JV'o/<-« on the lihari and otker Etrif ImlkahU<in4» o/ jJmtJtliJt'tml. — Ay 
 VisciusT A. Smith, H.A.,.B.C.S. . _ .:.. 
 
 (AViik oM pUto.) 
 
 Tho ori(fin. hi.torr ami f«te of thp ni».ir» tribe have long affonled 
 inaUrial for 'peculation and enc|uirr to «tuik'iit< of local aiitii|uitir« and 
 tiiiitxry in tho eajit(>rn dintrietd of the X. W. P. ami Audh, but liitliifrto ^o 
 attviii|>t *t!vn\* to liavc liecn niado to trace tbe westward citftiiiion of the 
 race, or to colKt-t anv information conwmin(» it in the (li«trii-tii w»'«t of 
 AllaliiUltl and Uaii<li>. The followiu); not*-* art' tlio rvKult of otxu'rvatinna 
 and emiuirieii niadr in the Hamir|iur Dittrict dariii); tlw but two veam, 
 and, iiiiomjilutt! and frapuientary though thi-y an<, thcr will I bi>(ii' bo 
 found to lui'idi'incnt uiofully tho infurtnation pruviouily colli^ct'^l l>r ob- 
 ■icrroni in the eajituru dintric-t* and to throw lotuo light on thu biatorj of 
 tho Hhar tribe. 
 
 Tho (Vn«u«t ntunii of 1S72 ffiTO tho total nnmb#r of Bhar. 
 N. W. i». OM 2W.WI-.', and of Haj Uliar* a« I3.1S1. tlu- grind t..* 
 2.'«,9I.1 : tho dirtriit d.taiNt xhow that th.- trilie i* now a!mo»t .•»• 
 conflmtl to thoM! ca.tti'ni diitrii-tn which were f<>nn<-rlr includi-d in tho 
 IVovince of lienart-a ami in tlu- kin!>doin of Audh : thi* cennu* ligiinii niaj 
 not |«iTliai»« be porfivtiv a<ourat«', hut thi-y ivrtainly indicate lomvtlv in 
 a gencnl way the di»tribution of the triU- tbrouifhimt the N. W. P. 
 
 It will bo oliaerved that not a ningle lihar i« recorde«l aa n-«idinj» in 
 any of the liundelkhand diatrii-tn ; it in, howi-vcr, well known that tho 
 niium were once nunierou* in Hando, ami the information whii-h I have 
 collectttl prove* that in former tinieii they livM in every j>art of the I (amir- 
 pur DiHrict, and were oven found in the Jhan«( Dintrict wiitt of the Dlia- 
 n&n Kivor : how much farther we<t they may haw e\tendr<l I have at prenent 
 no meann of judging, but it in evident that the tribal movement h.T« t- .-n 
 fn>m the west eaj>tMrar<U, and it would therefori' ap]<<>ar that the an-u r ;.> 
 the nueniion ' who wi'r>> the Hbari* y nhouhl Ih- nought, not, a.« ha» hitl,. rto 
 lieen done, in the localitii's wheri> they have \»-fU driven to bay, but nitiier 
 in thoae we«tem rrgionn from which they eniigratt'd. 
 
 The former |ire«>nce of the Hharx in tlM> Hamirpur Diftriet ii atte«t< 
 .•d by the tradition*, which will be pr«>*ently de»crib»««l, and by Im-al name* 
 in every |>argana. A few example* of >urh tuunc* out of many mar U* of 
 
 * TIk' name U luiullv ajirU * Bhar', but Ihi' ({wiling ' rbarr' wvuld morr ar- 
 •■mntaly nf mmt the {nnaaaeiattea. 
 
 t I>i4«i»« «n« ;— 
 
 kA'j«MAiu-J*aiipiir (IM): Aa>n^|*Hk (SIS): UUai|i«r (Mil) : G<w«kkp» 
 (l,4S4) : IkMti ^&.HM). TuUl U.4RI. 
 
 ll'MK.-Mc«nit (13): titdlaa (M) : Agn (t*>) : Kaal>|MU ,,lUt) : kWikihU 
 
inf<3»lc/t-_: thuv flip.-QW'niimc of the town of Sumerpur (in Parg. Sumcrpur) 
 in liiia'Kifi, ancf m'tJlo']<ar£;aiia» of Maudliii, Panwari-Jailpur, Jaljilpur, and 
 .i^i^K^'rcjijJQL'biVlJy, N'tofintl kicalitios named Uharsawan, Uliarwani, liliar- 
 krihrl of BaVkliilri,' and Khanrauni Khcrii, and in several of these cases tho 
 evidence of tho name is confirmed by that of tradition. 
 
 There seems to me to be little doubt that the Hhars are a non-Aryan 
 race, and are the congeners of the Oonds, Kols, Bhils, and other more or 
 less wild and predatory hill tribes who once occu])ied Bundelkhand. It is, 
 as Sir H. Elliot* observes, " confessedly very diirieult to trace the connexion 
 or difference between the aboriginal tribes of Bhars, Choriis, Soorls, and 
 Kols", and Mr. Sherringt believes " that many of the aboriginal tribes of 
 India were originally blended together." Whatever may be the precise 
 connexion between the so-called aboriginal tribes, it is quite certain that 
 several of them occupied Bundelkhand simultaneously and jointly, and I 
 suspect that in traditions they arc often confounded. For instance as in 
 the case of M. GundJ (in Parg. Panwari-Jaitjjur), where the name points 
 apparently to the Gonds, the original settlers are spoken of as Chamars : in 
 such ca.ses I suspect that the term Chamiir is used iu a vague way to cover 
 tho ignorance of the speaker, and is practically equivalent to " low caste 
 barbarian" ; the word Chamar it will be remembered is not properly tho 
 name of a tribe, but simply means a worker in leather. I think it very 
 jn-obable that the Chamars, who now form the mo-st nvunerous element in 
 the low caste labouring population, are an extremely- heterogenous body, 
 and have but recently been develo])ed into a caste formed of the fragments 
 of tribes, which were free from the trammels of caste, and were alike un- 
 clean and impure in the eyes of the Brahmans, and whose remnants have 
 now been lumped together by Brahman pride as the men who work in 
 leather, the unclean thing. § 
 
 We have no direct knowledge of the inhabitants of Bundelkhand at 
 the dawn of history ; our earliest piece of information is that afforded by 
 Hiouen Thsang in the 7th century A. D., who states that the king of Kha. 
 
 (76): .Ia>inpur (14,695) : A'zamgarh (74,144): Muzipur (4,338): Benares (34,805): 
 Ghazi'pur (53,060) : Gorakhpur (43,152) : Basti (17,322): Gahwil (466). 
 
 Totjil 243,402. 
 
 [From N. W. P. Census Ecp. I, pp. 105, 135.] 
 
 • Bcamee' Elliot, I, p. 60, *. v. Cheru. 
 
 t J. R. As. Sec. v., N. S., p. 399. 
 
 } Ilero, as in many other villages in tho south, a Gond ghost Is locally worshipped. 
 
 { In connection with this subjeet, it may bo noted that the tiisld or waistcloth, 
 worn by tho low oasto women of Bandelkhand, soems to be the same garment as that 
 used by tho women of the Slaiwar Ilhils (J. A. S. B., XLV, Ft. I, pp. 355 and 289) : 
 (ind Uio same dress is used by tho Gonds (Beamts' IClliut, «. r. Gon^). 
 
jurdho WM a liraliman. AUnit SOU A. I)., tliu Chaud<-I <ljriuuty arot* aiil 
 rulutl in KAIinjar, KImjiinthu, aiid Muhului, but tbu iiucri|itiuiM wliiuh t^ive 
 ua tho riam.M nti I lit -i,-- .f '.h- ni!r< tfll ud uothiii:? of tlui rul«l. C'luiul 
 ill hi- war (ill llsl A D.) ^'ivc^l u< • 
 
 glim n li-.t of tho warrioM of tlm 
 
 t'Imn 1 Di- I^mILi Uliui.i»l, two(Joii..U. 
 
 a Uuijlivl, B lialilaut, and uthun, but iii wbat I haw ivad uf Chaiid'a pueiii 
 I have not found any montiun of tin? lilrnr*. Faiiiumi thouf^li tho Chandel 
 dynatty i< for tho ^ruat iMiibankiiiouti) and Hploiidid tvin|>le« c->i. ' 
 under itH auii|iiro«, I Iwlievu that, vvou in ita tlouri«hint; ihtrn, tii- 
 waa hut very |>arttally clean-d, and vin* chiully intialiitod by «u' 
 tribe*, who owuv<l indued a certain allegiance to tho Kiija, but yet Incl I'-r 
 tho moRt {lart freo of control, and induli{e«l with littlu ruKtntint in tlieir 
 hcivditary proitennitieit for li^htin;; and |ituuder. Avcurdiii)^ tu the couiuii 
 retunijt of lH7'J, tbu ClwiideU in thu Hauiirpur District number only 0^0, 
 and, although they weru undoubtoUy once much moru nuiiieroui tlmn now, 
 I do not U'lievo that they eviT coloiii/ed the country in laq^e force. In 
 thu Mahobd (lar^'ana the C'luttidoU are »iiiiiidant, I think, in only two vil- 
 Ut;e« ; in thu rent of the dintrict I do nut know of their huldiiif; a iiin^lo 
 village, and tho local* trotlitionii of tho many vilhigu.i in every |«argana 
 which I haro osainined, in no caw mention the ChandeU aa the forincr 
 ownura of thu auil, but everywhero wu tiiid tracen of Gondii, KoU, UhiU, 
 Blum, Kiichhifl, Ahira, C'hanian, and other low coatu and outcaat [>eo]>lo aa 
 tho original occupiera of tho hind. 
 
 I beliove then that tho t'lundela wero aiuiply a amall clan who aup- 
 plietl tho inenibera of thu ruliin{ dynasty and much of the prrtonnel of tho 
 local court, but who uuvur »u{i|>lantod thu triboa tluit were in occu|iatiou 
 of tho noil prvvioiu tu tho riao of tho dyiiaaty. liut thu Uhara and Ooiid* 
 and thvir fellowa havo now diaap|>earu<l, or liavo at looat loat all tribal indi- 
 viduality, and can no Ioniser be identitietl under tho old namea, and other 
 racea arv lorda of tho miil. In other |>arta uf India a aimilar tniiufer of 
 tho land aeeuia to have occurnnl, but theru tho hiatury of tho change ia 
 obaoufv and tho dutaila unknown ; lierv, however, tho outlinoa uf tho rvvo. 
 lutton cau bo clearly traced, and oven aumu uf the detaila cau atill bo vividly 
 pn»vnti<d. 
 
 Wliatovor may bo thu truth with n-gorj to eaatcm Audi), whero Mr. 
 Camegyt with ap|ittn<ntly conaiderable rvoaon, doubta tho n^ality of tho 
 fact of a lUjput cou<|uc«t, then.' ia nu doubt that in thu llamirpur L>i*trict 
 tho Dhan>, tiou^a and other early occupier* of tho aoil, were in com|jara- 
 
 * Kor aomo of t!i ' > Ibtnl to notra mado hj oattTr* cm- 
 
 ployra hj Mr. W. M .. aiooa tu Iho N. W. I*. Ua«itt«r. 
 
 r J. A.8. B.. V.i N ,1 
 
tively recent times vanquished by force of arms and obliged to yield their 
 lauds to the conquerors, who either exterminated the vanquished or reduced 
 them to a servile condition : in a jjjreat jwrtion of the district tlic victors 
 were Kajpiits, but in estensive tracts they were* Lodhis, thenisclv.s ;i trilie 
 of probably non-Aryan descent. It is impossible to say exactly when this 
 contest begun and when it ended, but it was protracted and intcriniltcut, 
 and certainly lasted from 1080 A. 1). to 1730 A. D., as I now proceed to 
 show in some detail. 
 
 The Sardiil Charitra, a metrical chronicle of the Bagri Thakurs, relates 
 the manner in which 750 of that clan treacherously destroyed at Kahra, 
 in the west of the Bauda district, 1000 Kols and Bhils, and then seized 
 their villages in the year 1137 Sam vat = 1080 A. D. ; the story is curious 
 and interesting, but is too long to quote : it is to be observed that at 
 the date mentioned in the chronicle the power of the Chandel dynasty was 
 at its height. Another similar tribal record tells of the conquest of the 
 Bhils in the same tract of country by the Mauhiir Thakui's in the year 
 1239 Samvat = 1182 A. D. 
 
 The parganas of Hamirpur and Sumerpur are now almost exclusively 
 held by Bais, Gaur, Gautam, and other Thakur clans, most of whom retain 
 more or less distinct traditions of their having entered the country from 
 the north-west, cleared the jungle and founded the existing villages : for 
 example it is still remembered how in the year 1105 Samvat = 1348 A. D., 
 Bija Rai Gaur came from Ajmir and entered the service of Hamir Deo 
 Karchuli, the founder of the town of Hamirpur, and settled his followers 
 and relatives in twelve villages in the neighbourhood : and many other 
 similar traditions might be related, though a precise date is not generally 
 given. 
 
 I have already mentioned that the local nomenclature of the northera 
 parganas shows traces of the presence of the Bhars previous to the llajput 
 invasions. 
 
 It is plain then that in large tracts of country the wild trilws had Ixjcii 
 early overpowered, but in many j^laces they held their ground much longer : 
 thus the story is told that the Bhars of Islampurf in the north of the liath 
 pai-gana were punished by Islam Shah for looting royal treasure, and it 
 seems most probable that the prince referred to was Sher Shah's son Ishim 
 Shah, who reigned from 1545-53 A. D. and whose favoui-ite capital was 
 Gwaliar. 
 
 At Maudha in the east of the Hamirpur District mention is made of 
 
 * I uao the form LodhI in preference to Lodha, beeauso the former is that com- 
 monly used in Hamirpur. 
 
 t Here and in several neighbouring villages the Bhars are romembercd aa 13har6 
 Thakurs : the desire of low castu tribes to pass oa Eijputs is wi.U known. 
 
tbii KuU «o Uto M th« jc«r 1730 A. !>., wh«n • (wttlo took plaM bc4«n-<^ 
 Dalil Kluiii, » «on uf tl>u SdULtlir uf AllAluiWl, aii<l tlio lluiiJel:i«. tlu- lat. 
 Ut U'iiii; oMiiitvtl hy tho KoU, with wbuui l>Uaimt«, Kjuijaf*, ami Kaurvn 
 ar« witl to Lavu Uwii ajuuciateil. 
 
 Tliu fun^uiii); dutaiU *huw the gnultul maiinvr >d which ttie aborigi- 
 nal" triU-* liavo b«'ii ■u|>|>laiitr<l. 
 
 Tbu iiitorvktiut; •|iu-»tiuii tt to the nature of tlu* tvligion of tito Hhara 
 wan miiiMl by Mr. Sbfrrii<,t au«l ha* »iiico U*n diM:iu«»l bv Sir. t'arn«';f_v. 
 Tbu furuior gputU'iiutii canio to the ci>uclii*ii>ii that tbo libam were litiJ- 
 (lbi<t» ; aiul tbu Utt>'r arrived at tlie noinenliat aiiibif^uuun n*«ult that tbo 
 "guJ.uet;lwtiii^, ('aj>te-di(re-^anliui{ ratfu" which foriiu-rly held l-^t<<ru 
 Audh wurv tbu lilmrit. J Mr. Sberriiit{'« arxunieiita and the phu*.-* of Uliar 
 •cid(ituri.>a, publitlied in illiutratiuu of bin cMay, teem to tiio to prove that 
 the rehi^un of the KiMt<;ru Itliant wait Jain rutbcr than Uuddliiiit, and thd 
 fiu-t« wiiich 1 ntutll nuw ntentiun ar« 1 think •ulKcient to raiw a |in-»nin|k- 
 kiun tktat the Ithan and uther aboriginun uf Itundelkhand durini; a |ieria<l 
 of at Ivut two or thrw oeiituriea profvMud Jaiuisnt, tLout;b perliapa not 
 excluaivuljr. It niajr woll be that iu earlier tiuunt tbev weru Uuddliiita, fur 
 tbu clu«e cvlatiun Utwven ttie Jain ami tlui Uuddbijtt faith and the high 
 antit|uity of the forinor are only nc)W U•^'iIllliIl^' to bo inTieivcd. 
 
 A traditiuu i* current at Maholia tliat uianr year* »utMie<|(u-nt to tlio 
 coutiuoat of that city in thu rvi^n of Sbibab-uddui§ (1202-3 A. U.i, AjaifiiU 
 and lihar and utbiTo, ik-ven bri>tbent whu wen- ^//gg^i Jin-xx and (;n-at 
 lUii^uiiuui, becaiui.' rulur* uf tbu country : Ajaii<al con<|<iervd Ajinir, but Khar 
 hekl MahoUi, and no u|>|irv«ed thu MuAabn.'iiLt tltat th<<y invuked the aid uf 
 Malik Shiib who cattiu from thu we»t, an<l after a bloody content slew llaj^ 
 lihar and hiii fourteen «od«, whuao wiviit then buruol tbenivlve.« uithout 
 tbu aid uf lire, thu pUcu wberv they sacrilicvil tben>«elteit U-in;; |><iiiite<l out 
 to tbi.4 duy a« tbu L'MauJak Rani ki uili, i. e., tbu burning-pUce uf the four- 
 teen i|Ueuiut. 
 
 Maiixa' liharwtuu in |«rgana I'anwiri-Joitpur i« laid. acvonlint; to 
 tbo lu*-al tradition, to bavu bei-n fuundwl by Kajil lihar uf Mahobo i and 
 to liave been occu|>iL>d by Lodhii in 13U0 Sainvat ( m 12 Wi A. 1).) : a« illu«- 
 
 • I lun t!i - ' • ' - r il" u II r<inTrni<^t l-rm, bql — I hart" hint<^I »(wto 
 
 (onto of Ibn »<■ iv thviaaulircs ham inuTi'4 fmm their unt(>>ul kxiL 
 
 t In thr !. |>. OH. 
 
 I J. A. S. 1.. A.... . . I. .J'). 
 
 t Mr. niuctuiwoa, in J. A. 8. D., XUV, Pi. t, p. S77. plOTW Ifco romrt data of 
 the cunqurat. 
 
 J .\ trn.li! . J .„ V \y p. r„i I. pp inn.:, u, th^ r»rrt Out • trmplo 
 
 at [>«lh«* M • (urir^na lUdtiu* n| ttf lUn.Lt l>M(h>-t vu tti" Urn- 
 
 •ury u< the tUi > - . wbn*) <liiK«n<Unla cnnlimioi In im it aatU * 
 
 r- •■ ■•'. Ute . tUu .. . . i, m» 1 knuw to UUar IC^jit ut k*lmj»r. 
 
trating the supposed connection between the Bhars and Jainism, it is 
 noticeable that at Dinai about a mile from Bharwara there is a colossal 
 Jain image of Setndtli with an inscription dated 1190 Samvat ( = 1139 
 A. D.), and the ruins of a highly ornamented temple are a conspicuous 
 object on an adjoining hill top. In other localities I have found at and 
 near Bhar sites small Jain sculptures which it would be tedious to specify. 
 The earliest known Jain inscription in Bundelkhand, (suj)posing its date to 
 be correctly read, which is doubtful*) is one at Khajuraho, dated 1011 
 Samvat = 954' A. D., in the reign of King Dhanga : the other Jain in- 
 scriptions from Khajuraho and Mahoba, enumerated by General Cunningham 
 (Arch. Eep. II, 41.8), range from 1142 to 1234 Samvat, i. e., 1085 to 1177 
 A. D. : eight additional dated Jain inscriptions, which I know of in various 
 places in the Hamirjjur District, range from 1196 to 1232 Samvat = 1139 
 to 1175 A. D. At Khajuraho all the important temples, whether Vaishnava, 
 Saiva, or Jain, seem to have been erected in the eleventh century A. D.f : 
 we may therefore safely affirm that Jainism flourished in Bundelkhand 
 dui-ing the eleventh and twelfth centuries A. D. side by side with other 
 forms of religion, and we have already seen that during the same period 
 much of the country was occupied by the Bhars and other aborigmal 
 tribes. 
 
 I have already mentioned that Mr. Sherring's arguments to my mind 
 proved the eastern Bhars too to be Jains ; chance enables me to ofier a 
 fact in confirmation of this theory. 
 
 I lately obtained from Banda a collection of hymns to the twenty- 
 four deities of the Digambar Jains as there recited at a Jain shrine : the 
 fii'st hymn is addressed to Adinath, and its opening lines which I quotej 
 below, show that the ruined Bhar stronghold Pampapui- near Mirzapur, 
 the locality described in detail by Mr. Sherring, is still a sacred place of the 
 Jains. 
 
 A Bhat supplied my pandit with lists, as complete as he could remem- 
 ber, of the Bhar and Gond§ tribal deities ; the following he named as the 
 Bhar gods : — 
 
 * Cuimiiigham, Arch. Rep. 11. p. 433, and J. A. S. B., XXIX, 396. 
 
 t Fergussou, Ind. Arc-hit., p. 215. 
 
 vf^■^^ \ r^?;«T ^\^\ e'gTf ^ifc[ ^iftfjw^ i 
 AmvK. -^^ w^^ « srf < ^rii f^riwsi't ii 
 
 § The Goud deities he remembered were ; (1) Narhar, (this is mentioned by Chand 
 as the name of a Gond champion) : (2) Nagesur: (3) Jhakajhok: (4) Gunraiya : 
 (5) Kiuuwa. 
 
(1) Satti-Sattii: (2, Muiuli l).-. (:>) I5!...i.,*-iur : (I) lUtAwi or 
 Rakta<i: (3) Hlmrrulia Jari : (U> Jliiii>afa : (7) Marjhi : (s) lilioriraQr. 
 
 llio wurxhip of the^< iniiiur iU-itiv« iiuty uf courM.- Iiavu twen {iractiknl 
 hj ponoim prufuMing Jaiiiitm, in tho «uue w»jr •« wunkip u now ufferoj 
 tu (cutvH uf uhitvuru lucal gotU aiul duiiion*, bjr |ivrtoiM prufvMtug vanuiu 
 fomiH of Iliiiduiiin. It in |>oMiblu tli4t tbo ISIiaimti Durwdza, oiw of tltd 
 gatoH of thu town of Mahulia, luay bo luined aftrr Iiliaiii<v*ur. 
 
 Aiitii|uanan viiitom to Maholui ar« familiar with thu tcMupIo uf Maiiiyi 
 IVo, the tutelary duity of tlio Chainlol KaJM ; it in curiou* tltat tho only 
 uthiT nhrino in tho Ilaniirpur Dintrict, mi far a« I know, dLilicatcU to thi« 
 divinity is found at a vilLt^u iiauuNl iian-l in |art;aua lta(h, whvtv thoru 
 are indii-atioiw near tho modem villa^, which it oceu|iitid by • Lotlhi 
 |io|>ulation, of tho former exiitteitcv of a town or larps villa«jo which haji long 
 ■ince dii>a|>|H'art>d. Thi« locality iteemn to bu the llharcl* named by tho 
 above ijiioted Ilhiit an one of the Uhar vilLigi-n, and wMne mulpturen eii«t 
 in the vilia^i) nuch un are found at lihar liteii. It becomen, therefoiv, {kmu 
 libli! that Maniyd Deo wan a llhar goddenn, and, if thin bo tho fact, tho 
 circunintanco thrown nonio lit^ht on the orit^in of tho Cliandel raci'. which i« 
 admittedly impure. I had not an op[<ortunitr of iceing tho object of 
 wonhip at liarol, but tho cherinhed iuto^e at MalioWl, which I have neen, i« 
 ■iuiply a nlm|>elenii block of ntone daul>ed with rt-d. and evidently reproncnt* 
 none of the Hindu ^u<ln, wheri-an it in exactly nuch an object an we nii^ht 
 ex|iect to bo the fetinh of a triN- of hill nu-n. There in not, ik> far a.* I am 
 awan\ any tradition of a cloae connection between the I'handeln and tho 
 Uluinst but with the Uond* the Cliandela arv known to liave maintained 
 conntant intercoumv, wnietinton friendly, ami nometinien hontilo. Chand telU 
 u« that the Chamh-I Kjija Kirat Sin^h hunteil at Maiiiya (iafh with Sin^'h tho 
 Uonij chieftain of (iu)-lia MiukIIu on the Xar)>adu, and that ofterwanU whca 
 war broke out, Kirat Sin);h wan taken prinoner by the tiondn, an injury 
 which wan revenged by Alhii in the n-iipi of I'amial. The name of tho 
 Uond hunting ground Maniyii liarh inevitably nuggentn that Maniya I>co 
 may be a Ciond an well a* a Itliar deity, and, if thin nup|HNiition bo eom-ct, 
 an ailditional proof in obtained that thero wa« little difTerciico U'twecn 
 Bhar and tlond- In the bilU of the Kaimiir lUngu in Itiwii, ea«t of liun- 
 ddkhaud, tbo Uhan, Sunt an, C'herun, Uindn, and Kharwiin may itill bo 
 
 • Tho Ui««<.f th" initUl nnplmt. ill I »1 ni!.i-i i. v.rv r. mmon ; Ihnn in the 
 
 Hnminmr I>wtnrt, Utkakb »n.l 1 • -s and in AuJh 
 
 (J. A S. n, XI.V. II. I, p. 300 i . It dciin their 
 nani>')i fr' ;t> !!l II)iir< in.l iiMn> 
 
 t ' ' loir oriIlku;i'Ui' yl. ISJ, *UUj Out iLoiblrl K^pAU mtuv 
 
 il><r<'>l ' uixlnl ttk- |ihiH ipalitisa uf U\)aifvt>^ Uu\Uu, uul lUtbar 
 ill Ih" 1.. 
 
found iiitcrmingleel, and " intermarriage Ijctween tlie dauq^liters of the 
 Kliarwar chief and a Chandel Rajput prince is mentioned in tlio annals ol 
 Bundelkhand."* In Lalatjmr, too, the connection between the Gonds and 
 Chandels seems to be romembered,f and the story of the marriage of Durgd- 
 vati of the Chandel line with the lliija of Garha MandlaJ shows that 
 the connection subsisted so late as the sixteenth century A. D. ; there is 
 thoreforc nothing improbable in supjiosing that the myth of the union of 
 Homavati with tlie moon as related in the Chandel legends was invented to 
 conceal the fact that the Chandels really sprang from an aboriginal stock ; 
 whether this stock was called 13har or Gond we cannot say, and, if I am 
 right in thinking the two tribes to be very closely connected, the (juestion 
 is of no importance. The construction of the great Vijayanagar or Hija- 
 nagar lake near Mahoba is attributed to the Gaharwars, who are said to have 
 preceded the Chandels in that part of the country, and I think it is not 
 unlikely that the Chandel clan is the result of crossing Gaharwar with 
 Bhar or Gond blood : the popular legends indeed assert the fact of relation- 
 ship between the Gaharwars § of Benares and the Chandels. 
 
 The Bbars of Bundelkhand, so far as we know them, seem to have 
 possessed little of the arts of civilization, and to have consequently left 
 behind them almost nothing of architectural or artistic interest. In the 
 eastern districts the Bbars are credited with the construction of many 
 tanks and massive forts, but in Hamirpur I have not met with a single 
 fort or tank the construction of which is ascribed to them ; everything old 
 is indiscriminately called Chandel, and is usually placed to the credit of 
 Raja Parmal or his famous champions Alha and Udal : it is, however, pro- 
 bable that some of the works attributed to the Chandels were executed by 
 other races. The commonest objects of antiquity in the district are rude 
 bas-reliefs of Hanuman, here usually called Mahabir, and there is scarcely 
 one of the numerous sites of ancient abandoned villages, whether Bhar or 
 otbtrwise, which is not miU'ked by au image of the monkey-god. 
 
 Upright slabs or pillars of granite bearing on one face a pair of rudely 
 carved figures in relief, are met with in many places. The design consists 
 of two standing figm-es, one male, and the other female, holding each other 
 by the hand : at the top left hand corner of the stone there is a detached 
 
 * Chandra Sekhara Bamirji, in J. A. S. 13., Vol. XLYI, Pt. I, p. 2.3. I do not 
 know what annals are referred to. 
 
 t N. W. P. Gazetteer, Vol. I, p. 35 1'; hut the statement there may he l>;isod only 
 on Sleeman'e narrative. 
 
 t Slecman's History of the Garha Mandla Eajas in J. A. S. B. for 1837, Vol. VI, 
 (2), pp. 621-648. 
 
 § Vide Cunningham, Aieh. Kep. 11, ' Jluhobii' and IJcames' Elliot, i. d. Bhar, 
 (Jhundel, Gaharwar. 
 
open h«nd, and in the corrmpoudin^; rigbt hand coroer • rr««cent moon and 
 a circle wjiffii-ntintj the i.uii. 
 
 ThfiH) M:ul|itunit u|>|Hrar to he tali niouumebt^: tiicy aru ver^r common 
 in Part;aim Jaitpur and urv thore Mjuiutiuie* ipokvn uf a<t ' Sati-Sata'. Jait- 
 pur wa* occupifd hy Cjundx, who weru oi|ifUed \>y thi- Uuinlt-I.ii and Mar- 
 athaii. At an anciiiit villa(;« in |«rKana Kafh 1 found tw<. 
 and cloio by, a lati pillar of tho orvliuary tyj«* Uurint; on! v < 
 
 a ft'iiialu lund and arm with thu nun and moon, but without ! 
 Stone* MTulpturvd with the nun and uiuuu eu>bU-u>», lutaccuiupanivd by villicr 
 tiguru* or hand, an> often uivt with. 
 
 Kudu viligie* of nih^^lu warriom, armed with a bow, or with a round 
 target and a iihort iitraight-]ioiiite<l aword, are aliio common. 
 
 I ap|>end a rou^'h iiketch or diu^'ram (I'l. XIV) of a curiou* klab rtand' 
 ing in the vilLtgu of 'fika Mau near Mahobii : the vilLige in an ancient one, 
 and ii mentioned by C'hoiid on belonging to Denraj, father of Alba and I'tLd, 
 and according to tradition waa foruu-rly occupied by Kurmi*: the dt.>sign 
 n*«emble« in general outline that of the " tati-tald" tculpturea abovo 
 dcacribed, but diffem in that the male and female tigur«'« aro not holding 
 handa and have head* n'M-mbling nitpeclively a monkey and a bird, and 
 that tho detached hand in placed U>tween the nun and moon. 
 
 On the furface of the mound marking the nite of a Dhar villogo at 
 Barcnfi in Jalalpur, my pavd't picked up the two curioua objectit tigured 
 at the bottom of riate XIV. They look like loaU or amulets, and tbo 
 material M-vmii to be the coarvv *oap (tone found in tho diitrict : I cannot 
 even gui>«ji the meaning of the character* engraved on them, but the ojicn 
 band on the larger one ia exactly limilar to tliat carved on the «tono 
 monument*. A* ii« the ca.<k< at many ancient lite* iu the district, brickj 
 of great «ixe are found at Itareura. 
 
 The Dhar aite named ItlkafpRwar near Ilauro in porgana Ita(h ia n>- 
 markablo for an im-guhur circle formed of twelve Urge upright »tone«, cloao 
 to which two other ftonea aro lying proatratc : one of tho «lab« here ia 
 carved with Qvo (mall detached ring*, ealletl nakat-gol by the |><.ople, which 
 remind me of tho " cup marking*" in Kamion, de»«riU-«l by Mr. C'aniacf : 
 coin* an< mitl to have U-en found at thia *pot, but aa u«ual I could get no 
 otlnitc information about them. 
 
 I have often aeen at oUI *ite* *Ub« engraved with iota of concentric 
 ring* a foot or more in diameter, which mo*t probably *ymliolixo Mahadeo, 
 aa conjectured by Mr. C'amac with n<ferv<nce to the *imilar ai-uliHurca ia 
 Kamaon, or may ]K-rLa]>« be image* of tho *un aa the villager* *aj. 
 
 * CanninfcluiD, An-h, Rrport III, p. x. 
 
 t J. A. .> 11. .\i-\ I rt I, . I 
 
10 
 
 Further local enquiries, or a happy accident, may put me in possession 
 of additional information aliout the IJiiars of Bundolkhand, but at present 
 the foregoing notes embody all that I can ascertain on the subject. 
 
 Exi'LAXATOUY XoTE. 
 
 The preceding essay was written to illustrate a bronze plate inscription which 
 purported to record a victory of the Lodhis over the Bhurs of Parganas Kath and Ja- 
 laljiur in the year 140-4 Samvat, and was niad before the Society* in its original form. 
 
 Sir E. C. liayloy and Dr. Kajcndralula Slitra are of opinion that the inscription 
 described by me is not genuine, and their opinion is based on arguments which I rea- 
 dily admit to be conclusive : the forgery was a clover one, but not sufBciently clever to 
 deceive competent scholars. 
 
 I have therefore cut out from my paper all references to the inscription, and much 
 other matter which rested on the authority of the pandit, who beyond doubt contrived 
 the forgery. 
 
 All information derived from a tainted source is of course open to suspicion, and 
 therefore I must specify the assertions still remaining in the text of my paper which 
 rest on information supplied by the incriminated pandit. 
 
 The tribal records of the Bagri and Mauhar Thiikurs were furnished by him in 
 copies : the originals he said he had met with while employed on a tour of investiga- 
 tion under the orders of the Settlement Officer at Banda : there seems to be no particu- 
 lar reason why these documents should have been fabricated. 
 
 The Jain hymns, one of which I quote, were also brought to me by the pandit, 
 who professed to have taken them down from the dictation of a person who takes care 
 of a Jain shrine at Banda ; they are of little interest and not likely to be inventions. 
 
 The lists of Bhar and Gond deities, the name of Bharel as a Bhar village, and the 
 names of Bilrakh and Bilahanri as Bhfl villages, rest on the authority of a Bhat aa 
 reported by the pandit, and I have no special reason to suppose these particulars to be 
 untrue. 
 
 The seals or amulets, whichever they are, were brought in by him, and seem 
 genuine ; but I have not visited Barenra myself. 
 
 After the excisions it has undergone, my essay, I fear, presents a verj- disjointed 
 appearance, and retains little of value or of interest. 
 
 V. A. SMITH. 
 \2th December, 1877. 
 
 * Vide Proci'cdings, j^' '^icy. Bengal, for December, 1877. 
 
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