History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c9.10.2

v1.c9.10.2

Next to them are the Juāngs, who are perhaps the most primitive among the aboriginal castes of Orissa. They were very probably ousted from the valleys by the Bhuiyās and now live on steep hill-sides. They are supposed to have used "shouldered" stone axes only a few centuries ago and live in very small huts. They speak a Muṇḍāri dialect and are a very small race. The Juāngs are closely allied to the Khariās, another small tribe, living in the feudatory states of Orissa. According to tradition the Khariās and the Purāṇs of Mayurbhañja were produced like the Bhañja kings from the egg of a pea-fowl. It is stated that the Bhañja kings were produced from the yolk, the Purāṇs from the white and the Khariās from the shell of the egg. One of the most important aboriginal tribes of Orissa are the Khoṇḍs; they are very prominent from the State of Kālāhaṇḍi in the Central Garhjats to the extreme west of the Vizagapatam district. They also call themselves Kui or Koi. In Madras they are called Koṇḍs. They were formerly addicted to human sacrifices and infanticide. After the Kondhs or Khoṇḍs are the Śavaras or Sāorās. In the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa the Śavaras are regarded to be the descendants of the sons of Viśvāmitra, who were cursed by their father to become impure. The Rāmāyaṇa states that they were met by Rāma in Central India. A pious Śavara woman met him near some lake. The Śavaras are mentioned in the Śānti-parvan of the Mahābhārata as practising some wicked customs along with Dasyus.