d the Rangrez to conform to
their religious practices and the caste might almost be described
as a Hindu community with Muhammadan customs. The bulk of them
no doubt were originally converted Hindus, but as their ancestors
probably immigrated from northern India their present leaning to
that religion would perhaps be not so much an obstinate retention
of pre-Islamic ritual as a subsequent lapse following on another
change of environment. In northern India Mr. Crooke records them
as being governed mainly by Muhammadan rules. There [592] they hold
themselves to be the descendants of one Khwaja Bali, a very pious man,
about whom the following verse is current:

Khwaja Bali Rangrez
Range Khuda ki sez:

'Khwaja Bali dyes the bed of God.' The name is derived from _rang_,
colour, and _rez, rekhtan_, to pour. In Bihar, Sir G. Grierson
states [593] the word Rangrez is often confounded with 'Angrezi'
or 'English'; and the English are sometimes nicknamed facetiously
Rangrez or 'dyers,' The saying, 'Were I a dyer I would dye my own
beard first,' in reference to the Muhammadan custom of dyeing the
beard, has the meaning of 'Charity begins at home,' [594]

The art of the Rangrez differs considerably from that of the
Chhipa or Rangari, the Hindu dyer, and he produces a much greater
variety of colours. His principal agents were formerly the safflower
(_Carthamus tinctorius_), turmeric and myrobalans. The fact that the
brilliant red dye of safflower was as a rule only used by Muhammadan
dyers, gives some ground for the supposition that it may have been
introduced by them to India. This would account for the existence
of a separate caste of Muhammadan dyers, and in support of it may
be adduced the fact that the variety of colours is much greater in
the dress of the residents of northern India and Rajputana than in
those of the Maratha Districts. The former patronise many different
shades, more especially for head-cloths, while the latter as a rule
do not travel beyond red, black or blue. The Rangrez obtains his red
shades from safflower, yellow from _haldi_ or turmeric, green from
a mixture of indigo and turmeric, purple from indigo and safflower,
_khaki_ or dust-colour from myrobalans and iron filings, orange from
turmeric and safflower, and _badami_ or almond-colour from turmeric
and two wild plants _kachora_ and _nagarmothi_, the former of which
gives a scent. Cloths dyed in the _badami_ shades are affected, when
they