eS ee 
| 
-came 
rey o. 6.) The Rawats and Merats of Rajputana. 217 
have made every effort to exaggerate it. The Merats say they do 
not give their girls in marriage to new sects or marry them within 
closer: degrees of relationship than before, and this has not been 
controverted by the Rawats. 
12. Now as to the contention of the Merats, that the Rawats 
have brought about the rupture by wishing 
to be considered Rajpits. To arrive at 4 
conclusion, a series of events since 1900 
have to be examined, 
The contention 
of the Merats. 
The social dis- the origin of the movement 
Poests acd. M , ae 
ewes Sn ©- About that year a question arose in one of the 
rats in a regiment ; ‘ : 
about 1900. - regiments, which enlist men from Merwara, 
ispute. It has not been possible to ascertain precisely what 
occasioned the difference, but accounts appear to agree that, while 
erats were eat and smoke with orthodox Muham- 
themselves recognized as Muhammadans to an a reciable extent, 
apparently, the Rawats were recognized by the followers of neither 
i h 
poin 
‘smoke and dine with orthodox Muhammadans, would appear to 
i d 
The adv 
ge the Merats was a matter which the Rawats could 
certainly not forget or forgive. Here, at any rate, was “the 
little rift within the lute.” And now we may move on to the 
next step in the series of events under discussion. 
14. Subsequent to the ered enn in the degen: 
ara: h, the regiment in whic e 
1 She intone Vifference had Saareed was transferred to 
Islam. Allahabad. The Rawats found themselves 
a at Prayag, a holy place, where Brabhmanical 
influences are strong, which, no doubt, were brought to bear 
_on them to a considerable extent. On the other hand, the Merats 
under the influence of Maulvis and Mullas to a greater 
