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About The Book : The book is a detailed ethnographic study of Southern India. The book includes marriage customs prevalent among different communities of the region, death ceremonies, their beliefs, superstitions, and customs. Some chapters are dedicated to certain beliefs prevalent in Southern India like firewalking. When in certain circumstances, individuals vow in the name of Gods/Goddesses to walk on fire. Another chapter discusses the tortures of the Hook Swinging Festival celebrated among a few communities. The later chapters focus on the attires, names, and other habits and practices, prominent among the various communities. About The Author : Edgar Thurston(1855-1935) CIE was the British Superintendent at the Madras Government Museum from 1885 to 1908 who contributed to research studies in the fields of zoology, ethnology and botany of India, and later also published his works at the museum. Whereas early European ideas on phrenology were applied to identify mental traits of individuals, advocates of scientific racism used what they considered to be more refined anthropometric measurements to identify castes.