a leaf-cup
containing food for the use of the deceased. In the third year after
the death, the _mangan_ or caste beggar visits the relatives of the
deceased, and receives what they call one limb (_ang_), or half his
belongings; the _ang_ consists of a loin-cloth, a brass vessel and
dish, an axe, a scythe and a wrist-ring.

6. Religion and magic.

The Bharias call themselves Hindus and worship the village deities
of the locality, and on the day of Diwali offer a black chicken
to their family god, who may be Bura Deo, Dulha Deo or Karua, the
cobra. For this snake they profess great reverence, and say that he was
actually born in a Bharia family. As he could not work in the fields
he was usually employed on errands. One day he was sent to the house,
and surprised one of his younger brother's wives, who had not heard
him coming, without her veil. She reproached him, and he retired in
dudgeon to the oven, where he was presently burnt to death by another
woman, who kindled a fire under it not knowing that he was there. So
he has been deified and is worshipped by the tribe. The Bharias also
venerate Bagheshwar, the tiger god, and believe that no tiger will eat
a Bharia. On the Diwali day they invite the tiger to drink some gruel
which they place ready for him behind their houses, at the same time
warning the other villagers not to stir out of doors. In the morning
they display the empty vessels as a proof that the tiger has visited
them. They practise various magical devices, believing that they can
kill a man by discharging at him a _muth_ or handful of charmed objects
such as lemons, vermilion and seeds of urad. This ball will travel
through the air and, descending on the house of the person at whom
it is aimed, will kill him outright unless he can avert its power by
stronger magic, and perhaps even cause it to recoil in the same manner
on the head of the sender. They exorcise the Sudhiniyas or the drinkers
of human blood. A person troubled by one of these is seated near the
Bharia, who places two pots with their mouths joined over a fire. He
recites incantations and the pots begin to boil, emitting blood. This
result is obtained by placing a herb in the pot whose juice stains the
water red. The blood-sucker is thus successfully exorcised. To drive
away the evil eye they burn a mixture of chillies, salt, human hair
and the husks of kodon, which emits a very evil smell. Such devices
are practised by members of the tr