Jondhara.—(Indian millet.) A totemistic sept of Korku and Halba.
Joshi.—(An astrologer.) A caste. A surname of Karhāra Brāhmans.
Juthia.—(One who eats the leavings of others.) Subcaste of Basor.
Jyotishi.—A synonym for Joshi; an astrologer.
Kabirāya.—(Followers of Kabīr.) A subcaste of Kori. A section of Koshti.
Kabīrpanthi.—A member of the Kabīrpanthi sect. A subcaste of Panka and Agharia. A class of Bairāgis or religious mendicants.
Kabra.—(Spotted.) One of the 72½ sections of Maheshri Bania.
Kabūtari.—(Pigeon.) A synonym for Kolhāti. A name given to female dancers of the Nat caste.
Kabutkunia.—(Those who find place at the corner of the door.) A subcaste of Sudh in Sambalpur, being the illegitimate issues of the Baro Sudh subcaste.
Kachāra.—Synonym of Kachera.
Kachchhi.—(From Cutch in Gujarāt.) A subdivision of Bālmiki Kāyasths and Mathur Kāyasths.
Kachhap.—(Tortoise.) A totemistic sept of Agharia, Sudh, Bhulia, Chasa, Kamār and Khandait.
Kachhotia.—Subcaste of Jādam.
Kachhutva.—(The tortoise.) A totemistic sept of several groups of Gonds, also of Darzi, Halba, Kol, Rāwat, Munda, Jāt, Kāchhi and Lohār.
Kachhwāha.—(The tortoise.) One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts, the princes of Jaipur or Amber being of this clan. They derive the name from Cutch, or from Kush, an eponymous ancestor. A section of Nāndbansi Ahīr, Gadaria, Kāchhi and Nat. The Kachhwāha section of Gadarias worship the tortoise.
Kada-kalle-bhallavi.—One who uses donkeys for pack-carriage (bhallavi), but stole a horse (kalle-kada). A sept of the Dhurwa clan of Satdeve Gonds in Betūl.
Kagar.—Synonym of Dhīmar.
Kagwaria.—From kagwār, an offering made to the ancestors in the month of Kunwār. Subcaste of Kol.
Kaibartta.—Synonym of Kewat.
Kaikādi.—Synonym of Kaikāri.
Kainthwāns.—A subcaste of Pāsi in Saugor and Betūl, said to have originated in a cross between a Badhak or Baori, and a Kāyasth woman.
Kaitha, Kaithia.—Subcaste of Bharbhūnja and Darzi.
Kakra.—One who arranges for the lighting at the marriage and other ceremonies. Subcaste of Chitrakathi.
Kāla.—(Black.) A subcaste of Golkar (Ahīr.
Kālachuri.—Synonym for the Haihaya clan of Rājpūts.
Kalanga.—A caste. A subcaste of Gond.
Kalanki.—A subdivision of Mahārāshtra Brāhmans found in Nāgpur. They are considered degraded, as their name indicates. They are said to have cut up a cow made of flour to please a Muhammadan governor, and to follow some other Muhammadan practices.
Kālapīthia,—(Having black backs.) A subcaste of Savars in Pūri of Orissa. They have the right of dragging the car of Jagannāth.
Kālawant.—Title of Mirāsi.
Kālbelia.—(Catcher of snakes.) A subcaste of Nat.
Kālibelia.—(Bel, an ox.) A section of Chadār. They draw a picture of an ox at their weddings.
Kalihari.—(Bridle.) A section of Teli in Nāndgaon, so named because they presented a bridle to their king.
Kalkhor.—(Castor-oil plant.) A totemistic sept of the Audhalia caste.
Kalutia, Kalota.—A subtribe of Gonds in Chānda and Betūl.
Kalwar.—Synonym of Kalār.
Kāmad.40—A small caste of jugglers, who come from Rājputāna and travel about in the Hoshangābād and Nimār Districts. They were not returned at the census, and appear to belong to Rājpūtāna. Their special entertainment consists in playing with cymbals, and women are the chief performers. The woman has eight or nine cymbals secured to her legs before and behind, and she strikes these rapidly in turn with another held in her hand, twisting her body skilfully so as to reach all of them, and keeping time with the music played on guitar-like instruments by the men who accompany her. If the woman is especially skilful, she will also hold a naked sword in her mouth, so as to increase the difficulty of the performance.
The Kāmads dress after the Rājpūtāna fashion, and wear yellow ochre-coloured clothes. Their exogamous sections have Rājpūt names, as Chauhān, Panwār, Gudesar, Jogpāl and so on, and like the Rājpūts they send a cocoanut-core to signify a proposal for marriage. But the fact that they have a special aversion to Dhobis and will not touch them makes it possible that they originated from the Dom caste, who share this prejudice.41 Reason has been found to suppose that the Kanjars, Kolhātis and other migrant groups of entertainers are sprung from the Doms, and the Kāmads may be connected with these. No caste, not even the sweepers, will accept food from the Kāmads. They employ a Brāhman, however, to officiate at their marriage and death ceremonies. Like the Gosains the Kāmads bury their dead in a sitting posture, a niche being hollowed out at the side of the grave in which the corpse is placed. Crushed bread (malīda) and a gourd full of water are laid beside the corpse. The caste worship the footprints of Rāmdeo, a saint of Mārwār, and pay special reverence to the goddess Hinglāj, who is a deity of several castes in Rājpūtāna.
Kamalbansī.—(Stock of the lotus.) Subcaste of Kawar.
Kamal Kul.—(Lotus.) A section of Komti. They do not use lotus roots nor yams.
Kamari, Kailwa.—One of the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts.
Kamaria.—(From kambal, blanket.) A subcaste of Ahīr. A section of Dhīmar and Sonkar.
Kāmāthi, Kāmāti.—A term applied in the Marātha Districts to immigrants from Madras. It is doubtful whether the Kāmāthis have become a caste, but about 150 persons returned this name as their caste in the Central Provinces and Berār in 1911, and there are about 7000 in India, none, however, being recorded from the Madras Presidency. It is stated that the word Kāmāthi means ‘fool’ in Tamil, and that in Bombay all Telugus are called Kāmāthis, to whatever caste they may belong. Similarly, Marātha immigrants into Madras are known by the generic name of Arya,42 and those coming from Hindustān into the Nerbudda valley as Pardeshi, while in the same locality the Brāhmans and Rājpūts of Central India are designated by the Marāthas as Rāngra. This term has the signification of rustic or boorish, and is therefore a fairly close parallel to Kāmāthi, if the latter word has the meaning given above. In the Thāna District of Bombay43 people of many classes are included under the name of Kāmāthi. Though they do not marry or even eat together, the different classes of Kāmāthis have a strong feeling of fellowship, and generally live in the same quarter of the town. In the Central Provinces the Kāmāthis are usually masons and house-builders or labourers. They speak Telugu in their houses and Marāthī to outsiders. In Sholapur44 the Kāmāthis dress like Kunbis. They are bound together by a strong caste feeling, and appear to have become a regular caste. Their priests are Telugu Brāhmans, and their ceremonies resemble those of Kunbis. On the third day after a child is born the midwife lifts it up for the first time, and it is given a few light blows on the back. For three days the child sucks one end of a rag the other end of which rests in a saucer of honey, and the mother is fed on rice and clarified butter. On the fourth day the mother begins to suckle the child. Until the mother is pregnant a second time, no choti or scalp-lock is allowed to grow on the child’s head. When she becomes pregnant, she is taken with the child before the village god, and a tuft of hair is thereafter left to grow on the crown of its head.
Kamma.—A large cultivating caste of the Madras Presidency, of which a few representatives were returned from the Chānda District in 1911. They are derived from the same Dravidian stock as the other great cultivating castes of Madras, and, originally soldiers by profession, have now settled down to agriculture. No description of the caste need be given here, but the following interesting particulars may be recorded. The word Kamma means an ear ornament, and according to tradition a valuable jewel of this kind belonging to a Rāja of Wārangal fell into the hands of his enemies. One section of the great Kāpu caste, boldly attacking the foe and recovering the jewel, were hence called Kamma, while another section, which ran away, received the derogatory title of Velama (veli, away). Another story says that the Kammas and Velamas were originally one caste, and had adopted the Muhammadan system of gosha or purda. But finding that they were thus handicapped in competition with the other cultivating castes, it was proposed that the new custom should be abandoned. Those who agreed to this signed a bond, which was written on a palm-leaf (kamma), and hence received their new name. In the Central Provinces the Kammas are divided into three subcastes, the Illuvellāni or those who do not go out of the house, the Tadakchātu or those who live within tadaks or mat screens, and the Polumtir or those who go into the fields. These names are derived from the degrees in which the different subdivisions seclude their women, the Illuvellāni observing strict purda and the Polumtir none whatever, while the Tadakchātu follow a middle course. On this account some social difference exists between the three subcastes, and when the Illuvellāni dine with either of the other two they will not eat from the plates of their hosts, but take their food separately on a leaf. And the Tadakchātu practise a similar distinction with the Polumtir, but the two latter divisions do not decline to eat from plates or vessels belonging to an Illuvellāni. The Kammas forbid a man to marry in the gotra or family group to which he belongs, but a wife from the same gotra as his mother’s is considered a most desirable match, and if his maternal uncle has a daughter he should always take her in marriage. A man is even permitted to marry his own sister’s daughter, but he may not wed his mother’s sister’s daughter, who is regarded as his own sister. Among the Kammas of the Tamil country Mr. (Sir H.) Stuart45 states that a bride is often much older than her husband, and a case is cited in which a wife of twenty-two years of age used to carry her boy-husband on her hip as a mother carries her child. One other curious custom recorded of the caste may be noticed. A woman dying within the lifetime of her husband is worshipped by her daughters, granddaughters or daughters-in-law, and in their absence by her husband’s second wife if he has one. The ceremony is performed on some festival such as Dasahra or Til-Sankrānt, when a Brāhman lady, who must not be a widow, is invited and considered to represent the deceased ancestor. She is anointed and washed with turmeric and saffron, and decorated with sandal-paste and flowers; a new cloth and breast-cloth are then presented to her which she puts on; sweets, fruit and betel-leaf are offered to her, and the women of the family bow down before her and receive her benediction, believing that it comes from their dead relative.
Kammala.—A small Telugu caste in the Chānda District. The name Kammala is really a generic term applied to the five artisan castes of Kamsala or goldsmith, Kanchara or brazier, Kammara or blacksmith, Vadra or carpenter, and Silpi or stone-mason. These are in reality distinct castes, but they are all known as Kammalas. The Kammalas assert that they are descended from Visva Karma, the architect of the gods, and in the Telugu country they claim equality with Brāhmans, calling themselves Visva Brāhmans. But inscriptions show that as late as the year A.D. 1033 they were considered a very inferior caste and confined to the village site.46 Mr. (Sir H.) Stuart writes in the Madras Census Report that it is not difficult to account for the low position formerly held by the Kammalas, for it must be remembered that in early times the military castes in India as elsewhere looked down upon all engaged in labour, whether skilled or otherwise. With the decline of military power, however, it was natural that a useful caste like the Kammalas should gradually improve its position, and the reaction from this long oppression has led them to make the exaggerated claims described above, which are ridiculed by every other caste, high or low. The five main subdivisions of the caste do not intermarry. They have priests of their own and do not allow even Brāhmans to officiate for them, but they invite Brāhmans to their ceremonies. Girls must be married before puberty. The binding ceremony of the marriage consists in the tying of a circular piece of gold on a thread of black beads round the bride’s neck by the bridegroom. Widow-marriage is prohibited.
Kammari.—Telugu Lohārs or blacksmiths.
Kamsala.—(A goldsmith.) Subcaste of Kammala.
Kanalsia.—(Kanelu, a tile.) A section of Ahīr in Nimār who do not live in tiled huts.
Kānare.—(A resident of Canara.) A subcaste of Dhangar.
Kanaujia, Kānkubja.—A very common subcaste name, indicating persons whose ancestors are supposed to have come from the town of Kanauj in northern India, into the Central Provinces. A subcaste of Ahīr, Bahna, Bharbhūnja, Bhāt, Brāhman, Dahāit, Darzi, Dhobi, Halwai, Lohār, Māli, Nai, Patwa, Sunār and Teli.
Kanbajia or Ahirwār.—Same as Kanaujia. Subcaste of Chamār.
Kanchara.—(A brassworker.) Subcaste of Kammala.
Kand.—(Roots or tubers of wild plants.) A section of Rāghuvansi Rājpūts in Hoshangābād.
Kanda Potel.—(One who grows roots.) A section of Mali.
Kande.—Subcaste of Bedar.
Kandera.—Synonym for Kadera. Subcaste of Bahna.
Kandh.—Synonym of Khond. A subcaste of Taonla in Sambalpur.
Kandhana.—Subcaste of Khond.
Kandhia.—(A big-beaked vulture.) A sept of Dhanwar.
Kandia.—(Kandi, a shell, also a snake.) A section of Teli in Betūl.
Kandol.—A subcaste of Brāhmans, who take their name from the village Kandol, in Kāthiāwār.
Kandra.—A small caste of bamboo-workers in the Uriya country, akin to the Basors elsewhere. Members of the caste are found in small numbers in the Raipur and Bālāghāt Districts. The word Kandra may be derived from kānd, an arrow, just as Dhānuk, often a synonym for Basor, has the meaning of an archer. It is not improbable that among the first articles made of bamboo were the bow and arrow of the forest tribes, and that the bow-maker was the parent of the modern Basor or basket-maker, bows being a requisite of an earlier stage of civilisation than baskets. In Bhandāra the Kandras are an offshoot of Gonds. Their women do not wear their cloths over the head, and knot their hair behind without plaiting it. They talk a Gondi dialect and are considered an impure caste.
Kandu.—(A grain-parcher.) A synonym and subcaste of Bharbhūnja. A subcaste of Halwai.
Kandua.—(From kānd, onion, as they eat onions.) A subcaste of Bharbhūnja.
Kanera.—(From the kaner tree.) A totemistic section of Gānda and Khangār.
Kangāli.—(Poor.) A common sept of Gonds.
Kanhejin.—Subcaste of Banjāra.
Kānhpuria.—(From Cawnpore, which was founded by their eponymous hero Kānh.) A clan of Rājpūts.
Kanjar.—A caste of gipsies. A subcaste of Banjāra.
Kānkubja.—See Kanaujia.
Kānnow.—A sectarian division of Brāhmans.
Kanphata.—(One who has his ears bored or pierced.) A class of Jogi mendicants.
Kansāri.—Synonym of Kasār.
Kanwar.—Synonym of Kawar.
Kanwarbansi.—A subtribe of Khairwār.
Kaonra or Kora.—A caste. A subcaste of Ahīr.
Kaore.—A sept of Gonds. A surname of Marātha Brāhmans.
Kapalia.—(Covered with skulls.) A section of Telis in Betūl.
Kaparia.—(From kapra cloth, owing to their wearing several dresses, which they change rapidly like the Bahrūpia.) Synonym of Basdewa.
Kapasia.—(From kapās, cotton.) A section of Mahār.
Kapdi.—Synonym of Basdewa.
Kapur.—(Camphor.) A section of Khatri.
Kapuria.—A subdivision of Arhaighar Sāraswat Brāhmans in Hoshangābād, probably deriving their title from being the priests of the Kapur section of Khatris.
Karai Nor.—A section of Basor. They perform the Meher ceremony of eating the marriage cakes near a well and not in the house.
Karāit.—(A poisonous snake.) A section of Ahīr, Halba and Panka.
Karan (Mahanti).—A caste. A subcaste of Kāyasth. An eponymous section of Binjhwār and Tānti.
Karaola.—(One who pours sesamum oil on his clothes and begs.) Synonym for Jasondhi and Bhāt.
Karbal.—Subcaste of Khangār.
Karchuli.—A clan of Rājpūts, formerly a ruling race in the Jubbulpore country. See Rājpūt-Haihāya. A section of Joshi and Mochi.
Kare, Karia.—(Black.) A subcaste of Marār. A section of Binjhwār, Ahīr, Chhīpa and Lodhi.
Karela.—(Bitter gourd.) A section of Sonkar.
Karhāda.—A subcaste of Mahārāshtra Brāhmans deriving their name from Karhād, near the junction of the Krishna and Koyana rivers, about fifteen miles from Satāra.
Karhaiya.—(Frying-pan.) A section of Rāghuvansi.
Karīgar.—(A workman.) An honorific title of Barhai and Lohār. A subcaste and synonym of Beldār.
Karijāt.—Subcaste of Pārdhi. The members of this subcaste only kill birds of a black colour.
Karkarkadhe.—(Stone-diggers.) Subcaste of Māng.
Karnam.—Synonym of Karan, a palm-leaf writer.
Karnata, Karnataka.—One of the five orders of Pānch Dravida or southern Brāhmans, inhabiting the Canarese country.
Karnati.—(From the Carnatic.) Synonym for a class of Nats or acrobats.
Karohla.—A religious mendicant who wanders about singing praises of Devi. See Jasondhi.
Karpachor.—(Stealer of straw.) A sept of the Uika clan of Gonds in Betūl.
Karsayāl.—(A deer.) A sept of the Kawar tribe. Also a sept of Ahīr, Bhaina, Dhobi in Chhattīsgarh, Kewat, Lohar and Turi.
Karsi.—(From kalas, a pitcher.) A totemistic sept of Kawar. They do not drink water from a red jar on the Akti festival.
Karwa.—Subcaste of Kunbi.
Karwar.—(An oar.) A section of Dāngi in Damoh. A section of Kawar.
Kasai.—A caste of butchers. Name applied to Banjāras.
Kasar.—A caste. A subdivision of Audhia Sunār. A section of Kewat.
Kasarwāni.—A subcaste of Bania.
Kasaundhan.—A subcaste of Bania.
Kasda.—(One who hides himself in the bed of the river.) A sept of Korku; a man of this sept has the privilege of directing the ceremony for the readmission of an outcaste.
Kasdhonia.—A subcaste of Dhīmar. They wash the sand in the sacred rivers for coins thrown there by pilgrims, and dive into water to find lost ornaments or gold.
Kasera.—Synonym of Kasār.
Kāshi.—(Benares.) A section of Agharia, Ahīr, Dhuri, Kewat, Kurmi and Māli.
Kashyap.—Name of a famous Rishi or saint. The name may perhaps be really derived from kachhap, a tortoise. One of the common eponymous sections of Brāhmans. Also a section of Barai, Bāri, Beldār, Bharbhūnja, Bhulia, Binjhwār, Chandnāhu Kurmi, Gond, Jangam, Joshi, Kalār, Kasār, Kasarwāni Bania, Khangār, Nai, Rājpūt, Sunār. Some castes say that they are all of the Kashyap gotra or section, the tortoise being considered a common ancestor of mankind, because it supports the world.
Kasia.—(Kānsa, or bell-metal.) A section of Chamār. They draw a picture of a bell-metal dish at their weddings.
Kasondhi.—A subcaste of Bania.
Kassāb, Kassia.—(A butcher.) Synonym of Kasai.
Kāst.—A small caste found in the Marātha Districts and Bombay, who appear to be a separate or inferior group of the Kāyasths. In Chānda they work as patwāris and clerks to moneylenders, while some are merchants and landholders. Like the Kāyasths, they wash their pens and inkstands on the Dasahra festival and worship them. Their principal deity is the god Venkatesh, a Marātha incarnation of Vishnu. In Bombay the Kāsts claim to be Yajur-Vedi Brāhmans, dress like them and keep the regular Brāhman ceremonies.47 But they are considered to be half Marāthas and half Brāhmans, and strict Deshasth and Kokanasth Brāhmans hold their touch unclean.48
Katāre.—(Katār, dagger.) A surname of Sanādhya Brāhmans in Saugor. A section of Agarwāl and Oswāl Bania, Chhattīsgarhi Ahīr or Rāwat, Chadār and Basor. The Katāre sept of Basors worship a dagger.
Katharia.—(From Kathibar, the old name of eastern Rohilkhand.) A section of Gadaria and Kasār.
Kathbhaina;—Subcaste of Baiga in Bilāspur.
Kāthi.—A Rājpūt clan included in the thirty-six royal races of Rājpūts. Originally an indigenous tribe of Gujarāt, who gave their name to Kāthiāwār.
Kathia.—Name of an Akhāra or school of Bairāgi religious mendicants. See Bairāgi.
Kathotia.—(Kathotia, a wooden bowl.) A section of Darzi.
Kati or Khatti.—Subcaste of Bhuiya.
Katia.—A cast of spinners. A subcaste of Balāhi and Mahār.
Kattri.—Subcaste of Are.
Katwa.—(From Kātna, to cut.) Synonym of Katia and Chamār.
Kaur.—Synonym of Kawar.
Kaushalya.—(From Koshal, the name of a famous Rishi or saint.) A section of Agarwāl Bania, Darzi, Lodhi and Khatri Sunār.
Kaushik.—The name of a Rishi or saint. An eponymous section of Brāhmans. A section of Ahīr, Dhobi, Rājpūt, Sunār and other castes.
Kavirāj.—Title of a Bhāt who has the qualification of literacy, and can therefore read the old Sanskrit medical works. A physician.
Kāyasth Patwa.—A subcaste of Patwa in Hoshangābād and Saugor.
Kekre.—Subcaste of Gūjar.
Kesaria.—(From kesar, saffron.) A section of Ahīr and Gadaria.
Kewat.—A caste. A subcaste of Dhīmar and Mallāh.
Khad.—Subcaste of Māna.
Khadāl.—A caste of palanquin-carriers.
Khadāl49 (honorific titles Nayak and Behera).—A small Dravidian caste of labourers in the Uriya country. In 1901 they numbered 1200 persons and resided principally in the Patna and Sonpur States now transferred to Bengal. The Khadāls are probably an offshoot of the great Bauri caste of Bengal, with which the members of the caste in Patna admitted their identity, though elsewhere they deny it. Their traditional occupations of palanquin-bearing and field labour are identical with those of the Bauris, as stated by Sir H. Risley.50 The name Khadāl is a functional one, denoting persons who work with a hoe. The Khadāls have totemistic exogamous groups, the Kilāsi sept worshipping a tree, the Julsi and Kanduālsi sept a snake-hole, and Balunāsi a stone and others the sun. Each sept salutes the revered object or totem on seeing it, and those who worship trees will not burn them or stand in their shade. When a marriage takes place they worship the totem and offer to it flowers, sandalwood, vermilion, uncooked rice, and the new clothes and ornaments intended for the bride, which she may not wear until this ceremony has been performed. Another curious custom adopted by the Khadāls in imitation of the Hindus is that of marrying adult boys and girls, for whom a partner has not been found, to a tree. But this does not occur when they arrive at puberty as among Hindu castes, but when a boy still unmarried becomes thirty years old and a girl twenty. In such a case he or she is married to a mango, cotton or jāmun tree, and after this no second ceremony need be performed on subsequent union with a wife or husband. A widower must pay Rs. 10, or double the usual price, for a second wife, owing to the risk of her death being caused by the machinations of the first wife’s spirit. When a corpse has been buried or burnt the mourners each take a twig of mango and beat about in the grass to start a grasshopper. Having captured one they wrap it in a piece of new cloth, and coming home place it beside the family god. This they call bringing back the life of the soul, and consider that the ceremony procures salvation for the dead. The Khadāls are usually considered as impure, but those of Sonpur have attained a somewhat higher status.
Khadia.—(A kind of snake.) A section of Ahīr and Rāghuvansi. A sept of Nahal.
Khadra,51 Khadura or Kharura.—A small Uriya caste whose occupation is to make brass ornaments. They are immigrants from Cuttack and say that they are called there Sankhāri, so that the Khadras may not improbably be an offshoot of the Sankhāri caste of shell-cutters of Bengal. According to their traditions their original ancestor was created by Viswakarma, the celestial architect, for the business of making a pinnacle for the temple of Jagannāth at Puri, in which eight metals had to be combined. He left two sons, one of whom became the ancestor of the Khadras, and the other of the Kasārs, with whom the Khadras thus claim affinity. They have no subcastes but four gotras or clans called after the Nāg or cobra, the Singh or lion, and Kāsyap and Kachchap, both derived from the tortoise. They also have four bargas or family names, which are Pātra (a term of respect), Dās (slave), Sao (banker) and Mahāranā (artificer). The groups are supposed to be descended from four families who migrated from Curtack. Neither bargas nor gotras are now considered in the arrangement of marriages, which are prohibited between blood relatives for three generations. Marriage is infant, and a girl arriving at puberty while still unwed is permanently expelled from the caste. The Khadras still follow the old rule of writing the lagun or date of the marriage on a palm-leaf, with which they send Rs. 10–4 as a bride-price to the girl’s father, the acceptance of this constituting a confirmation of the betrothal. The marriage ceremony resembles that of the other Uriya castes, and the Khadras have the rite called badapāni or breaking the bachelorhood. A little water brought from seven houses is sprinkled over the bridegroom and his loin-cloth is then snatched away, leaving him naked. In this state he runs towards his own house, but some boys are posted at a little distance who give him a new cloth. Widow-marriage and divorce are permitted, but the hand of a widow must not be sought so long as she remains in her late husband’s house, and does not return to her father. When a bachelor marries a widow he must first perform the regular ceremony with a leaf-cup filled with flowers, after which he can take the widow as his second wife. All important agreements are confirmed by a peculiar custom called heskāni. A deer-skin is spread on the ground before the caste committee, and the person making the agreement bows before it a number of times. To break an agreement made by the heskāni rite is believed to involve terrible calamities. The Khadras eat the flesh of animals and fish but not that of birds, and they do not drink country liquor. When an estate is to be partitioned the eldest son first takes a tenth of the whole in right of primogeniture and the remainder is then divided equally. The Khadras rank as an artisan caste of somewhat low status.
Khadura.—Synonym of Khadra.
Khaijrāha.—(A resident of Khaira, a town in Central India.) Subcaste of Chamār.
Khair, Khaira.—(From khair, catechu or the catechu tree. A maker of catechu.) Synonym for Khairwār.
Khairchura.—(Carechu preparer.) A subcaste of Khairwār.
Khaire.—A subcaste of Are (Gondhali), Kanbi and Oraon.
Khairwār.—A catechu-making caste. A section of Chamār.
Khaiyawāre.—(Khai, ditch; owing to their houses having been originally built on the ditch of Hatta fort.) A section of Beldār Sonkars in Damoh.
Khāki.—(From khāk, ashes.) A class of Bairagi, or religious mendicants.
Khalīfa.—(Lord.) An honorific title for Darzis or tailors, and Muhammadan barbers.
Khaltaha.—Subcaste of Ghasia.
Khaltāti.—(Illegitimate.) Subcaste of Andh.
Khaltia.—Subcaste of Basdewa.
Khamari.—(Farmservant.) A section of Kolta.
Khambi.—(One who hides behind the graveyard.) A sept of Korku.
Khanda.—(A sword.) A section of Panka and Mahār.
Khandait.—(A swordsman.) An Uriya caste. A subcaste of Sānsia, Taonla and Chasa. Also a name of Koltas in Cuttack.
Khandapatra.—(One who cleans swords.) A section of Khandwāl.
Khandapi.—(Khanda, a sword.) A sept of the Dhurwa clan of Sahdeve or six-god Gonds in Betūl, named after the sword of Rāja Durga Shāh by which a victory was gained over the Muhammadans.
Khandele.—(From khanda, sword.) A section of Rāghuvansi Rājpūts in Hoshangābād.
Khandelwāl.—A subcaste of Bania.
Khāndeshi.—(A resident of Khāndesh.) A territorial subcaste of Darzi, Joshi, Mahār and Māng.
Khanne, Khanna.—A subdivision of Chārgarh Sāraswat Brāhmans in Hoshangābād, probably deriving their name from being priests of the Khanna section of Khatris. A section of Khatri.
Khanonkha.—(A kind of basket to catch birds with.) A totemistic sept of Rautia Kawars in Bilāspur.
Kharādi.—(A turner, one who turns woodwork on a lathe.) A synonym of Kundera and Barhai.
Kharchi.—Bastard Marāthas forming a separate division as distinguished from the Khasi or pure Marāthas.
Khare.—A subdivision of Srivāstab, Gaur and Saksena Kāyasths, meaning those of pure descent.
Khari Bind Kewat.—Title of the Murha caste.
Kharodia.—(A resident of Kharod in Bilāspur.) A subcaste of Nunia.
Kharsisjha.—(Maker of cowdung cakes.) A section of Māli.
Kharwade.—(Refuse.) A subcaste of Simpi or Marātha Darzi (tailor) originally formed of excommunicated members of the caste, but now occupying a position equal to other subcastes in Nāgpur.
Kharwār.—Synonym of the Khairwār tribe. Subcaste of Chero and Kol.
Khasi.—A subdivision of Marāthas, meaning those born in wedlock.
Khasua.—(A eunuch.) Synonym of Hijra.
Khāti.—(From the Sanskrit kskatri, one who cuts.) A subcaste of Barhai and Lohār.
Khatīk.—A caste. Synonym of Chikwa. A subcaste of Pāsi in Saugor, said to have originated in a cross between a Bauri and a Khatīk woman.
Khatkudia.—(Illegitimate.) A section of Teli in Betūl.
Khatri.—A caste. A subcaste of Chhīpa and of Sunār in Narsinghpur.
Khatua.—(Having a cot.) A section of the Hatwa caste.
Khatulha or Khatola.—A subtribe of Gond.
Khatulwār.—A subtribe of Gonds in Chānda, the same as the Khatulha of the northern Districts.
Khawās.—A title of Nai or barber. A subcaste of Dhuri. A section of Halba.
Khedāwāl.—A subcaste of Gujarāti Brāhmans. They take their name from Kheda or Kaira, a town in Gujarāt.
Khedule.—From kheda, a village. Subcaste of Kunbi.
Khendro.—Subcaste of Oraon.
Kheralawāla.—An immigrant from Kherāla in Mālwa. Subcaste of Rangrez.
Kherāwāl.—See Khedāwāl.
Kheti.—(Cultivation.) A section of Dumāl.
Khewat.—Synonym of Kewat.
Khīchi.—A clan of Rājpūts, a branch of the Sesodia clan.
Khoba.—(Sticks for fencing the grain-store.) A sept of Kawar; they abstain from using these sticks.
Khoksa.—(A kind of fish.) A totemistic sept of Rautia Kawar in Bilāspur.
Khuntia.—A subcaste of Agaria. One who uses a khunti or peg to fix the bellows in the ground for smelting iron. A sept of Savars. (Those who bury their dead on a high place.)
Khursām.—A sept of Pardhān and Dhur Gond.
Khutha.—(Impure.) A section of Tamera in Mandla.
Khyaurokar.—(One who shaves, from kshaur, to shave.) A synonym of Nai or Bhandāri.
Kilanāya.—(Kilna, a dog-house.) A nickname section of Ahīr.
Kilkila.—(The kingfisher.) A sept of Khairwār.
Killibusum.—(One who eats dead animals.) A sept of Korku.
Kindra.—(One who hides behind a tree.) A sept of Korku.
Kirachi or Karachi.—A sept of Gonds of Raipur and Betūl.
Kirād.—Synonym of Kirār.
Kirāhiboijir.—(A kind of fruit.) A section of Teli in Nāndgaon.
Kirār.—A caste. Synonym Dhākar. A subcaste of Kāchhi. A section of Khatīk.
Kirnakha.—A sept of Gonds in Chānda.
Kirvant or Kilvant.—A subdivision of Maharāshtra Brāhmans in Khairagarh. The name is said to be derived from kīra, an insect, because they kill insects in working their betel-vine gardens. Another explanation is that the name is really Kriyavant, and that they are so called because they conducted kriya or funeral services, an occupation which degraded them. A third form of the name is Kramwant or reciters of the Veda.
Kisān.—(A cultivator.) Oraons are commonly known by this name in Chota Nāgpur and Gonds in Mandla and other Districts. A section of Marār, Rāwat or Ahīr, and Savar.
Koathia.—A section of Bais Rājpūts.
Kochia.—Perhaps a name for Bahnas or cotton cleaners.
Kodjet.—(A conqueror of crores of people.) A section of Bhulia.
Kohistāni.—(A dweller on mountains.) A section of Pathān.
Kohkatta.—A sept of Gonds in Khairagarh.
Kohri.—A synonym for the Kohli caste.
Koi.—A class of Gonds.
Koikopāl.—A subcaste of Gond.
Koilabhūt or Koilabhūti.—A subtribe of Gonds. Their women are prostitutes.
Koiri.—A synonym of the Murao caste.
Koitur.—A synonym for Gond. The name by which the Gonds call themselves in many Districts.
Kokonasth or Chitpāvan.—A subcaste of Mahārāshtra Brāhmans inhabiting the Konkan country. Chitpāvan means the pure in heart.
Koksinghia.—(Koka, the Brāhmani duck.) A subsection of the Pardhān section of Koltas.
Kol.—A tribe. Subcaste of Dahāit.
Kolabhūt.—A name for Gonds.
Kolām.—A tribe. A subtribe of Gonds in Chanda.
Kolchar.—A clan of Marātha.
Kolia.—(From kolu, oil-press.) A section of Teli in Betūl.
Koliha.—(Jackal.) A section of Panwār Rājpūt, Chamār and Kawar.
Kolita, Kulta.—Synonyms of Kolta.
Kolta.—A caste. A subcaste of Chasa.
Kolya.—(One who hides behind a jackal-hole.) A sept of Korku.
Komalwār.—(Komal, soft.) A section of Kurumwār.
Komati.—Synonym of Komti.
Kommu.—(A story-teller.) Subcaste of Mādgi.
Kondawār.—(Konda, a mountain.) A section of Pālewār Dhīmar and Koshti in Chānda.
Kondwān or Kundi.—A name of a tract south of the Mahānadi which is called after the Khond tribe, and was formerly owned by them. Subcaste of Baiga.
Korai.—A subcaste of Ahīr or Rāwat in Bilāspur.
Korāku.—(Young men.) Subcaste of Korwa.
Koratkul.—A section of Komti; they do not eat the kumhra or pumpkin.
Korava.—Synonym of Yerūkala.
Korchamār.—A descendant of alliances between Chamārs and Koris or weavers. Subcaste of Chamār.
Kori.—A caste. A subcaste of Balāhi, Jaiswāra Chamār and Katia.
Korku.—A tribe. A subtribe of Nahal.
Korre.—(Residents of the Korai hill-tract in Seoni.) Subcaste of Injhwār.
Kosaria.—A subcaste of Rāwat or Ahīr, Barai, Dhobi, Kalār, Māli, Panka and Teli; a section of Chamār and Gond.
Koshti, Koshta.—A caste of weavers. See article. A subcaste of Katia and Bhulia.
Koskāti.—A subcaste of Koshti.
Kothari—(A store-keeper, from kotha, a store-room.) A section of Oswāl and Maheshri Banias.
Kotharya.—(A store-keeper.) Subcaste of Chitrakathi.
Kotwāl.—(Keeper of a castle, or a village watchman.) Honorific title of the Khangār caste. A surname of Yajurvedi Brāhmans in Saugor. A section of Halba.
Kotwār.—A person holding the office of village watchman. This post is usually assigned to members of the lowest or impure castes derived from the aboriginal tribes, such as the Māhars, Rāmosis, Gāndas, Pankas, Mīnas and Khangārs. Some of these were or still are much addicted to crime. The name kotwār appears to be a corruption of kotwāl, the keeper or guardian of a kot or castle. Under native rule the kotwāl was the chief of police in important towns, and the central police office in some towns is still called the kotwāli after him. In some villages there are still to be found both a kotwāl and a kotwār; in this case the former performs the duties of watch and ward of the village, and the latter has the menial work of carrying messages, collecting supplies and so on. Both are paid by fixed annual contributions of grain from the cultivators. In Hoshangābād the kotwār is allowed to glean for a day in the fields of each tenant after the crop has been removed. It would appear that the kotwār was chosen from the criminal castes as a method of insurance. The kotwār was held responsible for the good behaviour of his caste-fellows, and was often under the obligation of making good any property stolen by them. And if a theft occurred in another village and the thief was traced into the borders of the kotwār’s village he was bound to take up the pursuit and show that the thief had passed beyond his village, or to pay for the stolen property. Thieves were sometimes tracked by the kotwār, and sometimes in Gujarāt and Central India by a special official called Paggal,52 who measured their footprints with a string, and in this way often followed them successfully from village to village.53 The rule that the kotwār had to make good all thefts occurring in his village or perpetrated by criminals belonging to it, can only have been enforced to a very partial extent, as unless he could trace the property he would be unable to pay any substantial sum out of his own means. Still, it apparently had a considerable effect in the protection of property in the rural area, for which the regular police probably did very little. It was similarly the custom to employ a chaukidār or night-watchman to guard private houses when the owners could afford it, and this man was taken from a criminal caste on the same principle.
The kotwār was also the guardian of the village boundaries, and his opinion was often taken as authoritative in all cases of disputes about land. This position he perhaps occupied as a representative of the pre-Aryan tribes, the oldest residents of the country, and his appointment may have also been partly based on the idea that it was proper to employ one of them as the guardian of the village lands, just as the priest of the village gods of the earth and fields was usually taken from these tribes.
In some localities those members of an impure caste such as the Mahārs, who hold the office of village watchman, obtain a certain rise in status on account of the office, and show a tendency to marry among themselves. Similarly persons of the impure Gānda caste, who joined the Kabīrpanthi sect and now form a separate and somewhat higher caste under the name of Panka, usually work as village watchmen in preference to the Gāndas. Under British rule the kotwār has been retained as a village policeman, and his pay increased and generally fixed in cash. Besides patrolling the village, he has to report all cognisable crime at the nearest police post as well as births and deaths occurring in the village, and must give general assistance to the regular police in the detection of crime. Kotwār is used in Saugor as a synonym for the Chadār caste. It is also a subcaste of the Kori caste.
Kowa.—(A crow.) A section of Tamera and of Gond in Chānda.
Koya A subtribe of Gond in Bastar.
Koyudu.—A synonym of Gond in Chānda used by Telugus.
Kramikul.—A section of Komti. They do not use the black radish.
Kshatriya.—Name of the second Hindu classical caste or the warrior caste. Synonym for Rājpūt.
Kshirsāgar.—(Ocean of Milk.) A section of Panwār Rājpūt, and a proper name of Marātha Brāhmans.
Kuch.—(A weaver’s brush.) A section of Rāghuvansi Rājpūts in Hoshangābād.
Kuchbandhia, Kunchbandhia.—(A maker of weavers’ brushes.) Synonym and subcaste of Beldār in Chhattīsgarh.
Kudaiya.—(Kodon, a small millet.) A section of Ahīr.
Kudappa.—A sept of Gonds in Raipur and Khairagarh.
Kudarbohna.—A Hindu Bhana.
Kudaria.—(Kudāli, a pickaxe.) A section of the Bharia tribe.
Kukra.—(A dog.) A totemistic sept of Bhatra Gonds. A section of Kumhār.
Kukuta.—(Cock.) A sept of Gonds in Raipur.
Kulatia.—A section of Basor. From kulara, a somersault, because they perform somersaults at the time of the maihir ceremony, or eating the marriage cakes.
Kuldip.—(The lamp of the family.) A section of Panka in Raipur.
Kuldiya.—(Those who stop eating if the lamp goes out at supper.) A section of Ghasia.
Kulin.—(Of high caste.) A well-known class of Bengali Brāhmans. A subdivision of Uriya Mahantis. A section of Panka.
Kulshreshta.—(Of good family.) A subcaste of Kāyasth.
Kūmān.—Subcaste of Barai.
Kumarrha or Kumarra.—(A bird.) A sept of Sahdeve or six-god Gonds. In Betūl the members of this sept do not eat or kill a goat or sheep, and throw away any article smelt by one.
Kumarshishta.—A section of Komti. They do not use mehndi or henna leaves.
Kumbhār.—(Potter.) Marāthi synonym for Kumhār. A section of Gānda and Bhulia.
Kumbhoj.—(Born of a pitcher, a Rishi or saint.) An eponymous section of Agharia.
Kumbhira.—(Crocodile.) A totemistic sept of Bhulia.
Kumbhwār.—(Kumbh, a pot.) A surname of Gandli in Chānda.
Kumhārbans.—(Descended from a potter.) A section of Ghasia.
Kumrayete.—(Yete, a goat.) A sept of the Uika clan of Sahdeve or six-god Gonds in Betūl. They do not eat goats, and are said to have offered human sacrifices in ancient times.
Kunbi.—A caste. Subcaste of Dāngri, Gondhali and Marātha.
Kumrawat,54 Patbina, Dāngur.—A small caste of san-hemp growers and weavers of sacking. They are called Kumrāwat in the northern Districts and Patbina (pat pattī, sacking, and binna, to weave) in Chhattīsgarh. A small colony of hemp-growers in the Betūl District are known as Dāngur, probably from the dāng or wooden steelyard which they use for weighing hemp. Both the Kumrāwats and Dāngurs claim Rājpūt origin, and may be classed together. The caste of Barais or betel-vine growers have a subcaste called Kumrāwat, and the Kumrāwats may be an offshoot of the Barais, who split off from the parent body on taking to the cultivation of hemp. As most Hindu castes have until recently refused to grow hemp, the Kumrāwats are often found concentrated in single villages. Thus a number of Patbinas reside in Darri, a village in the Khujji zamīndāri of Raipur, while the Dāngurs are almost all found in the village of Māsod in Betūl; in Jubbulpore Khāpa is their principal centre, and in Seoni the village of Deori. The three divisions of the caste known by the names given above marry, as a rule, among themselves. For their exogamous groups the Dāngurs have usually the names of different Rājpūt septs, the Kumrāwats have territorial names, and those of the Patbinas are derived from inanimate objects, though they have no totemistic practices.
The number of girls in the caste is usually insufficient, and hence they are married at a very early age. The boy’s father, accompanied by a few friends, goes to the girl’s father and addresses a proposal for marriage to him in the following terms: “You have planted a tamarind tree which has borne fruit. I don’t know whether you will catch the fruit before it falls to the ground if I strike it with my stick.” The girl’s father, if he approves of the match, says in reply, ‘Why should I not catch it?’ and the proposal for the marriage is then made. The ceremony follows the customary ritual in the northern Districts. When the family gods are worshipped, the women sit round a grinding-stone and invite the ancestors of the family by name to attend the wedding, at the same time placing a little cowdung in one of the interstices of the stone. When they have invited all the names they can remember they plaster up the remaining holes, saying, ‘We can’t recollect any more names.’ This appears to be a precaution intended to imprison any spirits which may have been forgotten, and to prevent them from exercising an evil influence on the marriage in revenge for not having been invited. Among the Dāngurs the bride and bridegroom go to worship at Hanumān’s shrine after the ceremony, and all along the way the bride beats the bridegroom with a tamarind twig. The dead are both buried and burnt, and mourning is observed during a period of ten days for adults and of three days for children. But if another child has been born to the mother after the one who has died, the full period of mourning must be observed for the latter; because it is said that in this case the mother does not tear off her sāri or body-cloth to make a winding-sheet for the child as she does when her latest baby dies. The Kumrāwats both grow and weave hemp, though they have no longer anything like a monopoly of its cultivation. They make the gons or double bags used for carrying grain on bullocks. In Chhattīsgarh the status of the Patbinas is low, and no castes except the most debased will take food or water from them. The Kumrāwats of Jubbulpore occupy a somewhat more respectable position and take rank with Kāchhis, though below the good cultivating castes. The Dāngurs of Betūl will take food from the hands of the Kunbis.
Kumrayete.—(Yete, a goat.) A sept of the Uika clan of Sahdeve or six-god Gonds in Betūl. They do not eat goats, and are said to have offered human sacrifices in ancient times.
Kunbi.—A caste. Subcaste of Dāngri, Gondhali and Marātha.
Kundera.—A caste. A subcaste of the Larhia Beldārs.
Kundera, Kharādi.—A small caste of wood-turners akin to the Barhais or carpenters. In 1911 the caste numbered 120 persons, principally in Saugor. When asked for the name of their caste they not infrequently say that they are Rājpūts; but they allow widows to remarry, and their social customs and position are generally the same as those of the Barhais. Both names of the caste are functional, being derived from the Hindi kund, and the Arabic kharāt, a lathe. Some of them abstain from flesh and liquor, and wear the sacred thread, merely with a view to improve their social position. The Kunderas make toys from the dūdhi (Holarrhena antidysenterica) and huqqa stems from the wood of the khair or catechu tree. The toys are commonly lacquered, and the surface is smoothed with a dried leaf of the kevara tree.55 They also make chessmen, wooden flutes and other articles.
Kundgolakar.—A subdivision of degraded Marātha Brāhmans, the offspring of adulterous connections.
Kunjām.—A sept of Solāha in Raipur. A section of Basor and Bhunjia. A sept of Gond and Pardhān.
Kunnatya—(Rope-dancer.) A name applied to Nats.
Kunti or Kunte.—(Kunti, lame.) A subcaste of Kāpewar, synonym Bhiksha Kunti or lame beggars.
Kunwar.—(Prince.) A title of Rājpūt ruling families. A section of Rājpūt and Kawar.
Kura Sasura.—Husband’s elder brother. Title of Kharia.
Kurathiya, Kuratia.—(From kur, a fowl, which they have given up eating.) A subtribe of Gonds in Khairagarh.
Kurha or Sethia.—Title of the Sonkar caste headman.
Kurkere.—One who moulds his vessels on a stone slab revolving on a stick and not on a wheel. Subcaste of Kumhār.
Kurmeta.—A sept of Gonds in Chanda.
Kurmgutia.—(From kurm, tortoise.) A section of Mahār.
Kurmi.—A caste. A subcaste of Agharia in the Uriya country. A subcaste of Barai. A sept of Pardhān. A section of Mahār.
Kurochi.—(Kur, hen.) A sept of the Uika clan of Sahdeve or six-god Gonds in Betūl, so named because their priest once stole a hen.
Kurpachi.—(Kur, hen.) A sept of the Uika clan of Gonds in Betūl, so named because their priest offered the contents of a hen’s intestines to the gods.
Kurru or Kura.—Title of Yerukala.
Kusangia.—(Of bad company.) A section of Lohār.
Kushbansi.—A subcaste of Ahīr. (Descendants of Kush, one of the two sons of Rāma.)
Kush Ranjan.—A section of Brāhman, Barai, Chamār, Chandnāhu Kurmi, Rāwat (Ahīr), Marār and Rājbhar.
Kushta, Koshta.—Subcaste of Kori.
Kuslia.—(Kusli, boat.) A subcaste of Māli.
Kusrām.—(Kusri, pulse.) A sept of the Uika Gonds in Betūl and Chānda.
Labhāna.—Synonym and subcaste of Banjāra.
Lād.—The old name for the territory of Gujarāt. A subcaste of Bania, Kalār, Koshti and Sunār.
Ladaimār.—One who hunts jackals and sells and eats their flesh. Subcaste of Jogi.
Ladele.—(Quarrelsome.) A section of Shribathri Teli.
Lādjin.—Subcaste of Banjāra.
Lādse or Lādvi.—Subcaste of Chamār and Dhangar.
Ladwan, Ladvan.—A subcaste of Mahār. Perhaps from Lād, the old name of Gujarāt.
Laheri.—Synonym of Lakhera.
Laherīa.—Subcaste of Brāhman.
Lahgera or Lahugera.—(Lahanga, weaver.) A subcaste of Kori.
Lahuri Sen.—A subcaste of Barai in the northern Districts who are formed of excommunicated members of the caste.
Lahuria.—(From Lahore.) A section of Rāthor and Chauhān Banjāras.
Lajjhar.—Synonym of Rājjhar.
Lakariha.—A subdivision of Pardhān in Kawardha. While begging they play a musical instrument, hence the name from lakri, a stick.
Lāla.—(A term of endearment.) Synonym for Kāyasth. A subcaste of Chamār.
Lālbegi.—A follower of Lālbeg, patron saint of the sweepers. Synonym of Mehtar.
Lāl Pādri.—Red priests, because they rub geru or red ochre on their bodies. Title of Jogi.
Lamechu.—A subcaste of Bania.
Langoti.—Subcaste of Pārdhi. They wear only a narrow strip of cloth called langoti round the loins.
Lānjia.—A subcaste of Lohār and Nai, from Lānji in Bālāghāt. A subtribe of Gonds in Khairagarh.
Lānjiwār.—(One living round Lānji in Bālāghāt.) Subcaste of Injhwār.
Laphangia.—(Upstart.) A section of Kolta.
Laria, Larhia.—(Belonging to Chhattīsgarh.) A synonym of Beldār. A subcaste of Bhaina, Binjhwār, Chamār, Gānda, Ghasia, Gond, Gosain, Kalār, Kewat, Koshti, Mahār, Marār, Mowār, Panka, Savar, Sunār and Teli.
Lasgaria.—A class of Bairāgi mendicants.
Lasukar.—A subcaste of Gondhalis who sell books and calendars.
Lāt.—Subcaste of Chamār.
Lave.—Subcaste of Kunbi.
Laya.—(Bird.) A section of Binjhwār, Mahār, and Panka.
Lekha.—Subcaste of Gūjar.
Lemuan, Limuan.—(Tortoise.) A totemistic sept of Audhelia, Munda and Oraon.
Lidha.—(Excrement of swine.) Subcaste of Khatīk in Jubbulpore.
Lilia.—(From līl or nīl, the indigo plant.) Subcaste of Kāchhi.
Lilorhia.—Subcaste of Gūjar.
Limba.—(Nīm tree.) A totemistic section of Dumāls.
Lingāyat.—A religious order which has become a caste. See article and subordinate article to Bania. A subcaste of Bania and Kumhār.
Lodha.—Synonym of Lodhi. Subcaste of Lodhi.
Lohār.—A caste of blacksmiths, synonym Luhura. A section of Binjhwār and Gānda.
Lohār Barhai.—A subcaste of Barhai in Bundelkhand.
Lohāria.—A subcaste of Ahīr.
Lonāria.—A salt-maker. Subcaste of Mahār.
Lonchatia.—(Salt-licker.) A sept of the Uika clan of Gonds. The members of this sept lick salt on the death of their relatives. Another account from Betūl says that they spread salt on a platform raised in honour of the dead and make cattle lick it up.
Londhāri.—A small caste of cultivators found in the Bhandāra District. They appear to be immigrants from northern India, as their women wear the Hindustāni dress and they speak Hindi at home. At their weddings the bridal couple walk round the sacred post according to the northern custom. When a widow marries again the couple worship a sword before the ceremony. If a man is convicted of an intrigue with a low-caste woman, he has to submit to a symbolical purification by fire. A heap of juāri-stalks is piled all round him and set alight, but as soon as the fire begins to burn he is permitted to escape from it. This rite is known as Agnikasht. The Londhāris appear to be distinct from the Lonhāre Kunbis of Betūl, with whom I was formerly inclined to connect them. These latter derive their name from the Lonār Mehkar salt lake in the Buldāna District, and are probably so called because they once collected the salt evaporated from the lake. They thus belong to the Marātha country, whereas the Londhāris probably came from northern India. The name Lonhāre is also found as a subdivision of one or two other castes living in the neighbourhood of the Lonār Mehkar lake.
Londhe, Londe.—(One who hides himself behind cloth.) A section of Kohli. A sept of Korku.
Londibacha.—A subcaste of Kasār, including persons of illegitimate descent.
Lonhāre, Lonāre.—(From Lonār-Mehkar, the well-known salt lake of the Buldāna District.) A subcaste of Kunbi. A section of Arakh and Ahīr.
Ludhela.—A section of Basor who worship the ludhia, a round stone for pounding food, at the Maihar ceremony.
Luhura.—(One who works in iron.) Synonym of Lohār. Subcaste of Sidhira.
Lunia.—Synonym of Murha, Nunia.
Machhandar.—(One who catches fish.) Synonym of Dhīmar.
Machhandra Nāth.—A subdivision of Jogi.
Machhia.—(From machhi, fish.) A section of Dhīmar and Lodhi.
Machhri.—(Fish.) A sept of Oraon.
Mada Kukuria.—(Dead dog.) A subsection of the Viswāl section of Koltas.
Madankul.—A section of Komti. They do not use red clothes, nor the wood of the swallow-wort tree.
Madari.—A class of Fakīrs or Muhammadan beggars.
Māde.—A resident of the Mād country in Chānda and Bastar. Subcaste of Pardhān.
Mādgi, Mādiga.56—The Telugu caste of workers in leather corresponding to the Chamārs, which numbers nearly 1½ millions in Madras, Mysore and Hyderābād. In 1911 there were nearly 6000 Mādgis in the Central Provinces and 3000 in Berār. According to tradition, the Mādigas derive their name from that of a sage called Mātanga Muni, and it is said that a dynasty belonging to the caste once ruled in the Canarese country. The following legend of their origin comes from Mysore:57 In former times the sage Jāmbava Rishi was habitually late in attending at Siva’s court. Siva asked him why this happened, and he replied that he was occupied in tending his children. On this Siva took pity on him and gave him the sacred cow, Kāmdhenu, from which all the needs of the children could be satisfied. But one day while Jāmbava was absent at Siva’s court, another sage, Sānkhya, visited his hermitage and was hospitably entertained by his son, Yugamuni. The cream which Sānkhya was given was so good that he desired to kill the cow, Kāmdhenu, thinking that her flesh would taste even better. In spite of Yugamuni’s objections Sānkhya killed the cow and distributed the meat to various persons. While this was in progress Jāmbava returned, and, on hearing what had been done, dragged Sānkhya and Yugamuni before Siva’s judgment seat. The two offenders did not enter the court but stood outside the doorway, Sānkhya on the right side and Yugamuni on the left. Siva condemned them to become Chandālas or outcastes, and the descendants of Sānkhya have become the right-hand Holias, while those of Yugamuni and his wife Mātangi are the left-hand caste of Mādigas. The latter were set to make shoes to expiate the sin committed by their ancestor in killing a cow. Another story given in the Central Provinces is that the Golla caste of cowherds, corresponding to the Ahīrs and the Mādgis, are the descendants of two brothers. The brothers had a large herd of cattle and wanted to divide them. At this time, however, cattle disease was prevalent, and many of the herd were affected. The younger brother did not know of this, and seeing that most of the herd were lying on the ground, he proposed to the elder brother that he himself should take all the cattle lying on the ground, and the elder brother all those which were standing up, as a suitable method of division. The elder brother agreed, but when the younger came to take his cattle which were on the ground he found that they were all dead, and hence he had no alternative but to take off the hides and cure and sell them. His descendants continued his degraded profession and became the Mādgi caste. In Chānda the following six subcastes of Mādgis are reported: The Nulka Chandriah or caste priests; the Anapa or leather dealers; the Sindhi who are supposed to have been performers of dramas; the Masti or dancers; the Kommu or tellers of stories; and the Dekkala or genealogists of the caste. It is said that Kommu really means a horn and Dekka a hoof. These last two are the lowest subdivisions, and occupy a most degraded position. In theory they should not sleep on cots, pluck the leaves of trees, carry loads on any animal other than a donkey, or even cook food for themselves, but should obtain their subsistence by eating the leavings of other Mādgis or members of different castes. The Nulka Chandriah or priests are the highest subdivision and will not take food or water from any of the others, while the four remaining subcastes eat and drink together, but do not intermarry. There are also a number of exogamous groups, most of which have territorial names; but a few are titular or totemistic, as—Mukkidi, noseless; Kumawār, a potter; Nagarwār, a citizen; Dobbulwār, one who possesses a dobbulu or copper coin; Ippawār, from the mahua tree; Itkalwār from itkal a brick, and so on. The caste customs of the Mādigas need not be recorded in detail. They are an impure caste and eat all kinds of food, and the leavings of others, though the higher subdivisions refuse to accept these. They live outside the village, and their touch is considered to convey pollution.