra, from Jammu, claim to be Brahmans by origin. Besides thci" nebulous stat.us groups the Kanets are divided into countless septs of which only a few can be noticed here. More than 1,10U Kanet khels* or septs are enumerated. The khel is quite distinct from the gotra which is often, if not always, retained. The origin of some of the khels is quite recent and well authenticated. Thus the Sain sept is descended from Rdnas of Kot Khdi, Khaneti, Kumharsain and Delhat : the Malid,ra sprang from a cadet branch of the ruling families of Bilaspur and Ndlagarh; and both, originally R^ijputs by birth, have sunk to Kanet status.
In Sirmur the Jaitki khel is so named from the village of Jaitak, but it is said to be descended from a Khatri of Sdmana who espoused a Kanetni.
From the Agnikula Riijputs have sprung the Agnibansi and Punwdr septs; and from the Punwd,r the Bhaunthi, Badhdr, Baler, Khanogu and Ramal septs.
The Tanwar or Tantar Kanets arc descended from Rajputs of that clan and are found, chiefly, in Bdghal, Mahlog and Kunhidr.
From the Chauhdns are descended the Rahdni, Namol», Biphrdla. Padhar, Padhan, Sadi, Ohauh^n, Ch^ndal and Chandel septs, all claiming Baldeo of Delhi as their progenitor. The Badhoi Kanets, who are very numerous in the Simla Hills, are also said to bo Chauhan ; they are divided into a number of sub-septs and can marry within their own sept. Other septs are : —
]. Bh^radwajet : this gotra name is still in use, but it includes the Batdl and Manlu (Kanet) septs and the Chanarii (Brahmans). Tradi- tion says that once a Brahman maiui of Sonwal, a village in Koti, had two sons who married Kanet brides. One settled at Mclnla village, the other at Bhdtld, and they founded the Mdnlu and Batdl «e])ts. Those of the family .vho remained Brahmans settled at Chan^ri, a village in Koti and are called Chhndrii. 2. Kalal : a sept which takes its name from Kelo, a village in Koti, and gives its na/ne to the Kalalthi pargana of that State. H. Chauhan, a sept which occupies the upper valley of the P^bar in Jubbal, and is numerous in Keon^hal, Sirmur,
♦The word hhcl is pronounced like kher, with the hartH, in the Simla Hills. It may, ho-wever, be identical with the Pashtu Tchcl. 4 The occurrence of this gotra name among the Gaddis and Ohirths also will be noted.
460 The Kullu Kanets.
Mandi and Suket, 4. Mangal, a sept which gives its name to the Mdngal, a tract lying west of the Pdbar basin. 5. Kilsib, another gotra name, more than half of whom are returned fiom Bashahr, where the Kanets are divided into numerous septs.
The Rancts of Kullu, Kanets of both sexes wear a dress which is picturesque, and not at all oriental. A red and black woollen cap, not unlike a Scotcli bonnet at first sight, a grey or brown loose woollen tunic girt in, with a rope or sash at the waist, a striped or chequered blanket worn like a Scotch plaid round the chest and over the shoulders, form the di-ess of the men. If well enough off, they add loose woollen trousers tight round the ankle. Some of the women wear a cap like that of the men, under which their hair hangs down in long plaits lengthened out with plaits of worsted, but most of them do without a cap, and wear their hair puffed out and twisted into a high sloping chignon, not unlike the fashion once prevail- ing among English women. Instead of a tunic they wear a plaid or blanket fastened around them with bodkins, and so skilfully put on that while the neck and arms are bare, all the rest of the body is modestly covered to below the knee : the leg is bare or covered with a woollen gaiter : broad metal anklets are not uncommon, and set off the leg very prettily ; the arms are generally overloaded with bracelets. Both sexes are generally shod with sandals made of plaited straw or hemp, but many go bare foot, and a few wear leather shoes. Both sexes, especially on festival days, are fond of wearing bunches of flowers stuck in their caps or in their hair, and strings of flowers hung round their necks. Some are hardly darker than Spaniards in complexion, with a ruddy color showing in their cheeks ; otliers are as dark as the ordinary Punjabi.^ They are not tall, but look strong and active, and generally have handsome figures. Many of the wor.ien have fine eyes, and a mild and gentle expression of face, but the men, on the whole^ have the advantage in regularity of feature. The finest men are to be found in Sardj. The women do most of the field work, with the exception of ploughing, but in return they have more liberty than m most parts of India. They attend all the fairs and festivals [jach) held periodically at every temple in the country. At the^e fairs both sexes join in the fdno-ino- and dancing, but the women in Kullu dance separately, and at nio'lit only. In Bashahr the Kanets ot both sexes dance together. In the L'Ag and Parol icazirls it is not uncommon to see many of both sexes returning from the fairs decidedly tipsy, the result of deep potations of iiiir or lugri, a kind of weak acid beer, generally brewed at home, from rioe. In Riapi and Saiaj drinking is considered a reproach, and almost universally escliewed.t In the winter, when confined to their houses by
* With the exception of a few families, descendants of the Rajas' priests or parohit)>, the Kullu Brahmans differ very little in appearance, dress or customs from the Kanets. The same may be s^id of nearly all of tbe few Rajputs. The blood is in fact genernlly very mixed, for both Brahmans and Hajputs commonly marry Kanet girls: such wives are known as arit in distinction from tho Idri, or wife of tbe same CHSte taken b_v the regular hidh ceremony: Lyall's Kangra Se'f. i''ep.,§ 114-. The text, is from § 112.
tin Rupi a mildly intoxicating, but very refreshing, infusion of hemp-leaves (bhany), violets and sugar is occasionally indulged in at fairs. In the other ivaziris of Kullu Proper, towards Uie sources of the Beas, there is much drunkenness. The hill-beer is of two kinds, Uogrl and chakti and sur. The former is made from rice, fermented with jyhap, a kind of veast which is imported from Ladakh or Baltislan, and the composition of which is a trade
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The Kullu Kanets. 461
the snow, the men ypend most of tlieir time in weaving blankets and cloth for sale oi' home consumption : the women do not weave in Kullu.
Social usages.
'The s cial usages of the Kauets are not peculiar to the caste, but are those which are followed by the other castes in the localities con- cerned, the upper classes of the Kanets observing the same usagf^s as the Brahmans or Rdjputs, while the lower are content to follow much the fame customs as the artisan castes below them. A full account therefore of all the Kanet social usages and religious beliefs wonld be tantamount to a description of all the Hindu usages in vogue in the hills of Kullu. Mandi, Suket and Simla, together with an account of all the Hindu beliefs in those hills. Suuh an account is attempted in the Introductory Volume; and the notes which follow give only the barest outlines of the social observances in Kullu. Those of the Kanets of Ldhul, Kanaur and Bashahr and separately described under Lahula and Kanadki, and below on p. 000 will be found an account of the people of Bashahr.
On the birth of a male child in Kullu there is a feast, and a present is made to the headman [negi] of the Kothi. The child is christened some time within the year following, and is then produced in public, and there is another fea^t. It is a common custom in Outer Sar^] to give two brothers names that rhyme. According to one informant, who ranks all Kanets as Sudras, the Khash observe the same rites at birth as the twice-born castes, while the Raos, like the low castes, simply offer a bunch of green grass to the child's father and he places it on his head, but gives no alms.
' Three kinds of marriage ceremonies are in use in Knllu, viz. (1) Bedi hiahjthe ordinary Hindu form ; (2) rttti nmnai, four or five men go from the bridegroom to the bride's house, dress her up, put a cap on her head, and then bring her home to thn bridegioom ; (3) Ganesh puja, tlie form used by Brahmans, Khatris, Suniasas, etc., in marrying a Kanet girl. The bridegroom sends his priest and others to the bride's house wliere worship of Ganesh is performed, and the bride then brought home. Suniaras send a knife to represent them. The children of a Brahman and Rajput by a Kanet wife are called Brahmans and Rdjputs ; the term Kathi is of ten added as a qualification by any one pretending himself to unmixed blood. In the absence of other children they are their father's full heirs, but in the preseiice of other children by a Idri wife tliey would ordinarily only get an allotment by way of maintenance, put by seme at one-fifth, but the limit seems rather vague m pi'actice. The rule of inheritance in
secret of the brewers, who are nearly all Ladakhis or LihuUs, and thus able to keep the roadside public-houses and the drinking- tents at fairs in their own hands. Four measures of rice are mixed with 4 equal measures of fihap, and to the mixture is added the same bulk of water, the whole suflicing to fill a large earthenware vessel in which it is allowed to remain for i dnys : the liquor is then strained off, and will keep good for 8 days ; it is aoid and sickening, and an acquired taste is necessary for its appreciation. Sur is the " table beer " of the country, brewed by the people in their homes, and is made in the same way as c/iflA/i'. but with fcorf)7J millet instead of rice, and a ferment called dhili. instead of phap. jD/i!7i is a mixture of .-71/ !< and various herbs kneaded into a cake without any ad- mixture of water, and kept warm below a layer of barley straw for 20 days or so, when it begins to smell, it is then dried, and is ready for use.
462 The Kullu Kanets.
KuUu among all tribes at the pi-esent day is pagvand, or^ as it is here called, mundevand, that is, all leojitimate sons of one father get an equal share without reference to the number of sons born of each wife or mother. Among the Kanets and the lower castes the real custom hitherto has been that every son by a woman kept and treated as a wife was legitimate. It was not necessary that any ceremony should have been performed. If no one else claimed the woman, and she lived with the man as a wife, the son born from such cohabitation was legitimate. In the same way among the same classes a pichlag, or posthumous son (called ronda in Knllu), born to a widow in the house of a second husband, is considered the sou of the second husband ; and a widow cannot be deprived of her life tenure of her husband's estate for want of chastity so long as she does not go away to live in another man's house. It appears to be a general idea in Kullu that a father could, by formal deed of gift executed in his lifetime, give his estate to a daughter, in default of sons, without consent ol: next of kin. It is, I think, doubtful also whether a distant kinsman (say, more than tl-.ree or four generations apart) could claim against a daughter without gift, and, it seems, generally allowed that a gharjatcdi or son-in-law taken into the house becomes after a time entitled to succeed as a kind of adopted son without proof of gift' : (Lyall, § Ho).
• Polyandry now prevails only in Saraj, and there the custom seems to be tending to fall into disuse. It is in reality a mere custom of com- munity of wives among brothers who have a community of other goods. In one house you may find three brothers with one wife, in the next three brothers with four wives, all alike in common ; in the next house there may be an only son with three wives to himself. It is a matter of means and of land ; a large farm requires several women to look after it. Where there is only one wife to several brothers, it will generally be found that some of the brothers are absent for part of the year working as laborers. In former years I have seen perplexing claims arise from this custom. The sons or grandsons of a family which has lived in polyandry agree to divide the ancestral estate, and quarrel as to the shares, some saying that each son should get an equal share, others that the sons of each mother (where the fathers had several wives in common) should get an equal share, others that the sons of each putative father should get an equal share. Of late years such disputes have seldom arisen, as it has become a pretty generally recognised principle that, as far as our courts are concerned, the woman in these cases is the wife only of the eldest son or head of the family, and all sons she may bear must be presumed to be his. This principle agrees in results with, what I believe to have been in former times, the general rule of inheritance, as between the children of brothers all living in community of wives (but it must be confessed that no one custom seems to have been rigidly followed in all cases) ; on the other hand, as between the children of brothers all of whom did not live in community of wives, the old custom of the country was, I believe, as follows : — If of three brothers, one separated off his share of the estate and set up for himself, and the other two lived on in common and a son was born in their house ; then such son was considered to be the child of two fathers and heir to the estate of both : the separated brother or his children could claim no share of such estate on the death of either of the united brothers. This appears
The Kullu Kanets. 453
to me to have been tlie custom in past times, but it is opposed to the principle, above mentioned as at present in force, of only recognisiiio- the mother to be the wife of one of the brothers, and I am not aware tlmt it has been ever affirmed by our courts.'* Lyall, § 117.
A corpse is burnt ordinarily on the day following the death, before the cremation it is covered witli a clotli, and the musicians play. If the deceased is of goo^ family his ashes are at once taken to Hardwdr whateverthe season of the year: otherwise they are kept till the winter, when a party is made up to convey to the Gang* s the ashes of all who have died in the neighbourhond during the summer. The for- mal funeral ceremonies (the gati) are performed on the tenth day after death, when the deceased's clothes are divided among the officiating Brahmans and the Kumh^rs who provide the earthen pots for the funeral. On the 13th day (pacJii) a goat is sacrificed and is eaten at a feast by the relatives of the family. Kanets of the lower class (the Raos) perform all these ceremonies on one day, the third after the death. In some places it is usual after a cremation to make a small foot-bridge over running water somewhere in the neighbourhood to help the passing of the soul of the deceased. On the fourth anniver- sary of the death the chauharkha feast is celebrated, and until then the widow, if faithful to the memory of the duad, should remain in mourning and refrain from wearing her orDameots, she is forbidden for ever to wear again her gold nose-ring and huldk.
*The Kullu people are good humoured among themselves but rough and inhospitable to strangers, very shy and distrustful of any new officer but almost fond of one they know well, very submissive to constituted authority if exercised with any tact, not given to theft, and not much to falsehood ; but this is partly the result of a simplicity or want of cunning which does not see how a fact perfectly well known to the questioned person can be concealed from the questioners. On the otlier hand, they are not so industrious, so frugal, or so enterprising" as the Kdno-ra people and they are still more superstitious. That they have imagination is proved by many of their legends and fairy tales which contain as much of that quality as any in the world. Their sense of the picturesque is proved by the situation they chose for their temples, by the wild stories they attach to each cave, lake, frowning cliff, rugged rock, or waterfall to explain the impression which its form produces on their minds. They are very fond of music ; the tunes, which are quick and lively, remind one of Irish jigs or Scotch reels. The women sing a great deal and rhyming songs are made at each marriage or funeral, or in commemo- ration of any remarkable event. As a general rule, one line in each couplet is not original and has no reference to the subject in hand. It belongs, in fact, to a collection of old lines, which is used as a common stock by all the poets of the country, like a Gradits ad Paruassum This is a splendid invention for reducing the difficulty of rhvmino- which keeps so many poets mute in other countries. Their heads are full of strange fancies about things spiritual ; for instance, they believe
* Amonn the Kanets of Kodh Sowar, t. e., m Bangahal the vands or separate holdin;-,s were indivisible, so that if the owner of a single land died it went to his kanna or youngest son, while if he held two, the other went to his next youngest, and so on. The elder sons went out into the world and took service with the R4j4 or elsewhere, earning a grant of land thereby, while the younger sons remained at home and succeeded.
464 The Bashahr people.
in the soui leaving the body during sleep, and account in this way for dreams : in these wanderings they say the sonl can hold converse with the spirits of deceased persons, and communications are often received in this way. Both men and women are very susceptible of the passion of love, and do wild things under its influence. 'I'hey will run off and live together in a cave in the mountains till forced down by the pangs of starvation. Men of the best families constantly incur imprisonment or loss of office for breaclies of marriage laws, or social outlawry for the SHke of some low caste woman. They are not manly or martial in manner, but I doubt if they can be called a cowardly race. 1 have seen them attack bears and leopards without firearms in a rather courageous way.'"^ Apart from the jollifications at the fairs, the people, eveo the children, have few amusements. A game called chagols or "sheep and panthers " is sometimes played with pebbles for pieces on a rough sort of chessboard chalked on a rock.
To describe the religious ideas of the Kanets would be tantamount to o-iving an account of modern Hinduism in the Himalayas. But to show the curious natures of their superstitions it is worth while tc- describe an expiatory ceremony, which is occasionally performed with the object of removing grah or bad luck or evil influence which is supposed to be brood- ing over a hamlet. The cZeoia of the place is, as usual, first consulted through the chela and declares himself also under the spell, and advises a jag or feast, which is given in the evening at the temple. Next mornirg a man goes round from house to house with a kilta or creel on his back, into which each family throws ail sorts of odds and ends, pairing of nails, pinches of salt, bits of old iron, handfuls of grain, etc. ; the whole community then turns out and circumambulates the villnge, at the same time stretching an unbroken thread round it fastened to pegs at the four corners. This done, the man with the creel carries it down to the river-bank, and empties the contents therein, and a sheep, fowl, and some small animals arc sacrificed on the spot. Half the sheep is tbe perquisite of the man who dares to carry the creel, and he is also entertained from house to house on the following night.
The people op Bashahr State. The Bashahris or people of Bashahr, the Simla Hill State which lies most remote from the Punjab proper, differ in their customs so materi- ally from the peoples of the other Simla Hill States that it is necessary to describe them separately. While the mass of the population is Kanet, Rajputs or Th^kurs, Brahmans and the low castes of the Simla Hills are also well represented in Bashahr, but the customs of tlie people as a whole are those of the Kanets, the dividing line between the different castes being very indistinct. Tne following account of the people of Bashahr is from the pen of Pandit Tika Ram -Joshi. It excludes the customs of Kanaur, for which reference must be made to Kanauei. The Kanets of Bashahr appear to be divided into two hypergamous sub-castes (groups) : — (i) Khash.
(n) Kar^n, or Rahu, from whom the Khash take daughters but do not give them brides in return.
*Lyall's Kangra Sett. Rep,, § 1)8. The rest of the above account is from that work or the Kullu Gazetteers.
Customs in Bashahr. 465
There is also a third, a sectarian gi'oup, the Ganesha, so called be- cause they adore the deity Ganesb.
The Kanets were originally Thdkurs, but lost status by adopting widow remarriage.
The Brahmans of Bashahr are divided into three grades : — [i) Uttam, who do not plough.
{ii) Ach^raj, who receive the ashuhh dan or impure alms of the other Brahmans and Rajputs, They take daughters in marriage from the
(iii) Krishna, who plough.
Like the other two twice-born castes most of the Brahmans in Bashahr are sirtords and not of pure descent. Those that are of pure blood may be divided into two grades :—
(a) The State purohits, who intermarry, and eat kachhi with the
purohits of R^nwi, a village of Brahmans who are priests to the Raja, and Brahmans as well as with those of Dwarch and Singrd;.
(b) Bdz^r purohits.
All the twice-born castes will eat pdkki with one another, and even from the Khash and Kar^n Kanets ; but they never do so with the Krishna group of' the Brahmans.
Observances at :
1. Birth. — During pregnancy the huldeotd is worshipped, if neces- sary, and between the seventh and eighth months the Aahtam Riihu is also worshipped,* but these observances are confined to the twice-born castes and to the better class of the Khash Kanets. Brahmans predict the child's sex by counting a handful of almonds, odd numbers indicat- ing a boy, even a girl. The birth of a girl passes unnoticed, but that of a boy is the occasion for festivities and almsgiving. As a rule the midwife is a woman of low caste, but sometimes Kardn women are so employed. During the last five months of pregnancy the midwife massages the woman at the end of each month to keep the foetus in position.
The gontrdld is observed by Brahmans, Rajputs and Vaisyas after 11, 13 and 15 days, respectively. Some of the Khash also observe it. On the expiry of this period the family is deemed clean again, and other families of the tribe can eat with them. The mother is also puri- fied after the gontrdld. The impurity only lasts three days among the menial tribes.
The ceremony of feeding the child for the first time is called lugru, and is observed at an auspicious moment, with worship of Ganpati and the nine planets, and various festivities.
The child is named at the annodak,\ and as usual given two names. This is done when it is five or six months old as a rule. Natica is ob-
* Simply by making gilts to priests and other Brahmans.
t At which the child is fed for the first time on grain and water. (From Sanskr. anna grain, and udak, water).
Marriage in Bashahr.
served among the three higher castes, and since recent times by some of the Khash.
Women whose children die prematurely have recourse to various charms, but the favourite remedy is the worship of the Ashtam R^hu, especially in cases of ashtamrdh* or falling sickness, to which children are liable.
The first tonsure (locally called kanhdl)^ is done at the huldeotd's temple alone. It is observed by the twice-born castes on^ a day fixed by a purohit or 'pddha : and by other castes with the deotd's permission.
2. Marriage. — Ritual marriage is confined to the ruling family and to some Darbaris, Brahmans and B^nias of Rampur town. Amongst them a betrothal once made is irrevocable, except on account of leprosy, constant ill-health or apostasy on the bridegroom's part, or in the event of his committing a crime.
As soon as the date of the wedding is fixed, the preparations for it are begun on an auspicious day. The commencement of the wedding is called the sarhdramhh.X A kangnd is tied round the bridegroom's wrist and after that he must not go outside the house. Ganpati is then worshipped, and haind is rubbed on the bodies of both bride and bridegroom for three to five days, according to the means of the family. Worship of the Kidjd, i.e., the boy's family god, is then performed. When the marriage party sets out, the bridegroom is garlanded,§ but those of his family who are under ihe influence of gharastak (Sanskr. qrihastak, ' family ') must not see the garland or it will bring them bad luck. The cost of the garland as well as the expenses of the graha shdntiW are borne by the bridegroom's maternal uncle.
After the departure of the wedding party the women observe the parohd or parowdn,^ but this is not known in the villages. This cus- tom general throughout the Hills, is confined to the women because all the men have gone on the wedding procession. The women per- form the wedding rites at the bridegroom's house, one representing the priest, others the bride and bridegroom, and so on, with songs and dances.
When the bridegroom reaches the bride's house the parents meet
gj,g^ ail observance called milni — and the bridegroom must not see his
narents- or sister-in-law until the lagan pherd rite has been solemnised.
* If Ashtamrnh or asht mrdhu, that is, the planet Bahu (the eighth grdh) is at the eighth Dlace from the lagnd in which the boy was born, brings sickness to him ; and to avert this Ra.hu must be worshipped. Since the eighth place from the javmu-lagnd (birth lagnd) is that of Death, there is danger of sickness if it is occupied by Rahu, Shani and Mangal
^' t Kanhdl, from Sanskrit, karnavedlid, meaning boring of ears, is the ceremony in which the ears are' pierced for the insertion of earrings. The Kuladevata and Ganpati are wor-
TFrora Sanskrit mrh, all, and dmmhh, commencement.
ti.c,a ^hehrd is placed on the bridegroom's head. Children by a former wife are forbid- den to see their father put on the shchrd on the occasion of his second marriage ; throughout tho H ills, children by a former wife are not allowed to see their father in the guise of a
bridegroom. -•-..• i .
II Graha shdnh or worship of the nine planets, fl £'axohd or parowdn appears to be derived from paurdnd, to send to sleep.
Marriage in Bashahr. 467
At this rite he recites chhands* There come the sir-gondi, menhdi and oilingof the bride. After worshipping Arabika and performing ;a/;"'i<rat the bridegroom's si/im is untied by his besr, man, who mist bn a re- lative. The weddijig concludes with the untying of the bride's kangnd by a man who is regarded as a great friend of the bridegroom.
The bride returns to her father's lionae three weeks or a month after the wedding. This is called the dwirdgaman, and sometimes costs one-fourth of the amount spent on the actual wedding.
Bower. Only among the twice-born castes does a bride receive dower, stri' dhan. This includes the presents made to her by her father and hus- band, and the gifts made to her by her mother-in-law and others at the end of the wedding ceremony.
The Bashahr State has recently bestowed two villages on the two Deis of Bashahr who were married to the Riija of Kdshipiir. The in- come of these two villag-es will go to the two Deis at Kiighipur, and to their offspring after their death. J Occasionally the chief or a rani gives dower to a Brahmiiji girl. She is then called a kanhori, and is regarded as the donor's own daughter. Even poor men give a dauo-hter some dower according to their means. Locally this is called sambhdl, a term which includes any present made to a married daughter on certain occasions.
* Some of the chhands recited by tho bridegroom are given below :—
1. Chhand paJcdun chand pakdiln,
Chand pakargd bird, Bardt di chdndni Jamdi, Ayd Idrd hird.
2. Chhand palcdun chhand paJcdu,n,
Chhand pahdigd Jchurmd,
Tumhdri beti ho aisd rahhUn,
Jaisd dnkhon men surmd.
3. Chhand pakdun chhand pakd'^n,
Chhand pakdigd rord,
Dufird chhand tab kahlin,
Jo saurd dewe ghord.
4. Chhand paydgd chhand paydgd,
Chhand paydgd ihdli, Ditsrd chhand tab kahiingd, Jab saiira degd sdli. I recite a metre like the betel leaf,
The wedding procession has arrived, the canopy is pitched, The bridegroom is like a diamond.
I recite a metre sweet like a sweet. I will keep your girl as well
As (women keep) lamp-black in the eyes. I recite a metre as hard as a stone,
The next metre will recite When the father-in-law gives mo a horse. I recite a metre as fine as a metal dish. The next metre will recite When my father-in-law gives me my wife's sister also. Chhand means quatrains ;• but they also recite some couplets or doha. t This " pilgrimage to a spring " i>^ made on the fourth day after the wedding, t " It seems quite opposed to all custom," wrote Sir James Lyall, " for a Hindu Raj4 to give territory as dower with a daughter." Kangra Sett. Rep., § 129. No doubt the custom is unusual but undei' certain circumstances it clearly exists.
468 Marriage in Bashahr,
Formal marriage is not, however, universally observed even by Brahmans or Rajputs, on the one hand : while, on the other, even Bfinids in townships observe the rites in vogue among Brahmans of the higher classes. Brahmans in the villages only observe the lagan phera. Among the Rd.jputs the Thdkurs who live in villages and marry in their own class omit the lagan phera, as do the agricultural Khash, but Thdkurs who aspire to iSdidn status, and the upper classes among the Khash, do observe it. In brief formal marriage is confined to families resident in a bazar or township or connected with the Bashahr darbdr.
Customary marriage.
Customary marriage is usually observed by the Th^kurs and Khash who perform no lagan vedi rites, but simply worship the dwdr-mdtri*, the hearth, and the nine planets. Collectively these observances are called shanh-bhari.f These are the binding ingredients in the rite, al- though if a girl is being married to several husbands, the attendance of one only is indispensable.
Another form of customary marriage with a maid, who is wooed and won from a fair or a place of pilgrimage, is prevalent among the Khash and Kar^n. It is solemnised by worship of the door and hearth, and by the andarera or andrela,t and the pair are regarded as bride and bridegroom.
If the girl's parents have a husband in view, but she is forcibly carried off from a fair or elsewhere by another man, they will never- theless go to her wedding and give her a dower in money, clothes, etc., while the bridegroom gives his mother-in-law, father, or brother- in-law a present in cash.§
The consideration paid by the bridegroom to the bride's guardians is called dherii and if from any cause the marriage is dissolved this sum must be refunded to the bridegroom. The man who abducts or seduces a married woman is liable for the payment of the dheri to her first hus- band. Moreover, if she has a child by her first husband and takes it with her, the second husband becomes liable for this child's mainte- nance ; but it does not inherit its step-father's property.
An unmarried woman who gives birth to a child is called bahhi or hahri, and the child, who is called jatii or jhdtu, has no right whatever, if she marry, in her husband's property.
* The divdr-7ndtri are seven nj'mphs, who reside in the doors ; their names are as fol- lows : Kalyani, Dhanada, Nanda, Punnya, Funyamukhi, Jaya or Vijayi, The whole group is called Dwar-matri.
] From Sanskrit shdkhochchdra, the recitation of the bride's and bridegroom's got. skdkhd (whence the name), and parvara. Hence this rite corresponds to the gotrachdr of the plains. Brahmans are paid for this recitation. Twice-born castes observe the skdkhochchdr, while the fourth class, that is the Kanets, call the wedding ceremony the shaiikh-lhari.
X Said to be the Sanskrit vadhu-pravesh, the observance by which a lawfully married wife enters her husband's house at an auspicious time, with music and singing.
§ Customary marriage is not permissible among the twice-born castes, and if such a marriage occur, the issue are only entitled to maintenance, or to a field or shop (for main- tenance) vvithout power of alienation : but such issue may succeed in default of fully legitimate issue or agnates.
Death'tites in Bashahr. 469
Observances at Death. The alms given at death are called khat-ras* deva dan, gdu dan, haitarni dan, &nd panch ratn, and are offered by all castes.
A mdli or nachhatri, called the ashdnti, can predict the fates of those who accompany the bier. The mdli is a worshipper of ghosts {mashdn and bhut). He is not a Brahman, but a Kanet, or even a man of low caste ; and he predicts after consulting his book of divination [giij.ne hi hitdb).
In the villages of Bashahr are men who can foretell deaths. Such a man is called a mushdni. They differ from the mdli.
Chelds (lit. disciples) in Bashahr are called rndlis of the deotdf and in order to ascertain if a man, woman or child is under a demon's in- fluence, the demon's mdli is called in. Taking some rapeseed in his hand he predicts the period within which the patient will recover. It the latter regains his health, a bali is offered to the demon.
Bahrd sundhdX is performed after 13 days among Brahmans, and 15 among Rajputs, while Kanets perform it after 15 or even after 10 days. If the proper day chances to be inauspicious the observance is held a day earlier or later. The Brahman bhojan, or feast given to Brahmans, is called dharmshdnti, and after it the twice-born castes are considered purified.
The mdshi is a shrddh held one lunar month after the death. The chhe-vAdshi is held six months after it.
The larashwd is held on tlie first anniversary, and on it alms, includ- ing a shayyd^, a palanquin, horse, etc., are given to the family Achdraj or, in villages, to the Krishna Brahmans. A similar shrddh is held on the second and third anniversaries. On the fourth is held the chau- barkhi. The soul goes through three phases, prdiii, pret and rishet,\\ and on the completion of the fourth year it is purified and becomes a pilar deotd. In addition the pdrband^ and kdnidgat shrddhs are ob- served for four or five generations.
The deceased is also worshipped among the twice-born castes as a godling, sati, pdp or newa ; and among others an image is made of stone or of silver, for which some grain is set apart at each harvest, and
* Khat-ras dan generally called dashaddn, the gift of ten things, viz., a cow, (2) land, (3) sesamum, (4,) gold, (5) clarilied butter (ghi), (6) a cloth, (7) unpounded rice, (8) sugar, (9) silver, (.10) salt. Ant ddn is a gift made, given by the son on his father's breathing his last, Dev-dan is to oHer some gift to the deities. Those who receive the death- bed gifts from Brahmans and Rajputs are called Ach^raj or Maha- Brahmans, and those who receive the death- bed gifts from other castes are termed Krishan Brahmans.
t The mdlis are exorcists as well, and also give oracles,
X Bakrd means a goat, sacriliced 15 days after a death, and sundhd means assafoetida which is never eaten imtil the ceremony called bakrd {and) sundhd has been performed.
§ Shnytjd means bedding. In the shayya-ddn the following articles are given ; a cot
bedding, quilt, bed-sheet, cooking vessels, dish, male and female attire, and ornaments
all according to one's means.
II For one year after death the soul is called pret, and from the second year to the fourth it is called nshet, from rishi, a sage.
^ The pdrvan shrddh is that which is performed on a parbi, such as an eclipse, on the 8th and 14th of the dark half of a month, at an amdicas or a puranmdsi. And the kshaydh or ekodist shrddh is that which is observed annually on the date of the death.
4* ^ Temples in Bashahr,
sometimes a he-goat is sacrificed and liquor drunk, the belief being that omission to keep up the worship of the dead will end in disaster.
Brahmans and Rajputs observe the samndana, sa-pindi shrddh and harchhii. In the latter rite khir (rice, milk and sugar) is prepared, and a Mahabrahraan is fed with it. Then the corpse is put in a shroud and carried out to the burning ground. On the road pinds are given to ensure immunity to the deceased, and an earthen vessel is also broken. A lamp is kept burning till the Mrid, to light the soul on its dark road, and the dharm-ghaia placed beside it to quench its thirst.*
Cults in Bashahr.
The temples in Bashahr are of undoubted antiquity, and those of Nirt, Nagar and the Four Theris (see p. 471) are said to date back to the Tretd,-yug ; those at Khar^han and Sungra in Bhaba pargand and at Chue:don in Kanaur to the Dw^par-yug. Most of them were originally constructed in those periods.
The temple servants are the kdrddr or manager, pujdri, hhanddri, tokru, math, kdyath, mdlif and hajantri.
In the villages the term pujdri or dectvX is applied to those who carry the deotd's car or rath, as well as to those who accompany the deotd to their villages.
At Shungra, Chug^on and Gramang in Kanaur are temples of the three Maheshras. Grdmang is a village in Bhdbd pargand also called Kath-gaon.
The bajantri are drummers or musicians and get grain, a he-goat (and sometimes a shroud at a death) for their services. Others ofier a cloth, called s/idn'§, to the temple for the decoration of the god's rath.
The pujdris ordinarily belong to the first class of Kanets. The hhanddri is the storekeeper. The tokru's duty is to weigh, and the function of the mdth or mdlhas is to ask oracles of the deity on behalf of the people.
The gods of the village-temples are subordinate to the god of a Deo mandir or '' great temple," and they perform certain services for him, e. g., &t a y ag\\ and atisiirs^ in retuvn for the fiefs [jdgiif^) granted them by him.
Similarly the temples at Sungr^^ and Khard.h&n contain subordinate deotdn, and a Deo mandir usually possesses one or more hirs*"^ to whom food and sacrifice are offered, and who are also worshipped.
Further in the temple of a village-god will generally be found two cars, one for the presiding god, the otiier for his subordinate, or kotxcdl.
* A person of the same name and r&shi as the deceased must not accompany the bier, and should perform a graha-ddn for his own protection.
t Here mail means the man called dlmvan in these hills, and groTcch in Kanaur.
j Deotus are those who worship the deity ; they are also called 'pujdns. Deotus are especially those who carry tlie rath of the deity, and cause him to dance.
§ Shdri a dhoti-cloih. or piece of cloth attaclied to the car of the deity.
II Sanskrit yajna, a sacrifice.
^ In turn Maheshwar of SiingrA is subordinate to Bhim^ K41i at Sarahan.
** Bir is par excellence the deity Mahdbir, that is Haniaman ; Bhairab is al8o termed a fiir. L4Qkrabir too is a Bliairab deity.
-7
Religious days in Bashatir. 471
The Kdli pujans are called kherid-kdri* in BaBhahr, and include the Prefc Puja, Tekar^ and Sarvamandal ^'''^'^j^'''''^- They are obsei'vod in Sdwan or PhJigan, and the yag or observance is paid for from the jdgir of the deity or from funds supplied by hia deotus\ (devotees), who also give grain, ghi, oil and he-goats. On an auspicious day chosen by a Brahman as many as 50 he-goats are sacrificed, and the people of the neighbourhood are feasted, the priests and deotus receiving the goats' heads and fee, with some grain and ghi.
The ShdndX yag. — In Bashahr the Shdnd yag is celebrated where there has been a good crop or an epidemic is raj^ing. Sometimes 108 halis, sometimes less, are offered, and sacrifices arc also made to the ten dishas or quarters. The gods of the four theris and fche five sthdns^ ('cmples) also assemble at it and other gods from the country round attend the yag. The expense incurred is considerable. In Bashahr the people also perform the shdnd for their own villages.
A minor yag, called Sh^ndtu or Bhdtpur|| is alcio observed every third year, but not universally. Brahmans perform worship and are feasted.
Less important yags arc the jdgrds and 'iafagrds^ which are observed annually or every third or fourth year. The biggest, that of Mahesh- war of Sungrd, is held every third year at Nach^r temple, with the following rites : —
Balis (sacrifices) of he-goats are offered on all four sides, and at night a combat takes place between the villagers and the gawdls,^"^ who are armed with large wooden clubs " having fire burning at the ends." The combat lasts all night. The women sing, dance and make merry, and are feasted in return.
In Bashahr the Didoli is observed in Maghar. It is the special festi- val of the peasantry, and held only in the village temples. Women observe it by visiting their parents' homes and their eathig cold viands.
The Khappd, held on the 1 5th of Poh in Bashahr, resembles the Diaoli in that State. It is probably the festival called Khwakchd, in Kanaar.
The Jal Jdtr^tt held in Jeth in Bashahr is the occasion on which the i^dfetirs are bathed in the rivers with songs and music, ' for which the performers are rewarded.
* So-called because some khir (rice boiled in milk) is offered to the deity Kali. Pret- puian is the worship of ghosts. Teakar and Sarbamandal-pujan is the worship of all the deities at one place.
t Deotus here are the persons to whom the Deot4 belongs, not the pujaris^
X From shdnti, peace.
§ These are enumerated in the couplet : Landsa, Dandsa, Singar, Saner, Nirt, Nagar,
Nirmand, Kao, Mamel. The villages of Landsa, Dandsa, Singra and Sanori, are the four therif ; and Nirt, Nagar, Nirmand, Kao and Mamel are the five sthdtis. Kao and Mamol are fcoth in Suket, Nirmand in Kullu.'and all the rest are in Bashahr. Kao has a temple of Devi, Mair.el one to Mahadov". Nirmand has t\Vo temples, one of the goddess Nrimunda, and the other of Parasram. In Nirt is a temple to Siiraj (the sunV
II So-called because boiled rice t^lhdt) is offered to the deity.
•[f Jafdgrd, a small jdjrd,
** Cattle-grazers.
ft Jal J^tra, a visit to a spring. Here thdkur means " deity" or " deotd.
472 Superstitions in Bashahr.
In Bashahr at the Jal or Ban Bib^r the thdkurs' chariots are carried out into the gardens, and alms given to Brahmans, musicians, etc.
The Rdm-naumi is called Dharm-kothi* in Bashahr, and is the occa- sion for general rejoicings, the thalcurs' thrones being decorated with heaps of flowers, and many thousands of rupees spent.
In Bashahr the Baisd,khi is called Lahol, and the girls who marry their dolls in Pdrbati's name are given money by the State or from the bazar.
As in the Simla Hills, generally, the abandonment of land is called sog or mandokri. When a house or field is believed to be occupied by a demon it is regained by sacrificing a he-goat in the name of his mane. But even then a cultivated field so regained cannot be ploughed, and must only be used for pasture.
An oath in Bashahr is termed dib. It is administered when it is impossible to find out the truth of a case, and there is no reliable evi- dence. One party agrees to take the oath. First he has a cold bath. Then he goes to the temple and says that if he is in the right he ought to be successful, but if unsuccessful, in the wrong. Two balls of kneaded flour, one containing a silver coin, and the other a gold piece, are put in a narrow vessel full of water, and the man is bidden to take one ball out. It is then broken, and if it contains the silver, he is supposed to be successful, and if the gold, he is deemed to have failed.
A man can be released from an oath by the thai darohi, which con» sists in making a present to the R^ja and also performing a yag, i.e., sacrificing a he-goat in honour of the god.
The 14th of the dark half of Bhdion is termed Krishan chaudas or D&gjAM-diaudas (from D&g'Vf6M-chaudas) ; and on that day the wor- ship of Kali is observed. It is a general belief in the Punjab hills that some women are Dags or Dains, that is to say that a sight of them is not lucky, or in other words they know some incantations by which they can assume the form of a tiger or vulture, and that any beautiful thing which comes into their sight is destroyed. The 14th of the dark half of Bhado is their feast day, and they then assemble in the Be^s Kund in Kullu, or at some other place, such as the Karol hill, Avhich lies between Solan and Kandaghdfc. Some mustard seed is thrown on to the fields so that the P^g may not destroy the crops. On that day no man goes out from fear of the Dag, and on each house door some thorns are stuck with cow-dung, so that the Pag may not enter.
If a part of a field is left while being sown, worship is made on the spot and a he-goat sacrificed because it is unlucky to leave a bit hejindir {hanjar, uncultivated).
Kang. — A tribe of Jats, found chiefly in the angle between the Beas and Sutlej, though they have crossed the latter river into Ambdla and Ferozepur, and are apparently found in small numbers all along its banks and even on the Lower Indus. Their tradition is that they came from Grarh Ghazni, but in Amritsar they say they were first settled in
* It is so called because on this occasion the Dharm-Jcothi or ' store house of charity * temains open to all, and everyone is given food from it for a week or so,
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Kang — Kdng-chimpa. 475
Kiiirpur, near Delhi. Thtw occupied a position of some considerable political importance in their own tract, during the early days of Sikh rule. Mr. Barkley wrote of the JuUundur Kanj^ :— " Most of the Sikh Sardiirs of the Nakodar tah-^il either belong to this tribe, or were con- nected with it by marriage whea they estaljlislied their authority ther<>. Tara Singh Gheba {sic), who was their loader at the time of the conquest, was himself of this race and a native of Kang on the Sutlej, where it is said that eighteen Sardars at one time resided ; but on the village being swept away by the river they dispersed themselves in their separate j'jgirs on both sides of the river." The Kang are said to claim descent from the Solar Kajputs of Ajudhia through their ancestor Jogra, father of Kang, and in Amritsar give the following pedigree : —
Rim Chandar. "^
Lahu.
Ghaj. 1
I ' (According to the Sialkot tradition Jogta
Talochar. ^ had four sons, Rai, Natt, Kang and Abala
oi^gu who founded as many septs.)
Mai.
Jogra.
I Kang.
Babd Maiha, son of Mdngu, 6th in descent from Kang, fell in fio-ht with the Kheras on the spot which still marks a village boundary, and he is now worshipped, Mird-sis taking the offerings made to him. Kan^s and Kheras still refuse to intermarry.
Kang, a Hindu Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Rang, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kanq-chimpa, lit. ' great house.' The head of the familv in Spiti, who is primarily responsible for the revenue, the corvee and the share of com- mon expenses demandable on the whole holding. He is ordinarily the eldest son ns primogeniture prevails, but it does not follow that his father is dead, for by custom the father retires from the headship of the family when his eldest son is of full age and has taken to himself a wife. On each estate (jeola) there is a kind of dower house with a plot of land attached to which the father in these cases retires. When in- stalled there, he is called the hdng-chungpd or small-house-man. Sometimes in the absence of a living father, the widowed mother, or the grandfather, or an uncle, aunt or unmarried sister, occupies tho small house and the land attached to it. A person occupying a separate house of even lower degree is called ydng-chungpa, and is always soTue relation of the head of the family : he may be the grandfather who has been pushed out of the small house by the retirement of his own son, the father, but it is commoner to 6nd unmarried sisters, aunts, or their illegitimate offspring in this position.^
* In Pin Tcothi or villapjo the hozaii familios, desccnrlants of monks of orders which per- mit marriage, commonly hold a house and a small plot from the family from whicb they sprang, and are in the position of a ydiig-chungpa. For tha fiscal terms en which the Mng and ydng-chungpas hold, soe Lyall'a Kaugra Settlement Rep,, § 1-48.
•V
4*?4 Kdng-chumpa^-Kanjar.
Kang-chumpa, a cottager or farm servant iii Ld,liul. Like tlie chdksi, the
kang-chumpa does not appear to bo a mere tenant on the garhpdn or
demesne lands of the Thakm's, but holds on the same tenure as the yulfa
or dotocn, i.e. as a subordinate proprietor. The kdng-chumija, however,
pays no rent and do private service only for the Thdkur. His holding
is a quarter of a y^oZa or less, as against the half or whole jeola of a
chdksi and the one or two of a dotoen. The family in possession of a
\ \ holditig of this kind is bound to famish one man or woman for continu-
^ (\^ ous work at the Thd,kur's house or on his garlpdr land. The person
\ in attendance gets food and does work of any kind. Those who live at
' a distance work on the garhpdn land near them, but are also bound to
feed a sheep for the Thd,kur during the winter. Some kdng-chumpas
now pay Rs. 5 a year in lieu of service.
Kangar, Kingar. — The Kangar is a travelling hawker, but he confines his traflSc to small articles of earthenware such as pipe-bowls, and especially to those earthen images in which native children delight. These he makes himself and hawks aboiit for sale. But Baden-Powell gives at p. 267 of his Punjab Manufactures a long account of an operation for a new nose said to be successfully performed by the Kangars of Kangra. / According to Mr. H. L. Williams the Kingar are also called Ale Bliole and are Muhammadans, often suspected of petty pilfering from thresh- ing-floors and hen-roosts ; a primitive race whose conditions of life resemble the Kuchband.
Kangiara, a got or section of the Telis.
Kangrah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multd^n.
Kanhia, or (tHANia, the fifth of the Sikh misls or confederacies which was recruited from Jats. It derived its name from Ghani, a village near Lahore.
Kanial, a tribe which belongs, according to the late Mr. E. B. Steedman, to that miscellaneous body of men who call themselves Rdjputs, hold a large portion of the south-eastern corner of the Rawalpindi district, and are of much the same class as the Budhal and Bhakral. They also appear to stretch along the sub-montane as far east as Gujrat.
Kanith, see Kdith.
Kanjan, a Muhammadan Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kan JAN, a Jdt clan (agricultural) well-known in Lodhrd,n tahsil, Multan district, see under Channar and Niin.
Kanjar. (1) The Kanjar of the Delhi territory, or as he seems to be
called in the Ambdla division the Jallad, is a wandering tribe very similar to the Perna j and in that part of the country a pimp or prostitute is called Kanchan or by some similar name, and never Kanjar. In the remainder of the Punjab the word Kanchan is not used, the wandering tribe of Kanjars is apparently not found, and Kanjar is the ordinary word for pimp or prostitute. Thus Kanchan and Kaniar (including Jalldd) are separately returned in the eastern districts, but only Kanjar for the rest of the Province. The Kanchans are almost all Musalmdns, while the Kanjars are all Hindus, except in Sirea;
S.. j^.zC'.cy.
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Kdnju — Kapri, 475
and probably the Musalmdn Kanjars in Sirsa are really Kanchans. The Kanjars of the Delhi territory are a vagrant tribe who wander about the country catching and eating jackals, lizards, and the like, making rope and other articles of grass for sale, and curing boils and other diseases. They particularly make the grass brushes used by weavers. They are said to divide their girls into two classes; one they marry themselves, and them they do not prostitute ; the other they keep for puiposos of prostitution. The Kanjars appear to be of higher status than the Nat, though they are necessarily outcasts. They "worship Mdta, whom thsy also call Kdli Mjii; but whether they refer to Kali Devi or to Sitla does not appear, most; probably to the former. They also reverence Guga Pir. Delhi is said to be the headquarters of the tribe. But the word Kanjar seems to be used in a very loose manner ; and it is not certain that these Kanjars are not merely a Bauria tribe ; and it is just possible that thev have received their name from their habit of prostituting their daughters, from the Panjdbi word Kanjar. The words Kanjar and Bangdli also seem often to be used as synonymous. Further, to quote Mr. H. L. Williams, Sansis in Hindustan and the Districts of the Punjab east of the Ghaggar river are known as Kanjars, but the relations between the S^msis of the Punjab and the Kanjars of Hindustan are not always clear. There are permanent Kanjar colonies in several important cantonments, the men being mostly employed in menial offices in the barracks while the women attend the females of other castes in domestic duties, as cuppers and sick-nurses ; they also sell embroca- tions and curative oils. The members of these colonies intermarry on equal terms with the wandering Kanjars of the Delhi division, journeying down country for the purpose. They admit a relationship between The Sansis and the Kanjars of the south, and that they speak a common dialect, which may be a thieves' patter or a 'patois of their original home. Wandering Sdnsis style themselves Kanjars only in the Delhi territory and parts of the east, dropping the name when they approach the Sutlej. (2) A J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multiin.
Kanju, an agricultural clan found in Slnlhpur.
ECa-NON, a J^ clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kanonkhob, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
KANSARf, see Sayyid.
K.\>r^VAK£, a Jat clan (agricultaral) found in Multi'in.
Kan WEN, a J'^t clan (agricultural) found ia Multdn.
KAPAHf, (of the colour of tha cotton-plant dower) , a section of the Khattris,
Kapai, a Jd,^ clan (agricultural) found in Multin.
Kapri, a caste which claims Brahman origin and makes the mor and othe
ornaments worn by the bridegroom at weddings, artificial flowerr
and similar articles of talc, tinsel and the like. (Those would appeas
to be by caste Phul Malis). They also appear to be connecte-l, ar
least in Delhi, with the Jain temples where they officiate as priests^t
476 Kdpria-^Karldni.
and receive offerings.* They also act in Gurg^ou as Bhd-ts at wed- dings in singing the praises of the pair. Tliey are said to conie from R^jpatana or the Biigat", where they are known as Hindu Dums. The following account appeais to confuse them with the Khappari : — In Rohtak the Ktlpri are a Brahman clan, which is divided into two classes, tdpashi and kdpri. The story goes that when Mahddeo was going to be married, he asked a Brahman to join the pi'ocession and ceremony. He refused saying, ' what can I do if I go ? ' Mah^deo then gave him two (Shatura flowers and told him to blow them as he went along with the procession. He sjiid, ' how can I blow two flowers ? ' He then told him to pick up a corpse {kr'tyd) lying {pari) on the ground, but it at once rose up and rook the other flower. The progeny of the Brahraan were henceforward called tapshi (worshippers) and the offspring of the corpse kdpri [hdydpari).
In N^bha they make cups (dunna) of leaves and also pattaU or platters of them. In Ambala they are said to print cloth.
Kapria, Kapari, a sect which covers the whole body, even the face, with clothes. MacHuliffe's Sihh Religion, I, p. 280; VI, 217.
Kapur (camphor, fr. Arabic kd/ur), a section of the Khattris.
Kaear, see Kiear.
Karaunkh, Karawak, see Kieaunk.
Karela, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Karhalah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Karkhiad, a sector order of the Sufis, founded by Khwaja Maruf Karkhi.
Karlani, one of the principal branches of the Pathiins, whose descent' is thus given : —
Yah-fida (Judah),
Bani Makhzium.
Walid.
Khilid.
Qais-i-Abd-ur-Rashid, the Patan.
Saraban,
Sharf.ud-Dfn alias Sharkhabun.
Araar-ud-Din or Amar-Din. Miana. Tarfn.
Urmur.
Two men of Urmur's family, Abdulla and Zakaria, were once out hunting, and Zakaria, who had a large family and was poor, found a male child abandoned on an encamping ground, where Abdulla who was wealthy and childless found a shajlow iron cooking vessel {kardhai or karhai). The brothers agreed to exchanore their fiuds, and Abdulla adopted the foundling whom he named Karldnai. Another account
* These are probably the Kapria or Kapari, q. v.
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t*^ i*^^rfi -JK.*^^ —
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U^ ^ c^
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Kdrlugh — Karrdl. 477
makes Karl^,nai a Saraban by descent and the adopted son of Amar- ud-Din; while Muhammad Afzal Khdn, the Khattak historian^ makes Karl^nai a brother of Amai and Urmur, and relates how the latter found Karlclni, who had been left behind when the camp was hurriedly struck, and placed him in a Jcarhai. Amai accepted tlie karhni in exchange for him, and he was then adopted by Urmur who gave him a girl of his family to wife. On the other hand, the Dilaz^ks give Karldnai a Say3 id descent.
By his Urmuf wife Karlanai had issue : —
Karlanai.
|
Kodai. |
] Kakal 1 |
||||
|
f Utman, |
1 1 Dilazak. Warak. |
1 Manai. |
1 1 1 Luqmau alias Khogai. Mangalai. Khatak. | Jadran, |
||
|
1 |
|||||
|
f Sulaiman. 1 |
Mir, G |
1 Sharaf-ud-din alias Shitak. 1 |
|||
|
Wazir. |
1 1 Bai. Malik |
f iwai. |
i 1 ' Ado. Dawar. Malakhai. |
Surrinai . |
KliushhalKhdn, however, gives a different table. He makes Burhan, progenitor of the Dilazdks, and Warak, sons of Kodai; but he gives Khatak, Utmd,n, Usmdn and Jadrdn as descendants of Kodai.
Further, Sayyid Muhammad, a pious darwesh, espoused a daughter of the Karlanai family and had by her two sons, Honai and Wardag.
The Karlanis, generally, were disciples of the Pir-i-Roshdn, and those of Bangash (the modern Kurram) were peculiarly devoted RosHANiAS, but they were regarded as heretics by both Shias and Sunnis. Their tenets brought gi-eat disasters upon the Karldnis as the Mughals made frequent expeditions against the tribes addicted to the Roshd,nia heresy.
Kabluqh, Kaeluk, see Qa«hjgh.
Karnatak, a got of the Oswdl Bhdbras, found in Hoshidrpur.
Karnadl, a Mahtam clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Karnere, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Karol, see Qarol.
Karijla, a Muharamadan clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Karral, a tribe found only in Hazd.ra. According to the late Colonel H. G. Wace " the Karral country consists of the Ndra ildqa in Abbotttlhdd tahsil. The Karrills were formerly the subjf^cts of the Gakkhnrs, from whom they emancipated themselves some t«o centuries ago. Originally Hindus, their conversion to Islam is of comparatively modern date. Thirty years ago their accjuaintance with the Muhammadan faith wa^
478 Kartdri — Kashmiri.
still slio-lit; and though they now know more of it, and are more careful to observe it, relics of their former Hindu faith are still observable in their sociul habits. They are attached to their homes and their fields which they cultivate simply and industriously. For the rest, their character is crafty and cowardly." He further noted that the Karrdla are identical in origin and character with the Dhunds. This would make the Karrdls on? of the Rajput tribes of the hills lying along the left bank of the Jhelum ; and they are said to claim Rdjput origin, though they have also recently set up a claim to Kayd^ni Mughal descent, in common with the Gakkhars ; or, as a variety, that their ancestor came from Kay^n, but was a descendant of Alexander the Great ! But the strangest story of all is that a queen of the great Rdja Rasdlu of Punjab folklore had by a paramour of the scavenger class four sons, Seo, Teo, Gheo, and Karu, from whom are respectively descended the Si^ls, Tiw^nas, Ghebas, and Karrd,ls. They intermarry with Gakkhars, Sayyids and Dhunds.
Kartari', Kaltari, a Hindu sect which has sprung up in the south-west of the Punjab of late years. Its founder was one Assa, an Arora of Bhakkar, in Dera Ismail Khdn, who made disciples not only from among the Hindus, but also from among the Musalm^n cultivators of that District. The followers of this Pir usually s:o through the ordinary business of the world up to noon, after which they will paint their faces with tilaks of wonderful patterns and various colours, and will either sit in the bazar without uttering a ^yord, even when spoken to, or will wander about with fans in their hands. They are indifferent to the holy books of either creed. Their behaviour is harmless and the sect does not appear to be progressing.
Karunjara, fem. -i, a seller of vegetables, i. q. Kunjra.
Kasai, fem. -in, (fr. Arab. Qasab, a butcher).
Kasanye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kasbi, a synonym for Juld-ha in Hazd-ra.
Kasera, a brazier, a worker in pewter or brass. See Thayhera.
Kashmiri. — The word Kashmiri is perhaps applicable to the members of any of the races of Kashmir; but it is commonly used in Kashmir itself to denote the people of the valley of Srinagar. In any case the term is a geographical one, and probably includes many of what we should in the Punjab call separate castes. The cultivating class who form the great mass of the Kashmiris proper are probably of Aryan descent, though perhaps with an intermixture of Khas blood, and possess marked cha- racters. Drew describes them as " large made and robust and of a really fine cast of feature," and ranks them as " the finest race in the whole continent of India." But their history is, at any rate in re- cent times, one of the most grievous suffering and oppression ; and they are cowards, liars, and withal quarrelsome, though at the same time keen-witted, cheerful, and humorous. A good account of them will be found in Drew's Jummoo and Kashmir.
In the Punjab the term Kashmiri connotes a Muhammadan Kashmiri. It is rarely, if ever, applied to a Hindu of Kashmir. The most ip)-
^A^.jrf^^'^- '
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■"- . ij
^y. T //
/Lt.>7-u, 4*. CuiT'., 'i. i>yt.-
Kashmiri titles.
47^
portanfc Kashmiri element in the Punjab is found in the cities of Ludhiana and Amritsar, which still contain large colonies of weavers, employed in weaving carpets and finer fabrics. Besides theijc, many Kashmiris are found scattered all over these Provinces, many being descended from those who were driven from Kashmir by the great famine of 1878 into the sub-montane districts of the Punjab. Many of the Kashmiris in Gujr{it, Jhelum and Attock are, strictly speaking, Cliibhfilis. A full account of the Kashmir krdma and. tribes will be found in Sir Walter Lawrence's Valley of Kashmir, Ch. XII. The principal tribes returned in the Punjab are the Bat, Batti, D^r, Lun, Mahr, Man, Mir, Shaikh, Wain and Warde. Ju is also common and like Bat and other tribe- names is now practically a surname. A Khokhar tribe — who do not intermarry at below 20 years of age — is also found in Ferozepur. Watcrfield noted the followiog castes and titles or occupations among the Kashmiris in Gujrilt : —
|
No. |
Caste or desig- nation. |
Corresponding to |
No. |
Caste or desig- nation. |
Corresponding to |
|
1 |
But (Bat) |
Pandits and Brahman proselytes. |
1^ |
Mochi |
Mochi. |
|
2 |
Beg |
15 |
Pandit |
Proselytized Aroras or Khatris. |
|
|
3 |
Busbainde |
High caste. |
16 |
Pallu |
Ajar-Ahfr. |
|
4 |
D4r |
Low-class zaini)iddrs. |
17 |
Palik |
Dak-runner. |
|
5 |
Don |
Painja. |
18 |
Pandi |
A porter. |
|
6 |
Gar |
Atiir Pansiiri. |
19 |
Pande |
0/ high rank. |
|
7 |
Kanae |
Average zainindd<'s. |
20 |
Riithur |
Za?>M'/irfd)-.s of good |
|
degree. |
|||||
|
8 9 |
Khan KarrAr |
Those who may he con- nected by marriage with Pathans. Kiimbar. |
21 22 |
Raishu Shah |
Majawar, Pirzida. Sayyid-Fakir. |
|
10 |
Kotu |
Paper, maker. |
2S |
Sufz |
Darzi. |
|
11 |
Lavinali |
Dharwai. |
24 |
Aram |
Rain. |
|
12 |
Malli |
Manjhi. |
25 |
Vair |
Khoja, Bannia, |
|
13 |
Malik |
Rajput. |
480 Kasrdna — JS^assar.
Kasrana, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kasrani, Qaisarani, is the northernmost of the Baloch organised tumans, its territory lying on either side of the boundary between the two Deras, and being confined to the hills both within and b^^yond our frontier and the sub-montane strip. 'I'he tribe is a poor one, and is divided into seven clans, tlie Lashkarani, Rubadan, Khepdin, Buddni, Wasu^ni, Leghari, Jar war and Bada, none of which are important. They are of Rind origin, and are not found in the Punjab in any numbers beyond the Dera Ghazi and Dera Ismail Kh^n districts.
Kassar. — The Kassars hold the grnater part of the norfch-wesfc quarter of the Cliakwal tahsil in Jhelum, and as far as is known are not found in any numbers in any other part of the Province : Ibbetson (Census Keport, § 508) remarks that until 1881 they seem to have enjoyed the rare dis- tinction of being one of the few Salt Range tribes which claimed neither Kdiput, Awan, nor Mughal descent, but according to Bowring they once claimed Rajput origin* asserting that their original home' was in Jammu ; and that they obtained their present territories by joining the armies of Bdbar ; most of them, however, recorded themselves as Mughals at the Census ot 1881, a claim ''evidently suggested by their association with the Mughal power": this claim has now developed into a genea- logical tree in which the Kassars are shown as being of common origin with the Mughal emperors. Their present account of their origin is as follows : —
" They were originally located in the country of Kinan in Asia Mioor, whence they migrated to Ghazni at some time unknown with the ancestors of the Mughal dynasty, and subsequently accompanied Babar in his invasion of India in A. D. 1526, their ances- tors at that time being Gharka and Bhin (or Bhol), according to some ; or Jajha, Lati and Kaulshi according to others : all agree, however, in stating that Gharka is baried on a mound in Mauza Hatar, not many miles from Dhok Pipli in Bfil Kassar, which is said to be the original settlement ot the tribe in these parts. The Dhanni was then in tbe hands of wandering Gnjars, while Changas Khan Janjua held the hills to the south, living at Fort Samarqand near Mmoza Maira. Babar made over to them the western part of tho Dhanni, on condition that they would drain off the water with which the eastern part was then covered, a work which they proceeded to carry out: and Gharka obtained soma additional country to the south-west as a reward for restoring to Changas Khan a favourite mare, which the Janjua Raja had lost. 1 hey claim that the name, Baluki Dan, under which the tract figures in tho Aiu-i-Akbari, is derived from that of their ancestor Bhal, who also gave his name to the important village of Bal Kassar ; and in this they are supported by the spelling of the lithographed edition of the Ain-i-Akhari, against the assertion of the Janjuas, that the name is Maluki Dhan, from the Janjua chief, Mai of Malot. They explain the presence now of the Mairs and Kahiits in the Dhanni by stating that, as relations of the reigning dynasty they were themselves able to keep out all intru- ders in the time of the Mughals ; but in Sikh rule the Mairs, being of the same stock as the powerful Jammu Raja, were able to obtain a footing in the tract : they generally admit that the Kahiits came with them in Babar's train and settled here at the same time as themselves, but say that they were of small account until the time of tho Sikhs. They state that the original profession of the tribe was ' hdhumat ' or govern ment; and that it is now agriculture or Government employment. They use the title of chaudhri. They have no special Pirs or places of worship, and their customs do not differ in any respect from those of the tribes surrounding them, except that the graves of women are distinguished by stone at the head and foot parallel to the breadth of the grave, while those of meu'vS graves are parallel to the length ; -this is just the opposite of the custom in the Jhelum Pabbi."
Whatever may be thought of tbe claim of the Kassars to rank as Mughals, they certainly have a good position amongst the tribes of the District, ranking in popular estimation with the Mdir?. and Kahuts, they
* J. A. S. B., 1850, pp. 43—64 (the Kahuts also claimed Rajput descent).
Kat^Kathdl. 481
intermarry freely with the former, both giving and taking daughters : but a Kassar of good family who married his daughter to a Kahut of fair standing incurred the displeasure of tlie brotherhood : they do not intermarry with any other tribe, thouofh as is usually the case in the Jhelum district low caste wives are occasionally taken by them. Mdirs, Kassars and Kahuts eat together, but not wif,h kamins.
The doggerel rhymes of the tribal Mirasis contain little of interest, either setting forth in extravagant terms the power of individual chiefs of bygone generations, oi- recording the incidents of the comparatively recent internecine feuds of the tribe : the following is well known, and another version is given by the Mdirs also : —
Charhid Bdhar Bddshdh ; Kahdr tamhu tande : Bhin te Gharkd Kassar doen ndl de.
" Bdbar B^dsh^h marched, and pitched his tent at (Kalla) Kahdr : Bhin and Gharkd,, the Kassars, both came." An abbreviated tree of the tribe is given below : —
Abchal Noian,
r; ' 1
7 generations. 8 generations.
Kassar. Bibar, I 5 generations, I
r 1
}5hol (or Bhin). Gharka.
4 generations, f I ~ -| I Ghanni. BhAdar. Bal. Bhin, \
r \ 1
Kaul Shfnh. Lati. Jhajhi.
The earlier part of the tree connecting the tribe with Bdbar is obvi- ously fanciful, and the latter part not altogether reliable. Such names as Tilochar, Nand, Pres, etc., are mixed up with Muharamadan names ill thefoi'mer part, while a Jhan Deo occurs low down in the tree : these names may indicate a Hindu origin, though the tradition of the tribe is that they were Musalmitos long before they came to these parts. About 35 generations on the average intervene between Kassar and members of the tribes now living. In character they resemble the Mdirs.
Kat, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Katalbashi, see Qizzilbdsh.
Katarye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Katal, a sept of Rdjputs found in the Simla Hills. To it belong the chiefs of Jubbal, Itawin, Sairi and Tarhoch. The Khaus or Khash sept of the Kanets is also called Katdl.
Kataria, a small Jdt clan, found in Bdwal ; it derives its name from hafnr a dagger.
Kataya, a fine wire^drawer : see under Tdrhash.
Katbal, a Baloch clan said to be found in the Derajdt, as well as in Multdq and Lahore. But cf. Katpdl.
482 Kathdne-^Kdthia.
Kathane, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kathanye, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kathab, Kahtar, see Khattar.
Kathia. — One of tlie Great Rd,vi tribes, and next in importance amoug them to the Kharral. The Kd,tliias claim to be Punvvar Rdjputs, and are almost confined to the Havi valley of the Multan and Montgomery District?, but they hold a considerable area in the south of Jhang, which they are said to have acquired from the Kamldna Sid.ls in return for aid afforded to the latter against the Naw^b of Multd.n. The Kdthias once practised female infanticide. Previouj'ly they had lived on the Rivi and in the lower part of the Sdndal B^v. They were supposed to be the same people as the Kathaei, who in their stronghold of Sd,ngla so stout- ly resisted the victorious army of Alexander. The question was elabo- rately discussed by Sir Alexander Cunningham at pp. 33 to 42 of Vol. 11 of his Archmological Rp/ports, and in Vol. I, p, 101^ of Tod's Rdjasthdn {Madras Reprint, 1880). Captain Elphinstone thus described them in his Montgomery Settlement Repoj^t : —
" The remarkable fact that a people called ' Kathaioi ' occupied a part of the Gugaira district when Alexander invaded the Punjab, invests the Kathia tribe with a peculiar interest. After much enquiry on the subject, I have come to the conclusion that the Kathias of the present day have a strong claim to be considered the descendants of the same ' Kathaioi ' who so gallantly resisted the Macedonian conqueror. Their own account of their origin is, of course, far different. Like all Jats they take a particular pride in tracing their descent from a Rajput prince about the time of their conversion to Muhammadanism under the Emperor Akbar. But an examination of their alleged pedigree shows that, like many other popular traditions of this kind, this account of their origin must be altogether fictitious. They state that a prince named ' Khattya,' reigning in Rajputana, was compelled to yield up one of his sisters in marriage to the emperor of Delhi. After brooding for some time over this great outrage to Rijput honour, he contrived to assemble a large army with which he attacked the imperial forces : he was, however, overcome by superior numbers, and was made a prisoner after nearly all his adherents had been slain. Ho was then conducted with great honour to the Court of Delhi, where the emperor treated him with kindness, and at last induced hira to embrace the Muhammadan faith, and placed under his charge an important post near the Court. Some time afterwards he was sent with a force to subdue a portion of the Ravi tribes who had risen in insur- rection, and after conquering them was so much attracted by the beauty of the country, that he remained and received a grant of the whole tract for himself and his descendants. All the Kathias claim descent from this prince, but, unfortunately for the credibility of this story, the only way that his 8,00(J descendants manage to arrange the matter is by assuming that the prince had no less than 150 sons; whilst in a pedigree prepared by the chief Mirasi of the tribe, in which the increase of offspring in the different generations is arranged with more accordance to probability, the line is only brought down to a few of the principal families of the tribe.
" In their habits the Kathias differ little from the other Jat tribes. Before the accession of Ranj It Singh they lived chiefly on cattle grazing and plunder. Like the Kharrals and Fattianas they still keep up Hindu paro/u7s, who take a prominent part at all marriage festivities, an undoubted sign of their conversion to Muhammadanism having been of recent date. They are n handsome and sturdy race, and like nearly all Jats of the ' Great Ravi ' do not allow their children of either sex to marry until they have attained the age of puberty, because, as they justly consider, too early marriages would be detrimental to the 'physique' of the race. Their chief and favourite article of food is buttermilk; the consumption of wheat among them is very inconsiderable."
Mr. Purser, Iiowever, gave a somewhat different account of their migrations. He said : —
" The Kathias have been identified with the ' Kathaioi ' of Alexander's time. According to their account they are descended from Raja Karan, Sdrajbansi, Originally they resided in Bikaner, whence they emigrated and founded the State of Kathiawan From there they went to Sirsa and then to Bahawalpur. Next they crossed over to Kabula and went on to
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Kathura — Kdiil. 488
Daira Dinpanah. Here they quarrelled with the Balochis and had to leaTe. They then settled at Mi'rah Sial in Jhang. They stole the cattle of A14wal Khan of Karailia, who wai killed pursuing them. Saadat Yar Khan obtained the release of their leaders (who were imprisoned on account of this al!air) on condition of their settling on the Ravi. Thus the Kathias obtained a footing in this District. They always held by the Kamalia Kharrals, but plundered the others whenever they could get a chance. The Kathias arc Punwar Rajputs. There are two main divisions ; the Kithias proper and the Baghelas.' *
This would make the Kdtliias of the Rdvi immif^ranta from Kathiawdr. But a Pandit of Guzerat who was sent into the Punjab by the tlaja of •Jazddn, one of the principal Kathiawar States, to make enquiries on the subject, found that the Kathiawar Rajputs, who also claim descent from Riija Karan, have a tradition that they came to their present territory from the Punjab via Sindli and Kach. The Kcithia tradition i.s that they were driven out of Sirsa Kania, or the valley of the lower Ghaggar, about the time of Tamerlane's iuvasion. Balwdna and Pawar are two leading clans.
In recent times the tribe has in Jhang been going from bad to worse, and it is now of little importance in that District.
Kathuea, an Ardin clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Katil, a Rdjput clan found in Gurddspur. Their founder Raja Karet, driven from the plains in the time of Mahmud of Ghazni, settled in Mangla Devi, a fort in Jammu and thence raised Kharipur, whence his descendants became known as Khokhars. They still hold large estates in Jammu. One of them took to robbery in tho forest round Sd,nibha,t and thence seized a Sambidl girl, so her kinsmen gave hioi a large tract of land in iShakargarh tahsil. In this he founded Katli and his descendants were called Katils. The tribe founded 360 villages, of which there remain only 100, 60 in British territory and 40 in Jammu. The Kd,tils claim to be Surajbansi, and descended from B^wd Sihi, regarding the Mahajans, Kuprds, Aswdrs (horse-tamers), Chamilrs, Batwd,ls and Dumn^s as branches or off- shoots of the tribe, whose observances those castes follow.
In Aurangzeb's time the Katils, Rao, Balel, Mai and Nihdla became Muhammadans, but remained Katils by caste.
The Katils do not intermarry with the higher Rcijput septs, such as the Sambidl, but they intermarry with a number of the Rdjput septs of Jammu, as well as with the Lalotari and Deowania, and the Thakkar septs. Intermarriage with the Khokhars is prohibited because they are regarded as akin to the Katil by descent.
This is basefl on the following tradition : — ' Brahma, who was de- scended from Suraj (sun), Mirichak, Kdsyab after whom our got (sub- caste) is named, Taran, Kavan, 8ompat, Brihaspat, Avagyddhdtd, Dayadhdta, Mahdndhiita, Beaspdl, Ratanpdl, Atter, Rc'ijd Sahasranar, Santan Raja, Karet Raja, Kood Rajd, Rti];! Chit, Rdja Gora, Bharath, Rd]d vSantal, Rdja B.iil and Rajii Jasrath took possession of the fort of Mangla Devi in the Khari territory and settled there. His descendants thus became known as Khokhars, and still hold lands in the Jammu State though they have become Muhammadans.^
* The Baghelas are confined to the neighbourhood of Kamilia and were probably only retainers of the Kathia originally. t The then capital of Jammu.
494 '^^^ Katoch.
Kelan who was descended from Bani, Sugga., and Sai settled at Katli in Jammu and his descendants became known as Kdtals.
Paian, Khang, Gaga, Dheru and Ld,dd, were the ancestors of Bhura who founded the village Bhure Chak and named it after himself. Lad ha, the son of Kundan and erandson of Bdnoa had two sons : — Nihd,la and Surjan. Nibd,la founded NihdU Chak. Rughal was the son of Surjan.
Dharevca, also called udhdld, is practised by the Kdtils,* even Brahman widows being espoused under this system. But the offspring of such unions are looked down upon and find it difficult to obtain wives, thouo-h they succeed equally with the children of full legitimacy, Dharewa is most usually contracted with a man of the husband's family and, provided the second husband declares that the widow is his wife before all the brotherhood, no rite is necessar}'' or customary. But if she marry outside her husband's family she loses the custody of his children ;" and she forfeits her right to succeed to his property if she re- marry.
The Brahmans of the Katils must be of the Manutara or S^rsut branch, and of the Kasyapa gotra, as they themselves are.
Ill the government of the tribe a learned Brahman is associated with a leading man of good position and influence, who is elected from time to time, not for life but for an indefinite period. He alone, or in consultation with 3 or 4 members of the brotherhood, decides all disputes. Many disputes are decided by oaths — a deponent being made to bathe and touch a plpal, a temple or an idol, or to hold his sou in his arms, and then swear. Boundary disputes are settled by one of the parties placing a clod of earth on his head and walking along what he declares to be the true boundary. This is a very solemn oath as if sworn falsely the earth will refuse to receive him.
The only tribal cult of the Katils appears to be that of their satisf whose tombs still exist at Katli, to which place pilgrimages are made twice a year. But the Katils have various other cults in common with other Riljput tribes on the Jammu border. Such are Kali Bir, Vaishno Devi, B^wa Sd,rgal, a snake god, B. Sadda Garia besides the better- known Lakhdatta, Narsinghji, Bhairon Ndth and others.
Katoch. The generic name of the dynasty whose original capital was at JuUundur but whose territories were subsequently restricted to the Kangra hills. The kingdom whose capital was at Jullundur (Jd,landhara) was called Trigarta, but the name of its dynasty does not appear to be recorded, and the name Katoch is confined to the house of Kangra. From it sprang four or five branches, the Jaswdls or rulers of the Jaswan Duu in Hoshi^rpur, the Goleria, once rulers of Guler or Haripur in Kangra, the Sib^ia or Sip^ia of Siba in Kangra and the Dadwals of Datarpur on the borders of Kd.ngra in Hoshid,rpur. A fifth branch which claims Katoch descent is the Luddu Rajput
* Or rather in some families : those of position disallowing the practice. + Twice a year murandas (sweets) and til-chdwali (sesame ana rice) are offered to the eatiavati. These oSeriogs are take;i by the Mauiitari Brahmans.
S!ator — Kaum. 485
sept. The Katoch are by status Jaikaria Rajputs of the 1st grade. The Goleria represent the elder line and from it sprang the Siba and Dadwal^ the Jaswdl being an offshoot of the main branch.
Kator, a race mentioned by several Muhammadan historians of India. Baihaki in his Tdrikli-i-Sabaktigin mentions that all the Hindu Kators were brought under the rule of the Sultan Mas'ud^ but he does not specify their locality.* Abu Rihdn at Biruni speaks of Katormdn as the last of the Turk kings of Kdbul,t but the dynasty appears to have been also called Katormdn, Katorian or Kayormdn.J Elliot gives a full account; of them, but it is doubtful if the dynasty was generally called Katormdn.§ Taimur Iiowevor unquestionably found the Kators in alliance with the Sidhposh and holding a kingdom which extended from the frontier of Kashmir to the mountains of Kabul and contained many towns and villages. Their ruler was called 'Addlshuj Udd, or Udashu (which recalls Udiiyana or Swd,t) and had his capital at Jorkal. He describes the Kators as men of a powerful frame and fair complexion^ idolaters for the most part, and speaking a tongue distinct from Turki, Persian, Hindi or Kashmiri. || Taimur attacked their strongholds, readiing, according to RavGrty,that part of Kdfiristdn known as Kashtur while the prince Rustam advanced into those parts where the Kiitibi, Siahposh, Pd,ndu and Sdldo now dwell.H This was in 1398 A.D., and in the end of the ]5th century Sultdn Mahmud, a descendant of Taimur led expeditions against the Kator Kdfirs and Sidhposh and thereby earned the title of Ghdzi. Raverty identi6es the Kator with the Spin or White Kd;rirs,*'* but the historians of Akbar, who sent an expedition under Jahdngir in 1581 against the Sid,hposh Kiifirs of the mountains of Kator, and Abu'l Fazl in his history of Taimur's expedition speak of the Hindud^n-i-Kator, a country which they describe as bounding Buner, Swd,t and Bajaur on tbe north. The family of the Mihtar of Chitrdl is still called Kator (vide p. 174 supra), and Biddulph's proposed identification of the Kathiar or Khattar of Attock cannot be regarded as proved.tl"
Kator(e), a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Katpal, said to be a synonym for or a sub-group of the Pakhiwara. Cf. also Katbal.
Katrah, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Katthak, a story-teller, a rehearser of the Shd,stras : a singer, a dancing boy, fr. knthf hatha, a story, fable.
Katwal, a Dogar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kadm, a small tribe found near Mitru in Multiiu which is said to have come from Central Asia.
* E. H. I., I. p. 128.
t Ibid. p. 403.
i Ibia. pp. 405-6.
§ Ibid. pp. 407-8.
II Ibid. pp. 400-1. Cf. pp. 480-1,
■[ iJotes on AfghdnUtan, p. 130.
•* Ibid., p. 135.
tt It is abandoned by Irvine : J. R. A. S., 1911, pp. 217-9
486 Kaurd — Kehal.
Kaura, an agricultural clan found in Sh^hpur : also in Montgomery whore it is recognised as a Kharral clan.
Kauri, a Muhammadan J^t clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kauriana, a sept of the Sid,ls.
KawarI, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Kaweea, a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kayani, see under Gakkhaf.
Kayath, see Kaith.
Kazi, see Qdzi.
Kazrunian, one of the sects or orders of the Sufis : founded by Abu Ish^ Kazriini, whose shrine is at Shird-z.
Kehal. — A nomad tribe of fishermen and boatmen, who ply their boats between Kaldbagh and Sakkar on the Indus, rarely if ever quitting the valle V of that river. But Malld,hs, described as Jhabel by caste and Kehal by got are found in Ludhidna, and doubtless elsewhere.
The Kehals claim to be the earliest converts to Islam between Kalabagh and Karachi, but profess to follow Imd,m Sh^fi, and eat unclean animals and fish found in the Indus in spite of the Qur^n.
Thus their favourite food is the flesh of the sisdr or long-nosed fish- eating crocodile, but they avoid that of the bagu or snub-nosed crocodile. Centuries ago the Kehals had a saint, one Chacha Mith^, of their own tribe, but nothing is known of his life or history.
Like the ^;!oh^nas and Jhabels the Kehals invoke " Dum Diu-pan^h," Dum Bahdwal Haqq, Lai Is^ and Aili Rdjin or simply Aili.*
The Kehals are said to have no belief in devils, but the Mohdnas and Jhabels hold that any disease is due to demoniacal possession and that these demons of disease belong to certain saints of the neighbouring tracts, such as Ldl Isd. of Karor, Aili R^jin, Dinpand,h, Jamman Sh^h, etc. These demons have human names such as Gord Khetripd,l, Ziulf Jam^l, Nur Jamdl, Nur Muhammad, Chingu, GhuMm Rasdl, Kundai, Shabr^tin, etc., etc., and of these the last two are iemsile jinns. Women are most commonly possessed and they promptly inform their relatives of the yarn's name, and which saint he or she belongs to. Children of both sexes have to swim when 5 years of age and are expert in swim- ming and diving by the time they are 10.
Fishing is practised at any time of the day or night, but avoided on Fridays, and forbidden on the day when a wedding is being celebrated. Alligators are caught in the following way : a back-water or pool which forms a branch of the main stream is chosen and a heavy net, in which is a large opening, is placed across its mouth. A putrescent carcase or fish bones are placed m the pool as bait, and four Kehals lie in ambush on the bank. When the alligator is seen inside the pool two
* Ali, whose name is pronounced Aili by c^ocZa-p^ayers also. Cf. Yaili, the Baloclii form of AU.
Kehal customs, 487
of the hunters rush to close the hole in the net, while the other two drive the animal into it, or harass it until it is tired ont, when it is speared and killed. Occasionally a man is bitten but fatal bites are very rare. Tortoises are killed in a similar way. Sometimes in shallow pools nets are unnecessary, and in the cold season when alligators, tortoises and large fish lie concealed in the mud at the Ijottom of the shallow streams and back-waters the Kchals prod it with their spears and kill the animals before they can escape. Fish are sometimes caught by stirring up the mud until they float half-dead on the surface.
Kehals ply their boats for hire, sell baskets and mats, reap crops for hire and beg for grain. They do not sell fish in the bazars of a town.
Birth customs, — A first-born child, if a boy, is peculiarly auspicious and if a daughter, unlucky. It is very unlucky to have three daughters and still worse to have a son after three girls, as he never fails to cause his mother's or father's death within 3 years. Great rejoicings are held for a first-born son, midlahs, Sayyids, eunuchs and their followers being feasted. On the 3rd day a boy is named, and on the 7th his head is shaved. A girVs head is merely shaved on the 7th day, and her ears pierced in 10 or 15 places before she is 5, Kehal women do not pierce the nostril for the nose-ring. A boy is circumcised before he is 10 by a pirahin, precisely as he is among the Baloch. He is made to put on a gdnd or string of red cotton thread round his right wrist, a piece of cotton cloth H yards long by ^ wide, as a tahmat, and a second piece about 3 yards long for a />ag'ri, but his kurta should bo white. If a mosque is handy, he is taken to it, followed by drummers who dance and sing. A new earthen fardt or jar is placed on the ground at the gate and on it the boy is seated witli his feet on the ground. A man holds his hands back while the 'pirahin operates.
Marriage. — Muhammadan rites are observed at wedding?, but one or two points deserve notice. The boats, etc., are swept and all bones and refuse removed to make them fit to receive strangers. The bride is dressed in red {chiini, choli and ghaghard) : the bridegroom in white (pagrif kurta and tahmat). The day before the nikdh drummers and an eunuch are called in to dance and sing. Muhajnmadan friends also come with their own cooking vessels and kill two or more goats or sheep. On these they feast, giving a share to the Kehals, but no Kehal may approach while the animals are being killed, cooked or eaten. After mid-day they all play, dance and sing together, going home in the evening. Next day all re-assemble at the same place, the nikdh is read, the strangers withdraw, after congratulating tho bridegroom and his parents. The bride and bridegroom are then shut up together in a hut of reeds for an hour or two to consummate the marriage, and the ceremonies close. The cost of the wedding falls on the boy's father, but the bride's dress, ornaments, if any, and the household chattels are provided by her father.
Unlike other j^luhammadans a married Kehal goes to live permanent- ly with his father-in-law and subsequently becomes his heir. If he is a minor at the time of his wedding he continues to live in his father's house till of age. A newly married wife waits 6 months and if not pregnant by then she gets herself circumcised, whereon pregnancy usu- ally ensues.
488 Kejah—Ketwdl.
>SMcees5Z07i.— Daughters and sons share equally in their father's pro- perty, and disputes regarding succession are said to be decided by the mulldhs according to Muharamadan Law.
The Kehals are divided into three groups, Loria, Dapliala and Mor^ ; of which the first is the chief. It is said to derive its name from the mullah, a Lori of Luristd,n^ who first taught them IsMra. The Daphala are so called because they have large mouths,"^ and the Mor^ because they have dark complexions.
Closely akin to the Kehals, or at least allied to them by occupation and habits, are the Jhabelsf and Moh^nas. The latter are said to be More-h^nd or "" allied to the Mord" branch of the Kehals and they have two divisions, the Kutpd.1 and the Rora. Kutpdl is said to mean " feeder (pciZ) of a large city or army" [kut], because centuries ago a largo force of a king of Multd,o who had met with defeat was marching west- wards to cross the Indus and the Kutp^ls supplied it with fish, in return for which its leader taught them to avoid eating unclean animals and made them perfect Moslems. But it is also said that many Kehals have become MohAnas, Jhabels or Mancheras, since the introduction of Isld,m, and taken to cultivation. In former times these tribes were wont to combine against a common enemy.
Kejah, a Jdt clan, (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Kejae, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Kele, a J6t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kerah, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Kes, a Muhammadan tribe, apparently J^t, found in Montgomery.
Kesar-shahi. — On the death of Faqir Sayyid Mir Shdh, also styled Mian Mir (from whom the Cantonment of Lahore took its former name) Sayyid Bhd,wan Shdh of Nurpur Chaumak in Jammu succeeded him as faqir, and conferred that same title upon his friend Ibrahim Khd.n a znmiiuldr of the Gujrdnwd,la district. When the latter died his son GhuMm Shdh became faqir. He was in turn succeeded by his son Kesar Sh^h who founded a sect. He died aged 65 in 1863 and his son' Muhammad Husain or Sube Sh^h, then became its leader. Hindus as well as Muhammadans can enter it, and the latter, though supposed to follow the Qiidria tenets, do not abstain from wine, do not fast or pray, and are fond of sport. When a new member is admitted there is no ceremony, nor is he bound to adhere to any prescribed mode of life. Members of this sect are found in Gujr^nwala, Siiilkot, Shiihpur, Gujr^t and Lahore.
Ketvjal, a Rajput tribe in Rawalpindi. It belongs to the same group of tribes as the Dhund and Satti, and holds the hills to the south of the Satti country. The Ketw^l claim descent from Alexander the Great (!) and say that they are far older inhabitants of these hills than either
* Said to be from Sindhi dapM, a large wooden spoon : cf. Mnltdni Olosaary 2nd ed Dicty. p. 20.
t Thabel is said to be derived fi'om jhala, a small leather sack used for holding flour, salt or anything except water. In the Ain-i-Akbari <Blochmann's trans.) they appear as the Chhabels. This would suggest a derivation from chhamb, a marsh or swamp.
■f^^
Khah'-Khaki. isb
the Dhund or Satti; but the tribe was apparently almost exterminated by the Dhund at some time of which the date is uncertain, and they are now tew and unimportant.
Khab, a Ji^ clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Khabera, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Khachi, a Rdjput clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Khadal, a Jdt clan found in the north of Multdn tabsil where it settled in
Mughal times from Jammu. Khadana, an agricultural clan found in Shahpur.
Khadar, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multan and in Shdhpur.
Khagah, (I) a Ja^ clan (agricultural) and (2) a Qureshi clan (agricultural), both found in Multan (doubtless Khagga).
Khaqae, a Rajput clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Khagga, a semi-sacred tribe found in the sonth-west Punjab. Mr. Purser thus described them : "Tho Khaggas came to the Montgomery district after the conquest of Multdn by Ran jit Singh. They claim to be Qureshi, and name as the first Khagga, Jalal-ul-din, disciple of Muhammad Iraq. Khagga is said to mean a peculiar kind of fish ; and the name was given to Jalal-nl-din by his spiritual teacher on the occasion of his rescuing a boat overtaken by a storm." In Multdn the Khaggas own land in Multan and Mailsi tahsils and are still rej/arded with a certain amount of respect. In the troublous days before Sawaa Mai if any one was distressed he took refuge with a Khagga, and if a marauder entered a Khagga's house he was miraculously struck blind.
Khaintwal, a Rajput tribe ; see Ketwal.
KeAiRT, a sept of Rajputs, descended from Zdhir Chand, a son of Tdra Chand, 3lsb R^j^ of Kahlur.
Khajah, a J at clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Khajan, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Khajji, a tribe in Bah^walpur, some of whom are khatiks or tanners by profession.
Khak, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Kabrrwdld tahsil, Multan district, and reputed to be one of the four most ancient tribes in that tract, the other three being the Panda, Pahor and Sahu.
Khakh, a Hindu Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kbakha, said to be a not uncommon epithet to apply to any petty Khatri trader. The Khakhas arc in fact Khatris converted to Isl^m, and aro found in greatest r.urabers in the Kashmfr hills, lying along the left bank of tho Jhelum; whence a few have made their way in to Hazara and Rawalpindi. Sir George Campbell called them "a curiously handsome people.
Khaki (1) a Jat clan found in a more or less solid block between the Nuns and the Chenab river, in the Shujabad tahsil of Multdn, where they settled from Bhatner in Jahangir'a time, and (2) a class of Kambohs.
^90 EhdJciodni—KhaUl
Khakwani, a Path^n family of Multau, wliicli derives its name from' Khikan, a village near Herat or from tm incideiifc connected with the hunting of the boar {khoJc). AH Muhammad Khdu of this family was Subahddr of Multdn under Ahmad Shah Abdali till 1767 A. D., when he was put to death.
Khal, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Mult^n. Khalafzai, a Patlidn clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery. Khalah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan. KbfALANi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
Khalifa, Arab, a successor. (1) a title not infrequently borne by the succes- sors of famous saints, especially in the south-west Punjab* ; (2) a term said to be applied to Mirasis who are servants of Pirzadas ; (3) a title bestowed half satirically upon Darzig or tailors. It is said to be the title of the head of a guild of Dhobis.
o'
Khalil, a tribe of the Grhoria Khel Pathans. It occupies the left bank of the Blra river, and the country along the front of the Khyber in the Peshawar plains between that pass and the Daudzai. Of its four main clans, Matuzaij Barozai, Ishd.qzai and Tilarzai, the Barozai is the most powerful. The Khali 1 are not good cultivators. According to Raverty the Khalils were in the early Mughal period an exceedingly power- ful tribe, the strongest among the Ghwaria or Ghoria Pathdns, and having compelled the Khashi Pathans many years before to abandon Gara and Nushki they first occupied part of Bd,jaur with some of Yusafzais about 1517 A. D., but they subsequently drove their allies out of that teiritory,t and in 1550 we find them in possession of the country immediately west of the Khyber. Like the Mohmands they threw in their lot with Kamriin and took part in the attack on Huma- yun's camp in which Hindal lost his life. They must have suffered heavily in Kainran's final defeat by Humayun. But the real cause of their downfall was the hostility of the Khashi Afghans. Holding, as they did, all the country from Dhdka to Attock, with the Khyber and Kharappa passes, they had become very rich, for the Peshawar district was very fruitful and as the royal road lay through it and all the trad- ing caravans halted at Bagrdm (Peshawar), the Khalils levied tolls on them in return for escorts, and as their wealth increased so did their
* For instances see the Bahawalpur Gazetteer, Chap. I, C ; and also Temple's Legends of the. Picnjah, III, p. 173, where Pir Wall, a follower of Mian Shaikh Ghaus Wall of .JuUundur, is said to have borne the title of Khalifa Irshad, ' the expounder of the orders of God;
t Elsewhere Raverty gives a fuller account of these operations in Bajaur. He relates how a portion of the Khalils having quarrelled with the other Ghoria Khel, left Tarnak and Kalati-Ghibai and settled in the Lashora valley iu B'ijaur. Then in alliance with the Yusufzais and Mandars they defeated the Dilazaks under Malik Haibu and partitioned Bajaur among themselves and their allies, but they soon fell out with them and drove them out of Bajaur. The Yijsufzai and Mandar, however, soon combined with the Umr Khel Dilazaks and, though the Khalils retreated to the fastnesses of the Hindu-Raj range, they secured the help of the Hindu- Raj is, who were probably Arabs, and surrounded the Khalils in the Chharmang valley. Here the Khalils were completely defeated and lost so many captives that Khalil boys and maidens were sold for a pot a-piece, until Malik Ahmad and other chiefs of Yusuf /-ai and Mandar directed that all the Khalil prisoners should be set free. The Khalils however never regained B'ijaur.
^
Khalj-^Khand, 491
arrogance. The plundor of a Yusufzai caravan, the murders of tho two sons of the Malik of the Abazai and of the Gagidni Mahk, wlio was venerated as a saint, iu a Khalil mosque, roused the Kliashis and tlioir alHes to fury and under Khdn Kaju they overthrew the Khali Is at Shaikh Tapur in 1549 or 1550, according to Raverty.'^
The present Khalil tappa or tribal area consists of a tract 20 miles long by 10 broad along the foot of the Khyber hills from the Kdbul river southward to the Mohmand tappa. It is 73 square miles in area. In great measure resembling the Yusufzais tlie Khalils wear in winter dark blue coats of quilted cotton which are discarded in summer for a large Afghd,n skirt. A white and blue turban, with a lungi twisted round the waist or thrown over the shoulder completes the costume. Shdh Jah^n conferred the title of arhcibt on Muhammad Asil Khao, Khalil, and their chiefs have borne it ever since, instead of the older title of maliJc. The arbahs all belong to the Mitha Khel section.
Khalj, an extinct tribe of Turk origin, claiming descent from Khalj, son of Y^fist (Japheth), according to one tradition. It was akin to the Ghuzz. A portion of this groat tribe was settled in Garmsir, and some held lands in Nangrahar, north of the Kirmdn district, several centuries before the Afghans came into it. The pressure of tho Mughal invasions however compelled them to move eastwards, and in tlie latter part of the year 623 H. a body of Khalj, which formed part of the Khwdrazmi forces, overran Mansura, in Sewist/ui. It was however overthrown by Ndsir-ud-Din Kab^jah and its chief slain. The Khalj gave sovereigns to Lakhnauti (Bengal), but as a tribe it never established itself in India. The Khalj are entirely distinct from the Ghilzai Pathdns.
Khalsa.— The ISikh Commonwealth. According to CunnincTham§ tlie Kh^lsa were the followers of Govind Singh, as opposed to the KhuUsa, or followers of Ndnak. He adds that the Surbat Khalsa or whole Sikh people met once a year at Ararirsar. The terms KhuLisa and Surbat Khalsa are now obsolete, the latter being replaced by Tat Khdlsa.
Khalwah, a Ht clan (agricultural) found in Multiin.
Khamah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Khaman, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Mulidn.
Khand, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multdn.
Khand, an agricultural clan found in Shilhpur. It is, however, mainly found in Peshd-war, occupying a few villages east of the city of that name. It claims indeed to have once occupied the whole country be- tween Peshdvvar and Nowshera. Folk-eiymology derives its name from tho Hindko word hkand, ' one whosa front teeth arc broken,' because its ancestor once received in battle a blow on the face which broke his front teeth. Another derivation is from khand, ' sugar,' because the tribe
' *~But7rmust have been later, while Huaaayiln and Karar4n were engaged iu their final
struggle beyond the Hindu Koh..
t Pi. of ra6b (Arab.), 'lord.' , , • , .u
jYifis received from N lib (Noah) the famous stone which produced rain and other
blessings.
§ Uisiory of the Sikhs, p.
492 Khand custom,
once entertained a king who had come into its territory to hunt with bread and sugar. The name no doubt; suggests some connection with Gandhdra, the ancient name of the Peshawar valley, but the tribal tradition is that Mahmud of Ghazoi on his return from one of his expeditions to Hindu9td,n brought the Khands back with hiin from some part of the Punjab and settled them in the Peshdwar valley which was then uninhabited and filled with thick jungle.^ The tribe, on the other hand, says it was converted to Islam before the time of Mahmud's con- quests, though its head assumed his name as a compliment, to him. Its leader.^, who affect; the title of arhdh, claim descent from this Mahmud Khdxi and his brother Muhammad Kh^n. In appearance the Khands do not differ from the other inhabitants of the valley, and the ordinary tribesmen are hardly distinguished from their Awd,n neighbours. In- deed they are often called, and call themselves, AwiCns, though the latter tribe does not admit the kinship. The Khands however claim to be superior to the Awd-ns, and the ham ins or menials of Khand villages are actually called Awdns. Both tribea speak Hindko as well as Pashto.
The Khands commonly intermarry with Awans, as well as with Pathdns ; and marriage with the kamins who are called Awdns is also allowed provided they do not follow an unch-an occupa- tion. Marriage with impure castes such a*^ Mochis and Cham^rs is also forbidden. The Khands have no sub-divisions, though they are divided into about a score of hirddaris or brotherhoods which all intermarry, except that the arhdbs only form alliance with the birddari, named Ld,la, which is descended from Muhammad Khan. Outsiders of good caste are admitted into the tribe, if they wish it, on marriage with a Khand woman, but, unlike other married Khands, when visiting their wives^ parents they are not admitted into the women's apartments. There is no ceremony of admission. Marriage is sometimes infant, sometimes adult, and it is permistiible between cousins german. Marriages are arranged by the parents, any other beino' viewed with disfavour. Adult marriage is usual at from 15 to 20 for boys and from 13 to 16 for girls, and mari'iatje at a later age for girls is unknown, a girl who remains unmarried in her father's house being honoured rather than despisedt and succeeding on his death to a full share of his estate for life. Adultery is regarded with abhorrence, the man being heavily fined by a jirga of bis fellow-villagers and the woman divorced by her husband under the pressure of public opinion. In all othi-r observances, such as weddings and funerals, the general Muhammadan custom prevails, but inheritance is governed by custom not by Muhammadan Law. The Khands are Suunis and affect four well known zidrats within their borders, viz., those of Akhun Darweza Sahib, Mid,n Shaikh Urar S^hib, Akhun Panja Sdhib, and K^ka Sahib. None of these was a Khand or has any particular connection with the tribe. Annual fairs are held at their shrines. The most noteworthy is that of the Kdka S^hib, which takes place
* Contrast this tradition with the statement made in the history of the Khalils, at the time of whose advent to the Peshawar valley it was extremely fertile. The Khalil chiefs are also styled arhdb.
t The institution of musalla-nashini, so common in the Rawalpindi district, is clearly alluded to.
Khandoya — Khdnzdda, 493
on 16th — 20th Rajab, as it is said that the saint died on one of these days. The Kd.ka S^hib lived in the timo of Aurangzeb and is therefore comparatively modern. Rut on the anniversary of his death, at the time of the fair, his people, the Kaka Khel Pa^hdns, put out cooked meats and rice, etc., by the shrine, which are then carried off by the pilgrims.
Khandoya, a tribe (agricultural) found in Jhelum. They appear to be a branch of the Chauhjln Rljputs.''^
Khandye, a Kamboh claa (agricultural) found in Araritsar.
Khanqurwah, a synonym of Kh^nzdda, q. v.
Khanjan, a Jd,t clan (agricultural) found in Araritsar.
Khanna, lit. * half/ a section of the Khatris.
Khandana, a sept of the Sidls.
Khanzada. — A tribe of Rajputs, practically conBned to the Gurg^on district in the Punjab but also found in Alwar, in which State, Captain Powlett thus described them : —
" They are the Mew4ti chief;) of tho Persian historians, who were probably the repre- sentatives of the ancient Lords of Mewat. These Mewatis are called Khanz^das, a race which, though Musalm^n like the .Meos, was and is socially far euperior to the Meoa, and has no love for them; but who in times past have united with them in the raids and insurrections for which Mewafc was so famous, and which made it a thorn in the side of Delhi emperors. In fact, the expression Mewati usually refers to the ruling class, while Meo designates the lower orders. The latter term is evidently not of modern Origin, though it is not, I believe, met with in history ; and the former is, I think, now unusual Khanzada having taken its place.
"The Khaazadas are numerically insignificaut, and they cannot now be reckoned among the arishocracy. In social rank tliey are far above rho Meos, and though probably of more recent Hiudu extraction, they are better Musalmans. They observe no Hindu festivals and will not acknowledge that thoy pay any respect to Hindu shrines. But Brahmans take part in their marriage contracts, and they obseive some Hindu marriage ceremonies. Though generally as poor and ignorant as the Meo3, they unlike the latter say their prayers, and do not let their women work in the Belds.
"They are not first-rate agriculturists, the seclusion of their women giving them a disadvantage beside most other castes. Some have emigrated and taken to trade in the Gangetic cities, but these have no connection now with the original Kh4nzada country. Those who have not abandoned the traditions of their clan are often glad of military ser- vice, and about fifty are in British resjiments. In the service of .^he Alwar State there are many. There are 26 Khanzada villages in the State, in most of which the proprietors themselves work iu the field and follow the plough.
"The term Khanzada is probably derived from Khanazad, for it appears that Bahadur N4har, the first of the race mentioned in the Persian histories, associated himself with the turbulent slaves of Firoz Shah after the deith of the latter, and, being a pervert would contemptuously receive the name of Khanazad (slave) from his brethren. The Kh4nzadas themselves indignantly repudiate thi-t derivation, and say the word is Eh4n J4dd (or Lord Jadii), and was iatenJei to render still nobler the name of the princely Rijpnt race from which they came. Converted Jadus were called by the old Muaalm4n historians Mew4lis, a term Ohand applies to a Mewat chief of the Lunar race, of which race the JAdd Mahar4ja of Kasauli calls himself the head."
To this Mr. Channing added :—
" Khanzidas are a race who were formerly of much more importance than at present; they claim to have been formerly Jadii RAjputs, and that their ancestors Lakhan Pal and Sumitr Pal, who dwelt at Tahangirh in Bhartpur, were converted to Islim in the reign of Firoz Shah (A, D. 1351 to 1388">, who gave Lakh.in P4l the name of Nihir Shin and Sumitr Pdl the name of Bahddur Kh4n, and in recognition of their high descent called
* Punjab Record, 83 of 1896,
404 Khar — Khariah.
them Kh4nz4das and made them bear rule Id Mew4t. At first they are said to have lived at Sarahta near Tij4ra, and afterwards, according to tradition, they possessed 1,484 villages. However ttis may be, there is no doubt that they were the rnling race in Mewat down to the time of Babar ; since then they have gradually declined in importance, and uow in this district own only a few villages near Xuh and to the north of Firozpur. 'J'races of their former importance exist at Sohun, Bundsi, and Kotila, Kotila was one of their chief fortresses ; the village is situated in a small valley, wholly surrounded hj the hill, except where a small funnel-like pass gives entrance to it. In front of this pass is the JKotila jhil, and when this is filled with water the only road to the pass lies along a narrow strip of land between the lake and the hill. The remains of a breastwork along the face of the hill and across the mouth of the pass still exist, while on the hill above the village is a small ruined fort. The village now belongs to Meos. Some of the build- ings bear witness to its former greater importance, I have a suspicion that they are more intimately connected than they acknowledge with the Meos, whom they seem to me to resemble in personal appearance. They do not oidinarily intermarry with Meos, but the Meo inhabitants of five villages in the Firozpnr tahsil profess to have been formerly Khiuzadas, and to have become Meos by intermarriage. Their traditions also, which point to Sarahta as their ancient hon:e, agl'ee, I think it will be found, with those of more than one clan of Meos. If my supposition that the Meos are converted Miuas is correct, I am inclined to suspect that the Khanzadas are the representatives of the noble class among the Aboriginal population. Tod mentions an Asil of unmixed class among the Minas, known as Mainas." '
Tlie Khanzddas of Gurgaon call themselves J^dubansi by clan, and they commonly say that this is their only groi. Khd,nz^da, or "the son of a Khan," i^ precisely the Musalmaa equivalent to the Hindu Rdjput or "son of a RAja" ; and there can be little doubt that the Khdnz^das are to the Meos what the Rdjputs are to the Jdts.
Khak, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Malt5,n. It traces its origin to the Kharrala of Montgomery and Lahore, accounting for its truncated name by a tale that once a party of Kharrals from the Lahore Bar encamped near a field of sugarcane in Multan and cut the cane to feed their cattle and make huts of it. When the owner of the field complained they declared that they thought the cane was a kind of reed. So they were dubbed khar, 'ass' in Persian.
Khara, a Jat tribe, fouad it N^bha. It claims Chbatriya descent, and sajs its ancestor hela office at the Delhi court, but his son Khdra became a robber and went to Khandur where he married a woman of another tribe and so became a Jdt. The Kharas believe in a sidh whose shrine is at Khandur and there they offer fanjeri, etc. They do not use milk or curd until it has been offered at the shrine. On the 5th of the second half of Baisd,kh, Maghar and Jeth special offerings are made there. The tidh was a Khara who used to fall asleep while grazing his cattle. One day his head was cut off by robbers, but he pur- sued them for some yards and the spot where he fell is no«v his shrine, and though the Khfiras have left Khandur the sidh is still worshipped.
Khara, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar and in Moutgomery ; in the latter district it is Hindu as well as Muhammadan.
Kharak, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kharal, lit. a mortar, a tribe found in the southern part of the Rachn^ Dodb : see Khairal.
Khari, E. H. I., V. 278. Possibly the Khattril, q. v.
Khariah, apparently an offshoot of the Bajwd, J^ts, descended from Kals, one of the two sons of Rajd, iShalip, the Bajju. Kals had a son by name D^wa, whose three sons were Muda, Wasr and Nana, surnamed Chacbra,
•tyim
A. C^ -«-«• A ""^f ^*<-
^ iU 'U ci u/^
been ol\f''^:l\:\fZi'''''''''- ^''^^ ^^ '^^y ^-e
apparently conne:[ed with E^ JagdeT^Tl:'" ^"r ?^^ '''' give wives to Khichis and aH-J,^, /"^y practise i-arewa :
Chaddrar«, Kara.kJ! ut.tuZat^l "' *''' ''^"^ O'^'^^^^'
Kharidla-^- Kharral. 496
Khawala, apparently a sjnonym for, or a class of, Mirasi.
Khaeoka, au agricultural clan found in SMhpur.
Kharopar, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Khaeoba. — A small clan of J^ts found in Ndbha. Uppal, their ancestor, ruled at Bard,gaon, a Muliammadan village of Patid^la. When he went to pay the revenue into the treasury he got himself recorded as its owner and in their resentment the people murdered him. His wife on her way to her father's house, gave birth to a son, on a hard piece of ground, whence the name Kharauda or Kharora.
KHAiiOTi, a Pathd,n tribe occupying the hills near the sources of the Gumal and the Histrict of Warghun or Arghun to the west of the Sulim^ukhel country and south by east of Ghazni. 'J'liey generally arrive in the plains towards the end of November and depart in May. Their A;iVr/s or encampments during the Avinter are located near Tank, Mulazai and Paharpur. They are a poor tribe, and have been nearly ruined by a long and unequal contest .with the Sulimankhels. This feud, though allowed to rest duj'ing their stay iu Hindustan, breaks out afresh as soon as they re-enter the hills ; though attempts have latterly been made by the Deputy Commissioner with some success to bring the two tribes to terms. Most of the Kharotis engage as labourers and carriers like the Nasirs. A large proportion of them are charra folk. Some are merchants, and trade in dried fruit and madder.
Che Kharoti were identified by Bellew with the Arachoti of Alexan- der's historians, but though they dwell in the ancient Arachosia, it is difficult to accept that theory. They claim descent from Tdkhi, mother of Hotak, grandson of Ghilzai, but the Tokhi themselves say they are descended from a foundling adopted by their tribe. Bellew was pro- bably right in saying that they and the Nasirs ai-e of different origin to the mass of the Ghilzai.
Khabral. — The Kharrals would appear to be a true Rajput tribe, though a very considerable portion of them are styled Jat. The Rajput Kharrals of Bahawalpur return their main tribe- as Bhatti. The few Kharrals in Jullundur are there recognised as Rdjpuls and those of Montgomery claim descent from Riija Karan. The Kharrals are found in large nun;bers only along the valley of the Rd,vi, from its junction with the Chenab to the boundary between Lahore and Montgomery ; while a few have spread up the Deg river into the Lahore and Gujrdnwd-la bar, and smaller numbers are found all along" the Sutlej valley as high up as Ferozepnr. The tribes of this portion of the Rd,vi, are divided into two classes, the Great Ravi tribes and the Nikki or Little Rd,vi tribes. Among the former tribes the Kharrals arc the most northerly and one of the most important. They are themselves divided into two factions, the upper Ravi and lower Ravi, the head-quarters of the latter being at Kot Kamalia. The two are at bitter feud, and the only tie between them is their hatred of their common enemy, the Sial Rajputs of Jliang. The Kamdlia Kharrals rose to some prominence in the time of Alamgir, and still hold remains of grants then made them, but the upper Kharrals are now the more powerful branch of the two. The Kharrals have ever been notorious for turbulence, and Mr. Purser's Montgomery Settlement Report contains details of their doings before and under Sikh rule, while the
4d6 ' The Kharrats.
hisfcory of the family is narrated in full at pages 509/?" of Griffin's Panjab Chiefs. They trace their origin from one Bhupa, a descendant of Rd,ja Karan, who settled at Uch and was there converted by Makhdum Shah Jahd-nidn. From Uch they moved up to their present territory. There are now very few in the Multan district; but the fact of their being found along the Sutlej, though in small numbers only, lends some support to the story of their iiaving come upwards from below. Captain Blphinstone thus described the Kharrals in his Gugaira Settlement Report : —
" The ' Kharrals ' are the most northerly of the ' Great R4vi ' tribes. They occupy a great portion of the land between Gagaira and the Lahore district, on both sides of the river, and extend some distance into the Gujranwala district. In turbulence and courage they have been always considered to excel all the others except the Kathias ; but the tract occupied by them has been gradually denuded by the rapid extension of cultivation, of what formerly constituted their greatest strength, — heavy jungle. In case of disturb- ances, therefore, they have had at more recent periods to evacuate their own lands on the approach of large military forces, thus sustaining much damage by the destruction of their villages. Their most celebrated leader, Ahmad Khan, who was killed in September 1857 by a detachment under Captain Black, beaded the combined tribes, however, in no less than five insnrrections, which to a certain extent &11 proved successful, their chief object — the plunder of the Khatris and Hindus — having usually been accomplished at the expense of a moderate fine imposed on them under the name of nasardna, after the con- clusion of peace. This success had spread his renown far and wide, and had given him a great influence over the whole of the ' Great Bavi,' as was proved by the outbreak of 1857, which appears to have been mainly planned and organized by him. In stature the Kharrals are generally above the average height, their features are very marked, and their activity and endurance are remarkable. Like all the other Jats they pretend to a descent from the Rajputs, and like that class look down with some contempt upon men who handle the plough. The cultivation in their villages is, therefore, almost exclusively left to the Wasiwans and inferior castes, the Kharral proprietors contenting themselves with realizing their share of the produce. They only possess land in tracts inundated by the rivers, mere well-cultivation being too laborious a task even for their dependants."
Mr. Purser adds that they are wasteful in marriage expenditurOi hospitable to travellers, thievish, and with little taste for agriculture ; and that they still follow many Hindu custorjs, especially on the occa- sion of marriage. In Lahore they appear to bear a no belter character than in Montgomery ; and there is a Persian proverb : " The Dogar, the Bhatti, the Wattu, and the Kharral are all rebellious and ought to be slain. '^ Sir Lepel Griffin wrote of them: "Through all historic times the Kharrals have been a turbident, savage, and thievish tribe, ever impatient of control, and delighting in strife and plunder. More fanatic than other Muhammadan tribes, they submitted with the greatest reluctance to Hindu rule ; and it was as much as Diwdn Sd,waii Mai and the Sikhs could do to restrain them ; for whenever an organised force was sent against them they retired into the marshes and thick jungles, where it was almost impossible to follow them." In Gujr^nwd,la they are said to be 'Mdle, troublesome, bad cultivators and notorious thieves, their persons generally tall and handsome, and their habits nomad and praedatory."
From notes collected by Mr. E. D. Maclagan in Jhang it appears that the Kharrals in that District claim to be Punw^rs* and connected with Kaja Jagdeo, not Karn. They say they have been on the Ravi from time immemorial. They practise kareica (which accounts for their
* This accords with the Multan tradition that the Langhas are Punwars and allied to the Kharrals, Earrald, Baatias and Lake: Multan Qazeiteer, 1902, p. 138.
K7> ^
14
NOTES — CONTINUED.
Of these Jaisal was the first to come west : he came to Ddnd- bdd ia Montgomery. After Kharral's time the tribe began to separate to Jamra and elsewhere Va^ii is the head of the Kamdlia section : and Akil's descendants live south of this. Jagdeo was a great king with long arms that reached below his knee : and he could break a tills (staff) over his knees.
Butta or Butti Sultan was a Kharral Chief in the Ghor times, v/ho was converted to Isldm by Pir Sher Shah Sayad Jaldl. The following ballad about him was given by the Pandndwala Mirasi : —
Kdk de dar de Solgf
Aise unchhe Butte Rd sai, Sadd has banara te Kdknai ; Samundri sota juldhin
A si dhrdan, Butte Sultdn ; Ambar pakar tu leii^ bdhi :
A si dhrdan, Butta Sultdn ; Awwe he din.
The same Mirasi gave the Kharral Rdj^ Panjnad ke,
Babar kd muniad tikdnd,
Kharral kd hukm Ldhaur te.
When the Solgi tribe fled from fear of the Kdk
To the mighty Butte Edo,
We lived at Kdkanai ;
Thou art a sea, we a river,' comfort us {let swing).
We are weak, Sultdn Butta ;
Do thou, who art like the sky, take us by the arm :
We are weak, Butta Sultdn ;
We have this moment como,
following chap : —
The Kharrals are Bdjas of the Panjnad (apparently meant for Punjab),
And have been Bdbar's iime.
there since
The Kharrals rule as far as Lahore,
Nal Nawdba te kaEs kamdna.
They draw the bow along with Nawdbs,
\ NOTES— CONTINUED. 13
The following genealogy ia given, by the Mirasi at PAndndwdla ia the Chiniot Tahsll of the Jhang District : —
\
/
Ptinwdr,
I
^ Udddip.
J^ I
^ Jagdeo.
I
Karral.
I
Oaidal.
Salaagi. Vimi&n. / \ Butta.
Airs.
I Jajja.
I
Jaiaal,
I
Ehiva.
I
Eharral,
Buddh.
1
Qaddaa.
[
Deore.
I
IMratli.
\
Sareg.
Jagsia,
I
Kaalra.
\ V4si5. Visa.
Jaiasa.
I
Upa.
Jsita.
S&lilL.
f Mollis.
\
r r^ — ^
Ulnar, BbdgiS. Dulla. Yaqtib. Bajadfi.
r r^ i — r — '^
8ard&d. Allad&d. Fiia. FaDJa. Firoz« I
Quna. Takktu.
r— I K
Bdja. Bega. Fatur.
A Kharral i^edigree.
407
being ranked as J^t*) and give wives only to Khichis and Aw^us, but take tliem from Chaddrars, Kamokes, Harrala and even Sials. But in the Chen^b colony at any rate they do not appear to get wives from Si^ls, and for that tribe we should read Othwdls in that tract. They o-ive a long pedigree which is reproduced here to make what follows clea;? : —
Punwar.
I Udadlp.
Jagdeo.
Kasim
Karral.
I Gaidal.
Sulangi.
I Vimian.
I Butta.
I Aira.
I Jajja.
Jaisal.
I Ranu.
Khiva.
Kharral.
Buddh.
Gaddan.
1 Deore.
Udratli.
I Sareg.
I Jagsin.
I Kaulra,
^Kaulra.)
Vasu.
1
Visa.
.1 Jaissa.
I Upa.
I Jaita.
Salih.
Maihi.
Umar.
I Yaq-ub,
Rajada. I
Bhagii.
1 Dullu.
r r
Sardad. AUadad. Pira. Panja.
Firoz.
Q^iua.
Takhtu.
r
1
Bija. Bega. Fatilr,
L .
Mani.
Sahi.
Mai.
r
Akil. I
"~1
Vanam. Gulla.
\ "^
Jain. Sarwar. Sajawal. (?)
f
Sahi.
!
Rustam,
I
Ldl.
I
Hassan.
I Satar.
I Daulat Khan (at present living in Pandnawala).
Mai. I
Amir.
Nathu. I Ahmad Khan (the rebel of 1857).
I
Muhammad Khin
of J^mra in Montgomery.
Of these Jaisal was the first to corae west to Dan^bd,d in Montgomery. After Kharral's time the tribe began to disperse to Jamra and elsewhere, Vdsu is the head of the Kamfllia section : and Akil's descendants live south of it. Jajjdeo was a great king with long arras that reached below his kuees : and he could break a tilis (staff) over his knees.
* In Sh^hpur alao the Kharrals are classed as J.'it (agricultural).
498 Kharral clan.
Butta or Butti Sultan was a Kharral chief in the time of Muhammad of Ghor, and was converted to IsIiIdi by Pir Slier fehah Sayyid Jaldl. The following ballad about him was given by a mirasi of the tribe : —
Kdh de dar de Solcji
Aise unchhe Butte Rd sdi, Sddd has handrd te Kdhnai ; Smnundri sota juldhin,
Asi dhrdan, Butte Sultan; Ambar fokar tii leiia bdhi ;
Asi dhr&an, Butta Snltdn ; Awwe he din.
When the Solgi tribe fled from fear of the
Kak To the mighty Butte Rdo, We lived at Kakanai ; Thou art a sea, we a river, comfort us
{let swing). We are weak, Sultan Butta ; Do thou, who art like the sky, take us by
the arm : We are weak, Butta Sultan ; We have this moment come.
The same mirasi gave the following chajp : —
Kharral Rdjd Panjnad ke, j The Kharrals are Rajas of the Panjnad,* Bdbur M munidd tikdnd. And have been there since Babar's time.
Kharral l-d hukm Ldhaur te. The Kharrals rule as far as Lahore.
Ndl Naiv&ba te hass hamdnd. \ They draw the bow along with Nawabs.
The Kharrals of the Sandal Bd;r are the most satisfactory of all the nomad tribes in the Chendb Colony, now included in the Lyallpur dis- trict. Usually above the average height j.nd good looking, with marked features; they are at least the equals of the Sid,ls in strength and ac- tivity, and the latter decline to give them an opportunity of measuring strength at two ends of a rope. Some of their leaders are remarkably energetic and intelligent. Once largely addicted io female infanticide, the Kharrals have quite given up that practice and in the Colony now number as many females as males. Like other nomads of the Bdr the Kharrals are averse to sleeping under a heavy roof and prefer a small thatched cottage. They have a tradition that the Prophet Sulaim^n forbade them to sleep in roofed houses under penalty of the extinction of the family and their proverb ran :
Kharral di paMii, na ghun na mahhi,
' A Kharral is free from troubles, for he lives in a thatched hut/
The Kharrals have several clanp. The Lakhera, which has its head- quarters at Kot Kamdlia, an ancient town refounded by Kam^l Khd,n, its chief in the 14th century, was never numerically strong as a clan but it attained some importance under SaMaty^r Khdn of Kamd,lia who obtained a, jagir in the reign of Alamgir. The Lakhera were, however, at feud with the Upera Kharrals of the upper Havi and succumbed to the Sidls even in Saddaty^r Khan's lifetime. They regained their in- dependence, but onlv to bo conquered by the Nikkdi Sikhs and had in recent times largely lost all control over the Bdr, only a few Baloch tribes, with their old adherents, the Kathidas, Baghelas and Wahniw61s, standing by them. Most of the Kharrals in the Colony belong to the Upera clan.
Two clans, often called Chuhrera Kharrals, class themselves as Kharrals, but they do not really belong to the tribe. These are the Piroke and -Idldlke and they are called Cbuhrora, because the famous Chuhra dacoit Sdndal, who gave hig uaine to the Sdndal Bar,t refused to
♦ Apparently meant for Punjab.
|For another derivation see under Shoondal,
Kharsin—Khds'KUeli. 499
allow the KLarrals to graze in it^ unless they provided him with a bride. To this degradation the Kharrals at last assented, and when he went to fetch his wife Sandal was received with great Donip, but he and his companions were treacherously blown up with gun-powder con* cealed under the grass on which the feast was spread. The Kharrals then took the Chuhra women to wife. Their descendants are the Chuhrera Kharrals and their appearance is said to give colour to the tradition.
The Kharrals in Bahawalpur have 15 septs : — Jag-sin, Salar-sin, Gugera, Taghera, Mamkhera, Chuharera, Sahi, Bhandara, Ran-sin, Jagwera, Fatwera, Jaswera, Darwesha, and Chahlak, andGaddan, and 4 small mulims or sub-septs Kakla, Jameka, Paropi^, and Miana.
There are two famous rehgious families of Kharrals (i) the Sahib» Z'^dagdn-i-Maharwi and Mangherwi, the descendants of Khwaja Nur Muhammad, the Qibla-i-Alim, and (ii) the Mians of the Sahib-us-Sair shrine. Both own vast areas, and Midu Fazl Haq, Mangherwi, pays R.s. 10,000 a year in land revenue.
Khaesin, see Gharsin.
Kharwal, see GharwaT;.
Kharwala, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
Kharye, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Khash, Khaush, a class or group of Kanets found in KuUu and in the Simla Hill States of Kotkbai, Balsan, Jubbal, Bashahr, etc. It comprises a number of hhels, such as the Khashta in Kanaur. The Khash takes Kuran girls in marriage, but does not give them to Kur^ns. The Khash is also styled Katal, q. v. In Bashahr the Khash Kanets who hold good positions in the State service and so on observe the rites of the Biahmans and other twice-burn castes.
Khasha, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Khasob, Kha&sur, a Pathd,n sept which with the Umr Khel and Malli Khel forms a small tribe which holds the so called Khasor hills on the south-western extension of the Salt Range which lies on the right bank of the Indus. The Khasor belong to the Mati division of the Pathans and claim descent from Ibrahim the Lodi, son of Bibi Mato, daughter of Shaikh Bait. Ibrahim\s son Siilnai had tAvo sons, Prangi and Ismd,il and the former had nine sons, one of whom was named Khasyur, the ancestor of the Khassurs. Ibbetson dates their settlement in the hills of the Khassur Afghans early io the 13th century, but it was probably somewhat later.
Khas-Kheli, a tribe found in Bahawalpur. It is an offshoot of the M^chhis and its members were in the service of the Abbdsi Khan a. A Khas-Kheli, Ydkub Muhammad, rose to be imzir of Bahdv/al Khan^ III, but after the death of Bahdwal Khan IV their influence declined and now they have not access to the Darbar.
500 Khdti—Khaiih.
Khati,* an occupational term used in the north of Sirsa and the Phulki^n States for the carpenter and blacksmith (Lohar) and generally in the eastern plains for the carpenter, except on the Jumna where the term used is Bdrhi. Thus in Hiss^r Kdthi includes the Hindu carpenter of the south-eastern Punjab and the Suth^e or carpenter of the Bdrgar, who is a distinct tribe from the former. The Suthar too affects a certain superiority over the Khati, as he has taken to agriculture to a considerable extent while the Khd.ti has not ; and he does not intermarry with him. Many Khdtis are by sect Bishnoi, but they do nob intermarry with other Bishnoi castes such as the Bishnoi Jats. See under Tarkhan.
KHATiks.t — The Khatiks are only found in any numbers in the Jumna zone, in Sirsa, in Pati^la, and the other Phulkidu States. They are 'par excellence tanners and dyers of goats' skins, and claim to be of Hindu status because they do not eat dead animals though they use flesh and liquor. Brahma, they say, assigned to them a goat's skin, the bark of trees and lac — so they graze cattle, dye the skins of goats and deer, and tan hides with bark and lac. Their priests are Gaur Brahmans who officiate in the phera rite at weddings and in the hiria at funerals, although the Khatiks are menials, and only Chuhras and Chamara will drink water at their bunds. In the Bawal nizdmat of Nabha the Bdgri|. group is found which claims Khatri descent, and has four gots, the Jatoria named from the place whence it migrated, and the Bairiwal, Aswdl and Kenchi which three latter are numeri- cally large. Khatiks only avoid one got in marriage and allow widow remarriage. Their women wear no nose-ring. The tribe worships Bhairon and Sidh- Masani, also known as Mdt4 Masaui. At Hdjipur in Alwar, where there is a shrine of the goddess Durga, they perform children's first tonsure and the bride and bridegroom are also taken to worship at the shrine. The gurus of the Hindu Khatiks are Nanak- panthi Sikhs, yet they observe none of the Sikh tenets. In the Phul and Amloh nizdmats of Nabha are found two classes of Muhammadan Khatiks — the Rd^jput and Ghori Pathan groups, each of which is as a rule endogamous.
The Khatiks are sometimes confused with the Ghamrang, but the latter tans baffalo and ox hides with hme, and does not dye leather, so that he ranks below the Khatik who tans and dyes only sheep and goat skins, using salt and the juice of the maddr {Calotropis procera), but no lime. On the other hand, the Khatik is certainly below the Chamar because he will keep pigs and poultry, which a Chamar would not do ; and be will even act as a butcher, it is said, though this appears unlikely as he is of so low a status. He is however possibly a
* Kbati is defined by Platts {Hindustani Dicty., p. 867) to be a caste of Hindos who are generally employed as cartwrights, a carpenter. Kdth is wood or timber in Hindi and in Multani tu(/u or lidth. The derivation of Khati is obscure.
t The Khatik is a caste of Hindustan and the name is defined by Platts (Hiiidtistdni Dicty., p. 872) to mean a hunter, a low caste which keeps pigs and poultry, a tanner, i, q. Khatik. The word is used in a \ cry vague way and probably tho Hindu Khatik ■pirr-keeper of the eastern Punjab is a Purbia iaimigraut, while the Muhannnadau Khatik of the west is a Chamar who has taken to tanuiug. But in Nabha at any rate the Hindu ;^hatik is certainly a tanner.
j i, c, immigrants from the Bagaf.
/ C .' ^ c .C-u
7
'T* i -^^ r a.
:" /. ^
/
/.
r
r
Khaira — Khatri. ' 501
pork-butcher. He is also said to keep sheep and goats and twist their hair into waist bands for sale. The Khatik appears to be by origin a scavenger who is rising in tlie social scale by taking to dyeing and tanning, but has not yet attained to the status of a worker in leather. He is closely akin to the Pa',si and may even be a sub-group of that caste.
Khatka, a Hindu Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Khatrai, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
Khatki, or less correctly Khattri, fern. Khatraki dim. Khatreta, fern, -i, a child of the Khatri caste. Khatri appears to be unquestionably a Prakritised form of the Sanskr. Kshatriya. Philologically Ksbatriya appears to be connected with Sanskr. Jcshatra ' country.' The Pers. Kshatrapd, is derived from the same root and pa-, ' to protect.' Oxjord Dicty,, s. V. Satrap.
Literature assigns various origins to the Khatri caste. According to the Vishnu Parana, Bharata, the king whose name so constantly crops up in various forms in the Punjab, had nine sons, whose mothers put them to death, fearful that he would disown them as they bore no resemblance to him. Thus left sonless, Bharata sacrificed to the Maruts and they gave him Bharadwaja, son of Brihaspati by Mamatd,. Bharadwdja had four grandsons, of whom two became Brahmans while two remained Khatris, though all continued to be of the Bhd,radwaja gotra.
The Angiras-gotri Khatris are described as descended from Agni, Havishmat cr Havirbhuja, as he also called, though the Havishmats or Havismats are also said to be descendants of Angii-as and the great progenitors of the Kshatriya s.
The Kausika-gotri Khatris are of Lunar descent, through Kusa, the king who was 11th in descent from Soma and 9tli from King Pururavas. But one of Kusa's four sons had a descendant Vishvamitra whose family became Brahmans. To this gotra belongs the Khanna got of the modern Khatris.
The Kausilya or Kausalya-gotri Khatris are of Solar race, King Kausalya or Hiranyaniibha Kausilya their eponym, being 22nd iu de- scent from Raghu.
To this gotra belong the Mihii'a Khatris, the Kapura got being by gotra Kautsika.
Time was when Brahmans intermarried with Khatris on equal terms, but this has long sifice ceased to be allowed. The Sarsut or Saraswat Brahmans, who are the parokits of the Kliatris,* will, however, eat any food prepared by a Khatri, a privilege said to be denied to a Rajput. And the true Saraswat will accept gifts from Khatris alone, in accord- ance with the ancient rule that a Brahman shall only accept gifts from the warrior class.
* For instance the Jetli Sarsut, wlio are descendants of Jetal, a son of Vasishta muni priest to Ram Chandra, are 'i>uruhits of the Mihira or Mahra Khatris to this day.
502 The term Kshatriya.
Rationally iuterpreted these historical legends say clearly enough that the Khatri caste is made up of at least three probably racial ele- ments, Solar, Lunar and the Agni-kula or Fire-race. Of those races some families became Brahmans and others remained Kshatriyas. Others, according to the Mahiibharata, became Vaisyas, Sudras or even barbers.
The meaning of the word Kshatriya is usually said to be warrior, or at least the Kshatriya* is described as the warrior class. But Fick has an instructive passage on this point and says: ' Kshatriya corresponds to the Vedic rajanya and is applied to the successors of the conquering families under whose leadership the Aryan stocks had secured their new settlements in the Gangetic lands, and, also, to the overlords of tlie indigenous peoples who had been able to maintain their independence in the war against the foreign invaders. The Kshatriyas then were not by any means of one and the same race. They represented the political power and embodied the idea of a community which stood above the family, above the caste, the idea of the State. We have uo right to speak of a Kshatriya ' caste ' ill the modern sense of that term. The Kshatriyas formed a ruling class and were not necessarily warriors, any more than the army was necessarily recruited only from Kshatriyas. '
As the name of a ruling race, or as the title of several ruling fami- lies, the term Kshatriya is of great antiquity. This is not however a place for a discussion of the problems connected with the Kshatriyas' place in history. " The three great Kshatriya lines," writes Mr. Pargiter, " the Solar and Lunar and Yadava dynasties, profess to exhibit more than oO well-remembered generatioiis."t The following table of descent is compiled from his article : —
Manu Vaivasvata. I
f— i 1
Ikshviku, Dislitha or Nedisbtha. 11a, his daughter,
I ■ I
f ~ ~ ^ Pururavaa.
Solar Line. Videha Line. ^ J
I
Nahusha.
I Yay^ti.
r i ~i i 1
Yadu. Turvasu. Druhyu. Anu. Puru.
From Yadu is descended the Yadava race which developed into two lines, first the Haihaya, sprung from Sahasrajit, son of Yadu, with a branch called Tdlajangha,J and the second line descended from his son Krcshtu. From Yadu's son Puru sprang the Paurava or Lunar race, which had two branches, the North Panch^la, descended from Ajanidha, which reigned in Ahichchhatra, and the South Panchdla. Omitting the
♦ Die sociale Qliederung in Nordoestlichen Indien su Buddha s Zeit t p. 51. t See Ancient Indian Oenealogies and Chronology in J. R. A. S. 1910, pp. 1—56, by F. E. Pargiter, M. A. J Sprung from Ti,lajangha, grandson of Arjuna. Jyamagha, the Yadava, married a Shaivyu priucesij.
Kshatriya history. 503
dynasties which had no connection with tho Punjab, we learn that the descendants of Yay^ti's son Ann branched oui in tho north-west into the Punjab tribes of tlie Kekayas, Shivis, etc. Shivi, son of Ushinara of this line had four song who orij^inated the Vrishadarbhas, Suviras, Kekayas or Kaikayas and Madras of the Punjab.
The earliest and greatest Vishvdmitra was the son of Gd-dhi or Gd,- thin, king of Kanyakubja, and his Kshatriya name was Vishvaratha. Gddhi's daughter Satyavali was married to the risM Richika Bhdrgava and had a son Jamadagni, whose youngest son was Rama.
Kritavirya, king of the Haihayas, had the Bhdrgavas* as his priests and endowed them with preat wealth. During the reign of his son Arjuna, who reigned at Mandhata on the Narrnada river, the Haihayas endeavoured to recover this wealth from the Bhdrgavas and, failing to do so, killed or dispersed them. 'I'liis brought them into conOict with Rdma, as Arjuna or his sons had robbed Jamadagui, Uie Bhd-rgava, so Rilma killed Arjuna, and in revenge the latter's sons murdered Jama- dagni. Rdma swore vengeance on the Kshatriy as, destroyed all Arjuna's sons, save 6ve, and thousands of Haihayas ; and moreover he extended his hostility to all Kshatriyas and exterminated them, according to the legend, 21 times. But in spite of this ^extermination' the Haihayas and Td,lajanglias soon after overran the whole of North India, which was simultaneously invaded by foreign hoides from the north-west.
The curious story which connects Rama and his brother Shatrughna •with the Yd/davas, explains some important territorial facts. Madhu, called king of the D6navas,t was a Yadava and his realm extended from Guzerat to the Madhu-vana or forest on the Junma. Fourth ia descent from him reigned Sattvata whose son Bhima was contemporary with Rd,ma. Shatrughna killed Lavana, J the local ruler, felled the forest and founded Mathura, but after Rd,ma^s death Bhima recovered the city and his son Andhaka reigned there, but Mathura continued to be also called iShurasena, after Shatrughna's son who had held charge of it. Kans, a descendant of Andhka, reigned there however in the Pdndavas' time. Samvarana, the Bhdrata, was driven out of his kingdom by the Panchdlas and sought refuge in a fortress on the Sindhu for many years, ui'til a Vasishtha became his priest and encouraged him to recover his realm. Samvarana's expulsion from it must have been effected by Sudds, who defeated the kings on the Parushni (Rdvi), after subduing the Lunar kingdom of the Bharatas. His conquests stirred up against him the tribes to the west, such as the Yddavas, of Mathura, the Shivas, or Shivis, descendants of Anu, the Druhyus, or Gd,ndhd,ras, apparently a tribe which gave its name to Gandhdra (the Peshd^war valley), the Matsyas§ (to the west of Mathura), the Turvasha, probably on the north-west of Sudas' kingdom. Samvarana's dispossession lasted over Sahadeva's reign into Somaka's, and the story o-oes that he sacrificed his first-born son Jantu in order to obtain others.
* The modern Dhusars, or Bhargava Dhusars,
t A word still found in the Simla Hills in legends of local gods, but not as the name of
X Doubtless the Lau of Punjab legend. § We may surmise the Meos.
504 Kshatriya functions.
This barbarous piece of magic apparently drove Vasishtha to espouse Samvarana's cause, the more so in that his own sons had been put to death by Sudas' descendants. After Samvai-ana came Kuru, who gave his name to the Kurukshetr. His descendants, the Kauravas, fought the great fii?ht with the Pd,ndavas and with that event nearly all the genealogical lists of the Kshatrijas end, as if an era of considerable pi'osperity and refinement had abruptly ceased. Whatever the historical facts may have been there is hardly a name in the semi- mythical legends of the modern Punjab which does not appear in the Kshatriya chronicles.
Quite apart from the resemblance of the names Kshatriya and Khatri the position of the Kshatriya in ancient times finds very close parallels in his relations to the modern Hindu castes in the Punjab. The ancient Kshatriya literature was imbued with the historical spirit. The Kshatriyas played a very great part in the early days of Indian history and a consideration of the literature originated by them is essential to a right understanding of those times. We have the results of their literary aptitude in the Epics and Puranas, overlaid though they be with Brahminioal accretions. The general trend of the ancient Kshatriya teachinor was monotheistic and ethical. It was not anti-Brahminical but anti-Biahmanist, and opposed to the orthodox Brahmaism of the older Upanishads, which was mainly taught by the Brahmans of the Madhyadesa. The Sdnkhva-Yoga and Bhagavata systems are both in their origins connected with a number of Kshatriya names.
It is hardly necessary to point how modern Sikhism reproduces in a most striking Avay all that is distinctive in the relations of the ancient Kshatriya to the masses of the Hindu peoples of Northern India. The position of the Be»li, the Sodhi and other quasi-sacred sections of the Khattris, as the teachers and leaders of the J^ts and other tribes, is essentially that which they occupied in the time of the Mahd,bharata, and it wonld be of great interest to investigate whether the modern Khatri teaching is based on any literary or traditional descent from the old Kshatriya literature.
Though all the names preserved in the Epics and Purdnas belong to pre-history, many generations after the war of the Mahd,bhdrata elapsed before the Kshatriya 4ynasties ended. Thus the Solar line terminates with Rdjd, Sumitra, 30th in descent from Brihadhal, who was killed by Arjuu's son Abhimanyu ; and the Lunar ends with Kshemak, 25th in descent from Arjun's grandson.
The well-known legend tells how Parasu Rama, the Brahman and the sixth incarnation of Vishnu exterminated the Kshatriyas in 21 attacks, and not content with slaughtering the men he destroyed even the infants in the womb. So the Kshatriya women fled to the
* Dr. G A. Grierson holds that there was in ancient India a long struggle for supremacy between the Brahmans and the Kshatriyas; that the K urukshetra or Madhyadesa was the centre of Brahmaism, all the surrounding countries being unorthodox, their unorthodoxy being fostered by learned Kshatriyas. Some of these kshatriyas found an asylum in the tracts to the enst and south of the IMadhyadesa, among the Panchalas who permitted poly- andry like the modern J4ts ; and that the f',ns et origo of the Mahabharata war was the insult offered by Drupada, the Kshatriya king of the Panchalas, to a Brahraana who sought a refuge with the Kurus, so that in its essence the war of the Mahabharata was a cult war between the Brahmaist Kurus and the Kshatriya-guided Panchalas. J. R. A. S., 1908^ pp. 843.4.,
The Punjah Kshatriyas. 505
Sarsut Brahraans of Kurukshetr on the Saraswati and when Parasu Rama demanded their surrender the Brahmans declared them their own daughters. Parasu Rama in his wrath bade them eat ]:acha hhojan (unlawful food) from their hands as a test of the relationship and only when they did so did he spare the women. So their children were called Khatris instead of Chhatris.*
The clironology of i\\& Kshatriyas is still largely a matter of conjec- ture^ and it is not until the period of tlieir decadence sets in that actual history begins. " In tho Piiranic lists the earliest dynasty which can claim historical reality," writes Mr. Vincent Smith, "is that known as the Saisunaga, from the name of its founder ' Sisuud,ga ' — or Sheshndg." And the first of this dynasty of whom anything substantial is known is Bimbisara, or Srenika, the fifth of his line. He ruled circa B.C. 519. This dynasty was certainly of foreign origin and during its ascendancy much of the Western Punjab formed the Persian satrapies of India and Gandaria. Mahanandin, the last of the Saisundga dynasty, had a son by a Sudra woman and he usurped the throne, establishing the Nanda dynasty which wagged wars of extermination against the Kshatriyas. The last of the Nine Nandas was in turn deposed by Chandragupta Manrya (321 B. C), who found his opportunity in the troubles conse- quent on Alexander's death in 823 B. C. and became master of north- western India before he seized the throne of Magadha.
But to retrace our footsteps still further back for a moment, it may be of interest to see whether the Kshatriyas were still existent in the Punjab at the time of the Macedonian invasion.
It is difficult to accept the identification of the Xafchroi of Alexander's historians with the Kshatriya, though McCriadie appears to favour it. The Xatliroi lay between the Indus and the lower course of the Chenab (Akesines). Elsewhere McCrindle identifies the Xathroi with the Kshiitri,t a low caste quite distinct from the Kshatriya, [Ancient India, its Invasion hy Alexander, pp. 847 and 156). It is tempting to identify Poras with Paurava, but he is nowhere described as a Xathros or a satrai:)vs, as he would have been if he had been a Kshatriya. M. Sylvain Levi identifies Phegeus or Phegelas whose territory lay between the Ravi and the Beas,wit.h BhagalaJ — the name of a royal race of Kshatriyas which the Gana-patha classes under the rubric Biihu, etc., with the name even of Taxilas, Omphis, (Sanskr. Ambhi) : Ihid. p. 401.
After the Christian era we find the rulers of Brdhmaur, now the Ohamba State, bearing the Kshatriya affix Varma for a long period, froin A. D. 620 to about the end of the 16tli century. §
From the debris of the Kshatriya dynasties sprang the Rujpnt fami- lies, but the exact process of the transformation is obscure. Tradition has it that the rishis created the four Agnikul Kshatriyas, the Prahar, Sulankhi, Panwara and Chauhiln (names unknown to the earlier Ksha- triya history) to fight against the infidels. From these Agnikuls sprang the 36 Rajput Chhatris or Kajput houses of Kajputana. But these are Tod held, doubtless rightly, not pure Kshatriyas, but descend-
* P. N. Q., I, § 578.
fThe Kshatris are unknown in the modern Punjab.
X Mr. Vincent Smith says Bhagala or Bhagela (whelp) q.v. : Early Hist, of India, 1st ed., p. 34.
§ Chamba Oazetteer, 1904, pp. GO to 8G. Varma was not a Rajput, but a Kshatriya affix, as Sharma was a Brahman and Gupta a Vaisya affix.
506 The Khatri described.
ants (at least in some cases) of converted Buddhists, Huns and Tak- shaks, affiliated to the purer Kshatriya families. It is quite certain that the Rd,jputs are a far later development than the Kshatriyas.
The Khatri occupies a very different position among the people of the Punjab from that of the other mercantile castes. Superior to them in physique, in manliness, and in energy, he is not, like tliem, a mere shop-keeper, but a direct representative of the Kshatriya of Manu. The following extract from Sir George Campbell's Ethnology of India admirably describes the position of the Khatri : —
'* Trade is their main oooupatioii ; but in fact they have broader and more distinguish- ing features. Besides monopolising the trade of the Punjab and the greater part of Afghanistan, and doing a good deal beyond those limits, they are in the Panjab the chief civil administrators, and have almost all literate work in their hands. So far as the Sikhs have a priesthood, they are, moreover, the priests or gnrus of the Sikhs. Both Nanak and Govind were, and the Sodis and Bed is of the present day are, Khatria. Thus then they are in fact in the Punjab, so far as a more energetic race will permit them, all that Mahratta Brahmins are in the Mahratta country, besides engrossing bhe trade which the Mahratta Brahmins have not. They are not usually military in their character, but are quite capable of using the sword when necessary. Diwan Sawan Mai, governor of Multan, and his notorious successor Mnlraj, and very many of Ranjit Singh's chief functionaries, were Khatris. Even under Muhammadau rulers in the weat, thfy have risen to high administrative posts. There is a record of a Khatri Diwan of Badakshan or Kunduz; and I believe, of a Khatri governor of Pesha'w^nr under the Afghans. The emperor Akbar's famous minister, Todur Mai, was a Khatri; and a relative of that man of undoubted energy, the great Commissariat contractor of Agra, Joti Parshad, lately informed me that he also is a Khatri, Altogether there can be no doubt that these Khatris are one of the most acute, energetic, and remarkable races in India, though in fact, except loca.lly in the Punjab, they are not much kno'vn to Europeans. The Khatria are staunch Hindus; and, it is somewhat singular that, while giving a religion and priests to the Sikhs, they them- selves are comparatively seldom Sikha. The Khatris are a very fine, fair, handsome race. And, as may be gathered from what I have already said, they are very generally educated.
" There is a large subordinate cliss of Khatris, somewhat lower, but of equal mercantile energy, called Rors, or Roras. The proper Khatris of higher grade will often deny all connexion with them, or at least only admit that they have some sort of bastard kindred with Khatris ; bat I think there can be no doubt that they are ethnologically the same, and they are certainly mixed up with Khatris in their avocations. I shall treat the whole kindred as generically Khatris.
" Speaking of the Khatris then thug broadly, they have, as I have said, the whole trade of the Punjnb and of most of Afghanistan. No village can get on without the Khatri who keeps the accounts, does the banking business, and buys and sells the grain. They seem, too, to get on with the people better than most traders and usurers of this kind. In Afghanistan, among a rough and alien people, the Khatris are as a rule confined to the position of humble dealers, shop-keepers, and money-lenders ; but in that capacity the Pathans spem to look at them as a kind of valuable animal ; and a Pathan will steal another man's Khatri, not c>nly for the sake of ransom, as is frequently done on the Peshawar and Hazara frontier, but also as he might steal a milch-cow, or as Jews might, I dare say, be carried off in the Middle Ages with a view to render them profitable.
"I do not know the exact limits of Khatri occupation to the west, but certainly in all Eastern Afghanistan they seem to be just as much a part of the established community as they are in the Punjab. They find their way far into Central Asia, but the further they get the more depressed and humiliating is their position. In Tnrkistan, Vambery speaks of them with grent contempt, as yellow-faced Hindus of a cowardly and sneaking charac- ter. Under Turcoman rale they could hardly be otherwise. They are the only Hindus known in Central Asia. In the Punjab they are so numerous that they cannot all be rich and mercantile; and many of them hold land, cidtivate, take service, and follow various avocations.
" The Kliatris are altogether excluded from Brahmin Kashmir. In the hills however the Kakkas, on the east bank of the J helum, are said to have been originally Khatris (they are a curiously handsome race), and in the pterior of the Kangra hills there is an interesting race of fine patriarchal-looking shepherds called Gaddisj most of whom are Khatris. Khatri traders are numerous in Delhi ; are found in Agra, Lucknow, and Patna; and are well known in the Bara Bazar of Calcutta, though there they are princi- pally connected with Punjab firms,
The Punjab Khatris. 507
" The Khatris do not seem, as a rule, to reach the western coast: iu the Bombay market I cannot find that they have any considerable place. In Sindh, however, I find iu Captain Burton's book an account of a race of pretended Kshatriyas who are really Banias of the Nfinak Shahi (Sikh) faith, and who trade, and have a large share of public oflSces. These are evidently Khatris. Ludhiana is a largn and thriving town of mercant- ile Khatris."
Within the Punjab the distribution of tlie Khatri element is very well marked. It hardly appears east of LiKthiana, the eastern boundary of the Sikh religion, nor does it penetrate into the eastern hills. It is strongest in the central districts where Sikhism is most prevalent, and in the Rawalpindi division and Haz^ra, and occupie.s a fairly important position in the western Hill States. Although the Khatris are said to trace their origin to Multan, tliey are far less prominent in the southern districts of the Western Plains, and least of all on the actual frontier ; but this would be explained if the Aroras be considered a branch of the Khatris.
As Sir George Campbell remarkei^, it is curious that, intimately con- nected as the Khatris always have been nnd still are with the Sikh religion, only 9 per cent, of them should belong to it. Nor is it easy to see why the proportion of Sikhs should double and treble in the Jhelum and Rawalpindi districts. But the social gradations of the Khatris, based as they appear to be upon an immemorial tradition of former greatness, hinder their acceptance of the stricter democratic doctrines of the Sikh faith. A Khatri, when a Sikh, is ordinarily a Sikh of Nd,nak, rather than a devotee of Guru Govind, and he thus avoids the necessity of completely abnegating his caste principles. The same pride of birth has militated against the Rajput's acceptance of Sikh teaching. The Khatris are probably numerous in Jhelum and Rd,wal- pindi because the Rajput element in the north-west Punjab has always been weak. Some are Musalman, chiefly in Multd-n and Jbang Avhere they are commonly known as Khojas ; these are said to belong chiefly to the Kapur section. The rest are Hindus.
The Khatris are essentially a trading caste, like the Aroras and Blid.tias, comparatively few being engaged in as:riculture, but they stand higher than either of those castes, many of them being bankers, and they are a'so largely employed in the civil administration. The distribution of these castes is illustrated by the maps, J, II, and IV facing pp. 3C3 and 308 in chapter Report of the Punjab Census 1901.
The Aroras hold the south-west, as the B^nias do the south-east, of the Punjab, tract.s in which the Khatris are hardly to be found. On the other hand, the Blid^ia is found side by side with the Khatri In Sid,lkot, Giijrat and Shd,hpur. The connection between these three castes is obscure, and indeed it is doubtful whether the Bhatia has any ethnological connection with the Khntri or Arora. The two castes indeed appear to overlap, for in Jhang the Magu and Katial sections who deem themselves Khatris, but are regarded as Aroras by the Lahoria Khatris, used it is said to give wives to the admitted Khatris of the northern Chenawan coun'^ry — on the upper reaches cf the Chenab — taking their wives from the Dakhanada Aroras further dowa the Indus valley. And in Bahawalpnr Khatris generally take Arora
S08 Khatri organization.
women as wives (but do not give daughters to Aroras), tliougli whether regular ritual marriages occur or not does not appear.
Organization. The Khatris are divided into threB main groups^ viz. : —
I — Bdri, II — Bunjdhi, and III — Sarin. — The Baris generally may take wives froiu the Bunjahis, but do not give them daughters in re- turn. If a B^ri family gives a daughter in marriage to a Bunjaui it loses status and becomes itself Banjahi. The exact position of the Sarin is obscure. It is implied in more than one account sent to me that they are hypergamous, giving daughters to the Bunjahis. In Patiala they use(i to intermarry with that group, but infrequently, as such alliances were not approved. In Peshawar the Sariu claim that the Bunjahis used to give theiu daughters, which is hardly possi- ble, for it is admitted on all hands that they are below the Buujabis in status^ and in Delhi they cannot even smoke with the two higher groups. Practically it may be said that they now form an endogamous sub-caste; but there, is one important exception, as will be noted infra. Each of these three groups is further divided into sub-groups, as described below : — ■
Group 1 — Bdri.— This group comprises 12 exogamous sections, and its name is undoubtedly derived from hdrah, ' 12.'
These sections appear to rank thus : —
Sections: — • Sub-groups (c?/iamas)'i—
1 I
^-or senior. I
i. Dhaighar.
li. Chd;rgliar.
iii. Chheghar.
'}> or junior. ^^' ^^^'J^gliar or Bara-zdti.
This group seems to be very generally recognised and there is usual, ly no dispute as to the twelve sections comprised in it. But in Pindi- gheb Gandhoke Bah. Wahi and Soni are given instead of Nos. 9 and \2 above, so that the Ban there would appear to have 14 sections.
The Bari group is apparently a close corporation into which no ncvv iections could be admitted, though a family of any of its 12 sections may be degraded to a lower group. It contains four sub-.^roups based on the status of the famihes (not of the sections) in eack Thus the famihes of the Dhaighar sub-group are of the highest status and their status depends on the fact that thoy can only gfve their dauo^hters in marriage m ^wu and a halt ' iaUdi^ «ectionI. ^SiuiiMy the ChlrgUr
|
J. 2. |
Kapur. Khanna, |
|
o O. |
Malhotra or Mchra |
|
4. |
Kakar or Seth. |
|
5. 6. |
Chopra. Talwar. |
|
7, |
Sahgal, |
|
8. |
Dhawan or Dhaun. |
|
9. |
Wadhaun. |
|
10. |
Tannan. |
|
U. |
Bohra or Wohra. |
|
t2. |
Maindharu. |
The Bilnjdhi Ehatris.
509
are below the Dhaigliar in status because they can give a daughter in marriage to four {char) sections ; and so on."^
It follows from this that the families in each section are not all of the same status. For instance the Kapur section is mostly of Dhaighar status, but certain families having given daughters to the Sahgal section have falleu to Baraghar stathis, i. e., to the status of tho^e who will give daughters to all twelve sections. Other families again have even fallen to Bunjahi status, by giving daughters in that group.
Growp II— Bimjdhi.i— This group comprises, theoretically, 52 i-ections, as the name baivanjahi, from hauanja ' 52,' would imply. The names and numbers of the sections are however variously stated, and it is clear that, all told, the number of sections in this group greatly exceeds 62. The sub-groups are variously given, but the typical grouping would seem to be as follows : —
Suh-group i. — Khokhran. — This group consisted of 8 sections origin- ally, and hence it is also known as Ath-zatia or Ath-ghar, and these sections are, in Rawal- pindi, divided into four thamas as grouped in the margin. Of these the first three form exo- gamous divisions, in- termarriage being for- bidden between the two sections in each thama, because they belong to the same Brahmanical gotra. To these eight sections the Chandiok have been affiliated in I'eshawar, and in Patiala the Kannan section is said to belong to this group.
The Khokharan were originally an offshoot of the Bunjahis, and I have therefore classed them ni this group, but, though they are said in one locality to still take wives from the other Bunjahis, they are as a rule endogamous and thus really form a sub-caste.
Bu7ijdhi khds or kaldn.
Suh-group ii. — The AsU, Pakka [ov ' real') or Bdri-Banjdhi,% com- prising 12 section s.
|
Thama. |
Sections. |
Qotra, |
|
|
1 |
■■■{ |
Anand Basinh |
1 Chandrbansi. |
|
2 |
...{ |
Chadha Sahni |
Virbans. Surajbansi. |
|
3 4 |
A ■■■{ |
Suri Sethi Koli Saharwal |
1 } Chandarbansi. 1 J |
* This explanation is advanced tentatively : for a further discussion of the meaning of these terms see the Appendix to this Chapter.
^ A Jhang account says that the Bunjahi consist of 9 sections only, viz. : —
1 Ketil (? Katial). I 3 Mehmlru. I 5 Wasan. I 7 Chine.
2 Magun. I 4 Dand-dhuna, | G Bhambri. | 8 Dhil.
(The 9th is not tnovvn, nor can Us parohit be found.) These i) sections are called phali. At marriages the boy's father bathes and then ^i,ives 5 rupees per 2'''!«.'i to the iiarohits of the 1' sections. This ceremony is also called phaU.
X The Bari-Bunjahi must not bu confused with the Bari group above, The Biri-Bunjahi are a sub-group of the Bunjahi.
610 ' The Sarin Khatris.
8ub-group Hi. — Bard or elder Bunjdhi, with 40 sections, called col- lectively Dharmdn or Dharmain.
Sub-group iv. — Chhota or younger Bunjdhi, with over 100 sections. This sub-group is also called Ansar, or Sair, or Bunjahi-khurd or-^ dm.
Of the last three sub-groups the third used to give daughters to the second. The relations of the fourth, the Chhota Bunjahi, to the second and third are not explicitly stated, but they also appear to be hyper- gamous.
The conjecture may be hazarded that the peculiar Khatri organiza- tion reflects in some way not at present traceable the old Kshatriya division into Lunar and Solar families or dynasties. The division into the Bara and Biitiidld groups is noticed in the Ain-i- Ahhari* : —
" The Kshatriya (now called Khatris) form two races, the Surajbansi and Som- bansi. * * There are more than 500 tribes of these Kshatriyas, of whom
52 (Bawanjai) are pre-eminently distinguished and 12 (Baraghar) are of considerable im- portance. * * Some of their descendants, abandoning the profession of arms, have taken to other occupations, and this class is known to the world by this name."
The Sarin would thus appear to be of later origin than Akbar's time.
Group III. — Sarin. — This group comprises a large number of sections, and the story goes that in 1216 A. D., the group was divided into 20 grades, each consisting of 6 sections, though, as a matter of fact, 123 sections are specified. At present there are two sub-groups :—
Suh-group i. — Bara, or elder Sarin. Suh-group ii. — Chhota or junior Sarin.
The first sub-group comprises, according to one account, 10 sections and according to another, J3,t but of these 13 the last two are unable to obtain wives from the other H sections, to which they give wives. The Chhota Sarin, comprising 108 sections, used to give daughters to the Bara sub-group, but the two sub-groups are now said not to inter- marry. Generally speaking, the Sarin sections are distinct from those of the Bunjahi and Bari groups, and it is unusual to find a section partly Bunjahi and partly Sarin.
Territorial groups. — The territorial groups of the Khatris render it exceedingly difficult to give a clear account of their organization and for this reason any allusion to them was excluded in the preceding para- graph. They must, however, be described and as far as possible explained, for they are constantly mentioned in the received accounts of the caste and, what is more important, have a place in its organiza- tion. They are indeed cross-divisions of the groups already described.
The most ancient territorial group appears to be the Uchhandi, or Khatris ' of the uplands,' which may be taken to mean ' of the north- west Punjab.' Other territorial groups are Multani, which was of high standing, Peshawaria, and Bharochi (of Bhera in Sliahpur). None
* Blochmann's Trans., Ills p. 117.
t It would almost seem that the Sarin attempted or are attempting to form a Bari sub-group, with Vi sections at the top in imitation of the Bari Bunjahi.
Territorial groups. 6J 1
of these seem to be endogamous. The Lalioria and Sirhiudia* in- termarry on equal terms, though the former possesses an exalted status, so that '' Dh^ighar (B^ri) Lalioria" denotes the fine fleur oi Khatri-ism.
In the Sialkot sub-montane there are two endogamous groups, the Jhikli, ' of the plains,' and the Dugri, ' of the low hills,' and in both of these the B^ri and other social groups appear not to exist.
In the south-east of the Punjab there are two groups, the Dilwdlat (of Delhi), and Agraw^la, to which may be added a third, the Purbia (in the United Provinces). In the Agrawala the B^ri group does not appear to exist but there are Dhaighar, Charghar, Chliezjiti and Kho- khar^n groups, and below them the Bunji:ihi and Sarin groups, as in the central districts of the Punjab. Of these the Sarin and Khokhar^n are strictly endogamous, but the others are hypergamous. The terri- torial groups here are distinctly hypergamous, for the Agrawdlas take wives from the Purbias and some Agrawala families take a pride in giving daughters to the Sirhindia and Lahoria groups; so too the Dilwalas used to give daughters to other groups, especially to the Agraw^las, though they are now said to be eudogamous. These terri^ torial groups however appear to be somewhat nebulous in character, for to the Khatris of the United Provinces all the Khatris of these Provinces are ' Punjabi,' and conversely to the Punjab Khatris those of the United Provinces are ' Purbia/
* Lahoria=' of Lahore,' and Sirhindia— 'of Sirhind,' i.e., of the country near Pafciala titc. The two groups have nearly the same sections and intermarry on equal terms but they have different ceremonies at marriages. They are said, in an account of the Khatris written by Rai Bahadur Piare Lai of Delhi, to be grouped thus : —
i. Of Dhaighar and Charghar status
a. Chhezuti {i.e., of six sections)
Hi. Panjzati {i.e., oj jive sections) ^ 3
I I
|
Si |
ECTIONS. |
|
1. |
Seth. |
|
2. |
Mehra. |
|
3. |
Kapur. |
|
4. |
Khanna, |
|
5. |
Bahl, |
|
6. |
Dhaun. |
|
7. |
Chopra. |
|
«. |
Sahgal. |
|
9. |
Talwar. |
|
10. |
Puri. |
|
1. |
Bahl. |
|
2. |
Beri. |
|
3. |
Sahgal. |
|
4. |
Wahi. |
|
5. |
Vij. |
The sections are stated in the order given. It Avill be seen that Bahl and Sahgal occur in the two latter groups while Beri is but an oiTshoot of Chopra. A Dhaighar cannot eivo
Bunjahi. The Panjzati are said to be strictly endogamous. It will be observed that the writer does not mention the B:-iris but that group is certainly found in Patiala and Lahore t Dilwila (Delhi- wala) comprises : — ' • '
1. Seth. I 3. Kapiir. I -5. Kakkar.
2. Mehra. I 4. Tandan. | 6. Bohra. But the last saction cannot obtain wives from the first five.
L. Piare Lil also notes that the Dilwala have ceased to smoke with the other divisions of the caste.
Bl2 The sacred sections.
The sacred sections of the Khatrts. — There are four sacred sections among the Khatris, whose position must be touched upon. These are the —
Bedi,* of the Dharman-Bunjaki or Chhota-Sarin sub-group,
Sodhi, of the Chhota Sarin sub-group.
Tihun or Trihim j r ii, t> ■ o ' i, ■pj^j^jj > of the Bara-Sarin sub-group.
These four sections became sanctified by the births of the various Sikh Gurus to tliem. Thus the second Guru, Angad, was a Trihun, and, strictly speaking, his descendants are styled B4wa-Trihuns : the third Gnrii, Amr Das, was a BhalLi and his descendants are, similarly, Baw^-Bhallas : but in each case the isection, as a whole, appears to have acquired a sacred character by the birth of the Guru within it, and it is not merely his descendants who possess that character. Nevertheless it is to be noticed that this inherited sanctity has not altered the social status of these sections in the caste. Tha Sodhist remain Sarin, but they intermarry with the Bedis, whose status is generally said to be Bunjahi. Further the Bedi have actually in a few cases violated the rule of exogamy aiid permitted marriage within the got, it being ap- parently held a less evil to break that rule-than to give a daughter in marriage to any but a member of a sacred section.
Rules of marriage. — Generally speaking, the Khatris avoid the usual four sections of gots, viz., those of the father, mother, father's mother and mother's mother : but when tlie lavv of hypergaray narrows the circle of alliances, this rule has to give way. Thus the Dhdighar families of the Kapur, Khanna, Malhofcra and Seth sections are not bound by this rule, and avoid only the father's got and the near rela- tions of the mother. Farther, the rule forbiddino* intermarriao-a be- tween the descendants of a common ancestor is not invariably observed, for the first three of these sections are descended from three brothers, yet their descendants are closely intermarried. The Khokharan again avoid only the gots of the father and mother, because they have so few sections to marry into. The B^iris appear to avoid both the parents' gots and the relations of their mothers within seven degrees, but no general rule can be laid down.
A common Brahmanical gotra is also said to be, as a rule, a bar to intermarriage, but though ,the Khanna and Kapur sections are both of the Kaushal gotra, they intermarry. Thus we have the unexpected result that the higher groups are the least bound by the ordinary rules which prohibit marriage within certain circles of relationship.
* The Nanakputra or 'children of Nanak' appear to have been Bedis. In later Sikh times they were employed as escorts to caravans whose safety was insured by their sacred descent. Nanakputra is however also said to be a synonym for Udasi. Prinsep gives the following aecount of the Bedis as traders in Sialkot : — ' Formerlj' a race of Bedis from Dera Baba Nanak were wont to bring large herds of cattle for sale at stated periods. The arrival of these hers or droves were looked forward to with much interest. The Bedis divided the Doabs out among themselves, and considered the villa.ijes their constituents, to whom long eredit was purposely allowed in order that the extra charge in the bill, in honour of the Guru, might be overlooked, but they have given up coming regularly, and so the people are driven to the Bar or to Amritsar fairs to purchase : ' Sialkot Sett. Rep., 1865, § 123.
t The Sodhis of Anandpur are the descendants of Suraj Mai (not Surat Mai, as printed in lot of the Punjab Gunsus Report, 1892;, son of Guru Hargobind and are called the hare mel ke S)dhi, as opposed to the chhote mei ke Sodhi or Mina Sodhis.
Khatri marriage. 513
The ages of betrothal and marriage. — The age of the betrothal ii> the case of the Khatris depends on the status of the group. For example in Rawalpindi, where the Khatris are proportionately most numerous, the age of betrothal varies. It is stated to be from 4 — 8 for girls among the Khokhard,n and Bdris, and 8 — 10 among the BunjAhis. Marriage follows at 8 — 12 among the former and at 10 — 12 among the latter. There is no mukldwa and married life commences at 13 — 15 in all the groups. In Gurgaon the Khatris, as a body, are said nob to practise infant marriage.
The traditional origin of the groups. — The origin of the division into the four groups called Bd;ri, Bunjiihi, Sarin, and Khokhrd,n, is said to be that AM-ud-din Khilji attempted to impose widow-marriage upon the Khatris. The western Khatris resolved to resist the innovation, and sent a deputation of 52 [hdwan] of their members to represent their case at court ; but the eastern Khatris were afraid to sign the memorial. They were therefore called followers of Shara Ayin or the Muhammadan customs — hence Sarin— while the memorialists were called Bdwanjai from the number of the deputation or of the clans respectively represented by the members of the deputation ; hence Bunjdhi. The Khokhran section is said to consist of the descendants of certain Khatris who joined the Khokhars in rebellion, and with whom the other Khatri families were afraid to intermarry ; and the Bari section, of the lineage of Mehr Chand, Kahn Chand, and Kapur Chand, three Khatris who went to Delhi in attendance upon one of Akbar's Rd,jput wives, and who, thus separated from the rest of the caste, married only within each other's families. There are however other accounts, which vary in details, and of these the most circumstantial is as follows :— When A]d.-ud-din Khilji attempted to impose the custom of widow remarriage on the Khatris, those of the caste who lived at Delhi and Sirhind said they would abide by the decision of the Khatris of Lahore, who in turn referred the matter to the Khatris of Multan. It was thereupon determined to resist the Imperial edict, but the Khatris of the Bd^ri Doab, of Ark and of Sirhind were afraid to aMliore to this resolve, and in consequence they formed the Saiin group. On the other hand the 377 sections, called Uchandi, deputed 56 of their number to urge their cause at Delhi, and thus the remaining 321 sec- tions became known as the Ansdr or supporters. Of the 56 sections deputed to Delhi, 52 became the H unjahi- Kaldn or Khns (or senior Bunjdhi), and four became Dhd^ighar. This latter sub-group was form- ed of the three eponymous sections, Khanna, Kapur and Mehra, whose ancestors, at the instigation of their mother, had headed the re- sistance to the imperial will. To these the Seth-Kakar were affiliated.
This explanation of the origin of tho Dbd-ighar is hardly tenabje because these sections are by no means exclusively Dh^ighar. The legend does not attempt to explain the origin of the Bari group, or of the Chdrghar and other sub-groups. As to the term Sarin, the deriva- tion from shard' 'ain (because they adopted the shard' or Muham- madan Law), is often given, but the word is most probably a corruption of sreni, a line, or a guild of traders. Sreni is, Sir H. Risley notes, a common term for sub-caste in Bengal. It also recalls the word Srenika the other name or title of Bimbisara : see p. 505 supra.
514 Khatri Kulinism.
The results of the Khatri social system. — The general principle under lyin^ the Khatri organization appears to be perfectly clear, and is that the higher (and therefore in the nature of things the narrower) the circle within which a daughter may be given in marriage, the more exalted is the social position of the family in its own group. This prin- ciple finds full scope in the Bari group, within which the social status of a family may constantly change, while the section, as a whole, has no fixed status. In the two lower groups the sections appear to be more definitely allotted, as it were, to the various groups. This how- ever is a very obscure point and I need not pursue it further here. It is sufl&cient to note that hypergamy leads to its usual results, though owing to the general complexity of the Khatri organization and' to its endless local variations it is not possible to do more than state those results generally.
In the first place there is competition, in the lower groups, for sons- in-law, so that marriage expenses are as the author of the Tawdrikh-i' Qaum Khatridn says, ruinous among the Sarin, very heavy among the Bunjdhis, heavy among the B^raghars, and very slight among the Dh^ighars.
But this was not the only result. In 1852 Sir Herbert Edwarde?, then Deputy Commissioner of Jullundur, described how the Lahoris"^ used to make away with the girl-wives they obtained from the Bunjahis in order that they might obtain fresh brides and fresh dowries. The Biiris, as a whole, are to this day in the same position, and however .poor or distressed a Bari may be, he is sure of getting a wife with a handsome dower from a respectable Bunjahi family : (Patid-la). If a Bunjahi wife died, when married to a Bdri, it was callously said :— ' ptirdna chula, ghijadid,' or ' if the hearth be cold, the ghi is fresh/ meaning that the dead wife could be easily replaced.
As might well be expected strenuous efforts have from time to tittl^ been made by the lower to shake off the social tyranny of the higher crroups and these have met with some measure of success. The man- oeuvres of the various groups concerned are too complicated lor de- scription here, but it may be said that the results have been, in Gujrdt, to sever all connection between the Bdris and the Bari-Bunjahis, so that the latter are now api^uvntly endogamous, while in Patiala and Jul- lundur the object seems to be to make the Bdris reciprocate by giving wives to the Bunjd.his, and this object is said to have been attained. Thus, generally speaking, the tendency is to revolt against the inequit- able rule of hypergamy and transform the hypergamous groups into endoa"amous sub-castes. The close resemblances in this system to the institution known as Kulinism in Bengal need not be pointed out.
The Khatri got ?^ames.— -Folk-etymology would derive Sarin from suriii, ' warrior,' but the derivation already given is more probable.
It is also said that Khukran (Khokharan) is derived from Karakhan descendants of Krukhak, * one of the sons of Manu,' who settled and reigned in the North. West Punjab.
* Meaning, obviously, the Bari-Lahoria, especially the Dhaighar.
The Khatri sections. 515
The got names proper are popularly derived from various titles and so on^ and are cited as proofs of the ancient military character of the caste. Thus Bhalla is derived from hhall, a spear. Bhasiu from hhas, brilliancy, and ten, master, i.e., the sun. Bohra from huha, a column in military array, and it is said that in the United Provinces a 6 it/ia is still drawn and worshipped on the Dasehra day. Dliawan, or Dhavan, is said to mean a messenger on the field of battle. Kakkar is said to be originally Karkar, ' strong ' or ' powerful '; and Kapur to mean the moon, ' Karpur.' Khanna is even derived from khan, a mine and said to mean sapper. But another account says it means that ' half ' the family became Brahman. Kochar is said to come from havach, ' armour,' Mahendruis naturally derived from Mahendra, 'lord of the earth' or ' chief.^ Mehra is also derived from Mihir, the sun. The i^Jilii got declares that its ancestors were once bankers and are styled Sh^hji, Sahni, Seni are both said to be corruptions of the Sanskr. ' Sainani/ the head of an army or general. Seth, freshta, means rich and also a raja. Tandan is also said to be an abbreviation of martancl and to mean the sun, but it is also said to mean warrior. A Tcahit describes the relations of some of the gots thus : —
Bade Baderd, Puri, pardn, — Kochar, Nandd hhu pariudn,
Sohni, Mehtd, Edndd, Saigal, — Bhalld, Eholar, Dugal, Upal, Tinsau BiVnjdhi, Zdt Bunjahe'—Nand-ghan^ Bdnddn hardn hhde ;
Sihh-Bhunjdhi, Mol, Dharmdn, — Ndtd Kare haro paricdn.
" The Badi) Buujahis are the highest, the Pun's are the like, the Kochars and Nandis are Rajas, the Sohni, etc. (the 12 tribes) and the 300 Bunjahi tribes and the Nandghan are such that there is no Impediment to contracting marriages with them. "
The Khatris have not, as a caste, any distinctive caste customs, but many of their sections have special usages on various occasions.
In ArabAla the Khatris cslebrate a wife's first pregnancy by the 'custom ' called rii. Her parents send her sweets, clothes and cash. Sati is specially worshipped on this occasion, with other deities.
The Puris of the Bunjdhi group cook a mess of harhi, two and a half mats^ full, on this occasion, and also worship a patri or small board like a slate. The karhi, which is made of gram flour, is distri- buted among the brotherhood.
In this section again on the birth of a son shira,f weighing about IJ mans kacha or some 40 lbs., is made and distributed among the brotherhood. The family barber also make a goat out of it. Taking a reed he splits it up into two or four pieces, bleating all the while like a goat. For making this idol the barber gets 7 Mansuri pice as his fee, and a rupee is also given to the family parohit.
The popular idea as to the origin of the devkaj is that once a Khatraui with a child in her arms met the Brahman Pars E^m and, in her terror, fled, leaving the child behind her. A wild cat was about to devour it when some kites appeared and spread their wings over it. Now Rajd Kans, Krishna's maternal uncle, had been told by his astrologers that his sister's eighth son would kill him, so when Krishna was born he was replaced by a girhchild whom Rdjd Kans killed. She was dashed upon a washerman's board, but fell in the Himalayas
* Large earthen vessels.
t A kind of pudding, made of flour, sugar and a little ghi.
516 Special got customs,
where she is worshipped as Bhajan Bashni Devi,* and it is apparently in commemoration of that event that the mother of a first-born son among the Chopra, Kapur, Kakkar, Khanne and Malhotra Khatris leaves her husband^s house, after the child^s birth, and takes refuge in a relative's house, but not in her parents' home. Thence she is brought back by her husband as if she were a bride, and a symbolical remarriage takes place, but without the usual Vedic mantras being read,
The Abrola section has a tradition that a snake was once born to one of its members. One night it fell into a pot and next night died from the blows of the churning-stick. So Abrolas never churn or make butter and never kill a serpent.
The Anand give no alms on a Sankrd,nt, the first of a solar month. Their women tabu ghi for the hair. The Nand appear to be the same as the Anand.
The Bahl will not remain in Delhi at night. They may visit it in the day time but must leave it before dark.
The Bejal Set.hs, a section of the Dilwdli (of Delhi) Khatris observe the following usasre at a tonsure. The rite is always performed at the door of the house, and when the family barber prepares to shear the child's hair, two persons disguised as Mughals, one having a bow «nd arrow in his hand, and th-^ other a shoe, stand close to him. They r.-'>iM,iii in this posture until the shearing of the child is over. The child then enters the house, and the females of the family, when they see him with his hair shorn, bpo'in to beat their breasts and cry hai ! hai ! merd hioi munda, Sethon jaya hin munda : " Woe ! woe ! who shaved my son, who shaved the son of a Seth ?" They regard, or pretend to regard, that day as an unlucky one, and observe a kind of pretended mourning for the next 24 hours. The daily food is not cooked on that day, and even the lamps of the house are lighted, not by the members of the family, but by a neighbour. Curious and laughable as this ceremony may appear to be, it has not sprung up without a cause. It has its origin in the following story : —
Once upon a time the son of a poor Seth had on account of the poverty of his parents passed the prescribed a,s:e of tonsure, and having been not properly looked after, was suffering from lice which had gro^vn in abundance over his head. He Avas one day seen on the road, weeping and crying bitterly from the pain they occasioned him, by two Mughals, who felt such compassion for him that, having by chance met a barber, they ordered him to cut off the child's hair then End there. The barber knowing that the object of their com- passion was a Khntri's son who could not be shorn without the formal ceremony, refused to comply with thoir demand. The Mughals seeing that he was obstinate in his refusal resolved to use force : one of them beat him with his shoes and the other pointing his arrow threatened hira with instant death if he failed to shave the child on the spot The terrified barber had no alternative left but to. cut the child's hair without further loss of time. When this had been done, the Mughals let the barber go and told the child to go his way home. The child accordingly returned to his house with his hair thus shorn. The females of the family were shocked at the child's appearance, and thought this unceremonious shearing of his hair very unlucky. They all began to beat their breasts and burst into lamentation. It was a day of regular mourning for the whole family.f
• In the Central Punjab this girl-child is supposed to have become the lightning and during a thunderstorm the maternal uncle and nephew will not sit or stand or sleep in the same room.
+ From N. I. N. Q, III, § U7.
Khatris, Beri — Bhanddri. 617
The Beri are an offshoot of the Chopra and ascribe their name to the fact that their ancestor was born under a beri tree.
Among the Bhadwdr the ceremony of putting on the sacred thread for the first time is thus observed: — When the boy is of an age to don the janeo bis father, with his brotherhood and a band of musicians, goes on one day to tbe sweeper's house to invite a black bitch to the feast at the ceremony ; next day, the family priest (parohit) brings the black bitch together with the sweeper to his master's house. 'J'he parohit performs a certain ceremony of worship to the bitch. Then all the different dishes cooked for the ceremony are put in a large brass dish, and placed before the bitch, and the members of the family fold their hands before her and so continue until she eats somethino- from the dish. They will even wait sitting till the evening, if she doel not touch the food. After the bitch has eaten, the remains and a red cloth are given to the sweeper. After that Brahmans are feasted, and then the members of the family may eat. The origin of this rite is said to be that the Bhadwd-rs once lived towards Delhi and when the Muhammadan rulers tried to convert them to that faith they fled from that tract but many were murdered. One of their women who was far advanced in pregnancy gave birth to a male child and abandoned it, she herself escaping. The child was however carried away by a blnck bitch and suckled by her, so when he grew up he directed his descend- ants to adore the black bitch fur ever.
Bhalla, Bahl, Udnda, Sidl, and Sahharwal Khatris. — The bhaddan ceremony is performed by Sidls, Bahls and Bhallas, at the age of five in the K^ngra hills, by Hondas at Ram Tirth near Amritsar and by Sabbarwd,ls at their houses after 13 days of the birth of a child.
Among the Bhanddris at the birth of a child the mother is made to sleep on the ground. Seven thorns of a ktkar ov jandi tree are buried in the earth under her pillow. Bread or anything made of corn is avoided for the first three days, only milk being given her for food. On the fourth day churrna (a mixture of flour, ghi and sugar) is prepared and given her to eat and what she cannot eat is buried uhder her bed. On the 13fch day she puts on a barber's shoes, leaves her room and resumes to her household duties. No cause is assigned for the burying of the thorns. At the bhadan munan ceremony a jandi tree is cut and a kite feasted. The mother affects displeasure and goes to a neighbour's house, but is brought back by her husband who gives her some ornament or cash.
The boy becomes a Sanyasi, or recJuse, and begs alms of his brother- hood. Out of the alms, which generally comprise flour, chiirma is made and offered by the boy to his Brahman gtirii, and then distributed amongst all the brotherhood.
Among the Bhandd,ris the jaweo is generally performed at 8 or 9 years of age. On the evening before, the family parohit invites a kite to the feast riext morning. Before the rite begins bread, khir, etc., are sent to the kite, then Brahmans are feasted, and lastly the brother- hood. Then the boy is shaved, the family imrohit shaving first one lock of hair and receiving Rs. 5-4 as his fee, the remainder being shaved by the barber. The janeo is put on after the boy has bathed and he
518 Khatrisj Bhagre'-^Chadda.
then cuts a branch of a ^'aw^t tree. After him his motber, whom her husband kicks, goes away displeased [riishar), to her parents who, if not residents of the same place, visit 'it on this occasion. On his return from cuttino: the jandi, finding his mother orone, the hoy, together with his father and the brotherhood go to appease and fetch her back. Her Imsband (the boy's father) pacifies her and bring.^ her back home. Sometimes she is given an ornament or some other thing to conciliate her.
This custom also prevails among the Mokol and other Bunjdhi Khatris
The Bhandaris, like the Hdndas, affect Shaikh Faiid who once met a company of them in a wilderness. They entertained him and in return he said : tiimhdrd hhanddrd hhard rahe, ' May your store-house remain full. ' Thenceforth they were called Bhandari. They have three sub-sections, the Ber-pdlni : so called because an orphan was brought up by his sister {ber-hahin) , the P^itni, from Pakpattan, and the Bhoria, so called because its founder was brought up in an underground room, [hhora-tah-hhdna). Weddings are celebrated by a visit to Bal^la, in Gurdaspur, as that town is regarded as their orig-inal settlement.
The Bhagre do not worship a chil but the ok, for, they say, this plant saved the life of Bd-bd, Mumali, one of their progenitors, by feeding him with its juice, when as a new born baby, he was thrown away by his mother, who was fleeing for her life. A J^t maid-servant known as Bharwain Mdt^, who had accompanied the mother in her flight, rescued the child some 20 days after its abandonment, and she is commemorated at weddings when 2| J^t females (2 adults and a girl) are fed. The Bl.aore perform the hhaddan in the Kdngra Hills, and ancestor worship at Burj Lattan in Jagraon tahsil, Ludhiiina, on 1 5th Katak. They came orio-inally from Sirsa. The name Bhagar means corn of very inferior quality, and was given them by a Bh^t, because he got corn of that quality from one of their ancestors, who was distributing grain durinpf a famine, the truth being that the Bhdt only came when the good grain was all gone and nothing but bhagar remained.
The Bhalla in Hoshidrpur always have a sweeper present at a wed- diucr because a sweeper protected their female ancestor during Pars Rdm's persecution.
The Bhuchar got is said to have been originally Talw^r. One of that got left a son without any one to protect it, but a buffalo and a kite took care of it. His mother, who had abandoned him owing to her poverty, found him again and called him ' Bhuchar,' as he was well-fed and developed. This got feeds kites at weddings and it has also preserved the buffalo's horns, one being kept by the Bhuchars of Delhi and the other by those of Nawashahr in Jullundur.
The Chadda hold the a^ sacred, because they say their forefathers once fought with Babar near Emindb^d and all fell, save one who hid under an ah bush. He refounded the section and it still performs the munnan at Emiu^bdd and worships the ak.
Khatris, Cham — Dhand. 5!^
The Cham, a got of Bunj^hi status, were really Tannan Kapurs, but one of their ancestors accepted a cham (skin) from a Cham^r iu ' pay- ment of monies due to him, whence the name. Followers of Guru Kdm Rai, the Cham, have satis at Tungaheri in Ludhiana tahsil aiul at Kiratpur in Ambdla. They perform the bhaddan like a wedding in most respects, but they do not worship the chil or ak One peculiarity in connection with the rite is thaf, all the food for it is cooked on a fire produced by rubbing two pieces of pldh wood together. The fire must also be kindled by members of the family only and uatil it is made food or drink is avoided. A parohit may join in the ceremony, but no one else can take part in it. The boy too becomes a Sany^si, but is brouo-ht back home by his sisters. ^
The Chhotra got is an offshoot oE the Dhirs, and worships a serpent and a Muhammadan mirdsi because once a serpent fed Bd,b^ Malla their ancestor, with its tail, and a mirdsi taking him from the reptile nursed him, when he had been abandoned as a child by his mother who was fleeing For her life. Chhotra is derived from chhutnd to leave, and the section has a sati at Amargarh, in Patiala, where there is an image of a serpent also.
The Chhura Khatris still commemorate Bhai Lalu, whose shrine is situate at Dalla in Kapurthala, by an annual fair. By repeatino- his name or legend intermittent fever is cured. His grandson, Salamat Uai, was importuned by Maharaia Ranjit Singh to pray for his recovery from a mortal sickness. This the Baba refused to do, but he crave threo yt'rirs of his own life to prolong; that of his master, and in gratitude Ranjit Singh spent a crore of rupees on the golden temples at Benares, Amritsar, Hardwar and Jawalamukhi.
The Chopra are also called Chopra Rajava, Jat;,?) and Qdnuncro Chopra. They claim descent from one Chaupat Rai. Once, they say, they lived at Benares, but incurring the wrat^h of Chandragupta went to the Dsccan, where Chaupat Rai, their ancestor, was slain in battle by Sultan Mahmud. The Chopra are uamsd after him, bu: are really Surajbansi.
The Chopra and Kakkar perform a son's hhaddan ceremonv in his 5th year. Oa this occasion the boy's father goes away, and the mother too goes rushe (being displeased) to the house of a relation. Then thn boy's father, with some of his relatives, follows her there. They first kick her slightly and then appease her M,nd bring her back home after tying her garment to her husband's chddar or dupatfa.
The Chopras give from Re. J to Rs. 31 (at most) in cash as the bride's dowry at her marriage. At a girl's marriage her mother also asks alms for her of the women of the got; and at a son's wedditio- he is given a plough. The Chopras do not use khand but gur only at weddings.
The Dhand got performs the jan(}i rite about 2 years after the birth of a son. Three top-knots are left on the child's head and until the hhaddan is observed no razor may be applied to it, nor may the boy wear a shirt. The hhaddan is celebrated with much eclat, many rites similar to those observed at weddings being performed.
520 Khatris, Dhir — Jhanji.
l^he Dhir, or ' brave/ section lias a tradition that it once migrated from Ajudhia and settled at Kandahar. Expelled thence by the Arab invasions it came to the Punjab. The Dhir of Kapurthala are descend- ed from Bdb^ Mahya, who was the guru of Guru Amar Dd,s, and is still reverenced at Dhir weddings.
The Dhir, in Ludhidna, feast a woman of the Sindhu Jat tribe on the birth of a son, because iu a fight with dacoits, a Dhir fought on even after he had lost his head. A Snidhu girl who saw his valour was rebuked for standing there to watch the fight and tauntingly asked if it was her husband's head that she must look at it. She retorted that it was indeed her husband's, and thereupon she became sati. So Dhir Khatris commemorate her to this day.
The Duggal at the maunan don a tragi (a waist band to which a strip of cloth is fastened and carried between the legs) oimunj. The strip of cloth must be red and the ^agrri too must be of that colour. The boy must also wear wooden sandals and carry ^fakir's wallet {hagli). He cries Alakh (the mendicant's cry) and his kinswomen give him alms. He then runs away, pretending to be displeased, but his sister or brother's wife or father goes after him to conciliaie him and gives him something. The rite is performed outside the village. A goat is killed and a drop of its V,lood applied to the bov's forehead. The flesh is cooked and eaten on the spot and what remains is buried there. Till the maunan is performed at the age of 5, 7, or 9, the boy's head must not be shaved with a razor, but his hair may be cut with scissors.
The Gundis are a section of the Khatris found in Gujrd,fc and said to Ipe the only community of the caste found in that District. They say that the emperor Balilol brought them from Sidlkot and established them at Bahlolpui' in Gujrat. They are agriculturists and think that to relapse into trade would be derogatory.
The H^nda perform the maunan at Pdkpattan, alleging that Shaikh Farid-ud-din Shakarganj is their patron. North of Lahore the Hd,nda resort to a tank near Gujrat town to perform the maunan, carrying the youngsters about to undergo it in procession with drums and music. A brick from Shakh Farid's shrine has been thrown into the tank there and so made it sacred. The Handas will not eat animals slaughtered hy jhatkd (strikinij; off the head at a blow) after the Hindu fashion, but cut their throats like the Musalmans. A H^nda bridegroom has a piece of red silk, weighing Ig; told (half ounce), tied to the strings of his chapkan (coat), and when he reaches the bride's house he opens it and puts it before his mouth with the right hand like a handkerchief.
Among the Jaidke at the hhaddan the boy becomes a Sanydsi and is brought home by his sisters.
The Jerath or Jaret also venerate the kite [ckil) because it, saved the life of their progenitor.
The Jhanji section has a peculiar observance called (hengna (lit. a tiresome child). Tlie sweeper of the bride's parents makes a male figure of wood, with clothes, and dances it before the bridegroom's party, who give him a rupee. Halwd is thrown to the kites when the bride reaches her husband's house, and after the wedding the party goes to worship the gods.
KJiatrisy Jiwar — Khannd-, 521
The Jiwar are Sikhs and Murg^i* Khatris by origin. One of the Murgd-is called Bdbd, Dari (Dari Chak in Ainritsar is ctilled after him), was a Sikh of Guru Ndnak. He had a son named Md,nak Chand, who came to Gondwd,! where his father-in-laws were and being a Sikh of the Gurus, went to the third Guru, Amar Dds, who lived at Goudwdl. The Guru bade him break the bed of the Mauli Sd,hib. A Idoli or tank had been dug at Gondw^l, but owing to the hard clay, the water level could not be reached, and so Manak Cliand was ordered to break through the level clay while others were busy in the excavation. Tiirough his exertions the water was reached but he himself was drown- ed and for full three days no trace was found of his body. Oil the third day his mother-in-law went to complain to the third Guru, and he came to the spot and called ' Mdnak Chand,' whereupon his body swam out of the water. The Guru touched it with liis feet and Mdnak Chand came to life again. So the Guru bade that his descendants should be called Jiwar (from jina which means living) and none are now called Murgd,i.
The Kaura, a got of Bunj^hi status, are really, Kapurs. The name means * bitter ' and is thus explained: 'A woman far advanced in pregnancy became sati and her child was bom near an ak plant. It was found on the third day after its birth sucking the tail of a serpent, while a kite shadowed it with its wings. As the ak is a bitter plant and the kite {cMl) is considered poisonous the boy was called Kaura. And when a twig is cut from s, jandi tree, a rite performed at weddings, a chil is feasted and food placed near a serpent's hole and also near an ak, round which a thread too is wound when a child is teething, its head is shaved clean only four top-knots being left. A confection {halwd) cooked on a fire that is produced from stones, is then distri- buted to the brotherhood, a he-goat made of halwd having been previ- ously slaughtered. The Kaura are followers of Guru Rflra Dd,9, at whose shrine the hhaddan is performed and all the top-knots are then shaved clean off.
The Khanna Khatris take their sons for the ceremony of maunan, or first head-shaving, to Dip^lpur, talisil Chunian, in Lahore, owing to a belief founded on the following legend : — A Brahman, named Laha, was childless and went into the hdr, or wilds of Lahore, to practiee austeri- ties, which he performed with such success as to draw upon him the favour of Chandika (Durga), the patron goddess of the clan, who granted him a son ; but as he vvas too old to iDeget one, she gave him one ready grown up called Jasr^j,t on condition that no abusive epithet was to be applied to him. Like all spoilt children he was wayward and fretful, and his adoptive mother, forgetting the warning, one day said to him : Tu 7iiggar jd, '' sink into the earth,'' because he would not heed her c?il from the door to come into the house. He immediately sank into the earth, and the old woman was only just able to save him
* Murgai doubtless means ' teal.'
t A variant from Kapurthala makes the goddess Jvihanglaj (? Hinglaj), and says the boy's name was a Liihi Jasrai. Once he was sent to the lazar fcr turmeric but dawdled over the errand. When his step-mother scolded him he sank into the earth and the Brahman in vsin invoked the goddess, who declared that what had teen could not be undone, but promisi d that the sh line of Bilba Lalu JpFrsi shculd be ■v^o^?hipptd by the Kbannas throughout all ages.
582 Khatns, Kapur — Mehndru,
by his top-knot. And su Klianaa boys to this day never wear a top-knot.
The Kapflr, Malhotra, and Seth Khatris may perform the maunan ceremony anywhere; provided there is no river or well containinsf water from Dipdlpur.
At a son's hhaddan among the Khosla"^ (Sarin) the parohit goes on the previous evening to invite an eagle to the feast. Next morning before the shaving is begun, four loaves, a small quantity of confection- ery {sira halwd) and two pice are put on the house for the eagle. When these things have been taken away by an eagle the ceremony may be performed. The eagle is feasted in the same manner at weddings soon after the bride comes to her father-in-law's house for the first time.
The Kochhar claim to be an offshoot of the Seth and pay their founder was left an orphan, his father having been slain in battle. He was brought up by his sister and th.eir name is derived from hochhar, 'lap.' The Kochhart have an interesting custom connected with a bride's first pregnancy. Six months after her pregnancy she deliberately feigns displeasure with the members of the family and goes to some other house. The bridegroom on hearing of her departure goes in search of her after having his head, moustaches and beard clean shaved. When he 6nds out where she is, he collects a few of his brotherhood and goes to the place where she is staying. After many entreaties he promises to give her an ornament, and then takes her back to his own house.
The Koli or Kohli got whose original home was at Jamsher, a village in Jullundur, worship the kite at tlie hhaddan rite. They eschew the use of dry cotton plants as fuel because a snake once got mixed up with them and was burnt to ashes.
The Likhi got performs the hhaddan in the Kangra Hills and ancestor worship at a sati in Dhaipai, Ludhidna tahsil. They cut a jandi tree and worship a chil in the usual way.
Among the Mehndru — a section of the B^rhi — and the Ghands — a section of the Bunjdhi — the head of the boy who is to don the janeo is shaved quite clean with a razor, and he is then disguised as a faqir with a munj rope {tragi) round his loins, wooden shoes (kharnn- wdn on his feet, a wooden phdori in his hand, a deerskin under his arm, a laneo made of mnnj rope, one jholi or wallet in his right hand and another under his left arm, and goes round begging alms of his assembled kinsmen and friends. Whatever he gets in hia&rat jholi he gives to his owrw, who gives him the jaweo and whispers the prescribed mantra in his ear. This rite is called the guru mantar dend or sanskdr dena. The contents of the second jholi he gives to his parohit. Worship on this occasion is not restricted to any particular deity.
* Folk- etymology, of course, derives the name of this section from Tchosnd, to rob. Cf. the Khosa Jits and Baloch. „. , ,
t A Kochhar husband shaves his head and face clean — as Hindus do on a father'g death— when his wife conceives for the first time.— (Si^lkot.)
The Malhotra Khatris. 5^3
The Melmdru perform the jan</io?i rite, when a child has reached the age of 3, 4 or 5, at a pond called Suni^rdnwala, The kinsmen go there in the morning, the father's priest carrying on his head a brass tray full of khir. The priest walks round the pond until a chil has taken away some of the khir, and if no chil appears for two or even three days none of the family will eat or drink. When it has taken some of the khir the father is congratulated. A he-goat is also taken to the tank and, if no chil appear, it is slaughtered at sunset. When the chil takes away some of its flesh the father is congratulated. Blood is then taken from the goat's ear and a tika made on the boy'i forehead with it. The goat^s head and feet are sent by a barber ti* the kinsmen and the flesh and khir that remain are distributed to the brotherhood. Once, it is said, the got was all but extinct, all the males having died of a plague. But a pregnant woman fled from Bhera or Khushd,b (the family is still called Bheru or Khushdbi) to her father's house, the family parohit accompanying? her. On the way she gave birth to a son, and the parohit coming to know of the event after they had gone some distance returned and found the boy still alive and shadowed by a chil with its feathers. The parohit restored him to his mother assuring her that his family would attain greatness. This is how chil worship arose in this family.
The Malhotra got observes the deokaj in the 5th year after the birth of the first child, and no Malhotra can marry his eldest son or daughter until it has been solemnized.
Both at a true wedding and at a deokaj the chil or kite is worshipped because, it is said, one of those birds once burnt itself alive in the chitd or pyre in which a Malhotra widow 'was being burnt with her husband. So the got regards the kite as itself a sati and is worshipped as such.
At a weddino- when the marriage party reaches the bride's house a goat is demanded from her parents and its ear cut with a knife, a drop of the blood being dabbed on the bridegroom's forehead.
The Sirhiudia Malhotras take boys to Dandrata in Pa^iala for the mundan rite, as their guru lived there, and after the boy^s head has been shaved his representative gives the child a jhunjhund with a knot at each end for the first time. No Malhotra will give his son such a toy till thi5 has been done, though he may give him cue with a single knot. There too the guru's quilt {gudri) is worshipped and jhandulds or bachelor Brahmans are fed.
A Malhotra wife in the seventh month of her first pregnancy sits in t!)e dehli or portico of the house and there removes her nosering and laung which she never puts on again. She also gives up dyeing her hands and feet with henna, saying thrice —
Nak nath Idhi, sar matti pdi, asi Idhi Idhi. Main Idhun, m,eri hahu Idhe, meri sat kali Idhe.
" I take off my nosering, throw earth on my head. As I have takoii it off so may my son's bride take her's oJBP, and seven generation* of my children take it off".
624 Khairis, Mengi-^Najjart
The Mengi also do not kill the snake. It was, they say, born to one of their ancestors and at the shaving {maunan) rite they worship a picture of it. At this ceremony they slice oif of a goat^s ear and apply smoke to its nose to make it sneeze. They consider that no good luck will come unless the goat sneezes.
Tlie J\lerwaha claim Central Asian origin, and say they came from Merv (Marusthal). They belong to the Sarin group, and say they entered the south-west Punjab through the Boldn Pass. Their earliest traceable settlement is, however, at Govindwal or Gondwdl, in Amritsar, which they say was made into a large place by one Baba Govind Rai, a devotee. This man was granted lands in jcigir for giving food to a Musalman king, who came to him liungry during a hunting expedition. Afterwards one Guru Bhala, wiih wham the MerAvdhas had quarrelled, cursed them foi- refusing to allow his followers to drink from the same well. Thereupon large numbers of them settled else- where.
The Merwaha perform their maunan ceremony at the shrine of Bdba Thaman, at Ramria, 16 miles west of Jhang, and at Kangra.
The Mithu are goldsmiths, 'iliey have a sati at Talwandi Nimi, in Ja^raon tahsil, in Ludiiiana. One of the family, on his way from hia facher-in-law's house, with his wife, was killed by a tiger. She became sati with him and so the place is visited, every year in Bhddon, and seven times mud is taken out ol a pond near by in the neighbourhood of Talwandi Nimi.
Among the Mokol Bunjahi when the janeo rite is performed for . the first time (generally between 8 and lU years of age) , is a goat slaughtered {haWil karud) by a Qazi, and the paroJiit of the family applies {tika lagdnd) a drop of its blood to the forehead of the boy who is to don the janeo."* The goat's flesh is then eaten by the brotherhood; but they must eat it indoors and no one is allowed to take it outside. Before the ceremony is performed the boy is shaved with scissors, and not with a razor. At a wedding when the party starts towards the bride's villa •'•e, the bridegroom is required to cut a branch of a jand tree in his own village, females of the brotherhood accompanying him; and he must not return to his own house but go straight to his father-in- law's village with the wedding party.
Among the Najjar wari tuhndi^ prohibited. Waris are made of pulse [mungi or mash). Tho pulse is steeped in water for a whole night. Then it is ground fine on a stone with a stone or stick, water being sprinkled on it when it begins to dry. It is called pilhi (from pisna to grind). Spices are then mixed with it, and small cakes made of it by hand and spread out on a charfdiy while they are wet, and allowed to dry in the sun ; when dried they are kept and cooked as vegetables from time to time. This process is called ivari iuhna.
The Najjar trace their origin to Uch in Bahawalpur. The Nandat worship the ah which must not be touched by the women of the section, or mentioned by them : they worship it once a year.
* Mokol Khatn's call in the Mullah at the janeo ddlnd, as Mullahs in old times taught their childreu— (Sialkot). f The name Nanda or Nenda is derived from nindv, husband's sister.
Khatri^, Nanda — Saonchi, 625
Amongst the Pasi at a maunan and a marriage the eagle is worshipped in this wise. On the day before the date fixed for the munan or the weddings the family priest invites an eagle to a feast on the following- morning. Next day, the boy or the girl's father, together with the parvhit, goes out taking with him four loaves and a confection [kardh parshdd) thereon and puts it before the eagle. Standing barefooted with folded hands before her, they beg her to eat the meal {bhojan). They must stand in the same position until the eagle takes away part of it. ^
They then come back and perform the marriage or maunan ceremony and feast Brahmans.
The Puris are sub-divided into three sub-sections, the Sidh Gharmals of the Bist Dodb, the Malik Waziri of Lahore and Gujranwala and the Kasuri of Lahore, Dharmkot and the Malwa. Bd,ba Sidh Gharmal was a saint who originally came from the Mdlwa. At a wedding in this got the bride's mother feigns auger and seeks refuge in a kinsman^s house, until her husband soothes her displeasure and she is brought back amid the songs of the girls of the kindred. In some Puri families a mother never drinks milk after the birth of a child. Others cut off a goat's ear with a sword at a birth, stain the child's forehead with its blood, and then kill and eat the goat at a feast of all the brotherhood.
The Rih^n, a got of Bunjdhi status, perform hhaddan at Nangal, in tahsil Nakodar in Jullundur, after cutting a jaudi twig, which is worshipped on the Janamashtmi day. A he-goat, whose ear has been previously pierced near the jandi is taken home and beheaded by the eldest male of the family with an iron weapon. The flesh is distributed to the brotherhood and the bones and blood buried in the house-yard. On Sundays Brahmaus are not allowed to see or use milk and curds in a Rihan's house. The following tale is told of the origin of this cus- tota : — During the Muhammadan period all the women of the section, and the wife of their parohit determined to save their honour hy throw- ing themnelves into a well, but the par ohitni' 8 heart failed her, so |he other women called her a Chandd,lni and thus milk and curds, the best ol earthly things, have been prohibited to their Brahmans on Sundays ever since. The tardgi rite, which consists in putting a thread round the loins, is observed at a high mound, said to be the ruins of a village, near Ghdlib Kaldn, in Jagraon tahsil, in Ludhiana. The !^n•il■e Khatris of Del hi also visit this mound and offer a cloth, etc., there after a wed- ding, as it was their original home and was called Kerariwala.
The vSaonchi section of the Bunjahis has a curious rite on the Sth audi of Asauj. The arms of every male, even a new-born boy, are both incised with razors until blood oozes from the cuts. Kunga, a red powder, is then sprinkled on them by way of worship, ajid the blood is dubbed on the forehead. An idol shaped like a headless man is also made and a knife placed near its right hand. It is then worshipped. Nothing but bread and milk may be eaten on this day.
The Softi got has a sati at Rattowal, a village in Ludhid,na. They came originally from Lahore. At a tank called Bdba Hansuana named after one of their ancestojs, children who are supposed to be under evil
526 The Softi Rhatris.
influences and so grow thin are bathed and cured completely. Corn is vowed on recovery.
The Soi perform the bhaddan in the Kdngra Hills, aud that of cutting the yari(/i tiee at their own villages. They worship their ancestors at Jangpur in Ludbidna tabsil at the Diwdli.
The Tuli got is so named because its founder was being carried away by a torrent when he caught hold of a tula, a small toy made of grass or reeds and shaped like a boat, in which lamps are put. By its aid he was savdS and so was called Tuli.
Uppal is said to mean ' stone/ and this got performs the bhaddan rite whenever its gums from Anandpur, in Hoshi^rpur, visit them. Each guru gets IJ rupees and gives in return a small pagri. A few days after a cbild^s birth, its mother takes it to a sati's place outside the village and then to the tomb of Baw^ Lai. whom Muhammadans call Shdh Kamal. Offerings of bagar (pounded rice) are made at both places. The chihi^s head is shaved at the first place and a shirt and some ornaments put on at the second.
The Wadhera make offerings of luchis at the shrine of Bdba Tomba, when a boy at the age of 1^ years dons a .shirt for the first time, and regard it as a good omen if kites take the offerings : when a boy first dons shoes, at the age of 6, the ear of a he-goat is cut and water sprinkled on the anin al ; if the goat shivers it is auspicious. In either case the spirits of deceased ancestors are supposed to be propitiated. At 11 a boy's head is shaved and he declares that he must forsake his home and study m the forests, but his sisters bring him back, and, in the case of the eldebt sou, the mother leaves her home, going to a re- lative's house, and there she remams until her husband comes with a wedding procession and marries her again.
KHATfAK (Khatak). — A tribe of Pathdns which claims descent from Luq- mdn alias KhataW, one of the sops of Kodai. The Kiataks, as related in the article on Pathaus, claim themselves to be Pathans of the Kar- Idrni branch. By his Urmar wife Karl^r7iai had two sons Kodai and ' Kakai. The former had six or seven sons, including Luqinan, and a daughter who m;uried a Sayyid Muhamuiad, and had by him two sons, Honai'^ and Wardag whom Karlanii adopted.
The story goe? that Luqman^ while out hunting with his brothers, met four Afghan damsels of another tribe. Luqman chose the best- dressed — but she was the worst-favoured, being plain, dark and stout. His brothirs scoffed at him, saying Luqman -pah khatai Idr, 'Luqman is in the mud/ whence he was nick-named Khatak. His bride, however, bore him two sons Tormanf and Boldq. Torman had two sons Tarai and Tarakai, but as the former was the abler, his descendants and those of Tarakai too are styled Taris. Hence the Khataks are divided into main branches, Tari and Bolaq— aud to the latter belongs the Bang! Kbel, descendants of Bangai, son of Sdghari, son of Bolaq.
* Honis, descendants of Honai, were to be found round Nllib dwelling among the Khataks tvpo centuries ago. The Kaka Khel are much venerated by the Khataks as descended from the Sayyid Muhammad, and are probably Honis. The shrine of the Kaka Sahib belongs to this family, of which Shaikh Rahim-Yar was a member.
j The nam© reminds us of Toramana.
527
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528
Thanks to B^bar's Memoirs and Khushlial Khdn Kliatak's history of the ti'ibe the annals of the Khataks are singularly complete. Many years after Bd,bar had acquired K^bul, the Khataks either taking advantage of tlie coufusion which prevailed in the conBnes of the Delhi kingdom, or driven from their original seats in the 8hinwal range (in Waziristdn), separated from thpir kinsmen the Shitak Karlarnis and moved north-west, towards the Lowa-G har range, Karbogha, Tirait, into Chauntra, to Ildchi (Ld,chi) and the Shakardarra towards the Indus. At this time Kohat (Lower Bangash) was in the possession of the Orakzai Pathans with whom the Khataks were at feud, and the latter in alliance with the tribes of Upper Bangash defeated the Orakzais in two fights at Tapi and Muhammadzai near Koh^t town, compelling them to fall back towards Tir^h, while the Khataks themselves pushed on towards Nilab, Patid,la and Sunid,la on tiie Indus. Driving the Awdns before them the Khataks pushed their inroads as far as Sakesar, Bliera andKhushdb, occupied Makhad and for a considerable period held Kalabagh. In Akbar's reign Malik Akor or Akorai became a vassal of the emperor and in 1587 he founded Akora, on the south bank of the Kabul, and his son Yahyti. seized upon the territory of the Mnndar Pathdns which lay nearest to that river. Tliis tract became known as Tari-BoMq from the two sections of the Khataks which held it. They failed, however, to subjugate the whole Mandar tribe and were only al)le to establish a footing on the northern bank of the K^bul opposite Akora.
In 1630 the nliis or tribal levy of the Khataks joined in the combined attack by the Path^n tribes round Peshdwar on that fortress, although their Arhdb Shahbdz Khd,n was with the Mughals at Peshdwar at the time."^ The Mughal authority was, however, soon re-established, and in 1659 Khuslihdl Khd^n, who had now succeeded his father Shahbdz in the chieftainship,t was employed by them in an expedition against the Afridis and Orakzais of Tirah, whence he returned in 1660. After Aurangzeb was firmly established on the Delhi throne Khushhd,l, however, fell into disgrace and was imprisoned at Rantabhur, but he wa'< released after more than two 5^eai's' captivity in 1666, and was with Muhammad Amin Khdn, siihahddr of Kdbul, at the great disaster which befell the Mughals in the Khaibar in 1672. Disgusted with the u age nero us treatment, he received at the hands of the Mughals, Kliushhdl did not accord his loyal support to the Mughal cause and his opinion of Aurangzeb is set forth in some spirited verses.f The fief of Tari BoMq held by the Khataks, appears to have been now granted by the Mughals to Sher Muhammad Bangash and this led to a bitter feud with the tribes of Bangash, in the course of which Khushh^Pa son Ashraf defeated the Kohatis. A second defeat at the Turkai Pass followed, § but in 1673 Sher Muhammad Bangash returned from his long exile in Hindustan and won over the Sini branch of the Khataks. Khushhal Kiid,n thouj^h supported by the Afridis was also hampered
* Khushhal in his history tries to make out that the Khataks did not join this rebellion against the Mughals. f He succeede(? his father in 164] . J Raverty's Poetry of Afghans, p. 18.
§ Raveity dates the events, which culminated in the second defeat of the Kohatis at the Turkai Pass, back to 1652-54, which appears too early.
Rhattah history. 529
by tlie disaffection of the Mushaka, a clan of the Bol^q Khataks, and his Afridi allies having attacked Koh^it prematurely were repulsed. Kliushhd,l sought refuge in Tird,h and thence wandered into the Yusafzni country, but as he lamented in verse, he failed to rouse them against the Mughal power, and his son, now nominally chief of the Khataks, was sent in charge of a Mughal force against his father's allies— the Afridis. Another Mughal defeat was the result, and Khushl)^! was enabled to make another attempt on Koh^t, but deserted by the Sinis and Miishaks as before he was defeated and wounded in 1675. Two years later Ashraf Kh^n was granted Tari-Bolaq as sardar of the tribe, and further misunderstanding arose between father and sou. The latter waged war on the Malik Miri Bangash and took the fort of Poda from theShd/di Khel in 1680. Subsequently the Mughal fan jddrs fell out with the Maliks Miri and Ashraf Khd,n, when called upon for aid against them, compelled them to surrender Kohdt but protected them from Mughal vengeance, and thus enabled his brother Bahidra to underminn his influence with the suhahddr of Kabul who treacherous- ly seized him when on a visit to Peshdwar and deported him to Hiudustdn.
In 1684 Afzal Khdn, son of Ashraf Khdn and now acting chief of the Khataks, was in charge of the road from Khairdbdd to Naushahra, but the exactions of the Mughal oflScials, or their legitimate demands for revenue, drove him into the Khwarram. He liad also to contend with Bahrdm, his uncle, whose authority was acceptable to many of the Khataks, but on Khushhdrs death in 1688 Afzal made his peace with tlie Mughal authorities and Bahrd,m having lost their favour, he again obtained charge of the Naushahra read in 1692. But Afzal failed to completely establish his authority till his father's death in 1694 made him chief of the Khataks, although Bahrdm was still active. In 1701 Amir Klid,n, suhahddr ol Kdbul, died and Shd-h Alam moved from Multan to secure the vacant province. On his return in 1702-03 via Bannu and Lakki he marched into the Isa Khel country and attempted to reach Peshd,\var by Kd;ld,bd,gh, but was reduced to great straits by the Bangi Khel and other 8dghari Khataks until Afzal Khan rescued him and escorted him to Lakki. Bahrd,m was sub- sequently seized and sent to Kdbul, but he escaped and Afzal Khdn was employed to suppress him and another rebel, Ismail Khdn Bangash, Afrer Aurangzeb's death Shdh Alam offered Afzal service in Hindu- stan but he declined it, as the emperor was unable to leave any suhahddr over the Kdbul province, and remained in charge of the road from Attock to Peshawar. He also won over Ismail Khdn, while Bahrdm sided with Qd,bil Khan, Ismail's rival for the Bangash chief- ship. Eventually the latter was acknowled£;ed by all the ulus of Bangash and this secured Afzal's position, Saif Khdn his son becom- ing/arz/dar of Lachi, which had been the centre of Bahrdm's power. Qfibil, however, soon broke out again and the next faujddr of Lachi, Nijdbat Khd,n, had to be sent against him. Qabil secured the Mughals' aid, but Afzal astutely played off AlUhddd, who held an imperial sanad ?is faujddr of Bangash, against the suhahddr of Kabul (Ibrahim Khd.n a son of AH .Mardd,n Khdn), and the Mughal forces with Qdbil were withdrawn in 1708 or 1709. Bahrdm's death followed in 1712 but the feuds among the Bangash continued and Afzal's son Said Khdn
030 Khaitah weddings,
now faujddr of Ld^chi,* sent ajirga to arbitrate between t"bem, but its members were murdered. In revenge lie attacked tbe Bangash and defeated them.
In 1718 Sarbuland Khd,n was appointed suhahddr and sustained a defeat by the Afghans in the Khaibar and Afzal took advantage of his reverse to refuse to pay peshJcash for Tari-BoMq :ind the Mughals with their Bangash vassals had to resort to force to collect it. The suhah' ddr also transferred the fief to a brother of Afzal, who retired to Chauntra, and subsequently declined an offer of the fief made him by thefaujdar of Bangash. In 1723-24 Sarafr^z, a descendant of Shaikh Bahddur, Khushbd-l's spiritual guide, raised disturbances in L^chi and the ( Khwarram, which AsadulMh, Afzal's son and faujddr of Ld,chi, was y'^ unable to suppress. Afzal himself had to seek an asylum among the
j/t Y^sufzais, but in 1 725 he was able with their aid to defeat the fanatical
mullahs, tdlxhs and darwesh who lost 600 killed, although he had only 3,000 men and the rebels with their Afridi and other allies number- ed 7,000 or 8,000. Here the Khattak chronicles end.
The chief seats of the Khatak power were Akora, Shdhbdzgarh, IC^i'abi'igli an 1 Makhad. The Khat;iks vary in physique and dress. Those m ar Upper Mirdnzai resemble tlieir Banjj'ash neighbours, but the Barak Khataks are tall, heavily built and stolid with shaggy hair cut down to the level of the ear and thick beards a hand-breadth in length. Their dress is generally of white cotton, rarely washed, and the turban is twisted into a kind of rope. In the fields they wear a long shirt, reaching to the ankles, of cotton or wool and tied with a bit of rope. Simple but sturdy and independent they are very clannish. The Sdgharis of Sliakardarra are tall and spare, accus- tomed to a hard active life and so smarter and livelier. In still greater contrast to the Baraks are the Khataks of Akora, men of medium height, who do not clip the beard, though they shave the head. Thej' are well able to hold their own against their Afridi neighbours. Khatak women dress in a blue shift with loose trousers, like the Bangash, and generally possess few or no ornaments.
Khatak wedding customs.
A young fellow who wants to get married sends a dalldl (who may be any onej to the parents of the girl to sound them as to the price that he will have to pay for her. The dalldl will return with a mes- sao-e that the would-be bridegroom must pay Ks. 300 (e, g.) in cash to the father as the bride-price : that he must, in addition, find Rs. 40 in cash, ten mans of wheat, a couple of sheep, Rs. 60 worth of ornaments, one raaund of ghi at the time of the wedding ; and that the hagq mahr will be Rs. 200. If the young man can raise the cash down for the betrothal, his dihn with the dalldl, and his father or another relation go to the house of the girFs fi.ther, who will not, however, appear himself but will work through his dum and his muhhtdr. The money will be counted out on to the chitdi to the girl's dum who will give it to the girl's mother. The two dalldls will then go throuyfh what these
* Sadr Kh4n had been /aw/ddr of Ldchi, on the part of Bahram. The date of Said Khan's appointment it not known.
The Kohifc Khattak custonia arc. a little different. The bridal party arrives at the girl's village in the evening, and is opposed with clods. A rope is stretched across the road at the height of a man, and this must be broken down either by a man on a pony or by tying a stone in a pagri and tbirewith palling it down. There is no seven-coloured string game, and the boy himself drips wa(er from a sword thrice^ into a gJiara. The nikah take place' ■early in the morning at the girVs house.
Khattak'jweddings. 63 1
Bannuchis call the sharai nikdh, i. e., {ho'ijab-qdbul, on behalf of their clients. Menhdi is applied to the hands of all present with the intima- tion that so-and-so's daughter is betrothed to so-and-so.
Neither betrothals nor marriages take place between the two Ids. Betrofhals take place in Ramzan but few marriages. This is ou ac- count of the fast more than anything else.
When the girl reaches puberty; if she has not already reached it, and the bridegroom can raise the value of the ornaments, etc., and the grain and ghi which are sent to the girl's people for the wedding banquet, he sends his ^urn to ask if the other side is ready. On the date fixed at about 8 or 9 p. m. he, with the males and females of his. village and from among his relations, starts to the house of the girl. The men of the girl's village turn out to oppose them, by throwing clods, for some time, but at last desist. Among the Wazirs, especially in former times, swords were brandished and injury occasionally caused. However the boy's party enters the village, and the boy and the men go to the chauk, while the women go to the girl's house and sing love songs, coming out after a while and singing to the boy to join them. He then goes with a party of his men into the girl's courtyard and stands in the middle while 8 or 9 men lift him in the air three times, he rais- ing his hands to show how tall he is. The girl's dmn intertwines seven strings of different colours, each the height of the boy, and as the boy is lifted up the diim jumps in the air swinging the cord so as to raise it above the boy's head if he can in order to show that the girl's family is superior. Then the boy is made to stand on a 7'ezdi against the wall, while five or six men of his party stand on each end of the rezdi. The women of his party gather together at one end of the rezdi and the women of the girl's party at the other. Then the women of each party sing love songs and al)use each other for several hours, while the boy who keeps quiet, stands with his mouth covered with the end of his turban. Just before dawn a female relative of the girl places patdsas in the middle of the rezdi and these ajre distributed. Then a younger sister or some other young relation of the girl comes out of the house in which the bride is, and her sheet and the hoy's patkd are tied together by the bride's dum. She holds the knot firm. The women of the boy's party then leave the courtyard and go to the nearest water in which one of the husband's family dips the blade of a sword letting the ua'er drip into a ghara. This is repeated thrice and then the ghara is fii.ed up in the ordinary manner. Then they return to the house and the water is sprinkled in the room where the girl is. The mother of the girl then brings curds and forces the boy to take two mouthfuls after which the boy gives the bride's sister a rupee to untie the knot.
The mother of the girl then presents a bed, pillow and sheet, and puts on her the ornaments that have been bought after they have be en weighed in the presonce of all by a goldsmith. The girl is then put on a pony with the boy's dum and the boy's party sets out none of the girl's family going with thena. On this day the village is feasted by the boy and the girl remains for the night with his women folk. The wedding by the nnilldh takes place the next night and then the pair are left alone. The next morning, however, the girl's 4um takes her back to her parents with whom she remains a week or so aftel' which
632 The Khaiiars.
she sends lier dim to say she wants to be fetched. She is taken to the boy's home by dum. 1'he dum is throughout an important person and is fed on all occasions. Khattae, KathaEj Kahtar, a tribe of the Attock district. The Khattars claim kinship with the Awd-ns, and to be, Hke them and the western Khokhars, descended from one of the sons of Qutb Sbdh Qureshi, of Ghazni. But the Awans do not alwa} s admit the relationship, and the Khattars' are said often to claim Edjput origin. Mr. E. B. Steedman, however, accepted their Aw^n origin, and says that an Awd-n admits it, but looks upon the Khattars as an inferior section of the tribe to whom he will not give his daughters in marriage. Sir Lepel Griffin, who relates the history of the principal Khattar families at pp. 561 — 9 of his Panjcib Chiefs, thought that they were originally inhabitants of Khorasan who came to India with the early Muhammadan invaders. But Colonel Cracroit noted that the Khattars of Hdwalpindi still retain marriage customs which point to an Indian origin ; and they themselves have a tradition of having been driven out of their territory on the Indus near Attock into Afghdnistdn, and returning thence with the armies of Muhammad of Ghoi'i.* Sir Alexander Cunningham, on the other hand, would identify them with a branch of the Kator, Cidaritse, or Little Yuchi, from whom the Gujars also are descended. [Archssological Survey Reports, II, p. 80). They now hold the tract, known as the Khattar from their name, which ex- tends on both sides of the Kdla Chitta Pahd,r from the Indus to the boundary of the Rawalpindi tahsil, and from Usmd,n Katar on the north to the Khairi-Murat hills on the south, and which they are said to have taken from Gujars and Awd,ns. Raverty says that their seats of authority were Bhatiut or Bhatot and Nilab on the Indus. They still hold the latter place which used to be called Takht-i-NiUb or 'the Throne of the Blue Water' — the Indus. The Khattars sided with the Mughals against the Khataks, bub although their chief Ghairat had been ap- pointed/awjcZar of Attock, they met with more than one reverse at the hands of Khushhal Kh^n and Afzal Kh^n, the Khatak chiefs in 1673 and 1718. Colonel Cracrott wrote :" The Khattars enjoy an unenvi- able notoriety in regard to crime. Their tract has always been one in which heavy crime has flourished ; they are bad agriculturists, ex- travagant iti their habits, keep hawks and horses, and are often back- ward in paying their revenue. They do not allow their daughters to inherit excepting in cases of intermarriage Avith members of the family, and even then only for some special reason." On this Mr. Steedman noted : " Since then they have become more civilised and less addicted to deeds of violence. Socially the Khattars hold an inter- mediate place, ranking below Gakkhars, Awans, Ghebas, Jodras, and other high class Rdjputs."
Mr. T. P. Ellis wrote an interesting account of the tribe which merits reproduction here both for itself and because it illustrates the ex-
* Ace ording to the Rawalpindi Gazetteer of 1883-84 the Khattars claim descent from Chohan, youngest son of Qutb Shah, who established himself on the Indus where for many years the tribe maintained its position. It was at least driven out by a Hindu tribe under Raj Deo, in 1175, but its chief, Khattar Khan, returning with Muhammad of Ghor, recaptured Nilab and, taking its name from him, the tribe overran the open country between thfl Indug and the Rawalpindi, dispossessing the Awans and Gujars.
Ehattar septs, 533
traordinary divergencies of tradition as to the origin of tiibes of no great antiquity.
The Khattars are generally credited with a Hindu origin, from Khatris * but they are themselves divided in belief as to their descent. Some admit the Hindu origin, while those who deny it claim an Arab descent, alleging they are closely connected with the Awd,ns. They claim 3 founders, Hd-shim, AbduUa and Mustafa, and say that in the time of Harun-ur-Rashid they came to Baghdad, and that in his jihod thev reached Hindustd,n -yia Baluchistdn m which latter country there are said to be 9,000 Khattar SaMna (houses or graves). They allege that they joined later in the raids of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi who settled them in Bagh Nildb whence they spread over the rocky barren country of the Kd,ld Chitta range in Attock, Pindigheb and Fattehjano- tahsils. ^
In order to meet to the generally arcepted belief that they were rrigin- ally Hindus, even those who claim a Mussalman origin admit that while at Bd,gh Nild,b they became Hindus and were reconverted.
The Khattars are sometimes divided into two main branches, thouo-h theyt themselves rarely speak of them. These are how the K^la Khattars and the Chitta Khattars. To the former belongs the Dhrek family, to the latter the Wdh faraily, though they are closely connected by intermarriage. It is possible that in this division lies the true expla- nation of the conflicting stories as to origin, the former who are darkish in colour being converted Hindus, and the latter of true Mussalman descent overpowering and absorbing their predecessors.
The origin of the name Khattar is ascribed by those who claim an Arab descent to a mythical Khattar Khan, the Tvord Khattar being synonymous with the word zahr.
Sub-divisions. Khattar Khd,ni3 supposed to have had seven descendants, who like the Gakkhars and many others founded as many septs with the patronymic 'dl. These were Firozal, Sirhd,!, Isdl, Garhdl, Balwdl, Mittidl and Kharidl.J The Khattars generally intermarry, indeed Cracroft attri- buted the degeneracy of the Dhrek family to ciofee intermarriage carried on for several generations. The Wah Jamily has also taken to it of recent times, Awdns both take from and give wives to Khattars, but Pathans, Gakkhars and Sayyids will not give them brides. Very strict yardah is maintained. Khattar wedding rites used to closely re- semble those of Hindus, Brahcnans even being present, but they are now solemnised according to strict Mahammadan rules. Till recently Khattars were not allowed to eat the hare. The Khattars have a tribal shrine that of Shah Abdul Wahab at Barot where both Khattars and Ghnkkai-s used to send the bodies of their dead for interment. A stone near Bagh Nilab was formerly regarded as the shrine of Nuri Shdb
* But the t is soft in Khalri and hard in Khattar. The identification with Kator is equally untenable, as Mr. W. Irvine has shown in J . R. A. S., 1911, p. 218.
t It is possible that these names are territoiial and derived from the Kal4 Chitta Range.
J Other septs are the Jandal and Ranial, the former giving its name to the tract south of the Kala Chitta.
534
Khawas—Kheirdn.
Abdul Rahmdn, but pilgrimages to this stone have now ceased almost entirely. The only notable superstition is that if rain fails the women of the village collect togethsr and fill gharas with water just outside the village. The village Khan is sent for and he takes hold of the plough^ and thereupon the women throw the gharas of water over him. This is supposed to be efficacious in bringing on rain. To keep jinns oQ from the threshint; floor pointed sticks are stuck on end in the various heaps of corn collected on the floor.
Khawas, a Rd,jput clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Khepar, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KsEEA, a Jd,t (agricultural) tribe found in Kabirwdla tahsil, Multd,n district, whither they migrated from the Lakki ]ungle in the 13th century. It is also found in Ludhiana and Amritsar. It wives the marginal pedigree and thus claims Solar Rajput origin. Its home was Mathra- na^ari on the Jumna, whence they migrated to Takhar-wind in the Malwa. An attempt to settle in Khadur was foiled by the Kan^, but eventually the latter tribe was defeated and the Khera settled in their present villages in Amritsar. Khera was the son of a Sidhu Jdt's daughter and treated his relations-in-law harshly — whence the name Khera fr. kharwa, ' bitter.'
Rai.
I Jado.
I Bashal .
I Angpal.
I Jilmachha.
I
Jai Ras.
I
Jatn.
Beas.
I Manj.
I
Janon.
I Juj.
I Dhor.
I
Mai.
I
Lakhisan.
I Khera.
Khe^e, a Kamboh (agricultural) clan found in Amritsar.
Khetran a tribe settled in the Loralai District of Balochistan at the back of the Laghari, Khosa, and Lund country. Their original settlement was at Vahoa in the country of the Kasrdni of Dera Ismail Kh^-i, where many of them still live and hold land between the Kasrd^ni Baloch (with whom they have long been at feud) and the river. But the emperor Akbar drove out the main body of the tribe, and they took re- fuge in the Barkhan valley which is still held by the Ndhar sept of the Khetrans as inferior proprietors, the Lagh^iris being its superior own- ers. They are ci^rtainly not pure Baloch, and are held by many to be Pathans, descended from Mi^na, brother of Tarin, the ancestor of tho Abdalij and they do in some cases intermarry with Pathans. Bat they confessedly i esemble the Baloch in features, habits, and general appearance, the names of their septs end in the Baloch patronymic termination dni and they are now for all practical purposes a Baloch
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Khewd-^Khilchi. 535
tribe. It is probable that they are in reality a remnant of the original Jdt population ; they speak a dialecb of their own called Khetr^ni which is an Indi&.n dialect closely allied with Sindlii, and in fact probably a form of the Jatki speech of the lower Indus. I'hey are the least warlike of all the Baloch tribes, capit il culfivators, and in consequence very well-to-do. Their lands are generally divided into lar^re blocks held by numerous sharers, eacli proprietor holding shares in many such blocks scattered about, in different viliaores. The tribe, as it now stands, is composed of four clans, of which the Ganjura represents the original Khetr^n nucleus, while to them aro affiliated the Dhariwal"^ or Ohacha vvho say that they are Dodai BalocH, the Hasani, once an important Baloch tribe which was crushed Vjy N^sir Khan, ilie great Kh^n of Kelat, and took refuge with the Khetrdn of whom they are now almost independent, and the Nflhap or Babar, who are by origin Lodi Pathans. Th» name, as Dames observes, is undoubtedly derived from kheti' ' field.'
Khewa, a boatman.
Khichar, a sept of Jd^s in Jind ; see under Jaria.
Khichi, Khichchi, a Muhammadan tribe of Jat status, found as a compact tribe almost exclusively round Mailsi in Multan and in the northern part of Gugera tahsil, Montgomery district.f It claims Chauh^n origin and descent from one Khichi Kh^n, a ruler in Ajmer. Driven out of Delhi by the Muhammadans his descendants Sisan and Vadar mig- rated to Multdn. The Khichis fought with the Joiya;^, then para- mount in those parts, and aiso say that they were sent against the rebellious Baloch of Kh^i by the Mnghals, in Multdn; In Montgomery the Khichis say they were converted to I^liim by Bah^wal Haqq, wandered up the Il^vi,t abandoned agriculture for cattle-breeding and joined the Kharrals in robbery, but under the rule of Kamr Singh Nakkdi resumed cultivation and are now industrious peasants.
Khidr Khel (a corruption of Khizr), (I) a section of the Sen Khel, Gadaizai, Iliaszai, Bunerw^l ; (2) a hamsdya section of the Shahozai, Dumar, Sanzar Kakar — Pathans.
Khidezai, a section of the Razzar Mandaur Pat;hd.ns, in Peshd,war.
Khilchi, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Sh^hpur : see Khilji.
* Dhariwal is the name of an important Jat tribe, _ Mr. Bray says that in Balochistan three clans are recognised, viz., — Ispani, Palliat, Dhirewal or more correctly Dhara. The term Ganj-dra is occasionally applied to the first two clans, or even to the whole tuman (tribe). The Hasani and Chacha are merely septs affiliated to the Dhara, while the Nahar (? hyaenas) are a sept of the Ispani. Folk etymology derives Dhirewal from dhtrwdl, a shepherd, and dhara is said to mean ' heap.'
t They are thus found along the lower and middle Sutlej, and on the Ravi from Multan to Lahore, but there are also a few of them on the Chenab, ani the'-e are considerable numbers of them in the Delhi district where they appear to be recognised as a sept of the Chauhan. In Shahpur they are also found and in _ that District they are classed as Jat (agricultural), but in Montgomery they are classed as Rajputs. In the Chenab Colony most of them returned themselves as Rajputs, but some as Jats. In the Sandal Bar they were dependents of the Kharrals, although superior to them in status taking wives from them, but refusing to give them brides. They were, however, not counted as 'belonging to the ' great Ravi ' tribes, and it is possible that the Khichi of the Bar and in Shahpur are really Khilchi or Khilji, not the Chauhan Khichi of Multan.
536 KMlji-^Khoja,
Khilji, a Mughal clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar. It appears to be quite distinct from the Khichi, and is probably the representative of tlie Khalj.
Khira, a tribe of Jjlts found in the Pasrur and Daska tahsils of Sidlkot. Khira was a son of Sanpdl. Like the Ghummans they are Bajwa Rajputs by descent.
Khiwa, a clan with some pretensions to Rd^jput origin, and locally ranking somewhat above the J^ts, found in Jhelum. Like the Bharat and Kallas it gives bride to the Jalap. The Khiwa are also found in Shdhpur as an agricultural clan.
KuiZR Khel, (1) a clan of the Soni or Suni Sarwarni Path^ns, according to Raverty. Settled in the Khiiibar in Bdbar's time, they weie attack- ed by him and driven into the mountains in 1519. They hail molested him on his march over the psiss, and in 1507 had opposed his advance through it with the Shama Kliel, Kharlakhi and Khogiani. This clan appears to be extinct, absorbed or now divided into septs, the name being forgotten or disused : (2) a minor fraction of the Mintar Khel, Muhammad Khel, Hassan Khel, Mohmit Khel, Utmanzai Darwesh Khel of the Wazirs.* See under Khidr Khel.
Khizrzai a section of the Natozai, Dumar, Sanzar Kakar Path^ns.
Kho a term applied to the inhabitants of Turikho and Muikho, or Upper and Lower Kho, in Chitrd,!. The Kho appear to be a mixed race and comprise families descended from Radakhshis, Shighnis, VVaUhis and Gilo-itis. Nevertheless they appear to give their name to Khow^r or Chitrd,li, the language of the great mass of the people in the country drained by the Clntr^l river and its affluents, as far down as Mirkhanni, as well aa in the Ghi^ar valley above Pingal. It includes many loan words from Persian, Pashtu and Urdu.
Khod, a Muhammadan clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Khogiani Khugiani, a tribe of the Karldr.i Pathans which at one time occupied the whole of Khost, but is now found in Kurram. The name has fallen into disuse except in Peshawar, where a few Pathdns of this name are found. Both the Jaji and the Turi of Kunam claim to be descendants of Khugidni, S(m of Kakai, but their Pathttn origin is open to doubt.
Khoja fern. -i. — The word Khoja is really nothing more than our old friend the Khwdja of the Arabian Nights, and means simply a man of wealth and respectability. In the Punjab it is used in three different senses; for a eunuchjt for a scavenger converted to Islam, and for a Muham- madan trader.J It is only in the last sense that the Khojas can be
* A Dictionary of the Pathdn Tribes, 1899, p. 109.
t Khoja also means bald. For the eunuchs see under Hijrl For Khwaja as a title see uuder Khwaja. As a title Khoja appears to be used only by or of Khojas by caste.
t The Khojas of Bombay are well known for their wealth and commercial enterprise, but they do not appear to have any connection, as a caste, with those of the Punjab. Dissent from orthodox Muhammadanism is however everywhere well marked among the Khojas, who are thus described in Burton's History of Sindh, pp. 2'J8-li'49.
" The Khwaj-eh (or as the word is generally pronounced Khwajo and Khojo) is a small tribe of strangers settled in Sindh, principally at Karachi, where there may be about three hundred families.
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Khoja groups, 537
called a ' casto/ but there does nol; appear to be any true caste of KhojaSj any Hindu trader converted to Iskim being known by that name. Thus the Khojas of Shahpur are almost entirely Khatris, and a Khatri now becoming a Musalman in that District would be called a Khoja. The Khojas of Jhaiig, on the other hand, are said to be con- verted Aroras ; while some at least of the Lahore Khojas claim Bhd,tia origin, and one section of the Ambdla Khojas are K^yaths. But in the north-west I^unjab and the northern districts of the North-Wesj Frontier Province, the term Paracha is preferred by Hindu traders con- verted to Islam, so that where the Pard,chas are a recognised and wealthy caste, khoja is used for miscellaneous Muhammadan traders, chieflj' hawkers and pedlars, or at least petty traders ; while in the eastern districts and in the Derajat, where the Khojas are commercially important^ paracha is used for the Muhammadan pedlar.
These Muhammadan traders, whether called Khoja or Paracha, are found all along the northern portion of the two Provinces under the hills from Amritsar to Peshd,war, and have spread southwards into the central and eastern districts of the Western Plains, but have not entered the Derajat or Muzaffargarh in any numbers. Their eastern boundary is the Sutlej valley, their western the Jhelum-Chenab, and they are found throughout the whole of the Salt Range. Probably it is hardly correct to say of them that they have " spread" or " entered/' for they apparently include many distinct classes who will have sprung from different centres of conversion. They appear to be most numerous in Lahore. An interesting account of a trade development by the Khojas of Gujrdt and Sialkot is given in Punjab Government Home Proceed- ings No. 10 of March 1879. It appears that these men buy cotton piece-goods in Delhi and hawk them about the villages of their own Districts, selling on credit till harvest time, and the business has now assumed very large proportions. The Khojas of the Jhang district were thus described by Mr. Monckton : " They do not cultivate with their own hands, bat own a great many wells and carry on trade to a considerable extent. They are supposed to have been converted from Hinduism. They do not practise cattle-stealing, but are a liti- gious race, and addicted to fraud and forgery in the prosecution of their claims."
In spite of their conversion to IsUm, the Khojas retain many traces of the Khatri caste organization. Thus at Bhera in Shdhpur they hava
the following sub-divisions : —
1. Sahgal.
2. Wohra or Bohra.
3. Sethi.
4. Kapur. j 7. Gorawala.
5. Duggal. 8. Magua.
6. Rawar or Ror. | 9. Mehndru.
" Their own account of their origin is that they emigrated from Persia. Probably they fled the country when the Ismailiyeh heresy (to which they still cleave) was so severely threatened by Ilolaku Khan. They differ from the Ismailites in one essential point, viz., whereas that race believes in only seven Imams, the Khwajehs continue the line down to the present day. They are therefore heterodox Shiahs, as they reject Abubakr, Umar, and Usman, Muhammed Bakir and Imam Jafar-i-Sadik. In Sindh they have no mosques, but worship in a kano or house prepared for that purpose. For marriages and funerals they go to the Sunni Kazi's, but their Mukhi or head priest at Karachi settles all their religious and civil disputes. Under the Mukhi, who is changed periodically, are several officers called Waris, and under these again are others termed Khamriya."
638 Rhojah-^Khohdnra.
— all Khatri sections. A tenth, Matoli, does not appear to be a Khatri section, but it ranks with, the first six, and from these seven the last three cannot obtain wives, tiioug-h they give brides to them. The Khojas of Bhera* claim to be strictly monogamous, so much so that, as a rule, a Khoja caunot obtaiu a secoud wife in the caste, even though his first have died and he is thus driven to take his second wife from some other Muhammadan tribe. The Khojas of Leiah have the Khatri section-names of Kapur, Ptiri, Tandan and Gambhir, but as these are no longer exogamous and as wives may be taken from other castes, the old rules of hypergamy and endogamy are no longer in force.
Ihe Khojas of Jhang have at least four clans, Magun, Wohra, Wadawana and Passija. The last named is undoubtedly of Arora oiigin. At Chiniot in Jhang the Khojas are mainly Khatris, recruited by some Arora sections, thus : —
|
Khatr |
i section. |
Arora sections. |
|
|
f Adal. |
Tarneja. |
||
|
Belirara. |
Indigenous to Chiniot. |
Goruwala. |
|
|
Churra. |
Talwar. |
Khurana. |
|
|
Immigrants from •{ Maggun. |
Puri. |
Dhingra. |
|
|
the south-west. Sahgal. |
Topra. |
Chawala. |
|
|
Wadhaun. |
|||
|
I AVihra. |
The original Khatri classification into Biiri and Bunjahi groups is said to be still presei'ved. Formerly the Khatri sections used not to inter- marry witli the Aroras, but this restriction is said to be no longer ab- solute, though such marriages are not usual. The Khojas in Chiniot reverence Fir Gilani, the descendaut of Imam Hassan, and his descend- ants live in Kotia, Gujranwala district. The Khojas have a cemetery of their own at Chiniot, called the Hcifiz Diwan.
The Wohra are possibly the same as the Boraf of Centra) India. In Central India they have a remarkable colony at Ujjain, which is divided into lour mahdls under elected Mullahs. Malcolm J says they belong to the Hassani sect and are a progressive community. The Khojas of Makhad (a place on the Indus) are more usually called Parachas. They have houses of a peculiar structure — in fact, the Khojas' enterprise seems to be as marked as their high standard of comfort, and in this they are somewhat different to the Khatris.
Keojah, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multau. Cf. Kohja.
KhojI; ci title of honour given to Kashmiris.
Khadal, a Jat tribe which migrating from Jamnm settled in the north of Multdn tahsil in Mughal times.
Khohanka, a tribe of the Sammas, found in Bah^walpur. The Sang' branch of the Sammas has a tradition that in ancient times the Sammas had two grades, one superior and genuine, the other comprising ]3 in- ferior septs who were ivazirs of the Sammas. To these latter belonged the Khohdnra.
* The Khojas of Bhera have a legend that they were expelled from Chak Sano, a ruined village in Bhera tahsil, some two or three centuries ago. They have an extensive trade with Kabul and beyond, and inhabit a remarkably well-built mchallu in Bhera, tvhere tliey take a leading part m rnuniciiial ali'airs.
T (?) from beoha = trade.
+ Memoir on Central India and ilalwa, Vol. I, pp. 91-2.
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The Khokhars, 639;
Khokhae, -UR.— (1) a tribe, found among Jc4tg, Rdjputs, Ardins* an(3 Cliuhrds {see infra). As a tribe of varying Rcljput and . Tat status the Khokliars are most numerous along the valleys oi the Jhelum and Clienab, and especially in the Jhang and Shdhpur districts. They are also found, though in smaller numbers, on the lower Indus and the Sutlej, espe- cially in Lahore, and also all along the foot of the hills from the Jhelum to the Sutlej. Pind Dddan Khdn m the Jhelum is said to have been refounded by a Hada Rajput from Garh Chitor, named Fateh Chand, who en conversion to Islam was re-named Dadan Khdn.t He was Rdja of those parts in the time of Jahanglr, but the Khokh,.rs had held the tract at an earlier period for they are mentioned as its occupiers in the Ain-i-Ahhari. They also once ruled an extensive tract in Jhang 'lyino* east of the Jhelum. The Khokhars of Gujrafc and Sidlkot have a tradi- tion that they were originally settled at Garh Karana, which they can- not identify, J but were ejected by Timur and they went to Jammu, whence they spread silong the hills, and the concentration oi the Khokhars of the plains on the Jhelum and ChendH, and their wide diffusion in the sub-montane tract are explained by the history of Timur's invasion. In Akbar's time they were shown ns the principal tribe of the Dasuya ^)a7'^a«a (in Hoshidrpur) and they now give their name to the Khokharain, a tract which contains some 40 Kliokhar villages, all but three of which are in Kapurthala State on the bordeis of Dasuya tahsil,§ In Kapurthala the Khokhars have four eponymous septs, Sajriii, Kdlti, Ber and Jaich. In Shahpur the Khokhars are said to be split up into nunierous septs, amono^ which are the Nissowana. The Bhatti and Kudhan are septs found in Montgomery.
The origins of the Khokhnrs are as obscure as those of any Punjab tribe. 'J'radition appears invariably to cminect them with the Awdns, making Khokhar one of Qutb Rhdli's sons and the Khokhar Qutb Shaliis his descendants, who would thus be akin to the Juoans also. But this pedigree probably merely records the fact that the Awansand Khokhars owe their conversion to Isldm to the saint Qutb Shah or his disciples, or that they both accepted his teach ings.|| However this may be the Khokhars in Sidlkot inter many with otlier tribes, which the A wdns will not do, and thus in a sense rank below them. In Gujidt, where they hold a compact block of villagres about Mung on the Jhelum and own some of the richest lands in the District, tlie leading Khokhars are called Rdjd, as being of Rajput status or descent ' from Bharat and Jas'^at.' Yet they claim kinship with the Awans and inteimarry witli them and the Bhattis, giving wives to the Chibbs, but not getting bi'ides in re- . turn.^ Moreover the Khokhar themselves vary in status. In the east
* Punjabi Dicty., p. fiC2. Chiiliriis and Nai's may be added.
t The history of this family will be found at p. 589 fE. of Griffin's Pavjah Chiefs.
X Kirana Hill in Jhang cannot well be meant.
§ There are two Khokhar chhatt or leading villages in the Kholdiarain, Tahli in Hoshiarpur and Begowal in Kapurthala.
II That the Khokhars were originally Hindus appears hardly open to question. The Khokhars in Jhelum say they used to keep up certain Hindu customs, and had puroltita. who were Datts, until recent times, but that this is no longer the case. Thoj'- do not know whether they are connected with other Khokhars of the Punjab
1j At births, weddings, etc., they observe Ji'it usages, but have no ralhdclnlri like them and no dur like the Gujars. Before the wedding procession starts presents are given to 7 Jcamlns. — a N.ai, Mirasi, Tarkhsin, Lobar, Kiinihar, Dhoba and RaCi) or Hindu. And when the procession reaches the bride's house her father brings as many presents in a thdH and they are also given to these kcnnins.
S40 RhoJchar traditions.
of the Punjab they marry, on more or less equal terms, with other Bdj- puts and so rank as a Rajput tribe. But in Jullundur they are said to intermarry in their own tribe or with Shaikhs, Aw^ns and the like, rather than with their Eajput neighbours. About Pind Dadan Khd,n the Rajput Khokhars are sail to be entirely distinct from the Jd,t Khokhars, though elsewhere in Jhelum the tribe has for the most part become merged with the ' J^t ' cultivators. Those of Ed,jput status, however, marry into some of the best Janjua families. In Bahawalpur the Khokhars are found in some numbers and many of them return their main tribe as Bhatti. They intermarry among themselves, but some- times give brides to Joiyas. One well-known sept is called Missan, so called because they once gave a mirdsi a loaf made of missi (gram flour) and in revenge he satirised them.
In an article entitled A History of the Gakkhars, contributed to the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1871, by Mr. J. G. Delmerick, the Khokhars of the Muhammadan historians were taken to be the Gakkhars. Tiie late Major Raverty, however, expressed a strong opin- ion that the writer of the article had confused the Gakkhars with the Khokhars, a totally distinct tribe, and a full examination of all the evi- dence at present readily accessible, has convinced the present writer of the correctness of Major Raverty 's position. The Khokhars were set- tled in the Punjab centuries before the Gakkhars, and were early spread all over the central Districts of the Province before the Gakkhars ac- quired their seats in the Salt Range, to which they are and always have been confined. If this thesis be correct, it follows that Farishta's de- scription of the customs of polyandry and female infanticide, as practised by the tribe, apply not to the Gakkhars at all, but to the essentially Punjab tribe, the Khokhars.
The traditional history of the Khokhars*
Beor^sahs^,t who succeeded Jamshid, King of Persia, was called Daliak or the ' Ten Calamities.' On his shoulders were two snake-like tumours, -whence he was nick-named Maran or Aydah^ by the Persians, and called Dabak (or Zuhd,k)t Mard,a, while his descendants were de- signated Tak§-bansi, Nag-bansi or Takshak. About 1500 B. C. Kama, the iroDsmith, aided Faridun, a descendant of Jamshid, to subdue Dahak, who was cast into the well of Koli Damavind, and Faridun be- came King of Persia. One of Dahak's descendants, named Bustam Raja, surnamed Kokrd, was governor of the Punjab and had his capital at Kokrand., on a hill in the Chinhath Do^b, but it is now called Koh Kird^n^.j] At the same time Mihr^b, also a descendant of Zuhdk, held Kabul as a feudatory of Faridun.
* By a Kbokhar of Khokharain, in the Hoshiarpur district, Punjab.
t Afrasiab.
X Zuhak is merely the Arabicised form of Dahak. Zuhaka was another name for Zahal, the aacient fortified city, identified by Raverty with the Maidan-i-Rustam Koh, visited by Babar. It was Rustam's appanage and lies on the sources of the Tochi and the Zurmat rivers.
§ Tak for Dahak.
II A singularly unsuccessful •tttemp'; to iJentify the isolated Kirana Hill, that in the Jhang district, with Kokrana by assuming that the syllable Jco- was mistaken for the Persian koh, mountain and dropped in the course of time—an utterly impossible suggestion.
Khohhar traditions. 541
After acquiring the Persian throne, Fariclun marched against Dahdk's descendants. Bust^m fled and sought refuge in the Hill of Ghor, west of Kandahdr, where liis people ruled for generations, being called'Ghori or Ghoria and all being pagans.
Some years later Bustd,m was murdered and some powerful R^jil took possession of the Sindh-S%ar Dodb, where Alexander found Takshail (Taxiles), founder of Takshala (Taxila), now Dlieri Shdhdn in the Attock district. But before the Macedonian invasion Kaid R^j, Kino- of Miirw^r, overran the Punjab in the reign of Darius Hystaspes, toon after Bust^m's murder. His capital was Bherd. on the Jhelum district and he also founded a fort at Jammu, which he entrusted to Virk* Khokhar, one of his kinsmen. Virk, with his own tribesmen, conquered the northern hills, and then, in league with the hillmen of Kohdt and the Sulaimd,n Hills, drove Kaid Rdj out of the Punjab. The Khokhars, under such chiefs as Jot, Salb^han, 1^,1, Bal, Sirkap, Sirsuk, Vikrara, Hodi, Sandd,, Askap, Kliokhar (sic), Badal and Kob, thenceforward held the Punjab.
A long period after this, Bahr^m, R^ja of Ghor, left Shordb, which lay 100 miles from Qandahd.r,t and, regaining the Kokrand, terrifory, his hereditary province, he founded Shordb to the east of the Kokriimi, Hill. Another Rajd, of Ghor, named Zamin Dd,war, founded yet another city 3 Jios to the east of Shor^b and called it Dd,war, and this was laid waste by the Tartars, but the mound still exists. To the west of it lies the new town of Dawar, which is still in possession of the tribe. Shorab was destroyed by Sultdn Mahmud, and its rains stand at the foot of the present Shorabwdli Pahari Hill.
Gori^, the Kokrana Rd,ja of Shar^b, was succeeded by his two sons Bd-dalJ and Bharth§ and 11 others who were sons of handmaids. Bd,dal succeeded to the upland tracts of Chiniot and Kokrd,nd,,|| while Bharth took those east of the Chend,b. The latter, who dwelt in Bharth, a city named after himself, which lay 6 kos west of Nankdn^ village, came, stone in hand, to aid his brother Bd,dal Khan in battle ; but learn- ing that he had already fallen, he placed the stone on the ground and marched to avenge his loss. He was, however, worsted in the conflict, and Bharth, his city, destroyed. But the stone still lies on the hill. South of Chiniot B^dal founded Mdri Tappd, on a hill still so called.
* This is to account for the existence of the Virk, a powerful Jat tribe, still numerous in Gujranwala. It also seems to connect them with the Khokhars.
t Eight or ten miles west of Qandahar lies the village of Khokharan. The kaliis of the bards record a Raja named Kokra of Garh Kokrand, now called Kadyana.
J Badal would appear to be a Hindu name ; cf, Rai Badal of Chittor : but lower down we find him called Badal Khan, the latter a Muhammadan title. It is curious to find Hindu and Muhammadan names mixed up in this history without apparent sense of incongruity. Thus below we have Ratn Pil, undoubtedly a Hindu, descended from Sanda, whose three brothers all bore Muhammadan names, even if Sanda was himself a Hindu. Among the Meos of Gurgaon the position at the present time is precisely the same and the present head of the Muhammadan Kharrals in the Lyallpur district is called Jagdeo.
§ The name Bharth frequently occurs in Punjab legends as the name of the ancestor of a tribe, or even as a sept name.
II It is unsafe to identify places like Kokran4 with the Khokhars. Near Rohtak are the mounds called Khokra Kot, under which lie ancient cities, but the word Khokra has no connection with the Khokhar tribe. (See Rohtak gazetteer, 1883-4, p. 16.)
642 Khohhar traditions.
In the middle of the Chenab he commenced a stone fort and a masonry bridge wliich he never completed, but a wall of the fort, called the Badalgarh, still remains. With Dara, his beloved kinsman, Rdja Badal Khd^n {f.ic) was assassinated on his way to Maii Tappa, some 3 Jcos from Ohiniot, and here his tomb, called Badal Dd-rd, still stands to the west of the village of Amirpur.
Bharth's territory had extended as far as Gujr^t, and he left 8 sons of whom 4 left issue. These were Sdndd,, Hassan, Husain and Mahmud. Sandd, built a city, Sandar, between the Ravi and the Dek streams, the ruins of which are still called Siindar-kd,-tibba in the (Pindi) Bhattid,n tract. He ruled so justly that his dominion is still called the Sdudar or Sd,ndal Bdr.* He left 4 sons, Manddr, Ratn Ptll, Bald,, and Jdl. From Hatn Pdl sprang the Rilii4n,t a sepb which has two branches, the Nisso- wandSjJ and the Bhikhas,§ found m Shdhpar and Jhang. Kdlowdl waa head-quarters of this sept. Sultan Mandtir's descendants are now found in Bannu, where they trace their origin to Kais Abdur-Rashid, and are thus called Mandar (sic) Afghdns. Mandd,r himself prospered, kept in with the ruler of Kdbul and conquered the Kohistan-i-Namak and the Koh-i-Nandana. Of his twelve sons, three were legitimate, and of those three Rai Singin remained in the Koliistan-i-Namak and married his daughter to Sultdn Jalal-ud-Din Khwdrizmi, who made his son general of his own forces, with the title of Qutlugh-Khani. The secon i son Ichhar founded Ichhrd, near Lahore, and the third was Md,chhi Khan, who became Rdja of Chiniot, which was named from Chandan, his sister, who built a palace on the hill as a hunting lodge for her lather. Mari Tappa was not then populated, but Andheri was flourish- ing, and north of it lay the dhaidar,\\ or abode of Rdni Chandan, which was called Chandniot, now Chiniot. When Andheri was deserted, Machhi Khan^ shifted his residence to the eastern bank of the river. Rai Singin had four sons ; Sarpal, Hast,*'^ Vir and Dadan. Some of Sarpdl's sons went to Afghanistan and now trace their descent to Shdh
* But a local legend, recorded by Mr. E. D. Maclagan, says this Bar is so named after one Sandal, a Cluihra, who used to commit great depredations. Another Chuhr^ used to live in the Gua rock, i. e., the rock wilh the ' cavern,' and eat men. The people sometimes called the Bar, Tattar, i.e., ' the Desert.'
•j- Probably the Rihans. a tribe still found in Jhang district : see the Jhang Gazetteer, 188:^-4, p. 61, where they are described as rulers in old days of the Kalovval tract, which once formed a part of the Sial kingdom ; (but they are not said to be a branch of the Khokhars").
I The Nissowanas are also still to be found in Jhang— in the northern corner of Chiniot tahsil : Jhang Gnzetleer, p. 66.
§ The Bhikhas cannot be traced.
II Dhaular, in Paujabi = palace {lit., * white house').
•(]■ This Machchhe Khan appears to be alluded to in the following ballad, which records the deerls of the Chaddra tribe of the Sandal Bar :- Moda de Chiniot le6 ne.
(After their victory over the Kharrala the Chadni) with a push of the shoulder (i.e., with a certain amount of trouble) took Chiniot. They used more force. They killed Malik Machchhe Khan. They harried and destroyed him. ** Hast: a Malik Hast is mentioned in Babar's Memoirs (Elliott's Bistorv of Indtn, Vol. IV, pp. 236-37). but no particulars regarding him appear to be given. Raverty mentions him and Sangar Khiin as chiefs of the Janj-uas and J-uds.— 2y''oft's on Afghdnistdn, p. 365.
Zor chang6ra UM ne.
Malik Machchhe Khan kutthd ne.
Ragvfin rok rnla^a ne.
\
KhoTchar traditions. 543
Husain Ghori. Chuchak or Achu was sixth and Malik Shaikh seventh in descent from Sarpal, and the latter founded Shaiklui, a fort, and Dhankar, a villag-e in the hill of Bhavvtin,-^ north of Mancrlan, he and his father holding the hill-country and the tracts west of Gujrdt. Malik Shaikha was appointed governor of Lahore by the king of Delhi, and Nusrat, his younger brother, opposed Timur's invasion, with only 2,000 men, on the Beas.
Malik Jasrat, sou of Shaikha, is a historical personage. In 1442 A.D. he was murdered by his queen, a daughter of Bhim Deo, Kajil of Jammu, because her father had been put to death by the Malik. His descendants are found m Mari and Shakarpur in (iJujrat, at Malikwal in Shahpur, at Jasrat near Chiniot, and in Dhankar near Khangah Dogran.
The Tartars spared the territories of Sarpal's descendants. After 1200 A. D.t they had burnt all the Khokhar settlements on the Beas and Sutlej. Raja Vir Kh^n fled towards Multan, but returned and founded Kangra, 0 kos from Chiniot, east of the Chenab, but soun moved towards the Beas with Kalu, his kinsman, who founded Ktiluwahan, now Kahnuwan,:}: in Gurdiispur, on the right bank of the river. For himself Vir chose a tract 32 kos south of Kahnuwan, and there he founded Vairowal in Tarn Taran, naming it after his son Vairo. Bharo, another tribesman, founded Bh^rowal in the same tahsil. Kulchandar, another Khokhar, founded Mirowdl, Marddna, Auliapur, etc., in Sitllkot. Raja Vir Khan also founded a new Kangra midway between Kahnuwan and Vairowal. His territory was 40 Icos in length, and the town extended 5 miles along the bank of the Beds. At its north and south gates stood two forts or vidris,§ now occupied by Bhatti Rd,jputs|| and Panuan Jats. On the ruins of this town now stands the small village of Kaugra,^ lu'st opposite to Tahli or Khokharain on the west bank of the i3eas in Hoshiarpur. In the village is the tomb of Ladaha Khiin, Khokhar called the Pb' Ghdzi, at which offerings are still made. This ghdzi's head is said to be buried at Mandi Bohr, a village in Kapurthala 3 miles south of Tahli, to which place it was carried by the stream when he was killed. Ladahd Khdn left seven sons, (i) Jago, whose descend- ants founded Dinamdl, Akalgadha and Kotli Sara Khan in Amritsar close to Bharowdl and Vairowal ; (ii) Rup Hai, whose sons founded Dand in Baya tahsil, Sialkot; (iii) Bego, who founded Begowal and J 6 villages, now in Kapurthala; (iv) Dasihan, the author's ancestor, who founded Khokharain*"^ as his residence and 12 other villages: Jhan who founded Bale Chak, naming it after his son Balo, with 9 more villages. As these three brothers owned in all 40 villages the tract was called the Chalia Khokhariin. Bhogra migrated to Muradtibad.
* Possibly Bhaun in Jhelum.
t c. 600 A. H.
X Which place the Khokliars are said to have held in Akbar's time.
§ Mdri in Panjabi means a lofty house of masonry, or a small room erected on the roof of a house.
II Of the Bucha got, whence the present village is called Mari Buchian.
*jj Kangra is close to Sri Hargobindpur.
** ALo called Tahli, because one of its quarters was so called from a tdhli or ehisham tree.
544 KhoJchar history.
The KhoJchars in the Muhammadan Historians of India.* In 399 A.H. (1009 A.D.) the Gakkhars, by whom in all probability are meant the Khokhars, then infidels, joiaed the Hindus who had collected under the leadership of Anandpdl to resist the sixth invasion of India by Mahmud. Their number is said to have amounted to 30,000 men, who, with heads and feet bare, and armed with spears and other weapons, penetrated the Muhammadan lines on two sides, and in a few minutes cut down three or four hundred Muhammadans.t
The earliest distinct mention of the Kokars occurs in the Tdj-uU Ma'dsir, a history written in A. H. 602 (1205 A.D.),t which describes the revolt of the tribe or confederacy under the chiefs Bakan andSarki, which occurred upon a false report of the death of the Sultan Muhammad of Ghor having been put about by Aibak Bdk, who seized Multan.§ The Kokars raised the country between the Sodra (Chend,b) and the Jhelum and defeated the Muhammadan governor of Saugsvan, who held a fief within the borders of Maltan, but they were defeated by Qutb-ud- Din Aibak, and one of the sons of Kokar Rai escaped to a fort in the hill of J ad, which was captured on the following da}*^ by the Sultdn.|j
The next mention of the Khokhars occurs in the 'fahaqdt-i-Ndsri, written about 658 A. H. (1259 A. D.).l It relates that Muiz-ud-Din in 581 A. H. (1185 A. D.) ravaged the territory of Lahore, and on his return homeward restored Sialkot, in which fortress he left a garrison, but as soon as his back was turned, Malik Khusrau, the last of the Ghaznivides, assembled the forces of Hindustan and a levy of the Khokhar tribes and laid siege to Sialkot. This account is confirmed and amplified by A History of the Rdjds of Jammun, which says: — "The tribe of Khokhar, who dwelt round about Mangldn at the foot of the hills and were subject to the Jammu dynasty, having received encour- agement from the Lahore ruler (Malik Khusrau), and sure of his sup- port, refused any longer to pay tax and tribute to Jammu and throw oif its yoke." In return the Khokhars then assisted Malik Khusrau in his attempt on Sialkot, whose garrison was befriended by the Jammu forces.^*
The next notice of the Khokhars in the Tabaqdt-i-Ndsiri ia an im- portant one, and confirms the account of the Tdj-ul-Ma'dsir, It de- scribes the confusion which arose in the Sultd,n's dominions on account of the rumour of his death, and states that the Khokhars (and other tribes of the hills of Lahore and Jud) broke out in rebellion in 602 H, and were defeated with great slaughter. tt In this rebellion the Khokhars appear to have been in alliance with the Rd,i Sal, the ruler of the Salt Range, or Koh-i-Jud, but it is not certain that Rdi Sdl himself was a Khokhar.
* The following account is extracted from Elliot's History of Ii)dia, cited as E.H.L; from the Tabaqdt-i.Ndairi, Raverty's Translation, cited as T. N. ; and from the latter writer's liotes on Afghdnistdn.
t E. H. I., II, p. 4i7.
i lb. p. 209.
§ lb. p. 233.
i; lb. p. 235.
^16. p. 264.
** Tabaqdt.i-l^dsiri, p. 455; cj. p, 453, note 4 (Raverty suggests that Manglan is Makhiala).
tt T. N, p. 481 ; c/, 604.
Khohhar history. 54g
In 620 H. (1223 A. D.) the Sultan Jalal-ud-Din, driven from Gliazni by the Chingiz Khan, who pursued him to the Indus, «ou^ht a refuo-e m the Punjab. He occupied Balala and Nikala"^^ near Lahore, an'd being too weak to advance on Delhi, sent a part of his urmy acrainst the hillJud. This force defeated the Jihokhar chif^f, and the Sultan obtamed his daughter in marriage, whereupon the KhokharRait joined him with a considerable body of his tribe.
The Khokhars had a long standing fend with Kub^cha, governor of Sindh fwhich then included the whole valley of the Indus below the Salt Range), and the Sultan's troops, under the guidance of the son of the Khokhar chief, by a forced march, fell suddenly upon Kubdcha's camp near Uch and totally defeated him.
The Khokhars, however, do not appear to have been confined to the country between the Jhekim and the Chend,b, but to have also held a considerable tract east of theBe^s (and the good horses to be obtained in their talwandis or settlements are often mentioned), for in Q38 A. H. (1240 A. D.) we find them enlisted in the forces of the Sultdna (Queen) Hc4ziyyat and her consort Malik Ikhtiydr-ud-Din, Alt.unia, but they abandoned her after her defeat at Kaithal.J
After the sack of Lahore by the Mughals in 1241-42 A. D., '' the Khokhars and other Hindu Gabra " seized it.§ And in 1246-47 A. D. the future Sultan Ghiyas-nd-Din Balban was sent, against the Khokhars into the Jud Hills and Jhelum.]] The Khokhars were apparently subjects of Jaspdl. Sihrd,.^
About this time Sher Khan reduced the Jats, Khokhars, Bhattis Minis (Mind,s), and Mand^hars under his sway,*"^* apparently in or liear his fief of Sun^m.
Tn 647 A. H. (1250 A. D.) the upper part of the Punjab appears to have been in the hands of the Mughals and Khokhars,tt but nothino- more appears to be lieard of tbem until the reign of Muhamnifid Tug-hlaq Sh,4h, when they again began to be troublesome, and in 1342-43 A. D. they revolted under their chief, Chandar. The governor of the Punjab Malik Tdtdr Khdn, had to march against them, and though he was able to subdue them for a time, they caused great disorders under the last Tughlaq kings of Delhi. J J
We now come to tlip Tdrihh'i-Muhdrak Shnhi, an imperfect manu- pcript, the history in which has had to be completed from the Tah'tqat- i-Akbari, which copieil from it. According to this history, the Khokhar chief Shaikh^§§ seized Lahore in 766 A. H. (1394 A. D.), and Prince
* Bankala or Manka!a-E. H. I., II., p. 553 ; rf. 563. "
•j" Called Kokar Sanka, who had embraced fslam in the time of Muhammad Ghort—Ib p. 563 ; T. N., p. 29-i.
X 1. N., pp. 647-8, notes.
§ lb., p. 656 n,
il lb., p. 678 ; E. E. I., II, p. 347.
^ T. N., p. 815.
** lb., p. 795.
tt 16., p. 822.
a Raverty's Nofea, p. 367. Farishta tarns Chandar into Haidar. — Brigg's TranR.. I, p. 425.
§§ Shaikha was the general name by which the chiefs of the tribes styled themselves," because " being Hindus by descent, they had become converts to Islam," Hence Jasrath is often styled Jasrath Shaikha.— Raverty's Notes, p. 367.
546 Khohhar history.
Humd.yun, afterwards Sikandar Shdh I, was to have been sent against him'^ but his father, Muhammad Shah III, dying suddenly, he was too occupied in securing the throne to set out on the expedition. Sikandar Shah, however, only reigned some six weeks, and on his death Sultan Mahmiid Shah II, succeeded him, but it was not for some months that Strang Khan could be nominated by him to the fief of Dib^lpur and entrusted with the war against Shaikha. Sd,rang Khd,n took possession of Dibalpur in June, and in September he advanced on Lahore with the forces of Mult/m, and accompanied by the Bhatti and Main (Mind,) chiefs,t crossed the Sutlej at Tihara and the Beds at Dubdli. On hear- ing of Strang Khan's advance, Shaikha Khokhar invaded the territory of Dibd,lpur and laid siege to Ajudhan, bub bearing that Sarang Kbd,a had passed Hindupat and was investing Lahore, he returned hastily to that city and encountered Sarang Klidn at Samuthalla, 12 kos from it. There he was defeated by Sarang Khan and fled to the hills of Jud, while the victor took possession of Lahore. Four years later occurred the grim interlude of Tiraur's invasion. Shaikhd, says the historian, out of enmity to Sdrang Khd,n, early joined Timur and acted as his guide, in return for which he received mercy and honour,^ but before Timur left India he made Shaikhd prisoner, and with him all his wives and children.
According to the histories of Timur, however, the Khokhary played a much more important part in the resistance offered to the invading armies of Timur than the Tdrikh-i-Muhdrah-Shdhi is inclined to adm'it. In October 1398 A. D., Tfmur halted at Jdl on the Beds, opposite Shdhpur. Here he learnt that Nusrat of the tribe of Khokhar was established in a fortress on the banks of a lake. He attacked Nusrat, and completely routed him, taking immense booty in cattle and burning Nusrat's residence. Nusrat himself was slain. Some of his followers escaped across the Beds, which Timur crossed, marching from Shah Nawdz to Janjan, a few days later. § We next read of Malik Shaikhd or Shaikh Kukar, ' commander of the infidels,* who was defeated and slain by Timur in the valley of Kupila or IIardwdr,[| The Zafarndma, how- ever, differs from this account. It mentions Ald-ud-Din as a deputy of Shaikh Kukari, who was sent as an envoy to Kupila,^ and describes the advance of a Malik Shaikha as being misreported as the advance of Shaikh Kukari, one of Timur's faithful adherents, a mistake which enabled Malik Shaikha to attack Timur unawares, though he was promptly repulsed and killed. Then we hear of Timiir's arrival at Jammu on his homeward march. In its neighbourhood he captured seven strongholds, belonging to the infidels, whose people had formerly paid the jizy a or poll-tax to the Sultan of Hindustdn, but had for a long time past cast off their allegiance. One of these forts belonged to Malik Shaikh Kukar, but, according to the Zafarndma, the owner of this
* E. B. I., IV, p. 272.
t !&., p. 29. Dibalpur is the ancient Deobalpur and the modern Dipdlpur. Ajudhan is the modern Pakpattan. X E. H. I., IV, p. 35. § E. H. I., Ill, pp 415-16. 11 lb., pp. 455-G; c/. p. 510. ^ lb., p. 505.
Khokhar history. 54^
stronghold was Sliaikii, a relation o£ Malik Shaikh Kukar* (or Shaikha Kukari), which possibly makes the matter clear : — Nusrat the Khokhar had been killed on the Be^s after which his brother, Shaikha, submitted to Timur, aiid was employed by him during liis advance on Delhi.f The Malik Shaikha killed at Kupila was nor. a Khokhar at all, but in Timur's Autohiography he has become confused with Malik Shaikha the Khokhar. Lastly, Malik Shaikha had a relative, probably a Khokhar, who held a little fort near Jammu.J
After his am'est by Timur, Shaikhs disappears from history; but in 823 A. H, (1420 A. D,), or some 22 years later, Jasrath (the son of) Shaikhs, makes his entrance en the scene. In that year the kino- of Kashmir marched into Sindh, and was attacked by Jasrath, who de- feated him, took him prisoner, and captured all his materiel. Elated by this success, Jasrath, an independent rustic, began to have visions about Delhi. Hearing that Khizr Khan (whom Timur had left ia charge of Mult^n as his feudatory, and who had become Sultan of Delhi in all but name) was dead, he crossed the Beas and Sutlej, defeat- ed the Mina leaders, and ravaged the country from Ludhiana to A.rubar (Rupar).§ Thence he proceeded to J^landhar, and encamped on the Bed.s, while Zirak Khan, the amir of S^mana, retired into the fort. After some negotiations it was agreed that the fort was to be evacuated and given up to Tughd,n, the Turk-bacha (Jasrath^s ally, who had taken refuge in his territories), while Jasrath waB to pay tribute'and return home. But as soon as Jasrath got Zirak Kh^o into his camp, he de- tained him as a prisoner and carried him, securely guarded, to Ludhiana, whence he marched to Sirhind. That fortress, however, defied all his attempts, and the Sultan Mubarak Shah, advancing, com- pelled him to raise the siege and retreat on Ludhiana, whence, having released Zirak Khan, he crossed the Sutlej. The Sultan's forces then advanced as far as Ludhiana, but were unable to cross the Sutlej, as Jasrath had secured all the boats. When the rains ceased, the Sultan withdrew to Kabulpur,|| and Jasrath made a similar movement, where- upon the Sultd,n sent a force to effect a crossing at Rupar. Jasr^ith marched on a line parallel to this force, but it effected a crossing, and the SuMn then passed the river without opposition. Jasrath's followers then abandoned the opposition he had chosen without striking a blow, and their leader fled hastily to Ludhiana, whence he crossed the Beds,
* According to the Malfuzdt-i-Timuri, Malik Shaikha Khokhar was the brother of Nusrat Khokhar, formerly governor of Lahore on the part of Sultan Mahmiid of Delhi. After Nusrat's defeat Shaikha Khokhar had submitted to Ti'mur, and had accompanied hira on his inarch to the Jumna, his influence being sufficient for him to obtain protection for his subjects from pillage by Timur's army. Shaikhi, however, obtained Ti'mur's leave to return to Lahore, where he soon incurred the suspicion of being lukewarm in Timiir's cause and Timur sent orders to arrest Shaikha and levy a ransom from Lahore— £. H. I., Ill, p. 473. This account is confirmed by the Zafamdma, which calls Nusrat Kiikari brother of Shaikh^ Kukari— 16.. p. 485. Raverty states that some authorities say that Shaikha died a natural death, while others allege that he was put to death, Jasrath being imprisoned in Samarqand. Some years later Jasrath was released acd returned home. There he put to death Shahi, his brother, and, seizing Jalandhar and Kalanaur, began to aspire to the sovereignty of Hind. — Notes, p. 8G8.
t E. B. I., Ill, p. 520.
X lb., p. 467.
§ E, H. I., IV, p. 54. Raverty adds that he attacked Sirhind, but it was defended by Buitin Shah Lodi and he failed to take it in 1421.— ZVotes, p. 3(J8.
II Kabulpur (Raverty).
548 Khohhar history,
the Ravi, and finally, after the Sultan liad crossed tbe latter river near Bhowa,* tlie Jatihava (Clienab). Jasrath now took refuge in his strongest place, Tekhart in the hiUs but Rai BhimJ of Jammu guided the Sult5,n's forces to the stronghold, and it was captured and destroyed. Jasrath's power was, however, undiminished, for as soon as the Sultan had returned to Delhi after restoring Lahore, he recrossed Chenab and Ravi with a large force of horse and foot, and attacked Lahore and was only driven oft after nearly five weeks' fighting round the fort. He then retreated on Kalanaur to attack that stronghold^ into which Rai Bhim had thrown himself in order to relieve Lahore. After protracted fighting round Kald-naur, Jasrath patched up a truce with Rai BhIm and then went towards the Ravi where he collected all the people of the territory of the Khokhars, who were in alliance with him, but on the advance of an imperial army fi"om Lahore, supported by one which advanced on the ford of Buhi, he again fled to Tekhar. The united forces of the Sultan now marched along the river Rd,vi and crossed it between Kalananr and Bhoh* afterwards effecting a junction with Rd,i Bhim on the confines of Jammii. These forces defeated some Khokhars who had separated from Jasrath on the Chenab.
Li the following year (826 A. H. or 1423 A. D.) Jasrath defeated Rai Bhim and captured most of his horses and materiel. The Rai him- self was killed, and Jasrath now united himself to a small army of Mughals and invaded the territories of Dibalpur and Lahore, but on the advance of the imperial leader he retired across the Chendb.
After this the Khokhars appear to have remained inactive for four or five years, but in 831 A. H. (1428 A. D.) Jasrath laid siege to Kaliinaur, aiid on advancing from Lahore to relieve the place, his old opponent, Sikandar Tuhfa, was defeated and had to retreat on Lahore. Jasrath then besieged J^landhar, but he was unable to reduce it, and so he retreated to Kalanaur, carrying off the people of the neighbourhood as captives. Reinforcements were seut to Sikandar, but before they arrived, he had asraia advanced to KaMnaur and united his forces with those of Rili Ghd,lib of that town. These leaders then marched after Jasrath and completely defeated hitu nt Kdngra on the Bels, recovering the spoils which he had gained at Jalandhar. Jasrath again took refuge iu Tekhar.
In 835 A. H. (1431-2 A.D.), however, Jasrath descended from Telhar (Tekhar) and marched on Jalandhar, Sikandar drew out of Lahore to intercept him, but incautiously allowed his small force to be attacked by Jasrath's superior numbers and was defeated and taken prisoner, some of his followers escaping to Jalandhar. Jasrath in triumph marched on Lahore and laid siege to ib, but it was vigorously defended
* Not identified ; possibly Bhowa and Bhoh are the same.
t Thankar or Talhar in other historians. Farishta has Bisal, but that is on the Ravi. Raverty calls it Thankir.— E. H. I., IV, pp. -55-6.
X Raverty calls this Hindu Raja of Jammu Rai Bhali'n, but adds that he was sonin-Iaw of AH Shah of Kashmir, against whom Zain-ul-Abidin, his brother, enlisted Jasrath's aid. The Khokhars and their ally marched from Sialkot against the Sultan, Ali Shah, and defeated him prior to U23 A. D. About this time the Gakkhars, under Malik Kad, wrested their conquests from Zain-ul-Abidin.
Khor — Khoreja. 549
by Sikandar's lieutenants, and on the Sultdn's advancing to S^mana to its relief, he abandoned the siege, but kept Sikandar in captivity .* ;t •
In 835 A. H. (1432 A. D.) Malik Allahdjid was appointed feudatory of Lahoi-e, but he waa promptly attacked on his arrival at Jdlandliar by Jasrath, defeated and compelled to seek a refujje in the hills of Kothi.t
In 840 A. H. (1436 A. D.) the Sultan Muhammad Shdh sent an expedition against Shaikhs, {do) Khokhar, which ravaged his territories.^
In 845 A. H. (1441 A. D.) the Sultdn conferred Dibdlpur and Lahore on Bahlol Kh^n and sent him against Jasrath, but Jasrath made peace with him and flattered him vrith hopes of the throne of Delhi. § After this the Ivhokhar power declined, owing to causes of which we know nothing.
In the time of Akbar the Khokhars held 5 out of 52 maluills in the Lahore sarhdr in the Bari Do^b, and 7 out of 21 pai-ganas in tho Chinhath Doab, with one mahdll each in the Bist-Jalandhar and Rachna Doabs. In the Dibdlpur sarhdr of Multan they held 3 out of 30 mahdlls in the Bist-Jalandhar Dodb, and one in the Berun-i-Punjnad, west of the Indus. Raverty puts their population then at more than 200,000 souls. ||
It must be confessed that the above notes leave the question of the origin of the Khokhars precisely where it stood. In an account of the Katil Kdjputs from Gurd^spur it; is said that some of the (earliest) converts to Islam became known as Khokhars, but further on it says : " One of our ancestors settled in the fort of Mangla Devi in the Jainmu State and then took possession of Kharipur. Hence his descendants became known as Khokhars/-' after being converted to Islam in the time of Mahnnid of Ghazni. And further on it says that Kiitils do not intermarry with Khokhars, because the latter are of their blood and are descendants of Kdtils by Muhammadan wives.
(2) a section of the Chuhras which is said to be descended from a Khokhar Rajput whose soil was born of his mother in hpr o-rave. He was rescued, but as he had sucked the breasts of a corpse he was out- casted and married the daughter of a Chiihra. Out of respect for its ancestress the Khokhar Chuhrds do not eat the heart of any animal.
Khor, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
IvHoiiEJA, a Jiit clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
* E. H. I., IV,, p. 74. t Ih. p. 75.
I lb., p. 85 : Jasrath must be ireant. § lb., pp. 85-6,
II Notex, pp. 36G-67. The Khokhars of the Jalandhar district do not mention Jasrath, but only date their settlement there from the time of tho Sayyid kings. Mr. Purser {.JiMundur Settlement Report, p. li;) says this is negative evidence that Jasrath was a Gakkhar, but he refers to Major WaterJield's Guji-dt SetUemeut Report, in which the Kho- khars are quite correctly put down as descended from Jasrath, " who, with Bharat, took Jammij when in Timiir's service," and afterwards settled in the Gujrat district'.- See Punjab Notes and Querien, I., p. 1-il.
f 50 Khosa — Khoire.
Khosa, {]) a very important Balocli tribe forming two distinct tumans^- one near Jacobiibddin Upper Sindh, the other with its head-quarters at Batil near Dera Ghazi Khan. Said to be mainly Hot by descent, they occupy the country between the Laghari and tlie Kasraui, their terri- tory being divided into a northern and a southern portion by the terri- tory of the Lunds, and stretching from the foot of the hills nearly across to the river. They are said to have settled originally in Kech ; but with the exception of a certain number in Bahawalpur they are, so far as the Punjab ia concerned, only found in Dera Ghazi. They hold, however, extensive lands in Sindh, which were granted them by Humayun iu return for military service. They are one of the most powerful tribes on the border, and very independent of their chief, and are '' admitted to be among the bravest of the Baloch." They are true Rinds and are divided in Dera Ghazi into 13 clans, of which the Balelani and Isiaiji are the most important, the latter being an affiliated offshoot of the Khetrans. The others are the Jangel, Jindani, Ji^ni, Jarwdr, Hamalani, Tombiwala, Mihrwani, Haiti, Jajela,* Lashari and Umarani. The Khosa is the most industrious of the organised tribes ; and at the same time the one which nest to the Gurchani bears the worst character for lawlessness. In 1859 Major Pollock wrote : " It is rare to find a Khosa who has not been in prison for cattle- stealing, or deserved to be ; and a Khosa who has not committed a murder or debauched his neighbour's wife or destroyed his neighbour's landmark is a decidedly creditable specimen." And even now the description is not very much exaggerated.
There is also a Khosa aah-tuman of the Kiads of Shorau, and a Khosa clan of the Lunds of Tibbi.
(2) u tribe of J ats, said to be of Tur Rajput origin and to have been expelled from Delhi by the Chauhans. The people so plundered were called Khosas.t They used to wear the jane o, but after contract- ing unions with Jats they gave it up, except at Rattiar in Moga tahsil in Ferozepur, where the Khosas still wear it, avoiding social inter- course with other Khosas. The Khosas hold the title in reverence because in the flight from Delhi an eagle saved a new-born child — in the usual way. At weddings bread is still thrown to kites. The boy's name was Bhai Randhir and Khosa Randhir in Moga is named after him. His pond in this village is the scene of a mela held there in Mdgh and all Khosas have their wishes fulfilled or fulfil their vows there. Another special custom at Khosa weddings is that when the bride reaches the bridegroom's house the Dum conceals the takJcula of a spinning wheel iu the village dung-heaps, and the pair are made to search for it by the common till they find it.
Khosak, a Baloch clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Khosae, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Multan.
KhostWal, an inhabitant of Khost in Afghanistan. The Khostwals arc not a tribe but include a number of Pathan tribes, such as the Jajis.
Khotre, a Kharral clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
* A small clan, probably aborigines of the Jaj valley, which they inhabit. t The more usual folk-etymology makes Khosa = plunderer, not plundered.
n
. /C^^uZ Jl ./. X t7L<^^'f iT/-
«Ufc ^-'^^ Ai^ ti.
<i,./ ^ S ^^7 ^^^.
Khudakha-'Kingar. 551
Khddakka, a sept or family of Pathans descended from Khud^ Ddd Kh^n, son of Khizr Kh^n (ancestor of the Khizr Khel), and grandson of Saddu Khd,n, founder of the Saddozais. The family is chiefly found in MuMn.
Khudukhel, a branch of the Doozai clan of the Mandaur Path.4ns, settled on the Indus in Peshawar round Panjtar.
KetJGiANi, see Khogiani.
Khukhrain, see Khokharain.
Khumea (KhemraI. — A caste of Hindustan, and found only in the eastern parla of the Punjab. His trade is dealing in and chipping the stones of the hand-mills used in each family to grind flour ; work which is believed to be generally done by Tarkhdns in the Punjab proper. Every year these men may be seen travelling up the Grand Trunk Road, driving buffaloes which drag behind them millstones loosely cemented together for convenience of carriage. The millstones are brought from the neighbourhood of Agra, and the men deal in a small way in buffaloes. They also sing at fairs, and in Karnal work as weavers. They are almost all Musalraan.
Khunga, one of the principal Jat clans, by position and influence in Hoshidrpur, in which District it is found in and near Budhipind.
Kbusra, an eunuch or hermaphrodite : see under Hinjrd.
Kbutril, a tribe which is found in the Kahuta, Gujar Kh^n and Rawal- pindi tahsils of Rawalpindi, and is connected by descent with the Dhunds and Jasgams of the Murree Hills.
Khwaja, a title, especially affected by Kashmiris. It is the same word, asKnojA, but is not used as the name of any caste or otherwise than as a title.
Khwajazada, see Sayyid.
Khyung-po, see Chahzang.
KiHTRAN, Kthtraen, a sept of the Mi^ma Pathd,ns, descended from Kihtrd,n, one of the two sons of Shkorn, son of Midnai : Raverty distinguishes them from the Kihtraas or Khetrans.
KiKAN, one of the two main divisions of the Sansis. Also known as Bhedkut, the Kikan are cattle-lifters, child-stealers, burglars, and some- times robbers and dacoits. They pass themselves off as Nats and other harmless tribes to escape molestation. They will eat beef and buffalo meat. Sometimes they are called rihluwdlas by the people as their women dance and sing rilhus, ditties or love-songs.
KiLCBi, a clan of the Manj Rajputs.
KiLLA, a tribe of Ja^js which claims Solar Rajput origin through its eponym. It migrated into the Punjab in Humdyun's time and is found in Sid,lkot.
KiNGAE, see Kangak.
552 Kirdr — KoMstdni.
KiRAR, fern, -i, a word almost synonjmoug with coward, and even more contemptuous than is the name Banyd in the east of the Province. The term appears to be applied to all the western or Punjabi traders as distinct from the Biiny^s of Hindustan, and is so used even in the K^iigra hills. But the Arora is the person to whom the term is most commonly applied, and Khatris repudiate the name altogether as derogatory. The Kirar appears as a terrible coward in the proverbs of the countryside : " The tliieves were four and we eightj'-four; the thieves came on and we ran away. Damn the thieves ! well done us ! " And again : " To meet a Eathi armed with a hoe makes a company of nine Kird-rs feel alone. " Yet the peasant has a wholesome dread of the Kirar when in iiis proper place. " Vex not the ^At in his jungle, or the Kirar at his shop, or the boatman at his ferry ; for if you do, they will break your head." Again : " Trust not a crow, a dog, or a Kirar, even asleep." So again : " You can't make a friend of a Kirdr any more than a satti of a prostitute."
KiRAUNK, Karaunk, Keaunk, Kirawak, a man whose duty it is to call people together for hegdr or forced labour; also called Satv.-dq or ' bearer of burdens.' LyaU speaks of the Kirank as one of the nich or inferior castes of Hindus in Kdngra, but it is doubtful whether it is not rather an occupational term, applied to any Koli or Dagi who adopts this calling. In the Simla Hills the term Karawak is generally applied to a Koli, but in the Koti fief of Keen thai there are two villao-es wlipre Karawaks live and form a distinct caste, ranking higher than t!ie Kolis. These were originally Kanets. Once a cow died in a cow-shed and there being no D^gi or Koli pre?ent, a Kanet dragged its carcass out of the house. The Kanets outcasted him and his descendants are called Kardwaks. The Kunets do not intermarry or dine with them. They can enter a Kanet's house but must not go into the kitchen. They correspond to the Batwd,ls, Balahar, etc., of the low hills and the plains.
KiRD Kurd, a powerful Brahoi tribe : found also as a clan in the Maztiri Baloch tribe. Originally a slave tribe.
KiRMANi, a Sayyid clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
Kishtiban a boat driver, a boatman : see under Mallah.
KlZALBASH, see QrZZILBASH.
Koch, a people mentioned in the MasdHk-ica-MamdliJc and in the Kitdh of Ibn Haukal with the Baloch. They are described as inhabiting a territory of Iran Zamin bordering on Sind and Hind, and as speaking a language different from the Baloch. Ravert\' identified them with the Brahuis, but see Kochi, infra.
KocHi, a synonym for Powinda, q. v. The word literally means ' nomad.'
KopAN, a J^t clan (agricultural) found in Multd,n.
KoHAR, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KoHisTANt, a ganerio tei'in for the peoples of the Indus Kohistdn : see under Chiiiss, Gabare.
V if-^ '
^
0 f
-t.,^
,^
Kohja^-Koli. 558
KohJa, 'defective in a member/* more correctly Khoja.
KoHJA.—In the Jullundur tahsil, the first J^ts to become Musalmatis would seem to have been the Kaujas or Kohjas v/ho hold five villao-es ; one of which is called Kauja, where the Kingra cho enters the^ District. They say their ancestor was a giant who accompanied Sultdn Mahmud of Ghazni in one of his invasions and settled down here as he liked the country. His name was Ali Muhammad or Manju, and he was nick- named Koh-Cha, or 'little mountain/ on account of his size. The change from Koh-cha to Kauja or Kohja is simple. Six of their septs (the Sim, Sadhu, Arak, Sin, Dhanoe, and Khunkhun) claim to be of Arab descent, and so were originally Muhammadans. The ethers were converted at various times since the reign of Akbar. The above mentioned six septs at least intermarry on equal termp. The Kohjas avoid the use of beef and till lately observed Hindu rites, as well as the Muhammadan nikdh, at weddings. They sank to Jdt status by marrying Jat women.
KoHLi, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
KoHLi, a man, of any caste, who looks after the huhls or irrigation channels in Chambd,. Not to be confused with Koli.
KoHRi, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KoK, a small clan of J^ts found in Bd,wal (Ndbha). It derive? its name from its first home, Kokas in the Manddwar tahsil of Alwar. The Koks ordinarily worship the goddess Bhairon, and perform the first tonsure of their children at Durgd,'s shrine in the Dahmi ildqa of Alwar. C/. Kuk.
KoKARAH, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Multan. Cf. Kukdra.
KoKRAYA, a tribe of Jdts.
Kola, an inhabitant of KuUu, and, according to Sir Denzil Ibbetson, a distinct word from Koli, vide p. 218 swpra. The form Kold is probably correct, just as Ldhuld, is used outside Ldhul in Kullu for an inhabitant of Ldhul.
Koli. — The term Koli is used in three distinct senses. First, as a territorial term it denotes a resident of Kullu, and Lyall speaks of the Rdjaa of Kullu as Koli Rajd,s.t He adds that the name Koli is applied, out of Kullu, to any Kullu man, but Kola would appear to be the mora correct form. Ho observes that they were not of pure Rajput blood, a fact indicated by their use of the title Singh iustead of Sen or Pdl, the usual Rajput aflBx, and that they were probably Kanets by origin, popular tradition making them for some time petty Tbdkurs or barons of the upper Kullu valley. J Second, it denotes the Ko]i§ of the Hills, who is practically the same as the Dagi, or in Chamba as the SiPPi. Third, it is used of the Cliam^rs in the south-east Punjab who have taken to weaving. The Koli of the plains belong in all probability
* Punjabi Dicty., p. 622,
t Kangra Settlement Rep., § 79.
X Ibid, p. 75.
§ Koli is often given as a K^jput sept or family.
6.')<4 KoU growps,
to the great Kori or Koli tribe of the Chamars, the head-quarters of which is in Ondh. These men are commonly classed with Chamdrs in the districts in which they are found, but are distinguished from the indigenous Chamdrs by the fact of their weaving only, and doing no leather work. Indeed they are commonly known as Chamdr- Julahds. Mr. Benton wrote : "The Cham^r-Juld.bd,s have no share in the village skins, and do no menial service ; but they would be very glad to be entered among the village Chamars, who have anticipated them and driven them to weaving as an occupation." I very much doubt whether this is generally true. As a rule the substitution of weaving for leather work is made voluntarily, and denotes a distinct rise in the social scale. Tho Karndl Kolis do not obtain the services of Brdhmans.
It is, however, very possible that the Kolis of the hills are identical with those of the plains, or that both are really so named because they follow the same callings. Thus in the Simla Hills, the term Koli is supposed to be derived from Kuhn, ' degraded from a family,' i. e., of Sudra status ; and the Dagi caste is said to be an ofishoot of the Kohs, which got its name from dragging away dead cattle {dangar or 4aga), so that a Koli who took to removing the carcases of cattle was called a Ddgi Koli. Neither Kolis nor Dd,gis may wear a gold ornament"^ or a sihrd (chaplet) at a wedding in those Hills, but in the Siwdliks and lower Himalayas Kolis may wear both, though Chamnrs may not. Again Dagis and Chamars may intermarry, as a Dagi who makes shoes becomes a Cham^r. Otherwise he remains a Dd.gi. Yet the Kolis rank above the Chamdrs or Ddgis and in the lovyer Himalayas a Kanet will drink water from a Koli's brass vessel, but not from any earthen vessel of his. These appear to be the Sucha or * pure ' Kolis of the following note : —
Once upon a time, when the Simla Hills were occupied by Kanets, cattle disease carried off nearly all the cattle of the villagers. As no shoe-makers (Chamars ") were available to remove the countless dead kine, and as the villagers could take no food till the carcases were removed from their houses, they took counsel to get out of the difficulty they were in, and some Kanet families undertook to remove them, but these families were avoided by the other Kanets, as they were polluted by touching the dead kine, and were termed Kolis. Thus the Kolis are degraded Kanets. But they retain their gols, so that the Koli gots are the same as those of the Kanets, and some Kolis of the Shandilya and Kashyap gots are found in these hills. Kolis do not touch beef. But they gladly eat the flesh of a male buffalo offered to a goddess in sacrifice. They also freely eat the flesh of a black bear. There are no Sacha Kolis in the Simla Hills, f but only Sucha Kolis. The Pah4ri word suchd means pure or purified, from the Sanskr. Shuchi, pure, purified or clean. They are like the Jhinwars of the plains, and water may be taken from their hands. The Koli deity is called Khathe- Bhar.
* This prohibition would appear to be due to some old sumptuary law of the Rajis. Bimilarly, at funerals Kolis may use the iholki (drumj and saiidi (pipe), but no others : Kanets may use any musical instruments except the narsingha— and even that may be used by permission. In the higher ranges it is customarj' to beat a drum at funerals, but in the lower the dafm, sanhh and jhallar are used.
t On the other hand a very careful observer (Mr. W. Coldstream), wrote :— ♦' In the lower hills (at least I have seen them in Bilaspur State) there are Sachd KoKs, from whose hands Rajputs and Mians can eat and drink. The fact is that the necessity of havinf' menials ceremonially pure has created these Sacha Kolis, for Jhinwars and Brah- mans^are not everywhere to be got to supply food and drink, especially in the lower hills. The colonies of Sachd Kolis I saw were near forts, and they served the garrison (as water- carriers, etc.)"
The Kolis of the hills. 555
In the Simla Hills another story about the origin of the Kolis is that a Kanet father had two sons by two wives and divided his property between them, it being agreed on that who should bo the first to plough in the morning should get the first share. The younger brother was the first to wake and went forth to plough. The elder waking and finding him gone attempted to plough the courtyard, but finding it too narrow in a passion killed the bullock with an axe. For this he was turned out of his caste. He had two sons, one of whom lived a respectable life, while the other was guilty of ekinning and eating dead oxen. From the first son descended the Kolia, who generally do no menial work, the Kanets will drink but not intermarry with them. From the second son are descended the Dagolis who skin and eat dead cattle. They are further sub-divided into Dagoli and Thdkur of whom the former will not eat with the latter because they eat and drink with Muhammadans. And between the Kolis and Dagolis come the Dums who are considered helow the Kolis and ahove the Dagolis, and though they do not bury or eat cattle the Kanets will not drink with them. They are endogamous.
In Kumh^rsain the Kolis appear to be divided into three classes, of which two may wear gold and intermarry,^" while the third is not allowed to do so and forms a separate sub-caste, called Bashirru, Karriru and (or) Shilu, which is very numerous in Kullu. The Bashirru are closely allied with the Jihotra group, but the people of Kumh^rsain will not eat anything cooked by them, though the Kolis of Sirmur do not appear to object to doing so.
But another account divides the Kolis of the Simla Hills into two classes : [i) those who do no menial work, and with whom Kanets will drink (but not marry), and {ii) the Dagolis who skin dead kine and eat beef. And the latter again have a sub-group called Raherf who will eat and drink with Muhammadans and so are out-casted even by the Dagolis. The Dums rank between the Kolis and the Dagolis.
In Kullu the Dagi is commonly styled Koli, or, in Sar^j, Betu.J But those Kolis who have taken to any particular trade are called by the trade name, e.gr., hdrdrii, basket maker ; harhye, carpenter ; daugri, iron-smelter ; pumhe, wool cleaner ; and these names stick to families long after they have abandoned the trade, as have been the case with certain families now named Smith and Carpenter in England. § So also Chamdrs and Lohd,rs, though they have been classed separately, or probably only Dagis (Kolis) who took to those
* Only those whose hereditary occupation is tailoring are allowed to wear gold — not even those who have recently adopted it.
t The Raher in these hills are like the sweepers or Bhangis of the plains.
X [Bethu or haitjm, z low-caste (Dagi) attendant on a Kanet (or upper class family : Diack's Kulu Dialect of Hindi, p. 51.]. On the other hand the majority of the low castes in Kullu were in 1891 returned as Dagis in Kullu proper (the Kullu tahsil) and as Kolis in Saraj, and the terms appear to be synonymous though the latter is preferred as implying no reproach. Besides the derivation from ddg, cattle, Dagi is also said to be derived from dagrid to fell. Neither ddg nor dagnd is given by Diack, op. cit.
_ § In Kullu the higher castes are styled Mitarka (derived from Ihitar-Jcd, ' of the inner circle '), while the lower are called Barka, ' of the outer circle '. The latter include the Thiwi or carpenter, Darehi, ferryman, Koli or Dagi and Barehi or axeman, Lohar and Barra (or Bilra), an ironsmelter or worker in nirgdl, and Chamar in the order given : Kullu Gazetter, 1897, p. 61.
658 The Kolis as clients,
trades j but at tho present day other Digis will not eat with the Lobars, and in some parts they will not eat or intermarry with the Chamdrs. Most Ddgis will eat the flesh of bears, leopards, or langiir monkeys. All except the Lohd,rs eat the flesh of cattle who have died a natural death. They stand in a subordinate position to the Kanets, though they do not hold their lands of them. Certain families of D^gis, Chaoa^rs, and Lohdrs are said to be the koriddrs, i.e., 'the courtyard people' of certain Kanet families.* V^'hen a Kanet dies, his heirs call the horiddr D%is through their jatai or headmen : they bring in fuel for the funeral pile and funeral feast, wood for torches, play the pipes and drums in the funeral procession, and do other services, in return for which they get food and the Mria or funeral perquisites. The dead bodies of cattle are another perquisite of the D%is, but they share them with the Cham^rs : the latter take the skin, and all divide the flesh. The Dd.gis carry palanquins when used at marriages. The Lohdrs and Chamars also do work in iron and leather for tlie Kanets, and are paid by certain grain allowances. The dress of the Ddgis does not diffc?r materially from that of the Kanets, except in being generally coarser in material and scantier in shape. Their mode of life is also much the same.
Sir James Lyall has the following instructive passage on the - evolution of the Koli, but he frankly acknowledges that popular ethnology, which almost invariably describes a low as formed from a higher caste by degradation, is not on his side : —
" From the natural evolution of caste distinctions in this direction, I would reason that once all the lower castes in Kullu ate the flesh of cattle, but as Hindu ideas got a firmer footing, the better off refrained and applied to themselves the name of Koh'.f Popular tra- dition seems, however, to go in the opposite direction, for according to it the Kolis came from Hindustan and gradually fell to their present low position. The real KoH, or as he ia called in Kullu the Sachcha Koll, is found in Kotlehr, Lambagraon, etc., of Kingra proper. There the caste is also very low, but tradition ascribes to it a much higher position than it now holds. The Kolis of Ki,ngra will not have intercourse with the Kolis of Kullu on equal terms ; the latter admit their inferiority and ascribe it to their being defiled by touching flesh. But it is the same with Brahmans of the plains and of the hills ; they will not inter- marry.
" I am not aware what position the Kolis of Kangra hold to the Chanils of Kingra, but I believe they are considered inferior to them, and that they will not eat together nor 'inter- marry. Th« Chanals of Kangra will not, I understand, touch dead cattle, and will not mil on equal terms with those that do. There are some Chandls in Outer Saraj who are con- sidered inferior to the Kolfs there."
* The Kullu Gazetter of 1897 gives a somewhat different version. It describes the Kolii or Dagis as notoriously lazy, ignorant and thriftless. In dress and customs they do not differ materially from Kanets, except that they are generally poorer and have no caste scruples. i;ach/a?»n7j/ is attached to a family of Kanets for whom they perform th« cus- tomary menial services on the occasion of a birth, a marriage or a death, receiving in return the leavings of the ceremonial feasts, and alto certain allowances at harvest time : this re- lationship is known as that of l-asain (the Kanet) and dhani,~hdru or TchoUddr (the Dagi) Diack adds that the Dagi family has the sole right of performing ceremonial functions, e. <?.' at a funeral, such as can only be undertaken by persons of low caste : op. ci/., p. 51. He translates cZ/iani as 'master'. For the term haiain we may perhaps compare Itasdn in Ludhiana.
t But supplementary to and contradictory of this view is the account given in the Mandi State Gatetteer, p. 30. Accordmg to that authority the Kolis claim Kanet origin and say that the offspring of a Kanet by a low-caste woman is called a Koli. They perform menial services for Kanet landholders at festivities and are also cultivators but are all notoriously lazy. The Chan41s form a branch of the Kolis, but are inferior to them in rank and live by extracting oil and carrying loads on ponies. ' The Chanil gota are Lakkar, Chauhan, Takrial, SJyahi, Mhotlu, Dborung and Kathwari. No Koli got$ are mentioned.
/^///.-vi
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Koli'^Krishni, 557
Thus the Koli is found as far west as Cliamb^,, throughoufc the Hindu States of the North-east Punjab, in Kdngra and the Siwaliks, He is also found in Sirmur to the eastward, and in that State he occupies a low position, below the Lohdr, Bidi and Bd,jgi, but above the Chanel and Dumrd,. He must not let his shadow fall upon any person of high caste, and cis-Giri Kanets and Bh^ts will not even drink water touched by him. Yet these two castes and even Rajputs will drink freely water brought by him in a metal vessel and can prepare their food in his house if it has been fresh plastered with cow- dung. The term Koli is almost synonymous with ' serf,' and at weddings Kolis go on foot or on ponies, but not use palanquins or a kettledrum (naqdra).* Ritual marriage is indeed not solemnised among some of them, the jhajra form being often used or merely the simple rite of putting a nose-ring into the bride's nose.t
Koli, a Gujar clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KoRA, the term for a KoRi, said to be in use in Simla.
KoEAi, Kaudai, Kurai. One of the original main sections of the Baloch, but not now an organised tuman.X It is found wherever the Baloch have spread in the Punjab, and still forms a tribe in Mekrd,n. Most of the Baloch in Multdn are either Korai or Rind, but they have long been, for practical purposes, Jats, having forgotten their old language, disused their old costume and intermarried freely with the neighbour- ing population, though they not uncommonly continue to wear their hair long. The Kurai form one of the five Baloch tribes represented in the Chen^b Colony.
KuRAis, -sff, Koraishi, Koraisi, see QuRAise.
KoRE, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KoRESHi, an agricultural clan found in Montgomery- See Quraish.
KoRi, KoHRf, (Kwd,rf is probably a misspelling for Kori). The Koria are Hindustani Chamdrs, but are looked on more or less as a separate caste in the Punjab : see under Koli.
Ko^TE, a Kamboh clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KoTAwi, see Kutana.
KoTLA, an agricultural clan found in Sh^hpur.
KoTLEHRiA, a Rdjput sept of the 1st grade, deriving its name from the principality of Kotlehr.
Kbammin, fr. Pers. "kamin or (according to Drew) fr. krum, work : a class of millers and potters, most numerous in Darel, but also found in the fertile valley of Tangir in the Indus Kohistdn.
Krishni, a Hindu Vaishnava sect. Members of the Krishni sect properly so called, will commence every sentence of their talk with the word ' Krishn.* Other devotees of this hero salute each other with the words
« Sirraiir Gazetteer, pp. 31, 84 and 36.
t Ihid, p. 30.
tlbbetson ;§ "isa) spsaks of the Korai, a? Rini bat in § 33-1 h?, qintes an old Bilooh verso " The Hot and Korai are joinad to^athar ; thoy are oqml with tha Rind." Tha Korai narer appear to have exercised iniependeat rule.
558 KulMr'^KucKhand.
jai Sri Kishn.^^' Victory to the holy Krishna/ instead of using the ordinary * R^m, Rdm/ Others will use only the words jai Gajpalji, ' Victory to the herdsman.' And there is a sect known as the Jai- kishni who worship none but Krishn, and are remarkable for the combination they present of the extreme Sliaiva and Vaishnava prac- tices. They are said to have been founded by Muni Ditatre* to be connected closely with the Sanidsis, or even to be a sect of the Bd,m- margis, to be recruited from both sexes and to worship nude before the image of their god. On the other hand, they are devoted to the holy places of the Vaishnavas, to Gobardhan, Mathra, the Godd,vari, and all that has to do with the history of Krishn : they read the Bh^gavat Gita ; they are scrupulous observers of the sanctity of animal life ; they are even reported to have been originally a Jain community, and to have only gradually adopted the ordinary Hindu customs relating to marriage and the like. In Lahore they are known as Bai ; and their priests wear salmon-coloured clothes and white scull-caps, with flaps over the ears. They reverence more especially the Narbada and the deity Chang Dev, whose shrine is on or near that river ; they worship his statue, which resembles that of Krishn and which is made of black wood or stone, and on the head of which they keep a small stone brought from the Narbada hills. At the time of prayer males and females alike are said to divest themselves of their clothes and to wor- ship thus the image which only the initiated know to be that of Chang Dev and not of Krishn. They keep a handkerchief in their temple which is called sesh, and with which every one who enters the temple, wipes his or her hands. They are given to the practice of charms and will neither reside nor eat anything near a Hindu temple.
KuBHAR, i. q. Kumhdr, in Jhelum. KuBRA, a sept of Baloch. (M.).
KucHARs, (1) a got oi Mirdsis, attached to the Malhi Jilts ; (2) a got of the Khatris.
KuCHBAND, lit. 'brush-binder.' The term is not a generic name, but an occupational one. The Kuchbands settled in Hissd.r say that their place of origin is Chitor in Rdjputdna, and that, during some catastro- phe, vaguely stated to have occurred some two or three centuries ago, some tribes migrated north and assumed this designation and calling. The Kuchband gots are — Chauhdn, Punwdr, Gablot, Kdchwa, Band,ns, Sulankhi or Solkhi, Surhia, Sassaud, Badgujar, and Morwar. They learnt brush-making from Changar, and their women also acquired the art of baking toys of clay. In Hoshiarpur the Kuchbands are regarded as Kanjars by others, but say themselves that they are Ghards; and in that District their ^o^s are Sud, Batwdr, Bes, -jakarh^ra, Sankal, Baguhar and Sonrd. No longer nomads they are now more or less settled, especially in the suburbs of Delhi, and in the canton- ments of Ambala and Mathra. At Ambtlla they intermarry with Sdnsis
* The Saniasis often trace their order to Swami Ditatre, the Muai Dattatreya of Sanskrit works, who is somHiin3s said to have bem the precursor of Shankar Acharaj, and all Saniasis, it is said, receive the mmitra in the name of Ditatre. There is, however, a story of a contest between this Muni and Guru Gorakh Nath, which would place the former at a date much later than Shankar Acharaj and either this Ditatra or another of the same name is looked on as the founder of the Jaikishni sect.
X97. JaiHs.Bis .are the devotee, ^i^r^^^ ^^:i^^
incarnate cs well as the ^P^^^^f ^^^fgOl ThBTme is obv.onsly derived fro. 120 of the Punjab Census Repoi t ot 'ayi- '■J r,,^ worship none bu
the form of salutation adopted by b^^°^°;-^ t^^^^.Lil of KrLna wh Him, and consider the "tol; }™ [^^^^ *°Tl,ey have apparently nothing to d is the fountain head and object o «' l"^"- [^'g Census Report cited above, bv with Vam Margis as «t^ted ^y Mr M aokg- lu h .^ ^^^^^^ 1 ,^^ ^^^^^ seem to belong to the Vasishtadwaita ho^oo o Jaikishnis as a great festival. ] birthday of Sri Krishna) is ce^lebrat^d by the Jaiksh^ .^ g^^ ^^^^.^
iheir customs, thev do not df^; ""^ °7of a member of their community. 11 distribute sweets 'fahm) ^ f^,*^'". ^^^448! females 378). In 1891 they nur number of Jaikishnis now is 8ib (males iio, lo
bered 1,692.
2he Kuchhands. 559
and Kanjars from the Pliulkidn States, whence they came. They earn a living as shikaris, makers of hhas-hhas screens and even as domestic ser- vants in cantonments. Their women also make and sell hinnds (cushions for carrying loads on the head) and chinkds (nets for hanging up food, etc m) and even as prostitutes. But as a tribe they are no Jougei* crimioal' Calling themselves Hindus, their observances are all like those in vogue among Hindus. Sweeper women are employed as mid wives at a fee of snnas 4 for a boy and 2^ for a girl. The birth of a boy is celebrated by the distributiou of sugar.
No Kuchband may marry within his own clan, and, as the Punw^r and Surankhi stand highest in the social scale, it is considered an honour to intermarry with them. Marriage is contracted in this way: At betrothal, the parents of the bridegroom present five rupees to the bride's family ; this is the whole ceremony.-^ At the wedding, a pole is fixed upright in the ground and a burning coal placed at its foot. A brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, of either the bride or bridegroom binds the right-hand thumb of the one to the thumb of the left hand of the other, and the couple circle round the pole seven times and afterwards blow seven times on to the coals. Then the bride- groom takes the bride into his thatch or tent, and unties the knot in- forming her at the time that it is his tent and her future shelter. The bride returns to her parents.
The niuhldwa, or home-coming, is performed in this wise. When the paJckhis are struck and the tribe starts on a tour, the bridegroom accompanied by a panck of two men as witnesses, goes to the bride's residence and there presents Ks. 20 to her parents. He is then allowed to pass one night under his father-in-law's roof and next day takes his bride home, the bridegroom's two witnesses exhorting the pair on their duty towards each other. A second, or kareiva, marriage ia very rarely resorted to. The bridegroom never mentions the name of his mother-in-law.
When a death occurs, the corpse is carried on a bier of bamboos shaped like a ladder, to the Hindu burning place. They do not collect any of the ashes {phiil) after the body is burnt. Three days later the deceased's near relations and those who carried the bier go to the burning place and convey with them a small quantity of milk. The ashes are collected in one place and the milk sprinkled on them. On the 12th day the corpse bearers are fed with rice and sugar and the remnant is distributed.
Although these Kuchbands style themselves Hindus they will eat food cooked by almost any caste. Cow's flesh alone is abjured by them. Of wild animals they catch and snare jackal, lizards (sdnda), iguanas' foxes, porcupines, pig, hares, deer, and consume the flesh of all of them!
♦ In Hoshiarpur two emissaries of the boy's father go to the bride's house and are given liquor. In return they distribute two rupees worth of sweetmeats and so confirm the betrothal. A marriage letter is sent as among Hindus, to Hx the date for the shampooing of the pair with ivhufnd. The 2}herds at the wedding are made bj the boy's sister or sister's daughter or by the girls. But the couple blow on to the fire. When the wedding procession has withdrawn to its halting place, the boy's sister takes him in her arms and gets a rupee. The shawls of the pair are then unknotted, the boy salutes hie father-in-law and gets a rupee, which is spent on liquor.
560 Kudhmi'^Kuka.
Like other aboriginal tribes, the Kuchbauds extract curative oil from sdnda lizard and do blood-letting with leeches or by the cupping process.
The Kuchband in Hiss^r worship Rdm Deo and Lalta Masani. The temple of the former is said to lie in the desert 20 miles west of Bikdner. A fair takes place there twice a year in Bhadon and Md,gh, and on these occasions the Kucliband visit the shrine and make an offering of one rupee each. They have no respect for other places of pilgrimage, such as Hardwar, Jawdlaji, etc. They also worship the cow. In the event of any one falhng sick, it is customary to invoke Rdm, thus — " Rdm, we will offer one seer of grain to your mother cow." Should the patient recover, a cow is led. If small-pox breaks out the tribe visits the shrine of Lalta Masdni inGurgdon. A promise is then made to bring up two virgins to her service ; food is given to two old and to two young women in her name, and a cocoanut is offered on the shrine.
The Kuchband in Hoshidrpur say they are descended from Khizr Pdl of AUdhbds in the Aligarh District of the United Provinces. There is also a Mahardni's shrine at Allahbds, and at her shrine a pig is sacrificed. The animaFs forehead is daubed with vermilion and an earring put in its ear. It is then killed by sticking a large needle into its ribs, the head used to make a palao, while the rest of the flesh is cooked separately and thrown into the fire with five loaves and some liquor as an offering to Maharani.
Kuchbands have a dialect or at least an argot of their own and nicknames for many tribes. The Jdt is called a Pant, the Mahdjan or money-lender a Kapnia, the Chamdr a Namoa, the Gujar a Jhomar and the Musalman a Dela. KuDHAN, a Muhammadan clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
KuHABA a small caste, nearly all Muhammadans, who work as water- carriers and are probably Jhinwars. They are found chiefly in Sidlko^ and Bahdwalpur.
KuK, a tribe (agricultural) grouped with the Mughals in Jhelum.
KuK, a muhin or sept of the Gil Jdt. Found in strength in Hoshidrpur where the sept have a hdiya or group of originally 22 villages.
KuKA, a fanatical sect of the Sikhs. To the peaceful order of the Uddsis belonged one Bdlak Singh, an Arora by caste, of Hazro in Attock, who about 1846 inaugurated among the Sikhs a movement which was directed against the participation of Brahmans in weddings, and, generally^ against their influence over the community. He formed adherents in the Sikh garrison of the fort, and they became known as Sagrdsi or Habids."^ On Bdlak Singh's death in 1863 his nephew Kahn Singh succeeded him, retaining in the locality a certain number of followers, whose doctrines are never divulged. Balak Singh's teaching was, however, taken up by Rdm Singh, a carpenter of Bhaini Aid in Ludhidna,t where he built an extensive dera and
• No explanation of these two terms appears to have been suggested.
t According to local legend Ram Singh was building a house at Hazro for a Sayyid when he found he had cut a beam too short. The Sayyid's daughter bade him try it again . He did 60 and found it had grown too loug. From her he learnt the words of power
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maintained considerable state. He preached that he was himself an incarnation of Guru Govind Singh and prophesied the speedy over- throw of the British power. In 1872 tbe Kukas rose without any- concerted plan, and a band of about 150 invaded the Mdler Kotla State and attacked the capital, but were beaten off. A.t Rurr, a village in Patidla, thoy surrendered and 49 of them were executed by the Deputy Commissioner of Ludhitlna. Ram Singh who had not personally participated in the events was deported to Rangoon where he died in 1888, but his followers believe he is stiJl alive and will re appear. His brother Budh Singh inherited the dera. Rd,m Singh had divided the Punjab into districts, each under an agent, who bore the Muhammadan title oisuba"^ and was under his direct control. His followers were called Ktikasf or " shouters " because, unlike other Sikhs, they fall into a state of frenzy {waidyX during their devotions shaking their heads and shouting their prayers. The latter end with a cry of Sat Sri Akdl,'' God is True." Like many other sects they have been accused of holding orgiastic rites. Outwardly the Kuka is often distinguished by the sidhi jiag, a special way of tying the turban straight, and by a knotted necklace of woollen cord the knots of which are used like beads of a rosary. Of recent years the sect has adopted the name Nd.mdhd,ria. The Kukas are not an order, but at the edifice erected at Durga (near Nawdshahr in Jullundur) in honour of Guru Tegh Bahddur the ministrants are said to be Kukas. The Kukds revere the Sau Sdhhi, a book which professes to be a conversation between Sahib Singh and Gurbaksh Singh on the sayings and doings of Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru.§
KuKARA, the chief exorcists {dan denewdlds) of tbe Sdndal Bd,r. They have a semi-sacred position. — See Nekokira.
KuLACHi, one of the three branches of the Dodai Baloch and tribesmen of the Fateh Khan who founded the Dera of that name. The Kuld,chi once held a broad tract, 20 kos wide by 12 long, in Dera Ismdil Kh^n and gave their name to the town of Kul^chi, from which the tahsil of Kuldchi takes its name. But at the close of the 18th century they were described as once subjects of the Mirrani Baloch and then tributary to Mirza Kh^n, the Qizzilbdsh, to whom they paid Rs. 12,000 a year in revenue. They appear to have accompanied the Hot, who found Dera Ismail Khd,n, in considerable numbers, but settled in that tract as cultivating proprietors rather than as a military caste and they have now sunk to the status of Jd,ts, Kuld,chi tahsil having been overrun by the Gandapur Pathans who are still dominant in it,
which had enabled her to lengthen the beam. These were ivdh gur&, or according to others, " Alldh.hu al-samad.'' Ram Singh's ruin was attributed to his having revealed this watch- word too freely to his followers.
* These Muhammadan terms must not be taken to imply any leanings towards Islam on the part of the Kukas who in 1870 perpetrated the murder of a number of Muhammadan butchers at Amritsar in revenge for their slaughter of kine,
t Fr. P. huk, a shriek or cry.
X Arab, tvajd, ecstasy, The Kiikas also practise religious dances, in which the approaching extirpation of the heathen is symbolised by drawing the hand across the throat. —
Maclagan, § 107,
§ Santokh Singh, author of the SuraJ Parhdsh, does not however mention this work and its authenticity is not established. Macaulifie's Sikh Religion, Vol. V, p. 1.
562 Kulai — Kumhdr,
KuLAi, an agricultural clan found in Sh^hpur.
KuLALE, potters in the valley below Chitral and in the Gilgit and Indus valleys ; see Chitrdli.
Kdlar, a small Jdt clan in Jind which has a Siiih whose samddh is in Kular Kh^s. He was killed by a carpenter, so they never give or sell ghi or beestings to a man of that caste.
Kdliar, a Jat tribe found in the Lodhr^n tahsil of Multan.
KoLYA, a Muhammadan Jat clan (agricultural) found in Montgomery.
KuMHAE, Ghdmiar, Ghumae, Khubae, Kdbhae, Khuhae, Kubhae oe Kubae, fern. -f. The Kumhar, or, as he is more often called in the Punjab, Ghumid^r, is the potter and brick-burner of the country. He is most numerous in Hissd-r where he is often a husbandman, and in the sub- montane and central districts. On the lower Indus he has returned himself in some numbers as Jd,t. He is a true village menial, receiving customary dues, in exchange for which he supplies all earthen vessels needed for household use, and the earthenware pots used on the Persian- wheel wherever that form of well gear is in vogue. He also, alone of all Punjab castes, keeps donkeys ; and it is his business to carry grain within the village area, and to bring to the villaofe grain bought else- where by his clients for seed or food. But he will not carry grain out of the village without payment. He is the petty carrier of the villages and towns, in which latter he is employed to carry dust, manure, fuel, bricks, and the like. His religrinn appears to follow that of the neighbourhood in which he lives. His social standing is very low, far below that of the Lobar and not very much above that of the Cham^r ; for his hereditary association with that impure beast the donkey, the animal sacred to Sitala, the small-pox goddess, pollutes him; as also his readiness to carry manure and sweepings. He is also the brick-burner of the Punjab, as he alone understands the working of kilns; and it is in the burning of pots and bricks that he comes into contact with manure, which constitutes his fuel. It would appear that he makes bricks also when they are moulded ; but the ordinary village brick of sun-dried earth is generall}'^ made by the coolie or Chamar. The Kumhar is called Pazawagar or kiln-burner, and Kuzagar (vulg. Kuj- gar) or potter, the latter term being generally used for those only who make the finer sorts of pottery. The Gilgar, Gilsd,z and Gilkar should probably be regarded as groups of the Rd,j or Tarkh^n, rather than of the Kumhdr. Grave-diggers, gorkun or gorJcand, are said to be generally Kurah4rs. In Peshawar and in Attock and Rawalpindi the Kumhdr is known as the KnMl or Kaldl. Multd^ni in Gurgd,on is said to denote a Kumhar, potter's work being often done there by men from Multdn. Phusrai also appears to be a synonym. On the frontier the potter appears to be known as Gilgo.
The Kumhars are both Hindus or Sikhs and Muhammadans by re- ligion.
The Hindu Kumhars.
The Hindu Kumhdr is sometimes termed, honorifically Parjdpafc or Prajdpati, after the Vedic Prajdpatis, who were lords and creators of the universe, because they make things of earth. In Kapurthald, how
Kumhdr origins. §6^
ever, the title is said to be bestowed on tlie Kumhars because thoy trade in grain and transport it. In Nd^bha the Kumhdr* claims descent from Brahma as in the well-known lines : —
Bam j at ha Rdngra, Kishn jdt kd Ahir,
Brahmmd jdt Kumhdr hai, 8heo kijdtfaqir.
" Rama was by caste a Rangar, Kishen an Ahir, Brahmma a Kumhdr, and Shiva ?hfaqir."
Once, runs the legend, Brahma divided some sugarcane among his sons, and each of them ate his piece, except the Kumhdr who put his into a pitcher full of earth and water in which it struck root. When the god some days later asked his sons for the cane, they bad none to tnve him, but the Kumhdr offered his to the god and received from him the title of Parjdpat or ' Glory of the World '. But nine other sons of Brahma, ancestors of the Brahmans, also received the title.
Tradition also points persistently to the hhagat or saint, Kubba, as an ancestor of the Kumhdrs. In Gurgaon he is said to have had two wives, the first of whom ran away from her home and so her children were called Gola. The second wife's offspring were called Mahr or Mahdr because she was the sister of the first. Another version is that the first wife after forsaking her husband married his servant, gola. In these legends the Mahrs claim superior status to the Golas, but the latter tell quite another story. Thus in the Bdwal nizdmat of Nabha the Golas say that Brahma had 60,000 sons whom he ordered to make earthenware. To one of them he gave a gola (ball) for a pattern. He made vessels like it, and a vessel larger than a pitcher and called gol is still made in Bawal by the Kumhdrs. Hence they are called Golas. Brahma also gave him a wheel on which to make pottery. For this reason all Hindus at a wedding go to a Kumhdr^s house to reverence the chak,'f when Brahma is worshipped.
And yet again the Golas in Nabha claim Kubd as one of themselves and say that he it was who made 20 pitchers a day to give away as alms, until one day 30 sdhds came to his house ; nevertheless relying on God's grace he bade his wife sit behind a curtain and hand each of them a pitcher. Miraculously the 20 vessels became 30, as described in the following version of the well-known lines : —
Kuhd hhagat Kumhdr Ihd,
Bhdndd ghartd his. Har Govind kirpd kari,
Hue his ke tis.
" Kubd was a potter and made 20 pots a day j but the Almighty was gracious and the 20 increased to 30.''
To this incident is due the custom at Hindu weddings of curtaioino' off a room in which sweets are placed, a Brahman, sitting behind the curtain, being trusted to dispense unbounded hospitality. Moreover Kumhdrs still supply ascetics with earthenware gratis.
* Or Ghurahar, as he is termed, except in Bawal nizdmat with a pun on hia vocation Vrhich involves ' turning.' + It symbolises the sudarshan chakkO'" nr discus of Sri Krishna.
S64 The Hindu Kumhdrs.
The Hindu Kumli^rs of the south-east Punjab are divided into two main groups Mahr and Gola, the Jatter being inferior. Mahr wives wear no nose-ring.
The origins of the Mahrs and Golas are variously described. The word Mahr has given rise to several folk-etymologies. One, which is somewhat widespread in the south-east Punjab, avers that once during a famine a Kumhar woman left her home and in her wanderings lost her infant son, who grew up and, returning home, married his own mother in ignorance of their relationship. But the truth came out, and so their children were called man-har, or ' mother-stealer.' But Mahar is also traced to mahr, ' venerable ' or ' chief '; and, in Jind, where the Mahrs claim to be the pure descendants of Kuba bhagat, to tnaur, * crown.^
There are, however, several other groups in Gurgaon, viz., the Hanslia, Tanur,^ Mali and Rdj Kumhd,r. Of these the last named work as masons and thus hold a superior position, the higher Hindu castes not disdaining to drink water drawn by them. In the Ndbha account are noted a Baldia,t a Hateliaj and an Agaria group, each termed khdnp. In Sirmur, Nahan tahsil, we find the Mahr sub-caste only, the Golas not being found there,§ though they are found in Paonta.
The Hindu Mahr gots\\ include one or two names of some interest. For instance : —
According to a tradition current in Lahore the forebear of the Mahar Kumhars had four sons ; to the eldest of whom he assigned the task of sifting the brick dust, whence he was called vSangroha ('sifter') : to the second son he entrusted the wheel with its tholepin (kila), whence Kilia : the third sliaped the wet earth and brought out the ends (nok), whence Nokhal: and the fourth dried them, whence Sokhal, from sukh, ' dry/ These now form four gots. A Rajput of the Sarohi got brought up a boy and married him to his daughter, but then discovering he was a Kumhdr disowned him and his wife. Sarohi is also said to mean out-caste. So too among the Golas || we 6nd the Jalandhra got which is so called after Rupd., a hhagat of Devi, who was born in the water {jal). It is the chief got of the Gola group in Lahore.
In Kapurthala, Amritsar and, generally speakiug, in the Punjab north of the Sutlej the Mahi-Gola classification is unknown. The principal got in the central Punjab is the Dol, but there are many other sections.^
To the list of Hindu Kumhd-r gots^ may be added the Utradhi, in Mult^n, whose females used to wear the nath. They are shop-keepers by trade and do not make pottery. They abstain from eating meat.
* The Tanur gots are Khangar, Khotia, Mah^walia and Rai Badar.
I The Baldia are so called because they live by carrying earth on halds (bullocks). They do not act as servants, and are not found in the N4bha State.
X The Hatelia are so called because, unlike the others, they do not make earthenware on a wheel but by hand. They are not found in Nabha and do not act as servants.
§ The Mahr women in Sirmur wear the nosering, which the Golas do not, but the Thera sub-caste, which is the highest of the three, also Avear it. This Thera group is not mentioned elsewhere.
I I For a full list see Appendix. ^ See Appendix.
Kumjidr groups. 5 65
In Gurddspur the Hindu Ghumdrs are divided into two groups, one claiming descent from R^ja Sain Pdl, a Rajput, who had seven sons : —
1. Ghuman.
2. Ojha.
3. Tatla.
6, Haljhal '^ Who became potters. Their f descendants avoid marriage I inter se, because they were
7. Tak J true brothers.
4. Machchana.
5. Kahlon, who became a cultivator and
thus a Jat by caste.
The Territorial Groups.
The Kumhars of Sirsa are divided into the Jodhpuiia, from Jodhpur, who use the furnace or hhatti and are generally mere potters, and the BiHneri orDesi, from Bikaner who use kihis ipajdwas), but are chiefly agricultural and look down upon the potter's occupation as degradino-. In Hissdr there are four nondescript groups, the Biddwati, Magrcclii, Nagori and Bhandia and others. All these appear to be really "differ- ent tribes and not separate clans of one and the same tribe or caste, as, though all smoke and eat together, they will not intermarry. Of these the first-named smoke with Jats, and take wives from the Rugrachi, but will not give them brides in return. Other groups mentioned in accounts from this District are the Gola, Maru and Mula, all three dis- tinct and not intermarrying. But other accounts make the Gola the same as the Maru and the Bidawati identical with the Maorechi. Several of the Kumhdr tribes have abandoned pottery and taken to agriculture as an occupation and have thus risen in the social scale.
Other territorial groups of the Hindu Kumhdrs are : —
1. Bd,gri or Marwari,* q. v.
2. Bd,ngar(u) a sub-caste, found in Kapurthala, originally immi-
grants from the B^ngar.
3. Desi.*
Occupationally, the Bdgri group is also sub-divided into Khapm^rus or agriculturists and Kbapbandas or potters, wliish form sub-castes as they do not intermarry, or eat or smoke together. They avoid four gots in marriage. The Marwaris ol the Bagar use camels at weddino-s as they keep camels instead of donkeys. Besides Guga, they also alfect Jin Devi, whose shrine is on a hill near Jaipur. Fairs are held there on the 8th and 9th sudi of Chait and Asauj.
The Mdrwari-Desi groups appear to be found only in Jind, and in Sid;lkot.
The Kumhars of Kangra appear, however, to be also known as Desi and their women wear gold nose-rings. Their gots are Danid,l, Gan- gotra and Sohal. In Maler Kotla the Pajawagars are said to be Desi there being no Marwaris in the State, and this Desi group is further sub-divided into Mahrs and Golas. In Jind these two sub-divisions of the Desi group are also found, the Mahr being also called Maru.
The Occupational Groups.
The Kumhd,rs are also divided into several occupational groups, viz. : —
{i) The Agaria or Aggaria (a synonym for Kuzgar, q. v.) who are found in Nabha, where they form a bans without gots, and
* For a full list see Appendix.
666 Kumhdr occupations.
avoid near kin in marriage. Claiming to be of higher rank than the other Kumh^rs, they wear the janeo and cook their food in a cJiauh.
{ii) The Kundgar, or makers of kunds (troughs or tubs), in JVU- lerkotla, when they are all of one got, the Aggarw^l, and say they came from Agra. They claim Rajput extraction and are often called Panjpire as they worship five pirs—- Piran Pir, Guga, Khwdjd-jf, Devi and Nigd,ha.
{in) The Kuzgar, found in Jind, Nabha (where they are also called Agaria), Kangra, Sirmur, Multdn, and Maler Kotla (where they are all Sdlvahan by got). They make huzas or small vessels and claim Chhatri origin. [See Agaria {i) supra] .
{iv) The Nungars or salt-workers are found in Jind; and in Multdn where they are known as Nundris and used formerly to make salt, but they now deal in charcoal.
{v} The Pajdwagar or kiln-burners, found in Mdler Kotla where they make bricks and have two groups — Marwari and Desi.
{vi) The Shoragar, found in Jind, and in Shahpur, are makers of saltpetre, but hardly form a distinct group.
The cults of the Kumh^rs offer many points of interest. Thus in Delhi the Kumhars worship all the deities, and all, Hindus too appa- rently, especially affect Tabar Pir, as well as the Khwdja of Ajmer ; and in the amdwas of xVsauj they visit the shrine of Shams Khan at Nano-al-dewat in Delhi. The goddess is also worshipped, her devotees o-iving chdrim^etc., to the poor in her name. In Maler Kotla the Hindu Kuzegars invoke Pir Dastgir,* the Piran Pir, before beginning work, making a diva or earthen lamp in his name, to ensure the safety of the things made. In Nabha the Kuzegars again invoke Ghuldm Qadir Muhi-ud- Din Jildni and other Muhamraadau saints, though they are Hindus. At Aveddings too they make offerings to piVs, etc., and dis- tribute rice cooked with sugar among Muhammadan beggars, tha brotherhood, and people of their own quarter.
In Dera Ghazi Khan the Kumhars, who are all Muhammadans, affect the Taunsa Pir.
In Lahore the Kumhars celebrate the Holi with more enthusiasm than any other caste. Their principal shrines are those of Rdm Sahai, «tV of Ronecha in (?) Lahore, and of the pir of Narar, a village in the district of Rincha Charanan in the Khetri fief of Jaipur State.
The Nararwala pir also has a shrine in Hateli, a village in (?) Ndbha, whence the Kumhdrs migrated into the Amloh nizdmat of Ndbha. When a child is I5 months old they carry it to his shrine, where they offer I5 sera of malidd and this is also distributed among the brother- hood. The mother is then taken to a well to draw water, carrying with her some hakli (boiled grain) for distribution among children.
^ Dastgii ia also the 'pir of the Kashmiri (MuhammadaD) Kumhars in Gurdaspur.
The Muhammadan Kumhdrs, 567
When the child is 6 months old they offer sweets to the goddess at Kd,ngra. They also worship the chah at the Holi and Diwd,li festivals.
The Kumhars in N^blia, both Golas and Mahrs, affect Bhairon and Guga especially. And in the Bawal nizdmat they play the tahla or drum, an instrument invented by them and used by Rupisar KumMr, an attendant of Devi, with whom he used to play chess. In an assemblage of Kumhdrs one of the caste assumes female attire, and dances and sings while the others perform music. Kumlidrs sometimes act as bards, and as such associate with Bahruj)ias, though they consider it a disgrace to play the drum for prostitutes. The Kumhd-rs express joy by a curious dance, in Lahore.
The Kumhdrs, both Gola and Mahr, of Bdwal worship Sati once a year, and also at weddings, by putting rice cooked in milk on a piece of plastered ground, where the women bow their heads in reverence. A bride is bound to ride on an ass at her wedding under penalty of ex- communication. In Amloh the Gola Kumhdrs do not wear red clothing at weddings. Those of other nizdmats bring the bride in a cart.
The Kumhdrs of Bdwal perform a child's first tonsure at Bhairon'a shrine at Bds in Gurgaon, and to this shrine a bride and bridegroom are also taken with their garments tied together, to offer sweets and cash in lieu of a he-goat.
In Kangra the Kumhdrs have no saints of their own, except the potter's wheel, chdk, which originated in Gorakh Nath's gift to them of his mundar or earring for a wheel. Ever since it has been worshipped at the Diwdli, and on that day Kumhars cease from work, make offer- ing to the chak in fulfilment of vows, and, if a goat is slaughtered sprinkle its blood on the wheel. When a chah is revolved for the first time some sweet porridge [karah] is offered to it. If a man has no children or if they die young he vows his next child to the chak, to which solemn offerings are made if his prayer be heard. The chak is also worshipped by Rajputs of the higher groups.
Few Kumhdrs are true Sikhs, but some are followers of Ndnak or his disciples. Thus in Amritsar the Sukhal Kumhdrs acknowledge the authority of the mahants of Tejiwald and Rdm Dds, who are disciples of Bdbd Budha, Nanak's disciple, and these mahants come to con- gratulate them on the birth of a son, receiving presents in return.
The Muhammadan Kumhdrs.
The Muhammadan Kumhdrs also have two territorial groups — Desi and Multdni in Mdler Kotla, Jind and Ndbha. The Desi women wear a gown (pahan) over the trousers, which hangs from the neck, while the Multdni women wear a petticoat. Desi women believe in Sitla, but not so the Multdnis.
In Gurddspur the division is into Panjdbi and Kashmiri : in Sidlkot a^nd Gujrdt into Kashmiri and Desi.
The Muhammadan Kashmiri sections in Gurddspur and Sidlkot are : —
Chang, in Gurdsispur ; Parar, in Sidlkot ; Sadji, in Gurddspur ; Shaikh in Gurddspur and in Gujrdt, in which latter district all Kashmiri
568 KumMr guilds,
Kumli^rs claim to be Shaiklis and have no other sections. As these Shaikhs do not dance or sing they have to employ Desi Kumhars for the purpose.
The Muhammadan Kumhdrs have no occupational groups of import- ance, the only one of interest being the Kuldls,* in Gujrd,t, who are professional singers and dancers by trade, giving performances at Kumhdr weddings. Though looked down upon by the other Kumhdrs they obtain brides from them.
In Mi^nwali, Leiah tahsil, certain groups are alluded to but not defined. These are : —
1. Angam or ? Eangam")
2. Baryar ^ which intermarry. Kangam or ? Angam )
In Midnwdli the Kiimhdrs are cultivators as well as potters, and a few are bards or musicians to the land-holding tribes. The latter are, however, looked down upon. In Leiah the Kumhdrs claim descent from JaMl Bakri,t the saint, whom they invoke in beginning work in the prayer :—
Dddd Jaldl Baqri, Hdji Gilgu, Allah kare, so ho.X
But in Bhakkar they affect Shdh Husain Bakhsh of Peshd,war.
In Amritsar Luqmdn is said to be the ancestor of all the Kumhd,rs, and on beginning work he is invoked by saying :—
Bismilldh-^ul-Rahmdn'ul'Rahtm hu ustdd Luqmdn Hakim Hdji Gilgu.
Jaisi Allah kare so ho ; dhar thoha, ydni chald chak ko.
Galgu is the fir of the Punjabi (Muhammadan) Kumhdrs in Gurdds- pur and of the caste in Shdhpur. In Multan Hdji Gulgu is the ' priest* of the Kumhdrs, and at weddings they offer Ke. 1 and 6 yards of red cloth to the jhandirs (standard-bearers§) appointed for the purpose, in his name.
In GujrdnwdU the Muhammadan Kumhars are said to believe in the Prophet Daniel and to begin work by pronouncing his name.
The Muhammadan Multanis affect a saint at Sdradna in Patidla, while the Desis visit the well-known shrine of Sddhaura in Ambdla.
Caste Administration.
The Kumhdrs have a somewhat elaborate system of caste govern- ment. Thus in the south eastern districts, the Kumhdrs have chaun- <?*as at each large town or city, e. gf., at Delhi, || and to this place all
* Kolal (?) is said to be a contemptuous term for a Kumh^r in Lahore. The Kolal is a got of the Mir4sis and its members are mirdsis to the Kumhars, though they sometimes work as Kumhars also.
t In Dera Ismail Khan, however, they claim descent from Mfr Ratal.
t H4ji Gilgu is here explained to be the perfect saint who could fulfil all desires.
§ They say the jhar.dirs are the khaJifas of their priests.
II The Delhi c/iaiff/n-i' used to attend all important meetings in Gurgaon, but he is now said to have appointed (subordinate ?) chandhris in towns and villages.
There is also said to be a chaudhii for each group of villages.
Kumhdr guilds. 569
disputes, unless tried on the spoh, are brought for trial before a panchdyat. Each chauntra has its chaudhn, whose ofRce is not usual- ly hereditary, and he presides over the panchdyat.
The chaudhri visits any village in his chauntra at weddings, funerals or other gatherings. At a wedding he receives a rupee, some ghi and a little fruit. If the chaudhri of any other chauntra attends he receives sweets and ghi. If not present in person the chaudhri gets only Re. 1 in cash. This money is earmarked for the expenses of the whole community or its panchdyat. A chaudhri can impose a fine of Bs. 100 or even excommunicate an offender. Among Hindu Kumhdrs the chaudhri gets a turban or 4 copper coins at a wedding or a kdj. In Gurgaon he receives Re. 1 and a turban at a wedding or Mj j and decides disputes relating to contracts of betrothal or marriage, innova- tions in custom, and judges co-habitation with a woman of another caste. As a punishment he can 6ne the offender or compel him to entertain the brotherhood.
In Kdngra the Kumhd,rs had their gaddi, or head-quarters at some place in the south, long since forgotten. Under native rule they also had a book, called panchnatd, which proscribed the wedding rites and in which the names of the married pair were registered, the elder [chaudhri) receivingr annas 8 as his fee, but the practice has fallen into disuse. The chaudhri is elected and his powers are limited. He is first consulted in regard to questions of betrothal^ etc., and if necessary he apparently adjudicates upon them.
In Jind and Ndbha the oflBce of chaudhri is either hereditary or elec- tive, but in the latter State the Kumhars have chiudhris of their own, independent of Hiss^r. In Sirmur, the Mahr Kumhd.rs of Nahan have panchdyats, and a chaudhri at Ambdla, but the Mahrs and Golaa of Paonta have a chaudhri or chauntra at Buria, in Amb^la District, and he is subordinate to the chaudhri at Kalait. At a funeral he re- ceives a rupee and a pagri, but at a wedding only the hhdji^ (sweet- meats, etc.), is divided by (? shared with) the chaudhri nothing else b.-ing paid him. Offences against the brotherhood are punished^ by fine, the offender being summoned by the chaudhri before a panchdyat. The chaudhri has a wazir, nominated by himself, who addresses the panchdyat on the chaudhri'fi behalf. The panchdyat's finding is re- ported by the wazir to the chaudhri and if he concurs the matter is settled. If not, it is again debated by the panchdyat. The chaudhri s office is usually hereditary, and cannot be given to another family with- out consulting the chaudhri and the panchdyat.
The Multd,ni Kumlidrs of Mdler Kotla have only a loose system of re- ferring disputes, especially those relating to marriages, to arbitration by the elders of the sub-caste. But the Desi sub-caste in this State has an ancient system of administration. The chaudhri, who lives at Basi in Patidla, holds a sanad bestowed on him by some ruler, which confers on him authority to decide disputes within the caste. This sanad descends from father to son. At weddings the chaudhri gets Re. 1 and & pagri y which is presented to him personally or sent to him through a mirdsi.
The panchdyat system is found, more or less developed in I^ahore, Amritsar, Gurddspur, and Gujranwdla.
570 The Kunddh-panthis.
In the south-west of the Punjab the chandhri is called 7nehtar, and is elected from the family in which the office is hereditary. He settles petty disputes in the caste and attends weddings and funerals, receiving a double share of the hhdji. His son as successor ia installed by the community by tjing a tui-ban on his head. In MMnwd,lij however, the system seems to be in complete abeyance.
West of the Indus we find the mehtar exercising a large authority i-n Isd Khel. In Peshd,war he is termed kalantar, and he decides disputes, but his chief duty is or was to assign the tasks required of the Kurahd,rs under the Sikh system of forced labour.
Kiimhdr dress.
In Kdngra the Hindu Desi Kumhd,r women wear a nose-ring of gold.
In Md,ler Kotla the Mahammadan Multd,ni Kumluir women wear a ghagrd (petticoat) and the ndth, but these are not worn by the Desi women, who wear instead an angid or bodice. In NAbha the Desi women wear over their trousers a j)o]ian, which hangs from the neck, the upper part forming a bodice. The Multilnis wear a gown.
In Maler Kotla'^ the Mahr wives wear the ndth, whereas those of the Gola sub-caste do not, and in Ndbha they do not bore the nose. The Mahr women in the latter State also wear loose trousers below the gown.
In MuUdn the Hindu Utradhi females used to wear a gold ndth. The Muhammad.an (Multanis mostly) Kumh^ir females wear the pairdhan or chola through life, as a rule, but some of them, chiefly the Kalai or Kailai, who are found in Bahawalpur, replace the chold by the cJioli after marriage.
In MidiUvv^li tahsil girls assume the chola after marriage. In Leiah Kumhdr women wear any ornament save the nose-ring and those worn on the feet.
The Kumh^rs give their name to Kumh^rsain, one of the smaller Simla Hill States. The State was founded by Pah^r Singh, one of four Brahman brothers from Gaysi, who had a pet cat which was killed by a mouse that sprang upon fhei' from beneath one of the 18 potters' wheels thpn at work at Kumhilrsain. He complained to Koteshai't Mah^deo, who is said to be the owner of the chiefship {gaddi),and the god promised him redress. So all the Kumh^rs were killed, except a pregnant woman and her descendants still live in the State.
Ki^ndAh-panthi. a sect, founded some 40 jears ago by H^kim Singh of R^mpur, in Patiala. H^kim Singh was described as an insignificant looking man, living in filth, and possessing a few tracts and a New Testament in Paujabi (which he had obtained from American Mis-
* And also in Jind, where the ndth is said to be of gold or silver. In this State it is also added thai the Mahrs use waggons at weddings, whereas the GoLas, both men and women, mjist ride asses on such occasions. Golas themselves beat drums, which Mahrs will not condescend to do, at a wedding.
f Koteshar or Koti cJeof a is still the god of the Stat? and has a temple at Madholi, a Tillage in Kumh'lvsain,
Ktindi — Kunjrd. 571
slonaries at Ludhid,na), from which he used to read to his few followers; but they soon numbered about 3,000 souls, and included several well- to- do inhabitants of Rd,mpur. His preaching too underwent change, and he taught that the Briiish Government would shortly be replaced by his own. Giving himself up to religious meditation as a lad, Hd,kim Singh who was a Ja^, wandered about for several years as a faqir visiting shrines in different parts of the country, in the belief that, by so doing, he would atone for his past sins and obtain merit in the eyes of God. Then he settled down at his native village and began to preach the worship of the Neh Kalank Avatar"^ or spotless incarnation of the Deity, He obtained some Christian books from the missionaries at Ludhiana and declared that Christ was the Neh Kalank, and that he was himself an incarnation of Christ ; the Imam Mahdi expected by Muhammadans, and also the Raghnath believed in by Hindus. He taught his disciples to eat together and called his sect Kunddh Panthi, kiinddh meaning an earthen vessel, and imnth, a sect).t He enjoined strict morality, and declared that the Satyug, or era of truth, was about to commence. While acknowledging Christ was the true Guru, he maintained that he himself was an incarnation of Christ, and that it was for hira to baptize.
Originally a disciple of one Thartpuri, a sddh of his own village, for 20 years H^kim Singh did not come out of his house. He had his head shaved and also those of several women. To avoid obeying the calls of nature, he used to put a stick down his throat after eating and so cause himself to vomit. This was called neuli karam. He was believed to possess the power [called joga hhids) of being able to hold his breath for a longtime without showing any sign of life. Ho was a great-opium eater and when visitors called on him the first thing he offered them was opium.
KuNDi. — (1) A Patban tribe of the same descent as the Nidzi. The original Kundi country consists of a tract lying along the Sohali stream below the Bhittani range in the Tdnk tahsil of Dera Ismd,il Khd,n. The tribe is loathe to emigrate and herds together in its old villages, and all their eastern villages have been occupied by immi- grants from Marwat. The Kundis are a Pawinda tribe, but settled in the district about the same time as the Daulat Khel Lohani. The Kundi are or were a lawless tribe and great robbers, and the proverb ran : " Better a dead Kundi than a live one." (2) See also under Isperka.
KuNDU, a tribe of Jats descended from Kundu, a Rajput, who married a Jdt widow by kai^eiva and so lost status. It is found in Jind tahsil. (See under Phog^t.)
KoNJiANWALA, a sect oifaqirs, said to practise divination by means of keys. They appear to come from Sidlkot and are found in Jhelum. They are probably Rawals.
KuNJ^A, KuNJRA, KARtJNJRA, 8. hawkcr of vegetables, kunjrd, is a purely occupational term nothing more or less than the JETindustdni,
* There is a prophecj'- in the Hindu Shastars to the efEect that " Neh Kalank Avatar " will be boro. in the house of a Khatri in village Sarabhal in the Moradab^d district in Sambat 1S40 A.D. 1883-84.
I So called because they all eat in comtnon.
572 KupcMni'-Kusan.
as sahzi-farosh is the Persian, for green-grocer. Tliebigmen generally use the latter term, the small costermongers the former. But in no case is it a caste. The KunjrS, belongs as a rule to one of the castes of market gardeners which have been described under miuor agri- cultural tribes. I do not know 'vhy Kunjrd, should have been returned under that name only in the eastt. It may be tliat in other parts of the Province it is more usual to call the seller of vegetables an Ardin or Bdghban, as the case may be, and that the word Kunjrd is little used. This probably is the true explanation, as the figures for Native States show the same pecuharity.
KuPCHANi, a Baloch sept, now represented by only a few families in Bhakkar tahsil.
Their tradition is that they fled from Persia into Balochistan, whence they were expelled by the Marri, Bugti and K3,hiri Baloch. But they «lso say that they are an offshoot of the Qaisarani tribe of Sanghar tahsil in Dera Ghazi Khfin whrjse chief is stated to keep their genealogical tree. In the east Kachhi of Balochistdn the Marris, Bugtis and Kd,hiris all say that prior to their advent into that tract it was held by a people called Kupchd,ni of Jdt origin or status. This tradition lends support to the theory that Balochistdn was once occupied by Jats, who were driven out by the Pathan, Brahui and Baloch.
KtJBAt, see Korai. Kurai is also a Teli got.
Koran, Kdeam, a group of Kankts found in the Simla Hill States of Bashahr, Jubbal, Balsan, etc., and comprising numerous septs. Kurdna give daughters in marriage to the Khash Kanets. In Bashahr the Kurdn is also called Rahu, q. v.
KuBAR, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
KuBESHi, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur, see Queaish.
Kdrmi, KuMBHi (Kanbi, KiMi). — A great caste of cultivators very widely spread over the eastern parts of Hindustd^n and the Deccan. * Of good caste is the Kunbin, with hoe in hand she weeds the fields together with her husband.' But in the cantonments of the Punjab the Kurmis are generally occupied, like other Furbias, in cutting grass, weaving and serving as grooms ; and they are even said to keep pigs. They are, of course, a very low caste ; lower far in social standing than the indigenous agricultural castes of the Punjab.
KuEPALKA, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
Kurt ANA, see Kutdnd.
KuRTANA, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
KuRETANAB, a Jdt clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar.
KuRDNJRA, see under Kunjra. A green-grocer.
KusAN (? Xasan-^ 'those, generally, who derive their livelihood directly from the soil,' as opposed to zamindar : H. D.ividsoa : L< id'iiilaa Settlement Report, 1859, p. 29.
Kut — Kuihrdlo. 573
KtJT, an agricultural clan found in Shdhpur.
KuTANA, for Kurtana or Knrutana. — The term for a Muhammadan Chuhra in the south-west Punjab and equivalent to Musalli in the north-west. The Kurtana are a class of sweepers, converted to Islam, who are settled on the bank of the lower Indus and have given up scavenging and eating carrion and taken to making ropes and working in grass and reeds. The word is sometimes applied to any Muhammadan sweeper, but, strictly speaking, only a convert who has become a haldUklior or eater of things permitted by the Muhammadan law, is a Kurtana. Some Kurtanas even cultivate land on their own account ; and, so long as they do no scavengering, the Kurtdaas are admitted to religious equality by other Musalnid,ns. Possibly the Kurtdnas of the Indus banks are a distinct caste or people from the Chiibras, but they return no large tribes and appear to be a caste formed from the debris of numerous tribes degraded by function. In the south-west the term Khoja is also applied to a converted sweeper and is thus synonymous with Kurtdnas, which literally means * flogger ' or exe- cutioner : see foot-note to p. 183, supra.
KuTHEALOj a sept of the Bhattia, descended from Kuthrdl, son of Bhoni, and found in Sidlkot.
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