THE PALIS ()F DINA.JPU R.
Nov. 1, 1872.] dress.
They profess to be Hindus, but while
337
they follow the Hindu religion in the main,
folk, she made a ring (koch-àfat) of kusa grass and concealed him in it, and brought him up
they also practise some ceremonies borrowed
secretly and gave him the name of Kagendra.
from Musalmans and others, which are apparently
“In course of time this child became king of
remnants of an older superstition. Their own tradition of their origin, as communicated to me
Behar, and although king Jarasindhu was a Khetriya, yet because Kagendra was brought up in a koch, his tribe is still known by the name of Koch, and because the five ceremonies; were
by an old Pali of this district, is as follows:— “The whole country of Behar, from whence
the Pâlis and Koch are supposed to have come, was once governed by a celebrated king
not used at his birth, the Koch do not use them to this day.
named Jarasindhu ; his subjects used to fight for him with sticks as they had no weapons of iron. He claimed to be a Khetriya, and the de scendants of his subjects, believing themselves to be of the same family, call themselves Rāj
“Some time after this Parasurām, son of Jami dagni, cleared India of Khetriyas twenty-one times, for he fought with them as hereditary enemies. In the course of his travels he came to Behar, and the king and his Rajvaſsis took
vañsi to this day.
sticks in their hands, and went forth to meet
“Now there was a poor old man living in the country (his name I learn from other sources
was Haja) who had two daughters, unmarried
him, but he was no ordinary warrior, and more over used a battle-axe. The Rājvañsis could not withstand him, and some by fording, some
virgins; the name of the eldest was Hirā and of
by swimming, crossed over to the west bank of
the second Jirá. The god Śiva used to visit
the Tista.
them, and at last Hirá became pregnant by him,
Parasurām that he was a Koch. From that time
their old father discovered it, and became very
forth those who escaped by fleeing into this country have been called Pallais (from Tºſſºſ),
angry with them, and used to reproach them
The king saved himself by telling
continually; but still they used to meet Siva
and as the Khetriyas boast that they have never
every day in secret, till it happened that their father had gone away on some business, and
been defeated, and these men were routed by Parasurām, they are also called Bhajigakhetryas, and the few men of the Koch caste who inha
they ventured to bring him into the house, and began to talk with him, and Hirā said, ‘I have become pregnant by you and my father is angry with me; all his caste are my enemies, and my
bited the country before the battle are called Desis.”
This tradition must be taken for what
it is worth, but there can be no doubt that the
Siva replied,
Pălis and Koch are a people of Mongolian race
‘Take courage, the son which shall be born to you must be concealed and brought up secretly, you must call him Kagendra and by my favour he shall become king, and thirty-six of his de scendants shall reign after him.’ While they were talking thus Hirā's father appeared at the door with a stick in his hand : they were all three frightened and the old man lifted up his
who migrated into this district from the North east. The story they tell of their ancestors
time of delivery is approaching.’
stick to strike Siva, and he
seeing no other
means of escape, began to retreat underground. As he was disappearing the old man attacked him with his stick, but by that time all his body had disappeared except his feet which the
being conquered by Parasurăm probably refers to their conquest by the Aryans, and that they came from the east side of the Tista seems almost certain.
They live under an almost pure patriarchal system, each family has its head and each vil lage has its mandal; while again four or five vil lages are placed jointly under a patwari, the mandal and patwari are generally appointed by the zamindar, of whom they are the local re
presentatives. The greatest respect is paid to
old man struck, and from that circumstance
the elder members of the family in every house
Siva is still known and worshipped by the name
hold; there is a headman who is called, if the
of Jalpeswarnāth.” Sometime after this Hirā,
elder brother—darbāriya bhai(#Caſſ'ſ Hſ), or
although she was still a virgin, bore a beautiful
if he is any other relative—dewaniyä. (fräſijäI) ; the other members of the family are absolutely
boy, and as she was afraid of her father and kins
- Worshipped at Changrabanda in Jalpaigun: the image
is enclosed in a pucka well, a large mela is held there every year.
- Probably connected with the Sk, root *š or 35RT
to construct.
t iſłłºń, HTH+CT, H&RCT, Ruffs, Iwaſara