The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India
Chapter 196 : [414] London, Heinemann (1897), pp. 84-91.[415] This is the famous Gayatri.[416] It is

[414] London, Heinemann (1897), pp. 84-91.

[415] This is the famous Gayatri.

[416] It is not known how a slip-knot and a garland are connected with any incarnation of Vishnu. For the incarnations see articles Vaishnava sect.

[417] In the Central Provinces Ganpati is represented by a round red stone, Surya by a rock crystal or the Swastik sign, Devi by an image in bra.s.s or by a stone brought from her famous temple at Mahur, and Vishnu by the round black stone or Saligram. Besides these every Brahman will have a special family G.o.d, who may be one of the above or another deity, as Rama or Krishna.

[418] _Bipracharanamrita._

[419] _Hindu Castes and Sects_, pp. 19-21.

[420] _Rajasthan_, i. p. 487.

[421] _Rajasthan_, i. p. 698.

[422] At that time 12,500 or more, now about 8000.

[423] _Tribes and Castes of the North-West Provinces and Oudh_, s.v.

[424] _Early History of India_, 3rd ed. p. 376.

[425] _Ibidem_, p. 385.

[426] _Tribes and Castes_, art. Kanaujia.

[427] _Bombay Gazetteer, Hindus of Gujarat_, p. 11.

[428] _Bombay Gazetteer, Satara_, p. 54.

[429] Bhattacharya, _Hindu Castes and Sects_, p. 47.

[430] _Ibidem_, p. 48.

[431] From Mr. Gopal Datta Jos.h.i.+'s paper.

[432] _Rasmala_, ii. p. 233.

[433] _Rasmala_, ii. p. 259.

[434] _Tribes and Castes_, art. Sanadhya.

[435] Crooke, _ibidem_, paras. 3 and 6.

[436] _Eastern India_, ii. 472, quoted in Mr. Crooke's art. Sarwaria.

[437] Stirling's description of Orissa in _As. Res_. vol. xv. p. 199, quoted in _Hindu Castes and Sects_.

[438] _Hindu Castes and Sects_, p. 63.

[439] This article is compiled from papers by Mr. Wali Muhammad, Tahsildar of Khurai, and Kanhya Lal, clerk in the Gazetteer office.

[440] This article is based on the Rev. E. M. Gordon's _Indian Folk-Tales_ (London, Elliott & Stock, 1908), and the Central Provinces _Monograph on the Leather Industry_, by Mr. C. G. Chenevix Trench, C.S.; with extracts from Sir H. H. Risley's and Mr. Crooke's descriptions of the caste, and from the _Berar Census Report_ (1881); on information collected for the District Gazetteers; and papers by Messrs. Durga Prasad Pande, Tahsildar, Raipur; Ram Lal, Deputy Inspector of Schools, Saugor; Govind Vithal Kane, Naib-Tahsildar, Wardha; Balkrishna Ramchandra Bakhle, Tahsildar, Mandla; Sitaram, schoolmaster, Balaghat; and Kanhya Lal of the Gazetteer office. Some of the material found in Mr. Gordon's book was obtained independently by the writer in Bilaspur before its publication and is therefore not specially acknowledged.

[441] There are other genealogies showing the Chamar as the offspring of various mixed unions.

[442] _Bombay Gazetteer_, vol. xv. Kanara, p. 355.

[443] The Hindus say that there are five cla.s.ses of women, Padmini, Hastini, Chitrani and Shunkhini being the first four, and of these Padmini is the most perfect. No details of the other cla.s.ses are given. _Rasmala_, i. p. 160.

[444] _Punjab Census Report_ (1881), p. 320.

[445] _Tribes and Castes of Bengal_, art. Chamar.

[446] _Loc. cit._

[447] From Mr. Gordon's paper.

[448] _Monograph on Leather Industries_, p. 9.

[449] _Ibidem._

[450] See articles on these castes.

[451] _Monograph on Leather Industries_, p. 3.

[452] _Berar Census Report_ (1881), p. 149.

[453] From _mangna_, to beg.

[454] _Tribes and Castes_, art. Chamar.

[455] _Indian Folk-Tales._

[456] _Indian Folk-Tales_, pp. 49, 50.

[457] Sh.e.l.ls which were formerly used as money.

[458] _Indian Folk-Tales_, pp. 49, 50.

[459] _Monograph_, p. 3.

[460] _Monograph on Leather Industries_, p. 5.

[461] _Zizyphus xylopera._

[462] _Butea frondosa._

[463] _Anogeissus latifolia._