astes is reported called Bhusarjin, Ladjin, Saojin and Kanhejin;
the first may take their name from _bhusa_, the chaff of wheat, while
Lad is the term used for people coming from Gujarat, and Sao means
a banker. In Sambalpur again a class of Thuria Banjaras is found,
divided into the Bandesia, Atharadesia, Navadesia and Chhadesia, or
the men of the 52 districts, the 18 districts, the 9 districts and
the 6 districts respectively. The first and last two of these take
food and marry with each other. Other groups are the Guar Banjaras,
apparently from Guara or Gwala, a milkman, the Guguria Banjaras, who
may, Mr. Hira Lal suggests, take their name from trading in _gugar_,
a kind of gum, and the Bahrup Banjaras, who are Nats or acrobats. In
Berar also a number of the caste have become respectable cultivators
and now call themselves Wanjari, disclaiming any connection with
the Banjaras, probably on account of the bad reputation for crime
attached to these latter. Many of the Wanjaris have been allowed
to rank with the Kunbi caste, and call themselves Wanjari Kunbis in
order the better to dissociate themselves from their parent caste. The
existing caste is therefore of a very mixed nature, and the original
Brahman and Charan strains, though still perfectly recognisable,
cannot have maintained their purity.

6. Marriage: betrothal.

At a betrothal in Nimar the bridegroom and his friends come and stay
in the next village to that of the bride. The two parties meet on the
boundary of the village, and here the bride-price is fixed, which
is often a very large sum, ranging from Rs. 200 to Rs. 1000. Until
the price is paid the father will not let the bridegroom into his
house. In Yeotmal, when a betrothal is to be made, the parties go
to a liquor-shop and there a betel-leaf and a large handful of sugar
are distributed to everybody. Here the price to be paid for the bride
amounts to Rs. 40 and four young bullocks. Prior to the wedding the
bridegroom goes and stays for a month or so in the house of the bride's
father, and during this time he must provide a supply of liquor daily
for the bride's male relatives. The period was formerly longer, but now
extends to a month at the most. While he resides at the bride's house
the bridegroom wears a cloth over his head so that his face cannot be
seen. Probably the prohibition against seeing him applies to the bride
only, as the rule in Berar is that between the betrothal and marriage
of