Some members of the caste are Vaishnavites, and others Saivites. In some places, the former are branded by their gurus, who are Vaishnava Brahmans. They also worship various village deities, which vary according to the place of residence. In the Census Report, 1891, the worship of Sunkalamma, Jambulamma, and Timmappa is noted. It is stated by Mr. Hemingway that "the Uppiliyans have a caste god, named Karuvandaraya Bommadeva. He has no temple, but all the Uppiliyans in a village join in offering him an annual sacrifice in Tai (January-February), before the earth is scraped for the first time in the season for making saltpetre. They use avaram (Cassia auriculata) flowers and river sand in this worship. They also have three special caste goddesses, called Tippanjal, who are supposed to be women who committed sati. They have also Brahman gurus, who visit them every year, and bless their salt pits." Concerning the caste organisation of the Uppiliyans, Mr. Hemingway writes that "when a complaint of a caste offence is made, notice is sent to the Pattakkaran (headman), and to the whole Uppiliyan community in the neighbourhood, notifying the accusation and the provisional expulsion of the accused. A second notice summons the community to a panchayat (council), which is presided over by at least two or three Pattakkarans, the caste god being represented by some avaram flowers, a pot of water, and margosa (Melia Azadirachta) leaves. If acquitted, the accused is made to touch the water pot in token of his innocence. If he is convicted, both he and the complainant are fined, the latter for the purification of his house, if it has been polluted by the offence. The purification is performed by a man of the Marudur Nadu called Rettai Vilakkukaran (man of two lights), who eats a meal in the polluted house, with his hands held behind his back." It was recently noted that the Upparas are, as a rule, uneducated, and their ignorance of the three R's often leads to bitter disputes among themselves and with their employers in disbursing their wages. Some years ago, one of the Madras Missions opened a school for the benefit of this backward caste. In 1906, the Hindu Educational Mission of Madras started a night and day school, Upparapalaiyam Arya Pathasala, in the Upparapalaiyam quarter of Madras. There is a Telugu proverb to the effect that one is ruined both ways, like an Uppara who has turned Sanyasi (ascetic), in reference to the fact that he neither follows his ancestral occupation, nor is tolerated in his new calling. The usual caste title is Chetti. Uppara occurs as a synonym of Kusa Holeya.