682 Account of Arakan. [No. 117. 



castes ready made to their hands, imported them and their families as 

 perpetual and hereditary pagoda slaves. Their duties were to sweep 

 in the vicinity of the temple, clear away the remains of offerings, 

 whether of food, flowers, &c. and also to wash the idol. These people 

 of course are now released from their compulsory servitude, and have 

 become cultivators, but in consequence of their former condition, 

 they are regarded by the people with as much disgust as they would 

 be from their low caste, by Hindoos.* 



Since the conquest of Arakan by the English, a large number of 

 Bengalees have settled in the town of Akyah as shop-keepers, and 

 in the vicinity as cultivators ; these are not taken into account. In 

 the interior reside a few Brahmins, some of Munnipooree descent, 

 who were brought by the Burmese as astrologers, and some are des- 

 cendants of colonists from Bengal, brought by the Arakan kings. 

 I am inclined to think, that the Arakanese monarchs were in latter 

 times very Brahminically inclined, and that the Burman conquest by 

 infusing fresh Budhist vigour, and contempt for Kolas generally, 

 followed by our own occupation of the country, has prevented the 

 introduction of Hinduism, which probably would have been brought 

 about in the same manner as it was in Muneepoor. The hill people, the 

 Khyoung-thdsy have already been described ; next come the Ku-miy or 

 Kwcmi, tribe. 



* The Arakanese have so far adopted the Hindu prejudice against them, that if any 

 Ra-khoing-thd has unwittingly eaten with, or drank water from the utensil of a Dom, 

 or other low caste Hindu, he is excluded from society until he has undergone certain 

 purifications. Some years ago, when in consequence of inundations on the W. coast 

 of the Bay of Bengal the population was reduced to great distress, a number of Ooryas 

 found their way to this coast, and were purchased by Arakanese, or pledged themselves 

 for service, they became inmates of families, and eat and drank with them ; all at 

 once it was noised abroad, that Ooryas were no better than Doms, than pagoda slaves. 

 Numbers of respectable persons, men, women and children were forthwith declared 

 unclean. They were excluded from the villages, the public festivals, and the 

 Jcyoungs, or monestaries. To restore them was no easy matter. In former times the 

 king had only to smoke a cigar after it had been used by an outcaste, and he was 

 deemed restored forthwith ; but now the royal line no longer existed in the country. 

 At length it was settled that a meeting should be held of the most respectable men 

 in the country, who agreed to smoke with the unclean ; the pipe to be handed last to 

 the European Magistrate, and then a general feast to conclude all. The ceremony 

 was gone through with the half of numerous Phoon-gyees, (or priests), and much to the 

 comfort of the outcasts, deemed and held to be sufficient for their restoration to 

 society. 



