Widow marriage, etc. 4. Widow marriage, the levirate, concubinage, and polyandry, are all prohibited.

Marriage. 5. The marriage customs are of the ordinary Hindu type.

Religion. 6. The tribal deities are Bhagwân and Dâûji. The temple of Dâûji is at Baldeo, in the Mathura District. Mr. Growse notes that “The temple garden was once a well planted grove. It is now a dirty, unsightly waste, as the Pandas have gradually cut down all the trees for fire-wood without a thought of replacing them. It is also asserted to be a common practice for the younger members of the clan, when they see any devotees prostrate in devotion before the god, to be very forward in assisting them to rise and leading them away, and to take the opportunity of despoiling them of any loose cash or valuable ornaments that they can lay their hands upon. It is believed that thefts of this kind are frequent; though the victim generally prefers to accept the loss in silence, rather than incur the [[74]]odium of bringing a charge, that there might not be legal evidence to substantiate, against a professedly religious community.”[58] Among the minor gods Gangaji is worshipped on the Somwati Amâwas, or when the new moon appears on a Monday. Hanumân is worshipped every Tuesday and Saturday. They make pilgrimages to the shrine of Saubhari Rishi, already mentioned. Their priests are Brâhmans of the Gaur, Sanâdhya and Gujarâti tribes. Their chief festivals are the Diwâli, Dasahra, and Holi. At the Diwâli the houses are cleaned, Lakshmi is worshipped, and illuminations are made. On the Dasahra arms and horses are ornamented and worshipped, and gifts are given to Brâhmans, who present blades of barley. At the Salono, rice is cooked and alms given to Brâhmans, who tie amulets round the wrists of their clients.

Oaths. 7. They swear by the Ganges, Jumna, and Baldeoji.

Occupation. 8. Mr. Whiteway, in his Mathura Settlement Report[59] thus describes the Ahiwâsis:—“They are a race well marked by several peculiarities. In appearance they are easily distinguished, the men by their head-dress, and the women by their way of wearing their hair. Their favourite occupation is the carrying trade. Trading in their own carts, they carry salt from Râjputâna all over Northern India, bringing back sugar and other commodities in return. The better off trade with their own money, and, in fact, the heads of the community are very fairly comfortable, and their villages are remarkable for the number of good masonry houses. At the same time these distant journeys keep the male population absent from the villages for months at a time, and the tilling of the field is left entirely to the women. It is natural, therefore, that easily as an Ahiwâsi may be recognised by his appearance and his village by the number of carts, cattle, and masonry houses, so his fields may be told by their slovenly and careless cultivation. The Ahiwâsis complain bitterly of the havoc the net-work of railways, now spreading over the country, is playing with their old occupation.” [[75]]

Distribution of the Ahiwâsis according to the Census of 1891.

Mathura 8,265
Bareilly 1,070
Budâun 105
Morâdâbâd 11
Bahrâich 51
Total 9,502

Ajudhyabâsi.—(Residents of Ajudhya) A sub-caste of Banyas found chiefly in the Agra and Allahâbâd Divisions and Oudh. (See the article on Audhiya).

Distribution of the Ajudhyabâsi Banyas according to the Census of 1891.

District. Number.
Agra 30
Farrukhâbâd 2,390
Mainpuri 1,583
Etâwah 1,279
Etah 540
Budâun 86
Shâhjahânpur 1,044
Pilibhît 140
Cawnpur 2,594
Fatehpur 800
Bânda 6,914
Hamîrpur 1,614
Allahâbâd 67
Jhânsi 16
Jâlaun 102
Benares 1
Gorakhpur 35
Basti 35
Lucknow 413
Unâo 18
Râê Bareli 996
Sîtapur 1,284
Hardoi 173
Kheri 967
Faizâbâd 1,324
Gonda 382
Bahrâich 1,510
Sultânpur 1,498
Bârabanki 2,460
Total 30,295