Volume 1

Rambles and recollections of an Indian official / [Sir William Henry Sleeman].

  • William Henry Sleeman
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Rambles and recollections of an Indian official / [Sir William Henry Sleeman]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Nc.' To these may be added the little banker, or agricultural capitalist, the shopkeeper, the brazier, the con- fectioner, the ironmonger, the weaver, the dyer, the astronomer, or astrologer, who points out to the people the lucky day for every earthly undertaking, and the prescribed times for all religious ceremonies and observances. In .some villages the whole of the lands are parcelled out among cultivating proprietors, and are liable to eternal subdivisions by the law of inheritance, which gives to each son the same share. In others, the whole of the lands are parcelled out among cultivators, who hold them on a specific lease for limited periods from a proprietor who holds the whole collectively under government, at a rate of rent fixed either permanently or for limited periods. 4'hese are the two extremes. There are but few villages in which all the cultivators are considered as proprietors—at least but few in our Nerbudda territories ; and these will almost invariably be found of a caste of Brahmans or a caste of Rajputs, descended from a common ancestor, to whom the estate was originally given in rent-free tenure, or at a quit- rent, by the existing government for his prayers as a priest, or his services as a soldier. Subsequent governments, which resumed unceremoniously the estates of others, were deterred from resuming these by a dread of the curses of ‘ In some parts of Central and Southern India, the “ Garpagri,” v.ho charms away hail-storms from the crops, and “ Bhumka,” who charms away tigers from the people and their cattle, are added to the number of village servants. [W. H. S.] “ In many parts of Berar and Malwa every village has its ‘bhumka,' whose office it is to charm the tigers; and its ‘garpagri,’ whose duty it is to keep oft the hail-storms. They are part of the village servants, and paid by the village community. After a severe hail-storm took place in the district of Narsinghpur, of which I had the civil charge in 1823, the office of ‘ garpagri ’ was restored to several villages in which it had ceased for several generations. They are all Brahmans, and take advantage of such calamities to impress the people with an opinion of their usefulness. The ‘bhumkas’ are all Conds, or people of the woods, who worship their own Lares and Penates.” {Kaniasccana, Introduction, p. 13, note.)
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