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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCH, 1880
Sanangi allotted to the officiating priest of their god, for the purpose of the perpetual oblation, the onltivated land called Kaggala-minya (measur. ing) twelve mattars, and the cultivated land called Doddana-manya (measuring) eight mattars, and the cultivated land of the tank called Sandhigere (measuring) twelve mattars, and the cultivated land of the well called Beļuvâvi (measuring) three
mattars, and the cultivated land of the tank called Banneyakere (measuring) three mattars, and the cultivated land of the tank of Madhava measuring) three mattars, and the cultivated land called Jachchageyi, in ..................... of the god, (measuring) two ganti-mattars,-and, to provide for his food, ten gadyanas. This much they allotted, with libations of water.
STRAY NOTES.
BY CAPTAIN J. S. F. MACKENZIE. 1. In the North-West Provinces, on an out- returned to her parents' home, and they, at the break of small-pox, it is the practice with some request of her husband, after some months, turned people to place, in the centre room of the house, in her out, but she declined to go back to her & water-pot, a branch of the nimb tree decorated husband, went off, and lived with the co-respond with flowers as representing the goddess ($1. ent, an inhabitant of the same village. On tala Mâyi or Devi Bhawani) of small-pox. The this there was a general panchayat convenedgardener's wife who furnishes fresh flowers at whose request I could not learn-each house every morning, worships the representation on in the village sending one member, who was behalf of the family. While small-pox is in the summoned to attend by the village (Kulwadi) hoose, the inmates feed a donkey morning and toty.' The meeting settled that if the woman evening with gram and jagari. The donkey were allowed to remain in the village, some misis fed because it is the animal on which the fortune would happen, and it was determined she goddess rides.
should be expelled. The sentence was comma2. Among the Brahmans of Bengal, eight out
nicated to the headınan, who said he had not been of the thirty-six castes into which the Hindas present at the meeting, but admits he executed tho are divided, are considered clean. These eight
sentence by leading the woman out of the vilare Ahirs (milkmen), Kumbis (ryots), Lohars
lage, and dismissing her beyond the boundaries. (blacksmiths), Mális (gardeners), Tarbplis (pân
I have often known cases where a breach of caste sellers), Kumars (potters), Hajâms (barbers)
rules has been punished by a fino, but this is the and Kahars (bearers). Any one of these castes
only case I know of where tho drastic course may come into the house, and touch the bodding
of expolling from the village an offending memor pots without necessarily defiling them. A
ber has been followed. Brahman will drink water out of the hands of 4. The Holiars of Mysore ara generally any one of these. If any member of the other
looked upon as oatcasts of very low morals. castes were to touch the things, they must be On one occasion I was trying the headman of washed and purified.
the caste, a reputed dacoit. The chief witnesses 3. While trying a case of adultery (in My- against him were members of his own caste. He sore), in the course of cross-examination the head. tried to make out that the evidence of one of man of the village admitted that sone time the witnesses was unworthy of any weight, since before the case had been brought into court, & he was the offspring of a Holiar by "Beder" panchayat had enquired into the matter, but at woman. Now the Beder is admittedly of a the same time he showed a very marked reluct- higher caste, and yet a Holiar had been punished ance to giving details of what thon happened. by a caste fine for marrying a woman even of a It struck me that all the villagers were afraid higher caste. And in the eyos of the caste a they had done wrong in taking notice of the slar attaches to the offspring. Another witness affair, and each pretended to know as little as he declared was unfit to give evidence because he possible of the doings of the panchayat. The livod with a woman without being married to following facts were however elicited. A wo- her, and he had been fined by the caste for this. man who could not get on with her husband | The incident is interesting as showing how even