Madhavachārya.—A Vishnuite sect and order of religious mendicants. See Baīrāgi.
Madhyanjan, Madhyandina.—A class of Brāhmans, the same as the Yajur-Vedis, or a section of them.
Mādia.—A class of Gonds in Bastar.
Madpotwa.—(One who distils liquor.) Subcaste of Teli.
Madrāsi.—Subcaste of Dhobi.
Magadha.—A subcaste of Ahīr or Rāwat in Chhattīsgarh, who ask for food from others and do not cook for themselves.
Magar, Magra.—A sept of Khangār, Ahīr or Rāwat, Gond and Chadār.
Māgida.—Synonym of Mādgi.
Mahābrāhman.—A degraded class of Brāhmans who accept gifts for the dead.
Mahādeva Thākur.—(Lord Mahādeo.) A section of Māli.
Mahajalia.—(Deceitful.) A section of Lohār.
Mahājan.—A banker. Title of the Bania caste.
Mahākul.—Synonym for Ahīr.
Mahālodhi.—(Great Lodhi.) Subcaste of Lodhi.
Mahānadiya.—(Those who came from the Mahānadi river.) A subcaste of Lodhi. A section of Gānda, Ghasia and Panka.
Mahant.—Chief of a math or monastery. A superior class of priest. A section of Ahīr, Panka, Chamār and Koshta.
Mahanti.—A synonym for the Karan or writer caste of Orissa. A section of Chasa.
Mahāpātra.—A subdivision of degraded Brāhmans who take funeral gifts. An honorific title of Thānapati and of Uriya Brāhmans. A subcaste of Bhāt.
Mahār.—A caste. A subcaste of Balāhi and Gondhali. A section of Rawat in Raigarh.
Mahārāj.—(Great king.) A title of Brāhmans.
Mahūrāna.—Synonym of Chitāri.
Mahārāshtra or Marāthe.—One of the five orders of Pānch Dravida Brāhmans inhabiting the Marātha country. They are also called Dakshini Brāhmans. A subcaste of Kumhār, Kāsar and Lohār.
Mahedia.—A section of Basors who worship pounded rice mixed with curds.
Mahenga.—(An elephant.) A totemistic sept of Rautia and Kawar in Bilāspur.
Maheshri.—Subcaste of Baina.
Mahili.—Synonym for Māhli.
Mahipia.—(A drinker of curds.) A subsection of the Viswāl section of Koltas.
Mahisur.—(Lord of the earth.) A synonym of Brāhmans.
Mahli-Munda.—Subcaste of Mahli.
Mahobia.—(From the town of Mahoba in Central India.) A subcaste of Barai, Chamār, Dāngi, Ghasia, Khangār and Mahār. A section of Dāngi, Kumhār and Kori.
Mahoda.—A subdivision of Brāhmans in Jubbulpore.
Mahore, Mahure.—A subcaste of Bania, Kori, Kumhār and Kalār.
Mahrātta.—Synonym of Marātha.
Māhto, Māhton.—A chief or village headman. Subcaste and title of Teli and Khairwār; title of the leader of the Bhuiya caste. A section of Gānda and Rāwat (Ahīr).
Mahur.—(Poison.) A subcaste of Sunārs in Chhindwāra.
Mahure, Mahuria.—(From Mahur, a town in Hyderābād.) Subcaste of Barhai and Dhangar.
Mai.—(Mother.) A division of the Kabīrpanthi sect.
Maichhor.—A small clan of Rājpūts. Perhaps from Maichuri in Jaipur.
Mailwār.—(Dirty.) A group of Sunārs in Raipur.
Maina.—Synonym of Mina.
Mair.—A subcaste of Sunār named after Mair, their original ancestor, who melted down a golden demon.
Maithil.—One of the five divisions of Pānch Gaur Brāhmans inhabiting the province of Maithil or Bihār and Tirhūt.
Majarewār.—A territorial section of Binjhwār (from Majare in Bālāghāt).
Mājhi.—(A village headman.) Title of Bhatra.
Mājhia.—Synonym of Majhwār.
Majhli.—(Middle.) Subcaste of Rautia.
Makaria.—(From makad, monkey.) A subcaste of Kamār, so called because they eat monkeys.
Malaiya.—An immigrant from Mālwa. Subcaste of Chhīpa.
Māle, Māler.—Synonyms of Māl.
Malha.—A boatman. Synonym of Mallah.
Malhar.—Subcaste of Koli.
Māli.—(A caste.) A section of Kalār.
Māl-Pahāria.—Synonym of Māl.
Mālvi, Mālwi.—(From Mālwa.) A subdivision of Brāhmans in Hoshangābād and Betūl. A subcaste of Ahīr, Barhai, Darzi, Dhobi, Gadaria, Kalār, Koshti, Kumhār, Nai and Sunār.
Malyār.58—A small and curious caste of workers in gold and silver in Bastar State. They are known alternatively as Marhātia Sunār or Panchāl, and outsiders call them Adhāli. The name Malyār is said to be derived from mal, dirt, and jār or jālna, to burn, the Malyārs having originally been employed by Sunārs or goldsmiths to clean and polish their ornaments. No doubt can be entertained that the Malyārs are in reality Gonds, as they have a set of exogamous septs all of which belong to the Gonds, and have Gondi names. So far as possible, however, they try to disguise this fact and perform their marriages by walking round the sacred post like the Hindustāni castes. They will take food cooked without water from Brāhmans, Rājpūts and Banias, but will not eat katcha (or food cooked with water) from anybody, and not even from members of their own caste unless they are relatives. This custom is common to some other castes of mixed descent, and indicates that illicit connections are frequent among the Malyārs, as indeed would necessarily be the case owing to the paucity of their numbers. But their memories are short, and the offspring of such irregular unions are recognised as belonging to the caste after one or two generations. An outsider belonging to any higher caste may be admitted to the community. The caste worship Māta Devi or the goddess of smallpox, and revere the spirit of a Malyār woman who became a Sati. They have learned as servants of the Sunārs the rudiments of their art, and manufacture rough ornaments for the primitive people of Bastar.
Māna Ojha.—Subcaste of Ojha.
Mandal.—(A name for a prosperous cultivator in Chhattīsgarh.) A section of Chamār and Panka. See article Kurmi.
Mandilwār.—Name derived from Mandla. Subcaste of Katia.
Mandkul.—A section of Komti who do not eat mangoes.
Mandlāha.—(From Mandla town.) Subtribe of Gond.
Māne Kunbi.—Subcaste of Gondhali.
Māng or Māngia.—A caste. Subcaste of Gānda, Gondhali, Bahrūpia.
Mangan.—(From Manghunia, beggar.) A caste.
Mangan.59—A small caste found in Chhattīsgarh and Sambalpur who are the musicians and genealogists of the Ghasias. The term is considered opprobrious, as it means ‘beggar,’ and many Mangans probably return themselves as Ghasias. They are despised by the Ghasias, who will not take food or water from them. At the marriages of the former the Mangans play on a drum called ghunghru, which they consider as the badge of the caste, their cattle being branded with a representation of it. The only point worth notice about the caste is that they are admittedly of mixed descent from the unions of members of other castes with Ghasia prostitutes. They have five totemistic exogamous sections, about each of which a song is sung relating its origin. The Sunāni sept, which worships gold as its totem and occupies the highest position, is said to be descended from a Brāhman father and a Ghasia mother; the Sendaria sept, worshipping vermilion, from a Kewat ancestor and a Ghasia woman; the Bhainsa sept, worshipping a buffalo, from a Gaur or Ahīr and a Ghasia; the Mahānadia sept, having the Mahānadi for their totem, from a Gond and a Ghasia woman; while the Bāgh sept, who revere the tiger, say that a cow once gave birth to two young, one in the form of a tiger and the other of a human being; the latter on growing up took a Ghasia woman to himself and became the ancestor of the sept. As might be expected from their ancestry, the Mangan women are generally of loose character. The Mangans sometimes act as sweepers.
Māngta.—(A beggar.) A subcaste of Pāsi in Sangor, who beg from their caste-fellows.
Maniāra.—(A Pedlar.) Subcaste of Jogi.
Manihār.—A caste. The Manihārs are also known as Bisāti. An occupational name of Jogis.
Mānikpuria.—(A resident Mānikpur.) Subcaste of Panka.
Mānjhi.—(Headman.) A synonym of Santāl and Kewat. A section of Chasa, Dhanuhār and Kolta. A title of Chasa.
Manjur.—(Peacock.) A totemistic sept of Munda.
Manjmār.—Term for a boatman. Included in Kewat.
Mānkar.—Name of a superior class of village watchmen in Nimār District. See article Bhīl. A subcaste of Māna and Halba.
Mannepuwār.—A subcaste of Māla. Synonym, Teluga Bhoi.
Mānwa.—Subcaste of Kunbi.
Marābi.—A common sept of Gond. A section of Nat.
Marai.—(A name for the goddess of cholera, who is called Marai Māta.) A common sept of Gond. Also a sept of Baiga, Pasor and Bhunjia. A subcaste of Majhwār.
Marāl.—Synonym of Māli.
Marapa.—A sept of Gonds in Betūl, who abstain from killing or eating a goat or sheep and throw away any article smelt by them.
Marār.—Synonym for Māli, a gardener. Also a subcaste of Kāchhi.
Marātha, Marāthe.—A caste. A subcaste of Barhai, Bedar, Chamār, Dhīmar, Gadaria, Kumhār, Mahār, Māli, Māng, Nai and Teli.
Marāthi, Marātha, Mārthe, Marāthe.—(A resident of the Marātha country.) Subcaste of Bahrūpia, Chamār, Dhargar, Gundhali, Gopāl, Injhwār, Kaikāri, Kasār, Koshti, Nāhal, Otāri.
Marathia.—Resident of Bhandāra or another Marātha District. Subcaste of Halba.
Māria.—A well-known tribe of Gonds in Bastar and Chānda. See article Gond. A subcaste of Gowāri. A section of Ahīr, Chamār and Kumhār.
Markām.—(Marka, mango.) One of the principal septs of Gonds. Also a sept of Baiga, Basor, Bhumjia, Pardhān and Solāha.
Marori.60—A small caste of degraded Rājpūts from Marwār found in the Bhandāra and Chhindwāra Districts and also in Berār. The name is a local corruption of Mārwāri, and is applied to them by their neighbours, though many of the caste do not accept it and call themselves Rājpūts. In Chhindwāra they go by the name of Chhatri, and in the Tirora Tahsīl they are known as Alkari, because they formerly grew the al or Indian madder for a dye, though it has now been driven out of the market. They have been in the Central Provinces for some generations, and though retaining certain peculiarities of dress, which show their northern origin, have abandoned in many respects the caste usages of Rājpūts. Their women wear the Hindustāni angia tied with string behind in place of the Marātha choli or breast-cloth, and drape their sāris after the northern fashion. They wear ornaments of the Rājpūtans shape on their arms, and at their weddings they sing Mārwāri songs. They have Rājpūt sept names, as Parihār, Rāthor, Solanki, Sesodia and others, which constitute exogamous groups and are called kulis. Some of these have split up into two or three subdivisions, as, for instance, the Pathar (stone) Panwārs, the Pāndhre or white Panwārs and the Dhatūra or thorn-apple Panwārs; and members of these different groups may intermarry. The reason seems to be that it was recognised that people belonged to the same Panwār sept who were not blood kin to each other, and the prohibition of marriage between them was a serious inconvenience in a small community. They also have eponymous gotras, as Vasishtha, Batsa and others of the Brāhmanical type, but these do not influence exogamy. The paucity of their numbers and the influence of local usage have caused them to relax the marriage rules adhered to by Rājpūts. Women are very scarce, and a price varying from forty to a hundred rupees is commonly paid for a bride, though they feel keenly the degradation attaching to the acceptance of a bride-price. Widow-marriage is permitted, no doubt for the same reasons, and a girl going wrong with a man of another caste may be readmitted to the community. Divorce is not permitted, and an unfaithful wife may be abandoned; she cannot then marry again in the caste. Formerly, on the arrival of the marriage procession, the bride’s and bridegroom’s parties let off fireworks, aiming them against each other, but this practice is now discontinued. When the bridegroom approaches the marriage-shed the bride comes out and strikes him on the breast or forehead with a ball of dough, a sheet being held between them; the bridegroom throws a handful of rice over her and strikes the festoons of the shed with a naked sword. A bachelor espousing a widow must first be married to a ring, which he thereafter carries in his ear, and if it is lost funeral ceremonies must be performed as for a real wife. Women are tattooed on the arms only. Children have as many as five names, one for ordinary use, and the others for ceremonial purposes and the arrangement of marriages. If a man kills a cow or a cat he must have a miniature figure of the animal made of gold and give it to a Brāhman in expiation of his sin.
Marskola.—(From markets, an axe.) A common sept of Gonds and Pardhāns.
Māru.—Subcaste of Chāran Bhāts.
Mārwāri.—A resident of Mārwār or the desert tract of Rājputāna; Mārwār is also used as a name for Jodhpur State. See subordinate article Rājpūt-Rāthor. The name Mārwāri is commonly applied to Banias coming from Mārwār. See article Bania. A subcaste of Bahna, Gurao, Kumhār, Nai, Sunār and Teli.
Masania.—(From masin, straw or grass mats, or masina, thatched roof.) A section of Lohār. A synonym for San Bhatras in Bastar.
Mashki.—(A water-bearer.) Synonym of Bhishti.
Masrām.—A common sept of Gonds.
Masti.—(Dancer.) Subcaste of Mādgi.
Mastram.—(Mastra, brass bangles.) A sept of Gonds in Betūl. The women of this sept wear brass bangles.
Masūria.—A subcaste of Kurmi. From masūr, lentil. A section of Rājpūt.
Mathadhari.—(Living in a monastery.) A celibate clan of Mānbhao mendicants.
Mathpati.—(Lord of the hermitage.) A subcaste of Jangam.
Mathur, Mathuria.—(From Mathura or Muttra.) A subcaste of Kāyasth. A subdivision of Brāhman. A subcaste of Banjāra, Darzi and Nai.
Matkūda, Matkora.—(Earth-digger.) A subcaste and synonym of Beldār. A name for Gonds and Pardhāns who take to earthwork.
Mattha.—Corruption of Marātha. A subcaste of Koshti, Mahār and Teli, and a title of Teli.
Matti.—A subdivision of low-class Brāhmans returned from Khairagarh. Also a class of Kashmīri Brāhmans.
Matwāla.—(A drinker of country liquor.) Subcaste of Kadera.
Mawāsi, Mirdhān.—Subcaste of Dahāit. Title of the headman of the Dahāit caste committee.
Mayaluar.—(Chief man of the caste.) A subcaste of Turi.
Mayur.—(Peacock.) A totemistic section of the Ahīr, Hatwa, Gond, Sonjhara and Sundi castes.
Mayurmāra.—(Killer of peacock.) A section of Bahelia.
Meda Gantia.—(Counter of posts.) Title of Bhatra. Official who fixes date and hour for wedding.
Medara, Medari.—The Telugu caste of bamboo-workers and mat-makers, corresponding to the Basors. They have the same story as the Basors of the first bamboo having been grown from the snake worn by Siva round his neck, which was planted head downwards in the ground. The customs of the Medaras, Mr. Francis says,61 differ from place to place. In one they will employ Brāhman purohits (priests), and prohibit widow-marriage, while in the next they will do neither, and will even eat rats and vermin. The better classes among them are taking to calling themselves Balijas or Baljis, and affixing the title of Chetti to their names.
Medari.—Synonym of Medara.
Mehar.—Synonym of Bhulia.
Meher.—A section of Mālwi Ahīr, a synonym for Bhulia. A title of Chamār.
Mehra.—Synonym for Mahār. A subcaste of Katia and Kori.
Mehta.—A group of Brāhmans. A section of Oswāl Bania.
Mehtar.—(A prince or leader.) Common name for the sweeper caste. Title of the president of the Dhobi caste committee.
Meman.—Synonym of Cutchi.
Meshbansi.—(Descendant of a sheep.) A clan of Rājpūts.
Mewāda, Mewāri.—(From Mewār.) A division of Gujarāti or Khedāwāl Brāhmans. A subcaste of Chhīpa, Dārzi, Māli and Sunār.
Mewāti.—Synonym of Meo. See article. A class of Fakīrs or Muhammadan beggars.
Mhāli.—Synonym of Nai.
Mhasia, Mhashi.—(Mhas, buffalo.) A sept of Halba. A section of Kohli.
Mihir.—Synonym of Bhulia.
Mīna.—A caste. A section of Rāghuvansis.
Mīrdaha.—A subcaste of Dahāit, Khangār, and Nat. A section of Rāghuvansi. Name used for the mate of a gang of coolies.
Mīr-Dahāit.—Title of the Mīrdha caste.
Mīrdha.—A small caste found only in the Narsinghpur District. They are a branch of the Khangār or Dahāit caste of Saugor and Damoh. The names of their exogamous sections tally with those of the Khangārs, and they have the same story of their ancestors having been massacred at a fort in Orchha State and of one pregnant woman escaping and hiding under a kusum tree (Schleichera trijuga), which consequently they revere. Like Khangārs they regard Muhammadan eunuchs and Fakīrs (beggars) with special friendship, on the ground that it was a Fakīr who sheltered their ancestress when the rest of the caste were massacred by Rājpūts, and Fakīrs do not beg at their weddings. One explanation of the name is that this section of the caste were born from a Muhammadan father and a Dahāit woman, and hence were called Mir-Dahāits or Mīrdāha, Mir being a Muhammadan title. Mirdha is, however, as noted by Mr. Hira Lāl, the name of the head of the caste committee among the Dahāits; and in Hoshangābād he is a servant of the village proprietor and acts as assistant to the Kotwār or village watchman; he realises the rents from the tenants, and sometimes works as a night guard. In Gujarāt the name is said to be a corruption of mir-deh or ‘mason of the village.’62 Here it is said that the Mīrdhas are held to be of part foreign, part Rājpūt origin, and were originally official spies of the Gujarāt sultans. They are now employed as messengers and constables, and therefore seem to be analogous to the same class of persons in the Central Provinces.
Mīrshikār.—Synonym of Pārdhi.
Misra or Misar.—A surname of Kanaujia, Jijhotia, Sarwaria and Uriya Brāhmans.
Mistri.—(Corruption of the English Mister.) A master carpenter or mate of a gang. Title of Barhai, Beldār and Lohār.
Mithia.—(A preparer of sweets.) Synonym of Halwai.
Mochi.—(A shoemaker.) A caste. Subcaste of Chamār.
Modh.—A subdivision of Khedāwāl or Gujarāti Brāhmans who take their name from Modhera, an ancient place in Gujarāt. A subcaste of Gujarāti Bania.
Modh-Ghaneli.—Subcaste of Teli in Gujarāt.
Moghia.—Synonym of Pardhi.
Mohania.—(Captivator.) A section of Rajjhar and Kirār.
Mohtaria.—Title of the headman of the Andh caste committee.
Mohtera.—One who fixes the auspicious moment, hence the headman of the caste. A titular section of Basor.
Monas.—A subdivision of Brāhmans.
Mongre, Mongri, Mongrekair.—(A club or mallet.) A section of Ahīr or Rāwat in Chhattīsgarh, and of Chamār, Ganda, and Panka.
Mori.—A branch of the Panwār Rājpūts.
Mor Kāchhi.—One who prepares the maur or marriage-crown for weddings. Subcaste of Kāchhi.
Morkul.—A section of Komti. They do not use asafoetida (hing) nor the fruit of the umar fig-tree.
Motate.—(From mot, water-bag.) A subcaste of Kāpewār.
Moujikul.—A section of Komti. They do not use pepper.
Mowār.—Subcaste of Rajwār.
Mowāsi.—A resident of the forests of Kalibhīt and Melghāt known as the Mowās. Subcaste of Korku.
Muamin.—Synonym of Cutchi.
Muāsi.—Title of Korku; subcaste of Korwa.
Muchi.—Synonym of Mochi.
Mudara.—Subcaste of Parja.
Mudgalia.—(From mudgal, Indian club—an athlete.) A surname of Adi Gaur Brāhmans in Saugor.
Mudha.—Synonym for Munda.
Mudotia.—(From mudha, a cheat.) A surname of Sanādhia Brāhmans in Saugor.
Mughal.—A tribal division of Muhammadans. See article Muhammadan Religion.
Muhammadan.—Subcaste of Koli.
Muhjaria.—(Burnt mouth.) A section of Lodhi.
Mukeri.—Or Kasai, a small Muhammadan caste of traders in cattle and butchers. In 1891 more than 900 were returned from the Saugor District. Their former occupation was to trade in cattle like the Banjāras, but they have now adopted the more profitable trade of slaughtering them for the export of meat; and as this occupation is not considered very reputable, they have perhaps thought it desirable to abandon their caste name. The derivation of the term Mukeri is uncertain. According to one account they are a class of Banjāras, and derive their name from Mecca, on the ground that one of their Nāiks or headmen was camping in the neighbourhood of this town, at the time when Abrāham was building it, and assisted him in the work. When they emigrated from Mecca their illustrious name of Makkāi was corrupted into Mukeri.63 A variant of this story is that their ancestor was one Makka Banjāra, who also assisted in the building of Mecca, and that they came to India with the early Muhammadan invaders.64 The Mukeris form a caste and marry among themselves. In their marriage ceremony they have adopted some Hindu observances, such as the anointing of the bride and bridegroom with turmeric and the erection of a marriage-shed. They take food from the higher Hindu castes, but will not eat with a Kāyasth, though there is no objection to this on the score of their religion. They will admit an outsider, if he becomes a Muhammadan, but will not give their daughters to him in marriage, at any rate until he has been for some years a member of the caste. In other matters they follow Muhammadan law.
Mullāji.—Title of the priests of the Bohra caste.
Multani.—Subcaste and synonym of Banjāra.
Munda.—(A village headman, from munda, the head.) Title and synonym of Kol. A subcaste of Kharia and Oraon.
Mundela.—(Bald-headed.) A surname of Jijhotia Brāhmans in Saugor.
Mundle.—(Shaven ones.) Subcaste of Gūjar.
Munikul.—A section of Komti. They do not use munga beans.
Munjia.—Name of an Akhāra or school of Bairāgi religious mendicants. See Bairāgi.
Munurwār.—Synonym of Kāpewār.
Murai, Murao.—(From muli, or radish.) Subcaste of Kāchhi.
Murchulia.—(One who puts rings on the fingers of the caste.) A section of Gānda and Panka in Raipur.
Muria.—A well-known subtribe of Gonds in Bastar and Chānda.
Murli.—Synonym of Wāghya.
Musābir.—Synonym of Mochi.
Musahar.—(A rat-eater.) Subcaste and title of Bhuiya.
Mūsare.—(Mūsar, a pestle.) A section of Māli.
Mussali.—Title of Mehtar.
Mutrācha.—Synonym of Mutrāsi.
Mutrāsa.—Synonym of Mutrāsi.
Mutrāsi, Mutrāsa, Muthrāsi, Mutrācha.—(From the Dravidian roots mudi, old, and rāchā, a king, or from Mutu Rāja, a sovereign of some part of the Telugu country.)65 A caste which is numerous in Hyderābād and Madras, and of which a few persons are found in the Chānda District of the Central Provinces. The Mutrāsis are the village watchmen proper of Telingāna or the Telugu country.66 They were employed by the Vijayanagar kings to defend the frontier of their country, and were honoured with the title of Pāligar. Their usual honorific titles at present are Dora (Sāhib or Lord) and Naidu. As servants they are considered very faithful and courageous. Some of them have taken to masonry in Chānda, and are considered good stone-carvers. They are a comparatively low caste, and eat fowls and drink liquor, but they do not eat beef or pork. It is compulsory among them to marry a girl before she arrives at adolescence, and if this is not done her parents are put out of caste, and only readmitted on payment of a penalty.
Nabadia.—(Boatman or sailor.) A synonym for Kewat.
Naddāf.—A synonym for Bahna or Pinjāra.
Nadha.—(Those who live on the banks of streams.) Subcaste of Dhīmar.
Nadia.—A clan of Dāngi.
Nāg, Nagesh.—(Cobra.) A sept of the Ahīr or Rāwat, Binjhāl, Bhātia, Chasa, Hatwa, Halba, Khadāl, Kawar, Khangār, Karan, Katia, Kolta, Lohār, Mahār, Māli, Mowār, Parja, Redka, Sulia, Sundi and Taonla castes. Most of these castes belong to Chhattīsgarh and the Uriya country.
Nāga.—A clan of Gosains or mendicants. See Gosain.
Nāgar.—A subcaste of Brāhmans belonging to Gujarāt; a subcaste of Bania; a section of Teli.
Nagārchi.—(A drum-beater.) A class of Gonds. A subcaste of Gānda and Ghasia.
Nagārchi.—The Nagārchis appear to be a class of Gonds, whose special business was to beat the nakkāra or kettledrums at the gates of forts and palaces. In some Districts they now form a special community, marrying among themselves, and numbered about 6000 persons in 1911. The nagāra or nakkāra is known in Persia as well as in India. Here the drum is made of earthenware, of a tapering shape covered at both ends with camel-hide for the zīr or treble, and with cowhide for the bam or bass. It is beaten at the broader end. In Persia the drums were played from the Nakkāra-khāna or gateway, which still exists as an appanage of royalty in the chief cities of Iran. They were beaten to greet the rising and to usher out the setting sun. During the months of mourning, Safar and Muharram, they were silent.67 In India the nagāra were a pair of large kettledrums bound with iron hoops and twice as large as those used in Europe. They were a mark of royalty and were carried on one of the state elephants, the royal animal, in the prince’s sowāri or cavalcade, immediately preceding him on the line of march. The right of displaying a banner and beating kettledrums was one of the highest marks of distinction which could be conferred on a Rājpūt noble. When the titular Marātha Rāja had retired to Satāra and any of the Marātha princes entered his territory, all marks of royalty were laid aside by the latter and his nagāra or great drum of empire ceased to be beaten.68
The stick with which the kettledrum was struck was called danka, and the king’s jurisdiction was metaphorically held to extend so far as his kettledrums were beaten. Angrezi rāj ka danka bajta hai or ‘Where the English drum is beaten,’ means ‘So far as the English empire extends.’ In Egypt the kettledrums were carried on camels.69
Nāgaria.—(A drum-player.) A section of Jasondhi Bhāt and Teli.
Nāgbans.—(Descended from the cobra.) A totemistic sept of Gadba, Ghasia, and Gond.
Nāgla.—(Naked.) Subcaste of Khond.
Nāgpure.—(From Nāgpur.) A section of Lodhi and Kohli.
Nāgvansi.—A clan of Rājpūts. See article Rājpūt-Nāgvānsi. A subcaste and section of Sunār. A section of Daharia or Daraiha and Gond.
Nāhar.—(Tiger.) A subtribe of Baiga. A section of Rājpūts in Saugor.
Nahonia.—A clan of Dāngi in Damoh and Saugor. They were formerly Kachhwāha Rājpūts from Narwar, but being cut off from their own domicile they married with Dāngis. Rājpūts accept daughters from them but do not give their daughters to Nahonias.
Naidu.—Title of the Balija, Mutrāsi and Velama castes. Often used by Balijas as their caste name.
Nāik.—(Leader.) A subdivision of Gond, also known as Darwe. A title of Banjāra headmen. A title of Teli and Kolta. A section of Ahīr, Chamār, Chasa, Gadaria, Halba, Kewat, Khond, Māli, Sudh.
Nakīb.—Mace-bearer or flag-bearer in a procession. Subcaste of Jasondhi Bhāt and Khangār.
Nakshbandia.—A class of Fakīrs or Muhammadan beggars.
Naksia.—Synonym of Nagasia.
Nāmdeo.—A religious sect confined to members of the Chhīpa and Darzi castes, which has become a subcaste.
Nānakshāhi.—Synonym of Nānakpanthi.
Nandia.—(One who leads about with him a performing bullock). From Nandi, the bull on which Mahādeo rides. Subcaste of Jogi.
Nāndvansi.—Subcaste of Ahīr.
Nanghana.—A name given to the Kol tribe in Hoshangābād.
Napita.—Sanskrit name for Nai or barber.
Naqqāl.—Title of Bhānd.
Naraina.—Subcaste of Patwa.
Naramdeo.—A subcaste of Brāhmans belonging to the Gaur branch. They take their name from the river Nerbudda.
Narbadi, Narmada.—(From the river Nerbudda.) A subdivision of Mahārāshtra Brāhmans. A section of Yajur-Vedi Brāhmans. A synonym for Naramdeo Brāhmans. A section of Agharia, Binjhāl and Chamār.
Narnolia.—(From a place called Narnol in the Punjab.) Subcaste of Mehtar.
Narwaria.—A clan of Dāngi. A subcaste of Ahīr.
Nāta.—(A young bullock.) A section of Ahīr and Oswāl Bania.
Nathunia.—(Nose-ring.) A subcaste of Pāsi.
Navadesia.—(A man of nine districts.) Subcaste of Banjāra.
Nawaria.—A subcaste of Barhai, Lohar, Kachera or Sīsgar, Nai and Tamera.
Nāzir.—(A cashier or usher.) Subcaste of Jasondhi Bhāt.
Negi.—A vice-president of the caste committee in the Kharia caste.
Nema or Nīma.—A subcaste of Bania. See article Bania, Nema.
Netām.—(The dog in Gondi.) One of the common septs of Gond. Also a sept of Basor, Bhatra, Bhuiya, Dewar, Kawar and Parja.
Nawāri.—(From newār, thick tape used for webbing of beds.) Subcaste of Bahna.
Niaria.—An occupational term applied to persons who take the refuse and sweepings from a Sunār’s shop and wash out the particles of gold and silver. See article Sunār.
Nigam, Nigum.—A subcaste of Kāyasth.
Nihāl.—Synonym of Nahal.
Nihang.—A class of Bairagis or religious mendicants, who remain celibate.
Nikhar.—A subcaste of Ahīr, Bharewa (Kasār), Gadaria. A clan of Rājpūt. A section of Koshti.
Nikumbh.—A clan of Rājpūts included in the thirty-six royal races. A section of Joshi.
Nīlgar.—Synonym of Chhīpa.
Nīlkar.—(From nīl, indigo.) A subcaste of Darzi or Simpi (tailors) in Nāagpur, so named because they took up the work of dyeing in addition to their own and formed a new subcaste.
Nīmānandi.—A Vishnuite sect and order of religious mendicants. See Bairāgi.
Nimāri, Nimādi, Nimāria.—(A resident of Nimār.) A subcaste of Balāhi, Bania, Dhobi, Mahār and Nai.
Nimāwal.—A class of Bairāgi.
Nirāli.—Synonym of Chhīpa.
Niranjani.—Name of an Akhāra or school of Bairāgis. See Bairāgi.
Nirbani.—(Nir, without; bani, speech.) A class of Bairāgis who refrain from speech as far as possible.
Nirmohi.—A class of Bairāgis.
Nona or Lona.—Name derived from Nona or Lona Chamārin, a well-known witch. Subcaste of Chamār.
Nulkāchandriah.—Caste priests. Subcaste of Mādgi.
Nun.—(Salt.) A sept of Oraon.
Nunia, Nonia, Lunia.—(Saltmaker.) A synonym of Beldār. A section of Binjhwār and Koli.
Od.—Synonym of Beldār.
Odde, Ud.—(From Odra the old name of Orissa.) Term for a digger or navvy. A group of Beldārs.
Odhia.—Synonym for Audhia Bania.
Odia or Uriya.—Subcaste of Beldār in Chhattīsgarh.
Oiku.—Subtribe of Majhwār.
Ojha.—(From Ojh, entrails.) A caste of Gond augurs, see article. A title of Maithil Brāhmans. A subcaste of Lohār, Nat and Savar.
Okkilyan.—Synonym of Wakkāliga.
Omre, Umre.—A subcaste of Bania. See Bania Umre.—A subcaste of Teli.
Onkar Nāth.—A subdivision of Jogis.
Onkule.—Subcaste of Koshti.
Orha.—Subcaste of Chasa.
Oswāl.—A subcaste of Bania. See subordinate article to Bania.
Ota.—(One who recites the Vedas aloud in sacrifices.) An honorific title of Uriya Brāhmans.
Otāri, Watkari.—A low caste of workers in brass in the Marātha country. The name is derived from the Marāthi verb otne, to pour or smelt. They number about 2600 persons in the Bhandāra and Chānda Districts, and in Berār. The caste have two subcastes, Gondādya and Marātha, or the Gond and Marātha Otāris. The latter are no doubt members of other castes who have taken to brass-working. Members of the two subcastes do not eat with each other. Their family names are of different kinds, and some of them are totemistic. They employ Brāhmans for their ceremonies, and otherwise their customs are like those of the lower artisan castes. But it is reported that they have a survival of marriage by capture, and if a man refuses to give his daughter in marriage after being asked twice or thrice, they abduct the girl and afterwards pay some compensation to the father. They make and sell ornaments of brass and bell-metal, such as are worn by the lower castes, and travel from village to village, hawking their toe-rings and anklets. There is also an Otāri subcaste of Kasārs.
Pabaiya.—(From Pabai in Bundelkhand.) A clan of Rājpūts in Hoshangābād.
Pābia.—A small caste in the zamīndāris of the Bilāspur District, and some of the Feudatory States, who numbered about 9000 persons in 1911. They appear to be Pāns or Gāndas, who also bear the name of Pāb, and this has been corrupted into Pābia, perhaps with a view to hiding their origin. They are wretchedly poor and ignorant. They say that they have never been to a Government dispensary, and would be afraid that medicine obtained from it would kill them. Their only remedies for diseases are branding the part affected or calling in a magician. They never send their children to school, as they hold that educated children are of no value to their parents, and that the object of Government in opening schools is only to obtain literate persons to carry on its business. One curious custom may be noticed. When any one dies in a family, all the members, as soon as the breath leaves his body, go into another room of the house; and across the door they lay a net opened into the room where the corpse lies. They think that the spirit of the dead man will follow them, and will be caught in the net. Then the net is carried away and burnt or buried with the corpse, and thus they think that the spirit is removed and prevented from remaining about the house and troubling the survivors.
Pabeha.—Synonym for Dhīmar.
Pābudia or Mādhai.—A subcaste of Bhuiya.
Pachādhe.—(Western.)—A subdivision of Sāraswat Brāhman.
Pachbhaiya.—(Five Brothers.) A section of Ahīr and Audhelia.
Pada.—(A pig-eater.) A section of Muria Gonds and Pardhāns.
Padhān.—(An Uriya name for a chief or headman of a village.) A section of Bhuiya, Chasa, Dumāl, Hatwa, Kolta, Tiyar and other Uriya castes. A title of Chasa and Kolta.
Padmasāle.—Subcaste of Koshti.
Padyāl.—A subtribe of Gond in Chānda. A section of Marori.
Pahalwān.—A small community numbering about 600 persons in the Bilāspur District and surrounding tracts of Chhattīsgarh. The word Pahalwān means a wrestler, but Sir B. Robertson states70 that they are a small caste of singing beggars and have no connection with wrestling. They appear, however, to belong to the Gopāl caste, who have a branch of Pahalwāns in their community. And the men returned from Bilāspur may have abandoned wrestling in favour of singing and begging from trees, which is also a calling of the Gopāls. They themselves say that their ancestors were Gopāls and lived somewhere towards Berār, and that they came to Bilāspur with the Marātha leader Chimnāji Bhonsla.
Pāhar.—Subcaste of Mahli.
Pahāria or Benwaria.—Subcaste of Korwa.
Pāik.—(A foot-soldier.) See Rājput-Pāik.
Paikaha.—(One who follows the calling of curing hides.) Synonym for Chamār.
Paikara.—(From Pāik, a foot-soldier.) Subcaste of Kawar.
Pailagia.—(Pailagi or ‘I fall at your feet,’ is a common term of greeting from an inferior to a superior.) Subcaste of Dahāit.
Paiyām.—(From paiya, a calf.) A sept of Gonds in Betūl.
Pajania.—(Paijana, tinkling anklets.) A section of Kurmi.
Pakhāli.—(From pakhāli, a leathern water-bag.) Synonym of Bhishti.
Pakhawaji.—(One who plays on the pakhawaj or timbrel.) Title of Mirāsi.
Pakhia.—(They are so called because they eat the flesh of the por or buffalo.) Subcaste of Khond.
Palas.—(From the palās tree, Butea frondosa.) A totemistic sept of Gonds.
Pālewār.—A gotra of Binjhwār; a subcaste of Dhīmar found in the Telugu country. They are also called Bhoi in Chānda. A name for Telugu Dhīmars or watermen. A section of Binjhwār.
Palgaria.—(Sleeping on a palang or cot.) A sept of Bhunjia.
Palliwāl.—A subcaste of Brāhmans belonging to the Kanaujia division. They take their name from Pāli, a trading town of Mārwār. A subcaste of Bania, whose name is derived from the same place.
Palsa-gacha.—(Palās tree, Butea frondosa.) A totemistic sept of Pāns.
Palshe.—A subcaste of Marātha Brāhmans. They derive their name from Palsaoli village in Kalyān (Bombay Presidency).
Pampatra.—(Those who use their hands as pots.) A section of Khandwāl.
Pān.—(Name of a forest tribe.) Synonym for Gānda.
Panch, Panchāyat.—(A caste committee, so called because it is supposed to consist of five (pānch) persons.) A section of Marār.
Panchāl.—An indeterminate group of artisans engaged in any of the following five trades: Workers in iron, known as Manu; workers in copper or brass called Twashtik; workers in stone or Shilpik; workers in wood or Maya; and workers in gold and silver designated as Daivagnya.71 The caste appear to be of Telugu origin, and in Madras they are also known as Kammala. In the Central Provinces they were amalgamated with the Sunars in 1901, but in 1891 a total of 7000 were returned, belonging to the southern Districts; while 2700 members of the caste are shown in Berār. The name is variously derived, but the principal root is no doubt pānch or five. Captain Glasfurd writes it Panchyānun.72 In the Central Provinces the Panchāls appear generally to work in gold or brass, while in Berār they are blacksmiths. The gold-workers are an intelligent and fairly prosperous class, and devote themselves to engraving, inlaying, and making gold beads. They are usually hired by Sunārs and paid by the piece.73 They are intent on improving their social position and now claim to be Vishwa Brāhmans, presumably in virtue of their descent from Viswa Karma, the celestial architect. At the census they submitted a petition begging to be classified as Brāhmans, and to support their claim they employ members of their own caste to serve them as priests. But the majority of them permit the remarriage of widows, and do not wear the sacred thread. In other respects their customs resemble those of the Sunārs. The Berār Panchāls, on the other hand, appear to be a much lower group. Mr. Kitts describes74 them as a “wandering caste of smiths living in grass-mat huts and using as fuel the roots of thorn bushes, which they batter out of the ground with the back of a short-handled axe peculiar to themselves. The Berāri Panchals,” he continues, “who differ from the Dakhani division in the custom of shaving their heads and beards on the death of a parent, have been in the Provinces for some generations. They live in small pāls or tents, and move from place to place with buffaloes, donkeys, and occasionally ponies to carry their kit. The women of the Berāri division may be distinguished from those of the Dakhani Panchāls by their wearing their lugras or body-cloths tucked in at the back, in the fashion known as kasote.” It is no doubt from the desire to dissociate themselves from the wandering blacksmiths of Berār that the Panchāls of the Central Provinces desire to drop their caste name.
Pancham.—A subcaste of Bania. A subcaste of Barai, the same as Berāria.
Pānchbhai.—(Five brothers.) A surname of Bhanāra Dhīmars, a section of Ghasia.
Pānchdeve.—A subdivision of Gonds, worshipping five gods and paying special reverence to the sāras crane.
Pānch Dravid.—One of the two primary divisions of Brāhmans, inhabiting the country south of the Vindhya hills and Nerbudda river, and including the following five orders: viz., Karnata (Carnatic), Dravid (Madras), Tailanga (Telugu country), Mahārāshtra (Bombay) and Gurjara (Gujarāt).
Panch Gaur.—One of the two primary divisions of Brāhmans inhabiting the country north of the Vindhya hills and Nerbudda river; it includes the following five orders: Sāraswat (Punjab), Kanaujia (Hindustān), Gaur (Bengal), Utkal (Orissa) and Maithil (Bihār or Tirhūt).
Panchghar.—One of the three subdivisions of Kanaujia Brāhmans in Hoshangābād.
Panda.—(A priest of Devi, a wise man.) A subcaste or title of Māli. A subcaste and surname of Uriya Brāhmans. A subcaste of Jasondhi Bhāts.
Pandarām.—A class of Brāhman priests.
Pānde.—(A wise man.) A surname of Kanaujia and Gaur Brāhmans. A section of Agharia, Barhai, Kewat and Marār. A title of Joshi and Kumhār.
Pāndhare.—(White.) Subcaste of Sunār.
Pandit.—(A learned man.) A title of Brāhmans.
Pandki.—(Dove.) A totemistic sept of Bhatra, Kawar and Parja.
Pandra.—A small caste of cultivators in the Uriya country. It is said that one of the Rājas of Patna had an illegitimate son to whom he gave the village of Pandri. His descendants were the Pandras.
Pandwar or Padwar.—A section of Panka in Raipur. They are said to be so named because they washed the feet of others.
Pāngal.—Subcaste of Gopāl. They make mats, but in addition to this they are mendicants begging from trees.
Panhāra.—An occupational term meaning a seller of pān or betel-leaf.
Pānibhar.—(A waterman.) Subcaste of Dāngri.
Pānigrahi.—(Husband.) An honorific title of Uriya Brāhmans.
Panjha.—(Paw of an animal.) A sept of Gond.
Panka.—A weaver caste derived from the Gāndas, being Gāndas who follow the Kabīrpanthi sect. See article. In Chhattīsgarh Pankas sometimes call themselves Dās, as servants of Kabīr. Panka is also a subcaste of Gānda.
Pansāri.—(A druggist.) Synonym for Barai.
Panwār.—A clan of Rājpūt. See article Panwār Rājpūt. A subcaste of Banjāra and Bhoyar. A section of Ahīr, Bhilāla, Koshti, Marātha and Marori.
Parasār, Parashār.—(Name of a Brāhmanical saint.) An eponymous section of Brāhmans. A surname of Sanādhya and Gaur Brāhmans. A section of Basdeva, Rangāri, Sunār and Vidur.
Parauha.—(From para, a male buffalo calf.) A subcaste of Basdewa who deal in buffaloes.
Parbat.—Name of one of the ten orders of Gosain.
Parbhu.—Synonym of Prabhu.
Pardeshi.—(A foreigner.) The name is sometimes applied to immigrants from Mālwa, and also to those coming from northern India. A subcaste of the Bahna, Barai, Barhai, Chamār, Dhīmar, Dhobi, Garpagāri, Kīmbi, Kasār, Kumhār, Lohār, Nai, Rangāri, Sunār and Teli castes.
Pardhān.—(A chief.) A caste who are priests of the Gonds. See article. A section of Chhattīsgarhi Ahīr or Rāwat, Halba and Pābia. Title of caste headman of the Kharia tribe.
Pārdhi.—(A hunter.) A caste. See article. A subcaste of Khatīk. A section of Kunbi and Panwār Rājpūt.
Parewa.—(A pigeon.) A section of Chhattīsgarhi Ahīr or Rāwat, and Panka.
Parganiha.—A synonym of Pardhān (Gond priests) in Kawardha.
Parihār.—An important clan of Rājpūts. See Rājpūt Parihār. A section of Daharia and Daraiha, of Panwār Rājpūt and Pārdhi.
Parit.—Synonym for Dhobi in the Marātha districts.
Parka.75—A small caste of labourers belonging to the Jubbulpore District and adjoining tracts, whose strength was something over 2000 persons in 1901. Sir B. Robertson wrote76 in 1891 that the Parkas of the three northern Districts had been kept separate from the Panka caste in the census tables, but that they were in all probability the same. Mr. Hīra Lāl points out that several of the names of septs as Padwār, Sanwāni, Gullia and Dharwa are the same in the two castes, and that in the Districts where Parkas are found there are no Pankas. The Panka caste was probably formed in Chhattīsgarh by the separation of those Gāndas or Pāns who had embraced the doctrines of Kabīr from their parent caste, and the name is a variant of Pān. In Jubbulpore the name Panka has no understood meaning, and it may have been corrupted into Pandka (a dove) and thence to Parka. Like the Pankas the Parkas often act as village watchmen. Many of the Parkas are also Kabīrpanthis and, as with the Pankas, those who are not Kabīrpanthis and do not abstain from flesh and liquor are called Saktāhas. Intermarriage is not prohibited between the Parka Kabīrpanthis and Saktāhas. Some of the Parkas play on drums and act as village musicians, which is a regular occupation of the Pankas and Gāndas. It may also be noted that the Parkas will take food cooked with water from a Gond and that they worship Bura Deo, the great god of the Gonds. Perhaps the most probable surmise as to their origin is that they are a small mixed group made up of Pankas and Gonds. A proverbial saying about the caste is ‘Gond Rāja, Parka Pardhān,’ or ‘The Gond is the master and the Parka the servant,’ and this also points to their connection with the Gonds. Several of their section names indicate their mixed origin, as Kumharia from Kumhār a potter, Gullia From Gaolia or milkman, Bhullia from Bhulia an Uriya weaver, Andwān a subcaste of the Mahār caste, Tilasia a sept of the Kawars, and so on. If a Parka man forms a connection with any woman of higher caste she will be admitted into the community, and the same privilege is accorded to a man of any equal or higher caste who may desire to marry a Parka girl. A girl is only cast out when she is discovered to have been living with a man of lower caste than the Parkas. All these facts indicate their mixed origin. As already seen, the caste are labourers, village watchmen-and musicians, and their customs resemble those of low-caste Hindus, but they rank above the impure castes. They will eat food cooked with water from Lodhis, many of whom are landowners in Jubbulpore, and as such no doubt stand to the Parka in the relation of employer to servant. Every year on the second day of Bhādon (August) they worship a four-sided iron plate and a spear, which latter is perhaps the emblem of the village watchman. Fines imposed for caste offences are sometimes expended in the purchase of vessels which thereafter become common property and are lent to any one who requires them.
Parnāmi.—(A follower of Prānnāth of Panna.) Subcaste of Dāngi.
Parsai.—(Village priest.) Synonym for Joshi.
Parsoli.—(parsa, an axe.) A section of Ahīr or Rāwat in Chhattīsgarh.
Parwār.—A subcaste of Bania. See article Bania-Parwār. A subcaste of Kumhār.
Pāssi.—Synonym of Pāsi.
Pātadhari.—(One occupying the seat of instruction.) A section of celibate Mānbhaos.
Pātane.—A subcaste of Prabhu, so called on account of their living near Pātan in Gujarāt.
Patbina.—(From patti, sacking, and binna, to weave.) Synonym of Kumrāwat. Subcaste of Jogi.
Patel.—(Headman of a village.) A subcaste and title of Māli. A surname of Gaur Brāhmans in Saugor and of Pārsis. A surname or section of Agharia, Mahār and Kāchhi. A title of the Ahīr and Bhoyar castes.
Pāthak.—(Teacher.) A surname of Kanaujia and other classes of Brāhmans.
Pathān.—One of the four tribes of Muhammadans. See article Muhammadan Religion.
Pathāri.—(A hillman.) Synonym of Pardhān. Subcaste of Katia.
Patharia.—A subcaste of Katia, Kurmi and Mahār. A section of Halba. A subcaste of Agaria, who place a stone on the mouth of the bellows to fix them in the ground for smelting iron.
Pathmukh.—A subsept of the Dhurwa Gonds in Betūl. They offer a young goat to their gods and do not kill bears.
Pathrot, Pathrāwat.—(One who makes and sharpens millstones and grindstones.) Synonym of Beldār.
Pati.—(Lord.) An honorific title of Uriya Brāhmans.
Patkar.—(From pat, widow-marriage.) A subcaste of Sunār in Wardha. A section of Rangāri.
Patlia.—(From patel.) Title of Panwār Rājpūt.
Patnāik.—A surname of Karan or Mahanti, the Uriya writer caste.
Patra.—(An Uriya word meaning councillor.) A subcaste of Kolta and Chasa, and title of several Uriya castes. Also a synonym for the Patwa caste.
Patti.—(A thread-seller.) Subcaste of Kaikāri.
Patwa.—A caste. See article. In Seoni tahsīl of Hoshangābād District Patwa and Lakhera appear to be synonymous terms. A section of Oswāl Bania.
Patwāri.—(Name of the village accountant and surveyor, who is now a salaried Government official.) The Kāyasth caste were formerly patwāris by profession. See article.
Patwi.—(A dyer who colours the silk thread which weavers use to border their cotton cloth.) Synonym of Patwa. Subcaste of Koshti. From pata, a woven cloth.
Pāwanbans.—(The children of the wind.) Synonym for Bhuiya.
Pendhāri.—Synonym of Pindāri.
Peng.—Subcaste of Parja.
Penthi.—(Sheep.) A totemistic sept of Bhulia.
Periki, Perki, Perka.—The Perikis are really a subcaste of the great Balija or Balji caste, but they have a lower position and are considered as a distinct group. About 4000 Perikis were returned in the Central Provinces in 1911 from the Nāgpur, Wardha and Chānda Districts. They derive their names from the perike or panniers in which they carried salt and grain on bullocks and donkeys. They were thus formerly a nomadic group, and like the Banjāras and Bhāmtas they also made gunny-bags and sacking. Most of them have now taken to cultivation, and in Madrās some Perikis have become large landholders and claim Rājpūt rank. In the Central Provinces the Balijas and Naidus deny that the Perikis have any connection with the Balija caste.
Peta.—(A trading Balija.) Subcaste of Balija.
Phal Barhai.—(A carpenter who only works on one side of the wood.) Synonym for Chitāri in the Uriya country.
Phānse.—(A Pārdhi who hunts with traps and snares.) Subcaste of Pārdhi.
Phānsigar.—(A strangler.) Synonym of Thug.
Pharsi.—(Axe.) A section of Uriya, Ahīr or Gahara.
Phopatia.—Title of the officer of the Andh caste who summons the caste committee.
Phūlia, Phūlmāli.—(A flower-gardener.) Subcaste of Kāchhi and Māli.
Phuljharia.—(From Phuljhar zamīndāri in Raipur.) A territorial subcaste of Ahīr or Rāwat, Ghasia and Panka.
Phul Kunwar.—A section of Kawar. They use the akre or swallow-wort flower for their marriage-crown.
Phulsunga.—A totemistic section of Gadaria. They abstain from smelling or touching a flower called gadha.
Phurasti.—(A wanderer.) Subcaste of Kaikāri.
Pindāra.—Synonym of Pindāri.
Pindāri.—A caste. Subcaste of Mang.
Pinjāra.—(One who cards cotton.) Synonym of Bahna.
Pipar.—(A tree.) A section of Khatīk and Kalār.
Pipariya.—(From the pīpal tree, or from Piparia, a common place-name derived from the tree.) A clan of Rājpūts in Saugor. A section of Sunārs in Saugor.
Piria.—Subcaste of Kāchhi. From piria, the basket in which they carry earth.
Pīt.—Subcaste of Bhatra.
Pītariya.—(From pītal, brass.) A subdivision of Pardeshi Sunārs in Nāgpur. They practise hypergamy, taking wives from the Sadihe subcaste, and giving daughters to the Srinagariye, Bangar, Mahuwe and Jadiye subcastes.
Pohni.—Subcaste of Jhādi Telenga.
Poiya,—Subcaste of Majhwār.
Polya.—(One who did not take off his turban at the feast.) Title of Hatkar.
Pondro.—(A tree.) One of the six subsepts of the Marai clan of Pathāri Gonds in Khairagarh.
Ponwār.—Synonym of Panwār Rājpūt.
Portai.—(Basket.) A subsept of the Uika clan of Gonds in Betūl. They do not kill the tiger or crocodile. A sept of Dhur Gonds.
Potdār.—(A money-tester.) Synonym and title of Sunār. A surname of Karhāra Brāhmans in Saugor.
Potdukh.—(Stomach-ache.) A section of Teli in Chānda.
Potharia.—(One to whom a certain dirty habit is imputed.) Subcaste of Korku.
Potwa.—(A worker in tasar silk.) Synonym for Darzi; a subcaste of Darzi.
Poyām.—(Worshipper of eight gods.) A sept of Pardhān and of Māria Gonds.
Prajapati.—Title of Kumhār.
Prāmara.—Synonym for Panwār Rājpūt.
Prānnāthi.—A follower of Prānnāth of Panna. Synonym for Dhāmi.
Pravar.—A term for the ancestors sharing in a sacrificial invocation, particularly that of the Horn or fire-sacrifice.
Prayāgwāl.—(From Prayāg-Allahābād.) A subcaste of Brāhmans who preside at the ceremonial bathing in the Ganges at Allahābād.
Puār.—Synonym of Panwār Rājpūt.
Pujāri.—(A worshipper.) Name for the priest in charge of a temple. A title of Bhatra.
Purād.—A small mixed caste in Nāgpur. They say that their ancestor was a Brāhman, who was crossing a river and lost his sacred thread, on being carried down in a flood (pūr). Therefore he was put out of caste because the sacred thread must be changed before swallowing the spittle, and he had no other thread ready. At the census the Purāds were amalgamated with Vidūrs. They are shopkeepers by profession.
Purāit.—(One who is of pure blood.) A subdivision of Jharia Rāwat (Ahīr) in Chhattīsgarh. A subcaste of Dhākar, Halba and Marār.
Purānia.—(Old.) A subcaste of Kachera or Sīsgar in Saugor. The Purānias are the Muhammadan bangle-makers who originally practised this calling. A subcaste of Barai, Basor, Nai and Sunār. A section of Chamār and Darzi.
Purbia.—This term, which means eastern or coming from the east, is used in Hoshangābād and other Districts to designate Rājpūts from Oudh and the adjoining tracts, especially retired sepoys from the Bengal army. They appear to belong to different clans, but many of them are Bais Rājpūts. Some of the Purbias say that their king, somewhere in northern India, heard that cows were being killed in the Central Provinces, so he sent them to stop the practice and they came and stopped it and settled there. In Gujarāt this name appears to be applied to Brāhmans. A subcaste of Barhai and Gadaria. A section of Nat and Sunār.
Purkām.—(Purka-pumpkin.) A sept of the Uika clan of Gonds in Betūl.
Purohit.—(Family priest.) A common title of Brāhmans.
Purouti or Pudoti.—(Bowels.) A sept of Gonds in Khairagarh.
Pusām.—(Worshipper of five gods.) A sept of Rāj-Gond and Dhur Gond, and of Baiga and Pardhān.
Putka.—A subcaste of Sudh, being the illegitimate issue of the Dehri Sudhs.
Qawwal.—(One who speaks fluently.) Title of Mirāsi.
Rachhbandia.—(Comb-makers.) A subcaste of Kuchhbandia (Kanjar).
Rāghunāthia.—A small group of Brāhmans, so called because their ancestors are said to have received a grant of five villages from Rāghunāth Deo of Hindoli.
Rāghuvansi.—A caste formed from a Rājpūt clan. See article. A subcaste of Ahīr; a section of Māli and Gond.
Rāghvi.—Synonym of Rāghuvansi.
Rahmat.—(Compassion.) A section of Panwār Rājpūt. A Muhammadan proper name.
Rai or Rāj.—Subcaste of Darzi, Kalār, Khangār.