Marwadi-Oswal: Deccan

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Marwadi-Oswal

This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS BY SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and Middle Temple, London. One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. BOMBAY THE TlMES PRESS 1920 Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees with the contents of this article. Secondly, this has been scanned from a book. You can help by sending the corrected version/ additional information to the Facebook page, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be duly acknowledged.

The Oswal, like the Mesris, claim a Rajput descent, and derive their name from Osia or Osa Nagar in Marwar. The bulk of Oswals follow the tenets of the Shwetambar sects of Jains. They pay homage to Parasnath, Mahabirs and other Tirthankars or Jain prophets. Their priests are Jatis, or Ja-in mendicants, who perform all the religious ceremonies for them. Girls are married as infants or adults. The marriage ceremony closely corresponds to that of the Agarwal caste. Widows are not allowed to remarry nor is 'divorce permitted. The dead are burnt, but no Shradha is performed to propitiate the souls of the deceased. They have several endoga- mous divisions, while their exogamous groups are unusually large. Only a few of the Oswals are Vaishanavas. They have the title Sing' attached to their names.