ldest and
most desolate regions." In another passage Colonel Tod identifies
the Charans and Banjaras [182] as follows: "Murlah is an excellent
township inhabited by a community of Charans of the tribe Cucholia
(Kacheli), who are Bunjarris (carriers) by profession, though poets by
birth. The alliance is a curious one, and would appear incongruous were
not gain the object generally in both cases. It was the sanctity of
their office which converted our _bardais_ (bards) into _bunjarris_,
for their persons being sacred, the immunity extended likewise to
their goods and saved them from all imposts; so that in process of
time they became the free-traders of Rajputana. I was highly gratified
with the reception I received from the community, which collectively
advanced to meet me at some distance from the town. The procession was
headed by the village elders and all the fair Charanis, who, as they
approached, gracefully waved their scarfs over me until I was fairly
made captive by the muses of Murlah! It was a novel and interesting
scene. The manly persons of the Charans, clad in the flowing white robe
with the high loose-folded turban inclined on one side, from which
the _mala_ or chaplet was gracefully suspended; and the _naiques_
or leaders, with their massive necklaces of gold, with the image
of the _pitriswar_ (_manes_) depending therefrom, gave the whole an
air of opulence and dignity. The females were uniformly attired in a
skirt of dark-brown camlet, having a bodice of light-coloured stuff,
with gold ornaments worked into their fine black hair; and all had the
favourite _churis_ or rings of _hathidant_ (elephant's tooth) covering
the arm from the wrist to the elbow, and even above it." A little
later, referring to the same Charan community, Colonel Tod writes:
"The _tanda_ or caravan, consisting of four thousand bullocks, has
been kept up amidst all the evils which have beset this land through
Mughal and Maratha tyranny. The utility of these caravans as general
carriers to conflicting armies and as regular tax-paying subjects has
proved their safeguard, and they were too strong to be pillaged by any
petty marauder, as any one who has seen a Banjari encampment will be
convinced. They encamp in a square, and their grain-bags piled over
each other breast-high, with interstices left for their matchlocks,
make no contemptible fortification. Even the ruthless Turk, Jamshid
Khan, set up a protecting tablet in favour of the Char