The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India
Chapter 94 : _Dhalgar_.--A small occupational caste who made leather s.h.i.+elds, and are now almost

_Dhalgar_.--A small occupational caste who made leather s.h.i.+elds, and are now almost extinct as the use of s.h.i.+elds has gone out of fas.h.i.+on. They are Muhammadans, but Mr. Crooke [439] considers them to be allied to the Dabgars, who make leather vessels for holding oil and _ghi_ and are also known as Kuppesaz. The Dabgars are a Hindu caste whose place in the Central Provinces is taken by the Budalgir Chamars. These receive their designation from _budla_, the name of the leather bag which they make. _Budlas_ were formerly employed for holding _ghi_ or melted b.u.t.ter, oil and the liquid extract of sugarcane, but vegetable oil is now generally carried in earthen vessels slung in baskets, and _ghi_ in empty kerosene tins. Small bottles of very thin leather are still used by scent-sellers for holding their scents, though they also have gla.s.s bottles. The song of the Leather Bottel recalls the fact that vessels for holding liquids were made of leather in Europe prior to the introduction of gla.s.s. The Dhalgars also made targets for archery practice from the hides of buffaloes; and the similar use of the hides of cattle in Europe survives in our phrase of the bull's eye for the centre of the target.

_Dhamonia_.--(From Dhamoni, a town in Saugor.) A subcaste of Sonkar. A territorial sept of Darzi and Dhobi.

_Dhanak Sammani_.--(One who reverences the bow.) A section of Barai.

_Dhandere_.--(Probably from Dhundhar, an old name of Jaipur or Amber State.) A sept of Rajputs.

_Dhangar_.--(A farmservant.) Synonym of Oraon.

_Dhanka_.--Perhaps a variant for Dhangar. Subcaste of Oraon.

_Dhanoj_, _Dhanoje_.--(From _dhangar_, a shepherd.) Subcaste of Are and Kunbi.

_Dhanpagar_.--(One serving for a pittance of paddy.) A section of Teli.

_Dhanuhar_.--(A corrupt form of Dha.n.u.sdhar or a holder of a bow.) Synonym of Dhanwar.

_Dhanuk_.--(A bowman.) A caste. A subcaste of Mehtar.

_Dha.n.u.shban_.--(Bow and arrow.) A sept of Kawar.

_Dharampuria_.--(Resident of Dharampur.) Subcaste of Dhobi.

_Dhare_.--t.i.tle of Gowari.

_Dhari_.--A subcaste of Banjara. They are the bards of the caste.

_Dharkar_.--Subcaste of Basor.

_Dharmik_.--(Religious or virtuous.) A subcaste of Mahar and Maratha.

_Dhed_.--Synonym for Mahar.

_Dhengar_.--A subcaste of Bharewa (Kasar) and Gadaria.

_Dhera_. [440]--A small Telugu caste of weavers, the bulk of whom reside in the Sonpur State, transferred to Bengal in 1905. The Dheras were brought from Orissa by the Raja of Sonpur to make clothes for the images of the G.o.ds, which they also claim to be their privilege in Puri. Their exogamous groups are named after animals, plants or other objects, and they practise totemism. The members of the Surya or sun group will not eat during an eclipse. Those of the Nalla (black) sept will not wear black clothes. Those of the Bansethi and Bha.n.a.la septs will not use the _bandi_, a kind of cart from which they consider their name to be derived. The Otals take their name from _utti_, a net, from which pots are hung, and they will not use this net. Those of the Gunda sept, who take their name from _gunda_, a bullet, will not eat any game shot with a gun. Marriage within the sept is prohibited, but the Dheras always, where practicable, arrange the marriage of a boy with his maternal uncle's daughter. Even in childhood the members of such families address each other as brother-in-law and sister-in-law. When the bridegroom and bride go home after the marriage ceremony, the bridegroom's sister bars the door of the house and will not let them in until they have severally promised to give her their daughter for her son. A girl must be married before arriving at adolescence on pain of permanent exclusion from the caste. If a suitable husband has not therefore been found when the period approaches, the parents marry the girl to her elder sister's husband or any other married man. She is not bound to enter into conjugal relations with the man to whom she is thus united, and with his consent she may be consequently married to any other man in the guise of a widow. If a bachelor takes such a girl to wife, he must first be married to a _sahara_ tree (_Streblus asper_). When a betrothal is arranged, an elderly member of the bridegroom's family proceeds to the bride's house and asks her people three times in succession whether the betrothal is arranged, and at each reply in the affirmative ties a knot in his cloth. He then goes home and in the bridegroom's house solemnly unties the knots over another cloth which is spread on the ground. This cloth is then considered to contain the promises and it is wrapped up and carefully put away to keep them as if they were material objects.

_Dherha_.--(Brother-in-law or paternal aunt's husband.) t.i.tle of Kharia.

_Dhimar_.--A caste. Subcaste of Kori.

_Dhimra_.--Synonym for Dhimar.

_Dhobi_.--The caste of washermen. A sept of Bharia and Bhaina.

_Dhokhede_.--One of doubtful parentage. A sept of Teli.

_Dholewar_.--(From _dhola_, a drum.) A subcaste of Bhoyar and Gaoli. A section of Basor.

_Dholi_.--(A minstrel.) Subcaste of Bhat.

_Dhubela_.--Origin perhaps from the Dhobi caste. Subcaste of Basor.

_Dhulbajia_.--(From _dhol_, a drum.) A subcaste of Chamar, also known as Daijania.

_Dhulia_, _Dholin_, _Dholi_.--(A player on a _dhol_ or drum.) Synonym for the Basor caste. A subcaste of Gond in Chanda and Betul. A subcaste of Mahar.

_Dhunak Pathan_.--Synonym for Bahna.

_Dhunia_.--(From _dhunna_, to card cotton.) Synonym for Bahna.

_Dhunka_.--(A cotton-cleaner.) Subcaste of Kadera.

_Dhur Gond_.--(From _dhur_, dust.) A subcaste of Gonds. They are also known as Rawanvansi or descendants of Rawan.

_Dhuri_.--A caste of grain-parchers. A subcaste of Dhimar.

_Dhuria_.--Subcaste of Nagasia and Dhimar. They are so called because they mark the forehead of the bride with dust (_dhur_) taken from the sole of the bridegroom's foot.

_Dhurwa_.--The word may be derived from _dhur_, dust. Dhur is a name given to the body of Gonds as opposed to the Raj-Gonds. One of the commonest septs of Gonds. A sept of Baiga, Kolta, Kalar and Nat. A t.i.tle of Parja.

_Dhusar_.--Subcaste of Bania.

_Dhusia_.--Subcaste of Murha.

_Digambari_.--A sect of Jain Banias who do not clothe their idols and apply saffron to their feet. Also a cla.s.s of Bairagis or religious mendicants.

_Diharia_ or _Kisan_.--(One who lives in a village or a cultivator.). Subcaste of Korwa.

_Dikhit_, _Diks.h.i.+t_, _Dixit_.--(The Initiator.) A subcaste of Brahman. A clan of Rajputs of the solar race formerly dominant in the United Provinces.

_Dila_.--(A pointed stick tied to a calf's mouth to prevent him from sucking.) A totemistic sept of Kawar. They do not use a stick in this manner. A section of Ahir.

_Dillawal_.--A subcaste of Kasar. Those belonging to or coming from Delhi.

_Dingkuchia_.--(One who castrates cattle and ponies.) Subcaste of Ghasia.

_Dipawalia_.--(One who supplies oil for the lamps at Diwali.) A sept of Teli.

_Dipbans_.--(Son of the lamp.) t.i.tle of Teli.

_Diwan_.--t.i.tle of the members of the Dahait caste committee.

_Dixit_.--See Dikhit.

_Dobaile_.--(One who yokes two bullocks to the oil-press.) Subcaste of Telis in the Nagpur country.

_Dobisya_.--(Two score.) Subcaste of Halwai.