The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India Volume I Part 34

_Doda_ or _Dor_.--One of the thirty-six royal races of Rajputs.

_Dogle_.--Name applied to Kayasths of illegitimate descent.

_Dohor_. [441]--A small caste of Berar, who are really Chamars; in the Central Provinces the Dohors are a well-known subcaste of Chamars, but in Berar they appear to have obtained a separate name, under which about 6000 persons were returned in 1911. They work in leather like the Chamars or Mochis. With the ambition of bettering their social status among the Hindus the caste strictly observe the sanct.i.ty of animal life. No Dohor may molest an animal or even pelt it with stones. A man who sells a cow or bullock to butchers is put out of caste, but if he repents and gets the animal back before it is slaughtered, a fine of Rs. 5 only is imposed. If, on the other hand, the animal is killed, the culprit must give his daughter in marriage without taking any price from the bridegroom, and must feed the whole caste and pay a fine of Rs. 50, which is expended on liquor. Failing this he is expelled from the community. Similarly the Pardes.h.i.+ Dohors rigidly enforce infant-marriage. If a girl is not married before she is ten her family are fined and put out of caste until the fine is paid. And if the girl has leprosy or any other disease, which prevents her from getting married, a similar penalty is imposed on the family. Nevertheless the Dohors are considered to be impure and are not allowed to enter Hindu temples; the village barber does not shave them nor the washerman wash their clothes. A bachelor desiring to marry a widow must first perform the ceremony with a _rui_ or cotton-tree. But such a union is considered disgraceful; the man himself must pay a heavy fine to get back into caste, and his children are considered as partly illegitimate and must marry with the progeny of similar unions. Either husband or wife can obtain a divorce by a simple application to the caste _panchayat_, and a divorced woman can marry again as a widow. The caste offer sheep and goats to their deities and wors.h.i.+p the animals before killing them. At Dasahra they also pay reverence to the skinning-knife, and the needle with which shoes are sewn. The caste burn the bodies of those who die married and bury the unmarried. Before setting out for a funeral they drink liquor and again on their return, and a little liquor is sprinkled over the grave. When a man has been cremated his ashes are taken and thrown into a river on the third day. The chief mourner, after being shaved by his brother-in-law, takes the hair with some copper coins in his hand and, diving into the river, leaves them there as an offering to the dead man's spirit.

_Dolia_.--(Palanquin-bearer.) A section of Dhimar.

_Dom_.--An important caste in Bengal. See article Kanjar. Used as a synonym for Ganda in the Uriya country.

_Domra_.--Subcaste of Turi.

_Dongaria_, _Dongarwar_.--(From _dongar_, a hill.) A sept of Bhil, Dhobi, Mali, Mang and Sonkar. A surname of Maratha Brahmans.

_Dora_.--(Sahib or Lord.) t.i.tle of the Mutrasi caste.

_Dosar_.--Subcaste of Bania.

_Dravida_.--(Southern.) See Panch-Dravida.

_Dube_.--(A teacher and a man learned in two Vedas.) A common surname of Hindustani Brahmans. A subcaste of Banjara.

_Dudh_.--(Milk.) Dudh-Barai, a subcaste of Barai; Dudh-Gowari, a subcaste of Ahir or Gowari; Dudh-Kawar, a subcaste of Kawar.

_Dudh Bhai_.--(Milk-brothers.) A fraternity of Gonds in Betul, who are apparently foster-brothers. They do not marry, though they have different septs.

_Dukar_.--A subcaste of Kolhati. From _dukar_, hog, because they are accustomed to hunt the wild pig with dogs and spears when these animals become too numerous and damage the crops of the villagers.

_Dukaria_.--t.i.tle of the officer of the Andh caste who const.i.tutes the caste committee.

_Dulha_.--(Bridegroom.) A section of Chadar.

_Dumar_ or _Dom_.--A low caste of sweepers in Bengal. See Kanjar. Subcaste of Basor, Ganda, Panka and Turi. Synonym and subcaste of Mehtar. A section of Kawar.

_Durgbansi_.--A clan of Rajputs in Ragnandgaon.

_Dusre_.--(Second.) A subdivision of Shrivastab, Gaur and Saksena Kayasths, meaning those of inferior or mixed origin as opposed to Khare or those of pure origin.

_Dwarka_.--One of the most holy places in India, situated on or near the sea in Gujarat. It is supposed to have been founded by Krishna. Site of one of the monasteries (Ashram) of Sankaracharya, the founder of the non-dualistic or Vedanta philosophy.

_Dwija_.--(Twice-born.) A t.i.tle applied to the three higher cla.s.sical castes, Brahman, Kshatriya and Vaishya, and now especially to Brahmans.

_Ekbahia_.--(One-armed.) Subcaste of Teli, so called because their women wear gla.s.s bangles only on one arm.

_Ekbaile_.--One who yokes one bullock only to the oil-press. Subcaste of Teli.

_Elama, Elma_.--Synonym for Velama. A subcaste of Kapewar or Kapu.

_Erenga._--Subcaste of Kharia in Bengal.

_Erna_.--(From Eran, in Saugor district.) A section of Teli.

_Fakir_.--A Muhammadan mendicant. Synonym Sain. See article.

_Farid_.--Sheikh Farid was a well-known Muhammadan saint. A section of Panwar Rajput.

_Farsi_.--Persian. From the Province of Fars. The term Farsi is also used by the Hindus to signify foreign or non-Aryan languages like Gondi.

_Fidawi._--(A disciple.) An order of devotees of the Khojah sect known to the Crusaders as a.s.sa.s.sins. t.i.tle of Khojah.

_Gadaba_.--Synonym of Gadba.

_Gadaria_.--A caste. Subcaste of Ahir.

_Gadha_.--(An a.s.s.) A sept of the Uika clan of Gonds in Betul, so named because their priest rode on an a.s.s in crossing a river.

_Gadhao_.--(From _gadha_, an a.s.s.) Subcaste of Kunbi.

_Gadhewal, Gadhere, Gadhwe, Gadhilla_.--(One who keeps donkeys. From _gadha_, an a.s.s.) A subcaste of Dhimar, Katia, Koshti, k.u.mhar and Sonkar. A sept of Gond and Pardhan.

_Gadhwana_.--(From Garha, near Jubbulpore.) Subcaste of Nai.

_Gadiwan_.--(A cart-driver.) Subcaste of Dangri.

_Gadri_.--(From _gadar_, a sheep.) A synonym of Gadaria. A subcaste of Dhangar.

_Gaharwar, Gaharval, Gherwal_.--One of the thirty-six royal races of Rajputs chiefly found in Bilaspur and Khairagarh. A section of Patwas.

_Gahbainya_ or _Gahboniya_.--(Those who hid in a village when called by a king to his presence.) A subcaste of Kurmi. A section of Kurmi.

_Gahlot_ or _Sesodia_.--A famous clan of Rajputs. A section of Daraiha and Jos.h.i.+.

_Gahoi_.--Subcaste of Bania. See article Bania-Gahoi.

_Gahra_.--Synonym for Ahir or herdsman in the Uriya country.

_Gai-Gowari._--Subcaste of Gowari.

_Gaiki_.--A cowherd. (A subcaste of Gond in Betul.) A section of Chamar.

_Gaikwar_ or _Gaika_.--(A cowherd.) A clan of Maratha. A section of Ahir, Bhil, Kunbi and Mahar.

_Gaita_.--Subcaste of Gond.

_Gaiwale_.--(Cow-keeper.) A subcaste of Moghia.

_Gajarha_.--_(Gajar_, a carrot.) A section of Teli in Mandla.

_Gajjam_.--A sept of the Dhurwa clan of Gonds in Betul named after Gajjami. (Bow and arrows in Gondi.)