SEPT. 6, 1872.]
CORRESPONDENCE.
the fighting men to come from who shall recruit our native army? But we are getting beyond our depth, and shall wisely return to civilian themes.
In Part III. Mr. Sherring treats of the mixed castes and tribes—Vaisyas, Sudras, and others. He com pares the position of these in the social scale to that of the middle classes in England. He has several pages of thoughtful writing as to the effects of our rule—slow, but certain as the action of gravitation —in depressing the sacerdotal class and the war like nobility of the past, and in elevating a great body intermediate between these and the ignorant help less masses. As we proceed with our educational scheme, we shall affecteven the lowest. A stupendous revolution is thus in progress; and much wisdom is required to secure that it be quiet and successful. Probably none of us realizes the magnitude of the changes that are impending, or the dangers that ac company the transition period. Mr. Sherring says that “the wisdom of the course we have adopted has hardly yet been ever properly tested. The test will have to be applied on any occasion of great political disturbance in the country, involving the social status and dignity of the castes.” Yet we doubt not Mr. Sherring would admit that it was imperative to move in the direction we have taken.
There
may be a question as to what the rate of progress ought to be, whether it is better to walk or run ; but it is impossible to go back—impossible to stand still. And after all, Europe has witnessed civil and religious revolutions on quite as vast a scale as any that we can witness here. The cur tailment of the powers of the Mediaeval Church— the abolition of the feudal system—the rise of free cities and the commercial classes generally—the emancipation of the serfs in Russia; what reforms
-
in Indian society can surpass these revolutions in magnitude 2
In Part IV. Mr. Sherring treats of the aboriginal tribes and inferior castes. The most interesting point which he has dwelt upon is the Bhar tribe—
once of great importance in the regions around Allahabad and Benares.
Mr. Thomason said of
them : “The inhabitants were a powerful and indus trious people, as is evident from the large works they have left behind them.” They seem to have been skilled in the arts both of peace and war. We are too ready to think of the races that preceded the
Hindus in the possession of India as having been savages or semi-savages ; yet even amidst all
the passionate invectives of the Veda against them, we cannot glean from its pages such a notion of the Dasyus. Black-skinned they were, probably flat-nosed, and inferior in physical appearance to he worshippers of the “beautiful nosed" (sus pra) Indra ; but barbarians—at least in many cases,— they certainly were not. We agree with Mr. Sherring—“I know not why we should be so ready always to ascribe to successive troops of Hindu immigrants all the ancient civilization of India.
The more I investigate the matter, the stronger do iny convictions become that the Hindu tribes have
learned much from the aboriginal races.” We regret that we must stop.
We part from Mr.
Sherring with much respect for him as a pains-tak ing, conscientious and intelligent investigator. His book is a repository of very important information; and the spirit in which it is written is very genial— friendly to all that is good—and worthy of a Chris tian minister.
So far as the castes in Benares are
concerned—and these are largely representative of India generally,–we do not know that this work leaves anything to be desired. J. M. M.
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE KHATTRIS.
To the Editor of the Indian Antiquary. SIR,-Perhaps some of your readers may be able to throw some light on the origin of the caste of Khattris in Hindustan. I have attempted, when ever I have had the opportunity, to discover what I could from members of the caste themselves; but
their accounts are various and conflicting.
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As it is
highly desirable that we should know as much as we can about the history of Hindu castes, I am
sure you will be ready to admit such a discussion to a place in your columns.
I will therefore briefly state what I have been able to discover on the subject, and ask your readers to aid in elucidating the matter as far as possible. The Khattris are divided into four sub-divisions,
viz., the Panjābī, the Lahori, the Dihliwāl, and the Pârbi, and these four sorts are separate from each
other and have not the jus connubii or the custom
of eating and drinking in common with each other. They deny being anything but pure Hindus and are reputed especially religious, worshipping the ordinary deities of Hinduism. There are no Sarāogis (Shrāvaks) amongst them. They are without doubt immigrants into Hindustan at a comparatively late period. Their Purohits are invariably Sarsuti (Sarasvati) Brahmans and they have the peculiar custom among them of the Purohit eating with his Jajmans (Yajamäns). If you ask them concerning their origin, nine out of ten will reply that they are the offspring of Rājputs : they generally say Kshetraj Rājputs, and one account is that they are sons of a Rājput woman by a Sudra fa ther. I am not inclined to place any reliance on state ments like this for the simple reason that every caste which cannot explain its origin, invariably invents the Kshatriya theory of paternity. A more detailed legend concerning their origin runs as follows:—When Parasu-Rāma was exterminating
