Tanti, Tantuvaya
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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Tanti, Tantuvaya
This is one of the most interesting castes in Bengal. The produce of their looms has been celebrated from the earliest historical times, and the weavers have suffered more from the vicissitudes of the last century than any other class. According to their own traditions, they were brought from Maldah early in the seventeenth century, and settled in the new metrpolis of the province, receiving great encouragement from the Mughal Viceroys, and the ladies of the Delhi court, who obtained their beautiful muslins from Dacca.
Although "Dacca Muslins" have acquired a worldwide celebrity, the number of weavers at the present day in Eastern Bengal is small. In 1872 there were 358,689 Tantis in Bengal, of whom only 31,457, or 8 per cent, resided in the nine eastern districts, while nearly one-third belonged to the Midnapore district. In the Dacca district 8,906 persons were returned.
The Tantis of the city of Dacca, who form the richest and most important body, have separated into two Sreni, or associations, called Bara-bhagiya, or Jhampaniya, from the "Jhampan," or sedan chair in which the bridegroom sits, and Chhota-bhagiya, of Kayath origin, who becoming weavers were expelled from their caste. The former number at least ten to one of the latter.
The gotras of the Bara-bhagiya are�
Bharadvaja, Aliman, Parasara, Sandilaya, Gautama, Vyasa, Madhu Kuliya, Kasyapa, Kulya Rishi, Savarna, Agastya Rishi, Magi. Baisakh is the name assumed by all, although the designation was originally taken by rich persons, who had given up weaving and become cloth merchants. A few titles inherited from their forefathers, employed as weavers in the Aurang, or Company's factory, are still preserved: "Jachandar," appraiser; "Muhkim," supervisor; "Dalal," broker; and "Sirdar," are the most common. Family nicknames are perhaps oftener met with than in any other caste, and households, called Mesha (sheep) and Chhagri (goat), are well known to the citizens, having, it is supposed, been acquired because their ancestors had accidentally killed these animals.
With few exceptions Tantis are Vaishnavas, being probably the most obsequious disciples of the Khardah Gosains. They have no Panchait, and no headman, but the rich guide and instruct their poorer brethren, while the trade interests of the caste are secured by the supervision of powerful Dals, or guilds, presided over by a Dalpati, or director.
Although he holds a degraded position in Bihar, the Tanti has had sufficient influence in Bengal to raise himself to the grade of clean Sudra, having the same Purohit as the Nava-Sakha. The purity of a Tanti depends on the quality of the starch used in weaving. The Sudra weaver prepares starch from parched rice boiled in water, or "Kai," which is not according to Hindu ideas, "Ento," or, as Muhammadans call it, "Jhutha," leavings. Impure weavers, as the Jogis, make starch (Mar) by merely boiling rice, a process that is considered utterly abhorrent.
A peculiar subdivision of outcaste Tantis belonging to a Magi Sreni reside in Mag Bazar, a suburb of Dacca, who, though excommunicated for the same reasons as the Magi Kumars, conform to all the customs of the Sudra Tanti.
The Dacca Tantis have always been celebrated for the magnificent procession which parades the streets of the city on the Janmashtami, or birthday of their god Krishna, in Bhadra (Aug.-Sept.). As long as a Nawab lived at Dacca, his troopers and band led the pageant, and at the present day, though divested of many of its attractions, it is still the most popular exhibition in Eastern Bengal. For many generations the Dacca weavers have resided in two quarters of the city, Tanti Bazar and Nawabpur, and on the day following the birthday of Krishna a procession issues from each of these quarters, and perambulates, the streets. In 1853 the processsons met, and a faction fight ensued. In 1855 the Government ordered that for the future they should never be permitted to come out on the same day, and each quarter, therefore, takes precedence on alternate years, the peace of the city having been so far assured.
Krishna is worshipped by the Tanti Bazar section under the form of Murali Mohan; by the Nawabpur, as the Saligram, or Lukhi Narayana.
At the present day the processsons are preceded by a string of elephants, and a "Panja," or model of a hand, presented by a former Nawab, is borne aloft as at the Muharram pageant.
The peculiar part of the cavalcade, however, are the "Misls," or raised platforms, carried on men's shoulders. On these are placed images of Hindu gods, figures, and often caricatures of local celebrities. On others are Nach girls and buffoons reciting comic songs, and bandying chaff with the crowd. In fact, the anniversary and the show have come to be regarded as the occasion of a holiday, when thousands of villagers throng the city bent on pleasure and amusement, which are more considered than the deity in whose honour it is held.
There is, however, another class of Tantis settled in Eastern Bengal, quite distinct from the city weavers, claiming to be the descendants of the original Tantis of Bengal, who supplied the people with cotton fabrics for ages before the reign of Jahangir. Although assuming a superiority over the Baisakhs, which is not conceded, there can be little doubt that these Banga Tantis were earlier settlers in Bengal than their rivals.
The Banga Tantis observe with especial pomp the Kamadeva Pujah, or worship of the Indian Cupid, which, though generally neglected in Bengal, and entirely omitted by the Jhampaniya Tantis, is still kept up in Bhowal, Kamrup, and the districts bordering on that country. It is undoubtedly a worship of earlier origin than that of Krishna. On the Madana Chaturdasi, or fourteenth day of the waxing moon of Chait (March-April), the festival is held, but it does not last for seven days as formerly. The Purohit officiates, no victims being sacrificed.
The Banga Tantis, moreover, celebrate the Janmashtami, but in a different way from the Baisakhs. Two boys, gorgeously dressed, representing Krishna and his foster-father, Nanda Gop, are carried about in great state, and with much discordant noise.
The Visvakarma worship is observed on the usual day, and, as with the Baisakhs, the loom, shuttle, and other implements of weaving are adored.
The Banga Tantis are chiefly settled at Dhamrai, an old town about twenty miles north of Dacca, where they occupy about two hundred and fifty houses. Their bridal dresses are white, and not of red or other coloured silk, as with the Dacca weavers. They manufacture the native "Sari," and "Chadar," as well as Doriya and Nau-batti muslins, which are sent to Dacca to be embroidered. At Dhamrai the famous female spinners (Katani), who wind the fine native thread, are still found, but in no other part of Eastern Bengal. In illustration of the delicate touch of these spinners, the story goes, that one of them wound eighty-eight yards of thread on a reel which only weighed one "Rati," or two grains. Nowadays a Rati of the finest thread equals seventy yards, which proves that either a coarser cotton is grown, or the women have lost their delicate sensibility of touch.
The Chhota-bhagiya, or Kayath Tantis, formerly goldsmiths, took to weaving as a more profitable trade, and now eat with, and visit the Baisakhs, although they do not reciprocate the politeness. The richer families having always adopted the prerogatives of the Kayaths, have been recognised, and if wealthy, receive wives from them. At present only from twenty to twenty-five houses in Dacca are occupied by them, and several households work as goldsmiths, bankers, and engravers (Naqqash).
Five different sorts of cloth were manufactured by the Dacca Tantis in their palmy days, but the art of making the finer qualities has been lost. The five varieties were�
1. Malmal. Muslins of the first quality included the "Abrawan,"1 "Tanzib," and "Malmal" made of Desi cotton or Kapas; of the second quality were the "Shabnam," "Khacah," "Jhuna," "Sarkar 'Ali," "Ganga Jal," and "Terindam,"2 of the third were the coarser muslins, collectively called "Baftah," comprising "Hammam," "Dimti" (?Dimyati), "San," "Jangal Khacah," and "Gala-band." 2. Doriya, striped and ribbed muslins, such as "Raj-kot," "Dakhan," Padshahi-dar," "Kunti-dar," "Kaghazi," and "Kela-pat." 3. Char-Khanah, checkered muslins, such as "Nandan-shahi," "Anar-dana," "Kabutar-khopi," "Sa-Kutta," "Bachha-dar," and "Kunti-dar." 4 Jamdani, by the early European traders called "Nain-sukh,"3 or embroidered muslins. The different sorts are distinguished by the coloured flowers, sprigs (Buti), or network pattern on them. The commonest are "Shah-barga-buti," "Chawal," "Mel," "Tirchha," and "Dubli-jal." 5. Kashida, or Chikan, muslins embroidered with Muga, or Tasar silk, generally dyed red, blue, or yellow. The commoner ones are "Kataw-Rumi," "Naubatti" or "Naubati," "Yahudi," "Azizullah," and "Samundar Lahar."
The common Dhoti, Chadar, and Orhni, or wrapper with a coloured or embroidered end, were always regarded as distinct
1 Abrawan, literally running water, was solely made for the Delhi Zananah, and the follwoing stories regarding its gossamer-like texture are still told by the natives. A daughter of Aurangzib, one day on entering the room, was reburked for wearing immodest drapery, but justified her conduct on the plea that she was wearing seven suits (Jama). Again, in the reign of 'Ali Vardi Khan (1742-56), a Dacca Tanti was flogged, and banished from the city for not preventing his cow from eating up a web of Abrawan, which had been laid out to bleach on the grass.
2 Probably from Arabic Tarah, mode, and Persian Andam, figure.
3 Nayana-Sukha, pleasing to the eye.
from the foregoing being woven at their homes by weavers of various castes.
On glancing over the preceding list one is struck by the predominance of Arabic, Persian, and Hindi words, and the rarity of Sanskrit and Bengali.
That weaving, like other native arts, was known in Hindustan prior to the foundation of the Bengal kingdom is beyond a doubt, and that the earlier settlers brought it with them into the Delta is likely, but it would seem that either the names given by the dominant Muhammadans displaced the native ones, or that the liberal Mussulman rulers stimulated, it may be developed, the manufacture of the finer sorts of mslins. That the inhabitants of Bengal at an early period made cotton cloth of wondrous fineness is undoubted, for the two Muhammadan travellers of the ninth century mention that in an Indian country called Rahmi1 were woven cotton garments "so fine that they may be drawn through a ring of middling size." Unfortunately we possess no further evidence until A.D. 1506, three hundred years after the Muhammadan conquest, when the Roman Vartomannus2 visited the fabled city of Bengalla, where the finest cotton and silk in all the world was produced, and whence yearly sailed fifty ships laden with cotton and silk goods. The earliest traveller, however, who gives us the names of the fine cotton fabrics of Bengal, is the Arab author of the "Muhit," written in 1554.3 He mentions among the goods exported from Chittagong by his countrymen a fine cloth (Chautar), muslin sashes, called Malmal, the finest being known as Malmali Shahi, terms which are Hindi and Persian. Furthermore, when Caesar Frederick visited Chittagong (1563-81), "bombast cloth of every sort" was exported thence. After his day the authorities are numerous, and names identical with those in use in the present day are cited.
The conjecture that the Muhammadans merely developed an already flourishing trade is strengthened by the fact that the terms in use by the Dacca weavers for the warp, woof, shuttle, and loom generally are Sanskrit, while later improvements, such as the Shana, or reed, the Charkha, or spinning wheel, and the Dafti, or reed frame, are Persian.
The decline of the cotton trade of Eastern Bengal has been sketched by a former resident of Dacca, Mr. James Taylor,4
1 Rahmi, however, may not be Bengal, but as it was the country of elephants, of a shell currency,and of the"Karkandan," or unicorn (rhinoceros), the assumption is not altogether groundless. Elliot's "History of India, vol. i, 361.
2 "Ludovici Vartomanni Navigatio," p. 259.
3 Journal " A S. of Bengal," vol. v, 467.
4 "A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Cotton Manufacture of Dacca, in Bengal," by a former resident of Dacca. London, 1851.
while much curious information is contained in Mr. Bolt's "Considerations," and in the works of Edmund Burke. Under the Mughal government, and even as late as the Nawabship of 'Ali Vardi Khan (1742-56), the weavers manufactured in perfect liberty, and the enterprising among them advanced money to promote the trade, but with Siraj-ud-daulah (1756-7) the decadence began, and, during his eventful reign, seven hundred families of weavers left their homes at Jagalbari, in Mymensingh, owing to oppression, and emigrated to other districts. Before 1765, when the English obtained the Diwani of Bengal, bullion was regularly imported from Europe to meet the requirements of the traders, but after that day advances were made from the provincial treasuries to buy the annual stock, or "investment." This gave a new and unprecedented stimulus to weaving, and in 1787, the most prosperous year on record, the estimated prime cost of the cloths entered at the custom house of Dacca amounted to fifty lakhs of rupees, or 625,000l. This prosperity, however, was very deceptive, being founded on injustice and intolerable oppression. The first decline may be traced to the rapacity of the "Banyans" and Gomastas, who arbitrarily decided the quantity of goods each weaver was to deliver, the prices he was to receive, while his name being entered oa a register, he was not permitted to work for anyone but his own Gomasta. When the annual supply was ready the Gomasta held a bazar at which the Jachandar, or appraiser, fixed the price of the goods, but the rascality, Mr. Bolts says,1 was beyond imagination, and the prices were often fifteen per cent, often forty, below the market rate.
The deplorable condition of the weavers in 1773 is depicted in the following extract from a letter written by Mr. Rouse, the chief of Dacca.2 "The weavers are in general a timid, helpless people; many of them poor to the utmost degree of wretchedness, incapable of keeping accounts, industrious as it were by instinct, unable to defend themselves if oppressed, and satisfied if with continual labour they derive from the fair dealing and humanity of their employer a moderate subsistence for their families."
The following incident that occurred in 1767 gives a vivid idea of the state of matters in Dacca at that period. Mr. Thomas Kelsall, chief of Dacca, being informed that a certain weaver, Krishna Pal Kumar, was suspected of selling muslins to the French factory, ordered him to be seized, but he found shelter with the French. His relatives, however, were imprisoned and beaten, and their houses pillaged. Upon this the weaver gave himself up to the Diwan, Bhikam Lal Thakur, who ordered him to be flogged, after which he was confined in the factory for eleven days, during which time the Peons fleeced him of forty-nine rupees and two pieces of cloth. By Mr. Kelsall's order his head was shaved, his face blackened "with lime and ink," and being mounted on an ox,1 he was paraded through Nawabpur, where the brokers and Paikars lived. After three more days the accused was forwarded to the Nawab for trial, who, finding no fault, discharged him.
This hateful system was at last swept away, and the weavers for a short time enjoyed comparative freedom of trade, and unusual prosperity; but in 1769 Arkwright obtained his patent, in 1779 Crompton invented the mule, and the cotton manufactures of Lancashire have gradually driven the finer and less durable fabrics of the Bengali weavers out of the market, and all but annihilated the trade.
1 "Considerations," part i, 193.
2 Burke's Works (Bohn's Edition), iv, 73.
(a)Hindustani Tantis
The Hindustani, or Mungirya, weavers are very common in Dacca, where they comprehend a large proportion of the "Mothias," or coolies, street porters, pankha pullers, gardeners, aud packers of jute while at home they are weavers and cultivators.
Two divisions are met with, the Kanaujiya and Tirhutiya; the former the more numerous, being of higher rank than the latter, who are despised and shut out from all social intercourse.
In Bihar the Tanti is unclean; in Dacca he is included among the Nava Sakha.
The Kanaujiya have one gotra, the Kasyapa. They worship "Maha-maya," or Durga, in fulfilment of vows, keeping the ninth and tenth days of the Durga Pujah as holydays, consecrated to her. On a certain date in Kartik, they proceed to an open plain, and sacrifice a male goat to Kali, a "Khaci" to Madhu Kunwar, who, they say, was a Tanti.
On the sixth day after a birth the Chhathi is held, and on the twelfth the mother goes to the well, smears red lead on the edge in the name of Kamals (Lakshmi), then draws water and carries it within doors, when she is pronounced clean.
The Tirhutiya, degraded by carrying palanquins, and by acting as musicians at their homes, collect in Dacca during the jute season, and are remarkable for their squalor and stupidity. They also work as syces, gardeners, boatmen and musicians.
1 A donkey was the animal usualy employed, but it does not live in the camp climate of Dacca. This punishment is called by the Hindus "Gadhe par charhana; " by the Muhammadans "Tashhir."
Flesh and fish are eaten by them, and each time spirits are drunk a few drops are offered to Mahadeva. All belong to one gotra, the Parasara. A Hindustani Brahman officiates at religious ceremonies, and the Guru is usually a Sannyasi. The title of Brahman is conferred on the sister's son (Bhanja), and great deference is paid him, although through ignorance unable to preside at the family assembly.
Kali, durga, and Mahadeva are worshipped, but the majority follow the teaching of one Buddh Ram, a Mochi of Tirhut, who founded a sect, differing in some slight respects from that of Nanak Shah. They observe few caste usages, but many superstitious rites, such as burning "Ghi" in a lamp and adding rosin, in execution of vows.
The Levirate marriage is still lawful, and the purificatory ceremonies performed on the twelfth day are the same as those of the Kanaujiya. The wedding expenses are borne by the bridegroom, and the bride is carried with much parade in a palanquin, enclosed with curtains (Mihaffa).
In Tirhut Tantis weave, grow opium, and cultivate the soil.
With both classes of Tantis, the headman, Sirdar, or Mahto, is a very important personage, who accepts contracts, acts as purveyor, and keeps all accounts.
