ng. And it therefore seems not
altogether improbable that the Puritans may have similarly contended
against the superstition as to the wearing of long hair.

Naoda

_Naoda._ [336]--A small caste found in the Nimar District and in
Central India. The name means a rower and is derived from _nao_,
a boat. The caste are closely connected with the Mallahs or Kewats,
but have a slightly distinctive position, as they are employed to
row pilgrims over the Nerbudda at the great fair held at Siva's
temple on the island of Mandhata. They say that their ancestors were
Rajputs, and some of their family names, as Solanki, Rawat and Mori,
are derived from those of Rajput septs. But these have probably been
adopted in imitation of their Kshatriya overlords. The caste is an
occupational one. They have a tradition that in former times a Naoda
boatman recovered the corpse of a king's daughter, who had drowned
herself in the river wearing costly jewels, and the king as a reward
granted them the right of ferrying pilgrims at Mandhata, which they
still continue to enjoy, keeping their earnings for themselves. They
have a division of impure blood called the Gate or bastard Naodas, who
marry among themselves, and any girl who reaches the age of puberty
without being married is relegated to this. In the case of a caste
whose numbers are so small, irregular connections with outsiders must
probably be not infrequent. Another report states that adult unmarried
girls are not expelled but are married to a pipal tree. But girls are
sought after, and it is customary to pay a bride-price, the average
amount of which is Rs. 25. Before the bridegroom starts for his wedding
his mother takes and passes in front of him, successively from his
head to his feet, a pestle, some stalks of _rusa_ grass, a churning
rod and a winnowing-fan. This is done with the object of keeping off
evil spirits, and it is said that by her action she threatens to pound
the spirits with the pestle, to tie them up with the grass, to churn
and mash them with the churning-rod, and to scatter them to the winds
with the winnowing-fan. When a man wishes to divorce his wife he simply
turns her out of the house in the presence of four or five respectable
men of the caste. The marriage of a widow is celebrated on a Sunday
or Tuesday, the clothes of the couple being tied together by another
widow at night. The following day they spend together in a garden,
and in the evening are escorted