“The overthrow of the Cheros in Mithila and Magadha seems to have been complete. Once lords of the Gangetic provinces, they are now found in Shāhābād and other Bihār Districts only holding the meanest offices or concealing themselves in the woods skirting the hills occupied by their cousins, the Kharwārs; but in Palāmau they retained till a recent period the position they had lost elsewhere. A Chero family maintained almost an independent rule in that pargana till the accession of the British Government; they even attempted to hold their castles and strong places against that power, but were speedily subjugated, forced to pay revenue and submit to the laws. They were, however, allowed to retain their estates; and though the rights of the last Rāja of the race were purchased by Government in 1813, in consequence of his falling into arrears, the collateral branches of the family have extensive estates there still. According to their own traditions (they have no trustworthy annals) they have not been many generations in Palāmau. They invaded that country from Rohtās, and with the aid of Rājpūt chiefs, the ancestors of the Thakurais of Ranka and Chainpur drove out and supplanted a Rājpūt Rāja of the Raksel family, who retreated into Sargūja and established himself there.
“All the Cheros of note who assisted in the expedition obtained military service grants of land, which they still retain. The Kharwārs were then the people of most consideration in Palāmau, and they allowed the Cheros to remain in peaceful possession of the hill tracts bordering on Sargūja. It is popularly asserted that at the commencement of the Chero rule in Palāmau they numbered twelve thousand families, and the Kharwārs eighteen thousand; and if an individual of one or the other is asked to what tribe he belongs, he will say, not that he is a Chero or a Kharwār, but that he belongs to the twelve thousand or to the eighteen thousand, as the case may be. The Palāmau Cheros now live strictly as Rājpūts and wear the paita or caste thread.”
It has been suggested in the article on Khairwār that the close connection between the two tribes may arise from the Kharwārs or Khairwārs having been an occupational offshoot of the Cheros and Santāls.
In Palāmau30 the Cheros are now divided into two subcastes, the Bāra-hazār or twelve thousand, and the Terah-hazār or thirteen thousand, who are also known as Birbandhi. The former are the higher in rank and include most of the descendants of former ruling families, who assume the title Bābuān. The Terah-hazār are supposed to be the illegitimate offspring of the Bāra-hazār.
“The distinctive physical traits of the Cheros,” Colonel Dalton states, “have been considerably softened by the alliances with pure Hindu families, which their ancient power and large possessions enabled them to secure; but they appear to me still to exhibit an unmistakable Mongolian physiognomy. They vary in colour, but are usually of a light brown. They have, as a rule, high cheek-bones, small eyes obliquely set, and eyebrows to correspond, low broad noses, and large mouths with protuberant lips.”
Cherwa.—Subcaste of Kawar.
Chetti.—Subcaste of Gandli.
Chhachān.—(A hawk.) A section of Rāwat (Ahīr).
Chhadesia.—(A man of six districts.) Subcaste of Banjāra.
Chhadīdār or Darwān.—Title of the Dahaits, who were door-keepers of the Rājas of Mahoba in former times.
Chhanava Kule.—(The ninety-six houses.) A subcaste of Marātha.
Chhatakia.—An illegitimate group of the Kumhār caste.
Chhattīsgarhi, Chhattīsgarhia.—Resident of Chhattīsgarh or the region of the thirty-six forts, a name given to the eastern tract of the Central Provinces. Subcaste of Bahna, Darzi and Halba.
Chhehghar (Chhenghar).—(Members of the six houses.) A hypergamous division of Kanaujia Brāhmans. They take daughters from the other two divisions, but do not give their daughters to them.
Chhīpa.—(A dyer.) Synonym of Darzi.
Chhoha or Saroria.—A subcaste of Agharia of mixed descent.
Chholia.—(Rubbish.) A section of Rājjhar.
Chhote.—(Inferior.) Subcaste of Agharia and Teli.
Chhoti Pangat.—A subcaste of Halba, Synonym Surāit. Chhoti Pangat signifies the inferior caste feast, and the implication is that these members cannot join in the proper feast.
Chhotki Bhir or Gorhi.—(Low.) Subcaste of Rautia.
Chhura,—(Razor.) A section of Panka. It was their business to shave other members of the caste after a death;
Chicham.—(Hawk.)—A sept of Gonds.
Chicheria.—(From church, forelock, which the children of this sept wear.) A sept of Dhīmar.
Chika.—Subcaste of Majhwār.
Chikwa.—Synonym of Khatīk.
Chinchkul.—A section of Komti. They abstain from the use of ginger and from the juice of the bhilawa or marking-nut tree.
Chīta Pūrdhi, Chīlewāla.—(Leopard-hunter.) A subcaste of Pārdhi.
Chiturkar, Chitrakar.—(A painter.) Synonym for Chitāri.
Chiter.—(A painter.) See Chitāri.
Chitevari.—(One who makes clay idols.) Synonym for Mochi.
Chitpāwan.—(The pure in heart.) A synonym for Konkanasth Brāhman.
Chitragupta Vansi.—(Descendants of Chitragupta.) A name for Kāyasths.
Chobdār.—(A mace-bearer.) Title of Dahāit.
Chorbans.—(Family of thieves.) A section of Chamār.
Chourdhar.—(A whisk-carrier.) A section of Sunār.
Chuhra.—Subcaste of Mehtar. Name for the sweeper caste in the Punjab.
Chungia.—(One who smokes a leaf-pipe.) Subcaste of Chamār and Satnāmi.
Chunwiha.—(From chunri, a coloured sheet worn by women.) A section of Tamera.
Churha.—(Thief.) A subcaste of Sunār. A section of Chhīpa.
Cutchwāha.—Clan of Rājpūt. Synonym for Kachhwaha.
Daharia.—(From Dāhar, the old name of the Jubbulpore country.) A clan of Rājpūts which has developed into a caste. A subcaste of Bhoyar, Kalār, Mahār, Marātha and Teli. A section of Chadār, Chamār and Katia.
Dahāt.—A variant for Dahāit. A subcaste of Khangār.
Dahia.—One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts.
Daijanya.—Subcaste of Chamār. They are so called because their women act as dai or midwives.
Dakhne, Dakshne, Dakshni, Dakshini.—(Belonging to the Deccan.) Subcaste of Bahna, Chamār, Gondhali, Gurao, Kunbi, Mahār, Māng and Nai.
Dakochia.—A synonym for Bhadri, an astrologer.
Dal.—(From dal, an army.) Subcaste of Khond.
Dalboha, Dalbuha.—(One who carries dhoolies or palanquins.) Subcaste of Ghasia and Katia.
Dālia.—(From dāl or the pulse of Burhānpur which had a great reputation). Subcaste of Kunbi.
Dal Khālsa.—(Army of God.) Title of the Sikh army.
Dandewāla.—(One who performs acrobatic feats on a stick or bamboo.) Synonym for Kolhāti.
Dandi.—(One who carries a stick.) Name of a class of religious mendicants. See article Gosain.
Dandsena.—(One who carries a stick.) Subcaste of Kalār.
Dang-charha.—(A rope-climber.) Synonym of Nut.
Dāngiwāra.—Name of part of the Saugor District, which is called after the Dāngi caste. Subcaste of Kadera.
Dāngua.—(A hill-dweller.) Subcaste of Taonla.
Dangūr.—A small caste of hemp weavers numbering about 100 persons, and residing almost entirely in the village of Māsod in Betūl District. They are of the same standing as the caste of Kumrāwat or Patbina which pursues this occupation in other Districts, but acknowledge no connection with them and are probably an occupational offshoot of the Kunbi caste, from whose members they readily accept any kind of cooked food. Like many other small occupational castes with no definite traditions, they profess to have a Kshatriya origin, calling themselves Bhagore Rājpūts, while their families are known by such high-sounding titles as Rāthor, Chauhān, Gaur, Solanki and other well-known Rājpūt names. These pretensions have no foundation in fact, and the Dangūrs formerly did not abjure pork, while they still eat fowls and drink liquor. They neither bathe nor clean their kitchens daily. They may eat food taken from one place to another, but not if they are wearing shoes, this being only permissible in the case when the bridegroom takes his food wearing his marriage shoes.
Dantele.—(With teeth.) A section of Purānia Sunārs in Saugor.
Daraihān.—A small caste of debased Rājpūts found in the Bilāspur District of Chhattīsgarh and numbering some 2000 persons in 1901. They say that their ancestors were Rājpūts from Upper India who settled in Chhattīsgarh some generations back in the village of Dargaon in Raipur District. Thence they were given the name of Dargaihān, which has been corrupted into Daraihān. Others say that the name is derived from dāri, a prostitute, but this is perhaps a libel. In any case they do not care about the name Daraihān and prefer to call themselves Kshatriyas. They have now no connection with the Rājpūts of Upper India, and have developed into an endogamous group who marry among themselves. It seems likely that the caste are an inferior branch of the Daharia cultivating caste of Chhattīsgarh, which is derived from the Daharia clan of Rājpūts.31
Like other Rājpūts the Daraihāns have an elaborate system of septs and subsepts, the former having the names of Rājpūt clans, while the latter are taken from the eponymous gotras of the Brāhmans. There are fourteen septs, named as a rule after the principal Rājpūt clans, of whom four, the Chandel, Kachhwāha, Dhāndhul and Sakrawāra, rank higher than the other ten, and will take daughters from these in marriage, but not give their daughters in return. Besides the septs they have the standard Brāhmanical gotras, as Kausilya, Bhāradwāj, Vasishtha and so on to the number of seven, and the members of each sept are divided into these gotras. Theoretically a man should not take a wife whose sept or gotra is the same as his own. The marriage of first cousins is forbidden, and while the grandchildren of two sisters may intermarry, for the descendants of a brother and a sister the affinity is a bar till the third generation. But the small numbers of the caste must make the arrangement of matches very difficult, and it is doubtful whether these rules are strictly observed. They permit the practice of Gunrāvat or giving a bride for a bride. In other respects the social customs of the caste resemble those of their neighbours, the Daharias, and their rules as to the conduct of women are strict. The men are well built and have regular features and fair complexions, from which their Rājpūt ancestry may still be recognised. They wear the sacred thread. The Daraihāns are good and intelligent cultivators, many of them being proprietors or large tenants, and unlike the Daharias they do not object to driving the plough with their own hands. In the poorer families even the women work in the fields. They have a strong clannish feeling and will readily combine for the support or protection of any member of the caste who may be in need of it.
Darbānia.—(Door-keeper.) Title of Khangūr.
Darshani.—Title of the most holy members of the Kānphata Jogis.
Darshni.—(From darshan, seeing, beholding, as of a god.) A sub-division of Jogi.
Darwān.—(A door-keeper.) Title of Dahāit.
Darwe or Dalwe.—A subcaste of Gonds in Chānda; the Darwes are also called Nāik.
Darwesh.—Persian name for a Muhammadan Fakīr or religious mendicant.
Darzi.—A caste of tailors. Subcaste of Ghasia.
Dās.—(Servant.) Used as the termination of their names by Bairāgis or religious mendicants. A term applied by Pankas and other Kabīrpanthis to themselves.
Dasa.—(Ten.) A subdivision of Agarwāla and other subcastes of Bania, meaning those of pure blood.
Dasghar.—(Ten houses.) One of the three subdivisions of Kanaujia Brāhmans. They give their daughters to members of the Chheghar or six houses and receive them from the Pānchghar or five houses.
Dasnāmi.—A member of the ten orders. Synonym for Gosain.
Datta or Dutt.—Surname of Bengali Kāyasths.
Daune.—A subdivision of Prabhu or Parbhu in Nāgpur, so called on account of their living in the island of Diu, a Portuguese possession.
Deccani.—See Dakhne.
Dehalwi.—(From Delhi.) A subdivision of Gaur Kāyasths.
Dehri.—(A worshipper.) Subcaste of Sudh.
Dekkala.—(A genealogist.) Subcaste of Mādgi.
Delki.—Subcaste of Kharia.
Deo.—(God.) A hereditary title borne by certain Feudatory Chiefs. A surname of Karhāra Brāhmans in Saugor. A subcaste of Gandli in Chānda.
Deobansi.—(A descendant of a god.) Subcaste of Patwa.
Deogarhia or Rājkunwar.—(From Deogarh.) A subcaste of Pardhān. A subcaste of Audhelia made up of prostitutes. A sept of Dhīmar.
Deokia.—Title used in the Bedar caste.
Deoputra.—(Son of god.) Synonym of Chāran.
Desa or Kota.—Subcaste of Balija.
Desai.—A variant for Deshmukh or a Marātha revenue officer. Title of the Pardhān caste.
Desāwal.—A subdivision of Brāhman in Jubbulpore. They take their name from Disa, a town in Pālanpur State in Bombay Presidency.
Desha, Desaha.—(Belonging to the home country.) The name is usually applied to immigrants from Mālwa or Hindustān. A subcaste of Ahīr, Bargāh, Bāri, Chamār, Dhuri, Gadaria, Kalār, Kol, Kurmi, Lakhera, Lohār, Mahār, Sunār and Teli.
Deshastha.—A subcaste of Marātha Brāhmans inhabiting the country (Desh) above the Western Ghāts. A subcaste of Gurao.
Deshkar.—(One belonging to the country.) A subcaste of Gondhali, Gurao, Kasār, Koshti, Kunbi, Mahār, Māli, Marātha, Nāi, Sunār and Teli.
Deshmukh.—Under Marātha rule the Deshmukh was a Pargana officer who collected the revenue of the Pargana or small subdivision, and other taxes, receiving a certain share. The office of Deshmukh was generally held by a leading Kunbi of the neighbourhood. He also held revenue-free land in virtue of his position. The Deshmukh families now tend to form a separate subcaste of Kunbis and marry among themselves.
Deshpānde.—The Deshpānde was the Pargana accountant. He was generally a Brāhman and the right-hand man of the Deshmukh, and having the advantage of education he became powerful like the Deshmukh. Now used as a surname by Marātha Brāhmans.
Deswāli.—Synonym for Mīna.
Devadāsi.—(Handmaidens of the gods.) Synonym for Kasbi.
Devarukhe.—A subdivision of Marātha Brāhmans. The word is derived from Devarishi, a Shakha (branch) of the Atharva Veda, or from Devarukh, a town in Ratnāgiri District of Bombay Presidency. Among Brāhmans they hold rather a low position.
Dewangan.—(From the old town of this name on the Wardha river.) Subcaste of Koshti.
Dhaighar.—(2½ houses.) A subcaste of Khatri.
Dhākan.—(A witch.) Subcaste of Bhāt.
Dhākar.—Name of a caste in Bastar. A clan of Rājpūts. A subcase of Barai, Bania and Kirār. A sept of Halba.
Dhālgar.—A small occupational caste who made leather shields, and are now almost extinct as the use of shields has gone out of fashion. They are Muhammadans, but Mr. Crooke32 considers them to be allied to the Dabgars, who make leather vessels for holding oil and ghī and are also known as Kuppesāz. The Dabgars are a Hindu caste whose place in the Central Provinces is taken by the Budalgir Chamārs. These receive their designation from budla, the name of the leather bag which they make. Budlas were formerly employed for holding ghī or melted butter, oil and the liquid extract of sugarcane, but vegetable oil is now generally carried in earthen vessels slung in baskets, and ghī in empty kerosene tins. Small bottles of very thin leather are still used by scent-sellers for holding their scents, though they also have glass bottles. The song of the Leather Bottél recalls the fact that vessels for holding liquids were made of leather in Europe prior to the introduction of glass. The Dhālgars also made targets for archery practice from the hides of buffaloes; and the similar use of the hides of cattle in Europe survives in our phrase of the bull’s eye for the centre of the target.
Dhāmonia.—(From Dhāmoni, a town in Saugor.) A subcaste of Sonkar. A territorial sept of Darzi and Dhobi.
Dhanak Sammāni.—(One who reverences the bow.) A section of Barai.
Dhandere.—(Probably from Dhundhar, an old name of Jaipur or Amber State.) A sept of Rājpūts.
Dhangar.—(A farmservant.) Synonym of Oraon.
Dhanka.—Perhaps a variant for Dhangar. Subcaste of Oraon.
Dhanoj, Dhanoje.—(From dhangar, a shepherd.) Subcaste of Are and Kunbi.
Dhānpagar.—(One serving for a pittance of paddy.) A section of Teli.
Dhanuhār.—(A corrupt form of Dhanusdhar or a holder of a bow.) Synonym of Dhanwār.
Dhānuk.—(A bowman.) A caste. A subcaste of Mehtār.
Dhanushban.—(Bow and arrow.) A sept of Kawar.
Dharampuria.—(Resident of Dharampur.) Subcaste of Dhobi.
Dhare.—Title of Gowāri.
Dhāri.—A subcaste of Banjāra. They are the bards of the caste.
Dharkār.—Subcaste of Basor.
Dharmīk.—(Religious or virtuous.) A subcaste of Mahār and Marātha.
Dhed.—Synonym for Mahār.
Dhengar.—A subcaste of Bharewa (Kasār) and Gadaria.
Dhera.33—A small Telugu caste of weavers, the bulk of whom reside in the Sonpur State, transferred to Bengal in 1905. The Dheras were brought from Orissa by the Rāja of Sonpur to make clothes for the images of the gods, which they also claim to be their privilege in Puri. Their exogamous groups are named after animals, plants or other objects, and they practise totemism. The members of the Sūrya or sun group will not eat during an eclipse. Those of the Nalla (black) sept will not wear black clothes. Those of the Bansethi and Bhanala septs will not use the bandi, a kind of cart from which they consider their name to be derived. The Otals take their name from utti, a net, from which pots are hung, and they will not use this net. Those of the Gunda sept, who take their name from gunda, a bullet, will not eat any game shot with a gun. Marriage within the sept is prohibited, but the Dheras always, where practicable, arrange the marriage of a boy with his maternal uncle’s daughter. Even in childhood the members of such families address each other as brother-in-law and sister-in-law. When the bridegroom and bride go home after the marriage ceremony, the bridegroom’s sister bars the door of the house and will not let them in until they have severally promised to give her their daughter for her son. A girl must be married before arriving at adolescence on pain of permanent exclusion from the caste. If a suitable husband has not therefore been found when the period approaches, the parents marry the girl to her elder sister’s husband or any other married man. She is not bound to enter into conjugal relations with the man to whom she is thus united, and with his consent she may be consequently married to any other man in the guise of a widow. If a bachelor takes such a girl to wife, he must first be married to a sahara tree (Streblus asper). When a betrothal is arranged, an elderly member of the bridegroom’s family proceeds to the bride’s house and asks her people three times in succession whether the betrothal is arranged, and at each reply in the affirmative ties a knot in his cloth. He then goes home and in the bridegroom’s house solemnly unties the knots over another cloth which is spread on the ground. This cloth is then considered to contain the promises and it is wrapped up and carefully put away to keep them as if they were material objects.
Dherha.—(Brother-in-law or paternal aunt’s husband.) Title of Kharia.
Dhīmar.—A caste. Subcaste of Kori.
Dhimra.—Synonym for Dhīmar.
Dhobi.—The caste of washermen. A sept of Bharia and Bhaina.
Dhokhede.—One of doubtful parentage. A sept of Teli.
Dholewār.—(From dhola, a drum.) A subcaste of Bhoyar and Gaoli. A section of Basor.
Dholi.—(A minstrel.) Subcaste of Bhāt.
Dhubela.—Origin perhaps from the Dhobi caste. Subcaste of Basor.
Dhulbajia.—(From dhol, a drum.) A subcaste of Chamār, also known as Daijania.
Dhulia, Dholin, Dholi.—(A player on a dhol or drum.) Synonym for the Basor caste. A subcaste of Gond in Chānda and Betul. A subcaste of Mahār.
Dhunak Pathān.—Synonym for Bahna.
Dhunia.—(From dhunna, to card cotton.) Synonym for Bahna.
Dhunka.—(A cotton-cleaner.) Subcaste of Kadera.
Dhur Gond.—(From dhur, dust.) A subcaste of Gonds. They are also known as Rāwanvansi or descendants of Rāwan.
Dhuri.—A caste of grain-parchers. A subcaste of Dhīmar.
Dhuria.—Subcaste of Nagasia and Dhīmar. They are so called because they mark the forehead of the bride with dust (dhur) taken from the sole of the bridegroom’s foot.
Dhurwa.—The word may be derived from dhur, dust. Dhur is a name given to the body of Gonds as opposed to the Raj-Gonds. One of the commonest septs of Gonds. A sept of Baiga, Kolta, Kalār and Nat. A title of Parja.
Dhūsar.—Subcaste of Bania.
Dhusia.—Subcaste of Murha.
Digāmbari.—A sect of Jain Banias who do not clothe their idols and apply saffron to their feet. Also a class of Bairāgis or religious mendicants.
Diharia or Kisān.—(One who lives in a village or a cultivator.). Subcaste of Korwa.
Dikhit, Dikshit, Dixit.—(The Initiator.) A subcaste of Brāhman. A clan of Rājpūts of the solar race formerly dominant in the United Provinces.
Dila.—(A pointed stick tied to a calf’s mouth to prevent him from sucking.) A totemistic sept of Kawar. They do not use a stick in this manner. A section of Ahīr.
Dillawāl.—A subcaste of Kasār. Those belonging to or coming from Delhi.
Dingkuchia.—(One who castrates cattle and ponies.) Subcaste of Ghasia.
Dipawālia.—(One who supplies oil for the lamps at Diwāli.) A sept of Teli.
Dīpbans.—(Son of the lamp.) Title of Teli.
Diwān.—Title of the members of the Dahāit caste committee.
Dixit.—See Dikhit.
Dobaile.—(One who yokes two bullocks to the oil-press.) Subcaste of Telis in the Nāgpur country.
Dobīsya.—(Two score.) Subcaste of Halwai.
Doda or Dor.—One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts.
Dogle.—Name applied to Kāyasths of illegitimate descent.
Dohor.34—A small caste of Berār, who are really Chamārs; in the Central Provinces the Dohors are a well-known subcaste of Chamārs, but in Berār they appear to have obtained a separate name, under which about 6000 persons were returned in 1911. They work in leather like the Chamārs or Mochis. With the ambition of bettering their social status among the Hindus the caste strictly observe the sanctity of animal life. No Dohor may molest an animal or even pelt it with stones. A man who sells a cow or bullock to butchers is put out of caste, but if he repents and gets the animal back before it is slaughtered, a fine of Rs. 5 only is imposed. If, on the other hand, the animal is killed, the culprit must give his daughter in marriage without taking any price from the bridegroom, and must feed the whole caste and pay a fine of Rs. 50, which is expended on liquor. Failing this he is expelled from the community. Similarly the Pardeshi Dohors rigidly enforce infant-marriage. If a girl is not married before she is ten her family are fined and put out of caste until the fine is paid. And if the girl has leprosy or any other disease, which prevents her from getting married, a similar penalty is imposed on the family. Nevertheless the Dohors are considered to be impure and are not allowed to enter Hindu temples; the village barber does not shave them nor the washerman wash their clothes. A bachelor desiring to marry a widow must first perform the ceremony with a rui or cotton-tree. But such a union is considered disgraceful; the man himself must pay a heavy fine to get back into caste, and his children are considered as partly illegitimate and must marry with the progeny of similar unions. Either husband or wife can obtain a divorce by a simple application to the caste panchāyat, and a divorced woman can marry again as a widow. The caste offer sheep and goats to their deities and worship the animals before killing them. At Dasahra they also pay reverence to the skinning-knife, and the needle with which shoes are sewn. The caste burn the bodies of those who die married and bury the unmarried. Before setting out for a funeral they drink liquor and again on their return, and a little liquor is sprinkled over the grave. When a man has been cremated his ashes are taken and thrown into a river on the third day. The chief mourner, after being shaved by his brother-in-law, takes the hair with some copper coins in his hand and, diving into the river, leaves them there as an offering to the dead man’s spirit.
Dolia.—(Palanquin-bearer.) A section of Dhīmar.
Dom.—An important caste in Bengal. See article Kanjar. Used as a synonym for Gānda in the Uriya country.
Domra.—Subcaste of Turi.
Dongaria, Dongarwār.—(From dongar, a hill.) A sept of Bhīl, Dhobi, Māli, Māng and Sonkar. A surname of Marātha Brāhmans.
Dora.—(Sāhib or Lord.) Title of the Mutrāsi caste.
Dosar.—Subcaste of Bania.
Dravida.—(Southern.) See Pānch-Dravida.
Dūbe.—(A teacher and a man learned in two Vedās.) A common surname of Hindustāni Brāhmans. A subcaste of Banjāra.
Dūdh.—(Milk.) Dūdh-Barai, a subcaste of Barai; Dudh-Gowāri, a subcaste of Ahīr or Gowāri; Dūdh-Kawar, a subcaste of Kawar.
Dūdh Bhai.—(Milk-brothers.) A fraternity of Gonds in Betūl, who are apparently foster-brothers. They do not marry, though they have different septs.
Dukar.—A subcaste of Kolhāti. From dukar, hog, because they are accustomed to hunt the wild pig with dogs and spears when these animals become too numerous and damage the crops of the villagers.
Dukaria.—Title of the officer of the Andh caste who constitutes the caste committee.
Dūlha.—(Bridegroom.) A section of Chadār.
Dumār or Dom.—A low caste of sweepers in Bengal. See Kanjar. Subcaste of Basor, Gānda, Panka and Turi. Synonym and subcaste of Mehtar. A section of Kawar.
Durgbansi.—A clan of Rājpūts in Rāgnandgaon.
Dūsre.—(Second.) A subdivision of Shrivāstab, Gaur and Saksena Kāyasths, meaning those of inferior or mixed origin as opposed to Khare or those of pure origin.
Dwārka.—One of the most holy places in India, situated on or near the sea in Gujarāt. It is supposed to have been founded by Krishna. Site of one of the monasteries (Ashrām) of Sankarachārya, the founder of the non-dualistic or Vedanta philosophy.
Dwija.—(Twice-born.) A title applied to the three higher classical castes, Brāhman, Kshatriya and Vaishya, and now especially to Brāhmans.
Ekbāhia.—(One-armed.) Subcaste of Teli, so called because their women wear glass bangles only on one arm.
Ekbaile.—One who yokes one bullock only to the oil-press. Subcaste of Teli.
Elama, Elma.—Synonym for Velāma. A subcaste of Kāpewār or Kāpu.
Erenga.—Subcaste of Kharia in Bengal.
Erna.—(From Eran, in Saugor district.) A section of Teli.
Fakīr.—A Muhammadan mendicant. Synonym Sain. See article.
Farīd.—Sheikh Farīd was a well-known Muhammadan saint. A section of Panwār Rājpūt.
Fārsi.—Persian. From the Province of Fārs. The term Fārsi is also used by the Hindus to signify foreign or non-Aryan languages like Gondi.
Fidawi.—(A disciple.) An order of devotees of the Khojah sect known to the Crusaders as Assassins. Title of Khojah.
Gadaba.—Synonym of Gadba.
Gadaria.—A caste. Subcaste of Ahīr.
Gadha.—(An ass.) A sept of the Uika clan of Gonds in Betūl, so named because their priest rode on an ass in crossing a river.
Gadhao.—(From gadha, an ass.) Subcaste of Kunbi.
Gadhewāl, Gadhere, Gadhwe, Gadhilla.—(One who keeps donkeys. From gadha, an ass.) A subcaste of Dhīmar, Katia, Koshti, Kumhār and Sonkar. A sept of Gond and Pardhān.
Gadhwana.—(From Garha, near Jubbulpore.) Subcaste of Nai.
Gādiwān.—(A cart-driver.) Subcaste of Dāngri.
Gādri.—(From gādar, a sheep.) A synonym of Gadaria. A subcaste of Dhangar.
Gaharwār, Gaharvāl, Gherwāl.—One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts chiefly found in Bilāspur and Khairagarh. A section of Patwas.
Gahbainya or Gahboniya.—(Those who hid in a village when called by a king to his presence.) A subcaste of Kurmi. A section of Kurmi.
Gahlot or Sesodia.—A famous clan of Rājpūts. A section of Daraiha and Joshi.
Gahoi.—Subcaste of Bania. See article Bania-Gahoi.
Gahra.—Synonym for Ahīr or herdsman in the Uriya country.
Gai-Gowāri.—Subcaste of Gowāri.
Gaiki.—A cowherd. (A subcaste of Gond in Betūl.) A section of Chamār.
Gaikwār or Gaika.—(A cowherd.) A clan of Marātha. A section of Ahīr, Bhīl, Kunbi and Mahār.
Gaita.—Subcaste of Gond.
Gaiwāle.—(Cow-keeper.) A subcaste of Moghia.
Gajarha.—(Gājar, a carrot.) A section of Teli in Mandla.
Gajjām.—A sept of the Dhurwa clan of Gonds in Betūl named after Gajjāmi. (Bow and arrows in Gondi.)
Gānda.—(A messenger.) A low caste of village watchmen. In the Uriya country the Gāndas are known as Dom. A subcaste of Pardhān. Title of Kharia.
Gandhi.—A scent-seller. (From gandh, a Sanskrit word for scent.) Synonym of Atāri. A section of Maheshir Bania.
Gāndli.—The Telugu caste of oil-pressers, numbering about 3000 persons in the Central Provinces, in the Chānda, Nāgpur and Bhandāra Districts. They are immigrants from the Godāvari District of Madras and have been settled in the Central Provinces for some generations. Here many of them have prospered so that they have abandoned the hereditary calling and become landowners, traders and moneylenders. Like the well-to-do Telis they are keenly desirous of bettering their social position and now repudiate any connection with what may be known as ‘the shop,’ or the profession of oil-pressing. As this ranks very low, among the more despised village handicrafts, the progress of the Gāndlis and Telis to the social standing of Banias, to which they generally aspire, is beset with difficulties; but the Gāndlis, in virtue of having migrated to what is practically a foreign country so far as they are concerned, have achieved a considerable measure of success, and may be said to enjoy a better position than any Telis. A few of them wear the sacred thread, and though they eat flesh, they have abjured liquor except in Chānda, where they are most numerous and the proportion of wealthy members is smallest. Here also they are said to eat pork. Others eat flesh and fowls.
The Gāndlis are divided into the Reddi, Chetti and Telkala subcastes, and the last are generally oil-pressers. It is probable that the Reddis are the same as the Redu-eddu or Rendu-eddu subcaste of Madras, who derive their name from the custom of using two bullocks to turn the oil-press, like the Do-baile Telis of the Central Provinces. But it has been changed to Reddi, a more respectable name, as being a synonym for the Kāpu cultivating caste. Chetti really means a trader, and is, Mr. Francis says,35 “One of those occupational or titular terms, which are largely employed as caste names. The weavers, oil-pressers and others use it as a title, and many more tack it on to their names to denote that trade is their occupation.” Marriage is regulated by exogamous groups, the names of which are said to be derived from those of villages. Girls are generally married during childhood. A noticeable point is that the ceremony is celebrated at the bridegroom’s house, to which the bride goes, accompanied by her party, including the women of her family. The ceremony follows the Marātha form of throwing fried rice over the bridal couple, and Brāhman priests are employed to officiate. Widow-marriage is permitted. The dead are both buried and burnt, and during mourning the Gāndlis refrain from eating khichri or mixed rice and pulse, and do not take their food off plantain leaves, in addition to the other usual observances. They have the shāntik ceremony or the seclusion of a girl on the first appearance of the signs of adolescence, which is in vogue among the higher Marātha castes, and is followed by a feast and the consummation of her marriage. They now speak Marāthi fluently, but still use Telugu in their houses and wear their head-cloths tied after the Tulugu fashion.36
Gangabālu.—(Sand of the Ganges.) A family name of Gānda.
Gangābasia.—(Living on the banks of the Ganges.) A section of Ahīr.
Gangāpāri.—(One coming from the further side of the Ganges.) Subcaste of Barai, Barhai, Chamār, Dhobi, Gondhali, Kumhār and Umre Bania.
Gangasāgar.—(Sea of the Ganges.) A section of Chitāri and Kawar.
Gangāvansi.—(Descended from the Ganges.) A clan of Rājpūts. The chief of Bāmra State is a Gangāvansi.
Gangthade.—Dwellers on the banks of the Godāvari and Wainganga. These rivers are sometimes called Ganga or Ganges, which is used as a general term for a great river. A subcaste of Marātha.
Gannore.—Name of a minor Rājpūt clan. Subcaste of Balāhi.
Gānth-chor.—(A bundle-thief.) Title of Bhāmta.
Gaolān.—A synonym of Ahīr or Gaoli, applied to an inferior section of the caste.
Gaoli, Gauli.—(A milkman.) Synonym for Ahīr. Subcaste of Hatkar.
Gaontia.—(A village headman.) Title of the head of the Kol caste committee. Title of Kol.
Garde.—(Dusty.) A surname of Karhāra Brāhmans in Saugor.
Garg or Gargya.—The name of a famous Rishi or saint. An eponymous section of Brāhmans. A section of Agarwāla Banias. Gargabansi is a clan of Rājpūts.
Garhāwāla, Garhewāla, Garhewār.—A resident of Garha, an old town near Jubbulpore which gave its name to the Garha-Mandla dynasty, and is a centre of weaving. A subcaste of Katia, Koshti and Mahār, all weaving castes. A subcaste of Binjhāl.
Garkata.—(Cut-throat.) A section of Koshti.
Garpagāri.—A body of Jogis or Nāths who avert hailstorms and are considered a separate caste. See article. From gār, hail. A subcaste of Koshta and Kumhār. A section of Ghasia.
Gāte.—(A bastard.) Subcaste of Naoda.
Gaur.—The ancient name of part of Bengal and perhaps applied also to the tract in the United Provinces round about the modern Gonda District. A subcaste of Brāhman and Kāyasth. A clan of Rājpūts. See articles.
Gauria, Gauriya.—A caste. A subcaste of Dhīmar, Khond, Kumhār and Uriya Sānsia.
Gauriputra.—A son of Gauri, the wife of Mahādeo. Title of Balija.
Gautam.—A name of a famous Rishi or saint. A common eponymous section of Brāhmans. A clan of Rājpūts. A section of Agharia, Ahīr, Marātha, Panwār Rājpūt, Rangāri and Jangam.
Gāyake.—Subcaste of Pardhi, meaning a man who stalks deer behind a bullock.
Gayāwāl.—(From the town of Gaya on the Ganges, a favourite place for performing the obsequies of the dead.) A subcaste of Brāhmans who act as emissaries for the owners of the shrines at Gaya and wander about the country inducing villagers to undertake the pilgrimage and personally conducting their constituents.
Gāzulu.—(A bangle-seller.) Subcaste of Balija.
Gedam.—A sept of Gonds. A sept of Baigās.
Ghadyachi Tong.—(The rim of the pitcher.) A section of Kirār.
Ghanta.—(Bell.) A section of Kumhār.
Ghantra.—Name of a caste of Lohārs or blacksmiths in the Uriya country.
Gharbāri.—One who while leading a mendicant life is permitted to marry with the permission of his guru. A householder, synonym Grihastha. The married groups of the Gosain, Bairāgi and Mānbhao orders as distinguished from the Nihang or celibate section.
Ghāsi Mali.—Subcaste of Māli.
Ghātole, Ghātode.—Those who dwell on the ghāts or passes of the Sainhyadri Hills to the south of the Berār plain. Subcaste of Bahna, Gondhali and Kunbi.
Ghātmathe.—(Residents of the Mahādeo plateau in Berār.) Subcaste of Marātha.
Gherwāl.—A clan of Rājpūts. Synonym for Gaharwār.
Ghīdoda.—(Giver of ghī.) A section of Telis so named because their first ancestors presented ghī to the king Bhoramdeo.
Ghisādi, Ghisāri.—A group of wandering Lohārs or blacksmiths. Synonym for Lohār.
Ghoderāo.—(Ghoda, a horse.) Subcaste of Chitrakathi. They have the duty of looking after the horses and bullock-carts of the castemen who assemble for marriage or other ceremonies.
Ghodke.—Those who tend horses. Subcaste of Māng.
Ghodmāria.—(Horse-killer.) A sept of Binjhwār.
Ghopi.—(Wild jāmun tree.) A sept of Gonds.
Ghosi.—A caste. A subcaste of Ahīr. A section of Chamār.
Ghudchoda.—A subcaste of Pāsi, who have become grooms. (From ghora, a horse.)
Ghughu, Ghughwa.—(Owl.) A section of Gānda, Kawar, Kewat and Panka. Pankas of the Ghughu sept are said to have eaten the leavings of their caste-fellows.
Ghunnere.—(Worm-eater.) A section of Teli in Betūl and Rāthor Teli.
Ghūra or Gūra.—(Dunghill.) A section of Chadār and Sunār.
Ghuttin.—A sept of Bhīls. They reverence the gūlar, or fig tree.
Gingra.—A subcaste of Tiyar.
Girgira.—A small caste found in Sonpur State and Sambalpur district. They are fishermen, and also parch rice. They are perhaps an offshoot of the Kewat caste.
Giri or Gir.—(Gir, mountain.) An order of Gosains.
Girnāra.—A subcaste of Brāhmans in Jubbulpore. They are said to take their name from Girnār in Kāthiāwār, where they were settled by Krishna after he rose from the Dāmodar reservoir in the bed of the Sonrekha river at Junagarh. They have the monopoly of the office of priests to pilgrims visiting Girnār. (Bombay Gazetteer, ix.)
Goāl or Gowāla, Guāla.—(Sanskrit Gopāl, a cowherd.) Synonym of Ahīr, also subcaste of Ahīr.
Gaoli.—(A cowherd.) Synonym for Ahīr. Subcaste of Marātha.
Gobardhua.—(From gobar, cowdung.) Subcaste of Chamār.
Gohia, Gohi.—(From goh or gohi, a large lizard.) A section of Jain Bania or Khatīk. A sept of Bhatra and Parja.
Gohil.—A well-known clan of Rājpūts in the United Provinces.
Goia.—(From gohi, a mango-stone.) A section of Chadār. They draw a picture of the mango-stone at the Maihar or distribution of sacrificial cakes.
Gola.—Synonym of Golar.
Golak.—Synonym Govardhan or Gaomukh. An illegitimate group of Marātha Brāhmans.
Golalāre.—A subcaste of Bania.
Golandāz.—(An artilleryman.) Synonym of Kadera.
Golapūrab.—A subcaste of Bania, Darzi and Kalār.
Golkar.—Synonym of Golar and Ahīr.
Golia.—One who dyes cloth with goli kā rang, the fugitive aniline dyes. Subcaste of Chhīpa.
Golla.—Synonym of Golar.
Gollam.—Synonym of Golar.
Gondādya.—(Gond.) Subcaste of Otāri.
Gondi.—(From the Gonds.) A subcaste of Ahīr, Binjhwār and Lohār.
Gondia.—Subcaste of Dhīmar.
Gondi-Lohār.—A Gond who works as a blacksmith. Subcaste of Lohār.
Gondvansi.—(Descendants of Gonds.) A section of Ghasia.
Gondwaina.—Subcaste of Baiga.
Gopāl.—A caste. Synonym of Ahīr in Rājputāna.
Goranda.—Synonym of Goyanda.
Gorakhnāth.—A sect of Jogis. From Guru Gorakhnāth, a great Jogi.
Gorasia.—(From goras, milk.) A section of Lonāre Māli.
Gorigawār, Gaigowāl.—(A cowherd.) A section of Otāri and Panka.
Gosain, Goswāmi.—A caste. A surname of Sanādhya Brāhmans in Saugor.
Gotte.—A subcaste of Gond. They are also called Made in Chānda.
Goundia.—A class of Bairāgi. Synonym Mādhavachāri. A section of Bharia-Bhumia.
Gowālvansi.—Subcaste of Ahīr.
Goyanda, Goranda.—A name applied to a small class of persons in Jubbulpore, who are descendants of Thug approvers, formerly confined there. The name is said to mean, ‘One who speaks,’ and to have been applied to those Thugs who escaped capital punishment by giving information against their confederates. Goranda is said to be a corruption of Goyanda. The Goyandas are both Hindus and Muhammadans. The latter commonly call themselves Deccani Musalmans as a more respectable designation. They are said to be a gipsy class of Muhammadans resembling the Kanjars. The Hindus are of different castes, but are also believed to include some Beria gipsies. The Goyandas are employed in making gloves, socks and strings for pyjamas, having probably taken to this kind of work because the Thug approvers were employed in the manufacture of tents. Their women are quarrelsome, and wrangle over payment when selling their wares. This calling resembles that of the Kanjar women, who also make articles of net and string, and sell them in villages. Some of the Goyandas are employed in Government and railway service, and Mr. Gayer notes that the latter are given to opium smuggling, and carry opium on their railway engines.37
Grihastha, Gharbāri.—(A householder.) A name given to those divisions of the religious mendicant orders who marry and have families.
Guār.—(From guāra or gwāla, a milkman.) Subcaste of Banjāra.
Gudarh or Gudar.—(From gudra, a rag.) A sect of the Bairāgi, Gosain and Jogi orders of mendicants.
Gudha or Gurha.—(From gudh, a pigsty.) Subcaste of Basor.
Gugaria.—One who trades in gugar, a kind of gum. Subcaste of Banjāra.
Gūjar.—A caste. A subcaste of Ahīr, Darzi, Koshti and Pāsi. A clan of Marātha. A section of Khatīk.
Gujarāti.—(From Gujarāt.) A territorial subcaste of Bahelia, Bania, Barhai, Chhīpa, Darzi, Gopāl, Nai, Sunār and Teli.
Gurasthulu.—A synonym for the Balija caste.
Gurbhelia.—(A ball of molasses.) A section of Gohira Ahīrs in Chānda.
Guria.—(A preparer of gur or unrefined sugar.) Synonym of Halwai in the Uriya country.
Gurujwāle.—A class of Fakīrs or Muhammadan beggars.
Guru-Māta.—Title of the great council of the Sikhs and their religious meal.
Guru.—(A preacher or teacher or spiritual guide.) Brāhmans and members of the religious orders, Bairāgis and Gosains, are the Gurus of ordinary Hindus. Most Hindu men and also women of the higher and middle castes have a Guru, whose functions are, however, generally confined to whispering a sacred verse into the ear of the disciple on initiation, and paying him a visit about once a year; it is not clear what happens on these occasions, but the Guru is entertained by this disciple, and a little moral exhortation may be given.
Gurusthulu.—Synonym of Balija.
Guthau.—Title of Gadba.
Gwālbansi, Gokulbansi, Goālbansi.—(Descended from a cowherd.) A subcaste of Ahīr or Gaoli, A subcaste of Khairwār.
Gwālhare.—(Cowherd.) A subcaste of Lodhi.
Habshi.—Synonym of Siddi. An Abyssinian.
Hadi.—(Sweeper or scavenger.) One of the 72½ gotras of Meheshri Bania. A synonym for Mangan.
Hadia.—(From hadi, bone.) A section of Rāghuvansi.
Haihaya, Haihaivansi.—(Race of the horse.) A clan of Rājpūts of the lunar race.
Hajjām.—Muhammadan name for Nai or barber.
Hakkya.—Title of Hatkar.
Halai.—Subcaste of Cutchi.
Halbi.—Synonym of Halba. Subcaste of Koshti.
Haldia, Hardiya, Hardiha, Halde.—(A grower of haldi, or turmeric.) Subcaste of Kāchhi, Lodhi, Mali, Rājjhar and Teli. A section of Rājjhar.
Halia.—(Ploughman.) A subcaste of Teli in Nandgaon State.
Halua.—A subcaste of Uriya Brāhmans, so called because they use the plough (hal).
Hāns, Hānsi, Hānsa,—(The swan.) A section of Agharia, Ahīr, Māli and Savar.
Hansele.—(Hansna, to laugh.) A section of Ahīr.
Hanumān, Hanumanta.—(The monkey-god Hanumān.) A section of Bhatra, Mahār and Mowār.
Hāra.—A clan of Rājpūts, a branch of the Chauhāns.
Harbola.—Derived from Hari, a name of Vishnu or Krishna, and bolna to speak. Synonym of Basdewa and also subcaste of Basdewa.
Hardās.—A religious mendicant who travels about and tells stories about heroes and gods accompanied with music. Synonym of Chitrakathi.
Hāri.—(A bone-gatherer.) Synonym of Mehtar and subcaste of Mehtar.
Haria.—(Hal, plough.) A subcaste of Mahār.
Harial.—(Green pigeon.) A section of Ahīr.
Harshe.—(Glad.) Surname of Karhāra Brāhmans in Saugor.
Hatgar.—Synonym of Hatkar.
Hatghar.—Subcaste of Koshti.
Hāthgarhia.—Subcaste of Kumhār, meaning one who moulds vessels with his hands only, without using the wheel as an implement.
Hāthia, Hasti.—(From hāthi, elephant.) A section of Ahīr, Chasa, Mehra and Mowār.
Hatkar, Hatgar.—A caste. A subcaste of Koshta and Maratha.
Hatwa.—A small caste of pedlars and hawkers in the Uriya country, who perambulate the village bazārs or hāts, from which word their name is derived. They sell tobacco, turmeric, salt, and other commodities. The caste are in reality a branch of the Kewats, and are also called Semli Kewat, because their ancestors travelled on the Mahānadi and other rivers in canoes made from the bark of the semal tree (Bombax Malabaricum). They were thus Kewats or boatmen who adopted the practice of carrying small articles up and down the river for sale in their canoes, and then beginning to travel on land as well as on water, became regular pedlars, and were differentiated into a separate caste. The caste originated in Orissa where river travelling has until lately been much in vogue, and in Sambalpur they are also known as Uriyas, because of their recent immigration into this part of the country. The Hatwas consider themselves to be descended from the Nāg or cobra, and say that they all belong to the Nāg gotra. They will not kill a cobra, and will save it from death at the hands of others if they have the opportunity, and they sometimes pay the snake-charmers to set free captive snakes. The oath on the snake is their most solemn form of affirmation. For the purposes of marriage they have a number of exogamous sections or vargas, the names of which in some cases indicate a military calling, as Dalai, from Dalpati, commander of an army, and Senāpati, commander-in-chief; while others are occupational, as Mahārana (painter), Dwāri (gatekeeper) and Manguāl (steersman of a boat). The latter names show, as might be expected, that the caste is partly of functional origin, while as regards the military names, the Hatwas say that they formerly fought against the Bhonslas, under one of the Uriya chiefs. They say that they have the perpetual privilege of contributing sixteen poles, called Naikas, for the car of Jagannāth, and that in lieu of this they hold seven villages in Orissa revenue-free. Those of them who use pack-bullocks for carrying their wares worship Banjāri Devi, a deity who is held to reside in the sacks used for loading the bullocks; to her they offer sweetmeats and grain boiled with sugar.
Havelia.—(Resident of a Haveli or fertile wheat tract.) Subcaste of Ghosi and Kurmi.
Hawāidār.—(A maker of fireworks.) Synonym of Kadera.
Hela.—(From hela, a cry.) Subcaste of Mehtar.
Hichami.—(A comb.) A sept of Māria Gonds.
Hijra.—(A eunuch.) See article. A subcaste of Gondhali.
Hindustāni.—Subcaste of Kunbi.
Hira, Hirāni.—(Diamond.) A section of Bhulia and of Uriya Sānsia.
Hirangotri.—(Hiran, deer.) A section of Agarwāl Bania.
Ho.—Synonym of Kol.
Holer.—(A hide-curer.) Subcaste of Māng.
Holia, Holer.—A caste. A subcaste of Golar. Holer, perhaps from Holia, a subcaste of Māng.
Hudila.—(Wolf.) A totemistic sept of Kawar.
Hulhulia Sāhu.—A section of Chasa so named, because as a mark of respect they make the noise ‘Hulhuli,’ when a king passes through the village.
Hūna, Hoon or Hun.—One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts. Probably descendants of the Hun invaders of the fifth century. See articles Rājpūt and Panwār Rājpūt.
Husaini.—Subcaste of Brāhman.
Ikbainha.—A subcaste of Kurmi, so called because their women put bangles on one arm only.
Iksha Kul or Ikshawap Kul.—A section of Komti. They abstain from using the sugarcane and the sendia flower.
Ilākeband.—(From ilāqa or alāqa, meaning connection, and bāndhna, to bind.) Synonym of Patwa.
Inga.—Subcaste of Gowari.
Irpachi.—(Mahua flowers.) A sept of Dhurwa Gonds in Betūl.
Ivna Inde.—(Inde, chicken.) A sept of Dhurwa Gonds in Betūl. They offer chickens to their gods.
Ivna Jagleya.—(Jagna, to be awake.) A sept of the Dhurwa clan of Gonds in Betūl. They are so named because they kept awake to worship their gods at night.
Jādam, Jāduvansi, Yādava.—An important clan of Rājpūts now become a caste. Name derived from Yādu or Yādava. A subcaste of Gūjar. A subcaste and section of Ahīr; a section of Rāthor Rājpūts in Betūl.
Jadia, Jaria.—(An enameller.) A subcaste of Sunār. They practise hypergamy by taking wives from the Pitariye and Sudihe subdivisions, and giving daughters to the Sri Nagariye and Banjar Māhuwe subdivisions. Also an occupational term meaning one who sets precious stones in rings.
Jādubansi, Yādubansi.—See Jadum. A subcaste of Ahīr.
Jaga.—(Awakener.) Synonym of Basdewa.
Jagat.—(An awakener or sorcerer.) A sept of Gond in many localities. A section of Nat and Kasār.
Jaharia.—(From jahar, an essence.) Subcaste of Satnāmi.
Jain.—Name of a religion. See article. A subcaste of Kalār, Kumbār and Simpi (Darzi).
Jaina.—(One who follows the Jain faith.) Subcaste of Komti, Gurao.
Jain Koshti.—Subcaste of Koshti.
Jaipuria.—(A resident of Jaipur.) Subcaste of Māli.
Jaiswār.—(From the old town of Jais in Rai Bareli District.) A subcaste of Chamārs, who usually call themselves Jaiswāra in preference to their caste name. A subcaste of Barai, Kunbi and Kalār.
Jalālia.—A class of Fakīrs or Muhammadan beggars.
Jaitwa or Kamari.—A clan of Rājpūts; one of the thirty-six royal races mentioned by Colonel Tod.
Jallād.—(An executioner.) Subcaste of Kanjar.
Jamādagni.—An eponymous section of Karhāre Brāhman and Agharia.
Jambu.—(From the jāman tree.) A subcaste of Brāhman and Marār. A sept of Korku.
Jambu Dālia.—(Born in a shed made of jāman branches.) A section of Ghasia.
Jamnabāsi.—(Residing on the banks of the Jumna.) A subcaste of Dhobi.
Jangam.—A caste of Saiva mendicants, who call themselves Vīr Shaiva, and are priests of the Lingāyat sect; a subcaste of Jogi.
Jāngra.—(Perhaps the same as Jharia or jungly.) A subcaste of Lodhi. A section of Dhīmar, Māli and Sunār.
Jāni.—A wise man; an exorciser.
Janta.—(Flour grinding-mill.) A section of Panka, a sept of Kawar.
Janughanta.—Mendicants who tie bells to their thighs; a kind of Jogis.
Jaria.—A totemistic section of Basor, who worship the ber or wild plum tree.
Jasondhi, Dasaundhi.—A caste. A subcaste of Bhāt.
Jasondhi, Karohla.—A small caste of the Narsinghpur District, who were employed at the Gond and Marātha courts to sing the jas or hymns in praise of the chiefs. They may be considered as a branch of the Bhāt caste, and some of them are said to be addicted to petty theft. Some Jasondhis, who are also known as Karohla, now wander about as religious mendicants, singing the praises of Devi. They carry an image of the goddess suspended by a chain round the neck and ask for gifts of tilli (sesamum) or other vegetable oil, which they pour over their heads and over the image. Their clothes and bodies are consequently always saturated with this oil. They also have a little cup of vermilion which they smear on the goddess and on their own bodies after receiving an offering. They call on Devi, saying, ‘Maiji, Maiji Mata meri, kahe ko janam diya’ or ‘Mother, mother, why did you bring me into the world?’ Women who have no children sometimes vow to dedicate their first-born son as a Karohla, and it is said that such children were bound to sacrifice themselves to the goddess on attaining manhood in one of three ways. Either they went to Benāres and were cut in two by a sword, or else to Badrinārāyan, a shrine on the summit of the Himalayas, where they were frozen to death, or to Dhaolagiri, where they threw themselves down from a rock, and one might occasionally escape death. Their melancholy refrain may thus be explained by the fate in store for them. The headquaters of the order is the shrine of the Bindhyachal Devi in the Vindhyan Hills.
Jāt.—A caste. One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts. A subcaste of Barhai, Bishnoi and Kumhār.
Jatadhari.—(With matted hair.) A sect of celibate Manbhaos.
Jati.—Name of Jain mendicant ascetics.
Jaunpuri.—(From Jaunpur.) A subcaste of Halwai and Lohār.
Jemādār.—Honorific title of Khangār and Mehtar.
Jemādārin.—Title of the female leaders of the Yerukala communities of thieves.
Jera.—(A forked stick for collecting thorny wood.) A section of Dāngi.
Jhādī, Jhāde, Jharia, Jharkua. (Jungly.)—A name often applied to the oldest residents of a caste in any locality of the Central Provinces. In Berār it is used to designate the Wainganga Valley and adjacent hill ranges. A subcaste of Ahīr, Barai, Barhai, Chamār, Dhangār, Dhanwār, Dhobi, Gadaria, Gurao, Kāpewār, Kasār, Katia, Kewat, Khatīk, Khond, Kirār, Kumhār, Kunbi, Kurmi, Mahār, Māli, Nai, Sunār, Teli and Turi.
Jhadukar.—(From jhādu, a broom.) A synonym of Mehtar.
Jhal or Jhala.—One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts. A subcaste of Rāj-Gond.
Jhānkar.—Name of a village priest in the Uriya country. The Jhānkar is usually a Binjhwār or member of another primitive tribe.
Jhara, Jhira, Jhora.—Synonym of Sonjhara.
Jharha.—subcaste of Lodhi. Jharia.—(Jungly.) See Jhadi. Jharola.—(Perhaps from the town of Jhalor in Mārwār.) A subcaste of Brāhmans in Jubbulpore.
Jhīnga.—(A prawn-catcher.) Subcaste of Dhīmar.
Jijhotia or Jujhotia.—(From Jajhoti, the old name of the country of Lalitpur and Saugor.) A subcaste of Brāhmans of the Kanaujia division. A subcaste of Ahīr; a section of Joshi and Kumhār.
Jīldgar.—(A bookbinder.) A class of Mochi.
Jīngar.—(A saddlemaker.) A class of Mochi. A subcaste of Chamār and of Simpi (Darzi).
Jirāyat.—Synonym for Mochis in Berār who have taken up the finer kinds of ironwork, such as mending guns, etc.
Jire-Māli.—Formerly was the only subcaste of Māli who would grow cumin or jira.
Jiria.—(From jira, or cumin.) Subcaste of Kachhi.
Jogi, Jugi. A caste. A subcaste of Dewar. A section of Chamār, Chhīpa and Lohar.
Joharia.—(From johar, a form of salutation.) Subcaste of Dahāits in Bilāspur.
Jokhāra.—A small class of Muhammadans who breed leeches and apply them to patients, the name being derived from jonk, a leech. They were not separately classified at the census, but a few families of them are found in Burhānpur, and they marry among themselves, because no other Muhammadans will marry with them. In other parts of India leeches are kept and applied by sweepers and sometimes by their women.38 People suffering from boils, toothache, swellings of the face, piles and other diseases have leeches applied to them. For toothache the leeches are placed inside the mouth on the gum for two days in succession. There are two kinds of leeches known as Bhainsa-jonk, the large or buffalo-leech, and Rai-jonk, the small leech. They are found in the mud of stagnant tanks and in broken-down wells, and are kept in earthen vessels in a mixture of black soil and water; and in this condition they will go without food for months and also breed. Some patients object to having their blood taken out of the house, and in such cases powdered turmeric is given to the leeches to make them disgorge, and the blood of the patient is buried inside the house. The same means is adopted to prevent the leeches from dying of repletion. In Gujarāt the Jokhāras are a branch of the Hajjām or Muhammadan barber caste,39 and this recalls the fact that the barber chirurgeon or surgeon in mediæval England was also known as the leech. It would be natural to suppose that he was named after the insect which he applied, but Murray’s Dictionary holds that the two words were derived from separate early English roots, and were subsequently identified by popular etymology.