DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31218#0314
THE CASTE SYSTEM OF NORTHERN INDIA
such as the Halwai and Kahar, who must necessarily pre-
serve their ceremonial purity unsullied; or which. claim
twice born affinities, such as the Sonar and Belwar. The
lowest caste of any importance included in the list is the
Kalwar; but he has recently been rising in the social
scale, and now claims to be a Vaisya.
(2) Some 6f millions are served either by Brahmans
of definitely low standing, or by Brahmans belonging to
higher grades, who are, however, despised for the service
that they render to such castes. Of these, 4! millions are
occupational or servant castes, of which the most important
are the Barhai, Lohar, Bharbhunja, Kori, Gadariya, and
Kewat. The rest are tribal castes of Dravidian extraction ;
the Bhar, the Arakh, the Pasi, and the Dusadh are the
most important of these.
(3) The next group of 8f millions includes 25 castes
that have induced Brahmans, necessarily of low standing,
to render them some sort of trivial service. The most
important of these are the Chamars,1 Kumhars, Dhobis,
Luniyas, Bhangis, Mallahs, Khatiks, and Dhanuks.
The forms of assistance which the Brahman usually ren-
ders to his humble clients is to fix auspicious dates for
their important ceremonies, such as marriage; to receive
gifts on suitable occasions; sometimes, to carry out the
worship of one of the more important gods; or to honour
weddings by his presence, though taking no part in them
himself. The most pathetic case is that of the Chamar.
H is occupation,2 the food that he eats, and some of his
habits, render him abominable to every orthodox Hindu ;
yet the society that despises him could not do without
him. He is extremely punctilious in carrying out his
complicated rites, many of which are at least a colourable
imitation of orthodox ceremonial. He is extremely reli-
gious; and though he worships numerous deities, yet he
has a much better conception of a supreme personal god
than many other castes of his own, or even of better,
1 Rich Chamars can sometimes get Brahmans of a degraded kind to
serve their rites.
2 And his wife’s occupation ; she is the village midwife,
3 00
such as the Halwai and Kahar, who must necessarily pre-
serve their ceremonial purity unsullied; or which. claim
twice born affinities, such as the Sonar and Belwar. The
lowest caste of any importance included in the list is the
Kalwar; but he has recently been rising in the social
scale, and now claims to be a Vaisya.
(2) Some 6f millions are served either by Brahmans
of definitely low standing, or by Brahmans belonging to
higher grades, who are, however, despised for the service
that they render to such castes. Of these, 4! millions are
occupational or servant castes, of which the most important
are the Barhai, Lohar, Bharbhunja, Kori, Gadariya, and
Kewat. The rest are tribal castes of Dravidian extraction ;
the Bhar, the Arakh, the Pasi, and the Dusadh are the
most important of these.
(3) The next group of 8f millions includes 25 castes
that have induced Brahmans, necessarily of low standing,
to render them some sort of trivial service. The most
important of these are the Chamars,1 Kumhars, Dhobis,
Luniyas, Bhangis, Mallahs, Khatiks, and Dhanuks.
The forms of assistance which the Brahman usually ren-
ders to his humble clients is to fix auspicious dates for
their important ceremonies, such as marriage; to receive
gifts on suitable occasions; sometimes, to carry out the
worship of one of the more important gods; or to honour
weddings by his presence, though taking no part in them
himself. The most pathetic case is that of the Chamar.
H is occupation,2 the food that he eats, and some of his
habits, render him abominable to every orthodox Hindu ;
yet the society that despises him could not do without
him. He is extremely punctilious in carrying out his
complicated rites, many of which are at least a colourable
imitation of orthodox ceremonial. He is extremely reli-
gious; and though he worships numerous deities, yet he
has a much better conception of a supreme personal god
than many other castes of his own, or even of better,
1 Rich Chamars can sometimes get Brahmans of a degraded kind to
serve their rites.
2 And his wife’s occupation ; she is the village midwife,
3 00