The caste worship the ordinary Hindu and village deities of
the localities in which they reside, and observe the principal
festivals. In Saugor the Chamars have a family god, known as Marri,
who is represented by a lump of clay kept in the cooking-room of the
house. He is supposed to represent the ancestors of the family. The
Seoni Chamars especially worship the castor-oil plant. Generally
the caste revere the _rampi_ or skinning-knife with offerings of
flour-cakes and cocoanuts on festival days. In Chhattisgarh more than
half the Chamars belong to the reformed Satnami sect, by which the
worship of images is at least nominally abolished. This is separately
treated. Mr. Gordon states [458] that it is impossible to form a clear
conception of the beliefs of the village Chamars as to the hereafter:
"That they have the idea of hell as a place of punishment may be
gathered from the belief that if salt is spilt the one who does this
will in Patal--or the infernal region--have to gather up each grain of
salt with his eyelids. Salt is for this reason handed round with great
care, and it is considered unlucky to receive it in the palm of the
hand; it is therefore invariably taken in a cloth or in a vessel. There
is a belief that the spirit of the deceased hovers round familiar
scenes and places, and on this account, whenever it is possible,
it is customary to destroy or desert the house in which any one has
died. If a house is deserted the custom is to sweep and plaster the
place, and then, after lighting a lamp, to leave it in the house and
withdraw altogether. After the spirit of the dead has wandered around
restlessly for a certain time it is said that it will again become
incarnate and take the form of man or of one of the lower animals."