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REVIEW.
HINDU TRIBES AND CASTES as represented in Benares. By | fost in every movement of his body, is a wonderful specimen the Rev. M. A. SHERRING, M.A., LL.B. Calcutta,
of humanity walking on God's earth.........Endowed with
an extremely sabtle, rather than with a powerful mind; Bombay and London, 1872.
which by long habit perpetuated from age to age, and from
tamily to family, he has trained to the utmost keenness; MR. SHERRING has already proved himself to be a
dogmatic, self-willed. nertinacious, and supremely arrogant careful inquirer into Hindu customs; and in his and vain." « Sacred City of the Hindus" he amassed much Mr. Sherring goes on to tell us that this remarkvaluable information regarding the place of his able being has lived his day; that his prestige is residence, Benares. We welcome the present con- rapidly declining; and that the lower classes have tribution from his pen on subject of very great availed themselves of European schools and colleges interest and no less complexity.
more than the highest have done. We accept the Mr. Sherring does not enter at any length into statement on his authority as true regarding Beantiquarian discussions. His object is not to inves- nares and the North-West Provinces ; but it hardly tigate the origin or history of the various divisions holds good of Calcutta, and still less of such places of Hinduism, but to describe these as he finds them as Pand, Nasik, and most cities in Maharashtra. now existing in the city of Benares. This limi
From the great mass of valuable information tation of range enables him to speak with the autho- with which the author supplies us, we can only make rity of an eye-witness of many, or most, of the facts an extract here and there. Here is his description which he brings forward; while, on the other hand, of an important class of functionaries with whom he as representatives of nearly all the divisions of has often been brought into contact, the GangaHindus vi826 the sacred city, there is ample room putras, or sons of the Ganges > and verge enough to include a very tolerable sur
“The name is given to those Brahmans who preside over vey of the subject of Indian castes as they now the religious ceremonies performed on the banks of the
Ganges. At Benares their namber is very large. The are. Mr. Sherring writes in a very kindly spirit.
ghts, or stairs leading down to the river are apportioned His favourite motto seems to be Homo eum ; hu- out to them; and they watch over their several boundaries mani nihil a me alienum puto. He speaks in terms
with much jealousy. Moreover, they lay claim to the entire
bank between high and low water-mark, which is considerof commendation of all that to a dispassionate mind
able, seeing that the difference is upwards of fifty feet. can appear praiseworthy. Of the caste system as &
As a class, they are notorious for coarseness of manners,
licentiousness and rapacity. Yet the tens of thousands who whole, however, he has no admiration; on the con
every year visit Benares are entirely at their mercy. Many trary, it is hisintense conviction" that the abso- of these come from remote parts of India, and not a few are lute renunciation of caste would be an unspeakable
females. Most of them arrive tired and worn out by travel,
yet fall of joy at the thought of having a length reached the blessing to India.
mcred city. Unsuspectingly, they entrust themselves to the The work is divided into four parta, treating of
Bons of the Ganges, who with all their wickedness at home,
have a reputation abroad for sanctity. These enfold them 1st, the Brahmanical tribes; 2nd, the Kshatriya or within their toils, fleece them of their money, and otherwise Rajput tribes ; 3rd, mixed castes and tribes; and 4th behave towards them in a shameless manner, while the aboriginal tribes and inferior castes. Prefixed to
poor pilgrims, being generally utter strangers, having no
means of redrese, patiently submit to maltreatment. the whole is an introduction which deals chiefly It would be well if the Government authorities exercised with the views of Manu regarding caste. To our
control not only over the Gangáputras but also over all
the priests of the temples in Benares, so as to secure their mind this, which is the least original, is also the least good behaviour and the comfort of pilgrims and other valuable part of the book. The laws of Manu in their worshippers." present form cannot be safely held to be older than of the Maráthá Brahmans, Mr. Sherring speaks the third century B. C. The Sanhita of the Rig Veda
thus was probably collected a thousand years before The Mahratta Brahmans are a very distinguished race that date ; and how much earlier composed, it would
Among the Brahmanical tribes of India. For quickness of
intellect, for energy, practical power, and learning, they are be hard to say. Without discussing the very diffi- unsurpassed. In Benares itselt, which is famous for its cult question of the date at which the caste system
Pandits deeply read in Sanskrit literature, they are highly
respected for their intelligence and knowledge. As a people was introduced, we cannot doubt that it was long they seem to possess, wherever they are found, those great before Manu's day, and the views of the legislator mental gifts which formerly made the Mahrattas so for
midable. regarding its origin are amusing, and little more. Mr. Sherring's tread is far firmer-like the Mac
On the question why the Maráthá Brahmans-pargregor's on his native heath-when he comes in
ticularly the Konkanasth division of them are so Chapter I to speak of the Brahman as he is. Here
fair,- our author is opposed to the view adopted by is a lively sketch of his physical appearance and
Mr. Campbell, (Lieutenant Governor of Bengal,)
in his work on Indian Ethnology-that they came character Light of complexion, his forehead ample, his counter
by sea from the north and so bave received less adAnce of striking significance, his lips thin, and mouth mixture of aboriginal blood. Mr. Sherring maintains expressive, his eyes quick and sharp, his fingers long, his that in the North-Western Provinces carriage noble and almost sublime, the true Brahman, uncontaminated by Earopean influence and manners, with his "The Brahmanis quite us fair, and exhibits quite as strongly intense self-consciousness, with the proud conviction of the physical characteristics of his nace as the Mahratta Brah superiority depicted on every muscle of his face, and mani- man of the Konkan. He is occasionally as fair m the lightest
