Kharia. [490]--A primitive Kolarian tribe, of which about 900 persons
were returned from the Central Provinces in 1911. They belong to the
Bilaspur District and the Jashpur and Raigarh States. The Kharias
are one of the most backward of the Kolarian tribes, and appear to
be allied to the Mundas and Savars. Colonel Dalton says of them:
"In the Chota Nagpur estate they are found in large communities, and
the Kharias belonging to these communities are far more civilised than
those who live apart. Their best settlements lie near the southern
Koel river, which stream they venerate as the Santals do the Damudar,
and into it they throw the ashes of their dead." Chota Nagpur is the
home of the Kharias, and their total strength is over a lakh. They
are found elsewhere only in Assam, where they have probably migrated
to the tea-gardens.