The Dauwa Ahirs are held to be the offspring of Ahir women who were employed as wet-nurses in the houses of Bundela Rajputs and bore children to their masters.

The Halbas and Rautias are divided into subcastes known as Purait or 'pure,' and Surait or of 'mixed' descent.

Many castes have a subcaste to which the progeny of illicit unions is relegated, such as the Dogle Kayasths, and the Lahuri Sen subcaste of Barais, Banias and other castes.

Illegitimate children in the Kasar (brass-worker) caste form a subcaste known as Takle or 'thrown out,' Vidur or 'illegitimate,' or Laondi Bachcha, the issue of a kept wife.

In Berar the Mahadeo Kolis, called after the Mahadeo or Pachmarhi hills, are divided into the Khas, or 'pure,' and the Akaramase or 'mixed'; this latter word means gold or silver composed of eleven parts pure metal and one part alloy.