JOURNAL 



OP THE 



ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL 



VOL. LXII, Part III.— ANTHROPOLOGY AND 

 COGNATE SUBJECTS. 



No. I.— 1893. 



The Hindus of Eastern Bengal. — From the papers of the late Dr. 

 James Wise. Edited by the Anthropological Secretary. 



The Hindus of Bengal claim to be pure Aryans, but the Hindus of 

 Upper India repudiate any relationship with them. The Aryan immi- 

 gration extended gradually throughout Bengal, and the tie which bound 

 the settlers to their faith and peculiar usages was relaxed by residence 

 among aliens. The example of races untrammelled by caste or religious 

 scruples also led them to sbake off all bonds and assert greater freedom 

 of action. The priesthood formed illegal connections and neglected their 

 religious duties, while the mixed offspring observed none of the Brah- 

 manical ordinances. In the tenth century corruption and irreligion 

 being universal, Adisura introduced priests, trained in the orthodox 

 school of Kanauj, to reform and educate the people. But the arrival of 

 a small body of religious teachers did little towards elevating the Br.ih- 

 mans, or laity, and in the twelfth century Ballad Sen found only nine- 

 teen families of the Rarhi Brahmans living in strict obedience to all 

 that their religion demanded These families were raised to the high- 

 est rank, but those who had forfeited all respect and formed il loyal 

 marriages were reduced to secondary, or even lower grades. The inno- 

 vations made by this monarch only affected the Rarhi ami Vareudra 

 J. in. 1 



