Castes and Tribes of Southern India/Bauri

by Edgar Thurston

Bauri.—There are found in the Madras Presidency nomad gangs of Bauris or Bāwariyas, who are described †^[1] as " one of the worst criminal tribes of India. The sphere of their operations extends throughout the length and breadth of the country. They not only commit robberies, burglaries and thefts, but also practice the art of manufacturing and passing counterfeit coin. They keep with them a small quantity of wheat and sandal seeds in a small tin or brass case, which they call Dēvakadana or God's grain, and a tuft of peacock's feathers, all in a bundle. They are very superstitious, and do not embark on any enterprise without first ascertaining by omens whether it will be attended with success or not. This they do by taking at random a small quantity of grains out of their Dēvakadana and counting the number of grains, the omen being considered good or bad according as the number of seeds is odd or even. For a detailed record of the history of this criminal class, and the methods employed in the performance of criminal acts, I would refer the reader to the accounts given by Mr. Paupa Rao *^[2] and Mr. W. Crooke. †^[3]

1. † M. Paupa Rao Naidu. The Criminal Tribes of India. No. III, Madras,1907.
2. * Op. cit.
3. † Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh. Bawariya, 1906.