The other local proverbs are not much more complimentary to them—Ahîr se jab gun niklê, jab bâlu se ghi—“You can as soon get good out of an Ahîr as butter from sand”; “Blood out of a stone.” Ahîr dekh Gadariya mastâna—“If the Gadariya gets drunk he learns it from the Ahîr.” Ahîr ka pet gahir, Brâhman ka pet madar—“The Ahîr’s belly is deep, but the Brâhman’s a bottomless pit.” Ahîr ka kya jajmân, aur lapsi ka kya pakwân—“As soon be an Ahîr’s client as hold gruel a dainty.” His primary business is the tending of cattle and making of ghi, and [66]selling milk. He is not above the suspicion of adulterating his ghi with substances which are an abomination to orthodox Hindus or Musalmâns. As a cultivator he does not take a high place, as he depends more on his cattle than on his field, and in some places he is not free from the suspicion of cattle stealing. [67] [68]

[72]

Ahiwâsi54.—A land-owning, cultivating and labouring tribe found in Mathura and Mewât. The name is derived from Ahi, “the dragon,” and vâsa, “dwelling.” Their legend connects them with the Rishi Saubhari. In his old age the sage was inspired with a desire for offspring, and going to Râja Madhâtri demanded one of his fifty daughters. Afraid to refuse, and yet unwilling to bestow a daughter upon such a suitor, the king temporised and endeavoured to evade the request. At length it was settled that if any one of the daughters should accept him as a bridegroom the King would consent to the marriage. Saubhari was conducted to the presence of the girls; but on his way he assumed a fair and handsome form, so that all the girls were captivated and contended with each other as to who should become his wife. It ended in his marrying them all and taking them home. He caused Viswakarma to build for each a separate palace, furnished in the most luxurious manner, and surrounded with exquisite gardens, where they lived a most happy life, each one of them having her husband always present with her, and believing that he was devoted to her and her only. By his wives he had one hundred and fifty sons; but as he found his hopes and desires for them to daily increase and expand, he resolved to devote himself wholly and solely to penance and the worship of Vishnu. Accordingly, he abandoned his children and retired with his wives into the forest.55 The Mathura tradition runs that Saubhari, when he retired to the forest, was wrath because birds used to drop offal and dirt upon his hermitage; accordingly he cursed any bird with death who should venture to approach the place. Just at that time Garuda was engaged in one of his periodical attacks on the snakes, and they at last had to make an agreement with him that they would provide him with a victim daily if he agreed to spare the rest. To this Garuda consented; but the great dragon, Ahi, or Kâliya, rescued the victims, and Garuda, in his wrath, pursued him. Ahi sought everywhere for protection, and at last he was advised to seek refuge with the Rishi Saubhari, whose curse would ward off the attack of Garuda. Hence the village of Sunrakh, in the Mathura District, where the hermitage of Saubhari Rishi was situated, came to be known as Ahivâsa, or “the abode of the dragon,” and from this the Ahiwâsis take their name. [73]How far the legend represents some early struggle between Vaishnavism and snake worship it is impossible to say. The Ahiwâsis, then, make themselves out to be the descendants of Saubhari Rishi, and consider Sunrakh to be their headquarters. Sunrakh adjoins the Kâli-mardan ghât at Brindâban. The Pandas of the great temple of Baladeva are all Ahiwâsis, and to use Mr. Growse’s words,—“It is matter for regret that the revenues of so wealthy a shrine should be at the absolute disposal of a community so extremely unlikely ever to make a good use of them.”56

Sub-divisions. 2. Mr. Growse calls the Ahiwâsis “a Brâhmanical or rather pseudo-Brâhmanical tribe,” and notes that they have as many as seventy-two sub-divisions, two of the principal of which are called Dighiya and Bajrâwat.57 These gotras are exogamous, and a man cannot marry in the gotra of his mother or grandmother; he may marry two sisters. The only important gotra mentioned in the Census returns is the Bhorak, of Bareilly.

Tribal council. 3. They have local tribal councils (panchâyat), with hereditary chairmen (chaudhari), which deal with matters affecting the caste, and punish offenders by fine or excommunication.

Widow marriage, etc. 4. Widow marriage, the levirate, concubinage, and polyandry, are all prohibited.

Marriage. 5. The marriage customs are of the ordinary Hindu type.

Religion. 6. The tribal deities are Bhagwân and Dâûji. The temple of Dâûji is at Baldeo, in the Mathura District. Mr. Growse notes that “The temple garden was once a well planted grove. It is now a dirty, unsightly waste, as the Pandas have gradually cut down all the trees for fire-wood without a thought of replacing them. It is also asserted to be a common practice for the younger members of the clan, when they see any devotees prostrate in devotion before the god, to be very forward in assisting them to rise and leading them away, and to take the opportunity of despoiling them of any loose cash or valuable ornaments that they can lay their hands upon. It is believed that thefts of this kind are frequent; though the victim generally prefers to accept the loss in silence, rather than incur the [74]odium of bringing a charge, that there might not be legal evidence to substantiate, against a professedly religious community.”58 Among the minor gods Gangaji is worshipped on the Somwati Amâwas, or when the new moon appears on a Monday. Hanumân is worshipped every Tuesday and Saturday. They make pilgrimages to the shrine of Saubhari Rishi, already mentioned. Their priests are Brâhmans of the Gaur, Sanâdhya and Gujarâti tribes. Their chief festivals are the Diwâli, Dasahra, and Holi. At the Diwâli the houses are cleaned, Lakshmi is worshipped, and illuminations are made. On the Dasahra arms and horses are ornamented and worshipped, and gifts are given to Brâhmans, who present blades of barley. At the Salono, rice is cooked and alms given to Brâhmans, who tie amulets round the wrists of their clients.

Oaths. 7. They swear by the Ganges, Jumna, and Baldeoji.

Occupation. 8. Mr. Whiteway, in his Mathura Settlement Report59 thus describes the Ahiwâsis:—“They are a race well marked by several peculiarities. In appearance they are easily distinguished, the men by their head-dress, and the women by their way of wearing their hair. Their favourite occupation is the carrying trade. Trading in their own carts, they carry salt from Râjputâna all over Northern India, bringing back sugar and other commodities in return. The better off trade with their own money, and, in fact, the heads of the community are very fairly comfortable, and their villages are remarkable for the number of good masonry houses. At the same time these distant journeys keep the male population absent from the villages for months at a time, and the tilling of the field is left entirely to the women. It is natural, therefore, that easily as an Ahiwâsi may be recognised by his appearance and his village by the number of carts, cattle, and masonry houses, so his fields may be told by their slovenly and careless cultivation. The Ahiwâsis complain bitterly of the havoc the net-work of railways, now spreading over the country, is playing with their old occupation.” [75]

Ajudhyabâsi.—(Residents of Ajudhya) A sub-caste of Banyas found chiefly in the Agra and Allahâbâd Divisions and Oudh. (See the article on Audhiya).

[76]

Akâli; Nihang.—A few of these Sikh devotees are sometimes seen at Benares, Hardwâr, and Prayâg. The best account of them is that of Mr. MacLagan:60 “The fanatical order of Akâlis or Nihangs owes its origin to the express patronage of Guru Govind Sinh. There are two accounts of the founding of this order. According to one, the Guru, seeing his son, Fateh Sinh, playing before him with his turban peaked in the fashion now adopted by Akâlis, blessed him, and instituted a sect which should follow the same custom. According to the other account, the Akâli dress was started by the Guru as a disguise when he was fleeing from Chamkaur, in Ambâla, to the house of some friendly Pathâns, at Machiwâra, in Samrâla. The name means ‘immortal.’ Some understand the term to apply that the Akâlis are followers of the ‘immortal man’ (Akâl Purukh), that is, of God; others that they are invincible in fight. The former is probably the true derivation. It is said by some that Ajît Sinh, the youngest son of Govind, was the first convert. The Akâlis came into prominence very early by their stout resistance to the invocations introduced by the Bairâgi Banda, after the death of Guru Govind, but they do not appear to have had much influence during the following century until the days of Mahârâja Ranjît Sinh. During the Mahârâja’s reign the celebrated Phûla Sinh entered the Panth, and, being a man of great force of character, induced a number of Sikhs to join it. They constituted at once the most unruly and the bravest portion of the very unruly and brave Sikh army. Their head-quarters were at Amritsar, where they constituted themselves the guardians of the faith, and assumed the right to convoke synods. They levied offerings by force, and were the terror of the Sikh chiefs. Their good qualities were, however, well appreciated by the Mahârâja, and when there were specially fierce foes to meet, such as the Pathâns, beyond the Indus, the Akâlis were always to the front.

2. The Akâli is distinguished very conspicuously by his dark, blue, and checked dress, his peaked turban, often surmounted by steel quoits, and by the fact of his strutting about like Ali Babâ’s prince, ‘with his thorax and abdomen festooned with curious cutlery.’ He is most particular in retaining the five kakkas (kes, or uncut hair; kachh, or short drawers; the kara, or iron bangle; the khanda, or steel dagger, and the kangha, or comb), and in preserving every [77]outward form prescribed by Guru Govind Sinh. Some of the Akâlis wear a yellow turban underneath the blue one, leaving a yellow band across the forehead; the story being that a Delhi Khatri, called Nand Lâl (the author of the Zindagi nâma), having a desire to see the true Guru in yellow, was gratified by Govind Sinh to this extent. The yellow turban is worn by many Sikhs at the Basant Panchami, and the Akâlis are fond of wearing it at all times. There is a couplet by Bhâi Gurdâs, which says:—

‘Those that wear black (the Akâlis), white (the Nirmalas), red (the Udasis), or yellow, are all members of the brotherhood of the Sikhs.’ The Akâlis do not, it is true, drink spirits or eat meat as other Sikhs do, but they are immoderate in the consumption of bhang. They are in other respects such purists that they will avoid Hindu rites even in their marriage ceremonies.

3. The Akâli is full of memories of the glorious days of the Khâlsa; and he is nothing if he is not a soldier—a soldier of the Guru. He dreams of armies, and he thinks in lakhs. If he wishes to imply that five Akâlis are present, he will say that ‘five lakhs are before you;’ or, if he would explain that he is alone, he will say that he is ‘with 1,25,000 Khâlsa.’ You ask him how he is, and he replies that ‘the army is well;’ you enquire where he has come from and he says, ‘the troops marched from Lahore.’

4. These sectaries are also known as Nihang, ‘the reckless,’ (others derive the word from nanga ‘naked,’ or the Sanskrit niranga, ‘having no resources’). They meet together at such places as the Akâlbhunga, at Amritsar; the Pîr Sâhib, at Attock, and the shrines of Govind Sinh, at Patna and Apchalnagar; but their chief home is at Kiratpur, in the Hoshyârpur District, where the sacred place of Phûla Sinh stands, and at Anandpur at the shrine par excellence of the Akâlis, the Gurudwâra Anandpur Sâhib, which was Guru Govind’s own house. The presence of these Akâlis at the annual Holi fair at Anandpur renders disturbances likely, and in 1864, a Missionary of the Ludhiâna Mission was killed at this fair by a Sikh fanatic. The influence of these sectaries has, however, very considerably diminished since the downfall of the Sikh power. They have not for some time past had any political significance.” [78]

Akâshmukhi.—A Saiva sect so called because they keep their face (mukha) turned towards the sky (akâsha) until the neck muscles become rigid, and the head remains fixed in that position. Some live a lonely, mendicant life: others associate in monasteries, where their natural wants are provided for by the piety of the faithful. They allow the hair of their head and face to grow, cover their bodies with ashes, and wear clothes dyed with ochre (geru).

Alakhgir, Alakhnâmi, Alakhiya.—A Saiva sect said to have been founded by a Chamâr, named Lâlgir. They are so called because when they beg they cry Alakh! Alakh! “the invisible God” (Sans. Alakshya). They wear usually a blanket cloak hanging down to their heels, and a high conical cap. They come to a man’s door and raise their characteristic cry. If their request is granted, they will accept alms: otherwise they go away at once. They are considered a quiet, harmless, begging class. They are generally classed among Jogis. The rule of their founder was that charity was to be practised, the taking of life and use of meat as food forbidden, and asceticism encouraged. The sole rewards he held out to his followers in this life were the attainment of purity, untroubled contemplation, and serenity. There was no future state: heaven and hell (that is, happiness and misery), were within. All perishes with the body, which is finally dissolved into the elements, and man cannot gain immortality.

Amethiya.—A sept of Râjputs who take their name from Amethi, a Pargana in the Lucknow District. Sir H. M. Elliot calls them Chauhân Râjputs of the Bandhalgoti sept, of whom a few have settled in Salempur Majhauli of Gorakhpur. But Mr. W. C. Benett61 gives a different account of them. According to him, “This tribe of Chhatris are a branch of the Chamar Gaur, and are said to be the descendants of a pregnant Gaur widow, who, at the extirpation of the Chhatris by the Brâhmans, found an asylum in a Chamâr’s hut. The memory of this humble refuge is kept alive among them by the worship of the cobbler’s cutting tool (rânpi). Great numbers of the Chamar Gaurs now hold villages in the Hardoi District, and it is probable that the Amethiyas were an offshoot of the same immigration. Tradition first discovers them at Siupuri and afterwards at the celebrated fortress of Kalinjar. Somewhere about [79]the time of the invasion of India by Tamurlane, Râê Pâl Sinh left Kalinjar and settled at Amethi, in the Lucknow District. His descendants say that he was sent by the Delhi Emperor to suppress a rebellion in Oudh, and that he defeated and slew Balbhadra Sena Bisen with sixteen thousand of his host. The figures are slightly improbable, and my enquiries have failed to bring to light a Bisen Râja of that name. Râê Pâl was wounded in the shoulder by a musket shot, and recompensed by a dress of honour and the title of Râja of Amethi. Three or four generations after this, three brothers—Dingur Sâh, Râm Sinh, and Lohang, led the clan from Amethi to Jagdîspur, and came in contact with the Muhammadans: the engagement resulted in the defeat of the Shaikhs, and the occupation of their villages by the invaders. There is every reason to believe that this occurred towards the end of the fifteenth century, and was part of the general re-assertion of Hindu supremacy in Oudh, consequent on the fall of the Jaunpur dynasty, a re-action whose central event was the establishment of the Bais kingdom.” The subsequent fortunes of the sept are given in detail by Mr. Benett, and need not be repeated here. There are, however, other accounts. The Râê Bareli62 tradition brings them from Lucknow, and another account is that they came from Siupur, near Dwârika, to Narkanjhîl, in Cawnpur, and thence to Oudh. The Cawnpur family still recognise the Oudh branch. According to Mr. Carnegy they were originally Bhars.63 It is still less probable that they are the modern representatives of the Ambastha of Manu, descended from a Brâhman father of a Vaisya mother, and practising as physicians. The sept still preserve their connection with Amethi, their original head-quarters, by their worship of Shaikh Bandagi Miyân, the local saint of that town. [80]