Volume 2 — G (continued 2)

16. “A small raised platform is next made in the courtyard, and on it three lines are drawn. From each line they take a pinch of dust and throw it on the ground. Some mango wood is then lighted on the platform. On the north side is placed a sacrificial vessel made of wood and known as pranîta parokshoni. With this a mixture of five different kinds of fruits, ghi, sugar, and incense are poured upon the fire. An offering is made in this way to all the deities, and the rite concludes with the feeding of Brâhmans.

17. “When the child is born the parents are instructed by the officiating priest to worship Ganesa and the tribal goddesses in the manner already described. They then worship the knife with which the umbilical cord was cut by the midwife, and to it is made the usual offering of incense, flowers, sandalwood, as in other cases. The mother during the period of seclusion after child-birth bathes three times—on the sixth, ninth, and twelfth day. At the sixth-day bath she offers an oblation of water (argha) to the Sun-god, Sûrya. She also does this at the subsequent bathings. On the twelfth day after bathing and making the oblation, four women of the tribe move over the head of the child the family pestle in order to scare evil spirits. The Chamâr midwife attends for three days, and after that her place is taken by the wife of the barber. If the child be a boy the midwife’s fee is one rupee; for a girl four annas. On the twelfth day the Purohit or family priest produces the horoscope (janam-pattri) of the child, and is suitably rewarded.

The grain-feeding. 18. “When the child, if a boy, is six months’ old, the rite of “grain-feeding” (annaprâsana) is performed. Ganesa and the goddesses are worshipped in the way already described, by the parents, and then the father marks the baby’s forehead with red powder. Then the mother, or some other lady of the house, takes the child in her lap and makes it lick some rice milk from a mango leaf.

The shaving. 19. “In the third year the mûnran or hair shaving is done. The barber is sent for on an auspicious day and the parents do worship to his razor. After the shaving is over the child is bathed and the usual worship of Ganesa and the tribal goddesses is performed. A fire sacrifice is done by the Brâhmans.

The ear-piercing. 20. “In the fifth year comes the rite of ear-piercing (karnabedha). The usual worship is performed; the child’s ears are bored by a Sunâr; Brâhmans are fed, and the Sunâr gets a present.

Investiture with the sacred cord. 21. “In the eighth year of the boy’s life comes the upanayana or investiture with the sacred cord. The usual worship of Ganesa and the tribal goddesses is performed as already described. Then the women of the household go to the house of the potter and worship his wheel (châk), which is regarded as an emblem of fertility. From there they bring two earthen jars, which are placed in a holy square (chauk) in the courtyard. This is done some twelve days or more before the actual initiation. On the day of the rite these jars are worshipped with the same offerings as those given to Ganesa. On the day of the rite the officiating priest makes two platforms of sand and clay facing north and south. The candidate for initiation with three other Brâhman boys is seated on the platform, and is fed on milk and boiled rice. The candidate is then shaved by the barber and bathes. He takes his seat on the platform and worships Ganesa and the nine planets. Then the officiating priest invests the boy with a sacred cord made of mûnj fibre (Saccharum munja) and a deer skin, thereby implying that he has entered the stage of the Brahmachâri. He again worships Ganesa and puts off the mûnj cord and the deer skin and receives a cotton cord. Next a stick of the wood of the palâsa (Butea frondosa), to the end of which a coloured thread (raksha) is tied, is placed on his shoulder, the inference being that he has reached the Sannyâsi stage. Then the priest whispers the gâyatri mantra into his ear at the first platform known as the upanayana and at the second (rambha vedi); he again worships Ganesa, and the priest putting some rice in a dish with his finger writes on it the gâyatri mantra. He is then made to do the fire sacrifice with the recital of the appropriate texts. Next the priest sprinkles the boy from the sacred jars with a bunch of kusa grass. In this water he bathes and cleans his teeth. He dresses, takes a bamboo stick (dand), and pretends to go to Benares to learn. He is dissuaded from doing this by his maternal uncle, who promises to get him married. With the final worship of the tribal goddesses the rite concludes.

Marriage rites. 22. “The age for marriage is fourteen or sixteen for a boy and nine or ten for a girl. After the preliminary comparison of the horoscopes a day is fixed for the betrothal (sagâi). This is done by the girl’s father sending to the father of the boy through his priest or some relative a sum in money, a cocoanut, and some sweetmeats. A piece of ground is plastered in the boy’s courtyard, and upon that he sits and worships Ganesa. The girl’s representative marks his forehead with red (rori) and puts the presents in the corner of his robe (dopatta), while the friends who have been admitted to the ceremony chant songs. The boy eats the sweetmeats and the friends are entertained. This completes the betrothal.

23. “After this the boy’s father sends invitations to the persons who are asked to attend the procession (bârât). Distant friends usually come four days before the date fixed for this event. Then the boy’s father informs the father of the bride of the date fixed for the rite of “setting up the little and the great Ganesa,” presently to be described, and for the marriage.

24. “The bridegroom, his father and other friends go to the house of the bride four days before the wedding day. They are lodged in a garden or empty house close by. On their arrival some sharbat is sent for their refreshment from the house of the bride. Then the two fathers meet and embrace. Contrary to usual custom the ladies of the bridegroom’s family also go on this occasion. They are also treated to sharbat by the ladies of the bride’s household, and the mothers of the pair meet and embrace. Then the bride’s father sets up in his courtyard a pole of bamboo fixed in the direction of the sun as pointed out by the family astrologer. On this pole wooden images of birds, parrots, etc., are fixed. The pole is stained with turmeric and near it is placed a water jar (kalsa) and a cocoanut. The technical name of the pole is stambha. In the room of the house reserved for the worship of the tribal goddesses two water jars are placed; one represents the great Ganesa, Bara Ganesa; the other the little Ganesa, Chhota Ganesa. Near them is a wooden seat (pîrha), on which is laid a cocoanut covered with a piece of red cloth. This represents some woman of the family who in former times has committed Sati. The father and mother of the bride offer to this Sati washed rice, sandalwood, water, flowers, and a burnt offering (homa). Then the Navagraha or the nine planets are worshipped in the courtyard, and the father and mother of the bride, after bathing and putting on new clothes, do the fire sacrifice before them. Next all the ladies of the family and their female friends go to the potter’s house and worship his wheel (châk) with water, washed rice, sandal, incense, flowers, and a lamp, and smear it with red powder (rori). Then they take twenty-eight jars from the potter, and on each of them a representation of Ganesa is made. The potter receives a suitable present. In each of these pitchers betel-nut and washed rice is placed, and on the mouth of each a small earthen saucer (matuki) is laid. The pitchers are then arranged in a square, seven on each side, and each row is bound together with a piece of bamboo. This is known as chauri. Inside this square the pair are made to sit. Before she takes her seat her mother and four other women of the tribe sprinkle her with a mixture of oil and turmeric from a wisp of kusa grass. The other women sing songs while this is being done. Then her body is rubbed with barley-flour, turmeric, and oil. The same rite is gone through for the boy in the place (janwânsa) where he is staying with his friends.

25. “When the lucky time for the marriage comes the pair are dressed in new clothes and a crown (maur, mukut) is placed on their heads. The boy goes to the house of the bride mounted on a mare. At the bride’s door is placed a pole on which are hung some wooden images of birds. This the bridegroom knocks down with a stick—possibly a survival of marriage by capture. This pole is known as toran. When the bridegroom alights his mother-in-law comes to the door, holds him by his nose, and leading him in marks his forehead with red powder. Then he takes his seat in the square of vessels and does the fire sacrifice. The bride also comes into the square and sits on his left side. She also does a fire sacrifice. Then some henna (menhdi) is powdered and rubbed on her hands, and the hands of the bridegroom are laid on her hands, while the priest recites the appropriate verses. Their robes are knotted together and they walk four times round the fire and do the fire sacrifice. Then they go into the family oratory and worship the household deities, and the bride goes with the bridegroom to the place where his party are staying, and there worships his family gods.

26. “Next morning the bridegroom bathes, and puts on a silk (pitambar) loin-cloth. The bride puts on a similar dress, and her husband comes to her house and sits in the square (chauri) already described. The bride sits on his left, and her mother lays before them a dish of boiled rice and milk. Each of the pair feeds the other with this. This is known as the “rite of the fourth” (chaturthi karma). The dowry is next paid over; and if the bride is nubile, which is usually the case, she returns to his house with her husband. Next day he worships the Ganges or some other river, and the marriage rites come to an end.”

Death ceremonies. 27. The dead are cremated in the ordinary way. When the burning is over the chief mourner offers to the spirit of the deceased a jar of water and a lamp for his use during the period of mourning. This pitcher he breaks with a stone. The stone is placed at the ghât where the chief mourner usually bathes. For ten days he pours water and sesamum (tilanjuli) on the stone, and on the tenth day, after offering a holy ball (pinda), he throws the stone into the river or tank near which it has been placed. On the eleventh day he offers eleven pindas, and the tribesmen are fed. On the twelfth day is the pitra nirauni, when four pindas are offered; three in the name of deceased ancestors and one in the name of the deceased. After offering them the chief mourner says:—“The deceased has now joined his sainted ancestors.” Brâhmans are then fed. On the thirteenth day the chief mourner worships Ganesa, the nine planets, and the water jar (kalasa). The oldest man in the family marks his forehead, and he is invested with a turban, showing that he has taken the place of the dead man. Then he pours the water out of the sacred jar at the root of a nîm tree. Verses are repeated, and the rites are concluded with the worship of the tribal deity and the feeding of Brâhmans.

Distribution of Gujarâti Brâhmans according to the Census of 1891.

Districts. Number.

Dehra Dûn 9

Sahâranpur 343

Muzaffarnagar 321

Meerut 731

Bulandshahr 530

Aligarh 119

Mathura 209

Agra 336

Farrukhâbâd 669

Mainpuri 133

Etâwah 26

Etah 57

Bareilly 23

Bijnor 173

Budâun 12

Morâdâbâd 47

Shâhjahânpur 364

Pilibhît 78

Cawnpur 235

Fatehpur 107

Bânda 55

Hamîrpur 54

Allahâbâd 263

Jhânsi 38

Jâlaun 100

Benares 399

Mirzapur 1

Jaunpur 32

Ghâzipur 2

Gorakhpur 3

Kumâun 31

Tarâi 116

Lucknow 130

Unâo 180

Râê Bareli 33

Sîtapur 86

Hardoi 802

Kheri 195

Bahrâich 2

Total 7,044

Marriage rules. 2. Few of them can name any of their sub-castes or gotras. The Census lists give Kalhans, Kanaujiya, and Subhân. Their rule of exogamy is that they cannot marry the children of their maternal uncle, and cannot marry their sons in a family to which they have already given a daughter as a bride. There is no restriction as to the number of wives a man may have; but they seldom have more than two. Immorality on the part of a girl before marriage is reprobated; if she intrigue with a clansman, her parents are obliged to pay a fine and give a feast; if her lover be a man of another caste, she is permanently expelled from the tribe. Marriage takes place at the age of ten or twelve, and is arranged by the parents of the couple. The bride is generally given some presents at marriage, which remain her own property. The offspring of connections with an outsider are not received in the tribe; and they do not admit strangers to caste rights. The levirate seems to be practically compulsory on the widow, who always lives with a relative of her late husband.

Birth ceremonies. 3. There is no ceremony during pregnancy. When a child is born a barber is sent to the house of the mother of the bride to announce the fact; this is known as lochana bhejna, and he receives a present and takes back with him some clothes, food, etc., for the mother. The mother is isolated for twelve days after delivery, and they have the usual sixth (chhathi) and twelfth day (barahi) ceremonies. In the third or sixth month the paternal aunt of the child is expected to make it a present of clothes, etc., and a sheet for the mother. In the third year the ceremonial shaving (mûndan) of the child takes place; and in the third, fifth, or seventh year, its ears are bored (kanchhedan). They have no special adoption or initiation ceremony.

Marriage customs. 4. The marriage customs are of the usual respectable form.

Religion. 5. Gurchhas are orthodox Hindus and worship Devi, Mahâdeva and Parameswar. Devi receives a sacrifice of goats, rams, and a burnt offering (hom) of butter, rice, barley, and sugar. To Mahâdeva are offered leaves of the bel tree and milk. To Parameswar they present cocoanuts, butter, betel leaves, milk, and sweetmeats. Devi is served by a Panda, Mahâdeva by a Gusâîn, Parameswar by a Brâhman. Those who are Bhagats offer only the ear of the victim. They do not kill the cow or eat beef, and will not cut down the pîpal or bel tree.

Social rules. 6. They drink spirits and eat goats, sheep, hares, fish, etc., but not fowls, jackals, or other vermin. When eating they offer a little to Bhagwân by throwing a morsel on the ground. They will not eat kachchi or pakki from any one but a clansman. They say they were once landholders; now they are only tenants, and some work as labourers and makers of mats.

Distribution of the Gurkhas according to the Census of 1891.

Districts. Number.

Agra 1

Allahâbâd 262

Jhânsi 9

Gorakhpur 1,056

Total 1,328

“The term may, roughly speaking, be said to denote an ascetic of any order, but with a slight implication that the ascetic is a man of some standing and influence. This, however, is by no means the universal meaning of the term; it is often used for a Sannyâsi and as often for a Bairâgi; not unfrequently it seems to denote a separate order different from either; and often the Brâhmans alone are considered entitled to be called Gosâins. On the whole, the commonest use of the word appears to be that which refers to the Bairâgis, who are of high caste, such as the Brâhmans.”

2. It would seem that in this part of India the term Gusâîn is generally restricted to the spiritual descendants of the famous Sankar Achârya. The common account is that Sankar Achârya had four disciples, Sarûpa Achârya, Padma Achârya, Naratroka Achârya, and Prithi Udra Achârya. The first, Sarûpa, was sent by the master towards Dwârika, and he had two disciples, Tîrtha and Asrama. Nanda Brahmachâri was their teacher. These Gosâîns do not wear sewed clothes, and have garments dyed in ochre. They will not eat kachchi cooked by any caste except Brâhmans, but will accept pakki from Banyas, Kâyasths, and the like. They do not pass more than one night in ordinary villages, but may stay three nights at regular places of pilgrimage. Their chief sacred places are Benares, Ajudhya, and Mathura. They do not touch with their hands any kind of metal, nor do they cook their own food, because they are prohibited from touching fire. They do not use intoxicating liquors or tobacco, and do not eat fish or meat of any kind. They carry a begging bowl (kamandal), wear a rosary of rudrâksha seeds, and smear their faces with ashes (bhabhût). They specially worship Nârâyana, and admit none but Brâhman initiates. They bury their dead. A grave is dug with a niche towards the south, in which an alms bowl is placed. The face of the corpse is turned towards the niche, and the body is covered with an ochre-coloured cloth. The grave is filled up with salt and a pot (nâd) placed at the top, which is covered with an earthen mound (samâdh). There are no further death ceremonies, except that after a year or two a feast (bhandâr) is given to the brethren.

3. The second disciple, Padma Achârya, had two disciples, Vana and Aranya, and Chetan Brahmachâri was their teacher. Their mode of life is like that of the Tîrtha and Asrama, but some of them have some property in Gonda and Bahrâich, which was granted to them by one of the Mughal Emperors.

4. Naratroka had three disciples, Parvata, Giri, and Sâgara, and their teacher was Sarûpa Brahmachâri. The Barua, who are found in the Rohilkhand Districts, are said to be connected with these.

5. Prithi Udra Achârya is said to have had three disciples, Ahoni, Bhârati, and Giri.

6. These ten sections, which are generally given as Tîratha, Asrama, Vana, Aranya, Sârasvati, Puri, Bhârati, Giri, Parvata, and Sâgara, constitute what is known as the Dasnâmi Gusâîns. The last Census classes under the head Gusâîn the Brindabani, Dasnâmi, Gauriya, Gokulastha, Niranjani, Râdhavallabhi, which have been separately discussed.

“The candidate is generally a boy, but may be an adult. At the Sivarâtri festival water brought from a tank in which an image has been deposited is applied to the head of the novitiate, which is thereupon shaved.

“The Guru or spiritual guide whispers to the disciple a sacred text (mantra). In honour of the event all the Gusâîns in the neighbourhood assemble together, and give their new member their blessing; and a sweetmeat called laddu, made very large, is distributed among them. The novitiate is now regarded as a Gusâîn, but he does not become a perfect one until the Vijaya Homa has been performed, at which a Gusâîn famous for religion and learning gives him the original mantra of Siva. The ceremony generally occupies three days at Benares. On the first day, the Gusâîn is again shaved, leaving a tuft on the head (Chundi sikha). For that day he is considered a Brâhman, and is obliged to beg at a few houses. On the second day he is held to be a Brahmachâri, and wears coloured garments and also the sacred cord (janeû). On the third day the janeû is taken from him and the headlock cut off. The mantra of Siva is made known to him, and also the Rudri Gâyatri (not the usual one daily pronounced by Brâhmans). He is now a full Gusâîn or Vanaprasta, is removed from other persons, and abandons the secular world. Henceforth he is bound to observe all the tenets of the Gusâîns. The complete Gusâîns who have performed the ceremony of the Vijaya Homa are celibates. It is customary, therefore, for men not to perform it until they are forty or fifty years of age, as it involves the abandonment of their wives and families.”

Among the trading Gusâîns the Mahant of Mirzapur, who belongs to the Giri section, was for a long time notorious among the merchants of Northern India. Such Gusâîns have practically abandoned all claim to living a religious life, and exercise no priestly functions. When a Mahant dies his corpse is taken in a sitting posture to the Ganges, where it is bathed and barley is sprinkled over it. It is then inclosed in a stone coffin, which is taken on a barge to the middle of the river, and consigned to the sacred water.

Distribution of the Dasnâmi Gusâîns according to the Census of 1891.

Districts. Number.

Dehra Dûn 158

Sahâranpur 5

Muzaffarnagar 1,119

Meerut 5,083

Bulandshahr 2,271

Aligarh 996

Agra 1,124

Farrukhâbâd 399

Mainpuri 1,159

Etâwah 277

Etah 1,315

Bareilly 4,023

Bijnor 667

Budâun 2,755

Morâdâbâd 2,018

Shâhjahânpur 1,483

Pilibhît 1,522

Cawnpur 1,335

Fatehpur 709

Bânda 296

Hamîrpur 438

Allahâbâd 1,061

Jhânsi 279

Jâlaun 377

Lalitpur 25

Benares 1,899

Mirzapur 4,258

Jaunpur 3,638

Ghâzipur 2,891

Ballia 3,804

Gorakhpur 7,010

Basti 2,693

Kumâun 2,944

Tarâi 724

Lucknow 738

Unâo 2,289

Râê Bareli 2,521

Sîtapur 4,414

Hardoi 1,128

Kheri 3,631

Faizâbâd 5,371

Gonda 11,478

Bahrâich 3,634

Sultânpur 2,048

Partâbgarh 1,307

Bârabanki 4,006

Total 103,320

Males 55,347

Females 47,973