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euchanan’s journey through

658

keeping up the purity of the breed; and never marry but with the daughters of families*,with whofe defcent, from long vicinity, they are well acquainted. Like the Sudra,.they are divided into feveral ranks that do not intermarry. The higheft are herecalled Morafu Whalliaru, and are cultivators of the ground, weavers, and fmelters ofiron ore. Inferior to thefe are Maligara Whalliaru, or muficians ; Naindaru Whal-liaru, or barbers ; and Afaga Whalliaru, or wafhermen. Thefe again are quite dif-tinct from the muficians, barbers, and wafiier'men of the pure tribes, who, thoughlower than the cultivators, are all of Sudra call:. All the different ranks of Whal-liaru, though they do not intermarry, eat together, -and join in their public ceremonies.The Whalliaru are not permitted to build their huts within the walls of towns orvillages ; but, if there be any hedge, they generally inhabit between it and theditch. In very large places their huts form ftreets, and into thefe a Brahman willnot deign to put his foot; nor in a place fo impure will a Sudra build his houfe; inlike manner as a Brahman is very unwilling to occupy a houfe in'a ftreet which theSudra inhabit. A Brahman, if he be touched by a Whallia, muft wafh his head, andget a new thread; and a Sudra, who has been fimilarly defiled, is obliged to wafhhis head. A Brahman of this country will not give any thing out of his hand toperfons of lower birth, of whom he is not afraid ; but throws it down on the groundfor them to take up. He will receive any thing from the hand of a perfon of a puredefcent; but when a Whallia delivers any thing to the Brahman, he muft lay it onthe ground, and retire to a proper diftance, before the Brahman will deign to ap-proach. Europeans, frbm their eating beef, are looked upon by the natives here asa kind of Whalliaru; and nothing, but the fear of correction prevents them frombeing treated With the fame infolence.

The proper bufinefs of the divifion of Whalliaru, called Morafu, is the cultivationof the ground, in which both men and women are very induftrious ; but they do notappear to have ever formed a part of the native militia, like the Sudra cultivators,nor to have been entrufted with arms, until they began to enter into the Company’sfervice. From among them feveral families hold, by hereditary right, the low villageoffices of Toti and Nirgunty, or of watchmen and conductors of water. Some fewof the cultivators arje farmers; but by far the greater part are yearly fervants or Bati-garu. Some of them weave coarfe cloth, and fome fmelt iron ore. They havechiefs called Gotugaru, who, with a council as ufual, fettle all difputes and mattersof call:.

The Guru of the Whallias is called Kempa Nullari Einaru, and lives at Tripathi.He is married, and wears the mark of Vifhnu. They do not know of what call heis; but he does not intermarry with the Whalliaru; and my interpreter fays that theGurus of this low tribe are all of the people called here Satanana. The Guru occa-fionally comes round, lives in the huts of his followers, and receives their contribu-tions. He puts the mark of Vilhnu on their foreheads, and exhorts them to prayto that god, and to thofe of his family. They have no prieft that attends at births,marriages, burials, nor at the ceremonies performed in honour of their deceafedparents ; nor do they ever receive upadefa or chakrantikam. They pray to DharmaRaja , and offer facrifices to Marima, Caragadumma, and Gungoma. The pujari,or prieft, who officiates in the temple of this laft deftruCtive fpirit, is a Whallia ; andhers are the only temples into which any of this tribe are ever admitted. They eatthe facrifices offered even to this deity, peculiar to their caft. Their Guru never joinsin any of thefe facrifices; none of them can read or write. They are allowed todrink fpirituous liquors, and to eat beef, pork, mutton, fowls, and fifii j nor have