Caste and Race in India c6.45

c6.45

Many castes have sub-castes, whose names are derived from some real peculiarity now forgotten, or some adventitious circumstance to which importance is attached, and which is used to distinguish the members of the group, or, in the case of miscegenation, from the fact of mere illegitimacy of unions, the exact lineage not being attended to. The Basors of the Central Provinces have a section called Purania or Juthia because they are supposed to be the illegitimate progeny of Ahir wet-nurses (dai), employed in Rajput households. The Chungia Chamars are a branch of the Satnami Chamars and are so called because, contrary to the rules of the sect, they smoke, evidently by means of a leaf-pipe (chungia). The Daijanya sub-caste of the Chamars is so called because their women act as midwives, though this business is practised by women of other sub-castes as well. The Dhimars have a sub-caste which is merely named Nadha or those who live on the banks of streams. Their Suvarha and Gadhewale sub-castes derive their names from their special association with two unclean animals, pig and ass. The Mahars disclose a sense of humour by designating the group of descendants of illicit unions by the term Dharmik (pious). The Pardhans, on the contrary, apply a prosaic term to such a group among them. It is known as "Thothia" or "maimed". Though "langoti" or a narrow piece of cloth is the loincloth of many poor castes, the Pardhis have hit upon its use as the distinctive mark of their members and call one of their sub-castes Langoti. The Kumbhars have Gadhere, Bardia, and Sungaria as three of their sub-castes, these groups deriving their names from the animal they use or keep: ass, bullock, and pig respectively. The Dhangars of Bombay call their bastard brethren "kadu", while the Gujarat Kumbhars use the term Vatalia, i.e. polluted, to designate such members.