Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/117

The Maratha country includes the greater part of the Bombay Presidency, Berar, a few districts in the Central Provinces and in the Nizam's domains. Marathas have also colonies in other parts of India, and specially in the states of Baroda, Indore, Gwaliar, Dewas, and Dhar, and also in the lapsed state of Tanjore.

The Maratha society is composed of various layers. First at the top there are Brāhmaṇas like Chittapāvana (Konkanastha), Deshastha and Karhādās, and Devarukhas. There are Sārasvatas and other Brāhmaṇas also in the Maratha country, but they have not yet been received by the Maratha Brāhmaṇas on terms of equality.

At the bottom of the society there are castes like Mahāra and Mānga. They are regarded as untouchables. This untouchable population includes about one-fourth of the people in the land.

Between these two extremes of social conditions are found castes likes Prabhus, Kunbi-Maratha, and the various trade castes like carpenter, goldsmith, coppersmith, barber, and others.

Among the intermediate castes, the caste of Kunbi-Marathas is the strongest. This caste is divided into two classes, Kunbis and Marathas, the latter being descendants of the families which came to the front during the days of the early Hindu kings in Dekhan, and those of the Mohamedans and Marathas. Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire, and the present Maratha princes belong to this caste. I speak of "Kunbi-Marathas" as one caste because the line between them is not sharp. At present this caste is almost entirely agricultural.

I should also add that, in the narrower sense, the Marathas are men of this Kunbi-Maratha caste, and in the larger