321 
MYSORE, CANARA, AND MALABAR. 
liquors. The men are allowed polygamy, but, except for adultery, CHAPTER 
■yr ?• 
cannot divorce their wives. The women spin, work in the fields, 
and are very industrious. Widows cannot marry again, but are not July 13. 
expected to bury themselves alive with their husbands bodies. 
I have formerly mentioned, that the tribe called jB heri, or Naga- Customs of 
■ . ... Tr the Siva 
ratra , is divided into two sects; of which one worships V isrinu, gkeri, who 
and the other Sim. The doctrines of the former have been already 
explained. Those who worship Siva are subdivided again into 
two parties ; of which the one wears the Linga, and the other does- 
not. These last I have now assembled : they say, that they are of 
the Vaisya, or third pure cast; but this is denied by the Comaties 
and Brahmans. They despise the oil-makers, who call themselves 
Nagaratra, as being greatly their inferiours. They neither eat, 
intermarry, nor have common hereditary chiefs with the Vishnu 
Nagaratra. They are a tribe of Karnata descent ; and are dealers 
in bullion, cloth, cotton, drugs, and grain. Some of them act as 
porters ; but they never formed any part of the militia, nor culti- 
vated the ground, nor followed any handicraft trade. They cannot 
lawfully eat any kind of animal food, nor drink spirituous liquors. 
They have a knowledge of accompts, but attempt no higher kind 
of learning. They are allowed many wives, but do not shut them 
up ; nor can they divorce them for any cause except adultery. In 
order to preserve the purity of the cast, they intermarry with such 
families onlv, as their forefathers have been accustomed to do. 
They burn the dead ; but the widows are not expected to burn 
themselves. They do not wear the Linga ; but pray to Siva, alleg- 
ing Vishnu to be the same. They never offer bloody sacrifices to 
Marinia, nor to any other of the Saktis. They never take the vow 
of Dasiri; but, when in sickness or danger, make mental vows to 
Vencaty Rdmana, the idol at Tripat hi, or to the Siva at Nunj in ago du ; 
and promise, in case of being saved, to feed a certain number of 
Brctiimans, or to send a sum of money to these temples. 
The proper Guru of this cast is a Smart al Brahman, called Dharma 
' V OL. I. T t 
