Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c28.s9.2

v2.c28.s9.2

The Jats, except in the Rajputana desert, are a healthy prolific race. Their devotion to agriculture and freedom from most of the restrictions on marriage observed by high caste Hindus give to their homes a stronger freer womanhood and numerous children. They follow the ancient Vedic Aryan practice—so much abhorred by the latter-day Hindus,—of a man marrying his deceased brother's widow as a matter of right. They have no scruple in taking wives from other castes and the offspring of such unions become fully merged in Jat society without any taint of inferiority. Among them man woman and child share in the agricultural work or in cattle-tending. Their close contact with the soil and healthy outdoor life make them the most stalwart of the Hindu races. As is well known, the Jats form the racial backbone of the Sikh sect, so famous for their martial achievements.