Note 24 — G

1. Gandhîla (Sanskrit gandha, “smell,” in the sense of “fetid,” “mal-odorous”).—A vagrant tribe which was at the last Census found in small numbers in the Meerut and Muzaffarnagar Districts. Their home appears to be in the Panjâb. They are said by Sir H. M. Elliot24 to be a few degrees more respectable than the Bâwariyas; but in this assertion he was certainly mistaken. According to Mr. Ibbetson,25 “they wander about bare-headed and bare-footed, beg, work in grass and straw, catch quails, clean and sharpen knives and swords, cut wood, and generally do odd jobs. They are said to eat tortoises and vermin. They also keep donkeys (whence their other name Gadahla), and even engage in trade in a small way. It is said that in some parts they lead about performing bears, but this I doubt. They have curious traditions which are reported to me from distant parts of the Province, regarding a kingdom which the tribe once possessed, and which they seem inclined to place beyond the Indus. They say they are under a vow not to wear shoes or turbans till their possessions are restored to them.” Of the same people Major Temple26 writes:—“They are usually described in the courts as “homeless sweepers.” They are Musalmâns of a very low order of intelligence, and in appearance more like beasts than men. They come principally from the Montgomery District, and are inveterate thieves, especially of dogs, which they eat. They will also eat animals which have died a natural death, and putrid flesh.”