Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 4.djvu/103

JATS. are quite able to defend them against any attacks by robbers, even if any should be attempted. But the character of the Jats preserves them from molestation. They never become artizans in any capacity. Such pursuits are considered low and degrading, and the clannish pride of a Jat is great. In their own society they are frank and hospitable; independent, but not rude or boorish in their demeanour. They drink spirituous hquors freely, but are not intemperate. They eat flesh of goats, sheep, and pigs, wild and tame; but not of cows or bullocks, and not habitually; their usual diet being millet or wheaten bread, with pulse and vegetables, milk, &c. Their women are strongly made, and capable of sustaining great fatigue. They are not secluded, except among the higher grades, and are faithful and modest, well made, but without positive beauty, except in rare cases and during youth. After middle age they become hard-featured and coarse. They are very assiduous in their domestic affairs, and keep their houses neatly, while they are cleanly in their persons. Neither men or women have any particular, or, as it may be termed, clannish costume. That of the men is shown in the Photograph; and the women universally wear the ordinary petticoat, bodice, and scarf of Northern India.

The Jats consider they were a powerful race in former days. "Jatshaie ya Badshaic," is a common expression to denote that they were rivals to sovereignty; but the history of the period in which they attained any amount of local standing does not show this distinctly. It has been sketched (ante No. 151); and before the period of Rajah Chooramun, that is, in the latter part of the reign of Aurungzeeb, they were little distinguished from the Goojurs, and other turbulent tribes of the North-West Provinces, who were with difficulty controlled by the effete Mahomedan Government of Delhi. During the troubled times which followed that Emperor's death, the Jats became more united in what may be termed a national resistance agamst the Mahomedans, and in the establishment of local independence; but beyond the principalities of Bhurtpoor, Gohud, and a few others of a minor character, they made no progress. They were too weak, in a numerical sense, to oppose or control the action of the Mahrattas, and suffered in contentions with them; and though at tunes they were in alliance with them, it was never of a cordial character, and this was resented as opportunity occurred. When "the Abdallee," at the head of the Afghan nation, invaded India in 1759, the Jats, under their great leader and Rajah, Sooraj Mull, were in alliance with the Mahrattas, who had put forth their utmost power to oppose the Mahomedans, and to retrieve the disastrous defeats of Sindia and Holkar. Not only had the whole available armies of the Mahrattas been united, but the Rajpoot princes and the Jats had furnished large contingents. Sooraj Mull had joined them with a force of 30,000 men, chiefly his best cavalry; but he did not approve of the constitution of the Mahratta army, with its large train of artillery and other field encumbrances, and