craft, in which is a new loin-cloth dyed with turmeric. This is put on the bridegroom, and the basket is handed to one of his friends. All the friends on both sides stand at the bride’s door, beat drums and dance. In this dance the men fasten rattling bangles (ghungru) on their ankles and play on the tambourine (dafla), flute (bânsuli), and large drum (mândar), while they leap high in the air and shout. Then they retire to rest under a tree outside the village. One of the bride’s friends then comes and washes their feet, after which the boy’s father sends a loin cloth (dhoti) and one hundred cakes (pûri) to the bride. These, when they arrive, are carefully counted, and twenty-five are sent back to the bridegroom, who gives a piece to each of his friends. 7. At night the bride and bridegroom are seated in a square (chauk) in the bride’s courtyard. The father’s sister’s husbands (apparently a survival of the matriarchate) who manage the business, sit on each side of the pair. They join the hands of the boy and girl, and putting a ring of grass on her finger pour water over their hands while they cry Bar kanya chiranji rahen—“Long life to bride and bridegroom.” This is said five times, and water is poured over their hands five times. Then the pair walk five times round a branch of the cotton tree (semal) which is fixed up in the marriage shed. [319] Next a curry stone is placed before the pair and on it is laid a piece of betel-nut. The bridegroom holds the bride’s foot and knocks this off with her toe. This is known as kuri metna—“to obliterate the pile,” and is said to imply that the rule of the prohibited degrees has been observed in the marriage. [320] Next the bridegroom takes some red lead and rubs the girl with it from the tip of her nose up to the crown of her head, while her sister comes forward and collects (sendur bahorna) any loose grains in the corner of her sheet. For this she gets a fee of two annas. Next the pair go into the kohabar or retiring room, where a good deal of coarse merriment goes on at the expense of the bridegroom. [321] The ceremony winds up with a feast and the escort of the bride to her husband’s house. A day or two after bride and bridegroom take the two wedding jars (kalsa) to a neighbouring tank. The bride stands with her back to her husband and with an affectation of secrecy throws her jar into the water (kalsa dulâna). He then stands with his back to her and throws in his jar. Both proceed to search for them, and when they find them fill them with water and bring them home. On the way they rest them on the ground and pour a little of the bundiya sweetmeat made of gram flour and butter on the ground. Then they proceed to the tree under which is the shrine of Deonâth, the tribal god, and there make a fire offering (hom) with sugar and butter. This closes the marriage ritual, the binding portion of which is the application of red lead (sendurdân) to the parting of the bride’s hair. [322]