Kandho

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This article is an extract from

THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. By H.H. RISLEY, INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE, OFFICIER D'ACADÉMIE FRANÇAISE. Ethnographic Glossary. CALCUTTA: Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. .

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Kandho

This is a subdivision of Chandals, formerly palanquin bearers, deriving their names from the Sanskrit Skandha, the shoulder, who still have the Chandal Brahmans and servants working for them. At the present day a few carry palkis, when required, but the majority are boatmen, and cultivators. All are included in a gotra, the Kasyapa. Their principal festivals are the feast of first-fruits, or Lakshmi Pujah, celebrated at the full moon of Kartik (October-November); the Bura-Buri sacrifice on the Paus Sankranti; and of late years the Tri Nath Mela.

Their widows still remarry, and the old Chandal fondness for pork and spirits survives.

The Kandho will carry a Saha, a Mussulman, or a Farangi in a palanquin; but refuse to bear a Jalwah, or fisherman, a Rishi, a Chandal, a Dhoba, or a Bhuinmali. They, moreover, imitate the Kahars in shouting "Ram! Ram! Hari! Hari!" in the act of lifting the pole on to the shoulder.