Konkani and Mahratta Brahmans eat together, but do not intermarry. They do not marry in their own tribe or got ; but the Mahratta Brahman will marry his mother's sister's daughter, and the Konkani Brahman will not marry a relative unless very remotely related.
The Mahratta or Deshasth Brahman is a reserved man, little inclined to seek friendships, and rarely seen to laugh. They at one time filled almost every office under the Peshwa and under the British, and even in Madras till the middle of the 19th century the revenue accounts were kept in Mahrati by these Brahmans ; and in their own country they were zamindars, deshmookhs, and deshpandi, anct almost all the village accountants were Deshasth Brahmans. Both these castes have to compete for employment with the writers known as Fur bhu (Prabahu), of which there are two classes, the Patri Purbhu and the Kayasth Purbhu.
Mysore.—Mr. (Sir George) Campbell mentions (pp.74,130) that in the N.Canara district, in the high hilly country above and about the ghats, and on the adjoining parts of Mysore, there is a large population of Brahmans, industrious and thriving cultivators and landowners. Most of these are called Haiga Brahmans, and the culture of the betel-nut is their especial pursuit. They aro very fair, with large eyes and aquiline noses. In the Nagar district of Mysore they are very nume rous, not very literary or highly educated, but devoted to agriculture.
In South Canara and the Tuluva country are many Brahmans, who do much cultivation ' • and all down the west coast to the extreme south of India, the country is said to have been extensively colonized by Brahmans led from Calpee by Para sarama.
They have been, from political and hostile cir cnmstances, much removed from Malabar, but they are very numerous in Travancore and Cochin ; and in the Palghat valley they are numerous, and are industrious andgood cultivators.
Travancore.—On the south-west coast the chief class of Brahmans are the Namburi, who have some very peculiar customs, but they principally engage in priestly offices. The Namburi Brah mans resemble the Nair and the Hindu population of the S.W. coast, but are fair.
Brahmans are scattered through Telingana and through the Tamil country, all tall, fair, and portly men ; are aristocratic, do not engage in any menial avocation, but restrict themselves to priestly offices, to clerking in Government estab lishments; but in these the Sudra Naidu or Naik of Telingana, and the Mudali and Pillay Sudra of Tamil districts, and Vaisya Chettyar, East Indians and Portuguese, descendants of Europeans, largely compete with them.—Dlr. (Sir George) Campbell,
pp. 57-67.
In the festival of Bhaubij, on the 2d day of the month Kartik, the wives of all Brahmans, whether of the Saiva or Vaislinava sects, worship their husbands, standing before them, sacrificing with the lamp and ghi, and pouring rico over their heads.
In Canarese-speaking countries the Brahmans are largely employed as accountants and office clerks. They are much disliked by the Vira Saiva lingaets. A village of lingaets near Kal adgi abstained from digging a well in their village, to avoid attracting Brahmans amongst them.
Among the population of Southern India, out of a total population of about 32 millions, over one million belong to the Brahman caste,-547,027 males and 548,418 females. In 1871, of the 547,027 male Brahmans in the Madras Presi dency, 332,934 were occupied as follows :— Government Civil Service, . 8,887 Professional, Military or Police service, . 747 .
Learned Professions,• . 18,499 Minor . 55,504 Domestic, . Personal service, . . . 19,584 d Conveyors, 12 rs, . . .
raers . . . ,910 Commercial T , . 969 Agricultural, . Cultivators, . . . . 132,443 Dress, . . . . 165 Food, 1,778 Metals, 20 Industrial, . Construction, . . 55 Books, 40 Household goods, . . 16 Combustibles, . . 11 Indefinite and Labourers5 384 Unproduc- • • • • 64,545 Property, . . . . , tine, . . 15,529 Others, 1,898Over 24 per cent. are agriculturists, and over 11 per cent. are classed as deriving income from property. In the southern districts, especially, a large proportion of the Brahmans are agriculturrsta. In Tinnevelly over 40 per cent. of them come under this head. But as a rule these Brahmans do not work with their own hands in agricultural pursuits, and employ labourers to till the ground. In the northern districts and Tanjore the Brahman landowners figure chiefly as owners of land, and as deriving their income from property.