Bhadbhunja: Deccan
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Bhadbhunja
This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS BY SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and Middle Temple, London. One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. BOMBAY THE TlMES PRESS 1920 Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
Bhadbhunja, Bharbhunja — a grain parching caste, found in almost all the Marathwada towns and the Hyderabad city. They are divided into two classes : — Maratha and Pardeshi. The Maratha Bhudbhunjas are, no doubt, recruited from among the Maratha Kunbis, whom they resemble in appearance,, customs, and habits, and consequently require no special description. The Pardeshi Bhadbhunjas, as their name denotes, are outsiders, having come into these Dominions from Northern India, especially from Cawnpur, Mathura, Lucknow and Bareilly. They are supposed to be descended from a Kahar father and a Shudra mother, thus ranking among the mixed castes. The Bhudbhunjas are not to be confounded with the Halwais, or confectioners, who make and sell sweetmeats but do not parch grains.
Internal Structure
The Bhudbhunjas are divided into the following sub-castes : — Shri Basant, Barelikade, Kandu, Chaktaina, Kaithwar, Guryar, Bhadesia and Kanaujia, who are strictly endogamous. All Bhudbhunjas style themselves as Kanojia and allege that they have only one gotra (section) Kashyap. This is of course taken as an ornamental appendage and is inoperative in the regulation of their marriages. No information is available as to the precise form of exogamy practised by the caste.
Marriage
Girls are married both as infants and as adults between the ages of twelve and sixteen years. In the case of adults, sexual intercourse before marriage is tolerated, and may be atoned for by payment of a fine to the Panchayat. If a girl becomes pregnant before marriage, she is called upon to disclose the name of her lover, who is compelled to take her to wife. Polygamy is per- mitted up to a limit of two wives ; but in practice a second wife is taken only in the event of the first being barren or suffering from an mcurable' disease.
The marriage ceremony is of the type in use among Jaiswar Teli and other Northern India castes of the same social position. The initiative is taken by the father of the bridegroom, who employs emis- saries to settle the match. If the terms are agreeable to the bride's parents, the marriage is at once agreed upon and the occasion is celebrated by a feast to caste panchas and other caste brethren, when liquor is provided by the father of the bride. On an aus- picious day, a booth, supported by five pillars, is erected at the bride'4 house. At the foot of the central pillar are placed leaves of the mango and urnbar {Ficm glomerata) trees, with an earthen pot of water»topped by a constantly burning lamp fed with oil or ghi. Near the lamp jav grains are sown on a small earthen mound raised on the ground. On the wedding morning, a man is sent with a present of unhusked rice to the bridegroom's house, and the bridegroom's party have it parched, the women of the house singing songs at the time. At night, the wedding procession starts from the bridegroom's house and on its way to the bride's makes a halt at a well. Here the bridegroom dismounts from his horse and goes seven times round the well, accompanied by five married females whose husbands are living. Every time he passes his mother, who is sitting on the rim of the well with one foot hanging over the edge, he touches her head. On the completion of the seventh round, he goes to her and pretends to suck her milk, promising, in the presence of the deity presiding over water, that he will never abandon her. The procession then resumes its march towards the bride's house. On arrival, the bride- groom is conducted to a seat under the wedding canopy. Here the bride joins him. Kanyadan, the gift of the bride to the bridegroom and his acceptance of her, takes place, and the bridal pair wear paper crowns on their heads and iron bracelets on their wrists. Horn, or sacred fire, is made, round which the bridal pair, with their garments knotted, walk six times. This is followed by Smdmddn, when the bridal pair are seated side by side covered with a sheet of cloth, and the bridegroom takes a small cup of vermilion in his left hand and with his right han3 smears the colour on the parting of the bride's hair. This done, the bridal pair make the seventh round. This seventh circuit round the fire is deemed to be the binding and essential portion of the marriage ceremony.
A widow may marry again and the ritual in use is less meagre than is usual among other widow-marrying castes. A Brahman is employed to recite mantras and sindur (vermilion) is besmeared on the forehead of the widow. She is not obliged to marry her late husband's younger brother, should such a relative exist, but in practice it is usual for her to do so. If she prefers to marry an outsider, the members of her late husband's family may laim custody of her male children by him.
Divorce
Bhadbhunjas allow of divorce for adultery with a member of the caste and permit divorced wives to marry again. A woman who has a liaison with an outsider is excluded from the caste.
Religion
In matters of religion, the caste seem to belong to the Saiva sect and worship Mahadev and his ' form Bhairava, Kanojia Brahmans serve them as priests and, if these are not available, local Brahmans are employed for religious and ceremonial purposes. Among their minor gods are Khandoba, 'Narsoba, Hanuman, Bhavani of Tuljapur, and the animistic deities of Pochamma, Mariamma, and Maisamma. They observe all the fasts and festivals of local Hindus and make pilgrimages to Tuljapur, Pandharpur and Alandi.
Disposal of the Dead
The dead are burnt in a lying posture, with the head pointing to the north. The ashes are collected on the third day after death and thrown into the nearest river or stream. Bodies of persons that are unmarried are buried. Mourn- ing is observed nine days for females and thirteen days for males. On the tenth day after death the chief mourner shaves his head, bathes and offers ten pindas, or oblations of rice, for the benefit of the soul of the deceased. On the eleventh day the chief mournei entertains the relatives of the deceased and other caste brethren at a feast and on the 12th day he is presented with a turban by his caste people, who raise a subscription for the purpose. Ances- tors, in general, are appeased* in the month of Bhadrapad (September). Brahmans are called in to conduct the funeral ceremony .
Social Status
Among Upper India castes the Bhad- bhunjas hold a social position which may be said to be respectable. On this side of the country they eat food cooked by a Brahman ; while no caste except the lowest unclean classes eat Kachi from their hands. All castes, including Brahmans, eat sweetmeats prepared by a Bhadbhunja. The members of the caste eat mutton, fish, the flesh of deer and hare, and indulge freely in strong liquor. They do not eat fowls.
Occupation
Bhadbhunjas believe the parching of grain to be their original and characteristic occupation. Some have enlisted in the native army and a few have taken to agriculture.
The actual work of parching grain is usually done by women. The process is a simple one. A clay oven is built somewhat in the shape of a bee hive with ten or twelve holes in the top. A lire is lighted inside and broken earthen pots containing sand are put on the holej. The grain to be parched is thrown in with the sand and stirred with a flat piece of wood or a broom until it is ready. The wages of the parcher vary according to the quality of the grain, millet costing half an anna and gram three-quarters of an anna per seer.
