gement with a widow is arranged
by the suitor's female relatives, and they pay her a rupee as earnest
money. On the day fixed she goes with one or two other widows to
the bridegroom's house, and from there to the bazar, where she buys
two pairs of bell-metal rings, to be worn on the second toe of each
foot, and some glass bangles. She remains sitting in the bazar till
well after dark, when some widow goes to fetch her on behalf of her
suitor. They bring her to his house, where the couple sit together, and
red powder is applied to their foreheads. They then bathe and present
their clothes to the washerman, putting on new clothes. The idea in
all this is clearly to sever the widow as completely as possible from
her old home and prevent her from being accompanied to the new one
by the first husband's spirit. In some localities when a Teli widow
remarries it is considered most unlucky for any one to see the face
of the bride or bridegroom for twenty-four hours, or as some say for
three days after the wedding. The ceremony is therefore held at night,
and for this period the couple either remain shut up in the house or
retire to the jungle.

7. Religion: Caste deities

The caste especially revere Mahadeo or Siva, who gave them the
oil-mill. In the Nagpur country they do not work the mill on Monday,
because it is Mahadeo's day, he having the moon on his forehead. They
revere the oil-mill, and when the trunk is brought to be set up in
the house, if there is difficulty in moving it they make offerings
to it of a goat or wheat-cakes or cocoanuts, after which it moves
easily. When a Teli first sets the trunk-socket of the oil-press in the
ground he buries beneath it five pieces of turmeric, some cowries and
an areca-nut In the northern Districts the Telis worship Masan Baba,
who is supposed to be the ghost of a Teli boy. He is a boy about three
feet in height, black-coloured, with a long black scalp-lock. Some
Telis have Masan Baba in their possession, and when they are turning
the oil-press they set him on top of it, and he makes the bullocks keep
on working, so that the master can go away and leave the press. But
in order to prevent him from getting into mischief a cake of flour
mixed with human hair must be placed in front of the press; he will
eat this, but will first pick out all the hairs one by one, and this
will occupy him the whole night; but if no cake is put for him he
will eat all the food in the house. A Teli