Kahar: Deccan

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Kahar

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.

Kahar, Kahar Bhoi, Mahigir — a very small fishing and culti- vating caste, some of whose members are engaged as palanquin bearers. It is represented as a mixed caste descended from a Brahman father and a Nishad mother. The Kahars are supposed to have come into these Dominions from Upper India, during* 'the time of Aurangzeb. They are mostly found in villages situated on the river Godavari, along its course through the Marathwada Districts.

Very little is known regarding the internal structure of the caste. The Kahars have no exogamous sections and marriage with any person descended in a direct line from the same parents is prohibited, as long as any relationship can be traced.

Marriage

The Kahars marry their daughters as infants or as adults, according to their means, the former practice being deemed the more respectable. A man may take a second wife, if the first is barren or incurably diseased. The marriage ceremony closely conforms to that common among the Rajput and other castes of Northern India. Bhovri, or the seven circuits taken by the bride and bridegroom round the sacred post, is deemed to be the binding and essential portion of the ceremony. Kanojia Brahmans are engaged to officiate at their marriages. Widows are allowed to marry again and are under no restrictions in their choice of a second husband. Divorce is recognised, and divorced wives may marry again by the same form as widows. If a woman is convicted of an intrigue with a man of a lower caste she is at once excommunicated.

Religion

The religion of the Kahars presents no feature* of special interest. Their favourite deity is Sapta Shringi, of Nasik, whose image is placed in the god's room and worshipped on the Dassera or the 10th of the waxing moon of Aswin, with offerings of flowers, fruit and boiled mutton. They also revere Amba of Tuljapur and other Jocal Hindu gods. Kanojia Brahmans are employed for religious and ceremonial observances.

Child-birth

When a child is born, the umbilical cord is cut and thrown into a river. The mother is unclean for five days and, on the sixth day, the goddess Satwai is worshipped, in the form of stones bedaubed with vermilion. Offerings of limes, fruit, boiled rice and curds are made to the goddess, and five married girls are feasted in her name. Two charcoal figures are painted on the wall and adored with offerings of flowers and sandal paste. On the twelfth day, the mother bathes and, taking the child in her arms, crosses the village boupdary. She picks up a few pebbles of stone from the ground, places them under a tree, and worships them by daubing them with turmeric paste and offering flowers, boiled rice and molasses. After the goddess Satwai has been thus appeased, she returns home and is free to resume her household work.

Disposal of the Dead

The dead are burned in a lying postuie, with the head pointing towards the south. Bodies of persons who are not man-ied are buried. On the third day, the ashes and bones are' collected and thrown into a river. Kahars perform Sradha for the benefit of departed ancestors in general, either on the Diwali (in October) or the Shivaratri festival (in February).

Social Status

The social status of the caste is superior to that of the Bhois and inferior to that of the Maratha Kunbis, from whose hands they eat kachi, or uncooked food. A few of the Kahars in the Hyderabad City say that they eat kachi only ftrom the hands of Kanojia Brahmans and pakki (cooked) from the Bania castes, while they accept water from the hands of the Maratha Bhois. In respect of diet they eat fish, mutton, venison and the flesh of hare, pigeons and quail, but abstain from fowl and pork. They drink spirituous and fermented liquors.

The Kahars have a strong and well organised Pancha^at, on which every head of a family is bound to serve when summoned. Small breaches of social rule are condoned by the nominal punish- ment of giving pan-supari, or betel leaves and areca nuts, and graver faults, by a caste feast. The decisions of the caste council are enforced under pain of expulsion. The council is presided over by a headman. whose office is hereditary and who is shown special honour at all marriages and caste feasts.

Occupation

Palanquin bearing is the chief occupation of the caste ; but as palanquin travelling is no longer the prevailing custom in the country, the members of the caste have taken to cultivation and fishing. Some have enlisted in the army.