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Date: 29.10.2009
BRIEF RECORD
Author: Grierson, George Abraham
Title: Bihar Peasant Life, Being a Discursive Catalogue of
the Surroundings of the
People of that Province, With Many Illustrations From Photographs
Taken by
the Author. Second and revised edition.
Publ.: Patna : Superintendent, Government Printing, Bihar and
Orissa 1926
Description: 29, vi, 433, xvii, clv p.
FULL RECORD
www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/gr_elib.htm
NOTICE
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B I H A R P E A S A N T L I F E ,
BEING
A D I S C U R S I V E C A T A L O G U E
OF THE
S u r r o u n d i n g s o f t h e p e o p l e o
f t h a t p r o v i n c e ,
WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS
TAKEN
BY THE AUTHOR.
%xtpztzb (in
1885), xtxiUx <3Drï>sr* of thz (gobmtmmt
of §m%*l,
B ï
M.A.S.B., M.R.A.S.,
F E L L O W OF T H E U N I V E R S I T Y
OF C A L C U T T A : F O R M E R L Y S A N S K R I
T A N D H I N D U S T A N I
E X H I B I T I O N E R , T R I N I T Y C O L L E G E , D U B L I N
.
SECOND AND REVISED EDITION.
1926.
1926.
P f t i C E D P U B L I C A T I O N S O F T H
E G O V E R N -
M E N T O F B I H A R A N D O R 1 S S
A C A N
B E H A D F R O M — -
I N I N D I A .
The Superintendent, Government Printing,
Bihar and Onssa, Gulzarbagh; P.
O.
(1) MESSRS. THACKER SPINK
& Co., Calcutta. (2) MESSRS. W
. NEWMAN & Co., Calcutta- (3)
MESSRS. S. K LAHIIU
& Co., College Street, Calcutta.
(4) MESSRS. R. CAMBRAY
& Co.. 6 and 8-2, Hastings
Street, Calcutta. (5) MESSRS. THOMPSON
& Co., Madras, (6) MESSRS. D
. B . TARAPOREVALA SONS
& Co., 103, Meadow Street,
Fort, Post
Box No. 18, Bombay. (7)
MESSRS. M . C. SIRCAR &
SONS, 75, Harrison Road, Calcutta.
(8) PROPRIETOR OF TH E
NEWAL EISHORE PRESS, Lucknow.
(9) MESSRS . M . N . BURMAN
& Co., Bankipore.
(10) BABU R AM DAÏAL AQABWALA,
184, Katra Road, Allahabad, (11)
STANDARD LITERATURE Co., L T D . ,
13-1 Old Court HouS6 Street,
Calcutta (12) MANAGER OF THE
INDIAN SCHOOL SUPPLY DEPOT,
309, Bow Bazar
Stieet, Calcutta (IS) MESSRS.
BUTTERWORTH & Co., L T D . ,
6, Hastings Street, Calcutta* (14)
MESSRS. R AM K RISHNA &
SONS, Anarkali Street, Lahore. (15) T
H E OXFORD BOOK AND STATIONERY
COMPANY, Delhi. (16) Messrs Das
Brothers, Nouzerkatra, Patna
City.
I N E N G L A N D A N D O N T H E C O N
T I N E N T .
(1) FROM THE OFFICE OF THE HIG
H COMMISSIONER FOR IITCT,
42, Grosvenor Gardens,
London, S. W. 1, or
(2) ANY BOOKSELLER.
IN GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT
WOULD NEVER HAvE BEEN WRITTEN.
THIS BOOK
IS DEDICATED
Eaiih'p<n'f 9 4th April
1885.
The first edition of Sir George Grierson's " Bihar Peasant
Life " was published under the orders of the
Government
of Bengal in 1885, and has for many years past been
out
of print. This second edition has been
prepared under
the orders of the Government of Bihar and
Orissa, in
consultation with Sir George Grierson, in order to
place
this valuable book again within the reach of its own
officers and of the public. The book was compiled by Sir
George Grierson during the early years of his service
in
Bihar, and has since attracted the attention of scholars
in
all parts of the world. Local customs are
continually
changing under modern influences, and Sir
George Grier-
;son’s account of the everyday life of the
Bihar pesantry
in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century, may be
expected to possess increasing importance as
time passes,
The first edition was copiously illustrated with
lithograph
ed plates and woodcuts taken from
photographs; these
original plates have been reproduced by the
zincograph
process. The reading of the proof was entrusted to Rai
Bahadur Shyam Narayan Singh, O.B.E., who
was assisted
by Professor Radha Krishna Jha of the
Bihar and Orissa
Educational Service. The thanks of Government are due
to both these gentlemen for the care which they
have
taken to produce an accurate reprint of the original
edition.
I N T R O D U C T I O N .
W h i l e this work professes to be a
catalogue of the names used by
the Bihar peasant for the things
surrounding him in his daily life, yet,
in order to relieve the dryness which such
a mere list woald possess, the
writer has attempted to give a description, more or
leg:; complete, of
that life and of its character and incidents. The book
is in fact
a discursive catalogue, and it is hoped that it may
serve as a solid
foundation for more elaborate disquisitions on
the Bihar raiy<it and
his surroundings.
Such a work as this is nothing if not accurate, and no
ordinary
pains have been spared to compass the greatest
accuracy possible^
Existing treatises on Indian rural life are
not always trustworthy ; and
as it is impossible to tell what is and what is not
correct in them, the
writer has avoided taking them as the ground work of his
compilation.
Every word in this book has been collected from the mouths of
the
people, and noted on the spot where it was spoken,
either by the writer'
himself or by one of his assistants. When
the work began to assume
shape, it was carefully compared with every available book of
reference
and where discrepancies occurred, they weie either reconciled
or
explained. Finally the proof-sheets have
been circulated to all the
Bihar districts, and have been again checked on
the spot by competent
observers, different from the original persons who
collected the materials
on which the book was founded.*
So far, therefore, as ;its contents go, this book
may claim to be
entirely original, and the writer hopes, Jto a certain
degree, accurate.
No originality can, however, be claimed for its general
system and
arrangement. This is closely modelled on Mr. Crooke's
"Materials
for a Rural and Agricultural
Glossary of the North-Western Piovinces
* The writer would here tender his thanks to
the various district officers of
* The writer would here tender his thanks to
the various district officers of
Bihar, who have spared no trouble in having this
local checking performed in a
satisfactory manner. The amount of new information gained, and
of mistakes and
misprints corrected through their help, has
been very considerable.
INTRODUCTION.
and Oudh.’’* The writer has followed him very
closely in the arrange
ment of his matter, and in many cases has not scrupled
to use his
very words when they were the most
suitable that could be adopted.
The vernacular words embodied in this book have in fact
been
brought together horn two sources, viz.,
the writer's own private
researches during the past seven years; checked and
supplemented by-
actual translations of the words given by Mr. Crooke's work
made by
the writer's assistants once and sometimes twice over in
every
district of Bihar. It will
thus be seen how much the writer is
indebted to the latter gentleman. Mr. Crooke's book differed
from the
present work in being to some extent a compilation
from existing
dictionaries ; and as these were not all of them
as accurate as could be
wished, it was impossible that it should not
contain some mistakes.
But as one who has probably worked through it
with more minute
attention than most people, the writer
gladly bears witness to its general
accuracy. This may be considered as really wonderful,
when the
extremely slovenly scholarship of some of the books on
which
Mr. Crooke had to depend is taken into account.
In the present work every native word is written twice
over—once
with accuracy in the native character for those who are able
to read it
and once in the English character for those who are not
acquainted
with the Indian vernaculars. This transliteration
does not pretend
to be scientifically accurate. Such a
transliteration with its diacritical
dots and dashes would only puzzle those for whom
it is intended, viz.,
those who are ignorant of the language. A l l that
has been attempted
for them is to give them a general idea of the correct
pronunciation
of the words, without professing to tell
them the exact pronunciation
which they hardly require, and which would be
difficult to do. For
these persons all that is necessary is
that they should pronounce the
vowels as in Italian, and the consonants as in
English, and they will
then approach sufficiently near to the way
in which the natives them
selves pronounce the words.† For those who are
acquainted with the
* Allahabad, 1879. Printed at-the
North-western Provinces and Oudh
Government Press. Thô writer would take
this opportunity of acknowledging
bis indebtedness to Mr. Crcoke for this really
admirable work, without it the
pretent book could never have been written
without an expenditure of labour which
few district officials like the
writer would have been able to bestow.
‡ The system of transliteration adopted may be
briefly described as the
Jonesian system, with every possible diacritical
mark omitted. In pursuance of
Jonesian system, with every possible
diacritical mark omitted. In pursuance of
this the cerebral letters are given no dots, and, as nearly
every final vowel is long
the long mark has been
omitted from final vowels.
their vernacular dress are necessary
In quoting Arabic and Persian words in the
Nagri character, the
dots, which are sometimes used to indicate
an original z, &c, are omitted*
for the reason that the words are given as
they are pronounced in Bihar,
and that all the dots in the world
will not make a Bihari pronounce a z
as other than j, or sad as other
than s.
In order to understand the meaning of the words
which the
writer has used to express locality,
it is necessary to explain that, under
the name Tirhut, he has included the whole tract which
lies between
the river Gandak on the west and the river Kosi
on the east and
which is bounded on the north by the
Nepal frontier and on the south
by the Ganges. He, therefore, indicates under this term
not only the
districts of Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga, but also
North Bhagalpnr
and North Munger (Monghyr). This was rendered
necessary by the
language of these latter tracts
being practically the same as that of
Darbhanga. By North-West Tirhut he means the Sitamarhi and
Sadr
subdivisions of Muzaffarpur ; by South-West Tirhut, the
subdivision of
Hajipnr , by North-East Tirhut, the Sadr and
Madhubani subd visions
of Darbhanga and the Supiul subdivision
of North Bhagalpur ;
and by South-East Tirhut, the Tajpur subdivision of
Darbhanga,
North Manger, and the Madaipura subdivision
of Nor t i Bhagalpur.
By North Bihar he means all
Bihar north of the Ganges, and by
South Bihar all Bihar south of
it. When he speaks of the east or the
west, the north-east or the north-west, he means, of course,
the east, west,
north-east, and north-west respectively of Bihar.
One more word of warning regarding these
localities. When the
writer says that a word is used in a
certain place, he does not mean
by implication that it is not used anywhere
else. He means simply
that the word has been noted by him in such and such a place,
and not
elsewhere. That it may be used elsewhere is very possible,
and
any notes on this or kindred topics addressed to the
writer, care of
the Secretary to the Bihar and Orissa Government,
Revenue and
General Departments, will be gladly welcomed.
Regarding the illustrations, they are all (with
one or two small
exceptions) lithographed or cut on wood from
photographs taken by
the writer, who is glad to be able to thank Mr Schaumburg and
the
the writer, who is glad to be able to thank Mr. Schaumburg and
the
students of the Government School of Art, Calcutta,
for the excellent
very indifferent photographs.* The difficulties
experienced by the
* writer in taking some of these pictures
were great. The most ludicrous
reports spread through the city concerning his work. The
camera of
course was looked upon as a fearful engine of destruction, and
some-
times half an hour has been wasted in futile
diplomacy to persuade
an old lady to allow the lens to bo pointed at her.
Under these
circumstances photographs had almost always to be taken by
the
instantaneous process, which, however certain it may be
in the hands
of the professional, frequently disappoints the mere
amateur. The last
photograph the writer
took — that of a native house—was spoilt
because
the grandmother of the family refused
to allow any of the children to
appear in the picture, her reason being that the
Government was build
ing the bridge across the Gandak and wanted children to bury
under
its foundations. Just, however, as the plate was exposed, one of
the
little boys determined to immortalize himself, and leaped in
front of the
lens to the dismay o f the female members of his
family. He had his
wish in appearing in the picture, but he was so near the
lens that he
covered half of it with his
shoulders. On other occasions the writer
was believed to be collecting carts
and boats for the Egyptian war, or
to be counting the wells in the country, because he knew a famine
was
approaching, and so oti ad infinitum.
However, the pictures were
finally taken, and, such as they are, are certainly accurate
representa
tions of the originals.
In conclusion the writer has to draw attention to the
thoroughness
and accuracy with which his assistants,
Munshi Dilawar AU and Mun-
shi Moti Lai have done their portion of the work. The
former has,
the writer much regrets to say, died since the above
was first written.
The latter has been his assistant to the last, and the
writer begs to
record his high sense of his industry and
intelligence, and to recom
mend his services to the favourable notice of
Government.
* This refers to the illustrations of the
first Edition.
„ Khutahra „ Kbutahrd.
„ lawtha „ lawthfi.
Page 2.™
Section 7 line 5. For
ïïfw^ read trft**ïï I
i , 12 ,, W*"-T ,,
S*Tl
Page 4—
Section 19. For ftTO*i† read
ïT5t? ^ f l I
Page 5—
Section 27. For U^tt T read i w
i U l I
‚, Pharsa ,‚ PbarsS.
Page 7.—
,9 33. ‚ , balling
‚‚ hauling.
» 33. „ ¶ * ^ t „ 3i-3^t
|
„ tagarr tagi.
‚, 48. „ sftf|f „ ^ t f t
l
Page 10—
Page 10—
For ?pral read 3T%?ft I
„ ~TO* ,‚ *sr -yww |
palani
ft
f>
9*
palni.
TOftl
79.
ff
For BT read I
it
~ ~ i
-TCI |
–- . _ i
dobhl.
I-
II
818
319
324
II
II
,, 335 %jSi ,, tnfc3T
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ftff¶-n ,,. fttfbn i
» 341 ,, -ft¶rt „ ift i n
i
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l
» 344 „ *§*HI „ i§rV[
|
99 350 ‚, q-R^T ,‚ e f * K
I
-i 853 II f r f f t ,,
trgnft i
II II *rar‡ ,. Melt
i
i . 856 „ ckhar ,‚
ohh.
II 856 ‚ , q fo t? WTf
‚ , Ufir?!-f ^ ) f )
i i II trW „ %]^41
361 ,, ^ ¶ T ‚ ,
3&*-|- |
1*" II 3f* I
II i*
II II
9*
if
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365
370
375
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379
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t9
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a
•ltto*R*r i
chha ,,
bhethi ,,
ufaT ‚‚
-"f fd i
Section 585. For ff ~^-fT
read fTf *~f -lT I
Nas pal „
Ns pl.
^ - 1 ¶ 1 , i ^ N ¶ t I
592. ,‚ „ f a q r f l
595. ,‚ ferït ,, frtft,
597. „ -f cT^l ¶f-r
„ '?ci^T "-TOR I
602, „ Jï""^l v
|l'5T"cïfl I
- 603. „ ^ S ï ï ‚ ,
*†OT,ïïl
i , 604. , , ~ f l ^ t >‚ *
- ' ^ I
JI
TT
« ,» „ -r"-?t |
616. „ — i r e ^ l „ --––f––-?t
1
618. „ mm „ –jfe–rti
624. „ - y w „ ^mi
636. „ tn---rtf ,, Wï Ctl
638. ,, tr-ft „ i*t
^
643. TT9?T 1T----T 1
643. ,, TT9?T „ 1T----T 1
.
,, 736. ^~3ST vft&%l
|
„ tr^-f--^ „ qTO*"ft
^--fcl-ft „ ww*ft I
„ " l " ^ 1
„ 743. „ « f v r t „ ^ ï ï l T
l
-•"TO i " ~ T i
„ 744. „ *rf¶rwr „ w r t i n n
i
745. , "f'-(ft „ f V t -
„ 747. „ x-§ï „
-f–j–;i
-f-ftwi „ n^m i
„ »---f-n-i „ 5 w s n i ! i
„ ---TO „ ^SIT-I
‚‚ 255. ‚‚ ^ – - – „ - ~
~ i
I
,. so2 ,, -rfirc ,, rtnx
„ 803 ^I"lTf „ <*YfT*
„ 814 „ *wl ^¶T
S-TC-d >, -ff—"ft
„ 828 „ trcT-i „ -nni
,, 832 „ tf–~T „ t r W T
„ ,, ^«"ff t - Sanghariya -Jarffft-rT
Sanjhariy.
„ 841 ,, ."f---ïT „ -ffT
„ 844 „ BIW Jna „
¶p¶ Jana
>, ,. -fift^T „ *ftST
Koranja
«f--T bhanj
„ „ «•«« „ «f--T
bhanj.
*f « i
it i9 n TOT
II
it JR ‡4 I
II *J**ror i
99
91
19
<Tir-iT maggha.
it
it
ft
it
~TT
srfsIV
flcTt
ON
read ire ‡nf I –ï
a
ti
if
it
it
t>
tt
a
fi
it
a
a
? - n f t i
w w r I
w — ; i
-BWf-;-n i
--If i
–-«-.’t I
fv* .3--: i
1316
1318
1344
1345
1354
1358
1369
1373
1377
1379
99 99
line 14 insert accept.
Appendix page 16 IH41~9T read
ïïfirëfatt
C O N T E N T S .
D I V I S I O N I . — I M P L E M E N T S A N D A
P P L I A N C E S U S E D I N A G R I C U L T U R
E A N D R U R A L M A N U F A C T U R E S
SUBDIVISION I.—IMPLEMENTS USED IN PREPARING
LAND FOR CULTIVATION
CHAPTER 1.—The plough „ 2.—Mattocks
and spades ... ... „ 3.—The harrow „ ,
4.—Rakes used in field work ...
„ 5.—Pickaxes, pitchforks, &c. SUBDIVISION
II.—IMPLEMENTS USED in SOWING, WEEDING,
AND IRRIGATION ...
„ 4.—Implements used in
connection with irrigation
SUBDIVISION III.—APPLIANCES USED IN
FIELD-WATCHING
CHAPTER 1.—The sling
,, 2—The scarecrow „ 3.—The watchman's platform
SUBDIVISION IV,—IMPLEMENTS USED IN HARVESTING
CHAPTER l.—The sickle or reaping-book
„ 2.—Rakes used on the threshing-flcor ... * .–• „
3«—Granaries
SUBDIVISION V.–IMPLEMENTS AND APPLIANCES
USED IN
CONNECTION WITH CATTLE
CHAPTER 1.—The fodder-cutter and trough ,,
2.—The muzzle and blinkers „ 3.—The whip and goad „
4.—Hobbles for cattle „ 6.-Ropes ... ... ... ... ••• „
6—Pads for cattle „ 7.—Grain-bags and paniers for loaded
cattle „ 8.-Canvas, leather, oi11arpaulin covers ... •••
„ 9.—Vessels from which animals are fed ...
••• „ 10.—Dairy utensils ... .. . 9
...
SUBDIVISION VI.—APPLIANCES USED IN
THE CONVEYANCE OF GOODS OR PASSENGERS
CHAPTER 1.—- The country cart „ 2.—The
large, c mplete country cart... „ 8.—-The light country cart
.. „ 4.—The bullock carriage „ 5.—The
peny carriage „ 6.—The country boat
7.—The litter
8 8— 9
ib.
ib.
ib. 21— 24
25—27
ib. 27- 28 28— 37 3 7 - 38 38— 39
40—42 42-46 45—46
„ 7.—The litter
SUBDIVISION VII.—APPLIANCES USED IN
RURAL MANUFACTURE
CHAPTER 1.—Appliances used in the manufacture
of oil ... .•• i ,
2..— Appliances used in the manufacture of sugar,..
••*
46
PAGB
OHAPTBR 3.—Appliances used in the manufacture of
indigo ... 60—62 „ 4.—The spinning-wheel ... ... ...
62—69 „ 5.—The weaver's loom ... ... ... ...
69—76 „ 6.—The saltpetre manufacturer ... ... ... 76—77
„ 7.—A distillery of country liquor
... ... ... 77—78
SUBDIVISION VI II .– APPL IAN CES USED BY MISCELLANEOUS
VILLAGE TRADERS AND PROFESSIONALS . . . ... .. .
79
CHAÏTBR 1.-The palm-juice seller ... ... ... 79-80
„ 2.—The bird-catcher ... ... ... ... ib. „
3.-The barber ... ... ... ... 80-81 „ 4.—The country surgeon
... ... ... ... ib. „ 5.—The farrier ... ... ...
... ib. „ 6.-—The washerman ... ... ... ... 81—82
SUBDIVISION IX.—TOOLS AND APPLIANCES USED B Y COUNTRY
ARTIZANS ... ... ... ... ... 83
CHAPTBB l.—The carpenter and turner ... ... ... 83—85 „
2.—The blacksmith ... ... ... . .. 85—88 „ 3.—The mason
or bricklayer ... .. . ... 88—90 „
4.—The grain-pareher ... ... ... ... 90—92 „ 5.—The baker ...
... ... ... 92—93 „ 6.—The confectioner ... ... ... ~. 93—94
„ 7.—The tobacco-manuf aoturer ... ... . .. 95 „
8.—-The pipe-maker ... ... ... ... 96—97 „ 9.—The pipe-stem
maker ... ... ... ib. f , 10.—The cotton-carder
... ... ... ... 98 „ 11.—The shoe-maker ... ... ... ... 98—P9
„ 12.—The blanket-weaver ... ... ... ... 99—100 „
J3.— The fancy silk or fringe-maker ... ...
... 100—101
14.—The embroiderer ... ... „ 15.—The dyer ... ... ... ...
101-102 „ 16.—The wood-painter ... ... ... ... ib.
„ 17.—The tinman ... ... ... ... 1O2-1O3 „ 18,—The
jeweller ... ... ... ... 103—105 „ 19.—The lapidary ... ...
... ... 105 „ 20.—The seal-maker ... ... ... ... 106 „
21.—The gold-washer ... ... ... ... ib. „ 22—-The
brazier ... ... ... ... 107—108 „ 23.—The brass-founder ...
... ... ... ib. „ 24 —1 he
brass-b angle maker ... ... ... ib. ,, 25.—The
glass-maker and glass bangle-maker ... ... 108—110 „ 26.—The
lac bangle-maker «.«.« ... ... ib. „
27.—The potter ... ... ... ... HI—112 „
28.—The firework-maker ... .r. ... ... 112—114 „
29.—The bookbinder ... ... ... .., 114—115 „ 30.—The rope
twister ... ... ... ... 315—116 „ 31.—The weaver's
brush-maker ... ... ... ib.
82.«—-The bow-maker , ... ... ... ... ib. „
33.—The weapon-cleaner ... ... ... ... ib.
D I V I S I O N I I . — D OM E S T I C A P P L I A N C E S A
N D
U T E N S I L S ... . .. . . . . .. 117
SUBDIVISION I.—APPLIANCES USED IN THE PREPARATION OF
food •• ... ... ... ib.
Cs±r --B 1.—Sieves ... ... ... ... ...
117—118 2.—The pedal for husking grain 118—119
SUBDIVISION II.—DOMESTIC FURNITURE ...
CHAPTER 1. —Stool ... ... ... ,, 2.—The bed
and cot ‚, 3.—The weighing scales ... ... ... ... ‚,
4.—Nets „ 5.—The pad used for supporting water-pots, etc., on
a
woman's head „ 6.—The stick ... ... ... „ 7.—Boxes ...
.. . „ 8.—Metal vessels us
?d in cooking and for ordinary domestic
purposes ... ... ••• „ 9,—Earthen vessels ... ... •••
„ lO.—wooden vessels ... ••• „ 11.—Leather vessels ...
„ 12.—Leaf platters ... .•• •••
„ 13.—Stands for vessels ... ... ... ...
CHAPTER 1.—Clothes
SUBDIVISION IV.—APPLIANCES USED
IN WORSHIP ..,
D I V I S I O N III.—SOILS
CHAPTER 1.—Classificationof soils ...
„ 2,—soils classified according to village site
„ 3.—Soils classified according to „ 4.—Soils and
water action ... ... ••• „ 5.—Muddy ar.d waterlogged
soils „ 6.—High laiids and low lands ... ...
••• „ 7.—Ravines, mounds, etc. ... ... ••• „ 8.—Stony
soils ... ... ••• „ 9.—Cultivated and waste ...
„ 10. Fallow „ 11.—Richness and poorness
of soil ... „ 12.—Irrigated and dry lands
... ... „ 13.—Lands which retain
and which do not retain moisture „ 14.—Lands
bearing a single and ft double crop ... „ 15-—Terms used in
connection with different crops „ 16.-Land
impregnated with salt, etc. ... ... , .. .
D I V I S I O N I V . — G E N E R A L A G R I C U L T U R A
L O P E R A T I O N S ... ... ... ... «•
SUBDIVISION I.-PLOUGHING AND HARROWING
„•
SUBDIVISION II,-MANURING , „ I M •»
SET
CHAPTER 1.-Kinds of manure ... ... ... ... ,,
2.—Modes of manuring ... ... ... ... „ 3.—Manure used
as fuel ... ... ... ...
SUBDIVISION III.—SOWING AND TRANSPLANTING T
PAGE
121
141 141— If-
ib. ib. ib.
142— 150 ib.
ib. 176- 177 177— 178 178- --179
ib.
CHAPTBB 1.— SOWING
ib.
„ 4.—Sowing time
CHAPTER L-Digging
„ 2.—Hoeing ...
„ 3.—weeding .. .
SUBDIVISION VII.—THRESHING AND WINNOWING ...
CHAPTER 1.—The threshing-floor
„ 2.—sheaves and bundles ,, 3.—Treading out grain
„ 4.—Crops on the threshing-floor M
."..—winnowing
i . Miscellaneous
SUBDIVISION VIII.—DIVISION OF CROPS
CHAPTER L—Div sion and valuation .. . „
2.—The shares into which the crop is divided
„ 3.—Deductions and remissions „ 4.-Mode
of division ... ...
SUBDIVISION IX.—IRRIGATION ...
CHA -*TEB 1.—Irrigation generally ... „
2.—Kinds of irrigation „ 3.—Irrigation from canals
., 4.— Ditto well ... „ 5,—
Cons' ruction of wells ... „ 6.—The lever used in
raising water ... „ 7.—The skin lag used for
drawing water
— Other well appliances
connected with irrigation „ 9.—The pathway
for bullocks, etc.
10, —The workmen employed at the well
11. —'the I ersian wl eel " ...
- 12.—Irrigation from tanks and streams
. .... „ 13.—water-lifts and other
terms common to irrigation by the
swing-basket and the spoon-lever „ 14,—-water-channels ...
...
D I V I S I O N . V . — A G R I C U L T U R A L P R O D
U C T S A N D T H E I R E N E M I E S
SUBDIVISION I.-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
CHAPTER. 1.- wheat ... „ 2.-Mixed
crops .. . ... .. . „ 3.—Barley and oats ... .. .
... „ 4.—Rice ... .. . ... .. . •••
5.*--rIndian corn or maize ... .. . ... ••• 6. – The
large millet .. . .. . ... 7. -– The small bulrush
millet
,• 8.—The small mil.ets „ 9.—Pulses .. . .. . ... .. .
.. . „ 10.—Peas .. . ... ... ... ,, 11.–
Gram ... „. ... ...
i t
189
ib.
ib.
ib
ib. 208- 209
ib. 209— 210
ib. 225- 227 227—229
230 231—282 282—287
„ -12--Sugarcane I , 18.-Cotton ... ••• •«•
... 282—287 287-239
PAGB
CHAPTER 14.-Tobacco .. . ... .. . ...
2S9—241 ,, 15.—Opium poppy ... ... ... ... 24l~-243
„ 16—Hemp ... ... ... .. . ib.
17.—Indigo ... -• ... 243—244 1*.-Other dyes ... ... ... ...
244-246
„ i9.—Oil-seeds ... ... .. . ... 2l6-247 20.-Fibres ... ...
... ... * 247-248
„ 21. -Betel ... ... ... ... 24S—249 „
*2.—harden crops ... ... ... ... 250-257
SUBDIVISION II.—INSECTS AND CAUSES OF INJURY TO CROPS
... ib.
CHAPTER 1.—Destructive insects and diseases ... -
... 2*>7- 265 „ 2.—Noxious weeds ... — ...
265—269 „ 3.— Miscellaneous ... ... ... ...
26 —270
D I V I S I O N V L — A G R I C U L T U R A L T I M E
S A N D
S E A S O N S ... ... ... ... ... 271-287
D I V I S I O N V I I . - C A T T L E
A N I M A L S
A N D O T H E R D O M E S T I C
CHAPTER 1.-
7.- ‚, 8.- ‚, 9- H 10- „ 11.-
12.- 13.
25.-
289
-Cattle generally ... ... ... ... ib. -Bulls ...
... ... ... ib. -Pullocks ... ... ‚ ... ... 289 –293
Cows and breeding ... ... ' ... ... 293—294
-Calves ... ... ... ... 294 —295 -Buffaloes
... ... ... ... 295-296 -Goats ... ... ... ... ib. -Sheep ...
... ... ... ib. -Pigs ... .. . ... ... ... 296—297
-Horsep, mules, and asses ... ... ...
ib. -Elephants ... ... ... ... 297-298 -Camels ... ... ...
... ... ib. - Straying of cattle ... ... ...
... ib. -Colours of cattle . ... .. . ... ... 2.'S-299
-Hides ... ... ... ... ... ib. -Cattle slaughter
... ... ... ... 209—300 -Feeding cattle ... ... ... ...
300—3<>1 -
! asturage ... ... .*• ... ib. -Fences .. . ...
.. . .. . ... 302 -Grazing-fees ... ... ... ... ib.
-Cow-houses and enclosures for cattle, cattle-owners, etc....
302—303 -Cattle-dealers ... ... ... ... ib. -Milk
and Us preparations ... ... ... 303—3«>5
-Cattle diseases ... . ... ... ... 306—308 -Cattle fodder
... ... ... ... 308—313
D I V I S I O N V I I I . - L A B O U R, A N D P E R Q U I S
I T E S
A D V A N C E S , W A G E S ,
CHAPTER 1.—Pay and advances to labourers „
2.—Advances to tenants ... „ 3.—Dues paid
by tenants ...
D I V I S I O N I X . — L A N D T E N U R E S
CHAPTER 1.—Tenures „
2—Proprietary tenures ... 3.—Intermediate
tenures
315
323
„ 3.—Intermediate tenures ... „ 4.—Shares
and sharers ... „ 5.—Cultivating
tenures ... ,, 6.—-Rents ...
325—326 826—327 327—329 829-332
vi
PAGB
D I V I S I O N X . — T H E N A T I V E H O U S E ... .. .
333
CHAPTER 1.—The native house .. . ... ... .. .
333—334 „ 2.—Parts of a house ... ... ... ... 334—340
„ 3—Materials used in the constraction of the house ...
340—344
D I V I S I O N X L — F O O D .. . ... ... ... 345
CHAPTER 1.- -Meals .. . .-. .. . •••
ib.
2.-Kinds of food ... .. . ... .. . 345—358 D
I V I S I O N X I I . - C E R E M O N I E S A N D S U P
E R S T I T I O N S
O P R U R A L L I F E ... ... ... ... 359
CHAPTER I.— Marriage .. . ... .. . . . .
359—36l
„ 2.— wedding ceremon.es generally ... ... ...
361—364 „ 3.—Special wedding ceremonies amongst the
Hindus ... 364—376 „ 4. -Marriage ceremonies amongst the
Mnsalmans ... 376—388 „ 5,—Birch customs generally ...
... ... 388—390 „ c.—Ceremcnies peculiar to the birth of
a Hindu child ... 390—3w2 „
7. —Birth customs amongst Musalmans ... ... 3 2—393
,, 8.—Disposal of the dead amongst the Hindus ... ...
3V-3—397 „ 9.—Disposal of the dead amongst Musalmans ...
... 397—398 „ 10.—Ceremonies at ploughing
and sowing and transplanting ... 399—400 „ H.
— Harvest ceremonies ... ••• ... 400 — 40l „
i 2.—Miscellaneous ... .. . .. . ... 401—403 „
13,—Arbitrations, oaths, etc. ... ... ... 403—404 „
14.—Miscellaneous superstitions ... ... ... 404—411
D I V I S I O N X I I I . — T R A D E , M O N E Y - D E A L I N G S
, A N D A C C O U N T S ... ... ... .. . ... 413
CHAPTER 1.—Trade and bazar accounts ... ... ... 413—415
2. —Accounts between landlord and tenant ...
... 415—42 • 3. —Interest, discount, and commission
... ... 4'Jl—422 4. —Rates of interest ... .. ... ... 422—423
5. —Mortgage ... ... ... ... 423—424 6. —Miscellaneous
... ... ... .. . 424—426
D I V I S I O N X I V . - W E I G H T S A N D M E A S U
R E S ... 4*27
CHAPTER I.—Measures of length ... ... ... ...
427—429 „ 2.—superficial measure ... ... .. . ... 430
„ :«.—Measures of proportion ... ... ... 430—431
„ 4.—Measures of weight ... ... ... ... 431—433
APPENDIX ... ... ... ... ... i—xvii
The Country Plough.
(NOTE. The front portion of the body is given in seotioo, so
as to show the
position of the share.)
Potted tracts signify border
impure dialect is spoken
IMPLEMENTS AND APPLIANCES
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL MANUFACTURES.
S U B D I V I S I O N I.
I M P L E M E N T S USED I N P R E P A R I N
G LAND FOR
CULTIVATION.
C H A P T E R I . — T H E P L O U G H
.
1. The ordinary country
plough is generally known as
¶|C har
Sometimes the Hindi
form of the
word, "5^ hal, is used. In
Gaya, the
word *rflT-"T lngal
is also used.
2 . f -gpftCt khinauri is used
for an old or
worn plough. In t h e
South-Easfc and in North-West Tirhut this
is iFa t thenthi, and generally
over North-East and South
Tirhut <3"V[ thentha. In Shahabad
it f g
^ T C t khutahra. A
new plough is *J"IHT nawatha
or ^T3lnautha to
the west, ¶ ¶ 9 t nawghar
in Champran. and m¶&l
lawatha generally
over North- East and
South Tirhut.
3 . In West
Bihar and South Bhagalpur ^tlT
angt *,and in South
Munger *ffa% sngah, mean
the plough and all its
appurtenances, as in the sentence
fat (or "f*C ^tttf) ^
~TC~f ifinrnC snga (or
har
snga) lene w bahiyr, —bring
the plough, & c , to the
field.
4„ The various
parts of the common plough are as
foibws :-—
5 . The beam (a), — North
of the Ganges
this is ¶ffipj haris, and
so also in Shahabad. In East
Tirhat it is also called
vCN„ hars. In
Patna, Gaya, and South Munger
it is snrh. ï n South
Bhagalpur it u is v f t ^ h a r
i s is, however, understood more
or less everywhere.
6. The body (?).—This is
everywhere TT har<*.
7, The handle
or stilt (c). —In Shahabad
and north of the Ganges -his
n Jt?ï&v parihath j
in the eastern portion of
the latter tract it is
also mil* lagan. IT*T lagn is
used in South Munger, Patna,
and Gaya, and *ftll¶t jiangano
in South Bhagalpur. In South- western
Shahabad -fftf*f_ pirihat
is used. The knob at the
end
of the body near
the handle is in Patna *H^m
chandwa, in Gaya
*-rf t chndi, north of the
Ganges and in Shahabad IT <T
mutha (or in
the south-west of the
district –a " sft ckanduli), and
in the south-east i^f%"fl
muthiya, . In
South Bhagalpur iraCt mak*ri
is a piece used for
amending it when broken. The
first, second, and fourth names
are
only used if it
is a separate piece of wood.
8 t
The notches on the beam (d).— by
which the share is raised
or lowered.—In Sran f i t
," kherha, in Gaya Hlft
khtnrhi, and
in Shahabad %!ft kherhi. In Patna
they are 7 %X kheha, in
Charn- pran ŒTCTT kh<U, and
throughout Tirhut TITlft khhi. In
South- E ist Tirhut, it also
T^¶¶*I kharha> and in South-East
Bih^ ^TujT
khonrha or ^ T - krh.
• 9. The sole (e). —in
which the share is fixed.—
In West Bihr, it is
tor or 3fal torn. I n
East Bihr, it is^
¶TQ ns or T " n nasd.
North of the Gangesthe
thicker end
of ‚the sole is called ltf«r mantk
or ïlt"TI mantlia.
1 0 The share {f)—
Everywhere TO phr.
In North-East Tichufc
also W&J phdrd
or TOfTI phdld, and in
South-East Tirhut, al-e
5sJtCWT lohma.
11 .The wedge fixing
the beam to the
body (g) —North of t h
e
Ganges and in Shahabad and South
Munger, this is TnB pat.
Variants are *3IT patta (Gaya),
mzi plU (South Tirhut and
Patna), and
Xf—?t pto (South Bhagalpur).
.
A second wedge is sometimes added,
which is known as ^iNft.
chail everywhere north of
the Ganges and in Gaya and
the south- west, and also as
^wsft: chelkhi in South-East Tirhut.
In East Tirhut it is also
called %ffc cheri. Another name
i3 m^^pchar
(in North-East Tirhut and
Shahabad), or xperft pachai
everywhere
south' of th« Ganges. In
South Bhagalpur, it
is called sSV(X mtt
upar
pata.
§ 17.] j THE FLO UGH..
a
in Champran and Tirhut; the
latter is also used in
South Munger. Other forms are
¶jt*l baren in North-East
Tirhut, mj&t barh'an
in Sran, 3T^t baraini in Patna,
and baran in Shahabad.
Other names are W ^ftsTT
sabka dkar iy, *RC ^rfWT
sata dharig>
in Patna, and WSHE^ 9abhadhar
in Gaya, because
it holds the whole
plough together. Also c ^ T «
taraila in South Bhagalpur, <*nc*ft
taraili
in South-West Shahabad, and ¶tt«TT
humna in Patna.*
1 3 . –"--1-5 i r o n clamp
{i) for preventing the
share falling off.—- ~I5*IT^ kar"&r
or TO karur everywhere to
the west. A
variant is -fi^"3TKt karuari (Patna,,
Champran, and West Tirhut). Jn
South-West Shahabad it is also
called J§~C[ khr. In Patna
it
ev
is also called <5pf-fiT jonk‚
and the same name is current
all over
Bihar, *ft¶ft jonkl and
f‡*ft chobJw are also used in
South-East
Tirhut. In North-East Tirhut a
wedge is also used for
the same
purpose, and is ealled *n^ft
gs.
14. The yoke. —North
of the Ganges
always TIWf p^o; so also
in Patna, Gaya, and South Munger,
with a variant JtfM
pala in
South Bhagalpur. In Shahabad and
Gaya, the word is generally
~33V<ï juth, which is also
sometimes used in Sran and
the
east. Sometimes it is made up
of two bars. The
upper bar then
is considered the yoke proper,
and is hence usually called
the
^135|T^juth.
The lower bar is
generally cTT^~T tarsaila..
This double-bar arrangement is
not commonly found i n the
plough yoke. It is more
usually met with
in the yoke for well irriga-
tion (if†^ mot) ; As
a general rule *t:n^ plo
or "f"9ElT^juth (accord-
ing to locality)
may be safely used
for the
single-bar plough-yoke and
•for the double-bar irrigation
yoke, and <-Spa5ïT ju
for the single-bar cart-yoke.
See § 938.
1 5 . The outer pinsr
which join the two bars
of the yoke, are
^NTT sal or
3W3l samaila to the west and
-fi T kanaila to the east,
are also ^«rf-R^t kankilli
in South Bhagalpur.
1 6 . The inner pins are
^JJ samaila or
(Patna and the south-
east)Hf*RT samail and (Gaya) Hi? *TT
samaiy.
1 7 . The leather thongs (j}‚ which
attach the yoke to the learn
<of the plough.—These are from Patna to the
east of the South Gangetic
;tract, and in Champran, mx*l nran,
with a variant 3N[ t larani in
* About ¶|Win hw-*nna there is a
story of a Jolha (the proverbial fool
of
Bihar stories) who found a humn
On the road and cried out in
his foolishness ~f 3Qpf
^ff *J*W, ^-ffaPW V aon ^ ar
^ e humn> lehetv karab bany^
I-hhxe
^ff *J*W, ^-ffaPW V
^ ar ^ e humn>
lehetv karab bany^ I-hhxe
4 BIHAR PEASANT LIFB.
North-West and South-East Tirhut, and optionally
*TC-T^ lran in South-East Bihar, mm ndh
and -flrtft naraili are used in Shahabad, and
variants of the former word occur
in W%¶X ladaha (South–Eas
Tirhut), *it*T laidh or wm
ldh (North-East Tirhut), and ¶f
*l-?t h*r
ladhi or 51T"-T[ ha ndha
over South Tirhut generally.
Tf^T ndh
is also used in Gaya.
TT Tt *tt ha ndha
in Sran is only used when
they are of string.
When they are of leather,
in that district, they
are calledJJ^n^t dul.
South Bhagalpur has €f¶T don
or i"*t ledh.
The ropes (i) which go round
the bullocks' necks.—These are
everywhere except in
the extreme west
sftcft jo ti. In
the extreme
west (Sran, Carnpran, and Western
Shahabad) the masculine form
fjf†c!T jota, is the
usual one. In North-East Tirhut
they are also
samel or *TJ-f
samail, and in South
Bhagalpur 1qit l~ phnsa.
1 9 . The projecting knob
(i) in the midcfle of the
upper part of the
yoke.—Round this the thongs which
fasten the yoke to the
beam are fixed. This
is everywhere JTT. -fT mhaddewd.
Variants are
Yl¶f---5ft mdhadeo (Patna and Gaya)
and <R~f*? I tnaidaw (South
Munger). In South Bhagalpur
it is ïf^ïï~TT"- manjh¶cara*
2 0 .
The notches (m) near each end
of the
yoke. — To these the
ropes which go round the
bullocks' necks are fixed.
These are ?g†¶‡‡
Jthdnñ in Patna, with variants
Tll"^t khrh in South-East
Tirhut and §lft khe*r hi
to the we&t. South
West Shahabad has w^j|t khaddhi.
In Gaya the word used is
3ïfoft kanausi, and in South
Bhagalpuc
;Q—• khta,
whiles f%*T"5T srnal or
*¶-fi'H nakti are optional names
in
South-East Tirhut.
2 1 . The leaf of
the yoke (n).— This
is xm pattd, -mi
palll
or (in South-Munger)
TT3rf pala and
(in Sran) TJlcTT pt.
2 2 .
The trough in which the share lies when
fixed in the body is
¶jjft ¶I Mol,
or in South Bhagalpur ^ ^ f tkhol
.
2 3 . The bamboo whip
with which the bullocks are driven is
tiFT
paind, and its lash is
fg>fe chhiti in North-East
Tirhut. Other nameg
will he found in § 98
and ff.
2 4 .
A drill plough,— This
is generally Sir; tar, with
variant!
in South-East Tirhut nttft tnri
and tor in South Munger.
The
share is 3 T ^ I tarasi.
XmWl khill is the nail
which fastens the share
to the body. The bamboo
pipe is in West Bihr i t ^
bns, also
sometimes bansa in Shahabad. In
East Bihr, this is generally
^ 28.] MATTCcKs AN D SPADE«.
6
The cup at the top, into
which the grain is poured,
is in West Bihr WMl
ml or H^*[ malwa.
In East Bihar it is tr*TT
pail
(sometimes spelt T-TOTt pail
or TR TT paela) or
sn*5?t ml. In South
Munger, it is also — lift
ukhri, and in Patna 3lfi"Ct
akari.
2 5 , The sharpening of a
ploughshare is called
as follows in
the various districts :—
Shahabad : Ht^ fqHFW
dhdr pitwala ;
or in the south west
of the
district ~fPC„ ¶^IIITO dhar
phargwala.
Patna : "ft^^HCWW dhdr
asrdsba.
Gaya : «5THT*asr.
South Munger and South
Bhagalpur : VXT. H~"W dhdr
pajdva or
mmx. asr.
Also, North-West Tirhut and Sran
: • * " ft"fT-M
dhar jpijdwala*
North-East Tirhut
: HIT «MHM dhlr banaeba.
South-East Tirhut
: tffTT N ~-0"ffT-S;* phr
kar 5 lcba.
2 6 .
When a man wishes to plough
deep he harnesses the yoke
higher up the beam
in the notches d. This
is called in West Bihr
?farPC augr. In North-West Tirhut
it is called 3WT^ lagr,
and
in the rest of Tirhut
W*M tarakh. In South-West
Shahabad, it is
called ^nx¶^awe, in South
Munger 3TC*T thdrhd, and in
South
Bhagalpur HTG> thrha.
Light ploughing is
doun in the converse way
and is known everywhere as
%"f sev, or in North-East
Tirhut ?f-f seb.
C H A P T E R I I . — M A T T O C K S A N
D S P A D E S .
2 7 . A large mattock
is in West Bihr and Gaya x f
o l phaur.
Variants are qf^‡"t phaho (Patna
and Gaya), iRt^T phahor
(South
Munger), 1 ^ | ( phaord (Patna
and Gaya), and VfTT phahur
or tf"–sT ¶f- phauha
in Shahabad. In South-West Shahabad,
it is TR^T pharsa-
In Tirhut it is ~"[IT^ kudr,
and in South Bhagalpur and
South
Munger, ^ ^ T C x kodr.
Another name current in Gaya
is *- R .^;hm
or *-lfl*n jhm. In the
same district, ^faft bhi
is a heavy kind of
wooden spade tipped with iron for
hard soils, and 'ft khurni
or
khudni is a kind
of spade.
2 8 . A mottock with a
narrower Wade is ^ o f t kudri,
qfcrft
6 BIHAR r a A S A N r
LIFE.
^ ^ W > kudl and -ff^t*
kudr are often used to
signify also the smaller
variety. In South Bhagalpur,
it is §Vt ^*?T* thenth
kodr.
2 9 • The handle
is if"? bent, and the
upper end of it, whieh project3
beyond the socket, ¶^T kr
or ¶ T hr, or
(in South-West Tirhut) PT5Tmtha.
Other names for this end
are era or W ¶V^t
ardni>
and in South Bhagalpur
T1T2 pla. The ring or
socket in the blade*
to which the handle
is fixed, is ps or
xnstt pdsd (or in
South
Bhagalpur TTT ‡ pso). In
South-West Shahabad it
is –fft<t pamwnr
and in South Munger (optionally)
XTT*2T past.
The curved part of t he-
blade is in Sran and Patna
-Jf t phari. Elsewhere, north
of the Gange*
and in South Munger, "f«ft pharki. In Patna and South
Munger, it! is also oalled
iWT phal, in South
Bhagalpur i*TXpharo; and
in Gaya
irni?t phri. In Shahabad, it
is "-H-f dhr, and
in the. south-west of the
district, damph. The place
where the ring and
the blade meet is
*fi*5-?t kanthi in Patna
and Gaya, *T¶ff nahin
in Shahabad,
san or cR?5r
Jcantha in South Bhagalpur, and
sun in South Munger.
In Sran the
part of the handle
which is grasped is i|gr
mtha, and the corners 3i*f*l
kna. Anew mattock is «l-f x
•—; nawghara, and a worn one
thenth*
1. Bent (handle),
4. Phari (blade).
2. Pasa (socket).
5. Kanthi (neck). 3. Hura.
3. Hura.
§ 841. TAB H A R E O * .
C H A P T E R I I I . — T H E H A R R O W
.
30?
This is usually the flat plank, with
(in the east) a grove along
the underside. It is dragged
along the ground to break
the clods after
ploughing, while a man
stands on it to give weight.
In West Bihar
and in South-East Tirhut, it is
called ^ïTt hengd, and in East
Bihr
more usually **-f‡fftchaunk
or *-^ft c h a u k . In Patna i
t is also called
f% nT si lawe, Tfë-T patawe,
or ^fimCt lagwari.
3 1 .
When drawn by one pair of oxen—one
ox at each end—it is
called ¶flft hengi in Champran,
f wt*ft dugo
in Tirhut, *r* %TX ekahar
in South Bhagalpur, and
--n;"{T dobarada elsewhere. When drawn
by
two pairs of oxen—one
pair at each end—it
is called in North-Easfc
Tirhut ¶f†li‡¶T chaugor, in the
rest of Tirhut ^ i V t ^ .
charagori, ^ ‡ l ‡ [ dohar|in South
Bhagalpur, and elsewhere
^^^[^chaubarad*
3 2 . The pegs to which the
hauling ropes are fastend are
generally
3§rVt khnti. In Shahabad they are
also called ^f^^T sdnrusd, and
in
the south-west of the
district 1Jlft gull.
In Gaya they are *H*lgrT
baunkh,
in Patna and South
Munger, ¶"fl§T bahakha, and in
South Bhagalpur %fal ankora.
3 3 .
The halling ropes are, north of the
Ganges generally, and in
West Shahabad,WT*<Pt barahi. North
of the Ganges, they are also
^!¶ft hengahi. In Shahabad,
chains used for the purpose are *nfcfi*-j sinkar,
and
in Patna and Gaya t l f ¶
siiara when used with
four bullocks abreast. These
words are also used in North Tirhut.
In Patna they are also ¶
cfi
TPCïïs chauk nran
when of rope. In South-East
Tirhut, they are also
called Hftisr^ marikhar,
and in South Bhagalpur ^ " § ‡
^ jagadori. In
South Munger, they are*faff¶
sikar when made of
chain, and ?rfic?.f <C
marikhar
when made of rope, and ?p-^TT
majhautar, is the rope or
leather strap joining the
two yokes when
four bullocks are used.
So also in
Patna and Gaya.
The last word is 3*w†tli
majhotar in East Tirhut. In
East
Tirhut, when made of leather,
they are called mm mairan
or 5-f 5f merhan, and when
made of rope JfT "ft barha
or . f ^ t barahi. Sometimes
long strips of bamboo are
made to serve as hauling ropes.
They are
then called in South Munger
•tf""§^
kudandi, in South Bhagalpur
%^^^tt bansajoti, and
elsewhere ^sno^T arau.
8.’ BIHAR PEASANT 11FëI
E4 35.
the hollow of the stem
of the talipot palm, the
harrow being composed
of the split half
of a log of that tree.
1. Henga (harrow), 2. Khunti
(pegs). 3. Barki (ropes).
The Harrow (Henga or
Chaulci).
3 5 . The cylindrical roller
Js rarely used in the field.
It is ealled
everywhere by a corruption
of its English name, viz.
‡fa* rol.
The block itself is
called vmi pall {Patna), *rft
ka (Gaya), *CWt ekath in
Shahabad, and *Pff"‡t laki in
Sourh-West Shahabad. Elsewhere it is
simply f t chaunk or
chauk.
3 6 .
Sometimes the harrow is made of two parallel planks
joined
together. This is called
FïT henga, or -if ft chauk,
&c‚ as above.
C H A P T E R I V . — R A K E S U S E
D I N F I E L D W O R K .
3 7 . Rakes are seldom used.
Sometimes a bundle of
thorns is
dragged over a field to
soften the surface
when it has been baked hard
by the sun after
rain or irrigation.
This has no special name.
In parts of Tirhut, the
WQ&l kant or ?gH§'ft‡t
khakhorn
is a sort of rake'or harrow
worked by oxen to loosen the
soil and extricate weeds from a
crop of young rice. A T
-fffX-fT pachphariy
or (in Sran)
5lS*T'ft gelkani is a
kind of plough with
five shares used in indigo factories.
C H A P T E R V . — P I C K A X E S , P I T C H
F O R K S , &c.
3 g ‚ A pickaxe.— North
of the Ganges this is
7tQj gainta, south
of the Ganges it is nm
gainta or TT?t gaint. In
South Bhagalpur. it is 3fa gainch, and in South
Munger !TT"fT gt.
3 9 . The dredger, used in
well-sinking, has various names. In
A Collection of Baskets.
1. 0h.hai.nta. made of split bamboo. 8. Dagn, 2. Ditto
„ ditto, woven up with tl fibre. 9. Dla 3.
Oriya • , split bamboo. 10. Tokri 4. Daura ditto,
11. Tap 5. Dauri „ ditto, strengthened with
tl leaves. 12. Sikahuti 6. Two ditto „ split bamboo.
13. Phuldli
made of split bamboo, edge sewn with tl leaves,
split bamboo, tl slips and bamboo, bamboo slips.
munj grass, flower-basket
7. Dagra ditto, edge sewn with rattan.
BASKETS. 9
tfrtf* tardU.
In North-East Tirhut, it is ^ * f
l chhit, %wH kathul,
or x-ff%l*irT pathiya. chhit
is also used in South-East Tirhut,
where
also occur W&¶n kathawat
and (also in Shahabad) 3ITT^
tagi.
Elsewhere south of the
Ganges, it is n*CT gaint
or *emil k hant,
and in
South Munger, t l T chhit.
4 0 .
The pointed Iron spear for
tapping the well-spring also has
various names, viz. 39U?T khunt
north of the
Ganges generally, 1TO~IT
gaj
in Sran, and tfttfift gobhn
in South-West Tirhut. In Gaya,
it
is ft*TfT khobhan and in Shahabad
khobhan, but in the south-west
of the latter district,
it is *PC¶fT laraha. In South
Munger, it is %viw debhan, and
in South Bhagalpur, it
is OT*nn gajr or ^‚^tft
khant.
4 1 .
The hooked stick for pulling down fruit
from trees is generally
TJITT lagg or *irnffc laggi.
The hook of this is
^¶J«ft a n k u s or (in
South Bhagalpur) 3fpft kn. The
long pole with a small net
at the
end to catch the fruit as it
falls, is *R*fS!T jhol, ^f^ft
khonch, or
(in Sran) *fi‡lT jhor.
Another optional name in South
Munger is
^ W 3 6 T ^" jalkhr.
The short stick thrown up
into fruit-trees to bring down
fruit is I f *¶H jhitahdy
and also (in Sran) mv^tlagml.
SUBDIVISION II.
I M P L E M E N T USED I N SOWING,
WEEDING, AND IRRIGATION.
C H A P T E R I . — B A S K E T S
.
4 2 . Baskets are
generally woven of bamboo slips or
tw.g?. Unless
otherwise stated, this may be assumed of all the
following.
4 3 .
Baskets used specially by the sower are called generally ^
* & T
ord, 3l‡¶rt ori, or 3Rtfëritt
oiy (sometimes made partly with
the fibre of
the leaves of the
tl palm)
; also we meet, to the
west, ¶g2t chhaint, and
to the east ^tet chhit
(a large one), ¶ftil chitt
(a small one), or ^<ft
dau. South of the
Ganges, they are also called
in Patna q~32T batt
(also in Shahabad) daur, or
daur (sometimes made of
the
10 B I H A R P E A S A N T L I F E .
East Tirhut) trfa-H pathiyd
(also
U‘?ed for feeding cattle), and
in South
Mungër f*%?TT khanchiyd.
The only difference amongst
all these is that in the
case of the ^i^T daur nd
daur, the bottom is woven
of
bamboo slips, like a mat.
44» There are
likewise several other kinds
of baskets, used indis-
criminately for this and
other domestic
and agricultural purposes.
Thus, sinaU straw giain-baskets are ^ir*ft
changel or *ïpft
changeri } and
sometimes ""§Mt dl or
^f^~n daliy, especially towards the
east. In Patna and South
Mungsr, they are called batari.
Another very similar basket
(but still smaller) is called
very generally "J?f-Jft
maunl or *f†f¶^T
maunnigd, also. cfcTS bdll
in Patna‚ Gaya‚ and South
Mnger‚ and 1Jntit phulukï
in East Tirhut.
A largo open basket
made of split&nb