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of the purity of their race; of which they feem to be as fond, as thofe cafts that areefteemed infinitely fuperior in rank. Some of the richer among them take two ormore wives ; but this is not common as a girl’s father requires from 30 to 80 fanams(il. os. i^d.— zL 13s. 8|d.) They never divorce their wives for any crime, exceptadultery. They eat carrion, and all manner of animal food, and avowedly drinkfpirituous liquors. Their religious worfhip feems to be exactly the fame with thatof die Coramaru; but they have a prieftly tribe, who never intermarry with thelaity, who live entirely on their contributions, and are called Jambu. There is amatam of Jambu at Cuddapa; and the office of high prieft there is hereditary. Thisperfon takes frequent rounds through the country, collecting money, and, adinoniffi-ing his followers. I have never feen any of the Jambu ; and, if they have any learn-ing among them, they keep it entirely to themfelves, as none of the laity can eitherread or write.
The Madigaru, who by the Englilh of Madras are called Siclars, have no here-ditary chiefs ; but, in cafe of any fault being committed by a perfon of the call, theelders affemble, and puniffi him according to cuftom.
The Rungaru are a tribe admitted to be of the Sudra caft. They are tailors,and printers of calico cloths. They have hereditary chiefs, with the ufual jurifdic-tion, and follow the rules of their caft. Their Guru is an hereditary chief of theSri Vaiffinavam, who refides at Seringapatam . He puniffies obftinate offenders, andbeftows upadefa; and in return takes their contributions. He does not favour thiscaft by giving them chakrantikam.
The Jotyphanada, or Jotynagarada Ganagaru, are a kind of oil-makers, whodeal largely in that commodity, and have two oxen in their mills. They pretend tobe of the Bheri, or Nagarada fed of the Vaifya caft; but this is not admitted byeither the Bheri or Brahmans. They are a real Karnataca tribe. Two families herewear the Iinga., and are not admitted either to eat or intermarry with the others,who are all followers of one of the hereditary chiefs of the Sri Vaiffinavam Brahmans,who lives here, and is called Nullary Chakravarti. He beftows on-them upadefa,and fometimes chakrantikam, but that rarely. When they marry, he gives them afiring or thread, to be worn over the ffioulder. This fliould be given to the realVaifya only; but a relaxation is made in their favour, as they pay for the badge;and the prefervation of the privileges of the lower cafts is looked upon as a matterof very little importance. The Guru comes fometimes in perfon, and at others fendshis agents, to levy the dues .which are paid at marriages, and to receive the cafualcharity that is given according to the ability and difpofition of his followers.
Thefe oil-makers offer facrifices to the Saktis , or deftruclive powers.; making'vow r s to do fo, when they are in ficknefs or diftrefs. Some of them take Daferi;and their defcendants ever afterwards follow the fame manner of living, and refufe tointermarry with the induftrious part of the caft, whom they conftder as their infe-riors. Some of the oil-makers burn, and fome bury the dead. There have beeninftances, in the memory of man, of fome of their widow's having burned themfelvesalong with the bodies of their hufbands; but it is a very rare occurrence. Theirwives can be divorced for adultery only, and are not ihut up, although the men areallowed a plurality of women. They eat no animal food, nor is it lawful for them todrink fpirituous liquors. They poffefs.no learning, farther than being able to readand write aecompts; and a few poems in the Andray, or poetical language of Telin-gana, which the Daferi commit to memory.
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