106 An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. [Jan. 



spaces with wattle-work, plastered over with mud. The roof is 

 thatched with grass. These dwellings, in general, are spacious, and 

 commonly divided into several apartments. That in which the family 

 usually assemble is the largest; the grain, stores, &c. are kept in 

 another, which sometimes forms one of the sleeping apartments, and 

 where the females retire to. Some of the cattle, especially the cows, 

 are frequently kept in the dwelling house. The furniture in a Koly's 

 house consists of two or three coarsely manufactured couches, used as 

 beds; a few copper and brass pots for cooking and boiling water; 

 small and large earthen pots for containing water, ghee, oil, spices, 

 and a little grain. They keep their store of grain in large wicker 

 baskets plastered with cowdung. 



The Kolies pay their adorations to all the Hindoo deities, but their 

 chief object of worship is Khundy-row, commonly called Khundobah. 

 This is an avatar of Mhadeo, assumed by him when he destroyed the 

 giant Munny Mull, and one of the most popular of the Dukhan objects 

 of worship. His chief temple, in this part of the country, is at 

 Jejoory. There is another of great repute at Bheema Shunkur, 

 the source of the Bheema river — as this is in the tract inhabited 

 by the Kolies, numbers of them attend there during the different 

 festivals, especially on the Sheorattry, or night dedicated to Sheo, in 

 the month of February. Bhyroo and Bhoany are also much wor- 

 shipped by the Kolies. These three, and the derivative deity Heerob- 

 bah, constitute the Koly's household gods. They present offerings 

 at the tombs of any Mahomedan saints, like the rest of the supersti- 

 tious Hindoos, and at times they pay divine honours to persons whose 

 existence may have been terminated in a violent manner, particularly 

 if they, or their ancestors, were accessory to the event ; in the hope 

 of propitiating their favour, and that the past may be forgotten. 



Their principal holidays are the Hooly, Dussera, &c. The Hooly 

 festival is supposed to be in commemoration of the vernal equinox. The 

 Kolies enjoy themselves greatly during this merry-making time. In 

 many respects it may be compared to the Roman Saturnalia. 



The Kolies commonly swear by Mhadeo and the bell bhundar, but 

 the oath which they consider most binding, is that taken on the bank 

 of a river, or near a well, when one of the party takes up a little water 

 in the palms of his hands, and some bhundar, a few leaves of thetoolsy, 

 and of the bell, with a few grains of jowary are mixed ; each of them 

 pours this into the other's hand, at the same time imprecating evil upon 

 themselves, if they act contrary to their declaration. 



The Kolies generally celebrate the nuptial ceremonies of their 

 children, when they are between the ages of six and ten years. The 

 ceremonies attended to by them, correspond exactly with those per- 

 formed by the Koonby cultivators (who are Shoodurs) on similar occa- 

 sions. The expense incurred at a marriage by the poorer Kolies, varies 

 from 15 and 20, to 25 and 30 rupees, and those in better circumstances 



