Pargha, Parigha
Contents |
Pargha, Parigha
This section has been extracted from THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. Ethnographic Glossary. Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. . |
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Origin
A small cultivating and labouring caste, probably of Dravidian descent, found in Monghyar, Bhagalpur, and the SantaI Parganas. The origin of the Pargha is obscure, and their traditions throw no light upon their tribal affinities. One legend of the common miraculous type says that the first Pargha was created from the sweat of one of the Hindu gods in order to be a warrior. Another describes them as Paliya or 'fugitive' Rajputs, who fled from the north• west before the avenging Parasu Ram, and on the way tore off their Brahmanical threads and threw them into the river Son. The Paliyas of Dinajpur, themselves originally Kochh, have a similar tradition, and so have other Dravidian oastes whom fort,une has plaoed in a position to pass themselves off as Hujputs. There would indeed be nothing p?'ima facie improbable in the hypothesis that the Pargha may be nothing more than an outlyillg branch of the Paliya; but arguments ba8ed on similarity of names are apt to prove fallacious, and I know of no definite evidence either for or against such a oon¬jeoture. Mr. C. F. Magrath, in his memorandum on the castes of Behar included in the Report of the Census of Bengal for 1872, was disposed to infer from their location that they must be a Hinduised off shoot of the Bhuiyas; but this suggestion again seems to be unsupported by any tangible evidence.
Internal structure
The Parghas or Bhagalpur are divided into two sub-castes ¬ Supa-Pargha and Paliyar-Parghii, and into several sections, who are sown Appenix• The section-names are of no special interest. Most of them are terms, such as Marar, Raut, and the like, used by many other castes as titles. I am informed, however, on good authority that among the Pargha these groups are exogamous. Prohibited degrees are reckoned by the usual formula calculated to seven generations in the descending line.
Mnrriage
Girls of the Pargha caste may be married either as infants or as adults, but the former practice is deemed the more respectable, and no father who could afford to get his daughter married as a child would allow her to reach the age of puberty unmarried. The standard low-caste ritual is followed, in which the smearing of vermilion on the bride's forehead is believed to constitute the valid and binding portion. Polygamy is permitted in the sense that a man may take a second wife if the first is barren. Widows may marry again, and are bound by no restrictions, except those arising from the prohibited degrees, in their choice of a second husband. Divorce is not formally recognized; and when a woman goes wrong, she is simply cast o:ff by her husband. She is not, however, turned out of the caste, and she may marry again.
Religion
The religion of the Parghas offers no points of special interest, and appears to differ little from that of other Hindus of about the same social standing. Maithil Brahmans serve them as priests, but their rank is low among those of the sacred order. The funeral ceremonies of the caste arc for the most part framed on the orthodox model, and are performed on the thirteenth day after death; but in the case of persons who die by a violent death, some Parghas construct a small round heap of dried mud, which is called after the dead and worshipped with offerings of goats and sweetmeats as a minor god.
Occupation and social status
The bulk of the caste are occupancy or non-occupancy raiyats and landless day-labourers; some are tenure- holders, and a few exceptionally fortunate individuals have risen to the status of zamindars holding petty estates. In point of social standing Parghas rank a little lower than Dhanuks. They observe the standard scruples regarding food, and profess to abstain from spirituous liquors. The following statement shows the number and distribution of the Pargha caste during 1872 and 1881.
Pargha
(From People of India/ National Series Volume VIII. Readers who wish to share additional information/ photographs may please send them as messages to the Facebook community, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be gratefully acknowledged in your name.)
Synonyms: Paigarh, Parghu [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Groups/subgroups: Paigarh, PaJiyar Pargha, Parghu, Supa Pargha [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Surnames: Jamadar, Manjhi, Panda, Pargha, Patar, Rai, Raut [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Gotra: Bharadwaj [Bihar and/or Jharkhand]
- Sections: Kumar, Manjhi, Marar, Masik, Ojha, Patar, Rai, Raut, Siyar [H.H. Risley]
