Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/383

 LUC 375 grand-daughters of Barmha and Súraj : the name (Káyath) ze derived from Kaya (body) as sprung from the whole body of Bramba, and invested witki the profession of scribe. This last view has been lately upheld by certain Benares, Kashmír, Bengal, and Bombay Pandits; on a question having been referred to then by the Maharaja of Benares at the instance of a respectable man of the caste. They have now, therefore, been classed by these Pandits as Chhattris bearing the name of Káyaths, and with the pen substituted for the sword, from a similarity of habits and customs, and on some religious authority. There are generally two subdivisions of this caste in the city-viz.,the Sri- Bástab, and the Sak Sena,—there are also a few families of the Mathur, Ashtána, Gaur, and Bhatnágar subdivisions. This caste furnishes a great many of its members to the local offices ; none will engage in trade. It boasts of its dependence upon the profession of writing. Mr. Carnégy gives the names of sixteen members of this caste who honoured with the title of rája by the Oudh Government, but there were others bearing dif- ferent titles-such as Kunwar, Munshi-ul-mulúk, Ráj-ad-dhiráj, Rae, Bakh- shi-ul-mulk, with position almost equal to that of a “rája.". Many were also created "daulas" as Mashir-ud-daula and Mudabbir-ud-daula; several were názims, collectors, or captains. And under the present government about one-fourth of the extra assistant commissioners, munsarims, and tah- sildars are of this caste. There are some legal practitioners also belong- ing to this caste; Káyaths also serve largely and almost exclusively as qanungos as díwáns of the native nobles, while an inferior class of them carries on the business of village accountants or patwaris. Vaishyas.---This the third great caste of Hindus; includes Baniáns, Khattris (of disputed position) and Rastogis. Under Baniáns again are comprised a great many sub-castes—as Agarwala, Paliwala, Kasan- dhan, &c. All these castes ply various trades, and are but rarely met with in service. They lend money at interest, are cloth sellers, money changers, and follow various other respectable trades, but only Baniáns deal in grain, which the other subdivisions consider beneath them. Very few of the Baniáns are in Government service. During the Nawabi there were two or three high officials of this caste. The Khattris assert that they are the same as Chhattris,* and account for their having taken up to trade, a contemp- tible profession in a Chhattri's eye, by relating that during the time of Paras Rám, and the general annihilation of the Chhattri race, some wonen had taken shelter with a Brahman, who when asked by Paras Rám to hand them over, declined saying they were Brahmanis, and to prove it partook of food cooked by them. Another account says that they were employed as soldiers in the Deccan campaign of Aurangzeb, but an enormous number of them having been killed, the emperor was moved at the condition of their beautiful widows, and ordered them never again to enter into military ser- vice. Lucknow Khattris are all traders; very few of them were and are in Government service. Kashmiri Brahmans.- It cannot be said that this tribe is indigenous to Oudh or to Lucknow, for there were very few families of them inhabiting Lucknow during the Nawabi. They were comparatively rarely in public Oudh Census Report, pages 92-93,