Was India always full of well-bodied but idling beggars even when there were no famines or other outbreaks of calamities? While there are pre-sultanate records mentioning the bhikshuks, tirthyatri-s, sadAvarta-s etc - but those are mostly limited to pilgrim places or large urban centers, and begging is not mentioned or taken as a 'full time occupation'.
So where did so many beggars come from? What made these many begging Faqirs?
KS Lal provides a hint:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In Hindu society there is no caste of beggars. But any number of beggars would be born if they could get free food without doing any work. It is stated in almost every chronicle that in medieval times food was very cheap, even then, many idlers would have avoided to do work if they could get free food just for a change of name - religion of the poor being the proverbial bread. Muslim regime provided it and Faqirs flocked to it and to Islam. The number of Faqirs had grown so large by the time of Ghayasuddin Tughlaq (1320-25) that the sultan wanted to put a stop to a free treat to them and wanted them to take up some work, but his attitude was resented and the sultan maligned.23 According to Ahmad Abbas 40, 000 beggars used to be fed by Ghayas's successor Muhammad Tughlaq.24 Muhammad Tughlaq sometimes even attended the funeral of Faqirs.25 The Faqirs were so well paid under Firoz Tughlaq26 that some nobles, who used to recommend them to the liberality of the sultan, did not fail to take a ?bribe? out of their gains.27 Generosity of kings and nobles towards Faqirs never slackened even during the Mughal period. A good number of people would have converted in medieval times to become Muslim Faqirs to form a caste in the Muslim social order in modern times.
http://www.voiceofdharma.com/books/imwat/ch5.htm#23
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So where did so many beggars come from? What made these many begging Faqirs?
KS Lal provides a hint:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In Hindu society there is no caste of beggars. But any number of beggars would be born if they could get free food without doing any work. It is stated in almost every chronicle that in medieval times food was very cheap, even then, many idlers would have avoided to do work if they could get free food just for a change of name - religion of the poor being the proverbial bread. Muslim regime provided it and Faqirs flocked to it and to Islam. The number of Faqirs had grown so large by the time of Ghayasuddin Tughlaq (1320-25) that the sultan wanted to put a stop to a free treat to them and wanted them to take up some work, but his attitude was resented and the sultan maligned.23 According to Ahmad Abbas 40, 000 beggars used to be fed by Ghayas's successor Muhammad Tughlaq.24 Muhammad Tughlaq sometimes even attended the funeral of Faqirs.25 The Faqirs were so well paid under Firoz Tughlaq26 that some nobles, who used to recommend them to the liberality of the sultan, did not fail to take a ?bribe? out of their gains.27 Generosity of kings and nobles towards Faqirs never slackened even during the Mughal period. A good number of people would have converted in medieval times to become Muslim Faqirs to form a caste in the Muslim social order in modern times.
http://www.voiceofdharma.com/books/imwat/ch5.htm#23
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