them. They
use donkeys for carrying loads of wood, and the bridegroom rides to
his wedding on this animal; and among them a donkey is the only animal
the corpse of which can be touched without conveying pollution. The
Bhanare Dhimars appear to be named after the town of Bhandara.

3. Exogamous groups.

A large number of exogamous groups are also returned, either of a
titular or totemistic nature: such are Baghmar, a tiger-slayer; Ojhwa,
from Ojha, or sorcerer; Guru pahchan, one who knows his teacher;
Midoia, a guardian of boundaries, from _med_, a boundary or border;
Gidhwe, a vulture; Kolhe, or jackal; Gadhekhaya, a donkey-eater; and
Kasture, musk; a few names are from towns or villages, as Tumsare
from Tumsar, Nagpurkar from Nagpur; and a few from other castes as
Madgi, Bhoyar, Pindaria from Pindari, a freebooter; Gondia (Gond)
and Gondhali; and Kachhwaha, a sept of Rajputs.

4. Marriage.

Marriage is prohibited between members of the same sept and also
between first cousins. In many localities families do not intermarry so
long as they remember any relationship to have existed between them. In
Mandla, Mr. Govind Moreshwar states, the Nadha and Kehera subcastes
do not intermarry; but if a man desires a girl of the other subcaste
he can be admitted into it on giving a feast to the caste-fellows
according to his means, and thus marry her. Two families may exchange
daughters in marriage. A maiden who goes wrong with a man of the
caste or of any higher caste may be readmitted to the community under
penalty of a feast to the caste and of having a lock of her hair cut
off. In the Hindustani Districts women do not accompany the marriage
procession, but in the Maratha Districts they do. Among the Bhanara
Dhimars of Chanda the wedding may be held either at the bride's or the
bridegroom's house. In the former case a bride-price of Rs. 16 is paid,
and in the latter one of Rs. 20, because the expenses of the bride's
family are increased if the wedding is held at her house. A custom
exists among the poorer Dhimars in Chanda of postponing the marriage
ceremony to avoid expense; a man will thus simply take a girl for his
wife, making a payment of Rs. 1-4 or twenty pence to her father and
giving a feast to the community. She will then live in his house as his
wife, and at some subsequent date, perhaps in old age, the religious
ceremony will be held so that the couple may have been properly married
before they die. I