Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c48.s2.13
Indische Paläographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c48.s2.13
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- German
c48.s2.13.1
In the Gangetic Doāb, Oudh and Bihār, the great peasant castes are more or less connected with each other by origin, but in so fertile a tract, well provided with large towns, the occupation of market gardening has diverted an unusually large number of subdivisions from field work. Of those who have clung to the elder branch of the profession, the Kurmī is the most widely spread, especially along the Ganges and to the south thereof. The title corresponds to that of Kunbī, used in the Dekkan and western India. The derivation is uncertain, and though the word is found in the form of Kuṭumbika in some early inscriptions, this is probably only the Sanskritised version of some older name, such as that of Kūl, a Dravidian name for a cultivating landholder, in which sense it is still used, and not only in the Dravidian country. The Kurmī is by no means a homogeneous body, and is not only much subdivided in the tracts where it is apparently of one race, but is used on the borders of the Central Belt as a sort of occupational title for those of the Kōl tribes who have been long settled as cultivators and have thereby thriven beyond their ancestors. Closely allied with the Kurmī by origin, though now entirely distinct, are the Kōërī. They rank below the former, who will drink, but not eat or intermarry with them, possibly because the Kōërī have succumbed to the lucrative attractions of special cultivation, such as that of tobacco, the poppy and even vegetables.
c48.s2.13.2
The Kisān, again, belong to the same stock, but like the Kōërī, have long been formed into a separate caste, and are even more exclusive in their intercourse with outsiders. There is another community of the same name, though sometimes called Nagēsia, who have been combined with these in the Census return. They inhabit parts of Chuṭiā Nāgpur and the Central Provinces, and are of the Kōl race. The Lōdhā is a caste of inferior position and probably of earlier settlement than the Kurmī, from whom it differs in both physique and habits. The Lōdhā are specially addicted to the cultivation of rice, and are found nearly all over the Upper Provinces and a little way into Bihār. But the section which inhabits Bundēlkhand and its neighbourhood is probably nearer the original stock, assuming the latter to belong to the Central Belt, and takes a lower place in society accordingly. The cultivating classes of the Central Provinces are those of the Dekkan in the west, and of the south Ganges-valley in the north, with a large substratum of the more civilised forest tribes in most parts. In the Chattīsgarh districts, the Kavar is probably an offshoot of the last named group, though the fertility of the country has enabled it materially to improve its position. This caste, as well as the Kirār, claims Rājput origin, and there abandoned fishing, in favour of agriculture.
c48.s2.13.3
The more prosperous Sadgōp are said to be dropping the plough and employing labour on their land, thus paving the way for a higher endogamous subdivision. The caste stands higher in rank than the Kaibartta, owing probably to the superior purity of their traditional occupation. Like other Bengal agriculturists, they are sometimes called Cāsa, a general term, like that of Kurmī or Kunbī. There is, however, a caste in Orissa to which the name of Cāsa is specially applied. It is of Kōl or Dravidian origin, and whilst admitting members of other castes to its lower ranks, passes in the upper into that of Karan or Mahant, mentioned above as the local writer caste, on the way to establishing touch with the Kāyasth. The Gāṅgauta is a small but respectable caste of north Bihār, much the same in position as the Kurmī, but ranking below them, and more lax in their diet. Round Calcutta is found the fishing and cultivating caste of the Pōd, lower than those above mentioned. Like the rest, however, it has its lower and upper endogamous subdivisions, the latter of which put in their claim to Kṣatriya lineage. Most of the caste are cultivators, but some have acquired considerable estates, whilst others have taken to trade and handicrafts. It appears to be considered to be of Deltaic origin, like the Caṇḍāl, as the Brāhmans who minister to it are avoided by their fellows, but those who only act as teachers remain unpolluted.
c48.s2.13.4
The Caṇḍāl or Nāmaśūdra, is the largest caste in eastern Bengal, and, as its name suggests, stands very low in the social scale. It is much subdivided, and eight of its main subdivisions are functional, and never eat and seldom intermarry with each other. The agricultural section stands out from the rest in rank, and next to it comes the boating division. Fishing, however, except for the domestic larder, is strictly prohibited. The Nāmas'ūdra employ a special class of degraded Brāhman of its own, and its barbers and washermen are also members of the caste. The Census was made the occasion of an attempted severance of the caste into S'ūdra, the superior body, and Nāma, the Bengali for "low", to include the rest. It failed.