The caste has four subdivisions, named Rai, Mirdha or Nakib, Karbal
and Dahat. The Rai or royal Khangars are the highest group and
practise hypergamy with families of the Mirdha and Karbal groups,
taking daughters from them in marriage but not giving their daughters
to them. The Mirdhas or Nakibs are so called because they act as
mace-bearers and form the bodyguard of princes. Very few, if any,
are to be found in the Central Provinces. The Karbal are supposed
to be especially valorous. The Dahats have developed into a separate
caste called Dahait, and are looked down on by all the other divisions
as they keep pigs. The caste is also divided into numerous exogamous
septs, all of which are totemistic; and the members of the sept usually
show veneration to the object from which the sept takes its name. Some
of the names of septs are as follows: Bachhiya from bachhra a calf;
Barha from barah a pig, this sept worshipping the pig; Belgotia from
the bel tree; Chandan from the sandalwood tree; Chirai from chiriya
a bird, this sept revering sparrows; Ghurgotia from ghora a horse
(members of this sept touch the feet of a horse before mounting it and
do not ride on a horse in wedding processions); Guae from the iguana;
Hanuman from the monkey god; Hathi from the elephant; Kasgotia from
kansa bell-metal (members of this sept do not use vessels of bell-metal
on ceremonial occasions nor sell them); Mahiyar from maihar fried cakes
(members of this sept do not use ghi at their weddings and may not sell
ghi by weight though they may sell it by measure); San after san-hemp
(members of this sept place pieces of hemp near their family god);
Sandgotia from sand a bullock; Tambagotia from tamba copper; and Vishnu
from the god of that name, whom the sept worship. The names of 31 septs
in all are reported and there are probably others. The fact that two or
three septs are named after Hindu deities may be noticed as peculiar.