306 



P, Carnegy — The Bhars of Audh and Bandras. 



[No. 3, 



Our able friend and fellow labourer in the field of Audh antiquarian 

 research Mr. W. C. Benett, B. C. S., the author of the history of the Eai 

 Bareli clans, is one of those who believe in a Chhatri colonization and con* 

 quest from the West, and is disposed to treat our views on the Bhars, as set 

 forth in this paper, as somewhat heretical. But whereas that able enquirer 

 gives no evidence at all of any military colonization, he records many things 

 which support the views w T hich he has not yet ceased to consider as errone- 

 ous. We quote some of these remarks here and reply to them. He says, 

 p. 21 : " The story of his (i. e., the Great Bais Baja, Tilokchand's) 

 creation of new castes, is too well attested and too much opposed to the 

 spirit of Hindu invention, to admit of doubt. More than one caste of 

 Brahmans are grateful to him for their cord and their privileges, while it is 

 indisputable that he largely increased the number of Kshatri clans. The 

 Ahir Bhale Sultans, the Kahar Mahrors and the Pargulis directly ascribe 

 their elevation to him ; and numerous castes in the Faizabad and Gonda 

 districts, such as Gundharias, Naipurias, Barwars, and Chahus claim to have 



been originally Bais, There are besides numerous families of small 



zamindars who call themselves Bharudhi Bais, and whose want of any tradi- 

 tion of immigration and peculiar religion, distinguish them from the pure 

 Bais of the West." This last instance amounts to the admission of a Bhar 

 descent, and in our estimation the difference in purity between the various 

 Bais branches is hard to distinguish ; some are no doubt older than others. 



At page 25, Mr. Benett admits with us, that the Bais (other than the 

 Tilokchand branch) " occupy nearly the lowest position among Audh Chhat- 

 ris", and he adds, " It seems most probable that about 400 years ago, 

 members of the agricultural and military aristocracy of all castes assumed 

 the title of Bais, in much the same way as the leading families of Orissa 

 and parts of Central India are now claiming to be Chhatris." It pleases 

 those who think with Mr. Benett to speak of the inhabitants of those days 

 as " the agricultural and military aristocracy of all castes" ; to our mind, 

 however, we have demonstrated that those classes were then represented by 

 the caste-forgetting Bhars alone. It is not denied that these became Raj- 

 puts, though of " the lowest position". It is remarkable that the families 

 of Orissa and Central India to which Mr. Benett refers, have all along 

 retained a Chhatri tribal nomenclature, and now that they are again become 

 Chhatris, they resume the old family titles ! This surely supports the 

 view of a general local religious downfall, followed by a gradual local refor- 

 mation and revival ! 



Mr. Benett thus finally disposes of the Bhars (p. 25) : " The complete 

 extinction of this people has occasioned much surprise, but it is not dif- 

 ficult to understand. Both the Musalmans and the Hindus were conquering 

 nations, and the hand of each was turned against the old inhabitants whom 



