and was a terror to the neighbourhood. Parvati descended at the same time to become Khando-ba's wife. His worship is very popular among the people of low caste in the Maratha country. Sheep are sacrificed at the principal temple on the Jejuri hill, and a bad custom prevails of dedicating young girls to the god's service. Khando-ba is sometimes represented with his wife on horseback, attended by a dog. A sect existed in Sankara's time, who worshipped Mallari as lord of dogs.'] At the marriages of the Khasgis, an unusual custom, called Vira Puja, or the worship of warriors, is observed. Before the ceremony, the men form themselves into two parties, each under a leader, and march to the banks of the Narihalla river, engaging in mock combat as they go. At the river an offering is made to Siva in his form as the warrior Martanda, and his blessing is invoked. The goddess Ganga is also worshipped, and then both parties march back, indulging on the way in more pretended fighting. The second division of the Marathas, the Kunbis, are generally agriculturists, though some are servants to the first division. They cannot intermarry with the Khasgis, or dine with them except in separate rows, and their womanfolk are not gosha; but they have Brahmanical gotras and Brahman purohits. Some of them use the Raja's name of Ghorpade, but this is only because they are servants in his household. The third division, the Lekavalis, are said to be the offspring of irregular unions among other Marathas, and are many of them servants in the Raja's palace. Whence they are also called Manimakkalu. They all call themselves Ghorpades, and members of the Raja's (the Kansika) gotra. They thus cannot intermarry among themselves, but occasionally their girls are married to Kunbis. Their women are in no way gosha." [12] The cranial type of the Marathas is, as shown by the following table, like that of the Canarese, mesaticephalic or sub-brachycephalic:-- Cephalic Index Av. Max. Canarese 50 Holeyas 79.1 87.4 Marathi 30 Rangaris 79.8 92.2 Canarese 50 Vakkaligas 81.7 93.8 Marathi 30 Suka Sales 81.8 88.2 Marathi 30 Sukun Sales 82.2 84.4