All Communities: H-M 1721 Crooke, W., The Tribes and Castes of the North-Western India (Calcutta: Government Printing Press, 1896; rpt. 1974, Delhi: Cosmo Publications), vol. 1It, p. 257. Enthoven, RE., The Tribes and Castes of Bombay (Bombay: Government Central Press, 1922; tpt. 1975, Delhi: Cosmo Publications), vol. 1 Hassan, S.S., Castes and Tribes of H.EH. The Nizam's Dominions Hyderabad State (Bombay: Government Centeal Press, 1920), pp. 12-14. Risley, H.H., The Tribes and Castes of Bengal (Calcurca: Bengal Secretariat Press, 1891; spt. 1981, Calcutta: Firma Mukhopadhyay), vol. I, p. 455, Rose, H.A., Glossary of the Tribes annd Castes of the Punjab and N.W.F. Province (Lahore Civil & Military Gazette Press, 1919: spr. 1980, Delhi: Amar Prakashan), vol. 1 KHATRI They originated in Punjab, and are widely distributed in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtea and Tamil Nadu, in over 132 districts in che country having 241 segments. The Khatri claim to be Rajput and believe that their community name is a corrupt form of Kshatriya. There are many theories regarding their origin, most of them highly speculative. The Khatri are largely engaged in merchantile activities including various kinds of business. They are moneylenders particularly in rural areas. There is no doubt they are a pre- dominant community of north-western India and have emerged as one of the most progressive and dynamic communities in recent years. ‘A notable feature of Khatri community is heterogencity in terms of social divisions such as got and the order of hierarchy in which they are placed. The threefold stratification of traditional Khatri community is described in terms of char, bara, bavanja order or 4:12:52 convention, The first consists of Mehra or Malhotra, Kapoor, Khanna, and Seth. While describing the origin of Khattis, Risley (1891) states that they are the direce descendants of the Kshatriya and believes thac the Brahman as well as the Kshatriya have contributed to form the new caste, Khatri [cis claimed that Parashuram, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, violently caused the miscarriage of every Kshatriya woman. Some of them took shelter in Brahman houses, and the Brahman declared them Brahmanis with whom they interdined (Risley 1891: Crooke 1896, Russell and Hiralal 1916). Concurrently, Risley states that the Khatri descended neither from the Brahman nor from the Kshatriya and ultimately connects them to the Vaisya, because they invite the Saraswat Brahman as priests to conduct rituals. According to George Campbell’s work on the Khatri, Crooke (1896) states thac ‘trade is their main occupation . . . monopolizing the trade of Punjab and the greater part of Afghanistan . .. Altogether there can be no doubt that these Khattis are one of the most acute, energetic and remarkable races in India . . .’ Ibbetson (1916) points to ethnological affinities with the Kshatriya and says that ‘it is doubrful on most other matters connected with the fourfold caste system’, On the other hand, Crooke (1896) adds the Nesfield view that ‘the cause which detached the Khatri from the Kshatriya and shut out all possibility of a return to the ancestral caste was the establishment of a marriage union between fragments or clans drawn from several different subcastes of Kshatriyas, between whom no con- nubial rights had hitherto existed, or from subcastes of Kshatriyas mixed with1722 All Communities: H-M Brahmans. There is much reason to believe that Brahmans as well as Kshatriyas have contributed to form the new caste of Khatri By reason of their connection with the silk industry, the Khatri are also called Putnulkaran by other castes, but they identify themselves as Bhuja Raja Kshatriya and claim their descent from one Karta Virya Arjuna. Risley (1891) has deale with six subcastes having several sections including titles like Barman, Lal, Mahata and Sahu. On the other hand Ibbetson (1916) categorizes the Khatri of Punjab as tribal groups, with artificial divisions and exogamous sections According to Crooke (1896) they are constituted of ten subcastes and at the last census returns, the Khatri show 761 subdivisions in which the endogamous subcastes and exogamous sections are inextricably mixed together. According to Sherring (1874), they are divided into two main branches in Banaras — the Purbia or eastern Khatri and the Pachhainiya or the western Khatri. The former are divided into six ‘subtribes’, each with a number of clans (p. 280). In the Central as well as in Bombay province, being a small group, Russell and Hiralal (1916) mention nothing about their social organization but note that their system is complex. In Punjab, as mentioned above the Khatri are one of the major communities who trace their origin to one segment of the Kshatriya of Manu’s varna system Before the Independence of India, they were mostly settled in the western part of pre-partition Punjab and migrated to India after Independence. They speak Punjabi and use the Gurmukhi script. The AIAS (Ist phase) data on the Khatri of Punjab reveals that they are tall to above medium stature in with an average of 170 cm. The majority of them are long to round headed people with a narrow nose and a short and broad face. The AIBAS data suggests that the average household size of the Punjabi Khatri is five and the proportion of males is 58 per cent in the oral population. Married females (45 per cent) are slightly greater in number than the males (33 per cent). They display a tendency towards a mesocephalic head-shape unlike the people of Gangetic plains of comparable stature (Singh 1972). In the serogenetic markers, however, they mostly exhibit trends similar to those observed in the north Indian pattern with a higher frequency of gene B (ranging from 25 to 32 per cent) than gene A (18 to 24 per cent). The frequency of non-secretors for ABH substances in the saliva is relatively low (18 per cent) and uniform in the Khatri of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (Anand 1961). They also show a similar frequency of non-tasters for PTC (29 to 36 per cent) found in the region. Compared to the western and central Indian region, they show a higher frequency of N gene with 31 per cent of Ns combination in the MNSs system (Bhalla 1966). They indicate a slightly higher frequency of ACP (a) than other north Indian groups, and about equal frequency of Hp] allele. PGM-1 allele has been found to range between 64 to 71 per cent among them. They are vegetarian but occasionally take non- vegetarian food. Their staple cereals are wheat and maize supplemented with rice. Rose (1919) writes that the Khatri are a trading caste of bankers and moneylenders and are engaged in agriculture. Bhalla, Bhasin, Bohra, Dhawan, Kakar, Khanna, Kocher, Mahendru, Mehra, Sahi, Sahni, Seni, Seth, and TandonAll Communities: H- M 1723 are their titles, The Khatri have four subgroups, namely Bahris, Bunjahis, Sariu and Khokhrar. They are divided into a number of gots like Bhalla, Bohra. Dhawan or Dhavan, Kakar, Khanna, Kocher, Mahendru, Mehra, Sahi, Sahni Seni, Seth, Tandon, Bade-Badera, Puri, Paran, Mehta, Handa, Saigal, Tinsau- Bunjahi, Zat Bunjahi, Sikh Bunjahi, Mol, harman, Bhuchar, Cham, Chhotta, Dhand, Kaura, Koli, Likhi, Malhotra, Rihan, Softi, Bedi, Sodhi, Tihun/Trihan, Khokhran, Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Suri, Saharwal, Kapur, Chopra, Talwar, Sahgal, Wadhaun and Wohra. The Khokharan or Khokhrar subgroup has gotras, such as Chandrabansi, Virbans and Surajbansi. They accept girls from the Arora community. Marriages are arranged through negotiation with the help of a mediator who is cither the barber or some relative. Monogamy is strictly observed. There are no symbols of marriage among the Sikhs Khatri. However, vermilion, bangles, a dot on the forehead (bindi), and finger-rings are the symbols of marriage for the Hindu women. Previously, child marriage was observed, but presently adult marriages are practised. Both the Hindu and Sikh Khatri discourage divorce. All the sons inherit parental property equally. ‘The life-cycle rituals are observed according to the Hindu or Silth traditions depend- ing upon their religion. They perform birch rituals such as a putificatory bath and tonsure, The Janue ceremony is also observed by them. Their marriage rituals include shagan, tilak, gona, mayan, shanti path, choora, sehra bandi, milni, reception of the barat and the marriage proper. The dead are cremated and the rituals observed are phul chugna, choutha, daswan and kirya on the thirteenth day. In the event of a child’s death, they bury the child. Their business pursuits range from being village shopkeepers to being wholesale traders. Presently, they are working in all the fields. In post: Independence India their traditional councils have become irrelevant. The Khatri visit common teligious centres like temples (mandir) or Gurudwaras. On special occasions such as marriage, men and women take part in dances. Traditionally, the Khatri were linked with other communities by jajmani or patron-client relationships. Mutual dependence for routine and ceremonial events made the different communities work like a well-knit social system They maincain a jajmani relationship with the barber (Raja), Miasi, Dom, tailors, washermen, water-carriers and some others, These communities par- ticipate in social and religious gatherings. The development programmes have brought numerous opportunities to them and they make fall use of the welfare programmes pertaining to formal education, family welfare, medical and health facilities and self-employment schemes. In Haryana, the Khatri are distributed in all the districts and are confined mostly to the urban areas. They speak Punjabi and Hindi and use the Devanagari and Gurmukhi scripts. They have subcastes like the Bunjahi, Sarin, Bahri and Khokhran which used to be endogamous earlier, but the rules have been relaxed of late. They are further divided into a number of clans. They are monogamous, and their marriages are negotiated at the age of cwenty years. Remattiage of divorcees, widows and widowers are allowed in case of young and willing individuals. Both nuclear and joint families are observed among them. The property is divided equally among the sons only and the eldest sot inherits the1724 All Communities: H-M father’s authority. Post-delivery pollution called sootak is observed for forty days. Their marriage rituals are performed for thirteen days and include rok, thaka, chunni-charana, sagan, barat, phera and doli. The dead are cremated and a pollution period is observed for thirteen days. The death rituals observed by thom are chautha, kirya, rasam pagri and barsi ‘The Katri of Haryana are engaged in self-employment and service in the private and government sectors. They are also engaged in trade, business and industry. They traditionally maintain intercommunity linkages and accept food and water from other communities, but not from the scheduled castes and the Muslim. Intercommunity marriages take place with other Punjabi communities like the Brahman, Arora and Bhatia. ‘The literacy rate is relatively high among them. Their attitude towards family planning is favourable and they prefer small families, In Delhi, the Khatri have two main territorial divisions, namely the Purabia or eastern Khatri and Pachhadha or western Khatri. They are immigrants from Urtar Pradesh and have settled in different parts of Delhi. They speak Khadiboli at home and Hindi with others and use the Devanagari script. The AIBAS data on the Khatri of Delhi shows that the average household size is five and males are more in number (58 per cent) chan the females (41 per cent). The percentage of married females (60 per cent) is much higher than that of married males (35 percent). All the Khatris in Delhi betong to one gotra, Kaushal, They are divided into different clans (kul), such as Mehra, Kapoor, Mehrotra, Khanna, Tandon and Seth, which regulate marriage alliances. Vermilion, glass bangles and toe- rings are the marriage symbols for women. The residence after marriage is patrilocal and they follow the male equigeniture rule of inheritance. The mundan or tonsure ceremony is performed for both male and female children whereas the thread-wearing ceremony is observed for the males, The important marriage rituals observed by them are larka rokna, god bharai, haldi-tel, bhat, dwar puja and jaimala. The dead are cremated The Khatti of Delhi were traditionally engaged as civil administrators, warriors and traders. At present they are businessmen, traders, industrialists and are also engaged in government and private sector jobs. They have organized welfare societies like Khacri Samaj, Khatri Sabha and Khatri Upkarini Sabha for the welfare and uplifiment of the community. They are Hindu by faith and engage Brahman priests to pertorm their rites and rituals. They traditionally accept and exchange food with the Brahman and Bania. Being vegetarian. themselves they avoid accepting food from other castes who take non-vegetarian food. They have a favourable attitude towards developmental programmes regarding education, health and family planning and they utilize all civic amen- ities extended by the government In Himachal Pradesh, the Khatri are migrants from Punjab and trace their origin to the Kshattiya, They are broadly divided into Bari, Bunjahi and Sarin groups, of which the first and second have twelve sections each and the third has one hundred fifty-two sections (Rose 1919). They are chiefly found in the Bilaspur, Solan, Kangra, Hamirpur, Una, Mandi, Simla and Sirmaur districts ‘They have adopted the regional culture, language, dress and food habits. TheyAll Communities: H -M 1725 speak different regional dialects of western Pahari and use the Devanagari script. Economic status seems to be the main criterion of social hierarchy, and generally the traders are more well off than the cultivators. ‘They have numerous clans, such as Chadda, Sethi, Ratwan, Chopra, Kaure, Mehta, Mehra, Varma, Jagota and Vaidya. The dan names are used as surnames. The Jagota are cultivators. The community is generally endogamous. Village exogamy is maintained by them. They mostly live in nuclear families, The inheritance of paternal property follows the rule of male equigeniture. Birth pollution (sutak) lasts for sixteen days among them. The naming ceremony is observed by some, and tonsure (mundan) is performed for the male children The thread-wearing (janeu) ceremony is observed at the time of marriage. The important rituals associated with marriage are sagai, betrothal (thahaka), sand, haldi, mehandi, lagan, circumambulation (vedi) of the sacred fire, sankalp and andrera. The dead are cremated ‘The Khatri mainly thrive on business of various kinds and many of them are moneylenders. Some of them are agriculturists who pursue animal husbandry as well, while some hold white-collar jobs in government offices. Their com- munity council is informal in nature. The social disputes are resolved by elders (sayana), and economic conflicts are taken up by the statutory village councils or a legal course is taken. They are Hindu by faith. They traditionally exchange kachcha and pucca food with the Brahman, Rajput, Bania and some others The developmental programmes have had considerable impact on the com- munity in terms of enhancing literacy, health, medical care, mass media and other facilities. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Khatti are addressed by the honorific titles of Lala and Shah. The Vishnu Purana states that Rishi Bharadwaja had four sons, two of whom became Brahmans while the other two remained Khatris. They trace their origin to the epic Kshatriya races of Surya Vansha, Chandra Vansha and Agni-Kula. It seems that they came to this region, during the reign of rulers whom they served as administrators and military generals. They are scattered all over the Jammu region, but are concentrated in towns and in fertile tracts of Jammu. They speak Punjabi among themselves and Dogri and Bhadrawahi with others. They use the Devanagari and Perso-Arabic scripts. The ABO blood group gene frequencies of the Khatri of Jammu show a very high incidence of gene B (31 per cent) than gene A (15 per cent) when compared to many north Indian caste groups who show a similar trend (Kashyap 1976). They are occasional non-vegetarians. The Khatri have a complex social hierarchy and are divided into hundreds of sections and subsections. The Jammu Khatri are divided into three main groups: the Bari, comprising of twelve sections; Bunjahi, comprising theoreti- cally of fifty-two sections grouped into four subgroups; and Surin, divided into cwenty groups of six sections each. These groups are endogamous, Bhardwaj, Angirasa, Kausika, Kansilya are some of their gotras. They are monogamous, but some of the well-to-do among them have more than one wife at one time A Khatri family is usually a vertically extended unit but there is a tendency towards nuclear families caused by the stress and strain of modern life. All the1726 All Communities: HM male offsprings share paternal property equally in pugyand fashion. But in the case of male offsprings from two or more, mothers the entire moveable or immovable property is divided into equal shares corresponding to the number of wives whose male offsprings are alive, and each share is then divided equally among the male children of that wife. The first pregnancy is greeted with a ritual (reet) that includes the preparation of two-and-half pitchers-full of gramflour Indian curry (Khatri) and its distribution among the members of the community (biradari), Most of the Khatri sections celebrate the birth of a son by distributing sheera (sweet pudding) among their kin. They perform tonsure (mundan or jandian) between the age of two to eleven years, and venerate the aak or jandi tree and kite (chil) or eagle on this occasion. Their marriage rituals include thaka, kurmai, sagun, barat and vedi. They cremate the dead and observe pollution for thirteen days. The Khatri are primarily a trading and commercial community, and many of them own large tracts of agricultural land, big industries and mills. The majority of them are petty shopkeepers while some are moneylenders, financiers, contractors and transporters. The Khatri profess Hinduism. Some subscribe to the Sanatani ideals, whereas some are votaties of the Arya Samaj and Radha Soami Satsang. Guru Nanak and a number of other Sikh Gurus were Khatri. Hence some of them have adopted Sikhim, though they retain their original sectional names. Their women sing and dance on festive occasions and marriage rituals. The Khatri have their own councils (sabha) to maintain social control. Traditionally, connubial relations outside the community are prohibited. How- ever, putative kinship ties can be maintained even with the Sudra and non- Hindu. Being a trading community, they have good relations with all other communities whom they cater to, At present, there has been a change in their outlook and they now share public places and water sources with all ittespective of caste and creed. The attitude of the Khatri towards developmental program- mes is positive. In Uttar Pradesh, the Khatri are migrants from western India distributed in many districts. They speak Hindi and use the Devanagari script. In finger dermatoglyphic pattern types, they exhibit low values of pattern intensity and lower values of mean total ridge counts with little bisexual variation within from the Uttar Pradesh sample (Tyagi and Tewari 1984). Crooke (1896) states the the Khatri are found all over the United Provinces, and are divided into 761 subdivisions, in which endogamous subcastes and exogamous sections are mixed together. He mentions Kakkar, Kapur, Khanna, Lahauri, Mohendra, Mehere, Arora, Seth, Suriu, and Tandon as subcastes, and Bahri. Marhotral Mahra, Khanna, Kapur, Seth, Bunjahi, Bedi and Sodhi as clans. They are divided into various exogamous subdivisions such as Bhalla, Bhasin, Mehra, Mehrotra, Sehgal, Tandon, Kapoor, Khanna and Seth. The function of these divisions is to regulate marriage alliances. Their families are of the mixed extended type. All sons equally share and inherit the father’s property, and daughters do noc claim their share once they are matried. The eldest son inherits his father’s respon sibilities and succeeds as the head of the family. The thread-wearing ceremony (janeu) for the male children is an important and elaborate ceremony, The dareAll Communities: H-M 1727 marriage rituals are performed at the bride's place where her parents host a feast. They cremate the dead and observe pollution for thirteen days. “The Khatti of Uttar Pradesh are in business and government service and are also self-employed as advocates and doctors. The All India Khatri Mahasabha functions for the general welfare of the community. The Khatri are Hindu and their sacred specialists are the Kanyakubja Brahman. The educational level of this community is moderate and they avail themselves of all civic amenities. In Bihar, the Khatei are a migrant community from Punjab. They are the followers of Guru Nanak, but claim to be Hindu. The community has several subgroups such as Khosla, Kapur, Malhotra, Mehta and Seth. According to Risley (1891), the Khatri in Bengal and Bihar are traders, zamindars and tenure holders. Barman, Lal, Mahara and Sahu are their titles. The Khatri have six subcastes, each of which is divided into a number of sections, The Charjati subcaste comprises the Kapur, Khanna, Mehera, and Set or Set-Talwar sections; the Panchajati subcaste consists of the Beri, Bir), Saigal, Sarwal and Wahe sections; the Chhajati subcaste has the Bahle, Dhawan, Supat, Tolwar and Tuman sections; the Barajati has Chanpre, Ghai, Kakkar, Meheden, Soni and Tandon sections; and the Bahannajati subcaste constitutes the Behal, Chalagge, Dhandhabe, Gayaipure, Handi, Keoli, Khosla, Kuchal, Marwahe, Naiar, Nandi and Suri sections. Maithili is their mother tongue but they also speak Hindi. The Devanagari script is used by them, They eat non-vegetarian food. The subgroups use surnames, such as Khosla, Tandon, Mehta, Khanna, Malhotra, Saigal, Singh and Kapoor. Junior sororate is permissible among them. The earlier practise of child marriage is now discouraged. Widow marriage is not allowed but a widower can remarry. They live in nuclear and mixed extended families. The property is distributed equally among the sons and the eldest son inherits the father's authority. The naming and tonsute (mundan) ceremonies are observed for the male children. The marriage rituals observed by them include chhenka, faldan, dwarpuja, halidi and nahchu matkor. ‘The Khatti are a landowning community. They are also engaged in trading while some are employed in government and private organizations. Traditionally the Khatri accept water and kachcha food from the Yadav, Koiri, Kanu, Brahman and Rajput, but not from the Chamar, Dusadh, Dom, Netua and Pashi. They accept pucca food from the Hajam, Lohar, Nania, Khatbe, etc. Their boys generally study upto the graduate and post-graduate levels. They make use of the facilities pertaining to education, health, and employment. In Rajasthan, the Khatri are believed to have come from Sindh, Jaisalmer and Punjab. They are known as Arora Khatri and are found to be distributed in all the districts of the stare. Mewari and Marwari are spoken by them, but most of them are conversant with Hindi and use the Devanagari script. The AIBAS data shows that the average household size of the Khatri of Rajasthan is seven and the male population (54 per cent) numerically dominates the female population (45 per cent). Married females (40 per cent) are slightly more in number in comparison to married males (36 per cent). They are vegetarian in their food habits and strictly prohibit the consumption of liquor. There are two endogamous territorial divisions among them comprising1728 All Communities: H-M several clans, such as Dodecha, Gaba, Saghia, Morgoja, Morbani, Kangra, Bagecha and Sada. Divorce and remarriage (natta) are permitted among them. The nuclear families predominate over the traditional joint families. They follow the male equigeniture rule of inheritance. Pollution is observed for forty days after childbirth. Mundan or tonsure within the age of three years, and janeu or the sacred-thread ceremony at the time of marriage are also observed They cremate the dead and observe death pollution for ewelve days. Banking, trading and business are the traditional occupations of the Khatri in Rajasthan. Besides, they are also engaged in agriculture and service. The Khatri are Hindu by faith. Their caste council consists of some elderly people who resolve social problems. In the field of business, they interact with all other communities. The literacy level is appreciably high among them, and the Khatri women are encouraged to study. They make full use of modern medicines and family planning programmes, and also avail themselves of the facilities of modern amenities extended by the government. In Gujarat, the Khatri are Muslim converts concentrated in the district of Kutch. They speak Kachchi and use the Gujarati script. They have three territorial subgroups, such as Halai, Malwa and Marwad. They are non- vegetarian in their food habits. They have clans, such as Bedi, Booth, Dor, Dodia, Bajaj, Lodia and Sodhi which are named after their occupations or ancestors. Marriages are performed according to Islamic traditions, in which first cousins are preferred as spouses. Adule marriage and patrilocal residence are the norms, while monogamy is the usual form of marriage. Divorce is discouraged but widow marriage is allowed. Both extended and nuclear types of families are reported among them. Both sons and daughters have the right of inheritance but not equally. The eldest son inherits the father's authority. Post-delivery pollution and natal restrictions, naming, tonsure (mundan), aqiqa and circumcision of the male children are observed. The dead are buried and death rites are mostly concluded with the performance of chalisma on the fortieth day after a death in accordance with Islamic tenets. The Khatri carn a living by printing and dyeing (rangarikam), and tying and dyeing (bhandhani) of fabrics. Business and cultivation substantiates their income. The Khatri have an effective and organized community council (jamat) for dealing with the socio-teligious and occupational activities of the community. ‘They profess Islam and follow the Sunni sect. The sacred priests serving them are from other communities, who officiate over their life-cycle rituals and also during festivals. As artisans, they maintain and continue to have socio-occupa- tional relations with all che communities although ritual relations are restricted among themselves. They take an active part in local politics. They enjoy almost all the available developmental schemes pertaining to formal education, modern medicines, family planning, drinking water and other civic amenities. In Maharashtra, the Khatri have different subgroups, such as Brahmo Khatri, Gujarathi Khatri, Kapur Khatri, Sahashtrarjun Khatri, Surchi Khatei, Somvanshiya Khatri, and Maratha Khatri which are territorial and endogamous. They are weavers by profession. Sahastrarjun (having hundred hands) is the founder deity of this community. They speak Marathi and use the DevanagariAll Communities: H-M 1729 script. Those who have migrated from Gujarat speak Gujarati. They are non- vegetarian in their food habits. Enthoven (1922) describes the Khatri as weavers of cotton and silk. Their subdivisions are again divided inco clans (kul), such as Bhangde, Chavan, Konka and Kulkare. Bharadwaja, Gautam, Jamadagni, Kashyap, Narad, Parashar, Shan- dilya, Valmiki and Vashishtha are some of their gotras. The community is divided into various surnames like Bhandge, Chaudhuri, Mahkar, Bakle, Wak- hare, which act as exogamous units and regulate marriage alliances. Monogamy is the rule practised by all. A necklace (mangalsutra), a dot on the forehead (bindi) and toe-rings are the symbols of married women. Nuclear families are greater in number among them. Remarriage is allowed for divorcees and widowers. Parental property is inherited by the sons only. They celebrate the naming ceremony after twenty-one days of birth. They conduct a munj cere- mony in the case of a male child, and upanayana or thread-wearing is also performed during the ceremony. The important rituals associated with marriage are worship of the clan deity, homhavan, saptapadhi, mangalashtak, malwat and gadanganer. The dead are cremated. They profess the Hindu religion and worship hingalimata of Mandavgad as their community deity. They also worship Saptashrungi Devi of Wani ‘The Khatti are traditionally engaged in weaving silk saris. Some of them are also engaged in business. They have great skills in weaving, especially the famous paithani saris. Traditionally they take food and water from the Brahman, Maratha, Rangari and Bhavsar, but not from che Mang, Chamar and Bhangi Their educational standard is fair and some of their children study upto the post-graduate level. In Tamil Nadu, the Khatti, also called Bhiya Kshatriya or Patnoolkarar by others, use Sah as their title. Their ancestors migrated from northern India and settled in urban centres like Madras, Kanchipuram and Madurai. The Khatri language is their mother tongue, and they use the Devanagari script. Tamil is used for communicating with others. They are non-vegetarian but abstain from eating beef and pork. Their staple cereal is rice. According to Thurston (1909), the Khatri are also known as Patnulkaran and Bhujaraja Kshatriya and are divided into exogamous septs such as Sulegar, Powar, Mudugal, Sonappa and Bojagiri. They have also adopted Brahman gotras, such as Gautama, Kasyapa, Vasishta and Bhardwaja. The present study reveals that the Khatri are divided into many subgroups like Bhujagiri, Powar, Kottigar, Kalpak, Dhongadi, Habeeb, Sulegar, Sonappa, Jalkapuri, Tirumali, Katuva and Domagiri, which are in turn divided into a number of gotras like Gautam, Kasyapa, Vasistha and Bhardwaja whose function is to regulate mar- riage alliances and to indicate descent. Matital alliances are negotiated by the elders. The pendant (thali) and vermilion are the marriage symbols for women. Both widow and widower remarriages are allowed among them. The common form of the family is the mixed extended type. Property is equally shared by the sons, and the eldest son inherits the father's authority. Birth rituals include the naming ceremony on the twelfth day after a birth. Puberty rites (pushpavathi) are performed for the females. The Brahman priests officiate at their marriage1730 All Communities: H-M ceremonies, Their marriage rituals include the reception of the bridegrooms party, ancestor worship, circumambulation and a feast. The dead are cremated and pollution is observed for ten days and final death ritual (karmandhiram) is observed on same day. The traditional and present-day occupation of the Khatri is silk and cotton weaving, colouring, dyeing of threads and making jari and garlands. Some of them are engaged in other occupations like business and government jobs. They have caste councils to setele their disputes, and have community associations 0 plan and implement welfare activities. They are Hindu by faith and Renukamba is their community deity. They traditionally accept both cooked and uncooked food and water from the Vellalar, Chettiar and the Mudaliyar. The educational standard of their children is fair. They prefer modern medicines and favour family-welfare schemes. They avail themselves of all other civic facilities extended by the government Anand, Swadesh, ‘Frequency of ABO Blood Groups and Secretor Factor in the Punjabis (Khacris and Aroras), Ph.D. Thesis (Delhi: University of Delhi, 1961) (un- published). Bhalla, V., ‘Blood Group Discribution Pertaining to ABO, MNSS and RHHr Systems in the Indian Sub-continent’, Anthropologi, 4, 1966, pp. 67-86. Crooke, W., The Tribes and Castes of the North-Western India (Caleutta: Government Printing Press, 1896; pt. 1975, Delhi: Cosmo Publications), vol. il, pp. 264-73. Enthoven, R.E., The Tribes and Castes of Bombay (Bombay: Government Central Press, 1922; rpe. 1975, Delhi: Cosmo Publications), vol. 11, pp. 205-8. Ibbetson, D., Panjab Castes: Races Castes and Tribes of the People of Panjab (Lahore: Government Press, 1916; rpt. 1981, New Delhi: Cosmo Publications), p. 247 , L.K., “The ABO Blood Groups in Four Endogamous Caste Groups of mm", The Anthropologist, 23 (1 & 2), 1976, pp. 55~60. P.K., “A Glimpse of History of Somavamshiya Sahastarjuna Kehatriyas (Hobili: S.K. Samaj Conference Souvenir, 1976), vol. 1, pp. 1-19. Puri Baij Nath, The Khatrit: A Socio-Cultural Study (New Delhi: M.N. Publishers & Discribucors, 1988) Risley, H.H., The Tribes and Castes of Bengal (Calcutta: Bengal Secretariat Press, 1891; tpt. 1981, Calcutta: Firma Mukhopadhyay), vol. 1, pp. 478-84 Rose, H.A., Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and N.W.F. Province (Lahore: Civil & Military Gazette Press, 1919; rpe. 1980, Delhi: Amar Prakashan), vol. 1 pp. 508-10. Russell, R.V. and Hiralal, The Tribes and Castes ofthe Central Provinces of India (London: Macmillan and Company, 1916; 1pt. 1975, Delhi: Cosmo Publications), vol, Seth, Motilal, ‘A Brief Echnological Survey of the Khatris’ (Agra: Khattri Hid Association, 1905) Sherring, M.A., Hindu Tribes and Castes Represented in Benares (London: 1872; sp 1974, Delhi: Cosmo Publications), vol. 1 Singh, Raghbir, Somatometric Study of Punjabi Hindu Khatri (Male): With Special Emphasis on Growth (Cross Sectional) and Relation Between Arm Girth and Body Weight Measurements (Miami: Florida Field Research Projects, 1972).All Communities: H — 1731 Srivastava, P.K., R.K. Saran and H.M. Bhatia, "The Distribution of ABO and Rh Blood Groups in North Indian Population’, Human Heredity, 21, 1971, pp. 326-33 Sunderland, E., K.S. Sawhney, R.A. Care Wrighcand J.G. Jolly, ‘Studies of Haproglobin and Transferrin Types in Four Castes of the Punjab, North India’, Human Heredity, 26, 1976, pp. 16-24. Thurston, E., Castes and Tribes of Southern India (Madras: Government Press, 1909; rpt. 1975, Delhi: Cosmo Publications), vol. i, pp. 282-7. Tiwari, P.K. and D. ‘Tyagi, ‘Finger Dermacoglyphics of the Rastogis’, Man in India, 64 (3), 1984, pp. 288-93. Yusuf, A. Patel, History of Khatri (Karachi: Pak Colour & Chemical Company, 1975) (Gujarati), vol. 1 kiaTRi, Bak Also known as Bahri Khatri, they are a subgroup of the Pach- haimya or western Khatri in Delhi. The khatri is a well-known community which has its origin in Punjab. The term Bari is derived from these term bara meaning twelve, based on the twelve exogamous clans included in this subgroup. In Delhi, they are found scattered in different localities. Their mother tongue is the Indo-Aryan language Punjabi, and they use the Gurmukhi script. They are also conversant with Hindi and use the Devanagari script. They have a higher frequency (27.2 per cent) of blood group gene B than of gene A (17.9 per cent) A high incidence of non-secretor gene (42.0 per cent) is also reported among them (Anand 1961). They are non-vegetarian and their staple cereal is wheat The community has four hierarchical subgroups, namely Dhaighar, Char- gahar, Chheghar and Baraghar, which are hypergamous in nature. They also allow hypergamy with the Bunjahi and Khokharan Khatri. The clans include Kapoor, Khanna, Malhotra or Mehra, Seth or Kakkara, Chopra, Dhawan, Seghal, Talwar, Vij, Tandon, Vohra and Mahendru. Marriages are settled through negotiation and adult marriage is the practice. Vermilion, bangles, a martiage pendant (mangalsutra) and a nose-pin are the symbols of married women, though these are not observed strictly. Dowry is paid by them in cash and kind. Remarriage is permitted for both sexes, and junior levirate and sororate are preferred. They follow the male equigeniture rule of inheritance. The naming and first cereal-feeding (annaprashan) ceremonies are observed for children. While che sacred-thread ceremony is observed for boys. The important rituals connected with marriage are tika or sagai, batna, menhdi., jaimala, kanyadan, application of vermilion in the hair parting of the bride (mangbharna) and tying of the marriage badge (mangal sutra dalna). The dead are cremated and the ashes are immersed in water. ‘The Bari Khatri are traditionally traders. Besides trade, they are also engaged in government and private services or are self-employed. They are Hindu by faith and have some clan deities. The Brahman priests are engaged to perform their rites and rituals. They accept and exchange food with the Brahman, Rajput and other subgroups of the Khatri. They have a favourable attitude towards all developmental programmes, stch as those pertaining to formal education, health, medicines and family planning. Anand Swdesh, ‘Frequency of ABO Blood Groups and Secretor Factors in the Punjabis1732 All Communities: H- M (Khatris and Aroras)’, Ph.D. Thesis (Delhi: University of Delhi, 1961) (unpub- lished). KHATRI KHOKHRAN One of the four endogamous subgroups of the Khatri in Delhi, they trace their origin to Punjab. The other endogamous subgroups are Bari, Banjhahi, and Sarin. The Khokhran are said to be the descendants of certain Khatris who joined the Khokha rebellion, and with whom the other Khatri families ate aftaid co intermarry (Ibbetson 1881). Either Hindi or Punjabi is their mother tongue depending upon the region from where they hail, and they use the Devanagari and Gurmukhi scripts. The older generation can also follow the Perso-Arabic script. In the ABO blood groups, the Khokhran Khatri have a higher frequency of gene B (27.7 per cent) than gene A (17.9 per cent), while the incidence of the non-secretor gene is reported at 43.9 per cent (Anand 1961). They are occasional non-vegetarian, but do not eat beef and pork. Their staple cereals are wheat and maize, supplemented with tice. ‘The Khokhran Khatri have eight clans, namely Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Kohli, Sabarwal, Sawhney, Sethi, and Suri. Clan names are generally used as surnames. Community endogamy and clan exogamy are the rules of marriage. However, inter martiages within the subgroups of the Khatri and with other communities also take place. Junior levicate and junior sororate are permissible. Marriages are generally settled through negotiation and monogamy is commonly practised. Vermilion, glass bangles and ear-rings are the symbols of married women. The rule of residence is patrilocal. Divorce is permissible among them with judicial approval. They live in either nuclear or mixed extended families. Parental property is equally divided among the sons but the eldest son inherits his father's authority. Birth pollution for nine or eleven days, and the naming and tonsure (mundan) ceremonies are observed by them. The marriage is solemnized according to Hindu vedic rites at the bride's residence. The impor- tant marriage rituals observed are sagan, thaka, chunnipana, circumambulation ofthe sacred fire among the Hindu and of the Guru Granth Saheb (anand karaj) among the Sikh. They cremate the dead. ‘The Khokhran Khatri are mainly engaged in trade and business. Some of them also own industries or serve in government and private organizations. However, in the past some of them were settled agriculturists and were also engaged in animal husbandry. Though the majority of them profess Hinduism a few have embraced Sikhism. Those who follow Sikhism also observe some Hindu customs and festivals. Some of its members are affiliated with Pir Rattan Nath, the Radha Soami sect and the Arya Samaj. Folk-songs accompanied by the dolak, are sung by the women, while both men and women participate in traditional dances known as Bhangra and Gidda. Traditionally they accept water, kachcha and pucca food from the Brahman, Bania, Kayastha, Ahir, Jat, Reya, Arora and allied communities. The Brahman priest accepts either sidha or pucca food from the Khokhran Khatri, who in turn, do not accept food and water from the Chuhra, Chamar, Dhanak, Koli, Dheya and a few other communities. However, at present, such restrictions are not followed strictly. Their attitude towards formal education, family planning and modern medicines is favourable.All Communities: H-M 1733 They make use of both modern and traditional medicines and avail themselves of other benefits extended under government development programmes. ‘Anand Swadesh, ‘Frequency of ABO Blood Groups and Secretor Factors in the Punjabis (Khatris and Aroras)', Ph.D. Thesis (Delhi: University of Delhi, 1961) (unpub- lished). Ibbetson, D., Panjab Castes: Races Castes and Tribes of the People of Panjab (Lahore Government Press, 1916; rpt. 1981, New Delhi: Cosmo Publications), pp. 247-50. KHAWAS — A community of Gujarat, they derive their name from the word khaas, meaning important. The important and loyal servants of the rulers and petty chiefs of the pre-Independence period were known as khaas people, who later formed a caste by the name Khawas. According to Enthoven (1922), the Khavas are also known as Golas and Hajuris. They were the personal attendants of the Rajput chiefs and Girasias. They have subdivisions, namely Barad, Bhatti, Chavan, Chavda, Makvana, Parmar, Solanki and Zala. They speak Gujarati and use the Gujarati scrips. A good number of them can also speak Hindi. They are non-vegetarian and their staple food is rotla made out of millers. ‘The Khawas are divided into clans (atak) which are synonymous with the Rajput clans, such as Solanki, Rathod, Parmar, Chauhan and Waghela. They claim to be Rajputs because of their close association with the royal families, and even their associations have adopted the word Rajput in Bhuj area to signify their claim. Cross-cousin marriages are allowed among them. Earlier, their marital alliances were arranged by their patrons, and sometimes, hypergamous alliances were made with the Rajput clans. Wearing of complete sari, vermilion (sindoor), and often a necklace (mangalsutra) are the symbols of marriage for women, Bride-price is a custom specific to the area, and the practice of dowry also exists. Patrilocal residence is common among them. Divorce and remarriage of divorcees and widowed persons are permitted. A widow can marty her deceased husband's younger brother. Joine families are most common among them. Generally, the youngest son gets a greater share of parental property than his brothers. Succession is in the male line. The contribution of women to the family income is only marginal. At childbirth, the baby is bathed on the same day, whereas the mother is bathed on the chathi or the sixth day and is confined to a room for one month. A male child is tonsured at the age of two ot three months, and the father's sister collects the hair to immerse it in the river. Reportedly, some Khawas of the Bhavanagar district wear the jancu or sacred thread. The marriage is solemnized at the bride’s house. The rituals associated with the marriage are betrothal (sagayi), ganesh poojan, erection of the marriage booth (mandaporopan), circumambulation (mangalphera), and the joining of hands (hastmilap). They cremate the dead and observe death pollution. The Khawas in the Rann of Kutch also erect memorial stones. Earlier, the Khawa were servants of the erstwhile rulers. But now they have taken up various occupations such as agriculture, trade and wage labour. A few are engaged in service, either in the government or in the private sector. A modern association, the Rajput Gnathi Mandal, works for their welfare. The Khawas are Hindu by religion and follow the Vaishanav sect. Every clan (atak)