338
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
subject to him, they can do nothing unless his consent is first obtained, no marriage can be solemnised or suit instituted unless he agrees.
He is looked up to with respect second only to that shown to the zamindar: all the business of
the family is conducted through him, he pays the rent and manages all money matters. He is excused from labour in the fields and is al lowed to eat salt while the other members of
the family must content themselves with the saline matter extracted from the ashes of plan tain and other trees. He is also allowed to have
[Nov. 1, 1872.
bride's house and give her family betelnut and
pay part of the money; this is called (ziºſ) darguyá. When all the money has been paid, the marriage day is fixed and a procession is formed consisting principally of women who go to the bride's house; after they have been wel
comed by the girl's family, her sister's husband or some other relative takes her on his back and
carries her to the bridegroom’s house; the bride is now often brought in a doli; no music or
dancing is used at the procession; the women
two or more wives, while no other person is
of both the bride and bridegroom's party clap their hands as they go along and pretend to
allowed to have more than one, and his fa vourite wife is excused from working in the
quarrel with each other and repeat the following
fields and allowed to eat salt.
The dress of the Palis is very different from
that worn by ordinary Hindus; in the hot wea
mantra—
“We have been to the ploughed field We have come to the bridegroom's house
Where is your water pot to wash our feet.”
ther the men wear nothing but a thread round
(fālā; ) Śikhai and on it a piece of rag called pājhal (1314), on great
When the bride reaches the bridegroom's
the loins which is called
occasions they also wear a cloth on their heads or round their body, and in the cold
weather a piece of cloth is given them by the head of the family and returned to him
house, his friends plant four plantain trees in the courtyard and connect them with a thatched roof, covering a gunny-cloth spread on the ground on which the bride and bridegroom are made
to sit.
The bridegroom first of all stands under
the roof and the bride makes a pradakshin round
again at the beginning of the hot season. They all wear a necklace of wooden beads, their head is shaved all round, and the hair which is left is tied in a knot at the top. The women
him five times, they then sit down facing the east. The bride sits at the right hand of the bridegroom, no priest is required for this mar
weave a cloth of jute called mekhri (iâſı), which
riage, but if a priest is employed, he sits facing
is their only dress. It is about three hāths in length and two in breadth and coloured with
the north to the right hand of the bride and bridegroom and recites some mantras. The
bride's guardian then gives her to the bride groom and joins their hands and pours water them and says, “From this day the honour IIindu women, but in a straight line across the over family is in your hands.” An offering is the of breasts under the armpits falling down as low as which is called an “Arghya,” though made then the knees. The use of these mekhris is gra seems to be used with a meaning word the dually being discontinued, and cotton cloths are different to that usually ascribed to it; it con being introduced, coloured in the same way, and cowdung, vermilion, a hair comb, worn in the same manner; they are called pātāni sists of rice, candlestick with five branches, and two and a (Tſzſſºſ). The women attend his and markets and pots of water each containing a mango branch, carry burdens on their heads ; they carry their with a garland of flowers made of sola. children hanging in a cloth at their backs, and The father and mother of the bridegroom help the men to work in the fields; very few of come and the father places the garland on then them wear silver or metal ornaments, but all the bridegroom's head and the mother places it have bangles of conch shell. on the bride's head, and then they both make They have no fixed age for marriage; some of them present, and throw the pots of water a the women remain unmarried till they are grown with the mango branches over them. After that up, while others are married when they are three they take the arghya and invoke blessings on or four years old. In an ordinary marriage the them, all the friends do the same, and the bride amount of the dower to be paid by the bride and bridegroom present each other with betel groom is fixed by the mediation of a Ghatah, nut, and the bride will distribute rice among the called by the Palis “kamiya' (#ſ; Hſ). After this is guests. The guardian of the bridegroom then red, black, and white stripes. This cloth is not
worn across the shoulder as is usual amongst
settled the bridegroom's relatives go to the
washes the feet of the mahant, or principal per
