s bards
of the lower castes and are probably composed to a great extent of
members of these castes. These are known as the Brid-dhari or begging
Bhats. They beg from such castes as Lodhis, Telis, Kurmis, Ahirs and
so on, each caste having a separate section of Bhats to serve it;
the Bhats of each caste take food from the members of the caste,
but they also eat and intermarry with each other. Again, there are
Bairagi Bhats who beg from Bairagis, and keep the genealogies of
the temple-priests and their successors. Yet another class are the
Dasaundhis or Jasondhis, who sing songs in honour of Devi, play on
musical instruments and practise astrology. These rank below the
cultivating castes and sometimes admit members of such castes who
have taken religious vows.

4. Social status of the caste.

The Brahman or Birm-Bhats form a separate subcaste, and the Rajputs
are sometimes called Rajbhat. These wear the sacred thread, which the
Brid-Bhats and Jasondhis do not. The social status of the Bhats appears
to vary greatly. Sir H. Risley states that they rank immediately below
Kayasths, and Brahmans will take water from their hands. The Charans
are treated by the Rajputs with the greatest respect; [286] the highest
ruler rises when one of this class enters or leaves an assembly,
and the Charan is invited to eat first at a Rajput feast. He smokes
from the same huqqa as Rajputs, and only caste-fellows can do this, as
the smoke passes through water on its way to the mouth. In past times
the Charan acted as a herald, and his person was inviolable. He was
addressed as Maharaj, [287] and could sit on the Singhasan or Lion's
Hide, the ancient term for a Rajput throne, as well as on the hides
of the tiger, panther and black antelope. The Rajputs held him in
equal estimation with the Brahman or perhaps even greater. [288] This
was because they looked to him to enshrine their heroic deeds in his
songs and hand them down to posterity. His sarcastic references to a
defeat in battle or any act displaying a want of courage inflamed their
passions as nothing else could do. On the other hand, the Brid-Bhats,
who serve the lower castes, occupy an inferior position. This is
because they beg at weddings and other feasts, and accept cooked
food from members of the caste who are their clients. Such an act
constitutes an admission of inferior status, and as the Bhats eat
together their position becomes equivalent to that of the lowest
group am