1851.] Report on the Tur an Mall Hill. 507 



and forms of marriage, which are continued during the space of three 

 days. On the first day the friends of each are feasted at the houses of 

 the respective parents, where the spirit distilled from the flower of the 

 mowa tree adds not a little to the hilarity of the guests. On the second 

 day the friends of the young couple take them on separate occasions to 

 the foot of a tree called '* singa" which is considered sacred and where 

 certain ceremonies of worship are gone through. On their return from 

 devotion, the senior of the party taking a little liquor in a brass vessel 

 makes an oblation to the earth, in the name of either the bride or 

 bridegroom, as the case may be, and then their bodies, feet and hands 

 are smeared over with turmeric. As yet the family of the bridegroom 

 has not visited the bride, but on the evening of the second day the mem- 

 bers of it accompanied by their friends in a body come before the 

 house of the bride where they are met by her relations and a precon- 

 certed struggle takes place to break a bamboo previously provided, 

 one party pulling against the other. On this being accomplished, 

 certain omens are prognosticated from the fracture in the bamboo. 

 The evening closes over the mirth and enjoyment of the assemblage. 

 On the morning of the third day the female relations of the bridegroom 

 make a forcible entry into the bride's house and take her to their own 

 habitation vi et armis, which when happily accomplished the marriage 

 rites are supposed to be finished and friends disperse to their several 

 avocations. A wife generally costs upwards of 20 rupees ; if the lover 

 is not possessed with worldly gear to that amount he must contract, 

 like Jacob of old, to labour for his father-in-law a stipulated period 

 which may vary from 2 to 5 years. On the death of a Bheel, his 

 nearest relations collect his cooking utensils, his axe, bow and arrows 

 and taking them with the body, burn the latter. In this ceremony 

 they are joined by their friends who after the funeral rites are finished, 

 collect at the house of the deceased to sympathize and condole with 

 the relatives. A period of several days having elapsed the nearest of 

 kin cooks some rice, and having put it into two separate platters in the 

 name of the deceased, leaves one on the place where the body was 

 burnt and the other before the threshold of his late dwelling. This is 

 intended as provision for the spirit who is considered to be still roam- 

 ing about. No other rites are followed. Cremation is not resorted to 

 with the bodies of women and infants, they are simply buried and a 



