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allowed to eat animal food, which he abhors. Even among thofe of the Telinga nation, all good men abftain entirely from this indulgence. It is not lawful for themto drink fpirituous liquors. They are allowed polygamy ; but do not confine theirwomen, nor divorce them for any caufe except adultery. Girls continue to bemarriageable after the age of puberty, and are very laborious in making pots. Widowscannot marry again ; but it is never expected that they fhould burn themfelves withthe dead bodies of their hufbands.
They follow no other trades than thofe of potters and dyers. The hereditarychiefs of this call are called Gotugaru, or renters, and live at the kafba, or chieftown of the diftrict. They poffefs the ufual jurifdi&ion, and are exempted fromall duties, on condition of collecting the rent that is paid to government by thepot-maker of every village. This office is hereditary, and we have feen that, oncondition of furnilhing the cultivators with pots, he receives confiderable dues on allthe produce of the land. In many parts of India , the pot-maker is bound to fupplyall travellers with pots for dreffing their victuals; but here this is done to fuchtravellers only as are going on public bufinefs, and in confideration of this the potterpays nothing for his clay. They ufe a wheel, but are very unfkilful in their art; forthey are entirely ignorant of any glazing or enamel.
The potters of the Telinga nation fay, that they are of the Salivahanam caft; asthat mighty King was the fon of one of their women. The Brahmans allege, thatIhe was impregnated by one of the facred order. Thefe potters wear a thread likethe .Brahmans, and allege, that they are poffeffed of mantrams, or forms of prayer,which they can read, and which are endowed with confiderable power. This isaltogether denied by the Brahmans, who laugh at the prayers of the potters, asbeing low tralh in the vulgar language. The potters certainly underftand the Andray,or poetical language of their nation, and are poffdled of a tranflation of the BhagavataPurana in their language.
A few of thefe potters worfhip Siva, and are followers of the Smartal Brahmans;but by far the greater part are of Vilhnu’s fide, and follow the hereditary chiefs ofthe A’ayngar. On their followers of this tribe thefe Gurus beftow upadefa,chakrantikam, and holy water. The renter fettles all difputes, and puniffiesdelinquents; the power of the Guru being confined to the bellowing of fpiritualgifts, and the receiving of contributions, both as dues on marriages, and as annualtribute, befides what he gets as charity at cafual vifits. The panchanga, or aftrologer,a£ls as their purohita, or family prieft, and reads mantrams, or fet forms of prayer,in the Sanlkrit language, at births, marriages, funerals, new moons, and at theannual commemoration of their father’s death, which is only called Tithi when theparties are Brahmans. Some of the potters underftand the Sanlkrit, fo far at leaftas to be able to repeat the prayer after the aftrologer, which is fuppofed to add con-fiderably to its efficacy. At thefe ceremonies there attend for charity all the Brahmansof the neighbourhood, who are vaidikas, and who think that they can get any thingworth their while. Thefe worlhippers of Vilhnu among the potters never take thevow ofDaferi; but when they are lick they fometimes make a vow to live by begging,for a certain number of days after they recover. This is looked upon as very agreeableto the gods, and a fure way of obtaining their favour. They offer bloody Sacrificesto the Saktis , or deftru&ive fpirit; but never a£t as priefts in their temples. Theynever pray to Dharma Raja .
6t’n July. — I went three coffes to the place which in our maps is named Vackaleer;but which the natives, to my ear, pronounce Waculeray. The half of the way next
von. vjii. 4 q Walur