MYSORE, CANARA, AND MALABAR. 
259 
followers of a kind of Jangamas, but do not wear the Linga, The CHAPTER 
people with whom I conversed seemed to consider these as the same ^ ^ 
with the Jangamas of the Panchavn Banijigas ; but this cast informed June ~ 2 > &c * 
me, that they were distinct, and that the Gurus of the lluddi were 
the same with those of the Curabaru, whose chief resides at Can- 
gundy in the Bara-mahal. In their visits, the Gurus of both kinds 
receive from one to ten Fanams (from S d. to fry. 8±d.) from each 
lluddi, according to his circumstances. The Panchdnga attends at 
births, marriages, funerals, and other ceremonies; and on each oc- 
casion receives a Fanam. At the new and full moons, he also gets 
some trifling present of grain. Besides the worship of the great 
gods, they offer sacrifices to the destructive powers ; among whom 
a female spirit, named Chaudeswari, has in this neighbourhood many 
temples. The Pujari, in at least one of them, is an oil-maker of 
the cast formerly described, and his office is hereditary. The Ruddi 
is one of the lowest of the casts employed in agriculture, and allowed 
to be of pure descent; but many of its members are rich, and are 
the Gaudas , or hereditary chiefs of villages. 
The Bheri are a kind of merchants, who call themselves also Na- Customs of 
garatra , corrupted by the Mussulmans into Nagarit . They pretend 
to be of the Vaisya cast ; but this is denied both b} 7 the Brahmans , 
and by the Comatigas . They deal in drugs, grain, cloth, and money, 
and travel about in caravans. Some of them are farmers; but they 
never cultivate the ground with their own hands ; nor do they ever 
follow any mechanical profession. They are divided by religion 
into two sects, that do not eat together, nor intermarry ; and each 
has its own hereditary chief, who acts independently as to matters 
of ceremony ; but in matters of a civil nature, the chief of the sect 
that is most numerous in the place assumes the sole authority. 
These chiefs are called Ijyamana, and possess the usual jurisdiction ; 
but are not indulged with any immunities from taxes. When a man 
wants to marry, he goes to his hereditary chief, as is indeed usual 
with all the higher casts, presents him with betel, and discloses his 
the Bheri. 
