10 Notes of a tour in the Tributary Mehals. [No. 1, 



latter coming in contact with Brahmins, have at once snccnmhed and 

 become their farm labourers. It appears to make little difference in 

 the condition of Oraon emigrants, whether they are farm servants or 

 farmers on their own account : they have the same wretched huts, scanty 

 apparel, and generally uncared-for appearance, as if they had in despair 

 given up all ideas of rendering themselves attractive ; but the wonder 

 is that they remain in this dependent position, when they can get land 

 on such easy terms and become farmers themselves. 



The village pays direct to the Rajah a rent of Rs. 34, magun or 

 contribution Rs. 34 !, and 64 maunds of rice. The price of rice is from 

 one maund to two maunds for the rupee. On births, deaths and mar- 

 riages in the Rajah's family, the villagers are called on for additional 

 contributions, and when that family, as it is just now, is a large one, 

 the extra charge comes to from Rs. 30 to 40 a year. The total demand 

 is therefore about Rs. 160 a year, and from the extent of land under 

 cultivation, I do not think this would amount to more than 3 annas a 

 beegah on the cultivated area. It is evidently a veiy old village site, 

 surrounded by extensive groves of mangoes, and with several tanks of 

 very insalubrious water overgrown with water lillies. Hills are seen 

 on all sides, but the most remarkable feature in the landscape is the 

 great Mahabeer hill ; a mass of rock tilted up, and shewing towards 

 Borgaon, an uneven wall of disrupted ends, forming a cliff of fantastic 

 outline, nearly 2000 feet high. 



The tutelary deity of this hill is a favourite object of worship with 

 the Bhooyas, and is more or less revered by all the country. The top 

 of the hill or rock being difficult of access, Mahabeer has studied the 

 convenience of his votaries, and entered an appearance down below in 

 the form of a stone, in a sacred grove or ' Surna' at the foot of the 

 hill. The idea of a ' Surna' is pretty and poetical. It is or ought to 

 be a fragment of the primitive forest left when the first clearance was 

 made, as a refuge for the sylvan deities whom the clearing might have 

 disturbed. The best villages and most thriving portion of the popu- 

 lation in Gangpore are found on both banks of the Eeb river, as we 

 approach the boundaries of Sumbulpore. Here the veiy industrious 

 and respectable looking caste called Agureahs are first met with. They 

 are found in Gangpore, Sumbulpore, Raegurh, Raipore and Rutten- 

 pore. They number about 5000 in the three first places named. 



