The Bhils worship the ordinary Hindu deities and the village godlings
of the locality. The favourite both with Hindu and Muhammadan Bhils
is Khande Rao or Khandoba, the war-god of the Marathas, who is often
represented by a sword. The Muhammadans and the Hindu Bhils also
to a less extent worship the Pirs or spirits of Muhammadan saints
at their tombs, of which there are a number in Nimar. Major Hendley
states that in Mewar the seats or _sthans_ of the Bhil gods are on the
summits of high hills, and are represented by heaps of stones, solid
or hollowed out in the centre, or mere platforms, in or near which are
found numbers of clay or mud images of horses. [337] In some places
clay lamps are burnt in front of the images of horses, from which
it may be concluded that the horse itself is or was worshipped as a
god. Colonel Tod states that the Bhils will eat of nothing white in
colour, as a white sheep or goat; and their grand adjuration is 'By
the white ram.' [338] Sir A. Lyall [339] says that their principal
oath is by the dog. The Bhil sepoys told Major Hendley that they
considered it of little use to go on worshipping their own gods, as
the power of these had declined since the English became supreme. They
thought the strong English gods were too much for the weak deities
of their country, hence they were desirous of embracing Brahmanism,
which would also raise them in the social scale and give them a better
chance of promotion in regiments where there were Brahman officers.