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JUNE, 1875.]
OBSERVATIONS ON THE KUDUMI.
167
Xenophon, by the Lakedæmonians. It may be hair and beard were enjoined upon them, it is doubted, however, if the Greeks or Ionians ever evident that the Aryan fashion, the only other shaved the head completely. The practice pre- fashion then known in India, though not exvails amongst the Muhammadans, but it is not pressly mentioned in the injunctions, is dis. universal. The Sakas, Skythians, or Tatars tinctly referred to as that from which those shave the fore part of the head, gathering the other modes were distinguished; and it is equally hair at the back into a long tail, as do the evident, therefore, that this fashion was regarded Chinese. The mountaineers of the Himalaya by the Aryas as a sign of their own nationshave the crown of the head, as do the people of ality, and that it was with this idea that, whilst Kafristån, with the exception of a single tuft. it was retained by themselves, it was prohibited What Oriental people wore their hair long ex. 1 to all other races. cept at the back of the head is questionable, It is unnecessary to hold it to be historically and the usage would be characteristic rather of true that this mode of distinguishing the differthe Teutonic and Gothic nations. The ancient ent races inhabiting ancient India was first in. Persians had long bushy beards, as the Perse- troduced by Sagara. Though Sagara was politan sculptures demonstrate."
one of the earliest kings of the Solar line, it The attentive reader of the above extract from cannot be doubted that the different modes of the Vishnu Purana, and Professor Wilson's note wearing the hair referred to including the Aryan thereupon, cannot fail to perceive that the dif- mode, had already come into use, in accordance ferent modes in which the hair was ordered to with the practice of all ancient nations to disbe worn by Sagara were intended to be, and tinguish themselves from their neighbours by were regarded as, signs of nationality or race, such external differences, and that what Sa. not as signs of religion; and this is confirmed by gara is represented as commanding the differthe separate enumeration, in a subsequent part ent races to do is merely what they had already of the paragraph, of the distinctively religious been in the habit of doing. The Tatars, or privileges which were prohibited to the races inhabitants of Central Asia, called Sakas by referred to. The conquered races and aborigi- Sanskrit writers, have always been in the habit, as nal tribes were to be distinguished from " the Professor Wilson remarks, of "shaving the fore regenerate tribes," that is, from the Brâhmans, part of the head, gathering the hair at the back Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas, called collectively the into a long tail, as do the Chinese." This mode dvija, or twice-born castes, by two sets of of wearing the hair is identical with the kududifferences,- one a difference marking their mi of the Aryas, with the exception of the nationality, race, or caste,--taking the word caste length of the tail; and as it has prevailed from in a wide sense--and consisting in the mode of the earliest times to the present dny amongst wearing the hair and beard ;.the other a dif- three contiguous races, the Tatars, the Hindus, ference marking their religious degradation, and and the Chinese, and as it is certain that the consisting in the prohibition of the A charas, Hindus had their origin in Central Asia, it is or established usages, of oblations to fire, the much more reasonable to suppose that the Hinuse of the Vedas, and the residence amongst dus brought the kudumi with them from their them of Brahman priests.
original abodes, like the horse-sacrifice, the The only mode of wearing the hair not de- worship of fire, and various other usages, than scribed in Sagara's injunctions is that which that they invented it after their arrival in India. was already in use amongst the Aryas, or This makes no difference, however, with reconquering, Sanskrit-speaking race,--that is, the spect to the light in which differences in wearthree twice-born castes mentioned above, - viz. ing the hair were regarded in India in ancient shaving the head leaving a lock, and shav- times. Whether those differences were intro. ing the beard leaving a moustache; but as duced by king Sagara, or whether they had we know from other authorities that this was already been in existence, we learn from the the Aryan fashion, and as it was for the pur- passage quoted above that they were regarded as pose of distinguishing the conquered races and “ distinguishing marks," not of religion but of aboriginal barbarians from the Aryas of pure nationality. The kudumi was the " distin blood that their various modes of wearing the guishing mark" of the Aryas, and the other
