The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 1 (of 4)

Chapter VI: Forms of Hindu Marriage (12)

Text size

[The criminal Bâwariyas.] 12. The Western Bâwariyas of these Provinces are best known to District Officers as a criminal tribe. When they go on their predatory excursions, which extend over a large part of Northern India, they usually assume the garb of faqîrs, and the only way of finding them out is by a peculiar necklace of small wooden beads, which they all wear, and by a kind of gold pin which they wear fixed to their front teeth. [286] It seems, however, doubtful whether this last test is always conclusive. In cases of doubt their mouths should be examined, for under their tongues a hollow is formed by constant pressure from their younger days, in which they can secure from fifteen to twenty silver bits. The women are believed to possess secrets for charms and medicines, and sell the roots and herbs which they collect in the jungles. They are said to be expert in making patchwork quilts, which they sell. Whenever they wander they sleep on a bed and not on the ground. One peculiarity about their thieving is that, like the Alâgiris of Madras, [287] when they enter a house they take with them some dry grain, which they throw about in the dark, so as to be able by the rattle to ascertain the position of brass vessels and other metal articles. In Central India they are said to be greatly wanting in intelligence and timid in their intercourse with their fellowmen. They are there divided into five tribes—the Râthaur or Mewâra, Chauhân, Sawandiya, Korbiyâr, Kodiyâr; and each tribe has a separate hunting ground. They are governed by Chiefs called Hauliya, who attain their office by descent. “Game is divided into three shares—one for the god of the wilds, one for the god of the river, and the remainder is divided among those present at the capture. At the Holi they all assemble at the Hauliya’s residence, when he collects his income, one rupee per head. For the first five years after the beard first appears, it and the hair are cut once a year; but ever after that they wear both unshorn, and their long shaggy locks add to their uncouth appearance. Few attain sixty years of age, and ten is the greatest number of children they have known one woman to bear. They call themselves a branch of the Dhângar or shepherd class. [288]”

DISTRIBUTION OF BÂWARIYAS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

==============+=========+=========+========
District. | Hindu. |Musalmân.| Total.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~
Muzaffarnagar | 1,107 | ... | 1,107
Agra | 40 | ... | 40
Mirzapur | 1,333 | ... | 1,333
Gorakhpur | 1 | ... | 1
Tarâi | 9 | ... | 9
Ballia | ... | 239 | 239
+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~
Total | 2,490 | 239 | 2,729
==============+=========+=========+========

Beldâr. [289]—(One who works with the bel or mattock.)—A general term for the aggregate of low Hindu tribes who make their living by earth-work. But, besides these, there appears to be a real endogamous group of this name found chiefly in Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Basti, and Pilibhît. Mr. Risley [290] describes under the same name a wandering Dravidian caste of earth-workers and navvies in Bihâr and Western Bengal, many of whom are employed in the coal mines of Râniganj and Barâkar. “Both men and women labour, the former digging the earth and the latter removing it in baskets carried on the head. The Beldârs regard this mode of carrying earth as distinctive of themselves, and will on no account carry earth in baskets slung from the shoulders.” Whatever may be the case in Bengal, in these provinces at least, the practice of carrying earth and other burdens on the head and not on the back or shoulders is habitual among all the castes who do this kind of labour.

[Internal organization.] 2. The Beldârs of these provinces classified themselves at the last Census under three sub-castes—Bâchhal, Chauhân, and Kharot. The two former are, of course, well known Râjput tribes. The Kharot appear to take their name from khar (Sanskrit, khata), “grass.” They are described as a tribe of mat-makers in Basti, and a number have entered themselves separately at the last enumeration. Besides these, among the most important local sub-castes, we find the Mahul and Orh of Bareilly; the Desi, Kharêbind, and Sarwariya, or “dwellers beyond the Sarju,” of Gorakhpur; and the Kharêbind and Maskhauwa, or “flesh-eaters,” of Basti. The Census returns give 186 sub-castes of the usual type. Some taken from the names of existing well known tribes, such as Bachgoti, Bâchhal, Baheliya, Bindwâr, Chauhân, Dikhit, Gaharwâr, Gaura, Gautam, Ghosi, Kurmi, Luniya, Orh, Râjput, Thâkur; others, local terms of the usual type, like Agarwâl, Agrabansi, Ajudhyabâsi, Bhadauriya, Dehliwâl, Gangapâri, Gorakhpuri, Kanaujiya, Kashiwâla, Purabiya, Sarwariya, and Uttarâha. The Beldârs have no definite traditions of their origin, save that they were once Râjputs who were compelled by some Râja to work as navvies, and were in consequence degraded. There can, however, be little doubt that they are an occupational offshoot from the great Luniya, Orh, or Bind tribe, who are certainly to a large extent of non-Aryan origin.

[Occupation and status.] 3. Besides their trade of doing earth-work, they also make their living by fishing. They are very fond of field rats, which they dig out of the rice fields after the harvest is over, and boil down with the grain which they have collected in their granaries. They also eat pork, but in spite of this it is reported from Gorakhpur that Brâhmans and Kshatriyas drink water from their hands. Their widows marry by the sagâi form, and a man may discard his wife for adultery; but if she marries her paramour, the council compels him to repay the original cost of her marriage to her first husband.

[Religion.] 4. To the east of the province they worship the Pânchonpîr, to whom they offer a turban (patuka) and a sheet (patau) made of coarse country cloth, and occasionally a fowl. The sheets before being offered are marked by a streak of red. Another form of offering is what is known as kâra, which is made of flour and urad pulse. Some worship Mahâdeva once a year in the month of Phâlgun or at the Sivarâtri.

DISTRIBUTION OF BELDÂRS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

===============+========+========+========+========+==========+======== District. |Bâchhal.|Chauhân.|Kharot. | Others.|Musalmâns.| Total. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~ Sahâranpur | ... | ... | ... | 32 | 5 | 37 Muzaffarnagar | ... | ... | ... | ... | 29 | 29 Mathura | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... | 2 Etâwah | ... | ... | ... | 222 | ... | 222 Bareilly | 5,688 | ... | ... | 748 | ... | 6,436 Budâun | ... | ... | ... | 17 | ... | 17 Morâdâbâd | ... | ... | ... | 160 | ... | 160 Shâhjahânpur | 62 | 350 | ... | 369 | ... | 781 Pilibhît | 627 | 149 | ... | 1,579 | ... | 2,355 Cawnpur | ... | ... | ... | 56 | ... | 56 Fatehpur | ... | ... | ... | 96 | ... | 96 Bânda | ... | ... | ... | 148 | 3 | 151 Hamîrpur | ... | ... | ... | 212 | ... | 212 Allahâbâd | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 2 | 3 Jhânsi | ... | ... | ... | 246 | ... | 246 Jâlaun | ... | ... | ... | 586 | ... | 586 Lalitpur | ... | ... | ... | 248 | ... | 248 Ghâzipur | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... | 2 Ballia | ... | ... | ... | 35 | ... | 35 Gorakhpur | ... | ... | 9,782 | 5,463 | 3 | 15,248 Basti | ... | ... | 3,623 | 3,162 | ... | 6,785 Azamgarh | ... | ... | ... | 31 | 1 | 32 Tarâi | 973 | ... | ... | 42 | ... | 1,015 Lucknow | ... | ... | ... | 69 | ... | 69 Unâo | ... | ... | ... | 79 | 5 | 84 Râê Bareli | ... | ... | ... | 122 | 2 | 124 Sîtapur | ... | 59 | ... | 115 | ... | 174 Hardoi | ... | ... | ... | 216 | ... | 216 Kheri | ... | ... | ... | 336 | ... | 336 Faizâbâd | ... | ... | ... | 110 | ... | 110 Gonda | ... | ... | ... | 170 | ... | 170 Bahrâich | ... | ... | ... | 226 | ... | 226 Sultânpur | ... | ... | ... | 148 | 1 | 149 Partâbgarh | ... | 16 | ... | 92 | 10 | 118 Bârabanki | ... | 520 | ... | 249 | ... | 769 +~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~ Total | 7,350 | 1,094 | 13,405 | 15,389 | 61 | 37,299 ===============+========+========+========+========+==========+========

Belwâr, Bilwâr.—A tribe in Oudh of whom no satisfactory account has been received. According to Mr. Nesfield, they take their name from bela, “a purse”; but this is very uncertain. They are said to deal in grain and cultivate.

2. According to the last Census their chief sub-caste is the Sanâdh. In Kheri the chief sub-castes are Baghel, Bhonda, and Gaur.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE BELWÂR ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

==============+=========+=========+=========
District. | Sanâdh. | Others. | Total.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~
Dehra Dûn | ... | 42 | 42
Etâwah | 7 | 35 | 42
Lucknow | ... | 22 | 22
Sîtapur | 1,255 | 793 | 2,048
Hardoi | 605 | 146 | 751
Kheri | 1,269 | 1,412 | 2,681
Bahrâich | ... | 608 | 608
+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~
Total | 3,136 | 3,058 | 6,194
==============+=========+=========+=========

Benawa.—(“Without provisions,” “destitute.”)—A class of Muhammadan faqîrs, the chief of the Beshara or unorthodox orders. They are said to be followers of Khwâja Hasan Basri. Mr. Maclagan [291] says:—“The term is sometimes apparently applied in a loose manner to Qâdiri and Chishti faqîrs, but 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 Gujrânwâla District are attributed to mendicants of this order, who have been denied an alms. The proper course is to meet a Benawa beggar with gibes and put him on his mettle, for he prides himself on his powers of repartee, and every Benawa wears a thong of leather, which he has to unloose when beaten in reply, and it is a great source of shame for him to unloose this thong” (tasma khol dena).

DISTRIBUTION OF THE BENAWAS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

Benbans.—(“Of the stock of Râja Vena.”)—A small sept of Râjputs in Mirzapur and Rîwa. The sept is interesting as an example of the development in quite recent times of a new Râjput sept. There seems to be little doubt that only a couple of generations ago they were Kharwârs, a purely Dravidian tribe, and have developed into Râjputs since they obtained the chiefship of that part of the country. The present Râja has now married into a respectable Chandel family, and his claim to be a pure bred Râjput will doubtless soon cease to be disputed.

Beriya, [292] Bediya.—A caste of vagrants found in various parts of the Province. They are very closely allied if not identical with the Sânsi, Kanjar, Hâbûra, Bhântu, etc. In Bengal the term is applied to a number of vagrant, gypsy-like groups, of whom it is difficult to say whether they can properly be described as castes. Of these Bengal Beriyas a very full account has been given by Bâbu Rajendra Lâla Mitra. [293] According to him, they show no tendency to obesity, and are noted for “a light, elastic, wiry make, very uncommon in the people of this country. In agility and hardiness they stand unrivalled. The men are of a brownish colour like the bulk of Bengâlis, but never black. The women are of lighter complexion, and generally well formed; some of them have considerable claims to beauty, and for a race so rude and primitive in their habits as the Bediyas, there is a sharpness in the features of their women which we see in no other aboriginal race in India. Like the gypsies of Europe, they are noted for the symmetry of their limbs; but their offensive habits, dirty clothing, and filthy professions, give them a repulsive appearance, which is heightened by the reputation they have of kidnapping children and frequenting burial grounds and places of cremation. Their eyes and hair are always black, but their stature varies much in different individuals. They are a mixed race, and many outcastes join them. Some of them call themselves Mâl, and live by snake-catching and sale of herbs. Though known as Bediyas, they keep distinct, and do not intermarry or mix with the pure Bediyas, who, unlike European gypsies, keep themselves distinct. They seldom build houses, and take to agriculture, but wander about with a few miserable wigwams. Like all gypsies, they dress like the people of the country. They cook in a pipkin in common. Their women and children eat promiscuously, except when placed among Bengâlis, when the women eat separately. They eat whatever they can get, and nothing comes amiss to them, whether it be a rotten jackal or a piece of beef or mutton.

2. “Familiar with the use of bows and arrows, and great adepts in laying snares and traps, they are seldom without large supplies of game and flesh of wild animals of all kinds. A variety of birds they keep dried for medical purposes; mungooses, squirrels, and flying foxes they eat with avidity as articles of luxury. Spirituous liquors and intoxicating drugs are indulged in to a large extent, and chiefs of clans assume the title of Bhangi or drinkers of hemp (bhang) as a mark of honour.” They practise all the usual gypsy trades. “In lying, thieving, and knavery he is not a whit inferior to his brother of Europe, and he practises everything that enables him to pass an easy life without submitting to any law of civilized Government or the amenities of social life. The women deal in charms for exorcising the devil, love phylters, palmistry, cupping with buffalo horns, administering moxas and drugs for spleen and rheumatism. She has a charm for extracting worms from carious teeth by repeating indecent verses. They are the only tattooers. At home she makes mats of palm leaves, while her lord alone cooks. Bediyas have no talent for music; Nats and Banjâras have. Firdausi says this was the reason they were exiled to Persia. Bediya women are even more circumspect than European gypsies. If she does not return before the jackal’s cry is heard in the evening, she is subject to severe punishment. It is said that a faux pas among her own kindred is not considered reprehensible. Certain it is that no Bediyâni has ever been known to be at fault with any one not of her own caste. They are fond husbands, kind parents, affectionate children, and unswerving friends. Attachment to their nationality is extreme, and no Bediya has ever been known to denounce his race. Whenever a Bediya is apprehended by a police officer, his clansmen do their best to release him, and if condemned to imprisonment or death, they invariably support his family. He is a Hindu or Musalmân according to the population he lives in. Some are Deists, some Kabîrpanthis, or Sikhs; some take the disguise of Jogis, Faqîrs, Darveshes, Santons, etc. Hence he is called Panchpîri. His dead are usually buried, and his marriage contract is solemnized over country arrack without the intervention of priests, the only essential being the consent of the elders of the clan. Marriage is restricted to his own clan; but kidnapped children brought up in camp are not prohibited. He is very sparing of ceremony; in reply to the exhortations of the bride’s relatives to treat her kindly, he simply declares,—‘This woman is my wedded wife,’ marking her head at the same time with red lead. The bride replies,—‘This man is my husband.’ Incestuous marriages are believed to be common among them. It is said that all Bediyas, whether professing Hinduism or Muhammadanism, worship Kâli. Like the gypsies, they never go to court. Their chiefs (sardârs) have supreme power, and manage their affairs with the help of tribal councils (panchâyat). The punishments are fine, stripes with a shoe, expulsion from caste. The fines are spent in liquor. The chief is generally hereditary, and he is invested with authority over his clansmen, wherever they may be located. This is possible, as the Bediya, though a vagrant, is much attached to his birthplace, and often returns there.”

[The Beriyas of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh.] 3. The Beriyas of these Provinces are in a much more degraded condition than their brethren in Bengal. At the last Census they recorded themselves under three main sub-castes—Chauhân and Raghubansi, the titles of well known Râjput sub-divisions, and Kâmchor or “loafers.” But in the Central Duâb, like so many of the tribes of the same social rank, they pretend to have seven sub-castes. By one enumeration these are given as Khâlkhur, Chhâhari, Bhains, Gunnar, Nâritor, Rattu, and Kachhâr. Another list adds Mahish. The complete returns show 250 sections of the Hindu, and 12 of the Muhammadan branch. These are of the usual type, many taken from the names of existing castes, such as Bais, Banya, Bangâli, Chauhân, Chhatri, Gaur, Ghosiya, Janwâr, Kachhwâha, Kânhpuriya, Raghubansi, Râwat, Teli, and Thâkur; others of local origin like Amrapuriya, Baiswâri, Bhadauriya, Deswâl, Jaiswâr, Mainpuriya, Multânwâri; others again common to them and similar vagrant and prostitute tribes, such as Brijbâsi, Dhânuk, Gandharb, Gidhmâr (“kite-killers”), Jangali, Kuchbandhiya, Kapariya, Karnâtaki, Nat, Paturiya, Râjnat, and Tawâif. They believe themselves indigenous in the Central Duâb, and profess to have some unexplained connection, like their kinsmen the Hâbûras, with the old ruined city of Nohkhera, in the north of Pargana Jalesar, in the Etah District. All the camps (gol) which frequent that part of the country meet there during the rainy season, and hold tribal councils at which marriages and all matters affecting the caste are settled. Regular marriages seldom occur among them, because nearly all the girls are reserved for prostitution, and the men keep concubines drawn from any fairly respectable caste. So far is this the rule, that in Farrukhâbâd, it is alleged that if a man marry a girl of the tribe, he is put out of caste; and in Etâwah, if a man marry a girl who has been prostituted, he is obliged to pay a fine to the tribal council. This is a good example of what Sir John Lubbock [294] calls “Communal marriage.” “In many cases,” he says, “the exclusive possession of a wife could only be legally acquired by a temporary recognition of the pre-existing communal rights.” While, however, concubinage is a tribal institution, connections with a woman of the menial tribes, such as Chamâr, Bhangi, Kori, or Dhânuk, are prohibited; and a man offending in this way is expelled from the caste. The only ceremony in selecting a concubine is the presenting to her a suit of clothes, and eating with her and the clansmen. There seems, however, to be an increasing tendency towards the more respectable form of marriage, and some of them not only profess to have a law of exogamy to this extent that they will not give their boys to, or take a bride from, a family with which within memory they have been allied by marriage, but they also pretend to allow the levirate under the usual restrictions, and permit widow marriage. When they do marry in the caste continence is compulsory on the wife, and her husband can put her away for infidelity proved to the satisfaction of the tribal council.

[Domestic ceremonies.] 4. During pregnancy the mother generally vows that if she gets over her confinement in safety, she will have the head of the child shaved at some shrine. She is attended at delivery by the Chamârin midwife, and after that by the women of her family. All Beriyas do the chhathi or sixth day ceremony after delivery; some do the barahi or twelfth day rite as well, and if the child be a boy, feed the tribesmen. Adoption is common among them; usually a sister’s son is adopted. There is no ceremony except the distribution of sweets to the kinsmen, and the formal announcement that the adoption has taken place. There is no initiation rite for males; but when a girl reaches puberty, and is prostituted for the first time, the money she earns is spent in drinking and in feeding the other unmarried girls of the tribe, while Satya Nârâyana is worshipped, and verses in honour of him are recited. In a marriage of a virgin girl of the caste, which is very unusual, they follow the orthodox form; when they get hold of some other woman or of a widow there is no ceremony except feeding the clansmen, and until this is done the husband cannot eat the food cooked by her.

5. The caste is in the intermediate stage between burial and cremation. In Farrukhâbâd they touch the left foot of the corpse with fire and then bury it. In Etâwah they cremate the dead and collect the ashes, which they put into an earthen pot, and then bury this in the ground, raising over it a small earthen platform. When they can afford it, they offer at this place some cakes in honour of the dead, which they subsequently consume themselves. They do not employ the Mahâbrâhman; all the death ceremonies are done by the sister’s son or son-in-law of the deceased. They have no regular srâddha; but once a year, on any convenient date, they offer up cakes in the name of their dead ancestors in general, and invite a few of the brethren to a feast.

[Religion.] 6. Their tribal deities are Devi, Kâliji, and Jwâlamukhi. Many of them also worship a deity called Sayyid, which they understand to represent Muhammad, the prophet. Others visit the shrine of Madâr Sâhib. They seem to depend more on ancestor worship than on any other form of belief. They hardly employ Brâhmans at all except for giving omens at marriages, and it is, of course, only the very lowest Brâhmans who serve them.

[Occupation and social status.] 7. The Beriya, as we have seen, supports himself to a large extent by prostituting his women. His women loaf about villages and procure information about valuable property for their male relations. He is a pilferer and petty thief, and will steal crops from fields and any uncared-for property which he can find lying about. He makes almost a speciality of stealing the clothes and brass vessels of men who labour in the fields, and a camp of these people is such a pest in a neighbourhood that they would meet with short shrift from the villagers if they were not protected by some landowners, who intrigue with their women, and by goldsmiths and others, who receive stolen property from them. They have also been known to commit more serious crime and attack camel carts and wedding parties at night. They usually begin the attack on a travelling party with a shower of stones, and if this fail to compel them to abandon their goods, they assail them with their bludgeons. In Farrukhâbâd the Gunnar sub-caste carry the regular Kanjar spud (khanti,) with which they dig out young jackals and pass them off as wolf cubs for the sake of the Government reward. They have a vague tradition that they were once Râjputs, and were forced to take to their present means of living by the Muhammadans after the siege of Chithor. But their appearance and physique certainly indicate that they are a branch of the Indian gypsy race, and closely allied to the Sânsiya and his kinsfolk. The women who are prostitutes salute with the word salâm; those who are married use Râm! Râm! When they take an oath they turn to the river and swear by mother Ganges. They are steady believers in the demoniacal theory of disease. When a person falls sick they call in a wizard (syâna), who smokes a huqqa, and with a few incoherent words waves a broom over the patient, and thus scares the ghost. When a patient is attacked by the Evil-eye, they put some thorns of the babûl (acacia arabica) in an earthen pot face downwards; then a shoe is waved over it, and they call out—“Evil glance! leave the sick man!” They eat mutton, goat’s flesh, and pork; not beef, fowls, fish, vermin, or the leavings of other people. But there is reason to believe that when in camps by themselves they are much more catholic in their diet. No respectable caste will eat from their hands, they will eat both kachchi and pakki from the hands of all but the very lowest menials.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE BERIYAS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

=============+========+========+===========+=======+============+======= District. |Chauhân.|Kâmchor.|Raghubansi.|Others.|Muhammadans.| Total. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~ Sahâranpur | ... | ... | ... | ... | 11 | 11 Meerut | ... | ... | ... | ... | 6 | 6 Bulandshahr | ... | ... | ... | ... | 3 | 3 Aligarh | ... | ... | ... | 7 | 1 | 8 Mathura | ... | ... | ... | 2 | ... | 2 Agra | 59 | 140 | ... | 926 | 96 | 1,221 Farrukhâbâd | 24 | 8 | 25 | 662 | 22 | 741 Mainpuri | ... | 32 | 49 | 600 | ... | 681 Etâwah | 26 | ... | ... | 779 | ... | 805 Etah | 1 | 39 | ... | 156 | ... | 196 Bijnor | ... | ... | ... | 9 | 1 | 10 Morâdâbâd | ... | ... | ... | 10 | ... | 10 Cawnpur | 57 | ... | ... | 1,033 | ... | 1,090 Fatehpur | 90 | ... | ... | 631 | ... | 721 Bânda | 54 | ... | ... | 190 | ... | 244 Hamîrpur | 53 | ... | ... | 368 | ... | 421 Allahâbâd | 7 | ... | ... | 1,015 | 2 | 1,024 Jhânsi | 14 | ... | ... | 113 | ... | 127 Jâlaun | 4 | ... | ... | 38 | ... | 42 Lalitpur | 1 | ... | ... | 147 | 4 | 152 Mirzapur | 19 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 19 Jaunpur | ... | ... | ... | 108 | ... | 108 Ghâzipur | ... | ... | ... | ... | 4 | 4 Gorakhpur | ... | ... | ... | 19 | ... | 19 Basti | 4 | ... | ... | 83 | 701 | 788 Azamgarh | ... | ... | ... | 89 | ... | 89 Lucknow | ... | ... | ... | 192 | 9 | 201 Unâo | 171 | ... | ... | 90 | 12 | 273 Râê Bareli | 794 | ... | ... | 676 | 1 | 1,471 Hardoi | ... | ... | ... | 90 | ... | 90 Faizâbâd | 227 | ... | ... | 455 | 2 | 684 Gonda | ... | ... | ... | 30 | ... | 30 Bahrâich | 48 | ... | ... | 105 | 7 | 160 Sultânpur | 773 | ... | ... | 709 | 2 | 1,484 Partâbgarh | 516 | 8 | ... | 537 | ... | 1,061 Bârabanki | 856 | ... | ... | 452 | 9 | 1,317 +~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~ Total | 3,798 | 227 | 74 |10,321 | 893 |15,313 =============+========+========+===========+=======+============+=======

Berwâr, Birwâr.—A Râjput sept found in the Districts of Ghâzipur, Azamgarh, and Faizâbâd. In Ghâzipur they say that they are emigrants from the neighbourhood of Delhi, and take their name from Bernagar, their leading village. They are supposed to have come under the auspices of the Narauliyas, whom they assisted to expel the Cheros. [295] In Azamgarh they are said to be both Râjputs and Bhuînhârs, and not to rank high among either. Each set ignores the origin of, or any connection with, the other. The Bhuînhârs can only say that they came from the westward. They Chhatris say they are Tomars, and were led from Bernagar, near Delhi, to Azamgarh, by a chief named Garak Deo, who lived between 1393 and 1512 of the Sambat era (1536–1455 A.D.). In Faizâbâd they call themselves Bais of Dundiyakhera. The Chhatri and Bhuînhâr branches are of the same origin, as at marriages and other feasts they refuse to take from their hosts or offer to their guests broken cakes of pulse (bara). The origin of the custom is said to be that at a feast where a number of the Berwars had been invited by another clan, their treacherous hosts, on the pass-word bara khanda chalâo (khanda means “a sword” as well as “broken”), slaughtered the Birwârs. Their name is possibly connected with this custom. [296] The Brâhman ancestor of the sept is said to have come from Kanauj; but its different branches are not unanimous as to his name or pedigree, or how they came to Azamgarh. [297]

Bhadauriya.—An important sept of Râjputs who take their name from the village of Bhadâwar, near Ater, south of the Jumna. The eastern branch have some traditions which point to a Meo origin; [298] but according to Sir H. M. Elliot [299] they are a branch of the Chauhâns; but the Chauhâns are disposed to deny this relationship, now that for motives of convenience the two tribes have begun to intermarry. They are divided into the six clans of Athbhaiya, Kulhiya, Mainu, Taseli, Chandraseniya, and Râwat. He further remarks:—“The high claims which have been put forward in favour of the family are somewhat unreasonable, and were indeed entirely needless, as its respectability for many years past has been unquestionable. Bhatûla, or bread made from the grain of arhar, chana, and mûng, is notorious for its hardness, and is, therefore, seldom eaten by those who can afford to grow or purchase the better grains. It is said to have been the cause of the elevation of the Bhadauriyas, and the story, absurd as it may appear, is commonly believed in the neighbourhood of Bhadâwar, and is not denied by the Bhadauriyas themselves. One of the Bhadauriya chiefs, Gopâl Sinh, went to pay his respects to the King, Muhammad Shâh. The chief had very large eyes, so much so, as to attract the attention of the King, who asked him how he obtained them. The chief, who was a wit, replied that in his district nothing but arhar was grown, and that from the constant practice of straining at swallowing bhatûla, his eyes had nearly started out of his head. The King was pleased at his readiness, and bestowed upon him other Parganas in which he could grow the finer grains. The immediate cause of their aggrandisement is obscure, but it is as likely to have been a pair of large eyes as the capture of a fort. It is clear that their political importance lasted no longer than for a few years at the beginning of the last century; that their illustrious lineage even now invests them with consideration in the eyes of the surrounding Râjas, who allow the Bhadauriya to sit higher than themselves; who receive from him the investiture, or rather impress of the tilak, who confess that he alone can cover with grain the lingam at Batesar (the Râna of Gohag having tried twenty-one maunds in vain); and that, though influential, they are not of that high importance which they would arrogate to themselves. It is to be feared also that they are much addicted to infanticide; so that when we take all these circumstances into consideration, there seems some reason to acknowledge that the indiscriminate bounty of the British Government might perhaps have been more worthily bestowed.” The last Census Returns give some colour to the supposition that infanticide prevails among them. There are 16,312 males to 12,715 females.

2. Of the clans above enumerated the Chandraseniya, Kulhiya, Athbhaiya, and Râwat marry girls of the Chauhân, Kachhwâha, Râthaur, Chandel, Sirnet, Panwâr, Gautam, Raghubansi, Gaharwâr, Tomar, and Gahlot septs. The Taseli intermarry with Râjputs of rank inferior to these. The high class Bhadauriyas give their daughters to the Chauhân, Kachhwâha, and Râthaur septs.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE BHADAURIYA RÂJPUTS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

Bhagat.—(Sanskrit, bhakta, “a worshipper.”)—A term usually applied to men of any caste who take a vow of abstinence from meat, wine, etc. This they usually do as they advance in life, and wear a necklace of beads as a mark of the vow. It is also applied to a Sâkti sect, not Vaishnavas, as the ordinary Bhagats are, who are worshippers of Devi. Some of them eat meat, but abstain from wine. To the west of the province they are chiefly devotees of the Bajesri Devi of Kângra, whose temple was plundered by Mahmûd of Ghazni and Fîroz Tughlaq. At Jwâlamukhi, in the same District, is another and equally famous temple, where jets of gas proceeding from the ground are kept ever burning, and the crowds of pilgrims provide a livelihood for a profligate community of Gusâîns and Bhojkis. “The days most holy to Devi are the first nine days of the moon in the months of Chait and Kuâr. Some persons will fast in the name of Devi on the eighth lunar day (ashtami) of every month, and perform special ceremonies on that day. Sometimes they will light lamps of flour, and when a Brâhman has read the Devipâtha, will prostrate themselves before the lamps. Sometimes it is customary to distribute rice and sweetmeats on this day to unmarried girls; and goldsmiths will often close their shops in honour of the day. The greatest Ashtamis of all, however, are those in the months above mentioned; and of the two great yearly festivals, the Naurâtra is the greatest, following as it does immediately after the completion of the annual srâddha or commemoration of the dead. It is the custom in some parts of the country for worshippers of Devi on the first day of this festival to sow barley and water it, and keep a lamp burning by it, and on the eighth day to cut it and light a sacrificial fire (homa), breaking their fast next day.” [300]

2. The name is also applied to a class of dancing girls in the Agra Division.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE BHAGATS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

Bhâlê Sultân.—(“Lords of the spear:” Sanskrit, Bhâla, “a kind of arrow or spear.”)—According to the tribal tradition in Sultânpur, [301] between two and three hundred years ago Râê Barâr, son of Amba Râê, brother of the then Râja of Morârmau, commanded a troop of cavalry recruited entirely from the Bais clan in the Imperial service, and was deputed to exterminate the troublesome Bhars in the Isauli Pargana. Having accomplished his task he returned to Delhi and presented himself at the head of his troop before the Emperor, who, struck with their manly bearing, exclaimed, “Ao, Bhâlê Sultân,” “Come, spears of the Sultân.” Thence they adopted the name. Another story is that it was as link-bearers (Bâri), and not the lance, which they so dexterously wielded, and that they were made Râjputs by Tilok Chand as a reward for their diligence. A third account connects them with the Balla, who are included in the royal races and were lords in Saurâshtra. “But this lays stress on the first factor of the name, and leaves the other, an equally perplexing one, altogether unexplained. That it is a corruption there is little doubt. The Bhâlê Sultâns are either not mentioned by Abul Fazl at all, or they are the Bais Naumuslim of Sâtanpur. In either case the suspicion is raised that they did not take their modern name till after the time of Akbar, and, if so, it hardly bears the ring of Imperial coinage. ‘From this time’ (1507 A.D.), says Bâbar, ‘I order that I should be styled Padshah,’ and from him downwards this, and not Sultan, appears to have been the title affected by the Mughal Emperors. It is very probable that the Bhâlê Sultâns are the Naumuslim Bais of Sâtanpur, for they now occupy that locality, and Palhan Deo, great grandson of Râê Barâr, is said to have been converted to Islâm in Shîr Shâh’s time; and the only thing against this view is that the Gandeo Bais may have held territory thus far east, and as they, too, had a Musalmân branch, they would then answer equally well to the description given.”

[Bhâlê Sultân of the North-West Provinces.] 2. The Bulandshahr [302] branch, according to one story, claim descent from Sidhrâo Jai Sinh, a Solankhi Râjput of Parpatan in Gujarât. After the defeat of Prithivi Râja, Sawai Sinh, the ancestor of the family, obtained the title of Bhâlê Sultân, or “Lord of the lance,” from Shahâbuddîn Ghori. Another story is that they are descended from Sârang Deo, a nephew of the Râja of Gujarât, who took service under Prithivi Râja of Delhi, with whom he was distantly connected, and perished in the war against Kanauj, when his descendant was rewarded with lands in Bulandshahr. It was his grandson, Hamîr Sinh, who took service with the Râja of Kanauj, and obtained through him and Shahâbuddîn the title of Bhâla Sultân. The seventh in descent from him, Kirat Sinh, distinguished himself in the campaign of Ghayâsuddin against the Meos, and got their lands. The seventh in descent from him, Khân Chand, became a Musalmân to please the Muhammadan Governor under Khizr Khân, the protegee of Timûr.

[The Oudh branch.] 3. In Faizâbâd [303] the Bhâlê Sultân claim descent from Râo Mardan Sinh of Bais, of Dundiya Khera, who was a horse-dealer by profession. He chanced to visit Gajanpur, in Isauli Pargana, of the Sultânpur District, where there was a fort of the Râjbhars, whom he overcame. His son, Râo Barâr, entered the service of the King of Delhi, and as he was a good horseman and clever spearsman, he obtained the title of Bhâla Sultân. One of his descendants, Baram Deo, ambitious of obtaining the title of Râja, became Khânzâda to the King of Delhi, and since then his descendants have been called Khânzâda. In Râê Bareli the tradition runs that they were Ahîrs who were raised to the rank of Râjputs by Tilok Chand.

4. In Sultânpur they are said to marry girls of the septs of the Bhâratipur Chauhâns, Kath Bais and Kath Bisen, and to give girls to the Tilokchandi Bais, Chauhâns of Mainpuri, Sûrajbansis of Mahul, Gautams of Nagar, Bisens of Majhauli, Gahlot, Sombansi, Râjkumâr, Bandhalgoti, and Bachgoti. In Faizâbâd they marry girls of the Gargbansi and Raghubansi septs, and give girls to the Sombansi, Bachgoti, and Bais.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE BHÂLÊ SULTÂN RÂJPUTS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

=============+=========+=============+=======
District. | Hindus. | Muhammadans.| Total.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~
Sahâranpur | 17 | 27 | 44
Meerut | 20 | ... | 20
Bulandshahr | 6,370 | 4,790 | 11,160
Agra | 59 | 3 | 62
Farrukhâbâd | 9 | 6 | 15
Mainpuri | 36 | ... | 36
Budâun | 11 | ... | 11
Shâhjahânpur | ... | 9 | 9
Pilibhît | 19 | 4 | 23
Cawnpur | 11 | 75 | 86
Fatehpur | 3 | ... | 3
Bânda | ... | 1 | 1
Allahâbâd | 324 | 18 | 342
Lalitpur | 2 | 2 | 4
Benares | 15 | 86 | 101
Jaunpur | 25 | 3 | 28
Ghâzipur | ... | 7 | 7
Gorakhpur | 35 | 64 | 99
Basti | 155 | 53 | 208
Azamgarh | 122 | 29 | 151
Lucknow | 17 | 283 | 300
Unâo | 5 | 38 | 43
Râê Bareli | 377 | 372 | 749
Sîtapur | 20 | 23 | 43
Kheri | 3 | 108 | 111
Faizâbâd | 757 | 687 | 1,444
Gonda | 406 | 352 | 758
Bahrâich | 108 | 271 | 379
Sultânpur | 8,016 | 4,607 | 12,623
Partâbgarh | 49 | 17 | 66
Bârabanki | 329 | 735 | 1,064
+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~+
Total | 17,320 | 12,670 | 29,990
=============+=========+=============+=======

Bhând, Bhânr. [304]—(Sanskrit, Bhanda, a jester.)—The class of story-tellers, buffoons, and jesters. They are sometimes known by the Muhammadan title of Naqqâl, or actor. The Bhând is sometimes employed in the courts of Râjas and native gentlemen of rank, where, at entertainments, he amuses the company with his buffoonery and imitations of European and Native manners, much of which is of a very coarse nature. The Bhând is quite separate from, and of a lower professional rank than, the Bahrûpiya. They appear now to be practically all Muhammadans, but retain numerous Hindu usages. There are two recognised endogamous sub-castes—the Chenr, which seems to mean little (Hindi, chenra), and the Kashmîri. The former trace their origin to the time of Taimûrlang, who, on the death of his son, gave himself over to mourning for twelve years. Then one Sayyid Hasan, a courtier of the Emperor, composed a humorous poem in Arabic which gained him the title of Bhânr. Sayyid Hasan is regarded as the founder of the caste. Though he was a Sayyid, the present Bhânrs are either Shaikhs or Mughals; and the difference of faith, Sunni and Shiah, is a bar to intermarriage. The Kashmîri Bhânrs are said to be of quite recent origin, having been invited from Kashmîr by Nasîr-ud-dîn Haidar, King of Oudh. The Chenr Bhânrs fix their headquarters at Karra in Allahâbâd, and Lucknow. In Farrukhâbâd they profess to have twelve-and-a-half sub-divisions, all of which, except the half sub-division, intermarry. Many of these are derived from the names of castes from which they are, or pretend to be, sprung: thus Kaithela (Kâyasth); Bamhaniya (Brâhman); Kamarhas; Ujharha; Banthela; Gujarha (Gûjar); Nonela (Luniya); Karraha (from Karra); Pitarhanda. The Census returns give the sub-caste of the Hindu Bhânrs as Baraha, Nakhatiya, and Shâhpuri, and of the Muhammadan branch as Bakarha, Bhandela, Burkiya, Desi, Gâorâni, Hasanpuri, Harkha, Jaroha, Jaroyân, Kaithla, Kâyasth, Kâniwâla, Kashmîri, Kathiya, Katila, Qawwâl, Kha, Kharya, Khatri, Kheti, Monkhra, Musalmâni, Naqqâl, Naumuslim, Pathân, Patua, Purabiya, Râwat, Sadîqi, Shaikh, and Târâkiya.

2. Girls are married at the age of twelve or fourteen, and unlimited polygamy is allowed. Widows re-marry generally in the family of their late husband, and if a match then is impossible, they marry an outsider, and the levirate in the usual form prevails. A wife can be put away for infidelity, and cannot then marry again in the caste. The marriage ceremonies are conducted in the standard Musalmân form. Bhânrs are generally Sunnis, except in Lucknow, where they are mostly Shiahs, and respect the Pânchonpîr (of whom the most regarded is Ghâzi Miyân) and Sayyid Hasan. To the Pânchonpîr are offered cakes (malîda), sharbat, garlands of flowers, and perfumes. Sayyid Hasan receives cakes, sweetmeats, flowers, and perfumes, at any time during the year. Food is offered to the sainted dead at the Shab-i-barât festival. The chief offering consists of the halwa sweetmeat, and cakes. The Chenr Bhânrs play on the small drum (dholak), and Kashmîris on the drum (tabla) and fiddle (sârangi). A popular proverb describes the Bhânr to be as essential at an entertainment as a tiger in a forest,—Mahfil vîrân jahân Bhânr na bâshad; Jangal vîrân jahân sher na bâshad. They are notoriously exacting and abusive if offended. A proverb runs,—Rânr, Bhânr, Sânr, bigrê burê,—“The rage of a widow, a Bhânr, and a bull is terrible.” Another classes them with the monkey,—jaisê Lakkho bandariya vaisê Manva Bhânr—“Lakkho, the monkey, is like Manva, the actor”—“six of one and half a dozen of the other.” Dr. Buchanan quaintly describes them as “impudent fellows who make wry faces, squeak like pigs, bark like dogs, and perform many other ludicrous feats. They also dance and sign, mimicking and turning into ridicule the dancing boys and girls, on whom they likewise pass many jokes, and are employed on great occasions.” [305]

DISTRIBUTION OF THE BHÂNDS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.

===========================================
District. | Hindus. |Musalmâns.| Total.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~
Sahâranpur | ... | 12 | 12
Muzaffarnagar | ... | 50 | 50
Meerut | ... | 27 | 27
Bulandshahr | ... | 167 | 167
Aligarh | ... | 105 | 105
Mathura | ... | 20 | 20
Agra | ... | 180 | 180
Farrukhâbâd | 8 | 101 | 109
Mainpuri | ... | 80 | 80
Etah | ... | 112 | 112
Bareilly | ... | 23 | 23
Bijner | ... | 32 | 32
Budâun | ... | 21 | 21
Morâdâbâd | ... | 75 | 75
Shâhjahânpur | ... | 57 | 57
Pilibhît | ... | 11 | 11
Cawnpur | ... | 12 | 12
Fatehpur | ... | 79 | 79
Hamîrpur | ... | 40 | 40
Allahâbâd | ... | 52 | 52
Jhânsi | ... | 8 | 8
Jâlaun | ... | 9 | 9
Lalitpur | ... | 9 | 9
Jaunpur | ... | 33 | 33
Ghâzipur | ... | 84 | 84
Gorakhpur | ... | 47 | 47
Lucknow | ... | 43 | 43
Unâo | ... | 5 | 5
Râê Bareli | ... | 21 | 21
Sîtapur | ... | 294 | 294
Hardoi | ... | 58 | 58
Kheri | ... | 203 | 203
Gonda | ... | 1,325 | 1,325
Bahrâich | 6 | 385 | 391
Sultânpur | ... | 75 | 75
Partâbgarh | ... | 25 | 25
Bârabanki | ... | 120 | 120
+~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~
Total | 14 | 4,000 | 4,014
==============+=========+==========+======

Bhangi. [306]—The sweeper tribe of Hindustân. About the derivation of the word there is some difference of opinion. It is usually derived from the Sanskrit bhanga, “hemp,” in allusion to the drunken habits of the tribe. Mr. Nesfield would derive it from the same word in the sense of “interruption,” as a Hindu must give up whatever he is doing when he is touched by a sweeper. The Benares sweepers say that the word is a corruption of sarbhanga (sârva-bhanga), in the sense that while part of the Hindu community they are isolated from it. There are various titles used to designate the tribe. Thus they are known in the Western districts of the province and in the Panjâb as Chûhra, Chûra, or Chûhara, which is by some derived from their business of collecting or sweeping up scraps (chûra-jhârna), while Mr. Nesfield, with perhaps less probability, connects it with chûha, “a rat,” which would make them eaters of rats and mice like the Musahars of the Eastern districts. They are also known as Mehtar or “prince,” which is a honorific title of various classes, such as Bhatiyâra, Mochi, Qasâi, etc., and seems to have been used ironically, as cooks, tailors, or barbers are called Khalîfa. In connection with this it is important to note that the Bediyas of Bengal call their leaders Bhangi or hemp-drinkers, as a title of honour. [307] The name Mehtar was commonly applied to the servants of the Emperor Humâyun. [308] Another title for them is Halâlkhor, “one who eats what is lawful, one whose earnings are legitimate.” This euphemistic title is said to have been introduced by the Emperor Akbar. [309] They are also known as Khâkrob, or “sweepers of dust,” and Bâharwâla, “one who is not admitted into the house.” Another euphemistic name for them in the Punjâb is Musalli, “one who prays.” From their religion and patron saint they are sometimes known, collectively, as Lâlbegi, which is really the name for one of their sub-castes.

[Origin of the tribe.] 2. The modern Bhangi is apparently the representative of the Chandâla of Manu, [310] who is said to be descended by a Sûdra from a Brâhmani woman. He ordains that they must live without the town, whence the name Antavâsin or Antevâsin, “one who dwells near the boundaries.” Their sole wealth must be dogs and asses; their clothes must consist of the cerecloths of the dead; their dishes must be broken pots, and their ornaments of rusty iron. No one who regards his duties must hold any intercourse with them, and they must marry only among themselves,—a prohibition which takes us back to the very beginning of the caste system. By day they may roam about for the purposes of work, be distinguished by the badges of the Râja, and they must carry out the corpse of any one who dies without kindred. They should always be employed to slay those who by the law are sentenced to be put to death, and they may take the clothes of the slain, their beds, and their ornaments. The term Chandâl is now-a-days used only in the sense of contumely, and the so-called Chandâls of Bengal invariably call themselves Nâmasûdra, [311] “and with characteristic jealousy the higher divisions of the caste apply the name Chandâl to the lower, who in their turn pass it on to the Dom.” The word Chandâla, which, if it really comes from an Aryan root, may be connected with chanda, in the sense of “evil or mischievous,” was possibly the designation of some of the meaner non-Aryan or Dravidian races who were at an early time reduced to servitude, and compelled to perform the vilest functions of the Aryan commonwealth, [312] but that the term Bhangi can be applied to any definite ethnological unit is more than doubtful. Many of the special duties of the Chandâla of Manu, such as the conveyance of corpses and the task of acting as public executioners, are now vested in the Dom and his kindred, with whom the Bhangi, as we now see him, is doubtless closely allied. But the modern names seem to imply that the present organisation of the caste may have been contemporaneous with the early Muhammadan conquest, and there seems reason to believe that the tribe, as we now find it, is made up of a number of different elements. This is corroborated by the divergent physical appearance of the race. Some Bhangis have the dark complexion, stunted figure, and peculiar dark flashing eye which is so characteristic of the Dom. Others, again, are of a much taller form and fairer complexion. This may be perhaps accounted for partly by the fact that their admittance as servants into the higher class families facilitates illicit connection with superior races, and partly that the tribe habitually recruits itself by the admission of outcastes from the superior tribes. It has also been suggested that the names of some of their sub-castes point to the supposition that the caste may be made up of menials attached to various Râjput, Jât, or Musalmân tribes, the Hâris, with the Haras, the Dhe, with the Dhe Jâts, and the Râwats with the higher tribe of the same name. But of this there is no distinct evidence.

Previous Next

Comments

The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 1 (of 4)Chapter VI: Forms of Hindu Marriage (12)

0%37 min left in chapter