Page:Castes and Tribes of Southern India.djvu/383

Rh settled in the Tamil district of Madura. The bottu (marriage badge) is the equivalent of the Tamil tāli.  Bōvi.— The name of the palanquin-bearing section of the Mogērs of South Canara. Some Besthas from Mysore, who have settled in this district, are also called Bovi, which is a form of Bōyi (bearer).  Bōya (see Bēdar).—Bōya has also been recorded* as a sub-division of Māala, a name for Ēkari.  Bōyan. — A title of Oddē.  Bōyi (see Bestha). — It is also the title of one of the chief men among the Savaras.  Brāhman.—The Brahmans of Southern India are divided into a number of sections, differing in language, manners and customs. As regards their origin, the current belief is that they sprang from the mouth of Brahma. In support thereof, the following verse from the Purusha Sūktha (hymn of the primaeval male) of the Rig Vēda is quoted: — From the face of Prajapathi (Viratpurusha) came the Brāhmans; from the arms arose the Kshatriyas; from the thighs sprang the Vaisyas; and from the feet the Sūdras. Mention of the fourfold division of the Hindu castes is also made in other Vēdas,and in Ithihāsas and Purāanas.

The Brāhmans fall into three groups, following the three Vēdas or Sākas, Rig, Yajus, and Samam. This threefold division is, however, recognised only for ceremonial purposes. For marriage and social purposes, the divisions based on language and locality are practically more operative. In the matter of the more important religious rites, the Brāhmans of Southern India, as elsewhere, closely follow their own Vēdas. Every Brāhman belongs to one or other of the numerous gōtras 