1 288 PANJAB CASTES.
2 the Chamarwa Sfidhs of the Chamars, or the Charand&i Sadhs and the Kabfrhansi Sfidhs of the
3 JnUhas.
4 The Jogi. — The Jogi wUl presently be discussed under the head of Minor Professional
5 Castes. It will there be explained that the word orig^inaUy means nothing more than one who
6 has by the practice of mental abstraction acquired the power of clairvoyance and similar
7 facnlties. But besides the low-class Jogi Rnwal there described there are two sets of exceedingly
8 respectable Jogi Faqi'rs, the Kanphatta who pierce their ears and the Augar who do not. The
9 former are priests of Siva and are generally to be found in Shivalas. The latter too are Saiva,
10 but are more secular. Tlie Kanphatta is also called Darsbana. The figures for Jogi given in
11 Table VIII A include 3,658 males and 1,750 females of the Kanphatta, and 1,720 males and 1,273
12 females of the Angar clan, but these figures are of course exceedingly incomplete. The Jogis bury
13 their dead in a sitting posture.
14 The Aghori or Aghorpanthi — Is an order which has happily almost died out. My figures
15 show 816 only ; but I have been told by an intelligent native that he can remember that in
16 his youth they were common objects, wandering about the streets stark naked leading a jackal
17 by a string, smeared with blood and human ordure, and carrying the same substances in a skull
18 with which to bespatter him who refused them alms. Not two years ago one of these wretches
19 was caught at Rohtak in the [act of devouring the body of a newly buried child which he bad
20 dug out.'
21 522. The Sikh orders of ascetics.— The Suthra Shahi (Caste No. 163).— This order was
22 founded by » Briibman called Sucba under the auspices of Guru Har Eai.2 They are now numerous
23 and widely distributed, though our figures, to which uuist be added 112 males and 15 females, show
24 only a small number scattered through the Sikh tract. Tbey are notorious for gambling,
25 thieving, drunkenness, and debauchery, and lead a vagabond life, begging and singing songs of a
26 mystic nature. They wear ropes of black wool on the head and neck, and beat two small black
27 sticks together as tbey beg. Although a Sikh order, they are all entered as Hindus, u?e the
28 Hindu UlaJe or sectarian mark, and follow the Hindu rites throughout. They were founded
29 before the time of Guru Govind, which probably accounts for their calling themselves Hindus. '
30 They gcLcrally add Shfib to their names. Trumpp says of them " there is no order or regular
31 discipline among them, and profligates and vagabonds join them. They are a public nuisance
32 and disavowed by the Sikhs." i
33 The Udasl CCaste No. 84). — The Udasi or Nanakputra were founded by Sri Chand, the 'v
34 eldest son of Baba Nanak, and excommunicated by the second Guru, Amr Das. They again, ]
35 being founded before the time of Gum Govind, have for the most part retoracd themselves as I
36 Hindus. To the figures of Table VIII A must be added 7,127 males and 1,944 females. They j
37 are almost confined to the Sikh tract. They are for the most part celibate, and the naked section l
38 or Udasi Nanga are always so. They practise Hindu rites, wear the tilaJc or sect-mark, and
39 reject the Granth of Guru Govind but revere the Adi Gi-anth of Baba Naiiak. They are hardly '
40 recognised as Sikhs. Tbey are said to bear a high charactt;', and are sometimes collected in
41 monasteries, though not usually so. Many live at home, engage in worldly pursuits, and differ
42 little from their neighbours. So at least says Trumpp.
43 The Nirmala (Caste No. 152). — The Nirmalas or ' without stain ' were originally strict Sikhs
44 and followers of Guru Govind. They wore white clothes, lived chiefly at the centres of Sikhism, ;
45 and bad considerable influence in the Sikh councils. But they have of late years relapsed into ,
46 Hinduism, and have taken to wearing red clothes and practising Hindu rites, and tbey are now ]
47 hardly true Sikhs. The greater part of them, however, have returned themselves as Sikhs. They ;
48 live almost entirely in monsateries and are almost always celibate. They do not beg, but live ]
49 on the offerings of the faithful. They have a high reputation for morality, and rsed to be ]
50 much respected at Amritsar, where there is a considerable Ninnala community, for vP^fity of !
51 morals, though it is said that they arc now degenerating. Tliey are governed by i Council
52 known as the Akhara which makes periodical visitations of the Kirmala Societies thoughout the
53 Panjab, and is controlled by a head abbot or Mahant. To the figures of the table must be added
54 1,587 males and 500 females, of whom 500 are in Amritsar and 300 in Jalandbar. They are con- j
55 fined to the Sikh tract. It is said that the Niimalas and the Udasis are net unfrequently
56 confused.
57 The Akali or Nihang. — These famous soldier fanatics, who were the Ghazis of the Sikhs are I
58 represented in my tables by a total of 547 which is of course absiffd. They were nihang or ' reck, is ' !
59 soldiers of the a^ifZ or 'Immortal;' and Phula Singh Akali was Banjit Singh's great leader.
60 The order was founded by Guru Govind in person, and it was tbey who withstood the attempted
61 innovations of Banda. They wear blue chequered clothes, bangles of steel on the ^vrist, and quoits i p. 2
62 of steel on their conical blue turbans, together with miniature daggers, knives, and an iron chain.
63 ' Query. What is the derivation of ogre P -.
64 s Wilson says they look up to Teg Bahadnr, the father of Guru Govind, as their founder ; s
65 but Trumpp, who is quoted in the text, is more probably right.