The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)

"The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)" by W. Crooke is a colonial ethnographic survey written in the late 19th century. It compiles origin-stories, social structures, customs, deities, occupations, and census figures for communities across what is now Uttar Pradesh and Oudh. This volume proceeds as an alphabetical compendium, mixing folklore, linguistic notes, and administrative data to map the region’s caste and tribal landscape.

The opening of this volume profiles a run of communities beginning with the Bhar, whose name, origins, and once-ruling status are debated against archaeological attributions and local legend, before detailing their sub-castes, marriage rules, life-cycle rites, village deities, food habits, occupations, and census distribution. Brief tables follow for Bhâradwâj Rājputs, then a substantial entry on the Bharbhûnja (grain-parchers) outlines their many occupational sub-divisions, endogamy/exogamy practices, sect affiliations, food rules, economic tiers of trade, and numbers. A short note on the Bharsaiyân (a Chauhān-linked sept in Oudh) precedes the wide-ranging article on the Bhāt bards and genealogists, which surveys competing origin legends and scholarly views, internal sections and marriage norms (including no widow marriage), the distinct practices of Hindu and Muslim Bhāts, their household cults, and an extended excursus on the Charans’ sacred status, caravan trade, and use of self-wounding to enforce obligations. The section then treats the Bhathiyāra—Muslim innkeepers, cooks, and tobacconists—tracing their reputed ties to Sher Shāh’s household, their sub-divisions, marriage and religious observances, the working life of sarais along major roads, and their distribution. Overall, the start of the volume blends ethnographic description with census tables and local traditions to ground each entry.