4 Haraprasad SLasfcri — Caste system hij Ballala Sen. [January, 



This order of degradation was communicafced to all the officers of the 

 State and proclaimed by beat of drums throughout Vallala's vast 

 empire. The Brahmanas complained that the banias have a fair colour 

 and that they are very handsome. They should not be allowed to wear 

 the holy thread, because in that case, Brahmanas by mistake may make 

 obeisance to them, and so Vallala ordered that their holy thread should 

 be snatched away. Most of the banias fled from Vallala's dominions, 

 and those who remained had to submit to his terms, i.e., had to give up 

 the holy thread. But the rich, influential, and haughty bania cannot be 

 expected to tamely brook all this zulum on them. They retaliated in a 

 manner worthy of banias. The slave-traders were Brahmanas and the 

 bania used to grant them accommodation. They now stopped slave 

 trade in Vallala's kingdom. People in great distress implored the 

 king to do something to alleviate their sufferings, and he proclaimed that 

 the Kaivarttas should henceforth be regarded as clean ^udras and that 

 their services should be accepted. Thousands and thousands of Kai- 

 varttas accepted domestic service, and their leader, Mahe9a, who was a 

 " Mahatta.ra " (a nobleman) already, was made a Mahamandalika, a pro- 

 vincial governor, and sent to Daksinaghata with all his warlike followers. 

 So Vallala degraded the banias and raised the Kaivartas. The garland- 

 makers, the potters, and the blacksmiths then implored the king to raise 

 their position in the caste hierarchy and the Raja proclaimed that they 

 should be regarded as clean (Judras. He made Dhara, his servant, a 

 Mahattara (a nobleman) and his barber a Thakura. 



This is a short summary of the three most important and three 

 most authentic chapters of the Carita connected with the name of 

 parana Datta. Now I will try to interpret them. The charges against 

 the Sonar banias were (1) That they left Vallala's feast because 

 they thought they were slighted and treated as piidras ; (2) they 

 ridiculed the Brahmanas, called them names, and openly charged them 

 with being the descendants of female slaves ; (3) their leader, to whom 

 they were greatly attached, sided with the Palas, the Buddhist kings 

 of JMagadha, with whom Vallala was often at war; and (4) that 

 this leader gave his daughter in marriage to the Buddhist Pala king of 

 Magadha and therefore he had great influence in his own caste. 



These charges have been formulated in Parana's chapters. But in 

 another chapter, namely in chapter II, for which Ananda Bhatta himself 

 is responsible, there are two more charges very distinct. One is that 

 Ballabha, the headman of the banias, refused to advance Vallala money 

 to prosecute a war against Magadha, though on a former occasion he ad- 

 vanced a crore of rupees. The other is that the banias slighted the Brah- 

 manas and slighted Vallala too. Their conduct was haughty and over 

 bearing. 



