Kasar, Kasera, Kansari, Bharewa. [388]--The professional caste of
makers and sellers of brass and copper vessels. In 1911 the Kasars
numbered 20,000 persons in the Central Provinces and Berar, and were
distributed over all Districts, except in the Jubbulpore division,
where they are scarcely found outside Mandla. Their place in the other
Districts of this division is taken by the Tameras. In Mandla the
Kasars are represented by the inferior Bharewa group. The name of the
caste is derived from kansa, a term now applied to bell-metal. The
kindred caste of Tameras take their name from tamba, copper, but
both castes work in this metal indifferently, and in Saugor, Damoh
and Jubbulpore no distinction exists between the Kasars and Tameras,
the same caste being known by both names. A similar confusion exists
in northern India in the use of the corresponding terms Kasera
and Thathera. [389] In Wardha the Kasars are no longer artificers,
but only dealers, employing Panchals to make the vessels which they
retail in their shops. And the same is the case with the Maratha
and Deshkar subcastes in Nagpur. The Kasars are a respectable caste,
ranking next to the Sunars among the urban craftsmen.
According to a legend given by Mr. Sadasheo Jairam they trace their
origin from Dharampal, the son of Sahasra Arjun or Arjun of the
Thousand Arms. Arjun was the greatgrandson of Ekshvaku, who was born
in the forests of Kalinga, from the union of a mare and a snake. On
this account the Kasars of the Maratha country say that they all
belong to the Ahihaya clan (Ahi, a snake; and Haya, a mare). Arjun
was killed by Parasurama during the slaughter of the Kshatriyas and
Dharampal's mother escaped with three other pregnant women. According
to another version all the four women were the wives of the king
of the Somvansi Rajputs who stole the sacred cow Kamdhenu. Their
four sons on growing up wished to avenge their father and prayed to
the Goddess Kali for weapons. But unfortunately in their prayer,
instead of saying ban, arrow, they said van, which means pot, and
hence brass pots were given to them instead of arrows. They set
out to sell the pots, but got involved in a quarrel with a Raja,
who killed three of them, but was defeated by the fourth, to whom
he afterwards gave his daughter and half his kingdom; and this hero
became the ancestor of the Kasars. In some localities the Kasars say
that Dharampal, the Rajput founder of their caste, was the ancestor
of the Haihaya Rajput kings of Ratanpur; and it is noticeable that
the Thatheras of the United Provinces state that their original home
was a place called Ratanpur, in the Deccan. [390] Both Ratanpur and
Mandla, which are very old towns, have important brass and bell-metal
industries, their bell-metal wares being especially well known on
account of the brilliant polish which is imparted to them. And the
story of the Kasars may well indicate, as suggested by Mr. Hira Lal,
that Ratanpur was a very early centre of the brass-working industry,
from which it has spread to other localities in this part of India.