_Rajput, Bagri._--This clan is found in small numbers in the
Hoshangabad and Seoni Districts. The name Bagri, Malcolm says,
[498] is derived from that large tract of plain called Bagar or
'hedge of thorns,' the Bagar being surrounded by ridges of wooded
hills on all sides as if by a hedge. The Bagar is the plain country
of the Bikaner State, and any Jat or Rajput coming from this tract
is called Bagri. [499] The Rajputs of Bikaner are Rathors, but they
are not numerous, and the great bulk of the people are Jats. Hence it
is probable that the Bagris of the Central Provinces were originally
Jats. In Seoni they say that they are Baghel Rajputs, but this claim is
unsupported by any tradition or evidence. In Central India the Bagris
are professed robbers and thieves, but these seem to be a separate
group, a section of the Badhak or Bawaria dacoits, and derived from
the aboriginal population of Central India. The Bagris of Seoni are
respectable cultivators and own a number of villages. They rank higher
than the local Panwars and wear the sacred thread, but will remove
dead cattle with their own hands. They marry among themselves.