The Badhaks still exist, and are well known as one of the worst classes
of criminals, practising ordinary house-breaking and theft. The name
Badhak is now less commonly used than those of Bagri and Baori or
Bawaria, both of which were borne by the original Badhaks. The word
Bagri is derived from a tract of country in Malwa which is known
as the Bagar or 'hedge of thorns,' because it is surrounded on all
sides by wooded hills. [64] There are Bagri Jats and Bagri Rajputs,
many of whom are now highly respectable landholders. Bawaria or
Baori is derived from _banwar_, a creeper, or the tendril of a vine,
and hence a noose made originally from some fibrous plant and used
for trapping animals, this being one of the primary occupations of
the tribe. [65] The term Badhak signifies a hunter or fowler, hence
a robber or murderer (Platts). The Bagris and Bawarias are sometimes
considered to be separate communities, but it is doubtful whether there
is any real distinction between them. In Bombay the Bagris are known
as Vaghris by the common change of _b_ into _v_. A good description
of them is contained in Appendix C to Mr. Bhimbhai Kirparam's volume
_Hindus of Gujarat_ in the _Bombay Gazetteer_. He divides them into the
Chunaria or lime-burners, the Datonia or sellers of twig tooth-brushes,
and two other groups, and states that, "They also keep fowls and sell
eggs, catch birds and go as _shikaris_ or hunters. They traffic in
green parrots, which they buy from Bhils and sell for a profit."