The Bedi, descendants of Nanak, rank first among the followers of this faith. They are well to-do, but from pride of birth were so notoriously addicted to the crime of infanticide, as to have been designated by the opprobrious title of Kori mar, daughter-slayer. They number only 6804 souls.
The Sikh are secular and religious. Of the latter are three classes,—Akali, Nihang, and Nir malla.
The Akali were armed religious devotees of the Sikhs, established by the Guru Govind, and they zealously supported him against the ascetic Banda, the Byragi. In Ranjit Singh's time they moved about almost in a state of nudity, and were very insolent.
No one is a Sikh by descent,—a Sikh must be installed. The institutionary discipline of a young Khalsa, Sikh is very compendious : when he can bend a bow, wield a sabre, and mount a horse, his instruction is completed.
The followers of Govind, the tenth and last guru, are styled Singh or lion. The followers of Nanak and of his eight successors are known simply as Sikh, but there are several sects,— Udasi, Nanak Shahi, Ganj Bakshi, Ram Rayi, Nirmala, Naga, Suthra Shahi, and Govind Singhi. They all believe in the Adi Granth, or first volume compiled by Arjan, but not in the volume compiled by Guru Govind.
All orthodox Sikhs must have the five K's, five accompaniments whose names begin with the letter K,—the kes, or long hair ;. the kirpan, a small .knife with.an iron handle, round which the kes is rolled and fastened into the hair of the head ; the kach'h, or drawers ; and the kara, an iron bracelet. No part of the person must be shaved, and smoking is prohibited.
The Daoudputra are on the left bank of the Sutlej river. In the beginning of the 18th cen tury the Daoudputra were weavers and cultivators, and displayed no martial character, but local convulsions enabled the head of the tribe to assume power at Bahawulpur, and they have since then maintained 'themselves there. They
now claim descent from the Khalif Abbas. They are a tall, strong race, of somewhat dark com plexion, but with good features, and wear their hair hanging on their shoulders in masses like the people of Sind and Baluchistan. They have been friendly with the British, and in the battles of the 18th and 28th June 1838, a contingent aided General Cortland and Major (afterwards Sir Herbert) Edwardes in the contest with Mulraj, who had revolted at Malian.
Converts.—Of the Rajput converts to Muham madanism, the Matti are chiefly in the Central Division ; the Janjua, Siyal, and Gheba are in the Rawal Pindi Division ; and Hangar in the Dehli, Hissar, Ambala, and Hazara districts.
Of the other converts to Muhammadanism, the Jat are few in the Peshawar Division. Ghakkar are in Rawal Pindi, Jhelum, and Hazara districts ; Dhund, in Rawal Pindi and Hazara ; Kharral, chiefly in Montgomery; Karral, in Hazara; Wuttu, chiefly in Sirsa and Montgomery ; Meo, chiefly in Gurgaon ; Gujar are in all the districts, though mostly in the Chenab, Sutlej, and Hazard, ; Paracha, in Peshawar and Rawal Pindi ; the Khojah, in Amritsar and Rawal Pindi ; the Kash miri are in Amritsar, Lahore, Rawal Pindi, Pesha wur, and Hazara.—Census Reports of 1868, 1871, 1884 ; Mr. (Sir George) Campbell's Ethnology of India ; Dr. Forbes Watson's Tribes. of India ; Po well'sHandbook ; Major-General Sir C. M. Mac Gregor's Frontier.