1 MINOR LAND-OWNING AND AGRICTTLTURAL CASTES. 305
2 tbe ancient Gandaridre, or Gangaridfe, are apparently of Khatri origin. Mr.
3 Barnes thus describes tliem : —
4 " The Gadis are the mo-t remarkable race in the hilU. In features, mauners, dress, and dialect
5 " they differ essentially from all the rest of the population. The Gadis reside e.xclusively upon the
6 " snowy range which dirides Chamba from Kangra. A few of them have wandered down into
7 " the valleys which sku't the hase of this mighty chain, but the great maiority live on the
8 ■'heights above; they are found from an elevation of 3,300 or 4,000 feet up to 7,000 feet.
9 " Above this altitude there is little or no cultivation, the increasing acclivity of the range
10 " opposing insurmountable obstacles. They preserve a tradition among themselves that their
11 " ancestors originally came from the Pan jab, and that during the hoiTors of the JIahomedau
12 " invasions the population of the cities fled from the opeu country before their invaders and
13 "took refuge in these ranges, lit that period almost uninhabited. The tei-m 'Gadi' is a
14 " generic name, and under this appellation are included Brahmins, Khatris, and a few Rajputs and
15 " Ratbis. Tlie majority, however, arc Khatris, aiifl the sub-divisions of the caste correspond
16 "exactly with the tribes among the Khatris existing in the plains of the Panjab at the
17 " present day. Impure castes are not styled Gadis, but are known by the names of Badi,
18 " Sipi, Hali, &c. They are a semi-pastoral, semi-agricultural race. The greater portion of
19 " their wealth consists of flocks of sheep and goats, which they feed half the year (the
20 " winter months) in the valleys of Kangra, and for the other half drive across the range
21 " into the territories of Chamba. They hold lands on this side and also in Chamba, and in
22 " former days were considered subject to both States, At present our rule has materially
23 "weakened the tenure of the Chamba Chief, and many continue all the year round on this
24 " side of the range acknowledging no allegiance whatever to Chamba, It was a rule with
25 " these simple people, whenever fined by the Kangra authorities, to pay a similar penalty
26 " into the Chamba treasury. I am afraid our institutions have taught them greater independence,
27 " and the infraction of this custom is now more frequent than the observance. Many Gadis
28 "cultivate the winter crops or wheat in Kangra, and returning with their flocks gi'ow the
29 " summer or rain crop at ' Barmor,' as the province on the other side of the snow is designated.
30 " Tliey all wear woollen clothes, which they make up at home out of the wool from their own
31 " flocks. The men don a remarkable high-peaked cap, with flaps to pull down over the ears
32 " in case of severe weather. The front is usually adorned with a garland of dried flowers,
33 " or with tufts of the Impej'an pheasant, or red beads, the seeds of parasitical plants growing
34 " in the forests. The rest of their dress is a frock, made very capacious and loose, secured
35 "round the waist, with a black woollen cord. In the body of this frock the Gadi stores
36 " the most miscellaneous articles ; his own meal, tied up in an untanned leather pouch, with
37 " two or three young lambs just born, and perhaps a present of walnuts or potatoes for his
38 " master are tlie usual contents. His legs are generally bare, but occasimally he wears woollen
39 ''ti'owsers very loose at the knee, to allow free motion in walking, and fitting tight at the ankle
40 "over which it lies in folds so as not to restrict the action of the limbs. The women
41 " wear tlie same frock, only reaching to their ankles, secured with the same woollen cord.
42 " Their gaiment fits rather tigliter about the body, and is both mode.-t and becoming. The
43 "head-di'ess is a ' chaddur,' or sheet, thrown loosely over the upper portion of the body,
44 "and sometimes fastened in the shape of a turban, with a loose streamer behind by way
45 "of ornament. The Gadis are a very simple and ^'irtuou3 race; they are remarkable, even
46 "among the hill population, for their eminent regard for truth; crime is almost unknown
47 " among them ; theii' women are chaste and modest, seldom deserting their husbands. Like
48 " all the inhabitants of mountainous regions they are frank and merry in their manners, — they
49 " constantly meet together, singing and dancing in a style quite peculiar to themselves.
50 " They are great tipplers, and at these festive meetings the natm-al hilarity is considerably
51 " enhanced by deep potations. In person they are a comely race- The women frequently are
52 " very faif and beautiful, — their features are regular, and the expression almost always mild
53 " and engaging. The Gadis wear the thread of caste, and are much stricter in Hindu customs
54 "and observances than most of the inhabitants of the higher ranges of the Himalaya. They
55 "are not a very widely-diffused race. They extend over the greater part of Chamba,
56 " inhabit the skirts of the Kangra snowy range, and are found also on the southern face
57 " of the Badrawar hills across the Ra\i. Their peculiar caste, ' Khatri,' and their posi-
58 " tion in the ranges immediately above Lahore favour the tradition that originally they were
59 " fugitives from the cities of the plains before the llahomedan inroads."
60 They are almost all shepherds, and do not in any way resemble the Khatris of
61 the plains. They are all Hindus, bitt locally distinguished from the jdndre or
62 cotton-clad Hindus. The Kliatri and Rajput Gaddis intermarry ; and in
63 some places the Brahman Gaddi will marry the Khatri Gaddi. The Khatri or
64 trae Gaddis are the Iiest of the classeSj and " number among them the bej^
65 shepherds, and the ricliest and most influential men." It is not improbf I ai
66 that iu Chamba, theii- true home, the Rajput and Brahman Gaddis are |