l eat anything.'" In his
account of Sind, Postans says of the Lohanas: "The Hindu merchants and
bankers have agents in the most remote parts of Central Asia and could
negotiate bills upon Candahar, Khelat, Cabul, Khiva, Herat, Bokhara or
any other marts of that country. These agents, in the pursuit of their
calling, leave Sind for many years, quitting their families to locate
themselves among the most savage and intolerant tribes." This account
could equally apply to the Khatris, who also travel over Central Asia,
as shown in the article on that caste; and if, as seems not improbable,
the Lohanas and Khatris are connected, the hypothesis that the former,
like the latter, are derived from Rajputs would receive some support.

The present Pir or head of the community is Sayyid Jafir Shah, who is
nineteenth in descent from Yusufuddin and lives partly in Bombay and
partly in Mundra of South Cutch. "At an uncertain date," Mr. Faridi
continues, "the Lohana or Cutchi Memans passed from Cutch south through
Kathiawar to Gujarat. They are said to have been strong and wealthy
in Surat during the period of its prosperity (1580-1680). As Surat
sank the Cutchi Memans moved to Bombay. Outside Cutch and Kathiawar,
which may be considered their homes, the Memans are scattered over the
cities of north and south Gujarat and other Districts of Bombay. Beyond
that Presidency they have spread as traders and merchants and formed
settlements in Calcutta, Madras, the Malabar Coast, South Burma,
Siam, Singapore and Java; in the ports of the Arabian Peninsula,
except Muscat, where they have been ousted by the Khojas; and in
Mozambique, Zanzibar and the East African Coast." [485] They have
two divisions in Bombay, known as Cutchi or Kachhi and Halai.

3. Social customs.

Cutchis and Memans retain some non-Muhammadan usages. The principal
of these is that they do not allow their daughters and widows to
inherit according to the rule of Muhammadan law. [486] They conduct
their weddings by the Nikah form and the _mehar_ or dowry is always
the same sum of a hundred and twenty-five rupees, whatever may be the
position of the parties and in the case of widows also. They say that
either party may be divorced by the other for conjugal infidelity, but
the _mehar_ or dowry must always be paid to the wife in the case of a
divorce. The caste eat flesh and fowls and abstain from liquor. Most
of them also decline to eat beef as a consequence of their Hind