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HinduOfUniverseHinduism CASTES
History Of Castes Mhali. 149. The Mhalis (7500) are barbers and balutedars. The Mhali shaves the heads, chins, and armpits of his clients and pares their nails. When the first son is born to any of his clients, the barber carries the good news to the relatives. He takes a bamboo stick in his hand, adorns it with cloth, and crowns it with an earthen pot. For this, and in return for the presents of sugar and pan leaves which he then distributes, he expects to receive from each man a rupee, a turban or a shoulder cloth, or at least a few handfuls of grain as a reward. In the case of a marriage among Sudras, it is the village barber who takes out the invitations and who subsequently superintends the bathing of the bridegroom. The barbers also light the lamps and hold the torches during the ceremony, and at its close two of them take the bride and bridegroom in their arms and distribute the sugar sweetmeat (van) which have been provided for the Brahmans.
Musalman. 150. The four chief classes of Muhanimadans (population 48,720) commonly known as Saiyids, Sheikhs, Mughals, and Pathans are found in the District. The Saiyads claim their descent from Fatimah and All, the son and son-in-law of the Prophet. There are two branches of Saiyads, those descended from Hasan and those descended from Husaiu (both sons of Ali). Saiyads mark their high birth among men by placing the title Saiyad or Mir before, and among women the title of Begam after their names. Mughals include two distinct classes, the Persian and the Indian or Chagtai from Chagtai Khan, the son of Changiz Khan. They are, therefore, the descendants of those Musalmans from Central Asia who invaded India under the standards of Timur and Babar. Mughals always place the title Mirza, born of great man, before their names, and add Beg. Pathans are of Afghan origin and their name means highlanders. Below the four great classes, there is a population which may be described as miscellaneous Muhammadans. These are the converts from Hinduism, or more strictly speaking, the descendants of such converts, together with those who follow certain petty trades in towns. At the census of 1901 the principal classes which returned caste names were Atari, Bhil, Fakir, Gaoli, Bhat, and Pinjari. These classes are perfectly endogamous groups marrying only among themselves.
Panchal. 151. The Panchals (400) are vagrant blacksmiths. They have been in Berar for some generations. They live in small pals or tents, and move from place to place with buffaloes, donkeys, and occasionally ponies to carry their kit.
Pardhi. 152. The Pardhis (2600) from the Marathi word for a huntsman are a wandering people ostensibly occupied in snaring game. Malkapur seems to be a favourite taluk with them, as a large proportion of their number was enumerated there both in 1881 and in 1891. There are three well-known divisions of Pardhis, the Shikari, Phans and Langoti Pardhis. The Pardhis of Berar admit that they are Baurias, who originated from Rajputana and are held to be aborigines of that part of India. The Pardhis have the. custom whereby on the death of an elder brother the younger takes his widow to wife. They pay for their wives. At the time of marriage a mock resistance is sometimes made; generally, however., the couple walk round the encampment under a cloth borne on four poles. In front of them walks a married woman carrying five pitchers of water. The couple eat grain from the same dish or throw it on each other's head. The bridegroom gives the bride a dress, a bodice, and a fold of the paper helmet which he himself wears. A Brahman is asked to name an auspicious day for the event, and among the Phans Pardhi division he is also asked to officiate. In religion, besides worshipping their ancestors, they worship goddesses who are now identified with the Hindu goddess Devi, but who are known in the caste by many different names. Sometimes they carry small silver images of these deities; at other times they fashion one of clay.
Omens and ordeals. 153. Like the Sudras they are superstitious and believe in omens. A favourite omen is the simple device of taking some rice or juari in the hand and counting the grains. An even number is lucky: an odd number is unlucky. If dissatisfied with the first a second or a third pinch is taken and the grains counted. A winnowing basket or a mill-stone falling to the right when dropped on the ground is lucky, as is also a flower falling on the right side from the garland with which they crown their goddess. The Phans Pardhis never use the railway; and are forbidden the use of any conveyance whatever. More precautions however attend the women than the men. The women may not wear silver bangles on their feet: they may not among the Langoti Pardhis touch a cast-off lugada, they may not eat flesh or drink liquor: nor mai they in any division of Pardhis prepare the food or mix with the family until three months after a child-birth. Similar religious scruples exist among the Langoti Pardhis against the wearing of a razai or a spotted cloth, or the using of a cot. Their name is derived from their wearing the langoti, because of their fear that a dhoti if worn might become soiled and therefore unlucky. Their ordeals resemble those in vogue two thousand years ago. If a woman is suspected of adultery she has to pick a pice out of boiling oil: or a pipal leaf is placed on her hand and a red hot axe placed on it. If she is burnt or refuses to stand the test she is pronounced guilty. The punishment for adultery consists in cutting a piece off the ear and in exacting a fine. Another test is the water ordeal. The accused dives into water; and as he dives an arrow is shot from a bow. A swift runner fetches and brings back the arrow: if the diver remains under water until the runner has returned he is pronounced innocent. Their chief religious ceremony, at which many gather together, occurs about once every five years. The idol of Devi is taken to a tree two or three miles from a village and placed with its face to the east. In front of it a fireplace of earth is made, on which wheaten cakes and meat are cooked and eaten at night. A young buffalo or a goat is brought to the spot and stabbed in the left side of the neck: the idol is besmeared with the blood which spouts out, and the worshippers then taste it themselves. The animal is then killed. To the north of the idol a small mound is raised. On the third day, by which time the flesh has all been eaten, the skull of the animal is placed on the mound, ghi and country liquor is poured on it, and fire is applied. This burnt offering closes the ceremony.
Pathrat. 154. The Pathrats (300) whose name is a contraction of Patharwat or stone dresser, are stone workers.
Rajput. 155. The Rajputs (13,000) show a large decrease from 20,000 since 1891, but this is partly due to a large number of Marathas and Kunbis having returned themselves as Raj-puts at the previous census. They may be divided into two classes, (1) those who were originally of foreign origin (2) those who have assumed the name of Rajputs but who are really of humbler birth. The Rana Rajputs chiefly found in the Malkapur and Jalgaon taluks are believed to be of Maratha origin. Agriculture is the ordinary occupation of the Rajput caste.
Rangari. 156. The Rangaris (3500), the caste of dyers, are mostly found in the Malkapur taluk. They worship Hinglaj Bhawani, Dawal Malik and Khandoba; and beginning at the Gudi Padwa or Hindu New Year's Day they observe a fort-night's holiday, during which all business is suspended, and a subscription is raised in order that a caste dinner may be held. They use as dyes morinda, indigo and safflower but aniline dyes are also in considerable vogue. They are governed in caste matters by a punch or council, and an elective headman or chaudhari. The caste is said to have come originally from Gujarat.
Shimpi. 157. The Shimpis (4500) are tailors. They are divided into the Jain, Marathi and Telugu Shimpls. The Jains belong usually to the Setwal caste; the Marathi Shimpls are often Lingayats; and the Telugu division are generally Vaishnavas. The Jain Shimpls claim the hero Niminath as a caste-fellow; the Marathis claim the noted saint Namdeo Sadhu.
Sonar. 158. The Sonars (6ooo), workers in precious metals, are the most important of the artisan castes. Among the Sonars there are several divisions, the most important being the Vaishya, Malvi, and Panchal. The Vaishya and Panchal Sonars invest their children with the sacred thread when they are seven years old, the ceremony sometimes being performed by a Brahman, and sometimes by one of their own castemen. The Vaishya and Panchal Sonars have religious teachers of their own caste and they are said to have claimed and vindicated their right against the Brahmans to perform their own marriage ceremonies. The Sonars discountenance the remarriage of widows. In his business life a Sonar is noted for an acuteness sometimes bordering on dishonesty; there is a proverb which says that he will cheat his own mother. Sutar. 159. The Sutars (6000) are carpenters. They probably take their name which means literally a maker of string or a ' worker by string ' either from their sometimes joining planks by string or from their skill in planing or measuring. Some Sutars wear the sacred thread; the well-to-do assuming it in childhood, and the poorer from the time of their marriage. The Sutar heads the list of village balutedars. The highest division of the caste are the Kharatis or turners who come from Northern India. Takari. 160. The Takaris (900) mend the handmills (chakkis) used for grinding corn, but have also a reputation for crime. They are practically confined to the plain taluks. Teli. 161. The Telis (10,000) are oil pressers by origin. Their hereditary trade has suffered from the introduction of cheap bulk oil and also from the oil mills worked by steam power. They have largely taken to agriculture. Thakur. 162. The Thakurs (1100) are almost identical with the Bhats. They are the hereditary village bards, members of the village community. Many of them have taken to labour and cultivation. Vidur. 163. The Vidurs (1200) are descendants of Brahman fathers and mothers of lower castes They are almost, if not quite, synonymous with Krishnapakshis. In dress the Vidurs copy the Brahmans. If a Vidur mother have an illegitimate child, and the father be a Brahman, the child remains a Vidur, but if a Vidur woman or man be detected in adultery with one of a lower caste, he or she is outcasted and the offspring, if any, has no claim to their property. Waddar. 164. The Waddars (500) have decreased considerably. They are immigrants from Southern India and are earth-workers, and are constantly moving about in search of work. Their movements depend upon the demand for labour for roads and other public works. Wani. 165. The Wanis or Banias (15,000) are chiefly of foreign origin, being immigrants from Marwar, Gujarat and Rajputana, Most of them are traders, moneylenders, shroffs and grocers, but a large number have also taken to agriculture. Being strangers in the land, Wanis are generally distinguished among Beraris by the name of their country or their sect. Lingayat Wanis affix the term appa to their names, as Kunbis and others affix ji. Wanjari. 166. The Wanjaris number 13,000 persons of whom 8643 are found in the Mehkar taluk and constitute 2 per cent. of the population. They are said to have come into this District from the Nizam's Dominions where they are still found in large numbers. The caste claims to be of Maratha origin and yet they aver that they were originally Paundrakas, a tribe inhabiting the old Paundra country, that is, Bengal and Behar. They allege that they with seven other castes were allies of Parasuram when he ravaged the Haihayas of the Vindhya mountains, and that after this the task of guarding the passes was entrusted to them. From their prowess in keeping down the beasts of prey which infested the gorges and ravines under their charge, they became known as the Vanya-Shatru, subsequently contracted into Wanjari. In course of time their services were rewarded with grants of land similar to the Metkari inams and one division of the caste is now known as the Metkari Wanjaris. Though some Wanjaris connect their name with wanja or trading by pack bullocks yet to confound them with the Banjara carrier castes gives them great offence. They, however, are unable to reconcile their claim of Maratha origin with the Bengali one which they also claim and of which no traces in their manners, customs, or gotras now remain. The men dress like Kunbis, the women never wear the parti-coloured bodices and skirts which Banjara women affect, nor do they patronize the bone bangles with which the latter cover their arms. They are not addicted to crime like the Banjaras". Other subdivisions of the Wanjari castes are Raojin, Bhusarjin, Ladjin and Kanarjin. These subdivisions neither intermarry nor eat with each other. Each subdivision has twelve-and-a-half minor divisions; each minor subdivision has also 50 kuls, and each kul has 4 gotras. Among the 4 gotras of a particular kul no intermarriage can take place as they are considered to be descendants from the same parental stock. Infant marriage prevails in the caste. The betrothal ceremony is performed by presenting the girl with new clothings (phadki and parkor), washing her feet with water, and affixing a patch of kunku to her forehead. A piece of sugarcandy is put in her mouth and packets containing coriander, sugar, kunku and five small pieces of cocoanut are put in her dhoti. The father of the boy then distributes pan-supari to the men assembled, while the father of the girl applies red gandh to the forehead of each man. This ceremony is called Sakarpuda. Women do not accompany the men to the village of the girl. A few days before marriage there takes place the ceremony of Waghinseo or Hobas, apparently a corruption of Wag-Nischaya, or settling the marriage contract by word of mouth. The boy's father visits the girl's village and presents her with ornaments and clothing. In addition to the above the following things are given, gur (unrefined sugar), cocoanuts, khurma, cardimum, godambi, kunku, coriander and sugarcandy. The ceremonies known as Shalmundi and Gondhal also take place before the marriage is performed. In the first the father of the girl visits the village of the boy and presents him with a gold ring, an uparna and a turban. At the second from one to five goats are sacrificed though sweetmeats are sometimes substituted. The Wanjaris follow the Maratha ritual of marriage, in which the bride and the bridegroom stand facing each other with a curtain drawn between them, and the assembled guests throw juari dyed yellow on the contracting couple. The marriage ceremony is performed on the mutha (a sort of country saddle used for the bullock). Widow-marriage is allowed by the caste, but a bachelor is not allowed to marry a widow. The dead are both burnt and buried, the corpse is laid in the grave, flat on the back, with feet to the north and the head to the south. By religion Wanjaris are Sivites or worshippers of Siva; some of them are the followers of the Dawal Malik sect. Drinking is prohibited amongst them. No parda system is observed by them. They are now mainly engaged in agriculture and in nearly every point they resemble the Kunbis. They eat from the hands of Kunbis and Marathas. The Bhusarjin and Kanarjin subdivisions are scarcely found, but the ladjin and Raojin subdivisions are common. Men and women of the Raojin subdivision are allowed to eat flesh, whereas the women of the Ladjin subdivision do not touch it, but the prohibition is not extended to males. The Dhola ceremony is performed when the woman is in the seventh month of pregnancy. On this occasion green lugdas are given to her and new clothes are presented to her husband as well. Criminal classes. 167. The District is characterised by no class of crime specially, but dacoities, robberies, and house-breaking are not infrequent, and are in many instances the work of criminal gangs and professionals from outside. Kaikaris and Bhils are apt to raid the District from the Khandesh direction and from across the Hyderabad border. The Bhil is not pre-eminently a criminal in the sense that some of the subcastes of the Kaikari are. He goes out into open outlawry on a large scale only as the result of bad years, want, the exactions of moneylenders or some other disturbing cause. When the pinch of agricultural distress is felt, or any other provocation arises, Bhlls readily go out in gangs and take to looting and wide-spread depredations. For the rest his activities are mostly confined to minor crimes against property, an occasional murder, the outcome of jealousy, revenge or a belief in witchcraft. Civilizing influences have of recent years done much to redeem the Bhils from the predatory habits which characterised them in the past. Nevertheless the criminal instinct remains sufficiently strong in the present day to need but little temptation to induce him to revert to the roving life of the freebooter and depredator. Another class of people who give considerable trouble along the northern border of the District are the Nihals or Nahals. They have always been notorious robbers and Koli, Bhil, Nihal is the common word used in old documents for predatory hillmen. Ever since the great famine of 1899-1900 a number of Nihals—fortunately few—have devoted themselves to petty dacoity and cattle-lifting, They avoid taking any jewellery or other recognisable property when committing a dacoity, and as they invariably take to the hills after a successful raid, it is by no means easy for the police to prove a case against them even when caught. They are also adepts at changing their name and village. They extend their operations to Nimar, Khandesh, Akola and Amraoti, keeping not very far from the hilly parts of these Districts. A considerable number of Pathans and Afghans also ostensibly lend money in the District but are sometimes mixed up with the local criminals. The Pathan hails from Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier Provinces, and his mother tongue is Pushto. His appearance and dress are sufficiently distinctive to proclaim his caste. His physique is excellent and far superior to that of any class indigenous to the Province. He is broad and well built, medium to tall in stature, strong, muscular, hardy and energetic, with Caucasian features, fair ruddy complexion and haughty bearing. By temperament he is treacherous, impetuous, avaricious, excitable and sometimes even fanatical, fond of good living, very hospitable to his countrymen, of cheerful disposition and not incapable of appreciating a joke. The Pathan as a rule makes for some large town where employment is procurable, and sets up as an itinerant hawker of sundry goods or as a moneylender. Many of them are employed by sahukars to recover debts or collect rent from backward tenants. The Pathan is generally successful in this line owing to his imposing appearance, uncouth manners, reputation for truculence, tyrannical methods and the tenacity with which he persecutes the recalcitrant debtor. Some of the well-to-do Pathans are moneylenders on a small scale who are invariably given to extortion and tyrannical practices in recovering their dues. They exact exorbitant interest and are said never to lose sight of a loan, but will reimburse themselves years after it was given, travelling expensive journeys to recover quite a small amount; in this way they keep up the fear which they instil. Their customers are generally the poorer and lower castes such as Mahars, Mangs, Kolis, Kunbis, Bhils, sweepers, etc., who enjoy no credit with the Marwari or Bania, and who yield to the temptations offered by the Pathan to borrow money without a note-of-hand or any security, and at large railway centres, the subordinate staff. As soon as the time is up the Pathan gives his debtor no peace. He is at his door before day dawns to demand his dues, usually with a big stick which he displays in a threatening manner while making his demand in persuasiva tones. It is no use the unhappy victim endeavouring to put off his persecutor by asking him to call again, or attempting to evade the interview by urging a pressing engagement elsewhere. The Pathan is not to be baffled by subterfuges of this sort. He will establish himself in the doorway of the house and give the occupants an unpleasant time by his importunities to settle up. He is not devoid of a sense of humour, and will meet a request to phir kar ao (call again, literally to turn and come), by turning round in a circle where he is standing saying good humouredly that he has complied with the request, or, if asked to dam pakado, i.e., to have patience (literally to hold his breath), he will shut his mouth and hold his nose for a couple of seconds and urge that he has done what was asked. He can only be got rid of by payment either in full or in part of principal or interest. The Pathan's ostensible profession of hawker or moneylender has the advantage of enabling him to go about from District to District keeping his eyes and ears open, forming connections with local bad characters and marking down suitable places to rob. They generally select isolated houses in towns and cities, and commit the burglary or dacoity in some force. Occasionally a Pathan when employed as a servant with some wealthy, sahukar after ascertaining all he wants to know, takes leave of his employer on the pretext that he wants to return home. He then organises a gang and brings off a successful raid; or perhaps information is communicated to distant friends who, acting thereon, swoop down and loot the servant's master, the informant making a display of loyalty during the attack and remaining in service for some time afterwards to avert suspicion. Baorias, Minas, Bhamtas, and other professional criminals also work in the District, attracted thither by the prosperity of the residents of the plain taluks. The local criminals are Takankars, Mangs, Mahars and others. The Takankar while rechiselling grinding stones has excellent opportunities to examine the interior economy of houses, the position of boxes, and the Mang's profession of selling brooms and ropes also enables him to spy out the land and acquire valuable knowledge. Those classes generally commit dacoity and house-breaking by night.
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