1837.] Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. 241 



the Ruggutwan, and by doing so he is looked upon as absolved from 

 his sins, and re-admitted into his caste. Therefore when the penitent 

 has been shaved and afterwards bathed in some sacred stream, or in 

 water (supposed to be) consecrated for the purpose, he proceeds to the 

 place of entertainment, accompanied by a friend who takes a new thai- 

 ly or brass dish and a new tambia or small copper or brass pot with 

 him, also the money required, and having approached close to where 

 the Ruggutwan is, they sit down, the man places the rupees on the floor 

 and puts the thally on the top of them ; upon this one of the attendants 

 puts a little of the meat into it and some water into the pot, after which 

 the Ruggutwan invites the penitent to join him, and they successively 

 take five grasses, or mouthfuls of the meat, which is reckoned suffi- 

 cient to re-establish his purity. He is then directed to sit in the Pug- 

 gut, that is with the other guests who are all going to partake of the 

 feast. The thally and tambia become the perquisite of the Ruggutwan 

 in addition to the rupees that were placed under the former. 



In the event of the accused declining to attend the summons of the 

 Goturany, the ceremony of excommunication was enforced against him 

 —should he on this account complain to the government authorities, 

 the government call on the tribe to explain the cause of their interfer- 

 ing with the complainant, and when the government have been inform- 

 ed it was on account of his having violated the rules and usages of the 

 caste, he is told that he must abide by the decision of the Punchaiut. 

 This generally led to his being doubly fined for the contempt of their 

 authority, add thus complaining against them. 



Should the fine imposed on the offender amount to a large sum, a 

 portion of it was expended at times in repairing the village temple or 

 choultry, and a few rupees presented to any sadhoo or holy character 

 residing in the place. 



When a person was convicted of a crime which was considered not 

 one of the deepest dye, and he showed great contrition on the occasion, 

 and was exceedingly poor, his friends urged him to entreat of the Pun- 

 chaiut in the most submissive terms to forgive him. He then went to 

 the spot near the entrance where all the shoes of the persons compos- 

 ing the assembly were placed, and would take ten or twelve pairs of 

 them, tie them with a piece of string, and then place them on his head; 

 after which he entered the room and appeared before the members of 

 the Punchaiut in the humble position of a penitent. Seeing that he 

 was sufficiently humbled and had not the means of paying a fine, they 

 in general assented to his petition. The offender having obtained so 

 much, he endeavoured to persuade the members of the court to partake 

 of a moderate feast with him (for he would exert himself to raise ten 

 or twelve rupees to defray the expense); the Punchaiut, aware of 

 his poverty, would try to elude his invitation, so that he had to plant 



