The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)Crooke, William
History
The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)
Crooke, William
Caste -- India -- History; Hindus -- India; Tribes -- India -- History
[Internal structure.] 2. The internal structure of the caste is very
intricate. In Mirzapur they name seven endogamous sub-castes—Palhariya
(from palihanda, the stand on which the dye-pots are placed); Bulbulha
(from bulbul, the nightingale); Dunsua (said to mean “a large needle”);
Sâdh or “saints,” who pretend to special purity and will not eat meat
or kill animals; Sûrajbans, “children of the Sun”; Kanaujiya or
Kanaujiha, who say they come from Kanauj; and Pariya, or “those who
keep young buffalo calves.” These are the explanations current among
the members of the caste, and must, of course, be accepted with
caution. In Fatehgarh there are two endogamous sub-castes—Reli or
Dilwâri, that is Dehliwâl or “residents of Delhi;” Gola, “mixed,” or
Mârwâri or Sanganeri, who take their name from a place called Sanganer,
which is said to be somewhere near Jaypur. These, again, are divided
into a number of sections. Thus of the Reli are named the Milku;
Chhuriyapel; Ajudhiya; Nauchhirak; Sunawâr; Pânisap; Kupendiya;
Kachhot; Banawâr; Gadhaiya, and many others. The Golas are said to have
seven hundred and fifty sections, such as the Dharâvnê; Dûsayê;
Mertwâr, and Gothalwâr. In Fatehgarh the rule of exogamy appears to be
that a man cannot marry in his own section nor in a section in which a
near female relation is already married. In Bulandshahr they are
reported to have three endogamous sub-castes—Jeni or Jaini, Reliya, and
Tânk, and they do not marry in their own family or in that of the
maternal uncle. The Eastern Chhîpis state that they follow the standard
formula chachera, mamera, phuphera, mausera, which bars the line of the
paternal uncle, maternal uncle, maternal aunt, and paternal aunt.
3. According to the Census lists which record two hundred and two
sub-divisions of the Hindu and twenty-one of the Muhammadan branch,
their sections follow the rule so common in these occupational castes.
Some are of local origin and others imply some real or supposed
connection with other tribes. Thus among local terms we find
Ajudhyabâsi, Chhatarpuriya, Deswâri, Kanaujiya, Mârwâri, Mathuriya,
Pachhâin, Panjâbi, Purabiya, Sribâstav; while in the second class come
Agarwâl, Agrahari, Bais, Baiswâr, Bâgri, Chamâr, Chauhân, Chhatri,
Chiryamâr, Chûrihâr, Darji, Dhakarya, Jâdu, Kachhiya, Koliya, Kori,
Râjput, Râthaur, Râwat, Ruhela, Sakarwâr, Sûrajbansi, Tânk, Tomar, and
Ummar, most of which are derived from the names of tribes and
sub-castes or septs of Banyas and Râjputs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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