ain after
the consummation of the marriage she visits her parents for periods
of one and six months, but after this she never again goes to their
house unaccompanied by her husband. Widow-marriage is allowed, and the
widow may marry the younger brother of her late husband or not as she
pleases. But if she marries another man he must pay a sum of Rs. 10
to Rs. 20 for her, of which Rs. 5 go to the Panua or headman of the
caste, and Rs. 2 to their tutelary goddess Parmeshwari. The children
by the first husband are kept either by his relatives or the widow's
parents, and do not go to the new husband. When a bachelor marries a
widow, he is first married to a flower or _sahara _tree. A widow who
has remarried cannot take part in any worship or marriage ceremony
in her house, not even in the marriage of her own sons. Divorce is
allowed, and is effected in the presence of the caste _panchayat_
or committee. A divorced woman may marry again.

4. Religious and social customs.

The caste worship the goddess Parmeshwari, the wife of Vishnu, and
Jagannath, the Uriya incarnation of Vishnu. Parmeshwari is worshipped
by Brahmans, who offer bread and _khir_ or rice and milk to her;
goats are also offered by the Dehri or Mahakul, the caste priest,
who receives the heads of the goats as his remuneration. They believe
in witches, who they think drink the blood of children, and employ
sorcerers to exorcise them. They worship a stick on Dasahra day in
remembrance of their old profession of herding cattle, and they worship
cows and buffaloes at the full moon of Shrawan (July-August). During
Kunwar, on the eighth day of each fortnight, two festivals are
held. At the first each girl in the family wears a thread containing
eighteen knots twisted three times round her neck. All the girls fast
and receive presents of cloths and grain from their brothers. This is
called Bhaijiuntia, or the ceremony for the welfare of the brothers. On
the second day the mother of the family does the same, and receives
presents from her sons, this being Puajiuntia, or the ceremony for the
welfare of sons. The Dumals believe that in the beginning water covered
the earth. They think that the sun and moon are the eyes of God, and
that the stars are the souls of virtuous men, who enjoy felicity in
heaven for the period measured by the sum of their virtuous actions,
and when this has expired have to descend again to earth to suffer the
agonies of human life. When