confederacy, are examples of this. But, as a rule, an estate which fell into the hands of a Sikh widow was apt to be exploited by her lover for his personal advantage, till it would be seized by some one stronger and with as valid a claim to its possession. To avert this evil, the practice followed by the Jews in old times, of marriage with a brother of the deceased husband, was introduced. The widow was allowed generally a choice between the brothers, but with the elder lay the right if he chose to exercise it. This form of marriage was known as chadar dálna, or throwing the sheet; also as Karewa (Karíhúí), signifying a woman who had been married. As the origin of the practice was to secure the succession in the family, the offspring of these unions were considered as legitimate as those of the more formal shádi, or vyáh, and enjoyed the same right to inheritance; but as a matter of precedence and dignity they were not held in equal honour. The convenience of the chadar dálna marriage, especially in time of war, when the elaborate ceremonial of the shádi was impossible, or unsuited to the rank or caste of the bride, who might be a slave girl or a captive, caused its general extension to other unions than those with the brother's widow. But in these cases, the object of securing the succession not being at issue, the chadar dálna wife and her issue were not held of much account, and her place, indeed, was little above that of the ordinary concubine. The informality of the practice rendered it suspicious, and it was notorious
