Indian Antiquary Vol 03

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 87

MARCH, 1874.]
NOTES ON CASTES IN THE DEKHAN.
73
Parasnáth. The R&jà also founded a new city on the ruins of Trâmbâvati, and named it Bhiladigadh, after the Bhill damsel. This city was founded in Samvat 470 of Vikram's era. After thus founding Bhiladigadh, the king went to Benap, and taking with him the mother of Abhe Kunwar he returned to Rajnagadi. Bhiladigad hunder its Dá bhi and Waghela lords was a city of considerable splendour, and was built of white marble. At
the present day but little remains, as the marble has been carted away to Pahlanpur and neighbouring cities; but a large marble well or two, and a few marble pillars, still remrin. The temple of the Bhiladia Parasnith is of some little local repute, but the style is rude. Here, as at Pattan, the old marble ruins are dug up and sold in the neighbouring towns and villages. Thus, of Bhiladigadh, once so famous, now little but the name survives.
NOTES ON CASTES IN THE DEKHAN.
BY W. F. SINCLAIR, Bo. C.S.
(Continued frona page 46.)
B.-Sankarjátya, or mixed castes. Under this name the Brahmans include a | India, have shown much spirit in the adoption great number of races, mostly commercial, who of European ideas, and as public servants rank come, they say, between them and the cultiva- high for good sense and application, tors (the latter being considered pure Sûdras), 2. The Sonårs, or goldsmiths, have two and spring from various forms of miscegenation. or three sub-divisions : A good many, however, of the castes in ques- (a.) The Konka nasth Rathakara tion consider themselves to be of pure Ksha- Sonârs, very powerful in Bombay, claim triya, or even in the case of the Sonårs) of openly to be of pure Brahman race! and actually Brahman race.
exercise the duties of the priestly caste among 1. The highest, in my opinion, are the Pra themselves. A good many of these are general bhûs (Purvoes). These are divided into two merchants and bankers. castes, Kayasth and Patane Prabhús. The (1.) The Auranga bide Sonirs, nuformer are not to be confounded with the KA- merous in some parts of the Puna collectorate, do yasth or writer caste of Hindustan, though in not claim so higa a rank, at least in public; but many respects similar to them. They are chief- some of the village hereditary accountantships ly engaged in trade as clerks, sometimes in usually monopolized by the Brahmans are held the public service---seldom as capitalists upon by them, especially in the old Pabal Taraf, lying their own account. In the Dekhan they hold a upon the Ghod River. There are other castes few village and district hereditary accountant of Sonârs of which I have no personal knowships (Kulkarni and Deshpândê watans), and ledge worth noting here. the names of several figure in the early history 3. There are a great many castes of Viņîs* of the Marathả empire as faithful servants and (Banias or Banians), who are properly grocers brave soldiers. They claim descent from a and grain dealers, but who engage also in nsury Rajput race which they say was formerly in and general trade. The most numerous are power at Kalyan in the Konkan, and they eat those from Gujarat, with the details of whose flesh accordingly. They are usually of good history I am little acquainted, but I know that stature for Hindus, have intelligent but not they count 84 castes among themselves, thu handsome faces, and affect the Brahman costume, best known of which in the Dekhan are the with sometimes a slight difference in the turban, Kapol, Salad, and Srimali. They object which is smaller, more tightly wound, and much to the destruction of animal life, and are the cocked rather jauntily. They educate their chief supporters of the Panjarapo! and similar women more than any other Hindus of Western institutions. They are in these districts en
"The trading community par excellence; the higher to be of high caste, i. e. superior to the Kunabi: they are class of 'Wants are from Marwar and Gujarat, whence merchants, traders, money-dealery, and murers, and are they have spread, and become permanently settled in the very keen in business, often holding the lower orders of Dekban and Konkan; still retaining bume intercourse with borrowers in durance vile."-Trans. Med. & Phys. Socy. of their original country: many profess the Jain religion, Bombay, No. XI. p. 245. others are worshippers of Vishnu, and both divisions assume