January, 1873.] CORRESPONDENCE, &c. 27 religious and social ceremonies, even the same songs among their females and the language peculiar to them. It is natural that by long intercourse with Hindus and Muhammadans, many customs should bo ex¬ changed, and pure Hindi has with them already given place to mixed Urdu. As Khatris mostly in- habittheMuhammadancapitals—Lahor, Dehli, Agra, Lakhnau, &c.—many Moslem customs, as wearing the Sarhi on marriage, the use of shoes by females, &c., have crept not only into our society, but also among Kayaths, AgrawAl Banias,Oswals,&c. Khatris and Kayaths use a greater number of Persian words in familiar language than other Hindus. I append the following notes, which may interest some readers:— 1. In the time of N&nak the site on which the now commercial town of Amritsar stands, was a forest with a pond, a solitary place well fitted for retired fakirs. N&nak, once in company with many others, went to bathe in it; he dipped in and was lost sight of. His associates gave him up for lost, and remained there without food and drink, bewailing the untimely death of their favourite. They searched for his body in the water but could not find it. On the third day, to their great joy and astonishment, he suddenly appeared on the surface of tho water with steaming hot Monbhog (a sweetmeat), since held sacred to him, in his right hand and repeating the words “ Wah Guruji / Dhanyah Guruji. Sath Guru- ji /” meaning * Glory to the Teacher. He is blessed. He alone is true.’ The terras signifying God are mostly used on solemn occasions and in saluting one another. His companions, thus convinced of his divine origin, became his proselytes. To comme¬ morate the miracle the institution of Kadh&yfl Pras'&da TOT) was established0 among the Khatris. 2. The Khatris are descendants of a warlike race. The name Khatri occurs in the Indian History since the time of Baber when he visited Guru N&nak. They were constantly employed by the Mughul emperors as soldiers. Toder Mall, the celebrated financier of Akbar, belonged to this caste.f Au- rangzeb sent all tho Khatri forces on the great expedition into the Dekhan against the kings of Golkonda and Bijapur and the Mar&thas. Great was the slaughter in the imperial armies ; the Khatri and Hindu forces were almost annihilated. On the return of the camp to Dehli, the widows, sisters,
- This ceremony is celebrated by Khatris on occasions
of marriage or child-birth, and sometimes as a thanks¬ giving when blest with prosperity in any dealing, or when relieved from distress. The large pan in which the Monbhot,j, a sweetmeat made with butter, wheat-flour, and sugar, in equal proportions, has been prepared, is placed on a wooden elevated plate and covered with a white sheet. A Nanak Shahi fakir, either guru of the family, or any one else known for his religious knowledge and merit, presiding, takes a seat just behind the pan; the Granth SAheb or words of N&nak and his followers being reve¬ rentially placed on a wooden stool before him. He reads from it to the audience, which is chiefly composed of the mothers, and orphans, loudly bewailing the loss of those dear to them, surrounded the palace asking for support. There was no such thing as a pension under the Muhammadan rule. Promising them to devise suitable means for their maintenance, Aurangzeb bade them go home ; and summoned Lallu and Jagdhar, two Khatri chiefs, to take their advice in the matter. Tho prudent Muhammadan ruler thought of the desirability of re-marrying their widows, but they said, in reply, that it was beyond their power to in¬ troduce the system, though very advisable, until they should consult with their caste-fellows on the matter. A grand meeting of the Khatris of Dehli was called for the purpose. Some agreed and signed a bond, but when Lallu and Jagdhar’s turn came, they refused until they should get the permission of their old mother. They went home and explained the whole to her. She tauntingly answered—“ If you are fully determined to introduce the Muham¬ madan Nikah system among us, which shall for ever stamp your name with the black stain of heter¬ odoxy, select a good old fellow of eighty for my husband.” The youths, thus put to shame, went no more to the Panchayat. The meeting waited Lallu and Jagdhar’s return from morning till evening ; one of the number in despair taking a stone threw it into a well, repeat¬ ing the words ‘ ase lei tasi main jaya Lallu aur Jagdhar,’ meaning‘let Lallu and Jagdhar go, I won’t wait any longer.’ The sentence has since passed into a proverb. The meeting dispersed without deciding the question. On the following day the report was made of this disregard to the royal mandate ; the Emperor, in his usual indignation, dismissed all Khatris from the imperial service and proclaimed that they should never be taken into state employ. Thus thousands were thrown out of busi¬ ness and began to starve. One day they suddenly surrounded the imperial palace, humbly supplicat¬ ing the Emperor to provide for their livelihood. Aurangzeb thought it prudent to appease the en¬ raged mob. He promised them support, but he was not willing to restore them to their former positions. The next day a royal firman was granted them, conferring on their caste the sole privilege and monopoly of Daldli, or profession of broker, in the bazars of Dehli and Agra. Since that time the pro¬ fession, though now humble, has been confined to Khatris. Even under British rule, in which free¬ dom of choice is the privilege of every subject, celebrator’s friends, relations, and neighbours, invited for the occasion. When the sermon is over, the presiding fakfr stands up, and with him all the party. He repeats aloud the tenets and prayers—Adins'abdi composed by Ninak in glo¬ rification of the one Eternal Being without form, Creator and Protector of the Universe. At the end of each hymn the party joins with the fakfr in the acclamation WAh Gurvji! After this every one presents to the fakfr some¬ thing in money (*TCTfR ) according to his means. The ceremony ends with the distribution of the contents of the pan as a"tr *at (pras'dda) to all present. f See mv letter on Rajah Toder MalL—Proceedings of Asiatic Society of Bengal for August 1872.
