638 Buchanan’s journey through

cuftom of the widow burying herfelf alive with her hufband’s body was once prevalentamong them, but has now become obfolete. Girls, after the age of puberty,continue to be marriageable. A man is allowed to take many wives, but is notpermitted to fhut them up, nor to divorce them for any caufe except adultery.The men confine their learning to the being able to read and write accompts.They eat fowls, fifh, hogs, fheep, and goats, but account it unlawful to drinkfpirituous liquors.

The Teliga Devangas of the Vifhnu fe£t are followers of the Sri Vaifhnavam Brah-mans, and are acknowledged by them to be Sudras.

The hereditary chiefs, or Ijyamanas, of all the Devangas are the fame; eachman in the place fubmitting to the authority of the chief of the fedt that is moflnumerous.

The Shaynagas, or Shaynagaru, form a very numerous and wealthy clafs ofweavers. They are divided into two nations, Telinga, and Canara ; but of the former,there are none in this neighbourhood.

Although by far the greater part of the Canara Shaynagas are fettled below theGhats, in countries where the Tamul language is fpoken ; and though all thefe whoare fettled now in this neighbourhood came up from the Lower Carnatic about eightyor a hundred years ago ; yet the whole call retain the language of Karnata as theirnative tongue. This confirms the truth of a tradition prevalent among them, of theirhaving all originally gone down from this country ; but they can affign no date, norany reafon for fuch an emigration. They are divided into two claffes 5 one dedicatedto religion, and called Einaru, Jangamas, or Wodearu; the other follow lay pro-feffions. All the weavers can intermarry; but they are never honoured by an inter-marriage with the Einaru, nor are they ever admitted into that facred order. Theywear the lingafm, and confider their priefts as portions of the deity. They burythe dead. They can eat in the houfe of a Pancham Banijiga; but the two calls neverintermarry.

The hereditary chiefs of the Canara Shaynagas are called Ijyamana, and, with acouncil of elders, poffefs the foie cognizance of tranfgrellions againfl the rules of call,as well as of civil difputes ; for the power of the Jangamas is confined to admonition.They do not fhut up their women; and are not allowed to take a fecond wife, unlefsthe firft dies, or has no children. When a man marries his firft wife, he mull giveher father 101 fanams, or 3I. 7s. iod. ; for a fecond he mufl give 131 fanams, or4I. 7s. u|d. No divorce can take place, except for adultery on the fide of thewoman ; the wife in India having no remedy for her hufband’s infidelity excepther tongue ; and in cafe of her being too free in the ufe of that weapon, the men veryfrequently reprefs it by beating.

The weavers learn to read and write accompts, and letters on bufinefs ; but in thiscountry thefe are reckoned very mean accomplifhments. A plain compofition inprole, and confiding merely of common fenfe, is looked upon as a kind of readingbeneath the dignity of a man of learning, who ought always to compofe in poetry;and the more obfcure he renders his meaning by allegories the better. The bookscontaining the dodtrines of the fed are confined entirely to the Einaru, whofe dutyit is to explain them to the laymen. The chief book in ufe among them iscalled the Markandiya Purana; and they do not receive as canonical the BafwanaPurana.

Among the Einaru of the Shaynagas are feveral high priefts called Putta Devarusor Swamalus. Thefe are all Sannyafis, and feem to be independent of each other.

7 Thofe