e by the same rite as widows. They also allow
the exchange of girls in marriage between two families. They do not as
a rule wear the sacred thread. Their priests are Sarwaria Brahmans,
and these Brahmans and a few Bania subcastes, such as the Agarwalas,
Umres and Gahois, can take food cooked without water from them, but
other Brahmans and Rajputs will not take any kind of food. Matches
are arranged in the presence of the head of the caste _panchayat_,
who is known as Chaudhri. The parents on each side give their consent,
and in pledge of it six pice (farthings) are taken from both of them,
mixed together and given to their family priests and barbers, four
pice to the priests and two to the barbers. The following is a local
derivation of the name; the word _kasar_ means more or the increase,
and _bhata_ means less; and _Hamara kya kasar bhata?_ means 'How
does my account stand?' Hence Kasarbani is one who keeps accounts,
that is a Bania.

Bania, Kasaundhan

_Bania, Kasaundhan._--This subcaste numbers about 5500 persons in the
Central Provinces and is returned principally from the Bilaspur, Raipur
and Jubbulpore Districts. The name is derived [151] by Mr. Crooke from
_kansa_, bell-metal, and _dhana_, wealth, and it would appear that the
Kasaundhans like the Kasarwanis are an occupational group, made up of
shopkeepers who dealt in metal vessels. Like them also the Kasaundhans
may have originally been constituted from the metal-working castes,
and indeed they may be only a local branch of the Kasarwanis, though no
information is available which would decide this point. In the United
Provinces both the Kasarwanis and Kasaundhans are divided into the
Purbia or eastern and Pachhaiyan or western subcastes. Dharam Das,
the great disciple of Kabir, who founded the Kabirpanthi sect in the
Central Provinces, was a Kasaundhan Bania, and the Kabirpanthi Mahants
or high-priests of Kawardha are of this caste. It is probable that a
good many of the Kasaundhan Banias in Bilaspur and Raipur belong to
the Kabirpanthi sect. The remainder are ordinary Hindus.

Bania, Khandelwal

_Bania, Khandelwal._--This subcaste numbers about 1500 persons in
the Central Provinces; they are most numerous in the Hoshangabad and
Amraoti Districts, but are scattered all over the Province. They take
their name from the town of Khandela in the Jaipur State of Rajputana,
which was formerly the capital of the Shekhawati federation. There is
also a