[Bibliography: Mr. J. C. Nesfield's The Kanjars of Upper India, Calcutta Review, vol. lxxvii., 1883; Mr. Crooke's Castes and Tribes, art. Kanjar; Major Gunthorpe's Criminal Tribes; Mr. Kitts' Berar Census Report (1881); Mr. Gayer's Lectures on Criminal Tribes of the Central Provinces.]
1. Derivation of the Kanjars from the Doms. 2. The Kanjars and the Gipsies. 3. The Thugs derived from the Kanjars. 4. The Doms. 5. The criminal Kanjars. 6. The Kunchband Kanjars. 7. Marriage and religion. 8. Social customs. 9. Industrial arts.
1. Derivation of the Kanjars from the Doms.
Kanjar.--A name applied somewhat loosely to various small communities of a gipsy character who wander about the country. In 1911 about 1000 Kuchbandhia Kanjars were returned in the Province. In Berar the Kanjars seem to be practically identical with the Sansias; Major Gunthorpe [301] gives Kanjar and Sansia as alternative names of the same caste of criminals, and this is also done by Mr. Kennedy in Bombay. [302] Mr. Kitts writes of them: [303] "The Deccani and Marwari Kanjars were originally Bhats (bards) of the Jat tribe; and as they generally give themselves out to be Bhats are probably not included at all among the Kanjars returned at the census. They are a vagrant people, living in tents and addicted to crime. The women are good-looking; some are noted for their obscene songs, filthy alike in word and gesture; while others, whose husbands play on the sarangi, lead a life of immorality. The men are often skilful acrobats." And in another passage: [304] "The Sansia family or the 'Long Firm' of India includes two principal divisions represented in Berar by the Kanjars and Kolhatis respectively. They will eat, drink and smoke together, and occasionally join in committing dacoity. They eat all kinds of meat and drink all liquors; they are lax of morals and loose of life." Now in northern India the business of acting as bards to the Jats and begging from them is the traditional function of the Sansias; and we may therefore conclude that so far as Berar and the Maratha Districts are concerned the Kanjars are identical with the Sansias, while the Kolhatis mentioned by Mr. Kitts are the same people as the Berias, as shown in the article on Kolhati, and the Berias themselves are another branch of the Sansias. [305] There seems some reason to suppose that these four closely allied groups, the Kanjar or Sansia, and the Kolhati or Beria, may have their origin from the great Dom caste of menials and scavengers in Hindustan and Bengal. In the Punjab the Doms are the regular bards and genealogists of the lower castes, being known also as Mirasi: "The two words are used throughout the Province as absolutely synonymous. The word Mirasi is derived from the Arabic miras or inheritance; and the Mirasi is to the inferior agricultural castes and the outcaste tribes what the Bhat is to the Rajputs." [306] In the article on Sansia it is shown that the primary calling of the Sansias was to act as bards and genealogists of the Jats; and this common occupation is to some extent in favour of the original identity of the two castes Dom and Sansia, though Sir D. Ibbetson was not of this opinion. [307] In the United Provinces Mr. Crooke gives the Jallad or executioners as one of the main divisions of the Kanjars; [308] and the Jallads of Umballa are said to be the descendants of a Kanjar family who were attached to the Delhi Court as executioners. [309] But the Jallad or supwala is also a name of the Doms. "The term Jallad, which is an Arabic name for 'A public flogger,' is more especially applied to those Doms who are employed in cities to kill ownerless dogs and to act as public executioners." [310] Mr. Gayer states that as the result of special inquiries made by an experienced police-officer it would appear that these Jallad Kanjars are really Doms. [311] In Gujarat the Mirs or Mirasis are also known as Dom after the tribe of that name; they were originally of two classes, one the descendants of Gujarat Bhats or bards, the other from northern India, partly of Bhat descent and partly connected with the Doms. [312] And the Sansias and Berias in Bombay when accompanied by their families usually pass themselves off as Gujarati Bhats, that is, bards of the Jat caste from Marwar or of the Kolis from Gujarat. [313] Major Gunthorpe states that the Kolhatis or Berias of Berar appear to be the same as the Domras of Bengal; [314] and Mr. Kitts that the Kham Kolhatis are the Domarus of Telingana.