Minor Land-Owning Agricultural Castes

Latest revision as of 20:58, 1 May 2014

[edit] Introductory and General

I have roughly grouped the tribes and castes which I propose to discuss in this part of the present chapter under three heads, Minor Dominant Tribes, Minor Agricultural and Pastoral Tribes, and Foreign Races. The figures for each group will be found prefixed to the detailed discussion of the castes which compose it. No very definite line can be drawn between the several groups ; but the general idea of the classification has been to include in the first such tribes or castes as, while not of sufficient magnitude or general importance to rank with the four great races which have been discussed in the two preceding parts of the chapter, yet occupy a social position somewhat similar to theirs, and either are or have been within recent times politically dominant in their tribal territories. In the second group I have included those cultivating tribes who, while forming a very large and important element in the agricultural section of the population, occupy a subject or subordinate position, and have not, at least within recent times, risen to political prominence. The third group includes that miscella neous assortment of persons who bear titles, such as Shekh orMughal, which purport to denote foreign origin. Many, perhaps most of them, are really of Indian origin, and many of them are neither agriculturists nor land-owners.

But no general grouping of castes in the Panjab can hope to be exact ; and this appeared to be the most convenient place in which to discuss them. The tribes discussed in this part of the chapter complete the essentially land-own ing or agricultural tribes of tho Panjala. The Brahmans and Saiyads cultivate largely, while the mercantile classes own large areas ; but they will be more conveniently dealt with under a separate head in the next part of the chapter.