The witnesses of this are fire, Brahmans, women, relations, and all the devatas.
I am performing the marriage according to the Vedic rites.
Women are full of all kinds of faults. Forgive these faults.
By the grace of the god Vasudeva, I give to thee the bridegroom.
The Badhoyis are Paramarthos, and follow the Chaitanya form of Vaishnavism. They further worship various village deities. The dead are cremated. The corpse of a dead person is washed, not at the house, but at the burning-ground.
The most common caste title is Maharana. But, in some zemindaris, such titles as Bindhani Rathno, and Bindhani Bushano, have been conferred by the zemindars on carpenters for the excellence of their work.
The carpenters and blacksmiths hold inams or rent-free lands both under zemindars and under Government. In return, they are expected to construct a car for the annual festival of the village deity, at which, in most places, the car is burnt at the conclusion of the festival. They have further to make agricultural implements for the villagers, and, when officials arrive on circuit, to supply tent-pegs, etc.
Bagata.--The Bagatas, Bhaktas, or Baktas are a class of Telugu fresh-water fishermen, who are said to be very expert at catching fish with a long spear. It is noted, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, that "on the Dasara day they worship the fishing baskets, and also (for some obscure reason) a kind of trident." The trident is probably the fishing spear. Some of the Bagatas are hill cultivators in the Agency tracts of Vizagapatam. They account for their name by the tradition that they served with great devotion (bhakti) the former rulers of Golgonda and Madugula, who made grants of land to them in mokhasa tenure. Some of them are heads of hill villages. The head of a single village is called a Padal, and it may be noted that Padala occurs as an exogamous sept of the Kapus, of which caste it has been suggested that the Bagatas are an offshoot. The overlord of a number of Padals styles himself Nayak or Raju, and a Mokhasadar has the title of Dora. It is recorded, in the Census Report, 1871, that "in the low country the Bhaktas consider themselves to take the rank of soldiery, and rather disdain the occupation of ryots (cultivators). Here, however (in hill Madugulu in the Vizagapatam district), necessity has divested them of such prejudices, and they are compelled to delve for their daily bread. They generally, nevertheless, manage to get the Kapus to work for them, for they make poor farmers, and are unskilled in husbandry."