The household goddess of the caste is known as Kul Devi, the word
kul meaning family. To her a platform is erected inside the house,
and she must be worshipped by the members of the family alone,
no stranger being present. Offerings of cocoanuts, rice, turmeric
and flowers are made to her, but no animal sacrifices. When a son
of the family dies unmarried, an image of him, known as Mujia, is
made on a piece of silver, copper or brass, and is worshipped on
Mondays and Fridays during the month of Magh (January). On one of
these days also a feast is given to the caste. Each member of the
caste has a guru or spiritual preceptor, who visits him every second
or third year and receives a small present of a cocoanut or a piece
of cloth. But he does not seem to perform any duties. The guru may
belong to any of the religious mendicant castes. A man who is without
a guru is known as Nugra and is looked down on. To meet him in the
morning is considered unlucky and portends misfortune. Sir C. Elliot
[128] characterised the Mundle Gujars as "A very religious race; they
never plough on the new moon nor on the 8th of the month, because it
is Krishna's birthday. Their religious and social head is the Mahant
of the Ramjidas temple at Hoshangabad." In Nimar many of the Gujars
belong to the Pirzada sect, which is a kind of reformed creed, based
on a mixture of Hinduism and Islam.