DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31218#0227
NEW CASTES, AND NEW INFORMATION ABOUT OLD CASTES
in battle with another Ahir. They worship the hero
Raja Bal, a Bhar King of Dalmau, who was killed
by the Muhammadans; the Banmanus, however,
tell another story of his death, and incidentally make
him a Brahman. Raja Bal happened to blow his horn
near the spot where some wild beast had killed a cow.
Some Ahirs were attracted by the sound, concluded that
the dead bones were crying out against their murderer,
and put the Raja to death : then, finding that he was
a Brahman, deified him. This legend also belongs to
Ahir mythology. The caste is endogamous, has the
usual marriage customs, and practises the levirate. They
use the Brahman only as an astrologer. Their chief
occupations are making leaf platters and collecting wiid
honey. Those who live in the jungle are said to be very
shy and wild : those who have settled in villages resemble
other low caste villagers.1
There are no less than three castes with this name :
an aboriginal tribe in Mirzapur, an old
7. (m) Bhuiyar caste, elsewhere called ‘Orh’, in Morada-
bad, and a new caste in the same dis-
trict. The second of these is a functional caste
which weaves coarse cioth and blankets: it has an
impermanent 'panchayat and the usual customs of
low caste Hindus. The third caste claims descent
from one Raja Jagdeo, and say they got the name be-
cause they ‘lost their land’ :2 these are chiefly cultivators,
but some are weavers. They have a permanent pancha-
yat, and differ from the second caste in the possession of
gotras and gotra exogamy, and in various customs. It
is possible that these second and third groups are both
offshoots of the Kori caste : if so, the second may be Orh
Koris and the third Chamar Koris, for both Orh and
Chamar are subcastes of the Kori caste. Bhuiyar in that
case would be a mere occupational name (it is the local
term for weaver). Or the third group of Bhuiyars may
be Chamars that have taken to weaving.3
* Cf. also Chapter VI, par. 5 (iv).
2 Bhuin, land, har, loser.
3 Cf, also Chapter XII, par. 9.
213
in battle with another Ahir. They worship the hero
Raja Bal, a Bhar King of Dalmau, who was killed
by the Muhammadans; the Banmanus, however,
tell another story of his death, and incidentally make
him a Brahman. Raja Bal happened to blow his horn
near the spot where some wild beast had killed a cow.
Some Ahirs were attracted by the sound, concluded that
the dead bones were crying out against their murderer,
and put the Raja to death : then, finding that he was
a Brahman, deified him. This legend also belongs to
Ahir mythology. The caste is endogamous, has the
usual marriage customs, and practises the levirate. They
use the Brahman only as an astrologer. Their chief
occupations are making leaf platters and collecting wiid
honey. Those who live in the jungle are said to be very
shy and wild : those who have settled in villages resemble
other low caste villagers.1
There are no less than three castes with this name :
an aboriginal tribe in Mirzapur, an old
7. (m) Bhuiyar caste, elsewhere called ‘Orh’, in Morada-
bad, and a new caste in the same dis-
trict. The second of these is a functional caste
which weaves coarse cioth and blankets: it has an
impermanent 'panchayat and the usual customs of
low caste Hindus. The third caste claims descent
from one Raja Jagdeo, and say they got the name be-
cause they ‘lost their land’ :2 these are chiefly cultivators,
but some are weavers. They have a permanent pancha-
yat, and differ from the second caste in the possession of
gotras and gotra exogamy, and in various customs. It
is possible that these second and third groups are both
offshoots of the Kori caste : if so, the second may be Orh
Koris and the third Chamar Koris, for both Orh and
Chamar are subcastes of the Kori caste. Bhuiyar in that
case would be a mere occupational name (it is the local
term for weaver). Or the third group of Bhuiyars may
be Chamars that have taken to weaving.3
* Cf. also Chapter VI, par. 5 (iv).
2 Bhuin, land, har, loser.
3 Cf, also Chapter XII, par. 9.
213