_Dahait, Dahayat._--A mixed caste of village watchmen of the Jubbulpore
and Mandla Districts, who are derived from the cognate caste of
Khangars and from several of the forest tribes. In 1911 the Dahaits
numbered about 15,000 persons in the Central Provinces, of whom the
large majority were found in the Jubbulpore District and the remainder
in Bilaspur, Damoh and Seoni. Outside the Province they reside only
in Bundelkhand. According to one story the Dahaits and Khangars had a
common ancestor, and in Mandla again they say that their ancestors were
the door-keepers of the Rajas of Mahoba, and were known as Chhadidar or
Darwan; and they came to Mandla about 200 years ago, during the time
of Raja Nizam Shah of the Raj-Gond dynasty of that place. In Mandla
the names of their subdivisions are given as Rawatia or Rautia, Kol,
Mawasi, Sonwani and Rajwaria. Of these Kol and Rajwar are the names
of separate tribes; Mawasi is commonly used as a synonym for Korku,
another tribe; Sonwani is the name of a sept found among several of
the primitive tribes; while Rawat is a title borne by the Saonrs and
Gonds. The names Rautia and Rajwaria are found as subdivisions of the
Kol tribe in Mirzapur, [488] and it is not improbable that the Dahaits
are principally derived from this tribe. The actual name Dahait is also
given by Mr. Crooke as a subdivision of the Kols, and he states it to
have the meaning of 'villager,' from _dehat_, a village. The Dahaits
were a class of personal attendants on the chief or Raja, as will be
seen subsequently. They stood behind the royal cushion and fanned him,
ran in front of his chariot or litter to clear the way, and acted as
door-keepers and ushers. Service of this kind is of a menial nature
and, further, demands a considerable degree of physical robustness;
and hence members of the non-Aryan forest tribes would naturally
be selected for it. And it would appear that these menial servants
gradually formed themselves into a caste in Bundelkhand and became the
Dahaits. They obtained a certain rise in status, and now rank in the
position of village menials above their parent tribes. In the Central
Provinces the Dahaits have commonly been employed as village watchmen,
a post analogous to that of door-keeper or porter. The caste are also
known as Bhaldar or spearmen, and Kotwar or village watchmen.