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Pdewan: /* Dharukra Brahraans */

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‎Dharukra Brahraans

Pdewan at 00:49, 2 May 2014

2014-05-02T00:49:17Z

Pdewan: Created page with " {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article is an extract from
PANJAB CASTES
SIR DENZIL CHARLES JELF IBBETSON, K.C. S.I.
2014-05-02T00:41:26Z

Created page with " {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%"> This article is an extract from PANJAB CASTES SIR DENZIL CHARLES JELF IBBETSON, K.C. S.I. <br..."

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{| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
This article is an extract from 

PANJAB CASTES 

SIR DENZIL CHARLES JELF IBBETSON, K.C. S.I. 

Being a reprint of the chapter on 
The Races, Castes and Tribes of 
the People in the Report on the 
Census of the Panjab published 
in ''' 1883 ''' by the late Sir Denzil 
Ibbetson, KCSI 

Lahore : 

Printed by the Superintendent, Government Printing, Punjab, 

1916. 
''Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees '' 
''with the contents of this article.''
</div>
|}
[[Category:India|B]]
[[Category:Communities|B]]

==The Gaur Brahman==
There has been much dispute about tbc position of the Gaur from
Which this section is named. Their traditional place of origin is Hariana, and their present
home is the portion of the North-West Provices lying west of Aligarh and Mathra. and the part
of the Panjab defined above ; and they are separated from Bengal by other sections of the caste.
General Cunningbam suggests that Gaur is the old name of Gonda, while Sir George Campbell
would make it another foim of the word Ghaggar. The Gaur Brahmans are far more strict in all
caste observances than the Sarsnt Brabmaus, fiom wboae hands they will not eat broad, and upon
whom they look down.

==The Sarsut Brahman==
is the Brahman of the Panjab Proper, and takes his name from the
Saruswati which lies near his eastern boundary. He is said to be less grasping and quarrel some
Than the Gaur, and he is certainly much less rigid in his observance of caste rules, eating and smok
ing with mobt of the stricter Hiudu castes, such as Bauyas, Khatris, Suds, and Kayatbs. He
gats flesh in the hills, and perhaps in some parts of the plains also.

==The Gujarati and Dakaut Brahmans==

These men are scattered in small numbers all over
the Province. Tb.e Gujarati lirahmans probably belong 1o the Gurjara section already mentioned.
The Dakaut or Dakotra Brahmans are fortune-tellers and astrologers, and came from Northern
Rajputana. They belong to the Panj Gaur group, of which they are sometimes, in Rajputana
which is their home, reckoned as a separate section. The following description is taken Rrom my
Karnal Report : —

Offerings to Brahmans are divided into bar graha for the days of the week, and two
gvahin for Rahu and Ket, the two demons who cause eclipses by attacking the sun and moon.
These parts of a jin (Raksbas), who, when sitting at dinner with the gods and jins,
drank of the nectar of the gods instead of the wine of the jins. The sun and moon told of him
aul Bhagwan cut him into two parts, of which Rahu, including the stomach and therefore the
nectar, is the more worthy. When anybody wishes to offer to Brahmans from llness or other
cause, he consults a Brahman who casts his horoscope and directs which offering of the seven
yraA'is should be made. The gi-ahins Ave most commonly offered during an eclipse, that to
Rabu being given at the begiuning, and that to Ket at the end of the transit. The Gaur
Brahmans will not take any black offerings, such as a buffalo or goat, iron, sesame {tib or urad,
black blankets or clothes, salt, &c., nor oil, second-hand clothes, green clothes, nov gatnaja,
which is seven grains mixed with a piece of iron in them ; these belonging to the grahe whose
offerings are forbidden to them. An exception, however, is made in favour of a black cow.

The Gujarati or Bias Brahmans who came from Gujarat in Sindh are in some respects rp
the highest class of all Brahmans ; they are always fed first ; and they bless a Gaur when they
meet him, while they will not eat ordinary bread from his hands. They are fed on the 12th
day after death, and the Gaurs will not eat on the 13th day if this has not been done. But
they take inauspicious offerings. To them appertain especially the Rahu offerings made at an
eclipse. They will not take oil, sesame, goats, or green or dirty clothes ; but will take old clothes
if washed, buffaloes, and satnaja. They also take a special offering to Rahu made by a sick
person, who puts gold in gln, looks at his face in it, and gives it to a Gujrati, or who weighs
himself against satnaja and makes an off'ering of the grain. A buffalo which has been possessed
'• by a devil to that degree that he has got on to the top of a house (no difficult feat in a village)
or a foal dropped in the month of Sawan, or buffalo calf in Mag, are given to the Gujarati as
being unlucky. No Gaur would take them. At every harvest the Gujarati takes a small allow
ance {seori) of grain from the thrashing floor, just as does the Gaur.

The Dakauts came from Agroha in the Dakhau. Raja Jasrat, father of Ramchandar,
bad excited the anger of Saturday by worshipping all the other graham but him. Saturday
accordingly rained fire on Jasrat's city of Ajudhia. Jasrat wished to propitiate him, but the
Brahmans feared to take the offering for dread of the consequences ; so Jasrat made from the
dirt of his body one Daka Rishi who took the offerings, and was the ancestor of Dakauts by a
Sndra woman. The other Brahmans, however, disowned him ; so Jasrat consoled him by pro
mising that all Brahmans should in future consult his cbiUlren. The promise has been fulfilled.
The Dakauts are pre-eminent as astrologers and soothsayers, and are consulted by every class
on all subjects but the dates of weddings and the names of children, on wlnch the Gaurs advise.
They are the scape-goats of the Hindu religion; and their fate is to receive all the unlucky
off'erings which no other Brahman will take, such as black things and dirty clothes. Especially
they take the offerings of Wednesday, Saturday, and ket. They are so unlucky that no Brah
man will accept their offerings ; and if they wish to make them they have to give them to their
own sister's sons. No Hindu of any caste will eat any sort of food at their bands, and at
weddings they sit with tho lower castes ; though of course they only eat food cooked by a
Brahman. In old days they possessed the power of prophecy up to 10-30 A.M.; but this has
now failed them. They and the Gujuratis are always at enmity, because, as they take many
of the same offerings, their interests clash.

The Pushkarna Brahmans take their name from the sacred lake of Pushkar or Pokhar
near Ajmer. One section of them is said to have been origmally Beldars or Ods who were raised
To Brahminical rank as a reward frr excavating the tank. They still worehip the pickaxe.
They are the hereditary Brahinars of the Rajputara Ehatlas, and are mere strict in caste matters
than the Sarsrit. They are found in some rmnthers in the western districts of the Panjab.

==The Mahabrahman or Acharj==
This is the Brahman who performs the funeral ceremonies.
After the cremation he is seated on the dead man's bedstead and the soth lift him up, hedstead
and all, and make obeisance to him. He then receives the hedstead and all the wearing apparel
of the dead man. He rides on a donkey, and is considered so impure thai in many villages he is
not allowed to come inside the gate.

==The Muhial, Moyal or Mial Brahmans==
This is a sub-section of the Sarsut section, who are
said to be so named from the seven Muhins or clans of which they consist. They are almost
confined to the sub-montane Salt-range Tract. They say that certain of their ancestors rose to
high position under the Mughals, since when they have abandoned all performance of priestly
functions or claim to a sacerdotal character, and cultivate laud, but especially take service in the
army or as clerks. They object to be called Brahn ans, as the enlistment of Erahmans is said to
be forbidden in our army. This is their own account ; but in Haznra proper the Muhials perform
priestly functions and receive alms and oblations just like other Brahnmns. Another story derives
their name from a place called Mava, ' now deserted.'

==Dharukra Brahraans==
are Gaur Brahmans of the Dehli Territory who have taken to widow
marriage, and with whom other Brahmans will not intermarry. They are much the same as the
Dasa or Doghla Brahmans.

==Chamarwa and Gurra Brahmans==
These are the Brahmans who minister to the Chamars,
Aheris, and other outcastes. They are not recognized as Brahmans by the other classes ; and
though they wear the sacred thread it is perhaps possible that their claim to Brahman origin is
unfounded. Yet on the whole it seems most probable that they are true Brahmans by descent, but
have fallen from their high position. They are often called Chamarwa Sddhs.

@@ Line 240: / Line 240: @@
 their name from a place called Mava, ' now deserted.'
-==Dharukra Brahraans==
+==Dharukra Brahman==
 are Gaur Brahmans of the Dehli Territory who have taken to widow
 marriage, and with whom other Brahmans will not intermarry. They are much the same as the

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 [[Category:India|B]]
 [[Category:Communities|B]]
 ==The Gaur Brahman==