It was in the remote and little known village of “Ghazi,” situated on
the left bank of the stately and classical Indus, and at the distance of
about thirty miles from the ancient city of “Attock” (Atak) that most of
this Folk-lore was collected.
Ghazi in itself is not what would be called a picturesque village in
those parts. Its straggling huts and houses are built on a rocky, unkind
sort of soil, so that fine forest trees which would make a pleasing
picture of the place will not grow there; indeed the vegetation is
almost entirely restricted to scrub and brushwood. There are, however,
here and there, thickets of the “Phoolai” and “Vahekur” plants, and a
stunted variety of the Plum tree, known by the natives as “Jhâr Bayri.”
At some little distance inland, however, the soil improves; and the
farmers are able there to cultivate both wheat and barley, and to plant
the oil and cotton seeds from which they obtain very fair crops.
The view, however, looking from the village has a distinct charm of its
own, owing to the wild, mountainous, and well-wooded country which
encircles it. Within a few miles to its rear are the Hills of
“Gundghur,” the highest peak of which is by the natives of the place
called “Pir Than,” and is the scene of many of their local legends.
Far away towards the north and west are lofty ranges of mountains,
running, as it were, in graduated succession to join the distant line,
which is in point of fact but an extreme western extension of the
Himalayas.
Immediately at the foot of the village, runs as I have already said, the
river Indus, and as its banks are somewhat narrowed at this point the
stream becomes more rapid, but the river broadens out again a little
further down, until it reaches the city of Attock, where its volume is
increased by the waters of the Kabul River.
The natives who dwell in the village are of that mixture of races
usually to be found in most of the towns and villages in the “Hazara”
district in which Ghazi is situated.
The Head men are Pathans of the “Thar” tribe, commonly called “Thar
Kheyles.” They are believed to be the descendants of Afghan soldiers who
came into India with the armies of Timur Baber and Nadir Shah.
Then there are two or three divisions of the farmer class known as
“Awans,” good soldiers and no better people in all India, and
“Ghurkās”—fine, tough men. Also the barber class, or “Naies,” also
called “Napit”; the shoemakers, or “Mochīs”; the potters, or “Koobhars”;
the weavers, or “Powlees”; the blacksmiths, or “Lohars;” and so on, with
a sprinkling of “Merasis,” or “Dooms,” who fill the post of Genealogists
and Bards to the community, and who are the reciters of warlike poetry.
These last are for the most part the receptacles and custodians of the
old village folk-lore, though sometimes amongst the farmers living as
they do a simple and rustic life, many tales of the remote past have
been retained, and the barbers, too, have been occasionally known to
relate them.
Above Ghazi, and at a distance of about twelve miles on the same side of
the river, are the villages known by the general name of “Thorbela.” The
word locally means “Black Island,” after an island which was situated in
front of them, but was washed away in the floods of 1842. Since that
date many of the huts have been erected at some distance from the banks.
The village is an important one, and contains a thriving and industrious
community. To get to “Thorbela” the traveller has to pass through the
small village of “Mohat,” between which and Ghazi is the ferry across
the Indus to the populous town of “Topi.” This town contains the same
admixture of races as at Ghazi, but in addition a larger proportion of
the “Juddoon” tribe who speak the “Pushtu” language, which has some
similarity to the Semitic.
The whole of this district will well repay a visit at any time, and the
interest is greatly enhanced when one calls to mind the many historical
events that have taken place, in and around it, in years long gone by.
It was at Attock (Atak) that Alexander the Great is believed to have
crossed the Indus B.C. 326. The ancient name of this city was said to be
“Taxila,” so named after a petty king who joined his forces with those
of Alexander in the attack and defeat of King Porus, and it was here
that Alexander rested his army for three days, and was royally
entertained by its reigning Sovereign.
It is, however, quite foreign to my purpose here, to dwell at any length
on the ancient history of this part of India and the Punjâb generally,
called by the Greeks the “Pente Potamia.” I will not either touch upon
the supposed route taken by Alexander across the “Paropamisus” Mountains
(Hindu Kush), which is still a very disputed point.
My purpose in referring to this old history, is to draw attention to the
fact that in the traditions that these non-recording Ghazi folk have
handed down of their gods, their heroes, and preternatural beings, they
appear to have kept ever in their memories this visit of Alexander to
India, in the legend of “Secundur Zulf Kurnain,” which forms one of the
tales of this series.
It was at this little village of Ghazi, and in the districts adjoining
it, remote at the time from all European influence, that Mr. Thomas
Lambert Barlow resided for over thirty years. He was employed by our
Government in the Salt Revenue Department, and in the execution of these
arduous duties, he was as a matter of course thrown into almost daily
contact with all classes of the natives. He found it necessary to
acquaint himself with their various dialects, and it was not long before
he was able to communicate freely with every caste and tribe.
No European could have had a better opportunity of getting at the
thoughts and feelings of the people than he had, and being on friendly
terms with most of them, they would talk to him, and before him, with
perfect freedom, and altogether with an absence of that kind of
restraint, which I can say from my own knowledge, is felt more or less
by most natives of India when in the presence of a European.
It has been said, and perhaps with some justice, that many folk tales
have to be received with a certain amount of misgiving; and doubtless
also each narrative as it descends in successive generations loses some
of the force of the original. It is also very clear that the Folk-lore
of a long-established and independent community such as that of Ghazi,
or other out-of-the-way village of India, is not to be got at all of a
sudden, for it lies deep down in the memories of only a certain few of
the people, and these not always willing to impart it unto strangers to
their country.
It was not surprising therefore that it was only by degrees, and by very
slow degrees, that Mr. Barlow, though always a welcome guest at their
village “Hûjrâs” or meeting places, was able to collect the lore of this
interesting, this semi-religious, and warlike people. Many of their
tales he repeated to the Rev. Mr. Swynnerton, F.S.A., who in 1892
published them in his popular work entitled the “Indian Nights,” and
again with others in a later volume.
Mr. Barlow had not, however, exhausted all his store, and he has been
good enough to place these few more at my disposal, and to permit me to
send them to the Press in our joint names.
He has given them to me both orally and from notes, and it has been my
task to throw them into a readable form, avoiding as far as possible all
modification or undue colouring. In making together the translation into
English we were conscious sometimes of missing the native expression or
idiom. When any such difficulty arose we found help in transposing the
original words into the “Hindustani” language, a native tongue familiar
to us both. By this means, and with general care we were able to get
pretty near to the thought and combination of thought of the native
narrators, and the homeliness of their style.
It is perhaps matter for regret that in publishing these rural tales, I
am not in a position to add the names of those people in Ghazi from whom
Mr. Barlow heard them, nor, of course, can I give their antecedents. It
might perhaps have afforded some clue to the source from whence the
tales had been received, and it would certainly have been an additional
evidence of their authenticity.
Mr. Barlow, however, made no note of these particulars at the time, and
he cannot even now trust his memory on these points. He gathered the
tales more to obtain a better insight into the character of the people,
and to strengthen his knowledge of the language, and with no ulterior
view to their publication. He, however, can say with all truth, that
most of them were related in his presence by the farmers and “Merasis”
or bards of the people, and that they are from the original stock
transmitted to them by their forefathers.
I have thought it better not to encumber this volume with any elaborate
analysis of the Tales. They are very simple and descriptive, and
folk-lorists more able than myself, can readily arrange an analysis
according to their own system.
It has been necessary, however, with these Indian Folk-tales to attach a
few explanatory notes, chiefly to elucidate the text, but also with the
view of bringing our readers more into touch with the people of the
district.
The Tales gain a great advantage from the drawings of Miss L. Fenn,
which will be found to be full of expression and spirit, and are at the
same time faithful representations of the general characteristics of the
people of this part of Northern India.
I am indebted also to the late Mr. John W. N. Barlow for much assistance
to us in describing the native costumes, and for other information
connected with the Ghazi community.
These Tales under a different form and style, were re-printed in 1902,
from the “Indian Antiquary,” by the Education Society’s Press, Bombay;
and later were kindly edited by W. Crooke, of the Bengal Civil Service
(retired), the author of the “N.W. Provinces of India,” and other
valuable works.
They are now re-produced by the Original Writers, with some corrections
and emendations, together with the illustrations to the text referred to
above.
J. F. A. M^CNAIR, Major R.A., C.M.G.