202 P. N. Bose — Ohhattisgar : notes on its tribes, sects and castes. [No. 3, 
are strictly Hindu, fowls and pigs as well as intoxicating liquors being 
prohibited. 
Gots. — Bag-dehria, Dhanktd, Khanrddhar, Banjdri ^o. 
The Hdlvds. 
Mr. Hislop classes tbe Halvas with Gonds.* Following him, 
Mr. Shorring does the same ; but the latter has them also amongst non- 
aboriginal tribes.t Their affinities are doubtful, but, whatever they 
may be, I doubt the kinship of the Halvds to the Gonds. 
The Halvas are an agricultural tribe fouud in the southern portion 
of the Raipur district. They speak the Chhattisgari dialect and profess 
to have come from Bastar. Their chief deity is Kanbdlin who is 
worshipped with sacrifices of goats &c. The chief reasons which lead me 
to think that they are not Gonds, are (1) the fact, that they do not vene- 
rate the Budha Deo, which even the most Hinduised Gonds do ; and (2) 
the fact, that tbe gots of the Halvas are quite distinct from those of the 
Gonds. 
In the Central Provinces Gazetteer,! the Halvas are said “ to gain 
their living chiefly by distilling spirits, and worship a pantheon of glori- 
fied distillers, at the head of whom is Bahadur Ralal. This statement 
has also been quoted by Sherring. But, there must be some confusion, 
as I have not come across a single Halva who earns his living in the way 
represented here ; nor are the Halvas aware of any members of their 
caste doing so anywhere. 
Except on occasions of marriage and similar festivities, they profess 
to abstain from drinking. 
The dead are buried. 
Gots ; Mahla, Rant, Pdtae ^c. 
Chdmdr {Satndmi Sect). 
The chamars form the largest caste in Ohhattisgar, numbering 
248,429 in the Raipur, and 95,020 in the Bilaspur district, that is to say 
they form about 12 per cent, of the total population of these districts 
which is estimated at 3 millions. 
The chamars, except a few to be mentioned later on, all belong to 
the Satnami sect. They are a fine, sturdy race of agriculturists, 
rather tenacious of their rights, and, as they are united, quite capable 
of holding their own against the Hindus who look down upon them 
with great contempt. They also sometimes call themselves Rai Dasis 
after Ram Das, “ a chamar reformer and disciple of Ramanand who 
• Op oifc., Vol. II, p. 147. 
t Op cit., Vol. II, p. 108. 
J Op oit., pp. 221-122. 
