ked without water (_pakki_) from Banias, and sometimes from
Lodhis and Dhimars. Brahmans will take _pakki_ food from Rajputs,
and Nais and Dhimars _katchi_ food. When a man is ill, however,
he may take food from members of such castes as Kurmi and Lodhi
as a matter of convenience without incurring caste penalties. The
large turbans and long moustaches and beards no longer characterise
their appearance, and the only point which distinguishes a Rajput
is that his name ends with Singh (lion). But this suffix has also
been adopted by others, especially the Sikhs, and by such castes as
the Lodhis and Raj-Gonds who aspire to rank as Rajputs. A Rajput is
usually addressed as Thakur or lord, a title which properly applies
only to a Rajput landholder, but has now come into general use. The
head of a state has the designation of Raja or Rana, and those of the
leading states of Maharaja or Maharana, that is, great king. Maharana,
which appears to be a Gujarati form, is used by the Sesodia family of
Udaipur. The sons of a Raja are called Kunwar or prince. The title Rao
appears to be a Marathi form of Raj or Raja; it is retained by one or
two chiefs, but has now been generally adopted as an honorific suffix
by Maratha Brahmans. Rawat appears to have been originally equivalent
to Rajput, being simply a diminutive of Rajputra, the Sanskrit form
of the latter. It is the name of a clan of Rajputs in the Punjab, and
is used as an honorific designation by Ahirs, Saonrs, Kols and others.

13. Seclusion of women

Women are strictly secluded by the Rajputs, especially in Upper India,
but this practice does not appear to have been customary in ancient
times, and it would be interesting to know whether it has been copied
from the Muhammadans. It is said that a good Rajput in the Central
Provinces must not drive the plough, his wife must not use the _rehnta_
or spinning-wheel, and his household may not have the _kathri_ or
_gudri_, the mattress made of old pieces of cloth or rag sewn one on
top of the other, which is common in the poorer Hindu households.

14. Traditional character of the Rajputs

The Rajputs as depicted by Colonel Tod resembled the knights of the
age of chivalry. Courage, strength and endurance were the virtues most
highly prized. One of the Rajput trials of strength, it is recorded,
was to gallop at full speed under the horizontal branch of a tree and
cling to it while the horse passed on. This feat appears to