the name), having been found guilty of incest we are by this feast re-admitting them into caste." What remains of the food after the offering has been made is not eaten, but thrown away. The lōṭā, brass plate and money are appropriated by the Pargana.

The foregoing has had reference only to the position of the parties and their relatives with regard to tribal customs, and what follows is designed as reparation to the yet unborn child, so that it may not come into the world with the stigma of illegitimacy on it. This is effected by some one being bribed to take the woman as his wife and assume the paternity of the child. This form of marriage is called Jawaeye kiriñok bāplā, or the buying of a husband. If possible, the choice of one to become the woman's husband and stand sponsor for the child falls upon her brother-in-law. An elder sister seldom raises any objection. to having a younger sister as a co-wife, so that this is in every way the best solution of the matter. The man's father is mulcted in a yoke of oxen, a cow with a calf at foot, a quantity of unhusked rice, a kudāli or digging implement, and an axe, all of which are made over to the bridegroom, who is addressed by the Pargana as follows :

"Young man, we have caused all this property to be given to you. You will shave your head." The shaving of the head refers to the ceremony which is observed by a father when a child is born, and is equivalent to acknowledging its paternity.

The families of the man and woman unite in giving a feast and the fathers serve out the food. After the lords of creation have had their wants supplied the women and children are feasted. The Manjhi's wife receives a present of three rupees, which are presented to her on a leaf plate. If this money be not given to her she refuses to partake of food, and as to allow her to leave without joining in the feast would be a disgrace, she is always certain to be given this her perquisite.

The Bapla bhoj, or marriage feast over, the assembly breaks up, leaving all parties in good standing with their fellows.

536

NIRBOLOK BAPLA.

The English translation of the above is as near as possible "The Intrusion Marriage." It consists in a young unmarried woman intruding herself into the house of the parents of a young man upon whom she has set her affections, or with whom there may have been love passages, and he has ceased showing her attention. Being hurt at the treatment she has been subjected to she resolves to venture on the Intrusion marriage, and thus assert what she regards as her right. It is always Leap year in Santalia and a Santal maiden need never pine away in single blessedness or sigh her heart out for the man she loves. She has the privilege of choosing a husband for herself, and there is no escape for him by paying a forfeit.

A young woman having decided upon a Nirbolok marriage takes a few of her companions into her confidence and informs them of her design, and looks to them for their countenance and assistance. She prepares a large pot of handi or beer, and carrying it poised on her head goes straight into the inmost apartment and having disposed of her pot of liquor sits down to await events. She has, of course, chosen her time so that there is no one to oppose her entering. The action has been performed in daylight before witnesses and it soon spreads that such a woman has gone into such a man's house. The man's mother, when she hears of it, is greatly incensed, but by the unwritten law governing such cases she is precluded from ejecting her from her house by force. If she can by hook or by crook prevail upon her to come out herself she is at liberty to do so. Of course, a small crowd soon assembles in the courtyard, some of whom sympathize with the intruder, and others take the part of the man against her. The mother, however, sets to work resolutely to do her level best to drive her out. She carefully closes up all apertures by which air can enter and then flings a large handful of pepper into the fire, and shutting the door anxiously awaits the result of her strategy. A Santāl house is generally divided into two apartments by a partition wall about five feet high, so that there is no obstruction to the fumes of

the burning pepper pervading every corner of it. The crowd in the courtyard are speculating as to whether she will be able to hold out or not, and the mother is scolding in her shrillest tones. When a considerable time has elapsed the spectators begin to arge the irate dame to open the door, as the fumes of the burning pepper must have in a large measure become innocuous. She, thus counselled, opens the door and the girl is brought out into the fresh air, where she rapidly throws off the effects of the burning pepper. By the time she has recovered her breath her mother-in-law,-for they now stand in the relation to each other of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law,-appears with a quantity of janhe,* with which she has mixed some oil. This she puts in the dhinki or large mortar and orders her daughter-in-law to pound it into flour. This, of course, owing to the presence of the oil is impossible, but a brave attempt is made and continued till the bystanders begin to indulge in uncomplimentary remarks directed against the older woman, and she feeling the force of them, or being ashamed to longer indulge her spite brings the exhibition to a close. She accepts the position and, as the story books say, all live happily together.

No price is paid for an Intrusion bride and there are no compulsory presents.

• Unhusked grain of Paspalum scrobiculatum,

teenth Century, reconstructed

from Persian Sources.

II.-By Jadunath Sarkar, M.A.

(Continued from issue of June 1916, pages 152-165.)

SECTION 10.-REVENU COLLECTION.

After taking effective possession of the province and restoring order in this way, Khan-i-Daurān, early in 1662, sent five elephants as his present to the Emperor on the occasion of the marriage of two of his (the Khan's) sons, together with two other elephants presented by the Sultan of Golkondā. (Muraqat, page 53.) These, as we know from the official history (Alamgirnamah, 751), reached the Court at the end of May. The forests of Telingānā, immediately west of Orissa and lying in the Golkondā territory, were famous for elephants, and these animals formed the usual present from the governors of Orissa to the Padishah. In May 1628 Shah Jahan received five elephants from Baqar Khan and in September 1636 eight others from Mutāqad Khān. (Abdul Hamid's Padishahnamah, I.A. 201 and I.B. 216.)

Elephants, however, were occasional presents. The normal revenue also began to be sent to the Imperial Court regularly from this time. Having "punished all the usurpers, oppressors, and lawless men of the province, and made them obedient,' Khan-i-Dauran could report to the Emperor, "the revenue is being collected by our officers "; and, as a proof of it, he at once transmitted to the exchequer at Delhi "the accumulated revenue of 15 lakhs of rupees, kept at Katak and the parganās, together with seven pieces of cloth (parchah), one piece of scarlet

cloth, and two caskets of Chhani decorated in the Dutch style." These were escorted by his own men as far as Rajmahal,* whence they were to be sent to Court with the revenue of Bengal. (Muraqat, page 50.)

He next devoted himself to realizing the portion of the Golkondā tribute which "appertained to the province of Orissa," being paid from the Golkonda district of Chicacole. This money had naturally remained unpaid during the civil war between Aurangzib and his brothers. Its exact amount was also in dispute. The Qutbshahi agent at Chicacole (Haidar Khan) asserted that he had paid the fixed sums of Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 1,000 during every year of Shuja's viceroyalty. But the papers sent from Delhi put the tribute at Rs. 20,000 a year. Khān-i-Daurān succeeded in collecting Rs. 80,000 out of the arrears under this head, and sent an agent to Chicãcole to dun for the balance. (Page 51.)

Evidently all the financial records of Shuja's time had been lost or destroyed by dishonest officers (page 60), and this produced uncertainty about other imperial dues also. For example, the Emperor knew the tribute of the zamindars of Saranghara to be Rs. 8,000 a year, but could not say what additional sum they used to pay as succession fee. Khan-iDauran wrote in reply, "I find from the old records of the subah that they used to pay Rs. 10,000 as succession fee, but then their annual tribute was nothing like what your Majesty represents it. They used to pay something as nazar at intervals of two or three years [but no regular tribute]. I have now laid on Purushottam Dev Rs. 10,000 as fee for succeeding his brother [in the zamindāri], which has been fully realized." (Page 61.)

Severe measures had to be taken with the revenue collectors and zamindārs lest they should defraud the Government of its dues. Khan-i-Dauran writes thus to Muhammad Jan, a former diwan of the province, whom he had appointed (page 196) land-steward or factor (sahib-i-ihtamām) for his fiefs from

• Later, the Orissa revenue used to be delivered to the faujdar of Burd ran for transmission to Court. (Page 189.)