===============+========+=============+========
Districts. | Hindus.| Muhammadans.| Total.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~
Sahâranpur | ... | 5 | 5
Mathura | ... | 1 | 1
Etâwah | ... | 65 | 65
Shâhjahânpur | 32 | ... | 32
Pilibhît | 83 | ... | 83
Cawnpur | 53 | ... | 53
Fatehpur | 5 | 21 | 26
Hamîrpur | ... | 5 | 5
Allahâbâd | 41 | 10 | 51
Jâlaun | ... | 16 | 16
Ghâzipur | 132 | ... | 132
Ballia | 230 | ... | 230
Gorakhpur | 330 | ... | 330
Basti | 88 | ... | 88
Azamgarh | 223 | ... | 223
Kheri | 76 | ... | 76
Gonda | ... | 6 | 6
Bahrâich | 60 | ... | 60
+~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~
Total | 1,353 | 129 | 1,482
===============+========+=============+========
Dâdupanthi.—A Vaishnava sect which derives its name from Dâdu, a
Dhuniya or cotton-carder by caste, who died in 1703 A.D. He was,
according to popular belief, a direct successor of Râmanand, and the
line of descent is given—Râmanand, Kabîr, Kamâl, Jamâl, Budhdhan, and
Dâdu. Dâdu was born at Ahmadâbâd, in Gujarât, and at the age of twelve
migrated to Sambhar, and then to a place called Naraina, about fifty
miles south-west of Jaypur. There, at the age of thirty-seven, a voice
from heaven enjoined him to renounce the world and pass his life in
doing good to mankind and in devotion. His biographer, Jân Gopâl, in a
biography containing 2,864 lines, describes how he spent his life in
the country between Ahmadâbâd, Delhi and Agra, teaching, discussing,
and making many disciples. He seems to have lived a good deal at Amber,
the old capital of Jaypur. He had frequent interviews with the Emperor
Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri, and some wonderful stories are told of his
miracles and adventures there. Finally in the neighbourhood of Naraina
he was absorbed into the godhead in 1603 A.D. He is said to have had
fifty-two disciples who spread his doctrines through Râjputâna and the
neighbouring Provinces.
The chief of these were Rajab, Gharîb Dâs, and Sundar Dâs, and others
also are named, such as Jaisa, Prayâg Dâs, Bakhnagi, Sankar Dâs, Bâba
Sânwari Dâs, and Mâdho Dâs. Of these Rajab, the first disciple of Dâdu,
was a Musalmân, and his Hindu followers are sometimes known by the name
Uttarâdhi, as distinguished from the Nâga, who are Hindus. The latter
take their name from the Sanskrit nagnaka, “a naked ascetic.”
2. The Dâdupanthis are usually divided into the Virakta, or “those void
of attachment to worldly objects,” who go bare-headed, wear only a
single garment, and carry a drinking vessel; the Nâga or “naked
ascetics,” and the Vastradhâri, or “those who wear clothes” and lead a
family life. They have, in fact, like most religious communities in
India, an exoteric and an esoteric order. The exoteric or uninitiated
are the householders and disciples of the Swâmi Sâdhu, or initiated
order. These householders (grihastha) read, believe, and practise
certain of the doctrines of the Bâni or book of songs, which embody the
rules of the sect, and furnish the Dâdupanthi Swâmi with food and
accommodation when he visits their villages. They are not put out of
caste for becoming disciples (chela), and so retain all their marriage
and social rights and privileges.
Those of high caste retain their Brâhmanical cord (janeû) and other
charms, and are frequently found in the temples at idol worship. They
regularly attend the fairs (mela) of the sect and provide for the
support of the mendicant members of the community.
3. The esoteric branch are known as Swâmi, “master;” Sâdhu, “saint;”
Sant, “holy man,” or Guru, “teacher.” They renounce the world and live
under rules of celibacy and chastity, which are very strictly enforced.
Some of them are teachers (guru), of whom many are good scholars and
have a large following of disciples to whom they teach the bâni. These
wander about the country and are entertained by the faithful. Others
are mere beggars without any learning. They usually beg from door to
door, wear ochre-coloured clothes, and the bead necklace which is
forbidden by the strict rules of the order. Others practise worldly
professions. Thus some of the richest money-lenders in Jaypur are
Dâdupanthis; others are doctors, who have no knowledge of scientific
surgery or physic, and merely know some Sanskrit verses and charms for
the treatment of disease; a few keep grocery shops; others sell milk.
4. The Nâga or Military Dâdupanthis live in seven camps or villages in
the neighbourhood of Jaypur. Their pay is one anna per able-bodied man
a day. They are occasionally sent out to coerce revenue defaulters.
They are never all out on duty at the same time, and while they are
employed they are paid at the rate of two annas per diem. Those left at
home cultivate land, breed camels or lend money. Their founder is said
to have been Bhîm Sinh, a younger brother of one of the Râjas of
Bikâner. They have done good service to the State in former times, and
were faithful in the Mutiny. They are simple, quiet men, but now hardly
deserve the name of soldier. They are recruited by adoption from all
the higher Hindu castes, and as a natural result of a generation of
peace their numbers have much reduced.
5. Dâdu appears to have taught the unity of God. “To this day,” says
Mr. Coldstream, [272] “the Dâdupanthis use the phrase Sat Râm, the True
God, as a current phrase expressive of their creed. He forbids the
worship of idols and did not build temples; now temples are built by
his followers, who say that in them they worship “The Book.” “The
worship,” according to Professor Wilson, “is addressed to Râma, but it
is restricted to the Japa or repetition of his name, and the Râma
intended is the deity negatively described in the Vedanta theology.” In
fact the doctrine of Dâdu is sometimes described as pantheistic. The
religious works of the sect contain many of the sayings of Kabîr. The
chief of these are the Dâdubâni, the Sakya-granth and the Janamlîla,
which contains an account of the Guru and his disciples. In the Panjâb
the celibates of to-day wear white cloths in contrast to most other
Sâdhs who wear ochre-coloured clothes. They abjure flesh and wine, and
they shave both beard and moustache. They wear necklaces and have white
round caps on their heads, to which is attached a piece of cloth which
hangs down the back.
6. At the Census of 1891 there were only five members of this sect
recorded in these Provinces, of whom four were found in the Sahâranpur
and one in the Muzaffarnagar District.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE NÂGAS AND DÂDUPANTHIS ACCORDING
TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.
===============+============+======+=======
Districts. |Dâdupanthis.|Nâgas.|Total.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~+~~~~~~~
Dehra Dûn | ... | 3| 3
Sahâranpur | 4 | 14| 18
Muzaffarnagar | 1 | 4| 5
Aligarh | ... | 25| 25
Agra | ... | 43| 43
Mainpuri | ... | 2| 2
Etah | ... | 4| 4
Shâhjahânpur | ... | 7| 7
Fatehpur | ... | 2| 2
Bânda | ... | 1| 1
Hamîrpur | ... | 5| 5
Allahâbâd | ... | 3| 3
Gorakhpur | ... | 4| 4
Basti | ... | 280| 280
Garhwâl | ... | 13| 13
Tarâi | ... | 1| 1
+~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~+~~~~~~~
| 5 | 411| 416
Total +~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Males 335
| Females 76
===============+===========================
Dafâli. [273]—A tribe of beggars and musicians who are found throughout
the Province except the Hills, and take their name from the daf or
tambourine which they play. According to their own account they are
allied to the Madâris; but there is this difference, that the Dafâlis
worship Sayyid Sâlâr Ghâzi, of Bahrâich, and the Madâris, Madâr Sâhib,
of Makhanpur. Both are called Darwesh, but the Dafâlis try to
distinguish the tribes by calling themselves Darwesh and the Madâris
Durwesh. They say that they are the descendants of Roshan Darwesh, to
whom they make an occasional offering of cakes and burn incense.
[Tribal organisation.] 2. In the Census Returns they are recorded under
sixty-seven sections: but these appear to have no influence on
marriages. Some of these are purely Muhammadan titles, as Ansâri,
Quraishi, Lodi, Madariya, Mirâsi, Mujâwir, Sadîqi, and Sunni: others
are Hindu names, as Jât, Jhojha, Râjput, Rânghar: others are local, as
Bahrâichi, Dakkhinâha, and Uttarâha. They have a council (panchâyat)
under a hereditary president (chaudhari), which generally meets at
marriages and funerals and settles cases of breach of tribal rules.
Offenders are usually fined in sums varying from five to ten annas. The
money thus collected is spent in feeding the clansmen.
[Marriage rules.] 3. They practise the ordinary Muhammadan law of
exogamy, but object to marry their daughters into families which
reverence different saints or godlings. A man cannot marry a second
wife in the lifetime of the first without her consent. Divorce is
permitted for infidelity, and also if one party become an idiot,
lunatic, or suffer serious mutilation. But in all cases the divorce
must be with the sanction of the tribal council. Widow-marriage and the
levirate with the usual restrictions are both allowed. Divorced persons
can remarry in the tribe, provided they were not divorced for any
serious violation of caste custom. The usual service (sharah) is read
at marriages by one of the tribe who is known for the nonce as Maulavi.
[Birth.] 4. There are no ceremonies during pregnancy, except the tying
round the woman’s neck of a charm to ward off the evil spirits which
attack the mother. When parturition is delayed she is given water to
drink in which a sword has been washed, and the person who draws the
water must do so with his right hand only. When the child is born a
Chamârin is called in to cut the cord. She remains in attendance only
one day, and her place is then taken by the wife of the barber. The
mother is isolated for twelve days; but she is allowed to cook and do
other household work. On the twelfth day is the barahi, when a dinner
consisting of urad pulse, rice and meat is given to the brotherhood.
When the dinner is over some sweetmeats are offered to Ghâzi Miyân, and
then distributed among those present. When the child is a year old they
take it and the mother, if possible, to the Ganges in the month of
Bhâdon during the asterism (nakshatra) of Magha. The mother makes a
little paper boat, and in it she puts a garland of flowers, a lamp,
sugar, and bread, to which some add betel, and lets it float down the
stream. This, a custom derived from their Hindu neighbours, is known as
Ganga pujaiya. When a boy is seven years old they perform the rite of
circumcision (Musalmâni). This is usually done at the ‘Id, Baqrîd, and
Muharram. The friends are invited; a square is marked out in the
courtyard, and the friends sit round. The boy is bathed by the barber
and dressed in new clothes. Then his father’s sister’s husband (phûpha)
takes him in his arms to the nearest mosque to pray. On their return
the boy is given a dose of ma’jûm, and when the narcotic begins to take
effect he is placed in the square by his uncle (phûpha) and seated
facing the west. Then the barber performs the operation invoking God
and the Prophet. The only application used for the wound is some rose
water. After the operation is over the boy’s father gives a turban,
lota, and a few annas to the barber, and each of the friends present
puts a pice or two into his cup. After this a dinner of meat and bread
is served. When the wound is cured the barber bathes the boy again, and
receives some grain and a money present. [274] When they adopt they
usually adopt their son-in-law, or in default of him preference is
given to a brother’s son. No adoption is valid unless publicly
communicated to the assembled clansmen. A feast is given and the
adoption formally declared.
[Marriage ceremonies.] 5. As an instance of a low caste Muhammadan
wedding that of a Dafâli may be described. The betrothal is arranged by
some friend of both parties. When both parties agree, on an auspicious
day selected by the village Pandit the bride’s father takes to the
house of the bridegroom a ring and handkerchief on her behalf. These
are accepted, and the boy’s father announces to the assembled friends
that the marriage will take place. On this the girl’s father pays two
and-a-half annas, and the boy’s father five annas, and with this sugar
is bought and served round, after being offered to God and the Prophet.
Next morning the girl’s father returns home. Some time after the boy’s
father pays a visit to the bride and makes her a present of bangles
(chûri), a suit of clothes (tul kapra), a boddice (choli), and some
sweets. After a meeting of the tribesmen the wedding day is fixed. Poor
people, however, send the girl beforehand to her husband, and any
ceremony they can afford to do is done at his house. On the day before
the wedding is the ratjaga, when the women sit up all night and spend
their time making sweet cakes (gulgula). These are offered next morning
to God and the Prophet, and to the spirits of the ancestors of the
family. They are then distributed among the guests. The bridegroom is
bathed and dressed in a yellow coat (jâma), trousers, and a turban. A
large chaplet (sehra) hangs down from head to knee. He rides to the
bride’s house followed by his friends playing on the dafla. They halt
under a tree near the village, and from there the boy’s father sends a
present of bangles, clothes, curds, oil, and henna. Then they come to
the girl’s house, where the service is read by some old man of the
tribe who can read or repeat the words. Some sugar is put close by
which is distributed among the guests, and the marriage feast,
consisting of sugar, rice, and curds, is served. This is known as
shakarâna, or “the sugar feast.” Next day the bride’s father gives
presents to her barber, bangle-maker, water-woman, and the village
watchman, and then starts for the place where the bridegroom’s party
are staying, with a basket containing vessels, grain and anything else
he can afford to give as the dowry of his daughter. He places these
before the father of the bridegroom, and asks his forgiveness for not
being able to give more. The bridegroom’s father says the same, and
they exchange compliments. After this the dowry basket is passed round,
and all the friends present contribute as far as their means will go.
This is termed “the giving of the dowry” (jahez dilâna). The husband
then takes his wife away, and when he returns home he entertains his
clansmen on curds, sugar, and rice, and next day gives them a regular
dinner of bread and meat.
Every one present contributes two annas as dowry. After this the Ganga
pujaiya is done, as already described at births, and the whole business
ends with an offering of rice, curds, and sugar to Ghâzi Miyân, which
is divided among the audience.
[Death ceremonies.] 6. The funeral is carried out in the usual way of
Muhammadans. When it is over the mourners assemble at the house of the
deceased and drink sharbat. On the fourth day they again assemble, and
some verses of the Qurân are read over a vessel containing some sweets
(batâsha), grain, and oil. This is known as kul parhan, and the
contents of the vessel are divided among the audience. The clansmen are
fed on urad pulse and rice, and the faqîr in charge of the grave is
given a present. On the tenth and twentieth day bread and meat are
offered to the spirit of the dead man, and on the fortieth day a final
dinner is given, and next morning they put the clothes, beads, and
water vessel (badhana) of the deceased on his bed and take them to his
grave, where they are left for any one who wishes to carry them away.
An offering of food is made to the family dead at the Shab-i-barât.
[Religion.] 7. Their tribal deities are chiefly Kâlika, Sahjâdi, and
Ghâzi Miyân, three of the quintette of the Pânch Pîr. To Kâlika are
offered in the month of Aghan bread and rice cooked in milk. Sahjâdi is
worshipped at the same time. Ghâzi Miyân’s day is the first Sunday in
the month of Jeth, when his wedding is celebrated. Animal sacrifices
are made, and the meat is consumed by the worshippers. They also
worship a number of local martyrs (shahîd), and they are in great fear
of various demons and ghosts.
[Occupation.] 8. The Dafâli is a beggar, and goes about with a wallet
(jhori) in which he collects what he can get. But he also acts as a
sort of hedge priest to the lower class Musalmâns, and officiates at
marriages, funerals, and the like, for people who cannot afford to pay
for the services of the regular Qâzi. They beg in beats, and each house
has its body of parishioners (jajmân). One of their chief duties is the
exorcising of evil spirits by beating the drum, and driving the effects
of the Evil Eye from children. When a man’s children do not live he
gets the Dafâli to tie a string (baddhi) round the neck of the baby.
They are particularly conspicuous at the fairs of Ghâzi Miyân, whose
shrines they tend, act as his priests, and receive the offerings.