caste.

_Dhobi, Warthi, Baretha, Chakla, Rajak, Parit._--The professional
caste of washermen. The name is derived from the Hindi _dhona_,
and the Sanskrit _dhav_, to wash. Warthi is the Maratha name for the
caste, and Bareth or Baretha is an honorific or complimentary term of
address. Rajak and Parit are synonyms, the latter being used in the
Maratha Districts. The Chakla caste of Madras are leather-workers,
but in Chanda a community of persons is found who are known as Chakla
and are professional washermen. In 1911 the Dhobis numbered 165,000
persons in the Central Provinces and Berar, or one to every hundred
inhabitants. They are numerous in the Districts with large towns and
also in Chhattisgarh, where, like the Dhobas of Bengal, they have to
a considerable extent abandoned their hereditary profession and taken
to cultivation and other callings. No account worth reproduction has
been obtained of the origin of the caste. In the Central Provinces
it is purely functional, as is shown by its subdivisions; these
are generally of a territorial nature, and indicate that the Dhobis
like the other professional castes have come here from all parts of
the country. Instances of the subcastes are: Baonia and Beraria from
Berar; Malwi, Bundelkhandi, Nimaria, Kanaujia, Udaipuria from Udaipur;
Madrasi, Dharampuria from Dharampur, and so on. A separate subcaste
is formed of Muhammadan Dhobis. The exogamous groups known as _khero_
are of the usual low-caste type, taking their names from villages or
titular or professional terms.

2. Marriage customs.

Marriage within the _khero_ is prohibited and also the union of first
cousins. It is considered disgraceful to accept a price for a bride,
and it is said that this is not done even by the parents of poor girls,
but the caste will in such cases raise a subscription to defray the
expenses of her marriage. In the northern Districts the marriages of
Dhobis are characterised by continuous singing and dancing at the
houses of the bridegroom and bride, these performances being known
as _sajnai_ and _birha_. Some man also puts on a long coat, tight
down to the waist and loose round the hips, to have the appearance
of a dancing-girl, and dances before the party, while two or three
other men play. Mr. Crooke considers that this ritual, which is
found also among other low castes, resembles the European custom of
the False Bride and is intended to divert the evil eye from the real
bride