Their principal deities are Dulha Deo, the boy bridegroom, Nira
his servant, and Kauria a form of Devi. Nira lives under an _umar_
[633] tree and he and Dulha Deo his master are worshipped every third
year in the month of Magh (January). Kauria is also worshipped once
in three years on a Sunday in the month of Magh with an offering of
a cocoanut, and in her honour they never sit on a cot nor sleep on
a stool because they think that the goddess has her seat on these
articles. The real reason, however, is probably that the Sonjharas
consider the use of such furniture an indication of a settled life and
permanent residence, and therefore abjure it as being wanderers. Some
analogous customs have been recorded of the Banjaras. They also revere
the spirit of one of their female ancestors who became a Sati. They
sacrifice a goat to the _genius loci_ or spirit haunting the spot
where they decide to start work; and they will leave it for fear of
angering this spirit, which is said to appear in the form of a tiger,
should they make a particularly good find. [634] They never keep
dogs, and it is said that they are defiled by the touch of a dog
and will throw away their food if one comes near them during their
meal. The same rule applies to a cat, and they will throw away an
earthen vessel touched by either of these animals. On the Diwali day
they wash their implements, and setting them up near the huts worship
them with offerings of a cocoanut and vermilion.