{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_57520/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_57520","id":"gutenberg_57520","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/57520","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Archaeology & Anthropology","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Folklore -- India"],"text":"Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ for Project\nGutenberg (This file was produced from images generously\nmade available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                            FOLK LORE NOTES.\n\n                            Vol. II--KONKAN.\n\n                  COMPILED FROM MATERIALS COLLECTED BY\n            The late A. M. T. JACKSON, Indian Civil Service.\n\n\n                     R. E. ENTHOVEN, C.I.E., I.C.S.\n\n\n                  BRITISH INDIA PRESS, MAZGAON BOMBAY.\n                                  1915\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                 REPRINTED FROM THE \"INDIAN ANTIQUARY\"\n\n       BY B. MILLER, SUPERINTENDENT, BRITISH INDIA PRESS, BOMBAY\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTABLE OF CONTENTS.\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nNature Powers.\n                                                                   PAGE.\n    Worship of minor local deities. Sun-worship. The Swastika.\n    Circumambulation round images and other sacred objects.\n    Moon-worship. Days of special importance. Eclipses. Worship\n    of planets and stars. The milky way. The rainbow. Worship\n    of the earth. Thunder and lightning. Earthquakes. Worship\n    of sacred rivers, springs and pools. Water spirits and\n    goblins. Ceremonies at digging of wells. Well water as a\n    cure for disease. Sacred Lakes. Palaces under the water.\n    Sacred mountains. Deities who control the weather. Methods\n    of causing or averting rain and of checking storms. Vratas\n    or religious vows practised only by women. Rites in which\n    women are excluded. Rites in which the worshipper must be\n    nude. Superstitions in connection with aerolites and meteors      1\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nThe Heroic Godlings.\n\n    Village deities. Local deities. Installation of deities in\n    new settlements. Ghostly godlings. Deities responsible for\n    crops and cattle                                                 21\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nDisease Deities.\n\n    Causes of epidemic diseases and the remedies adopted to\n    stop them. Cattle diseases. Remedies practised by the\n    village people in connection with them. The methods for\n    the exorcism of disease. Methods of expelling evil spirits\n    from the body. The village sorcerer. Offerings of rags,\n    coins, etc., at sacred trees and wells. The transferring\n    of disease from one person to another. Scapegoats                29\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nThe worship of Ancestors and Saints.\n\n    Shr\u00e1ddhas and other ceremonies performed for the\n    propitiation and emancipation of the deceased. Worship\n    of the founders of religious sects, of saints, etc.\n    Ghosts. Rebirth of ancestors in the same family.\n    Miracle-working tombs. Muhammadan saints whose worship\n    has been adopted by Hindus. Rural methods for the cure\n    of barrenness                                                    40\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nThe Worship of the malevolent dead.\n\n    Popular notions about dreams. Auspicious and inauspicious\n    dreams. Temporary abandonment of the body by the soul.\n    Character and functions of the bhut or disembodied soul.\n    The state of the soul after death. The rebirth of the\n    soul. The souls of persons dying a sudden or violent\n    death. The ways by which ghosts enter and leave the body.\n    Methods of driving away evil spirits from the body. Reliefs\n    regarding sneezing and yawning. R\u00e1kshasa or the malevolent\n    demon. Other malignant spirits. Evil spirits which go about\n    headless. The haunts of evil spirits. Ghosts of women dying\n    an unnatural death. Spirits of persons killed by tigers and\n    other wild beasts. Ghosts of women dying in childbed or\n    menses. Precautions taken by parents at the birth of\n    children. Beliefs in connection with bats and owls. Spirits\n    which haunt ruins, guard buried treasure and occupy valleys      49\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nThe evil eye and the scaring of ghosts.\n\n    Effects of the evil eye. Objects liable to be influenced by\n    the evil eye. Precautions taken to evade the influence of\n    the evil eye Opprobrious names. Change of sex. Protection\n    against evil spirits. Amulets. Charmed circles. Omens.\n    Numbers. Lucky and unlucky days. Rites performed to help the\n    soul to the other world. Cremation and burial. The customs\n    of shaving the hair. Offerings of food to the dead.\n    Manifestation of evil spirits in form. The practice of\n    breaking earthen vessels at death. Kites connected with\n    mourning. Benevolent spirits. Spirits which haunt trees.\n    The guardian spirits of crops and cattle. Spirits invoked\n    to frighten children                                             60\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTree and Serpent worship.\n\n    Trees connected with deities and saints. Legends and\n    superstitions connected with them. Marriage of brides\n    and bridegrooms to trees. Snake worship. Shrines of snake\n    deities. Deified snakes. Snakes guarding treasure. The\n    village treatment of snake-bite. The jewel in the head of\n    the snake. Guardian snakes                                       71\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nTotemism and Fetishism.\n\n    Devaks. Names derived from animals and plants. Sacred\n    animals. Deities associated with animal worship. Worship\n    of stocks and stones. Survivals of human sacrifice.\n    Disease-curing stones. Respect shown to corn sieves, corn\n    pounders, the broom and the plough. Fire worship                 78\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nAnimal worship.\n\n    Sacred animals and the legends and superstitions connected\n    with them                                                        83\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nWitchcraft.\n\n    Chetaks and Chetakins.                                           85\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nGeneral.\n\n    Rural ceremonies connected with agricultural operations.\n    Rites performed for the protection of cattle. Rites\n    performed for scaring noxious animals and insects. Rites\n    performed for ensuring sunshine and favourable weather.\n    Rites performed for the protection of crops. Rites in\n    which secrecy and silence are observed. The observances\n    at the Holi festival. Rites performed when boys and girls\n    attain puberty. Vows. The black art                              87\n\n\nAPPENDIX\n\nGlossary of vernacular terms, occurring in\nVolumes I and II                                            i to xxxvii\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFOLKLORE OF THE KONKAN.\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nNATURE POWERS.\n\n\nThe worship of minor local deities is connected with such low castes as\nGuravas, Bhopis, Mar\u00e1tha Kunbis, Dhangars, W\u00e1ghes, Murlis, Mah\u00e1rs and\nM\u00e1ngs in the District of Kolh\u00e1pur. It is believed by the Br\u00e1hmans that\nonce an image is consecrated and worshipped, it should be worshipped\nuninterruptedly every day, and he who neglects to worship such an\nimage daily incurs the sin of Brahma-hatya or Br\u00e1hman-murder. For\nthis reason Br\u00e1hmans generally do not worship minor local deities. In\nformer times Br\u00e1hmans who worshipped these deities were excommunicated\nby their caste-men. Such Puj\u00e1ris were compelled to wear a folded dhotur\nor waist cloth, and were forbidden to put on the gandh or sandal paste\nmark in straight or cross lines. They were allowed to put on the tila\nor circular mark of sandal paste. Another reason why Br\u00e1hmans are not\nthe Puj\u00e1ris or worshippers of such deities is that Br\u00e1hmans cannot\naccept or partake of the Naivedya offering of cooked food, fowls,\netc., made to them. Lower class people can partake of such offerings,\nand are therefore generally the worshippers or ministrants of minor\nlocal deities.\n\nAt Palshet in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, there are two gr\u00e1mdevis, viz.,\nJhol\u00e1i and Mh\u00e1rj\u00e1i, and the puj\u00e1ris of these deities are respectively\na Gurav and a Mah\u00e1r. [1] The puj\u00e1ris of goddesses are generally men\nof the lower castes. The guardian goddesses of the villages of Pule,\nVaravade, Nandivade, and Rila have Kunbis as their puj\u00e1ris; while the\npuj\u00e1ris of the goddesses Mah\u00e1lakshmi, Bhagvati, Mah\u00e1k\u00e1li, and Jog\u00e1i\nare generally chosen from the Gurav caste. [2] In the Konkan the\nR\u00e1uls (Shudras) are the puj\u00e1ris of the deities Vithoba, Ravaln\u00e1th\nand Bhav\u00e1ni; the Gh\u00e1dis are the puj\u00e1ris of the deities S\u00e1teri and\nKhavaneshwar; while the deities Mah\u00e1dev and M\u00e1ruti are worshipped by\npuj\u00e1ris belonging to the Gurav caste. [3] The goddesses Makhajan and\nJakhm\u00e1ta at Sangameshwar in the Ratn\u00e1giri District are worshipped by\npuj\u00e1ris who belong to the Gurav and Bhoi castes respectively. The god\nGanpati at Makhnele has for his puj\u00e1ri a W\u00e1ni. The puj\u00e1ris of the\ntemple of Shiva at L\u00e1nje in the Ratn\u00e1giri District are W\u00e1nis. [4]\nIt is said that the puj\u00e1ri of Pund\u00e1rik at Pandharpur is a Kir\u00e1ta\n(fisherman) by caste. [5]\n\nThe puj\u00e1ri of the goddess Narm\u00e1ta at Sidgad in the Th\u00e1na District is\na Koli; whilst the puj\u00e1ris of K\u00e1noba, Khandoba, and Vet\u00e1l are of the\nlower castes. [6] The goddesses Mah\u00e1lakshmi of Kolvan and Vajreshvari\nhave their puj\u00e1ris chosen from the lower castes. [7] The puj\u00e1ris of\nJari-Mari, Mhasoba, Bahiroba, Cheda and other deities which are said\nto prevent contagious diseases, are always men of the lower castes. [8]\n\nThe puj\u00e1ris of the guardian goddesses of the villages Petsai,\nDasgaum and Niz\u00e1mpur are a Mah\u00e1r, a Kumbh\u00e1r or potter, and a\nMar\u00e1tha, respectively. [9] The puj\u00e1ri of the guardian goddesses\nof Chaul in the Kol\u00e1ba District belongs to the lower castes. [10]\nThe goddess M\u00e1ng\u00e1i has always a Mah\u00e1r as her puj\u00e1ri. [11] Everyday\nthe god Shiva is required to be worshipped first by a puj\u00e1ri of the\nGurav caste. The puj\u00e1ri of Bahiri, a corruption of the word Bhairav,\none of the manifestations of Shiva, is a man belonging to the lower\ncastes. Similarly the puj\u00e1ris of Bhagavati, Bhav\u00e1ni, Ambika, K\u00e1lika,\nJ\u00e1kh\u00e1i, Jhol\u00e1i, Janni, Kolh\u00e1i, Vady\u00e1j\u00e1i, Shital\u00e1devi, Chandika, etc.,\nare persons belonging to lower castes. [12]\n\nIt is considered by the Hindus very meritorious and holy to worship the\nSun; and by Br\u00e1hmans the Sun is considered to be their chief deity. The\nG\u00e1yatri Mantra of the Br\u00e1hmans is a prayer to the Sun-god or the Savita\nDev, and the Br\u00e1hmans offer arghya or oblations of water to the Sun\nthrice a day. Those who want health, wealth and prosperity propitiate\nthe Sun-god by prayers and ceremonies. The Ratha Saptami is considered\nto be the principal day for special worship and festivities in honour\nof the Sun-god. On this day, on a low wooden stool, is drawn, in red\nsandal paste, a figure of the Sun in human shape seated in a chariot\ndrawn by seven horses, or by a horse with seven faces. This figure is\nthen placed in the sun-shine, and it is then worshipped by offering\nit arghya or spoonfuls of water, red powder, red flowers mixed with\nred sandal paste, camphor, incense and fruits. Some people kneel down\nwhile offering the arghyas to the Sun. These arghyas are either three\nor twelve in number. Some persons make a vow not to eat anything unless\nthey have worshipped the Sun and performed the twelve Namaskaras by\nfalling prostrate and bowing with folded hands twelve times, and at\neach time repeating one of the twelve names of the Sun. [13]\n\nIn the Ratn\u00e1giri District some people worship the Sun on the Sundays\nof the month of Shr\u00e1van. A ceremony held on the Rathasaptami day,\ni.e., the 7th day of the bright half of M\u00e1gh, is deemed a special\nfestival in honour of the Sun-god. On that day people draw, on a\nsmall wooden stool, an image of the Sun, seated in a chariot drawn\nby seven horses, and worship it with great reverence. Milk is then\nboiled on a fire made of cow-dung cakes in front of the household\nTulsi plant. If the milk overflows to the east, it is believed that\nthere will be abundance of crops, but if it flows to the west it is\ntaken as a sign of the near approach of famine. [14] The Sun-god is\nalso worshipped on the following occasions, e.g., Trikal, Gajacch\u00e1ya,\nArdhodaya, Mahodaya, Vyatip\u00e1t, Makar-Sankr\u00e1nt, Kark-Sankr\u00e1nt and the\nSolar eclipse. [15] Though there are few temples dedicated to the Sun,\nthe village of Parule has the honour of having one called \"the temple\nof Adi-N\u00e1r\u00e1yan.\" Non-Br\u00e1hmanical classes are not seen worshipping\nthe Sun in this district, despite the fact that the Sun is said to\nbe the embodiment of the three principal deities of the Hindus. [16]\n\nThe people of the Th\u00e1na District believe that the Swastika is the\ncentral point of the helmet of the Sun, and a vow called the Swastika\nVrata is held in its honor. A woman who observes this vow, draws\na figure of the Swastika and worships it daily during the Ch\u00e1turm\u00e1s\n(four months of the rainy season), at the expiration of which she gives\na Br\u00e1hman a golden or silver plate with the sign of the Swastika upon\nit. [17] Another vow named Dhanurm\u00e1s, common to all districts in the\nKonkan, requires a person to complete his daily rites before sun-rise,\nand to offer a preparation of food called Khichadi to the Sun-god. The\nobserver of this vow then partakes of the food, regarding it as a\ngift from that god. This is either done for one day or repeated for\na month till the Dhanu-Sankr\u00e1nt. [18] On the Somavati-Am\u00e1v\u00e1sya day\n(the 15th day of the dark half of a month falling on Monday), and\nthe Kapil\u00e1shasthi day, the Sun is held in especial reverence. [19]\nA curious story is narrated regarding the offering of Arghya to the\nSun. It is said that the Sun rejoices at the birth of a Br\u00e1hman,\nand gives 1,000,000 cows in charity, believing that the Arghya which\nthe Br\u00e1hman will offer later on will devour his foes, one drop of the\nArghya killing 1,000 of them [20]. The repetition of the G\u00e1yatri-mantra\n108 times a day is supposed to release a Br\u00e1hman from the debt of\n1,000,000 cows owed in this way to the Sun. [21] The Yoga-Sutras of\nP\u00e1tanjali however prohibit a man from looking at the setting Sun,\nthough the sin thus incurred is made amends for by the offering of\nArghya to that god. [22] It is interesting to note that women do not\ngrind corn on the Ratha-Saptami day. [23]\n\nWomen bow down to the Sun on the 11th, 12th, 30th or 40th day after\ntheir delivery; but Kunbi women generally worship that god on the\n7th day. [24] On this occasion some women show a churning handle [25]\nto the Sun-god and offer him some grains of rice. [26]\n\nThe Swastika is considered so holy in the Konkan that it is\nalways drawn on the Antarpat; and at the time of the Puny\u00e1ha Wachan\nceremony which precedes a Hindu wedding, a Swastika drawn in rice is\nworshipped. [27] The principal deities of the Hindus, whenever they\nare invoked on special occasions, are seated on the Swastika. [28]\nThe people of the Ratn\u00e1giri District worship the Swastika, regarding\nit as the symbol as well as the seat of the Sun-god. [29]\n\nBy some the Swastika is regarded as the foundation-stone of the\nuniverse [30] and is held to be the symbol of the god Shiva, and not\nof the Sun. [31]\n\nThe conception of Kunbi is said to have taken place by the influence\nof the rays of the Sun. [32]\n\nThe Swastika is considered as an emblem of peace and prosperity, and\nfor this reason Br\u00e1hman women draw a figure of the Swastika in front\nof their houses. [33] The custom of moving round such sacred objects\nas the Banyan, the Pipal, the Tulsi or sweet basil plant, the Umbar,\nthe Avala (Phylanthus emblica), etc., is prevalent in the district of\nKolh\u00e1pur. There are no cases recorded in which women after child-birth\nare exposed to the Sun. But on the 12th day after her delivery, the\nmother puts on new bangles and new clothes; cocoanuts, betelnuts and\nleaves, grains of rice, plantains and grains of wheat are placed in\nher lap. She then comes out and bows to the Sun. Wealthy persons on\nthis occasion perform a homa sacrifice in their houses by kindling\nthe holy fire and feeding Br\u00e1hmans. No one in this district believes\nthat conception is caused, or is likely to be caused, by exposure to\nthe rays of the Sun.\n\nThe Hindu women of the Konkan walk round Pipal, Tulsi, and Umbar\ntrees every Saturday and on the Somavati-am\u00e1v\u00e1sya day, i.e., the\n15th day of the dark half of a month when it falls on Monday. [34]\nSometimes, however, women make a vow to walk round a temple or a\nsacred tree one-hundred thousand times; and for the fulfilment of\nthis vow they walk round the temple or tree for about seven or eight\nhours every day. If they find it difficult to make up the number of\nrounds themselves, they ask their near relations to assist them in\ntheir undertaking. [35]\n\nThe Moon is worshipped by the Hindus on the 2nd of the bright half of\nevery month. On this day it is considered very lucky to see the moon,\nand many people, particularly the lower classes, pull out threads from\nthe clothes they wear, and offer them to the moon, saying \"O! God,\naccept these old clothes of ours and be pleased to give us new ones in\ntheir stead.\" Some people worship the moon on the Sankasti Chaturthi,\n4th day of the dark half of every month; and such people will not eat\nanything until they have seen and worshipped the moon on that day. The\nmoon is not worshipped on the Ganesh Chaturthi day that is, the 4th\nof the bright half of the month of Bh\u00e1drapad, as it is considered\nvery unlucky to see the moon on that night. It is firmly believed\nthat any one who sees the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day even by\naccident will be falsely accused of theft or some other crime. In\norder to avoid this, people who have accidently seen the moon, throw\nstones at the houses of their neighbours, and if the neighbours abuse\nthem in return, the mischief makers consider themselves freed by the\nabuse from the sin of having looked at the moon on a forbidden night.\n\nThe spots on the surface of the moon are believed by some to be the\nrath or chariot of the god. Others think that they are lunar mountains;\nbut many believe that the spots are the visible signs of the stain on\nthe character of the moon-god due to his having outraged the modesty\nof the wife of his guru, the god Brahaspati or Jupiter. In the Pur\u00e1ns\nit is stated that on one occasion, a dispute arose between the moon\nand Brahaspati or Jupiter about the wife of Brahaspati, each of them\nclaiming to be the cause of her conception. Subsequently a son was\nborn who was named Budha (Mercury). Brahaspati's wife, on being asked\nwho was the father of the child, named the moon. Thereupon Brahaspati\ncursed the moon for his adultery. The spots on the surface of the\nmoon are said to be the effect of this curse.\n\nThe moon-god is believed to distribute nectar through his rays, and\ntherefore this deity is said to have the power of removing diseases\nand restoring human beings to health. The moon is the king of herbs,\nand all trees, plants, etc., thrive owing to the influence of the\nmoon. Sometimes people place at night, figs, plantains, sugarcane and\nother eatables in the moon-light and eat them early in the morning;\nand it is said that those who do so improve in health. The practice of\ndrinking the moon's rays does not prevail in the Kolh\u00e1pur district. But\npeople occasionally dine in the moon light. [36]\n\nOn a full moon day people perform the special worship of their\nchosen deity. On the full moon of the month of K\u00e1rtika temples are\nilluminated, and on the full moon day of M\u00e1gha, raw corn such as\nwheat, b\u00e1jri, etc., is cooked and offered to the household and other\ndeities. [37] On this day are also performed the special rites and\nceremonies that are required in connection with the Kula-devat\u00e1s or\nfamily gods or goddesses. On the full moon day of F\u00e1lguna the Holi fire\nis kindled and worshipped. In certain families the full moon of Chaitra\nis considered auspicious for making offerings to family deities. On\nthe full moon day of Shr\u00e1van is observed the feast of Cocoanut day,\nand on this day Br\u00e1hmans put on new sacred threads. The full moon is\nconsidered by the Sany\u00e1sis or ascetics an auspicious day for shaving\ntheir heads.\n\nOn the new moon day the Pitras or Manes are worshipped. Lighted lamps\nare worshipped on the new moon day, of Ash\u00e1dha. In the Kolh\u00e1pur\nState this is called Tadali new moon day, and in the Konkan it is\ncalled Divali new moon day. On the new moon day of Ashvin, Lakshmi\nthe goddess of wealth is worshipped. All special ceremonies for the\npropitiation of the Bhutas or evil spirits are usually performed on\nthe new moon day. The Dwitiya or 2nd day of every month is considered\nsacred to the moon, and on this day the moon is worshipped; while\nthe Chaturthi is considered sacred to the god Ganapati, and on the\nChaturthi of Bh\u00e1drapada a special festival is held in honour of the\ngod Ganpati. [38]\n\nOn the 15th day of the bright half of the month of Ashvin people put\nmilk in the rays of the moon for some time, and then, after offering\nit to the moon, they drink it. Drinking milk in this way is called\ndrinking the rays of the moon. [39] On the Sankr\u00e1nt Chaturthi day\nand on that Chaturthi which immediately follows the Dasara holiday,\npeople draw an image of the moon and worship it. [40] In the Ratn\u00e1giri\nDistrict several conflicting theories are held regarding the spots\non the surface of the moon. Some believe that the spot observed on\nthe moon is a tamarind tree in which that god has stationed himself;\nothers hold that the spot is the reflection of a deer which is yoked\nto the chariot of the moon [41]; while many more believe that it has\nbeen occasioned by the hoof of the horse of King Nala. Some say that\nthe spot on the surface of the moon represents a Pipal tree and a cow\nfastened to the roots of the tree; others on the authority of Hindu\nmythology suppose that God created Madan (cupid) from the essence\ntaken from the body of the moon and hence the moon-god has spots on\nhis body. [42] In the Mah\u00e1bh\u00e1rat it is stated that on the surface of\nthe moon is reflected the island of Sudarshan on this earth, together\nwith some trees and a great hare, the bright part being nothing but\nwater. [43] The spot on the surface of the moon is considered by some\na deer which the god has taken on his lap. [44] Some believe that\nYashoda, the mother of Krishna, after waving an earthen dish round\nthe face of Krishna, threw it at the sky. It struck the moon and\nthereby the spots on the surface of the moon were caused. Nectar is\nsupposed to have been derived from the rays of the moon; and in some\nsacred books it is stated that the Chakora bird (Bartavelle Partridge)\ndrinks the rays of the moon. [45]\n\nThe people of the Th\u00e1na District hold similar notions regarding the\nspots on the surface of the moon. It has been said by some that the\nportion in question represents mud, while others say that the moon\nhas been disfigured owing to a curse from a sage. [46] Some people\nsay that the spots are due to the moon being cursed by his preceptor\nBrahaspati with whose wife the moon-god had connection. Being unable\nto bear the pain of the spots, the moon, it is said, propitiated his\npreceptor, who directed him to bathe in the Bhima river to alleviate\nthe agony. Accordingly the pain was assuaged, and the part of the river\nwhere the Moon-god bathed thus came to be called Chandra bh\u00e1ga. [47]\nSome persons suggest that the spots are a Pipal tree with two deer\nfeeding upon it from two sides. [48] Others hold that the spots on\nthe surface of the moon are due to its having been kicked by a deer\nwhich, when pursued by a hunter, was refused shelter. [49] The people\nof the Th\u00e1na District believe that the rays of the moon influence\nconception. [50]\n\nIn the Kol\u00e1ba District, to sit in an open place on a moon-light night,\nis regarded as drinking the rays of the moon. [51] The elongated\npart of the orb of the moon pointing towards the north or the south\nis supposed to forebode scarcity or abundance, respectively. [52]\n\nIt is a common belief that the moon should not be seen on the Ganesh\nChaturthi day, i.e., the 4th day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nLooking at the moon continuously for a short time on every moon-light\nnight is said to keep one's sight in good order. [53]\n\nIf the Am\u00e1v\u00e1sya falls on Monday, Br\u00e1hman women of the Th\u00e1na District\nwalk round a Tulsi plant or a Pipal tree and make a vow to a\nBr\u00e1hman. [54]\n\nIn the Kol\u00e1ba District a special ceremony is held in honour of minor\ngoddesses on the 8th day of a month. The following things are avoided\none on each of the fifteen tithis respectively:--\n\nKohala (pumpkin), dorli (Solanum indicum), salt, sesamum, sour things,\noil, \u00e1vale (Emblic myrobalan), cocoanuts, bhopala (gourd), padval\n(snake-gourd), p\u00e1vte (Dolichos Lablah), masur (Lens esculenta),\nbrinjal, honey, gambling. [55]\n\nThe people observe a fast on the 13th (Pradosha) and the 14th day\n(Shivar\u00e1tra) of the dark half of every month. [56] On the 15th\nday of the bright half of Chaitra, a fair is held in honour of the\nguardian deity of a village, and hens, goats, etc., are offered as\na sacrifice. [57]\n\nThe following are days of special importance.\n\nGudhi-p\u00e1dva, i.e., the first day of the bright half of Chaitra:--This\nbeing the first day of the year, gudhis and toranas are hoisted in\nfront of every house and are worshipped. [58]\n\nBh\u00e1u-bij:--On the 2nd day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik every\nsister waves round the face of her brother a lamp, and makes him a\npresent. [59]\n\nThe ceremony on the Bh\u00e1u-bij day has come into vogue on account of\nSubhadra having given a very pleasant bath to her brother Krishna on\nthat day. The Court of Yama is also said to be closed on that day,\nsince he goes to his sister; and consequently persons who die on that\nday, however sinful they may be, are not supposed to go to Yamaloka,\ni.e., hell. [60]\n\nAkshya Tritiya:--On the third day of the bright half of Vaish\u00e1kh cold\nwater and winnowing fans are distributed as tokens for appeasing the\nManes of ancestors. On this day is also celebrated the birth of the\ngod Parashur\u00e1m. [61]\n\nGanesh Chaturthi:--On the 4th day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad,\nan earthen image of Ganpati is worshipped and a great ceremony is held\nin his honour. [62] The fourth day of the bright half of every month\nis called Vin\u00e1yaka-Chaturthi; while that of the dark half is called\nSankasti-Chaturthi. On the Vin\u00e1yaka-Chaturthi day, people fast the\nwhole day and dine the next day; while on the Sankasti Chaturthi day,\nthey fast during the day time and dine after moon-rise. [63] That\nSankasti Chaturthi which falls on Tuesday is considered the best. [64]\n\nN\u00e1gpanchami:--On the 5th day of the bright half of Shr\u00e1van, pictures\nof serpents and snake holes are worshipped. [65]\n\nChamp\u00e1-Shashti:--On the 6th day of the bright half of M\u00e1rgashirsha,\nsome ceremony relating to the family-deity is performed. [66]\n\nRatha-Saptami:--On the 7th day of the bright half of M\u00e1gh, the sun\nis worshipped and milk is boiled until it overflows. [67]\n\nGokul-Ashtami:--On the 8th day of the dark half of Shr\u00e1van the birth\nof the god Krishna is celebrated. [68]\n\nR\u00e1ma-Navami:--On the 9th day of the bright half of Chaitra the birth\nof the god R\u00e1ma is celebrated. [69]\n\nVijay\u00e1dashami:--On the 10th day of the bright half of Ashvin people\ncross the boundary of their village and distribute sone (leaves of the\nShami and Apta trees). It is a popular belief that a work commenced\non this day is sure to end well. Weapons are also worshipped on this\nday. [70]\n\nEk\u00e1dashi:--On the 11th day of Ash\u00e1dh and K\u00e1rtik a special fast is\nobserved. People also fast on the 11th day of each month. A man who\ndies on this auspicious day is supposed to go to heaven. [71] Sometimes\nthe Ek\u00e1dashi falls on two consecutive days; in which case the Sm\u00e1rtas\nobserve the first, while the Bh\u00e1gvats observe the second. [72]\n\nW\u00e1man-dw\u00e1dashi:--On the 12th day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad\nW\u00e1man is worshipped and one or twelve boys are adored, being held\nto represent W\u00e1man. The marriage of the Tulsi plant is sometimes\ncelebrated on this day. [73]\n\nDhana-Trayodashi:--On the 13th day of the dark half of Ashvin, Lakshmi,\nthe goddess of wealth is worshipped. [74]\n\nNarak-Chaturdashi:--On the 14th day of the dark half of Ashvin, the\ndemon Narak\u00e1sur was killed. In consequence, on this day people take\ntheir bath before sun-rise, break Karinta (a fruit), regarding it as\na demon, and apply its seeds to their heads. [75]\n\nN\u00e1rali Paurnima:--On the 15th day of the bright half of Shr\u00e1van,\npeople worship the sea and throw into it a cocoanut. [76]\n\nWata-Paurnima:--On the 15th day of the bright half of Jyeshtha,\nwomen whose husbands are alive fast the whole day, and worship the\nWata-tree. [77]\n\nOn the 15th day of the bright half of Ashvin, people keep themselves\nawake the whole night and amuse themselves in a variety of ways. On the\n15th day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtika houses are illuminated. This\nday is called Tripuri-Paurnima. On this night people illuminate\nwith earthen lamps all temples in the village, but particularly the\ntemple of Shiva. This is done in commemoration of the triumph of\nthe god Shiva over the demon Tripur\u00e1sura. The full-moon day of the\nmonth of M\u00e1gha is called Chudi Paurnima. On this night people light\nchudies torches and with them slightly burn certain flowers, trees\nand plants. The full-moon day of the month of F\u00e1lguna is called the\nHoli or Holi-Paurnima and is the biggest holiday of the lower class\nHindus. On this night the Hindus kindle the Holi-fire and worship\nit. [78] On the 15th day of the bright half of Ashvin people eat grain\nof the new harvest. On the full-moon day of Shr\u00e1van they perform the\nShr\u00e1vani ceremony and give a lamp in charity. On the full-moon day of\nthe month of Chaitra, Vaishakha and M\u00e1rgashirsha, the births of M\u00e1ruti,\nNarasimha and Datt\u00e1traya respectively are celebrated. [79] The Kunbis\nof the Ratn\u00e1giri District believe that on the 15th or full-moon day of\nPausha, the Hindu gods go out hunting and that they return from their\nhunting expedition on the full-moon day of the month of M\u00e1gha. During\nthis period the Kunbis abstain from worshipping their gods. [80]\n\nAm\u00e1v\u00e1sya:--On the 15th day of the dark half of every month, oblations\nare given to the Manes of the dead. [81] The commencement of a good\ndeed, journey to a distant place, and the ploughing of land are\npostponed on the no-moon day of a month. [82] Sany\u00e1sis are enjoined\nto get their beard shaved on the Paurnima and Am\u00e1v\u00e1sya days only. [83]\n\nPeople do not set out on a journey on the following tithis, regarding\nthem as rikta (unfruitful or inauspicious):--\n\n\nChaturthi, Navami and Chaturdashi. [84]\n\nThe Ch\u00e1ndr\u00e1yana Vrata:--Widows fast on the no-moon day of a month. They\nare required to regulate their diet in such an increasing proportion\nthat on the next full moon day they should have a full meal. The\nreverse process follows for a fortnight after, so that they observe\nan absolute fast on the following no-moon day. [85]\n\nPeople have various ideas about the cause of the eclipses of the sun\nand the moon. Some say that the sun and the moon are superior deities,\nand that the demons R\u00e1hu and Ketu who belong to the caste of M\u00e1ngs\nattempt to touch them and to devour them. Others believe that the\nplanets R\u00e1hu and Ketu stand in the path of the Sun and the Moon and\nthereby darkness is caused on the earth. It is believed that about 5\nhours before the commencement of the obscuration, in the case of the\nSun and about 4 hours in the case of the Moon, the Vedha or malign\ninfluence of the monsters begins and during the period till the whole\neclipse is over a strict fast is observed. At the commencement of\nthe eclipse, as well as at its close, people bathe. Some sit on a\nlow wooden stool with a rosary in their hands repeating the names of\nthe gods, or the g\u00e1yatri or some of the mantras. But those who want\nto acquire the art of magic or witch-craft or the power of removing\nthe evil effects of snake-poison, or scorpion sting, go to a lonely\nplace on the riverside, and there standing in water repeat the mantras\ntaught to them by their guru or teacher. People give alms to Mah\u00e1rs\nand M\u00e1ngs on this occasion, and therefore persons of this class go\nabout the streets saying loudly \"Give us alms and the eclipse will\nbe over.\" De d\u00e1n sut\u00e9 gir\u00e1n.\n\nA strict fast is observed on an eclipse day, but children and pregnant\nwomen who cannot bear the privation are given something to eat under\na sike. The eclipse time is so inauspicious that children and animals\nborn at that time are considered unlucky. [86] Sometimes an eclipse\ncannot be observed owing to the intervention of clouds. On that\noccasion the people of the Konkan resort to the following expedient\nin order to ascertain whether the luminary is eclipsed or not. They\ntake a potful of water and hold in it a musal. If it stands in the\npot unsupported it is regarded as indicative of the existence of an\neclipse. M\u00e1ngs, Mah\u00e1rs, etc., are supposed to be the descendants of\nR\u00e1hu and Ketu; and for this reason gifts are made to them in charity\non an eclipse day. [87]\n\nThe people of the Th\u00e1na District believe that corn grows abundantly\nin a year that witnesses many eclipses. [88]\n\nThe popular cause of an eclipse in the Kol\u00e1ba District, is the Girha, a\nminor deity which is said to wander through the sky and swallow the Sun\nand the Moon when they cross his path. [89] Besides the mythological\nstory regarding the cause of an eclipse, the people of the Ratn\u00e1giri\nDistrict also believe that the Girha throws his shadow on the sun and\nthe moon, when he comes to demand his dues from them. [90] The Konkan\nvillagers, on an eclipse day, strike barren trees with a pestle, [91]\nin order that they may bear fruits and flowers. A barren woman is\nalso beaten with the same motive. Similarly many other superstitious\nbeliefs are connected with an eclipse. Pregnant women are not allowed\nto see the eclipse of the sun or the moon, nor are they to engage\nin cutting, sewing, etc. as this is believed to be injurious to the\nchild in the womb. [92] The eclipse time is supposed to be the most\nsuitable to learn mantras or incantations. [93] The mantris also\nmutter incantations during an eclipse in a naked condition. [94] The\npeople who believe that the eclipses are caused by the influence of\nthe planets R\u00e1hu and Ketu offer prayers to R\u00e1hu on the lunar eclipse\nday and to Ketu on the solar eclipse day. [95]\n\nThe planets and stars are worshipped by the Hindus. It is believed\nthat a person who is to die within six months cannot see the polar\nstar. From the movements of the planets past and future events of\none's career are foretold by Br\u00e1hman and other astrologers. And as\nit is believed that man's good and bad luck are dependant upon the\ninfluence of the planets, offerings of various kinds are made and\nsacrifices performed for securing the favour of the Navagrahas or the\nnine planets. In order to avert the effect of the evil influence of\ncertain planets people sometimes wear rings of those precious stones\nwhich are supposed to be the favourites of the planets.\n\nThe rain-bow is called Indra dhanushya or the Indra's bow, and it is\nbelieved that if the rain-bow appears in the east, it indicates the\ncoming of more rain, and if it appears in the west it is a sure sign\nof the close of the monsoon.\n\nThe milky way is believed to be the heavenly Ganges. Well known\ntradition relates how W\u00e1man (the 5th incarnation of Vishnu) went to\nBali the king of the lower regions and asked him to give him land\nmeasuring three feet only. The king consented, whereupon the god\nW\u00e1man enlarged his body to such an extent that by his one footstep he\noccupied the whole earth and by the second he occupied heaven. Upon\nthis the god Brahma worshipped the foot of the god Vishnu which was\nin heaven, and from that foot sprang the heavenly Ganges which flows\nin heaven and is called Dudha Ganga or the milky Ganges.\n\nThe worship of stars and planets is in vogue among Konkan Hindu\nfamilies of the higher castes. The polar star in particular is seen\nand worshipped by the bride and the bridegroom after the ceremony\nat the marriage altar is over. [96] A very interesting story is\nconnected with the polar star. By the great power of his penance\nthe sage Vishv\u00e1mitra despatched king Trishanku to Heaven, but the\ngods hurled him down. Thereupon Vishv\u00e1mitra became enraged and began\nto create a new heaven. Hindu mythological books say that he thus\ncreated the sages Vashista, Angiras, Pulah, Pulastya, Rutu, Atri, and\nMarichi, and stationed Trishanku in the sky. The Nava-grahas or the\nnine planets are worshipped before the commencement of all important\nceremonies. [97] A cluster of seven stars called the Sapta-rishis are\nworshipped by men at the time of the Shr\u00e1vani ceremony, while women\nworship them on the 5th day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapada. [98]\nThese Sapta-rishis are said to have been created by the God Brahma\nfrom his own body; and teaching them the four Vedas, he handed them\nover to them and asked them to regulate the affairs of the world. [99]\n\nSome people of the Ratn\u00e1giri District believe that the rain-bow is the\nbow used by R\u00e1ma, the hero of the R\u00e1m\u00e1yana. Its appearance on the east\nis regarded by them as symptomatic of the approach of rain, while its\nappearance on the west is equivalent to the departure of rain. [100]\n\nThe short duration of the rain-bow is held to indicate an excessive\nfall of rain while its long duration forbodes a scarcity of rain. [101]\nThe appearance of the rain-bow on a river is supposed to indicate\nthe approach of rain, while its appearance on a mountain means the\ndeparture of rain. [102] Of the two bows of which the rain-bow seems\nto be composed, the larger is believed to belong to R\u00e1ma, and the\nsmaller to Lakshman. [103] Since the God Indra is supposed to send\nrain, the Indradhanushya (the rain-bow) is regarded as a sign of the\nadvent of rain. [104]\n\nBy some Hindus it is believed that the milky way is a heavenly river\nwhich is a favourite bathing place of the gods. [105] Others suppose\nit to be a branch of the celestial Ganges which is said to have been\nbrought down upon this earth by king Bhagiratha. [106] Some persons,\nhowever, believe that since the great sage Agastya is said to reside\nat R\u00e1meshwar in the southern direction, the Ganges (the milky way)\nruns through the sky to the south in order to bathe him. Sometimes\nthe milky way is believed to be a white cloud. [107]\n\nOn the authority of the Mah\u00e1k\u00e1la Nirv\u00e1n Tantra, some people of the\nTh\u00e1na District believe that a person who cannot get a view of the\npolar star will die within six months; while others substitute the\nArundhati star for the polar star and determine the duration of life\nof a diseased person by the same process. [108]\n\nThe people of the Th\u00e1na District believe that the rain-bow is caused\nby the accumulation of moisture in the air. [109] The rain-bow is said\nto consecrate the region over which it appears. [110] The appearance\nof the rain-bow in the morning is supposed to forbode the approach\nof rain. [111]\n\nSome people of the Kol\u00e1ba District believe that the holy persons such\nas K\u00e1shyapa, Arundhati and other sages, who lived on this earth in\nancient times are seen shining in the sky by the sacred lustre of\ntheir powers. [112] Hindu women worship the planets Budha and Guru\n(Mercury and Jupiter) in the month of Shravan. [113]\n\nThe Sapta-rishis are somewhere called Khatale and B\u00e1jale (cot). [114]\nThe rain-bow is held by some to be the symbol of R\u00e1ma and Lakshman,\nwho visit the world in that form with the view of watching its\nproceedings. Others, however, believe that it represents God Indra\nwho assumes that form to see how his orders are executed by his\nsubordinates. [115] The rain-bow is said to foretell good if it\nappears either at the beginning or end of the rainy season, while\nits appearance at any other time is supposed to forbode evil. [116]\n\nHindus regard the earth as one of their important deities and worship\nit on various occasions. It is enjoined upon Br\u00e1hmans to worship it\ndaily at the time of their Sandhya rite, as well as while performing\nthe Shr\u00e1vani ceremony. [117] The people of the Ratn\u00e1giri District pray\nto the earth as soon as they leave their bed in the morning. [118]\nThe earth is required to be worshipped at the time of laying the\nfoundation-stone of a house, as well as at the time of bringing into\nuse a newly built house. [119] Since it is held unholy to sleep on\nthe bare ground, those whose parents die, sleep on a woollen cloth on\nthe ground till their parents' anniversary is over. [120] Wanprastas,\nSany\u00e1sis, and Br\u00e1hmans are required to sleep on the ground. [121]\nSome pious men sleep on the bare ground during the Ch\u00e1turm\u00e1s (the four\nmonths of the rainy season), at the expiry of which they present a\nbed to a Br\u00e1hman. [122] It is enjoined upon a prince to sleep on the\nbare ground on the eve of the coronation day. [123]\n\nWidows and women are required to sleep on the ground during their\nmonthly courses. Women whose husbands are away are also to do the\nsame. [124] In the Ratn\u00e1giri District Katkaris, on the day on which\nthey wish to be possessed by a particular deity or spirit, are\nrequired to sleep on the earth. [125] When people are on the point\nof death, they are made to lie on blades of darbha grass placed on\nthe earth. [126] The performer of a sacrifice as well as one who\nhas observed a vow are to sleep on the ground. [127] The following\narticles should not be allowed to touch the earth, viz. pearls,\nthe Sh\u00e1ligram stone, an image of the god Vishnu, the linga of Shiva,\na conch shell, the sacred thread of a Br\u00e1hman, flowers intended for\nworship, basil leaves, and Govardhan. [128]\n\nThe following lines are repeated in the morning before setting foot\nto the ground [129]:--\n\nO Goddess! who is clothed (surrounded) by the sea, whose breasts are\nmountains, and who is the wife of Vishnu, I bow down to thee; please\nforgive the touch of my feet. O Goddess Earth! who art born by the\npower of Vishnu, whose surface is of the colour of a conch shell and\nwho art the store house of innumerable jewels, I bow down to thee.\n\nSome women of the Th\u00e1na District worship the earth daily during the\nCh\u00e1turm\u00e1s (four months of the rainy season), at the end of which they\ngive a Br\u00e1hman a piece of land or the money equivalent of it. [130]\nPersons who perform a particular rite, e.g., the Sol\u00e1somav\u00e1r-vrata\n(a vow observed on sixteen successive Mondays) are required to sleep\non the bare ground. [131] At the sowing and harvest time, farmers\nappease the earth by offering it cocoanuts, fowls, rice mixed with\ncurd, etc. [132] The blood of a king and the balls of rice given to\nthe manes of the dead are not allowed to touch the ground. People\nconvey to a distant place the water of the Ganges, without placing\nit on the ground. [133]\n\nThe earth is required to be worshipped before taking a portion of\nit for sacrificial purposes. [134] A vessel containing water over\nwhich incantations have been repeated is not allowed to touch the\nground. [135] On the 15th day of the bright half of Ashvin every\nfarmer prepares some sweetmeats in his house, and takes them to his\nfarm. There he gathers five stones, worships them, and offers the\nsweetmeats to the earth. Afterwards he takes a portion of the food\nand scatters it over the farm. His family then gather there and take\na hearty meal. In the evening the person who carried the food to the\nfarm, picks up some grains of barley and puts them into a basket. On\nreturn home the grains are thrown over the house. [136]\n\nVarious conflicting notions are entertained regarding thunder and\nlightning. The people of the Ratn\u00e1giri District believe that the\nclouds are animals that roar. When these animals emit water it\nbursts forth on account of the circular motion of the winds called\nChanda and Munda. This bursting is supposed to produce thunder\nand lightning. [137] Somewhere thunder and lightning are said to\nbe the signals given by the god Indra, to birds, beasts, etc., of\nthe setting in of the rainy season. [138] Some people believe that\nthe god Indra sends rain through his elephants who, being excited,\nmake a noise like thunder. [139]\n\nOthers regard the thunder as the roaring of the elephant of the gods,\nwhile sucking sea-water. The thunder is also believed to be the\nroaring of the god Varuna, the king of the clouds. [140] The boys of\nthe Ratn\u00e1giri District believe that thunder is a sign of the wedding\nceremonies performed in the heavenly houses of the gods. [141] Some\nMahomedans believe that an angel called Mekail has control over the\nrain. To cause a fall of rain Mekail strikes the clouds with a whip\nof lightning. The clouds then utter a cry, and this is the cause of\nthunder. [142] Some people of the Th\u00e1na District believe that there\nare big stones in the sky which strike against each other owing to\nthe force of the wind, and produce thunder. The dashing of these\nstones against each other also generates lightning. [143]\n\nIn the Kol\u00e1ba District it is believed that thunder is the military band\nof the king of clouds and lightning is his banner. [144] Lightning\nis said to be produced by the fighting of celestial elephants; while\nthunder is heard when they pour out water. [145] Some people think\nthat thunder is the noise of the feet of the elephants (clouds)\nthat give rain; lightning is also said to be generated from their\nfoot fall. [146] The clouds are supposed to be the messengers of gods,\nlightning being the manifestation of Divine power. The gods are said to\nconfine these messengers from the nakshatra of Ardra to the nakshatra\nof Hasti, in which latter nakshatra they again begin to roar. [147]\n\nThunder is supposed to take place when the god Indra draws his bow;\nwhile lightning is said to be produced when the same god strikes his\nadamant against a mountain. [148]\n\nIn the Ratn\u00e1giri District it is believed that earthquake occurs\nwhenever the thousand headed Shesha shakes its head. [149] It is said\nthat at one time a demon named Gay\u00e1sur became very troublesome, and all\nthe gods held him down by standing on his body. Thereupon the demon\nrequested all the gods to remain on his body for ever. Occasionally\nthis Gay\u00e1sur shakes his body and this causes the earthquake. [150]\nSome people believe that the earth trembles of its own accord when\nsins accumulate upon it. [151] Others hold that the earthquake takes\nplace in the hollow parts of the earth. [152] Some people, however,\nbelieve that since the earth floats upon water, it naturally quakes\nat times. [153]\n\nThe Hindus being element worshippers naturally hold in reverence\ncertain rivers, ponds, etc. In the Ratn\u00e1giri District the spring at\nR\u00e1j\u00e1pur, called the R\u00e1j\u00e1purchi Ganga is considered very sacred. It\nflows from the roots of a Banyan tree. There are fifteen Kundas or\nponds, and the principal Kunda always remains filled with water. On\noccasions a big j\u00e1tra fair is held and people from distant places\ncome to bathe and worship at the spring. [154] Some people believe\nthat many of the lakes, springs, etc., situated in the Kolh\u00e1pur\nState are sacred. [155] A spring or rivulet that flows to the east is\nconsidered specially sacred. It is called a Surya-Vansi spring, and\nit is considered meritorious to bathe in it. [156] In the village of\nKunkauli in the Ratn\u00e1giri District if a person is bitten by a snake\nor other poisonous reptile, no medicine is administered to him, but\nholy water brought from the temple of the village goddess is given to\nhim to drink, and it is said that the patient is thus cured. [157]\nThe water fall at Maral near Devarkuha, where the river B\u00e1n takes\nits rise, is held sacred. [158] At Shivam in the Ratn\u00e1giri District\nthe people use the tirtha of a deity as medicine for diseases due\nto poison. They say that it is the sole remedy they apply in such\ncases. [159] There are ponds at Manora in the Goa State, and Vetore\nin the S\u00e1vantw\u00e1di State, the water of which is used as medicine\nfor the cure of persons suffering from the poison of snakes, mice,\nspiders, and scorpions. [160] When a well is dug, the people call\na Br\u00e1hman priest to consecrate it. The Br\u00e1hman takes cow's urine,\nmilk, curds, ghi, sandal paste, flowers, basil leaves, and rice,\nand mixes them with water, and after repeating sacred mantras over\nthe water, throws the mixture into the well. After this ceremony,\nthe people are at liberty to drink water from the well. [161]\n\nBefore a well is dug, an expert is consulted to ascertain the place\nwhere a spring flows. A well is then dug, after offering a sacrifice to\nthe spirits and deities that happen to dwell at that spot. A dinner\nis given to Br\u00e1hmans after the well is built. [162] A golden cow\nis often thrown into a newly built well as an offering to the water\ndeities. [163] There is a well at Mandangad, the water of which serves\nas medicine to cure the poison of snakes and other reptiles. [164]\n\nIt is believed that there is a class of wicked water nymphs called\nAsar\u00e1 who generally dwell in wells, ponds, or rivers, far from the\nhabitation of men. Whenever these nymphs come across a lonely man\nor woman entering a well, pond, etc., they carry that person under\nwater. The village of Mithb\u00e1v in the Ratn\u00e1giri District is a well-known\nresort of these Asar\u00e1s, and many instances are given by the villagers\nof persons being drowned and carried off in the river by these wicked\nnymphs. A tank in the village of Hindalem in the same district has a\nsimilar reputation. [165] The people of the Konkan believe that water\nnymphs are sometimes seen in the form of women near wells, rivers,\nand ponds. [166] Some say that the water nymphs and water spirits\nconfer objects desired by worshippers if they are propitiated by\nprayers. [167]\n\nThere are seven kundas, ponds, at Nirmal in the Th\u00e1na District,\nforming a large lake. This lake is said to have been formed from the\nblood of the demon Vimal\u00e1sur. At Sh\u00e1h\u00e1pur there is a holy spring of hot\nwater under a Pipal tree. It is called Ganga. [168] There are kundas,\npools, of hot water in the Vaitarna river in the Th\u00e1na District, in\nwhich people bathe on the 13th day of the dark half of Chaitra. [169]\nThere are also springs of hot water on the bank of the Surya river at\nVajreshvari and at Koknere, in the Th\u00e1na District. [170] A handful\nof corn, if thrown into the hot water kundas at Tungar, is said to\nbe boiled at once. [171] It is held holy to bathe in the kundas of\nhot water that are situated in the rivers T\u00e1nsa and B\u00e1nganga in the\nTh\u00e1na District. [172] The water of a well which is drawn without\ntouching the earth or without being placed upon the ground is given\nas medicine for indigestion. Similarly the water of seven tanks,\nor at least of one pond, in which lotuses grow is said to check the\nvirulence of measles, small-pox, etc. [173] A bath in a certain tank\nin the Mahim taluka is said to cure persons suffering from the itch,\nand water purified by repeating incantations over it is also said to\nbe a good remedy for the same disease. [174]\n\nThe water of a tank or a well is supposed to be wholesome to a person\nof indifferent health, if given to him to drink without placing it upon\nthe ground. [175] Some people believe that the water of the Ganges is\nso holy and powerful that if bows are thrown into it they are instantly\nreduced to powder. [176] The repair of lakes, caravanserais, temples,\netc., is held more meritorious than their actual erection. [177]\nIt is enjoined upon a man to perform a certain rite if he wishes\nto relinquish his right of ownership over a well or tank, and after\nthis rite is performed, it can be utilized for public purposes. But\nno ceremony is required to be performed if a well is dug for the\nbenefit of the public. [178]\n\nThe people of the Th\u00e1na District believe that water nymphs reside in\nevery reservoir of water. [179] Some people, however, believe that\nthe water nymphs dwell in those lakes in which lotuses grow. These\nnymphs are said to do harm to children and young women, especially\nwhen they set out for a walk accompanied by their brother Gavala. They\nare unusually dangerous. [180] The people worship the images of the\nfollowing seven water nymphs or apsaras, viz., Machhi, Kurmi, Karkati,\nDarduri, Jatupi, Somapa and Makari. [181]\n\nThe following places are said to be inhabited by water spirits:--the\nchannel of Kalamba, the tanks of Sopara and Utaratal and the lake\ncalled Tambra-tirtha at Bassein [182]. Water nymphs are supposed to\ndrown a person who tries to save another fallen into water. [183]\nA species of small men named Uda, otherwise called water-spirits,\nare said to dwell in water and subsist on fishes. [184] The spirits\ncalled Khais and Mhashya are supposed to reside in water. [185]\n\nThe river S\u00e1vitri in the Kol\u00e1ba District takes its rise near\nMah\u00e1baleshwar and is considered very sacred. The following traditionary\naccount is given of its origin. The god Brahma had two wives, S\u00e1vitri\nand G\u00e1yatri. A dispute having arisen between them, they both jumped\nover a precipice. S\u00e1vitri assumed the form of a river and fell into the\nsea near B\u00e1nkot. G\u00e1yatri, on the other hand, concealed herself in the\nriver S\u00e1vitri and manifested herself as a spring near Harihareshwar in\nthe Janjira State. [186] A man is said to be released from re-birth\nif he takes a bath in the kund (pond) named Katkale-tirtha near\nN\u00e1sik. [187] Bows are said to be reduced to powder if thrown into\na certain kund at Uddhar-R\u00e1meshwar in the Sudhagad taluka. [188]\nKupotsarga is defined to be the digging of a well for the benefit of\nthe public and abandoning one's right of ownership over it. [189]\n\nA pond near Khopoli in the Kol\u00e1ba District is held very sacred. The\nfollowing story is related in connection with it. The villagers say\nthat the water nymphs in the pond used to provide pots for marriage\nfestivities if a written application were made to them a day previous\nto the wedding. The pots were, however, required to be returned\nwithin a limited time. But one man having failed to comply with\nthis condition, they have ceased to lend pots. Another interesting\nstory is associated with the same pond. It is as follows. A man had\nfallen into the pond and was taken to the abode of the nymphs. He was,\nhowever, returned by them after a few days on the understanding that\nhe would be recalled if he spoke of what he had seen there. One day\nhe communicated to the people the good things that he enjoyed there,\nand to the surprise of all he was found dead immediately after. [190]\nWater nymphs are said to reside in a pond at Varsai in the Kol\u00e1ba\nDistrict. Consequently persons that are held unclean, e.g., women in\ntheir monthly course, etc., are not allowed to touch it. The nymphs of\nthe same lake were once said to lend pots on festive occasions. [191]\nIt is said that the water nymphs used to provide ornaments for marriage\nand other ceremonies, if returned within a prescribed period. But some\npeople having failed to return them, they ceased to lend them. [192]\n\nA spirit called Girha is supposed to reside in water. It is said to\nmake mischief with man in a variety of ways by enticing him into deep\nwater. [193] The Jakrin is said to be a deity residing in water. [194]\nPersons drowned in water are believed to become water-spirits, and\nto trouble innocent passers-by. [195]\n\nA mountain near the village Pule, in the district of Ratn\u00e1giri is\nheld sacred on account of the residence of the god Ganpati at that\nplace. For this reason people walk round the mountain and worship\nit. Tradition says that Ganpati was at first at Gule in the Ratn\u00e1giri\nDistrict, but on account of the sanctity of the place being violated\nby some wicked persons the god transferred his residence to Pule. At\nGule there is still a very beautiful temple of Ganpati, though it is\nnow in a dilapidated condition. [196] The cave of the sage Much-kund\nnear Machal on the Sahy\u00e1dri mountain is considered sacred. In the\nKonkan it is not held sinful to ascend a mountain or a hill, though\nto sit upon its summit is considered sinful. [197] The hill of Mirya\nnear Ratn\u00e1giri is considered sacred. This hill is believed to be a\nparticle (miri) of the mythological mountain Dronagiri. [198]\n\nA hill near Dh\u00e1r\u00e1vi in the Th\u00e1na District is consecrated by the temple\nof a goddess upon the top. This goddess is said to preserve ships at\nsea, and people are occasionally possessed by her. It is said that\na Roman Catholic priest met instantaneous death on having insulted\nher. [199]\n\nThe hill of Mah\u00e1lakshmi in the Dah\u00e1nu t\u00e1luka is held sacred. The\nvillagers consider it dangerous to ascend this hill. [200] On the\nhill of the same name is a temple of the goddess Jivadhani, who is\nsaid to preserve children from small-pox. The following story is\ntold in connection with the goddess. A person in need of money used\nto place before her image as large a heap of flowers as he wanted\ngold, stating that he would return the gold when he had done with\nit. He used then to go home and return on an appointed day for the\ngold, which was sure to be found where he had placed the heap of\nflowers. Once a man failed to return the gold, and thenceforth the\ngoddess withheld her bounty. There is no door to the temple of this\ngoddess. It is only through a hole in a big stone that one can have a\nview of her image. Sweet scent is said to be continually emitted from\nthis hole. The goddess is said to have fastened the door of her temple\nfor the following reason. One day the goddess was walking at the foot\nof the hill at night. A cowherd who happened to be there was bewitched\nby her matchless beauty and fell a prey to evil desire. He pursued\nher to the top of the hill, when the goddess, divining his motive,\nfastened the door of her temple with a prodigious stone. On the same\nhill is a cattle shed in which fresh cow-dung is said to be always\nfound. This place being inaccessible to cows and other quadrupeds,\nthe people believe that the goddess keeps a cow of her own. [201]\n\nThe hill of Tungar is consecrated by the temple of a certain goddess\nupon it. There is also a very famous hill near Arn\u00e1la, called the\nhill of Buddha. This hill was once the seat of a king belonging to\nthe weaver caste. Recently a pond was discovered upon it, in which\nwas found a stone-box containing a begging-pot and a diamond. A great\nfair is held annually on the hill of Motm\u00e1vali near Bandra in the\nTh\u00e1na district. The devotees of the deity are Hindus, Parsis, and\nChristians. It is said this goddess was once worshipped by Hindus\nonly. A Br\u00e1hman is the puj\u00e1ri of the Pir on the hill of B\u00e1ba Malang\nnear Kaly\u00e1n. It is said that the Pir has declared that no Moslem puj\u00e1ri\nshould worship him. The Hindus and Moslems worship him alike. [202]\n\nBr\u00e1hmans do not cross the top of a mountain without stopping for a\nshort time before ascending the summit. [203]\n\nAt a short distance from Chaul in the Kol\u00e1ba District is a hill\ndedicated to the god Dattatraya, in whose honour a great fair is\nheld annually. The following story is told in connection with this\nhill. In ancient times a Br\u00e1hman used to practise austerities on\nthis hill near a Tulsi plant (the place on which the present temple\nstands). He used to spend the whole day there, but returned home at\nnightfall. On his way home fearful scenes were often presented to\nhim, and in his dreams he was asked not to go there any more. But\nthe Br\u00e1hman was obdurate. He persisted in his resolution to practise\nausterities for a number of years, and at last succeeded in obtaining\na personal interview with the god Dattatraya, who commanded him\nto bow down to his feet (p\u00e1duka). From that time pious men live on\nthis hill and offer their prayers to the god Dattatraya. Nearly four\nhundred steps have been constructed for the ascent of this hill,\nand additional steps are being built every year. Here also are some\nsprings of pure water. It is worth while to note that the puj\u00e1ri of\nthis god is a Shudra by caste. [204] On the north-east side of the\nhill dedicated to the god Dattatraya stands the temple of the goddess\nHingl\u00e1j. To the north of this temple are four caves, while to the\nwest is a deep den resembling a well, through which a lane appears to\nhave been dug. This is said to be the road excavated by the P\u00e1ndavas\nto enable them to go to K\u00e1si. [205] At a distance of two miles from\nAk\u00f3la in the Kol\u00e1ba District is a hill called Mallik\u00e1rjun. This\nis said to be a small stone fallen from the mythological mountain\nDronagiri. This hill is said to contain many medical herbs. [206]\nThe hill at Kankeshwar near Alib\u00e1g is held sacred, and tradition says\nthat in ancient times it had golden dust upon it. [207] A cave at\nAmbivali near Karjat in the Kol\u00e1ba District consists of seven rooms,\none of which is spacious enough to accommodate five hundred persons. In\nthe same taluka there is another cave at Kondhavane. [208]\n\nThe gods Indra and Varuna are supposed to send rain; but it is believed\nthat the god Shiva in chief has the power of causing the fall of rain,\nand for this reason whenever there is a scarcity of rain people pour\nwater over the linga of Shiva until the whole linga is submerged. [209]\nIn order that there should be a fall of rain, some people besmear\nthe linga of the god Shiva with cooked rice and curds. [210] In the\nRatn\u00e1giri District, whenever there is a scarcity of rain, people go\nto the place known as Parashur\u00e1m Kshetra, and there pray to the god\nParashur\u00e1m to send rain. [211] Sacrifices are also offered to Indra,\nthe god of rain, in order that there should be plenty of rain. Some\nbelieve that there are certain mantris or enchanters who by the power\nof their mantras are able to prevent the fall of rain. [212]\n\nIn the Ratn\u00e1giri District the following ceremony is performed by the\nlower castes such as Kunbis, etc., to avert drought. All the male\nvillagers assemble together at an appointed place, and there they\nselect one of them as their Gowala-deva. All of them then go about in\nthe village from house to house. The owner of every house sprinkles\nwater over the assembly, and curds and butter-milk over the body of\nthe Gowala-deva. They are also given some shidha consisting of rice,\npulse, vegetables, etc. After visiting most of the houses in the\nvillage, the assembly headed by the Gowala-deva go to the bank of a\nriver. Here they cook the food, offer it first to the Gowala-deva and\nthen partake of the remainder as a pras\u00e1d from the Gowala-deva. [213]\nSome people make an image of the sage Shringarishi for the purpose of\ncausing the fall of rain. [214] Others make an image of Dhondal-deva\nin order that there should be plenty of rain. [215] Sometimes people\nrepeat mantras addressed to Parjanya (rain) so that rain should\nfall. [216] The goddess Navachandika is worshipped in order that\nthere should be rain. The Kunbis perform a peculiar rite for checking\nthe fall of rain. They ask a person born in the months of Jyeshtha,\nAsh\u00e1dh, Shr\u00e1van or Bh\u00e1drapad to fetch some rain-water in an alu leaf,\nand this is fastened to the eaves of thatched houses by means of\na string. Note that, if this rite is to be performed in the month\nof Jyeshtha, a person born in that month only is required and no\nother; and so forth. [217] In order to check an excessive fall of\nrain the villagers sometimes ask a boy to take off his clothes and\nthen to catch rainwater in the leaves of the alu plant. The leaves\ncontaining the water are then tied to the eaves of the house. [218]\nThe people say that during the rule of the Peshw\u00e1s there was a class\nof mantris who had the power of causing a failure of rain. [219] To\ncheck the fall of rain, some people ask naked boys to throw burning\ncoals into the rain water. [220] Irale (a protection against rain,\nmade of the leaves of trees) is kept in the rain upside down, the\ngoddess Holika is worshipped, the boughs of the Avali tree are conveyed\nto a place where four roads meet and stones are heaped over it, and\neaves of thatched houses are beaten by boys who do not wear clothes,\nall these being done by the villagers with a view to preventing an\nexcessive fall of rain. [221]\n\nThe people of the Th\u00e1na District believe that distinct deities preside\nover distinct seasons, e.g., Mars presides over the spring (Vasant),\nVenus over summer (Grishma), the moon over autumn (Varsha), Mercury\nover sharat, Saturn over winter (Hemant and Shishir). [222] When the\npeople are in need of rain they say to the god of rain \"Let us have\nplenty of rain to-morrow and we will give thee, Oh! God of rain! rice\nmixed with curd.\" The same offer is made to the god of rain even when\nthey do not want it. In order that there should be no scarcity of rain,\nsome people perform the rites of Laghu-rudra and Mah\u00e1-rudra. [223]\nThe following measure if adopted is said to cause rain. The villagers\ngo from house to house with boughs of the Limb tree on their heads,\nand water is then poured upon them by the inmates. [224] The fall\nof rain is supposed to cease if a person born in the month of F\u00e1lgun\nextinguishes burning coals in rainwater when his garments have been\nremoved. [225]\n\nSome stones are supposed to have influence over rain fall. There is a\nbig stone at Varasai in the Kol\u00e1ba District on which are drawn certain\nimages. The people believe that it rains hard if this stone is held\nstraight, and then swung to and fro. [226] Some people perform the\nfollowing rite known as the Dhondilgajya. They ask a person of the\nKaik\u00e1di or Vadar caste to remain naked and break the string round\nhis waist. A small image of black earth is made and placed upon\nhis head. The boy then conveys the image from house to house in the\nvillage. A woman in each house sprinkles water over the image while\nthe boy dances saying \"Dhondil gajya, P\u00e1us gajya.\" It is believed\nthat it rains in the direction in which the water sprinkled falls. A\nperson who accompanies the boy gathers corn at every house. A dinner\nis then prepared, and the people of the caste to which the boy belongs,\npartake of it heartily. It is also said that making water in a standing\nposture causes the fall of rain. [227] The god R\u00e1meshwar at Chaul in\nthe Kol\u00e1ba District is said to have control over rain. In the temple\nof this god there is a parjanya-kund (pond) which is opened after\nperforming a sacred rite, if there be a scarcity of rain. There are\nalso other kundas in the temple, viz., V\u00e1yu-kund and Agni-kund, but\nno occasion has yet arisen to open them. [228] Some people believe\nthat the god Agni regulates the seasons [229].\n\nEaves of thatched houses are cleansed with a brush made from the\nleaves of cocoanut trees in order that a fall of rain should be\nprevented. [230]\n\nThe ceremonies of Harit\u00e1lika, Rishi-Panchami, Vata-S\u00e1vitri,\nVan\u00e1-Shasthi, Mangal\u00e1-Gouri, Shital-Saptami are to be performed\nby women alone. [231] Similarly, the ceremonies of Mah\u00e1lakshmi,\nVasub\u00e1ras, Shiva-mutha, and a rite on the Makar Sankrant day are\nperformed by women exclusively. [232]\n\nThe rite of Rishi-Panchami is performed on the 5th day of the\nbright-half of Bh\u00e1drapad to make amends for sins committed without\nknowledge. On this day women go to a river, a well, or some other\nsacred place, cleanse their teeth with the leaves of the Agh\u00e1da plant,\nand take baths with something on the head. They then take some stones\nfrom that place and worship them as Rishis. On the conclusion of\nthe worship, they partake of fruits. On the Vrata-S\u00e1vitri day women\nworship a banyan tree or its boughs. The ceremony falls on the 15th\nday of the bright half of Jyeshtha. [233] On the Harit\u00e1lika day,\ni.e., the 3rd day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad, women make images\nof earth of P\u00e1rvati and her two friends and worship them and fast\nthe whole day. The observance of this rite contributes to their good\nfortune. Even girls of tender years observe this fast. The worship\nof Mangal\u00e1-Gauri is a ceremony performed by married girls for five\nsuccessive years on every Tuesday of the month of Shr\u00e1van. Similarly,\nthe goddess Mah\u00e1lakshmi is worshipped on the 8th day of the bright\nhalf of Ashvin. On the Makar Sankr\u00e1nt day women worship a sugad [234]\nand present it to a Br\u00e1hman. [235] The Shiva-mutha consists of a\nhandful of corn offered to the god Shiva by married girls on every\nMonday in the month of Shr\u00e1van. [236]\n\nThe worship of Shadananda and the Holika Devi and the ceremonies of\nShr\u00e1vani, Shr\u00e1ddha and Antyesti are performed by men alone. [237]\n\nIn some families of non-Br\u00e1hmans on a particular day, especially on\nthe full-moon day of Ashvin, the host and the hostess put off their\nclothes and perform certain family rites. [238]\n\nThe women of the Th\u00e1na District fast the whole day on the 12th day of\nthe dark half of Ashvin. At night they worship a cow, give in charity\na calf, and then take their meal. It is to be noted that this ceremony\ncalled the Vasu-dw\u00e1dasi is performed by women who have children. On\nthe Harit\u00e1lika day some women live on the leaves of a Rui tree. [239]\n\nOn the Somavati-Am\u00e1v\u00e1sya day women worship a Pipal tree and offer it a\nhundred and eight things of one kind. [240] Women desirous of having\na son perform a certain rite at midnight, without clothing. [241]\nIf one wishes to have a son, one has to go through a ceremony called\nthe Hanum\u00e1n in a naked state. [242]\n\nThe god K\u00e1lbhairav is worshipped by a naked person on the\nNarka-Chathurdasi day (14th day of the dark half of Ashvin). Those\nlearning the dark lore, e.g., muth m\u00e1rane, are also required to remain\nnaked while studying it. They learn this lore on an eclipse day on\nthe bank of a river. [243] The rite called Somaya is performed by\nthe host when his clothes are off his body. On a certain Monday in\nthe month of Shr\u00e1van a lamp of wheat flour is prepared and burned\nby adding ghi. This lamp is regarded as a deity, and is worshipped\nsolemnly. During the performance of this ceremony as well as the\npreparation of the requisite food, the host and the hostess are\nrequired to remain naked. [244]\n\nThe Swayambhu (unartificial) linga of the god Shiva is supposed to\nhave influence over the fall of rain. [245]\n\nThe people of the Th\u00e1na District believe that the following\nceremony causes a fall of rain. Stones are taken out of a pool and\nworshipped. They are then carried to every house in the village, and\nwater is poured upon them by the inmates. [246] There is a temple of\nthe god of clouds at Viran\u00e1th in the Th\u00e1na District. [247]\n\nThe appearance of a comet is regarded by the Hindus as symptomatic\nof a coming evil, e.g., a big war, a great famine, or a terrible\ncontagious disease spreading itself throughout the length and breadth\nof a country. [248] Some persons think that comets and shooting stars\nbode evil to the king. [249]\n\nWhenever a great person or a very holy man is about to be born, it\nis believed that he alights on the earth in the shape of a shooting\nstar. Sometimes a big star falls on the earth, and thereby a noise like\nthat of thunder is produced. When this happens, people believe that\na great R\u00e1ja or a holy saint whose merit has been exhausted is going\nto be born on earth. [250] The following verse from the Mrichhakatika\nN\u00e1tak supports the view in accordance with which orthodox people in\nthe Konkan avoid looking at shooting stars:--\n\nINDRADHANUSHYA ANI GOPRASUTI | NAKSHATRANCI ADHOGATI SATPURUSHANCI\nPRANAVIPATTI || PAHUM NAYE SACARA || i.e.,\nThe following four things, viz., the rainbow, the fall of shooting\nstars, the delivery of a cow, and the death-struggle of saints or\nholy men should not be looked at. [251] It is generally believed by\nHindus that a child will immediately be born in the house towards\nwhich shooting stars are directed. [252]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHE HEROIC GODLINGS.\n\n\nIn the Konkan the deities of the Hindus are divided into the following\nfive classes, viz.:--\n\n(1) The Gr\u00e1madevat\u00e1s or Village deities,\n\n(2) The Sth\u00e1nadevat\u00e1s or Local deities,\n\n(3) The Kuladevat\u00e1s or Family deities,\n\n(4) The Ishtadevat\u00e1s or Chosen deities, and\n\n(5) The W\u00e1studevat\u00e1s or Grihadevat\u00e1s, that is, the class of deity\nwhich presides over the house and is established at the time of the\nhousewarming or W\u00e1stu ceremony.\n\nThe principal Gr\u00e1ma-devat\u00e1s are Hanum\u00e1n or M\u00e1ruti, K\u00e1lika, Amba,\nW\u00e1ghoba, Chedoba, Mhasoba, Bahiroba or Bhairav, Ganesh, Vira, Mh\u00e1lsa\nor Maha Lakshmi, Ch\u00e1munda, Vet\u00e1l, Khandoba Malh\u00e1ri Jog\u00e1i, Bhaw\u00e1ni,\nand W\u00e1geshwari and Shiva. In most villages the chief village god\nis M\u00e1ruti or Hanum\u00e1n, whose temple is situated at the entrance of\nthe village. M\u00e1ruti is considered to be an avat\u00e1r or incarnation of\nShiva, and is held in great reverence by all classes. A festival or\njatra is held in honour of Hanum\u00e1n on the bright half of the month of\nChaitra. On this occasion the temple is decorated with ever-greens,\nand flowers, the stone image of the god is newly painted or covered\nwith red lead and oil, and garlands of the Rui (Gigantic snake wort)\nflowers are placed round the neck of the image, cocoanuts, plantains,\nbetelnuts and leaves are offered to the god, camphor is lighted and\nwaved round the image, incense is burnt, cooked food and sweets are\noffered, and money presents are made. Every worshipper brings with\nhim some oil, red-lead or Cendur, a cocoanut, a vid\u00e1-sup\u00e1ri, i.e.,\ntwo betel leaves, one betelnut and a copper coin, and a garland of Rui\nflowers. These are given to the temple ministrant, who offers a part of\nthe oil and red lead to the deity, places the garland round the deity's\nneck, and, breaking the cocoanut into pieces, gives a piece or two\nto the devotee as the pras\u00e1d or favoured gift of the deity. Saturday\nis the sacred day of the monkey god M\u00e1ruti. Every Saturday fresh oil\nand red lead are offered to the god by the devotees. The Puj\u00e1ris in\nmost of the temples of M\u00e1ruti are Guravs, Gh\u00e1dis, Mar\u00e1th\u00e1s or Gos\u00e1vis.\n\nEvery Saturday in the month of Shr\u00e1van (August), called the Sampat\nShaniw\u00e1r or the wealth-giving Saturday a special puja or worship\nis performed in the temples of M\u00e1ruti in Bombay as well as in the\nKonkan. On this day people fast the whole day and dine in the evening,\nafter offering the god Hanum\u00e1n or M\u00e1ruti a preparation of rice and\npulse called khichadi and cakes made of udid flour called vade. [253]\n\nThere is no village in the Konkan which has not the honour of having\na temple of the god M\u00e1ruti. M\u00e1ruti is supposed to guard the village\nagainst evils of all kinds. Care is therefore taken to build the\ntemple of M\u00e1ruti at the outskirts of the village. [254] There is a\ntradition that at the time of leaving the Dandaka forest (the present\nMah\u00e1r\u00e1shtra), R\u00e1ma asked M\u00e1ruti to reside therein. It is for this\nreason, the people say, that every village in the Konkan and on the\nGh\u00e1ts has a temple of M\u00e1ruti. [255] The god M\u00e1ruti is worshipped in the\nvillage of W\u00e1sind on Tuesdays and Saturdays. [256] In former days it\nwas customary to establish an image of the god M\u00e1ruti in a newly built\ncastle or fort. [257] Hanum\u00e1n, the son of Anjani and the wind or M\u00e1rut,\nis known for his loyalty to his master and for his bravery. In days\ngone by he utilized his strength for the protection of Saints, Rishis,\nBr\u00e1hmans and cows, and for this merit he was elevated to the rank of\na Hindu god. Every Hindu village or locality is supposed to possess\nat least one temple of the god M\u00e1ruti, and in Mah\u00e1r\u00e1shtra M\u00e1ruti\nis the guardian of every village. He is a Brahmach\u00e1ri, or bachelor\nand is one of the seven heroes who are believed to be chiranj\u00edvis\nor immortals. [258] M\u00e1ruti is supposed to be the originator of the\nMantra-Sh\u00e1stra, by the study and repetition of which one obtains\nstrength and superhuman power. Women desirous of getting children go\nto the temple of M\u00e1ruti, and there burn before his image lamps made of\nwheat flour and filled with ghi. The image of Hanum\u00e1n is represented\nin temples in two ways, that is (1) V\u00edra Hanum\u00e1n or Warrior Hanum\u00e1n,\n(2) D\u00e1sa-Hanum\u00e1n or servant Hanum\u00e1n. The former is found in a temple\nconsecrated to the worship of the god Hanum\u00e1n alone, whereas the latter\nis found in a temple dedicated to the worship of the god R\u00e1ma. [259]\nSince M\u00e1ruti is the god of strength, gymnasts tie an image of M\u00e1ruti\nto their wrists, and they also consecrate an image of M\u00e1ruti in their\ngymnasiums. The number eleven is said to be dear and sacred to him\nbecause he is believed to be an incarnation of the eleven Rudras. The\nbirth day of the god M\u00e1ruti which falls on the 15th of the bright\nhalf of Chaitra, called the Hanum\u00e1n Jayanti day, is celebrated in\nthe Kolh\u00e1pur District with great reverence. Those who wish to have\na son draw the figure of M\u00e1ruti on a wall in red-lead, and worship\nit daily with sandal paste, flowers and garlands of Rui. Others burn\nlamps made of wheat flour before the image of the god. Persons who are\nunder the evil influence of the planets, and especially of the planet\nSaturn, worship the god Hanum\u00e1n on Saturdays in order to propitiate\nthe planets. On this day they make wreaths of the leaves and flowers\nof the Rui plant and adorn his neck with them. They also offer him\nudid (Phaseolus radiatus) and salt. The story told of M\u00e1ruti is that\nAnjani his mother pleased the god Shiva with her penance, and when\nthe god asked her to claim a boon, she requested that Shiva himself\nshould be born as her son. Shiva therefore took birth in her womb\nand manifested himself as Hanum\u00e1n or M\u00e1ruti [260].\n\nThe Local deities are generally found in special localities or sacred\nplaces called Kshetras or Punya sth\u00e1nas. Thus the god R\u00e1ma at N\u00e1sik,\nVithoba at Pandharpur, Krishna at Dw\u00e1rka, Mah\u00e1lakshmi at Kolwan,\nW\u00e1jreshwari at Nirmal (Th\u00e1na), Mharloba in the Ratn\u00e1giri, Shitala\ndevi at Kelwa M\u00e1him, and Khandoba or Khander\u00e1i at Jejuri.\n\nKhander\u00e1i is said to be an incarnation of the god Shiva. Khander\u00e1i\nkilled the demon Mani-Malla who was devastating the earth, and he is\ntherefore called Mall\u00e1ri or Malh\u00e1ri. Kunbis and lower class Hindus\nin the Konkan as well as in the Deccan occasionally make a vow to the\ngod Khandoba that if their desire is fulfilled they will offer their\nfirst born male or female child to the service of the god. The male\nchild thus dedicated to Khandoba is called W\u00e1ghya and the female is\ncalled Murali. The W\u00e1ghya and Murali do not engage in any business,\nbut maintain themselves by begging in the streets in the name of the\ngod Khander\u00e1i. Though they are not actually married, the W\u00e1ghyas and\nMuralis live as husband and wife, and their progeny are also called\nW\u00e1ghyas and Muralis. They repeat the sacred cry jai khander\u00e1y\u00e1cha\nElkot, and give to people bel-bhand\u00e1r of Khander\u00e1i consisting of the\nsacred Bel leaves and turmeric powder. The god Khander\u00e1i is the family\ndeity of some Deshasth Br\u00e1hmans, who perform a family rite called Tali\nbharane on every purnima or full moon day. The rite is as follows:--\n\nA tali or plate is filled with cocoanuts, fruits, betel nuts, saffron,\nturmeric or bel-bhand\u00e1r, etc. Then a pot is filled with water, and on\nits mouth a cocoanut is placed. This cocoanut, with the pot, is then\nworshipped with flowers, sandal paste, etc., a lighted lamp filled\nwith ghi is put in the same place, and the tali is waved thrice round\nthe pot, which is supposed to contain the god Khandoba. Five persons\nthen lift up the cocoanut with the tali and place it three times on the\npot, repeating each time the words Elkot or Khande r\u00e1y\u00e1cha Elkot. The\ncocoanut is then broken into pieces, mixed with sugar or j\u00e1gri, and is\ndistributed among friends and relations as pras\u00e1d. On this occasion,\nas well as on the occasions of all Kuladharmas, that is, the days fixed\nfor performing the special worship of the family goddess or family god\nof each family, the ceremony called the Gondhal dance is performed. On\nthe same occasion another ceremony called Bodan is performed by the\nDeshasths and by the Chitp\u00e1vans. It is as follows:-- An image of the\nfamily deity is placed in a pot or plate called t\u00e1mhan, and it is\nthen bathed in the panch\u00e1mrit, that is, the five holy things, viz.,\nmilk, curds, ghi, honey and sugar. Sandalpaste is offered to it as\nwell as flowers, lighted lamps and some sweets and incense. Five women\nwhose husbands are alive then prepare five lamps of wheat flour called\nKuranandi and wave them thrice round the face of the goddess or god, as\nthe case may be. All the limps are then placed in the plate or t\u00e1mhan\nin which the deity is kept, and the panch\u00e1mrita and other materials of\nworship and food and sweet cakes are mixed together. Occasionally one\nof the five women becomes possessed with the spirit of the kula-devi\nor family deity, and confers blessings on the members of the family\nfor their devotion. It is believed that those families which fail to\nperform periodically the Bodan, Tali and Gondhal ceremonies in honour\nof their tutelary deity are sure to suffer, from some misfortune or\ncalamity during the year. [261] The local deities chiefly worshipped at\nChaul, Kol\u00e1ba District, are Hingl\u00e1j, Jakhm\u00e1ta, Bhagawati, Champ\u00e1wati,\nMahik\u00e1wati, and Golamba-devi. At the sowing and reaping times,\npeople of the lower castes offer fowls and goats to these deities,\nand Br\u00e1hmans offer cocoanuts. [262] The local deity of the village\nW\u00e1vashi near Pen in the Kol\u00e1ba District is said to possess the power of\naverting evil, and is accordingly held in great respect by the people\nof many villages in the District. Every third year a great fair is\nheld, and a buffalo is sacrificed to the goddess on the full moon day\nof the month of Chaitra. The Puj\u00e1ri of this goddess is a Gurav. [263]\nAnother celebrated Sth\u00e1na-deva in the Kol\u00e1ba District is Bahiri-Somajai\nof Khopoli. It is believed that a person suffering from snake-bite\nis cured without any medicine if he simply resides for one night in\nthe temple of this goddess. Sacrifices of goats, fowls and cocoanuts\nare made to this goddess at the time of sowing and reaping. The\nPuj\u00e1ris of this deity are known as Shingade Guravs. [264] The worship\nof the local deity B\u00e1pdev is much in favour among the villages of\nApta and the surrounding places. At the times of sowing and reaping,\nofferings of fowls, goats and cocoanuts are made to B\u00e1pdev through the\nPuj\u00e1ri. [265] The worship of the local deities Kolamb\u00e1i, Bhaw\u00e1ni, and\nGiroba is prevalent in the Chauk villages. [266] To the Gr\u00e1ma-devi of\nthe village of Tale every third year a buffalo is sacrificed, and at\nan interval of two years goats are offered. [267] The deities Shiva\nand K\u00e1lk\u00e1i are worshipped with great reverence at Bakavali in the\nRatn\u00e1giri District. [268] In many villages of the Ratn\u00e1giri District\nthe goddess Pandhar is considered to be the Gaon-devi or the chief\ngoddess of the village. The Puj\u00e1ri is generally a Gurav or Mar\u00e1tha\nKunbi. On every full moon day cocoanuts are offered, and on the\noccasions of sowing and reaping, goats and fowls are sacrificed to\nthis deity. [269] At Devgad there is a temple of the goddess Gaj\u00e1b\u00e1i\non the sea shore. The Puj\u00e1ri of this goddess is a man of the Gh\u00e1di\ncaste. On the first day of the bright half of the month of M\u00e1rgashirsh\n(December) special offerings of goats, fowls and cocoanuts are made\nby the villagers. [270] The deities Ravaln\u00e1th, M\u00e1uli, Vet\u00e1l, R\u00e1meshwar\nand Hanum\u00e1n are usually worshipped in most villages in Ratn\u00e1giri. The\nvillagers in the Ratn\u00e1giri District have great faith in their local\ndeities, and before undertaking any important business they obtain\nthe consent or take the omen of the deity. This ceremony is known as\nkaul gh\u00e1lne and it is performed as follows:--Two betel nuts or flowers\nare taken and one of them is placed on the right side of the deity\nand the other on the left side. The worshipper then bows before the\ndeity and requests her to let the nut on the right side fall first\nif the deity is pleased to consent, if not, to let the nut on the\nleft side fall first. Naturally one of the two nuts falls first,\nand they interpret this as either consent or dissent as the case may\nbe. The villagers have so much faith in this kaul that they make use\nof this method of divination to ascertain whether sick or diseased\npersons will recover or die. Special sacrifices are offered to these\nlocal deities whenever an epidemic like cholera occurs. [271] In the\nRatn\u00e1giri District, at many places, there are Swayambhu or natural\nlingas of the god Shiva, and over these places temples are built. The\nPuj\u00e1ris of these temples are generally Jangams or Lingayat Guravs. No\nanimal sacrifices are made at these shrines. [272] At a short distance\nfrom the village of Makhamle there is a temple of the god Shiva called\nAmn\u00e1yeshwar. The following legend is narrated in connection with this\ntemple:--The place where the present temple stands once abounded with\nAmani trees and formed a pasture for cattle. The cow of a certain\nman of the village daily used to go to graze at this place. The\ncow used to give milk twice, but one day she gave milk only once,\nand thereafter she continued to give milk only once a day. The owner\ntherefore asked the Gavali or cowherd to ascertain the cause of this\nsudden change. One day the cowherd noticed that the cow allowed her\nmilk to drop upon a stone. At this the cowherd was so enraged that\nhe struck the stone with his scythe so hard that it was cloven in\ntwo and blood gushed forth. He hurriedly repaired to the village and\nrelated this wonderful phenomenon to the people. The villagers came\nto the spot, and decided to build a temple to the god Shiva over the\nstone. One part of the stone is in this temple and the other part\nwas taken to the village of Kalamburi, where another temple was built\nover it. [273] In the Sangameshwar village the Br\u00e1hmans also worship\nthe images of the local goddesses Chanduk\u00e1i, Jhol\u00e1i and Sunk\u00e1i. In\nthe Konkan the deities N\u00e1r\u00e1yan, Rawaln\u00e1th, Manli, Datta, Vet\u00e1l and\nShiva are worshipped everywhere. [274] The following legend is told\nabout the deity Vet\u00e1l, the leader of the ghosts:--In the S\u00e1vantw\u00e1di\nState there is a temple of Vet\u00e1l in the village of Ajgaon. [275]\nAs part of his worship it is considered necessary to offer to this\ndeity a pair of shoes every month. The people believe that after a\nfew days the shoes become worn out. The inference drawn from this by\nthe people is that at night the god Vet\u00e1l goes out walking in the\nnew shoes. [276] In the village of Khed in the Ratn\u00e1giri District,\na buffalo is offered to the goddess Redj\u00e1i on the full moon day of\nChaitra every third year. [277] At N\u00e1ringre offerings of cocoanuts,\netc. are made to the deities Bh\u00e1vak\u00e1i, Chala, etc. on the 1st of the\nmonth of M\u00e1rgashirsha. [278] The Schoolmaster of Ibr\u00e1mpur states that\none of the following deities is the gr\u00e1madevata of every village in\nthe Ratn\u00e1giri District viz.: Chandk\u00e1i, Varadhan, Khem, Bahiri, Ked\u00e1r,\nV\u00e1ggaya, Antaral, Manaya, Salbaya and V\u00e1gh\u00e1mbari. A procession in their\nhonour takes place in the months of Chaitra and F\u00e1lgun. The Puj\u00e1ris\nare generally either Guravs or Mar\u00e1tha Kunbis. A ceremony called\nPalejatra is performed in the sowing season, while the Dhal-jatra\nis performed at the harvest time. At these fairs fowls, cocoanuts,\ngoats, fruits, etc. are offered to these deities. [279] At M\u00e1lwan\non the no-moon day of Shr\u00e1van (August) local deities and ghosts are\npropitiated by offering to them goats, fowls, etc. [280] At P\u00e1lset in\nthe Ratn\u00e1giri District, the god Parashur\u00e1m is the most important deity\nespecially for Chitp\u00e1vans. He exterminated the Kshatriyas twenty-one\ntimes, and having no space for himself and his Br\u00e1hmans, he asked\nthe sea to provide him with new land. On meeting with a refusal,\nParashur\u00e1m became enraged and was about to push the sea back with his\narrow, when, at the instigation of the sea, a black-bee (bhunga) cut\nthe string of his bow, and the arrow only went a short distance. The\npeople say that the space thus recovered from the sea came to be called\nKonkan. [281] At Anjarle there are two local goddesses Sawanekarin and\nBahiri. Offerings of goats and fowls are made to them in the months of\nM\u00e1rgashirsha (December) and F\u00e1lgun (March). Sometimes liquor and eggs\nare also offered. Offerings can be made on any day except Monday and\nEk\u00e1dashi, Tuesdays and Sundays being considered most suitable. [282]\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, Ravaln\u00e1th and Bhutan\u00e1th\nare held in great reverence. They are believed to be incarnations\nof the god Shiva. The Puj\u00e1ris are generally Guravs, Gh\u00e1dis, R\u00e1uls\nand Sut\u00e1rs. [283] The following goddesses which are popular in the\nRatn\u00e1giri District are believed to be incarnations of the goddess\nDurga, viz. Navala-devi, V\u00e1ghur-devi, Jakha-devi and K\u00e1lk\u00e1i. [284]\nAt Maral in the Ratn\u00e1giri District there is a swayambhu or natural\nlinga of the god Shiva. It is called Maheshwar, and in its honour a\nfair is held on the Sankr\u00e1nt day. [285] The chief local deity of the\nDah\u00e1nu taluka, Th\u00e1na District, is Mah\u00e1lakshmi. She has seven sisters\nand one brother, two of the sisters being the Pangala-devi at T\u00e1r\u00e1pur\nand the Delavadi-devi at Ghivali. Goats and fowls are offered to the\nPangala-devi on the Dasara day. Her Puj\u00e1ri is a Gurav. It is said that\nthe goddess Delwadi used to receive her garments from the sea, but\nnow this is no longer the case though it is still believed that the\nincense which is burnt before her comes floating from Dw\u00e1rka. [286]\nIn the village of Edwan there is a goddess called Ash\u00e1puri, who used\nto supply her devotees with whatever they wanted. The devotee was\nrequired to besmear with cow-dung a plot of ground in the temple,\nand to pray for the things wanted by him. The next day, when he came\nto the temple, he found the desired things on the spot besmeared\nwith cow-dung. [287] At M\u00e1ngaon the Puj\u00e1ri of the local goddess is\neither the P\u00e1til or the Madhavi of the village. [288] In the village\nof Dahigaon cocoanuts are offered annually to the village M\u00e1ruti,\nand fowls and goats to the other local deities, in order that the\nvillage may be protected against danger and disease. [289] It is\nbelieved that any Br\u00e1hman who acts as the Puj\u00e1ri of the god Shiva\nwill find his family exterminated, and for this reason Br\u00e1hmans do\nnot act as Puj\u00e1ris in the temples of Shiva.\n\nIn a few temples of goddesses like Jakh\u00e1i etc. the Puj\u00e1ri is\nof the Mah\u00e1r caste. [290] A great fair is held in honour of the\ngoddess Vajr\u00e1-b\u00e1i or Vajreshwari near Nirmal in the month of K\u00e1rtika\n(November). The Puj\u00e1ri of the goddess is a Gos\u00e1vi of the Giri sect. The\nworship of Bhimasena is not prevalent in the Konkan, but the hero\nBhima, like M\u00e1ruti, is held in reverence by the gymnasts. Bhima is\nnot worshipped, but a work called the Bhima-stavar\u00e1j is read at the\nbed of a dying man in order that he may obtain salvation. At Ashirgad\nthere is a gumpha or cave of Ashwatth\u00e1ma, a hero of the Mah\u00e1bh\u00e1rata,\nand it is said that a noise is heard coming from the cave on the full\nmoon day. [291]\n\nWherever a village is founded, it is customary to establish a\nvillage deity as the guardian of the village. The deities chosen are\nM\u00e1ruti, K\u00e1li, Chandk\u00e1i, Varadani, etc. In the Konkan, goddesses are\npreferred, and on the Ghats generally M\u00e1ruti is preferred. Certain\nceremonies are performed for consecrating the place to the deity,\nand sometimes the deity is called after the village as Marleshwar\n[292] etc. By many lower class people the goddess Pondhar is often\nselected as the guardian of a new village. At Shahpur, if the newly\nfounded village is to be inhabited by high class Hindus, the deities\nM\u00e1ruti and Durga are selected as gr\u00e1ma-devatas, but if it is to be\ninhabited by lower class people, then such deities as Mhasoba, Chedoba,\nJ\u00e1kh\u00e1i, etc. are chosen. [293] In the Bassein and S\u00e1lsette t\u00e1lukas the\nfollowing deities viz. M\u00e1ruti, Ched\u00e1, Chandk\u00e1i, and Shiva, are chosen\nas village deities. Cheda is represented by a long piece of wood or\nstone besmeared with red-powder, and is placed on the outskirts of the\nvillage. No Br\u00e1hman is necessary for establishing a Cheda. The Puj\u00e1ri\nis generally a Kunbi or M\u00e1li, and he establishes the deity by offering\nit a goat or fowls and cocoanuts. [294] Sometimes the guardian deity\nof a new settlement is decided upon by a Kaul. Two or three names of\ndeities are selected, betelnuts or flowers are placed on the sides\nof the guardian deity of the neighbouring village and that deity in\nwhose name the betelnut falls first is chosen as the deity of the new\nvillage. [295] At Chaul, the deity called B\u00e1pdev is very popular among\nthe lower classes. It is represented by a big stone fixed on mortar and\nbesmeared with red-powder. When it is established for the first time\nin a village, a Br\u00e1hman is required to make the first p\u00faja or worship,\nbut after this it is worshipped by a Puj\u00e1ri of a lower caste. [296]\nThe Mahars in the Kol\u00e1ba District select the ghost-deity called Jhaloba\nas the guardian deity of a new settlement. [297] In many cases the\ndeity of their former village or of the neighbouring village [298]\nis named by a Bhagat or exorcist, who becomes possessed. [299]\n\nIn the Konkan every village farm is supposed to be under the\nguardianship of the minor godlings, the majority of which are called\nBhuta-Devat\u00e1s or ghostly godlings. In some cases the field guardians\nare also the Br\u00e1hmanic godlings like M\u00e1ruti and Shiva. [300] To the\nBr\u00e1hmanic guardians of the field, cocoanuts and flowers are offered\nat the sowing and reaping seasons, and to the rest, fowls, cocoanuts,\nand sometimes goats, are offered. The higher classes feed one or\ntwo Br\u00e1hmans in order to propitiate the deities of the fields; and\nfor the propitiation of the minor deities of the field the lower\nclasses perform a rite called Dalap. This rite is performed by a\nman of the Gurav, Gh\u00e1di, or R\u00e1ul, caste by sacrificing to the field\ndeity a goat or fowls and cocoanuts. The puj\u00e1ri repeats prayers\nfor a good harvest, and then distributes portions of the offerings\namong the people assembled there for witnessing the rite. [301] In\nthe Ratn\u00e1giri District on the no-moon day of Jeshta people assemble\nin the temple of the village deity and perform a rite called G\u00e1rh\u00e1ne\nin order that they should have a good crop, that their village may be\nfree from diseases, and that their cattle may be protected. A similar\nrite is performed on the first day of the bright half of the month\nof M\u00e1rgashirsha (December), and on this occasion sometimes a goat or\nsheep is sacrificed at the boundary of the village. [302] In order\nthat there should be a good harvest, the villagers of Kankaoli worship\non certain days from the month of K\u00e1rtika (November) to the month of\nShimga (March) the minor deities of the field by offering them fowls,\ncocoanuts, etc. [303] At Achare (Ratn\u00e1giri) some people worship the\ngod of the clouds on the day on which the Mrigashirsha constellation\nbegins, and they believe that thereby plenty of rain is ensured for\nthe season. [304] For good harvests and for the protection of their\ncattle, the villagers of Achare pray to the Gr\u00e1ma-devata in the month\nof Jeshta (June), and then go in procession from the temple of the\nvillage deity to the boundary of the village, where they sacrifice a\ncock and offer some cooked rice with a burning wick upon it, to the\ndeity that presides over the fields and harvests. [305] In the village\nof Palset of the Ratn\u00e1giri District the goddess Khema is worshipped by\nthe villagers to obtain good crops, and for the protection of their\ncattle. The P\u00faja or special worship takes place on the full-moon\nday of M\u00e1rgashirsha and on this occasion the sacred Gondhal dance is\nalso performed. [306] In certain villages of the Ratn\u00e1giri District,\nfor obtaining good harvest, people worship the godling Mah\u00e1purush\nat the beginning of the sowing and reaping operations, and offer\nthe deity fowls, cocoanuts and cooked rice. [307] In the village\nof M\u00e1lwan, at the sowing and reaping seasons, the villagers usually\nmake offerings of fowls and cocoanuts and goats to the guardians of\nthe fields, but Br\u00e1hmans and such Kunbi farmers as do not eat flesh\nmake offerings of cooked rice mixed with curds. [308] At Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda\nvillage, in order to secure a good harvest and for the protection\nof the cattle, the villagers worship the spirit godlings called\nSambandhas and perform the rite called Devach\u00e1r. [309] At Kochare,\nannual prayers are offered to the godling called Gavatdev for the\nprotection of the village cattle. [310] In the Devgad taluka people\nbelieve that some deity resides in every farm or in every collection\nof fields, and that good or bad harvests are caused as the deity is\npleased or displeased. [311] In order that there should be plenty of\nrain and that the cattle should be protected, the villagers of M\u00e1lgund\nassemble in the temple of the village deity and offer prayers on the\nfull moon day of F\u00e1lgun (March) and on the 1st day of the bright half\nof M\u00e1rgashirsh. [312] In the Kol\u00e1ba District, for the protection of\ncattle and for good crops, prayers are offered to the god Bahiri and\nthe ghosts Khavis and Sambandh. [313]\n\nAt Chauk in the Kol\u00e1ba District the villagers perform a special p\u00faja\nor worship of the god Krishna in order that the village cattle may be\nprotected. [314] At Sasawane a fair called p\u00e1le jatra is held in the\nmonth of Bh\u00e1drapad (September) in order that the villagers may have a\ngood harvest, and that their cattle may be protected against tigers and\ndisease. [315] At Akol, on the day which follows the Ganesh-Chaturthi,\npeople throw parched rice over their fields and houses so that the\nrats may not run over them. [316] At M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District,\nfor the protection of cattle, the god W\u00e1ghoba is worshipped at\nnight on the 12th of Ashvin which is called the W\u00e1gh-b\u00e1ras. [317]\nIn some villages of the Th\u00e1na District the deity W\u00e1ghoba or W\u00e1ghya is\nworshipped on the 12th day of the dark half of K\u00e1rtik. On that day the\ncowherds collect a quantity of milk and prepare a kind of food known as\nKhir by mixing j\u00e1gri and cooked rice. They then proceed to the stone\nimage of the deity in the jungle, and besmear it with new red-lead\nor shendur. They pour a portion of the sweet milk over the stone, and\noffer prayers for the protection of their cattle. They then partake of\nthe remaining milk. [318] At Ag\u00e1shi and other neighbouring villages,\nbefore the fields are ploughed, the villagers assemble and collect a\ncertain sum of money, with which they buy goats, fowls, red-powder,\ncocoanuts and parched grain. A goat and some cocks are then sacrificed\nto the spirits residing in the cemeteries and at the boundary of the\nvillage. Cocoanuts besmeared with gul\u00e1l red powder are also offered to\nthese ghost godlings. A goat decorated with garlands and red powder is\nthen made to walk round the village three times at night, accompanied\nby the villagers, who throw l\u00e1hya parched rice while passing. This\nrite is called Siwa B\u00e1ndhane or binding the boundary, and is supposed\nto protect the village crops and cattle. No farmer dares to sow his\nseed unless this rite has been performed. After this rite has been\nperformed, every farmer appeases his family deity, i.e. Khandoba,\nBahiroba, Kankoba, etc., by performing a ceremony at home called\nDeopan or Devaski, which relates to the worship of ancestors. Most of\nthe farmers regard one of their dead ancestors as their chief deity,\nand represent him in their house by a cocoanut. They do not enter on\nany new business without first offering prayers to this cocoanut, and\nthey also believe that they can bring evil upon their enemies by simply\ncursing them before the deified cocoanut. The only materials generally\nrequired for the worship of this cocoanut are red powder, incense\nand flowers. On rare occasions, goats and fowls are sacrificed. It is\nbelieved that the ancestor in the cocoanut likes to be worshipped by\nthe wife or husband (as the case may be) of the person represented\nby the cocoanut. Some farmers, in addition to the cocoanut, worship\na stick or cap of their ancestor along with the cocoanut, and offer\nprayers for the protection of their cattle, for good rain and harvest,\nand also for the destruction of their enemies. [319]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nDISEASE DEITIES.\n\n\nAt Vengurla, in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, when epidemic diseases prevail,\nthe people of the village assemble and prepare a basket in which are\nplaced cooked rice, cocoanuts, lemons, wine, red flowers and Udid\n(Phaseolus radiatus) grain. The basket is then carried out of the\nvillage along with a cock or a goat, and deposited outside the village\nboundary. To carry this basket, a person belonging to the Mah\u00e1r caste\nis generally selected. The people of the next village similarly carry\nthe basket beyond their village limits; and it is finally thrown\ninto the sea. It is believed that if the basket of offerings to the\ndisease-deities is carried from one village to another, it is sure\nto bring the disease with it. Great care is therefore taken to throw\nthe offerings into the sea. In cases of small pox a feast is given to\nwomen whose husbands are alive. In some cases boiled rice is mixed\nwith the blood of a cock, and on the rice is placed a burning black\ncotton wick in a cocoanut shell with a little oil in it. The whole is\nthen carried beyond the village boundary and thrown away. [320] In\nthe village of Mithb\u00e1v in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, epidemic diseases\nlike cholera, small pox, plague, etc., are supposed to come from\ndisease deities, and in order to avoid the danger of such diseases\nthe people of the village go to the temple of the village deity and\npray for protection. The special form of worship on such occasions\nis the Kaul, i.e., asking a favour from the deity. When an epidemic\nof plague broke out for the first time at Sangameshwar, the people\nof the village at once proceeded to worship the village deity; but\na few cases of plague occurred, even after worshipping the village\ngoddess J\u00e1khm\u00e1ta. When the people went to the temple and asked the\nreason why the plague continued, it was announced by the deity through\nthe temple ministrant that she was helpless in the case of plague,\nand desired the people to worship the god Shiva, thereby signifying\nthat the village deity has limited powers, and that the power of\naverting great evils lies with Shiva the god of destruction. [321] In\nthe Devgad Taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District in epidemic diseases like\ncholera, etc., the usual ceremony, i.e., the Paradi (disease-scaring\nbasket) is performed. A basket containing boiled rice, red powder,\nred flowers, lemons, betel nuts, betel leaves, etc., is prepared, and\non that rice is kept a burning cotton wick dipped in oil. The basket is\nthen carried beyond the village boundary along with a goat having a red\nflower garland round its neck. The goat is set free at the outskirts of\nthe village. In cases of small pox, married women whose husbands are\nalive are worshipped with turmeric powder, cocoanuts, flowers, etc.,\nand incense is kept burning in the house. The deity of small pox is\nalso specially worshipped for a number of days. It is represented by\na brass or copper lota with a cocoanut placed over it. This process\nis called m\u00e1nd bharane i.e. arranging the materials of worship. The\ngirls in the house sing songs in praise of the small pox deity. It is\nbelieved that in this way the severity of the disease is reduced. [322]\n\nIn the Sangameshwar taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, when epidemic\ndiseases prevail, the people of the village assemble in the temple\nof the village deity, offer a cocoanut to the goddess, and ask for\na Kaul (omen). After receiving the Kaul they pray for mercy. It is\nbelieved that if the Kaul is in favour of the people the diseases\nwill disappear. [323] At Achare in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri\nDistrict it is believed that epidemic diseases such as cholera, small\npox, etc., are caused by the anger of the deities Jari and Mari; and\nin order to satisfy those deities animal sacrifices are offered at\nthe time of their worship. There are no other deities who cause such\ndiseases. [324] At Vijayadurg in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, in cases of\nsmall pox, the child suffering from the disease is made to sleep on\na silk garment Sovalen. Flowers are thrown upon the patient's body,\nand are given to him to smell. Incense is burnt in the house. On the\nseventh day from the beginning of the disease, the child is first\nbathed in milk and then in water. Black scented powder called Abir\nis thrown on the body. After two or three days an image representing\nthe deity is made of flour, which is worshipped, and a feast is given\nto Br\u00e1hmans and unwidowed women. [325]\n\nAt Basani in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the disease of small pox is\naverted by a Br\u00e1hman worshipping the goddess Shitala. Br\u00e1hmans are\nalso worshipped, and a feast is given to them. In cases of cholera\nand the other epidemic diseases the village deity is worshipped and\nsacrifices are made to her. [326]\n\nAt Kochare in the Vengurla taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, a woman\nwhose husband is alive is made to represent the goddess Jari Mari,\nand is worshipped with flowers, red powder Kunku and black ointment\nK\u00e1jal. She is given a feast of sweet things; and rice and cocoanuts\nare put into her lap by another woman whose husband is alive. She is\nthen carried in procession through the village with beating of drums\nand the singing of songs. This is similar to the Paradi procession,\nwhich is also common in that District. [327]\n\nAt Navare in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, in cases of small pox, the\ndiseased child and the person into whose body the small pox deities\ncalled B\u00e1y\u00e1s enter, are worshipped with Abir black scented powder,\nflower garlands, &c. [328]\n\nAt Pendur in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District the wrath\nof the female deities or M\u00e1trik\u00e1s is supposed to be the cause of\nepidemic diseases, and these M\u00e1trik\u00e1s are accordingly worshipped for\ntheir pacification. [329]\n\nAt Chaul in the Kol\u00e1ba District the god Shankar is worshipped by\nBr\u00e1hmans when epidemic diseases prevail in a village. The worship\nconsists in repeating Vedic hymns. The nine planets are also\npropitiated by sacrifices of boiled rice, etc. There is a famous\ntemple of the goddess Shitala at Chaul where the deity is worshipped\nby Br\u00e1hmans, who recite Vedic hymns, whenever small pox prevails in\nthe village. The mantras of the goddess and the Shitala Ashtaka are\nalso repeated in the Paur\u00e1nic style. The women walk round the temple\nevery day as long as the signs of the disease are visible on their\nchildren. The goddess is worshipped with turmeric and red powders,\nand clothes and fruits are given to her. The Kaul ceremony is also\npractised in this District. It is worth noticing that even Musalm\u00e1ns\nask for a Kaul from this goddess. The days fixed for Kaul are:--Sunday,\nTuesday, Thursday and Friday. The morning hours are considered\nspecially auspicious for the Kaul. There is another temple at Chaul,\nof the goddess Shri Gol\u00e1ba Devi. This goddess is also worshipped when\nother epidemic diseases prevail in the village. Sapt\u00e1ha i.e. continuous\nworship for seven days is also performed in honour of the deity. The\ngardeners (M\u00e1lis) of the village worship this deity every Tuesday\nmorning with cocoanuts gathered from every house in the village. This\ntemple is being repaired at present. [330]\n\nWhen epidemic diseases prevail in the village of Poladpur of the\nKol\u00e1ba District the god Shiva is worshipped by continuously pouring\nwater over the deity's head or linga. Sacrifices of fruits and animals\nare also offered to the village deity. Where there is a temple of the\ndeity M\u00e1ri or Mah\u00e1m\u00e1ri, the deity is worshipped through a Br\u00e1hman,\nand sacrifices of cocks and goats are offered to her. The deity named\nShitala is worshipped in cases of small pox. [331]\n\nAt V\u00e1vashi in the Pen taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, in cases of\nepidemic diseases, the people of the village invoke the god Shiva, and\nholy fires called homa are kindled in honour of that god. Sacrifices\nof boiled rice are also offered to the deity. For averting small pox\nthe deity Shitala is invoked by the mantras called Shitala Ashtaka. For\naverting fevers the gods Shankar and Vishnu are also worshipped. [332]\n\nAt Medhe in the Rohe taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District the god Shiva is\nworshipped in order to avert an epidemic, and Hanum\u00e1n is worshipped\nto avert fevers. [333]\n\nAt M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Salsette taluka of the Th\u00e1na District, when an epidemic\nprevails in a village, the goddess Navachandi is worshipped and the\nHoma is kindled in her honour. On the last day of worship a goat is\nset free as a sacrifice to the deity. The Bali, i.e., the offering\nof boiled rice, and the goat are taken beyond the boundary of the\nvillage, and handed over to the people of the neighbouring village,\nwho follow the same procedure, and at last both the sacrifices are\nthrown into the sea. The goat generally dies, as it does not get\nwater and food till it reaches the sea. [334]\n\nIn the village of Anjur in the Th\u00e1na District, in cases of long\nstanding fevers the Br\u00e1hmans observe the ceremony called Udak Shanti\nor propitiation by water. It is as follows:--An earthen pot filled\nwith water is placed on the ground. On the top of the pot is placed a\nround plate in which the image of the god Brahmadev the son of Vishnu\nis consecrated. Four Br\u00e1hmans sit on the four sides of the pot and\nrepeat their Vedic hymns. These four Br\u00e1hmans are supposed to be the\nfour mouths of the god Brahmadev. It is believed by the people that\nby performing this ceremony the fever is made to disappear. [335]\n\nAt R\u00e1i in the Th\u00e1na District some people believe that malarial fevers\nare averted by placing secretly a small stone on the head of the god\nHanum\u00e1n. [336]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District the nine planets are worshipped in the house\nto ward off diseases such as cholera, small pox, fevers, etc. The\ngoddess Laxmi is worshipped in order to avert small pox, the worship\nbeing generally performed in a garden or a grove of mango trees,\nwhen parched rice, cocoanuts and lemons are offered to her. The\npeople assembled at the spot partake of the food. To avert fever,\nthe people perform a certain ceremony ordained in the Sh\u00e1stras. If\nthe sick person is supposed to be under the evil influence of the\nplanet Saturn, the planet is invoked by repeating the mantras, and\nworshipped with the usual offerings. Garments such as a S\u00e1ri and a\nCholi are offered to the goddesses M\u00e1ri and K\u00e1lub\u00e1i. When an epidemic\ndisease such as cholera prevails in a village, the people of the\nvillage install the deity Margai at a place where four roads meet,\nand worship her for seven or eight days with much ceremony. Every one\nbrings offerings of cocoanuts, lemons, ambil or conjee, cooked rice\nand curds, etc. with the beating of drums to offer to the deity. After\nworshipping the goddess in this manner for eight successive days they\nsacrifice a Bali of a he-buffalo before her. The deity is then put\nupon a bullock cart and carried through the village with the beating\nof drums and much ceremony, to be thrown away beyond the village\nboundary along with the offerings. [337]\n\nEpidemic diseases are not attributed to witchcraft at Devgad in\nthe Ratn\u00e1giri District. It is believed that they are caused by the\naccumulated sins of the people. [338] In the D\u00e1poli taluka of the\nRatn\u00e1giri District epidemic diseases are attributed to witchcraft\nby low caste people. The power of averting such diseases lies in\nthe hands of the village deities. They are therefore propitiated by\nthe sacrifices of cocks, goats, and cocoanuts. [339] At Pol\u00e1dpur in\nthe Kol\u00e1ba District, epidemic diseases are sometimes attributed to\nwitchcraft by low caste people. Persons well versed in the mantras\nof evil spirits are called Bhagats or exorcists. Some of them keep\nevil spirits at their command. The poor people believe that what\nthese exorcists foretell is sure to occur. It is believed that the\nspirit dwells on the tongue of these exorcists. When these spirits\nare hungry, they are let loose in the village by the sorcerers for\nthe destruction of the people, thus causing an epidemic. When a\nspirit is to be destroyed, the people of the village assemble in a\nmob and attack the sorcerer, a small quantity of blood is taken from\nhis tongue and water from the earthen pot of a Ch\u00e1mbh\u00e1r is poured\nupon it. It is believed that by so doing the spirit is permanently\ndestroyed and the sorcerer either forgets all his mantras or they\nbecome ineffective. The spirit is called tond bhut, and it sometimes\ntroubles even animals. [340]\n\nAt Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, the people\nbelieve that the devotees of the M\u00e1ri deity bring on epidemic\ndiseases by the use of their mantras, and in order to satisfy them,\nofferings are made to the deity M\u00e1ri which are taken by the devotees\nor Bhagats. [341] At V\u00e1de in the Th\u00e1na District epidemic diseases are\nattributed to witchcraft. There are some women who are supposed to\nbring on, or at least foster, the growth of such diseases by their\nevil mantras. Such women are threatened or punished by the people,\nand sometimes they are even driven out of the village. [342] In\nthe village of Anjur of the Th\u00e1na District, if a man vomits blood\naccidently and falls ill, or dies, it is believed to be due to the\nact of Muth M\u00e1rane, that is, the throwing of a handful of rice over\nwhich incantations have been repeated. If there be any sorcerer in\nthe village who has learnt the same incantations, he alone is able to\nreturn the Muth to the sorcerer who first used it. [343] At Shirgaum\nin the Umbergaon taluka of the Th\u00e1na District, when epidemic diseases\nprevail in the village, the people of the village take a turn round\nthe village in a body and kill a buffalo. A Bali or offering of boiled\nrice, cocoanuts, cocks and goats is also offered to the deities that\ncause epidemic diseases. [344]\n\nWhen cattle disease breaks out in a village the people of the\nDevagad taluka in the Ratn\u00e1giri District generally prevent the\nhealthy cattle from mixing with the diseased, and the people of\nthe neighbouring villages take precautions against using the milk,\netc. of the diseased cattle. At such times the cattle of the village\nin which the disease breaks out are prohibited from entering the\nneighbouring villages. [345] At Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District,\nthe deity named Maha Gira is worshipped in connection with cattle\ndiseases. At some places a feast is given to Br\u00e1hmans, and in certain\nvillages of this District a man is painted like a tiger, carried out\nof the village and bathed in a river. It is believed that this is\none of the remedies for averting cattle diseases. [346] At Fonda in\nthe Ratn\u00e1giri District, when cattle disease breaks out, a goat or a\ncock is sacrificed at the temple of the village deity. [347] In some\nvillages of the M\u00e1lwan taluka the deity Br\u00e1hman is worshipped. [348]\nAt Basani in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the gods of the Mah\u00e1rs as\nalso the village deity are worshipped in connection with the cattle\ndiseases. [349] At V\u00e1vashi in the Kol\u00e1ba District when cattle disease\nprevails in a village, a pig is killed and buried on the border of\nthe village. A sweet oil lamp in the shell of a crab or a lobster is\nkept burning in the cowshed. River or sweet water fishes are boiled\nin water, and the water is given to the animals to drink. The owner\nalso cleans the cowshed and burns sulphur, camphor, dammer and other\ndisinfectants. [350] At Varsai in the Pen taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District\na Kaul is taken from the village deity to prevent cattle diseases,\nthat is, the village deity is consulted through the temple ministrant,\nwho acts as the spokesman of the oracle. [351] At Medhe in the Rohe\ntaluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District the village deity Bahiroba is worshipped\nin connection with cattle diseases. The diseased animals are minutely\nexamined, and the affected part of their body is branded with a red\nhot iron. [352] In the village of Umela of the Th\u00e1na District the\nvillage deity is worshipped and sacrifices are offered to her. Milk\nfrom the affected villages is prohibited, and vegetables are not fried\nin oil during the prevalence of the disease in the village. [353]\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, the people make vows to the god, and ashes from the\ntemples are brought and applied to the forehead of the cattle. Cotton\nstrings are tied to the feet or the neck of the cattle in the name\nof the god. They also make vows to the deities Tamj\u00e1i and W\u00e1ghj\u00e1i,\nand offer to them eyes made of silver, a new cloth, a fowl or a goat,\nwhen their animals are cured of the disease. [354]\n\nIn the Devgad taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, in cases of malarial\nfevers pieces of certain kinds of herbs are fastened together with\nblack cotton strings, and tied round the arm or neck of the person\nsuffering from the disease. Sacred ashes are put in a copper amulet\nand the amulet is tied in the manner above described. [355] At Fonda\nin the Ratn\u00e1giri District, in addition to herbs and copper amulets,\npeacock feathers in black cotton strings are tied to the arms of the\npersons suffering from malarial fevers, etc. [356] At Vengurla in the\nRatn\u00e1giri District, in fevers like malaria, black strings of cotton are\ntied round the arm or neck, and certain secret mantras are repeated\nat the time. It is believed that the power of the mantras is lost if\nthey are disclosed to the public. [357] At Murud in the D\u00e1poli taluka\nof the Ratn\u00e1giri District the mantras of the god Narsinh, the fourth\nincarnation of Vishnu, are repeated for the exorcism of diseases. [358]\nIn the D\u00e1poli taluka people who want to get rid of their diseases\ntie a copper amulet to their arms. The mantras that are repeated on\nsuch occasions are kept secret. There are at present some persons in\nthe Anjarle village who give such amulets and charms. [359] In the\nChiplun taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District the following articles are\nused for averting diseases:--Copper amulets, black cotton strings,\nand holy water over which certain mantras have been repeated by the\nexorcist. [360] At Poladpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District, black cotton\nstrings are tied round the arm in cases of malarial fevers. Some\nmantras are repeated in cases of pain in the right or left side of\nthe body. Besides the mantras some signs and figures are drawn on\nbirch leaves, and tied round the arm or the neck of the patient. Women\nwho wish to have children wear such black cotton strings and copper\namulets. [361] At V\u00e1vashi in the Kol\u00e1ba District mantras are in vogue\nfor the exorcism of diseases such as liver and spleen affections. For\nexorcising eye diseases black cotton thread is tied to the ear. [362]\nAt Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, ashes are applied\nto the body of the sick person after repeating certain mantras over\nthem. [363] At M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District, for exorcising diseases\ncaused by evil spirits, certain letters of the Nrisinha mantra are\nwritten on a birch leaf, and the leaf is tied round the arm of the\nsick man with a copper amulet. In order to drive out the evil spirit\npermanently, the god Nrisinha is worshipped, and sacred fire is kindled\nto propitiate the deity. For the worship of Nrisinha the ministrant\nrequired must be a regular devotee of Nrisinha, and he must also be a\nPanch\u00e1kshari, i.e., one who knows the mantras of evil spirits. [364]\nIn the village of Shirgaon in the M\u00e1him taluka of the Th\u00e1na District,\nin addition to copper amulets and black threads of cotton, mantras\nof Musalm\u00e1n saints or pirs are in vogue for exorcising disease. [365]\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, the higher classes perform the religious ceremony called\nAnushth\u00e1n to propitiate Shiva, the god of destruction, in order to\navert disease, and also make vows to the same deity. The lower classes\noffer cocoanuts, fowls or a goat. They sometimes go to the exorcist\nfor ashes in the name of the god, and apply them to the forehead of\nthe diseased person. Copper amulets and cotton strings given by the\nexorcist are also tied round the neck of the sick person. [366]\n\nAt Adivare in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the following practices are\nadopted for driving out evil spirits that cause disease. Incense is\nburnt before the exorcist, drums are beaten, and then the exorcist\ntakes a burning wick in his hand and frightens the diseased person by\nstriking the ground with a cane or a broom of peacock feathers. He\nalso cries out loudly. He then draws out the evil spirit from the\nbody of the diseased person, and puts it in a bottle, which is either\ncarried out of the village and buried under ground near a big tree\nor is thrown into the sea. [367] In the Sangameshwar taluka of the\nRatn\u00e1giri District, the process of exorcising is sometimes accompanied\nby dancing and loud cries. The person who suffers from evil spirits\nis taken to Narsoba's W\u00e1di in the Kolh\u00e1pur State where patients are\nbelieved to find a cure. [368] In the Devgad taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri\nDistrict the exorcist, when possessed, does not dance as at other\nplaces, but freely uses abusive epithets to drive out the evil\nspirits; and on such occasions the threats are repeated loudly by\nthe exorcist. [369] In the D\u00e1poli taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District,\ndancing is used in exorcism. While dancing, the exorcist makes a show\nof different kinds of fits. They are similar to those made by a person\nsuffering from hysteria. He also stands and sways his body to and fro\nfor some time, then assumes a serene and quiet attitude, and begins\nto cry out loudly. [370] There are some sorcerers at D\u00e1sgaon in the\nKol\u00e1ba District, who dance and cry out loudly in order to drive out the\nevil spirits from the body of the diseased. [371] At M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na\nDistrict dancing is used in exorcism. The following is a description of\none of these dances. Songs of the deity which is to be summoned on the\noccasion are sung along with the music of the T\u00e1l (a kind of cymbal)\nand the beating of drums called Ghumat. The Ghumat is an earthen jar,\nthe lower and upper ends of which are covered over with leather. The\nman in whose body the deity is to make its appearance takes his bath\nand sits by the side of a small prayer carpet called Asan. A small\nquantity of rice (about a ser) is put in front of the carpet, and\na copper pot filled with water is placed on the rice. The musicians\nbegin to strike their instrument with a loud clash, and the exorcist's\nbody begins to shake. The shaking of the body is a sure indication of\nhis being spirit-possessed. He then sits upon the carpet and begins\nto throw grains of rice into the copper pot containing water, gives\nout the name of the particular spirit with which he is possessed, and\nthe cause for which it has attacked the patient. He then explains the\nmeasures and rites by which the spirit can be driven out. The people\nabide by his directions, and the patient is thus cured. [372]\n\nAt Padghe in the Th\u00e1na District, when an evil spirit is to be driven\nout from the body of the patient, the latter is asked to hold in\nhis mouth a betelnut or a lemon. After some time, the betelnut or\nthe lemon is put into a bottle, the bottle is then tightly corked\nand buried underground. A copper pot is filled with water, and the\ndiseased person is asked to hold the pot upside down. If the water\nruns out it is believed that the spirit has disappeared. [373]\n\nIn the village of Edwan of the Th\u00e1na District, dancing is practised\nin cases of spirit possession, but it is resorted to among the lower\ncastes only. While dancing, the sorcerer cries out loudly, and throws\ngrains of Udid (Phaseolus radiatus) on the body of the diseased person\n[374] after repeating certain mantras. This rite is styled Bh\u00e1rani\nor the process of charming.\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, dancing is not used in exorcism, but the people suffering\nfrom evil spirits sometimes dance and cry out loudly. Some of them\nloose their hair while dancing, and even strike their heads. Some\nquarrel like combatants, and some of them try to make speeches like\norators. There is a temple of the god Shri Dutta at Narsinhw\u00e1di in\nthe Kolh\u00e1pur State, to which people suffering from evil spirits are\nbrought for a cure. These people cry out loudly when the palanquin of\nthe Sw\u00e1mi Mah\u00e1r\u00e1j is carried through the village, and spirits usually\nquit the bodies of their victims at this time, for it is said that\nthey cannot bear the proximity of the Sw\u00e1mi Mah\u00e1r\u00e1j. Patients are\nalso cured by residing in the village for a certain period. On this\naccount the village of Narsob\u00e1chiw\u00e1di is considered very holy. A big\nfestival is celebrated in this village annually on the twelfth day of\nthe dark half of Ashvin (October). Feasts are given to the Br\u00e1hmans,\nthe expenses being borne by the Kolh\u00e1pur State. [375]\n\nIn the Sangameshwar taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the Bhagat or\nexorcist is respected by the lower caste people. His duties are to ask\na kaul from the deity on behalf of the people and to alleviate their\nsufferings. His appointment is hereditary, the clever member of the\nfamily generally following the profession of his father. [376] In the\nDevgad taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, low class people are afraid of\nsorcerers because they might injure them if they are offended. They\ntherefore are careful not to cause them displeasure. There, the\nprofession of a sorcerer or exorcist is not hereditary. Any one\nwho learns the wicked mantras after attending regularly the burial\nand burning grounds for some days becomes an expert, and may follow\nthe profession. [377] In the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District\nthe chief function of the village sorcerer is to worship the village\ndeity. All kinds of gifts and presents intended for the deity are made\nthrough him. His profession is hereditary and he is much respected\nby the ignorant people [378]. At Fonda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the\nexorcist is not appointed, but one who can satisfactorily interpret or\nexplain to the village deity the sufferings of the people is generally\nselected. [379]\n\nIn the Vengurla taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the chief function\nof the village sorcerer is to find remedies for the cure of persons\nsuffering from evil spirits. His position among the people of the low\nclasses is considered high. He follows the hereditary profession of\na sorcerer, and generally the eldest son succeeds his father. [380]\n\nAt Chidhran in the Panwel taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, Bhutes,\na caste of beggars, are the devotees of a goddess. Some of them are\ncalled Bhagats. Devrishis are very rare. The difference between a\nDevrishi and a Bhagat is as follows:--A Devrishi removes the evil\nspirits by simply repeating the mantras while the Bhagat removes\nthem by bringing the evil spirit into his own body and by dancing,\netc. [381]\n\nAt Chaul in the Kol\u00e1ba District, Bhutes go begging in the morning every\nday for the first nine days of the month of Ashvin (October). On the\ntenth day the Bhutya is given a pice from every house. These Bhutes\nare devotees of the goddess Shakti. At Sasawane in the Kol\u00e1ba District\nthe village sorcerer comes to beg every day and is given rice, etc.,\nbut during the first nine days of the bright half of Ashvin (October)\nhe is given copper coins. [382] At Anjur in the Th\u00e1na District the\ndevotee of a particular god is called Bhagat, and one who knows how to\nsummon or eject evil spirits is called Bhutya. A Devrishi is a person\nwho knows the mantras for warding off the great evil spirits such as\nBrahma R\u00e1kshasa, Brahma Samband, etc. These three classes are respected\nonly for performing their respective duties, and not otherwise. [383]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, the sorcerer is never appointed. His functions are to\nask a kaul from the deity, to pray for the welfare of the people, and\nexplain to them what he sees in his dreams. He holds no position in\nhigher society, but the poor people who believe in him are afraid of\nhim. Sorcerers are generally very cunning; they frighten poor people,\nand obtain from them presents and gifts for their maintenance. [384]\n\nIn the Vengurla taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District red flags are hoisted\non Banyan, Pipal, and Umbar trees, and on certain occasions offerings\nof coins and cocoanuts are made. It is believed that when the three\nkinds of trees happen to grow together, i.e., close to each other,\nnear a well or on the bank of a river, the god Datta resides there,\nbut such cases are very rare. These trees are supposed to be the\nhaunts of the Munja spirit, and therefore copper coins waved round the\npersons suffering from evil spirits are thrown underneath them. There\nare no sacred wells in this taluka. [385] In the D\u00e1poli taluka of the\nRatn\u00e1giri District, the Banyan and Pipal trees are worshipped. The\nformer is worshipped by women on the full moon day of the month of\nJestha (June) and on the no moon day when it falls on Monday. On\nthese occasions a cotton thread is tied round the tree, and offerings\nof glass beads, cocoanuts, fruits, etc., are made. These trees are\nalso worshipped with offerings of copper coins, etc. [386] In the\nD\u00e1poli taluka, there is a certain place between the two villages of\nAnjarla and Harnai where persons passing by that side throw one or\ntwo stones, causing thereby a heap of stones there. It is believed\nthat by doing this the person who throws such stones gets rid of his\nitch. This place is called Girjoba. Hands and feet made of wood are\nalso offered by persons who make vows to do so when their hands or\nlegs are affected by any disease. [387] At Ibr\u00e1mpur in the Ratn\u00e1giri\nDistrict offerings of cotton thread, copper coins, and fruit are made\nto Banyan and Pipal trees on the full moon day of the month of Jestha\n(June) and on every Saturday in the month of Shr\u00e1wan (August). [388]\n\nAt Vavanje in the Panwel taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, offerings\nof coins, etc., to sacred trees are made at the time of Parwani\n(a festival). For instance, when the no moon day falls on Monday,\nthe women worship the Pipal tree, and on the full moon day of Jestha\n(June) they worship the Banyan tree. The custom prevails of the worship\nof a well by women after their delivery. A woman, after completing\nthe period of her confinement or ceremonial impurity, is taken to\na well, from which she has to bring home water, and is required to\nworship the well with the following materials, viz.:--cotton thread,\ncopper coins, cocoanuts and such other fruit as can be had on the\noccasion. [389] At Varsai in the Pen taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District,\nofferings of cotton cloth, copper coins, cocoanuts, betelnuts and\nplantains are made to the Banyan, Pipal, and Umbar trees, and also to\nholy wells. The Pipal, Tulsi, and Umbar trees are worshipped daily\nby women in this district, while the Banyan is worshipped on the\nfull moon day of Jestha (June). The materials of worship are:--rice,\nfruits, water, sandalpaste, flowers, mangoes and jack fruits. [390]\n\nAt M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District, the Banyan tree is worshipped by\nwomen of the Dwijas, i.e., of the twice born castes, on the full\nmoon day of the month of Jestha. Copper or silver coins and fruit\nare offered to the tree. These offerings are taken by the Br\u00e1hman\npriest, who explains to them the modes of worship. The Br\u00e1hman\npriest is also given some money as a gift. This Vrata, i.e., vow,\nis observed by women by fasting for three successive days, from\nthe 13th to the 15th day of the bright half of Jestha (June). The\nPipal tree is worshipped daily by some men and women of the Br\u00e1hman\ncaste. Women walk round this tree for a hundred and eight times or\nmore daily. Some persons hold a thread ceremony for the Pipal tree in\norder to obtain a son, and worship the tree for a certain period. It\nis worshipped with fruit and copper coins. Wooden cradles are also\noffered to the tree. Wells are worshipped on auspicious days such as\nParwani by women of the upper castes. [391] At Padghe in the Th\u00e1na\nDistrict the Banyan tree is worshipped on the full moon day of Jestha,\nand the Pipal is worshipped every Saturday in the month of Shr\u00e1wan\n(August). The Pipal tree is not worshipped before the performance of\nits thread ceremony, and its thread ceremony is not performed till\nthe tree bears at least one thousand leaves. [392]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, the Banyan and Pipal trees are considered very holy,\nand offerings of rags, coins, etc., are made to them. It is a custom\namong the Hindu women to worship the Banyan tree on the full moon\nday of Jestha. Offerings of cloth and fruit are made to this tree,\nand copper or silver coins are given as dakshana. Some women make\na small model in gold, silver, or copper of the Banyan tree or of\nits leaf, and present it to the Br\u00e1hman priest along with a present\nof money. All these rites are required to be strictly performed as\nenjoined in the Sh\u00e1stras. [393]\n\nAt N\u00e1gothane in the Kol\u00e1ba District, it is believed that men who\nare well versed in the mantras of witchcraft and sorcery sometimes\ntransfer diseases from one person to another. [394] Vaccination is\nbelieved to be a method of transferring disease to other persons. [395]\n\nAt M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District a method of transferring disease\nfrom one person to another is in practice among the Shudras. It is\nas follows:--A woman without a child cuts secretly a little piece\nfrom the garment of a woman who has children. She then burns the\npiece, puts the ashes into water, and the mixture is then drunk by\nthe barren woman. It is believed that, by so doing, the evil spirit\nof the disease that is troubling the barren woman is transferred to\nthe other who has children. The barrenness of the first woman then\ndisappears, and she begets children. It is said that if the second\nwoman comes to know of the mischief before using that garment, she\ndiscontinues the use of the same, and no harm is done to her. [396]\n\nIn the Umbergaon taluka of the Th\u00e1na District the methods of\ntransferring disease are called Muth M\u00e1rane, i.e., a bewitched lime is\nsent to the person to whom the disease is to be transferred. Various\nmantras are also secretly repeated with the object of transferring\nthe disease to an enemy. [397]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, there are no methods of transferring disease to other\npersons, but it is said that the following ceremony is practised in\nthe case of persons suffering from swollen glands. Rice, Udid grain\netc. are tied in a yellow cloth, and three knots are made in it. This\nis then kept for one night under the pillow of the diseased person. It\nis taken out the next morning and thrown away at a place where three\nroads meet. It is then supposed that the person who steps on the\nbundle first is attacked with the disease, and the one for whom the\nrite is performed is cured. [398]\n\nAt Devgad taluka in the Ratn\u00e1giri District it is believed that evil\nspirits are fond of things like a cock, cocoanuts, boiled rice, etc.,\nand when a person considers himself attacked by evil spirits, these\nthings are waved round his body and thrown away at some distance from\nhis residence. This is generally done in the evening, but if necessary\nit can be done at any time. The person who goes to throw these things\naway is prohibited from looking behind. The things required for a\nbali, i.e., oblation, on such occasions are boiled rice, red powder,\nand an oil lamp made of black cotton wick. [399]\n\nIn the Vengurla taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, when a person is\nsuffering from any disease for a long time, and when ordinary medicines\nprove to be ineffective, a goat or a cock is waved round the body of\nthe patient, and are then put beyond the village boundary or taken\naway by the sorcerer. While performing this rite, the man must repeat\ncertain mantras. [400]\n\nAt Fonda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the use of scapegoats is\nresorted to in cases of persons supposed to have been attacked by\nevil spirits. Curds and boiled rice are waved round the body of the\ndiseased person and thrown away at a distance from the house. In some\ncases it is said that the cock which is waved round the body of the\nsick person dies instantaneously. [401]\n\nIn the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District the scapegoat (often a\ncock) is waved three times round the sick person and thrown into the\nstreet. The man who goes to throw it away is prohibited from looking\nbehind. Burnt cowdung ashes are thrown out of the door after the man\nhas left the house, and the door is closed at once. [402]\n\nIn the D\u00e1poli taluka, cocoanuts, curds, boiled rice, turmeric powder,\nred powder, cocks etc. are waved round the body of the sick person\nand taken beyond the village boundary or to a big tree supposed to\nbe haunted by evil spirits, and in some cases these things are thrown\naway where four roads meet. [403]\n\nIn the R\u00e1j\u00e1pur taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District scapegoats are used\nby the low caste people, while Br\u00e1hmans use cocoanuts, boiled rice\nand copper coins. [404] At K\u00e1lshe in the Ratn\u00e1giri District eggs,\ncocks, goats, etc. are used as scapegoats. These things are waved\nround the body of the patient, and taken beyond the village limits\nor far from the residence of the sick person. For this rite a man\nfrom the Gh\u00e1di, Gurav, R\u00e1val, or Mah\u00e1r caste is invited at night,\nand he is paid in cash for his services. [405]\n\nAt Ibr\u00e1mpur in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the cocks and goats used for\ndriving out evil spirits from the body of the patient are not thrown\naway, but are eaten by the exorcist. [406]\n\nAt Navre in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, hens are used to extract the\npoison of snake bites from the body of the sufferer. In cases of evil\nspirits alone, cocoanuts, cocks and goats are used as scapegoats. [407]\n\nAt D\u00e1sgaon in the Kol\u00e1ba District, a Paradi (basket) containing\nblack glass beads, bangles, turmeric and red powders, sweetmeat of\nfive sorts, flowers, cocoanut, a burning scented stick, and rice,\nis waved three times round the body of the patient, and thrown away\noutside the village. [408]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, the use of fowls, goats, limes, cocoanuts, copper coins,\ndry chillies and salt is in vogue, not only in cases of sick persons,\nbut also when a person performs a feat such as bending an iron bar,\nor doubling with his hands a silver coin, or winning a victory in\nwrestling. The articles are then waved round him and thrown away\nin order that he may not suffer from an evil eye. Among the rich\nthe same rite is performed on ordinary occasions such as leaving a\nhouse, starting on a journey etc. In cases of illness it is specially\nperformed in the evening, and the articles are thrown away at the\noutskirts of the village, or by the side of a well. [409]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nWORSHIP OF ANCESTORS AND SAINTS.\n\n\nIn the Konkan, especially among the lower classes, a strong belief\nprevails regarding the mortality of the spirits of the dead and\nof their re-appearance or re-birth in their children. And for this\nreason, as well as for protection against evil, the dead ancestors\nare worshipped.\n\nThe custom regarding the worship of ancestors prevailing at K\u00e1lshe\nin the Ratn\u00e1giri District is as follows:--The worship of ancestors is\ncalled Shr\u00e1ddha (anniversary). It is performed on the no moon day of\nevery month, on the date of the death of the person every year, and\nalso on the same date of the dark half of the month of Bh\u00e1drapada\n(September). Among the Br\u00e1hmans, Br\u00e1hman priests are invited,\nworshipped, and are given a feast, after worshipping balls of boiled\nrice as representing the dead ancestors. The special materials used\nfor worship are sesamum and barley grain. The same custom prevails\namong non-Br\u00e1hmans with the exception that the balls are made of\nrice flour and not of boiled rice. To partake of the food on such\noccasions, the lower classes invite married persons of their own\ncaste. The anniversary day of S\u00e1dhus and Mahants, i.e., saints,\nis called Punya tithi, i.e., the day of merit.\n\nIt is commonly believed that spirits are mortal. The life of the\ndeceased remains in the spirit condition until the sins which\nhe may have committed are washed away by the good deeds of his\ndescendants. There is no belief that one spirit dies and another takes\nits place, but it is believed that the ancestors are sometimes reborn\nin the same family. [410]\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Vengurla taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District ancestors\nare worshipped every year on the same date of the month (according\nto the Hindu calendar year) on which the person died, by performing a\nShr\u00e1ddha rite. They are also worshipped on the same date in the second\nhalf of Bh\u00e1drapada (September) every year. This is by a rite called\nMah\u00e1laya Shr\u00e1ddha. On both these occasions Br\u00e1hmans are invited, and\nthe worshipping ceremony is performed by repeating the mantras. After\nthe ceremony, all the invited guests men and women partake of food.\n\nS\u00e1dhus are worshipped after washing their feet with sandal paste,\nflowers, cocoanuts and gifts of money.\n\nIt is believed that evil spirits undergo a transformation after a\nlapse of twelve years. The practice of giving the names of ancestors\nto children is common, and it is due to the belief that the spirits\nof the dead are reborn in children in the same family. [411]\n\nAt Pendur in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the ancestors are worshipped on the\nlast day of every Hindu calendar month. This monthly worship is called\nDarsha Shr\u00e1ddha. The annual anniversary of the manes is celebrated\nby the ceremony called the S\u00e1mvatsarik Shr\u00e1ddha. If any ancestor\nhas died after becoming a recluse or Sany\u00e1si, his body is buried,\nand a tomb called a sam\u00e1dhi is erected over it; and his descendants,\ninstead of performing the annual Shr\u00e1ddha, worship the tomb of the\nrecluse every day. It is believed that the spirits take a different\nform after the lapse of seven generations. The belief that the spirits\nof the dead are reborn in the same family prevails among the people\nof this district. The following measures are adopted for the purpose\nof identification. When a person dies in a family, a basil or bel\nleaf is placed on a certain part of the body, or some familiar sign\nis made in sandal paste; and when a child is born in the family,\nits body is carefully examined to ascertain whether there are any\nsigns on the body of the child such as were made on the dead body\nof the ancestor. If the same sign appears to the satisfaction of the\nmembers of the family, it is believed that the dead person has been\nreborn in the same family. [412]\n\nAt Navare in the Ratn\u00e1giri District Br\u00e1hmans are invited, worshipped\nand given a feast in honour of ancestors. S\u00e1dhus and Mahants, or\nsaints, are worshipped by giving them the same honour accorded to\nthe family deities. [413]\n\nAt Basani in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the anniversary day of saints is\nobserved by the performance of a Bhajan, which consists in singing\nthe good deeds of saints and in offering prayers. It is believed\nthat spirits are mortal, but they do not die like ordinary human\nbeings. They cease to exist as spirits as soon as the period of their\nrelease is over. The spirits obtain absolution by visiting certain\nholy places. [414]\n\nAt Dabhol in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the people believe that the souls\nof ancestors are reborn in children in the same family if some of\ntheir desires remain unfulfilled at the time of their demise. [415]\n\nAt Shiravde in the Ratn\u00e1giri District ancestors are worshipped\nevery year by performing the rites called tarpan, which consist\nin offering oblations of holy water, sesamum, barley grains and\nrepeating prayers. The tarpan is observed on the very date of the\nmonth in which the person died. The procedure of worshipping the\nHindu saints is similar to that of the other deities. Owing to the\nbelief that the spirits of the dead are reborn in children in the\nsame family the name of the grandfather is given to the grandson. [416]\n\nAt N\u00e1ringre in the Ratn\u00e1giri taluka ancestors are worshipped by\ninviting Br\u00e1hman priests, and worshipping them with sandal paste\nand flowers. These Br\u00e1hmans are supposed to represent the father,\ngrandfather and great grandfather of the worshipper. [417]\n\nAt B\u00e1ndivade in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the leaves of the herb called\npudina, (a good medicine for worms) sesamum, and darbha grass are\nrequired for the worship of ancestors. The man who worships the\nancestors has to turn his sacred thread from the right hand to the\nleft. [418]\n\nAt Anjarle in the Ratn\u00e1giri District Mahants and S\u00e1dhus are worshipped\nin their life-time like family deities, and their tombs are worshipped\nafter their death. [419]\n\nAt Fonda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District ancestors are worshipped by\nmaking balls of boiled rice on their anniversary day. The balls\nare supposed to take the place of the dead parents, and they are\nworshipped with sandal paste and flowers, and by burning incense and\nlighting a lamp of clarified butter. Betelnuts and leaves, cocoanuts\nand Dakshina (presents of money) are given to them. People also bow\nbefore them. Mahants and S\u00e1dhus are worshipped by washing their feet,\nsandal paste is applied to their body, and they are garlanded with\nflowers. Cocoanuts, a piece of cloth and a gift in coins are given\nto them according to the means of the giver. It is said that spirits\ncan remain as spirits for about a thousand years. [420]\n\nAt Vijayadurg in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the method of worshipping\nancestors is as follows:--In some cases elderly parents as well as\na grandfather and great grandfather are also worshipped, their feet\nare washed with water, and the water is accepted as tirth or holy\nwater. While worshipping the Mahants and S\u00e1dhus, or saints, water\nis poured on their right hand, and they are worshipped with sandal\npaste and flowers, and given a dakshana or gifts of money according\nto one's means and will. The p\u00e1dukas, or foot prints, of saints are\nworshipped after their death. [421]\n\nAt Mithb\u00e1v in the Ratn\u00e1giri District holy persons such as Sany\u00e1sis\nare worshipped after their death by performing their anniversary\nceremony every year. It is believed that spirits are mortal. Evil\nspirits such as munjas, etc., undergo a kind of transformation, and\nit is believed that this occurs at places like Narsoba's W\u00e1di. [422]\n\nAt Devgad in the Ratn\u00e1giri District ancestors are worshipped on their\nanniversary days, the manes being represented by pieces of Darbha\ngrass and balls of boiled rice. [423]\n\nAt Poladpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District a person whose father is alive\nbut who has lost his mother's father, has to perform the Shr\u00e1ddha\nof that grandfather on the 1st day of the bright half of Ashvin\n(October). This Shr\u00e1ddha is called Duhitra. A person who has lost\nhis wife has to perform the Shr\u00e1ddha for that wife on the 9th day\nof the dark half of the month of Bh\u00e1drapada. This day is called Ahev\nNavami. These different sorts of Shr\u00e1ddhas are observed only by the\nhigh class Hindus. The lower classes worship their ancestors on the\nlast day of the month of Bh\u00e1drapada by preparing a ball of boiled rice\nor flour, and putting it out for the crows to eat. It is believed that\nspirits are mortal. The ceremony called Narayan Nagabali is performed\nwhen it is believed that the spirit of an ancestor is giving trouble\nto the family. When this rite is performed, the spirit is saved and\nthe ailment ceases. It is believed that the spirits of the dead are\nsometimes reborn in children in the same family, and in such cases the\nnames of the ancestors are given to their children by the people. [424]\n\nAt Khopoli in the Karjat taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District the form\nof worship of ancestors is similar to that of the ordinary Hindu\ndeities. In the case of the worship of the deities the person\nperforming the worship has to sit with his face towards the east,\nwhile at the worship of the ancestors he has to sit with his face\ntowards the south. [425]\n\nAt Chaul in the Kol\u00e1ba District, the tombs of Sany\u00e1sis, i.e.,\nascetics and S\u00e1dhus are worshipped on their anniversary days,\nand a great fair is held in their honour. The other ancestors are\nworshipped by the shr\u00e1ddha rites. The anniversary of the founders\nof the different sects is observed by their followers by a bhajan,\ni.e., singing songs in their own style and exhibiting the different\ninsignia and flag of the sect as advised by their founders. [426]\n\nThe people of Chidhran in the Kol\u00e1ba District believe that the period\nfor which the soul has to remain in the spirit state depends upon the\nsins of the person, or the wishes which remained unfulfilled during\nhis life time. It is not that all the spirits of the dead are reborn\nin children. The rebirth depends upon the good or bad deeds of the\ndeceased. However, if the nature of any child suggests the nature of\nany dead person in the family, it is assumed that the spirit of the\ndeceased has returned to the family. [427]\n\nAt N\u00e1gothane in the Pen taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District some of the\ncommunities worship small images called t\u00e1nks on the anniversary of\ntheir ancestors' death; among the Shudras food is given to the crows on\nthe last day of Bh\u00e1drapad. The custom of giving a grandfather's name\nto the grandson prevails largely, and is due to the belief that the\nspirits of the dead are sometimes reborn in the same family. [428]\nIt is also said that in some of the Hindu communities, if a child\ncries continuously, ashes are applied to its forehead in the name of\none of the ancestors in the family; and if the child sleeps quietly\nor stops crying, the name of that ancestor is given to it. [429]\n\nAt Shirgaon in the Th\u00e1na District, the worship of ancestors is\nperformed on the day of the father's death, every year. On any\nauspicious occasion the rite called Nandi shr\u00e1ddha is performed at\nthe beginning of the ceremony. It is believed that evil spirits or\nghosts have to remain in the ghostly state for about one thousand\nyears, or at least until one of the descendants in the family goes\nto a holy place like K\u00e1shi (Benares) and there performs the shr\u00e1ddha\nrites of his ancestors. [430]\n\nAt M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District, the worship of ancestors is performed\non the day of the father's death every month till the completion of\none year by inviting Br\u00e1hmans and giving them a feast. This is done\namong Br\u00e1hmans only. The other communities worship their ancestors\nby performing the rite called Chata Shr\u00e1ddha and by giving Shidha,\ni.e., rice, pulse, vegetables and ghi to Br\u00e1hman priests. A feast is\nthen given to their castemen. [431]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, ancestors, Mahants and S\u00e1dhus are worshipped by the rites\nknown as the Puranic ritual, that is, no Vedic mantras are repeated\nwhile performing these rites. It is a common belief in this province\nthat the soul of the person who has committed a murder, or has incurred\ndebt and enmity, is obliged to repay the debt by being born again as\na servant or in some other subordinate capacity of the debtor. [432]\n\nThe tombs of the Hindu and Mahomedan saints are considered holy,\nbut they are not supposed to possess miracular powers. [433] The\nfollowing is a list of saints who have been deified and worshipped by\nthe people of the Ratn\u00e1giri District. (1) Mukundr\u00e1j, (2) Dny\u00e1ndev,\n(3) Tuk\u00e1r\u00e1m, (4) Ekn\u00e1th, (5) N\u00e1mdev, (6) R\u00e1md\u00e1s, (7) Akkalkotche\nSw\u00e1mi, (8) Rangan\u00e1th, (9) Dev M\u00e1mlatd\u00e1r, (10) Kabir, (11) Kam\u00e1l,\n(12) Nipat Niranjan, (13) Tulshid\u00e1s, (14) Pundalik, (15) Vashistha,\n(16) Datt\u00e1traya, (17) Sohiroba, (18) Gorakshanath, (19) Purnan\u00e1th.\n\nAt Shiroda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District a practice prevails of making\nvows to the tombs of women who burnt themselves as Satvis. Vows\nare also made to the Musalman Pirs, and offerings are often made in\nfulfilment of such vows. [434]\n\nAt the fort of Vish\u00e1lgad there is a tomb of a Pir (saint). It is usual\nto make a vow to worship this Pir with fetters on one's legs, and it\nis believed that, at the time of worship, the chains break off. [435]\n\nThere is at Dahib\u00e1v in the Ratn\u00e1giri District a tomb of a Hindu saint\nnamed Shri Anand Murti, to which the people of that locality make\nvows when severe calamities befall them, and it is believed that the\nsaint listens to their prayers. [436]\n\nWhen a Br\u00e1hman assumes the garb of a recluse or Sany\u00e1si, he is\nconsidered by the people as sacred as a Hindu god, and is worshipped\nwith great reverence, provided he abides by the rules contained in\nthe sh\u00e1stras. [437]\n\nThere is a tomb of a Pir at B\u00e1wa M\u00e1langad in the Panwel taluka of\nthe Kol\u00e1ba District, where the people make vows to the Pir, and it\nis believed that the Pir fulfils their wishes. Hindu saints such\nas R\u00e1md\u00e1s, Dny\u00e1neshwar, N\u00e1mdev are held in great honour in this\nDistrict. [438]\n\nThere is a temple of N\u00e1goba at Avas in the Kol\u00e1ba District where\npersons suffering from snake-bite, if carried to the temple while\nstill alive, are said to be cured. [439]\n\nAt Kawad in the Bhiwandi taluka of the Th\u00e1na District there is a tomb\nof a Brahmach\u00e1ri named Sakh\u00e1r\u00e1m B\u00e1va who has been deified by the people\nof that District. A great fair is held at the tomb every year. [440]\n\nThe following instance is given of a miracle at the tomb of Sakh\u00e1r\u00e1m\nB\u00e1va of Kawad. A man suffering from fits showed an inclination to go\nto Kawad to read Guru Charitra for seven successive days. He was taken\nto that place accordingly. After his arrival, he continued to suffer\nfrom these fits in the morning and evening at the time of the worship\nat the tomb. Once during the fits he said that he would be free from\nthe disease if Rs. 200 were spent in giving a feast to the Br\u00e1hmans\nat P\u00e1li. The relatives of the sufferer agreed to arrange accordingly,\nand instantly the man put his head on the Sam\u00e1dhi (tomb) and threw\nhimself on his back. He came to his senses after ten minutes, and\nfrom that time he was completely cured. A feast was then given to the\nBr\u00e1hmans at P\u00e1li, and Rs. 200 were spent over it as promised. Another\ninstance of miracular power is cited, and that is of the priest of\nthe goddess Mahaluxmi of Kolwan. This priest goes up and hoists the\nflag of the goddess on a steep hill which no other person can climb,\nand it is believed that he can do this only when the spirit of the\ngoddess enters his body. [441]\n\nAt Umbergaon in the Th\u00e1na District there is a miracle-working tomb of\na saint called the D\u00e1t\u00e1r \"Pir.\" Sakh\u00e1r\u00e1mb\u00e1va of Angaon Kawad, a Hindu\nsaint, is held in high honour in this village. [442] At this place\nit is also believed that some of the Pirs walk round the village at\nnight, and their tombs are said to be seen in motion. The D\u00e1t\u00e1r Pir\nis worshipped even by the Hindus of that locality. [443]\n\nAt Shirosi in the Murb\u00e1d Taluka of the Th\u00e1na District, Sakh\u00e1r\u00e1mb\u00e1va of\nKawad, Dev M\u00e1mlatd\u00e1r, Chandir\u00e1mbuva of Khed, Narayanbuva of Nanuri,\nthe Sw\u00e1mi of Akkalkot, the Sw\u00e1mi of Kumbhar Peth at Kolh\u00e1pur, and\nthe Dandekerbuva of R\u00e1j\u00e1pur are the principal saints held in honour\nby the people. [444]\n\nAt M\u00e1nikpur in the Th\u00e1na District it is said that a bright light or\nflames emanate from certain tombs of Musalman saints. [445]\n\nAt Umela in the Th\u00e1na District it is said that flames and smoke are\ngiven out from the tombs of certain Mahomedan saints situated in the\nlocality. These flames appear and disappear very suddenly. [446]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District people believe that the Sam\u00e1dhi of Sw\u00e1mi\nAnandm\u00farti, who was a disciple of Raghunath Sw\u00e1mi of Bhraman\u00e1l,\nshakes on the Shiwar\u00e1tri day, that is the 13th of the dark half of\nM\u00e1gha, and on the R\u00e1manawami day i.e. the 9th of the bright half of\nChaitra, at the time of the worship called Bhajan. Among the tombs\nheld most sacred by the Hindus of the Konkan may be mentioned the\nfollowing viz.: Bhujang Sw\u00e1mi of Lokapur, R\u00e1md\u00e1s Sw\u00e1mi, the Sam\u00e1dhi\nof Shri Shankar\u00e1ch\u00e1rya at Shirgaon, Chintaman Sw\u00e1mi of Murgud,\nand the Sam\u00e1dhi of Mangalm\u00farti Morya at Chinchwad near Poona. All\nthese Sw\u00e1mis were Brahmach\u00e1ris or bachelors, and they spent their\nlives in the service of God and preached virtue and morality to the\nmasses. These Sam\u00e1dhis are of two kinds: (1) of saints after death,\nand (2) of saints on the point of death. The third kind is called\nJal Sam\u00e1dhi, i.e., immersion in water, but no tomb of the latter\nkind is to be found in this Province. It is said that, if a lime\nis placed above the Sam\u00e1dhi of Bhujanga Sw\u00e1mi, it begins to shake\nat the time of the Arti ceremony. The present disciple of Bhujanga\nSw\u00e1mi sits in (Sam\u00e1dhi) meditation continuously for four to eight\ndays. There prevails a belief at Kolh\u00e1pur that the sw\u00e1mi whose body\nis buried in the tomb at Chinchwad is still alive. Some years ago\nwhen the present disciple of the Chinchwad Sw\u00e1mi was anxious to take\nSam\u00e1dh, he had a dream in which the sw\u00e1mi in the tomb told him that\nhe was still living in that Sam\u00e1dhi, and that therefore there was no\nneed for his disciple to take Sam\u00e1dh. He was thus obliged to forego\nthe project. The Peshwas of Poona, who were staunch devotees of the\nChinchwad sw\u00e1mi, and by whose favour they were raised to a position\nof social equality among the Deccan Br\u00e1hmans, granted an Inam of\nsome villages for the maintenance of this Sam\u00e1dhi, and the British\nGovernment have allowed the descendants of the sw\u00e1mi to retain the\nInam. The following are the principal Musalman saints who have been\ndeified in the Kolhapur District:--\n\n(1) B\u00e1ba Jam\u00e1l, (2) Ghod Pir, (3) Bara Im\u00e1m, (4) Avachit Pir, (5)\nBuran S\u00e1heb and (5) Mira S\u00e1heb of Miraj. All these Pirs have been\nsupplied with annual grants of money by the Kolh\u00e1pur State. [447]\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Vengurla taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District some\nHindus have adopted the worship of Mahomedan saints. Mahomedan Pirs\nare worshipped in the month of Moharram. On these occasions Hindus\nbeg in the town in the disguise of Fakirs, and the alms thus obtained\nare offered to the Pir. They make offerings of water to the Pirs,\nwhile the t\u00e1buts are being carried to the sea for immersion. But this\npractice is being slowly discontinued. [448]\n\nAt B\u00e1ndivade in the Ratn\u00e1giri District Hindus offer cocoanuts and\nkhichadi to the Pirs at the time of the Moharram, and at some places\na lamp is kept burning every Monday in honour of a Pir. [449]\n\nAt K\u00e1lb\u00e1devi in the Ratn\u00e1giri taluka there is a tomb of a Musalm\u00e1n\nsaint who is worshipped by the Hindus. Similarly there is a Pir at\nGaonkh\u00e1di in the R\u00e1j\u00e1pur taluka who is held in reverence even by high\ncaste Hindus. [450]\n\nAt Ade in the D\u00e1poli taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District there is a tomb\nof a Musalman saint which is worshipped by the Hindus including the\nBr\u00e1hmans. The building and also the mosque in that village have been\nrepaired from contributions obtained from high class Hindus. [451]\nMany Hindus of Devagad in the Ratn\u00e1giri District worship Musalman\nsaints. Occasionally they offer cocoanuts to t\u00e1buts, and throw red\npowder over them. They also make vows to the Pirs. [452]\n\nThere are two Pirs at Vijayadurg who are worshipped by the Hindus. The\nsame practice prevails at R\u00e1j\u00e1pur and Kh\u00e1rep\u00e1tan. [453]\n\nAt Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District some Hindus\nworship Pirs. The members of the Ketkar family of Chauk are the Puj\u00e1ris\nor ministrants of the Musalm\u00e1n saint known as B\u00e1va M\u00e1langad. This\nshows that even Br\u00e1hmans worship Musalm\u00e1n saints. [454]\n\nThe tomb of B\u00e1va M\u00e1langad situated in the Kol\u00e1ba District is worshipped\nfirst by a Br\u00e1hman and then by Musalm\u00e1ns. The Br\u00e1hman worshipper\nperforms this task more for the pecuniary benefit which he derives\nfrom the worship than from faith in the divinity of the Pir. [455]\n\nAt Poladpur in the Mah\u00e1d taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District there are no\ninstances of Musalm\u00e1n saints being worshipped by Hindus, but persons\nwishing to have children make vows to Pirs, and children born by the\nfavour of such Pirs are required to assume the robe of a Fakir during\nthe Moharram festivities. [456]\n\nThe practice of worshipping such saints exists at Khopoli in the Kol\u00e1ba\nDistrict. Persons in trouble, or desirous of getting children, make\nvows to the saint Im\u00e1m Hussein, and when their desires are fulfilled\nthey dress themselves as Fakirs and beg at certain places during the\nMoharram festivities. [457] A certain Lakshman Gang\u00e1dhar Joshi of\nRewdanda in the Kol\u00e1ba District is the Muj\u00e1war (priest or ministrant)\nof a Musalman saint Ch\u00e1nsewalli and he holds an In\u00e1m in connection\nwith his office of Muj\u00e1war of the saint's Darga. [458]\n\nAt Akshi in the Kol\u00e1ba District there is a tomb of a Pir which\nis worshipped by lower class Hindus such as Kolis, M\u00e1lis and\nBhand\u00e1ris. [459]\n\nThe Hindus of Bhuwan in the Murb\u00e1d taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District\nworship the Pir of the locality. It is said that the cultivators\nof the village once lost their cattle, and that a Fakir attributed\nthe loss to the rage of the Pir. Since that time they are careful to\nworship the saint, and the result is that there has been no disease\namong their cattle. They offer Malinda, i.e., bread and j\u00e1gri, to\nthe Pir every Thursday. [460]\n\nThe Hindu inhabitants of M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District sprinkle water\nover the roads by which the t\u00e1buts are to pass, and allow their\nchildren to pass beneath the t\u00e1buts. Some throw sweetmeat on the\nt\u00e1buts, and distribute the same to the poor. [461]\n\nAt Shirgaon in the M\u00e1him taluka of the Th\u00e1na District some Hindus\nmake vows to the local Pir and take part in the t\u00e1but procession. They\npour water over the feet of the t\u00e1but bearers, and throw abir (black\nscented powder) and flowers on the t\u00e1buts. They also distribute to\nthe fakirs Malinda, or Khichadi. [462]\n\nThe Muj\u00e1war (priest) of the saint Walli Amir Shaha of Shah\u00e1pur in\nthe Th\u00e1na District is a Mar\u00e1tha by caste. [463]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District Pirs are held in great reverence by\nHindus. They make vows to the Pirs in order to get a son, and when\ntheir object is fulfilled they offer a preparation of Til (sesamum)\nand sugar called Rewadi, and other sweets called Chonge, Malinda and\nPedhe at the time of Moharram. They also give Fakiri to their sons\nin the t\u00e1but season. Some of them even bring a t\u00e1but and N\u00e1l s\u00e1heb\nto their houses, and spend much money on them for illuminations,\netc. They dance from one N\u00e1lpir to the other saying that the N\u00e1lpir\nhas entered their bodies. While going through the streets they cry\nout very loudly the words 'Yalli Dhulla'. The holiday of the Moharram\nis observed for ten days. On the tenth day the t\u00e1buts and the N\u00e1lpirs\nare taken to the river for the purpose of immersion. While returning\nhome from the river with the bundle of the Patka of N\u00e1lpir on their\nheads they cry out loudly the following words: \"Alabid\u00e1yo \u00e1la bid\u00e1sha\nya Husan bani alidosh\u00e1ke sult\u00e1n albida\". On the third day after the\nimmersion of t\u00e1buts into the river, the Pirs devotees kill a goat\nin the name of their patron Pir and make a preparation of the goat's\nflesh called Konduri. [464]\n\nThe following rites are in vogue for the cure of barrenness in the\nvillage of D\u00e1bhol in the Ratn\u00e1giri District.--(1) Walking round the\nPipal tree daily; (2) Observing a fast for sixteen successive Mondays;\n(3) Performing the worship of Shiva after observing the aforesaid\nfast. [465]\n\nAt K\u00e1lshe in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District a barren\nwoman is required to walk round a Pipal tree every day in the morning,\nand if the barrenness be attributed to the disfavour of any deity\nor the attack of an evil spirit, the same deity or the evil spirit\nis invoked and worshipped by the woman herself, or through a medium\nwho knows the appropriate mode of worship. [466]\n\nTo steal an earthen image of the God Ganpati, to make a cross or a\nSw\u00e1stika on the bodies of children with marking nut, and the worship\nof the god M\u00e1ruti or some other powerful deity at midnight in the\nno moon by a barren woman, after divesting herself of her clothes,\nare rural methods for the cure of barrenness observed at Anjarle and\nother places in the D\u00e1poli taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District. [467]\n\nAt B\u00e1ndivade in the Ratn\u00e1giri District copper amulets and black\ncotton strings are used to cure barrenness. Some people make vows to\na particular deity, and some perform the rite of N\u00e1gabali. [468]\n\nTo walk round Pipal and Umbar trees, to circumambulate the temple\nof a particular deity, and to make vows to that deity, to recite or\nhave recited the holy scripture Harivansha, are methods in practice\nfor cure of barrenness at Achre in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri\nDistrict. [469]\n\nAt Vijayadurg in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, it is believed that beating\na woman at the time of an eclipse is one of the surest methods of\ncuring barrenness. Some people give charity, observe fasts, worship\ncertain deities and make vows to them to obtain children. [470]\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, stealing the idol of Krishna\nwhen it is being worshipped on the 8th day of the dark half of Shr\u00e1wan\n(August), the birth day of the god Krishna, and putting a cocoanut or\na betelnut in its place is believed to be the best method of curing\nbarrenness. [471]\n\nAt Chauk in the Kol\u00e1ba District, the same plan of stealing the idol\nof the god Krishna is observed as a cure for barrenness. But here\nthe idol is returned with great pomp, and replaced in its original\nplace after the birth of a child. The godlings Hanum\u00e1n and Bawan Vir\nare also worshipped for the cure of barrenness. [472]\n\nAt Poladpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District the favourite method of curing\nbarrenness is to obtain copper amulets and black or red cotton strings\nfrom a Fakir. [473]\n\nThe following are the methods in vogue for the cure of barrenness at\nKhopoli in the Kol\u00e1ba District.\n\n(1) To inquire from a sorcerer the cause of barrenness, and then to\nperform the rites mentioned by him.\n\n(2) To use copper amulets and cotton strings taken from a M\u00e1ntrik,\ni.e., one well versed in the mantras.\n\n(3) To walk round the Tulsi (basil) plant or the Pipal or Banyan tree\ndaily in the morning after worshipping it.\n\n(4) To feed another woman's child, or to give milk to a child. [474]\n\nAt N\u00e1ta in the Kol\u00e1ba District, a woman wishing to have a child is\nrequired to strike with a knife the Jack, the Tamarind, and the Ch\u00e1mpa\ntrees during an eclipse. It is believed that by so doing the woman will\nbear a child, and the trees will also bear flowers and fruits. [475]\n\nAt Medhe in the Roha taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, the following\nmethods are in vogue for the cure of barrenness:--\n\n(1) To worship the god Shiva and to observe fasts on Mondays.\n\n(2) To worship the god Ganpati and to observe fasts on Sankasthi\nchaturthi, i.e., the fourth day of the dark half of every month.\n\n(3) To walk round the temple of M\u00e1ruti and Pipal and Umbar trees\nevery day, in the morning. [476]\n\nAt Padaghe in the Bhiwandi taluka of the Th\u00e1na District, images of\nR\u00e1ma and Krishna are put into the lap of a barren woman on their\nrespective birthdays i.e., the 9th day of the bright half of Chaitra,\nand the 8th day of the dark half of Shr\u00e1wan. Cocoanuts are also placed\nin her lap with these images. [477]\n\nAt M\u00e1nikpur in the Th\u00e1na District the goddess Shitala is worshipped\nby women to cure barrenness. They observe fasts, and go to the temple\nof the goddess bare-footed with their hair loose and throwing milk on\ntheir path. They offer to the goddess wooden cradles and children's\ntoys in fulfilment of their vows. [478]\n\nAt Shirgaon in the M\u00e1him taluka of the Th\u00e1na District, it is said\nthat the repetition of the mantra \"Sant\u00e1n Gop\u00e1l j\u00e1y\" is resorted to\nas a cure for barrenness. [479]\n\nAt W\u00e1de in the Th\u00e1na District, women make vows even to minor deities\nsuch as Chedoba to get rid of barrenness. They also use copper amulets\nand cotton strings procured from a sorcerer well versed in the use\nof mantras. [480]\n\nAt Dahigaon in the Th\u00e1na District the worship of the god Shri Satya\nN\u00e1r\u00e1yan is held to cure barrenness. Some women also distribute to\nthe poor j\u00e1gri equal to the weight of a child. [481]\n\nAt Dehari in the Murb\u00e1d taluka of the Th\u00e1na District, the village\ndeity Dehari M\u00e1ta is invoked and worshipped by women for the cure of\nbarrenness. [482] In the Kolh\u00e1pur District, the help of the family\ndeities and of the household deities is invoked. Women take turns\nround the Banyan, Pipal and Umbar, trees. Some make vows to the\ngods, and perform certain propitiatory rites as well as the N\u00e1r\u00e1yan\nN\u00e1gabali. It is believed that the children do not live long if a\nmember of the family has killed a snake, or if the funeral rites\nof a person in the family have remained unperformed. The following\nceremony is known as N\u00e1r\u00e1yan N\u00e1gabali. A snake is made from the flour\nof R\u00e1la (panie seed), and another made of gold is put into it. It\nis then burnt like a dead body. All the ordinary funeral rites are\nperformed. After performing the eleventh day rites, homa, i.e.,\nsacred fire, is kindled at night time, and after keeping vigil for\nthe whole night, milk and a dakshana are given to Br\u00e1hmans. A feast\nis given to eleven Br\u00e1hmans on that day. On the twelfth day sixteen\nBr\u00e1hmans are fed, and on the thirteenth, five Br\u00e1hmans are given a\nfeast, after performing the Shr\u00e1ddha rites. On the fourteenth day,\nagain, a feast is given to about 100 to 500 Br\u00e1hmans according to\nthe means of the host. It is believed that, after the performance of\nthese rites, the soul of the deceased reaches heaven, and there is\nan end to the troubles and misfortunes of the family. [483]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHE WORSHIP OF THE MALEVOLENT DEAD.\n\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the following dreams are\nbelieved to be lucky and propitious. To swim through the river or sea,\nto rise to the sky, to see the Sun, the Moon and the other planets,\nto eat meat, to bathe in blood, and to eat rice and curds. It is\nalso believed that the sight of white objects in dreams foretells\nsuccess in any work or undertaking that may be in view. A deity,\na Br\u00e1hman, a king, a married woman decked with ornaments, a bullock,\na mountain, trees full of fruits, climbing the Umber tree, a looking\nglass, meat and flowers, if seen in dreams, are good omens. Climbing\nthe Palas tree, Warul, i.e., an ant heap, the bitter lime tree, to\nmarry, to use red clothes or red flower garlands, to eat cooked meat,\nto see the sun and the moon without lustre, and to see shooting stars\nduring dreams, are said to be bad omens. [484]\n\nAt Mithb\u00e1v in the Devgad taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District dreams are\nbelieved to be caused by indigestion and restlessness. To embrace\na dead body in a dream, to see troubled waters, to dine heartily,\nare said to be bad omens. Feasting friends and receiving gifts from\nthem are said to be good omens. [485]\n\nAt Fonda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District dreams are said to indicate things\nthat have happened, or are about to happen in the near future. All\nwhite substances other than cotton, salt, and bones, are considered\nauspicious, and all black substances excepting a lotus, a horse,\nan elephant, and a deity are considered inauspicious. [486]\n\nAt Ibr\u00e1mpur in the Chiplun taluka, horrible dreams are good omens,\nwhile pleasing dreams indicate approaching calamities. [487]\n\nAt Pendur in the Ratn\u00e1giri District it is believed that dreams foretell\nfuture events. It is believed that the dream will prove correct\nand effective if the person dreaming has asked three questions and\nreceived three answers in his dream. Those dreams which are caused\nthrough cold are called Jalap. They are generally false dreams,\nand no good omens are derived therefrom. [488]\n\nAt Basani in the Ratn\u00e1giri District it is believed that the ancestors\nwho take interest in the welfare of their descendants appear in dreams\nand foretell future events, so that the dreaming person may take the\nneedful precautions for the prevention of future calamities. [489]\n\nAt K\u00e1lshe in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District it is believed\nthat dreams in the last part of the night, i.e., just before daybreak,\nand in which great men are seen, generally prove effective. If anybody\nsees himself married in a dream it is supposed that he will hear of\nthe death of some relative. [490]\n\nAt Chauk in the Kol\u00e1ba District it is believed that, when calamities\nare threatened, the guardian deity of the family as well as the\ndead ancestors appear in dreams and give warnings of the coming\ncalamities. [491]\n\nThe people of Poladpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District believe in dreams;\nand when some of their deities appear in dreams and give them\nadvice or directions, they are careful to follow them. Sometimes\neven evil spirits appear in dreams, and advise the people to do\ncertain things to avert calamities. People who have faith in such\nspirits act according to their wishes, and if they fail to do so,\ntrouble is sure to follow. [492]\n\nThe people of Khopoli in the Kol\u00e1ba District believe that if a person\nsees in a dream, the dead body of a near relative, it indicates that\nthe person whose corpse was seen in the dream will live long. [493]\n\nAt Birwadi in the Kol\u00e1ba District it is believed that if a person sees\na snake in a dream, a son will be born to him; if he sees a hell, he\nis sure to get wealth. If he sees gold, it is a sure sign of losing\nwealth. Again, if a person sees himself taking his meals in a dream,\nit indicates that his death is nigh at hand. [494]\n\nAt M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District, omens are derived from dreams. In case\nof bad dreams the god Vishnu is remembered, and the gods Shankar and\nM\u00e1ruti are also worshipped. [495]\n\nAt Bel\u00e1pur, wood, cowdung cakes and turbid water, if seen in dreams,\nforetell calamities. White clothes, beautiful flowers, and food\ncontaining sweetmeat are considered auspicious. [496]\n\nAt Murb\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District it is believed that all black things,\nand white things such as ashes, are inauspicious when seen in dreams,\nbut a black cow, white flowers, and pearls are auspicious. Considering\nthe four parts of the night, the dreams that occur in the first part\nprove effective within one year, that of the second part within six\nmonths, that of the third within three months, and of the fourth within\none month, and those caused at daybreak are realized immediately. [497]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, dreams are believed to be caused through some mental\nderangement or bodily disorder. It is customary to derive omens from\ndreams, but their nature greatly depends upon the different times\nat which these dreams occur. The dreams caused in the latter part of\nthe night, i.e. just before daybreak, are believed to come true. [498]\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Vengurla taluka it is believed that the soul of a\nperson leaves the body temporarily during his sleep; hence it is said\nthat no changes or marks of colour, etc. should be made on the body of\na person during sleep, because it is believed that, while returning,\nthe soul identifies the body, and if it is satisfied with the marks\nof the body it enters it; otherwise it might not return. [499]\n\nAt Adivare it is believed that only Hindu saints and ascetics, after\ndeep and devout meditation, are capable of removing the soul from\nthe body. It is believed that their souls go to heaven during that\nperiod and return at pleasure. At present there are no such s\u00e1dhus\nin the district. [500]\n\nMany Hindus in the Ratn\u00e1giri District believe that the soul goes to\ndrink water at night, and therefore keep a pot filled with water at\ntheir sleeping place. [501]\n\nThe people of Chaul in the Kol\u00e1ba District do not consider it possible\nordinarily for the soul to leave the body, but they state that the\nSw\u00e1mi of Alandi, who died in or about the year 1886, used to remove\nhis soul from the body by means of Yoga. [502]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, it is believed that the soul leaves the body temporarily\nat night when a person is asleep. [503]\n\nAt Bankavali in the D\u00e1poli taluka, it is believed that ghosts or evil\nspirits have the form of a human being, but their feet are turned\nbackwards. They can assume any form they choose. Their character is\nordinarily to trouble the people, but when satisfied they are said\nto prove friendly. The following story is narrated of a person who\nwent to reside in one of the villages of the Konkan. His wife was\nfirst attacked by a ghost called Girha. The Girha troubled him much\nby playing mischief in his house, viz.: by taking away eatables or\nby mixing dirt in his food. At night he used to divest the couple of\ntheir clothes, and on one occasion an ornament was removed by the\nspirit from the person of the wife. Tired of these annoyances, the\nman left the village and went to reside at a distance, when, to the\nastonishment of the public, it happened that the ornament which was\nlost at the old village was restored to the man's wife while she was\nasleep in the new village, and nobody knew who brought it there. All\nthis was believed to be the work of the Girha. [504]\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Vengurla taluka people believe that a Bhut\nis fierce in aspect and very troublesome, but when its wishes are\ncomplied with, it becomes harmless. The Bhuts reside in jungles,\nburial or cremation grounds, old trees, sacred groves and deserted\nhouses. They assume all sorts of shapes and forms. Sometimes they\nappear very tall, and they can instantly assume the shape of a dog,\na cat, a tiger, or any other animal. Some ghosts are even seen fishing\non the banks of rivers. [505]\n\nAt Mithb\u00e1v in the Devgad taluka it is believed that the souls of those\nwho die with their wishes unfulfilled take the form of a Bhut. They\nenter the bodies of people. Any woman who is attacked by the Bhut\nof a Pir becomes able to speak in the Hindi language although it\nmay not be her mother tongue. When a child or a person is suffering\nfrom the attacks of a spirit, incense is burnt, and it at once begins\nto tell the whereabouts of the spirit and the reason why the person\nhas been attacked. He is then asked to state what he wants, and when\nthe things which the spirit wants are offered, it goes away. [506]\nSpirits are generally invisible.\n\nThe spirits that belong to the class of malignant Bhuts are of a\nferocious appearance; but those that belong to the class of friendly\nBhuts possess bodies like human beings. [507]\n\nAt N\u00e1ringre in the Devgad taluka, it is believed that spirits are\ncruel by nature and have no shadow, that they are capable of taking\nany form they like, and can perform miracles. [508] At Pendur it is\nbelieved that Bhuts eat chillies, and that they do not speak with\nhuman beings. Spirits are said to remove and conceal their victims for\na certain period of time. [509] At Vijayadurg, a Bhut is considered\nto be of mean character. People perform certain rites to bring it\nunder subjection. Their actions are always contrary to nature. When a\nperson begins to cry, dance, to eat forbidden things etc. he is said\nto be attacked by a Bhut. When there is enmity between two persons,\nthe one who dies first becomes a sambandh and troubles his living\nenemy. [510] At Basani, there is a belief that there are two kinds\nof spirits. Some aim at the welfare of the people, and others are\nalways troublesome. As they have no regular form they cannot easily\nbe recognised. They can change their forms at any time. [511]\n\nThe character of a Bhut is to trouble people and to take revenge on\nan old enemy. A person attacked by a spirit speaks incoherently and\nacts like a mad man. In such cases the leaves of the herb sat\u00e1p are\nused. The leaves are pounded and put under the patient's nose. In\na few minutes, the person who is possessed by the spirit begins to\nspeak. [512]\n\nThe people of Chauk in the Kol\u00e1ba District believe that the main\nfunction of a Bhut is to frighten people, to beat them, and to\nmake them perform unpleasant tasks and thereby to obtain food from\nthem. [513] At Pol\u00e1dpur it is believed that if a person is able to\nbring a Bhut under his control he can make it do every kind of work for\nhimself. [514] The people of Akshi believe that kindling fire without\nany reason and throwing stones at certain houses are the main functions\nof Bhuts. [515] At V\u00e1vashi in the Pen taluka, it is believed that\nBhuts, while walking, never touch the earth but always move through\nthe air, and that they have no shadow. [516] The old men of Shirgaum\nin the M\u00e1him taluka advise young children not to respond to the call\nof anybody at night unless the person calling is an acquaintance. For\nsuch calls are sometimes those of an evil spirit. [517]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District, it is believed that the character of a Bhut\nis like that of a human being. When a person is attacked by a spirit,\na great change is observed in his language and actions. He begins\nto speak in the language of the Bhut by which he is attacked. If\nthe ghost is of the female sex, the person speaks the language\nof females. It is believed that the souls of those who have been\nmurdered or tortured assume the form of a spirit known as Sambandh,\nand trouble the murderer or the torturer, by entering his body. It\nis said that in some cases the spirit does not leave the body of\nsuch a person till he dies, thus exacting revenge for his past\nmisdeeds. [518] In Khopoli in Ratn\u00e1giri it is said that the cow\nwhich is given to a Br\u00e1hman while performing the funeral rites of\na dead person helps him to reach heaven. He gets there by catching\nhold of her tail. There are three paths to the other world. They are\nBhaktim\u00e1rga, Karmam\u00e1rga, and Yogam\u00e1rga. The Karmam\u00e1rga is believed to\nbe superior to all. [519] At M\u00e1l\u00e1d, a belief prevails that the path\nto the other world is through the Him\u00e1layas. While going through the\nmountains of the Him\u00e1layas, souls find happiness or sorrow according\nto their actions in life-time. The people also believe that the soul\nreturns every month on the date of the man's death to accept K\u00e1gv\u00e1s,\ni.e., cooked food given to the manes, and reaches heaven at the end\nof one year. [520] At Dahigaon in the Murb\u00e1d taluka, it is customary\namong the Hindus to smear with cow dung the place from which a dead\nbody has been removed to the burning ground. The place is then covered\nwith rice flour, and is hidden under a basket, an oil-lamp being kept,\nburning near by. The persons who accompany the corpse return home to\nlook at the lamp, and it is believed that the soul of the deceased\nwill pass to any creature or species of which footprints are seen on\nthe rice flour. [521]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur it is believed that the soul of a person after death\nattains that state to which he aspires at the last moment before his\ndeath. Virtuous persons who die without any desire reach heaven and\nremain there in the form of the stars, where they are believed to enjoy\nthe happiness of heaven. Some of them are sent to this world when they\nwish to return. Sinners are said to reach hell in consequence of their\nmisdeeds, but some remain in this world in the form of Bhuts. [522]\n\nThe people of Achare in the M\u00e1lwan taluka believe that the souls of\npersons who die by accident return to the same caste, and have to\nremain there till the expiry of an appointed period. [523]\n\nThe people of Chauk believe that persons dying a sudden or violent\ndeath leave wishes unfulfilled, and are therefore compelled to remain\nin this world in the form of Bhuts. [524]\n\nAt R\u00e1i in the S\u00e1lsette taluka it is believed that the souls of those\ndying a sudden or violent death attain salvation according to their\ndeeds in lifetime, but it is a current belief that those committing\nsuicide take the form of a ghost, and those who die on battlefields\nattain eternal salvation. [525]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, it is believed that the souls of those who die violent\ndeaths do not attain salvation, but are turned into ghosts. [526]\n\nThe people of Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Vengurla taluka believe that Bhuts\ndo not possess visible human forms. They can assume any shapes they\nlike, but there is a common belief that the hands and feet of Bhuts\nare always turned backwards. [527]\n\nThe most favourable times for spirits to enter human bodies are midday,\nmidnight and twilight. [528] Women in delivery as well as those in\ntheir menses are most liable to be attacked by spirits. [529] It is\ngenerally believed that persons adorned with ornaments are attacked by\nspirits, especially in cases of women and children. Again, a common\nbelief prevails in the Konkan that persons, and particularly ladies,\ndecked with flowers and ornaments are more liable to be attacked by\nspirits than others. [530] The people of Fonda are of opinion that\nspirits generally enter and leave human bodies through the organ\nof hearing, while the people of N\u00e1ringre hold that the hair is the\nbest way for spirits to enter. [531] The residents of Ibr\u00e1mpur state\nthat the mouth and the nose are the favourite channels for spirits\nentering human bodies. [532] At Mithb\u00e1v it is believed that spirits\nattack people in the throat, and generally only those persons who\nare uncleanly in their habits are liable to be attacked. There are\nno special ways for entering human bodies. [533] At Chaul a belief\nprevails that spirits enter the body when a person is suffering from\nany disease or when he is frightened. [534]\n\nIn the Konkan, people attempt to find good or bad omens in sneezing. It\ndepends upon the time and the position or standing of the person who\nsneezes. If a sick person sneezes it is presumed that he will recover\nfrom his illness within a very short period, but if the sneezing\nis caused by the use of tobacco or snuff, no good or bad omens are\ndrawn. [535] Sneezing at the time of conversation or when contemplating\nany particular task or business is held to be inauspicious. Hence if\nanybody sneezes at the beginning of a task, or at the time of starting\nout on any such task, the time is unfavourable. Yawning is said to be\ncaused by a relative or friend remembering the person who yawns. [536]\nIn ancient times happiness and calamities were foretold by a voice\nfrom the sky, and in modern days they are expressed by sneezing. People\nhave much faith in sneezing, and often inquire whether it is a good or\nbad omen to sneeze at the beginning of any work or undertaking. [537]\n\nIf a man sneezes with his face towards the west, it is considered\nauspicious. If a man sneezes while contemplating any task or business,\nthe sneezing is considered inauspicious. Sneezing at the time of\ntaking food i.e. while at meals, while sleeping, and while sitting\non a praying carpet is considered auspicious. Sneezing with one's\nface turned towards the north, the south, and the east is also\nunlucky. [538]\n\nIn the case of Bhagats and exorcists yawning is considered to indicate\nthat the disease will disappear. [539]\n\nIn the Konkan it is believed that sneezing and yawning indicate the\ncall of death, and therefore it is customary among the Hindus to\nsnap the thumb and the middle finger at the time of yawning, and to\nrepeat the words Shatanjiva i.e. Live for hundred years, at the time\nof sneezing. [540] Sneezing on a threshold is believed to forebode\nevil. [541]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, people believe that sneezing and yawning forebode evil,\nand the practice is to repeat the following words at the time of\nsneezing and yawning, viz, Shatanjiva i.e. Live a hundred years, and\nalso to repeat the name of R\u00e1m, while snapping the thumb and finger\n(chutaki). In the case of a person suffering from a serious illness,\nsneezing is supposed to indicate a cure. If a woman sneezes while\na man speaks, it is lucky, and if a man sneezes it is unlucky. The\nreverse is the case in respect of females. [542]\n\nIn the Konkan, R\u00e1kshasas, or malevolent spirits, are believed to be\nvery cruel. These evil spirits are held in great fear, and people\ntry to avoid giving them offence. It is supposed that to cause\ndispleasure to these demons may bring about death. With a view\nto propitiate them, offerings of cocks and goats are made to them\nevery year regularly on fixed days. [543] If a woman gives birth to\na child which is extraordinary or horrible in size and appearance,\nit is believed to be a demon reborn. Such a child is supposed to\nbring bad luck to the family. [544] The Konkan people believe that\nin former days R\u00e1kshasas, or malevolent demons, used to be tall,\nugly, black, with long and loose hair, big teeth, and with their\nforeheads painted with red lead, or shendur. They could assume any\nform they liked, were powerful, and could fly in the air. They were\nfond of human flesh. [545] The people of Khopoli believe that Khavis\nis the ghost of an African Sidhi. This spirit is very malevolent,\nand exorcists find it very difficult to bring it under control. A\nstrong belief prevails in the Konkan districts that those attacked\nby the spirits of non-Hindus are beyond cure. [546]\n\nAccording to the belief of the people in the Kolh\u00e1pur District,\nBrahma R\u00e1kshasa is one of the most powerful spirits. It takes up\nits abode in the sacred Pipal tree, and when it attacks a person,\nlittle hope is entertained of his delivery from its grasp. [547]\n\nThe following are the principal malignant spirits of the Konkan.\n\n(1) Vet\u00e1l, (2) Brahmagraha, (3) Sambandhas, (4) Devach\u00e1r, (5) Munja,\n(6) Khavis, (7) Girha, (8) Chetak, (9) Zoting, (10) Vir, (11) Cheda,\n(12) Mhasoba, (13) J\u00e1khin or Alwant, (14) L\u00e1vsant, and (15) Hadal.\n\n(1) Vet\u00e1l is believed to be the King of Spirits. [548] Vet\u00e1l is\nconsidered to be a deity and not an evil spirit. It enters into\nthe body of an exorcist and helps him to drive away other evil\nspirits. [549]\n\n(2) Brahmagraha is the ghost of a Br\u00e1hman well versed in the Vedas,\nbut who is over proud of his education. [550]\n\n(3) Sambandha is the spirit of a person who dies without an heir,\nand whose funeral rites have not been performed by any member of his\nfamily. It troubles the members of the family, but when invoked through\na Bhagat it becomes harmless, and even favourable to the family. [551]\nIt is the spirit of a covetous person or a sany\u00e1si who dies with his\ndesires unfulfilled. [552] It does not allow anybody to enjoy his\nwealth, and takes revenge on an enemy till death ensues. It haunts\ntrees, wells and unoccupied houses. [553]\n\n(4) Devach\u00e1r is the spirit of a Shudra who dies after his\nmarriage. [554] These (Devach\u00e1r) spirits are said to reside on the four\nsides of a village. The spirits which reside in burial or cremation\ngrounds, on river banks, and in old trees are said to be subordinate\nto these. Cocoanuts, plantains, sugar, cocks and goats must be given\nannually to gain their favour. [555]\n\n(5) Munja is the spirit of a Br\u00e1hman boy who dies immediately after\nhis thread ceremony, but before the final ceremony called Sod-munj\nis complete. It does not greatly affect its victim but simply\nfrightens. When it attacks, it is difficult to drive out. It is cast\nout only when the patient makes a pilgrimage to a holy shrine. [556]\nIt resides in a Pipal tree or in a well.\n\n(6) Khavis is the spirit of a Musalm\u00e1n or a non-Hindu. [557] It is\nalso the spirit of a Mah\u00e1r or a M\u00e1ng. [558]\n\n(7) Girha is the ghost of a person who dies by drowning, or of a\nmurdered person. [559] Girha is not very powerful, and obeys the\norders of the exorcists. It only frightens and troubles people. [560]\nIt lives by the water side, and deceives persons at night by calling\nthem by their names and leading them into false paths. It often\ntroubles people while crossing rivers or creeks at night, and leads\nthem to places where the water is very deep. It is said that the spirit\nGirha becomes the regular slave of a person who takes possession of\nthe hair of its head, and gives him anything that he requires. It\nrequests the person to return its hair, but this should not be given\nunder any circumstances. For, if the Girha gets back its hair all\nsorts of misfortunes will befall the man. [561]\n\n(8) Chetak is the ghost of a person of the Kunbi or Shudra caste. [562]\nThis spirit is also known as D\u00e1v.\n\n(9) Zoting is the ghost of a man belonging to the Kh\u00e1rvi or Koli\ncaste. [563] It is also said to be the ghost of a Musalm\u00e1n. [564]\n\n(10) Vir is the ghost of an unmarried person belonging to the Kshatriya\ncommunity. [565] It is also said to be the ghost of a Rajput or a\nPurbhaya (Pardeshi.)\n\n(11) Cheda is the ghost of an unmarried Mah\u00e1r. It resides on\nmountains, in jungles, and the outskirts of the village. [566] Cheda\nattacks domestic animals. It haunts fields and farms, and resides at\npublic places where the Holi fires are annually kindled. To avoid\nbeing troubled by it, people offer annual sacrifices of fowls and\ngoats. [567]\n\n(12) Mhasoba is the lord of the ghosts, and is equal in might to\nVet\u00e1l. [568]\n\n(13) J\u00e1khin or Alwant. J\u00e1khin is the ghost of a woman who has a\nhusband alive. Alwant is believed to be the spirit of a woman dying\nat childbirth or during her menses. It resides at burial or cremation\ngrounds. Persons attacked by this spirit are taken to Narsoba's W\u00e1di or\nG\u00e1ng\u00e1pur, which are celebrated as shrines for the removal of malignant\nspirits. [569]\n\n(14) L\u00e1vsat is the ghost of a widow. It generally resides in burial\nand burning grounds, and attacks domestic animals and their calves. It\nis also said to tear clothes and eat corpses. [570]\n\n(15) Hadal or Hedali is the ghost of a woman who dies within ten\ndays of childbirth or during her menses. It is supposed to be an evil\nspirit, but it can be kept in check by the use of a cane. It attacks\nall sorts of persons, but leaves them as soon as it is beaten. [571]\n\nThis spirit is also known as D\u00e1kan in the Kolh\u00e1pur district. [572]\nSatavi is the ghost of a woman. It troubles women in childbirth, and\nkills their children on the 5th or 6th day after their birth. [573]\nSh\u00e1kini is the ghost of an unmarried girl. Talkh\u00e1mba is the ghost\nof an unmarried Shudra or a person from the low castes. [574] The\npeople of Vijayadurg believe that one who hates and troubles the\nBr\u00e1hmans and speaks ill of their religious duties becomes a Brahma\nSambandha after death. [575] At Pol\u00e1dpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District the\nghost B\u00e1pa is represented by a stone painted with red lead and oil\nand placed at the boundary of a field. It is the guardian of the\nfield, and protects the owners' interests. Offerings are made to\nit annually. If the annual offerings are neglected, it troubles the\nowner of the field. It also troubles others when disturbed. [576]\n\nThe spirits known as K\u00e1lk\u00e1iche Bhut and Bahirob\u00e1che Bhut are not\ntroublesome. When they favour any person, he enjoys health and\nhappiness for a period of twelve years. But after that period he\nis ruined. [577] In addition to the varieties of malignant spirits\nalready described, the following spirits are known at Shirgaon in\nthe M\u00e1him taluka of the Th\u00e1na District. They are--Hirwa, W\u00e1ghoba,\nAsar\u00e1s, G\u00e1ngud, Sait\u00e1n and Chaitannadya. The spirit known as Hirwa\nrequires the offerings of a bow and an arrow, bh\u00e1ng, b\u00e1jri bread, and\na chatni of garlic. The W\u00e1ghoba haunts jungles and troubles domestic\nanimals. Cocoanuts and lamps of ghi are offered to it. Asar\u00e1s are\nthe deities that dwell in water. They infest the wells and ponds, and\nattack women and children at noon time and in the evening. Red lead,\ncocoanuts, flowers, parched rice (l\u00e1hya) and n\u00e1d\u00e1pudi are given to\nthem. [578]\n\nAt Ibr\u00e1mpur in the Ratn\u00e1giri District it is said that the evil spirit\nZoting goes about headless. [579]\n\nThe people of Medhe in the Rohe taluka believe that the spirit known\nas Girha, which resides in water, goes about headless. [580]\n\nAt Shirgaon in the M\u00e1him taluka it is believed that the spirit Hirwa\ngoes about headless. It troubles human beings and animals. The sea\nand the jungle are its places of abode. To avoid being troubled by it,\nbh\u00e1ng, cocoanuts, fowls are given to it. [581]\n\nThe people of Dahigaon in the Murb\u00e1d taluka believe that the Bhut\nknown as Peesa goes about headless. [582]\n\nSome evil spirits haunt trees such as the Pipal, B\u00e1bhul and\nAdulsa. Some have their haunts on a public road where three streets\nmeet, or in a dirty place, some haunt old houses, and the rest prefer\nto reside in burial and burning grounds. [583]\n\nMany spirits dwell in burial or cremation grounds. Among them are\nVet\u00e1l, J\u00e1khin, Khavis, Kh\u00e1prya, Zoting, D\u00e1v, Girha, Alavat and\nL\u00e1vsat. [584]\n\nThe spirits Munja and Sambandh are said to reside near houses and\nold trees that produce sweet smelling flowers. The spirits Devch\u00e1r\nand Ch\u00e1legat are said to reside at the four corners or the boundary\nof a village. [585]\n\nIt is believed that all kinds of spirits assemble at night at the\nfuneral ground when a body is burnt or buried. [586]\n\nThe evil spirits known as Khavis, Zoting and Kafri are said to dwell\non mountains and in jungles; while the others named Sambandha, J\u00e1khin,\nHadal and L\u00e1vsat are said to reside on trees. [587]\n\nMunja resides in the Pipal tree. Sambandha dwells in the Banyan,\nPipal and Umbar trees. It is supposed to be a guardian of buried\ntreasure. [588]\n\nAt Murb\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District, it is believed that an evil spirit\nknown as Hadal infests the tamarind trees. [589]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District it is believed that the ghosts of persons\ndying on battlefields infest mountains and jungles, and the evil\nspirit known as Sambandh infests trees. [590]\n\nGenerally in the Konkan, and specially in the Ratn\u00e1giri District,\nyoung mothers and their children are supposed to be liable to the\nattacks of the spirits Sat\u00e1vi, Avagat, Alavant, J\u00e1khin, Devch\u00e1r and\nCh\u00e1legat. [591]\n\nAt Khopoli in the Kol\u00e1ba District it is believed that a young mother\nand her child are generally attacked by the spirit of the dead wife\nof her husband, or by a Hadal or L\u00e1vsat. The spirit that attacks a\nwoman during her childbirth is difficult to drive out. The spirits\nare always afraid of cleanliness, and therefore, where there is\ncleanliness, there is very little fear of their attacks. [592]\n\nThe people of Shirgaon believe that the fiend known as Hedli\nattacks a young mother and her child. The Bhutya, or the sorcerer,\nmakes use of his cane and of the dirty incense known as Nurkya Uda,\nand compels her to speak and to ask for what she wants. Sometimes\nshe speaks and asks for the things required. Boiled rice and curds,\nand oil with red lead are given to her. When she leaves the body,\nthe person becomes insensible for a short time. [593]\n\nThe fiend known as Hadal, and other evil spirits of the female sex,\ngenerally attack a young mother and her child. They are generally\nattacked by these fiends on a public cross road where three roads meet,\nor under a B\u00e1bhul tree, and also at wells. [594]\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Vengurla taluka it is believed that those who\nare killed by tigers or other wild beasts are born as kings in the\nnext generation. [595] On the other hand the people of Bankavli are\nof opinion that those who suffer death at the hands of tigers and\nother wild beasts are turned into spirits. The spirit of a person\nkilled by a tiger is called V\u00e1ghvir. [596]\n\nAt Achare it is believed that persons killed by lions and tigers attain\nsalvation, while those killed by inferior beasts go to hell. [597]\n\nThe people of Ibr\u00e1mpur believe that unmarried persons killed by tigers\nor other wild beasts take the form of a ghost. Males become Girhas\nand females become J\u00e1khins and L\u00e1vsats. [598]\n\nAt Pendur it is believed that persons killed by tigers and other wild\nbeasts become Brahma R\u00e1kshasa. The same form is assumed by those who\ndie by accident. A murdered man becomes a Devach\u00e1r. [599]\n\nIn the District of Kolh\u00e1pur a belief prevails that the spirits of those\nkilled by tigers or other wild beasts assume the form of ghosts. It\nis also believed that persons who die before they are married do\nnot attain salvation, and therefore it is considered inauspicious\namong the Hindus to remain unmarried. This is the real reason why\nthe majority of the Hindus marry their children at an early age. [600]\n\nThe ghost of a woman dying in childbirth or during her menses assumes\nthe form of Alwant. For the purpose of preventing the dead woman\nturning into a ghost the following device is adopted. The corpse,\ninstead of being burnt as usual, is buried underground, and four iron\nnails are fixed at the four corners of the spot on which the body is\nburied, and plants bearing red flowers are planted thereon. [601]\n\nAt Bankavli it is believed that the ghost of a woman dying in\nchildbirth or during her menses assumes the form of J\u00e1khin, while the\npeople of the Kolh\u00e1pur District believe that it assumes the form of\nHadal. [602]\n\nThe special precautions that a father has to take at the birth of a\nchild are:--\n\nTo arrange for a suitable place or a room provided with the materials\nrequired for the occasion, and to ensure the correct moment for the\nbirth of the child. No person other than a midwife is allowed to enter\nthe room for the first ten days. A pot is kept filled with water and\na twig of the nim tree in the entrance of the house, and all persons\nentering the house have to wash their feet with this water.\n\nA knife or some other sharp weapon is kept under the bed of the\nwoman in order that the mother and her child may not be attacked by\na spirit. [603]\n\nThe chief reason for ensuring the correct moment for the birth is\nthat, if the birth takes place at an unlucky hour, special rites are\nnecessary for averting the evil effects. These rites consist in the\nrecitation of certain holy mantras and in giving presents of money,\nsessamum, j\u00e1gri, clarified butter, etc., to the Br\u00e1hmans and alms to\nthe poor. [604]\n\nAt Medhe in the Rohe taluka, it is customary for the father to throw\na stone in a well, a pond, or a river at the birth of his son, and\nthen to look at the face of the child. [605]\n\nAn owl is considered to be a bird of such evil repute that, in\nall parts of the Konkan, it is considered necessary to perform\nexpiatory rites when an owl perches on the roof. If these rites are\nnot performed, it is firmly believed that some evil will befall the\nmembers of the family. Various omens are drawn from the cries of the\nbird Pingla, and these cries are known as Kilbil, Chilbil and Khit\nKhit. [606]\n\nIf an owl sits on the roof of a house, it is a sure sign of coming\ndeath to a member of the family. [607]\n\nAt Devgad in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the sound of a bat or an owl is\nconsidered inauspicious, and indicates the death of a sick person in\nthe house. [608]\n\nAt Chauk an owl is said to have some connection with spirits. Its\nsound at night indicates the approaching death of a sick person in the\nhouse. One variety of the owl called the pingla is supposed to foretell\nfuture events by its movements and cries, while the bat is considered\nan inauspicious bird, and its appearance forebodes coming evil. [609]\n\nAt Umbergaon people do not throw stones at an owl. For it is considered\nthat the owl might sit and rub the stone, and that the person throwing\nit will become weak and wasted as the stone wears away. [610]\n\nThe people of Kolh\u00e1pur do not believe that there is any connection\nbetween the bat or owl and the spirits of the dead, but they believe\nthat, if an owl cries out in the evening or at night, it indicates the\ndeath of a sick person in the family. This applies also to the sound\nof a single pingla, but the sound of a pair of pinglas is considered\nauspicious. [611]\n\nIt is generally believed that old unoccupied houses are haunted by\nevil spirits. Persons who wish to inhabit such houses first perform\nthe V\u00e1stu sh\u00e1nti ceremony, and give a feast to Br\u00e1hmans. In former\ntimes, in the districts that were ruled by the Portuguese, religious\npersecution prevailed. To escape from these persecutions, people\nwere compelled to leave their houses unprotected. Before leaving\ntheir houses, they used to bury their treasure in the ground, and on\nthat spot a human being or an animal was sacrificed in order that\nthe spirit of the dead should hover about the place, and prevent\nstrangers from coming. [612]\n\nThe evil spirits which haunt ruins and guard buried treasures and\nold forts are known as Mah\u00e1purush, Khavis, Brahma R\u00e1kshasa and\nSambandh. [613]\n\nIf there be any buried treasure in an old unoccupied house, the\nowner of the treasure remains there in the form of a ghost. If the\ntreasure be near the temple of a deity, it is supposed to be under\nthe guardianship of that deity. [614]\n\nAt Vijayadurg it is believed that a person who builds a house in the\ndays of his prosperity and does not survive to enjoy it, becomes\na Sambandh. He remains in that house in the form of a ghost, and\ntroubles every one who comes to stay there, excepting the members\nof his family. A man who buries his treasure underground becomes a\nghost after death, comes back to watch his treasure, and troubles\nthose who try to remove it. [615]\n\nUnoccupied houses are generally haunted by evil spirits. At certain\nforts in the Konkan where battles were fought, the souls of those\nslain in the battles are said to have assumed the forms of spirits,\nand to keep a watch over the forts. [616]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District there is a village Nigve beyond the river\nPanch Ganga at a distance of three miles from Kolh\u00e1pur, where the soul\nof a person named App\u00e1ji Kulkarni has assumed the form of a Sambandh\nand guards the buried treasures in his house. When anybody tries to dig\nup the buried money, the ghost enters the body of his daughter-in-law\nand begins to dance and cry out loudly, and does not allow any one to\ntouch his treasure. It is also said that he strikes the ground with\nhis stick at night. Another similar instance is cited in the case of\nthe village of Latvade in the Shirol Peta, where B\u00e1pujipant Kulkarni\ncontinues to guard his house after death. He does not allow anybody\nto live in the house, and if any one is bold enough to sleep there\nat night, the spirit of B\u00e1puji appears and throws him out of the\nhouse. The house is therefore uninhabited at present. His wife has\nadopted a son, but he has to live in another village, Vadange. [617]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nTHE EVIL EYE AND THE SCARING OF GHOSTS.\n\n\nHindus generally believe in the effects of the evil eye. If an accident\nbefall any thing of value, or it undergoes any sudden change, it is\nsaid to be due to the effects of an evil eye. In order to escape from\nthe influence of an evil eye, people begin the use of incantations\nand charms on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Thursday and finish them on\nthe third or the fifth day. Small children, domestic animals, and\nbeautiful objects are generally liable to be affected by an evil eye.\n\nThe following are some of the methods of evading the effects of an\nevil eye.\n\n\n\n1st.--Dry chillies are waved round the body of the affected person and\nthrown into the fire, and if they do not thereupon make a loud noise,\nit is said that the effects of an evil eye are averted.\n\n2nd.--Mustard seed and salt are waved round the face of a child and\nthen thrown into the fire.\n\n3rd.--Alum is waved round the child and then thrown into fire. The\npiece of alum thus thrown is sometimes believed to be changed into\nthe form of a man or a woman. From this, conjectures are made as to\nthe sex of the person by whose evil eye the patient is affected. The\nform or the figure is then broken by a toe of the left foot of the\npatient, and dry chillies, garlic, hair, rubbish from the house and\nsalt are mixed in the alum powder. The mixture is waved round the\npatient three times and then thrown into fire. Meanwhile the sorcerer\nrepeats the names of all persons, things and evil spirits suspected\nby him. After this performance has been repeated three times, the\nfire is deposited in a public place where three roads meet.\n\n4th.--If the evil eye is believed to be that of a ghost, the sorcerer\nmutters some words to himself, waves ashes round the affected child,\nand blows them in the air.\n\n5th.--The evil eye of a tiger is removed from an affected animal in\nthe following manner. An oil lamp is burnt in the eye of a dead tiger\nand the lamp is waved round the animal by a Mah\u00e1r. The Mah\u00e1r is given\na loaf prepared from eight kinds of grain.\n\n6th.--Copper amulets and black cotton strings charmed by a sorcerer\nare also tied round the neck or arms of the patient. [618]\n\n\n\nWhen a child is to be removed from one village to another, rice is\nscattered at the boundary of the village, at the bridges, rivers,\ncreeks, etc, that are crossed during the journey. Cocoanuts are waved\nround the child and thrown away at the boundary of the village and at\nplaces supposed to be haunted by ghosts. Before entering a house in\na new village, a small quantity of boiled rice, bread, or grains of\nrice are waved round the child and thrown away. It is believed that,\nwhen black ointment is applied to the eyes, cheeks, or forehead of\na child, there is no fear of its being affected by an evil eye. This\nalso depends on the position of the stars at the birth of a child. If\nanybody sees a beautiful thing and praises it, there is a chance of its\nbeing affected by an evil eye. It is believed that children, animals,\ntrees, and even wood and stones, are apt to be affected by an evil\neye. In order to avoid injury from an evil eye, cocoanut shells or\na shoe are tied on a conspicuous part of a tree or a creeping plant,\nblack beads known as Vajrabuttu are tied round the necks of children,\nand cowries and black beads are tied round the necks of animals. Even\ngrown up persons are affected by an evil eye. When a man is very ill\nor frequently becomes unconscious, cocoanuts, fowls and boiled rice\nare waved round him and thrown away. [619]\n\nWhen the effects of an evil eye cannot be removed by ordinary methods,\nthe evil influence is said to have entered through the bones, 'H\u00e1di\ndrusta padali.' In order to remove it people bring the bone of an\nanimal in the evening, and after besmearing it with oil and turmeric\npowder, wash it in hot water. It is dressed in a yellow cloth, and\nblack and red ointments are applied to it. It is then waved round\nthe affected person, and thrown away in some public place where three\nroads meet. [620]\n\nFor evading the effects of an evil eye, salt, mustard seed, hair,\ngarlic, dry leaves of onions, dry chillies, and seven small stones\nfrom the road are put on the fire. The fire is then waved round the\nbody of the affected person and thrown away. Charmed black cotton\nstrings are turned over the burning incense and tied round the arm\nor the neck. Charmed ashes from the temples of certain deities are\nalso applied to the forehead of the affected person. [621]\n\nAt Ibr\u00e1mpur in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, it is believed that a person\nwhose eyes have come under the influence of evil stars possesses the\npower of the evil eye. Ashes are taken on a mango leaf, and charmed\nwith the mantras or incantations for an evil eye, and then they are\napplied to the forehead of the affected person. [622]\n\nThe people of Poladpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District believe the effects\nof an evil eye to be as follows. A healthy child becomes sickly and\ncries, a man may suffer from indigestion or loss of appetite, a cow\nor a she-buffalo yielding plenty of milk suddenly ceases to give milk\nor gives blood in place of it, a good image is disfigured or broken,\nand even stones are shattered to pieces by the effects of an evil eye.\n\nThe following devices are used to ward off such evil effects. A\nblack mark is made on the forehead of children. Black beads called\nDrustamani, and Vajrabuttu are tied round their necks. Marking nuts\nand cowries tied with a black thread are fastened round the necks of\nanimals. A little black spot is marked on an image. A worn out shoe or\na sandal is tied to the fruit-yielding trees. Salt and mustard seed\nare waved thrice round the face of a child repeating \"Ishta mishta\nkony\u00e1 p\u00e1pinichi drushta\" and thrown into the fire. Some people roll\na cotton thread round a curry stone, wave it three times round the\npatient, and then put it into the fire; if the thread burns, the evil\neye is held to have been removed. If the evil eye be on the food,\nthree morsels of food are first raised to the mouth, and then thrown\ninto the fire. Sacred ashes are applied to trees and creeping plants\nto remove the effects of an evil eye. [623]\n\nThe people of Khopoli in the Kol\u00e1ba District believe that the evil\neye can be diverted from living creatures only, and not from inanimate\nthings such as a stone or an earthen image. Sacred ashes are applied\nto the forehead of the suffering child by repeating the R\u00e1m raksha\nstotra, i.e., the protecting praises of R\u00e1ma, the seventh incarnation\nof Vishnu. Among Br\u00e1hmans, rice grains are waved thrice round the face\nof a child and put into water. The water is then thrown away. Even\nflowers are waved round the faces of small children in the evening\nand thrown away. [624]\n\nAt Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, some people\nwave the left shoe thrice round the body of the affected person for\nthe purpose of evading the effects of an evil eye. A red hot iron\nbar is also cooled in water mixed with turmeric powder. [625]\n\nAt Shirg\u00e1on in the M\u00e1him taluka of the Th\u00e1na District water is drawn\nin a brass or a copper pot in the evening, and turmeric powder, rice,\nand any other edible articles on which the evil eye has fallen are\nput into it. Twentyone date leaves, each of them with a knot, are\nthen waved round the body of the affected person and thrown into the\nwater pot, burning coals being dropped into the mixture. The pot is\nthen waved thrice round the body of the affected person, and kept in\na corner of the bedroom for one night, with a basket, a broom, and\na sandal or an old shoe placed on the top. It is then thrown away in\nthe morning in some public place where three roads meet. If the water\nbecomes red, it is supposed that the evil eye has been removed. [626]\n\nThe effects of an evil eye are sometimes visible on the face of\na child in the form of small red pustules. The appearance of such\npustules is called Ch\u00e1k padane. [627]\n\nIf a person is affected by an evil eye at the time of taking his\nmeals, he loses his appetite. He also becomes weaker day by day. One\nof the modes of removing these evils is to wave fresh date leaves\nthree times round the face of the affected person, and to throw them\ninto water. Some people take water in a copper plate and extinguish\nin it burning sticks of the tamarind tree, after waving them round\nthe body of the affected person. [628]\n\nAt Kh\u00e1rb\u00e1v in the Bassein taluka of the Th\u00e1na District, five pieces\nof broken tiles are made red hot and put into water in which a little\nquantity of all the cooked food in the house has been mixed. Turmeric\npowder is also put into it. A pen knife or some other iron instrument\nis then turned five times in the water. A winnowing basket and a\nbroom are waved thrice round the face of the affected person, and\nplaced over the water pot. [629]\n\nAt Dah\u00e1nu in the Th\u00e1na District, two big stones, of which one has\nbeen waved round the face of a person affected by an evil eye, are\nstruck one against the other. If the stone breaks, it is believed\nthat the evil effect has been removed. Cowdung is mixed with water\nin a brass or a copper plate, and dust from a public road, hair, and\nburning black cotton cloth are put into another small vessel. This\nvessel is then waved round the person, and placed upside down over\nthe mixture of cowdung. If it sticks to the brass plate, this is\nsupposed to be due to the evil eye. [630]\n\nThe people of Kolh\u00e1pur believe in the effects of an evil eye. A\nchild suffering from an evil eye turns pale and thin, and suffers\nfrom headache. To avoid these effects, elderly women make a mark\nwith lamp black on the face or brow of the child. Boiled rice and\ncurds, and bread and oil are also passed round the face of a child,\nand thrown into a public road. [631]\n\nGenerally, in the Konkan districts, opprobrious names are given\nto children when they are sickly, always crying, and weak, or when\nthey are short lived. These names are Marya, Rodya, Kerya, etc. It\nis believed that children improve in health when called by such\nopprobrious names. [632]\n\nOpprobrious names such as Dhondu, Kondu, Keru, are given to children\nin families in which the first children are shortlived. But their\nreal names are different. The names of the wellknown arithmetician\nKeru N\u00e1na Chhatre and his son Kondopant Chhatre are examples of\nopprobrious names. [633]\n\nAmong high class Hindus, the first son is not generally called by\nhis real name, but by one of the opprobrious names given above. [634]\n\nChildren are sometimes weighed with shoes or sandals, and also with\ncowdung. In some cases, their nostrils are bored, especially the\nright one. [635]\n\nHindus generally call their children by the names of their deities and\nancestors, and they attribute the premature death of their children\nto their own misbehaviour towards such ancestors, or to their having\nabused them; they fear that such abuse or misbehaviour has offended\nthe ancestors. To avoid their displeasure and the consequent death of\ntheir children, the people give opprobrious names to their next born\nsuch as Dagadya, Dhondya, Gundya, Dandya, Kerya, Ukirdya, Kondya,\nLobhya, etc. The custom of tattooing one side of the body of females\nalso prevails in the Kolh\u00e1pur District, especially in cases where\nthe children in a family are shortlived. [636]\n\nIn the Pur\u00e1nas there are instances of males being transformed into\nfemales, and females into males. For example, the female Amba was\ntransformed into a male called Shikhandi and the male N\u00e1rad was\ntransformed into a female. Arjuna, the third brother of the P\u00e1ndavas\nis said to have changed his sex, and turned into Bruhannada. [637]\n\nIn the Shivlilamruta, a book pertaining to the god Shiva, in the\nchapter of Simantini, it has been described how a man was turned into\na woman. [638]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, there are no instances known of a change of sex. The\ngoddess Yallamma has a high reputation in this district for making a\nchange in the habits and deportments of men and women, especially among\nlow caste people. It is believed that the curse of this goddess has\nthe power of destroying the virility of males, whereupon they behave\nlike females. Many instances of this type can be seen at the fair\nof the goddess Yallamma, which is held in M\u00e1rgashirsha (December);\nmen dressed in women's clothes and vice versa are often seen at this\nfair. [639]\n\nIn Western India, iron nails are generally used when any spirit is\nto be buried in the ground. Other metals, such as gold, silver, and\ncopper, are sometimes offered to the ghosts. The blood of fowls and\ngoats is also offered to them. When incense is burnt before a sorcerer,\nthe spirit enters into his body. Water is charmed and sprinkled over\nthe body of a person attacked by an evil spirit. Rice and udid grains\nare required for exorcising spirits. Red powder Pinjar, turmeric\npowder, black ointment k\u00e1jal, lemons, Narakya Wuda a kind of incense,\nbetel-leaves, betelnuts, cocoanuts, mango leaves, Nirgudi leaves,\nand pieces of cloth are also used for the same purpose. [640]\n\nCane sticks are used by people as a protection against evil\nspirits. A stick cut from the tree known as P\u00e1ndhri is also used as\nprotection. Charmed black cotton strings are tied to the wrist, arm\nor neck. If a man is very much afraid of a ghost, he repeats the name\nof the monkey god M\u00e1ruti or any other deity that may be favourable\nto his family. [641]\n\nThe blood of fowls and goats is used as a protection against ghosts\nand Devach\u00e1rs, and also against witchcraft. Charmed water is waved\nround the person affected by an evil spirit, and thrown away. Rings,\namulets, and anklets made of metals of five kinds are put on the hands\nand legs of children to ward off the effects of evil spirits. [642]\n\nIt is customary among certain people to apply spittle to the\nsandalpaste mark on the forehead of a man, and to the red Kunku\nmark on the forehead of an unwidowed woman. It is considered to be\na protection against evil spirits. [643]\n\nThe beak of an eagle, a stick cut from a tree known as P\u00e1ndhri, a cane\nhaving three joints, and the root of a shrub called Shr\u00e1vad, which\nhas white leaves, are used as protection against evil spirits. [644]\n\nAt Pendur in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District it is\nbelieved that an iron stick held in the hand is a protection against\nevil spirits. [645]\n\nAt Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, pictures of\ncertain deities are tattooed on the body for the purpose of protection\nagainst evil spirits. It is also believed that evil spirits run away\nwhen salt and garlic are thrown into fire as they cannot bear the\nsmoke of burning garlic. [646]\n\nAt Medhe in the Rohe taluka, when the dead body of a woman dying\nwithin ten days of her delivery is taken out of the house for burial,\nan iron horseshoe is driven into the threshold of the house, and\ngrains of N\u00e1chani are scattered in the street while the corpse is\nbeing carried to the burial ground. [647]\n\nAt Bhuwan in the Murb\u00e1d taluka some people tie a square piece of\nleather to the necks of their children as protection against evil\nspirits. [648]\n\nAt R\u00e1i, a custom prevails of putting coral necklaces on children as\na protective against evil spirits. [649]\n\nIron nails and horseshoes are driven into the threshold or on to\nthe door of a house on the full moon day or the last day of the\nHindu calendar month at evening time, to prevent the entrance of\nevil spirits. Dirty localities being considered to be haunts of evil\nspirits, people living in such localities burn incense in their houses\nevery day. While exorcising evil spirits the sorcerers throw charmed\nUdid grains and R\u00e1le panic seeds on the body of the diseased, or place\nthese things below his bed. Rings made of metals of five kinds,--iron,\ncopper, brass, silver and gold--are charmed on an eclipse day, and\nworn by people. Red lead and cowries are tied to the necks or feet of\nanimals as protection against evil spirits. The spirits that haunt\nburied treasures are pacified by the blood of fowls and goats when\ndigging up such treasures. [650]\n\nCertain mantras are written on a paper, and the paper is tied to a\nblack cotton string, or the paper is put into a copper amulet, and\nthen tied to a black cotton string. The black cotton string with the\namulet is then tied round the arm or the neck of a person attacked\nby evil spirits, or suffering from malarial fevers. These mantras\nare never disclosed to anybody. [651]\n\nN\u00e1d\u00e1dora is a black cotton thread having seven or nine knots with a\ncharmed paper in one of these knots. The thread is first held over\nburning incense, and then tied round the neck or the arm of the\ndiseased. Sunday is generally chosen for attaching these threads. [652]\n\nAt Poladpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District, there lived a sorcerer who used to\ngive such amulets and charmed threads. He placed about ten or twelve\ncopper rings or amulets in a copper plate kept in the sun. While thus\nexposed to the sun, these amulets were continuously watched by the\nsorcerer for some two hours, repeating certain mantras. [653]\n\nAt M\u00e1l\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District, copper amulets and charmed black cotton\nthreads in the name of K\u00e1l Bhairav, an incarnation of the god Shiva,\nare used as protective against evil spirits. They are tied to the arms\nor the neck of the diseased on an eclipse day, on the last day of the\nHindu calendar month, or on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. [654]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur, the use of amulets is generally resorted to by people\nsuffering from the attacks of evil spirits or from malarial fevers. The\nsorcerer who exorcises the evil spirits writes certain mantras on a\npaper, or draws certain symbols and repeats the mantras over them. The\npaper is then wrapped in an amulet made of copper or silver, and\nfastened to a cotton thread. This amulet is tied round the arm or\nthe neck of the diseased. Before tying it to the arm or the neck,\nit is once held over burning incense. [655]\n\nA sacred circle is frequently used as a protection from spirits. The\nsorcerer draws a circle on the ground, with his stick, and the\nfollowing articles are put inside it. Cocoanuts, lemons, red lead, and\na Kohala gourd. Fowls are also sacrificed to this circle. The filling\nin of this circle is called m\u00e1nda bharane by the exorcists. [656]\n\nRice or Udid grain, and ashes charmed by mantras, are scattered\nround a certain area of land, or are given to a person supposed to be\naffected by evil spirits. The spirits cannot enter a place charmed\nin this manner. They are also scattered round the place supposed to\nbe haunted by evil spirits in the belief that neither evil spirits\nnor snakes can transgress the boundary thus marked by a sorcerer. [657]\n\nFormerly sages and saints used to make such sacred circles round\ntheir residence, repeating certain mantras, for their protection\nfrom evil spirits. It is believed that the spirits cannot enter or\nleave these enchanted circles. They used to bury bottles containing\nsuch spirits at the boundaries of these circles. There are many such\nplaces in the Kolh\u00e1pur District, such as Bur\u00e1ns\u00e1heb of Brahmapuri,\nthe S\u00e1dhubuwa of Panh\u00e1la, and B\u00e1bu J\u00e1m\u00e1l at Kolh\u00e1pur. [658]\n\nIt is a general belief among all classes of Hindus in the Bombay\nPresidency that Saturday is an unlucky day, and in some places Friday\nand Tuesday are also considered inauspicious.\n\nSunday is considered as an ordinary day.\n\nMonday, Wednesday and Thursday are believed to be auspicious or\nlucky days.\n\nIt is said that a thing suggested or thought of on Friday cannot be\ncarried out successfully. [659]\n\nSowing seed and watering trees is strictly forbidden on Sunday. It\nis believed that trees do not bear well if watered on Sundays. [660]\n\nTuesday and Friday are considered unlucky days for beginning a new\ntask. Wednesday and Saturday are said to be inauspicious for visiting\nanother village. [661]\n\nThe numbers 2, 6, 11 and zero are believed to be lucky, 4, 5, 10 and 8\nare unlucky, and 1, 3, 7 and 9 are considered as middling or moderate.\n\nThe figure zero is by some considered inauspicious. [662]\n\nThe numbers 5, 7, 9 are said by some to be auspicious, and 1, 3,\n11 and 13 inauspicious. [663]\n\nOdd numbers are auspicious, and even numbers are said to be\ninauspicious. [664]\n\nThe following are generally held to be auspicious omens:--\n\nWhile going on any business, to come across an unwidowed woman,\na cow, Br\u00e1hmans, a five-petaled flower, or a pot filled with water;\n[665] the throbbing of the right eyelid and of the right arm of a man,\nand of the left eyelid of a woman; a Br\u00e1hman coming in front with a cup\nand a spoon in his hand after taking his bath; [666] the appearance of\na peacock, the Bh\u00e1radw\u00e1j or the blue jay, and the mongoose, especially\nwhen they pass on the left side of the person going on business. [667]\n\nThe following are considered to be auspicious when seen within a\nhundred paces of a person starting on business:--\n\nBr\u00e1hmans, unwidowed women, boiled food, meat, fishes, milk, any kind\nof corn, the bird Ch\u00e1sha or the blue jay, passing by the left side,\nthe appearance of the moon in front, a person coming across one's path\nwith vessels filled with water, and a married couple, a cow with its\ncalf, images of god, cocoanuts and other fruits, the mother, white\nclothes, the sound of a musical instrument, a horse, an elephant,\ncurds, flowers, a lighted lamp, a jackal, a spiritual preceptor,\na public woman, a Mah\u00e1r, a washerman coming with a bundle of washed\nclothes, and a marriage procession. [668]\n\nThe following objects and persons are generally believed to be\ninauspicious:--\n\nOil, buttermilk, a couple of snakes, a monkey, pig, and an ass,\nfirewood, ashes and cotton, a person with a disfigured nose, a man\ndressing his hair in the shape of a crown, red garlands, wet clothes,\na woman wearing red cloth, an empty earthen vessel, a Br\u00e1hman widow,\na Brahmach\u00e1ri and an unmarried Br\u00e1hman, [669] a widow, a bare-headed\nBr\u00e1hman, a cat going across the path, a dog flapping his ears,\nmeeting a barber with his bag, a beggar, sneezing, or the asking of\na question at the time of departure, waiting, meeting a person with\nan empty vessel, [670] howling of dogs and jackals, a pair of crows\nplaying on the ground, and a lighted lamp extinguished by its fall\non the ground. [671]\n\nWhile plans or proposals are being made, it is considered inauspicious\nif any one sneezes or the sound of a lizard is heard. [672] Meeting\na person of the depressed classes whose touch is pollution, or a\nBr\u00e1hman who accepts funeral gifts, is considered inauspicious. [673]\nMeeting a woman who is in her menses, a mourner, a buffalo, a snake\nand a diwad are considered inauspicious. [674] An iron vessel or\nan iron bar, cow dung cakes, salt, grass, a broom, a vulture, and a\nwasherman bringing with him dirty clothes are also considered to be\ninauspicious omens. [675]\n\nAmong the Hindus in Western India, for the purpose of helping\nthe spirit to go to heaven safely, and for securing its goodwill\ntowards the survivors, after death ceremonies called the Shr\u00e1ddhas\nare generally performed. Some perform these ceremonies once a year\nin the month of Bh\u00e1drapada, and others perform them twice or thrice,\ni.e., on the anniversary day of the deceased as well as in the dark\nhalf of Bh\u00e1drapada, which is generally known as the manes' fortnight\n(pitru paksha). [676]\n\nThe funeral solemnities performed from the 1st to the 14th day from\nthe death of the deceased are as described below:--\n\nOn the first day, at the time of burning the dead body, a plot of\nground is purified by repeating certain mantras, and the corpse is\nthen placed on it. Before setting the funeral pile on fire, balls\nof boiled rice or wheat flour are put on the face, the forehead,\narms and the chest of the corpse. Such balls are placed on the body\nof the deceased only when death has taken place on an unlucky day,\nor when there is an unlucky conjunction of stars. The son, or some\nother near relative, of the deceased generally performs these rites\nwith the help of a Br\u00e1hman priest. On the third day he goes to the\nburning place, collects the ashes of the deceased, and throws them\ninto the sea. On this occasion he is accompanied by the relatives of\nthe deceased. Rich persons who are able to go to Benares keep the\nbones of their deceased parents and throw them into the Ganges at\nPray\u00e1ga near Benares after performing certain Shr\u00e1ddhas there. The\ngiving of oblations continues daily till the tenth day. The oblations\nof the tenth day are called Das Pinda. The rites of the eleventh\nday are called Ekotistha. On the eleventh day the person performing\nthe rites has to change his sacred thread, after sipping a little\ncow's urine. Cooked food is prepared at the place where the rites\nof the eleventh day are performed, and Br\u00e1hmans are fed there, or at\nleast thirty-two mouthfuls of cooked food are offered to the sacred\nfire. A big ball of boiled rice is put before the sacred fire or near\nthe Br\u00e1hmans taking their meals. This ball is then thrown into the\nsea. A male calf is branded, worshipped and let loose. This calf is\ncalled Vasu, and is considered sacred by the villagers. On the 11th\nday, special ceremonies for propitiating the eight Vasus and the\neleven Rudras are performed, and gifts of a plot of ground, a cow,\ncooking vessels, various kinds of corn, golden images, silver and\ncopper coins, clothes, shoes, umbrellas, bedding, etc. are given to\nthe Br\u00e1hmans collected there. On the 13th day after death a feast\nis given to 13 or more Br\u00e1hmans and the other relatives. Navak\u00e1d\u00e1n,\ni.e., the gift of a ship and Goprad\u00e1n, i.e., of a cow and a calf,\nare also given to the Br\u00e1hmans on the understanding that they will\nhelp the soul of the dead while crossing the river Vaitarna. [677]\n\nWater mixed with til or sesamum seed, sandalpaste, and oblations of\nboiled rice are given daily to the manes to secure their goodwill\ntowards the survivors. [678]\n\nAt Bankavli in the D\u00e1poli taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, in\norder to prevent the soul from assuming the form of a ghost, there\nis a custom of tying a piece of Gulvel, a species of moonseed, or\nthe seed of a vegetable known as M\u00e1thbh\u00e1ji, round the neck of the\ncorpse before burning it. It is also believed that, by doing this,\nthe soul is prevented from troubling the survivors. [679]\n\nAt Poladpur in the Kol\u00e1ba District, some villagers drive an iron\nnail into the head of the corpse before it is taken to the funeral\nground. They believe that, in consequence, the soul of the deceased\nwill not turn into an evil spirit. Some people scatter grain on the\nroad while the corpse is being carried to the cremation ground. [680]\n\nAmong the Hindus in the Konkan, as well as in the Deccan, dead\nbodies are generally burnt, but under the following circumstances\nthey are buried.\n\nPersons dying of small pox, women dying in childbirth or during\ntheir menses, children dying within six months from their birth,\nand Sany\u00e1sis are buried. The bodies of persons suffering from leprosy\nare necessarily buried. [681] Among Ling\u00e1yats the bodies are always\nburied. Certain mantras are repeated while burying or burning the\ndead body. While burying, cocoanuts and certain kinds of grain are\nthrown into the grave, and after covering the dead body with salt,\nthe grave is filled up with earth and stones. [682] While burning,\nthe dead body is placed on the funeral pile with its head to the north\nand feet towards the south. Tulsi wood, sandal-wood, and Bel wood are\nkept on the pile before placing the dead body over it. Cocoanuts and\ncamphor cakes are placed on the body, and it is set on fire. Among\nthe Ling\u00e1yats and Gos\u00e1vis the dead are buried. Before burying, the\nLing\u00e1yats have to take a written order from their priest, the Ayya or\nJangam. The paper is then tied to the neck of the deceased, and the\nbody is placed in a bag made of new cloth, the head being allowed to\nremain out of the bag. Bhasma or ashes, salt and camphor are also\nput into the bag along with the corpse, which is then buried. The\nJangam repeats mantras when the body is in the grave. No such written\norder is necessary for the burial of Gos\u00e1vis. A cocoanut is broken\non the head of the corpse at the time of burying it. Among high class\nHindus the corpse is carried to the funeral ground in a bier made of\nbamboos. Among the Ling\u00e1yats a gaily dressed frame called Makhar is\nprepared on the bier, and the body is dressed with clothes and head\ndress and seated in the Makhar. Some of them carry the dead body in a\nbag made of blanket. There is a custom of keeping foot-prints on the\nspot where a Sany\u00e1si is buried, and they are daily worshipped by the\npeople. [683] Among the K\u00e1thawatis of Th\u00e1na and Kol\u00e1ba Districts the\ndead body is first buried, and after a few days the skeleton is taken\nout of the grave and then burnt as usual. [684] Among the high class\nHindus the moustaches are shaved at the death of parents, paternal\nuncle and elder brother. Among the Shudras it is not necessary to\nshave. [685] Persons who have lost their parents have to perform\ncertain funeral rites or Shr\u00e1ddhas when they visit holy places\nsuch as Ben\u00e1res, Pray\u00e1g, Ayodhya and N\u00e1sik, and they have to shave\ntheir moustaches at all these places before performing the funeral\nrites. [686] Moustaches are also shaved as a penance for certain\nsins. The Agnihotri, i.e., one who preserves perpetual fire in his\nhouse for worship, has to get himself shaved every fortnight. [687]\n\nAmong high class Hindus boiled rice is daily offered to the dead after\na portion has been thrown into the fire, the remainder being given\nto the crows. The portion thrown in the fire is called Vaishvadev,\nand that which is given to the crows is called K\u00e1gw\u00e1s. Among other\nHindus it is given on the last day of Bh\u00e1drapada and on the date of\nthe father's death, annually. [688] Oblations of boiled rice are given\nto the dead every day, on the last day of the Hindu calendar month,\non the date of a person's death every month, on the same date of the\ndark half of Bh\u00e1drapada every year. These oblations are put out of\nthe house before taking the meals. It is believed that the ancestors\ncome down in the form of crows to partake of these offerings. [689]\nOblations of cooked food are also offered to a cow, and considered\nthus to be received by the dead. They are especially given to the crows\nannually in the dark half of Bh\u00e1drapada on the date of the deceased's\ndeath. [690] After the corpse has been carried to the funeral ground,\nan oil lamp containing one cotton wick is kept on the spot where the\ndeceased expired. The flame of the lamp is directed towards the south\nas it is believed that the soul goes to heaven by the south. A ball\nof boiled rice and a little quantity of water or milk is kept daily\nfor the first ten days near the lamp while repeating the name of the\ndeceased and of the gotra to which it belonged. The lamp is taken\nout of the house on the 11th day. [691]\n\nHindus believe that impurity attaches to all the things in the house\nin consequence of the death of a person in that house. All those\nthings which can be purified by washing are washed and taken back,\nwhile things like earthen pots, cooked food, etc. are thrown away,\nspecial care being taken to break these pots, so that they may not\nbe used again. Even the walls of the house are white washed. [692]\nThe earthen pots that are required for the funeral rites of the dead\nare all broken. One which is required for boiling water to bathe the\ncorpse is broken when the body is carried to the funeral ground. Of\nthe rest, one is broken at the funeral pile after the son has passed\nthrice round the pile with an earthen vessel filled with water. It is\nbelieved that birds and animals drinking water out of these vessels\nwould be infected by disease, and this is the reason why these pots\nare broken. The mourners who use earthen vessels during the mourning\nbreak them at the end of the mourning period. [693] Among the Agris\nof Chaul in the Kol\u00e1ba District, all earthen vessels in the house are\nbroken on the eleventh day after a death in the family, the chief\nreason assigned for this act being that the wishes and desires of\nthe deceased might lurk in the earthen vessels and cause trouble to\nthe inmates of the house. [694]\n\nAll the members of the family of the dead have to observe mourning for\nten days. They are purified on the eleventh day after taking a bath\nand sipping Panchgavya, or the five products of the cow. The son of\nthe dead person, or one who performs the funeral rites of the dead is\npurified on the twelfth day after completing the rites of Sapindi. A\nman in mourning does not touch those who are not in mourning. If\nanybody touches him, both of them have to take a bath. The son of the\ndeceased or, in the absence of a son, any male member belonging to\nthe family is entitled to perform the funeral rites of the dead. These\nrites are performed during the first twelve days, beginning from the\nfirst day or from the 3rd, 5th, 7th or the 9th. One who performs these\nrites has to sleep on the ground during these twelve days. A person\nhearing of the death of a member of his family within the first ten\ndays from the date of the death, becomes free from that mourning on the\neleventh day. If he happens to hear it within one month of the death,\nhe has to observe it for three days and after one month he has to\nobserve it for one day only. [695] The son, or one who performs the\nfuneral rites of the deceased has to sleep on the ground, and has\nto take his meals only once a day till the end of the 13th day. He\ntakes his bath in cold water. Sweet things are not prepared in the\nhouse during the days of mourning. During the period of mourning,\nevery morning, a Br\u00e1hman comes to the mourner's house and recites\nsome passages from the Garud Pur\u00e1na, which relates to the state of\nthe soul after death. On the eleventh day the house is besmeared with\ncowdung, and cow's urine is sprinkled in the house. All the clothes are\nwashed. Mourning is not observed in the case of a death of a Sany\u00e1si,\nand the Ling\u00e1yats do not observe any kind of mourning. [696]\n\nThe brother of the deceased, his son, grandson and all the members\nbelonging to the family, have to observe the mourning for ten days. The\nmarried daughter of the deceased has to observe it for three days. From\nthe fifth or sixth generation in the same family, it is observed for\nthree or one day only. [697] In case of the death of a wife's parents,\nthe husband has to observe mourning for three days. During the mourning\ndays people do not worship the gods or go to the temples. Milk is\nalso prohibited during the mourning period. The mourners are not to\ntouch anybody except the members of their family. [698]\n\nOn the thirteenth day the sons and other members of the family are\ntaken out to visit the temple of any deity by the people assembled\nfor the purpose. It is believed that after going to the temple on\nthe 13th day, the sons and the other members of the family are at\nliberty to go out of the house. [699]\n\nAt Kolh\u00e1pur it is believed that the deities Etal\u00e1i and K\u00e1lk\u00e1i of the\nKonkan districts keep with them evil spirits as their servants. These\nservant spirits obey the orders of these deities. Some people in\nthis district go to the temples of these deities and request them\nto lend them the services of these spirit servants. It is considered\nvery lucky to secure the help of these spirits. The temple ministrant\nthen requests the deity to give a Kaul or omen. For this purpose, the\ntemple ministrant calls on the deity to enter his body, and when he is\npossessed by the spirit of the deity, he allows the applicant to take\nwith him one of the deity's servants for a fixed period. The Gurav,\nor the ministrant, then explains to the person the period for which\nthe spirit servant is given, and the amount of the annual tribute\nrequired to be given to the deity for the use of her servant. He also\ngives him a cocoanut and sacred ashes. The applicant then returns home,\nbelieving that the spirit servant will follow him, and from that time\nhe prospers. This spirit servant is called Chetuk, and it can be seen\nonly by the person in whose charge it is given by the Gurav. [700]\n\nAt Achare in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the spirit of a Br\u00e1hman well\nversed in the Vedas is called Mah\u00e1purusha and it is said to be\nbenevolent. It haunts Pipal and Umbar trees. [701]\n\nAt Murb\u00e1d in the Th\u00e1na District, the spirit known as Vet\u00e1l, the king\nof evil spirits, is considered to be benevolent. [702]\n\nThe spirit known as Mah\u00e1purush haunts the Pipal and Umbar\ntrees. Avagat the ghost of a widow haunts the Avali (Phyllanthus\nemblica) tree. Alavant, the ghost of a woman dying at childbirth\nor during her menses, lives in the N\u00e1gch\u00e1mpa, Surang and the K\u00e1jra\ntrees. Devach\u00e1r, Sambandh, Munja, Zoting, Khavis and Kh\u00e1pra reside\nin trees and plants. [703]\n\nThe people of Kolh\u00e1pur believe that the spirits known as\nBrahmasambandh, Brahma R\u00e1kshasa, and Khavis reside in trees. [704]\n\nThe spirits known as Devch\u00e1r and Ch\u00e1legat are considered to be the\nspecial protectors of crops and cattle. [705]\n\nThe people of Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District believe that the\nvillage deities and the Devach\u00e1rs are the special protectors of\ncrops and cattle. Offerings of fowls and cocoanuts are made to them\nannually. [706]\n\nAt Kochare in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the spirit known as Visw\u00e1ti is\nbelieved to be the special protector of crops and cattle. [707]\n\nThe people of the Kol\u00e1ba District consider that the spirits known\nas Mhashya, Khavis, and B\u00e1ndav are the protectors of crops and\ncattle. [708]\n\nAt Dah\u00e1nu in the Th\u00e1na District, the spirit Cheda is believed to be\nthe guardian of crops and cattle. [709]\n\nThe people of Kolh\u00e1pur believe that the deities of the fields protect\nthe crops and cattle. Those who are in possession of the Chetuk, or\nthe servant spirit, are sure to find their crops and cattle protected\nby this servant spirit. [710]\n\nEvil spirits are not usually invoked to frighten children, but\noccasionally the names of goblins such as B\u00e1gulb\u00e1wa, Bow\u00e1ji, Gos\u00e1vi\netc. are mentioned to scare them. [711]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTREE AND SERPENT WORSHIP.\n\n\nGroves of mango trees are considered to be sacred as they have a\npleasing appearance, and afford grateful shelter against the heat of\nthe day. It is a general belief among Hindus that trees from which such\npleasure and protection are derived must naturally be the abode of the\ngods. There are many such groves in Sat\u00e1ra. During the spring season\npeople go to these groves and worship the trees. The Hindus have a\ngeneral prejudice against cutting living trees which yield fruits, and\nit is considered specially inauspicious to cut the following trees:--\n\nUmbar, Vad or Banian tree, Pipal, Saundad or Shami, Palus, Bel, Rui,\nAvali and the Tulsi plant, for it is believed that these trees are the\nabode of deities, e.g. the god Datt\u00e1traya resides under the Umbar tree,\nthe goddess P\u00e1rvati on the Banian tree, and the god Vishnu resides\nnear the Tulsi plant. The god Brahma, the creator of the world, is\nfound in the Pipal tree. The plantain tree is also considered to be\nsacred. While gathering a bunch of plantains, the tree is first cut\nbefore the bunch. It is considered inauspicious to gather the bunch\nwithout so doing. [712]\n\nThere are certain groves at Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda in the Vengurla taluka of the\nRatn\u00e1giri District which are supposed to be haunted by Devach\u00e1rs,\nand are therefore not cut by the people. [713]\n\nThe people of Ibr\u00e1mpur in the Chiplun taluka consider it inauspicious\nto cut the Vad and Pipal trees of which the thread ceremonies have\nbeen performed. After the thread ceremony of these trees is over,\na stone platform is raised around them. [714]\n\nAt Fonda in the Devgad taluka, it is considered inauspicious to cut\nthe trees and the groves that surround the temple of a village deity,\nfor they are believed to belong to that deity. [715]\n\nAt Padghe in the Th\u00e1na District, the trees which are supposed to\nhave been haunted by evil spirits such as Sambandh, Munja, Devach\u00e1r,\netc. are not generally cut by the people through fear of these\nspirits. When any tree is cut down, the custom is to keep a stone at\nthe root of the tree in order that the place may no longer be affected\nor haunted by the spirit in the tree. [716] There are certain families\nwho do not burn Pipal, Khair, or Shiwani wood. They believe that the\nburning of these trees causes harm to their families. It is said that\nthe burning of the Apta tree causes the breeding of the insect known\nas Gochadi, i.e., the cattle or dog louse. [717]\n\nThere is an Awdumbar tree of the god Datt\u00e1traya at Bhillawadi, and\na big Banian tree near the math of the Ling\u00e1yat sw\u00e1mi named Kadappa\nnear Kolh\u00e1pur, which are worshipped by the people of the neighbouring\nvillages. The Saundad tree, better known as Shami, is worshipped\nonce a year on the Dasara, the 10th day of the bright half of Ashvin\n(October). It is said that R\u00e1ma, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu,\nkept his arms on the Shami tree during his fourteen years' exile,\nand took them back again when he marched upon Lanka or Ceylon to\nkill R\u00e1wan, the demon king of Ceylon. While going to Lanka he bowed\nto the Shami tree, and as he was successful in his undertaking,\nthe Mar\u00e1th\u00e1s used to start for a campaign on the Dasara day after\nworshipping the Shami tree, and distributing its leaves among their\nfriends calling it Suwarn or gold. This is said to be the origin of\nthe festival of Dasara. A species of the tamarind tree called Gorakh\nChinch is said to be connected with the Hindu saint Gorakhn\u00e1th. For\nthis reason this tree is worshipped by the people. A great fair is\nheld every year at Battis Shir\u00e1le in the Sat\u00e1ra District, which is\nsituated at a distance of about ten miles from Kolh\u00e1pur. [718]\n\nThe Pipal, the Umbar, the Vad or Banian tree, and the Tulsi plant\nare worshipped by Hindus in general. The Apta tree is worshipped by\nHindus on the Dasara day, and its leaves are distributed under the\nname of sone, or gold, among their friends and relatives. [719]\n\nAt Medhe in the Roha taluka of the Kol\u00e1ba District, there is a tree\nVehala (Beleric myrobalan) which is believed to be connected with\nthe local deity Mhasoba. It is considered to be a sacred tree, and\nnobody dares to cut it or to touch it with the feet. [720]\n\nAt Shirg\u00e1on in the M\u00e1him taluka of the Th\u00e1na District there is a\nR\u00e1njani tree on the bank of a tank called Khamb\u00e1le, which is said to be\nconnected with the deity Brahma; and therefore no branch of that tree\nis cut by the people. It is considered harmful to cut the tree. [721]\n\nAt G\u00e1ng\u00e1pur in the Kolh\u00e1pur District, there is a Vad tree connected\nwith the saint Kabir. It is called Kabirvad. There is also an Awdumbar\ntree connected with the god Datt\u00e1traya, and known as Datt\u00e1traya\nAwdumbar. [722]\n\nThe Umbar, Pipal, Vad, and the Tulsi plant are considered to be sacred,\nand are respected by Hindus. The following are some of the legends\nabout their sacredness.\n\nUmbar--When the god Vishnu in his fourth incarnation, called Narsinh,\ni.e., half man and half lion, tore into pieces the body of the demon\nnamed Hiranyakashipu with his claws, he felt a burning sensation\nof the poison from the body of that demon, which was assuaged by\nthrusting his hands into the trunk of the Umbar or Awdumbar tree. [723]\n\nIn order that they may get the auspicious sight of a deity early\nin the morning, Hindus generally plant the Umbar and Tulsi trees\nin front of their houses, and worship them daily. The juice of the\nroot of the Umbar has a cooling effect, and hence it is freely used\nin cases of measles or itch. Its sap is also used as medicine for\nswellings. It is very pleasant to sit under the shade of this tree,\nand as it is believed that the god Datt\u00e1traya resides beneath this\ntree, it is held very sacred by the Hindus. [724]\n\nPipal--The Pipal tree is considered very sacred because it is believed\nthat the god Brahma resides in the roots, the god Vishnu in the\ntrunk, and the god Shiva on the top of this tree. Persons who make a\nparticular vow or have any objects to be fulfilled worship the Pipal\ntree, and walk round it several times every day. [725] The evil spirits\nSambandh, Devach\u00e1r, Munja, and Vet\u00e1l haunt the Pipal tree. These\nspirits are considered to be the servants of the god Shiva. It is also\nbelieved that persons who worship and walk round this tree daily are\nnot affected by those spirits. The Pipal tree is specially worshipped\nat dawn on Saturday as it is considered that the gods Brahma, Vishnu,\nand Mahesh or Shiva happen to be there at that time. [726]\n\nVad or the Banian tree--A prince named Satyaw\u00e1n died of snakebite under\nthe Vad tree. His wife named S\u00e1vitri, who was very chaste and dutiful,\nrequested Yama, the god of death, and succeeded in securing from him\nthe life of her husband Satyaw\u00e1n. As the prince Satyaw\u00e1n returned\nfrom the jaws of death under the Vad tree, this tree was specially\nworshipped by her, and it is therefore believed that S\u00e1vitri has\never since then been responsible for the practice of worshipping the\nVad tree by women for the purpose of securing a long life to their\nhusbands. [727] It is also believed that the god Vishnu takes shelter\nunder the Vad at the time of the general destruction of the world. The\nworship of this tree is similar to that of the other deities, and\nwomen take turns around it at the close of the worship or puja. [728]\n\nThe Tulsi plant is worshipped daily by the Hindus in general, and\nwomen in particular, by keeping the plant near their houses. The\ngod Vishnu is worshipped particularly by the leaf of this plant.[#2]\nThe Tulsi plant is considered by the people to represent the goddess\nLuxmi, the wife of Vishnu. Hindu women will not take their meals before\nworshipping the Tulsi plant daily in the morning. It is also said that\nthe god Vishnu, in his eighth incarnation called Krishna, had loved\nVrunda, the wife of a demon. After her death she was burnt, but on her\nburning ground there grew the Tulsi plant. As Krishna loved Vrunda very\ndearly, he began to love this plant also, and hence the image of B\u00e1l\nKrishna, or the god Vishnu, is married to this plant every year on the\n12th day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik (November). [729] As it is also\nbelieved that the god Vishnu resides in the Tulsi plant, the worship\nof this plant is equivalent to the worship of the god Vishnu. [730]\n\nBesides the above mentioned trees, the Palus (Butea frondosa), the\nBel, a tree sacred to god Shiva, and the Shami (Prosopis spicigera),\na tree sacred to god Ganpati the son of Shiva, are considered to be\nholy by the Hindus. [731]\n\nA common custom among Hindus is for a person who has lost his two\nwives and wishes to marry a third, to be first married to a Rui plant,\nand then to the actual bride. His marriage with the Rui plant is\nconsidered as a third marriage. After the marriage, the Rui plant is\ncut down and buried, and thus the marriage with the third bride is\nconsidered to be a fourth marriage. The marriage with the Rui plant\nhas been adopted in the belief that the third wife is sure to die\nunless the spirit of the deceased is made to enter the Rui plant. [732]\n\nWhen a girl is born under the influence of inauspicious planets which\nmay be harmful to her husband, she is first married to a tree or an\nearthen pot, and then to the bridegroom. The marriage with the earthen\npot is called Kumbhaviv\u00e1ha, or the pot-wedding. It is believed that,\nby observing this practice, the danger to her husband is avoided. The\ndanger passes to the tree to which she is first married. [733]\n\nAmong the lower classes in the Th\u00e1na District [734] a poor man unable\nto marry owing to his poverty is first married to a Rui plant and\nthen to a widow. This marriage with a widow is called p\u00e1t l\u00e1vane. This\nremarriage of a widow among the lower classes is generally performed\nat night, and under an old mango tree. It is never performed in the\nhouse. A widow who has remarried cannot take part in any auspicious\nceremony such as a marriage, etc.[#8]\n\nAt Vankavli in the Ratn\u00e1giri District there is a custom among the\nlow class Hindus of a woman who has lost her second husband and\nwishes to marry for the third time, first marrying a cock, i.e.,\nshe takes the cock in her arms at the time of her marriage with the\nthird husband. [735]\n\nPersons who have no children make a vow to Khandoba at Jejuri that\nthe firstborn, male or female, shall be offered to him. The females,\noffered in fulfilment of such vows are called Muralis. They are\nmarried to the god Khandoba, and have to earn their livelihood by\nbegging in villages. A male child thus offered to the god is called\na V\u00e1ghya. [736]\n\nThere is a custom of offering children to the deities Yallamma and\nKhandoba in fulfilment of vows made in order to get a child. The child\nis taken to the temple of these deities, accompanied with music. The\ntemple ministrant asks the child to stand on a wooden board on a heap\nof rice in front of the deity, and puts into its hands a paradi--a\nflat basket of bamboo, tying to its neck the darshana of the deity. A\nfemale child is married to the dagger--Katy\u00e1r--of the deity. When once\nthis ceremony has been performed, parents abandon their rights to such\nchildren. When these children come of age, the males can marry but\nthe females cannot. The latter earns her livelihood begging jogava\nin the name of the goddess Amba with a paradi in her hand. A male\nchild offered to the goddess Yallamma is called jogata, and a female,\njogatin. Children dedicated to the goddess M\u00e1y\u00e1ka are called Jogi\nand Jogin. Children offered to Firang\u00e1i and Amb\u00e1b\u00e1i are called Bhutya\n(male) and Bhutin (female). [737]\n\nIn the Konkan districts there is a class of women known as Bh\u00e1vinis\nwho are said to be married to Khanjir, i.e., a dagger belonging\nto the god. They are also called deva yoshita, i.e., prostitutes\noffered to the god. They have no caste of their own. They retain the\nname of the caste to which they originally belonged, such as Mar\u00e1the\nBh\u00e1vini, Bhand\u00e1ri Bh\u00e1vini, Sut\u00e1r Bh\u00e1vini, etc. The following account\nis given of the origin of the sect of Bh\u00e1vinis. A woman wishing to\nabandon her husband goes to the temple of a village deity at night,\nand in presence of the people assembled in that temple she takes oil\nfrom the lamp burning in the temple, and pours it upon her head. This\nprocess is called Deval righane, i.e., to enter into the service of the\ntemple. After she has poured sweet oil from the lamp upon her head,\nshe has no further connection with her husband. She becomes the maid\nservant of the temple, and is free to behave as she likes. Daughters\nof such Bh\u00e1vinis who do not wish to marry, undergo the process of\nshesa bharane, and follow the occupation of their mothers. The sons\nof the Bh\u00e1vinis have an equal right to the property of their mother,\nbut any daughter who marries a lawful husband loses her share in the\nproperty of her mother. A Devali follows the occupation of blowing the\nhorn or cornet, and is entitled to hold the torches in the marriage\nceremonies of the people in the village. Many of them learn the art of\nplaying upon the tabour--mrudunga--and are useful to Kathekaris, i.e.,\nthose who recite legends of the gods with music and singing. Some of\nthem become farmers while others are unoccupied.\n\nBh\u00e1vinis follow the occupation of a maid-servant in the temple, but\ntheir real occupation is that of public women. They are not scorned\nby the public. On the contrary, they are required to be present at\nthe time of a marriage to tie the marriage-string--Mangalsutra--of a\nbride, for they are supposed to enjoy perpetual unwidowhood--'Janma\nsuw\u00e1sini.' Some of the houses of Bh\u00e1vinis become the favourite resorts\nof gamblers and vagabonds. In the absence of a daughter, a Bh\u00e1vini\npurchases a girl from a harlot, and adopts her as her daughter to\ncarry on her profession. [738]\n\nSnakes are believed to be the step-brothers of the gods. They reside\nunder the earth and are very powerful. The snake is considered to be\nvery beautiful among creeping animals, and is one of the ornaments of\nthe god Shiva. An image of a snake made of brass is kept in the temple\nof the god Shiva, and worshipped daily along with the god. There is\na custom among the Hindus of worshipping N\u00e1ga, i.e., the cobra, once\na year on the N\u00e1ga panchami day, i.e., the fifth day of the bright\nhalf of Shr\u00e1wan (August). Images of snakes are drawn with sandalpaste\non a wooden board or on the walls of houses, and worshipped by Hindu\nwomen on this day. Durva grass, sacred to Ganpati, parched rice l\u00e1hya,\nlegumes kadadan, and milk are offered to this image. Some people go\nto the snake's abode V\u00e1rul--an ant-hill--on this day to worship the\nsnake itself, if they happen to catch sight of it. [739]\n\nIt is said that at Battisa Shir\u00e1le in the Belg\u00e1um District the\nreal N\u00e1ga comes out of its abode below the earth on this day, and\nis worshipped by the people. Milk and l\u00e1hya, parched rice, are put\noutside the house at night on this day with the intention that they\nmay be consumed by a snake. Hindus do not dig or plough the earth on\nN\u00e1ga panchami day. Even vegetables are not cut and fried on this day\nby some people. [740]\n\nEarthen images of snakes are worshipped by some people in the Konkan\ndistricts on the N\u00e1ga panchami day. The N\u00e1ga is considered to be a\nBr\u00e1hman by caste, and it is believed that the family of the person who\nkills a snake becomes extinct. The cobra being considered a Br\u00e1hman,\nits dead body is adorned with the j\u00e1nawe, and then burnt as that of a\nhuman being. A copper coin is also thrown into its funeral pile. [741]\n\nAt certain villages in the Deccan a big earthen image of a snake\nis consecrated in a public place on the N\u00e1ga panchami day, and\nworshipped by Hindus in general. Women sing their songs in circles\nbefore this image while men perform tam\u00e1sh\u00e1s by its side. In fact,\nthe day is enjoyed by the people as a holiday. The snake is removed\nnext day, and an idol in the form of a man made of mud is seated in\nits place. This idol is called Shir\u00e1lshet, who is said once to have\nbeen a king and to have ruled over this earth for one and one-fourths\nof a ghataka, i.e., for half an hour only. This day, is observed as\na day of rejoicing by the people. [742]\n\nThe names of the snake deities are Takshaka, V\u00e1suki and Shesha. Their\nshrines are at Kolh\u00e1pur, N\u00e1gothane, Prayaga, N\u00e1gadev\u00e1chi W\u00e1di and\nSubramhanya. A great fair is held every year at Battisa Shir\u00e1le on\nthe N\u00e1ga panchami day.[#4]\n\nThere is a shrine of a snake deity at S\u00e1vantw\u00e1di. The management of\nthe shrine is in the hands of the State officials. It is believed\nthat a real snake resides therein. [743]\n\nThere is a shrine of a snake deity at Aw\u00e1s in the Alib\u00e1g taluka of\nthe Kol\u00e1ba District, where a great fair is held every year on the\n14th day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik (November). It is said that\npersons suffering from snakebites recover when taken in time to this\ntemple. [744]\n\nIt is said that a covetous person who acquires great wealth during his\nlife-time and dies without enjoying it, or without issue, becomes a\nsnake after death, and guards his buried treasures. At Kolh\u00e1pur there\nwas a S\u00e1wk\u00e1r--money-lender--named Kodulkar who is said to have become\na snake, and to guard his treasures. In the village of Kailava in the\nPanh\u00e1la petha of the Kolh\u00e1pur District there is a snake in the house\nof a Kulkarni, who scares away those who try to enter the storehouse\nof the Kulkarni. [745]\n\nIt is a general belief among the Hindus that snakes guard treasures. It\nis said that there are certain places guarded by snakes in Goa\nterritory. Persons who were compelled to abandon Portuguese territory\nowing to religious persecutions at the hands of the Portuguese buried\ntheir treasures beneath the ground. Those who died during exile are\nsaid to have become bhuts or ghosts, and it is believed that they\nguard their buried treasures in the form of snakes. [746]\n\nThe Hindus generally believe that the snakes who guard buried treasures\ndo not allow any one to go near them. The snake frightens those who\ntry to approach, but when he wishes to hand over the treasure to\nanybody he goes to that person at night, and tells him in a dream\nthat the treasure buried at such and such a place belongs to him, and\nrequests him to take it over. After the person has taken possession\nof the treasure as requested, the snake disappears from the spot. [747]\n\nIt is said that a snake which guards treasure is generally very old,\nwhite in complexion, and has long hair on its body. [748]\n\nHindus worship the image of a snake made of Darbha grass or of silk\nthread on the Anant Chaturdashi day, i.e., the 14th day of the bright\nhalf of Ashvin (October), and observe that day as a holiday. Legends\nof the exploits of the god are related with music and singing on this\nday. [749]\n\nA snake festival is observed in the N\u00e1geshwar temple at Aw\u00e1s in the\nKol\u00e1ba District on the night of the 14th day of the bright half of\nK\u00e1rtika (November). Nearly four hundred devotees of the god Shankar\nassemble in the temple, holding in their hands vetra-sarpa long\ncane sticks with snake images at their ends. They advance dancing\nand repeating certain words, and take turns round the temple till\nmidnight. After getting the permission of the chief devotee, they\nscatter throughout the neighbouring villages with small axes in\ntheir hands, and cut down, and bring from the gardens, cocoanuts,\nplantains, and other edible things that are seen on their way. They\nreturn to the temple after two hours, the last man being the chief\ndevotee called Kuwark\u00e1ndya. The fruits are then distributed among\nthe people assembled at the temple. Nobody interferes with them on\nthis day in taking away cocoanuts and other fruits from the village\ngardens. On the next day they go dancing in the same manner to the\nKanakeshwar hill with the snake sticks in their hands. [750]\n\nIn the Deccan no special snake festivals like those described above\nare celebrated. But in the temples devoted to snake deities, on\nthe full moon day of K\u00e1rtik, which is sacred to the snake deity,\nthe deity is worshipped with special pomp, and the crests of the\ntemples are illuminated on that night. [751]\n\nThe village cures for snakebite are:--\n\n1. The use of charmed water and the repetition of mantras by a\nsorcerer.\n\n2. The use of certain roots and herbs as medicines.\n\n3. The removal of the sufferer to the neighbouring temple.\n\n4. Branding the wound with fire.\n\n5. The drinking of soapnut juice, or of water in which copper coins\nhave been boiled by the patient, who is thus made to vomit the snake\npoison. [752]\n\nIn the Deccan a person suffering from snakebite is taken to a\nvillage temple, and the ministrant is requested to give him holy\nwater. The deity is also invoked. Thus keeping the person for one\nnight in the temple, he is carried to his house the following day if\ncured. The vows made to the deity for the recovery of the person are\nthen fulfilled. There is one turabat, a tomb of Avalia a Mahomedan\nsaint, at Panh\u00e1la where persons suffering from snakebite are made\nto sit near the tomb, and it is said that they are cured. In some\nvillages there are enchanted trees of Kadulimb where persons placed\nunder the shade of such trees are cured of snakebites. Some people\ntie a stone round the neck of the sufferer as soon as he is better,\nrepeating the words Adi Gudi Im\u00e1m the name of a Mahomedan saint. After\nrecovery from snakebite the person is taken to the mosque of the\nAdi Gudi Im\u00e1m S\u00e1heb, where the stone is untied before the tomb,\nand j\u00e1gri equal to the weight of the stone is offered. A feast is\nalso given to the Muj\u00e1war or ministrant of the mosque. There is at\npresent a famous enchanter--M\u00e1ntrika--at Sat\u00e1ra who cures persons\nsuffering from snakebite. It is said that he throws charmed water\non the body of the sufferer, and in a few minutes the snake begins\nto speak through the victim. The sorcerer enquires what the snake\nwants. The snake gives reasons for biting the person. When any thing\nthus asked for by the snake is offered, the victim comes to his senses,\nand is cured. There are many witnesses to the above fact. [753]\n\nAt Mithb\u00e1v in the Ratn\u00e1giri District chickens numbering from twenty\nto twenty-five are applied to the wound caused by the snakebite. A\nchicken has the power of drawing out the poison from the body through\nthe wound, but this causes the death of the chicken. The remedy above\ndescribed is sure to be successful if it is tried within three hours\nof the person being bitten. There are several other medicines which\nact on the snakebite, but they must be given very promptly. There\nare some men in this village who give charmed water for snake or any\nother bites. Many persons suffering from snakebite have been cured\nby the use of mantras and charmed water. [754]\n\nWater from the tanks of Vet\u00e1vare in the S\u00e1vantw\u00e1di State and M\u00e1njare\nin Goa territory is generally used as medicine for snakebite. It\nis believed that by the power of mantras a snake can be prevented\nfrom entering or leaving a particular area. This process is called\n'sarpa b\u00e1ndhane'. There are some sorcerers who can draw snakes out of\ntheir holes by the use of their mantras, and carry them away without\ntouching them with their hands. [755]\n\nAt Adivare, in the R\u00e1j\u00e1pur taluka, roots of certain herbs are mixed\nin water and applied to the wound caused by the snakebite, and given\nto the sufferer to drink. [756]\n\nAt N\u00e1ringre in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, persons suffering from snakebite\nare given the juice of Kadulimb leaves, and are kept in the temple\nof Hanum\u00e1n. The feet of the deity are washed with holy water, and\nthe water is given to the victim to drink. [757]\n\nA snake is believed to have a white jewel or mani in its head, and\nit loses its life when this jewel is removed. This jewel has the\npower of drawing out the poison of snakebite. When it is applied to\nthe wound, it becomes green, but when kept in milk for sometime, it\nloses its greenness and reverts to its usual white colour. It gives\nout to the milk all the poison that has been absorbed from the wound,\nand the milk becomes green. This jewel can be used several times as\nan absorbent of the poison of snakebite. The green milk must be buried\nunder ground, so that it may not be used again by any one else. [758]\n\nIt is believed that an old snake having long hair on its body has\na jewel in its head. This jewel is compared with the colours of\na rainbow. The snake can take this jewel from its head at night,\nand search for food in its lustre. Such snakes never come near the\nhabitation of human beings, but always reside in the depth of the\njungle. This species of snake is called Deva Sarpa, i.e., a snake\nbelonging to a deity. It is related that a snake was born of a woman\nin the Kinkar's house at Tard\u00e1l in the S\u00e1ngli State, and another one\nin the Gabale's house at Kolh\u00e1pur. [759]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nTOTEMISM AND FETISHISM.\n\n\nThe worship of totems, or Devaks, prevails among Hindus in Western\nIndia. The term Devak is applied to the deity or deities worshipped\nat the beginning of a thread or a marriage ceremony. The ceremony is\nas follows: A small quantity of rice is put into a winnowing fan, and\nwith it six small sticks of the Umbar tree, each covered with mango\nleaves and cotton thread. These are worshipped as deities. Near the\nwinnowing fan is kept an earthen or copper vessel filled with rice,\nturmeric, red powder, betelnuts, sweet balls made of wheat flour, ghi\nand sugar; and on the top of the vessel is a small sprig of mango and\na cocoanut covered with cotton thread. This vessel is also worshipped\nas a deity, and offerings of sweet eatables are made to it. After\nthe worship of this vessel, the regular ceremony of Puny\u00e1havachana\nis performed. Twenty-seven M\u00e1trik\u00e1s, or village and local deities,\nrepresented by betelnuts are consecrated in a new winnowing fan or a\nbamboo basket. Seven M\u00e1trik\u00e1s are made of mango leaves, six of which\ncontain durva grass, and the seventh darbha grass. Each of them is\nbound with a raw cotton thread separately. They are worshipped along\nwith a Kalasha or a copper lota as mentioned above. This copper lota\nis filled with rice, betelnuts, turmeric, etc., a sprig of mango\nleaves is placed on the lota, and a cocoanut is put over it. The lota\nis also bound with a cotton thread. Sandalpaste, rice, flowers, and\ndurva grass are required for its worship. An oil lamp called Arati\nis waved round the devak, the parents, and the boy or the girl whose\nthread or marriage ceremony is to be performed. A Suw\u00e1sini is called\nand requested to wave this Arati, and the silver coin which is put\ninto the Arati by the parents is taken by her. The father takes the\nwinnowing fan and the mother takes the Kalasha, and they are carried\nfrom the mandap to the devak consecrated in the house. A lighted lamp\nis kept continually burning near this devak till the completion of\nthe ceremony. After completion of the thread or marriage ceremony\nthe devak is again worshipped, and the ceremony comes to an end. The\ndeity in the devak is requested to depart on the second or the fourth\nday from the date of its consecration. No mourning is observed during\nthe period the devak remains installed in the house.\n\nAmong Mar\u00e1th\u00e1s and many of the lower classes in the Ratn\u00e1giri District\nthe branch of a Vad, Kadamba, mango, or an Apta tree is worshipped\nas their devak or kul. [760]\n\nSome Mar\u00e1th\u00e1s have a sword or a dagger as their devak, which is\nworshipped by them before commencing the ritual of the marriage\nceremony. [761]\n\nThe family known as R\u00e1ne at N\u00e1ringre in the Davagad taluka of the\nRatn\u00e1giri District, and the families known as Gadakari and J\u00e1dhava\nat M\u00e1lwan, consider the Vad or Banian tree as their devak, and do not\nmake use of its leaves. In the same manner, some people consider the\nKadamba tree sacred to their family. [762]\n\nThere are some people among the Hindus in Western India whose surnames\nare derived from the names of animals and plants, such as Boke,\nL\u00e1ndage, W\u00e1gh, Dukre, K\u00e1wale, Garud, More, Mhase, Rede, Keer, Popat,\nGhode, Shel\u00e1r, G\u00e1yatonde, W\u00e1ghm\u00e1re, Sh\u00e1lunke, Bhende, Padwal, W\u00e1lke,\nApte, Ambekar, Pimpalkhare, Kelkar and K\u00e1lke.\n\nThe Hindus believe that a cow, a horse, and an elephant are sacred\nanimals. The cow is treated with special respect by the Hindus in\ngeneral, and the bull by the Ling\u00e1yats and oilmen. The milk, the urine,\nand the dung of a cow are used as medicines, and they are also given\nas offerings to the god in sacrifices.\n\nThe Shel\u00e1r family considers the sheep as their devak, and they do not\neat the flesh of a sheep. The Sh\u00e1lunke family respects the Sh\u00e1lunki\nor sparrow. People belonging to the More family do not eat the flesh\nof a peacock as they consider it to be their devak. [763]\n\nThe Bhand\u00e1ris whose surname is Padwal do not eat the vegetable of a\nsnake-gourd or Padwal. [764]\n\nHindus do not eat the flesh of the animal respected by them, and those\nwho offer any fruit to their guru as a token of respect do not eat\nthat fruit in future. Some Hindus do not eat onions, garlic and the\nfruit of a palm tree. The fruit of a tree believed to be the devak\nof a family is not eaten by the members of that family.\n\nThe families of R\u00e1va and R\u00e1ne do not take their food on the leaf of\na Vad or Banian tree as they consider it to be their devak. [765]\n\nThere are some Hindu families in the Kol\u00e1ba District who believe that\ntheir kul or totem consists of the tortoise and the goat, and they do\nnot eat the flesh of such animals. A certain community of the Vaishyas\nor traders known as Sw\u00e1r believe that a jack tree or Phanas is their\nkul, and they do not use the leaves of that tree. [766]\n\nIt is believed among the Hindus that the deity Satw\u00e1i protects children\nfor the first three months from their birth. The deity is worshipped\non the fifth day from the birth of a child, and if there occurs any\nomission or error in the worship of that deity, the child begins to\ncry, or does not keep good health. On such occasions the parents of\nthe child make certain vows to the deity, and if the child recovers,\nthe parents go to a jungle, and collect seven small stones. They then\nbesmear the stones with red lead and oil, and worship them along\nwith a she-goat in the manner in which the vow was promised to be\nfulfilled. [767]\n\nThe horse is connected with the worship of the god Khandoba because\nthis animal is sacred to that deity, being his favourite vehicle. For\nthis reason all the devotees or Bhaktas of Khandoba take care to\nworship the horse in order that its master, the god Khandoba, may be\npleased with them.\n\nIt is well known that the cow is considered as most sacred of all\nthe animals by the Hindus, and the reason assigned for this special\nveneration is that all the deities dwell in the cow.\n\nThe Nandi, or a bullock made of stone, consecrated in front of the\ntemple of Shiva, the V\u00e1gh or a tiger at the temple of a goddess and\ncows and dogs in the temple of Datt\u00e1traya are worshipped by the Hindus.\n\nThe mouse, being the vehicle of Ganpati the god of wisdom, is\nworshipped by the people along with that god.\n\nIn the Konkan cattle are worshipped by the Hindus on the first day\nof K\u00e1rtika, and they are made to pass over fire.\n\nThe mountains having caves and temples of deities are generally\nworshipped by the Hindus. The Abucha Pah\u00e1d, the Girn\u00e1r, the Panchmadhi,\nthe Brahmagiri, the Sahy\u00e1dri, the Tung\u00e1r, the Jivadancha dongar, the\nMunja dongar at Junnar, the Tug\u00e1b\u00e1icha dongar, the Ganesh Lene, and\nthe Shivabai are the principal holy mountains in the Bombay Presidency.\n\nMount Abu, known as the Abucha Pah\u00e1d, is believed to be very sacred,\nand many Hindus go on a pilgrimage to that mountain.\n\nHills are worshipped at Ganpati Pule and Chaul. At Pule there is\na temple of the god Ganpati, the son of Shiva, and at Chaul in the\nKol\u00e1ba District there is a temple of the god Datt\u00e1traya.\n\nThe place which produces sound when water is poured over it is\nconsidered to be holy, and is worshipped by the people.\n\nIn the Deccan, hills are worshipped by the people on the Narak\nchaturdashi day in Dipaw\u00e1li, 14th day of the dark half of Ashvin\n(October). The legend of this worship is that the god Shri Krishna\nlifted the Govardhan mountain on this day, and protected the people\nof this world. A hill made of cowdung is worshipped at every house\non the Narak chaturdashi day. [768]\n\nStones of certain kinds are first considered as one of the deities,\nor as one of the chief heroes in the family, and then worshipped by\nthe people. Many such stones are found worshipped in the vicinity of\nany temple.\n\nA stone coming out of the earth with a phallus or lingam of Shiva is\nworshipped by the Hindus. If such a lingam lies in a deep jungle, it\nis worshipped by them at least once a year, and daily, if practicable,\nin the month of Adhikam\u00e1s, an intercalary month which comes every\nthird year. [769]\n\nThe red stones found in the Narmada river represent the god Ganpati,\nand are worshipped by the people.\n\nA big stone at Phutaka Tembha near Murud in the Ratn\u00e1giri District is\nworshipped by the people, who believe it to be the monkey god Hanum\u00e1n\nor M\u00e1ruti. All the stone images of gods that are called Swayambhu or\nself-existent are nothing but rough stones of peculiar shapes. There\nare such swayambhu--natural-images--at Kelshi and Kolthare in the\nRatn\u00e1giri District. [770]\n\nThere is a big stone at Palshet in the Ratn\u00e1giri District which is\nworshipped as K\u00e1lik\u00e1devi. [771]\n\nStones are sometimes worshipped by the people in the belief that they\nare haunted by evil spirits. We have for example a stone called Mora\nDhonda lying by the seashore at M\u00e1lwan in the Ratn\u00e1giri District. It\nis supposed to be haunted by Devach\u00e1r. [772]\n\nThe stones which are once consecrated and worshipped as deities have\nto be continually worshipped, even when perforated. The small, round,\nwhite stone slab known as Vishnu pada, which is naturally perforated,\nis considered to be holy, and is worshipped daily by the Hindus along\nwith the other images of gods. The holes in this slab do not extend\nright through. [773]\n\nIt is considered inauspicious to worship the fractured images of gods,\nbut the perforated black stone called Sh\u00e1ligr\u00e1m, taken from the Gandaki\nriver, is considered very holy, and worshipped by the people. For it\nis believed to be perforated from its very beginning. Every Sh\u00e1ligr\u00e1m\nhas a hole in it, even when it is in the river. [774]\n\nBroken stones are not worshipped by the people. But the household\ngods of the Br\u00e1hmans and other higher classes which are called the\nPanch\u00e1yatan--a collection of five gods--generally consist of five\nstones with holes in them. [775]\n\nNo instances of human sacrifices occur in India in these days, but\nthere are many practices and customs which appear to be the survivals\nof human sacrifices. These survivals are visible in the offerings\nof fowls, goats, buffaloes, and fruits like cocoanuts, brinjals,\nthe Koh\u00e1le or pumpkin gourd and others.\n\nHuman sacrifices are not practised in these days, but among the\nKarh\u00e1da Br\u00e1hmans there is a practice of giving poison to animals in\norder to satisfy their family deity. It is said that they used to\nkill a Br\u00e1hman by giving him poisoned food.\n\nIt is believed that the people belonging to the caste of Karh\u00e1da\nBr\u00e1hmans used to offer human sacrifices to their deity, and therefore\nnobody relies on a Karh\u00e1da Br\u00e1hman in these days. There is a proverb\nin Mar\u00e1thi which means that a man can trust even a Kas\u00e1i or a butcher\nbut not a Karh\u00e1da.\n\nAs they cannot offer human sacrifices in these days, it is said\nthat during the Navar\u00e1tra holidays, i.e., the first nine days of the\nbright half of Ashvin (October), they offer poisoned food to crows,\ndogs and other animals. [776]\n\nAt K\u00e1lshe in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the servants\nof gods, i.e., the ministrants or the Bhopis of the temple prick\ntheir breast with a knife on the Dasara day, and cry out loudly the\nwords 'Koya' 'Koya'. No blood comes from the breast as the wound is\nslight. This appears to be a survival of human sacrifice. [777]\n\nIn the Bombay Presidency, and more especially in the Konkan districts,\nfetish stones are generally worshipped for the purpose of averting\nevil and curing diseases. In every village stones are found sacred\nto spirit deities like Bahiroba, Chedoba, Khandoba, Mhasoba, Zoting,\nVet\u00e1l, Jakh\u00e1i, Kok\u00e1i, Kalk\u00e1i and others. The low class people such as\nMah\u00e1rs, M\u00e1ngs, etc., apply red lead and oil to stones, and call them\nby one of the above names, and ignorant people are very much afraid\nof such deities. They believe that such deities have control over all\nthe evil spirits or ghosts. It is said that the spirit Vet\u00e1l starts\nto take a round in a village on the night of the no-moon day of every\nmonth, accompanied by all the ghosts. When any epidemic prevails in\na village, people offer to these fetish stones offerings of eatables,\ncocoanuts, fowls and goats.\n\nThere is a stone deity named Bh\u00e1vai at Kokisare in the B\u00e1vada State,\nto whom vows are made by the people to cure diseases. As the deity\nis in the burning ground, it is naturally believed that this is the\nabode of spirits. [778]\n\nAt Achare, in the M\u00e1lwan taluka of the Ratn\u00e1giri District, the round\nstones known as Kshetrap\u00e1l are supposed to possess the power of curing\ndiseases, and are also believed to be the abode of spirits. [779]\n\nAt Adivare, in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, there is a stone named\nMah\u00e1r Purukha which is worshipped by the people when cattle disease\nprevails, especially the disease of a large tick or the cattle or\ndog louse. [780]\n\nAt Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, there are some stones which\nare believed to be haunted by Vet\u00e1l, Bhutn\u00e1th, Rawaln\u00e1th and such\nother servants of the god Shiva, and it is supposed that they have\nthe power of curing epidemic diseases. People make vows to these\nstones when any disease prevails in the locality. [781]\n\nThe Hindus generally consider as sacred all objects that are\nthe means of their livelihood, and, for this reason, the oilmen\nworship their oil-mill, the Br\u00e1hmans hold in veneration the sacred\nthread--Yadnopavit,--and religious books, the goldsmiths consider\ntheir firepots as sacred, and do not touch them with their feet. In\ncase any one accidently happens to touch them with his foot, he\napologises and bows to them.\n\nIt is believed by the Hindus that the broom, the winnowing fan,\nthe p\u00e1yali--a measure of four shers--the Samai or sweet-oil lamp,\na metal vessel, fire and Sah\u00e1n or the levigating slab should not be\ntouched with foot.\n\nThe metals gold, silver, and copper, the King's coins, jewels and\npearls, corns, the Sh\u00e1ligr\u00e1m stone, the Ganpati stone from the Narmada\nriver, conch-shell, sacred ashes, elephant tusks, the horns of a wild\nox (Gava), tiger skin, deer skin, milk, curds, ghi, cow's urine,\nBel, basil leaves or Tulsi, cocoanuts, betelnuts, and flowers are\nconsidered as sacred by the Hindus, and no one will dare to touch\nthem with his foot.\n\nHindus worship annually on the Dasara day the arms and all the\ninstruments or implements by which they earn their livelihood. The corn\nsieve, the winnowing basket, the broom, the rice-pounder, the plough,\nthe Awuta or wood bill, and other such implements are worshipped on\nthis day. The agriculturists respect their winnowing fans and corn\nsieves, and do not touch them with their feet.\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District all the instruments and implements are\nworshipped by the people one day previous to the Dasara holiday. This\nworship is called Kh\u00e1ndepujan. They also worship all agricultural\ninstruments, and tie to them leaves of Pipal and mango trees. [782]\n\nA new winnowing fan is considered to be holy by the Hindus. It is\nfilled with rice, fruits, cocoanuts and betelnuts, and a Khana--a\npiece of bodicecloth--is spread over it. It is then worshipped and\ngiven to a Br\u00e1hman lady in fulfilment of certain vows, or on the\noccasion of the worship of a Br\u00e1hman Dampatya or married pair.\n\nThe broom is considered to be holy by the Hindus. Red powder--Kunku--is\napplied to a new broom before it is taken into use. It should not be\ntouched with the feet.\n\nAt Rewadanda, in the Kol\u00e1ba District, some people worship a wood-bill\nor Koyata on the 6th day from the birth of a child. The rice-pounder,\nor Musal, is worshipped by them as a devak at the time of thread and\nmarriage ceremonies. [783]\n\nFire is considered to be holy among the high class Hindus. It is\nconsidered as an angel that conveys the sacrificial offerings from\nthis earth to the gods in heaven. It is considered as one of the\nHindu deities, and worshipped daily by high class Hindus. A Br\u00e1hman\nhas to worship the fire every day in connection with the ceremony\nVaishwadeva--oblations of boiled rice and ghi given to the fire. It\nis also worshipped by the Hindus on special religious occasions.\n\nFire is worshipped at the time of Yadnas or Sacrifices. Sacrifices\nare of five kinds. They are:--\n\nDevayadna, Bhutayadna or Brahmayadna, Rishiyadna or Atithiyadna,\nPitruyadna and Manushyayadna. The offerings of rice, ghi, firewood,\nTil or sesamum, Java or barley, etc. are made in these yadnas. It is\nalso worshipped at the time of Shr\u00e1vani or Up\u00e1karma--the ceremony of\nrenewing the sacred thread annually in the month of Shr\u00e1van. [784]\n\nAmong the lower classes fire is worshipped on the Mah\u00e1laya or Shr\u00e1ddha\nday. They throw oblations of food into the fire on that day.\n\nThe fire produced by rubbing sticks of the Pipal or Shevari tree is\nconsidered sacred, and it is essentially necessary that the sacred\nfire required for the Agnihotra rites should be produced in the manner\ndescribed above.\n\nAgnihotra is a perpetual sacred fire preserved in Agnikunda,--a hole in\nthe ground for receiving and preserving consecrated fire. A Br\u00e1hman,\nwho has to accept the Agnihotra, has to preserve in his house the\nsacred fire day and night after his thread ceremony, and to worship\nit three times a day after taking his bath. When an Agnihotri dies,\nhis body is burnt by the people who prepare fire by rubbing sticks\nof Pipal wood together. [785]\n\nThere are some Br\u00e1hmans who keep the fire continuously burning in their\nhouses only for Ch\u00e1turm\u00e1s or four months of the year. The fire which is\npreserved and worshipped for four months is called \"Sm\u00e1rta Agni.\" [786]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nANIMAL WORSHIP.\n\n\nThe following animals, birds and insects are respected by the\nHindus:--The cow, bullock, she-buffalo, horse, elephant, tiger, deer,\nmouse, goat, ants and alligators; and among the birds the following\nare held sacred:--Peacock, swan, eagle and kokil or cuckoo.\n\nOf all the animals the cow is considered to be the most sacred by\nHindus. It is generally worshipped daily in the morning for the whole\nyear, or at least for the Ch\u00e1turm\u00e1s or four months beginning from the\n11th day of the bright half of Ash\u00e1dha to the 11th day of the bright\nhalf of the month of K\u00e1rtika; and a special worship is offered to it\nin the evening on the 12th day of the dark half of Ashvin (October).\n\nThe cow is believed to be the abode of all the deities and rishis. It\nis compared with the earth in its sacredness, and it is considered\nthat when it is pleased it is capable of giving everything required\nfor the maintenance of mankind, and for this reason it is styled the\nK\u00e1ma Dhenu or the giver of desired objects. It is said that a person\nwho walks round the cow at the time of its delivery obtains the punya\nor merit of going round the whole earth. The cow is even worshipped\nby the god Vishnu.\n\nThe cow is considered next to a mother, as little children and the\npeople in general are fed by the milk of a cow. Some women among high\nclass Hindus take a vow not to take their meals before worshipping\nthe cow, and when the cow is not available for worship, they draw in\nturmeric, white or red powder the cow's foot-prints and worship the\nsame. At the completion of the vow it is worshipped, and then given\nas a gift to a Br\u00e1hman. It is considered very meritorious to give a\nGoprad\u00e1n--a gift of a cow along with its calf--to a Br\u00e1hman. The sight\nof a cow in the morning is believed by all Hindus to be auspicious.\n\nThe bullock is respected by the people as it is the favourite vehicle\nof the god Shiva, and is very useful for agricultural purposes. The\nNandi or bull is worshipped by Hindus. The bullock is specially\nworshipped on the 12th day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtika. When\nperforming the funeral rites of the dead, a bull is worshipped and set\nfree. The bull thus set free is considered sacred by the people, and\nis never used again for agricultural or any other domestic purposes.\n\nIn order to avoid calamities arising from the influence of inauspicious\nplanets, Hindus worship the she-buffalo, and offer it as a gift\nto a Br\u00e1hman. The she-buffalo is compared with the K\u00e1l Purusha or\nthe god of Death, the reason being that Yama is believed to ride a\nbuffalo. The Br\u00e1hman who accepts this gift has to shave his moustaches\nand to undergo a certain penance. The cowherds sometimes worship the\nshe-buffalo. As it is the vehicle of Yama, the buffalo is specially\nworshipped by people when an epidemic occurs in a village. In\ncertain villages in the Konkan districts the buffalo is worshipped\nand sacrificed on the same day.\n\nThe horse is the vehicle of the deity Khandoba of Jejuri. It is\nworshipped on the Vijaya Dashami or the Dasara holiday as in former\ndays, on the occasion of the horse sacrifice or Ashwamedha.\n\nThe elephant is the vehicle of the god Indra and is specially\nworshipped on the Dasara day. It is also believed that there are\neight sacred elephants posted at the eight directions. These are\ncalled Ashtadik-P\u00e1las, i.e., the protectors of the eight different\ndirections, and they are worshipped along with other deities on\nauspicious ceremonial occasions, like weddings, thread-girding, etc.\n\nThe deer and the tiger are considered to be holy by Hindus, and\ntheir skins are used by Br\u00e1hmans and ascetics while performing\ntheir austerities. The deer skin is used on the occasion of thread\ngirding. A small piece of the deer skin is tied to the neck of the\nboy along with the new sacred thread.\n\nThe mouse, being the vehicle of the god Ganpati, is worshipped along\nwith that deity on the Ganesh Chaturthi day, the fourth day of the\nbright half of Bh\u00e1drapada.\n\nThe goat is believed to be holy for sacrificial purposes. It is\nworshipped at the time of its sacrifice, which is performed to gain\nthe favour of certain deities.\n\nThe ass is generally considered as unholy by the Hindus, and its mere\ntouch is held to cause pollution. But certain lower class Hindus like\nthe Lon\u00e1ris consider it sacred, and worship it on the Gokul Ashtami\nday (8th day of the dark half of Shr\u00e1wan).\n\nThe dog is believed to be an incarnation of the deity Khandoba, and\nit is respected as the favourite animal of the god Datt\u00e1traya. But\nit is not touched by high class Hindus.\n\nIt is considered a great sin to kill a cat.\n\nAll domestic animals are worshipped by the Hindus on the morning of\nthe first day of M\u00e1rgashirsha (December).\n\nOn this day the horns of these animals are washed with warm water,\npainted with red colours, and a lighted lamp is passed round their\nfaces. They are feasted on this day as it is considered to be the\ngala day (Div\u00e1li holiday) of the animals.\n\nHindus consider it meritorious to feed ants and fish, and to throw\ngrain to the birds. Ants are fed by the people scattering sugar and\nflour on the ant-hills. It is believed that, by feeding the ants with\nsugar or flour, a person obtains the Punya or merit of sahasrabhojan,\ni.e., of giving a feast to a thousand Br\u00e1hmans.\n\nAlligators are worshipped as water deities by the Hindus.\n\nThe peacock is the favourite vehicle of Saraswati, the Goddess of\nLearning, and it is therefore respected by the people.\n\nThe swan is the vehicle of Brahma, the god of creation.\n\nThe eagle is the vehicle of the god Vishnu, and is a favourite devotee\nof that deity. It is therefore held sacred by Hindus.\n\nThe cuckoo or Kokil is believed to be an incarnation of the goddess\nP\u00e1rwati. This bird is specially worshipped by high caste Hindu women\nfor the period of one month on the occasion of a special festival\ncalled the festival of the cuckoos, or Kokila vrata, which is held\nin the month of Ash\u00e1dha at intervals of twenty years.\n\nThe crow is generally held inauspicious by Hindus, but as the manes or\npitras are said to assume the form of crows, these birds are respected\nin order that they may be able to partake of the food offered to the\ndead ancestors in the dark half of Bh\u00e1drapada called Pitrupaksha.\n\nIt is necessary that the oblations given in performance of the funeral\nrites on the tenth day after the death of a person should be eaten\nby the crow. But if the crow refuses to touch these oblations, it is\nbelieved that the soul of the dead has not obtained salvation; and\nhence it is conjectured that certain wishes of the dead have remained\nunfulfilled. The son or the relatives of the dead then take water in\nthe cavity of their right hand, and solemnly promise to fulfil the\nwishes of the dead. When this is done, the crow begins to eat the food.\n\nThe harsh sound of a crow is taken as a sure sign of an impending\nmishap.\n\nThe dog, cat, pig, ass, buffalo, rat, bh\u00e1lu, an old female jackal,\nlizard, and the birds cock, crow, kite, vulture, owl, bat, and pingla\nare considered as unholy and inauspicious by Hindus.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nWITCHCRAFT.\n\n\nChetak is an art secretly learnt by women. It is a form of the\nblack art. A woman well versed in the mantras of chetak can do any\nmischief she chooses. She can kill a child or turn any person into\na dog or other animal by the power of her incantations. The Chetakin\ncan remove all the hair from the head of a woman, or scatter filth,\netc. in a person's house, make marks of crosses with marking nuts on\nall the clothes, or play many other such tricks without betraying\na trace of the author of the mischief. The chetakins are able to\nmesmerize a man and order him to do anything they want. A Chetakin\nor witch cannot herself appear in the form of an animal.\n\nThey follow revolting forms of ceremonies. All witches who have learnt\nthe black art meet at night once a month on the Am\u00e1v\u00e1sya day or no\nmoon day of every month, at a burning ground outside the village. On\nsuch occasions they go quite naked, and apply turmeric and red powders\nto the body and forehead. While coming to the cremation ground they\nbring on their heads burning coals in an earthen pot called Kondi. At\nthis meeting they repeat their mantras, and take care that none are\nforgotten. After completing the repetition of the mantras, they go\nround the village and return to their respective houses. They have\nno special haunts or seasons.\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District the woman who is in possession of a chetak\nis called chetakin. The chetak is said to abide by her orders. It is\nbelieved to bring corn and other things from houses or harvesting\ngrounds. It is seen only by its mistress the chetakin. The belief\nthat the chetakins can turn a person into the form of an animal does\nnot prevail in this district. They do not wander from one place to\nanother. The chetakin has to go once a year to the temple of the\ndeity from whom the chetak has been brought, and to pay the annual\ntribute for the use of that chetak or servant spirit. [787]\n\nThere are no witches in the Ratn\u00e1giri District. It is said that there\nare some at Kolwan in the Th\u00e1na District. They are generally found\namong Th\u00e1kars. Some of them come to the Ratn\u00e1giri District, but though\nno one can tell anything about their powers, ignorant people are very\nmuch afraid of them. [788] It is believed that they can turn persons\ninto animals by means of their incantations. The person once charmed\nby their mantras is said to blindly abide by their orders. It is also\nbelieved that they can ruin anybody by their magic.\n\nThere are no witches at R\u00e1i in the Th\u00e1na District. The woman who can\ninfluence evil spirits to do harm to others is called a Bhut\u00e1li. It\nis said that the Bhut\u00e1lis assemble at the funeral ground in a naked\nstate on the full-moon day and on the Am\u00e1v\u00e1sya, or the last day of\nevery month, to refresh their knowledge of the black art. [789]\n\nA witch has dirty habits and observances. The chief sign for detecting\na witch or chetakin is a foam or froth that appears on the lips of\nher mouth when she is asleep. The only means to guard against her\nwitchcraft is to remain on friendly terms with her, and not to hurt\nher feelings on any occasion. People generally keep a watch over\nthe actions of a woman who is suspected to be a witch, and if she is\nfound practising her black art, and is caught red-handed, people then\npour into her mouth water brought from the shoe-maker's earthen pot\nor kundi. It is believed that, when she is compelled to drink such\nwater, her black art becomes ineffective. [790]\n\nIn the Th\u00e1na District it is believed that the skin round the eyes of\na witch is always black, her eyes have an intoxicated appearance, her\nnails are generally parched and have a darkish colour, and the lower\nportions of her feet seem to be scraped. When any sorcerer gives out\nthe name of such a Bhut\u00e1li, she is threatened by the people that,\nshould she continue to give trouble in the village, her own black\nart or another spirit would be set against her; and she then ceases\nto give trouble. [791]\n\nThere are some sorcerers in the Th\u00e1na District who can move a small\nbrass cup or v\u00e1ti by the power of their magic. They can detect a witch\nby the movement of this vessel. When the brass vessel or v\u00e1ti reaches\nthe house of a witch, it at once settles upon the witch's head. She\nis then threatened by the people that she will be driven out of the\nvillage if found practising her black art. [792]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District, when the people come to know of the existence\nof a witch in their village, they take special precautions at the time\nof harvest. They arrange to harvest a different kind of grain to the\none selected for harvesting by the witch. After some time they go\nto the field of the witch, and discover whether there is a mixture\nof grain in her field. If they are convinced of the fact, they take\nfurther precautions. In order to avoid being troubled by the chetak,\nthey keep an old, worn out shoe or sandal and a charmed copper amulet\nunder the eaves at the main door of their houses, or make crosses with\nmarking nut on both sides of a door. At some places chunam spots or\ncircles are marked on the front of a house, the object being to guard\nagainst the evil effects of the chetak's tricks. [793]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nGENERAL.\n\n\nOfferings of cocoanuts, fowls or goats are annually made to the\nspirits that guard the fields. They are generally made at the time\nof beginning a plantation or the harvesting of a crop. When making\nthese offerings, the farmers pray to the god to give prosperous crops\nevery year. They prepare their cooked food in the field on the first\nharvesting day and offer it as naivedya (god's meal) along with the\nabove mentioned offerings. [794]\n\nAt B\u00e1ndivade in the Ratn\u00e1giri District, while commencing the sowing\nof crops the farmers worship a certain number of bullocks made of\nrice flour and then throw them into the pond or river adjoining the\nfields. On other occasions, offerings of cocoanuts and fowls are\nsacrificed to the deities that protect the fields. Some people give\na feast to the Br\u00e1hmans at the end of the harvesting season. [795]\n\nCeremonies in connection with ploughing, etc., are not observed for\nall the lands. But fields which are supposed to be haunted by evil\nspirits are worshipped at the time of ploughing, and the evil spirits\nare propitiated, cocoanuts, sugar, fowls or goats are offered to the\nlocal deities or devach\u00e1rs. There is a custom of worshipping in the\nfields the heaps of new corn at the time of harvest, and this custom\ngenerally prevails in almost all the Konkan districts. [796]\n\nAt Fonda in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the Shiwar generally composed of\nboiled rice mixed with curds is kept at the corner of a field at the\ntime of reaping the crops. The Shiwar is sometimes composed of the\nofferings of fowls and goats. [797] This ritual is also known by the\nname Chorawa. [798]\n\nAt D\u00e1sg\u00e1v in the Kol\u00e1ba District, there is a custom of carrying one\nonion in the corn taken to the fields for sowing and placing five\nhandfuls of corn on a piece of cloth before beginning to sow the\ncorn. At the time of L\u00e1wani or plantation of crops a fair called\nPalejatra is held by the people, and every farmer breaks a cocoanut\nin the field at the time of plantation or l\u00e1vani of crops. At the\ntime of harvesting it is customary with many of the cultivators in\nthe Konkan to place a cocoanut in the field and to thrash it by the\nfirst bundle of crop several times before the regular operation of\nthrashing is begun. At the close of the harvest the peasants offer\ncocoanuts, fowls or a goat to the guardian deity of the field. [799]\n\nAt V\u00e1da in the Th\u00e1na District the ploughs are worshipped by the\nfarmers on Saturday and then carried to the fields for ploughing. At\nthe time of harvesting, the wooden post to which the bullocks are\ntied is worshipped by them and at the close of the harvest the heap\nof new corn is worshipped and cocoanuts are broken over it. [800]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District the farmers worship the plough before\nbeginning to plough the land. At the time of sowing the corn they\nworship the Kuri an implement for sowing corn. At the time of Ropani\nor transplanting the crops they split a cocoanut, and worship the\nstone consecrated by the side of the field after besmearing it with\nred powders, and make a vow of sacrificing a goat for the prosperity\nof their crops. At the time of harvesting they also worship the heap\nof new corn and after giving to the deity offerings of cocoanuts,\nfowls or goats they carry the corn to their houses. [801]\n\nIn the Konkan districts the village deity is invoked to protect\nthe cattle. People offer fowls and cocoanuts in the annual fair of a\nvillage deity, and request her to protect their cattle and crops. They\nhave to offer a goat or buffalo to the deity every third year, and\nto hold annual fairs in her honour. The procession of bali is one of\nthe measures adopted for averting cattle diseases. [802]\n\nWhen there was scarcity of rain the Hindus formerly invoked Indra, the\ngod of rain, by means of Yadnyas or sacrifices, but such sacrifices\nare now rarely performed as they are very costly. The general method\nof ensuring rainfall in these days is to drown the Lingam of the god\nShiva in water and to offer prayers to that deity. [803]\n\nThe following rural rites are intended to ensure sunshine and to check\nexcessive rain. A man born in the month of F\u00e1lgun (March) is requested\nto collect rain water in the leaf of the Alu plant, and the leaf is\nthen tied to a stick and kept on the roof of a house. Burning coals\nare also thrown into rainwater after passing them between the legs\nof a person born in the month of F\u00e1lgun. [804]\n\nIn order to protect the crops from wild pig the people of Umberg\u00e1on\nin the Th\u00e1na District post in their fields twigs of Ayan tree on\nthe Ganesh Chaturthi (fourth day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapada or\nSeptember) day every year. [805]\n\nIn the Kolh\u00e1pur District the deities Tamj\u00e1i, Tung\u00e1i, and W\u00e1gh\u00e1i are\ninvoked by the villagers for the protection of cattle. When the cattle\ndisease has disappeared the people offer cocoanuts and other offerings\nto these deities. The potters and the Chudbude Joshis observe the\nfollowing ceremony for causing rainfall. A lingam or phallus of Shiva\nmade of mud is consecrated on a wooden board or p\u00e1t, and a naked boy\nis asked to hold it over his head. The boy carries it from house to\nhouse and the inmates of the houses pour water over the phallus. The\nBr\u00e1hmans and the high class Hindus pour water on the lingam at the\ntemple of the god Shiva continuously for several days. This is called\nRudr\u00e1bhisheka. It is a religious rite in which eleven Br\u00e1hmans are\nseated in a temple to repeat the prayers of the god Shiva.\n\nIn order to scare noxious animals or insects from the fields, the\nowners of the fields throw charmed rice round the boundaries of\ntheir fields. The figure of a tiger made of dry leaves of sugarcane\nis posted at a conspicuous place in the fields for protecting the\ncrops of sugarcane. [806]\n\nGreat secrecy is required to be observed on the occasion of the\nspecial puja of Shiva which is performed on the first day of the\nbright half of the month of Bh\u00e1drapada (September). This rite is\ncalled Maunya vrata or silent worship, and should be performed only\nby the male members of the family. On this day all the members of\nthe family have to remain silent while taking their meals. Women do\nnot speak while cooking, as the food which is to be offered to the\ngod must be cooked in silence. [807]\n\nNewly married girls have to perform the worship of Mangala Gauri\nsuccessively for the first five years on every Tuesday in the month\nof Shr\u00e1wan (August), and it is enjoined that they should not speak\nwhile taking their meals on that day. Some people do not speak while\ntaking their meals on every Monday of Shr\u00e1wan, and others make a vow\nof observing silence and secrecy at their meals every day. All Br\u00e1hmans\nhave to remain silent when going to the closet and making water. [808]\n\nCertain persons observe silence at their meals during the period of\nfour months (Ch\u00e1turm\u00e1s) commencing from the 11th day of the bright\nhalf of Ash\u00e1dha (July) to the 11th day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik\n(November). Certain classes of Hindus observe the penance of secrecy\nin the additional month that occurs at the lapse of every third\nyear. [809]\n\nSilence is essential at the time of performing certain austerities\nsuch as Sandhya, worshipping the gods, and the repetition of the\nBrahma G\u00e1yatri mantra and other such mantras. Secrecy is specially\nobserved when a disciple is initiated by his Guru or spiritual guide\nwith the sacred mantras or incantations. [810]\n\nSecrecy and silence are essential when learning the mantras on\nsnakebite, on evil eye and the evil spirit of Vet\u00e1l. All followers of\nthe Sh\u00e1kta sect must worship the goddess (Durga) very secretly. Silence\nis also observed by people in welcoming to their homes and worshipping\nthe goddess P\u00e1rvati or Gauri in the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapada every\nyear. [811]\n\nAt V\u00e1de in the Th\u00e1na District, one day previous to the planting of\nrice crops the farmer has to go to his field even before day break\nwith five balls of boiled rice, cocoanuts and other things. There\nhe worships the guardian deity of the field and buries the balls of\nrice underground. He has to do it secretly and has to remain silent\nduring the whole period. He is also forbidden to look behind while\ngoing to the field for the purpose. [812]\n\nSecrecy and silence are observed when performing the rites of\nChetuks and evil spirits or ghosts. Widow remarriages among the lower\nclasses are performed secretly. The pair wishing to be remarried is\naccompanied by a Br\u00e1hman priest and the marriage is performed apart\nfrom the house. The priest applies red lead (Kunku) to the forehead\nof the bride and throws grains of rice over their heads and a stone\nmortar or p\u00e1ta is touched to the backbone of the bride. The priest\nthen turns his face and walks away silently. [813]\n\nThe Holi is a religious festival. It is annually celebrated in\nmemory of the death of K\u00e1mdev the God of Love who was destroyed by\nthe god Shankar on the full moon day of F\u00e1lgun (March). The object of\nthis festival appears to have been a desire to abstain from lust by\nburning in the Holi fire all vicious thoughts and desires. As a rule,\nfemales do not take any part in this festival.\n\nIn the Konkan districts the annual festival of Holi begins from\nthe fifth day of the bright half of F\u00e1lgun (March). Boys from all\nthe localities of a village assemble at a place appointed for the\nHoli. The place appointed for kindling the Holi is not generally\nchanged. The boys then go from house to house asking for firewood,\nand bring it to the Holi spot. They arrange the firewood and other\ncombustible articles around the branch of a mango, betelnut or a\nS\u00e1war tree in the pit dug out for the purpose and then set it on\nfire. After kindling the sacred fire they take five turns round the\nHoli accompanied with the beating of drums and raise loud cries of\nobscene words. After this they play the Indian games of Aty\u00e1p\u00e1tya and\nKhokho and occasionally rob the neighbouring people of their firewood\nand other combustible articles. At the close of these games they daub\ntheir foreheads with sacred ashes gathered from the Holi fire. They\nconsider these ashes especially auspicious and carry them home for the\nuse of the other members of their families. This process is continued\nevery night till the close of the fullmoon day. Elderly persons take\npart in this festival only during the last few days.\n\nOn the fullmoon day all the males of the village, including old men,\nstart after sunset for the Holi spot, collecting on their way pieces\nof firewood from all the houses in the locality and arrange them\nin the manner described above. After having arranged the Holi, the\nofficiating priest recites sacred verses and the puja is performed by\nthe m\u00e1nkari of the village. This m\u00e1nkari or p\u00e1til is either the headman\nor some other leading person of the village and to him belongs the\nright of kindling the Holi fire first. Some persons kindle a small\nHoli in front of their houses and worship it individually, but they\ncan take part in the public Holi. In the towns the Holis of different\nlocalities are kindled separately while in small villages there is\nonly one for every village.\n\nAt Vijaydurg in the Ratn\u00e1giri District a hen is tied to the top of\na tree or a bamboo placed in the pit dug out for kindling the Holi\nfire. The fowl tied to the top of the bamboo is called Shit. A small\nquantity of dry grass is first burnt at the bottom of this tree\nwhen the Mah\u00e1rs beat their drums. The Shit (fowl) is then removed\nfrom the tree after it is half burnt and taken by the Mah\u00e1rs. The\nHoli fire is then worshipped and kindled by the Gurav. Worshipping\nand kindling the Holi and taking the Shit (fowl) are considered as\nhigh honours. Occasionally quarrels and differences arise over this\nprivilege and they are decided by the village Panch. [814]\n\nAfter the kindling of the Holi the people assembled there offer to\nthe Holi a Naivedya (god's meal) of poli--a sweet cake made of Jagri,\nwheat flour and gram pulse. Cocoanuts from all the houses in the\nvillage are thrown into this sacred fire. Some of these cocoanuts\nare afterwards taken out of the sacred fire, cut into pieces, mixed\nwith sugar and are distributed among the people assembled as pras\u00e1d or\nfavoured gift. Lower classes of Hindus offer a live goat to the Holi,\ntake it out when it is half burnt and feast thereon.\n\nOn the night of the fullmoon day and the first day of the dark half\nof F\u00e1lgun, the people assembled at the Holi fire wander about the\nvillage, enter gardens and steal plantains, cocoanuts and other\ngarden produce. Robbery of such things committed during these days\nis considered to be pardonable. Some people take advantage of this\nopportunity for taking revenge on their enemies in this respect.\n\nThe fire kindled at the Holi on the fullmoon day is kept constantly\nburning till the Rangpanchami day i.e., fifth day of the dark half of\nF\u00e1lgun. Next morning i.e., on the first day of the dark half of F\u00e1lgun,\nthe people boil water over that fire and use it for the purpose of\nbathing. It is believed that water boiled on the sacred fire has\nthe power of dispelling all the diseases from the body. People go on\ndancing in the village and sing songs for the next five days. They\ngenerally sing L\u00e1vanis, a kind of ballad, during this festival. Among\nthese dancers a boy is dressed like a girl and is called R\u00e1dha. This\nR\u00e1dha has to dance at every house while the others repeat L\u00e1vanis.\n\nThe second day of the dark half of F\u00e1lgun is called Dhulvad or dust\nday when people start in procession through the village, and compel\nthe males of every house to join the party. They thus go to the Holi\nfire and raise loud cries of obscene words throwing mud and ashes\nupon each other. They afterwards go to the river or a pond to take\ntheir bath at noon time and then return to their houses. The third\nday of the dark half is also spent like the previous one with a slight\ndifference which is that cow dung is used instead of mud. This day is\ncalled Shenwad day. On the fourth day the Dhunda R\u00e1kshahasin (a demon\ngoddess) is worshipped by the people, and the day is spent in making\nmerry and singing obscene songs called L\u00e1vanis. The fifth day of the\ndark half is known as Rangpanchami day and is observed by the people\nin throwing coloured water upon each other. Water in which Kusumba and\nother colours are mixed is carried in large quantity on bullock carts\nthrough the streets of a city and sprinkled on the people passing\nthrough these streets. On this day the sacred fire of the Holi is\nextinguished by throwing coloured water over it. This water is also\nthrown upon the persons assembled at the Holi. The money collected\nas post during this period is utilised in feasting and drinking.\n\nAt Ibr\u00e1mpur in the Ratn\u00e1giri District the image of cupid is seated\nin a palanquin and carried with music from the temple to the Holi\nground. The palanquin is then placed on a certain spot. The place\nfor thus depositing the image of the god is called S\u00e1h\u00e1n. [815] At\nN\u00e1ringre there is a big stone called Holdev which is worshipped by the\npeople before kindling the Holi fire. [816] After the kindling of the\nsacred fire the palanquin is lifted from the S\u00e1h\u00e1n, and turned round\nthe Holi fire with great rejoicings. The palanquin is then carried\nthrough the village and is first taken to the house of a M\u00e1nkari,\nand then from house to house during the next five days. The inmates\nof the houses worship the deity in the palanquin and offer cocoanuts\nand other fruits and make certain vows. The palanquin is taken back\nto the temple on the fifth day of the dark half of F\u00e1lgun when on its\nway gul\u00e1l or red powder is thrown over the image and on the people\nwho accompany it. [817]\n\nAmong high class Hindus the thread girding ceremony of a boy is\nperformed when he attains puberty. The girls are generally married at\nan early age, and when a girl attains puberty, sugar is distributed\namong the friends and relatives of her husband. She is then seated\nin a Makhar--a gaily dressed frame. Dishes of sweets which are\nbrought by the girl's parents and the relatives of her husband are\ngiven to her for the first three days. She takes her bath on the\nfourth day accompanied by the playing of music and the beating of\ndrums. Sweetmeats in dishes are brought by the relatives till the day\nof Rutushanti (the first bridal night). The Garbh\u00e1d\u00e1n or Rutush\u00e1nti\nceremony is one of the sixteen ceremonies that are required to be\nperformed during the life of every Hindu. This ceremony is performed\nwithin the first sixteen days from the girl's attaining her puberty,\nthe 4th, 7th, 9th, 11th and the 13th being considered inauspicious for\nthis purpose. While performing this ceremony the following three rites\nare required to be observed. They are Ganpatipujan or the worship of\nthe god Ganpati, Punhy\u00e1havachan or the special ceremony for invoking\ndivine blessings and Navagrahash\u00e1nti the ceremony for propitiating\nthe nine planets. The ritual of this ceremony is as follows:--\n\nThe husband and the wife are seated side by side on wooden boards\nto perform the above three rites. The Kadali pujan or plantain\ntree worship is performed by the pair. The sacred fire or Homa\nis required to be kindled. The juice of the Durwa grass is then\npoured into the right nostril of the bride by her husband. This is\nintended to expel all diseases from the body of the girl and to secure\nsafe conception. They are then seated in a Makhar, and presents of\nclothes, ornaments etc., are made by the parents of the girl and\nother relatives. After this the husband fills the lap of the girl\nwith rice, a cocoanut, five betelnuts, five dry dates, five almonds,\nfive plantains and five pieces of turmeric. The girl is then carried\nto a temple accompanied by the playing of music. A grand feast is\ngiven to the friends and relatives at the close of this ceremony.\n\nThe Hindus generally make various kinds of vows in order to procure\noffspring or with some other such object, and fulfil them when they\nsucceed in getting their desire. The following are the different\nkinds of vows made. They offer cocoanuts, sugar, plantains and\nother fruits, costly new dresses and ornaments to the deities,\nand give feasts to Br\u00e1hmans. Special ceremonies called Laghurudra\nand Mah\u00e1rudra in honour of Shiva the god of destruction are also\nperformed. Sweetmeats such as pedhas etc. are offered to the gods\nin fulfilment of vows. Some people make vows to observe fasts,\nto feed Br\u00e1hmans, and to distribute coins and clothes to the poor;\nwhile others hang torana-wreaths of flowers and mango leaves--on the\nentrance of the temple, and hoist flags over it. Rich people erect new\ntemples to different Hindu deities. Some observe fasts to propitiate\nthe goddess Chandika and worship her during Navar\u00e1tra the first nine\ndays of the bright half of Ashvin (October) and others offer fowls\nand goats to their favourite deities. Women make it a vow to walk\nround the Audumbar or Pipal tree, and to distribute cocoanuts, sugar,\njagri, copper or silver equal to the weight of their children.\n\nVows are made by people with the object of securing health, wealth\nand children and other desired objects such as education etc. They\nare as follows:--\n\nPerforming the worship of Shri Satya N\u00e1r\u00e1yan, offering clothes and\nornaments to the temple deities, hanging bells, constructing a foot\npath or steps leading to the temple of the special deity. [818]\nVows are also made to obtain freedom from disease or such other\ncalamities. When any person in the family becomes ill or when a\nsudden calamity befalls a family an elderly member of the family\ngoes to the temple of a deity and makes certain vows according to\nhis means, fulfilling them as soon as the calamity or disease has\ndisappeared. [819]\n\nVows are usually to perform acts of benevolence. These consist\nin distributing cocoanut mixed in sugar, giving feasts to Br\u00e1hman\npriests, observing fasts on Saturday, Tuesday and Sunday, offering\nclothes and ornaments to deities, building new temples and guest houses\n(dharmsh\u00e1l\u00e1s), digging out new wells and in distributing clothes and\nfood to the poor. [820]\n\nAt Khopoli in the Kol\u00e1ba District, people who have no children or\nwhose children die shortly after birth make a vow to the Satw\u00e1i deity\nwhose temple is at a short distance from Khopoli. The vow is generally\nto bring the child to the darshana (sight) of the deity and to feed\nfive or more (married) Br\u00e1hman pairs. Such vows are fulfilled after\nthe birth of a child. Some worship the god Satya N\u00e1r\u00e1yan on a grand\nscale and others propitiate the god Shiva by the ceremony of Abhisheka\n(water sprinkling). [821] Some offer nails made of gold or silver\nto the goddess Shitala after the recovery of a child suffering from\nsmall pox. Eyes and other parts of the body made of gold and silver\nare also occasionally offered in fulfilment of vows. People abstain\nfrom eating certain things till the vows are fulfilled. [822]\n\nVows are made in times of difficulties and sorrow. The person afflicted\nwith sorrow or misfortune prays to his favourite deity and promises to\noffer particular things or to perform special ceremonies, and fulfils\nhis vows when his desired objects are attained. The ceremonies commonly\nobserved for these purposes are the special puj\u00e1s of Satya N\u00e1r\u00e1yan\nand Satya Vin\u00e1yak. Native Christians make their vows to their saints\nand Mot-M\u00e1vali (Mother Mary) in the taluka of Salsette. [823]\n\nThere is a shrine of the god Shankar at Kanakeshwar a village on the\nsea side two miles from Mithb\u00e1v in the Ratn\u00e1giri District. Many years\nago it so happened that a rich Mahomedan merchant was carrying his\nmerchandise in a ship. The ship foundered in a storm at a distance of\nabout two or three miles from Kanakeshwar. When the vessel, seemed\nto be on the point of sinking the merchant despairing of his life\nand goods, made a vow to erect a nice temple for the Hindu shrine of\nKanakeshwar if he, his vessel and its cargo were saved. By the grace\nof God the vessel weathered the storm and he arrived safely in his\ncountry with the merchandise. In fulfilment of this vow he erected\na good temple over the shrine of Shri Shankar at Kanakeshwar, which\ncost him about rupees six thousand. This temple is in good condition\nto the present day. Many such vows are made to special deities. When\nthe people get their desired objects they attribute the success to\nthe favour of the deity invoked, but when their expectations are not\nfulfilled they blame their fate and not the deity. [824]\n\nIn the Konkan districts there are some persons who practise black art\nof several kinds such as Chetak, J\u00e1ran, M\u00e1ran and Uch\u00e1tan. Chetak is a\nkind of evil spirit brought from the temple of the goddess Ital\u00e1i of\nthe Konkan districts. It is brought for a fixed or limited period,\nand an annual tribute is required to be paid to the goddess for\nthe services.\n\nAnother kind of black art widely practised in the Konkan districts is\nknown by the name of Muth m\u00e1rane. In this art the sorcerer prepares\nan image of wheat flour, and worships it with flowers, incense,\netc. A lemon pierced with a number of pins is then placed before the\nimage. The sorcerer begins to pour spoonfuls of water mixed with Jagri\non the face of the image, and repeats certain mantras. Meanwhile, the\nlemon gradually disappears and goes to the person whose death it is\nintended to secure. The person aimed at receives a heavy blow in the\nchest and at once falls to the ground vomitting blood. Sometimes he is\nknown to expire instantaneously. The charmed lemon, after completing\nits task returns to the sorcerer, who anxiously awaits its return,\nfor it is believed that if the lemon fails to return some calamity\nor misfortune is sure to occur to him. For this reason the beginner\ndesiring to be initiated into the mystery of this black art has to\nmake the first trial of his mantras on a tree or a fowl.\n\nFemales are also initiated into the mysteries of J\u00e1du or black\nart. Such women are required to go to the burning ground at midnight\nin a naked state, holding in their hands hearths containing burning\ncoals. While on their way they untie their hair, and then begin the\nrecital of their mantras. There they dig out the bones of buried\ncorpses, bring them home, and preserve them for practising black art.\n\nThere is a sect of Hindus known as Sh\u00e1ktas who practise the black\nart. The Sh\u00e1ktas worship their goddess at night, make offerings of\nwine and flesh, and then feast thereon.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAPPENDIX.\n\nGLOSSARY OF VERNACULAR TERMS OCCURRING IN VOLUMES I AND II. [825]\n\n\nA.\n\nABIL: A kind of incense.\n\nABIR: White scented powder.\n\nAD\u00c1CHH: Red cotton yarn.\n\nAD\u00c1D: Lentils.\n\nADAGHO BADAGHO: A ceremony performed to drive away insects.\n\nADH\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nADHIKAM\u00c1S: Intercalary month.\n\nADI-N\u00c1R\u00c1YAN: A name of Vishnu.\n\nADO: Useless.\n\nADULSA: Name of a medicinal plant.\n\nAG\u00c1R: Excreta.\n\nAGASTYA: Name of a sage; name of a constellation.\n\nAGATHI: A tree, Sesbania Grandiflora.\n\nAGATHIO: See Agathi.\n\nAGH\u00c1DA: Name of a plant.\n\nAGHORI: A sect of Hindus.\n\nAGI\u00c1RI: Fire temple of the P\u00e1rsis.\n\nAGNI: Fire; the deity presiding over fire.\n\nAGNICHAR: An order of evil spirits living in fire.\n\nAGNIHOTRA: A perpetual sacred fire preserved in a hole in the ground\nfor receiving and preserving consecrated fire.\n\nAGNIHOTRI: One who keeps an Agnihotra.\n\nAGNIKUNDA: A hole in the ground, or an enclosed space, on the surface,\nor a metal square-mouthed vessel, for receiving and preserving\nconsecrated fire.\n\nAGNI-SANSK\u00c1R: The rite of setting fire to a corpse.\n\nAGRI: Name of a caste or an individual of it.\n\nAHALYA: The wife of the sage Gautam.\n\nAHEVA NAVAMI: The ninth day of the dark half of Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nAHI: Name of a demon.\n\nAHIR: A caste of shepherds.\n\nAHUTI: A handful of rice, ghi, sesamum, etc., cast into fire, water,\nupon the ground etc., as an offering to the deities.\n\nAIR\u00c1VAT: Name of the elephant of Indra; the elephant presiding over\nthe east.\n\nAJA: A goat.\n\nAJAMO: Lingusticum ajwaen.\n\nAK\u00c1SH: The sky.\n\nAK\u00c1SH-GANGA: The milky way.\n\nAKHAND SAUBH\u00c1GYA: Perpetual unwidowhood.\n\nAKIK: A kind of stone.\n\nAKH\u00c1 TRIJ: The third day of the bright half of Vaish\u00e1kh.\n\nAKSHAYA TRITIYA: See Akh\u00e1 Trij.\n\nALAW\u00c1NA: A sort of shawl.\n\nALWANT: A spirit of a woman dying in childbirth or during menses.\n\nALU: An esculent vegetable.\n\nALUNDA: Name of a vow.\n\nAMANI: A kind of tree.\n\nAMAR: Immortal.\n\nAMATHO: Useless.\n\nAMATHO M\u00c1MO: An order of ghosts.\n\nAM\u00c1V\u00c1SYA: The last day of a month.\n\nAMBA: Name of a goddess.\n\nAMBIL: Conjee.\n\nAMBO: Mango.\n\nAMN\u00c1YESHWAR: A name of the god Mah\u00e1dev.\n\nANAGH: Name of a vow.\n\nANAGODHA: See Anagh.\n\nANANT CHATURDASHI: The fourteenth day of the dark half of Bh\u00e1drapad\nsacred to Vishnu.\n\nANDH\u00c1RIO: An order of ghosts.\n\nANGIRAS: Name of a sage.\n\nANJALI: Palmful.\n\nANJAN: Soot used as collyrium.\n\nANJANI: Mother of M\u00e1ruti.\n\n\u00c1NJANI: A sore or mole on the eye-lid.\n\nANKADA: Name of a poisonous plant.\n\nANNADEVA: The god presiding over food.\n\nANNAKUTA: The eighth or tenth day of the bright half of Ashvin or\nthe second day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik when sweets are offered\nto gods.\n\nANNAPURNA: The goddess presiding over food.\n\nANTARAL: Name of a deity.\n\nANTARAPAT: The piece of cloth which is held between the bride and\nbridegroom at the time of a Hindu wedding.\n\nANTYESHTI: Funeral rites.\n\nANUR\u00c1DHA: Name of a constellation.\n\nANUSHTH\u00c1N: Performance of certain ceremonies and works in propitiation\nof a god.\n\nAPASM\u00c1R: Epilepsy.\n\nAPSARA: Certain female divinities who reside in the sky and are the\nwives of the Gandharvas. They are sometimes represented as the common\nwomen of the gods.\n\nAPTA: Name of a tree.\n\nARANI: Elaeodendron glaucum.\n\nARATI: The ceremony of waving (around an idol, a guru, etc.,) a\nplatter containing a burning lamp.\n\nARDHODAYA: Half-risen state of a heavenly body.\n\nARDRA: Name of a constellation.\n\nARGHYA: A respectful offering to a god or a venerable person consisting\nof various ingredients or of water only.\n\nARJUNA: The third of the five P\u00e1ndava brothers.\n\nARUNDHATI: Wife of Vasishtha; name of a star.\n\nASARA: A water nymph.\n\nASAN: A prayer carpet.\n\nASH\u00c1DH: The fourth month of the Deccani Hindu and the ninth month of\nthe Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nASH\u00c1PURI: Name of a goddess.\n\nASHLESHA: Name of a constellation.\n\nASHO: A corrupted form of Ashvin.\n\nASHAPATI: Name of a mythological king.\n\nASHTABH\u00c1RO: An order of ghosts.\n\nASHTADALA: Eight-cornered.\n\nASHTA-DIK-P\u00c1LA: Protectors of the eight different directions.\n\nASHTAKA: A hymn consisting of eight verses.\n\nASHTAMAH\u00c1D\u00c1N: A gift consisting of eight kinds of articles.\n\nASHT\u00c1VASU: A class of divine beings eight in number.\n\nASHVIN: The seventh month of the Deccani Hindu and the twelfth month\nof the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nASHVINI: Name of a constellation.\n\nASHVINI KUM\u00c1R: The twin sons of the sun by his wife Sanjnya in the\nform of a mare. They are famous as heavenly physicians.\n\nASHWAMEDHA: Horse sacrifice.\n\nASHWATTH\u00c1MA: The only son of Drona, the military preceptor of the\nKauravas and P\u00e1ndavas.\n\nASM\u00c1NI: An order of ghosts.\n\nASO: A corrupted form of Ashvin.\n\nASOPALAVA: Name of a tree.\n\nASUR GATI: The path of the demons.\n\nATIT: A class of religious beggars.\n\nATLAS: A kind of cloth.\n\nATRI: Name of a sage.\n\nATY\u00c1P\u00c1TYA: Name of an out-door game played in the Deccan.\n\nAVAD-M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nAVAGAT: An order of ghosts.\n\nAVAGATI: Fallen condition.\n\nAVALIA: A Muhammadan saint.\n\nAVALA: Name of a tree.\n\nAVAT\u00c1R: An incarnation of Vishnu.\n\nAVI: An order of ghosts.\n\nAVLI: Name of a tree.\n\nAWDUMBAR: A tree, Ficus glomerata.\n\nAWUTA: Wood bill.\n\nAYAN: Name of a tree.\n\n\n\nB.\n\nB\u00c1BARO: An order of ghosts.\n\nB\u00c1BHUL: Acacia arabica.\n\nB\u00c1BRIO: See B\u00e1baro.\n\nB\u00c1BRO: See B\u00e1baro.\n\nBABRUV\u00c1HAN: Name of a demon; a son of Arjuna.\n\nB\u00c1BUL: Acacia arabica.\n\nB\u00c1DHA: Impending evil.\n\nB\u00c1GHADA: Name of an evil spirit.\n\nB\u00c1GULB\u00c1WA: Name of a goblin.\n\nBAHIRI: Name of a goddess.\n\nBAHIRI-SOMJAI: Name of a goddess.\n\nBAHIROBA: Name of a minor deity.\n\nBAHIROB\u00c1CHE BHUT: An order of ghosts.\n\nB\u00c1JA: Dish.\n\nB\u00c1JALE: A wooden cot.\n\nB\u00c1JAT: A wooden stool.\n\nBAJ\u00c1NIA: A cast of tumblers or an individual of it.\n\nBAKA: Name of a demon; name of a sage.\n\nB\u00c1KLA: A small round flat cake of dry boiled beans.\n\nB\u00c1KL\u00c1N: See B\u00e1kla.\n\nBAKOR: Noise.\n\nB\u00c1L\u00c1 TERASH: The 13th day of the dark half of Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nBALAD: An ox.\n\nBALADI: An order of ghosts.\n\nBALDEV: Name of the brother of Krishna, the eighth incarnation\nof Vishnu.\n\nBALEV: The full moon day of Shr\u00e1vana.\n\nBALEVA: See Balev.\n\nBALEVI\u00c1N: A kind of worship.\n\nBALI: Name of a mighty demon, the lord of the nether world or p\u00e1t\u00e1l;\nan oblation; a victim offered to any deity; name of a procession.\n\nBALID\u00c1N: Offering of a victim.\n\nBALLA: An order of ghosts.\n\nB\u00c1N\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nBANDH\u00c1I-JAVAN: Name of a cattle disease.\n\nBANIA: A trader.\n\nB\u00c1PA: Name of a guardian spirit of fields.\n\nB\u00c1PDEV: See B\u00e1pa.\n\nBARANESHWAR MAH\u00c1DEV: A name of Mah\u00e1dev.\n\nB\u00c1RAS: The twelfth day of the bright or dark half of a month.\n\nB\u00c1RVATIA: An outlaw.\n\nBAT\u00c1SA: A kind of sweetmeat.\n\nBATRISA: A man possessed of thirty-two accomplishments.\n\nBATUK: Name of a minor deity.\n\nB\u00c1U: A word used to frighten children; a goblin.\n\nB\u00c1VA: A term of respectful compellation or mention for an ascetic or\nreligious teacher.\n\nB\u00c1VAL: See B\u00e1bul.\n\nB\u00c1VO: See B\u00e1va.\n\nBAYA: Name of a deity presiding over small-pox.\n\nB\u00c1WAN VIR: Name of a minor deity.\n\nBECHRA M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nBEDA: Name of a tree.\n\nBEL: Aegle Marmelos.\n\nBEL-BHAND\u00c1R: Leaves of the Aegle Marmelos and the turmeric powder\nthat are kept on an idol.\n\nBER: Jujube tree.\n\nBERO: Deaf.\n\nBETHI: An order of ghosts.\n\nBH\u00c1BHO: Worthless.\n\nBH\u00c1DARWA: See Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nBH\u00c1DRAPAD: The sixth month of the Deccani Hindu and the eleventh\nmonth of the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nBHAGAT: An exorcist.\n\nBHAGIRATH: Name of an ancient king of the solar dynasty who is said\nto have brought down the Ganges from heaven to the earth.\n\nBH\u00c1GVAT: Name of one of the eighteen pur\u00e1nas.\n\nBHAGVATI: Name of a goddess.\n\nBHAGW\u00c1N: An epithet of Vishnu; of Shiva.\n\nBHAGWATI: See Bhagvati.\n\nBHAIRAV: A name of an inferior manifestation of Shiva.\n\nBHAJAN: Repeating the name of a god as an act of worship; hymns or\npieces or verses sung to a god.\n\nBHAKTIM\u00c1RGA: Path of devotion.\n\nBH\u00c1LU: An old female jackal.\n\nBHAND\u00c1RI: A caste of Hindus.\n\nBH\u00c1NG: Hemp water.\n\nBHANGI: A scavenger; name of the caste of scavengers.\n\nBHANGRA: A kind of tree.\n\nBHARANAI: Name of a goddess.\n\nBHARANI: Name of a constellation.\n\nBH\u00c1RANI: The process of charming.\n\nBHARATA: Name of a brother of R\u00e1ma the seventh incarnation of Vishnu.\n\nBHARV\u00c1D: A caste of shepherds.\n\nBH\u00c1SIKA: An order of ghosts.\n\nBHASMA: Holy ashes.\n\nBHASM\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nBH\u00c1UBIJ: The second day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik.\n\nBHAV\u00c1I: Name of a stone deity.\n\nBH\u00c1VAK\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nBHAV\u00c1NI: A name of the goddess P\u00e1rvati.\n\nBH\u00c1VIN: A caste of female temple servants who are prostitutes by\nprofession.\n\nBHAW\u00c1NI: See Bhav\u00e1ni.\n\nBHENSA: A he-buffalo.\n\nBHENS\u00c1SUR: A demon in the form of a he-buffalo.\n\nBHIKH\u00c1RI: A beggar.\n\nBHIKHO: A beggar.\n\nBHIL: A partly Hindu, partly animistic tribe.\n\nBHIMA: The second of the five P\u00e1ndava brothers.\n\nBHIMA-AGI\u00c1RAS: The eleventh day of the bright half of Jyeshtha.\n\nBHIMASENA: See Bhima.\n\nBHIMN\u00c1TH MAH\u00c1DEV: A name of Shiva.\n\nBHIMN\u00c1TH SHANKAR: A name of Shiva.\n\nBHISHMA: Son of Sh\u00e1ntanu and the river Ganges and grand-uncle of the\nP\u00e1ndavas and Kauravas.\n\nBHOGAVA: Village boundary.\n\nBHOI: A caste of fishermen and palanquin-bearers.\n\nBHOJAPATRA: A palm-leaf.\n\nBHOL\u00c1N\u00c1TH: A name of Shiva.\n\nBHONG RINGDI: Name of a poisonous plant.\n\nBHOPALA: Gourd.\n\nBHOPI: The person that officiates in the temples of village deities.\n\nBHUCHAR: An order of ghosts hovering over the earth.\n\nBHUNGA: A black bee.\n\nBHUSHUNDAK\u00c1K: Name of a sage.\n\nBHUT: An evil spirit.\n\nBHUTA: See Bhut.\n\nBHUTA-DEVATA: A ghostly godling.\n\nBHUT\u00c1LI: A woman who can influence evil spirits to do harm to others.\n\nBHUTE: Plural of Bhutya: See Bhutya.\n\nBHUTIN: A female member of an order of devotees of the goddess Bhav\u00e1ni.\n\nBHUTN\u00c1TH: Name of an evil spirit.\n\nBHUTYA: A male member of an order of devotees of the goddess Bhav\u00e1ni.\n\nBHUVA: A male exorcist.\n\nBHUVI: A female exorcist.\n\nBIBHISHANA: Brother of R\u00e1vana, the demon king of Lanka or Ceylon.\n\nBIJ: The second day of the bright or dark half of a month.\n\nBIJAVRIKSHANY\u00c1YA: The maxim of seed and shoot. The maxim takes its\norigin from the mutual relation of causation that exists between seed\nand shoot, and is applied to cases in which two objects stand to each\nother in the relation of both cause and effect.\n\nBIL\u00c1DO: A cat.\n\nBILI: See Bel.\n\nBINDU: A drop.\n\nBOCHO: A coward.\n\nBODAN: A ceremony in which curds, milk, boiled rice, fried cakes,\netc., are mixed up together and presented in oblation to the goddess\nMah\u00e1lakshmi by a company of at least five married women and one virgin.\n\nBODO: Bald-headed.\n\nBOL CHOTH: The fourth day of the dark half of Shr\u00e1van.\n\nBOR\u00c1DI: The Jujube tree.\n\nBOTERUN: A complete cessation of rain for seventy-two days.\n\nBOW\u00c1JI: See B\u00e1va.\n\nBOW: See B\u00e1u.\n\nBRAHMA GRAHA: Ghost of a Br\u00e1hman.\n\nBRAHMA: The first god of the Hindu Trinity.\n\nBRAHMABHOJ: A feast to Br\u00e1hmans.\n\nBRAHMACHARYA: Celibacy.\n\nBRAHMACH\u00c1RI: One who has taken a vow to lead a celibate life.\n\nBRAHMAHATYA: The murder of a Br\u00e1hman.\n\nBR\u00c1HMAN: The sacerdotal caste of Hindus or an individual of it.\n\nBR\u00c1HMANA-VARUNA: The appointment of duly authorised Br\u00e1hmans to\nperform religious ceremonies.\n\nBRAHMARANDHRA: The aperture supposed to be at the crown of the head,\nthrough which the soul takes its flight on death.\n\nBRAHMA R\u00c1KSHASA: See Brahma Sambandh.\n\nBRAHMA SAMBANDH: The ghost of a Br\u00e1hman that in his life time possessed\nhigh attainments, and a haughty spirit.\n\nBRIHASPATI: Name of the preceptor of the gods.\n\nBRUHANNADA: The name assumed by Arjuna when residing at the palace\nof Vir\u00e1ta.\n\nBUDHA: Mercury.\n\nBUDDHI: Name of a wife of Ganpati.\n\n\n\nC.\n\nCENDUR: Red lead.\n\nCH\u00c1DA: Rent.\n\nCHAITANNADYA: An order of ghosts.\n\nCHAITRA: The first month of the Deccani Hindu and the sixth month of\nthe Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nCHAKLI: A sparrow.\n\nCH\u00c1K PADANE: Appearance of red pustules on the face supposed to be\ncaused by the influence of an evil eye.\n\nCHAKORA: A bird, Bartavelle Partridge.\n\nCH\u00c1LA: Name of a deity.\n\nCH\u00c1LEGHAT: An order of ghosts.\n\nCHAM\u00c1R: A caste of tanners.\n\nCHAMPA: Michelia champaca.\n\nCHAMP\u00c1-SHASHTI: The sixth day of the bright half of M\u00e1rgashirsha.\n\nCHAMP\u00c1VATI: Name of a goddess.\n\nCHANA: Gram.\n\nCHANDA: Name of a kind of wind.\n\nCHAND CHANI: An order of ghosts.\n\nCHANDAN: Sandal wood.\n\nCHANDIKA: Name of a goddess.\n\nCHANDI KAVACH: A hymn in honour of the goddess Chandi or Durga.\n\nCHANDIP\u00c1TH: Recitation of a hymn in honour of the goddess Chandi\nor Durga.\n\nCHANDK\u00c1I: Name of a Goddess.\n\nCHANDRA: The moon.\n\nCHANDRAMANDAL: The disk of the moon; the lunar sphere.\n\nCH\u00c1NDR\u00c1YAN VRAT: Name of a vow.\n\nCHARAK: Excreta.\n\nCH\u00c1RAN: A caste of genealogists and bards.\n\nCHARAN\u00c1MRIT: Water in which the feet of a spiritual guide have\nbeen washed.\n\nCHARMARIA: Name of a snake deity.\n\nCHARONTHI: A kind of flour.\n\nCHASHA: The Blue jay.\n\nCHAT: An image of darbha grass at Shr\u00e1ddha when the required Br\u00e1hman\nis not present.\n\nCHATA SHR\u00c1DDHA: A shr\u00e1ddha in which a chat represents a Br\u00e1hman.\n\nCH\u00c1TURM\u00c1S: The period of four months commencing from the tenth day\nof the bright half of Ash\u00e1dh and ending with the tenth day of the\nbright half of K\u00e1rtik.\n\nCHATURTHI: The fourth day of the bright or dark half of a month.\n\nCHAUR\u00c1R: An order of ghosts.\n\nCHEDA: Ghost of a person of the Kunbi or Shudra caste or an unmarried\nMah\u00e1r.\n\nCHEDOBA: Name of a spirit deity.\n\nCHELA: A disciple.\n\nCHELAN: An oblation to a M\u00e1ta or goddess.\n\nCHETAK: A kind of black art.\n\nCHETAKIN: A witch.\n\nCHETUK: A spirit servant.\n\nCHHAMACHHARI: Death anniversary.\n\nCHHIPA: A caste of calico-printers.\n\nCHHOGALA: Celebrated. Great.\n\nCHHOGALO: With a tail.\n\nCHILBIL: Notes of the Pingala bird.\n\nCHILUM: A clay pipe.\n\nCHINDHARO: Ragged.\n\nCHIRANJIVA: Immortal.\n\nCHITHI: A piece of paper on which mystic signs are drawn; an amulet.\n\nCHITHARIA: Ragged.\n\nCHITI: See Chithi.\n\nCHITP\u00c1VAN: A caste of Br\u00e1hmans also known as Konkanasth.\n\nCHITRA: Name of a constellation.\n\nCHOK: A square.\n\nCHOLA: Dolichos Sinensio.\n\nCHOLI: A bodice.\n\nCHONGE: A kind of sweet.\n\nCHOR\u00c1SI K\u00c1NTINI: An order of ghosts.\n\nCHOR\u00c1SI VIRU: An order of ghosts.\n\nCHORAWA: A ceremony performed at the time of reaping.\n\nCHOTH: The fourth day of the bright or dark half of a month.\n\nCHUDBUDE JOSHI: A caste of fortune-tellers.\n\nCHUDEL: An order of female ghosts.\n\nCHUDELA: See Chudel.\n\nCHUDI: A torch.\n\nCHUDI PAURNIMA: The full-moon day of the month of M\u00e1gh.\n\nCHUNADI: A kind of cloth worn by females.\n\nCHUNTHO: Ragged.\n\nCHUNV\u00c1LIA KOLI: A tribe of Kolis.\n\nCHURAMA: Sweet balls of wheat flour fried and soaked in ghi.\n\nCHUTAKI: Snapping the thumb and finger.\n\nCOHAMPALO: Meddlesome.\n\n\n\nD.\n\nD\u00c1DAMO: An order of ghosts.\n\nD\u00c1DAMOKHODI\u00c1R: Name of a field deity.\n\nD\u00c1DH: A molar tooth.\n\nD\u00c1DH B\u00c1NDHAVI: To deprive of the power of eating by a charm or spell.\n\nD\u00c1DO: An order of ghosts.\n\nD\u00c1KAN: A witch; an order of ghosts.\n\nD\u00c1KINI: See D\u00e1kan.\n\nD\u00c1KLA: A spirit instrument in the form of a small kettle-drum.\n\nDAKSHA: A celebrated Praj\u00e1pati born from the thumb of Brahma.\n\nDAKSHA PRAJ\u00c1PATI: See Daksha.\n\nDAKSHANA: A gift of money made to Br\u00e1hmans.\n\nD\u00c1L: Name of a sect of Hindus.\n\nDALAP: A ceremony performed for the propitiation of the minor deities\nof the fields.\n\nD\u00c1LIA: Baked split gram.\n\nD\u00c1MANA: An amulet tied to the horns of a pet animal.\n\nDAMPATYA: A married pair.\n\nD\u00c1NA: Corn seed.\n\nD\u00c1NDA: The bat at the game of trap-stick.\n\nD\u00c1NKLA: See D\u00e1kla.\n\nD\u00c1NKLA BESW\u00c1N: The installation of a d\u00e1nkla.\n\nD\u00c1NKL\u00c1N: See D\u00e1kla.\n\nDARBHA: A sacred grass; Cynodon Dactylon.\n\nDARDURI: Name of a water nymph.\n\nDARGA: A Muhammadan place of worship.\n\nDARJI: A caste of tailors.\n\nDASHA: Influence.\n\nDARSHA SHR\u00c1DDHA: A shr\u00e1ddha to the manes on every new moon day.\n\nDASARA: The tenth day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik.\n\nDASHARATHA: Son of Aja and father of R\u00e1ma.\n\nDAS PINDA: The oblations collectively to the manes of a deceased\nancestor which are offered daily from the first day of his decease\nuntil the tenth, or which are offered together on the tenth: also\nthe rite.\n\nD\u00c1TAN: Wooden sticks for brushing the teeth.\n\nDATTA: Name of a god.\n\nDATT\u00c1TRAYA: See Datta.\n\nD\u00c1V: An order of ghosts.\n\nDEDAKO: A frog.\n\nDEHARI M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nDELAVADI DEVI: Name of a goddess.\n\nDENDO: The croaking of a frog.\n\nDEOPAN: Ceremonies and observances in propitiation of a god.\n\nDESHASTHA: A caste of Br\u00e1hmans found in the Deccan.\n\nDEVA: A god.\n\nDEVACH\u00c1R: Spirit of a Shudra who dies after his marriage.\n\nDEVAHUTI: Name of the mother of the sage Kapil.\n\nDEVAK: A term for the deity or deities worshipped at marriages,\nthread investitures etc.; a totem.\n\nDEVAKI: Mother of Krishna.\n\nDEVAL: A temple.\n\nDEVAL RIGHANE: Entering into the service of the temple.\n\nDEVALI: The male offspring of a Bh\u00e1vin.\n\nDEVALO: Not loved.\n\nDEVARSHI: A dealer with gods and devils: one that summons, exorcises\nthem, etc.\n\nDEVA SARPA: A snake belonging to a deity.\n\nDEVASKI: The annual ceremonies in honour of the tutelar divinity of\na village.\n\nDEVA YOSHITA: A woman offered to a god.\n\nDEV DIV\u00c1LI: The eleventh day of the bright half of K\u00e1rtik.\n\nDEVI: A goddess.\n\nDEVIPANTH: A sect of the worshippers of the goddess Durga.\n\nDH\u00c1GA: An amulet made of a piece of cloth.\n\nDHAL-JATRA: A ceremony performed at the time of harvest.\n\nDHAMA: A name of Hanum\u00e1n.\n\nDHANA: Coriander.\n\nDHANANJAYA: Name of a snake.\n\nDHANA-TRAYODASHI: The thirteenth day of the dark half of Ashvin.\n\nDHANGAR: A caste of shepherds.\n\nDHANISHTHA: Name of a constellation.\n\nDHANU: Sagittarius.\n\nDHANURM\u00c1S: The period during which the sun is in Sagittarius.\n\nDHANU-SANKR\u00c1NT: Transit or passage of the sun through Sagittarius.\n\nDH\u00c1R\u00c1V\u00c1DI: A stream of milk.\n\nDHARMAR\u00c1JA: The god of death.\n\nDHARMASH\u00c1LA: A rest house.\n\nDHARMASH\u00c1STRA: The code of body of Hindu law.\n\nDHARMASINDHU: Name of a work treating of Hindu law.\n\nDHED: An impure caste of Hindus.\n\nDHEDV\u00c1DA: The ward or place occupied by the Dhed caste.\n\nDHINGO: Fat.\n\nDHOBI: A caste of washermen.\n\nDHOL: A drum.\n\nDHOLIO: An order of ghosts.\n\nDHONDILGAJYA: Name of a rite performed for securing rainfall.\n\nDHORI: White.\n\nDHOTAR: Waist cloth.\n\nDHUL P\u00c1DAVO: The first day of the dark half of F\u00e1lgun.\n\nDHRUVA: The son of Utt\u00e1nap\u00e1da. He was a great devotee of the god\nVishnu. The solar star.\n\nDHULETI: See Dhul P\u00e1davo.\n\nDHULWAD: See Dhul P\u00e1davo. The day of throwing dust after the burning\nof the Holi.\n\nDHUNDA: Name of a demon goddess.\n\nDHUNDA R\u00c1KSHASIN: See Dhunda.\n\nDHUNDHUMARI: Name of a mythological personage.\n\nDHUNI: The smoke-fire of an ascetic over which he sits inhaling\nthe smoke.\n\nDHUPA: Frankincense.\n\nDIGAMBARA: Name of a goddess.\n\nDIPO: Panther.\n\nDISHA-SHUL: Pain caused by directions.\n\nDIV\u00c1LI: A festival with nocturnal illuminations, feastings, gambling,\netc. held during the concluding day of Ashvin and the first and second\nday of K\u00e1rtik.\n\nDIV\u00c1SA: The fifteenth day of the dark half of Ash\u00e1dh.\n\nDIWAD: A serpent of a large but harmless species.\n\nDODKA: One hundredth part of a rupee.\n\nDOKADO: A ball of molasses and sesamum seed cooked together.\n\nDORA: Piece of a string; a magic thread.\n\nDORLI: Solanum indicum.\n\nDOSO: Old.\n\nDRO: A kind of sacred grass.\n\nDRONA: Son of Bh\u00e1radv\u00e1ja, by birth a Br\u00e1hman but acquainted with\nmilitary science which he received as a gift from Parashur\u00e1m. He\ninstructed the Kauravas and P\u00e1ndavas in the use of arms.\n\nDRUSTAMANI: A kind of black beads.\n\nDUDHA: Milk.\n\nDUDHP\u00c1K: Rice cooked in milk and sweetened with sugar.\n\nDUG-DUDIOON: See D\u00e1kla.\n\nDUHITRA: Shr\u00e1ddha performed by a grandson to propitiate his maternal\ngrandfather.\n\nDUK\u00c1L: Famine.\n\nDUNDUBHI: A kettle-drum.\n\nDUNGAR: A hill.\n\nDURB\u00c1R: The court of an Indian Chief.\n\nDURGA: Name of a goddess.\n\nDURGATI: Fallen condition.\n\nDURVA: A kind of sacred grass.\n\nDURYODHANA: The eldest of the Kaurava brothers.\n\nDWIJA: A twice-born. A Br\u00e1hman, a Kshatriya or a Vaishya, whose\ninvestiture with the sacred thread constitutes, religiously and\nmetaphorically a second birth.\n\nDWITIYA: The second day of the bright or dark half of a month.\n\n\n\nE.\n\nEK\u00c1DASHI: The eleventh day of the bright and dark halves of a month.\n\nEKAL PER: Zizyphus jujuba.\n\nEK\u00c1NTARIO: Intermittent fever.\n\nEKOTISHTA: The rites performed on the eleventh day after death.\n\nETAL\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\n\n\nF.\n\nF\u00c1G: A vulgar song.\n\nF\u00c1GAN: A corrupted form of F\u00e1lgun. See F\u00e1lgun.\n\nFAKIR: A Muhammadan mendicant.\n\nFAKIRI: Alms given to Fakirs in the Muharram.\n\nFAKIRO: A beggar.\n\nF\u00c1LGUN: The twelfth month of the Deccani Hindu and the fifth month\nof the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nF\u00c1VADI: Name of a bird.\n\nFIRANG\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nFUL: A flower.\n\nFUL DOL: A festival in which coloured water is thrown.\n\n\n\nG.\n\nGADHEDA: A donkey.\n\nGADHEDO: See Gadheda.\n\nGADHERIM\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess installed to protect a fortress or\na street.\n\nGAFAL: Stupid.\n\nGAGANACHAR: An order of ghosts moving in the etherial regions.\n\nGAGARBEDIUN: A piece of leather thong or a piece of black wood on\nwhich mystic spells have been cast.\n\nGAJ\u00c1B\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nGAJACHHAYA: A festival--the day of the new moon of Bh\u00e1drapad the moon\nbeing in the Hasta constellation.\n\nGAL\u00c1L: Red powder.\n\nGANA: A troop of demigods considered as Shiva's attendants.\n\nGANAGOR: Name of a vow.\n\nGANDHARVA: A celestial musician; a class of demigods who are considered\nto be the singers of gods.\n\nG\u00c1NDIVA: Name of the bow of Arjuna.\n\nG\u00c1NDU: Name of a tree.\n\nGANDH: Sandal paste.\n\nGANESH CHATURTHI: The fourth day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad\ncelebrated as the birthday of Ganesh.\n\nGANESHIO: A hook-shaped instrument used by thieves in boring holes\nthrough walls.\n\nGANGA: The river Ganges.\n\nGANG\u00c1JAL: Water of the Ganges.\n\nGANGIGOR: Name of a vow.\n\nG\u00c1NGLO: Stony.\n\nG\u00c1NGUD: An order of ghosts.\n\nG\u00c1NJA: Hemp flower.\n\nGANPATI: The son of Shiva and P\u00e1rvati. He is the deity of wisdom and\nthe remover of difficulties and obstacles.\n\nGANPATIPUJAN: The worship of Ganpati.\n\nG\u00c1NTHIA: A preparation of gram flour.\n\nGAON-DEVI: Village goddess.\n\nGARABI: A song in propitiation of a goddess.\n\nGARBH\u00c1D\u00c1N: The marriage consummation ceremony.\n\nG\u00c1RH\u00c1NE: Supplication to an idol.\n\nGARUD: The eagle.\n\nGARUD PUR\u00c1N: Name of a pur\u00e1n.\n\nG\u00c1TR\u00c1D: Name of a goddess.\n\nGAU: A measure of distance equal to 1 1/3 miles.\n\nGAUTAM: Name of a sage.\n\nGAVA: A wild ox.\n\nGAVALI: A caste of herdsmen.\n\nGAVATDEV: Name of a godling.\n\nGAVATI: An order of ghosts.\n\nGAY\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nG\u00c1YATRI: Name of a daughter of Brahma.\n\nG\u00c1YATRI MANTRA: A sacred verse from the Vedas held specially sacred\nand repeated by every Br\u00e1hman at his morning and evening devotion. The\nverse is in honour of the sun.\n\nG\u00c1YATRI PURASCHARAN: A form of devotion requiring the recitation of\nthe G\u00e1yatri mantra a hundred thousand times with certain symbolic\nceremonies.\n\nG\u00c1YATRIPURASCHAVACHAN: See G\u00e1yatripurascharan.\n\nGEDI: A bat.\n\nGEDI-D\u00c1NDA: An outdoor game played by boys.\n\nGERIA: A boy who takes an active part in the Holi festival.\n\nGH\u00c1DI: An exorcist. A caste of temple ministrants or an individual\nof it.\n\nGHADI: A measure of time equal to twenty-four minutes.\n\nGHADULO: A process for removing the effects of the evil eye.\n\nGH\u00c1NCHINI: An order of ghosts.\n\nGH\u00c1NDHARAVI: An order of ghosts.\n\nGH\u00c1NI: That quantity of oil seeds which is put in at one time to be\ncrushed in an oil mill.\n\nGH\u00c1T: Steps on the side of a river or tank leading to the water.\n\nGHATOTKACHA: Name of a demon.\n\nGHELI: Mad.\n\nGHELO: Mad.\n\nGHELUN: Mad.\n\nGHER\u00c1YALA: Eclipsed.\n\nGHETA: A sheep.\n\nGHODO: A horse.\n\nGHUGARI: Grain boiled whole, i.e., unsplit and unhusked.\n\nGHUMAT: A sort of musical instrument--an earthen vessel, pitcher-form,\ncovered over at the larger mouth with leather.\n\nGHUNA: A mysterious watery pit.\n\nGIDOT\u00c1N: Name of a creeper.\n\nGILLI-D\u00c1NDA: A play amongst boys, trapstick.\n\nGIR\u00c1SIA: A Rajput landholder.\n\nGIRHA: A water demon. Applied to R\u00e1hu or to an eclipse in general,\nsolar or lunar.\n\nGIRI: An order or individual of it among Gos\u00e1vis.\n\nGOCHADI: Cattle or dog louse.\n\nGODHO: A bull.\n\nGOKARN: Name of a mythological king.\n\nGOKHALO: A niche in the wall.\n\nGOKUL: The name of the village at which Krishna was brought up.\n\nGOKHARU: A species of thorns.\n\nGOKUL-ASHTAMI: The eighth day of the dark half of Bh\u00e1drapad celebrated\nas the birthday of Krishna.\n\nGOL: Molasses.\n\nGOL\u00c1BA: Name of a goddess.\n\nGOLAMB\u00c1DEVI: Name of a goddess.\n\nGOMUKH: Mouth of a cow.\n\nGONDARO: Place where the village cattle rest.\n\nGONDHAL: A kind of religious dance.\n\nGOOLVEL: A kind of creeper.\n\nGOP\u00c1LSANT\u00c1N: Name of an incantation.\n\nGOPRAD\u00c1N: Gift of a cow with its calf to a Br\u00e1hman.\n\nGOR: A priest.\n\nGORA: A black earthen vessel filled with curds.\n\nGORADIA: A name of Hanum\u00e1n.\n\nGOR\u00c1IN: A married unwidowed woman.\n\nGORAKHA: Name of a saint.\n\nGORAKH CHINCH: A kind of tree.\n\nGORJI: A preceptor.\n\nGORAKHR\u00c1J: Name of a saint.\n\nGOS\u00c1VI: An ascetic.\n\nGOTRA: A section of a caste having a common ancestor.\n\nGOURI-PUJAN: The worship of the goddess Gouri, a festival observed\nonly by women.\n\nGOUTRAD: A vow in honour of the cow lasting from the eleventh day to\nthe fifteenth day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nGOUTR\u00c1L: Name of a vow.\n\nGOVARDHAN: A celebrated hill near Mathura. A large heap of cow dung\nor of rice, vegetables, etc. made on the first day of the bright half\nof K\u00e1rtik in imitation of the mountain.\n\nGOWAL\u00c1-DEVA: Name of a deity connected with rain-fall.\n\nGRAHA: A planet.\n\nGRAHANA: An eclipse.\n\nGRAHAN-PUJAN: The worship of the plough on the full-moon day of\nShr\u00e1van.\n\nGRAHA-SH\u00c1NTI: A ceremony in propitiation of the planets.\n\nGR\u00c1MADEVATA: A village goddess.\n\nGR\u00c1MA-DEVI: A village goddess.\n\nGRIHADEVATA: The deity which presides over the house.\n\nGRISHMA-RITU: The summer.\n\nGRIVA: Name of a deity.\n\nGUDHI: A pole, wrapped around with a cloth, a mango sprig, etc.,\nerected on the first day of the year before the house-door.\n\nGUDHI-P\u00c1DVA: The first day of the bright half of Chaitra, the new\nyear's day of the Deccani Hindus.\n\nGUHYAK: An order of semi-divine beings.\n\nGUL\u00c1B: A rose.\n\nGUGAL: Balsamodendron.\n\nGUJAKALPA: Name of a medicinal preparation.\n\nGUL\u00c1L: Red powder.\n\nGUMPHA: A cave.\n\nGUNDAR: Gum arabic.\n\nGURAV: A caste of temple ministrants or an individual of it.\n\nGURU: A religious preceptor; Jupiter.\n\nGURU CHARITRA: Name of a sacred book.\n\n\n\nH.\n\nHADAL: Ghost of a woman who dies within ten days of childbirth or\nduring menses.\n\nHADALI: See Hadal.\n\nH\u00c1J: A pilgrim.\n\nHAJ\u00c1M: A caste of barbers or an individual of it.\n\nHAL\u00c1HAL: A sort of deadly poison produced at the churning of the ocean.\n\nHANSA: A goose.\n\nHANUM\u00c1N: Name of a deity in the form of a monkey. He was a great\ndevotee of R\u00e1ma.\n\nHANUM\u00c1N-JAYANTI: The full-moon-day of chaitra celebrated as the\nbirthday of Hanum\u00e1n.\n\nHAR: A name of Shiva.\n\nHARDA: A garland of balls made of sugar.\n\nHARD\u00c1S: One who performs Kath\u00e1s that is relates stories of Hindu\ndeities to the accompaniment of music.\n\nHARDE: Myrobalan.\n\nHARI: A name of Vishnu.\n\nHARISCHANDRA: Name of a mythological king.\n\nHARIT\u00c1LIKA: The third day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad on which\nimages of P\u00e1rvati made of earth are worshipped by women.\n\nHARIVANSHA: Name of a pur\u00e1n.\n\nHASTA: Name of a constellation.\n\nHATHADI: An order of ghosts.\n\nH\u00c1THI: An elephant.\n\nHAVAN: A sacrificial offering.\n\nHEDAMATIO: A name of Hanum\u00e1n.\n\nHEDAMBA: Name of a giantess.\n\nHEDLI: An order of ghosts.\n\nHEMANT-RITU: Winter.\n\nHIDIMBA: Name of a giantess.\n\nHIJADA: A eunuch.\n\nHINGL\u00c1J: Name of a goddess.\n\nHIRANYAKASHIPU: Name of a demon.\n\nHIRANYAKASHYAPU: Name of a demon.\n\nHIRANY\u00c1KSHA: Name of a demon.\n\nHIRWA: An order of ghosts.\n\nHOL: Name of a goddess.\n\nHOLI: A festival held at the approach of the vernal equinox. The pile\narranged to be kindled at the festival.\n\nHOLIA: A boy who takes an active part in the Holi celebrations.\n\nHOLIKA: Name of a goddess.\n\nHOLO: A species of birds.\n\nHOMA: A sacrifice.\n\nHOMAHAVAN: A formation expressing comprehensively or collectively,\nthe several acts and points appertaining to oblation by fire: also\nany one indefinely of these acts and points.\n\nHOW: Name of a demon.\n\nHUMBAD: A caste of V\u00e1ni\u00e1s or an individual of it.\n\nHUT\u00c1SHANI: The pile arranged to be kindled at the festival of Holi.\n\n\n\nI.\n\nINA: An egg.\n\nIN\u00c1M: A gift.\n\nINDA: An egg-shaped vessel.\n\nINDRA-DHANUSHYA: A rain-bow.\n\nINDRAJIT: Name of a demon.\n\nINDRAMAHOTSAVA: A festival celebrated in honour of the god Indra.\n\nIRALE: A protection against rain made of the leaves of trees.\n\nISHTADEVATA: A chosen deity.\n\nITIDIO: A species of insects.\n\n\n\nJ.\n\nJ\u00c1DI: Fat.\n\nJADO: Fastened.\n\nJ\u00c1DU: The black art.\n\nJ\u00c1GRAN: The fifteenth day of the bright half of Ash\u00e1dh.\n\nJ\u00c1GRITI: Wakefulness.\n\nJAIKHA: An order of ghosts.\n\nJ\u00c1KH\u00c1I: Name of a minor goddess.\n\nJAKHANI: An order of semi-divine beings.\n\nJAKH\u00c1I-DEVI: Name of a minor goddess.\n\nJAKHARA: Name of a minor goddess.\n\nJAKHARO: An order of ghosts.\n\nJ\u00c1KHIN: Spirit of a woman whose husband is alive.\n\nJAKHM\u00c1TA: Name of a minor goddess.\n\nJAKRIN: Name of a deity residing in water.\n\nJ\u00c1L: An order of ghosts; name of a tree.\n\nJALACHAR: An order of evil spirits living in water.\n\nJALADEVI: Water-goddess.\n\nJALAJ: An order of ghosts.\n\nJALA-JATRA: The ceremony of submerging the image of Shiva.\n\nJALANDHAR: Name of a demon.\n\nJALAP: A dream caused by cold.\n\nJALDEVKI: Water-goddess.\n\nJALOTSAVA: A water festival.\n\nJAMBUVANT: One of the generals of Rama's army at the siege of Lanka\nor Ceylon.\n\nJAMBUVANTI: The daughter of Jambuvant.\n\nJAMI: An order of ghosts.\n\nJ\u00c1N: An order of ghosts.\n\nJANAK: A king of Mahila, the foster-father of Sita.\n\nJ\u00c1NAWE: A sacred thread.\n\nJANGAM: A Ling\u00e1yat priest.\n\nJANHU: Name of a mythological king.\n\nJANJIRO: A black cotton thread with seven knots.\n\nJANM\u00c1SHTAMI: The eighth day of the dark half of Shr\u00e1van celebrated\nas the birth-day of Krishna.\n\nJANMA-SUW\u00c1SINI: A woman who is perpetually unwidowed.\n\nJANNI: Name of a minor goddess.\n\nJANTRA: A mystical arrangement of words.\n\nJAP: Repeating prayers in a muttering manner.\n\nJAP-M\u00c1L: A rosary.\n\nJ\u00c1RAN: A kind of black art.\n\nJAR\u00c1SANDH: Name of a demon.\n\nJARI: Name of a goddess.\n\nJARI-MARI: A goddess presiding over an epidemic or pestilential\ndisease.\n\nJATA: Matted hair.\n\nJATRA: A fair.\n\nJATUPI: Name of a sage.\n\nJAVA: Barley.\n\nJAV\u00c1LA: Tender wheat plants.\n\nJETHA: The eighth month of the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nJHAPAT: A sudden encounter.\n\nJHOL\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nJIMP: An order of ghosts.\n\nJINNI: An order of ghosts.\n\nJINO: Small.\n\nJINTHRO: Rugged.\n\nJIREN: Cumin-seed.\n\nJIVADHANI: Name of a goddess.\n\nJIVI: Live.\n\nJIVO: Live.\n\nJOG\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nJOGANI: A female harpie.\n\nJOGATA: A male child offered to the goddess Yallamma.\n\nJOGATIN: A female child offered to the goddess Yallamma.\n\nJOGAVA: Begging in the name of the goddess Amba.\n\nJOGI: A male child offered to the goddess M\u00e1y\u00e1ka.\n\nJOGIN: A female child offered to the goddess M\u00e1y\u00e1ka.\n\nJU\u00c1RI: A kind of corn.\n\nJULEBI: A kind of sweet.\n\nJUTHI: False.\n\nJUV\u00c1RI: A kind of corn.\n\nJYESHTHA: The third month of the Deccani Hindu and the eighth month\nof the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year. Name of a constellation.\n\nJYOTISH-SH\u00c1STRA: The science of astronomy.\n\n\n\nK.\n\nKABAR: A tomb raised over the grave of a Muhammadan saint.\n\nKABIR: Name of a celebrated saint.\n\nKACHA: The son of Brihaspati, the preceptor of gods.\n\nKACHAKADA: A kind of bead.\n\nKACHARO: Refuse.\n\nKACHBI: Rainbow.\n\nK\u00c1CHHIA: A caste of vegetable sellers.\n\nKADADAN: Legumes.\n\nKADALIPUJAN: Plantain tree worship.\n\nKADAMB: Anthocephalus cadamba.\n\nKADVI: Bitter.\n\nKADAVO: Bitter.\n\nKADULIMB: Melia Azadirachta.\n\nK\u00c1FRI: An order of ghosts.\n\nK\u00c1GDO: A crow.\n\nK\u00c1GR\u00c1SHIA: An expounder of the utterances of crows.\n\nK\u00c1GVA: Cooked food offered to the manes.\n\nKAITABHA: Name of a demon.\n\nK\u00c1JAL: Collyrium.\n\nK\u00c1JRA: A kind of tree.\n\nKAKADI: A cucumber.\n\nK\u00c1KBHUSHUNDI: Name of a sage.\n\nKALASH: A jar.\n\nKALASHI: A weight of corn.\n\nK\u00c1LANEMI: Name of a demon.\n\nKALASIO: A bowl.\n\nK\u00c1LI: Name of a goddess.\n\nK\u00c1LIKA: Name of a goddess.\n\nK\u00c1LK\u00c1ICHE BHUT: An order of ghosts.\n\nK\u00c1LI CHAUDAS: The fourteenth day of the dark half of Ashvin.\n\nKALINGI: Daughter of the king of the Kalingas.\n\nK\u00c1LI PARAJ: A name applied collectively to the aboriginal tribes\nof Gujar\u00e1t.\n\nK\u00c1LIYA N\u00c1G: Name of a mythological snake.\n\nK\u00c1LI YUGA: The fourth age of the world according to the Hindu\nscriptures.\n\nK\u00c1LO: Black.\n\nK\u00c1LO VA: Name of a cattle disease.\n\nKALPAVRIKSHA: A fabulous tree granting all desires.\n\nK\u00c1L BHAIRAV: A name of Mah\u00e1dev.\n\nK\u00c1L PURUSHA: The god of death.\n\nK\u00c1LUB\u00c1I: Name of a minor goddess.\n\nKALY\u00c1N: Welfare.\n\nK\u00c1MA DHENU: A heavenly cow granting all desires.\n\nKAMALA HOLI: The fourteenth day of the bright half of F\u00e1lgun.\n\nK\u00c1MAN: A kind of black art of bewitching a person.\n\nKAMANDALU: A gourd.\n\nK\u00c1MDEV MAH\u00c1DEV: A name of Mah\u00e1dev.\n\nKAMOD: A kind of rice.\n\nKANAKN\u00c1TH: A name of Mah\u00e1dev.\n\nKANKOTRI: Red powder.\n\nK\u00c1NOBA: Name of a minor deity.\n\nKANSA: King of Mathura, maternal uncle of Krishna.\n\nKANS\u00c1R: Coarse wheat flour cooked in water or ghi and sweetened with\nmolasses or sugar.\n\nKANYA: A girl; Virgo.\n\nKAPHAN: The cloth in which a corpse is wrapped.\n\nKAPIL: Name of a sage.\n\nKAPIL\u00c1SHASTHI: A day on which synchronize six particulars--the\nday, Tuesday; the month, Bh\u00e1drapad; the date, the sixth of the dark\nfortnight; the Nakshatra, Rohini; the Yog, Vyatip\u00e1t; the Mah\u00e1nakshatra,\nHasti.\n\nKAPILASHETE: See Kapil\u00e1shasthi.\n\nKARAN: A kind of tree.\n\nKARH\u00c1DA: A caste of Br\u00e1hmans found in the Deccan.\n\nKARKA: Cancer.\n\nKARKATA: Name of a water nymph.\n\nKARKATI: See Karkata.\n\nKARKOTAK: Name of a snake.\n\nKARMAM\u00c1RGA: The path of action.\n\nK\u00c1RTIK: The eighth month of the Deccani Hindu and the first month of\nthe Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nK\u00c1RTIKEY: Son of Shiva, the commander of the army of the gods.\n\nK\u00c1SADA: A kind of sacred grass.\n\nKAS\u00c1I: A butcher.\n\nKASATIA: Name of a god.\n\nKASATIA-G\u00c1NTH: Tying the knot of Kasatia, a vow observed in the name\nof the god Kasatia.\n\nK\u00c1SHI: Benares.\n\nK\u00c1THAWATI: Name of a tribe.\n\nKATHEKARI: A narrator of the legends of the gods.\n\nK\u00c1THI: Name of a tribe.\n\nK\u00c1TKARI: Name of a tribe.\n\nK\u00c1TL\u00c1N: A kind of medicinal preparation.\n\nKATY\u00c1R: A dagger.\n\nKAUL: The rice, betelnuts, etc., stuck upon an idol when it is\nconsulted.\n\nKAUL GH\u00c1LNE: To consult a deity by kaul.\n\nKAURAVA: The patronymic of the descendants of Kuru, but usually\napplied to the sons of Dhritar\u00e1shtra.\n\nKAUSTUBHA: Name of a celebrated gem obtained at the churning of the\nocean and worn by Vishnu.\n\nKAVANESHWAR: A name of Mah\u00e1dev.\n\nK\u00c1YA: Body.\n\nKED\u00c1R: Name of a deity.\n\nKER\u00c1DO: A kind of tree.\n\nKESHAR: Saffron.\n\nKESHAVA: A name of Krishna.\n\nKETU: In astronomy, the ninth of the planets; in mythology, a demon.\n\nKHABITH: An order of ghosts.\n\nKHAD-KHADYA-BES\u00c1DVI: A ceremony performed by exorcists to propitiate\ntheir favourite goddesses.\n\nKHADI: Red or green earth.\n\nKHAGACHAR: An order of ghosts roaming in the sky.\n\nKHAIR: Acacia catechu.\n\nKHAIS: A species of water spirits.\n\nKHAJ\u00c1DA PANTH: A sect of Hindus.\n\nKH\u00c1KHARA: A kind of tree.\n\nKH\u00c1KHI: A sect of Hindus.\n\nKHAL: The passage in the Shivalinga (phallus of Shiva).\n\nKHANA: A bodice cloth.\n\nKH\u00c1NDE PUJAN: Worship of arms.\n\nKHANDER\u00c1I: A name of the deity Khandoba.\n\nKHANDOBA: Name of a deity.\n\nKHANJIR: A dagger.\n\nKH\u00c1PARI: A kind of cattle disease.\n\nKH\u00c1PRYA: An order of ghosts.\n\nKH\u00c1RAVA: A disease of cattle in which the hoofs are affected.\n\nKH\u00c1RVA: A caste of fishermen and sailors or an individual of it.\n\nKH\u00c1RVI: See Kh\u00e1rva.\n\nKH\u00c1TALE: A cot.\n\nKHATRI: A caste of weavers.\n\nKHAV\u00c1S: A caste of Hindus.\n\nKHAVIS: An order of ghosts.\n\nKHETALO: Name of a snake deity.\n\nKHETRVA: A field.\n\nKHEM: An order of ghosts.\n\nKHICHADI: A preparation of rice and pulse cooked together.\n\nKHIJADIO: The Shami tree, Prosopis spicigera.\n\nKHIJADO: See Khijadio.\n\nKHIJADO M\u00c1MO: An order of ghosts.\n\nKHILI: A peg.\n\nKHIR: Rice cooked in milk and sweetened with sugar.\n\nKHIT KHIT: Notes of the Pingla bird.\n\nKHODI\u00c1R M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nKHODO: Lame.\n\nKHODO M\u00c1MO: Name of a minor deity.\n\nKHOJA: A class of Musalm\u00e1ns.\n\nKHOKHO: An outdoor game played in the Deccan.\n\nKHUNTINI: An order of ghosts.\n\nKIDI: An ant.\n\nKILBIL: Notes of the Pingla bird.\n\nKINKH\u00c1B: Silk worked with gold and silver flowers, brocade.\n\nKINNARI: An order of semi-divine beings.\n\nKIR\u00c1TA: A fisherman.\n\nKISHORD\u00c1S: A name of Hanum\u00e1n.\n\nKODRA: Punctured millet.\n\nKOHALA: Pumpkin.\n\nKOK\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nKOKIL: A cuckoo.\n\nKOKILA VRATA: The festival of cuckoos which is held in the month of\nAsh\u00e1dh after a lapse of twenty years.\n\nKOLAMB\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nKOLH\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nKOLI: A primitive tribe of Hindus common in the Bombay Presidency.\n\nKOLO: A jackal.\n\nKOLK\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nKOLU: Cucurbita maxima.\n\nKONDI: A kind of earthen pot.\n\nKONDURI: A preparation of mutton.\n\nKORI: A new garment; an unused earthen jar; a small silver coin.\n\nKOTHALI: Reticule.\n\nKOTW\u00c1L: Name of an untouchable caste of Hindus.\n\nKOYATA: A wood bill.\n\nKRISHNA: The eighth incarnation of Vishnu.\n\nKRITIKA: Name of a constellation.\n\nKRIYA BHAUD\u00c1I: Name of a deity.\n\nKSHATRIYA: The warrior class, the second of the fourfold divisions\nof Manu.\n\nKSHETRA: A holy place.\n\nKSHETRAP\u00c1L: The guardian spirit of fields; a kind of stone.\n\nKUBER: The lord of wealth, the regent of the north and the king of\nthe Yakshas and Kinnaras.\n\nKUKAD VEL: A kind of creeper.\n\nKUL: A totem; a clan.\n\nKULA-DEVATA: Family deity.\n\nKULA-DEVI: Family goddess.\n\nKULADHARMA: A special worship of the family god or goddess of each\nfamily.\n\nKULATHI: A kind of corn.\n\nKULERA: A mixture of wheat, oat or rice flour, clarified butter and\nsugar or molasses.\n\nKULKARNI: A village accountant.\n\nKUMBHA: Aquarius.\n\nKUMBHAKARN: Name of a demon.\n\nKUMBH\u00c1R: A caste of potters.\n\nKUMBH\u00c1RAN: A woman of the Kumbh\u00e1r caste.\n\nKUMBHAVA: Name of a cattle disease.\n\nKUMBHAVIV\u00c1HA: Marriage with an earthen jar.\n\nKUNBI: A cultivator.\n\nKUND: A pond; a pit; a sacred pool.\n\nKUNDALAN: A kind of magic circle.\n\nKUNDALI: An astrological diagram of the position of planets at any\nparticular time.\n\nKUNDALIA: A name of Hanum\u00e1n.\n\nKUNDI: A shoe-maker's earthen pot.\n\nKUNKU: Red powder.\n\nKUNTI: The first wife of Pandu.\n\nKUPOTSARGA: Digging a well for the benefit of the public--and\nabandoning one's right of ownership over it.\n\nKURANANDI: Wheat flour lumps used in the ceremony of the Bodan.\n\nKURI: An implement for sowing corn.\n\nKURMI: Name of a water nymph.\n\nKURUKSHETRA: The extensive plain near Delhi, the scene of the great\nbattle between the Kauravas and P\u00e1ndavas.\n\nKUSHM\u00c1ND: An order of demi-gods.\n\nKUSUMBA: The dye prepared from the dried flowers of the Kusumba\n(Carthamus tinctorius).\n\nKUTRO: A dog.\n\n\n\nL.\n\nL\u00c1DU: A sweet ball.\n\nLAGHURUDRA: A rite in honour of the god Shiva.\n\nL\u00c1HYA: Parched rice.\n\nLAKSHACHANDI: A recitation in honour of the goddess P\u00e1rvati.\n\nLAKSHAMANA: Brother of R\u00e1ma.\n\nLAKSHMI: The goddess of wealth.\n\nL\u00c1LA HARDEV: Name of a minor local deity.\n\nL\u00c1LO: Name of a field deity.\n\nL\u00c1LO BHAGAT: Name of a saint.\n\nL\u00c1MANDIVO: An iron lamp.\n\nLAMLAN: A branch of black magic.\n\nLANKA: Ceylon.\n\nL\u00c1PSI: Coarse wheat flour fried in ghi and sweetened with molasses\nor sugar.\n\nLAVENG: Clove.\n\nL\u00c1VANI: A kind of ballad: plantation.\n\nL\u00c1WANI: Plantation.\n\nL\u00c1VO: A Parasite.\n\nL\u00c1VSANT: A ghost of a widow.\n\nLIMDO: A tree, Alantas excelsa.\n\nLIMBO: Poisonous.\n\nLINGA: Phallus.\n\nLINGAM: See Linga.\n\nLING\u00c1YAT: An individual of the Ling\u00e1yat religion whose chief object\nof worship is Shiva.\n\nLOB\u00c1N: Olibanum.\n\nLOBH\u00c1N: Incense powder.\n\nLOTA: A water pot.\n\nLUV\u00c1NA: A caste of traders.\n\nLUXMI: See Lakshmi.\n\n\n\nM.\n\nMACHCHENDRA N\u00c1TH: Name of a saint.\n\nMACHHI: Name of a water nymph.\n\nM\u00c1CHHO: Name of a goddess.\n\nMACHHU: See M\u00e1chho.\n\nMADALIUN: A hollow bracelet.\n\nMADAN: Cupid.\n\nMADHAVI: A village headman.\n\nMADHU: Name of a demon.\n\nMADHU PAVANTI: An order of ghosts.\n\nMADHW\u00c1CH\u00c1RYA: Name of a great saint who founded a sect of Vaishnavism.\n\nMAFAT: Useless.\n\nMAFATIO: Useless.\n\nMAG: A grain, Phaseolus mungo.\n\nM\u00c1GH: The eleventh month of the Deccani Hindu and the fourth month\nof the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nMAGHA: Name of a constellation.\n\nMAGHALO: A lamp of mud covered with leaves to represent the god\nof rain.\n\nMAH\u00c1BH\u00c1RAT: Name of an epic of the Hindus.\n\nMAH\u00c1DEVA: A name of Shiva.\n\nMAHA GIRA: Name of a minor deity.\n\nMAH\u00c1K\u00c1LI: Name of a goddess.\n\nMAH\u00c1K\u00c1LI NIRV\u00c1N TANTRA: Name of a work on Tantric philosophy.\n\nMAH\u00c1LAKSHMI: Name of a goddess; Name of a ceremony in which the\ngoddess is worshipped on the eighth day of the bright half of Ashvin.\n\nMAH\u00c1LAYA SHR\u00c1DDHA: A shr\u00e1ddha performed in the dark half of Bh\u00e1drapad\nin propitiation of ancestors.\n\nMAH\u00c1M\u00c1RI: Cholera goddess.\n\nMAHANT: A saint.\n\nMAH\u00c1PURUSH: An order of civil spirits.\n\nMAH\u00c1R: An unclean caste of Hindus.\n\nMAH\u00c1R PURUSHA: A kind of stone.\n\nMAH\u00c1R\u00c1JA: A term of respectful compellation applied to kings, religious\nheads, saints, etc.\n\nMAH\u00c1R\u00c1KSHASA: A class of demons.\n\nMAH\u00c1RUDRA: A sacrifice in honour of Shiva.\n\nMAH\u00c1RAURAVA: A kind of hell.\n\nMAH\u00c1SHIVAR\u00c1TRI: The fourteenth day of the dark half of M\u00e1gh, a fast\nday in honour of Shiva.\n\nMAH\u00c1TMA: A saint.\n\nMAH\u00c1TMYA: Greatness.\n\nMAHESHA: A name of Shiva.\n\nMAHESHVAR: A name of Shiva.\n\nMAHI: Name of a demon.\n\nMAHIK\u00c1WATI: Name of a goddess.\n\nMAHODAYA: Name of a festival.\n\nMAIDAN: A plain.\n\nMAKARA: Capricornus.\n\nMAKARI: Name of a water nymph.\n\nMAKHAR: A gaily dressed up wooden frame.\n\nMAKI: Maize.\n\nM\u00c1L\u00c1R: A musical mode.\n\nMALH\u00c1RI: A name of Kandoba.\n\nMALI: Red lead.\n\nM\u00c1LI: A caste of gardeners or an individual of it.\n\nMALINDA: A sweet preparation of wheat flour fried in ghi.\n\nMALIN: Unclean.\n\nMALL\u00c1RI: A name of Khandoba.\n\nM\u00c1LO: A bower.\n\nMAMIKULA: An order of ghosts.\n\nM\u00c1MO: An order of ghosts; a maternal uncle.\n\nMANAYA: Name of a deity.\n\nMANDAL: A group.\n\nMANDALU: A circle.\n\nMANDAN MISHRA: Name of an ancient scholar.\n\nMANDAP: A bower.\n\nM\u00c1NDA BHARANE: Filling in a magic circle as a protection from spirits.\n\nM\u00c1NEK-STAMBHA: The auspicious post of the marriage bower.\n\nM\u00c1NG: An unclean caste of the Hindus.\n\nM\u00c1NG\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nMANGAL: Mars.\n\nMANGAL\u00c1-GOURI: A ceremony performed by married girls for five\nsuccessive years on every Tuesday of the month of Shr\u00e1van.\n\nMANGAL\u00c1RATI: Moving a lighted lamp round an idol.\n\nMANGALSUTRA: The lucky thread worn by married women.\n\nMANI: A jewel; name of a deity.\n\nMANIDHAR: A snake.\n\nMANI MALLA: Name of a demon.\n\nM\u00c1NKARI: The person entitled to certain honours and presents at\nvillage assemblies.\n\nMANKODA: A black ant.\n\nM\u00c1NSA KHAVANTI: An order of ghosts.\n\nMANTRA: An incantation; a magic spell.\n\nMANTRA-SH\u00c1STRA: The science of incantations.\n\nMANTRI: An exorcist.\n\nM\u00c1NTRIK: An exorcist.\n\nMANUSHYACHAR: An order of ghosts moving among men.\n\nM\u00c1RAN: A branch of black magic.\n\nM\u00c1RGA: A path; course.\n\nMARG\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nM\u00c1RGASHIRSHA: The ninth month of the Deccani Hindu and the second\nmonth of the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nMARGI: A sect of Hindus.\n\nMARGI PANTHI: A follower of the Margi sect.\n\nMARI: Name of a goddess.\n\nMARICHI: Name of a sage.\n\nMARIYUN: A ceremony for driving away insects.\n\nMARVO: Marjoram.\n\nMASUR: Lentil.\n\nMASIDA: An order of ghosts.\n\nM\u00c1TA: A goddess.\n\nM\u00c1T\u00c1JI: See M\u00e1ta.\n\nM\u00c1TA ASHTAMI: The eighth day of the navar\u00e1tra.\n\nM\u00c1TARI: Name of a goddess.\n\nMATH: A monastery.\n\nM\u00c1THBH\u00c1JI: A kind of green vegetable.\n\nM\u00c1TI: Earth.\n\nM\u00c1TRIKA: A mother; an order of semi-divine beings.\n\nM\u00c1ULI: Name of a goddess.\n\nMAUNYA VRATA: A vow of silence.\n\nM\u00c1VADI: Ghost of a woman dying with certain desires unfulfilled.\n\nM\u00c1YA: Illusion.\n\nM\u00c1Y\u00c1KA: Name of a goddess.\n\nMEDA: Marrow.\n\nMEDINI: The earth.\n\nMEGH: A cloud.\n\nMEGHAR\u00c1JA: The god of rains.\n\nMEGHLADDU: A sweet ball of wheat flour fried in ghi.\n\nMEHULO: See Maghalo.\n\nMEKAIL: Name of an angel.\n\nMELADI: An order of ghosts.\n\nMELDI: See Meladi.\n\nMELI VIDYA: Sacrilegious art.\n\nMENA: A kind of bird.\n\nMERU: Name of a mythological mountain.\n\nMESHA: Aries.\n\nMH\u00c1LSA: Name of a goddess.\n\nMH\u00c1RJ\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nMHARLOBA: Name of a deity.\n\nMHASHYA: A species of water spirits.\n\nMHASOBA: Name of a village deity; lord of ghosts.\n\nMIANA: A class of Musalm\u00e1ns.\n\nMINA: Pisces.\n\nMINDHAL: A kind of fruit.\n\nMIRI: Particle.\n\nMITHUN: Gemini.\n\nMIYALI: An order of ghosts.\n\nMOBHARA: A hollow stone used for threshing corn.\n\nMOCHI: A caste of shoe-makers.\n\nMOCHINI: An order of ghosts.\n\nMOGRI: Rat-tailed raddish.\n\nMOHAN: A branch of black magic.\n\nMOHINI: A fascinating woman.\n\nMOHARO: The stone found in the head of the snake.\n\nMOHOR: See Moharo.\n\nMOKSHA: Salvation.\n\nMOLANI: An order of ghosts.\n\nMOT\u00c1KAT: Name of a vow.\n\nMOR: A peacock.\n\nMORIA: An earthen bowl.\n\nMOT M\u00c1VALI: Mother Mary.\n\nMOTUDUKH: A kind of cattle disease.\n\nMOVA KHARAVA: Name of a cattle disease.\n\nMRIG: A deer; name of a constellation.\n\nMRIG\u00c1NKA: The moon.\n\nMRIGA TONCHANA: The moon.\n\nMRITYUNJAYA: Name of an incantation.\n\nMUCHKUND: Name of a sage.\n\nMUJ\u00c1VAR: A sweeper of a mosque devoutly or piously fixed to it.\n\nMUKTI: Salvation.\n\nMUL: Name of a star.\n\nMULO: Raddish.\n\nMUNDA: A kind of wind.\n\nMUNGESHWAR MAH\u00c1DEV: A name of Shiva.\n\nMUNGI M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess; dumb mother.\n\nMUNJA: Spirit of Br\u00e1hman boy who dies immediately after his thread\nceremony.\n\nMURALI: A flute.\n\nMURDUNGA: Tabour.\n\nMURLI: See Murali.\n\nMUSAL: A rice pounder.\n\nMUTH: The fist.\n\nMUTH M\u00c1RANE: Throwing of a handful of rice over which incantations\nhave been repeated; sending a bewitched lemon to a person to whom a\ndisease is to be transferred or who is to be killed.\n\nMUVA-KESHIBI: A kind of cattle disease.\n\n\n\nN.\n\nN\u00c1CHANI: A kind of grain.\n\nN\u00c1D\u00c1PUDI: A coloured cord with a small parcel containing incense,\nred powder, etc.\n\nN\u00c1D\u00c1S\u00c1DI: A cord and a robe.\n\nN\u00c1G: A snake; a species of semi-divine beings half men half serpents\nin form.\n\nN\u00c1GA: See N\u00e1g.\n\nN\u00c1GABALI: A propitiatory offering to snakes.\n\nN\u00c1GAR: A caste of Br\u00e1hmans found in Gujar\u00e1t.\n\nN\u00c1GCH\u00c1MFA: A flower tree, Alpinia mutans.\n\nN\u00c1GDEV: The snake god.\n\nN\u00c1GKANYA: A snake girl.\n\nN\u00c1G KESAR: Messua Ferrea.\n\nN\u00c1GMAGA: A class of beggars who worship the snake.\n\nN\u00c1GN\u00c1TH: Name of a snake deity.\n\nN\u00c1G PANCHAMI: The fifth day of the bright half Shr\u00e1van, a holiday in\nhonour of the snake deity.\n\nN\u00c1GO: Shameless.\n\nN\u00c1GOBA: The snake deity.\n\nN\u00c1GVEL: A kind of creeper.\n\nNAIVEDYA: An offering of some eatable to an idol.\n\nNAKSHATRA: A star; a constellation.\n\nNALA: Name of a mythological king.\n\nN\u00c1LPIR: Name of a pir or Mahomedan saint.\n\nN\u00c1L S\u00c1HEB: A familiar name for the bearer, in the Muharam, of the\nTabut-pole which terminates at the top in a n\u00e1l or horse-shoe member.\n\nNAMAN: Oil poured over the image of Hanum\u00e1n.\n\nNAMASK\u00c1R: Reverential or respectful address or salutation.\n\nNANDA: the adoptive father of Krishna.\n\nNANDAR\u00c1J: Name of a mythological king.\n\nNANDI: A bull.\n\nN\u00c1NDI SHR\u00c1DDHA: A Shr\u00e1ddha to the manes, preliminary to any joyous\noccasion.\n\nN\u00c1NO: Small.\n\nNAO NARASING: An order of ghosts.\n\nNARA: Name of a sage.\n\nN\u00c1RAD MUNI: Name of a divine sage.\n\nNARAK: Hell.\n\nNARAK-CHATURDASHI: The fourteenth day of the dark half of Ashvin.\n\nN\u00c1RALI PAURNIMA: The cocoanut holiday, the fifteenth day of the bright\nhalf of Shr\u00e1van.\n\nNARASIMHA: An incarnation of Vishnu in the form of half lion half man.\n\nN\u00c1R\u00c1YAN: Name of a sage.\n\nN\u00c1R\u00c1YANA BALI: A sacrifice in propitiation of evil spirits.\n\nN\u00c1R\u00c1YAN KAVACH: A hymn in honour of Vishnu.\n\nN\u00c1R\u00c1YAN N\u00c1GABALI: A kind of offering.\n\nN\u00c1REL-PURNIMA: See N\u00e1rali Paurnima.\n\nNARGUDIKALPA: A kind of medicinal preparation.\n\nNARKYA UDA: A kind of incense.\n\nNARSINHA: See Narasimha.\n\nNARSINHA MEHTA: a celebrated saint of Gujar\u00e1t.\n\nN\u00c1TAK: A drama.\n\nNATHU: Tied.\n\nNAVACHANDI: Name of a sacrifice.\n\nNAVAGRAHA: The nine planets.\n\nNAVAGRAHASH\u00c1NTI: A ceremony in propitiation of the nine planets.\n\nNAVAK\u00c1D\u00c1N: Gift of a ship.\n\nNAVAL\u00c1-DEVI: Name of a goddess.\n\nNAVAMUTHIUM: A preparation of nine handfuls of wheat.\n\nNAVAR\u00c1TRA: The first nine days of the month of Ashvin held sacred\nto Durga.\n\nNAVATERI: A game of nine and thirteen.\n\nNEHADO: A hamlet of Bharv\u00e1ds or shepherds.\n\nNIAR: A kind of rice grown without ploughing.\n\nNILOTSARGA: A kind of Shr\u00e1ddha.\n\nNILOTSAVA: See Nilparv\u00e1n.\n\nNILPARV\u00c1N: A ceremony in propitiation of the spirits of deceased\nancestors.\n\nNIRGUDI: A kind of plant.\n\nNIRMALA: Name of a goddess.\n\nNOL VEL: A kind of creeper.\n\nNRISINHA MANTRA: An incantation in honour of Nrisinha.\n\nNY\u00c1SA: Gesture.\n\n\n\nO.\n\nOGHAD: A fool.\n\nOKARINU: Vomitting; a kind of sheep disease.\n\nOLO: A species of birds.\n\nOMK\u00c1R MANDH\u00c1TA: Name of a god.\n\n\n\nP.\n\nP\u00c1DO: A he-buffalo.\n\nP\u00c1DUKA: Impressions of feet on stones.\n\nPADVAL: Snake-gourd.\n\nPADWAL: See Padval.\n\nPAJUSAN: A holiday of Jains.\n\nPALAS: A tree, Butea frondosa.\n\nPALEJATRA: A ceremony performed at the sowing season.\n\nPALE MARAD: An order of ghosts.\n\nP\u00c1LIO: A pillar. A tomb erected on the grave of a person who dies on\na field of battle.\n\nPALUS: See palas.\n\nP\u00c1N: A betel leaf.\n\nPANCHAK: Grouping of constellations lasting for five days.\n\nPANCH\u00c1KSHARI: An exorcist.\n\nPANCH\u00c1MRITA: A mixture of milk, curds, sugar, ghi and honey.\n\nPANCHARATNA: Five kinds of precious things, viz., gold, silver,\ncopper, coral and pearls.\n\nPANCH\u00c1YATAN: The five deities, Shiva, Vishnu, Surya, Ganpati and Devi.\n\nPANCH-DEVA: See Panch\u00e1yatan.\n\nPANCHGAVYA: A mixture of the five products of the cow.\n\nPANCHOPACH\u00c1R: The presenting in oblation to an idol of five articles.\n\nP\u00c1NDAVA: A term applied to the five sons of Pandu.\n\nPANDHAR: Name of a goddess.\n\nPANDIT: A scholar.\n\nP\u00c1NDHRI: A kind of tree.\n\nP\u00c1NGAL\u00c1-DEVI: Name of a goddess.\n\nPANOTI: Certain peculiar conjunctions of planets; name of a goddess.\n\nP\u00c1PAD: Wafer biscuits.\n\nPARADI: A disease-scaring basket; a basket.\n\nPARAK\u00c1Y\u00c1PRAVESH: Entering the body of another.\n\nPARASHU: An axe.\n\nPARDESHI: A term applied to men from Upper India, usually low caste.\n\nPARJANYA: Rain.\n\nPARJANYA-SH\u00c1NTI: A ceremony performed to secure rainfall.\n\nPARM\u00c1R: A clan of Rajputs.\n\nP\u00c1RO: A kind of stone.\n\nP\u00c1RSHAD VAIKUNTHA: Name of a heavenly region.\n\nP\u00c1RTHISHWAR: Lord of the earth; a god.\n\nP\u00c1RVATI: The consort of Shiva.\n\nPARWANI: A festival.\n\nPASHUCHAR: An order of ghosts moving among beasts.\n\nPASHUPAT\u00c1KA: A weapon of Shiva.\n\nPASTANA: The being disposed for use--vessels, etc. for idol worship.\n\nP\u00c1T: A low wooden stool; marriage with a widow.\n\nP\u00c1T\u00c1L: The nether world.\n\nP\u00c1THA: Recitation.\n\nP\u00c1TIL: A village headman.\n\nPATIT-P\u00c1VAN: Purifier of the fallen.\n\nPATKA: A head scarf.\n\nP\u00c1TLA: A low wooden stool.\n\nP\u00c1T L\u00c1VANE: To marry a widow.\n\nPAUR\u00c1NIC: As prescribed in the pur\u00e1nas.\n\nPAUSH: The tenth month of the Deccani Hindu and the third month of\nthe Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nP\u00c1VAIYA: A sect of goddess worshippers.\n\nP\u00c1VTE: A kind of grain.\n\nPEDHE: A kind of sweets.\n\nPEDI: A small heap or l\u00e1psi.\n\nPEESA: An order of ghosts.\n\nPENDA: A kind of sweets.\n\nPETTOD: A kind of cattle disease.\n\nPH\u00c1LGUN: The twelfth month of the Deccani Hindu and the fifth month\nof the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nPHANAS: The jack fruit.\n\nPIDH\u00c1N \u00c1RATI: The ceremony of substituting night ornaments on an idol\nfor the costly ornaments of the day.\n\nPILUDI: A kind of tree.\n\nPIND: A rice ball.\n\nPINDA: See Pind.\n\nPINGLA: A species of birds.\n\nPINJAR: Red powder.\n\nPIPAL: A tree, Ficus religiosa.\n\nPIPALESHWAR MAH\u00c1DEV: A name of Shiva.\n\nPIR: A Muhammadan name for a saint.\n\nPIRAS PIPALO: Thespesia populwa.\n\nPISH\u00c1CHA: An evil spirit.\n\nPITAR: A spirit of a deceased ancestor.\n\nPITHI: Turmeric powder.\n\nPITP\u00c1PDO: Glossocardi Boswellia.\n\nPITRA: Manes.\n\nPITRI: An ancestral spirit.\n\nPITRI SHR\u00c1DDHA: A Shr\u00e1ddha in propitiation of the ancestral spirits.\n\nPITRRIYA: A deceased ancestor.\n\nPITRU PAKSHA: Manes' fortnight, the dark half of the month of\nBh\u00e1drapad.\n\nPOHOR: A measure of time equal to three hours.\n\nPOLIO: Hollow.\n\nPOLO: Hollow.\n\nPONDHAR: Name of a goddess.\n\nPOPAT: A parrot.\n\nPOSHI: A class of chudels, an order of ghosts.\n\nPOTHIA: An exorcist; the bull of Shiva.\n\nPOTHIO: A bull.\n\nPR\u00c1CHETAS: A patronymic of Manu.\n\nPRADAKSHINA: Circumambulation.\n\nPRADOSHA: The thirteenth day of the dark half of a month.\n\nPRALH\u00c1D: The son of the demon Hiranyakashipu. He was a great devotee\nof Vishnu.\n\nPRALAMB\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nPR\u00c1NA: Life.\n\nPR\u00c1NA-POKA: Death wail.\n\nPRAS\u00c1D: Consecrated food.\n\nPRASTH\u00c1NA: See Pastana.\n\nPRAT\u00c1B: An order of ghosts.\n\nPR\u00c1YASCHITTA: Penance.\n\nPRAYOGA: Performance; experiment.\n\nPRETA: A goblin; spirit of a person dying a sudden or accidental death.\n\nPUDINA: Mentha Sativa.\n\nPUJA: Worship.\n\nPUJ\u00c1RI: A worshipper.\n\nPUJYA: Deserving to be worshipped.\n\nPULAP: Name of a sage.\n\nPULASTYA: Name of a sage.\n\nPUNARVASU: Name of a constellation.\n\nPUNDARIK: Name of a mythological snake.\n\nPUNEMA: The full moon day of a month.\n\nPUNJI: Refuse.\n\nPUNJO: Refuse.\n\nPUNY\u00c1HA WACHAN: A particular ceremony performed on festive occasions.\n\nPUNYA STH\u00c1NA: A holy place.\n\nPUNYA TITHI: The death anniversary of a Sany\u00e1si or saint.\n\nPUR\u00c1N: The name of a certain class of sacred books ascribed to Vy\u00e1sa\nand containing the whole body of Hindu mythology.\n\nPURBHAYA: A term applied to persons from Upper India.\n\nPURN\u00c1HUTI: An offering into the fire of a handful of rice, ghi,\ncocoanuts and some other articles.\n\nPURNIMA: See Paurnima.\n\nPURNA TITHI: A complete day.\n\nPURUSHOTTAM: Intercalary month.\n\nPURV\u00c1BH\u00c1DRAPADA: Name of a constellation.\n\nPURV\u00c1-F\u00c1LGUNI: Name of a constellation.\n\nPURVAJA: An ancestor.\n\nPURV\u00c1SH\u00c1DHA: Name of a constellation.\n\nPUSHKAR: Name of a snake.\n\nPUSHYA: Name of a constellation.\n\n\n\nR.\n\nRAB\u00c1RI: A caste of shepherds.\n\nR\u00c1DHA: A man dressed in woman's clothes as a dancer; name of a\nsweetheart of Krishna.\n\nRADIO: Crying.\n\nR\u00c1FDA: A kind of jujube tree.\n\nRAGATIO: An order of ghosts.\n\nR\u00c1HU: A demon with the tail of a dragon whose head was severed from his\nbody by Vishnu. The head and tail, retaining their separate existence,\nwere transferred to the planetary heavens, and became, the first,\nthe eighth planet, and the second (Ketu) the ninth.\n\nRAIN\u00c1DEVI: Name of a goddess.\n\nR\u00c1J\u00c1H: A king.\n\nR\u00c1JAYAJNA: A kind of sacrifice.\n\nR\u00c1JB\u00c1I M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nR\u00c1JBHOG ARATI: The ceremony of offering dainties and cooked food to\nthe gods.\n\nRAJPUT\u00c1NI: Wife of a Rajput; a Rajput woman.\n\nR\u00c1KHADI: A piece of silk thread.\n\nRAKHEV\u00c1LIO: An order of ghosts.\n\nR\u00c1KSHASA: A demon.\n\nR\u00c1LA: Panic seed.\n\nR\u00c1LE: Panic seed.\n\nRAMALASH\u00c1STRA: The science of divining by means of figures or lines\nand dice.\n\nR\u00c1MANAVAMI: The ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra celebrated\nas the birth day of R\u00e1ma.\n\nR\u00c1M\u00c1NUJA: Name of a great saint and philosopher who founded a sect\nof Vaishnavism.\n\nR\u00c1M\u00c1YANA: An epic poem by V\u00e1lmiki describing the exploits and\nadventures of R\u00e1ma.\n\nR\u00c1MCHANDRA: A name of R\u00e1ma.\n\nR\u00c1MESHWAR: A name of Shiva.\n\nR\u00c1MN\u00c1TH: Name of a deity.\n\nR\u00c1NDAL: Name of a goddess who presides over child-birth.\n\nR\u00c1NDHAN CHHETHA: The cooking sixth, the sixth day of the dark half\nof Shr\u00e1wan.\n\nRANGPANCHAMI: The fifth day of the dark half of Ph\u00e1lgun on which\ncoloured water is thrown.\n\nR\u00c1NJANI: A kind of tree.\n\nRANNA DEVI: Name of a goddess who presides over child-birth.\n\nR\u00c1NO: A Lord.\n\nR\u00c1SHI: Signs of the Zodiac.\n\nRATANVO P\u00c1RO: A kind of stone.\n\nRATANWA: A kind of skin disease.\n\nRATH: A charriot.\n\nRATHA SAPTAMI: The seventh day of the bright half of M\u00e1gh.\n\nRATNA: A jewel.\n\nRATNESHWAR MAH\u00c1DEVA: A name of Shiva.\n\nR\u00c1UL: A caste of Hindus or an individual of it.\n\nR\u00c1VAL: See R\u00e1ul.\n\nRAVALN\u00c1TH: Name of a spirit; name of a village deity.\n\nR\u00c1VAN: Name of the demon king of Lanka or Ceylon.\n\nRAVI: The sun.\n\nRAWALN\u00c1TH: See Ravaln\u00e1th.\n\nR\u00c1YAN: A tree, Mimusops hexandra.\n\nREKHA: A line.\n\nRELA: A stream.\n\nREVATI: Name of a constellation.\n\nREWADI: A preparation of sesamum and sugar.\n\nRIKTA: Unfruitful, inauspicious.\n\nRISHI PUNCHAMI: The fifth day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nRITU: A season.\n\nROHINI: Name of a constellation.\n\nROPANI: Transplanting.\n\nROT: A loaf prepared from eight kinds of grain.\n\nROTAL: Womanish.\n\nRUDRA: An order of semi-divine beings.\n\nRUDR\u00c1BHISHEKA: The ceremony of pouring water in a constant stream\nover the image of Shiva for eleven consecutive days and nights.\n\nRUDR\u00c1KSHA: A tree sacred to Shiva. Eleocarpus ganitrus.\n\nRUDR\u00c1KSHA M\u00c1LA: A rosary of 108 beads of the rudr\u00e1ksha wood.\n\nRUDRAY\u00c1G: A sacrifice in honour of the god Shiva.\n\nRUI: A tree, calotropis gigantea.\n\nRUPO: Handsome.\n\nRUTU: Name of a sage.\n\nRUTUSH\u00c1NTI: The marriage consummation ceremony.\n\n\n\nS.\n\nSABHA: A meeting.\n\nS\u00c1D\u00c1S\u00c1TI PANOTI: A panoti extending over seven years and a half.\n\nS\u00c1DHAN: Accomplishment.\n\nS\u00c1DHU: A saint.\n\nSAGAR: A king of the Solar race, an ancestor of R\u00e1ma.\n\nSAH\u00c1N: A levigating slab.\n\nSAHASRABHOJAN: Feeding a thousand Br\u00e1hmans.\n\nSAIT\u00c1N: An order of ghosts.\n\nSAIYED: A name for Musalm\u00e1ns directly descended from the Prophet.\n\nSAKHARADO: A kind of disease.\n\nSAKHOTIA: Name of a tree.\n\nSAKINI: An order of ghosts.\n\nS\u00c1KSHI: Witness.\n\nSAL\u00c1M: The word used in salutation by and to Muhammadans and other\npeople not Hindu.\n\nSALBAYA: Name of a deity.\n\nSAM\u00c1CHARI: The death anniversary.\n\nSAM\u00c1DH: The edifice which is erected over the burial-place of a\nSany\u00e1si or saint; deep and devout meditation.\n\nSAM\u00c1DHI: See Sam\u00e1dh.\n\nSAMAI: A brass lamp.\n\nS\u00c1M\u00c1NYA PUJA: Ordinary worship.\n\nSAMBANDHA: Spirit of a Br\u00e1hman who dies without an heir and whose\nfuneral rites have not been performed.\n\nS\u00c1MELU: A log of wood.\n\nS\u00c1MISHYA: Entering the divine order.\n\nSAMPAT SHANIW\u00c1R: Wealth-giving Shaniw\u00e1r, a Saturday in the month\nof Shr\u00e1van.\n\nSAMUDRA: The sea.\n\nSAMVAT: A year.\n\nSAMVATSAR: A year; A period of three cycles of twenty years each,\nthat is sixty years.\n\nSAMVATSARI: Death anniversary.\n\nS\u00c1MVATSARIK SHR\u00c1DDHA: The yearly Shr\u00e1ddha.\n\nSANATKUMAR: One of the four sons of Brahma.\n\nSANCHAL: A kind of salt.\n\nSANDHYA: The morning, noon or evening prayers of a Br\u00e1hman.\n\nSANDHYA \u00c1RATI: Offerings of Milk, sugar and cakes to the gods in\nthe evening.\n\nSANIP\u00c1T: Delirium.\n\nS\u00c1NKAL: A chain.\n\nSANKAR: A stone.\n\nSANKASTI CHATURTHI: The fourth lunar day of every dark fortnight.\n\nSANKR\u00c1NT: Transit or passage of the sun or a planet from one sign of\nthe zodiac into another.\n\nSANKR\u00c1NTI: See Sankr\u00e1nt.\n\nSANY\u00c1SI: The Br\u00e1hman of the fourth order, the religious mendicant.\n\nSAPINDI: The offering of a ball of rice, etc., to the spirit of a\ndeceased relative, commonly on the twelfth day after his decease.\n\nSAPT\u00c1HA: A perusal or reading through of a pur\u00e1n or other sacred book\nin seven consecutive days.\n\nSAPT\u00c1HA-P\u00c1R\u00c1YAN: See Sapt\u00e1ha.\n\nSAPTA-RISHI: Ursa Major (the seven stars of which are supposed to\nbe the seven great saints Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya. Pulaha,\nKratu and Vasishtha.)\n\nSAPTA SANI: Name of an incarnation.\n\nS\u00c1RANGDHA: A kind of fruit.\n\nSARASVATI: The goddess of learning.\n\nS\u00c1RI: A robe.\n\nSARPA B\u00c1NDHANE: A process by which a snake can be prevented from\nentering or leaving a particular area.\n\nSARVAS\u00c1KSHI: The observer of all things.\n\nSAT\u00c1P: A kind of tree.\n\nSATARSINGO: Name of a goblin.\n\nS\u00c1TEM: The seventh day of the bright or dark half of a month.\n\nS\u00c1TERI: Name of a goddess.\n\nS\u00c1THARA: The place in the house where a corpse is placed.\n\nSATHIA: An auspicious figure drawn on the floor.\n\nSATSANG: Contract with the righteous.\n\nSATV\u00c1I: Name of a goddess; the ghost of a woman.\n\nSATYA N\u00c1R\u00c1YAN: Name of a deity; a vow of that name.\n\nSATYAW\u00c1N: Name of a mythological king.\n\nSAUD\u00c1MINI: The lightning.\n\nSAUNDAD: The Shami tree, Prosopis spicigera.\n\nS\u00c1VAJ: A wild animal.\n\nSAVAP\u00c1TI: Weighing about six pounds and a quarter.\n\nSAVITA: The sun.\n\nS\u00c1VITRI: A mythological woman celebrated for her devotion to her\nhusband.\n\nSAWANEKARIN: Name of a goddess.\n\nS\u00c1WAR: A kind of tree.\n\nS\u00c1WK\u00c1R: A money-lender.\n\nS\u00c1VO: Sewed.\n\nS\u00c1YUJJA: Merging into the divine form.\n\nSER: A measure of weight.\n\nSERAJA: A kind of gift.\n\nSEVA: Vermicelli.\n\nSEVAK: A disciple, a follower.\n\nSEVAKA: See Sevak.\n\nSHAD\u00c1NADA: Name of a goddess.\n\nSHAKARIO: Name of a cattle disease.\n\nSH\u00c1KINI: An order of ghosts.\n\nSH\u00c1KTA M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nSHAKTI: The energy or active power of a deity personified as his wife;\nas P\u00e1rvati of Shiva.\n\nSHAKTIM\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nSHAKTI-PANTHI: A follower of the Shakti or Sh\u00e1kta sect that is those\nwho worship a divine energy under its feminine personification.\n\nSHAKTIY\u00c1G: A sacrifice in honour of Shakti.\n\nSH\u00c1LIGR\u00c1M: A sacred stone supposed to represent Vishnu.\n\nSH\u00c1LUNKI: A species of singing birds.\n\nSHANI: Saturn.\n\nSHANG\u00c1R ARATI: The ceremony of taking off the idols night garments\nand putting on others for the day.\n\nSHANKAR\u00c1CH\u00c1RYA: The designation of the celebrated teacher of the\nVed\u00e1nt philosophy.\n\nSHANK\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nSHANKH\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nSHANKHINI: An order of ghosts.\n\nSH\u00c1NTANU: A king of the lunar race who married Ganga and Satyavati.\n\nSHAR\u00c1DIAN: The dark half of the month of Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nSH\u00c1RANG: The bow of Vishnu.\n\nSHARAD PUNEMA: The full-moon day of Ashvin.\n\nSHARAD-RITU: The Autumn.\n\nSH\u00c1STRA: Scripture.\n\nSHATACHANDI: An incantation in honour of the goddess.\n\nSHATANJIVA: Live for a hundred years.\n\nSHATAT\u00c1RAKA: Name of a constellation.\n\nSHATCHANDI: An incantation in honour of the goddess Chandi.\n\nSHES BHARANE: Name of a ceremony.\n\nSHENDUR: Red lead.\n\nSHESH N\u00c1G: The snake of one thousand hoods who supports the earth.\n\nSHEVARI: A kind of tree.\n\nSHIKHANDI: Amba born as the daughter of Drupada. She was given out\nto be, and brought up as, a male child.\n\nSHIKHAR: Top.\n\nSHIKOTAR: Name of a goddess.\n\nSHILI: Stale.\n\nSHILI S\u00c1TEM: The stale seventh, the seventh day of the dark half\nof Shr\u00e1van.\n\nSHIR\u00c1LSHET: Name of an ancient V\u00e1ni or trader who became a king,\nand reigned three and a half ghatika (a measure of time).\n\nSHISHIR-RITU: The cold season.\n\nSHIT: The fowl tied to the top of the bamboo planted in the pit of\nthe Holi fire.\n\nSHITALA ASHTAKA: A hymn in praise of the goddess Shitala.\n\nSHITAL\u00c1I-PUJAN: A holiday observed by women.\n\nSHITAL\u00c1DEVI: The small-pox goddess.\n\nSHITALA M\u00c1TA: See Shital\u00e1devi.\n\nSHITAL-SAPTAMI: See Shili S\u00e1tem.\n\nSHIVA: The third god of the Hindu Trinity.\n\nSHIVALANGI: Name of a plant.\n\nSHIV\u00c1-MUTHA: A vow in which handfuls of corn are offered by married\ngirls to the god Vishnu on every Monday in the month of Shr\u00e1van.\n\nSHIVAR\u00c1TRA: The fourteenth day of the dark half of every month sacred\nfor the worship of Shiva.\n\nSHIVAR\u00c1TRI: See Shivar\u00e1tra.\n\nSHIWANI: A kind of tree.\n\nSHIWAR: An offering of boiled rice mixed with curds; an offering of\na goat or fowl.\n\nSHLOKA: A stanza, a verse.\n\nSHODASHOPACH\u00c1R: The sixteen ways of doing homage.\n\nSHOKA-PAGL\u00c1N: Morning foot prints.\n\nSHR\u00c1VAD: A kind of shrub.\n\nSHR\u00c1VAK: A term applied to the members of the Jain religion.\n\nSHR\u00c1VAN: The fifth month of the Deccani and the tenth month of the\nGujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nSHR\u00c1VANI: The ceremony of renewing the sacred thread.\n\nSHRAWANA: Name of a constellation.\n\nSHRI DUTTA: Name of a deity.\n\nSHRING\u00c1R \u00c1RATI: See Shang\u00e1r \u00e1rati.\n\nSHRINGHI: Name of a sage.\n\nSHRI SATYA N\u00c1R\u00c1YAN: Name of a deity.\n\nSHUDDHA: Pure; the bright half of a month.\n\nSHUDRA: The last of the four-fold divisions of Manu.\n\nSHUKAMUNI: Name of a sage.\n\nSHUKRA: Venus.\n\nSIDDHA: An order of semi-divine beings.\n\nSIDDHA PURUSHA: A magician.\n\nSIDDHI: Accomplishment; the acquisition of supernatural powers;\nname of a wife of Ganpati.\n\nSIDDHI KARAN: Name of a book in which Dharmar\u00e1ja keeps an account of\nthe good and bad actions of men.\n\nSIDHA: Uncooked articles of food.\n\nSIDIO: Nigro-like.\n\nSIKAN: A sling.\n\nSIKE: A sling.\n\nSIKOTARU: See Sikoturu.\n\nSIKOTURU: Ghost of a woman dying with certain desires unfulfilled.\n\nSIM\u00c1NT: The first pregnancy ceremony.\n\nSINDH\u00c1V\u00c1R: Name of a goddess.\n\nSINDUR: Red lead.\n\nSINHA: A lion; Leo.\n\nSINHIKA: The mother of R\u00e1hu.\n\nSITA: The consort of R\u00e1ma.\n\nSIWA B\u00c1NDHANE: Binding the boundary-name of a ceremony.\n\nSIWO: Sewn.\n\nSM\u00c1RTA AGNI: The fire which is kept constantly burning and worshipped\nduring the Ch\u00e1turm\u00e1s.\n\nSOD-MUNJ: The ceremony of loosening the munja (string) from the loins\nof a Br\u00e1hman.\n\nSOLANKI: Name of a clan of Rajputs.\n\nSOLA SOMV\u00c1R-VRATA: A vow observed on sixteen successive Mondays.\n\nSOMAPA: Name of a water nymph.\n\nSOMAVATI-AM\u00c1V\u00c1SYA: The fifteenth day of the dark half of a month\nfalling on Monday.\n\nSOMAGA: Name of a religious ceremony.\n\nSONI: A caste of goldsmiths or an individual of it.\n\nSORRO: Sulphuret of antimony.\n\nSOSHI: Name of a class of chudels.\n\nSOVALEN: A silk garment.\n\nSPHATIKA MANI: A crystal stone.\n\nSTAMBHAN: A branch of black magic.\n\nSTH\u00c1NA: Locality.\n\nSTH\u00c1NA-DEVA: A local deity.\n\nSTH\u00c1NADEVATA: See Sth\u00e1na-deva.\n\nSTH\u00c1PAN: Installation.\n\nSUD: The bright half of a month.\n\nSUDARSHAN: See Sudarshan chakra.\n\nSUDARSHAN CHAKRA: The discus of Vishnu.\n\nSUDHA: Nectar.\n\nSUDH\u00c1KAR: The moon.\n\nSUDYAMAN: Name of a mythological king.\n\nSUGAD: A little earthen vessel.\n\nSUK\u00c1L: A plentiful harvest.\n\nSULIO: An order of ghosts.\n\nSULEIM\u00c1NI P\u00c1RO: A kind of stone.\n\nSUMARIA GANESH: A name of Ganpati.\n\nSUNA: Unoccupied.\n\nSUNAKU: A kind of cattle disease.\n\nSUNK\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nSUNTH: Dry ginger.\n\nSUPADUN: A winnowing fan.\n\nSURA: Liquor.\n\nSURAKANO: Twisted iron wire.\n\nSURAN: A morphophallus campalatus (elephant foot).\n\nSURANG: A kind of tree.\n\nSURDHAN: Ghost of a male member dying with certain of his desires\nunfulfilled.\n\nSURMO: See Sorro.\n\nSUROPURO: A spirit of one who meets death on a field of battle.\n\nSURYA: The sun.\n\nSURYA KAVACH: A hymn in honour of the Sun.\n\nSURYA-VRAT: A vow in honour of the Sun.\n\nSUTAKI: One ceremonially impure on account of the death of a relative.\n\nSUT\u00c1R: A caste of carpenters or an individual of it.\n\nSUTI: An order of ghosts.\n\nSUTTEE: A woman who burns herself on the funeral pyre of her husband.\n\nSUVA: An ingredient used in preparing spices.\n\nSUWARN: Gold.\n\nSUW\u00c1SINI: An unwidowed woman.\n\nSW\u00c1MI: A lord, a term applied to saints.\n\nSW\u00c1MI MAH\u00c1R\u00c1J: An epithet of Datt\u00e1traya or Shri Dutta.\n\nSW\u00c1MIN\u00c1R\u00c1YAN: A sect of Hindus.\n\nSWAPNA: A dream.\n\nSWARGA: Heaven.\n\nSWASTIKA: A kind of mystical figure.\n\nSW\u00c1TI: Name of constellation.\n\nSWAYAMBHU: Self-existent.\n\nSWAYAMVAR: A maiden's choice marriage.\n\n\n\nT.\n\nT\u00c1DIA: A fruit of the fan-palm.\n\nTADULI: The full moon day of Ash\u00e1dh.\n\nTAKSHAK: Name of a snake.\n\nT\u00c1L: A kind of cymbal.\n\nTALABDIA KOLI: A sub-division of the Koli tribe.\n\nTALKH\u00c1MBA: A ghost of an unmarried Shudra.\n\nT\u00c1LI: A plate.\n\nTALI BHARANE: A rite performed in honour of the god Khandoba.\n\nTALO BHAGAT: Name of a great saint.\n\nTAM\u00c1SHA: A diverting exhibition; a show, play, farce, mock-fight, etc.\n\nT\u00c1MHAN: A flat saucer-like metal plate.\n\nTAMJ\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nTANYATUN: Lightning.\n\nTAPAKESHWAR: A name of Mah\u00e1dev.\n\nT\u00c1R\u00c1-B\u00c1RAS: The star twelfth, the twelfth day after the death of\na person.\n\nTARIA T\u00c1V: Periodical fever.\n\nTARPAN: An offering of water.\n\nT\u00c1V: A sheet of paper.\n\nTAVA: A cake fried in oil in a pan.\n\nTAVO: Flat unleavened loaves.\n\nTAXAMI: The ghost of a woman dying in child-bed or menses.\n\nTH\u00c1KORJI: A name for the Deity.\n\nTH\u00c1L: A dish.\n\nTH\u00c1NA: A station.\n\nTH\u00c1NAK: Locality.\n\nTHOR: A tree. Euphoria nerifolia.\n\nTID: A locust.\n\nTIL: Sesamum.\n\nTILA: The sectarial mark made with coloured earths or unguents upon\nthe forehead.\n\nTILAD: A singing sparrow.\n\nTINDOT\u00c1N: A kind of creeper.\n\nTIRTHA: Water used in bathing an idol; a holy place.\n\nTOLA: A weight amounting to 210 grains.\n\nTOND BHUT: An order of evil spirits.\n\nTOSHI: A class of chudels.\n\nTRAVENI: A confluence of three rivers.\n\nTRET\u00c1YUGA: The second yuga or age according to the Hindu scriptures.\n\nTRIJ: The third day of the bright or dark half of a month.\n\nTRIPINDI: A kind of Shr\u00e1ddha.\n\nTRIPUR\u00c1SUR: Name of a demon.\n\nTRIPURI-PAURNIMA: The full moon-day of K\u00e1rtik.\n\nTRISHANKU: Name of a king of the Solar race.\n\nTRISHUL: A trident.\n\nTUCHAKA: A mystical method.\n\nTULA: Libra.\n\nTULSI-VRAT: A vow in honour of the Tulsi or sweet basil plant.\n\nTULSI: The sweet basil.\n\nTUNGJ\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nTURABAT: A tomb.\n\n\n\nU.\n\nUBHI: Standing; an order of ghosts.\n\nUCH\u00c1TAN: A branch of black magic.\n\nUCHCH\u00c1TAN: See Uch\u00e1tan.\n\nUDA: A species of water spirits.\n\nUDAK SH\u00c1NTI: Propitiation by water.\n\nUJANI: A ceremony in propitiation of the village gods.\n\nUJJANI; A festival in honour of the god Indra.\n\nUKARDI: Earth with which the marriage altar is built.\n\nUKO: A dung-hill.\n\nUMA MAHESH: The god Mah\u00e1dev and his wife P\u00e1rvati; name of a vow in\nhonour of them.\n\nUMBAR: The Indian fig tree.\n\nUMPI: Name of a N\u00e1g girl.\n\nUN\u00c1I M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nUNDAR: A mouse.\n\nUNT: A camel.\n\nUPADEVA: A demi-god.\n\nUP\u00c1KARMA: The ceremony of renewing the sacred thread.\n\nURAS: A fair held in honour of a Mahomedan saint.\n\nUT\u00c1R: A sacrificial offering.\n\nUTT\u00c1NAP\u00c1D: Name of a mythological king.\n\nUTTAR\u00c1-BH\u00c1DRAPADA: Name of a constellation.\n\nUTTAR\u00c1-F\u00c1LGUNI: Name of a constellation.\n\nUTTAR\u00c1SH\u00c1DHA: Name of a constellation.\n\n\n\nV.\n\nV\u00c1CCHADO: The spirit supposed to cure hydrophobia.\n\nV\u00c1CCHARO: See V\u00e1cchado.\n\nVACHO: Even.\n\nVAD: The banyan tree; the dark half of a month.\n\nVAD\u00c1N: Fried cakes.\n\nVADH\u00c1VO: Odd.\n\nVADY\u00c1J\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nVAG\u00c1DNAR: One who beats musical instruments like drums.\n\nVAGGAYA: Name of a deity.\n\nV\u00c1GH: A tiger.\n\nV\u00c1GH\u00c1MBARI: Name of a goddess.\n\nV\u00c1GHARAN: A woman of the V\u00e1ghri caste.\n\nV\u00c1GHESHWARI M\u00c1TA: Name of a goddess.\n\nV\u00c1GHRI: A caste of Hindus.\n\nV\u00c1GHUR DEVI: Name of a goddess.\n\nV\u00c1GHVIR: The spirit of a person killed by a tiger.\n\nV\u00c1GHYA: A male child offered to the god Khandoba.\n\nVAIR\u00c1GI: A recluse.\n\nVAISH\u00c1KHA: The second month of the Deccani Hindu and the seventh\nmonth of the Gujar\u00e1t Hindu calendar year.\n\nVAISHNAVA: The sect of Hindus devoted to Vishnu.\n\nVAISHVADEV: An oblation of boiled rice into the fire.\n\nVAISHYA: A trader, the third of the four-fold divisions of Manu.\n\nVAIT\u00c1L: An order of demi-gods.\n\nVAIT\u00c1LIKA: An attendant of the god Shiva.\n\nVAIVASWAT MANU: Name of the seventh Manu now reigning.\n\nVAJRA: Adamant.\n\nVAJR\u00c1B\u00c1I: Name of a goddess.\n\nVAJRABATTU: A kind of bead.\n\nVAJRAMAYA: Adamantine.\n\nVAJRESHWARI: Name of a goddess.\n\nVAJRESWARI: See Vajreshvari.\n\nVALAM: A mock bridegroom in the Holi festival.\n\nVALAMA VALAMI: A procession of a mock marriage in the Holi festival.\n\nVALAMI: A mock bride in the Holi festival.\n\nV\u00c1LAND: A caste of barbers or an individual of it.\n\nVALGO SAMACHARI: Death anniversary.\n\nVALLABH\u00c1CH\u00c1RYA: A great saint and scholar who founded a sect of\nVaishnavism.\n\nVALO: A kind of cattle disease.\n\nVALU: Eccentric.\n\nV\u00c1MA-M\u00c1RGI: A follower of the V\u00e1ma-m\u00e1rga that is a mode of worship in\nwhich the idol is worshipped by the left hand, liquor drunk, etc., etc.\n\nV\u00c1MAN: A dwarf; name of the fifth incarnation of Vishnu.\n\nVANA-SHASTHI: Name of a Holiday.\n\nVANTRI: An order of ghosts.\n\nV\u00c1NZI\u00c1PANA: Barrenness.\n\nVARADANI: Name of a goddess.\n\nVARADHAN: Name of a deity.\n\nVAR\u00c1H: A boar.\n\nVAR\u00c1HA-SANHITA: Name of a book.\n\nVARSH\u00c1-RITU: The rainy season.\n\nV\u00c1RUL: The white ant-hill.\n\nV\u00c1SANA: Desire.\n\nVASANTAPANCHAMI: The fifth day of the bright half of M\u00e1gh.\n\nVASANT-RITU: The spring.\n\nV\u00c1SH: An oblation of rice and sweets offered to crows.\n\nVASHIKARAN: A branch of black magic.\n\nVASHISHTHA: Name of a sage.\n\nV\u00c1STU: A religious rite performed on entering a new house.\n\nV\u00c1STDEVATA: The guardian spirit of dwelling places.\n\nV\u00c1STUN: See V\u00e1stu.\n\nV\u00c1STUPUJAN: See V\u00e1stu.\n\nVASU: A bull-calf or bull branded and set at liberty.\n\nVASUB\u00c1RAS: The twelfth day of the bright half of Ashvin.\n\nVASUDEVA: Name of the father of Krishna.\n\nVASU-DW\u00c1DASI: See Vasub\u00e1ras.\n\nV\u00c1SUKI: Name of a snake.\n\nV\u00c1STU SH\u00c1NTI: See V\u00e1stu.\n\nVATA-S\u00c1VITRI VRAT: Name of a vow observed by women on the full moon\nday of Jyeshtha.\n\nV\u00c1TI: A small metal cup.\n\nV\u00c1TKI: See V\u00e1ti.\n\nV\u00c1V: A reservoir of water; a tank.\n\nV\u00c1YALI: Eccentric.\n\nV\u00c1YU: Wind; the deity presiding over the wind.\n\nV\u00c1YUSUTA: A name of M\u00e1ruti.\n\nVEDA: Name of the scriptures of the Hindus.\n\nVEDATRAYI: The three vedas, Rik, Yajus and S\u00e1ma.\n\nVEDHA: Malign influence.\n\nVEDIC: Relating to the Vedas; as enjoined in the Vedas.\n\nVEHALA: A tree, Beleric Myrobalan.\n\nVELAN: A stick.\n\nVELO: A creeper.\n\nVET\u00c1L: The lord of ghosts; name of a village deity.\n\nVETRASARPA: A cane stick with an image of a snake at its end.\n\nVID\u00c1-SUP\u00c1RI: Betel nut and leaves.\n\nVIDYUT: Lightning.\n\nVAJAY\u00c1DASHAMI: The tenth day of the bright half of Ashvin.\n\nVIJLI: Lightning.\n\nVIKRAM: Name of a king.\n\nVIM\u00c1N: A celestial car.\n\nVIN\u00c1YAK-CHATURTHI: The fourth day of the bright half of every month.\n\nVINCHI: A female scorpion.\n\nVIR: A male fiend; ghost of an unmarried Kshatriya.\n\nVIRA: An order of ghosts; name of a village deity.\n\nVISHA: Poison.\n\nVISH\u00c1KHA: Name of a constellation\n\nVISHESHA PUJA: Special worship.\n\nVISHI: A cycle of twenty years.\n\nVISHNU: The second god of the Hindu Trinity.\n\nVISHNUSAHASRAN\u00c1MA: A book containing the thousand names of Vishnu.\n\nVISHNUY\u00c1GA: A sacrifice in honour of Vishnu.\n\nVISHOTAK: Name of a disease.\n\nVISHV\u00c1MITRA: Name of a sage.\n\nVISHWARUPA: That exists in all forms, an epithet of Vishnu.\n\nVISHWESHWAR: A name of Shiva.\n\nVISW\u00c1TI: An order of ghosts.\n\nVITHOBA: Name of a god.\n\nVISUCHIKA: Name of a cholera goddess.\n\nVIV\u00c1NCHARA: An order of ghosts.\n\nVRAT: A vow.\n\nVRIKODARA: Wolf-bellied, an epithet of Bhima.\n\nVRINDA: Name of the wife of Jalendhar, a demon.\n\nVRISCHIKA: Scorpion.\n\nVRISHABHA: Taurus.\n\nVRITRAS\u00c1R: Name of a demon.\n\nVRUNDA: See Vrinda.\n\nVYATIP\u00c1T: The seventeenth of the Astrological Yoga (the twenty-seventh\npart of a circle measured on the plane of the Ecliptic).\n\n\n\nW.\n\nWAD: The banyan tree.\n\nW\u00c1DI: An enclosed piece of meadow-field or garden ground.\n\nW\u00c1GH-B\u00c1RAS: The twelfth day of Ashvin.\n\nW\u00c1GHE: Male children offered to the god Khandoba.\n\nW\u00c1GHESHWARI: Name of a village goddess.\n\nW\u00c1GHJ\u00c1I: Name of a deity.\n\nW\u00c1GHOBA: An order of ghosts.\n\nW\u00c1JRESHWARI: Name of a village goddess.\n\nW\u00c1GHYA: Name of a deity; a male child offered to the god Khandoba.\n\nW\u00c1MAN-DW\u00c1DASHI: The twelfth day of the bright half of Bh\u00e1drapad.\n\nW\u00c1NI: A trader; a, general name for all castes of traders i.e., banyas.\n\nW\u00c1NPRASTA: A Br\u00e1hman in the third order of his life; a hermit in\ngeneral.\n\nW\u00c1RUL: An ant-hill.\n\nWATA: The Banyan tree.\n\nWATA-PAURNIMA: The fall moon day of Jyeshtha.\n\nWUDA: Incense.\n\n\n\nY.\n\nYADNA: See Yajna.\n\nYADNOPAVIT: The sacred thread worn by Br\u00e1hmans.\n\nYADNYA: See Yajna.\n\nYAJAM\u00c1N: A host; a person performing a sacrifice.\n\nYAJNA: A sacrifice.\n\nYAKSHA: A class of demi-gods, attendant on Kubera and employed in\nguarding his treasures.\n\nYAKSHINI: A female Yaksha; a fairy.\n\nYALLAMMA: Name of a goddess.\n\nYAMA: The God of death.\n\nYAMADUTA: A messenger of the god of death.\n\nYAMAGHANTA: A Yog or conjunction of times, viz., a Sunday falling\nupon the second day of the bright or dark half of a month; a Friday\nfalling upon the third lunar day, etc., etc.\n\nYAMALOKA: The region of Yama.\n\nYAMAPURI: The city of the god of death.\n\nYANTRA: A mystical formula or diagram.\n\nYOGA: Religious and abstract meditation.\n\nYOGA M\u00c1RGA: The path of meditation.\n\nYOGA-SUTRA: Name of a work by P\u00e1tanjali containing aphorisms of the\nscience of Yoga.\n\nYOGAV\u00c1SHISTHA: Name of a work on philosophy.\n\nYOJAN: A measure of distance equal to eight miles.\n\nYUDHISHTHIR: An epithet of Dharma, the eldest of the P\u00e1ndava brothers.\n\n\n\nZ.\n\nZ\u00c1MH\u00c1DI: A female spirit guarding the village gates.\n\nZAMPAHADI: An order of ghosts.\n\nZANZARKA: Name of a goddess.\n\nZANZIRA: A kind of magic incantation.\n\nZ\u00c1R: Fever.\n\nZARM\u00c1N ZARV\u00c1N: A ceremony in which a woman fetches water for the\nfirst time after delivery.\n\nZILAKESHWAR: A name of Mah\u00e1deva.\n\nZINI: Small.\n\nZOD: An order of ghosts.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNOTES\n\n\n[1] School Master, Palshet, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[2] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[3] School Master, Parule, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[4] School Master, Makhnele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[5] School Master, R\u00e1j\u00e1pur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[6] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[7] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[8] School Master, Shah\u00e1pur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[9] School Master, Dasgaum, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[10] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[11] School Master, Akola, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[12] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[13] These twelve names are:--1 Mitra, 2 Ravi, 3 Surya, 4 Bhanu,\n5 Khaga, 6 Pushne, 7 Hiranyagarbha, 8 Marichi, 9 Aditya, 10 Savita,\n11 Arka, 12 Bhasker.\n\n[14] School Master, Phonde.\n\n[15] School Master, Devarukh.\n\n[16] School Master, Parule.\n\n[17] School Master, Anjur.\n\n[18] School Master, Vasind.\n\n[19] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d.\n\n[20] 33,000,0000 demons are said to be born every day to impede the\njourney of the Sun.\n\n[21] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d.\n\n[22] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la.\n\n[23] School Master, Padaghe.\n\n[24] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[25] The churning handle or rod is called in Mar\u00e1thi Ravi, which is\none of the names of the Sun.\n\n[26] School Master, Nevare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[27] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[28] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[29] School Master, Pendhur, M\u00e1lvan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[30] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la.\n\n[31] School Masters, Chauk, Karjat, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[32] School Masters, Chauk, Karjat, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[33] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke.\n\n[34] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[35] School Master, Phonde, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[36] R\u00e1o S\u00e1hib Shelke.\n\n[37] In the Konkan the Nav\u00e1nna Purnima or full moon day of new food\nis observed in the month of Ashvina. This is, no doubt, due to the\ndifference in the season of the harvest.\n\n[38] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke.\n\n[39] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur.\n\n[40] School Master, Gaumkhadi, R\u00e1j\u00e1pur.\n\n[41] School Master, Adivare, R\u00e1j\u00e1pur.\n\n[42] School Master, D\u00e1bhol, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[43] School Master, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[44] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Vengurla.\n\n[45] School Master, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[46] School Master, Murb\u00e1d.\n\n[47] School Master, V\u00e1sind, S\u00e1h\u00e1pur.\n\n[48] School Master, W\u00e1da.\n\n[49] School Master, Edwan, M\u00e1him.\n\n[50] School Master, Kaly\u00e1n, No. 1 and School Master, Padaghe, Bhiwandi.\n\n[51] School Master, Chidhran, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[52] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur.\n\n[53] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[54] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[55] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[56] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur.\n\n[57] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[58] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[59] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[60] School Master, Pendur, M\u00e1lvan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[61] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[62] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[63] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[64] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Vengurla.\n\n[65] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[66] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[67] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[68] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[69] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[70] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[71] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[72] School Master, M\u00e1lgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[73] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[74] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[75] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[76] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[77] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[78] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Budruk, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[79] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[80] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[81] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[82] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[83] School Master, R\u00e1j\u00e1pur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[84] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[85] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[86] School Master, Khetwadi, A.V. School, Bombay.\n\n[87] School Master, Khetwadi, A.V. School, Bombay.\n\n[88] School Master, Padaghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[89] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[90] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[91] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[92] School Master, Vijayadurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[93] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[94] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[95] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[96] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[97] School Master, Devarukh, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[98] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[99] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[100] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[101] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[102] School Master, Navare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[103] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[104] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[105] School Master, Kankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[106] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[107] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[108] School Master, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[109] School Master, Rai, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[110] School Master, Badlapur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[111] School Master, Mokhada, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[112] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[113] School Master, Kasu, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[114] School Master, Vavasi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[115] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[116] School Master, Vavanje, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[117] School Master, Nevare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[118] School Master, Kasba, Sangameshwar, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[119] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[120] School Master, Pendhur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[121] School Master, Devarukh, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[122] School Master, M\u00e1lgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[123] School Master, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[124] School Master, Vijayadurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[125] School Master, Chiplun, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[126] School Master, Kankava, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[127] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[128] School Master, Chiplun, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[129] School Master, Khetwadi, A.V.S., Bombay.\n\n[130] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[131] School Master, Rai, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[132] School Master, Shah\u00e1pur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[133] School Master, Bhuvan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[134] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[135] School Master, Vavanje, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[136] School Master, Akol, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[137] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[138] School Master, Kasba, Sangameshwar, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[139] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[140] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[141] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[142] School Master, Chiplun, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[143] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[144] School Master, Varsai, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[145] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[146] School Master, Varsai, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[147] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[148] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[149] School Master, Chiplun, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[150] School Master, Palspot, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[151] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[152] School Master, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[153] School Master, Bhuvan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[154] School Master, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[155] School Master, Phonde, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[156] School Master, Wanhavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[157] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Budruk, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[158] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[159] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[160] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[161] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[162] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[163] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[164] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[165] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[166] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[167] School Master, Devarukh, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[168] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[169] School Master, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[170] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[171] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[172] School Master, W\u00e1da, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[173] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[174] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[175] School Master, Saloli, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[176] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[177] School Master, Kinhavali, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[178] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[179] School Master, Khativali, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[180] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[181] School Master, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[182] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[183] School Master, Bhuvan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[184] School Masters, W\u00e1da, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[185] School Master, Sh\u00e1h\u00e1pur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[186] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[187] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[188] School Master, Wavasi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[189] School Master, Varsai, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[190] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[191] School Master, Wavasi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[192] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[193] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[194] School Master, Akol, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[195] School Master, Vavasi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[196] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[197] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Budruk, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[198] School Master, M\u00e1lgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[199] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[200] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[201] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[202] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[203] School Master, Umbargaum, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[204] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[205] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[206] School Master, Akol, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[207] School Master, Sasawane, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[208] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[209] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[210] School Master, M\u00e1lvan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[211] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[212] School Master, Kankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[213] School Master, Phonde, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[214] School Master, Chiplun, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[215] School Master, Nevare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[216] School Master, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[217] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[218] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Budruk, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[219] School Master, M\u00e1lvan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[220] School Master, D\u00e1bhol, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[221] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[222] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[223] School Master, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[224] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[225] School Master, Padaghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[226] School Master, N\u00e1gothane, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[227] School Master, Akol, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[228] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[229] School Master, Apte, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[230] School Master, Khetwadi, A.V.S., Bombay.\n\n[231] School Master, M\u00e1lvan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[232] School Master, M\u00e1lgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[233] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[234] Two earthen pots tied face to face, one of which containing\nsome corn and red and yellow powders.\n\n[235] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[236] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[237] School Master, M\u00e1lvan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[238] School Master, Makhanele, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[239] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[240] School Master, Badlapur, Kaly\u00e1n.\n\n[241] School Master, Bhuvan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[242] School Master, Bhuvan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[243] School Master, Tale, School No. I, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[244] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[245] School Master, Devarukh, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[246] School Master, Badlapur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[247] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[248] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[249] School Master, Nevare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[250] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[251] School Master, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[252] School Master, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[253] School Master, Khetwadi, Bombay.\n\n[254] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[255] School Master, Kamathipura, Bombay.\n\n[256] School Master, W\u00e1sind, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[257] School Master, Umela, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[258] The Hindus believe that there are seven heroes who can never\ndie, i.e., 1 Ashwatth\u00e1ma, 2 Bali, 3 Vy\u00e1sa, 4 Hanum\u00e1n, 5 Bibh\u00edshana,\n6 Krip\u00e1ch\u00e1rya and 7 Parashur\u00e1m. The Sanskrit text is:--\n\nASHVATTHAMA BALIRVYASO HANUMANTO BIBHISHANAH | KRIPACARYAH\nPARASHURAMASSAPTAITE CIRAJIVINAH ||\n\n[259] School Masters, Ag\u00e1shi and Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[260] School Master, Samangad, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[261] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[262] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[263] School Master, W\u00e1vashi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[264] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[265] School Master, Apta, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[266] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[267] School Master, Tale, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[268] School Master, Bakavali, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[269] School Master, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[270] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[271] School Master, Parule, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[272] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[273] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[274] School Master, Makhamle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[275] School Master, Sangameshwar, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[276] School Master, K\u00e1m\u00e1thipura, Bombay.\n\n[277] School Master, D\u00e1bhol, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[278] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[279] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[280] School Master, M\u00e1lwan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[281] School Master, Palset, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[282] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[283] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[284] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[285] School Master, S\u00e1kharpe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[286] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[287] School Master, Edwan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[288] School Master, M\u00e1ngaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[289] School Master, Dahigaon.\n\n[290] School Master, Bhiwandi, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[291] School Master, Ag\u00e1shi, Arn\u00e1la, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[292] School Master, Ag\u00e1shi, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[293] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[294] School Master, Shah\u00e1pur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[295] School Master, Ag\u00e1shi, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[296] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[297] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[298] School Master, Akol, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[299] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[300] School Master, Shirosi, Th\u00e1na District.\n\n[301] School Master, Parule, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[302] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[303] School Master, Kankaoli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[304] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[305] School Master, Masure, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[306] School Master, Palset, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[307] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[308] School Master, M\u00e1lwan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[309] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[310] School Master, Kochare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[311] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[312] School Master, Malgund, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[313] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[314] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[315] School Master, Sasawane, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[316] School Master, Akol, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[317] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[318] School Master, Bhuwan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[319] School Master, Ag\u00e1shi, Th\u00e1na District.\n\n[320] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[321] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[322] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[323] School Master, Sangameshwar, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[324] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[325] School Master, Vijaydurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[326] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[327] School Master, Kochare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[328] School Master, Navare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[329] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[330] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[331] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[332] School Master, V\u00e1vashi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[333] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[334] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[335] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[336] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[337] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[338] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[339] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[340] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[341] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[342] School Master, V\u00e1de, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[343] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[344] School Master, Umbergaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[345] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[346] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[347] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[348] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[349] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[350] School Master, V\u00e1vashi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[351] School Master, Varsai, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[352] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[353] School Master, Umela, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[354] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[355] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[356] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[357] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[358] School Master, Murud, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[359] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[360] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[361] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[362] School Master, V\u00e1vashi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[363] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[364] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[365] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[366] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[367] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[368] School Master, Sangameshwar, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[369] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[370] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[371] Schoolmaster, D\u00e1sgaon, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[372] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[373] School Master, Padghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[374] School Master, Edwan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[375] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[376] School Master, Sangameshwar, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[377] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[378] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[379] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[380] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[381] School Master, Chidhran, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[382] School Master, Sasawane, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[383] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[384] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[385] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[386] School Master, Bankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[387] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[388] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[389] School Master, Vavanje, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[390] School Master, Varsai, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[391] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[392] School Master, Padghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[393] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[394] School Master, N\u00e1gothane, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[395] School Master, Navare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[396] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[397] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[398] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[399] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[400] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[401] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[402] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[403] School Master, Anjarla, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[404] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[405] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[406] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[407] School Master, Navre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[408] School Master, D\u00e1sgaon, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[409] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[410] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[411] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[412] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[413] School Master, Navare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[414] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[415] School Master, Dabhol, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[416] School Master, Shiravde, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[417] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[418] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[419] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[420] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[421] School Master, Vijayadurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[422] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[423] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[424] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[425] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[426] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[427] School Master, Chidhran, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[428] School Master, N\u00e1gothane, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[429] School Master, Vavanje, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[430] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[431] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[432] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[433] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[434] School Master, Shiroda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[435] School Master, Sakharane, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[436] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[437] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[438] School Master, Chauk, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[439] School Master, Akshi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[440] School Master, V\u00e1da, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[441] School Master, Padghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[442] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[443] School Master, Umbergaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[444] School Master, Shirosi, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[445] School Master, M\u00e1nikpur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[446] School Master, Umela, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[447] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[448] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[449] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[450] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[451] School Master, Murud, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[452] School Master, Devagad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[453] School Master, Vijaydurg, Ratn\u00e1gir.\n\n[454] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[455] School Master, Chidhran, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[456] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[457] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[458] School Master, Chowl, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[459] School Master, Akshi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[460] School Master, Bhuwan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[461] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[462] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[463] School Master, Shirosi, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[464] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[465] School Master, D\u00e1bhol, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[466] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[467] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[468] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[469] School Master, Achre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[470] School Master, Vijayadurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[471] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri:\n\n[472] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[473] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[474] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[475] School Master, N\u00e1ta, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[476] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[477] School Master, Padaghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[478] School Master, M\u00e1nikpur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[479] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[480] School Master, W\u00e1de, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[481] School Master, Dahigaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[482] School Master, Dehari, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[483] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[484] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[485] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[486] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[487] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[488] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[489] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[490] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[491] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[492] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[493] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[494] School Master, Birwadi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[495] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[496] School Master, Bel\u00e1pur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[497] School Master, Bhuwan, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[498] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[499] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[500] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[501] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[502] School Master, Chaul, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[503] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke.\n\n[504] School Master, Bankavali, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[505] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[506] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[507] School Master Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[508] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[509] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[510] School Master, Vijayadurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[511] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[512] School Master, Chawl, Kol\u00e1ba,\n\n[513] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[514] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[515] School Master, Akshi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[516] School Master, V\u00e1vashi, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[517] School Master, Shirgaum, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[518] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[519] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[520] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[521] School Master, Dahigaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[522] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[523] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[524] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[525] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[526] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[527] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[528] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[529] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[530] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[531] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[532] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[533] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[534] School Master, Chawl, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[535] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[536] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[537] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[538] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[539] School Master, Chawl, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[540] School Master, Vavanje, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[541] School Master, Umbergaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[542] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[543] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[544] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[545] School Master, Adivan, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[546] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[547] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[548] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[549] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[550] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[551] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[552] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[553] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[554] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[555] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[556] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[557] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[558] School Master, Chowl, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[559] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[560] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[561] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[562] School Master, Bankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[563] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[564] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[565] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[566] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[567] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[568] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[569] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[570] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[571] School Master, Khopol, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[572] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[573] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[574] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[575] School Master, Vijayadurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[576] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[577] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[578] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[579] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[580] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[581] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[582] School Master, Dahigaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[583] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[584] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[585] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[586] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[587] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[588] School Mister, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[589] School Master, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[590] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[591] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[592] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[593] School Mister, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[594] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[595] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[596] School Master, Bankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[597] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[598] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[599] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[600] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[601] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[602] School Master, Bankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[603] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[604] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[605] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[606] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[607] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[608] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[609] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[610] School Master, Umbergaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[611] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[612] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[613] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[614] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[615] School Master, Vijayadurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[616] School Master, Pol\u00e1dpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[617] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[618] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[619] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[620] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[621] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[622] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[623] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[624] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[625] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[626] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[627] School Master, Padghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[628] School Master, Mal\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[629] School Master, Kh\u00e1rb\u00e1v, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[630] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[631] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[632] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[633] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[634] School Master, Bhay\u00e1nd\u00e1r, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[635] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[636] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[637] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[638] School Master, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[639] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[640] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[641] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[642] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[643] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[644] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[645] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[646] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[647] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[648] School Master, Bhuwan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[649] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[650] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[651] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[652] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[653] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[654] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[655] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[656] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[657] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[658] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[659] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[660] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[661] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[662] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[663] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[664] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[665] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[666] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[667] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[668] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[669] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[670] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[671] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[672] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[673] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[674] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[675] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[676] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[677] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[678] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[679] School Master, Bankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[680] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[681] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[682] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[683] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[684] School Master, Mokhade, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[685] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[686] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[687] School Master, Khed, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[688] School Master, Kelw\u00e1-M\u00e1him, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[689] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[690] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[691] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[692] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[693] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[694] School Master, Chowl, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[695] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[696] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[697] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[698] School Master, Vavanje, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[699] School Master, M\u00e1l\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[700] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[701] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[702] School Master, Murb\u00e1d, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[703] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[704] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[705] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[706] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[707] School Master, Kochare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[708] School Master, Varsai, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[709] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[710] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[711] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[712] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[713] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[714] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[715] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[716] School Master, Padghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[717] School Master, Dahigaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[718] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[719] School Master, Shiravde, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[720] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[721] School Master, Shirgaon, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[722] School Master, Umela, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[723] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[724] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[725] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[726] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[727] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[728] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[729] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[730] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[731] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[732] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[733] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[734] School Master, Edwan, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[735] School Master, Vankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[736] School Master, Palshet, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[737] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[738] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[739] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[740] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[741] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[742] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[743] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[744] School Master, Apte, Panwel, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[745] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[746] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[747] School Master, Chawk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[748] School Master, Basani, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[749] School Master, Pendur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[750] School Master, Chawl, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[751] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[752] School Master, Jambivali, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[753] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[754] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[755] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[756] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[757] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[758] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[759] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[760] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[761] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[762] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[763] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[764] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[765] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[766] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[767] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[768] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[769] School Master, Medhe, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[770] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[771] School Master, Palshet, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[772] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[773] School Master, Mokh\u00e1de, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[774] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[775] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[776] School Master, Chawk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[777] School Master, K\u00e1lshe, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[778] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[779] School Master, Achare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[780] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[781] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[782] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[783] School Master, Rewadanda, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[784] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[785] School Master, Adivare, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[786] School Master, Anjur, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[787] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[788] School Master, Anjarle, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[789] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[790] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[791] School Master, R\u00e1i, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[792] School Master, Padghe, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[793] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[794] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[795] School Master, B\u00e1ndivade, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[796] School Master, Devgad, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[797] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[798] School Master, Ubh\u00e1d\u00e1nda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[799] School Master, D\u00e1sg\u00e1v, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[800] School Master, V\u00e1da, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[801] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[802] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[803] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[804] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[805] School Master, Umberg\u00e1on, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[806] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[807] School Master, Chinchani, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[808] School Master, Dah\u00e1nu, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[809] School Master, D\u00e1bhol, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[810] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[811] School Master, Chauk, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[812] School Master, V\u00e1de, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[813] R\u00e1o S\u00e1heb Shelke, Kolh\u00e1pur.\n\n[814] School Master, Poladpur and Vijaydurg.\n\n[815] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[816] School Master, N\u00e1ringre, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[817] School Master, Ibr\u00e1mpur, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[818] School Master, Fonda, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[819] School Master, Bankavli, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[820] School Master, Vijaydurg, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[821] School Master, Khopoli, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[822] School Master, Poladpur, Kol\u00e1ba.\n\n[823] School Master, Bassein, Th\u00e1na.\n\n[824] School Master, Mithb\u00e1v, Ratn\u00e1giri.\n\n[825] The terms given below are as they are used by the common people\nin popular parlance in which form they are given in the text. They will\ntherefore not be found to be grammatically correct in all cases. Again,\nonly such meanings of the terms are given as apply in the context.","title":"Folk Lore Notes. Vol. II\u2014Konkan","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":73672}