Kachhi: Deccan

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Kachhi

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 with the contents of this article. Secondly, this has been scanned from a book. You can help by sending the corrected version/ additional information to the Facebook page, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be duly acknowledged.

Kachhi — a gardening and cultivating caste, found chiefly in the Aurangabad and Hyderabad , cities. The Kachhis, in the Maratha country, stale that they came as infantry and cavalry soldiers from BundelkhaNd in the times of Alamgir and earlier kings. In 1869 there were rfearly 100 houses in Begampura in the Aurangabad city.

Internal Structure

The following two sub-castes of the Kachhis are found in these Dominions — Marwari and Bundela • the names have reference to the countries from which they originally came. Members of these sub-castes neither interdine nor intermarry. The exogamous sections of the caste are mostly of the territorial type, as shown below ; —

Bundele Gwaliari

Katkariya Malkapure

Mabwale PiltJiwale

Hadiyewale Gulal

Nabab Elchya

the last three being of uncertain origin. The Kachhis forbid a man to marry a woman who belongs to the same section as himself. No other section is a bar to marriage, provided that he does not marry the daughter of his maternal aunt. A man may marry two sisters, but in this case he must observe the rule that the younger is not married first. In theory, a man may marry as many wives as he can afford to maintain : practically, however, the standard of living of the caste limits him to two.

Marriage

The Kachhis marry their daughters as infants, between the ages of five and eleven. The marriage ceremony is a simplified form of that in use among the Rajputs and other castes of Upper India ; Bhovari, or the bridal pair walking seven times round the muhmlmedh (auspicious post), forms the binding and essential portion of the ceremony. It is completed by Sindurdan, in which the bridegroom smears vermilion in the parting of the bride's hair. The marriage takes place at night and Kanojia Brahmans are called in to officiate as priests. A widow may marry again by the ceremony known as Dharona, of which the binding portion is the presentation of a new sari and bodice cloth to the bride and the putting of bracelets on her wrist, but she is not permitted to marry her late husband's younger brother. If a widow re-marries, she forfeits all claims to a share in her late husband's property and to the custody of any children she may have had by him. Divorce is not recognised by the caste.

Religion

In matters of religion, the Kachhis differ little from local castes of the same social standing. Their favourite deity is Sitala, the goddess presiding over smallpox, who is worshipped at weddings and on occasions of sickness. The goddess is represented by a stone from the river, smeared with vermilion, and offerings of goats, flowers and betel leaves are made to it. Reverence is paid by the members of the caste to Balaji, Hanuman, Bhavani and other local gods and goddes.ses. Kanojia Brahmans are employed on all ceremonial and religious occasions.

Disposal of the Dead

The Kachhis burn their dead in a lying posture, with the head pointing towards the south. The ashes and bones are collected on the third day after death and thrown into the nearest river, stream or tank. Mourning is observed for three days and, on the 4th day, the chief mourner shaves, bathes and is free from impurity. Persons dying unmarried, or of smallpox, are buried.

Social Status

The social status of the caste cannot be defined precisely. The members of the caste say that they eat l^a'^hi only from the hands of Kanojia Brahmans, while sweatmeats are taken only from Banias and Marwaris. The Maratha Kunbis do not eat food cooked by a Kachhi. The members of the caste eat fish and the flesh of goats, sheep, deer, hare and some birds, but abstain from that of the domestic fowl and from pork. Some say that they do eat domestic fowls. As regards the use of strong drink they have no scruples.

Occupation

The Kachhis are excellent cultivators. They are noted for their skill and industry in growing tobacco and other special products requiring more careful cultivation than the staple crops. In the neighbourhood of large towns they work as market gardeners, growing and selling all kinds of vegetables, flowers and fruit. Some of them are employed as soldiers in the native army.