1837.] 



An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. 



243 



by the Ruggutwan on his dish to which a little more was added by 

 three or four Patells, and the dish was conveyed to the convert for her 

 to partake of it ; she was sun-rounded at the time by ten or fifteen Koly 

 women, who were to bear witness to her having eaten the contents of 

 the dish that the Ruggutwan had sent to her. This was all the cere- 

 mony they thought it necessary to attend to. The expense in former 

 days averaged from one hundred to four and five hundred rupees. If 

 the woman had any children they were admitted into the caste at the 

 same time. 



The Ruggutwan was entitled to receive from large or moderate sized 

 villages annually one maund of grain of sorts, one rupee in cash, a seer 

 of ghee and one fowl. From small villages he received four seers of 

 grain, a half seer of ghee, a fowl and half a rupee. A portion of this 

 allowance from the inhabitants he divided among the other members of 

 the Goturany. 



The Ruggutwan was obliged to attend the jutra at Bhuma Shunker 

 every third year, upon which occasion he had to shave off his hair and 

 his mustachios, preparatory to his giving an entertainment to all the 

 Kolies of the Mhadeo division that attend the jutra. This occupied him 

 two or three days. The allowance he received from the different vil- 

 lages within his jurisdiction easily admitted of his incurring this 

 expense. 



As the duties which devolved on the Ruggutwan, in the country lying 

 between the fort of Shogur and that of Hurreechundragur, occupied 

 his time so much that he could not always proceed into the Kotool, 

 Rajoor and Malidesh districts when his presence was required there, 

 he therefore constituted three persons to act as his agents in those parts 

 of the country. These were persons of three families of Goriah, Koon- 

 da and Kondar, with a sablah attached to them. 



It is necessary I should explain here that within these forty years 

 past, the authority and influence of the members of the Goturany has 

 greatly diminished, and little or no respect is shown to them now, in 

 comparison to what was paid to them in former times. The people 

 assign various causes for the change that has taken place, but chiefly 

 ascribe it to the very great indifference with which the ex-Paishwah, 

 Bajeerow governed the country. That the Desmookhs, the Brahmunsr, 

 Koolkurnees and Koly Naiks were permitted to do as they pleased in 

 the hilly districts, provided they bribed the courtiers at Poona to their 

 satisfaction. The disputes which arose between Bajeerow and his adopt- 

 ed brother, the late Amrootrow, withdrew for a time the attention of 

 government from the management of the hilly districts ; the Kooly 

 Naiks and the zumeendars consequently began gradually to usurp the 

 duties and the emoluments appertaining to the office of the Goturany. 

 These Naiks and zumeendars frequently now adjust matters connected 



