_Sudh, [638] Sudha, Sudho, Suda_.--A cultivating caste in the
Uriya country. Since the transfer of Sambalpur to Bengal only a
few Sudhs remain in the Central Provinces. They are divided into
four subcastes--the Bada or high Sudhs, the Dehri or worshippers,
the Kabat-konia or those holding the corners of the gate, and the
Butka. These last are the most primitive and think that Rairakhol is
their first home. They relate that they were born of the Pandava hero
Bhimsen and the female demon Hedembiki, and were originally occupied in
supplying leaves for the funeral ceremonies of the Pandava brothers,
from which business they obtained their name of Butka or 'one who
brings leaves.' They are practically a forest tribe and carry on
shifting cultivation like the Khonds. According to their own story
the ancestors of the Butka Sudhs once ruled In Rairakhol and reclaimed
the land from the forest, that is so far as it has been reclaimed. The
following story connects them with the ruling family of Rairakhol. In
former times there was constant war between Bamra and Rairakhol, and
on one occasion the whole of the Rairakhol royal family was destroyed
with the exception of one boy who was hidden by a Butka Sudh woman. She
placed him in a cradle supported on four uprights, and when the Bamra
Raja's soldiers came to seek for him the Sudhs swore, "If we have kept
him either in heaven or earth may our god destroy us." The Bamra people
were satisfied with this reply and the child was saved, and on coming
to manhood he won back his kingdom. He received the name of Janamani
or 'Jewel among men,' which the family still bear. In consequence
of this incident, the Butka Sudhs are considered by the Rairakhol
house as relations on their mother's side; they have several villages
allotted to them and perform sacrifices for the ruling family. In some
of these villages nobody may sleep on a cot or sit on a high chair,
so as to be between heaven and earth in the position in which the
child was saved. The Bada Sudhs are the most numerous subdivision and
have generally adopted Hindu customs, so that the higher castes will
take water from their hands. They neither drink liquor nor eat fowls,
but the other subcastes do both. The Sudhs have totemistic _gotras_
as Bhalluka (bear), Bagh (tiger), Ulluka (owl), and others. They also
have _bargas_ or family names as Thakur (lord), Danaik, Amayat and
Bishi. The Thakur clan say that they used to hold the Baud kings in
their lap for their coronation, and the Danaik used to tie the king's
turban. The Bishi were so named because of their skill in arms, and
the Amayat collected materials for the worship of the Panch Khanda or
five swords. The _bargas_ are much more numerous than the totemistic
septs, and marriage either within the _barga_ or within the sept is
forbidden. Girls must be married before adolescence; and in the absence
of a suitable husband, the girl is married to an old man who divorces
her immediately afterwards, and she may then take a second husband
at any time by the form for widow-remarriage. A betrothal is sealed
by tying an areca-nut in a knot made from the clothes of a relative
of each party and pounding it seven times with a pestle. After the
marriage a silver ring is placed in a pot of water, over the mouth of
which a leaf-plate is bound. The bridegroom pierces the leaf-plate with
a knife, and the bride then thrusts her hand through the hole, picks
out the ring and puts it on. The couple then go inside the house and
sit down to a meal. The bridegroom, after eating part of his food,
throws the leavings on to the bride's plate. She stops eating in
displeasure, whereupon the bridegroom promises her some ornaments,
and she relents and eats his leavings. It is customary for a Hindu wife
to eat the leavings of food of her husband as a mark of her veneration
for him. Divorce and the remarriage of widows are permitted. The Sudhs
worship the Panch Khanda or five swords, and in the Central Provinces
they say that these are a representation of the five Pandava brothers,
in whose service their first ancestors were engaged. Their tutelary
goddess is Khambeshwari, represented by a wooden peg (_khamba_). She
dwells in the wilds of the Baud State and is supposed to fulfil
all the desires of the Sudhs. Liquor, goats, buffaloes, vermilion
and swallow-wort flowers are offered to her, the last two being in
representation of blood. The Dehri Sudhs worship a goddess called
Kandrapat who dwells always on the summits of hills. It is believed
that whenever worship is concluded the roar of her tiger is heard,
and the worshippers then leave the place and allow the tiger to come
and take the offerings. The goddess would therefore appear to be the
deified tiger. The Bada Sudhs rank with the cultivating castes of
Sambalpur, but the other three subcastes have a lower position.