Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 7.djvu/18

HARA RAJPOOTS. employed as soldiers by the chieftains of their own districts, and many are engaged as agriculturists.

"The Haras, like their brother Rajpoots, as a general rule have good features, are tall, handsome, and active, devoted to their chiefs, but proud. and vindictive. Their food is unleavened bread, with boiled vegetables, clarified butter or oil, and spices. They also eat meat occasionally. They smoke tobacco and eat opium.

"The picture of the Hara Rajpoot group represents five soldiers in the service of his Highness the Maha Rao of Kotah, armed with matchlock, sword, and shield, their usual weapons. The figure on the left is dressed in a coat and waistcloth of white cotton cloth, and a yellow turban. The centre figure, standing against a tree, wears a padded cotton coat of rose colour, turban dark red, and waistband of white cloth. The man sitting in the foreground wears a coat of buff-coloured cotton, with white waistcloth and dark red turban. The right hand figure is dressed entirely in green, except the white waistcloth; and the man next to him is in a padded coat of light yellow, with white waistband and striped turban of red and yellow. The height of the man standing on the right is five feet nine inches."—

If the reader compares the group of Chohans (No. 199) with the Haras, he will find a general resemblance as to character of feature and bearing; and yet perhaps the Haras are the most impressive of the two—wilder, and more animated in their carriage and gestures. Their features, too, are more decidedly Aryan and regular. But all the clans of Rajpoots are distinguished everywhere in India by their national characteristics, and it is difficult to decide whether Hara or Rahtore, Chohan or Kutoch, has the pre-eminence.