The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c17.42

c17.42

Noteworthy as an example of the fact that the thorough-going division of work characteristic of the social life of India of to-day is a factor of ancient origin, is the circumstance that the different designations of fishermen appear to coincide with the names of modern fishermen castes and point to this, that even at that time there were special branches in the profession of fishermen whose work was so precisely defined. Thus, the fishermen with nets and baskets (jâlakuminâdini khipitvâ macche gaṇhanti, I. 427) were called Kevattas¹ (II. 178, 124); the angling fishermen were called bâlisika (I. 482; III. 52) on account of their fishing pole (balisa).