The Barais especially venerate the Nag or cobra and observe the
festival of Nag-Panchmi (Cobra's fifth), in connection with which
the following story is related. Formerly there was no betel-vine on
the earth. But when the five Pandava brothers celebrated the great
horse sacrifice after their victory at Hastinapur, they wanted some,
and so messengers were sent down below the earth to the residence of
the queen of the serpents, in order to try and obtain it. Basuki,
the queen of the serpents, obligingly cut off the top joint of her
little finger and gave it to the messengers. This was brought up
and sown on the earth, and _pan_ creepers grew out of the joint. For
this reason the betel-vine has no blossoms or seeds, but the joints
of the creepers are cut off and sown, when they sprout afresh; and
the betel-vine is called Nagbel or the serpent-creeper. On the day
of Nag-Panchmi the Barais go to the _bareja_ with flowers, cocoanuts
and other offerings, and worship a stone which is placed in it and
which represents the Nag or cobra. A goat or sheep is sacrificed and
they return home, no leaf of the _pan_ garden being touched on that
day. A cup of milk is also left, in the belief that a cobra will come
out of the _pan_ garden and drink it. The Barais say that members of
their caste are never bitten by cobras, though many of these snakes
frequent the gardens on account of the moist coolness and shade
which they afford. The Agarwala Banias, from whom the Barais will
take food cooked without water, have also a legend of descent from
a Naga or snake princess. 'Our mother's house is of the race of the
snake,' say the Agarwals of Bihar. [237] The caste usually burn the
dead, with the exception of children and persons dying of leprosy
or snake-bite, whose bodies are buried. Mourning is observed for
ten days in the case of adults and for three days for children. In
Chhattisgarh if any portion of the corpse remains unburnt on the
day following the cremation, the relatives are penalised to the
extent of an extra feast to the caste-fellows. Children are named
on the sixth or twelfth day after birth either by a Brahman or by
the women of the household. Two names are given, one for ceremonial
and the other for ordinary use. When a Brahman is engaged he gives
seven names for a boy and five for a girl, and the parents select
one out of these. The Barais do not admit outsiders into the caste,
and employ Brahmans for religious and ceremonial purposes. They are
allowed to eat the flesh of clean animals, but very rarely do so,
and they abstain from liquor. Brahmans will take sweets and water
from them, and they occupy a fairly good social position on account
of the important nature of their occupation.