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Districts. | Number.
~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~
Sîtapur | 38
Kheri | 208
+~~~~~~~~~
Total | 246
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Hayobans, Haihobans (said to be derived from haya-vansa, “the race of
the horse”).—A Râjput sept found in the Ballia district. They are of
the Lunar race and in the highest rank among the tribes of the
District. According to Sir H. M. Elliot [506]:—“Maheswati, the capital
of the Lunar Râjputs, in the Narbada valley, was founded by Sahesra
Arjuna, of the Hihya or Hayobans race. Their dynasty for fifty-two
generations was established at Ratanpur, in the Central Provinces. The
last of the dynasty, Râja Ragnâth Sinh, died about one hundred and ten
years ago. The Hayobans of Ballia claim descent from the Ratanpur
kings. Chandra Got, a cadet of this house, is said to have, in 850
A.D., migrated northwards and settled at Manjha, on the Ganges, now
included in the Sâran District, and waged successful war with the
aboriginal Cheros. After nearly a couple of hundred years his
descendants left Manjha and settled south of the Ganges at Bihiya,
where they remained for five centuries and subdued the Cheros.” In or
about 1528 A.D. the Râja Bhopat Deva, or perhaps one of his sons,
violated Maheni, a Brâhman woman of the house of the Purohit or family
priest of the Hayobans clan. She burnt herself to death, and in dying
imprecated the most fearful curses on the Hayobans race. After this
tragedy the clan left Bihiya, and passed beyond the Ganges to the
Ballia Pargana, where for a time they were located at Gâê Ghât, and
finally settled at Haldi, from which the Hayobans Râja now takes his
title. The tomb of Maheni, under a pîpal tree close to the Railway at
Bihiya, is still visited by women of every caste, who come in numbers
either to invoke her as a deified being or to offer oblations in
commemoration of her. None of them dares to enter Bihiya, which
contains the remains of their ancestors’ fort. They are more swarthy
than most Râjputs, and Mr. Carnegy suggests that they may have been
originally a Tamil race. [507]
2. These people may possibly be connected with the Haihya of the
Purânik lists. We read that they with the Jalajanghas, descendants of
Yadu, conquered King Bahu or Bahuka and were finally destroyed by
Sâgara. [508] A tribe of Haihayas still exists in the valley of
Sahajpur, who, according to Colonel Tod, are “aware of their ancient
lineage, and though few in numbers, are still celebrated for their
valour.” [509] Professor Wilson suggested their connection with the
Hia, Hoiei-ke, Hoieiha, and similarly denominated Hun or Turk Tribes,
who make a figure in Chinese History. “At the same time it is to be
observed that these tribes do not make their appearance until some
centuries after the Christian era, and the scene of their first
exploits is far from the frontier of India: the coincidence of
appellation may therefore be merely accidental. In the word haya, which
properly means ‘a horse,’ it is not impossible that we have
confirmatory evidence of the Scythian origin of the Haihyas.” [510]
Hijra, Mukhannas.—The class of eunuchs. In spite of the operations of
the Criminal Tribes Act (XXVII of 1871) these people are still found in
considerable numbers throughout the Province; but under the rigid
supervision to which they are now exposed their numbers are gradually
decreasing. Formerly when a deformed boy was born in a family the
Hijras of the neighbourhood used to beset the parents and endeavour to
obtain possession of him. This practice has now, of course, ceased.
Hijras divide the country into beats for the purposes of begging, and
none of them ventures to trespass in the beat of another. Most of them
wear a sort of female dress, and, as nearly all of them are
Muhammadans, they call themselves by Musalmân names such as Bari Begam,
Chhoti Begam, etc. They go about and attend marriage feasts and other
ceremonies. They play on the drum (dhol) and cymbals (manjîra). Their
death customs are the same as those of the low castes in their
neighbourhood. The Census Returns show that they have a considerable
number of women dependent on them.
2. The Census Returns give as sections of the so-called Hijra caste
some of purely Muhammadan origin, as Bani Hâshim, Khwâja, Khwâja Sarâi,
Khwâjazâd, Pathân, and Shaikh, with others of Hindu origin as Gangarâmi
and Tilokbans.