The principal deity of the Dhobis is Ghatoia, the god of the
_ghat_ or landing-place on the river to which they go to wash their
clothes. Libations of liquor are made to him in the month of Asarh
(June), when the rains break and the rivers begin to be flooded. Before
entering the water to wash the clothes they bow to the stone on which
these are beaten out, asking that their work may be quickly finished;
and they also pray to the river deity to protect them from snakes and
crocodiles. They worship the stone on the Dasahra festival, making
an offering to it of flowers, turmeric and cooked food. The Dhobi's
washing-stone is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of departed
Dhobis when revisiting the glimpses of the moon, and is held to have
magical powers. If a man requires a love-charm he should steal a
_supari_ or areca-nut from the bazar at night or on the occasion of
an eclipse. The same night he goes to the Dhobi's stone and sets the
nut upon it. He breaks an egg and a cocoanut over the stone and burns
incense before it. Then he takes the nut away and gives it to the woman
of his fancy, wrapped up in betel-leaf, and she will love him. Their
chief festivals are the Holi and Diwali, at which they drink a great
deal. The dead are buried or burnt as may be convenient, and mourning
is observed for three days only, the family being purified on the
Sunday or Wednesday following the death. They have a caste committee
whose president is known as Mehtar, while other officials are the
Chaudhri or vice-president, and the Badkur, who appoints dates for
the penal feasts and issues the summons to the caste-fellows. These
posts are hereditary and their holders receive presents of a rupee
and a cloth when members of the caste have to give expiatory feasts.