Various stories of the origin of the Savars are given in Sanskrit
literature. In the Aitareya Brahmana they are spoken of as the
descendants of Vishwamitra, while in the Mahabharat they are said
to have been created by Kamdhenu, Vasishtha's wonder-working cow, in
order to repel the aggression of Vishwamitra. Local tradition traces
their origin to the celebrated Seori of the Ramayana, who is supposed
to have lived somewhere near the present Seorinarayan in the Bilaspur
District and to have given her name to this place. Ramchandra in his
wanderings met her there, ate the plums which she had gathered for
him after tasting each one herself, and out of regard for her devotion
permitted her name to precede his own of Narayan in that given to the
locality. Another story makes one Jara Savar their original ancestor,
who was said to have shot Krishna in the form of a deer. Another states
that they were created for carrying stones for the construction of
the great temple at Puri and for dragging the car of Jagannath, which
they still do at the present time. Yet another connecting them with the
temple of Jagannath states that their ancestor was an old Bhil hermit
called Sawar, who lived in Karod, two miles from Seorinarayan. The
god Jagannath had at this time appeared in Seorinarayan and the old
Sawar used to worship him. The king of Orissa had built the great
temple at Puri and wished to install Jagannath in it, and he sent
a Brahman to fetch him from Seorinarayan, but nobody knew where he
was except the old hermit Sawar. The Brahman besought him in vain
to be allowed to see the god and even went so far as to marry his
daughter, and finally the old man consented to take him blindfold to
the place. The Brahman, however, tied some mustard seeds in a corner
of his cloth and made a hole in it so that they dropped out one by one
on the way. After some time they grew up and served to guide him to
the spot. This story of the mustard seeds of course finds a place in
the folklore of many nations. The Brahman then went to Seorinarayan
alone and begged the god to go to Puri. Jagannath consented, and
assuming the form of a log of wood floated down the Mahanadi to Puri,
where he was taken out and placed in the temple. A carpenter agreed
to carve the god's image out of the log of wood on condition that
the temple should be shut up for six months while the work was going
on. But some curious people opened the door before the time and the
work could not proceed, and thus the image of the god is only half
carved out of the wood up to the present day. As a consolation to the
old man the god ordained that the place should bear the hermit's name
before his own as Seorinarayan. Lastly the Saonrs of Bundelkhand have
the following tradition. In the beginning of creation Mahadeo wished
to teach the people how to cultivate the ground, and so he made a
plough and took out his bull Nandi to yoke to it But there was dense
forest on the earth, so he created a being whom he called Savar and
gave him an axe to clear the forest. In the meantime Mahadeo went
away to get another bullock. The Savar after clearing the forest felt
very hungry, and finding nothing else to eat killed Nandi and ate
his flesh on a teak leaf. And for this reason the young teak leaves
when rubbed give out sap which is the colour of blood to the present
day. After some time Mahadeo returned, and finding the forest well
cleared was pleased with the Savar, and as a reward endowed him with
the knowledge of all edible and medicinal roots and fruits of the
forest. But on looking round for Nandi he found him lying dead with
some of his flesh cut off. The Savar pleaded ignorance, but Mahadeo
sprinkled a little nectar on Nandi, who came to life again and told
what had happened. Then Mahadeo was enraged with the Savar and said,
'You shall remain a barbarian and dwell for ever in poverty in the
jungles without enough to eat.' And accordingly this has always been
the condition of the Savar's descendants.
Other old authors speak of the Parna or leaf-clad Savars; and a Savar
messenger is described as carrying a bow in his hand "with his hair
tied up in a knot behind with a creeper, black himself, and wearing
a loin-cloth of _bhilawan_ leaves"; [632] an excellent example of
'a leaf-fringed legend.'