Borul: Deccan
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Borul
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 |
Origin
Borul, Burol — a very small caste of Banias found inlfhe Parbhani and parts of the Bhir District. In physical character they resemble the Carnatic Banias, being short in stature, with -dark com- plexion and coarse irregular features. Their tradition represents them as descended from Kashyapa Mahamuni, the son of Marichi. They can give no information, however, which will throw light upon their original habitat or tend to connect them with any existing caste or tribe. There are unmistakable signs that the caste is gradually disappearing.
Internal Structure
The Boruls are divided into two sub- castes, (1) Bail Borul and (2) Ghod Borul, which are endogamous. The true significance of these terms is obscure. It is said that the Bail Boruls are precluded from using the ox (bail) for riding, or any other purpose, while the horse is taboo to the Ghod Boruls, although in practice these restrictions do not seem to be observed, nor are the animals held in any special reverence which would give them a totemistic character. The Bail Boruls form the bulk of the caste in the Parbhani District.
Some of the Boruls allege that (hey have only one gotra, Kashyapa, while others hold that they belong to thirty-one gotras of the Brahmanical type. But these are inoperative for the purpose of controlling intermarriages which are governed by surnames mostly of the territorial type. Some of the family names are — (I) Chinchane, (2) Rampurkar, (3) Khedkar, (4) Phatke, (5) Naswale, (6) Wagde, (7) Pike, (8) Tote and (9) Rajekar.
Marriage
A man cannot marry within his section or outside his sub-caste. Marriage with the daugk^r of a mother's sister or of a sister IS not permitted. It is allowed with the daughter of a paternal aunt tar maternal uncle. Marriage of ~ two sisters to the same man is Recognised. Polygamy is permrtted but is rarely practised, a second wife being taken only in the event of the first wife being barren or incurably diseased. Widows are forbidden to marry again and divorce is not recognised by the caste. Sexual indiscretions are met with instant expulsion from the caste.
Borul girls are married as infants between the ages of 5 and 12 years and social reproach attaches to her parents if she remains unprovided with a husband before she reaches the age of puberty, ine marriage ceremony corresponds precisely to that in vogue among the Deshasth Brahmans of the locality. Balaji, their patron deity, is invoke4 before the marriage, which is performed at the girl's house. Saptapadi, or the seven steps the bridal pair describe along the laja homa, or the sacrificial fire, forms the essential and binding portion of the ceremony. The bride's father is required to pay a dowry to the bridegroom.
Inheritance
Succession to property is governed by the Hindu law of inheritance.
Religion
The religion of the Boruls presents no features of special interest. Their favourite object of worship is Balaji, a form of Krishna, who is honoured, with great ceremony, at the Dassera festival, when they abandon work and pass their time in religious service. Offerings of flowers, fruits and sweetmeats are made to the god on this occasion. They also worship other gods of the Hindu pantheon and observe the Hindu festivals and fasts. They make pilgrimages to Pandharpur, Tuljapur and Benares. Deshastha Brahmans are employed for religious and ceremonial observances. Women pay devotion to the tulsi plant [Ocimum sanctum) daily and to Ndga (the cobra) on the Ndgapanchami, or the 5th of the lunar half of Sravana (July). Ancestral worship prevails and images of ancestors, embossed on silver plates, are set up in a sanctified part of the house and worshipped every day.
Disposal of the Dead
The Boruls burn their dead in a lying posture, with the head pointing to the south. Mourning is observed ten days for agnates and three days for distant relatives : the ashes are collected on the third day after^^^eath and thrown into a sacred river. Sradha is performed under the superintendence of Deshastha Brahmans, on the 10th and 12th days, when balls of rice and oblations of water are offered to the spirit of the deceased person. Ancestors in general are appeased in the latter half of Bhadrapad (September).
Social Status
In point of social standing Boruls rank next to Brahmans and above all the Vaishya or Shudra castes. They will eat food cooked by a Brahman, while Brahmans eat sweetmeats prepared by ihem. All castes, except the Lingayits, will accept kachi, or cooked food, from their hands. The members of this caste are strict vegetarians and abstain from animal food and liquSir. They wear the sacred thread, but no munja, or thread ceremony, is performed on the occasion. n
Occupation
The Boruls are, by profession, shop-keepers, money-lenders, and traders, buying goods wholesale in the towns and selling them retail in the villages. The poorer members of the caste work as cartmen and frequently hire out carts. Some of them have taken to cultivation and hold lands on small tenures.
