f which she spat at him out of her mouth; and told one to
follow the vocation of a tailor, and the other that of a dyer. Hence
the first was called Chhipi or Shimpi and the second Chhipa. This
story indicates a connection between the dyeing and tailoring castes
in the Maratha Districts, which no doubt exists, as one subcaste of
the Rangaris is named after Namdeo, the patron saint of the Shimpis
or tailors. Both the dyeing and tailoring industries are probably of
considerably later origin than that of cotton-weaving, and both are
urban rather than village industries. And this consideration perhaps
accounts for the fact that the Chhipas and Rangaris rank higher than
most of the weaving castes, and no stigma or impurity attaches to them.

3. Caste subdivisions.

The caste have a number of subdivisions, such as the Malaiyas or
immigrants from Malwa, the Gujrati who come from Gujarat, the Golias
or those who dye cloth with _goli ka rang_, the fugitive aniline dyes,
the Namdeos who belong to the sect founded by the Darzi or tailor of
that name, and the Khatris, these last being members of the Khatri
caste who have adopted the profession.

4. Marriage and other customs.

Marriage is forbidden between persons so closely connected as to have a
common ancestor in the third generation. In Bhandara it is obligatory
on all members of the caste, who know the bride or bridegroom, to
ask him or her to dine. The marriage rite is that prevalent among
the Hindustani castes, of walking round the sacred post. Divorce
and the marriage of widows are permitted. In Narsinghpur, when a
bachelor marries a widow, he first goes through a mock ceremony by
walking seven times round an earthen vessel filled with cakes; this
rite being known as Langra Biyah or the lame marriage. The caste burn
their dead, placing the head to the north. On the day of Dasahra the
Chhipas worship their wooden stamps, first washing them and then making
an offering to them of a cocoanut, flowers and an image consisting
of a bottle-gourd standing on four sticks, which is considered to
represent a goat. The Chhipas rank with the lower artisan castes,
from whose hands Brahmans will not take water. Nevertheless some of
them wear the sacred thread and place sect-marks on their foreheads.

5. Occupation.

The bulk of the Chhipas dye cloths in red, blue or black, with
ornamental patterns picked out on them in black and white. Formerly
their principal agent