Punjab States Gazetteers Volume VIII : Simla Hill States

· 1911 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1CHAP. I, ¢.

2Population.

3Réjpats.

4Brshmans,

5Pujdris.

6Mahéjans

7and Khatris,

8Bohras,

918

10BasHauR Sat. } (Pant A.

11Réjptits are usually agriculturists, and some aro employed in

12the service of the State. As remarked in the Punjab Census

13Report of 1901, Réjptit society in the hills is in a state of chaos,

14and there are noreliable data, from which the origin of any par-

15ticular sect or tribe can be ascertained.

16Many of the hill chiefs are believed to be of Brahman origin,

17but nothing definite is known. The Gurkhas are said to have

18destroyed any authentic family records, which were in existence at

19the time of thoir invasion. All that tradition tells us is that the

20Mussulmén conquests forced sevoral Brabmans and Kshatriyas to

21seek refuge in the hills, and that certain of these made themselves

22masters of various tracts of country. Most of tho ruling families

23are very old. They call themselves Rajputs, and have been known

24as such for many generations. Nothing certain can be said further,

25except that some families themsclves say that they are descendants

26of Brahmans. Most of tho non-ruling Réjptits are cadets of one

27of the ruling houses. Their tendency is to fall away from tho

28orthodox cnstoms of their tribo, and after some generations to

29become halbdéhu or ploughing Rijpits, with whom the genuine

30Réjptits will not hold any kind of social intercourse. Eventually

31they descend still lower, and are merged in the Kanet tribe. There

32are, however, instances of halbdhu Réjpit families regaining the

33status of full Rajptits after a genoration or two by abandoning

34their irregular practices and being careful about their marriages,

35The Bralmans of the Simla Hills have been described in the

36Simla District Gazetteer. Both the Gaur and Sarsut are found in

37Bashahr, the latter being the more numerous. We have hero too

38the division of all Brahmans into Shukal, the superior priostly class,

39and Krishan, the lower ministrant class comprising such sections

40as the Bhat and the Achéraj. ;

41It might be inferred from the District Gazetteer account, that

42the Pujdrie are all Brahmans of a third and lower class. This is

43not so. In certain of the larger temples the Brahman ministrants

44are no doubt termed pujdris, but the priests and custodians of

45the deota temples belong to the Pujdri caste, which appears to

46consist of Kanets, who have held the hereditary office of priest for

47many geperations, and may include descendants from the~old

48priestly families of the aborigines. .

49Mahdjans and Khatris are immigrants from the plains and

50submontane districts and require no special description.

51_ The Bohras too are strangers. They are the traders of the

52lower hills and belong properly to Nélagarh, Baghal, Mahlog, and

53the other States of those parts. According to one account they

54wero originally Bénias from the plains, but coming to the hills

55they began to eat meat and otherwise identified themselves with

56their surroundings, and so become a separate tribe. Another