Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 3.djvu/192

 HYDER BUKSH.—KUMBOH SHEIKH. (155)

UCH difference of opinion prevails among well-informed natives as to the derivation of the term Kumboh (Sheikh, as is well known, signifying lord, and being the appellation of a very large Mussulman tribe throughout the East, most of whom claim descent from one of the first three caliphs). One account states that the word signifies accused, and is derived from Koombhee, one of the Hindoo hells; another, that the Kumbohs are descendants of the old Kye dynasty of Persian kings, expelled in ancient times, and whose suite, when wandering towards Hindostan, were called Kye Umboh, "the Kye Assembly."

But according to their own (and seemingly the most probable) account, the Kumbohs are the old inhabitants of the trans-Indus country, who were converted to Islam by Mahomed of Ghuzni. The Sanskrit name of Cabul is Kamboj, and a slight transition of sound renders this name so similar to Kumboh, that, without laying undue stress on the resemblance, it may be held to be not improbable that these people were formerly denizens of Cabul or its immediate neighbourhood.

Kumbohs abound in Etah, Rohilcund, and Meerut. They uphold the doctrine of the Jehad, or extermination of the infidels.

They eat animal food, excepting the unclean animal (the pig).

Many of the Sheikh tribe are found among our irregular cavalry, but they rarely enlist in the infantry. They are not given to agriculture, and are bad cultivators; but many are acute and successful traders, and many are to be found among the native civil subordinates in the various branches of Government service.

Hyder Buksh is fifty-seven years of age, and of light brown complexion, with grey eyes. He is somewhat above the average in height.