The Muria are an agricultural tribe of the Bastar State in the Central Provinces of India, and the ghotul is the term for the common dormitory of the unmarried girls and boys of this community.

The Muria and their Ghotul is an outstanding work in Indian social anthropology in that it presents its subjects as people rather than as peculiar beings. Elwin does not harp on the peculiarities of the Muria, even though he is dealing with an institution that is not to be found in either the European or the nontribal Indian Societies. On the other hand, he gives a comparative framework to the ghotul, presenting to the reader sketches on societies of many parts of the world which have the dormitory system. Moreover, Elwin has written the book well, and his own understanding of the ways of the Muria is conveyed to the reader readily through his writing. The illustrations, numbering over three hundred, also help in understanding the tribe.