Bhandari
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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Contents |
Bhandari
Origin and Internal structure
Napit Hajam the barber caste of Orissa. The name Bhandari or store-keeper is supposed to have reference to the position of trust and influence which the barber often occupies in the house hold of a Hindu landholder. In Orissa the caste claim to be the modern representatives of the Sudras of early Indian tradition; but they are usually classed among the mixed castes, and believed to be the offspring of a Kshatriya father and a Sudra mother. There are seven sub-castes-Bangali, Dakhini, Desi, Kharia, Khurda, Gola, and Hatua. Of these, the Bangali and Dakhini are immigrants from Bengal and Madras respectively, the Desi are indigenous to Orissa, adn Khurda are supposed to have come from the estate of that name in Puri district. The Kharia. and IIatua sub-castes are found in Cuttack, the former being barbers who have for the most part given up their traditional occupation and taken to making salt and letting out pack-bullocks for hire; while the latter are an itinerant class of barbers who are attached to no particular village, but wander about plying their trade wherever they can find customers. The sections of the caste, which are shown in the Appen¬dix, appear to have been borrowed from the Brabmanical system.
Marriages
Bhandaris marry their daughters as infants, and regard it as a breach of a distinct religious obligation if a girl remains unmarried at the age of puberty. Such cases, however, do occur sometimes, when a girl's parents are poor or wben some personal bl emish renders it difficult to procure a husband for her. The ceremony is supposed to be identical with the pray'dpatya form referred to by Manu. Its essential portion is hastagrinthi, or binding together the hands of the bride and bridegroom with a wisp of kusa grass. Polygamy is permitted to the extent that a man may take a second wife if the first is barren, suffers from an incurable disease, or has certain specified physical defects.
A widow is allowed to marry again, and is generally expected to marry her late husband's younger brother if there is one. She may, however, marry any member of the caste outside the prohibited degrees of kinship. The ceremony in use at the marriage of a widow is called thai, , change of place,' and is per¬formed under the supervision of the bridegroom's family priest, who receives claksltina for his services. It commences with the worship of an earthen vessel filled with water, and is completed by putting shell and brass bracelets (sanklta and kat/wi) on the bride's wrists and smearing vermilion on her forehead. The status of a widow thus mflrried, though clearly distinguished from that of 11 mere concubine, is deemed inferior to that of a woman who has been married att a virgin by the full jJmy'apatya ritual. The caste council (panchayat) may grant a divorce (cMarda-patra) to a husband if it be proved before them that his wife has committed adultery. P ending the
decision of the case the husband is held to be unclean, and he must blU'n a kusa grass figlU'e of his wife and give a feast to the pancbayat before he can be again admitted to social intercolU'se. Divorced wives get alimony for six months, and may marry again by the form used at the remarriage of a widow, but they must first perform an expiatory ceremony of the same general character as that demanded from a husband who applies for a divorce.
Religion
All Bhandaris are Vaishnavas, and conform in the course of their regular worship to the precepts of that sect. They also regard Visvakarma. as the patron of their craft, and on the fOlU'th day of the Durga Puja the razors, scissors, and the mirror, which they deem the special emblem of their caste, are laid before his image with offerings of sweetmeats and flowers, while for three days all members of the caste rest from their usual avocations. In this, as in other religious offices performed in honour of the rogular IIindu gods, Bhand,his employ Brahmans, who are received on equal terms by other members of the sacred order. The village goddess, Gram-devati, on the other hand, is worshipped by the heads of households, unassisted by Brah¬ mans, with o:fferings of fruits, sweetmeats, and parched grain. No special day is set apart for these sacrifices, but Sundays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, and the first day of every month are believed to be auspicious times for approaching the goddess. Some Bhandaris are sebdyats or secular priests of Gram-devati, and in this capacity hold small grants of rent-free land.
Disposal of the dead
The dead are usually burned, but the bodies of children and women who die in child-birth are buried. When a pregnant women dies before delivery,her body is cut open and the child taken out, both corpses being then buried in the same grave. Sn:iddh is performed in the regular fashion on the eleventh day after death. O:fferings are also made on the anniversary of the death of near relatives, and a sraddh is performed for remote ancestors at the MaMlaya festival and on the night of the Kali Puja.
Social status
The social standing of the caste is respectable. A Brahman will not only take water from the hands of a Bhandari, but will go to his house as a guest and partake there of any food that has been cooked by a Brahman. Their own practice in matters of diet is in accordance with that of orthodox Hindus. They eat pakki food with members of the Nabasakh only, and will only take the leavings of their own spiritual guide (guru). As a rule they practise their hereditary profession, and hold their homestead lands rent-free in consideration of the services rendered by them to the village community. Others, again, have special tenures (Miami /agi1-) created by the former rulers of the country. Comparatively few have regularly taken to agriculture, and most of these are tMni 1'aiyat,s with rights of occupancy. Zemindr:irs, however, and ldkhira/clars, are occasionally met with among them.
The following statement shows the number and distribution of Bhandaris in 1872 and 1881 ;¬
Bhandari: Deccan
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 |
Origin and Internal Structure
Bhandari, Shingade, Sanaiwad — a smell caste of temple musicians found in all districts of the Dominions. A popular tradition represents them as having sprung front, the matted hair of the god Siva. Bhandaris have no endogamous divisions, while their exogamous sections are mostly of the territorial type. Some of them are : —
Marriage
A man cannot marry a woman belonging to his own section, but he may marry the daughter of his maternal uncle or elder sister. Two sisters may be married to the same man.
Bhandaris marry their daughters as infants. A bride-price, ranging from Rs10 to Rs40, is paid to the parents of the girl.
Previous to the marriage ceremony Khandoba and other tutelary deities are worshipped. The marriage ceremony is of the orthodox type and does not differ from that in practice among the higher castes. Widows are allowed to marry again and divorce is recognised. Divorced wives may marry again by the same rites as widows.
Religion
Khandoba and Bhavani are the chief objects of their worship. Departed ancestors are honoured in the form of Virs and Munjyas, who are represented either by earthen balls smeared with vermilion, or by engravings of human forms on silver or copper. They have a strong belief in ghosts and magic, and in sickness the ghost is identified and appeased. Brahmans are employed in the marriage ceremony and the worship of Satya Narayan.
Disposal of the Dead
The dead are buried In a sitting posture with the face pointing to the east. Jangams officiate at the funeral ceremonies.
Social Status
Socially, they rank below telis, or oilmen, and darzis, or tailors ; they eat pork, fowl and mutton and drink spirituous and fermented liquors. They do not eat the leavings of other castes.
Occupation
They are temple musicians and play on the sanai,' a pipe, samhal, a drum, and cymbals, and blow the shinga or conch at the worship of the temple deity. They also make leaf-plat;s and cups. They have a caste Panchdyat presided over by a mehatarya or chaudhari.
