The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)

This volume offers a detailed survey of the peoples who have long inhabited the North‑Western Provinces and Oudh, blending colonial records with local oral traditions. It begins by outlining the origins and self‑identifications of groups such as the Bhar, a community whose name may stem from a non‑Aryan root and whose legends speak of ancient kings, vanished forts, and lingering spirits. The author weaves linguistic clues, place‑name etymologies, and early scholarship to sketch a picture of a society that once claimed dominance across a broad plain.

Readers are guided through descriptions of ruins, hill forts, and subterranean chambers that local folklore attributes to the Bhar and neighboring tribes like the Cheros and Sûrajbansis. The text balances careful citation of inscriptions and historical chronicles with observations of contemporary customs, especially the rituals surrounding ancestral spirits. By the close of the first part, the work sets the stage for a deeper exploration of how these communities interacted with incoming Aryan settlers and later colonial administrations.