Frequently the view obtains that the head of the caste _panchayat_ takes the offender's sins upon himself by commencing to eat, and in return for this a present of some rupees is deposited beneath his plate.

Similarly among some castes, as the Bahnas, exclusion from caste is known as the stopping of food and water.

The Gowaris readmit offenders by the joint drinking of opium and water.

One member is especially charged with the preparation of this, and if there should not be enough for all the castemen to partake of it, he is severely punished.

Opium was also considered sacred by the Rajputs, and the chief and his kinsmen were accustomed to drink it together as a pledge of amity.