The Ahir Koli of Kandesh reside along the banks of the Girna and Tapti rivers, and are employed as watchmen.
The Murry Kole is one of the Balotta in every village in the Northern Konkan, and in Bombay families they were employed as palanquin bearers. Sone Koli, settled as soldiery in Angria Colaba, and at Bombay and Colaba, in 1837 were 1000 families, and 500 to 600 families at Bassim, employing themselves as fishermen and seamen. At their meetings, whether for congratulation or condolence, they consume large quantities of spirits. Many are wealthy.
Meltah Koli, who reside in Bombay, are fisher men and seamen, and many have wealth.
In Bombay, Thana, l3hewndi, Kallian, Bassitn, Daman, etc., are a great number of Christian Koli, said to have been of the Sone section, and to have been forcibly converted by the Portu guese, but, terrified by the cholera in 1820-21, a portion reverted to paganism.
Chanchy Kole are farmers and labourers, settled in Bombay, who came from Junagarh, in Katty awar.
In Gujerat, the most numerous are the Tul labdah Koli, then the Patanwaria, tho Kahrez, the Dhandur, and Bhabria. They arc in the Baroda district, north to Khyrallu and Massana in the Mahikanta, and form a large portion of the population. In 1837, in the Khanir district alone, they were 70,000. They arc labourers and watchmen, and a few, under the 11111320 of Selotta, form escorts of treasure.
The Bombay Island Koli are cultivators, toddy drawers, etc., and a great many of them sell game, which they snare and bring into Bombay. They are generally babited in a coarse jacket. which extends down to their back, and a small skull-cap, cut in front in the shape of a cone, with a lungoti to hide their•persons.
Talapadi Koli aro peaceful cultivators. Jugria Koli, also called Chunval Koli, of the Chunval district, aro turbulent.
The Tonkri Koli are so termed from the occu pation they follow of cutting down batnboos,—a large bamboo being called tonkri. The Dongri Koli are so called owing to their residing on hills,—the term for a hill being Dungttr, etc.
The Koli are not so numerous now as they were in the early part of the 19th century, and this is attributed to the internal commotions which disturbed them since that period. They are now spread over various parts of Hindustan, and, owing to the opening of the Emigration Trade a few years back between India and the Mauritius, a great number of them repaired thither to better their circumstances.
Their numbers in British and foreign territory are considerable. The census of 1871 showed 68,302 in the Nasik district. The ferrymen on the rivers in the Peninsula are of the Koli race, stalwart. men. The Kili-Katr or Maddakpur race are Koli, also Kabl-gira or ferrymen. The Koli are the labourers and lower cultivators in Gujerat.
In some districts the Mang Koli devote their young women to the gods.
Koli of the Konkan are partly Hindu, and in part Christians. They are a hardy race, of short stature, somewhat inclined to corpulency, but with muscular arms. The younger women are fair, but exposure to the out-door work soon darkens: them. The men wear a woollen waist coat and loin-cloth, and a cap of red broadcloth. The women wear a loose-sleeved bodice and a cotton cloth around their waist, falling more than half-way to the knee, and the end of the cloth is drawn over the right shoulder, and tucked in front into the waistband. On the left wrist they wear glass bangles, those of the right wrist being taken off on their wedding day, and thrown into the sea to win its favour.
The Koli are somewhat ill-tempered, quarrel some, jealous of strangers, and addicted to drink ; but they arc manly, brave, honest, and faithful. Many are in debt, and some have taken to culti vation. The Alibag Koli were formerly predatory and piratical.
Koli occupy the sea-coast from the fort of Aritzda, near Bassim, to Jaygad in the Ratnagherry district. For caste matters they have a Patel and Sir Patel ; the latter is the chief of all the Koli from Kalian and Bhewndi in the Thana district to Harnal in Ratnagherry, and is said to have formerly had the power of life and death.
They are married from ten years of age upwards, and the husband may be younger than the bride. The women worship Gauri, and the men at the Nandi Paurnima holiday offer a cocoanut to the sea, and all ships then put to sea. They speak a dialect of Mahrati. When a new boat is coin pleted, the women break cocoanuts on its bows.
They make pilgrimages to Nasik, Panderpur, Jejuri, Dehu, and other Hindu shrines, and at Thaua there are deified Sadhu saints, with a temple to Dattatraya. The Christian Koli of the Thana district are under the Archbishop of Goa.—Exhz bition of 1883 ; Elliot's Supplemental Gloss.; G. Campbell, p. 125 ; Captain Mackintosh in Madras Lit. Soc. Journ. ; Tod's Travels, p. 137 ; Dr. Carter ; Census of 1881.