Sonar.--The Sonars or Sonagaras of South Canara are described by Mr. H. A. Stuart [181] as a goldsmith caste, who "speak Konkani, which is a dialect of Marathi, and are believed to have come from Goa. The community at each station has one or two Mukhtesars or headmen, who enquire into, and settle the caste affairs. Serious offences are reported to the swamy of Sode, who has authority to excommunicate, or to inflict heavy fines. They wear the sacred thread. Marriages within the same gotra are strictly prohibited. Most of them are Vaishnavites, but a few follow Siva. The dead are burned, and the ashes are thrown into a river. They eat fish, but not flesh. Their title is Setti." They consider it derogatory to work in metals other than gold and silver. In the Madras Census Report, 1901, the Sunnari (or Sonnari) are described as Oriya goldsmiths (see Risley, Tribes and Castes of Bengal, Sonar). These goldsmiths, in the Oriya portion of the Madras Presidency, are, I am informed, Kamsalas from the Telugu country. Unlike the Oriyas, and like other Telugu classes, they invariably have a house-name, and their mother tongue is Telugu. They are Saivites, bury their dead, claim to be descendants of Viswakarma, and call themselves Viswa Brahmans. They do not eat meals prepared by Brahmans, or drink water at the hands of Brahmans. In former times, goldsmiths held the post of Nottakaran (tester) or village shroff (money-changer). His function was to test the rupees tendered when the land revenue was being gathered in, and see that they were not counterfeit. There is a proverb, uncomplimentary to the goldsmiths, to the effect that a goldsmith cannot make an ornament even for his wife, without first secreting some of the gold or silver given him for working upon. It has been noted [182] that "in Madras, an exceedingly poor country, there is one male goldsmith to every 408 of the total population; in England, a very rich country, there is only one goldsmith to every 1,200 inhabitants. In Europe, jewellery is primarily for ornament, and is a luxury. In India it is primarily an investment, its ornamental purpose being an incident."