Sarak, Chota Nagpur
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Sarak, Chota Nagpur
This section has been extracted from THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. Ethnographic Glossary. Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. . |
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Origin
A small caste of Chota Nagpur, who seem to be a Hinduied remnant of the early Jain people, to whom local legends ascribe the ruined temples, the defaced images, and even the abandoned copper mines of that part of Bengal. The temples and images indeed are proved by their well-marked and characteristic symbolism to be the handiwork of Jain artists, while there is nothing prima facie improb¬able in the supposition that the mines also may be due to the energy of this comparatively civilised race, whose well-wrought stone pillars and lintels far surpass anything that the present inhabitants of the province can execute. N either history nor tradition throws any clear light upon the cause, wbich compelled these peaceful settlers to desert the pictmesque valleys, where we find ve tiges of their faith; but if we may suppose the majority of them to have been gradually driven out by the incul'sion of the non¬Aryan races, nothing would be more likely than that the remnant who remained behind, surrounded as they were by barbarians of alien blood and religion, should have hardened into a caste such as the Saraks form at the present day.
Internal structure and marriage
The Saraks have no sub-castes. Their sections are of the eponymous type, and this fact, coupled with their comparatively refined cast of features and light compeXlon, seems to confirm thell' claIms to be deemed of Aryan descent,. The prohibited degrees are the same as in the case of high-caste Hindus. They marry their daughters as infants, forbid widows to remarry, and do not recognize divorce. Polygamy is permitted in so far that a man may take a second wife if he has no hope of obtaining male issue by his first wife. The mflrriage ceremony is of the standard type.
Religion
The Sanlks of Manbbum, while retaining the tradition that their ancestors were Jains, appear themselves to have completely adopted Hinduism. They worship the ordinary Hindu gods with the assistance of Brahmans; nor have they retained, as might perhaps bave been expected, any of the characteristic ti,"thanka1'as or glorified saints of the J ains under the disguise of minor or household gods. In L ohardaga, on the other hand, ParswancHh, the twenty-third ti"thanka1'a, who is believed to have attained ni,"vann on Parasnath Hill in Hazaribagh, is still recognized by the Saraks as their chief deity, though they also worship Shyam Chand, Radha Mohan, and J agannath. Brahmans officiate as their priests, and in no way forfeit their social reputation by doing so. In all Jain temples, indeed, the ministrant priests are Brahmans.
Occupation and social status
Saraks are skilful agriculturists, and are credited with having introduced sugarcane cultivation on the plateau of Chota Nagpm. Most of them are occupancy raiyats, and in pargana Sonpur of Lohardaga a few villages are held by Saraks in permanency and at a fixed rent by the tenure known locally as britt-Manda,'. In point of social • standing they rank high, and Brahmans will take water and pakki articles of food from their hands. Saraks themselves retain all the prejudices of the J ains in regard to eating the flesh of any kind of animal, Life may on no account be taken. Their diet therefore consists entirely of vegetables; and it is said that if in preparing their food any mention of the word 'cutting' is made, the omen is deemed so disastrous that every thing must be thrown away. Subject to the e conditions, Saraks will eat the leavings of Brahmans, and will take water or sweetmeats from IHjputs, Baidyas, and Kayasths. The following statement shows the number and distribution of Saraks in ] i:i72 and 1881 :¬
