The caste has several subdivisions which are principally of a
territorial nature, as Warade from Berar; Jhade, inhabitants of the
forest or rice country; Telanga, of the Telugu country; Dakshne, from
the Deccan; Marwari, from Marwar, and so on. Other subcastes are the
Ahir and Jain Guraos, of whom the former are apparently Ahirs who
have adopted the priestly profession, while the Jain Guraos are held
in Bombay to be the descendants of Jain temple servants who entered
the caste when their own deities were thrown out and their shrines
annexed by the votaries of Siva. [134] In Bombay, Mr. Enthoven states
"That the Koli and Maratha ministrants at the temples of Siva and
other deities often describe themselves as Guraos, but they have
not formed themselves into separate castes and are members of the
general Koli or Maratha community. They cease to call themselves
Guraos when they cease to minister at temples." [135] In the Central
Provinces one of the subcastes is known as Vajantri because they act
as village musicians. The caste have no regular exogamous sections,
but a number of surnames which answer the same purpose. These are of
a professional type, as Lokhandes, an iron-dealer; Phulzares, a maker
of fireworks; Sontake, a gold-merchant; Gaikwad, a cowherd; Nakade,
long-nosed, and so on. They say they all belong to the same gotra,
Sankhiayan, named after Sankhiaya Rishi, the ancestor of the caste.