_Nai, Nao, Mhali, Hajjam, Bhanari, Mangala_. [292]--The occupational
caste of barbers. The name is said to be derived from the Sanskrit
_napita_ according to some a corruption of _snapitri_, one who
bathes. In Bundelkhand he is also known as Khawas, which was a
title for the attendant on a grandee; and Birtiya, or 'He that
gets his maintenance (_vritti_) from his constituents.' [293]
Mhali is the Marathi name for the caste, Bhandari the Uriya name
and Mangala the Telugu name. The caste numbered nearly 190,000
persons in the Central Provinces in 1911, being distributed over
all Districts. Various legends of the usual type are related of
its origin, but, as Sir. H. Risley observes, it is no doubt wholly
of a functional character. The subcastes in the Central Provinces
entirely bear out this view, as they are very numerous and principally
of the territorial type: Telange of the Telugu country, Marathe,
Pardeshi or northerners, Jharia or those of the forest country of the
Wainganga Valley, Bandhaiya or those of Bandhogarh, Barade of Berar,
Bundelkhandi, Marwari, Mathuria from Mathura, Gadhwaria from Garha
near Jubbulpore, Lanjia from Lanji in Balaghat, Malwi from Malwa,
Nimari from Nimar, Deccane, Gujarati, and so on. Twenty-six divisions
in all are given. The exogamous groups are also of different types,
some of them being named after Brahman saints, as Gautam, Kashyap,
Kosil, Sandil and Bharadwaj; others after Rajput clans as Surajvansi,
Jaduvansi, Solanki and Panwar; while others are titular or totemistic,
as Naik, leader; Seth, banker; Rawat, chief; Nagesh, cobra; Bagh,
a tiger; Bhadrawa, a fish.