Bhuinmali, Bhusundar
This article is an extract from
THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. Ethnographic Glossary. Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. . |
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Bhuinmali, Bhusundar
Origin
A cultivating, palanquin-bearing, and menial caste of Eastern Bengal, generally considered to be the remnant of an aboriginal tribe which embraced Hinduism, and accepted a servile position in relation to the Hindus of Eastern Bengal. This is likely enough, as instances are not wanting where it can be shown that the demand for labour in servile occupations, such as palanquin-bearing, was met by admitting aborigines to limited participation in the privileges of Hindus. In Dinajpur the names Hari and Bhuinmali are used as synonyms, and it seems probable that the Bhuinmalis of the east are really the Haris of other parts of Bengal disguised under a more high-sounding name. According to Dr. Wise, the Dacca Bhuinmalis assert that they were originally Slidras, degraded in consequence of the following absurd incident: Parvatl obtained permission from her husband, Siva, to give a feast to her worshippers on earth, All castes were assembled at the entertainment, and in the midst of the enjoyment a luckless Bhuinmali was overheard saying, "If I had such a beautiful woman in my house, I would cheerfully perform the most menial offices for her." Siva did not allow the speaker to retract what he had said, but gave him a beautiful wife and made him her sweeper. In confirmation of this legend a Bengali proverb defines the Bhlilnmall as the only Hindu ever degraded for love of garbage.
Internal structure
The Bhuinmali caste has two main sub-castes, the Barabhagiya and Chhotta-bhagiya, who never intermarry or hold social intercourse with each other. The former are chiefly cultivators, musicians, and palki-bearers; the latter scavengers, looking down with contempt on the Dom, Mehtar, and Halalkhors, who, after work, enter their houses without bathing, and allow their females to labour at the same offensive trade. At Sarail in Tipperah, Bhuinmalis keep swine, but these recreants are not acknowledged as brethren. In certain villages the Bhuinmali has ceased to be a professional musician and become a chaukidar, or watchman. No member of the caste ever keeps a shop, as he would have no customers, while want of capital precludes him from engaging in trade. A third division of the Bhuinmalf caste is known as Mitra Seni Behilras, tracing their descent from Mitra Sen, the reputed son or relative of Ballal Sen, and claiming to be the original bearers of Bengal. They cultivate the soil, and are in great request as household servants by Hindu families. Although the same Brahman officiates, the cultivating Barabhilgiya despises the cultivating Mitra Senl, and declines to eat with them. These palanquin-bearers, again, will not carry torches, and look down upon those who do.
Occupation
Although the caste has split up into divisions, following special occupations, the Bhuinmali is properly one of occupation. the village servants employed in cutting down brushwood, repairing footpaths, sweeping the outside of the zamindar's house, removing carcasses from the village, and preparing the marocha or marriage area, for doing which he receives one rupee, if the marriage is that of a village boy, and eight annas if that of a girl. lie is likewise the masalcbl engaged to carry the torch at Hindu weddings. A Bhuinmali sweeper never enters a Hindu house to pollute it; but a maiden, called dasl or chhohl, is engaged to sweep the floors of rooms and passages. Bhuinmali women are sometimes employed as midwives or domestic servants. The Bhuinmali levels the space where the sraddha is held, constructs the small shed in which the votive offerings are placed, and) when a sacrifice IS to be made, smears the ground with cowdung.
1f the victim is killer in the morning, the flesh is distributed among Brahmans and clean Sudras; but if it is a sandhya or evening sacrifice, everything, including the cloth by which the animal is bound, becomes the perquisite of the Bhuinmali He also prepares and plasters the mound on which the Vastu Puja is celebrated, receiving the ram as his remuneration, and, whenever a new house is built, he smears cowdung over the sides only, as he would lose caste if he touched the interior. Hindus of all castes smear the inside and steps of their own houses, but never those of others. The Bhuinmali is the culy native who will bedaub a strange house.
Marriage and religion
The gotras among the Bhulnmali of Dacoa are Parasara and Aliman, the latter being only found along the Marriage and religion. banks of the old Brahmaputra. Both have clearly been borrowed from the higher castes. Marriage within the gotra is not prohibited. The caste has a degraded Brahman as purohit, and their washermen and barbers are members of the caste. 'The Bhuinmali generally worship Krishna, and celebrate all the popular Hindu festivals. Along the Lakhya "Kawaj," who is probably the same as Kwajah Khizr, is invoked, as is also Pir Badr. Like the Hindu and Muhammadan peasantry generally, the Bhuinmali abstains from work dming the three days known as "Ambuvachi," which last from the tenth to the thirteenth of the waning moon of Asharh (June-July), when the earth is believed to be impure and no Hindu can dig, plough, or even touch it.
Social status
Although most anxious to represent themselves as Sudras, by aping the prejudices of the higher rauks, the Bhuinmali are contemned,and obliged to live on the outskirts of villages apart from the Hindus, and to perform any menial work that is required of them. Like other low castes, the Bhuinmali now-a-days have abjured pork. Until the last twenty years they associated on friendly terms with the chandals, and would eat in a chandal's house. They now decline to eat with, or eve n to work for, members of this caste, although they serve others quite as low. the following statement shows the number and distribution of Bhuinmalis in 1872 and 1881 :¬
