The Kharia legend of origin resembles that of the Mundas, and tends
to show that they are an elder branch of that tribe. They say that
a child was born to a woman in the jungle, and she left it to fetch
a basket in which to carry it home. On her return she saw a cobra
spreading its hood over the child to protect it from the sun. On this
account the child was called Nagvansi (of the race of the cobra),
and became the ancestor of the Nagvansi Rajas of Chota Nagpur. The
Kharias say this child had an elder brother, and the two brothers set
out on a journey, the younger riding a horse and the elder carrying
a kawar or banghy with their luggage. When they came to Chota Nagpur
the younger was made king, on which the elder brother also asked for
a share of the inheritance. The people then put two caskets before
him and asked him to choose one. One of the caskets contained silver
and the other only some earth. The elder brother chose that which
contained earth, and on this he was told that the fate of himself and
his descendants would be to till the soil, and carry banghys as he had
been doing. The Kharias say that they are descended from the elder
brother, while the younger was the ancestor of the Nagvansi Rajas,
who are really Mundas. They say that they can never enter the house
of the Nagvansi Rajas because they stand in the relation of elder
brother-in-law to the Ranis, who are consequently prohibited from
looking on the face of a Kharia. This story is exactly like that of the
Parjas in connection with the Rajas of Bastar. And as the Parjas are
probably an older branch of the Gonds, who were reduced to subjection
by the subsequent Raj-Gond immigrants under the ancestors of the
Bastar Rajas, so it seems a reasonable hypothesis that the Kharias
stood in a similar relationship to the Mundas or Kols. This theory
derives some support from the fact that, according to Sir H. Risley,
the Mundas will take daughters in marriage from the Kharias, but will
not give their daughters to them, and the Kharias speak of the Mundas
as their elder brethren. [491] Mr. Hira Lal suggests that the name
Kharia is derived from kharkhari, a palanquin or litter, and that the
original name Kharkharia has been contracted into Kharia. He states
that in the Uriya country Oraons, who carry litters, are also called
Kharias. This derivation is in accordance with the tradition of the
Kharias that their first ancestor carried a banghy, and with the fact
that the Kols are the best professional dhoolie-bearers.