Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 1.pdf/187

 May 3, 1872.]

159

NOTES ON THE BEIARIAS.

NOTES ON THE BHARIA S. By MR. C. SCANLAN, ASSISTANT SURVEYOR.

I HAD the pleasure of contributing a few fugi tive notes on the Gonds and Kurkus of these hills, but this season I have come across a new branch

of this family called the Bh a rias, concerning whom you will perhaps find the following interest ing. I have not been able to determine anything of their origin, but I do not hesitate to place them in the great Gond family, of which they form a sub division. In their language and in some of their customs they differ totally from the Gonds, with whom they neither eat nor drink nor intermarry. I find, however, they acknowledge the law of lamjhana, which I described last year as imposing a servitude of a certain number of years on a man, who, wishing to marry into a family, could not afford to make the usual marriage settlement, and give certain presents to his bride's relatives. In their caste prejudices, they assimilate with the Gond in a hybrid sort of manner to the Hindu ; and so they will not eat the cow nor wild buffalo, but do not hold back from making food of the pig, the deer, nilgai, and all such wild animals. In their marriage ceremonies they follow suit with the other hill people, and impose certain dues on the man mar rying ; for instance, a dowry from the husband consists of 200 sérs kodo, 25 sérs dal, Rs. 7, a pagri 12 hands long, 2 saris and 2 cholis, and further, when the wife goes to take possession of her future home, her relations have to be entertained with a feast of gur or a deep potation of liquor to the amount of Rs. 2,-the latter in variably, if to be found. When a marriage is about to be celebrated they proceed to prepare an especial shade in front of the house where the ceremony will take place. A pole of Salai-wood (frankin cense) is buried, and around it, so as to form a convenient square, are raised eight other props, on which rests the roof, crowned with garlands of leaves and flowers. The middle pole of Salai is called bhaura. Notice is given to all friends when the marriage is to be consummated, and then it is that the bride to be, comes to her intended's village, and takes up her residence opposite to the house he occupies. It will be remembered I explained last year that the villages in these hills are always built in two rows.

Both of them are well besmeared

with haldi, a custom which I found extensively

practised in the Dekhan among all classes of the native population. The woman's friends make it a rule to arrive in the morning and the haldi is kept on till evening, but any time during the day the couple to be united are summoned and made to walk round the Bhaura seven times with their clothes

knotted together. After this, the girl's father gives her a dowry, when the ceremony is supposed to be over. At night, all present are entertained to a dinner, which is called Bhaura-ki-roti; Sagai-ki-roti,

being the first held after arrangeinents have been

entered into to accept the suitor's proposal; the third being called Chikla Mandi-ki-roti, given on the morning immediately after the marriage when the girl's relations depart, and it is only after this third feast that the husband gets possession of his wife. It is strange that when the newly married are blessed with an addition to their family, they never even invite the young mother's relatives to come and see the child, but allow them to visit if the wish takes them naturally.

They burn their dead, and bury those killed by ac cident or wild animals ; but those killed by a tiger, they will not even so much as touch. They put their relatives out of caste, but re-admit them on their

giving a panchayat dinner. While worshipping the other gods of the Gonds, they hold the Saj tree as the impersonation of their chief deity. If you want to test the truth of a Bharia's word, break a leaf of the Sāj, put it on his head, and ask him to repeat his assertion; if it be true he will at once speak it again, if not, nothing will induce him to do so; at least thus spoke my deponent. N a ray a n Dev a is represented by a copper ring about an inch in diameter; Sakra i Dev a by a twisted ring of iron about 2 or 3 inches in diameter; Kh a u ri a Kh a tarp a 1 by a very diminitive stool, about an inch square with four legs and about 1} inches high. Dulh a Dev a Durga is made of iron, and supposed to be figurative of a peacock : it is hollow, and about 1% inch long. Khutia B him se n exists only in name. When Gonds, Kurkus or Bharias start together in their tilli crops, they take with them some ashes and Indian corn seeds, and as they go along, they keep making circles with the ashes, and place in their centres the seeds of the corn. This prac tice is supposed to keep away all the bad will of the Devas. Their women usually dress like the Gon dis, but if they can afford it, like the generality of Hindu women, and do not wear the ponderous brass ornaments in vogue amongst the former.

These hill people will not let the Lamjhana sleep in the same house where his intended lives, nor do

they let them converse more than is good for them ; if before they are married, they go astray, they are turned out of caste, and the marriage ceremony is not gone through at all ; but on their giving a feast after the expiration of three days to their Panchayat, they are re-installed among their bre thren as a wedded couple. The Bharia Gots, or clans, number eighteen. Tha karia, Chalthia, Angária, Bhardia, Dariolia, Nahalia, Bagotia, Rothia, Gangia, Paria, Méhenia, Pāchalia, Kurmia, Bijilia, Bagdaria Khamarea, Gaulia, Bag dia, Amoria.

º

Relating to the Khapa or Balkagarh Jagir, the

following was narrated to me —The Gond dynasty