the maternal line being impure. We may therefore suppose, that the Vyasokto are the descendants of Vyas. The Pandit of the survey, however, will not allow of the illegitimacy of Vyas, and supposes, that Bollalsen, when he raised the Kaibortos to the rank of pure Hindús, allowed their Gurus or priests to assume the name of Brahmins. It must be observed, that many of the impure tribes of Hindús have Gurus of their own, totally independent of the Brahmins, and the Vyasoktos continue to be the Gurus and Purohits of that tribe alone, and have no sort of connection with the other Brahmins. I met with no person of any learning among them, which has prevented me from entering into a particular detail of their customs.
Except families which have evidently migrated lately into Bengal, there are none in that country who pretend to be Khyetriyos or Vaisyos, and the people may be divided into Brahmins and Sudros.
Between these, however, are in some measure suspended two tribes, the Daivoggnos, or astrologers, and the Bhat, or bards; but I procured no information concerning these, that is interesting. The Daivoggnos here have been nearly deprived of their profession by the Brahmins, and in the south entirely. There they (Daivoggnos) have become weavers, have refused obedience to the sacred order, and have adopted priests of their own. Whether this was in revenge for the encroachments of the Brahmins, or whether these were in consequence of the rebellion of the astrologers, I cannot take upon myself to say.
The highest of the Sudros are the Baidyos, or medical tribe, concerning whom I shall say nothing, as I met with no man of learning among them.
The Kayosthos or scribes follow next, and were once of more importance than they are now, as at one time they managed most of the revenue and commerce of the country; but the Brahmins of the five tribes having applied themselves more closely to business, chiefly since the English government, there can be no doubt, from their superior intelligence and education, that they will soon obtain the whole, as they have already a considerable part. The Kayosthos however are now enjoying the fruit of their former labours, and a great many of the landholders are of this tribe. The five Brahmins, who were introduced by Adisur, were accompanied by five Kayosthos, but all the Kayosthos of Bengal are not considered as sprung from them; and their descendants seem to have settled chiefly in the western districts, forming the two tribes called Uttor and Dokhyin Rarhi, while the Bonggoj and Sudro Kayosthos occupy the eastern districts towards Dhaka, and seem to be of a more ancient colony. Bollalsen arranged their ranks, and subdivided them variously. Those of Dokhyin Rarhi, who seem to have been introduced into Dinajpúr by one of them, who was ancestor of the Raja’s family, were divided by Bollalsen into Kulin and Mollik; but both can intermarry. On the whole, this caste has been frittered into endless subdivisions, concerning which there are several treatises, but to follow them would be tedious aud perhaps useless. Those of Dinajpúr chiefly follow the Pandit Gurus and the Tontros as their guides in religion, the Rajas however were of Vishnú’s part.
Next to the Kayosthos are nine tribes (Novosakh) of tradesmen, who although greatly inferior to the scribes, are still considered as pure Sudros; for a Brahmin may drink their water without loss of caste, and a Brahmin who condescends on certain occasions to give them instruction is not altogether disgraced. In this country they are mostly followers of the Goswamis. The trades are,
- 1. Gondhobonik, druggists.
- 2. Songkhobonik or Sangkhari, workers in shell.
- 3. Kongsobonik or Kongsari, copper-smiths.
- 4. Baruyi, cultivators of betle-leaf.
- 1. Gondhobonik, druggists.
