Saturday, 22 May 2010

Glossary related to Dak Bungalows

I am posting a useful and informative list of words with their meanings connected to my study of dak bungalows during the British period.
Anna: 16th of a rupee, no longer in use.
Ashram: spiritual retreat.
Ayah: Children's nurse
Bearer: Like a butler.
Bagh: Garden
Baba-logue: British children
Budgerow: Barge often used while travelling on Ganges; A large travelling boat.
Burra khana: Grand dinner.
Bhisti: Water Carrier.
Cantonment: Administrative and military area of a raj era town.
Caravanserai: A traditional accommodation for camel caravans.
Choultry: Pilgrims rest house; like a dharmshala.
Chowkidar: Night watchman at a dak bungalow.
Dak: Staging post; government run accommodation
Dharamshala: Pilgrim's rest house.
Dhobi: Person who washes clothes.
Dholi: Man carried portable chairs,people are carried in them to hill top temples etc.
Gari: Vehicle; motor gari is a car,rail gari is a train.
Gora: A white man
khansamah: Head servant
kos minar: milestone
maund: about 20 kgs
Palanquin: Box like enclosure carried on poles on four men's shoulders,the occupant sits inside on a seat.
sarai: Accommodation for travellers.
Tonga: Two wheeled horse or pony carriage.
Tatty: Woven grass screen soaked in water and hung outside windows to cool the air in a dak bungalow.
Topi- wallahs:Literally hat wearers, and generally taken to mean Europeans.