TlRH&ll it MR IP1!! ,
TBh.?. ilinvfi! iijii.nn Tir limit 11 ??:
TOE WORLD
IN MINIATURE ;
EDITED BY
FREDERIC SHOBERL.
CONTAINING
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIGION, MANNERS,
CUSTOMS, TRADES, ARTS, SCIENCES,
LITERATURE,, DIVERSIONS, &C.
OF
ILLUSTRATED .
With Upwards of One Hundred Coloured
Engravings.
IN six VOLUMES;
VOL. I.
The proper study of mankind is man.?POPE.
LONDON: ,
PRINTED FOR R. ACKERMANN, REPOSITORY
OF ARTS, STRAND 5
Andto be had of all Booksellers.LONDON:
Greou, Leicester Street, Leicester Square.
IN compliance with the sug-
gestion of numerous purchasers
of THE WORLD IN MINIATURE,
the Publisher has made .arrange*
ments for its continuatioti in!
future in regular monthly "vo-
lumes.
As the number of pldtes varies
'materially in different volumes,
it has been deemed advisable,
in order to equalize them, to
include occasionally in one vo-ADVERTISEMENT
lume some of those which by
right belong to another; but
when each division is complete,
precise directions will be given
for placing them in their proper
situations.
CONTENTS.
VOL. I.
Religion of the Hindoos . ,.......... JL
Braina........................ 21
Sheeva..........,............. 30
Vishnu........................ 52
Inferior Deities of the Hindoos....... 59
Incarnations of Vishnu . ...» ...*.... 78
Of certain Religious opinions of the Hin-
oos, and particularly of the Doctrine
f the Metempsychosis.......... . .
the Religious Sects of the Hindoos,
nd principally of the Sect of Buddha
ig-ion of Buddha...............161
Talapoins ................ ..... ..... ... 172
-Of the Vedas and other Sacred Books . . 179
VOL, II.
Manners of the Hindoos......... . . . 1
Manners of the other Inhabitants of Hin-
doostan............. . ....... 71
Of the Hindoo Castes.....-...'.......129
Of the Bramins, the First Caste.......158
dCONTENTS.
Page
Of various Classes of Bramins, viz. Bra-
mins who teach the Days ; Pandidapa-
pan Bramins j Tatoidipapan Bramins;
and Papanvaichenaven Bramins .... 180
Of the Yogees and Fakeers.........201
Tadins........................213
Pandarons.....................223
Poojarees.....................229
Nemessoura-Caori................233
Sacrifices and Religious Ceremonies .. ? 237
VOL. III.
Expiations. ..................?. 1
Music and Musical Instruments...... 10
Dances and Dancers ...».........?* 41
Ceremonies observed at Marriages and
at the Birth of Children.......... 61
Funerals...................... 87
Suicide of Widows . .............. 99
Murder of Female Infants.......... 132
Morals and Laws, Penal and Civil .... 161
Ordeals.......................208
Witchcraft and other Superstitions .... 226
The Khattries, the Second Caste......239
Rajahs........................242
Military Tribes of the Caste of the Khat-
tries?The Seiks...............249
The Rajpoots...................253
The Mahrattas..................264
TheNairs.....................283
Sepoys, or Native Troops of Hiodoostan. 298
CONTENTS.
r VOL. IV.
Page
Of the Vaisya, the Third Caste j the Soo-
ders, the Fourth Caste ; the Parias,
and the Pooleahs . ,............ 1
Agriculture.................... 15
Labourers in Husbandry and Herdsmen . 63
Basket-makers. ................. 77
The Sourers.................... 81
Masons and Carpenters............ 99
Pagodas, Choultries and Tombs ...... 113
Cotton and Silk Manufactures....... 161
The Washerman................. 195
The Tailor....................199
The Gooroo, or Schoolmaster........ 210
VOL. V.
The Potter..................... 1
The Potter's Wife -...,.,.------------. 5
The Farrier.................... 7
The Blacksmith . . ............... 9
The Goldbeater................. 15
The Goldsmith..............------ 17
The Gilder..................... 22
The Brazier.................... 24
The Brazier's Wife------........... 26
Sellers of Bracelets and Shell-workers . . 27
Water-Carriers.................. 30
Telinga Barber and Malabar Barber ... 32
Physicians . *................... 38
d2XXXll
CONTENTS.
? Page.
The Shoemaker................. 56
Fishermen..................... 70
The Dealer in Perfumery and Odoriferous
Woods...................... 74
Dealers in Betel, Areca, and Tobacco . . 85
The Dealer in Pearls............,. * 92
Sciences and Fine Arts?Of the Sanscrit
aud the other Languages of Hindoostan 119
Astronomy.....................136
Algebra and Arithmetic . ...........149
Geographical Systems.............15&
Moralists .....................167
Poetry and Dramatic Works.........194
Painting* and Sculpture............231
VOL. VI.
Amusements................... 1
The Hohlee.................... 6
Chess........................ 24
Flying Kites ...........'........ 37
Tumblers ..................... 39
Conjurors and Jugglers........... 52
The Snake Charmer.............. 65
Gymnastic Exercises............. 83
Field Sports . .^.................. 91
Antelope-Hunting............... 96
Tiger-Hunting . . . ...............105
Elephant-Hunting....... ;....... 138
Lion-Hunting .................. 165
Mode of Travelling?Palanquins ...... 173
The Palanquin of Bengal..........v 175
The Mogul Palanquin.............182
The Dolee ......,.......,....:.. 185
CONTENTS.
xxxiij
Page
The Gadee . ....................190
Of the mode in which the Mogul Women
and Low Caste Hindoos Travel.....192
Peons........................197
The Head Peon..................199
Couriers......................'202
Corayers and Otters...............205
The Banyan Tree................208
The Mahvah ...................215
The Gayal.....................223
The Long-legged Goat............228
The Sahras....................'230
The Baya.....................234LIST OF PLATES.
VOL. I.
Page
1. Trimurti, the Indian Trinity
Frontispiece.
2. Brama..........to face p. 28
3. Dourga killing Maissassour..... 38
4. Ganesa, God of Wisdom....... 45
5. Supramanya, second son of Sheeva 49
t. Maiimadin, the Indian Cupid. ... 67
7. Vishnu reclining on the serpent
Adissechen............ 83
8. Vishnu in his third Incarnation as a
Wild Boar............. 84
VOL. II.
9. Malabar Writer........... 61
10. Wives of Bramins.......... 65
11. A Mahometan Officer........ 76
12. Sujah Dowlah, Visir of the Mogul
Empire, Nabob of Oude, and nis
Ten Sons........./.??*? 8°
13. Hindoo Ladies paying a Visit to a
Persee Lady, f . , f t , . t f . , 105XX.KV'l
LIST OF PLATES.
Page
14. A Bralnin who teaches the Days,'
and his Wife...........181
15. A Pandidapapan Brainin and his
Wife .................186
10. A Papanvaichenayen Bramin, and a
Tatoidipapan Brarain ......188
17. The Fakeer Praoun Poury . . ... 210
18. The Fakeer Perkasanund.......212
19. Ter or Sacred Chariot ........ 216
20. Tadin playing* with fire. Ariganda
Pandaron, Tadin with a padlock
to his mouth............219
21. Pandarons, Penitents of the sect of
Sheeva..............223
22. A Poojaree singing- the History of
Mariatta ..............229
23. Mariatta Codam, or manner ? of
Dancing* in honour of the God-
dess Mariatta...........231
24. Nemessura Cavadi, or Woman car-
rying the water of the Ganges . 233
25. A Rajah and his'Wives celebrating
the festival of Krishna......243
20. A Religious-Procession'.......250
'27. Ceremony of throwing the Colossal
Statue of the goddess Cali into .
the water . . . ...........252
VOL. III.
28, A Hindoo cradle.....Frontispiece.
29. Hindoos throwing- themselves on
mattresses covered with.sharp In-
struments ..,.,.. to face p. I
LIST OF PLATES. xxxvii
Page
30. A Species* of Penance practised at
the festival of the goddess Bhavani 8
31. Musical Instruments, Plate 1 .... 18
32. Musical Instruments, Plate 2 .... 22
33. Musical Instruments, Plate 3 .... 27
34. A Mahometan beating theNagabotte 32
35. A Hindoo Dancer called Baloks . . 44
36. Devedassis or Bayaderes...... . 50
37. The Father of the Bride goinr with
the nuptial presents to the Bride-
groom...............67
38. The Bridegroom conducted in state
to the house of the Bride.....72
39. The Husband swearing to take care
of his Wife.............77
40. Funeral of a Hindoo......... 80
41. A Hindoo Widow burning herself
with the corpse of her husband . 99
42. A Rajah giving audience......242
43. Dress and ornaments of Hindoo La-
dies ................248
44. A Rajpoot..............262
45. A Mahratta..............264
46. Pecali, or water-carrier, attending
the army .............303
47. Sepoy officers. A private Sepoy . 306
48. A Seik. A sepoy in the French ser-
vice ................ . 308
49. A Sepoy in the native dress. A Hin-
doo soldier. A Brigbasi.....313xxxviii LIST OF PLATES.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
VOL. IV.
Page
Basket-maker and his Wife.
Frontispiece
Sugar Mill........to face p. 31
Hindoo Ploughman and Herdsman . 63
A Sourer and his Wife........ 86
Apparatus for Distillation......90
Carpenter and Mason. . .......102
A Column from a temple at Benares 125
A Choultry............146
Taje Mahl..............151
Beater of Cotton and his Wife .... 164
Cotton Spinning-...........168
Winding- cotton............169
Preparation of the warp for Weaving 170
Weaver joining-broken Threads . . . 172
Weaving...............174
Cloth Beater.............176
Cloth Painter............179
Dyer.................181
Silk Dyer..............192
Winding Silk.............193
Ironer................197
Malabar Tailor............199
School Master............210
VOL. V.
73. Potter's Wife.......Frontispiece
74. Potter...........to face p. 2
75. Horse Breaker and Blacksmith ... 9
76. Gold Beater.............15
LIST OF PLATES. xxxix
Page
77. Goldsmith.............. 17
78. Gilder................ 22
79. Brazier................ 24
80. Brazier's Wife............ 26
81. Shell Cutter............. 27
82. Water Carrier............ 30
83. Telinga Barber and Malabar Barber 32
84. Mahratta Shoemaker........ 60
85. Catamaran and Chelingh...... 70
86. Perfumer........:...... 74
87. Dealer in Betel, Areca, &c...... 85
88. Dealer in Pearls........... 92
VOL. VI.
89. Mahometan Woman Travelling
Frontispiece
90. Chrss Board and Spring Bow for
Shooting Tigers . . . to face p. 34
91. Tumblers...............39
92. Interior of Fort St. George with
Rope Dancers, Tumblers, &c. . . 42
93. Hindoo Jugglers swallowing a Sword
and ballancing a Buffalo.....46
94. Conjuror and Juggler with cups and
balls.......:........52
95. Snake Charmer...........65
96. Wrestlers ..............90
97. Tiger-Hunt .............105
98. Bengal Palanquin..........175
99. Mogul Palanquin ..........182
100. Dolee................184
101. Gadce................190
102. Peon .................197
103. Head Peon..............199PREFACE.
THE Europeans have given the
name of Hindoostan to that beauti-
ful portion of Asia, which is com-
monly called the East Indies. Ac-
cording- to the native geographers,
-3*
Hindoostan Ptoper extends only from
Thibet to the river Nerbudda, and
consequently, comprehends about
half of the Peninsula. All that
lies to the south of this line they
denominate -Deccan. Following the
practice of . the European geogra-
phers, we shall apply, indiscrimi-
bVI PREFACE.
nately, the name of India or Hin-
doostan, to the whole region which
is bounded on the east by the Ganges,
on the west by the Indus, on the
north by the mountains of Thibet
and Tartary, and on the south by
the ocean. .
Nature seems to have taken de-
light in lavishing upon this beauti-
ful country her most valuable gifts.
Beneath a serene sky and an ever-
brilliant sun, the soil produces ex-
quisite species of fruit, and abundant
harvests. Numberless rivers mode-
rate the heat, and diffuse fertility
over every part of the countryM The
PREFACE.
cotton-plant furnishes in profusion
the material for the light garments
adapted to the climate. The tra-
veller, whether he journeys along the
coast, or penetrates into the interior,
is enchanted with a succession of
scenery of superlative beauty.
It is not by these objects, how-
ever, that the mind of the philosophic
observer is most powerfully struck.
Immense cities, now too large for the
reduced number of their inhabitants,
and still adorned with the ruins of
magnificent temples and tombs; and
wonderful edifices, which have not
even transmitted to us the names of
b2viii PREFACE,
their founders, attest at once the an-
cient splendour and the present de-
gradation of the people of Hindoo-
Stan. But amidst the ruins of these
master-pieces of the arts, the man-
ners and customs of 'the natives seem
to have remained unchanged,, and ex-
hibit the same features under which
they were portrayed by the' Greeks,
who visited India two thousand years
ago.
Nature, in bestowing upon Hin-
doostan all that was calculated to
tempt the rapacity of foreigners,
whose country had not been favoured
with the like advantages, seems to
IX
PREFACE.
have denied to the people of this
highly-favoured region, the strength
and courage to repel invaders: they
have, therefore, been successively
subdued by the Persians, the Moguls,
and the Europeans. Their institu-
tions have, no doubt, tended to fa-
cilitate the conquests of these na-
tions. The voluntary penances to
s
which certain devotees doom them-
selves for life, prove, at least, that
the Hindoo is not deficient either in
courage or fortitude: but the odious
institution of castes, which has con-
demned the greatest part of the in-
habitants of India to perpetual ab-
b3X PREFACE.
jection and misery, could not fail to
degrade their souls, and stifle within
them every feeling of love for a
country which knew them not, or
for a government which oppressed,
instead of protecting them. When
this institution was first established,
it was natural to expect that it would
be revolting to those classes of the
people whom it so deeply humbled.
To prevent the effects of their dis-
content, it was deemed necessary to
enchain them by the terrors of reli-
gion. Hence all those superstitious
practices which accompany the Hin-
doo from his cradle to his death.
PREFACE.
XI
The laws, manners, and customs, nay
the useful arts themselves, are all
subject to religion, which interferes
with even the most indifferent actions
of life : and as it was no doubt ap-
prehended that despair would drive
the Hindoo to seek a more comfort-
able life in a less genial clime, a re-
ligious injunction forbade him to pass
the Indus.
Time, superstition, and the very
necessity of dying in the caste and
the profession in which he was
born, have by degrees accustomed
the Hindoo to his fate. Provided you
leave him his usages and his supersti-PREFACE.
tions which time and habit have ren-
dered essential to him, he caves not
who is his master. Such is proba-
bly the cause of "the little resistance
experienced by the conquerors who
have successively reduced this coun-
try.
Be that as it may, if we except
some military tribes who have had
the good sense to shake off the yoke
of this law of castes, and have hi-
therto retained their independence,
there is scarcely any part of Hin-
doostan but is now under foreign do-
minion : indeed, the whole of the
peninsula, if not actually subject to
PREFACE. xiii
the British government, may be said
to be under its influence.
With each new conquest, the num-
ber of foreigners settled in the coun-
try, was increased to such a degree
as at length, perhaps, to exceed that
of the original natives. Herrce the
difficulty of furnishing an accurate
description of the people of India.
A writer has, in fact, to treat not of
a single nation, but of a great
number of nations intermixed toge-
ther. Under the same sovereign
and in the same country, we find a
nation of Mahometans, another of
Christians, a third of Guebres, andXIV PREFACE.
a fourth of Hindoos, each of which
is subdivided into as many more na-
tions as there are different castes,
sects,, or tribes. Among* the Ma-
hometans,, for instance, some are
sectaries of Ali, others of Omar.
These came. from Arabia to India,
those from Tartary or Persia: and
all brought with them opinions, man-
ners and customs, widely differing*
from one another and from those of
the natives.
If we moreover consider the num7
ber of British, French, Portuguese,
Dutch,. Armenians, and foreigners
of all nations, either settled in the
PREFACE. xv
various parts of India, or incessantly
travelling through the country on
commercial business, we shall be
still more sensible of the difficulty of
doing* justice to its population. No
wonder then, that in the earlier ac-
counts, there is so much confusion,
exaggeration, and inaccuracy. In-
deed^ we may truly assert, that be-
fore the appearance of the Asiatic
Researches, and the works of Hodges,
Rennell, Daniell, Moor, Solvyns, Bu-
. chanan, Forbes, Broughton, &c. &c.
India was but very imperfectly known
to Europeans.
Not only have these and other re-XVI
PREFACE,
cent publications been consulted in
the compilation of these volumes,
but material assistance has also been
derived from private sources, and
chiefly from a collection in four folio
volumes., containing- coloured draw-
ings of the Hindoo deities and of
natives of all professions, executed by
a Hindoo artist, for, and under
the inspection of M. Leger, former-
ly governor of Pondicherry, and now
in the possession of M. Nepveu,
bookseller of Paris. Seven eighths
of the plates which illustrate this
work are engraved from those de-
signs, and great part of the expla-
PREFACE, xvit
nations relative to the trades of the
Hindoos-which accompany them, have
been introduced into these volumes.
The first treats of the religion,
the religious opinions and sects of the
Hindoos.
The second and the greater part
of the third are occupied with the
first caste, or caste of the Bramins,
s
and whatever is connected with them,
such as the religious ceremonies,
marriages, funerals, laws and super-
stitions.
The latter part, of the third vo-
lume is devoted to the second caste,XV111
PREFACE.
or the caste of the rajahs and the mi-
litary,~and consequently embraces all
that relates to government, armies,
encampments, &c.
The fourth and half of the fifth
volume treat of the third and fourth
castes, and describe the trades and
professions followed by the persons
belonging to those castes.
9
The second part of the fifth vo-
lume and the sixth comprize matters
that could not be introduced with
propriety in this division, such as
the languages of Hindoostan, the fine
arts, the sciences, the popular di-
PREFACE.
xix
versions, and a notice of some of the
most remarkable objects in natural
history.
Curious and interesting as the in-
vestigation of the manners of so ex-
traordinary a people as the Hindoos
must be of itself on many accounts,
still the interest and curiosity which
it is calculated to excite, cannot but
be greatly heightened by the present
close connection between their coun-
try and Great Britain. We say the
present connection, for we shall not
lay particular stress on the notion,
suggested however by a gentleman,
eminently qualified by his pursuits,
c 2XX PREFACE.
to pronounce an opinion on the sub-
ject., that our island was the cradle
of the religion and mythology of the
Hindoos. Their Puranas indeed
speak of the sacred isles in the west,
which are the holy land of the Hin-
doos, and of which Swcta-divipa, or
the White Island, is the* principal
and the most famous. There the
fundamental and mysterious transac-
tions of the history of their religion,
in its rise and progress, are recorded
to have taken place. This White
Island, this holy land in the west, is
so intimately connected with their
religion and mythology, that the one
PREFACE.
XXI
cannot be separated from the other.
Major Wilford, who has ably dis-
cussed this curious subject in the
Asiatic Researches, expresses his
conviction, founded on mature con-
sideration, that the White Island is
no other than England, and that the
Sacred Isles of the Hindoos are the
«
British islands.
There are not wanting numerous
coincidences which favour this no-
tion of that profound orientalist. In
every northern country, and in almost
every systernof worship, signs of the
Hindoo religion may be discovered;
and there is a strong resemblance
c 3XX11
PREFACE.
between many of the Hindoo festi-
vals and the old feasts in England.
The like affinity is perceptible be-
tween the Sanscrit and the languages
of Europe, both ancient arid modern,
and among others to that which is
the mother of the English.
Leaving this field to the cultiva-
tion of the professed antiquary, we
are content to direct our view to the
interesting spectacle of an Indian
Empire, containing seventy millions
of native subjects to the British
sceptre. It has been the fashion, we
know, to reprobate the extention of
oisb flnmiTiinTi in tht East. And to
PREFACE.
XX111
stigmatize it as acquired by perfidy
and retained by cruelty and oppres-
sion. This outcry, so long and so
industriously kept up, has at length
subsided, and the prejudices which
gave vise to it are discarded by all
but those who are resolutely bent on
reviling every measure that is sanc-
tioned by the government of their
country. They deplore with ten-
derest sympathy the fall of every
faithless tyrant and petty usurper,
unmindful of the important benefits
received by humanity from the
change.
The Hindoo character is a mostXXlV PREFACE.
extraordinary compound of gentle-
ness and ferocity, kindness and utter
insensibility to the strongest feelings
of nature. The man who would
shrink with horror from the destruc-
. tion of an animal or an insect, has
no scruple to take away his own life,
or the lives.even of those who are
most closely connected with him by
blood. Hence suicide and murder
are crimes of common occurrence in
Hindoostan. The immolation of wi-
dows, the systematic destruction of
female infants, and the sacrifice of
numbers of wretched victims at the
shrine of superstition, are practices
PREFACE. XXV
which prove the power of religion to
reconcile the human mind to the
greatest enormities. This prodigality
of life has received an important
check from the British government
in India; and if it has not yet abo-
lished all these customs as it has
done that of infanticide, we are con-
vinced that this is owing to the diffi-
culty of devising means to accom-
plish so desirable an end, without -
revolting the natives by its inter-
ference. At any rate we have al-
ready the satisfaction of knowing
that many thousand lives are au-
%
nually saved through the efforts of
British humanity.XXVI
PREFACE.
The security of person and pro-
perty is an advantage enjoyed by the
natives of British India, in a degree
unknown under any other eastern
government. Of this the Hindoos
themselves are so sensible, that many
of them who had fled from the ty-
ranny of their native rulers, have been
known to return to their respective
countries as soon as the latter be-
came subject to the British domi-
nion, under which they can peace-
ably pursue their professions and the
practices enjoined by their religion.
The natural results of this security
and indulgence are an increase of po-
pulation, and an agricultural and corn-
^PREFACE. XXVll
mercial prosperity never attained by
those provinces under their former
sovereigns.
When we farther consider the es-
tablishment of the College of Cal-
cutta, for the study of the native
languages and literature of India; the
ardour with which these are culti-
vated by many of our countrymen in
\
the east, as is abundantly attested by
the Asiatic Researches, and other
publications; when we moreover re-
flect on the zeal which is manifested
in the establishment of missions and
the preparation of translations of the
sacred Scriptures, in the different dia-xxviii PREFACE.
lects of the vast peninsula of Hin-
doostan, we cannot help viewing1 in
the events which have placed so
large a portion of it in British hands,
the dawn of an era brought about
by Providence, for the purpose of
conferring- .the blessings of civil and
religious liberty on the hitherto en-
slaved Hindoos, of communicating
to them the light of genuine science,
-and thus producing an immense ac-
cession to the mass of human hap-
piness.
III N D O O S T A N
Hit
RELIGION OF THE HINDOOS.
THE Hindoos are not idolaters, as it has
been so often asserted: they acknow-
ledge in reality but one Supreme Being,
though they pay the same kind of wor-
ship-to the images of their gods as the
Roman Catholics do to those of the
Virgin Mary and the Saints. Thfe vul-
gar, indeed, ignorant and stupid as they
are all over the Avorld, without investi-
gating- either their actions or their creed,
VOL, I. B2
HINDOOSTAN
give themselves up to the most extrava-
gant superstitions.
The deities of the Hindoos are but the
ministers and favourites of the Supreme
Being, emanations of his essence, who
appear under various forms to destroy,
punish or amend the wicked ^ and to
encourage, protect, andreward, the good.
Some will not admit of these emana-
tions 9 from the divinity; maintaining
that the gods were but mortals, whom
the Supreme Being endued with quali-
ties superior to those of other men.
Be this as it may, so much is certain,
that we find among the Hindoos the
most sublime ideas of a Sovereign Ruler
of the universe, coupled with the most
absurd and ridiculous notions respect-
IN MINIATURE. 3
ing the inferior deities, to whom, ac-
cording to their theology, the sole in-
comprehensible God has committed the
government of all created things.
Parabrama is the supreme, eternal,
infinite, almighty being, who created all
that exists. The Hindoos have had the
good sense not to dishonour him by any
fable, or to represent him under any
form.
Absorbed in the contemplation of
himself, he ^resolved, say their sacred
books, to communicate his perfections
to beings susceptible of feeling and of
happiness. These beings were not then
in existence : the eternal willed it, and
they were. He first created three celes-
tial beings, or spirits of a superior or-
B 24 HINDOOSTAN
der? Brama, Vishnu, and Sheeva : af-
/
terwards, Moissassour, and the whole
host of angels and celestial spirits, on
whom he imposed no other law than
that of adoring* their creator. After a
certain time, part of the heavenly host,
misled by the wicked counsels of Mois-
sassour, rebelled against the creator.
God punished them by everlasting* ba-
nishment from his presence, and con-
demned them to eternal torment: but
after another space of time, at the inter-
cession of Brama,. Vishnu, and Sheeva,
God permitted the rebel angels to be
placed in a state of probation, in which
they might have an opportunity of de-
serving his pardon. To this end he
created the visible universe, composed
IN MINIATURE. 5
of fifteen globes of purification, of which
our earth Ls the middlemost. The seven
inferior globes are destined for the
penance and punishment, and the seven
superior for the purification of the peni-
tent angels. God then created and placed
upon the earth ninety-nine different
kinds of mortal bodies, the last and most
noble of which are the Ghoij, or cow,
and Murd, man, to be successively ani-
mated by these spirits, who were des-
tined to suffer physical and moral evils
proportioned to their past disobedience.
Such as shall persist in rebellion or mis-
behave in the last form, shall be again
sent back to onderah, or the lowest
globe, to begin their penance anew, and.
to pass again through the ninety-nine.
B 36 IIINDOOSTAN
transmigrations. Those, on the con-
trary, who shall go through the fifteen
globes, performing penance and obeying
the divine precepts, shall be restored to
their original state of felicity. The
? faithful angels have obtained permission
to descend into the same* regions of
penance, to watch over their fallen fel-
lows, and to preserve them from the
snares of Moissassour and the other
ringleaders of rebellion.
Such is the origin of the multitude
of gods and goddesses, demi-gods, and
\
demi-goddesses, differing in rank and
power, and subordinate in a thousand
ways to one another. Some dwell in
the stars, the air, the sea, the woods,
the rivers, and all other created things,
IN MINIATURE. 7
like the naiads, fauns, satyrs, dryads,
hamadryads, &c. with which the Greeks
peopled all nature; while others form
companies of celestial musicians, nymphs,
daemons, furies, &c.
All these spirits are comprized in the
denominations of deva or deouta, good
genii, and deitti, evil genii. The deouta
are almost always at war with the deitti:
the former are peculiarly devoted to
Vishnti, the latter to Sheeva. In the
battles which they fight with one ano-
ther, both are liable to wounds and
even to death j but their respective
gurus, who are their spiritual direc-
tors and physicians, restore them to
life.
The number of deouta amounts to8 IHNDOOSTAN
thirty crores'm three hundred millions;
that of the deitti, to eighty wores, or
eight hundred millions. The Hindoos
have composed the courts of their prin-
cipal divinities upon the plan of those
of their princes. They have their mes-
sengers,, pages,, singers, dancing-girls,,
/ doctors,, poets, buffoons, &c.
The racchasa and the dinava are two
species of deitti more mischievous than
the rest. They arc giants, daemons,
who devour man and beast : they as-
sume all sorts of hideous shapes, and
\
can make themselves invisible. For the
purpose of appeasing their wrath, small
chapels are erected, and sacrifices are
sometimes offered to them.
The deouta and the deitti can like-
IN MINIATURE. 9
wise take various shapes at pleasure:
%
they transform themselves into men,
beasts, pygmies, and enormous giants,
whose heads touch the stars, and whose
feet descend to the abyss of hell. The
imagination of the Orientals is much
warmer and bolder than ours. The
poets and sculptors, who borrow so
largely from the mythology and the
metamorphoses of the gods of Greece
and Rome, would be exceedingly puz-
zled to bring the fictions of the nations
of the east within the compass of their
art.
Brama, Vishnu, and Sheeva, form the
Indian trinity, called Trimurti, or, cor-
rectly speaking, it is the Supreme Being
himself, under the triple character of10 IHNDOOST AN
creator, preserver,, and destroyer. (See
the Frontispiece). They are sometimes
r
designated by the three letters A. U. M.
the first two of which are sounded like
a long o, so that altogether they are pro-
nounced like ome; a mystic Avord, on
which the pious Hindoo frequently me-
ditates in silence, biit which, out of
respect,, he never suffers to escape his
lips.
Almost all nations have exaggerated
their own antiquity, with a view-to aug-
ment their importance : it may reason-
ably be supposed that the Hindoos,
whose imagination has no curb, are not
in this point behind any other people.
They are profuse of years and ages to
form a single day of their Brama.
IN MINIATURE. 11
They believe that the Supreme Beiiig
has fixed four ages, or youg, for the
course of penance and purification of
the fallen spirits. These ages they term
satia treta, duapara, and call.
The satia, or golden age, lasted three
millions two hundred thousand years.
The Bramins, the first of the four castes
into which Brama has divided man-
kind, were then in -possession of the
authority, and there was nothing on
earth but innocence and virtue. Human
? ? ^
life extended to one hundred* thousand
years.
The treta, or silver age, lasted two
millions four hundred thousand years.
The Khattries, or second caste, then
had the preponderance: vice was intro*12 HINDOOSTAN
duced into the world, but as syet it
formed only one-fourth of its composi-
tion, the other three-fourths consisting
of virtues. Men began to degenerate,
and the duration of their life was re-
duced to sixty thousand years.
'' In the duapara, the third, or copper
age., the Vaisya, or third caste, had the
rule. Vices and virtues were then in
equal proportion ? and human life was
abridged to one thousand years. This
third agfe lasted one million six him-
o
dred thousand years,
In the fourth, or the present age of
the world, called call or cali-goug, the
Sooders, the fourth and last caste, pre-
dominate : the proportion of vices is
three-fourths, and that of virtues one-
fourth only. The life of man is reduced
to one hundred years ; and it is the
good alone, whose number is very small,
that attain this age. The torrent of
vice which inundates the earth, has,
from a fatal necessity, produced a mul-
titude of actions unknown to preceding
ages; and when the last fourth of vir-
tues shall be annihilated, Vishnu will
put an end to the corruption of man-
kind, by destroying the human race and
the terrestrial globe. The cali-youg will
last one hundred thousand years, of
which five thousand are already past.
Authors differ respecting this chrono-
logy, either because they have been
instructed by Bramins, who were not
well informed, or because the Bramins
VOL. r. c14
-HINDDOSTAN
themselves calculate differently, in the
different parts of India ? or because
there may be a variety of opinions on
this point: but yet almost all of them
think alike on the subject of the anti-
quity of the world ; for those who di-
/minish the duration of one age,, in-
crease that of another in proportion.
A learned Bramin laughed/ on being
told, that we Europeans reckon only
about six thousand years since the cre-
ation of the world, and,, pointing* to an
old man with a long white beard, asked,
if it was possible to believe that he was
born but the preceding day.
The Hindoos call the whole of their
four ages a divine age; a thousand di-
vine ag6s form a calpa, or one of Bra-
IN MINIATURE.
ma's days, who, during that period,
cessively invested fourteen menus, or
holy spirits, with the sovereignty of the
earth. The menu transmits his em-
pire to his posterity for seventy-one
divine ages, and this period is called
manawantara, and as fourteen mana-
wantara make but nine hundred and
ninety-four divine ages, there remain
six, which are the twilight of Brama's
day. Thirty of these days form his
month ; twelve of these months one of
his years j and one hundred of these
years the duration of his existence.
The Hindoos assert that fifty of these
years have already elapsed, so that we
are in the first day of the first month of
the fifty-first year of Brama's age, and
c 216 IJINDOOSTAN
in the twenty-eighth divine age of the
??
seventh manawantara. The first three
human ages of this age, and five thou-
sand years of the fourth are past. The
Hindoos therefore calculate that it is
131,400,007,205,000 years since the
birth of Brain a, or the beginning of the
? world.
The first menu in the present day of
Brama, was surnamed Sawayambhava,
or son of him who exists of himself.
To him is attributed the institution of
the religious and civil duties that are
still observed among the Hindoos.
Hence some idea may be formed of the
prodigious antiquity ascribed by the
Hindoos to these institutions.
We know 'little more than the names
IN MINIATURE. 17
of the five menus who succeeded the
first; but the Hindoo works give many
particulars concerning the life and pos-
terity of the seventh menu, who is
called faivasivata, or child of the sun.
He had ten sons, and was attended by
seven rlcheys, or holy persons.
During the reign -of this menu, the
earth was inundated, and the whole hu-
man race destroyed by a deluge, with
the exception of this religious prince,
&nd the seven richeys and their wives,
who took refuge in an ark. Vaiva-
swata's children were not born till after
\
the deluge.
The seventh menu is considered as
the ancestor of the whole human race,
for the seven richeys who were preserved
c 318 HINDOOSTAN
with him in the ark, do not appear to
have had human progeny. His poste-
rity are divided into two great branches,
called the children of the sun, after
his reputed father, and the children of
the moon, from the father of the hus-
band of his daughter Ila; for the moon
is a male deity with the Hindoos.
The male descendants, in a direct line,
of these two families, are supposed to
have reigned in the cities of Oude and
Vitora, till the thousandth year of the
present age, when the solar and lunar
dynasties became extinct. The menu
reigned in persoji during the last gold-
en age: for the Hindoos, deeming
it wrong to place a sacred personage
in times of impurity, assert that the
IN MINIATURE. 10
menu reigns only in the golden age of
each divine age ; and that he disappears
in the three other ages, and does not re-
turn till the golden age of the suc-
ceeding divine age.
According to the puranas, or Indian
books which treat of the creation and
of the history of the gods and heroes
of antiquity, fifty-five princes of the
solar, and forty-five of the lunar race,
governed the world during the second,
or silver age. Twenty-nine princes of
the first, and twenty-four of the second
race, reigned during the third, or cop-
per age : and lastly, they reckon thirty
generations of each of the two families
during the first thousand years of the
cati-youg, or the present age.20 TI1NDOOSTAN
Since that period, which is'the epoch
of the accession of Pradyota to the
kingdom of Magadha, or Behar, the
foundation of which dates from the be-
ginning of the cali-youg; a regular chro-
nology records the number of years of
each dynasty, to the destruction of the
original government of the Hindoos :
but this belongs to the history of India,
which is foreign to our present subject.
IN MINIATURE,
21
BRAMA.
Brama, JBtrmah, or Brouma, is one of
the three persons of the Indian trinity,
or rather the Supreme Being under the
attribute of Creator. Brama, the pro-
genitor of all rational beings, sprung
from a golden, egg, sparkling like a
thousand suns, which was hatched by
the motion imparted to the waters by
the Supreme Being. Brama separated
the heavens from the earth, and placed
amid the subtle ether the eight points
of the universe and the receptacle of
the waters. Hq had five heads before
Vairevert, oneofSheeva'ssons,cutoffone22 IIINDOOSTAN
of them. He is delineated floating on
a leaf of the lotus, a plant revered in
India. The Brainins relate, that the
fifteen worlds which compose the uni-
verse were each produced by a part of
Brama's body. At the moment of our
birth, he imprints in our heads, in cha-
racters which cannot be effaced, all that
we shall do, and all that is to happen to
us in life. It is not in our power, nor
in that of Brama himself, to prevent
what is written from being fulfilled.
Brama divided the Hindoos into the four
castes or tribes mentioned in the pre-
ceding chapter, and which will be fur-
ther noticed hereafter.
Brama, considered as Qod the Creator,
has, however, neither temple, nor wor-
IN MINIATURE. 23
ship, nor devotees : the Bramins alone,
on account of their origin, address their
prayers to him every morning.
It was pride that deprivedBrama of the
poojah, as the ceremony which the Hin-
doos are obliged to perform every morn-
ing, in honour of their gods, is called*
Brama imagined himself equal toSheeva,
decause he possessed the power of creat-
ing, and therefore insisted on the pre-
eminence over Vishnu. The latter was
enraged at his presumption, and a dreadful
conflict ensued. The stars fell from the
firmament, the andons (the visible hea-
vens) burst, and the earth trembled. The
deverkehy or dcoutas, demi-gods, filled
with consternation, implored the Lord
to support them; and God appeared-24 MINDOOSTAN
before the combatants,, in the form of a K
\
pillar of fire Avhich had no end. At this
sight their fury subsided,, and they
agreed., that he who should find the top
of the pillar,, should enjoy the pre-
eminence over( the other. Vishnu as-
\ sumed the form of a wild boar, dug
holes in"th£ ground with his tusks,, and
penetrated to pandalon, hell. He pro-
ceeded a thousand cadons in the twink-
ling of an eye. Brama, in the shape
of a bird,, soared towards the summit,
flying" two thousand cadons in a mo-
ment. In this way the one continued
descending and the other ascending for
one hundred thousand years, but yet
their search proved fruitless. At length,
having exhausted their strength, they '
IN MINIATURE 25
reflected on their imprudenco and re-
cognized the Lord. But as Brama at-
tempted to cheat Vishnu, and to make
him believe that he had discovered ,t]i~e
top of the pillar, Sheeva decreed that
he should never have any temples on
earth.
Brama, according to the vulgar my
thology, takes but little notice of hu-
man affairs. Identified with the sun,
he is adored by the Bramins in ? the
gayatri, the most sacred passage of
r _ ' .
the vedas (or sacred books), which iSJ
'. f /'
itself ranked among the gods, and'to^
which''offerings are made. One of the
most important attributes of Brama is
that' of father of legislators; for it was
his ten sons who diffused laws and the
VOL. I. D26
HINDOOSTAN
sciences over the world. He is consider-
ed as the original author of the vedds,
- wfiich are said to have issued from his
four mouths ; though it was not till a
later period, that is, about fourteen hun-
dred years before Christ, that they were
collected and arranged by Vyasa, the phi-
losopher and poet. The laws which bear
the name of Menu, the son of Brama,
and the works of the other richeys, or
holy persons, were also re-copied, or per-
haps collected from tradition, long after
the period when they are said to have
been published by the sons of Brama.
Brama, the father of the legislators
of India, has a considerable resem-
blance to the Jupiter of the Greek
poets, the father of Minos, whose ce-
IN MINIATURE. 27
lebrated laws were published in the very
same century that Vyasa collected the
vedas. Jupiter was worshipped as the
sun, by the name of Anxur or Axur,
and Brama is identified with that lumi-
nary. The most common form in which
Brama is represented, is that of a man
with four heads and four hands ; and it
is remarkable that the Lacedaemonians
gave four heads to their Jupiter. Last-
ly, the title of Father of Gods and
Men is equally applicable to Brama and
t
to Jupiter.
Brama is delineated holding in one
hand a ring, the emblem of immortality $
in another, fire, to represent force;
and with the other two, writing on ottes,
or palm-leaves, the emblem of legis-2vS 1IINDOOSTAN
lative power. (See the annexed en-
graving.)
Brama's wife, or sacti, is Saras-
wadi, the goddess of literature and the
arts. She is considered sometimes as
the daughter, at others, as the sister ^of
Brain a; and by the name of Bramani,
she is one of the eight primary mothers
of the earth,, wives of the governors of
the eight parts of the world.* In one
of the sacred books she is introduced
speaking of-herself, nearly in the terms
of the famous inscription on the statue of
Isis : I am all that has been or shall be.
* These are : 1. Indra, governor of tlie
east; 2. Agneey of the south-east; 3. Ya-
?//(/., oftlie south ? 4. Nyrutciy of the south-
Avcst ; 5. Varuna, of tlic west ; 0. Pavany
of the north-west 5 7. Cuveray of the north ?
8. Iswura, of the north-cast.
IN MINIATURE. 29
The goose, the emblem of vigilance,, is
consecrated to her,, and she is frequently
represented borne by that bird, holding
a book in one hand,, and playing on the
vina, or Indian lyre, with the other.
She is sometimes seen in the train of
Brama, when, seated on a lotus, lie
holds the ve'das in one hand, and con-
secrates the instruments for sacrifice
with the three others.30
II1NDOOSTAN
SHEEVA.
Sheeva is the deity who seems to
have obtained the most general wor-
ship. In his attributes, he has some-
times a resemblance to Brama,at others,
to Vishnu, and frequently to the sun.
T3ie double character of destroyer and
restorer, peculiar to- him, has analogy
with the operations of nature, which
annihilates nothing, but which, under
the appearance of destruction, merely
changes the forms of bodies. His
names are too numerous to be men-
tioned here: the principal are Rudra,
Lwra, and Mahadeva. Under the name
IN MINIATURE. 31
of Rudra, he is cruel and takes delight
In sanguinary sacrifices j under that of
Ixora, he is absolute lord of all things ;
under that of Mahadcva, or great god,
he is adored on all the mountains of
India j and he. has also Numerous vo-
taries in tire plains. His worship
verv much resembles that of Osiris in
?
Egypt, and of Dionysus, or the Indian
Bacchus, at Athens j and it is remark
r
able, that one of the thousand and
eight incarnations of Sheeva was Deo
Nausliy and one of his names Baghis.
We leave philologists to decide, whe-
ther Ixora and Osiris have the same
signification: be this as it may, the re-
semblance of their attributes and wor-
ship afford reason to believe that they32 HINDOOSTAN
are one and the same. The bull, vul-
garly called nundi, is consecrated to
Mahadeva, who is frequently repre-
sented riding on that animal; and Apis,
to which divine honours were paid in
Egypt, as they are in India, to all ani-
mals of the bull species, was one of
the types of Osiris.
Under the name of Rudra, Sheeva
corresponds with the Stygian Jupiter,
or Pluto; and there is not a less
curious resemblance bet\yeen Sheeva
and Jupiter. The name of Triopthal-
mos given to the Grecian Jupiter,
whose statue was found about the time
of the Trojan war, with a third eye in
the middle of the forehead, and that of
Trilochan, by which Sheeva is usually
IN MINIATURE. S3
lenominated when he is represented
with three eyes, have precisely the same
signification. Under the name of Cola,
or Time, he has also some resemblance
to Chronos, or Saturn, who like him
was supposed to be delighted with sa-
crifices of human victims.
Sheeva is one of the greatest deities
of the Hindoos: some sects even as-
sert that the other gods are subordinate
to him, or merely his attributes. He
is a particular favourite with the
lowest classes of the people, and with
the Saniassis, a religious order, who
invoke him as their peculiar patron, by
the name of Dourghati. He is some-
times represented with several heads;
but in general only one is given to him;M IIINDOOSTAN
The number of his hands differs from
four to thirty-two, and each holds a
different weapon., as a sword,, a club,, a
hatchet, &c. He is seated on a tiger's
or elephant's skin, and wears round his
neck a chaplet of human skulls. The
river Ganges is seen issuing from the
top of his head,, where he laid it down
to rest in descending from heaven to
earth.
He resides on MountKailassa, which
'is composed of rocks,, every fragment
of which is a precious stone of inesti-
mable value. There he is surrounded
'by celestial nymphs, while his wife
Parvati, a goddess sprung from the
mountain,, sits by his side and partici-
pates in his pleasures arid his honours.
IN MINIATURE. 3,3
Parvati is one of the most celebr/ated
divinities in the legends of the Hin-
o
doos ; she is the same as Maha-Cali,
or the great goddess of time. Victims
of all kinds, from man to the- tortoise,
are sacrificed to her in this character.
It is she who punishes, the wicked; and
in this point, and also as the goddess of
enchantments, slie agrees with Pro-
serpine, Diana of Tauris, or the triple
Hecate.
Diana of Ephesus, who was repre-
sented with several breasts, was consi-
dered by the ancients as one and the
same with Cybele and the earth. Par-
vati has also the name of Bhavani, or
the female nature on earth, when she
appears with the distinctive charac-36 HJNDOOSTAN
teristics of the Ephesian Diana: never-
theless, the particular name of the god-
dess of the earth is Pritlrivi, an inferior
deity, who is often confounded with
Bhavani. Cybele rides on a lion ; so
does Bhavani, though, in quality of
Sheeva's wife, she is often seen accom-
panied by the bull. Diana, Ceres, and
Cybele, are supposed to be the same as
Isis, the wife of Osiris, and the name of
Parvati, as the wife of Mahesa, or
Ixora, is ha. *
Besides these characters, which she
has in common with the deities of
Greece, Parvati is Dourga, or active
virtue: under this attribute she van-
quished Moissassour, the daemon of
vice, and one of the rebel angels. This
IN MINIATURE. 37
conflict has been celebrated in.; songs
and'poems by all the Hindoo sects.
It is represented in the annexed en-
graving, faithfully copied from an In-
dian painting; and the account given
of it is as follows :?
When the angel Moissassour rebelled
against the Supreme Being, he meta-
morphosed himself into a buffalo, and
in that form made war for one hundred
years on Indra and his celestial hosts,
whom he defeatett and drove out of
heaven. Indra wandered a long time
upon earth with his vanquished deouta:
at length, by the .advice of Bnuna, he
solicited the assistance of Vishnu and
Sheeva. These deities, commiserating
his misfortune and exasperated against
VOL. T. E38
HINDOOSTAiY
Moissassour, exhaled from their mouths
a ilame, which was transformed into a
goddess of incomparable beauty. This
was Parvati, under the name of Dour-
ya. IMouiifcd oa a tiger and her four
hands armed with a sabre, a lance, ii
serpent, and a dagger, she proceeded
against the usurper, pursued him in-
all the forms that he assumed to elude
her wrath, and, at length, setting her
foot upon his head, she; cut it olFwith
her sabre. From the trunk of the buf-
falo instantly sprung a human bust,
bearing in one arm a sabre and in the
other a buckler. "This animal, half-
bull'alo and half-man, prepared for ano-
ther attack on its conqueror : but
*'0iiri;-a, (hrowing the serpent she held'
ff
ft i// ^^?^^J^^
IN MINIATURE. 39
in her hand round his neck, thrust,her
lance into his heart, and thus put an
end to the combat. In commemora-
tion of this victory the people of Ben-
gal and the Mahrattas sacrifice a buf-
falo to Dourga.
Under the name of Maha-Cali, she
is represented as hideously ugly, with
teeth and nails of immoderate length,
arms and whips in her eight hands, and
a chaplet of skulls round her neck.
By the appellation of Bhavani, she is
less terrible, and her festival is held in
spring: but Dourga is her favourite
character. Her festival is solemnized
in autumn, with great parade and re-
joicing : her statues are then carried
in procession to the nearest river or
K 2 '40 IIINDOOSTAN
lake, and thrown into the water. This
practice originated in the belief that
Dourga, after giving* happiness and
prosperity to India,, retired into the
Ganges, where she receives such as
throw themselves in : accordingly, those
Hindoos who drown themselves in this
sacred river are deerried most happy,
and no pains are taken to prevent or
to save them.
Padrnala, and Camajia, born of the
Lotus., arc likewise names of Parvati;
and here she is decidedly the Venus of
the western mythologists; she issued
upon a flower from the foam of the sea,,
and was hailed as the goddess of beauty
by the celestial powers, who gave her
in marriage to Shceva. She is the
IN MINIATURE. 41
mother of Manmadin, Camdeo or''/£-
pucy the Cupid,, and Car tic ey a, the
Mars of India; and the peacock,, which
the former rides, is frequently placed
beside her. Ganesa, the god of wis-
dom,, is also reckoned one of her sons;
and she is considered, equally with Sa-
raswadi, as the patroness of the sciences.
The miners, employed in extracting
metals from the bosom of the earth,
are also under her protection, and to
her is ascribed the invention of stringed
musical instruments. In this point
she resembles Minerva, and as she is
alike skilful in the arts of war and of
peace, we have strong reason to believe
that she is no other than that goddess.
The statues of Mercury and Minerva,
E 342 IIINDOOSTAN
\
placed together by the high-roads,,
had probably the same origin as those
of Sheeva and Parvati, which are ex-
tremely common in India.
Parvati is particularly the goddess of
women of the lower class, who invoke
her on all occasions. She has likewise
a sect of worshippers, called Sactis,
who acknowledge no other deity. At
the entrance of the temples of Sheeva
and Parvati is always plated an ox with
a tortoise at his feet. The Greeks, who
adopted the forms and the details of
the ancient mythologies, with the mys
tic signification of which they were not
always acquainted, invented the fable of
Chelone to explain the presence of the
tortoise in the temples of Jupiter.
IN MINIATURE. 43
Sheeva had several sons : the first and
most powerful is Ganesa, the god of
wisdom, and who also presides over
marriage. His statues, like those of
the god Terminus, are placed by the
side of roads and on the boundaries of
townships and villages. He is adored,
like Pan, under trees and in woods :
and on the coast of Coromandel he is
the object of a particular worship, un-
der the name of Polear. At Chinsura,
«
divine honours are paid to the incarna-
tion, of Ganesa, under the figure of the
god of that country ; and he is uni-
versally venerated throughout India.
When a person proposes to build a
house or any other edifice, the first
thing he does is to sanctify the spot,41 I11NDOOSTAN
by strewing cow-dung and ashes over
it ; and in the next place he never fails
to erect upon it a statue of Ganesa.
In short, the god of wisdom is the most
popular of all the; deities, of India, and
has the nearest i;esejnblance\ to the
Lares, or household gods^of the an-
cients- Hanooman shares this attribute
with him among the lower classes of
the Hindoos. Like the Janus of the
Romans,; Ganesa has two faces and
sometimes four, to indicateJthat nothing
escapes prudence, and, that tit viaw^.at
once the past, the present, and the fu-
ture. The pious ^Hindoos begin all
sacrifices, religious ceremonies, and
prayers,' not excepting* such as are ad-
dressed to ;the ' superior divinities, and'-?' A n IB i. A
'u'-e-.d; c-r '"//5r
IN MINIATURE. 45
all business of any importance, with an
invocation to Ganesa. There are few
books to which are not prefixed the
words, Haill Ganesa !
' ?»? -A\ ?*""? - '
*"'"* ~
One of the^ttritmtes of Ganesa, that
'' V7^'"''*'';';-%v", *"v'
of patron of literature, he has in com-
r ' ,r '? '. .'?'. \ ^
mon with the - Apollo pf the t Greeks,
though Crishpia,^? one of^the- awatars,
or incarnations; of Vishnu;^ *of wliich
l- ;v -v'^'^.'
we shall treat presently; b^ears^: closer-
resemblance" to the god^ o^^Delphi.
? *%'"? ? i
Ganesa is depicted; with a body of pro-
digious :size, an elephants head com-
monly with four hands, and, some-
times, as we have observed, with four
faces. The animal \yhich*accompanies
? . ?' -*s-V--v '
him is usually the rat,vthe emblem of4rt H1NDOOSTAN
foresight. The following- story is re-
lated concerning it.
This rat was a giant., called Guedye-
monga-Churin, on whom ..the gods had
conferred immortality - but he abused
his power,, and did much mischief to
mankind, who implored the protection
of Ganesa. The latter, pulling out
one of his tusks., threw it with such
force at Guedyemonga-Churin, that the
tooth entered his stomach and over-
, j
?threw him. The giant instantly trans-
formed himself into a rat as large as a
?%
mountain,, and ran up to attack Ganesa,
who leaped upon his back, saying :
" Thou shalt henceforth carry me."
Ganesa is frequently seen with Shec-
1N MINIATURT5. 47
,va and Parvatiin the groves of Ka'ilassa,
where it is his employment to fan them
with a chamara,j or fan made of fea-
thers, while Nareda plays on the vina
(lyre) which is accompanied by the
celestial choirs.
The Hindoos, when they adore Ga-
nesa by the name of Polear, cross their
arms, and strike themselves several
blows with their closed fists on the
temples ; then, still keeping their arms
crossed, they lay hold of their ears
and make three inclinations by bend-
ing the knee: after which they clasp
their hands, strike their foreheads again,
and address their prayers to the god.
They entertain the highest veneration
for him, place his image in all the tern-48 HINDOO STAN
?«^
pies, in the streets, the roads, the fields,
and at the foot of trees, that every one
may have opportunities of invoking
him in case of need, and that travellers
may be able to present their offerings
to him before they pursue their route.
fSheeva's second son is Supramanya ??
his father produced him from the eye
in the middle of his forehead, to de-
stroy the giant Soura Parpina. The
latter, by dint of penance, had obtained
the government of the world and im-
mortality ; but he became so wicked,
that Sheeva was obliged to punish him.
He sent against him Supramanya, who
fought him in vain for two days j but
at length he was fortunate enough to
cut the giant in two. The two partsIN MINIATURE. 49
turned, the one into a peacock and the
other into a cock. Supramanya took
the peacock to ride upon, arid ordered
the cock to keep near him on his car.
Accordingly, in the temples consecrated
to him, and in all those of Sheeva, in
^
which he has always a small chapel, he
is seen riding- on a peacock, with six
heads^and twelve arm s.
Supramanya is represented with four
hands, two of which are armed with
daggers, while a third holds a lance,
and the fourth is empty. The peacock
is at his feet.
Vairevert is the third son of Sheeva,
who made him out of his breath, and
commissioned him to punish the pride
of the deverkels and penitents, and to
VOL. I. FoO
1UNDOOSTAN
humble Brama, who esteemed himself
the greatest of the gods. Vairevert
tore off one of Brama's five heads;
he killed the deverhels and the peni-
t&nts, and caught their blood in Bra*
ma's skull. He afterwards restored
them to life, and gave them humbler
and purer hearts.
According to some Hindoos,- it is
Vairevert, who will come at the expi-
ration of the four ages, at Sheeva's
?command, to destroy the world; but
according to others, that office will be
performed by Vishnu. Vairevert is
.represented with four arms, three eyes,
and two projecting teeth in the shape
of crescents. He wears, by way of neck-
lace, a string of heads, which hang
IN MINIATURE.
51
down to his belly ; his girdle is com-
/
posed of serpents ; his hair is of the
colour of fire; bells are attached to
his feet, and in his hands he holds
a tidi, a choulon, a cord, and the skull
of Brama. Vairevert is represented
riding on a dog: he has several tem-
ples, hut is principally worshipped at
Cashee, near the Ganges.r2
H1NDOOSTAN
VISHNU.
Of all the gods of the Indian mytho-
logy, observes Mrs. Graham, '(in her
Letters on India,) I like Vishnu best :
for besides being charged with the duty
of our preservation, it cannot be denied
that he is a very amiable deity. We
do not find that he suffers himself to
j
be hurried into those violent passions
which dishonour the majesty of Sheeva,
nor do we see that he resorts to unwor-
thy artifices, like Indra,, to give suc-
cess to evil designs : but he is always
ready to take upon himself the afflic-
tions of humanity, for the purpose of
IN MINIATUIU'. 53
relieving the wretched. It is he, who,
by his kindly influence, prevents the
effects of the rage of Mahadeva, and
preserves the present order of the crea-
tion.
Jupiter, in his attribute of preserver,
is the western prototype of Vishnu.
Both preside over the rites of hospi-
tality, and protect strangers ; and the
celestial eagle constantly accompanies
one as well as the other. But Vishnu
is also Varuna, or the god of the
waters. Under this character lie is
armed with a trident, or sceptre with
? three prongs. Sir William Jones calls
Varuna a form of Sheeva ; but it seems
more natural to consider him as Vishnu,
who, by one of his names, Narayan, is
F 351 HINDOOSTAN
represented floating- on the oeean upon
a leaf, and sometimes on the great ser-
pent, Maha Sheslia. Sheeva and Vishnu
frequently exchange their attributes,
and even their arms : hence the former
occasionally bears the trident which
belongs to the latter.
When Vishnu is not represented
sleeping on the ocean, he is depicted
with four arms and sometimes more,,
an agreeable aspect and handsome
figure. His colour is dark blue : he
j
holds a lotus, the emblem of water,
the chahra, or ornamented disk, and the
clianlt, or conch ? he is, moreover,
armed sometimes with the agneeastra,
or fiery dart, perhaps the lightning,
and at others, with the trident. Mis
IN MINIATURE. &0
head is sometimes adorned with three
r tresses, the emblem of the Ganges,
which, it is said, flows from Vishnu's
feet over the head of Sheeva, and which
is called Triveni. The three tresses
may perhaps also represent the three
great rivers, the Ganges, the Jumna,
and the Saraswati; the latter of which,
according to the Bramins, communi-
cates with the two others by a subter-
raneous channel.
Vishnu is frequently borne upon the
wings of Garura, or Garuda, who is
commonly represented with a human
body and the beak and wings of a hawk.
Here we recognize the eagle of Jupiter
and his companion, Ganymede. Vish-
nu's paradise is the vaicondon, where heoH
JliNDOOSTAN
enjoys the company of his beloved
Lacslnni, tlie exquisitely beautiful god-
dess of fortune and abundance, and one
of his wives. She is also called Sris,
which signifies prosperity, and Camala, '
born of the Lotus, and is considered
as the mother of Manmadin. She is
consequently the same as Parvati ? and,
indeed,, it seems as if all the goddesses,
as well as all the gods, might be re-
duced to a single deity, whose different
)
attributes they merely represent, The
names of the three great divinities, nu-
merous as they may be, are all reducible
to those of the sun, fire, and air, and
these to that of a great deity, who is
visibly represented in the creation by
the sun; but in the vulgar mythology,
IN MINIATURE. 57
Sourya, the god of that luminary, is a
/
personage of much less importance than
any of those composing the great Tri-
nity. He has nevertheless a numerous
sect of worshippers, who have taken
from his name the appellation of Sou-
ras. The sun, in his splendour, is no
other, according to the gayatri, than
truth and the supreme intelligence,
which creates, governs, and animates
the whole universe. The learned in-
voke him with particular veneration ;
but the only notion which the common
people have of him, is derived from
seeing his image drawn in a car by se-
ven green coursers, and by a horse with
seven heads, preceded by Arou~y who
performs the office of leader, and in58 JUNDOOSTAN
whom we may recognize Aurora, and
followed by the twelve aditis, or months,
and thousands of genii singing his
praises. Sourya is believed to have
frequently descended fn,m his car in
human shape. Two of his sons, called
Aswinau, are regarded as twins and re-
presented like Castor ajid Pollux. They
preside over medicine ; and they are the
offspring of a nymph, who, in the
form of a mare, was impregnated by the
'rays of the sun- J
IN MINIATURE.
INFERIOR DEITIES OF THE HIN-
DOOS.
Tchandra, the moon, is like the god
Lunus of the ancient Italians, of the
male sex. Fable relates, that the
twenty-eight lunar stations into which
the heavens are divided by the Hindoos,
are each the abode of a wife of Tchan-
dra, whom the god visits in turn. He
Is invoked with Sourya and the planets
in all sacrifices. His car is drawn by
an antelope, as that of Diana was by
a stag. All the horned animals,, the
hare, and the rabbit, are under his spe-
cial protection.GO
1IINDOOSTAN
Yam a, the god of death, and sove-
reign of pandalvn, or hell, is also judge
of the souls of the dead, which, at stated
periods, repair in crowds to Yamaporc,
his dread abode, to receive sentence.
Hence they either ascend to suerga,
the first heaven, or are cast into narac,
the region of serpents, or assume upon
earth the form of some animal, unless,
from the nature of their offences, they
.are doomed to reside ^ome time in ve-
getables or even in mineral substances.
o
The milky-way is the road by which the
souls travel to Yarnaporc. Yama re-
sembles Pluto, or rather, perhaps, Mi-
nos. One of his titles is Dherma-raja,
king of justice; another, Pitripeti,
lord of the patriarchs ; and a third,
IN MINIATURE. Of
$raddha-deva, god of funeral offerings.
He is also Gala, or Time, though
Sheeva is sometimes worshipped by
that appellation. Yama is represented
with a frightful face, mounted on a buf-
falo, and holding a stick in his hand.
The Hindoos say, that this god of
death expired himself under the blows
of Ixora, one of the names of Slieeva,
from whom he attempted, in Ixis six-
teenth year, to steal away Marcandam,
the ward of that deity. Men ceased for
some time to be subject to death, and
began to imagine themselves immortal:
but the earth, overstocked with inhabit-
ants, was no longer capable of sup-
porting them, which occasioned extra-
ordinary commotion and confusion. At
VOL. i. r*r
II IN BOOST AN
I
length, Ixora, at the solicitation of the
gods, re-animated Yama, who sent one
of his ministers to order all the as;ed
o
to set out immediately for the other
world. The messenger,, having tippled
by the way, arrived with his head
quite muddled with the fumes of wine,
and not knowing what he was about,
instead of addressing himself exclu-
sively to the old, lie intimated Yama's
orders to all mankind*, without clistinc-
' tion of age. A prodigious number of
children, youths, adults, and aged per-
sons, were soon seen perishing promis-
cuously. Since that time men have died
at every age : till then their lives were
all of equal length, and the number of
years determined the moment of death,
IN MINIATURE. 3
The western mythologists have some-
times confounded Plutus wilh Pluto:
but Cuvcra, the god of wealth with the
Hindoos, has no correspondence with
Yam a, unless it be supposed that the
islands of gold,- silver, and iron, which
form part of the dominions of the lat-
ter, give the other a right to share his
empire. Cuvera, moreover, is rather
the genius who presides over wealth and
metals, than a god: he has no altars,
and it is to Lacshmi, the goddess of
fortune, that devotees address their
prayers for riches. Cuvera resides in
the palace of Alaca, in the forest of
Chitaroutra; he is drawn on a splendid
car, surrounded by a great number of
handsome nymphs, called Yacshas.M 111NDOOSTAN
Yama and Cuvcra are two of the pro-
tectors of the eight corners of the
world : the former presiding over the
south, the latter over the north.
Agnec.y the god of fire, has usually
three legs and four arms ; he is repre-
sented surrounded with flames, and ri-
ding upon a ram : he is* one of the pro-
tecting deities of the eight corners of
the world, and governs the south-east
portion. He has many different names,
lint is best known by that of Agnee.
Visvacarinaiiy god of artisans, is an-
nually adored by all those who follow
mechanical professions: the implements
of the carpenters, masons, &c. are
consecrated to him.
Carticeya, son of Parvati, is the
IN MINIATURE. 05
,commander of the celestial armies ; he
was born with six heads, and was
nursed by the six critikas (Pleiades) who
each suckled one of his six mouths.
These nurses were placed among the
stars, at a great distance from their
husbands, the richeys (the seven stars
of the Great Bear,) to whom they had
proved false. The seventh only, the faith-
ful Arundati* was permitted to remain
with her husband, and to accompany
him in his nocturnal revolution. Car-
ticeya is also called Scan-da; he has six
faces, as we have just observed, a muU
* The Hindoos give this appellation to a
small star, which is so near to the stars of
the Great Bear, that it seems to touch
them.66 111NDOOSTAN
titude of eyes, and several hands armed
with clubs, arro\vs and sabres ; he is
represented riding on a peacock, or ac-
companied by that bird : he is of an
irascible disposition, like his brother
Mars, but his power is extremely li-
mited : perhaps he is the same as Su-
prarnanya, Sheeva's second son, who,
like him, has six heaths, and is mounted
on a peacock.
Camdeo, or Manmadin, differs but
little from the Cupid of the ancients.
He is also called Unungay'uvy without
body; and is the son of Vishnu and
Lacshmi. Besides his bow and arrows,
' he carries a banner, on which is deli-
neated a fish : his bow is a sugar-cane;
the cord is formed of bee's ; the arrowsIN MINIATURE. 67
1
are of all sorts of flowers; one only is
headed, but the point is covered with a
honey-comb?an allegory equally just
and ingenious, and which so correctly
expresses the pleasures and the pangs
produced at one and the same time by
the wounds of love. Man madia is re-
presented, as in the annexed plate,
riding on a parrot.
One day, when Vishnu, to deceive
Sheeva, had assumed the figure'of a
beautiful young female, Mamnadin
discharged an arrow, which pierced the
heart of the formidable deity, and in-
flamed it with love of the. nymph. The
latter fled, and at the aioment when
Sheeva had overtaken her, Vishnu re-
sumed his proper form. Sheeva, en-
ANM.AP.lLN
Tike68 111NDOOSTAN
raged at the trick played upon him,
with one flash of his eyes burned and
consumed the imprudent Manmadin,
who hence received the name of Unun-
ga. JHe was restored to life by a shower
of nectar, which the gods in pity poured
upon him : but he remained without
body and is the only Indian deity who
is accounted incorporeal. Camdeo is
particularly worshipped by females de-
sirous of obtaining faithful lovers and
.good husbands. In the1 worship paid
him by the Hindoos, obscene images,
loose songs and indecent ideas are ex-
cluded : but yet they give him for a
wife a goddess, named Radi, which sig-
nifies lewdness.
Pavan, the god of the winds, is the
\1N MINIATURE. 00
i
father of Hanooman, a deity with an
ape's head, whose adventures are close-
ly connected with those of the awatara
Rama, (for which see the sixth incar-
nation of Vishnu) ; but in his attributes
' he nearly resembles Pan. Like the
latter, Hanooman was the inventor of a
particular kind of music 5 like him, he
dwells in woods and forests, and is at
the head of the rural deities. Pavan
supports the north-west portion of the
universe.
Nareda, one of the sons of Brama,
presides over music in general, but his
chief character is that of legislator.
He is the messenger of the gods: the
invention of the mnay or Jndiaii guitar,
is ascribed to him. His actions have70 HINDOOS'!'AN
l
been celebrated by the poets, and form
the subject of a Pur ana.
Indra is the most important deity,
after the three ?:reat divinities com-
o
posing the Indian trinity. In several
of his attributes he resembles the Eu-
ropean Jupiter. He is the sovereign
of the firmament, and presides over the
different phenomena of the atmosphere,
as rain, thunder, &c. He is also the
god of illusions and imposture j and as
he-is neither more chaste nor more con-
stant than Jupiter, his metamorphoses
had no other object than to deceive and
seduce, like those of the father of gods
and men, when he assumed the shape
of a swan, a bull, a shower of gold, 8cc.
His body, from the shoulders to the
IN MINIATURE. 71
t
waist, is studded with eyes, to denote
his continual vigilance : hence he has
been compared to Argus. He is the
chief of the celestial spirits, who are
innumerable, and who dwell in mcrguy
the first heaven of the Hindoos, and the
abode of virtuous souls : he also rules
over the spirits of the earth and sea.
His favourite palace is in the forest of
Nundana, where his wife, Indram, par-
ticipates in his pleasures and authority ;
she is commonly represented seated by
his side, on a beautiful elephant with
three trunks, surrounded by a numerous
train of deoutas. Indra is one of the
governors of the eight corners of the
1 world; but though the part, which is
especially under his direction, is the72 IIINDOOSTAN
t
cast, his Olympus is the -fl/ierw, or
north pole, which is allegorically de-
scribed as a mountain of gold and pre-
cious stones*
Casyapa, the priest of the gods, and
sometimes called their father, resides,
unembarrassed by the arduous duty of
governing either gods or men, in a val-
ley, situated on the summit of a lofty
mountain. In his mode of life and re-
tirement he resembles SaVurn, when he
reigned, during the* golden age, over
Latium. Casyapa and his venerable
wife are surrounded by sacred nymphs,
lovely as the Iwuris of Mahomet, and
pure as the virgins of Vesta. At
their court innocence, oppressed upon
earth, finds rest and protection; and
IN MINIATURE. 73
a divine security preserves everlasting /
peace in their kindly shades, where
Ganesa, the god of wisdom, is the
most frequent and the most welcome
visitor.
Manar Suami, a Hindoo deity, is not
well known. Some suppose him to be
Sheeva ? but his priests recognize in
him an incarnation of Supramanya,
second son of that god. This doctrine
is not generally received ; and it is
rejected by the Bramins. The tem-
ples of Manar Suami are very small, and
stand in the fields. In general, colos-
sal figures of brick are erected at the
entrance ? they represent seated boudons,
who are said to be thb guardians of
the temple. Within them are seen,
VOL. I . H74
WNDOOSTAN
representations of the son of Sheeva';
and twelve young damsels, These
temples are frequented by the Hin-
doos of the inferior castes, who there
perform their devotions; but they are
never visited by the Bramms, because
'they hold this worship in contempt.
Mariatta, who is considered as the
goddess of the small-pox, is also wor-
shipped, according to Sonnerat, by
people of the lowest clalss only. Ma-
riatta was the wife' of the penitent,
Chamada Guini, nnd mother of Paras-
suraraa, who is no other than Vishnu
iii his eighth incarnation. This god-
4t
(less had authority over the elements;
but this power she could retain no
longer than while her heart continued
IN MINIATURE. 75
to be pure, One day, going to a pond
for water, and making it up according
to custom into a ball to carry it home,
she saw, on the surface of the water,
figures of granduerSy a species of
sylphs of extraordinary beauty. These
granduers fluttered over her head ; she
became enamoured of them; her heart
was inflamed with desire; the ball
which she held suddenly became liquid,
and mixed again with the water of the
pond. She could never afterwards carry
any more home, without the assistance
of a vessel. Chamada Guini hence
discovered that his wife had ceased to
be pure, and, in the excess of his rage,
he ordered his son to drag her to the
r
place of execution, and to cut off her
H 276 HiNDOOSTAN
head. This command was obeyed;
but Parassurama grieved so much for
the loss of his mother, that Chamada
Guini told him to go and join her head
again' to her body, and to recite a
prayer, which he taught him, in her ear,
assuring him that she would then re-
vive. The son hastened ta follow these
directions ; but, by a singular mistake,
he joined the head of his mother to tlie^
body of a parchi, who had been exe-
cuted for her crimes?a monstrous
union, which combined in Mariatta the
virtues of a goddess and the vices of a
prostitute, The goddess, rendered
impure by this mixture, was expelled
from her habitation, and committed all
sorts of cruelties. The deverkdls, ob-
77
IN MINIATURE.
serving the ravages she was making,
appeased her anger, by conferring on
her the power of curing the small-pox,
and promising that prayers should be
offered to her on account of that dis-
ease.
ii 378
HiNDOOSTAN
INCARNATIONS OF VISHNU.
There is a part of the mythology of
India, which seems to be blended with
the history of that country,, and of
which, for this reason, .we think it
right to treat somewhat more circum-
stantially. It may be compared with
that of the heroic ages of Greece. This
part relates to the different awatars of
Vishnu,, or his incarnations and ap-
pearances on earth.
The first of these awatars has a re-
ference to that general deluge, of which
all nations have preserved some tradi-
tion. Vishnu, we are told, metamor-
IN MINIATURE. 79
phosed himself into a fish, to save king
Sattiaviraden and his wife, during the
deluge, which had been sent as a pu-
nishment for the crimes and wickedness
of mankind. In this form, he acted as
a rudder to the vessel which this king
had constructed, and watched inces-
santly over his safety. After the wa-
ters had subsided, Sattiaviraden quitted
his retreat, and set about repeopling
the world. In this incarnation, Vishnu
is adored by the name of Matsya Ava-
tar a.
. According to some, the object of this
metamorphosis was to fish up the
vedas, or sacred books, which a certain
dosmon had stolen from those to whose80 HINDOOSTAN
care they were committed, and hidden
at the bottom of the sea.
The second incarnation is that of
Kourma, or the tortoise. The gods
and the giants, wishing to obtain im-
mortality by eating amourdon., delicious
butter, formed in one of the seven seas
of the universe, which the Indians call
sea of milk, transported, by Vishnu's
advice, the mountain of Mandreguivi
into that sea : they twisted round it
the serpent Adissechen, and alternately
pulling, some by his hundred heads,
others by the tail, they made the moun-
tain turn round in such a manner, as
to agitate the sea and to convert it
into butter: but they pulled with such
IN MINIATURE. 81
rapidity, that Adissechen, overcome
with weakness, could no longer endure
it. His body shuddered j his hundred
trembling mouths made the universe
resound with hisses ; a torrent of flames
burst from his eyes 5 his hundred black
pendent tongues palpitated, arid vo-
mited forth a deadly poison, which im-
mediately spread all around. The gods
and giants betook themselves to flight.
Vishnu, bolder than the rest, took the
poison, and with it rubbed his body,
which became quite blue. It is in me-
mory of this event, that this colour is
given to his image in almost all the
temples.
The gods and the giants, encouraged
by Vishnu's example, fell to work82 HINDOOSTAN
again, After they had laboured a thou-
sand years,, the mountain was on the
point of sinking* in the sea-, when Vish-
nu, in the form of a tortoise., quickly
placed himself beneath, and supported
it. At length they saw the cow Cama-
denu, the horse with seV^en heads,, and
the elephant with three trunks, already
mentioned, coming out of the sea of
rnilk; also the tree calpaga vrutcham ;
Lacshmi., goddess of riches, wife of
Vishnu j Saraswadi, goddess of the
sciences and of harmony, married to
Brama; Mondevi, goddess of discord
and misery, whom nobody would have,,
and who is represented riding on an
ass, and holding" in her hand a banner,
on which a raven is delineated; and,IN MINIATURE. * S3
lastly, Danouvanclri, the physician, car-
rying a vessel full of amourdon, which
the gods instantly seized, and greedily
devoured, without leaving a morsel.
The giants, disappointed in their expec-
tations, dispersed over the earth, pre-
vented mankind from paying worship
to the gods, and strove to obtain ado-
ration for themselves. Their insolence
'?*-"» .+ ;
occasioned the subsequent.incarnations
of Vishnu, who endeavoured to destroy
this race, so inimical to the gods. He
is adored in this second metamorphosis,
by the name of Kourma Awatara. The
followers of Vishnu believe .that this
? ? ? *
god, though omnipresent, resides more
particularly in the vaicondom, his para-
dise, amidst the sea of milk, reclined,81 HINDOOSTAN
in contemplative slumber, on the ser-
pent Adissechen, which serves him for
a throne: in this state he is called Si-
ranguan. In all the temples of Vishnu
is to be seen the figure of this god ; but
as the serpent on which he lies cannot
V
be represented with his hundred, heads,
he is delineated with only five.
A giant, called Paladas,; having
rolled up the earth like a sheet of
paper, carried it on his shoulders
to the bottom of the sea. Vishnu, in
the form of a man with a boar's head,
attacked the giant, and ripped open his
belly: he then plunged into the sea, to
bring up the earth, which he Seized
with his tusks, and placed on the sur-
face of the water, as it Vvas before.
IN MINIATURE. 85
putting several mountains on it to keep
it in equilibrium. In this third incar-
nation^ Vishnu has the name of Kara-
guen; but in the tempJe of Tirumaton,
which is dedicated to this metamorpho-
sis, he is adored by that of Ladeva-
raguc-CerunaL
The fourth and fifth incarnations of
Vishnu, are probably connected with the
ancient history of India, which is lost,
and seem to refer to religious wars. It
was to destroy the giant Erenien, that
the god underwent his fourth incarna-
tion. On this giant, Brama conferred
the privilege, that lie cojild not be
killed either by gods, men, or beasts.
Elated with this advantage, he com-
manded divine honours to be paid to
VOL. I. I«
1IINDOOSTAN
him throughout his kingdom. His son,
Pragaladen, filled with the grace of
Vishnu, was the only person who re-
fused to adore him. Caresses, threats,
and torments proved alike unavailing.
" The god whom I worship," said lie,
undauntedly, " is omnipotent, full of
goodness to those who adore him, but
terrible to the wicked." "And where
is this mighty god," replied the giant,
" that I may wreak rrtfy vengeance on
him?" Pragaladen answered, that he
was every where, and that he filled all
places with his divinity. " Shall I find
him here?" cried the enraged Erenien,
striking one of the pillars of his palace
with his fist. At the same moment the
pillar opened, and Vishnu, half man
IN MINIATURE. 87
and half lion, issued from it. Erenien,
who had nxsver thought of such a figure,
when he solicited the assurance that he
should not be killed either by god,
man, or beast, maintained an obsti-
nate conflict with Vishnu, -who, at
length, tore open his body and drank
his blood, Vishnu, in this transforma-
tion,has the name of Narasscma Aiva-
tara. He is adored by this name in two
celebrated temples, the one a league
or two from Pondy, and the other on
the coast of Orissa.
The fifth transformation of Vishnu,
is into a dwarf Bram in, called Paruna;
he is also named Trivikera, or the
taker of three steps. The famous Bali,
who is now one of the judges and mo-
i 288 '1I1NDOOSTAN
narchs of Pandalon, or hell, obtained,
by dint of penances, the sovereignty of
the earth, 'sea, and heaven: but he
abused his power to such a degree, that
the decutas were apprehensive of losing
their celestial abodes. They implored
Brama to deliver them from the tyran-
ny of Bali ? but the latter had received a
promise that no being should have
power to dispossess him. Vishnu un-
dertook to gain, by artifice, what no one
could take from him by force. He ap-
peared before him, in the form of a
dwarf, and demanded as much ground
as he could stride over at three steps,
to build himself a hut upon. 'Bali
laughed at the diminutive figure of
the dwarf aid told him, that he
IN MINIATURE.
8J
ought not to limit his request to
such a ^ trifle. The dwarf replied,
that he was so small, that what he
solicited would be sufficient for him.
Bali granted what he desired, and, to
ratify the donation, he took a little
water in his mouth, and spirted it into
the dwarf's hand. The latter imme-
diately attained such prodigious dimen-
sions, that he strode over the earth with
the first step, over the ocean with the
second, and with the third ascended to
heaven, leaving Bali thunderstruck,
with no other empire, than his portion
of Pandalon, to govern. Fable adds,
that Bali recognized Vishnu, adored
him, and offered him his head ; but the
god, satisfied with his submission, par-
i 390 HINDOOSTAN
cloned and permitted liin to revisit the
earth every year, on the day of the full
moon in November.
The sixth incarnation of Vishnu was
not voluntary. Narcda-Mooni, a son
? s
of Brama, had fallen desperately in
love with a young damsel of extraor-
dinary beauty : he offered Her his hand,
which she rejected with disdain, adding,
that she would never wed either man
or god who was not equal to herself in
beauty. Nareda-Mooni made Vishnu
the confidant of his passion: the god,
to trick him, promised to make him as
beautiful as his mistress ; but on a
body of the most exquisite form and
proportions he placed the head of an
ape. Nareda, conceiving himself eer-
1N MINIATURE. 91
tain of success, flew to the object of
his desire. The gods followed, with
the intention of diverting themselves
at his expense, and were present at
the interview, which convulsed them
with laughter. Nareda ran to look at
himself in a mirror ? and, enraged at
the trick that had been played him,
he pronounced an imprecation, which
obliged Vishnu to descend upon earth
in human form, and the gods in that
of. apes. A malediction uttered by a
Bramin, never fails to be fulfilled : and
Vishnu was accordingly bori by the
name si Rama, son of Desaraden, king
of Ayodi, which is supposed to be Siam,
At the age of fifteen years, he quitted
his paternal abode, and became a peni-92 HINDOOS'!1 AN
tent, taking- with him his wife Siday,
and his brother Tatclmmanen. He
crossed the Ganges, and repaired to the
mountain of Fitray Condon, where he
had disciples, whom he instructed in
the doctrine of the transmigration of
o
souls: he then travelled through the
deserts,, and remained six yWs making
proselytes. At length, he retired to
the desert of Pangavadi, and there
erected a hut, for the purpose of com-
pleting the term of his penance.
Rama was desirous of introducing
his doctrine into Ceylon. Ravanen,
'king of that island? carried his pride to
such a pitch, as to insist on being wor-
shipped as a god. He thought himself
too strong to have any thing to apprc-
IN M1NIATUUK. 03
herid from Rama, and actually beat him
several times, and took from him his
wife Siday. Rama, however, gained
over Ravanen's brother, and promised
to place him on the throne. Rebucha-
den, seduced by this promise, betrayed
his. brother; the victorious Rama gave
him the crown of Ceylon, and having
recovered Siday, returned to his father's
dominions, and transmitted the royal
authority to his two sons, Coussen and
Caven.
In the temples dedicated to this in-
carnation, Vishnu is represented under
the figure of a young iqan of a green
colour, and of perfect beauty, holding
a bow and arrows in his hand.
The history of Rama-Vishnu forms a1)4 IIINDOOSTAN
thick volume, which is full of excel-
lent reflections. The Hindoos take
such pleasure in reading it, that the
followers of Sliceva learn it by heart.
In the seventh incarnation,, also, Vish-
nu appeared as a man, by the name of
Balapatren. Not knowing that he was
a portion of Vishnu, he lived in soli-
tude and penance, merely punishing,
without ostentation, the wicked whom
he met with. He cleared the earth of
a great number of giants ; the most re-
markable of these, was Vroutarassau-
ren, who, by his cruelties, had com-
pelled mankind to adore him as a god.
The author of an unpublished manu-
script, mentioned in the preface, adds,
that this is all the Hindoos of the coast
IN MINIATURE. * 95
of Cormandel know of the history of
Balapatren ? they merely conjecture,
that one of the Puranas, which are not
yet translated into the Tamul lan-
guage, contains farther particulars of
his life. lie is represented holding
a candle in one hand, and a plough-
share in the other.
The story of the seventh incarnation
of Vishnu is also thus related : A giant,
named Cartasuciriarguncn, who had a
thousand arms, oppressed mankind by
his cruelty and rapacity. Vishnu, a
second time assumed the human shape
and the name of Rama, and armed
solely with a plough-share, he engaged
the giant, killed him, and cut off his
thousand arms : he then threw the bones90 fllNDOOSTAN
into a heap, and formed with them a
mountain called JBaldus.
In the eighth incarnation, Vishnu ap-
peared under the name of Parassurama,
to teach mankind to be virtuous, and to
disdain the things of this world. Paras-
surama declared war against the kings
of the race of the sun, defeated them,
and gave their dominions to the Bra-
mins. The latter had the ingratitude
to refuse him an asylum in the coun-
, tries of which he had thus made them a
present. Parassurama was, therefore,
obliged to retire to the Ghauts, the
foot of which was then washed by the
ocean. He begged Varuna, the god of
the sea, to withdraw his waters, and to
kave him just room enough to dwell
IN MINIATURE. 97
Upon, desiring no more space than a
bow-shot. Varuna assented ; but Na*
rader, who witnessed his promise, re-
presented to him his imprudence, as-
suring him, that it was Vishnu himself,
and that he would send his arrow over
all the seas, so that Varuna would not
know whither to remove his waters.
Varuna, deeply distressed because he
could not recal his promise, summoned
the god of death to his aid. The latter,
in order to assist him, metamorphosed
himself into a hario (white ant), crept
in tke night into Parassurama's cham-
ber, and gnawed the cord of his bow
half through, so as to leave it only just
the strength requisite to keep it on the
stretch. Parassurama, not suspecting
VOL. I. K98
1IJNDOOSTAN
the trick, repaired in the morning4 to
the sea-shore, applied an arrow to his
bow, and pulled the string with all his
might. The string' snapped, and the
arrow fell at a little distance. The
ground which it cleared became instan-
taneously dry, and formed the tract
which we call the coast of Malabar.
Parassurarna, recollecting the ingrati-
tude of the Bramins, decreed that every
Bramin who should die on that coast,
? should return upon earth in the form
of an ass: hence, no Bramin has for
a long time fixed his abode in this land
of proscription.
According to the Malabar tradition,
this god still lives on that coast, where
he is depicted of a ferocious and'terrific
IN MINIATURE. 90
countenance. On the coast of Coro-
mandel he is represented of a greeq
colour, with a pleasing physiognomy,
holding a hatchet in one hand and a fan
of palm leaves in the other.
In the ninth incarnation, Vishnu ap-
peared as a shepherd, son of Devegni,
sister to Canzen, king of Madurah. It
had been predicted to this prince, that
one of his sister's sons would deprive
him of his throne and life; he therefore
ordered all the children she should pro-
duce to be put to death. Seven had
alreacty perished through the tyrant's
cruelty, but the eighth was Vishnu, by
the name of Krishna. He could speak
as soon as he was born, and commanded
his mother to send him to Asswadah,
K 2100 H1NJDOOSTAN
wife of Nandagoben, chief of the shep-
herds of Gocoulam, and to substitute in
his stead a girl to whom that woman
had just given birth. Canzen, incensed
at the escape of his nephew, ordered all
the male children in his kingdom to be
put to death ; but Asswadah concealed
Krishna with such care that he was not
involved in the general massacre. She
rsf ^
afterwards brought him up as her own
son, and gave him gopas and gopisy
shepherds and shepherdesses, for play-
fellows : he chose nine of the latter for
his favourites, and the poets and painters
seldom represent him without this train.
In his youth, he killed the serpent
'Calangam, who lived in the river
Yomoudi. This monster was 'so poi-
IN MINIATURE. 101
scmous, that the wind which touched
him or "passed over his abode, spreacj
destruction far and wide. Krishna
leaped into the river to attack him.
The serpent darted forward, enwreathcd
him in his long folds, and attempted to
stifle him. Krishna had no great diffi-
culty to extricate himself; he then
seized the rqtile by the tail and crushed
his head with his feet. In commemo-
ration of this event, Vishnu is repre-
sented in the temples dedicated to the
ninth incarnation, with a Cobra di
Capejlo twisted round his body and
biting his feet. In another picture he
','
is delineated dancing on the serpent
Calangam. His worshippers usually
have both pictures in their houses.
K 3l02 UlNDOOSTAN
Krishna moreover delivered the earth
from a great number of giants and
monsters ; he also rendered an impor-
tant service to his friends, the shepherds
of Madurah, by holding up the moun-
tain of Goverdhana on the point of his
little finger, to shelter them from the
showers of stones-which an incensed
daemon poured down upon them. He
exterminated whole armies of giants,
sent against him by his uncle Canzen
to destroy him; and at length dispatched
the tyrant himself, who could not escape
his destiny. Krishna, after travelling
over the world, performing numberless
miracles, rewarding the good and chas-
tising the wicked, was killed at his own
desire by a hunter, that he might not
IN MINIATURE.
103
witness the fourth age, which was then
beginning, and was to be worse than
the preceding. His body was burned
on a funeral pile, prepared by his com-
mand, on the sea-shore. This is con-
sidered as the most memorable and the
mst glorious of all Vishnu's incarna-
tions. The particular adventures of
Krishna have furnished the lyric and
pastoral poetry of India with a most
fertile theme. The beauty and affection
of his wife Radha, the attachment of his
companion Nanda, the peregrinations of
the demi-god, and his numerous amours,
are celebrated with enthusiasm by his
worshippers, a considerable sect of
whom, the Goclasthas, acknowledge no
deity above him.104 HINDOOSTAN
Great part of the history of Krishna
has a striking resemblance to that of
Hercules. The persecutions of his
youth, his victories over different mon-
sters, and the wars in which he, was
engaged, may be compared with the
adventures of the Grecian hero. On
the other hand,, the pastoral life of
Krishna Govindha resembles that which
Apollo Nornion led among the shepherds
of Arcadia. His-surname Cesava (with
beautiful hair) is perhaps the same as
" that of Phoebus, with the golden locks.
Krishna, like Apollo, was the patron of
music and song : he is frequently'repre-
sented playing on the flute, while the
nine gopis arc dancing round him on
Mount Goverdhana, the Parnassus of
IN MINIATURE. 105
the Hindoos. He is sometimes seen
surrounded by twelve couple of dancers,
emblematic of the twelve months, the
youths representing the days when the
moon does not shine, and the maidens
those when she appears j while he himself
denotes the sun or Sourya, as Apollo
denoted that luminary by the name of
Plujebus.
Like Vishnu in all his incarnations,
Krishna is of a dark blue colour : . a
large bee, of the same hue, flies about
his head : he is in brilliant attire, adorned
with chaplets of flowers and jewels, and
holds a lotus in his hand : sometimes he
r
is seated on a throne, which is in the
shape of that flower. When he is not
represented with a human face, heUX niNDOOSTAN
carries in his numerous hands the anns
consecrated to Vishnu himself: in short,
he has all the attributes of that divinity.
The tenth incarnation is yet to come ;
it will take place at the expiration of
the Kali Youg, in about ninety-five
thousand years. The earth will then be
inundated with wickedness. Vishnu
will assume the human form and be
born in the house of a Bramin: his
name will be Calichi, and that of his
'horse, Bigeisciua. .Calicbi, armed with
a scymetar, will traverse the whole
earth and destroy its guilty inhabitants.
" The heavens will tumble down,, the
celestial orbs will be intermixed, the
stars will stand still in their courses,,
the sun will lose his light,, the universe
IN MINIATURE. 107
will revert into its original chaos, from
which a new world will issue." Some
assert that the tenth incarnation will be
a horse, named Calichi, at least there
exists an Indian painting in which
Vishnu is represented in the form of a
man witli a horse's head.
Others believe that Shceva, or one of
liis sons, is destined to destroy the
world. This mission, in fact, does not
seem consistent with the character of
Vishnu; but, the theologians of India
find as little difficulty in reconciling
contradictions as those of most other
countries. A Bramin,, /to whom this
objection was mentioned, replied, that
to annihilate one world for the purpose108
IFINDOOSTAN
of creating another, is not to destroy.,
but to preserve.
Such are the ten great incarnations
of Vishnu. There are fourteen others
which are generally admitted, but which
are considered as less important, because
it was only small portions of the god
that became incarnate". The books make
mention of more than a thousand meta-
morphoses of Vishnu; but most of them
are rejected as apocryphal. Lacshmi, ?
Vishnu's wife, had also her incarnations,
for the purpose of ?attending* her hus-
band on earth during his various trans-
formations.
IN MINIATURE.
109
OF CERTAIN RELIGIOUS OPINIONS
OF THE HINDOOS,
ANJ
PARTICULARLY THE DOCTRINE
OF THE METEMPSYCHOSIS.
The Hindoos,, though strongly at-
tached to their own religion, not only
never persecute the professors of any
other, but do not even endeavour to
make proselytes, believing that every
virtuous man, whatever may bo his re-
ligion, ivill be happy hereafter.
If the Hindoo princes allow not
f,"
their subjects to forsake the faith of
Drama for that of the Christians or
Mahomet, it is rather from political
VOL. r. LIJO
II1NDOOSTAN
motives, than from a principle of reli-
gion. They regard it as particularly
criminal in the great, and in the supe-
rior castes, whose example might be
followed by others ; but if any indi-
vidual of alow caste embraces either
of these religions,, it is seldom that any
notice is taken of tire circumstance. It
is also as impossible for a foreigner to
procure initiation into the religion of
Drama, as for a negro to change the
colour of his skin, or a European to
transform himself into a Hindoo.
The Hindoos permit neither foreign-
ers nor persons belonging to the im-
pure castes to enter their temples, or
to witness their sacrifices, unless at a
great distance. Scrupulously attentive
JN MINlATURi:.
Ill
to all the ceremonies prescribed by
their religion, they allow every one to
hold what opinion of them he pleases ;
and objections never excite in them
that warmth, which is manifested else-
where, in discussions of this nature.
They secrn to think, on this point, like
Tiberius, who left to the gods the busi-
ness of avenging their own wrongs.
They pay respect to all other religions,
and would deem it a violation of their
own, to disturb any person what-
ever in the exercise of his. As the
Supreme Being has divided the human
race into different nations, it appears
,'
perfectly natural to them, that each
should have its owrn way of adoring
him, as well as a language, climate,
L 2112 I1INDOOSTAN
and productions, peculiar to the coun-
try which it inhabits. " To degrade
the religion and customs of another,"
says Jeswant Sing*, rajah of Judpore,
in a letter to Aurengzeb, " is to thwart
the will and power of the Almighty,
before whom Pagans and Mahometans
are equal."
The Hindoos, in general, firmly be-
lieve in predictions, and the power of
talismans, amulets, and charms, which
most of them wear fastened round the
arms, neck, and waist : arid if you
laugh at their credulity, they laugh,
in theh\ turn, at your ignorance, and
are astonished that you should enter-
tain the least doubt of effects which ex-
perience has so frequently confirmed,
IN MINIATURE.
113
They believe also in the existence of
evil genii, who inhabit certain lakes,
certain mountains, certain enchanted
and sacred forests ; and in the exist-
ence of daemons of different kinds, who
frequently take up their abode in hu-
man bodies. It is almost always in
thr bodies of women that these dae-
mons fix their residence, and the cere-
monies employed to expel them out of
these poor possessed creatures, are
somewhat curious. The voice and the
imposing look of the exoAciser, the
howling, leaps, and violent exertions
of the sufferer, together with the
r
shrieks and terror of the persons pre-
sent, form a scene not unlike that ex-
hibited at our exorcisms of old.
L 3114 UINDOOSTAiY
The universal belief of the Hindoos^
in lucky, and unlucky days, is to them
a source of great anxiety and suspense.
Before they undertake a journey, they
must consult the Bi;amins, who alone
possess the book, which indicates the
day and hour proper for their depar-
ture. When that hour arrives, neither
rain nor storm could detain them ;
otherwise, they would perhaps have to
wait several days longer, for an equally
auspicious moment. But this is not
all: if, on leaving his house, a person
meets with any of the animals, which
are deemed unfavourable omens, or
certain birds that fly away in a particu-
lar direction, or other similar tokens^
he must turn back and wait for a bet-
IN MINIATURE. 115
ter opportunity. The Bramins must,
in like manner, be consulted previously
to marriage, the building of a house,
the sowing of the land, and in all,
even the most unimportant circum-
stances of life. Half the days of the
year, perhaps, are unlucky; and is it
then astonishing, that, with such a be-
lief, the Hindoos should be indolent
and irresolute ?
The Hindoos have also enchantments,
which they deem irresistible, for ex-
citing reciprocal passion in females of
whom they are enamoured ; they have
others against secret snares, and the
assaults of evil spirits j against their
enemies, against envy and poison;
others to reader themselves invul-116
UlNDOOSTAk
ncrable, to ensure victory in battle,
to prolong their lives to a thousand
years and more?in short, to overthrow
all the laws of nature.
The Hindoos expiate slight and ve-
nial sins by means of pilgrimages, fasts,
sacrifices, prayers and ablutions.
Pilgrimages are made to the rivers
Ganges, Indus Cavery, and Jumna ;
to Benares and Jaggernaut, to the
mountains of Tibet, and to other sacred
places. The water of the Ganges i
is
transported in sealed vessels to great
distances from its banks. The devo-
tees who carry it away, sell it at a
price proportionate to the distance, or
make presents of it to the rajahs, or
other Hindoo princes, who never fail
IN MINIATURE. 117
to pay them handsomely for so valuable
a gift.
Sometimes also pilgrimages are per-
formed in consequence of a vow. It is
very common to meet, on the high
roads, whole families and caravans,
repairing to some famous pagoda, to
pay their thanksgiving to the deity, or
to implore advice and relief for diseases
of the soul and body.
People throng from all parts of India
to the pagodas of Konjeveram, Trichi-
nopoli, andTanjore; tha^ consecrated
to* Govinda, the god of health, at Tri-
peti, is also much frequented. When
r
a Hindoo falls sick, he makes a vow to
go in pilgrimage to the pagoda of Go-
vinda. The pilgrim incessantly pro-118 HINDOOS!
AN
nounccs the name of that idol during'
the whole journey.
Fasts generally precede any solemn
festival. The Bramins observe them,
and they prescribe a fast for the whole
month of December,, in commemo-
ration of the victory won by Darma-
rajah over Durgiodana.
The eleventh day after the new and
full moon is a fast-day, but it is not
universally kept: indeed,, each indivi-
dual holds particular fasts. Females
fast in honour of Camdeo, the god of
love, and on occasion of other festivals
peculiar to.themselves.
Prayers are recited in the pagodas.
This act of devotion consists, according
to the Shaster, one of the sacred books,
IN MINIATURE. uj
in repeating certain names of God, and
explaining them at some length. The
Hindoos have likewise processions, at-
tended with singing and the sound of
bells; it is at these processions that
they offer sacrifices to idols.
They arc persuaded that water re-
moves contaminations of the soul as
\\cll as those of the body, and there-
fore use frequent ablutions. Any water
is good, but more especially, that of the
seven sacred rivers; and above all, the
water of the Ganges. Ablations are
usually accompanied with prayers, re-
peated in a low tone : they consist in
r
bathing in the Ganges, at the same time
respectfully holding two or three straws,
which are given for the purpose by aged120 H1NDOOSTAN
Bramins, and render the ablution more
efficacious. People living1 at a distance
from the Ganges, employ another kind
of ablution, which is performed with-
out going into the water. They pour
water of the Ganges on the ground,
over a space about as long as a man's
body, lie down on it, and in this po-
sition repeat the customary prayers :
they then kiss this ground, consecrated
by the water of the sacred river, thirty
times. During the whole of this cere-
o
mony, the right leg must be kept im-
rnoveable, which is rather a difficult
point: with this exception the ablu-
tions are an excellent institution, keep-
ing up personal cleanliness, and con-
tributing, especially in hot countries,
IN MINIATURE. 121
10 the preservation of health. It was,
no doubt, to prevent the people from
neglecting, through indolence, so whole-
some a practice, that the legislator of
the Hindoos made it a religious duty.
The Coloran, which waters the My-
sore, Madura, Tanjore, and Coroman-
del, is one of the rivers which the Hin-
doo devotees prefer for ablutions. The
inhabitants of those parts await the
swelling of the Coloran with as much
impatience as is manifested by the
people of Egypt, at the perod of the
inundation of the Nile. As soon as
the water begins to flow into the dif-
r
ferent canals, formed for irrigating the
land, they evince extreme joy. Hur-
rying to the river, they plunge into it,
VOL. i.122 HINDOOSTAN
in the persuasion, that this first water
cleanses them from all sin, as it clears
the canals from every kind'of filth. In
some places there are wretched pas-
sage-boats, in which they offer sacri-
fices, slaughtering a sheep at each ex-
tremity of the boat, and pouring the
blood along its sides, to propitiate the
god of the waters, by which they are,
nevertheless, sometimes engulfed.
Every Hindoo who crosses the Indus,
or Atock, is deemed perjured, and to
have renounced the religion of Brama.
It is also forbidden to pass the Caram-
nasa, or accursed river. These prohi*
bitions were undoubtedly designed to
prevent emigration. The Bramins as-
sert, that they only interdict the usual
IN MINIATURE.
123
ways of crossing rivers; and that if any
person were to pass the Indus, or the
Cararnnasa, by leaping over, in an air-
balloon, by some magical operation,
or in any other unknown manner, he
would not commit sin. The Bramins
have a thousand subterfuges of this
kind for all occasions. The Cararn-
nasa may be forded in the dry season :
nevertheless, when a Hindoo has to
cross it, he pays a Musulman to carry
him over, on his back, to the other
bank, that his feet may not touch the
accursed waters of that river; for the
pious Hindoos believe, that the mere
contact would deprive them of all the
benefit of their long pilgrimages, and
their religious austerities: and none but
M2124 1IINDOOSTAN
the inhabitants of the banks of the
Caramnasa are exempted from this
effect.
The doctrine most generally received
in Hindoostan, is that of the metemp-
sychosis, or the perpetual transmigration
of souls., from one body into another.
According to this system, the souls of
men, and those of brutes, are of the
same nature, and both eternal ; the dif-
ference of their functions proceeds sole-
ly from the difference of the organiza-
tion of the bodies which they inhabit:
the power is the same, the instrument
alone differs.
The soul of the wicked, before it
again ^animates a human body, passes
into that of some animal, or even suo
IN MINIATURE.
125
cessively into several animals, more or
less mean, according as it has been
more or less guilty. When it is polluted
by atrocious crimes, it is doomed to
abide for a long series of years, but not
for ever, in a region of misery, or hell;
for the Bramins shudder at the idea of
our hell, that is, an everlasting punish-
ment for transient faults, and deem .it
wholly incompatible with the justice
and goodness of God. When these guilty
souls have partly expiated their mis-
deeds in, this place of torment, they
begin *a fresh series of transmigrations,
first passing into plants, or even into
,stones, then into the eggs of disgusting
insects, next into the bodies of less
M 312(i UINJDOOSTAN
mean animals, and so on till they again
reanimate the human form.
The good are but few in number, and
scarcely any individual is perfect. The
souls of the good, after death, animate
the bodies of men destined to enjoy
honours, dignities, and wealth in this
world- or, if they have nearly ap-
proached perfection, they are removed
to the celestial abodes, where happiness
is their portion ; but this felicity is not
eternal; for when they have enjoyed it
for a time proportioned to their good
actions, they return to earth in human
form, there to earn a new period of
celestial happiness, or if they miscon-
duct themselves, to recommence a ne\v
IN MINIATURE. I'll
series of transmigrations. All the Bra-,
mins agree respecting the principle of
this system, though they differ in opi-
nion on certain points.
According to some, the meteors,
vulgarly called falling stars, are the
souls of the J.)eoutns descending to this
lower world, or those which, after
deserving heaven and enjoying celestial
felicity for a certain time, are sent back
to the earth, as we have just observed,
to reanimate human bodies; but, before
they can be born again in human shape,
they ^mingle with the elements, then
become herbs, plants^,, and fruit; and
still bound, as it were, in a state of
torpor and insensibility, they afterwards
circulate in the material substance of128
HINJDOOSTAN
the body till the moment of conception,,
when they burst their bonds and enter
once more into the human form.
, The metempsychosis furnishes the
Hindoos with the means of explaining
the reason, why some are fortunate and
others unfortunate. Every good action?
according to them, must be essentially
rewarded, and every bad one necessarily
punished. God would be unjust were
he to dispense good and evil at random.
If, therefore, one is born in a magnifi-
cent palace, to be honoured and re-
spected, and to enjoy all the pleasures
of life, while another is obliged to toil
hard for a scanty subsistence, the reason
is, because the latter is punished in this
life for the sins committed by him in a
IN MINIATURE.
129
former life j and the other, on the con-
trary, is rewarded for his good conduct
in that preceding life. A sounder philo-
sophy teaches us, that man may be happy
in every condition in which Providence
may place him : and yet, without adopt-
ing the absurd doctrine of fatalism, we
cannot deny, that there arc persons who
serin doomed to misfortune, and whom
an inevitable hand appears to persecute
without intermission: while others, on
the contrary, attain without exertion a
pitch of prosperity surpassing their most
sanguine expectations. The sight of
prosperous wickednes^. is particularly
Distressing to the virtuous; and with all
our knowledge, we should be as much
puzzled as the Hindoos to reconcile this130
HINDOOSTAN
state of things with the goodness and
justice of God, were it not for the
cheering conviction of a future life.
The Hindoos believe moreover in pre-
destination ? this idea causes them to
endure, with stoic firmness, whatever
may befal them; and they console
themselves under adversity in the per-
suasion, that every thing comes from
God, and that the afflictions which they
suffer in this world, in expiation of the
sins they have committed in a former
life, render them worthy of enjoying
happiness in that which is to succeed.
The belief in the transmigration
of souls excites in the Hindoos an
abhorrence of animal food. The lower
classes alone subsist upon the flesh of
IN MINIATURE. 131
tinimals ; but the pious Hindoo would be
afraid, lest in killing an animal, or even
crushing an insect, he might be taking
the life of his father or one of his rela-
tions. We cannot help being struck
with a strange inconsistency in this
system ? for, since the souls of the dead
pass into plants as well as animals, they
ought to abstain alike from eating the
one and the other.
The worshippers of Vishnu assert,
that this deity illumines with a celestial
light the souls of certain favourite
devotees, and that he acquaints them
with the various changes which have
happened to them in the bodies they
have animated. Some privileged spirits
have even the power to quit their bodies132
I11NDOOSTAN
for a time, and to return to them at
pleasure 3 for which purpose it is suffi-
cient to repeat a prayer called mandiram.
The Pur anas, or sacred books, record
several instances of this kind, from
among which father Bouchet, a Jesuit
missionary, quotes the following :?
A prince prevailed upon a goddess
to teach him the mandiram : unfortu-
nately, the servant who was in atten-
dance on him overheard the prayer,,
and learnt it by heart. One day, when
the prince had disengaged his soul,
after charging his faithless servant to
take cate of his body till his return, the
latter thought fit to repeat the mandi-
ram. His soul, instantaneously re-
leased from his body, hastened to ani-
IN MINIATURE. 133
mate that of the prince. The first
thing the impostor did, was to cut off
the head of his former body, that his
master might not take a fancy to ani-
mate it. Thus the prince's soul was
obliged to enter the body of a parrot,
with which it returned to the palace.
This story is current all over the east ?
and is to be found among the tales of
the Thousand and One days. Pliny re-
lates, in his Natural History, that a
certain Hermotymus also possessed this
admirable secret.
Did the dcctrine of the metempsy-
chosis originate in Egypt, and thence
','
pass into India, and spread over the
rest of Asia? or was it first taught by
the Bramins, and received from them
VOL. r.
N134 HINDOOSTAN
by the Egyptian priests ? Was Pytha-
goras the inventor of it, and did he
communicate it to the Bramins when
he visited India? or did both derive it
from some anterior nation, now un-
known, the existence of which M. Bail-
ly has attempted to demonstrate ? These
questions have been frequently discus-
sed, but will, perhaps, never be satis-
factorily resolved. Be this as it may^
if the metempsychosis is not of Indian
origin, it must have been naturalized
with great facility in Hindoostan. In
that genial climate, where the soil pro-
duces, almost without culture, all that
is necessary for the support of the in-
habitants ; where there is nothing to
annoy them, excepting, perhaps, the
IN MINIATURE.
135
great heat, the intensity of which is,
moreover, tempered by the winds, by
the shade of large evergreen trees, and
by the coolness diffused by numberless
rivers and streams ; man has never had
occasion to make war upon animals for
a subsistence, and to spill blood.
Accordingly, it is a crime in India to
kill and even to maltreat any animal:
but independently of that universal
benevolence which extends to all that
breathes, there are animals which are
more particularly the object* of the
veneration of the Hindoos.
The cow is the most highly honour-
r
ed : it is consecrated to all the gods
generally, and whoever should presume
to kill a cow, in a country subject to a
N 2136 HINDOOSTAN
Hindoo prince, would be infallibly con-
demned to die. The Farias, who are
the scum of all the castes, may alone
eat the flesh of cows which have died
naturally; but they are forbidden to
kill thorn for the purposes of food.
An English soldier, who kept an inn,
one clay bought a very fat cow near
Madras, and drove her home with the
intention of killing her. Some Hin-
doos hastened to the colonel, and in-
formed him that, the butcher had, by
mistake, sold a cow, which had for many
years been kept and fed in their pago-
da j and requested him to give orders
for the restoration of the sacred animal,
engaging to return the purchase-money.
Fortunately, the cow was not yet
IN MINIATURE. 137
slaughtered : the colonel complied with
their desire, and they led back the cow
with loud demonstrations of joy to their
temple.
The vulture is consecrated to Vishnu:
it is called garuda, and the Hindoos,
as soon as they perceive one, extend
their hands towards jt and pat their
checks.
There arc Bramins whose office it is
to feed the vultures. One of these per-
sons repairs to a spot, which is fre-
quented by those birds, and c?Jls them
with Q, loud voice. Some of them are
soon seen hovering over his head : he
fi"
then throws into the air pieces of raw
flesh, which the vultures catch before
it falls. Though there may be eagles
N 3138 HlNiJOOSTAN
and other birds flying about near the
spot,, none but the sacred vultures
share-in this distribution.
An English officer shot a vulture,
not knowing the veneration paid to this
bird by the Hindoos. A deputation
immediately came to apply for the body
of the bird, which" was delivered to
them and burned with great solemnity.
Brama is represented riding on the
swan or the goose; and Sheeva is seat-
ed on tlitnandi or ox, which is conse-
crated to him. No sooner does a Hin-
doo perceive one of those animals, than
he rises and. begins to pray. The ape,
with a whitish skin and a red face and
beard, represents Hanooman. The ele-
phant and a great number of other
IN MINIATURE. 139
animals also come in for a share of
?the veneration of the pious, either be-
cause some deity has appeared in their
form, or received some service from
them.
The Cobra di Capello, or hooded
serpent, called on the coast of Mala-
bar, ntilla-ptmtnt, is the object of a par-
ticular worship. Vishnu is frequently
represented lying on this animal. The
sudden appearance of one of these ser-
pents is deemed sometimes a favourable,
and at others, a sinister omen. It is
the deity himself in this form, or at
least a messenger frorp him, bringing
rewards or punishments. Though this
serpent is highly venomous, yet it is
never killed, disturbed, or driven outHO
HINDOOSTAN
of the houses which it happens to
enter. The most superstitious respect,
caress, and adore it: they offer it milk
and conduct it to the place to which it
is accustomed to retire; they build a
hut, or prepare a retreat for it, at the
foot of some tree. The family with
which one of these - serpents takes up
its abode, consider themselves lucky,
and secure from poverty and misfor-
tune : and if, as is but too frequently
the case, any of-its members is bitten,
and falls a victim to his credulity, they
merely ^say, that it is a punishment
from God for some unknown sin. Fa-
ther Tachard, the missionary, relates,
that at Ganjam the women carry offer-
ings of boiled rice, oil, milk, butter,
IN
141
and flowers, to this serpent, under the
idea of preserving their husbands and
children from being bitten by it.
Though the cow and the ox are
more highly revered by the Hindoos
than any other animals, they are ne-
vertheless employed by them, as among
us, in the most arduous labour; and
they are equally beaten with whips or
.sticks, when idle or restive.142
HINDOOSTAN
OF THE RELIGIOUS SECTS OF THE
HINDOOS,
AND
PRINCIPALLY OF THE SECT
OF BUDDHA.
The religion of the Hindoos has its
sects like every other. They amount
to more than eighty, all of which agree
in the principal points: they never in-
volve themselves in discussions, and
live at peace with one another,, and with
the professors of other religions. The
most remarkable of these sects are,
those of the right hand and of the left
hand, the Seiks. the Banians, and
vf-
Buddhists;
The two s'octs, known by the denomi-
IN MINIATURE^.
143
nation of the right and left handy divide
nearly the whole peninsula of India.
These sectaries consider one of their
hands as impure, and use it only for
private ablutions. They have, for a very
long* period, contended for the pre-emi-
nence of their respective sects, and
their quarrels anciently occasioned san-
guinary wars. Neither the marriage
nor funeral processions of the Hindoos
of one hand, are allowed to pass through
the quarters inhabited by those of the
other.
Nanac, founder of the sect of the
Seiks, was born about the middle
(,?"
of the fifteenth centuryv Actuated
\
. T
by a desire to put an end to the
bloody wars which the Mahometans144
HINDOOSTAN
were continually making on his country-
men, he endeavoured to reconcile the
P^edas with the Koran, by demonstrating"
that his nation acknowledged but one
Supreme Being, and by exhorting the
Hindoos to renounce the idolatry which
had crept in among them, and to re-
turn to the pure worship of their ances-
tors. The consequence of this attempt
was, that, instead of effecting a recon-
ciliation between the two parties, he
formed a third, which was destined to
kindle the most destructive wars, in
the very'country which the humanity of
its founder, was solicitous to preserve
from all dissension. After the death of
Nanacj his adherents, consisting of
persons of all ranks, and of all reli-
IN MINIATURE. 145
gions, attributed to their prophet, in
their zeal for his memory, the power of
performing miracles; so widely had
they already deviated from his prin-
ciples !
The Sciks continued to increase in
number, and as it appears, in power,
till their fourth guru, or spiritual chief,
built Kamrlasporo, now called Armit-
sar, which is their sacred city. They
were not allowed to enjoy unmolested
tranquillity ; and in less than one hun-
dred and fifty years from the death of
Nanac,* the persecutions which this
peaceful sect experienced from the
Musulmans, converted it into an associ-
ation of intrepid warriors. Haifa cen-
tury later, the repeated cruelties of
VOL. i.
oMG
HINDOOS TAX
these same Mahometans, and die mur-
der of Teg Bahader, the chief of the
Seiks, raised up, in the person of his
son, the guru Govinclu, a new champion
and legislator, who extended the inno-
vations in the religion both of the
Mahometans and the Hindoos far be-
yond the limits to -which Nanac had
confined himself. He abolished all the
distinctions of castes, and gave to his
subjects the equality of civil rights.
To infuse into them military valour and
enthusiasm, he caused them to assume
the name of Sindh, or lion, and ordered
them to go constantly armed. lie also
enjoined them to suffer their beards to
*/
grow, and proscribed the use of tobac-
co. He forbade women to burn them-
IN MINIATURE. 147
selves on the funeral piles of their
husbands. These arrangements were
designed to separate them from the
neighbouring nations.
The sacred books of the Seiks com-
pme both their history and their laws.
One of them, called the Adi-^rant, was
composed by lYanar, tuul his four im-
mrdiate successors ; the other, the Da-
siMrt-pndvhft-hft-grrtnt, or the book of
the tenth guru, is by Gcvinda. These
books the Seiks read in public, in their
religious assemblies. The form of ro-
° o
vernrnent of these people, under their
ten gurus, was a republic under a spi-
ritual chief, who was afterwards in-
vested with the military authority, when
j ? *
the Seiks changed their character of
o 2148 111NDOOSTAN
peaceful sectaries for that of warlike
enthusiasts.
Since the death of Govinda, their
last guru, they scarcely acknowledge
any chief, even in the field of battle;
and but for a kind of authority assumed
over them by the acalis, a tribe of men-
dicants dwelling round Armitsar, who
claim the right of guarding that city,
and convoking the national councils,
there would not be a more free people
? on the face of the earth.
The Banians, whom some authors
have erroneously confounded with the
BraminSj belong to the caste of the
Vaissya. They carry on all sorts of
commercial professions, and especially
those of bankers, brokers, and agents.
IN MINIATURE.
149
They are spread all over India, and
are particularly numerous at Bombay,
vSurat, and in all the neighbouring pro-
vinces. They believe, like all the Hin-
doos, in the transmigration of souls ;
and carry superstition, in regard to the
abstaining fro in killing animals, using
thorn for food, and hurting them, to a
i^roater length than the Braining them-
selves. When a Bramin happens to
crush an insect, he expiates his sin by
ablutions and prayer ; but the devout
Banians are much more scrupulous and
v
rigid. Some of them fasten a piece of
thin^stuff over the mouth, lest a fly
should chance to enter and be swallowed
by them: others carry along with them
a little brush, with which they lightly
o 3150
H1NDOOSTAN
sweep the ground before they sit down,
for fear of killing some insect. Many,
for the same reason, keep their eyes
fixed on the earth when they are walk-
ing. Some carry a small bag of sugar
or flour, or a little pot of honey, and
look for the nests of ants or other
insects, to give them something to eat;
others purchase the animals which their
owners are about to slaughter, in order
to save their lives. The European
soldiers and sailors take advantage of
this superstition, and pretend that they
are going1 to kill some bird or other
o o
animal which they hold in their hands ;
when a Banian, who is passing, buys it of
them and sets it at liberty.
These Banians have even founded at
IN MINIATURE. 151
Surat a hospital for sick, lame, and
aged animals. This establishment covers
a plain of about twenty-five acres, in-
closed with walls, and containing houses
to which the inmates retire to sleep and
to shelter themselves from the weather.
Carnivorous animals arc not admitted.
?The birds arc confined in cages, but the
quadrupeds range about at liberty. It
is asserted that some poor wretch is
hired, from time to time, to lie among
lice and other vermin, and to regale
them with his blood: care is taken to
v
bind him in such a manner that he can-
not run away frdin the tormenting
insects, or kill them in striving to rid
himself of them*
This extraordinary hospital occupies152
IIINDOOSTAK
a space of about four hundred square
rods, and forms a quadrangle. The
following- is a sketch of the ground-plan
according to Anquetil clu Perron:?
E
" r
L_
r
No. 1, is the lodging of the porter;
2, is for sick camels and oxen ; 3, for
sick apes ; in 4 there was a very aged
laiuLtortoise, t vo feet and a half long,
and one and a half high, a detestably
IN MINIATURE. 153
ugly creature, that could scarcely crawl.
In 1775, Stavorinus found it still alive,
though sixteen years before, at the
period of Anquetil clu Perron's visit, it
was reported to be one hundred years
old. It was fed with milk. When
Stavorinus paid his second visit in 1777
it was dead. In No. 5, lived pigeons,
and before the pigeon-house, cocks and
hens; and in 6, rabbits. No. 7, was
lattice-work, and 8, a house of two
floors. In the open place marked 9,
horned cattle and horses were grazing.
No. 10, is a large tank or reservoir for
water, which du Perrojri even terms a
dake. In 11 and 12, live sick and infirm
horned cattle and horses; and No. 13,
is a distinct receptacle for such of those154 IIIN.DOOSTAN
animals as are afflicted with incurable
diseases or complaints. No. 14, is lat-
tice-work, and 15, is the remarkable
apartment for those delectable insects,
fleas, bugs, and lice. The French tra-
veller asserts, that these vermin were
fed with flour, sugar, and rice; but
Ovington's statement of the hiring of
poor wretches to supply them with a
meal, seems more probable.
This hospital is supported by the
charitable contributions of the Banians
and some other Hindoos, who, for this
purpose, impose a small annual tax on
* the profits which they derive from their
professions. When a Banian has com-
mitted any trivial fault, the B ram ins
exact from him a fine for the benefit of
IN MINI ATI! UK.
this hospital. The produce of these
fines and contributions, amount, it is
said, to the sum of six thousand rupees
per annum, which is expended in hay,
milk, grass, corn, and other necessaries
/
for the institution.
The religion of Buddha now prevails
chiefly in the island of Ceylon, and on
the opposite roast of Siam and Pegu.
It was long predominant in the Dekkan j
but the Bramins have found means to
banish it from Hindoostan. It is not
exactly known to what country this
reformer belonged. To judge from his
statues and portraits, which are to be
met with in different parts of India, and
represent him with curly hair, and
different features from those of the15f
TIINDOOSTAN
liindoos, we should take him for a
foreigner. In the famous pagoda of
Jaggernaut, he is represented, we are
told, without head, hands,, and feet,, and
With two eyes in the middle of his belly.
Buddha appeared at the beginning of
the hali-youg: he forbade the sacrifices
of human victims, called naramedha,
and of oxen and horses, called gornedha
and aswamedhciy which were held on
certain occasions, and were enjoined by
, the J^edas. He taught, that it is a
horrid and impious action to inflict
death, in any way and on any occasion
whatever.
Some of the Bramins are of opinion,
that Buddha is the same as Vishnu, who
actually appeared by this name in one
IN MINIATURE. 157
of his numerous incarnations. A cir-
cumstance which seems to give some
weight to this opinion is, that in this
incarnation, Vishnu, like Buddha, pro-
hibited the effusion of blood in sacri-
fices.
An ancient inscription, found in a
cavern near Islamabad, and a transla-
tion of which is given in the Asiatic Re*
searches, relates, that when Buddha
descended from the region of souls,
and assumed the human form in the
womb of Mahamajah, wife of Sutadan-
na, n*jah of Cailas, the body of that
princess became a clear and transpa-
'i
rent crystal, through which the divine
infant, beauteous as. a flower, might
be seen kneeling and resting on his
VOL. j. p158
11INDOOSTAN
two hands. After a pregnancy often
months and ten days, the queen was
desirous of visiting her father, and,
having obtained permission from the
rajah, her husband, she set out with a
retinue suitable to her rank. One day,
while walking and gathering flowers in
a garden, near the road, she was sud-
denly seized with the pains of child-
birth. The trees bowed down their
branches to cover her with their foliage,
and to afford her a support while she
brought forth the divine infant. Bra-
ma hastened in person to the spot with
a vessel of gold, into which he put the
child. He delivered him to Indra, who
consigned him to the care of a young
female, but the child, slipping from the
IN MINIATURE. 101)
arms of this nurse, ran seven steps.
Mahamaja then took him up and car-
ried him to her palace. The Brarnins,
who flocked from all parts to see him,
cast his nativity. The boy grew up,
was named Sachia, and married Vasa-
tara, daughter of Chinhidan. One day,
after certain mysteries had been re-
vealed to him, he resolved to quit his
dominions. He set out, taking with
him only one slave and a horse. Hav-
ing crossed the Ganges, he arrived at
Boucali, and there ordered his slave to
return with the horse. The inscription
adds, that he adopted the mode of
life of the mendicants, and that Bra-
ma himself, Indni, Naga, the king
i 9160 H1NDOOSTAN
of serpents, and the tutelary deities
of the eight corners of the world,
came to pay him homage and to serve
him.
IN MINIATURE.
101
RELIGION OF BUDDHA.
The priests of Buddha style them-
selves Rahan; others call them Tal(-
poins. They acknowledge no other
gods ; according to them, all other re-
ligions are false, and theirs is the only
one by means of which men can be
saved: but yet they never persecute
any individual for his religious opinions.
One of the maxims of the worshippers
of Buddha, or as he is also named, Gau-
dama, is this:?It is '/easy to extract
with the nails, or with the megnap
(nippers) a thorn that has run into the
foot; but it is a very difficult task to
p 31G2 H1NDOOSTAN
eradicate the doctrines of false gods
from the heart of man."
Gaudama was at first human., like
three other gods who preceded him in
this world,, Chauchasam, Gonagom and
Gaspa. At the age of thirty-five years,
he become a god, preached his law
forty-five years, for the purpose of car-
rying salvation to all men j and at the
age of eighty, ascended to niebau, or
heaven. The five commandments of
the law of Gaudama are the follow-
ing :?
1. Thou shalt not kill any living ani-
mal, from the insect to the human
being;
2. Thou slialt not steal j
3. Thou shalt not commit adultery j
IN MINIATURE. 163
4. Thou shalt not lie ;
5. Thou shalt not drink wine, or any
other intoxicating liquor.
There are ten sins divided into three
classes : the first comprehends murder,
\
th^ft, adultery ; the second, lying, dis-
cord, hatred, useless words j and the
third, covetousness, envy, idolatry.
There are also good works, the princi-
pal of which consists in giving alms to
the talapoins.
The Buddhists believe, that the pre-
sent world was preceded, and will be
followed by another, and so on to all
x
eternity. They attribute an incalcu-
lable number of years to the duration of
a world and the interval which sepa-
rates it from the next.164 illNJLKJUSTAJV
Human life has not always had
and will not always have its present
duration. The first inhabitants of the
earth lived a number of years sur-
passing human imagination; but life
became shorter in proportion as the
vices of men increased. There was a
time when it did not exceed ten years.
Those who then lived were sensible that
it was necessary to be better than their
forefathers ? and in proportion as their
vjces diminished, life .was prolonged suc-
cessively to twenty, thirty, forty, fifty,
sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hun-
dred, a thousand, ten thousand years.
This diminution and augmentation of
human life are to occur four times
in each world before it is destroyed.
IN MINIATURE, 105
The different worlds are destroyed
in three different ways, by fire, water,
or wind. A thousand years before the
destruction is to commence, a nat, or
genius, descends from the celestial
abodes: dressed in mourning, with so-
lemn look and dishevelled hair, he wan-
ders through towns and country, pro-
claiming to mankind their approaching
dissolution. When the world is to
perisl^by fire, not a drop of rain falls
for oiie hundred thousand years. Men
and beasts perish; the sun and moon
are darkened and disappear. Their
places are occupied by two suns, one
, of which is always above the horizon,
so that there is no night, and the heat
becomes so intense, that the lakes and1C6 IIINDOOSTAN
rivulets are dried up. A third sun soon
makes its appearance, then a fourth,
a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, which dry up
the rivers and seas. Our earth, and all
the other inhabited spheres, the abodes
of the nats, take fire and are dissolved
and consumed.
When a world is to' be destroyed by
water, gentle rains begin to fall; these
increase by degrees, and at length be-
come so prodigious, that the whole
universe is dissolved by them.
Lastly, when wind is to be the agent
of its destruction, one hundred thou-
sand years after the nat has announced
the fatal event, the wind begins to blow
and gradually increases in violence.
It first raises the dust aid sand, and as
IN MINIATURE.
107
it becomes stronger? it hurls enormous
rocks and tops of mountains into the
air. Lastly, the whole earth, and all
the other worlds, as well as the habita-
tions of the nats, are carried away, re-
duced to powder, and dispersed in the
immensity of space.
Out of sixty-four worlds which are
destroyed, fifty-six perish by fire, seven
by water, and one by wind.
A new universe is formed by means
J
of a heavy rain, resembling that which
caused the destruction of the former.
This immense mass of water fills the
space which was occupied by the de-
stroyed world, and it is gradually con-
densed and rendered solid by the wind.
On the surface appears a first crust, on168 H1NDOOSTAN
which the genii fix their abode. The
condensation continues, and from ano-
ther crust are formed our earth, and
one million ten thousand other similar
worlds; lastly, the sun, moon, and
stars. The genii assume the human
form and inhabit the new world.
The Buddhists hold -the doctrine of
the metempsychosis, but their creed is
somewhat different on this point from
that of the Hindoos. The soul dies
with the body, and from their dissolu-
tion is formed a new being-, which, ac-
cording as it has lived well or ill in its
former state, becomes a man, a brute,
or a nat. It again dies to be reanimated
in another form, and so on, till, by a
life of perfect purity, it attains the state
IN MINIATURE.
169
of nieba, or the blessed, in which it
has no farther change to apprehend.
The nats, or genii, arc divided into
six classes. Their number is infinite.
Some reside in the planets and the fixed
stars : others in the earth, the waters,
the mountains, and the woods. Some,
under the superintendence of their
chiefs, preside over the elements, go-
vern the winds, the clouds, and rain ;
others record, in a golcjen book, the good
and bad actions of men, and render an
account of them to their supreme chief.
All of them have the power of changing
their forms at pleasure, like the dcouta
of the Hindoos, to whom they bear a
close resemblance.
In the centre of a large rock, Sila-
VOL. !. Q170
HINDOOSTAN
Putavi, in the bowels of a spacious
island, situated opposite to the southern
slope of Mount Mienmo, (the Merit,
of the Hindoos) is the niria, or hell.
It consists of eight large hell£, which
lead to forty thousand smaller. At the
gates of the former are seated the judges
and their assistants, all appointed from
among the nats. Each hell has its par-
ticular name and punishments. The
nature and duration of the punishment
are.proportioned to the heinousness of
the crime, Conquerors, ministers who
oppress the people, debauchees, drunk-
ards,rogues, those who use false weights,
plunderers of temples, poisoners, in-
cendiaries, such as kill animals and sell
their flesh, and magistrates who ac-
IN MINIATURE.
171
cept bribes, need but open the cate-
chism of Buddha: they will find in it
to what hell they will be consigned, and
the nature and duration of the punish-
ment that will there be inflicted on
them for their guilt.172
H1NDOOSTAN
TALAPOINS.
The talapoins; or rahans, are, as we have
observed, the priests of Buddha. They
resemble the regular'monks of catho-
lic countries, and live, like them, in
convents. The great and the opulent
deem it a duty to found convents of
this kind, which they place under the
direction of a zara, or superior. These
zaras enjoy a 'degree of consideration,
proportioned to the wealth of their con-
vents, and the number of the ruhans
under their /authority. The greatest
IN MINIATURE. 173
and most important of the zaras, has
the title of zarado: he is sumptuously
lodged, attended by a numerous retinue,
and no other person but the king is
treated with such profound respect
as he.
The talapoins are allowed to adorn
their convents with pictures and gild-
ing, and enjoy many other privileges.
They display great simplicitys in their
dress and manners. Dr. Buchanan,
who had the honour to visit a za-
rado, informs us, that in his dress there
was nothing to distinguish him from
the multitude, which lay prostrate at
his feet. He adds, that, some years
before, this zarado, being at Rangoun,
went, like the other rahans, bare-
Q3174
HLNDOOSTAN
foot from door to door, collecting the
rice that was given him by way of alms.
This was, perhaps, no great effort of
humility, for, wherever he went, the
streets were covered with carpets, the
people threw themselves at his feet,
imploring his benediction, and the
women hurriecl out of his way, such
imperfect creatures being unworthy to
appear in the presence of so holy a
personage.
In the countries where the religion of
Buddha prevails, it is rare to meet with
a pauper. Near the convents there are,
in general, tolerably good, nay some-
times, very handsome houses, built by
pious persons for the accommodation
of strangers and travellers. Any indi-
IN MINIATURE. 175
vidual whatever may pass the night
there: he is sure to experience a kind
reception from the rahans, and to want
for nothing.
A criminal, who has the good for-
tune to be touched by a rahan, on the
way to execution, obtains his pardon.
The rahans frequently avail themselves
of this privilege. They devote part of
their time to the instruction of youth j
teaching boys to read and write, and
initiating them in the knowledge pos-
sessed by the nation, particularly what
relates to religion, history, and the
laws, as well as the means of providing
for thfeir own subsistence, and relieving
the unfortunate.
It is said, that in ancient times there176 I'lljNDOOSTAN
were convents of women ? that such of
them as dedicated themselves to a mo-
nastic life,, entered in their youth into the
priesthood, and continued till death to
observe celibacy and the other rules of
the rahans. These convents have been
suppressed- some aged females, how-
ever, still perform a kind of sacerdotal
office: they shave the head, dress in
white, attend in the temples and at
funeral ceremonies, and are, in some
respect, servants to the rahans ; but
they never reside in the convent. In the
libraries of the rahans are likewise to
be found books, which treat of the
manner of admitting females into holy
orders, and of the rules of conduct
which they ought to follow.
IN MINIATURE.
177
When a young man devotes himself
to the service of Buddha, his admis-
sion is celebrated with great parade,
and numerous ceremonies. Valuable
offerings are presented to the rahans:
The young candidate, dressed in vel-
vet, richly laced with gold, is led
about in procession for several days.
Drums, hautboys, troops of musicians
and dancers, young damsel's, attired
in muslin, embroidered with gold and
silver, his relatives and their servants,
the public functionaries, &c. compose
the procession. When all the ceremo-
nies are finished, he is conducted into
the assembly of the rahans; his hair
is cut off; he is stripped of his rich178 IIINDOOSTAN
garments, and clothed in the yellow
dress of the convent; and he renoun-
ces his family, his relations, and the
world.
IN MINIATURE.
179
OF THE VEDAS, AND OTHER
SACRED BOOKS.
The principal sacred books of the
Hindoos, are the Vedas". They are
four in number 5 the Rlj-Veda, the
Yayour-Veda, the Sama-Veda, and the
Atarvana-Veda. The Vedas,''according
to the Brarnins, are the source of all
knowledge. They issued from the
mouth of Brarna, at the time of the
creation of the world; and his sons,
who are richcys, that is, dcmi-gods
or prophets, spread them over the
earth for the instruction of mankind.
The reading of them is forbidden to180
HlNDOOSTAN
every caste excepting* that of the Bra-
mins. The latter may read them,
with certain precautions, to the Khat-
tries j but any Bramin who should dare
profane them, by reading them tio any
other castes, would be ignominiously
expelled for ever from his own, and
degraded to one- of the lowest classes of
the people. It would also be a sin never
to be forgiven, in an individual of any
other caste to read them for the pur-
pose of gratifying a guilty curiosity.
The B ram ins have always concealed
their sacred books with such care, from
the knowledge of the vulgar and
the profane, that the existence of the
Vedas was long denied in Europe: all
doubt on this point has, however, since
IN MINIATURE.
181
been removed by their translation into
the English language.
Dow relates an anecdote illustrative
of the extreme reluctance of the Bra-
mins to reveal the mysteries of their
religion.
Acbar, the most powerful Mogul
emperor, had been brought up in the
Mahometan religion. On arriving at
years of maturity, he was desirous of
choosing his own creed and to this end
resolved to make himself acquainted
with the different religions of his em-
pire. As the priests are fond of making
proselytes, especially among the great,
the heads of all the sects were eager to
initiate him into the mysteries of their
faith: the Bramins alone obstinately
VOL.
R182
HINDOOSTAN
refused to comply with his desire : en-
treaties, promises and threats, were
unavailing, and it was necessary to
have recourse to artifice. Acbar se-
cretly sent to Benares a Hindoo boy,
named Fietzi, who was passed off for
the son of a Bramin. As such he was
adopted by a Bramin, who brought him
up as his own child, taught him the San-
scrit, and instructed him in the mys-
teries of the religion of Brama. Acbar
was about to be made acquainted with
them, when love rescued for a time the
secrets to which the Bramins attached
so much importance. Fietzi, having
conceived a passion for the daughter
of his preceptor, fell at his feet, and
with a flood of tears confessed the part
IN MINIATURE. 183
he had been induced to act. The ex-
asperated Bramin snatched the dagger
from his girdle, and raised it to dis-
patch the wretched Fietzi ? but, at
length, moved by his contrition and
his tears, he pardoned him and gave
him the hand of his daughter, on con-
dition that he would not translate the
Vedas.
The Rij-Veda, contains, it is said,
astrology, astronomy, natural philoso-
phy, and the history of the creation of
matter and the formation of the world.
The Yayar-Vcda treats of the religious
and moral duties ; and contains hymns
in praise of the Supreme Being, and
of the inferior intelligences. The Sama-
I7eda teaches all that relates to reli-
R 2184 HINDOOSTAN
gious rites and ceremonies, fasts, pu-
rifications, penances, pilgrimages, sa-
crifices, prayers, offerings, &c.
We have already seen in the account
of the first incarnation of Vishnu, that,
at the moment when the Vedas issued
from the four mouths of Drama, a
daemon, called Scancashur, stole them
away, and hid them at the bottom of
the sea, but that Vishnu, transforming
himself into a fish, went in search of
them.
Another daemon, named Aigrida,
stole them a second time from Brama,
and carried them with him all over
the world. Vishnu overtook him, aud
recovered the Vedas after severely pu-
nishing the thief.
IN MINIATURE. 185
We have likewise seen that a phi-
losopher, named Vyasa, who lived at
the beginning of the Kati-youg (the
present age) collected the Pedas, which
were till then detached, and formed
with them a body of doctrine, which
he divided into four books. This was
all the share he had in them according
to the Hindoos, who positively insist
that he was not their author.
The Hindoos have a great number
of other books, such as the Upa-Fedas,
a kind of commentary on the l^edas;
the Tantra; the Mantra; the Agama
and the 'Nigama, which teach the art
of enchantments : the six J^edanya,
' O ?*
the first three of which treat of gram-
mar, and the other three of mathe-18G 11INDOOSTAN
rnatics, religious ceremonies, &e. lastly,
the Derma, the Dersana, the Upa-
dersana, the Mimausa, and many others,
which, according to the Bramins, em-
brace the whole circle of divine and
human knowledge, bv the general name
O x v O
of Sastra, a term which signifies science,
and more particularly the science of
religion.
The Pur anas 9 or sacred poems,, which
some attribute to the above-mentioned
Vyasa, and others with greater pro-
bability to different authors, are eigh-
teen in number.
Valmicld, the first Indian poet, is
the author of an epic poem, intituled
Ramajama, several cantos of which
have been translated into Italian.
IN MINIATURE.
187
The Maharabnta of Vyasa is another
not less celebrated poern among the
Hindoos. The subject of it is the war
waged by Durgiodana, king of Asta-
napura, assisted by his ninety-nine
brothers, against Judistira or Dama-
ragda, the reputed son of Pandu.
The Hindoos have also a great num-
ber of dramatic works. Sacontala, or
the Fatal Ring, composed by the poet
Calidas, a century before the birth of
Christ, has been translated from the
Sanscrit into English, by Sir William
Jones. We shall take occasion to
notice the literature and poetry of the
Hindoos more at length in another place.
END OF VOL. I.
GREEN, LEICESTER STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE.*-]!.:( it; WiilO: ..
teflKilhirC^ rUk-r. Afl.Yt
THE WORLD
IN MINIATURE ;
EDITED BY
FREDERIC SIIOBERL.
CONTAINING
A DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIGION, MANNERS,
CUSTOMS, TRADES, ARTS, SCIENCES,
LITERATURE, DIVERSIONS, &C.
OF
- "' ILLUSTRATED
With Upwards of One Hundred Coloured
Engravings.
IN SIX VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
The proper study of mankind is man.'?POPB.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR R. ACKERMANN, REPOSITORY
OF ARTS, STRAND;
And to be had of all Booksellers.LONDON: '
(.ir?cn, Leicester Street, Leicester Square.
IIIN D O O S T A N
Miniature.
MANNERS OF THE HINDOOS.
THE life of the lower classes of the Hin-
doos is a succession of the severest
labours and complete idleness ? but still
it is easy to perceive a vestige of that
ingenuity, which, in the most remote
ages, enabled this nation to distinguish
itself by its progress in the arts and
sciences.
The mild cpanners and peaceable dis-
position of the Hindoos are proverbial;
VOL II. H2
HINDOOS!1 AN
and it is extremely rare to see any one,
especially of the higher classes, hurried
by passion into the slightest excess,
either in word or deed. The feniales of
the upper classes are now almost as re-
cluse as those of the Musulrnans, who
have introduced into India their jealous
precautions against the infidelity of the
sex: but we find from their ancient
poets, that they formerly enjoyed per-
fect liberty, unshackled by any other
restraints than what the laws of socie-
ty and decorum impose upon women
among- civilized nations. Sacontala,
the adopted daughter of a holy Bramin,
and the heroine of an interesting drama,
to which we shall, hereafter, have oc-
casion to advert, received strangers, and
IN MINIATURE. 3
performed all the duties of hospitality
towards them. When Dusmantha, a
character of the same drama, was ab-
sent from his capital, his mother go-
verned in his stead. Women were ad-
^
mitted as witnesses in the courts of jus-
tice, and when the accused was a fe-
male, their evidence was even received
in preference. It is unnecessary to ad-
duce further examples: all the Hindoo
tales are filled with circumstances which
attest the civilization of India in the
remote ages, when the courts of that
country were adorned with the charms
of literature, and with that chivalrous
gallantry, which, by exalting the women,
perhaps above the rank for which nature
designed them, softens the manners of
B 24 HINJUOOSTAN
the men, and produces that politeness,
. which is the bond of society, and which
the refined, but unrestricted intercourse
of the two sexes, can alone maintain in
a warlike nation.
The women of the inferior castes fol-
low the same professions as their hus-
bands ? they carry burdens, cultivate the
land, and arc engaged in other equally
laborious occupations.
The daily life of the Hindoos admits
of hut little variety, every action being,
as it were, prescribed by law. The
puranas contain the rules relative to the
manner and time of eating : they also
''enumerate the places in which it is not
lawful for a Hindoo to take his repast,
and the persons whom he may allow to
LN MINIATURE. 5
eat with him. They are particularly
strict in regard to the position which he*
must assume in sitting down, the quar-
ter toward which he must turn, and the
precautions he must take to avoid being
touched by any thing impure. After
washing his hands and feet, and rin-
sing his mouth with water, the Hindoo
seats himself, on a stool or a cushion,
before his plate, which is set on the
ground, on a smooth spot that has been
swept clean, and is of a square form, if
for a Bramin ; triangular, if for a /that'-
try, or person of the second caste \ cir-
cular, if for a vaisya, the third caste;
and in the shape of a crescent, if for a
sooder, the fourth caste. He bows to
the dish that is brought him, and lifts
B 36 HIiNJDOOSTAN
up the plate in his left hand and blesses
it. Before he begins eating, he turns
his hand round the plate, or rather, he
goes round it himself, in order to keep
aloof from others ? he then offers five
pieces to Yam a, the Pluto of the Hin-
doos ? washes liis mouth with a little
water; offers five more morsels to the
five senses; and having wetted his eyes,
takes his meal in silence, helping him-
self with the fingers of his right hand.
Rice is the ordinary food of the na-
tives of India: our wheaten bread is not
used excepting in the European settle-
ments, and the corn for it is obtained
from Guzerat, Bengal, and other north-
ern provinces. In Guzerat and other
districts where rice is rare, a kind of
IN MINIATURE. 7
grain called nili, or ginari, is employed
in its stead. The poor breakfast on
cangi, which is,a thick decoction of rice.
Curry is the most common dish: it
. is a kind of stew made in various ways
with meat and fish. The castes, which
are obliged to abstain from animal food,
substitute fruit or culinary vegetables
in their stead. The sauce coloured
with saffron or cucumbers, is seasoned
with all sorts of spices, and particular-
ly with long pepper. Rice boiled in
water is eaten with the curry.
At night they take nearly a similar
kind of soup, which in the Malabar
language is called mulligitawny.
These dishes are very highly sea-
soned with spices, which are consideied8 HINDOOS'!1 AN
necessary for health,, and are recom-
mended, by all intelligent physicians to
Europeans, on their first arrival iir the
country.
Butter, milk, sugar, vegetables, roots,
and fruit of all kinds, constitute, with
rice,, the whole diet of the Bramins,
who would shudder with horror at the
sight of our tables, covered with? ske-
letons and carcasses, as they call them*
We are nevertheless assured, that
there' is among the Hindoos, a sect
called Paramahansa, esteemed' a high
caste too, who devour the dead1 bodies
which are found in great, number in the
Ganges. Moor, in his Hindoo Pantheon,
relates, upon the most authentic infor-
mation, that individuals of this disgust-
IN MINIATURE. 9
ing sect have been seen near Benares,
floating down the river upon a corpse,
and feeding upon it. They are said to
consider the brain as the most delicious
morsel.^ Mr. Forbes, also, in his Ori-
ental Memoirs, asserts, as a well-known
fact, that in some of the districts con-
tiguous to Bengal, there is a tribe called
sheep-eaters, who seize the animal, and
actually devour it alive, wool, skin, flesh,
and entrails !
The Hindoos, with some few excep-
tions, use neither chairs nor tables : they
sit cross-legged on carpets, cushions, or
rush mats; they have neither knives,
forks, 'nor table-cloths, and use nothing
but their hands to eat with. Their vic-
tuals are put on large smooth banana-10 HiNDOOSTAN
leaves,, curiously cut into the form of
plates, and they have fresh ones for
every meal.
In the higher castes, the women never
eat with the men.
The Hindoos., and especially those of
the superior castes, malce marks upon
the breast, arms,, and forehead, with a
whitish powder, composed of the ashes
of cow-dung dried and burned, raspings
of sandal-wood, saffron, &c. The wor-
shippers of Vishnu have a red and yel-
low horizontal stripe on the forehead,
those of Sheeva a vertical stripe. The
Brarnins furnish the powder employed
for this purpose.
The wives of the Bramins keep col-
lecting", as long as they live, great
IN MINIATURE.
11
quantities of cow-dung, which they dry
and reduce to powder. They store it
up till they die, and their bodies are
completely covered with it on the pile
on which -they are burned.
The same material, diluted with wa-
ter, is used in India for giving solidity
to the floors of houses, which, for the
wealthy in general, as well as for the
poor, are made of stamped earth. This
earth, being wetted with the diluted
dung, becomes hard and solid.
The Hindoos are accustomed to rub
the body, and especially the head, from
time to time, with oil. This operation
is deemed refreshing and wholesome,
as it tends to check excessive perspira-
tion : an hour or two afterwards they12 HINDOOSTAN
never fail to wash and perfume them-
selves.
! The manners of the, Hindoos are
mild, simple, and modest: there7arc,
however, some exceptions. The Raj-
poots, the Mahrattas, the Rohillas, &c.
who inhabit the northern part of India,
are bold, warlike people; the Polygars
and the Maravis, in the Carnatic, are
equally so. They frequently sally forth
from their woods and mountains, and
ravage the fertile plains around them,
which were once their own, and in which
the present possessors have not been
able to establish themselves so firmly
as to have nothing to dread from their
incursions.
The Hindoos never ridicule the man-
IN MINIATURE. 13
ners and customs of other nations, how
extraordinary soever they may appear
to them : unalterably attached to their
own usages, they respect those of others.
They dre prudent, polite, docile, obli-
ging, in so far, at least, as they are
allowed to be by their religion, which
forbids all intercourse with foreigners,
and even with their own countrymen of
a different caste. They frequently tole-
rate and excuse in a stranger what
they would severely punish in one of
their own people. However cruel the
despotism by which they are oppressed,
however abject the poverty into which
they are plunged, neither the scowl of
revenge, nor sullen discontent is ever
expressed in their placid countenances.
VOL. ir. c14
HINDOOSTAN
They are fond of conversation, plea-
santry, and witticisms ; and take par-
ticular delight in listening to stories of
warriors and heroes, fairies, enchant-
ments, and metamorphoses of the gods ;
and the more marvellous these stories
are, and the more they resemble cir-
cumstances in their mythology, the
more they relish them. The tone of
their voices, especially in Malabar, is
accentuated and singing, and they ges-
ticulate a great deal when they speak.
Happy the people, exclaims a tra-
veller, who are satisfied with a little
rice for their food, a piece of linen for
their garment, and a mat for a bed. It
might be supposed that men who have
so few wants would be strangers to
IN MJNIATl'KE. 15
avarice j yet this is the strongest and
most predominant passion among the
Hindoos: it stifles the seeds of all their
virtues. This thirst of gold is the more
extraordinary, as they neither can nor
know how to employ it: for in India it
is a crime to be rich ? despotism is
never at a loss for pretexts to strip its
unfortunate subjects, and for this rea-
son, immoveable property is in less
request than gold, jewels, and precious
stones, which may be easily concealed
or carried away. The opulent would
be afraid of betraying their easy cir-
cumstances, if they were to expend
any considerable sum in the embellish-
ment of country-houses or gardens, in
the improvement of their estates, or in
c 216 HINDOOSTAN
the erection of elegant and commodious
habitations: they therefore covet wealth
merely for the purpose of hiding* and
hoarding it.
o
The tardiness of the Hindoos in taking*
a resolution absolutely degenerates into
a vice: they sometimes spend whole
days in deliberating', when they ought
to be acting ; and they are perhaps
still slower in executing than in re-
solving.
The scrupulous performance of pro-
mises is a virtue of which the people of
India have not the least idea. When a
European is bargaining with a Hindoo,
he cannot help loosing his patience on
finding the business deferred from day
to day, always with fresh excuses and
IN MINIATURE.
17
fresh lies, for which the latter, instead
of being in the least ashamed of them,
is rather disposed to take credit to him-
self, because they serve to extricate
him fro ill some embarrassment or other.
The European at first supposes that he
lias to deal with simple inexperienced
people; but he soon discovers how
egregiously he is mistaken.
The Italian author of Letters on India
one day reproached a native of Malabar,
a man of good understanding, and who
knew something of the character of the
o
different nations of Europe, with that
habit of lying which disgraces his coun-
trymen. " There is no nation," replied
he calmly, " but has its defects. The
Englishman, in his gloomy melancholy,
c 318 HINDOOSTAN
blows out his brains about a trifle ; the
Portuguese stabs you almost in a joke ;
1 the Frenchman is every mbment drawing
his sword ; and you Italians------"'here
he paused., recollecting that it was to
one of this nation that he was speaking,
and then proceeded:?" you would
not allow us poor Malays a bit of a lie,
the only weapon that is left us." This
defence was not much amiss; for, in
general, if a Hindoo breaks his word,
it is because it has been extorted from
him, and it was impossible for him to
keep it.
A great virtue, or rather a great vice
of the Hindoos, is patience. To this
quality they owe most of the wrongs
they have suffered from the tyranny of
IN MINIATURE. 10
foreigners : if they have not strength
to resist, they ought to know how to
endure.
We are assured in numberless books
V
that the Hindoos are an industrious na-
tion ; but if the truth must be spoken,
this industry consists rather in being1
. o
content with little, than in judicious
efforts to multiply the enjoyments of
life. The arts have made but little
progress among them: with the ex-
ception of cotton cloths and the beau-
tiful Cashmere shawls, India furnishes
Europe with scarcely any thing worth
mentioning. The sciences are still far-
ther behind-hand, and there is not per-
haps a country on the face of the earth
where a greater number of persons passr20,
IIINDOUSTAN
their lives in doing nothing*; they fre-
quently repeat these words of one of
their authors : " It is better to sit than
to stand, to lie than to sit, to sleep
than to wake, and death is preferable to
all things."
o
Nothing can equal the slowness of
workmen who are hired by the day :
it is necessary to be constantly over-
looking* and urging them. Their idle-
ness excites the utmost impatience in
the active European who employs them.
The price of labour is in general mo-
derate ; but the little work they get
through makes it come very high. A
European workman does more in one
day than a Hindoo in two or three:
Irut this is not all, for the latter, before
IN MINIATURE. 2i
he sets about a job; never fails to apply
for money on account, upon pretext
that he is too poor to procure the imple-
ments or materials for which he has
occasion^ For the rest, they are ex-
tremely clever, and produce by dint
of patience, with rude tools, what our
most skilful workmen could not execute
without the best instruments.
Filial piety is one of the most con-
spicuous virtues of the Hindoos : it is
not rare to see children stint themselves
of necessaries that their parents may
not want for any thing. Such as have
the means make offerings annually to
the gods, and give alms to the poor,
in memory of their deceased parents.
On the death of the father of a family,,22 HINDOOSTAN
the eldest son supplies the place of a
parent to his brothers, and they pay
him the submission arid reverence which
a father has a right to expect from his
children: even his mother herself is in
some measure subject to him, and can
claim nothing more than a dower or
CD
allowance for her support. In short,
we here find in almost all families what
is too rarely met with among the most
civilized nations,, genuine affection, do-
mestic union,, and a real solicitude to
be of service to one another. The
greatest affront that can be offered to a
Hindoo is to speak contemptuously of
his'parents,, and especially of his mo-
ther. Those who have no children fre-
quently adopt poor orphans.
IN MINIATURE. 23
The Hindoos of the superior castes
arc no strangers to the sentiment of
honour. An Englishman having taken
one of his servants of the caste of the
Rajpoots, a-hunting with him, the lat-
ter let loose a 'log at an improper time,
at which his master was so enraged, that
he struck him several blows with a
stick. The Rajpoot receded a few
steps, and looking at his master with
astonishment rather than anger, he drew
forth a dagger: "This "said he "should
O ^J '
avenge my honour, bat I cannot tor-
get that I have eaten your bread." With
these words he plunged the dai^er into
*? O O O
His heart and expired. It is remarked
that a story precisely similar is related
of an African negro, and the scene of24 U1NDOOSTAN
the catastrophe is laid in the West
Indies.
The Hindoo women frequently ac-
company their husbands to battle, and
perish by their side. Some, that they
might not survive their dishonour, have
dispatched themselves with their own
hands ; others have earnestly solicited
their husbands to kill them lest they
should fall into the power of a victo-
rious enemy : nay, the troops composing*
whole garrisons have cut one another's
-throats rather than surrender. In short,
there are to be found among the Hin-
doos examples of fidelity, fortitude,
and all the virtues which confer ho-
nour on humanity. We shall be dis-
posed to forgive their vices if we but
IN MINIATUUK. :(
pay attention to the source from which
they flow. There arc institutions, civil
and religious, the baneful influence of
which necessarily renders man deceitful,
indolent, mischievous, and stupid. If
the civil and religious system of the
Hindoos wen* not so vicious, living as
thry do in a country blest with so genial
a climate, where nature provides al-
most spontaneously for those wants
which elsewhere rouse all the passions
into commotion, they would, probably,
be the most virtuous of mankind.
Dr. Tennant, a mild, unprejudiced
observer of the Hindoos, a man of
learning and piety, who made his re-
searches among the people whom he
YOL. II. I)26
1HNDOOSTAN
describes, thus pourtrays their situa-
tion :?
The Hindoo superstition makes no
^
provision for the instruction of the great
body of the people. The vcdas, pu-
ranas, and other sacred books, contain,
it is said, a copious system of the most
unexceptionable morality- and from the
specimens already translated, this must
be in part admitted. But the canonical
books of the Hindoos have always been
regarded as a bequest too sacred to be
committed to vulgar hands: to the far
greater part of society they are strictly
forbidden, and are doomed to remain, in
the most emphatic sense, a dead letter.
Nothing can equal the ignorance of the
IN MINIATURE. 27
great body of the people, on every sub-
ject relating to religion, morals, and li-
terature. Few of them can explain the
genealogy or attributes ascribed to their
deities. They do not understand the
meaning of the ceremonies they attend; A
and the nature and obligations of their
duty they may obscurely feel, but arc
wholly incapable to describe. The in-
convenience of ignorance so gross and
universal is too obvious to require
elucidation j it renders the mass of the
people not only dupes to the artifices
of priestcraft, but subjects them to the
imposition of every charlatan who pre-
ttptls to skill in any art or science what-
ever. The charms, incantations, and
exorcisms that here make a part of the
D 228 H1NDOOSTAN
medical art clearly show that the gross-
est impositions in pther matters, as well
as religion, may be turned to account
among an uninformed multitude.
There is no end to the delusions of
superstition, nor any bounds to the
cruelties to which it can instigate people
the most gentle and timid with which
history has made us acquainted. Some
are persuaded to regain their lost rank
in society by precipitating themselves
naked, from a great height, upon spikes
or edged weapons ; others pierce their
skin with a hot iron ; in short, cruelties
too horrid for recital, and too ex-
travagant to obtain belief, daily provoke
our pity and indignation, amidst a people
famed for humanity in every part of tho
IN MINIATURE. 29
world. In almost every action of his
life, the Hindoo is under the immediate
influence of his superstition: his prayers
and offerings to his gods; his purifica-
tionij and ablutions in the river; his
dressing ancl eating his victuals ; the ob-
jects which he touches ; the companions
with whom he associates, are to him all
intimately and equally connected with
religion and the everlasting welfare of
his soul. If there is any part of his
conduct with which his religious ideas
have no concern, it is his moral charac-
ter. In doing justly, or loving mercy,
he is apparently left to act as he
pleases ; but if in the most trivial ac-
tion, he violates ^the rights of super-
stition, he is, in this life, deprived of all30 HINDOOSTAN
the comforts of society, and in the next,
^condemned to animate the body of
some noisome reptile, or contemptible
animal. /
The ignorance of{ the great body of
"*
the natives of India has shaded their
character with a diffidence and timidity,
which has not only rendered them the
slaves of their own monarchs, or fo-
reigners, in every age, but has degraded
them, in some measure, to an inferior
rank among human, beings. From this
condition, which lias so often called
forth the contempt of the'brave, and the
compassion of the wise, you in vain en-
deavour to raise them, while their in-
tellects 9-re chained dawn by the multi-
plied fetters of their degrading super-
IN MINIATURE. 31
stition. The higher orders of the Bra-
mins, whose duty it is to undertake*
this work, and who are perhaps alone
able to effect it, are the least likely to
makejany such attempt, as the follow-
ing anecdote will sufficiently demon-
strate :?
An English gentleman, extremely
fond of natural and experimental phi-
losophy, being intimate with a liberal-
minded Brarnin, who had been edu-*
cated at Benares, or some other cele-
brated college, they generally passed
the morning together. The Bramin
read English books, searched into the
Encyclopaedia, and profited by the best
philosophical instruments. The gen-
tleman, on receiving a valuable solar32 IUNDOOSTAN
microscope,, as a present from Europe,
showed it with rapture to his Hindoo
t
friend, and in opposition to the scheme
of the metempsychosis, discovered t
him the innumerable animalculae which
must be devoured by the Bramins, with
every fruit and vegetable they eat.
After a full display of the wonders pro-
duced by the new apparatus, the En-
glishman, instead of seeing his friend
delighted, observed him to be unusually
thoughtful, and at length he silently
withdrew. At his next visit he re-
quested the gentleman to sell him the
microscope : to this the latter objected,
observing that it was a present from a
'friend in Europe, not to be replaced,
and'while in his possession, would af-
IN MINIATURE. 33
ford them mutual gratification. The
Bramin offered him a very large sum
of money, or any Indian commodity of
equal value, in hopes of obtaining it,
Without effect : at last, overcome by
incessant importunity, the gentleman
presented him with the microscope. A
gleam of joy flashed across the Bra-
mill's countenance on obtaining posses-
sion of the object lie had so ardently
desired. They were then in a veranda
overlooking the garden, with some kind
of artificial rock-work, composed of
flints and rough stones. The Bramin,
grasping the instrument, descended
1 with a quicker motion, than is cus-
tomary with his caste, into the garden,
where he laid the microscope on the34V HINDOOSTAN
lowest step of the vSranda, and seizing
a large stone,, smashed it to pieces, be-
fore his astonished friend could pre- ,
vent its destruction. He flew into a
violent passion, aud in his heat up-
braided the Bramin with ingratitude,
ignorance and fanaticism. As usual
with his caste he bore it all patiently,
and respectfully withdrew, saying,
when he was cool he would pay him a
visit and explain his reasons. A few
days afterwards he returned, and after
a polite, if not a welcome reception, he
thus addressed his friend :?" Oh ! that
I had remained in that happy state of
ignorance in which you first found me !
yet will I confess, that as my know-
ledge increased, so did my pleasure,
IN MINIATURE. 35
until I beheld the'last wonders of the
microscope. From that moment I have
been tormented by doubt, and per-
plexed by mystery: my mind, over-
whelmed by chaotic confusion, knows
riot where to rest, nor how to extricate
itself from such a maze. I am mi-
»
serable, and so/ must continue to be,
till I enter on another stage of exist-
ence. I am a solitary individual among
a hundred millions of people, all edu-
cated in the same belief with myself,
all happy in their ignorance! so may
they ever remain! I shall keep the
secret within my own bosom, where
it will corrode my peace and break my
rest; but I shall have some satisfaction
in knowing that I alone feel those30 HINDOOSTAN
pangs, which, had I not destroyed the
instrument, might have been exten-
sively communicated and rendered thou-
sands miserable 1 Forgive me, my valu-
able friend ; but bring hither no more
implements of knowledge and destruc-
tion."
Those polemical disputes in religion
and politics, which in Europe some-
times disturb society, but which always
awaken curiosity and invigorate the
powers of intellect, are unheard-of in
India. The Hindoo shelters himself
from such turmoils in a total apathy or
listlessness of thought, more resembling
the stillness of the grave or annihila-
tion itself, than the common efforts of
a rational being.
IN MINIATURE. 37
The sciences of India and all the more
liberal arts are at present, and always
have been, confined to the great and the
learned alone. The moral and theological
kno'wledge possessed by a few in the
higher ranks, for many ages, is as com-
pletely beyond the reach of the com-
mon people, as if it did not exist : of
consequence it must prove of little ser-
vice in promoting their interests. The
same thing may be affirmed of every
branch of knowledge. The portion pos-
sessed by nineteen in twenty of the
whole community is comparatively no-
thing. To the power of habit and the
influence of custom alone they are con-
signed for the direction of themselves.
Reason, inert and feeble as in them it
VOL. II. E38
H1NDOOSTAN
must prove, has little sllare in what \ve
i
justly regard as its peculiar province.
In such circumstances, certainly no
people can be more entitled to indul-
%'
gence towards the*? weakness and er-
rors j and there is, certainly, none who
have stronger claims on our sympathy
and tenderness. Britons now occupy
the places of their native princes, and
the blessings of protection, instruction,
and encouragement in virtue which are
L there too frequently withheld, Provi-
dence has bestowed upon us as a sacred
duty to dispense.
The reader will excuse the introduc-
tion of the following beautiful apostro-
phe on this subject, from the pen of
Mr. C. Grant ;?
IN MINIATURE.
39
Britain, thy voice can bid the light descend;
On thee alone the eyes of Asia bend !
Let gentle arts awake at thy behest,
And science sooth the Hindoo's mournful
breast.
In vtiiji, has nature shed her gifts around,
For eye or ear, soft bloom or tuneful sound ;
Fruits of all hues on ev'ry grove displayed,
And pour'd profuse the tamarind's gorgeous
shade.
What joy to him can song- or shade afford,
Oiitcu&t so abject, by himself abhorr'd ?
While chained to dust half struggling, half
resigned,
Sinks to her fate the heaven-descended
mind,
Disrobed of all her lineaments sublime,
The daring hope, whose glance outmeasured
time,
Warm passions to the voice of rapture
strung,
And conscious thought that told her \vhence
she sprung.
At Drama's stern decree, as ages roll,
New shapes of clay await the immortal soul j
E 240 HINDOOSfAN
Datkling condemned in forms obscene to
prowl,
And swell the melancholy midnight howl.
Be thine the task, his drooping* eye to cheer,
And elevate his hopes beyond this sphere}
To brighter heavens ;|han proud Someera
owns, '*
Though girt with Indra and his burning
thrones.
Then shall he recognize the-beamsof day,
And fling at once the four fold chain away ;
Through every limb a sudden life shall
start,
And sudden pulses spring around his heart :
Then all the deadened energies shall rise,
And vindicate their title to the skies.
It is impossible, observes the phi-
lanthropic author of the Oriental Me-
moirs, to calculate the effects which
may ultimately be produced by Asia-
tic researches, and the noble establish-
ment of the college at Calcutta. From
IN MINIATURE. 41
the revival of science, learning, and
true philosophy on the banks of the
Ganges, we may expect to see the tem-
ples of Vishnu consecrated to the wor-
* /)
ship of Jehovah, and braminical groves,
now seminaries for astrology, geoman-
cy and frivolous pursuits, become the
seats of classic learning and liberal
sentiments. The climate of India does
,not militate against patriotic virtue
and manly attainments, although it
may in some degree depress their ener-
2V. Art and science, nurtured in Asia,
O »
"
will, under the auspices of peace and
liberty, resume their influence over the
fertile regions of Hindoostan. Philoso-
phy, religion, and virtue, attended by
liberality, taste, and elegance, will re-
E 342
HINDOOSTAN
/visit a favourite climerr poetry, music,
painting, and sculpture, encouraged
by the genius of Britain, may there
strew the path of virtue with many a
fragrant flower. \
Under every form of oriental govern-
m'ent, a horrid system of oppression
pervades all classes of society, so that
it is almost impossible, out of the Bri-
tish dominions, to find an Asiatic of any
caste or tribe, who, like the English
country gentleman, in the middle walk
of life, enjoys his patrimonial inherit-
ance surrounded by domestic happi-
ness and rural pleasures. A system of
oppression prevails from the throne to
the zemindar. The following circum-
stance happened at Tattah, on the Indus,
IN MINIATURE. 43
the residence of the Mahometan prince
of Scindy, who, like other oriental des-
pots, permits his officers to amass wealth
by every means in their power, and
ther\ obliges them to disgorge their
plunder.
The collector of the customs at Tat-
tah, was a Hindoo of family, wealth, and
credit. Lulled into security from his
interest at court, and^suspectingno evil,
he was surprised by a visit from the
vizir, with a company of armed men,
to demand his money, which, being se-
creted, no menaces could induce him to'
discover. A variety of tortures were inflict-
ed to extort a confession: one was a sofa,
with a platform of tight cordage in net-
work, covered with a chintz palampore,44 HINDOOS! AN
which concealed a bed of thorns placed
under it. The collector, a corpulent
Banian, was then stripped of his jama,
or muslin robe, and ordered to lie down
on the couch ; the^cord.s, bending with
his weight, sunk on the bed of thorns ;
those long and piercing thorns of the
baubel, or forest acacia, which being
placed purposely with their points up-
wards, lacerated J;lie wretched man,
whether in motion or at rest. For two
days, and nights he bore the torture
without revealing the secret: his tor-
mentors, fearing he would die before-
their purpose was effected, had recourse
to another mode of compulsion. When
nature was nearly exhausted, they took
him from the bed and supported him
IN MINIATURE, 45
on the floor, until his infant son, an
only child, was brought into the room,
and with him a bag containing a fierce
cat, into which they put the child, and
? *
tied up the mouth of the sack. The
agents of cruelty stood over them with
bamboos, ready at a signal to beat the
bag, and enrage the animal to destroy
the child. This was too much for a
father's heart; he produced his trea-
sure, and on his recovery was sent for
to court, invested with a robe of state,
and exalted to a high situation in ano-
ther province, there to accumulate more
wealth, and to be again subject to the
capricious cruelty of a needy despot.
?%
Another act of tyranny sometimes
practised by the Mahrattas, is called46
/
HINDOOSTAN
the sheep-skin death. On this occasion
the culprit is stripped naked, and a
sheep being killed, the warm skin of
the animal is immediately stretched to
the utmost, and*sewed tight over the
prisoner's body. He is then conducted
to the flat roof of the prison, and ex-
posed to the fervour of a tropical sun ;
the skin, contracting by the heat, draws
with it the flesh of the agonized wretch,
until putrefaction, hunger, and thirst,
terminate his sufferings.
The features of the!Hindoos of both
sexes, differ, in general, but little from
those of . Europeans. The different
castes have, nevertheless, a peculiar
physiognomy ; and though it might not
be an easy task to describe wherein this
IN MINIATURE.
47
difference consists, it does not escape
the eye of the observer. In the same
manner we distinguish, without diffi-
culty, a German from a Frenchman, an
Englishman from a Spaniard, and a
Dutchman from an Italian.
The Hindoos are not inferior in sta-
ture to the Europeans, but they arc
more elegantly shaped, and more ac-
tive, though at the same time less mus-
cular and robust. This is usually at-
tributed to the heat of the climate, but
is owing also to other causes ? such as
a diet frequently-unwholesome, and al-
ways insufficient j the premature inter^
course of the sexes, and the neglect of
exertise. So much at least is certain,
that those Hindoos who follow labo-48/ IllNDOOSTftN
rious occupations and live upon more
substantial food are quite as hale and
strong as Europeans; and some of them
have been known to cut off the head of a
buffalo with a single stroke of a scimetar.
But for their colour, the Hindoo wo-
men might vie in beauty with those of
any European nation: they are sur-
passed by none in delicacy, just pro-
portion, and regularity of features, and
their eyes are the finest, perhaps, in the
world. They possess, above all, an in-
expressible charm, an ! air of infantine
simplicity, and modest graces which
forbid neither vivacity nor wit, and
which the women of Europe would in
vain attempt to imitate. Beauty, how-
ever, in Hindoostan, is a flower that fades
IN MINIATURE. 40
more speedily than in other countries: a
female is marriageable at the age of ten
or twelve years, and begins to be old at
twenty or twenty-five.
? }
The sex is held in perpetual/lepend-
ence. According to the laws of Menu,
the daughter is dependent on her fa-
ther in childhood; on her husband as
soon as she becomes a wife; on her sons
after the death of her husband; on the
near relations of her husband if she
has no sons ; if he has none, on her
father's relatives ; and lastly, on the so-
.*
vereign, in default of paternal kinsmen.
All the natives of India marry, with
the exception of a few fanatics, who de-
vote themselves to celibacy. It is a
duty prescribed by religion ; it is one
VOL. II. F50
HINDOOSTAN
of the most sacred and the most laud-
able actions of human life, and a title
to the special protection of heaven. Ce-
libacy, on the other hand, when it has
not absolute necessity to plead in its
excuse, is a disgraceful and infamous
state, inasmuch as it is contrary to the
design of nature and providence. The
Hindoos think that it is the duty of
every one who has received life to give
it in his turn.
The Hindoo who proposes to marry,
finds every one inclined to promote his
design. The very laws allow him to
have recourse to lies, if these can con-
tribute to the success of the match
which he has in view. The poorest,
therefore, have no scruple to marry,
IN MINIATURE. 01
notwithstanding the despotism of the
government. It is true that in this
happy climate man has but few wants,
and easily finds the means of satisfying
them. The laws of marriage, more-
over, are not very strict in most of the
castes. If the husband is dissatisfied
with his wife, he parts from her and
seeks another: and the wife acts in the
same manner in regard to her husband;
not that a divorce can be obtained with-
out reason, but the matter is not very
closely inquired into, especially when
both parties agree in soliciting it.
Polygamy is lawful in India, but it
is rare excepting among the rich. The
poor are content with one wife at a
time; and when they have had male
F 252 HIN BOOST AN
children by them, they seldom part
from them as long as they live. The
Hindoos may marry their cousins, and
the daughters of their sisters, but not
those of their brothers. They have no
scruple to marry several sisters at the
same time, or to live publicly with
them : but it is n&t lawful for two bro-
thers to wed two sisters,
The Hindoo women employ them-
selves in their household concerns:
they are good mothers, submissive and
faithful wives. The ambition and ex-
travagance which so often ruin Euro-
pean ladies and their families are un-
known to them ; they give neither balls
nor routs, neither parties nor entertain-
ments. The poorest consider it as a
IN MINIATURE. 53
humiliating state and a real misfortune
to have no family j and they spare nei-
ther prayers to the gods, nor alms to
the poor, nor offerings to the Bramins,
tO'\)btain children. Some are seen per-
forming long journeys, with two or
three little children, whom they lead by
the hand or carry alternately on their
backs, when they are tired.
The women are forbidden to read and
\Vrite, the Hindoos being persuaded,
that all the accomplishments which they
might acquire would spoil that simpli-
city of manners which is requisite for
domestic happiness. Hence none but
courtezans aspire to a variety of talents
and attainments : they are no strangers
to literature and poetry, and music and
y 354 IIINDOOSTAN
dancing are their favourite occupations-
They form a distinct class, and are not
doomed to infamy as among us. We
shall have occasion to treat of them
hereafter.
We are assured, that in the Carnatic,
near Tinavelly, there is a tribe which
is distinguished by ? an extraordinary
custom: the women must not suffer
themselves to be seen by any man, not
even by their husbands, who never visit
them but in the dark. They live shut
up in apartments where they have no
other company than females of the same
tribe, and where they employ themselves
in weaving mats and such-like occupa-
tions. Their sons are taken from them
at the age of three or four years, and
IN MINIATURE. 55
are never afterwards suffered to see
their mothers. When they are ill, they
are attended exclusively by women of
their own tribe j and after death their
husbands sew them up in a sack before
they are conveyed to the funeral pile.
This tribe, which was never very nu-
merous, is daily decreasing, so that it is
now reduced to a few families.
In the Carnatic, and other provinces,
we also find a small tribe, the members
of which make a point of fasting on such
days, when the sun is so obscured by
clouds as not to be seen at least for a
few moments. In the rainy season they
miis.t frequently be obliged to fast.
Among the Hindoos on the Malabar
coast, and likewise in all the southern56 HINDOOSTAN
?*
part of the peninsula, there is,another
custom which is not less singular.
When a young ferpale .becomes mar-
riageable, the day on which she is
promised, that of her marriage, and at
the birth of a son, L^r female friends
and relatives assemble at her house, and
there, by way of expressing their joy,
and acquainting her neighbours with
the happy event, they all together set
up, from time to time, a long howl,
r/which would rather be taken for a cry
of grief than for a demonstration of
joy-
The passion of love and its excesses
seem to be unknown to the Hindoos,
though they form the subject of almost
,all their books. The facility with which
IN MINIATURE. 57
they gratify it does not allow it time to
acquire intensity ; for neither the Hin-
doo girl, nor her parents, have the cruelty
to keep a young man of their caste, who
solicits her hand, long in suspense ; and
one of a different caste never aspires to
what he knows it is impossible for him
to possess. They thus enjoy the plea-
sures of love without feeling any of its
pangs.
A Hindoo never appears before a
prince or grandee without carrying him
some present, especially if he has a fa-
vour to solicit: this custom is of the
highest antiquity, and prevails through-
out all Asia. In Europe, when a sove-
reign travels, he commonly displays his
liberality in donations to the lower58 H1NDOQ8TAN
classes and the poor: a Hindoo priuce,
on the contrary, ^accepts the smallest
gifts from the meanest of his subjects/
These unfortunate wretches lay their
pr.es.ents in the n\o,st respectful manner
at his feet, and think themselves .amply
remunerated in the opportunity they
have enjoyed of -obtaining so near a
view of their oppressor.
When a Hindoo or Musulman enters
the house of his sup.erior or equal, he
Aulways leaves his shoes ,or slippers at
the door. This part of ,the ,dress is
considered as the basest; ,and a blow
with a slipper is, in Hindoostan, the
-most ignominious,and the .most unpar-
donable of affronts.
.It is curious to observe the way in
IN MINIATURE. 59
which a Hindoo behaves, when he has
a favour to solicit of a grandee of his
Own nation, or even of a European;
He joever proceeds directly toward his
object, butx beats a long time about the
bush, talking of totally different matters
from that which has brought him to
you. He watches your looks, your
motions and your words, to discover
what humour you are in at the time,
though he has taken good care to make
inquiries on that point of your ser-*
vants. If" you are not in a good hit-
moary he strives to divert your thoughts
?by degrees from the subject witl* which
Ii6 'supposes them to be engaged : and
* *? O O
J
if he cannot prepare 'you to receive his
application in a favourable manner, he60 HINDQCSTAN
takes his leave without saying" a word
about.it : but if he thinks the moment
auspicious, after telling you several
times that he has* called for no other
purpose tK^n to inquire how you do,
and talking a;lbng while on indifferent
subjects,;ilie^astonishes you by soli-
citing spmeifayour, or by the mention of
some business, of the utmost import-
ance.
The Hindoos write on long palm-
leaves prepared and dried for the pur-
pose j-. they use a^style of iron, some-
times of gold or,} silver, of a more or^
less elegant shape, but always tipped
?withfa'' steel point. They write;avith
; ?' " .,? ? -V.-.-.W . . fn. ? .. . A. .
. . ' ^. ?
?:.???]?
great ease and celerity, either standing,
sitting; or walking, and scarcely lookingIN MINIATURE. Cl
at the leaf which they are using. Their
letters are neat and well formed, the
lines straight, and the distances equal:
butf(jt is not possible to form a correct
notion of their writing, unless from in-
spection. The annexed engraving re-
presents a native of Malabar writing as
he walks along. Their books, which
are sometimes very bulky, are com-
posed of similar leaves, and last as
long as ours if any care be taken of
them : they are not liable to injury
from water.
The rajahs and princes of the south
of Hindoostan, write letters and trans-
mit orders on these palm-leaves, which
are folded arid sealed in a particular
manner; but when they are writing
VOL. n. o(K HINDOOSTAN
to persons of distinction they use paper
like us. Paper is also used by the Hin-
doos and Musulmans, all Over the north
*
of the peninsula. With the exception
of certain complimentary forms, the
Hindoos in general are clear, brief, and
precise in all they write.
A Hindoo will not scruple to employ
any dishonest artifice to release himself
from engagements into which he has
entered ; but he will never take advan-
tage of any equivocal expression or
informality in the written instrument
by which he is bound: and as they
have neither advocates, attorneys, nor
notaries, they are strangers to all that
disgraceful chicanery, to which flaws of
this kind give rise among us.
IN MINIATURE. 63
In Tanam, (luzerat, and in the north
in general, both sexes wear more
clothing than in the south. This ob-
servation applies also to the principal
i
European settlements, as Bombay, Ma-
dras, Culcuttrt, (ioa, &c.
The costume of the women varies
according to the castes. The most
common dross consists of u long piece
of white or coloured stuff, which is
thrown over the right shoulder, and
fastened about the waist. Sometimes
the females cover themselves entirely
with this robe, either to screen them-
selves from the eyes of the other sex,
or from the rays of the sun.
In all parts of India, the women of
every sect, and of all nations, wear
G 264 HINDOOSTAN
bracelets of vitrified earth of different
colours,, green, yellow, and black.
Their fingers and toes are adorned with
brass, silver, ofr gold rings; they also
wear rings of ^he same metals, of deli-
cate workmanship, round the ancles.
iSome idea may be formed of the anti-
quity of these ornaments from the sta-
tues of the gods and goddesses, which
are almost always decorated with them.
Some females wear ear-rings, and others
have gold and silver rings suspended
from the nose, but thd latter ornament
is confined almost exclusively to the
dancing-girls.
One of the women represented in the
annexed engraving, holds a large and
small vessel for taking up water, andIN MINIATURE.
65
wears round her neck a gold ornament
called tali. Her hair is perfumed and
tied up to the crown of the head. Her
skin is stained with saffron, or some
other yellow powder, the smell of
which is agreeable to the Hindoos.
The nails and toes are dyed red with
the juice of an herb.
Greatly resembling the pastoral man-
ners of the Mesopotamian damsels in
the patriarchal days, the young women
of Guzerat daily draw water from the
public wells, and sometimes carry two
or three earthen jars placed over
each other on the head, which re-
quiring perfect steadiness, gives them
an erect and stately air. An English
lady in India/whose great delight was*
G 3.60 HINDOOSTAN
to illustrate the sacred volume, by a
comparison with the modern manners
and customs of the Hindoos, reading
the interview between* Abraham's ser-
vant and Rebecca at the gate of Nahor,
to fin intelligent native, when she came
s
to that passage where the virgin went
down to the well with her pitcher upon
her shoulder, her attentive friend ex-
claimed : t? Madam, that woman was
of high caste." This lie implied from
the circumstance of her canrying the
pitcher on her shoulder and not on her
head. Some of the highest classes
among the Bramins do the same.
The women of the inferior castes
wear a short cotton garment, which in
general covers only the upper part of
IN MLNIATURfc. % 67
the body, and readies no lower than
the loins.
Females of the superior castes, whe-
ther married or not, never go abroad
alone, and without being veiled from
head to foot. If, however, they happen
by any accident to be unveiled, and
meet a European, they run as fast as
they can to the first Indian house that
has any appearance of respectability.
In the interior of the country in par-
ticular, the women are alarmed at the
presence of Europeans. There the
sight of a single European is sufficient
to throw the whole population of a
village into consternation. The fact is,
that intoxicated soldiers and others
have frequently committed outrages in08 HINDOOSTAN
the attempt to carry off women, or to
procure provisions by force.
In Malabar, men of the superior
castes only have the privilege of wear-
ing rings of gold and silver, of carrying
an umbrella or a cane, and of having a
style for writing fastened by their side.
These distinctions are forbidden to the
lower castes, which must not assume
them without a special grant from the
rajah, of whom they cannot be obtained
?but by money.
The distinctions formerly conferred
by the Hindoo princes, and still con-
ferred by them wherever they yet rule,
consist in one or two gold bracelets
round the wrist; in the right to be
carried in a palanquin, and other similar
IN MINIATURE. 69
honours corresponding, in some mea-
sure, wilh the different orders of
knighthood, instituted by the sovereigns
of Europe.
The Hindoos manifest extreme ve-
neration for tlieir princes, whom they
never approach but with demonstrations
of the profouudc.st humility: hence we
do not find it upon record that the blood
of any Hindoo monarch was ever shed
by his subjects j while the history of
the Mahometan princes, who have
reigned in India, is filled with treasons
and atrocious murders, committed on
their persons by their own subjects.
In Malabar, a rajah, on his accession,
would not, out; of respect, sit upon the
same scat, sleep in the same bed, or70 HINDOOSTAN
drink out of the same cup as his prede-
cessor : every thing that has been used
by the deceased prince is regarded as
sacred, and not even touched.
IN MINIATURE.
71
MANNERS
OFpTHE OTHER INHABITANTS
OF HINDOOSTAN.
Himloostan is peopled by a great
number of foreigners, whom its deli-
cious climate and fertile soil have at-
tracted from all parts of the world.
Some entered the country as con-
querors, after expelling or putting to
death the rightful sovereigns; others
sought refuge there from persecution,
or repaired thither to form commercial
establishments. All carried with them
their peculiar manners and customs,
which the climate, time, and intercourse72 I1IN.DOOST/\N
with the natives have since modified in
a thousand ways.
The Mahometans settled in Hin-
doostan are not strict observers of the
precepts of their religion. Differing"
from their ancestors, who first invaded
this country and deluged it with blood,
they have not the fanatical rage for
converting or persecuting those who
are not believers in Mahomet. It seems
as if the example of the Hindoos had
r' taught them toleration, and the genial
climate of India divested their charac-
ter of a great part of its ancient fero-
city. Most of them scruole not to
» *
drink spirituous liquors, and frequent-
ly intoxicate themselves with opium.
Tippoo Saib, sultan of Mysore, was
IN MINIATURE. 73
the only sovereign who, from a fa-
natic zeal for the religion of Maho-
met, destroyed almost all the churches
,-/
in his dominions, banished the priests,
and transported a great number of
Christians to Seringapatam, where he
caused them to be circumcised. When
he had reduced the coast of Malabar,
which afterwards fell into the power of
the English, he caused Hindoos of every
caste to be in like manner circumcised
by force. This barbarous and impolitic
intolerance diminished the population
of his dominions and incensed the Hin-
doos, most of whom fled from their
country, and sought refuge in the states
of the rajahs of Travancore and Cochin,
and in the English possessions. He
VOL II. Tr74
IIINDOOSTAN
thought himself aggrieved, it is true,
by some Catholic'-priests, who were
accused of furnishing his enemies,, the
English, in time of war,, with informa-
tion collected-by the.0! respecting his
dominions. lie left most of the Hin-
doo temples standing ? and afterwards
adopting a more judicious policy, al-
lowed the Bramins the free exercise of
their religion.
The Musulmans are grave and re-
served in speech and manners^ polite
and courteous, but false andi addicted
to flattery : and at home, they give
themselves up to the indulgence of the
most depraved appetites and to the
most infamous vices-
They delight in ostentation and rnag-
IN MINIATURE. 75
nificence -, and as they came from dif-
ferent countries, they value one ano-
ther only according to their more or
less illustrious origin. The various
tribes disdain to ally themselves together
by intermarriages. Few Mahometans
s-
ongnge in commercial pursuits, still
foNver in agriculture or handicraft busi-
ness ; these are, according to their
ideas, degrading occupations ; almost
all of them have inherited the fondness
of their ancestors for war, but not
their valour. This difference is ascribed
to the climate of India: it ought ra-
ther to be charged to the account of
the effeminate education which they
there receive.
H 27G HliNDOOSTAN
The Musulrnans have partly retained
in liindoostan the loose ample gar-
ments which they wear in Turkey, in
Egypt, and even in China. The oppo-
site plate represents a Mahometan In-
dian officer: the only difference of any
consequence is in the turban, which is
not near so high.
Most of the Mahometans in the in-
terior have embraced the profession
of arms : they are remarkable for their
discipline and for their dexterity in the
use of the sabre and the Malay dagger ;
they are provided with a small buckler
as an instrument of defence.
They are very expert riders, and ex-
tremely fond of horses, pretending to
IN MINIATURE.
/ 4
judge of their qualities by a great num-
ber of signs,, most of which are undoubt-
edly fallacious.
The first:Mahomctan empire founded
in India was that of the Patans or
Afghans, which lasted till the invasion
of Tamerlane in 1398, and the name of
which was scarcely known in Europe
before the publication of the history
of Fcrishta, translated into English by
Colonel Dow. Its'limits varied with
the abilities of its princes. Under weak
and incapable nionarc.hs, it was some-
times reduced almost to nothing, be-
cause the governors of its vast pro-
vinces elevated themselves into petty
sovereigns: at other periods it extend-
ed from Bengal to Persia, and from the
n 3.78 1UNDOOSTAN
Carnatie to the lofty mountains of Se~
valic.
*
The first inroads of the Musulmans
in India nearly resemble those of the
Spaniards in AnuMca on its first disco-
very. These conquerors, filled with
enthusiasm for the new religion of Ma-
homet, rased to kthe ground the tem-
ples of the Bramins, from which they
carried off prodigious wealth : they
broke in pieces a great number of gold
and silver idols: and considering the
o
Hindoos as idolaters, they persecuted,
in order to convert them, massacred
them, and had the barbarity to inflict on
them the most cruel tortures. The
ferocious Musulman, armed with sword
and fire, spread destruction and con-
IN MINIATUIUi. 79
stcrnation in the name of Mahomet
wherever he went, and endeavoured to
sweep the name and memory of Buddha
from the face of the earth. Some of
^
ttie Hindoo sovereigns made a coura-
geous and frequently successful resist-
cnce to tluse invasions of the Maho-
metans ; others purchased with money
a temporary peace ol' their enemies,
or, struck with terror by their arms,
endeavoured to appease their fury by
valuable presents.
The splendour and magnificence of
the courts of the Mahometan monarchs
surpass all conception. Ferishta de-
scribes their thrones as glittering allj
over with gold and precious stones
surrounded by troops of dancing-girls80 ? HINDOOSTAN
comedians, musicians, iriirnics, in short, ,
every thing that can minister to plea-
sure,, luxury, and voluptuousness. It
is asserted that the emperor Balin
rarely went abroad without being pre-
ceded by a train of one hundred thou-
sand persons.
»
The annexed plate will convey some-
idea of the magnificence of a wealthy
Musulman at home. It represents
Sujah ul Dowlah, nabob of Oude and
visir to the great Mogul; his son.Asuf
ul Dowlah, who succeeded him j and his
nine younger sons/ -The; two principal
figures are portraits of the persons whom
they represent. '' v'% ''?'..'.?'
rMr Forbes has given \a curious pic-
ture of the kind of magnificence affected
'DOWJLAM,IN MINIATURE. 81
by Asuf, who succeeded his father on
the throne of Oude. This nabob was
fond of lavishing* his treasures on gar-
dens, palae'es, horses, elephants, Euro-
pean guns, lustres, and mirrors. He
expended annually about ^200,000 in
English manufactures. He had more
than one hundred gardens, twenty pa-
laces, one thousand two hundred ele-
phants, three; thousand fine saddle
horses, one thousand five hundred dou-
ble-barrel guns, seventeen hundred
superb lustres, thirty thousand shades
of various forms and colours; seven
hundred large mirrors, girandoles and
clocks. Some of the latter were very
curious, richly set with jewels, having
fig-tires in continual movement, and82 IllNDOOSTAN
playing tunes every hour ; two of these
clocks only, cost him thirty thousand
pounds. Without tasta or judgment,
he was extremely solicitous to possess
all that was elegant and rare : he had
instruments and machines of every art
and science, but he knew none ; and
his museum was so ridiculously ar-
ranged that a wooden cuckoo-clock was
placed close to a superb time-piece
which cost the price of a diadem 5 and'
a 'valuable landscape of Claude Lor-
raine suspended near a board painted
with ducks and drakes. He sometimes
gave a dinner to ten or twelve persons,
sitting at their case in a carriage drawn
by elephants. Plis jewels amounted to
about eight millions sterling. Amidst
IN MINIATURE.' 63
this precious treasure, he might be
seen for several hours every day hand-
ling them as a child does his toys.
From the same source is derived the
following description of the splendour
with which this magnificent prince cele-
brated the wedding of his adopted son,
V'mer Aly, which took place at Luck-
now in 17-^r, Jind surpassed in expense
any similar solemnity of modern times.
V
The nabob had his tents pitched in
the plains near the city of Lucknow y
among the number, were two remark-
ably large made of strong cotton cloth,
lined with the finest English broad
cloth, cut in stripes of different colours,
with cords of silk and cotton. These
two tents cost five Irtcs of rupees, or84 11INDOOSTAN
about fifty thousaml pounds sterling.
They were each one hundred and twenty
feet long, sixty broad, and the poles
about sixty feet high; the walls of the
tents were ten feet high, partly cut into
lattice-work for the women of the
nabob's seraglio, and those of the prin-
cipal nobility to see through. His
highness was covered with jewels to the
amount of at least two millions sterling.
The shumeeana was illuminated by
two hundred elegant girandoles from
Europe, as many glass shades with wax
candles, and several hundred flambeaux;
the glare and reflection were dazzling to
the sight. Under this extensive canopy,
above a hundred dancing-girls, richly
dressed, went through their elegant but
IN MINIATURE. 85
rather lascivious dances and motions,
and sung some soft airs of the country,
chiefly Persic and Hindoo-Persic.
The bridegroom was about thirteen
o
years of age, the bride ten; both of a
dark complexion and not handsome.
The former was so absurdly loaded
with jewels, that he icould scarcely
stagger under the precious weight.
From the shumecana the company
invited to this festivity proceeded on
elephants, to an extensive and beautiful
garden about a mile distant. The pro-
cession was grand beyond conception ;
it consisted of about twelve hundred ele-
phants richly caparisoned,, drawn" up in
a regular line like a regiment of soldiers.
About one hundred elephants in the
TOL. IT. I80
IIINDOOSTAN
centre had houdas, or castles covered
with silver: in the midst of these, ap-
peared the nabob, mounted on an un-
commonly large elephant, within a
houda covered with gold, richly set
with precious stones. On his right
hand was the British resident at the
court of Lucknow* on his left the
young bridegroom : the English gen-
tlemen and ladies and the native nobi-
lity were intermixed on the right and
left. On both sides of the road from
the tents to the garden, was raised arti-
ficial scenery of bamboo-work, very
high, representing bastions, arches,
minarets and towers, covered with-iights
in glass lamps, which made a grand
display. On each side of the proces-
IN MINIATURE/ 87
sion, in front of the line of elephants,
wero tlancinjr-rjirls superbly dressed,
(o& platforms supported and carried by
bearer*) who danced as the company
went along. These platforms consisted
of a hundred on oach side of the pro-
region, all rovoiTd with gold and silver
cloth*, with two ^irls and two musi-
cians at ciirh platform.
The ground from the tents to the
garden, forming the road on which the
procession moved, was inlaid with fire-
works ; at every step of the elephants
the earth burst, and threw up artificial
stars in the heavens, to emulate those
created by the hand of Providence,
besides innumerable rockets and many
hundred wooden shells, that burst in
i 288 HINDOOSTAN
the air and shot 'forth a thousand fiery
serpents. These, winding through the
atmosphere, illuminated the sky, and,
aided by the light of the bamboo scene-
ry, turned a dark night into a bright
day. The procession moved on very
slowly, to give time for the fire-works
inlaid in the ground *to go off. The
whole of this grand scene was farther
lighted by above three thousand flam-
beaux carried by men hired for the
occasion. Thus the company moved
on in stately pomp to the garden, which,
though only a mile off, they were two
hours in reaching. On arriving at the
garden gate about nine in the evening,
they descended from the elephants, and
entered the garden illuminated by in-
IN MINIATURE. SO
numerable transparent paper lamps or
lanterns of various colours, suspended
to the branches? of the trees. In the
centre of the garden was a larffc edi-
o o
fire to which the-nabob and his iniests
o
, and wero introduced into a
.saloon, adorned with girandoles
and pendent lusfivs of English inanu-
farture, lighted with wax candles. Here
they partook of an elegant and sump-
tuous collation of European and Indian
dishes, with wines, fruits, and sweet-
moats ; at the same time, about a hun-
dred dancing-girls sung their, sprightly
airs, and performed their native dances.
Thus passed the time till dawn, when
the English visitors returned to their
respective homes, delighted and won-
j 390 UINDaOSTAN
der-struck with the enchanting scene,
which seemed to realize all the extra-
vagance of oriental fiction. The affable
nabob rightly observed with a little
Asiatic vanity, that such a spectacle
was never before seen in India, and
never would be seen again. The whole
expense of this marriage-feast, which
was repeated for three successive nights
in the same manner, was upwards of
'.,£300,000 sterling.
It may not be amiss to add, that
Vizier Aly, whose early years were mark-
ed with such profuse magnificence, died
in the year 1818,at Fort William, Calcut-
ta, after a confinement there of above
seventeen years in a kind of iron cage.
Most of the Mahometan emperors
IN MINIATURE. 91
crushed their subjects with the weight
of insupportable taxes, took delight in
^
spilling their blood, and frequently
condemned them without inquiry to
ignominious punishments ; they were,
in ron^cquenco, continually engaged in
quelling insurrections, in punishing the
rebellions of omrahs/ nabobs, visirs,
and generals. They had recourse to
dissimulation, intrigue, the sword, poi-
son, and any other means, to raise and
maintain themselves upon a throne sur-
rounded by a thousand dangers. Sus-
picions and alarms not completely
stilled with blood sprung up again
on all sides; prudence and courage
generally proved insufficient, and seve-
rity was as little to be relied on as92 H1NDOOSTAN ?
*-
clemency. Most of these emperors
were betrayed and hurled from the throne
by their friends, their wives,, their bro-
thers, or their own children. Some of
them were confined for life in a nar-
row prison; others had their ears cut
off and their eyes put out, while some
were even flayed alive.
Still, among all the scenes of perfidy,
villany and atrocity, which we meet
with on every page in their historians,
we occasionally discover some bright
examples of .magnanimity, valour, ge-
nerosity, fidelity, and all the virtues
that are most honourable to human
nature.
Several of these emperors had acade-
mics at their court, founded universi-
IN MINIATURE.
93
tics, applied themselves to the study of
the bellcs-Irtfrrs, patroni/ed and en-
'courngeil surh as distinguished them-
selves in the arts and sciences, by load-
ing thorn with wealth and honours, and
thus collected around them philoso-
pher^ physicians, astronomers, histo-
rian*, and rsprria-Hy poets, whom Fe-
ri.ihta terms ^reat, noble, illustrious,
flowers of genius, though not only their
works, but also their very names are
mostly unknown to Europeans.
The religious worship of the Maho-
metans in India differs from that es-
tablished in the dominions of the Grand
Signor.
The mosques, or Mahometan temples,
, are massive edifices, coated with plaster:94
IUNDOOSTAN
*?
on the west side they have a piazza of
five, seven, or nine arcades, and on
each side minarets, or high slender
towers, terminating in a point. In the
centre of the interior is a kind of pul-
pit, in which is kept a copy of the
Koran, and where an iman or fakeer
reads aloud some 'chapter of that re-
vered volume. The floor is usually
covered with costly carpets, and lamps
arc continually burning under the ar-
cades.
In front of the mosques there is
always a spacious basin full of water,
where the true believers perform their
ablutions before and after divine service.
Near this basin they leave their slip-
pers, which they must not take with
IV MINIATURE. 95
them into fho mosque. A European,
before ho rnfrrs the sacred edifice,
rnufU, in like manner, put oil'his shoes.
The grand mausoleums built in ho-
nour of princes or saints are always
attrndrd by a priest, who says prayers,
or performs othor crrrmonics for the
fjerrurtod. In thr rrnf.ro of,the mauso-
leum i.i a lartfo ^arrnphagus, containing
thr remains of the person for whom it
was erected ; and above hangs a lamp
which is krpt constantly burning. Splen-
did carpets are spread round the sar-
cophagus, and the sides of the monu-
ment are adorned with glass globes,
gilt or silvered.
The cemeteries are almost always
contiguous to the mosques, The graves1)6 HINDOOSTAN
*-
of the poor Musulmans are merely
covered with a hillock of earth. After
the funeral, the relatives of the de-
ceased lay fragrant shrubs and gar-
lands of flowers upon the grave : they
visit them every year, and say long
prayers before them.
The priests reside at the mosque,
for the convenience of summoning the
faithful to prayers at clay-break, from
the tops of the minarets : when they
make a tremendous noise with wooden
cymbals and metal basins, which they
strike one against another.
One of the most remarkable festivals
of the Mahometans in the East Indies is
that of Hassan and Hosein, held in me-
mory of the two sons of Ali the son-in-
IN MINIATURE. 97
l.itv of the prophet, whom they revere
as martyrs. This festival lasts nine
tt
days, during which, the people indulge
in all kinds of extravagances. The
young- Mahometans make themselves
a grotesque dress, bedizened with rib-
bon * or pieces of gilt paper, like that
of the London ehinmcy-s\Veepers on
May-day; and they are every where
*e.'tMi dancing with ;i stick in one hand,
and a drawn sword in the other.
On tin* last day, there is a solemn
profession, in which the standard of
Mahomet is borne by an elephant-
while Indians, mounted on the back of
the animal, beat great kettle-drums.
The Musulmans, by way of evincing
vor,. n.
K98 1IINDOOSTAN
their devotion, intoxicate themselves
with opium, which produces a tempo-
rary madness that frequently hurries
them into criminal excesses.
On this occasion, at Arcot, the bazaar
which faces the great mosque is illu-
minated ; and here and there are erect-
ed small theatres where puppet-shows
and the magic lantern are exhibited.
At certain distances are kindled bon-
fires,, round which the crowd dance,,
shouting with all their might the names
of Hassan and Hosein, and Mustapha
Reiman. The Mahometan seapoys,
or soldiers, do no duty while this fes-
tival lasts, a circumstance not without
danger when the troops happen to be
IN MINIATUHF. 09
nt that "time in the Held, because the
Mahometans cannot then be made to
submit to any discipline.
The Miisulmans on the coast of
Cor'oimuKN'l follow the professions of
tailors, beaters of cotton, dealers in
perfumes, pcarh, jewels, &r.
Amnnjr the foreign gallons settled
in India, uc mint not omit to notice
the Pursces, Ouurs, or (iuebrcs, de-
scendants from the ancient Persians,
and a small remnant of a once mighty
nation. It is related that they left
Persia, to the number of eighteen or
twenty thousand, when Abubeker, in
the seventh century of the Christian
era, laid waste their beautiful country
. with tire and sword,, and forced the
K 2100 HINJDOOSTAN
inhabitants to abjure the religion of
their forefathers,, and to embrace Ma-
homctanism. They first fled to the is-
land of Ormus, and thence passed over
into Guzcrat, where the Hindoo so-
vereigns atforded them succour and pro-
tection, and permitted them to settle
in the country and to retain the free
exercise of their religion. They mere-
ly subjected them to certain conditions,
one of which, for instance, was, that
they should not kill, or eat the flesh of
either cow or ox. The descendants of
these refugees are still faithful to the
o
contract made by their ancestors ; and
in like manner, to gratify the Maho-
metan princes, who succeeded the Hin-
doo sovereigns, they abstain from eat-
IN MINIATURE.
101
ing the 'flesh of the hog, though their
religion prohibits only that of the hare
and the stag. .They have a high vene-
ration for the cock, because,- by his
n^, he proclaims the return of the
; for they adore fire and the sun,
not ns iod, but an the most perfect
irnaije of the deity. They nevertheless,
do not scruple to kill and eat hens.
The great visible objects of the ve-
neration of the Parsees are the ele-
ments, and especially fire. Light is
regarded by them as the best and no-
blest symbol of the Supreme Being,
who is without form. In consequence
of this veneration for light and fire,
the sun, moon, planets, stars, and the
heavens themselves, are objects of pe-
K 3102 HINDOOSTAN
culiar respect j and in praying, they
delight to turn to them, especially to
the rising* sun. It is a curious sight,
says a traveller, to see the worshippers
of the sun, dressed in white flowing
robes, and their heads wrapped in co-
loured turbans, thronging to the espla-
nade at Bombay, ajul shouting on the
first appearance of the resplendent lu-
minary, or humbly prostrating them-
selves when he is about to sink below
the horizon. The women do not join
in these ceremonies; but they are still
accustomed to fetch water, like the
wives and daughters of the patriarchs
i
of old.
The Parsees pretend still to possess
the institutions of Zoroaster or Zer~
IN MINIATURE. 103
dusht; and according to their priests,
the sacred fire which they brought with
them from Persia has never been ex-
tinguishe^l. They have no temples
considered as the residence of God, or
of superior beings; their atvsh-kadehs,
or fire-mansions, being merely edifices
for keeping the holy lire perpetually
burning and undefiled. In external ap-
pearance they resemble private houses.
There are two species of the sacred
fire in India, the behram and the adiran :
the former ought to be composed of
one thousand and one different species
of fire, and the latter of at least fifteen
or sixteen. These various kinds are
enumerated as fire generated from
rubbing two pieces of wood, from a104 HINDOOSTAN
i
kitchen-fire, a funeral pile, &c. The
behram fire, to which high reverence
is paid, is found in no more than three
temples in all India: the adtran fires
are much more numerous, there being
five or six in Bombay alone, and many
in other places. Each temple has only
one sacred fire, before which the daily
prayers and certain others are read.
These fire-temples are always covered,
and so constructed, that no rays of the
sun can fall directly on the sacred fire
which they contain. Certain parts of
their liturgy are repeated only by the
priest standing or sitting, in long and
^r
pure white attire, before the sacred fire.
Over his mouth is a small piece of
vhite cloth, to prevent the saliva from
IN MINIATURE.
105
dropping out to defile the fire while he
/
reads the sacred'books. The fire is fed'
\vfth anv dry voo.I.
In their public prayers much use is
v
made of the-consecrated water called
:-r, or force, which is supposed to be
powerful in repelling demons', and to
impart peculiar ertieaey to the sacred
rites.
The holy females who take care to
keep up a tire before their habitations,
and strictly observe the rites of their
religion, are held in great veneration
bv the Paraees. The annexed en-
*
graving represents one of these women
*
receiving- a visit from a lady of her re-
ligion, accompanied by her son and
daughter. The boy falls at the feet of
Ufllief p*jiv$5
4o106 HJNDOOSTAN
the saint, while the mother presents
her with some fruit. By her side,, in
the fore-ground, is a fire, on which
pieces of various kinds of fragrant
wood are burning.
The priests, of the Parsees are called
Mohed, and their patriarchs Destur.
The dress of the Mobed resembles that
4 .
of the other Parsees, excepting that
their turban is white, while the latter
confine themselves to no particular co-
lour. They shave neither the chin nor
*
*
the head, as the JParsees do. Their
turban differs in ^shape from that of the
Musulmaris and Hindoos, inasmuch as
it is pointed before.
* The Parsees are well shaped and in
general almost as fair as Europeans.
IN MINIATURE. 107
They have fine large black eyes, and
aquiline noses. The women are also
very fair ; they are narrowly watched,
and adultery in them is punished with
death. The Parsees are cautious to
keep the matter from the knowlege of
the government, whether Mahometan
or English, which would not fail to
mitigate the sentence; but we are as-
sured that they have secret means of
carrying it0into execution.?
Marriages are concluded between fa-
milies while the parties are still chil-
dren j but they are not allowed to live
together till both 'have attained the
age of puberty. The ^Parsees marry
but one wife, who must be of their own
'nation; those, however, who reside at108
HINDOOSTAN
a distance from their principal establish-
ments, are at liberty to keep concubines
of foreign nations. Not a beggar is to
be seen among them, because they re-
lieve and assist one another with great
zeal and charity. They all follow
some profession or commercial pur-
suit ; are obliging, civil, active, indus-
trious, and in general faithful and ho-
nest: they are above all remarkably
prudent, and anxious to live in har-
mony with all the world.
Their religion, resembling ,111 this
point that *of Brarrta, admits no prose-
lytes. Though strongly attached to
their ancient doctrines and customs,
*
they have nevertheless adopted several
of the superstitions of the Hindoos.
IN MINIATURE. 109
Parsees are to be met with in all
parts of Hindoostan : but their princi-
Lx
pal settlements, and if we may-so ex-
press it, the nucleus of their little
nation is in Guzerat, Surat and Bom-
bay, and in the environs of those cities.
It is said that their number amounts to
one hundred thousand souls, and that,
owing to their manufactures and indus-
try, they are xlaily increasing. They pos-
sess handsome gardens, estates and vil-
lages. The wealthy ride in carriages
aimilaiUo ours, ahd they frequently give
magnificent entertainments to Euro-
peans at their elegant country-houses.
Some of the largest vessels that are
to be seen in the ports of Bombay and
Surat belong to -the Parsees. They
VOL. u. L;110 , HINDOOSTAN
are built by themselves, and they have
always new ones on the stocks, for
they want neither materials nor skilful
engineers. .Their economical disposi-
tion does not prevent their being hu-
mane and charitable. One of them,
during a^time of scarcity at Bombay,
fed daily upwards of two * thousand
persons; and the instances of this sort
are not rare. Jealous of the honour of
vtheir nation, they carefully smother
any scandal that happens to arise among
'them ; and in short they Jinay :be said
to form but one family.
-They have a particular and supersti-
tious affection for dogs, and they may
* f
^frequently be seen walking on the gla-
vcislat Bombay, distributing cakes and
IN MINIATURE. Ill
bread among all the aged, lame, infirm,
or forsaken dogs they meet with.
Their reverence for the elements
makes them careful in no manner to de-
file thenu No impurity is allowed to
be thrown either into the fire or into
the water. '
:
^None of them follow the trade of
smiths/ though not prevented by any po-
*
sitive injunction: they never extinguish
a light/' nor do they enlist as seapoys,
pretending that they dare not defile the
fire by the use of fire-arms. In the great
fire in Bombay in 1803, they stood for a
long time idle, witnessing the progress
of the flames; but when they found them
continuing to spread, to the ruin of their
houses and property, their interest got112
HINDOOSTAN
the better of their scruples, and many
of them wrought with great alacrity,
both in procuring water and in helping
to extinguish the fire. All other na-
tives of the east, when about to take an
. oath, cast off their shoes or sandals j
the Parsees alone put them on, so as in
*
some measure to% insulate themselves
from the elements. Hence too they
*
never bury the bodies of their dead,
for fear of defiling the earth, but leave
them to moulder away and to be con-
sumed by the birds of prey. Their*
dokmehs, or places of sepulture, are
round towers, having platforms or ter-
races near the top, sloping gently to
the centre, in which is a round hole.
for receiving the bones and decayed
IN MINIATURE. 113
matter. On these the dead bodies are
laid, exposed to the wind and rain, and
to the birds of the air.
. As it is supposed that the malignant
spirits/ever watchful to injure man-
kind, are particularly eager to assail
the soiil at the moment of its separation
fromth6 body, the Parsees not only
recite prayers and read their books near
* .
their (Jysing friends, to keep the de-
mons away,-but ar.e careful to have a
dog close by/ as they imagine that that
apimal, from its quick sight, will per-
ceive, and by its barking, alarm and
the infernal assailant,
body is dressed in clean but
old'^clothes, and conveyed to the place
of-.:exposure on an iron bier; for wootf114
H1NDOOSTAN
being* the aliment of fire, it might, if
of that material, be accidentally burned
and the element of fire be thus defiled.
They place'meat and drink near the
body for three days, as during that time
r; the soul is supposed to hover round in
hopes of being" re-united to it. They
watch the corpse, to see on which eye
the vulture first seizes: if on the right
eye, it is a fortunate sign. The dogs
/ drive away the evil spirits, who, during
that time are continually on the watch
to carry off the* soul to hell/ If a dog
takes a piece of bread from the mouth
of the deceased, his happy state is con-
sidered as secure. He.who touches the
dead is impure for nine days. On the
'fourth day the soul ceases' to'linger
IN MINIATURE. 115
about the body, and goes to happiness
or woe. Should any one revive after
Is ^
having been carried to the dokmeh, he
is shunned by all, as having had com-
merce .'with impure spirits, ^till purified
by the priest. But there is reason to
imagine, that the popular superstition
,;" v
goes still farther, and that no return is
now ever heard of.
When the fourth,day has arrived, the
angel Seriosh' appears and carries the
soul to; the'bridge of Chinevad, which
extends from earth to heaven; the evil
spirits attempt to bind and ruin it, the
good Wgels protect it. The angel Rash-
'?%? % ?
nerast weighs its actions standing on the
bridge; ifr the * scale ! of good prepon-
derates/ the'bridge, which in its natural116 HINDOOSTAN
state is as narrow as a hair, widens^ and
the celestial dog that guards its farther
extremity suffers the soul to proceed
to heaven j if, the evil prevails, the soul
is precipitated over the narrow/bridge,
into the gulfs of,hell which open''her
low. .
The punishments . of hell 'are ,- de-
scribed as very much resembling the
vulgar notions of the Christians on that
subject. They are inflicted by scorchr
ing fire, by serpents,, by devils gnaw-
ing and tormenting their victims, tearing
, i
some limb from limb^hanging otl}er3
on hooks and hewing thenj:*to pieces
' * ?'i?^' ^
alive. Besides heaven :a4cl^hell, they
' r-1"* - ?' ?"*"? ' X»
have a middle state^ * v^h^Sre^the souls
s , * '?'?&
' ? M ?
of those whose good and evil actions are
IN MINIATURE. 117
Equally- balanced remain 'till the judg-
ment;
^The Parsee hell isrnot eternal. After
&« present, or tl^e third period of three
thousand years, in which the irifluencd
of Ormazd and Ahriman, the good and
etflrprinciple, are equally divided roh
earth, ii past, commences the fourth
period ' of three thousand years. 'This
will belong exclusively to the latter:
$?
scourges of every kind, pestilence, con--
tagiori, hail, ^ famine, war, will afflict'
the earth, and mankind will be reduced
torthe last degree of suffering and mi-
^aAt the edd' of - that period will be the
resnrre^tidnVHvhen Ormazd will be final-
**»
' V'
ly triiimpliant. Each element will then .118 HINDOOSTAN
give up what it holds of man, and two
liquors, the horn, which is the juice of
a particular shrub, and the milk of the
bull, heziosh, will restore the whole
human race to life. The angel Sosiosh
will be their judge. The wicked will
be punished for three days and three
nights, into which period will be com-
pressed an aggregate of suffering more
painful than nine thousand years of
torture. Their lamentations will rise
from hell to Ormazd, who will deliver
them. The blazing star gurslier will
fall on the earth ; the hills and mountains
will melt with fervent heat, and all man-
kind will pass through the liquid boiling
mass. The just will feel it only milk-
warm j the wicked will endure excruci-
IN iMINIATURE.
119
ating agony, but it will be the last of
their sufferings.
Ahriman will cross the bridge of Chi-
nerad, and return to hell; he will be
horned and purified in boiling metals.
Hell itself will undergo this purification;
ail its impurities will disappear. The
mountains will be levelled, and earth will
become a paradise. Nothing will wax old,
Mankind will enjoy eternal pleasure,
knowing and loving those friends and
relations whom they loved on earth. Ah-
riinaii himself will be restored, and evil
will disappear from the universe: though
the popular opinion is, that this evil
spirit and all his demons will be anni-
hilated.
The Jews have more considerable1*20 IIINDOOSTAN
settlements and more 'stable habita-
tions in India than in any country in Eu-
rope: Bombay has many thousands of
inhabitants of that nation, who neither
refuse to have communication with
Musulmans nor to bear arms. Cash-
mere contains a numerous colony, sup-
posed by Bernier to be descended from
the refugees who fled to this country at
the time of the Babylonish captivity.
Part of the tribe of Manasseh is said to
have settled here after wandering* about
for three years. Their jiumber at that
time, is computed at 20,000, and as
they were kindly received by rhe Hin-
doos they increased to 80,000 families,
and amassed such wealth that they pur-
chased for themselves the small king-
LS MINIATURE. 121
dom of Crariganore, on the coast of
Malabar, and there formed a separate
republic, governed by two chiefs of their
I ?
most distinguished families. Though
they are no\v reduced to a comparatively
very low state, yet they still possess
their annals from the time of Nebu-
chadnezzar in the HebreTV language, of
which the celebrated Van Rheeden has
published a Dutch translation.
These are what are called the ivhite
Jews. A particular class of the Jews
of this country, who keep themselves
distinct from the others, are styled the
black Jews. The latter are descended
from the black slaves, whom the former
purchased and initiated into their reli-
gion.
VOL. if.
M122 HINDOOSTAN
Paolino reckons that there are about
20,000 Jews on the Malabar coast
alone, so that their number throughout
all Hindoostan must be considerable. *
The Armenians, considered in their
mercantile character, form a valuable
class of the population of this penin-
sula ; as do likewise the Arabs, who,
owing to the proximity of their native
country, have long had commercial in-
tercourse with Hindoostan. Paolino
computes the uumber of Arabs settled
in Malabar alone at 100,000..
There were Christians, and in no
small number, in Hindoostan man^ cen-
turies before the arrival of the Euro-
peans in that country. The St. Tho-
Christians, as they are called, even
IN MINIATURE. 123
date their origin from the time of St.
Thomas, the apostle ; who, as they
assert, on quitting Palestine, traversed
Persia and arrived at Meliapore, com-
monly called St. Thom6, near Madras,
where he received martyrdom at the
hands of a Bramin. His bones were
aftenranis carried as relics to the moun-
tain of St. Thom£, in the interior of
the country, - whither many devout
Christians of all sects still go^on pilgri-
mage.
Whether this story be fabulous or
not, Pennant informs us, that so early
as the year 883, Alfred the Great, in
consequence of a vow, sent a bishop
first to Rome, and thence to India with
alms for the Christians of St. Thomas
M121 I1INDOOSTAN
or Meliapore; which shows, at least,
that these must have been settled in
Hindoostan, long anterior to the arrival
of de Gama.
Their customs differ considerably
from those of the Romish church, and
this is likewise the case with the chris-
tians of Cranganore, on the opposite
coast of Malabar. Gama, on his first
arrival in the East Indies, found about
200,000 Christians on that coast, who
acknowledged not the pope, but the
patriarch of Babylon alone as their
spiritual head. They £till continue
to be very numerous; for Hyder Ali
found, on the reduction of Badnore in
Canara, 30,000 native Christians who
enjoyed important privileges, The pro-
IN MINIATURE. 125
sent number of the St. Thom6 chris-
tain* is computed at about 100,000 in
Malabar.
The second report of the Calcutta
Church Missionary Society, lately pub-
lished, makes us acquainted with a sect
of Hindoo deists, called Sauds, in the-Up-
per Provinces. The founder of this sect
flourished about the year 1600. Their
only mode of public \rorship consists
in chanting a hymn. They utterly
reject and abhor all kinds of idolatry,
and the Ganges is held by them in no
greater veneration than by Christians ;
although the converts are made chiefly,
if not entirely, from among the Hin-
doos, whom they resemble in outward
M 3126
IIINDOOSTAN
appearance. They are pure deists :
their name for god is Sutgur, and Saud,
the appellation of the sect, means ser-
vant of God.
The Sauds resemble the Quakers in
their customs in a remarkable degree.
Their dress is always white, and or-
naments and gay apparel of every kind
are strictly prohibited. They never
make any obeisance or sulam. They
will not take an oath, from which they
are exempted in the courts of justice,
their asseveration, as that of the Qua-
kers, being considered equivalent.
The Sauds profess to abstain from all
/?-
luxuries, such as tobacco, paun, opium,
and wine. They never have nauches
IN MINIATURE.
127
or dancing. All attack on man or beast
is forbidden; but ill self-defence, re-
*ii(ance is allowable.
Industry is enjoined. The Sauds,
!'
like the Quakers, take great care of
iteir poor and infirm people. To re-
ocire assistance out of their tribe, would
be reckoned disgraceful and render the
offender liable to excommunication.
All parade of worship is forbidden.
Secret prayer is commended; alms
*
should be unostentatious, and they are
not to be done, that they should be
seen of men. The due regulation of
the tongue is a principal duty.
The Sands are an orderly and well-
conducted people, and are chiefly en-
traced in trade. The principal seats128 HINDOOSTAN
of the sect are Dehly, Agra, Jypoor,
and Furrukhabadj but several of its
members are scattered over the coun-
try. An annual meeting takes place
at one or other of the above-mentioned
cities, at which the concerns of the sect
are settled.
IN MINIATURE.
OF THE HINDOO CASTES.
i ?
Brama divided the Hindoos into four
principal castes. The first is that of
the Bramins, the second that of the *
Khattries, comprehending the rajahs
and the military; the third, that of
the Faisya, consisting of the husband-
men and tradesmen 3 and the fourth,
that of the Sooders, or artisans and la-
bourers of all kinds. This general
division, however, is far from conveying
any idea of the multitude of castes,
classes, or tribes into which the Hin-
doos are divided: they are said to
amount to nearly one hundred, and the130 HINDOOSTAN
distinctions which separate them are
so numerous and so varied, that the
Bramins themselves are sometimes
puzzled to assign the different steps of
this long ladder.
The Bramins sprung from the head,
or according to some, from the mouth
of Brama; the Khattries from his
arms; the Vaisya from his belly ; and
the Sooders from his feet. Admitting
this origin of the castes, who can doubt
that the Bramin, as the offspring of
the head, is of a nobler nature than the
Sooder, who is descended from the foofr\
only ?
The second caste, or that of the
Khattries, is also called Rajpoot, or
caste of the rajahs. It is divided into
IN MINIATURE. 131
two classes, one descended from the
sun and the other from the moon-
On the Malabar coast there is a caste
called Natrs, who nearly resemble the
Khattries. In ancieut times there were
neither Bramins nor Khattries in thatf
country, and at the present day it
contains but a small number of the lat-
ter, who are strangers in it: but the
Bramins came thither from other parts
of liindoostan. The Nairs, though in
fact of the caste of the Sooders, yet being
from time immemorial in possession of
the government of the country, have by
degrees arrogated to themselves the
rank of Khattries ; and the Bramins,
having been favourably received by them,
seem to have winked at this usurpation.132 HINDOOSTAN
The castes of the J^aisya and Soo*
ders are subdivided into a multitude of
ether castes which have no communica-
tion with one another. Each individual
is invariably confined to the profession
or trade appropriated to the caste to
which he belongs j the son always fol-
lows the profession of the father 5 at
least there are but few exceptions to
this rule, from which nothing but abso-*
lute necessity can authorize a devia-
tion.
The Farias, of whom we shall treat
elsewhere, are not a distinct caste, an
has long been supposed, but the -scum
of all the castes.
These castes, even to the very lowest,
have ridiculous distinctions among
IN MINIATURE. 133
themselves. The coolee, or porter,
who carries a burden on his head.
« f
would refuse to take it^on his back :
in several coujitries, the dealer in corn
must not sell oil; and he who sells
salt must not deal in vinegar, &c. This
division into castes subjects the masters
of houses to great expense, as the
meanest domestic absolutely refuses to
perform any office but that allotted to
him by his .caste".
The lower tribes of Hindoos are not
so scrupulous as the higher about what
they eat or touch, especially if they are
not observed by others. Those domes-
ticated with Europeans generally affect
to be very scrupulous: an English
table, therefore, covered with a .variety
VOL, n. ' N134 HINDOOSTAN
of food, is necessarily surrounded by a
number of servants of different castes
to attend the guests. At Baroelic,
Surat and Bombay, a Hindoo will not
remove a dish that has been defiled
with beef; a Mahometan cannot touch
a plate polluted by pork, nor will a
Parsee take one away on which is hare
or rabbit. Mr. Forbes during his resi-
dence in Jpdia, never knew more than
one Parsee servant who would snuff a
X.
candle, for fear of extinguishing the
symbol of the deity he worships $ nor
would this man ever do it in the pre-
sence of another Parsee.
\jr
Such scruples are not confined to
any particular caste ; they more or less
pervade every tribe in India, and are
IN MINIATURE. 135
cherished by the active soldier as well
?»
as the pious Bramin. In the Ayeen
Akbery, we read of Narrain Doss, a
principal chief in the Rahtore tribe,
who lived with such austerity that his
only food was grain which had passed
through oxen and been separated from
their dung?an aliment considered by
the Bramins as the purest of all food.
A religious -and civil law, not less
ancient than invariable, has strictly
forbidden any mixture of blood and
intermarriages between the different
castes, with scarcely any exceptions.
Before the institution of this law, mar-
riages of this kind were permitted, and
thus the Hindoos account for that mul-.
titude of intermediate classes derived
N 213(5 IIINDOOSTAN
from the four original castes; the
lowest being descended from the higher
castes by the mother only, for the hus-
band raises or degrades his wife to his
own level.
Every sentence which excludes a Hin-
doo is irrevocable: no expiations, no
services, can reinstate him in the rights
which he has lost: hence degradation
is more dreaded than any other punish-
ment by the Hindoos : it is a kind of
t
outlawry which separates the culprit
from his friends and relatives by. an
everlasting barrier. For the rest, the
Hindoos are not liable to expulsion
from their caste for believing or disbe-
lieving certain articles of religion. A
person loses his caste for neglecting
IN MINIATURE. 137
external rights and practices, for living
or eating with one of an inferior caste j
for marrying or having an intimate
connection with a person of such caste;
and lastly, for subsisting on prohibited
food.
The two following anecdotes prove
to what a length the Bramins cany
their superstition in regard to castes.
A Bramin of Calcutta, afflicted with
a painful disease, was carried by his
desire to the banks of the Ganges, for
the purpose of seeking in its waters the
most blessed of deaths in the opinion of
the Hindoos. A party of Englishmen
passed in a boat near the spot where the
Bramin was lying without signs of life,
waiting for the flood to carry him away
N 3138 I11NDOOSTAN
into the sacred current. One of them,,
filled with compassion for the state of a
man whom he supposed to have met
with some accident, rowed to the place,
hoisted the Bramin onboard, recalled him
to life by the unsparing administration of
cordials, and conveyed him to Calcutta.
The other Bramins immediately declared
him infamous and degraded from his
caste. In vain did the Englishman prove
to them that he alone was to .blame,
since he had taken him up in a state of
insensibility. He had drunk with a
stranger?he had taken food at his
\
hands, a crime for which, according to
the Hindoo laws, he was to be deprived
of all means of subsistence: he incurred
the penalty of civil death, but the English
IN MINIATURE.
130
courts decreed, that the person who had
saved his life should supply him with
food. Abandoned by his family and
friends?an object of scorn and indig-
nity, the unfortunate Bramin led a miser-
able life for three years ; a fresh disease
then renewed his desire of death, and
his benefactor, whose purse was ex-
hausted, was not very anxious to dis-
. suade him from his design.
Another Bramin, being oppressed with
thirst as he journeyed along, met a wo-
man of low condition carrying a vessel
full of water on her head. He asked
her for some to drink, but, that he might
not receive water from an impure hand,
he formed a little channel on the ground;
the woman poured in the water at one140 IIINDOOSTAN
end and the Bramin drank at the other.
One of his caste, who happened to be
passing- at the time, witnessed the cir-
cumstance, and accused him before the
council of the Bramins : the affair was
investigated, and he narrowly escaped
the sentence of exclusion from the caste-
The laws of Menu, however, have
permitted the Bramin, who has no other
means of preserving* himself from starv-
ing, to receive the food that is offered
him by any individual of a lower caste:
an indulgence founded on the example
of several richeys, or saints, who made
no scruple to accept such donations.
The Bramins, it is true, are not Always
so rigid. When the fault which has
occasioned the exclusion of a Bramin
IN MINIATURE.
141
from his caste was involuntary, or a
sufficient excuse .can be made for it,
they have devised a kind of regeneration
for the purpose of reinstating him in his
rights, from which they must derive
considerable profit. It consists in caus-
ing the culprit to pass through a statue
of gold, cast for the purpose, represent-
ing the feminine nature in the form of a
woman or a cow. We shall subjoin two
examples :?
The rajali of Travancore having, in
time of war, caused some religious houses
to be demolished, the Bramins, by way
of giving him absolution for this sin,
required that, aftet offering various
sacrifices, he should pass through a
golden cow, entering at the mouth and142 HINDOOSTAN
coming* out at the other extremity. The
prince was weak enough to submit to
this ridiculous ceremony, because the
Bramins informed him that this was the
only method of expiating" his guilt and
becoming-regenerated. ^When the cere-
mony was over, the cow was broken in
pieces and divided among the Bramins.
The second instance of this kind is
extracted from the Asiatic Researches.
The unfortunate rajah Raghu-Nath,
commonly called Ragoba, sent two Bra-
mins on an embassy to England: but they
went no farther than Suez. On their
return they were treated as degraded
from their caste, because they had
crossed the Indus, which neither the
Bramins nor any other religious persons
1M MINIATURE.
143
are allowed to pass ; and because more-
over, it was thought/that, in travelling
through countries inhabited by impure
tribes, they could not possibly observe
all the rules prescribed in the sacred
books. The Bramins were assembled
from all parts of the province, and held
many consultations on a point of such
importance. All the authority of the
rajah could not procure the absolution
of the Bramins. The holy assembly,
however, decreed, that in consideration
of their personal character and the
object of their journey, which had been
undertaken solely for the good of their
country, they might be regenerated.
The Bramins, as before, divided among144 HINDOOSTAN
themselves the golden cow that was cast
for this second ceremony.
There is another mode of reinstating
those who have lost their caste without
being aware of it, or for very slight faults.
It is less profitable to the Bramins, con-
sisting in nothing more than drinking
a liquid called panciagawia, and com-
posed of cow's urine, cow-dung, diluted
with fresh milk, butter and milk turned
a little sour. In this manner the Bra-
mins re-admitted into the bosom of the
religion of Brama such Hindoos as had
been compelled by Tip poo to embrace
Mahometanism. The pious Hindoos
are accustomed to take some of this
drink once a year, to purify themselves
IN MINIATURE. 145
from the stains they may have contracted
by not strictly performing the duties of
the particular caste to which.they be-
long.
The division of the different classes
of society into distinct castes, which are
not permitted either to intermarry or to
hold any intercourse whatever with one
another, seems in remote antiquity not
to have belonged exclusively to the
Hindoos j for it existed among the
ancient Egyptians, and among the
Israelites. At the present day, if we
except certain customs still observed
by the descendants of the Jewish nation,
and some professions which are heredi-
tary in China, the Hindoos are the only
VOL. Jf.
oUG HINDOOSTAIV
people who have a complete system of
this kind.
As this system, which is wholly arti-
ficial, could not be established till long-
after the wants of society had given rise
to different 'professions, the legislator,
in order to introduce the more easily a
division so humiliating* and so oppres-
sive to certain classes, must have repre-
sented it as an ancient and divine insti-
tution, and thus have given it the double
sanction of religion and of time. Hence
it was supposed that Brama was its
author; but, according to the Shaster,
or sacred book, it was anterior to JBrama,
and existed in the first age, whereas
Brama, according to the same book,
IN MINIATURE. 147
was not created till the beginning of the
second age.
Be that as it may, this institution
appears impolitic and unworthy of an
enlightened legislator. It extinguishes
all emulation, by depriving men of the
hopes of rising to a state superior to'
that in which they were born, and is
revolting to the principle of natural
equality: it is as inconvenient as ridi-
culous in its consequences, and finally
it breaks all the bonds of humanity.
Wretched, indeed, is his situation who
is overtaken by sickness, and has not
about him servants or other persons of
his own caste. He is abandoned to his
fate by those of a superior caste, and
dare not accept the assistance of those
o 2148
HINDOOSTAN
belonging to an inferior?nay, rather
than do this he would prefer being left
to perish.
The difficulty, or more correctly
speaking, the impossibility of perform-
ing all the duties and ceremonies of
his caste, accustoms the religious Hin-
doo to fasting and a thousand other
mortifications. Each caste is more-
over so jealous of its peculiar prero-
gatives, that if an inferior caste were to
presume to imitate another, even in
matters of the most trilling import, the
latter would move heaven and earth in
defence of its rights, andean open rup-
ture would infallibly ensue between the
two rival castes.
It may appear extraordinary that no
IN MINIATURE. 149
person belonging to the degraded castes
has ever opposed a doctrine which
dooms them to perpetual misery and
abjection: nothing can afford a stronger
proof of the power of religion over the
human mind. The Hindoo, accustom-
ed from infancy to the assertion that
God has placed him in the condition in
which he was born, and in which he
is to die, to punish him for the sins
committed by him in a preceding life,
resigns himself to what he is taught
to consider as the will of the Almighty
and a chastisement which he has de-
served ; nor does he ever conceive the
idea of suspecting his priests of impos-
ture.
It must not 1)0 imagined, however,
o 3150 H1NDOOSTAN
that the institution of castes is observed
in its utmost rigour on the coast, where
commerce, mutual interest, and the
collision of opinions, continually tend to
bring them together, to blend them,
and to efface the line of demarcation by
which they are separated. The man-
ners and customs of the Hindoos in
general have undergone more or less
alteration, in the countries which have
been or are at present subject to Ma-
hometans or to Europeans. A Bramin
residing at Madras, or at Calcutta, and
having continual intercourse with Eu-
ropeans, is not, in his own estimation,
so sacred a personage, nor so scrupu-
lously attached to the privileges of his
caste, as the Bramin, who lives in the
IN MINIATURE. 151
interior of the country, where the in-
habitants have but little communica-
tion with strangers. It is there only
that the political and religious system
of the Hindoos is preserved in all its
purity; it is there that India is still
what it probably was in the most re-
mote ages.
It is said that once a year all dis-
tinction of castes ceases in the temple
4
of Jaggernaut, and that on this day,
destined to commemorate the primi-
tive equality of mankind, the Bramin
and the Paria eat together. As Vishnu
is adored in this temple in his incarna-
tion as Buddha, and as the latter taught
new doctrines, it is possible that among
other reforms, he endeavoured to abo-15-J H1NDOOSTAN
lish the odious institution of castes,
and that to accomplish his purpose
he enjoined the celebration of this festi-
val. Unfortunately Buddha did not
succeed in his plans; and his philan-
thropic doctrines, which the Bramins
strove to stifle in their birth, obtained, at
least in the peninsula on this side of the
Ganges, but a small number of fol-
lowers.
Bethhras it may, they boil, we are told
on one fire, seven large vessels, or earth-
en pots full of rice, placed one upon ano-
ther. When the rice in the uppermost
vessel is done, they are all removed
from the fire and broken; and every
Hindoo, of whatever caste, takes his
portion of the rice. The pilgrims carry
IN MINIATURE. 153
it away with them, as something sacred,
and sell or give it to the devout in all
parts of India.
Others, without mentioning the cere-
mony just described, merely assert,
that on a certain day in the year, all'
the castes indiscriminately are permit-
ted to enter the town of Jaggernaut,
to walk about wherever they please,
and to buy such things as they want
in the public markets, which are abun-
dantly supplied for the occasion. They
deny, however, that persons of different
castes eat together and treat one ano-
ther like brothers.
This solemn festival which collects
every year several hundred thousand154 HINDOOSTAN
pilgrims, seems, in short, to have been
instituted by the Bramins, merely to
fleece even the very poorest of the
Hindoos, who throng thither with the
little money they possess: each presents
his offering to the deity; and it is a
glorious harvest for the Bramins.
These tricks are also played at other
places by the Bramins, and even by
Rajahs. At Cranganore, on the Mala-
»
bar coast, for example, on the last day
of a festival, which is held annually,
the Rajah stands near the entrance of
the pagoda, and persons of every caste,
passing before him, are allowed, as a
special favour, to touch with their hands
the threshold of the temple, where they
IN MINIATURE. 155
leave their offering and retire. The
Rajah then performs his ablutions, atid
secures the spo4L
At Palani, there is on a high moun-
tain a pagoda or temple dedicated to
Supramanya, with a numerous convent
of Bramins. The devout flock thither
with, presents ; the herdsman carrying
milk, the husbandman the produce of
his fields, and persons of all trades and
professions making appropriate offer-
ings. The god accepts them all, and
as it is said, with his own hands. Per-
sons of the inferior castes, who are not
allowed to enter the temple, lay down
their presents at a certain distance; but
tlie arms of the god are long enough to
reach them. As, however, Saxony tbe160 HINDOOSTAN
Though the principal duty of the
Bramins is to instruct the people in
all that relates to religion and morals,
they are not excluded from the govern-
ment of the state; they may become
ministers, counsellors, chancellors, and
ambassadors, and indeed it is generally
from among them that persons are se-
lected to fill those high offices : nay,
even some of them, like certain bi-
/
si]ops, cardinals and popes of old, fol-
low the military profession, in despite
of the precepts of their religion, which
forbids them to bear arms. Others
again, when obliged by necessity, en-
gage in commercial and agricultural
pursuits- but they must observe cer-
tain precautions to avoid polluting
IN MINIATURE.
themselves by the association with
persons of inferior castes. Some learn
the English language, and enter into
the service of wealthy Europeans, as
dobashis or house-stewards.
The Bramins and persons of the
higher castes accompany their ablu-
tions with numberless ceremonies.
They must first take up water in the
hand, in a certain manner, make it
run between the thumb and fore-finger,
or in some other way, according to
the divinity in whose honour this liba-
tion is performed, throw it at three
times with the fingers towards the
East, then turn to another quarter of
the heavens, washing the mouth be-
fore the body, by throwing water,
p 3162 HINDOOSTAN
without raising the hand to it, and
observe a thousand such rules to which
they attach great importance. At the
same time, "they repeat the different
names of Vishnu and Sheeva, and as
they pronounce one or other of these
names, they clap their fingers to their
cheeks, behind theirx ears, on their
shoulders, on the breast, or some
other part of the body.
Nothing can be so tedious and tire-
some as the adorations and prayers
addressed by the Brarnins to their
numerous idols. The rajahs themselves,
though they have to attend to many
other important affairs, cannot spend
less than seven or eight hours a day in
these religious ceremonies, which are
IN MINIATURE. 163
attended with so many reverences, pros-
trations, and other fatiguing practices,
that they are quite sufficient of them-
selves to tire the strongest man.
A religion which obliges its followers
to spend the greatest part of their time
in such frivolous ceremonies, must, of
necessity, be most harassing and incon-
venient. Nothing but pride can impart
the perseverance requisite to go through
them, by persuading those who submit
to them that they are superior to the
rest of mankind.
When a Brain in has received any
thing directly from the hand of an
European, or of a person belonging to
a caste regarded as impure ? if he has
inadvertently touched such a person, or164 HINDOOSTAN
if he has approached too near the habi-
tation of a Paria, he is obliged to wash
himself before he eats or drinks. A
Bramin must wash at least thrice a day.
The Bramins of the south of Hin-
doostan are much more infatuated with
their importance and dignity than those
of the north : they start back at the
sight of a Sooder or a European, with
as much horror as they would from
the approach or touch of a person in-
fected with the plague. Those of the
north do not manifest near so strong
an aversion for the inferior castes ; per-
haps this may be owing to a relaxation
in the religious principles and in the
national manners in the northern parts
of Hindoostan, which were earlier and
IN MINIATURE. 165
more frequently conquered j or, per-
haps also, hypocrisy, pride, ignorance,
and fanaticism, are more deeply rooted
in the Bramins of the south than in
those of the north.
The dress of the Bramins is a mere
cloth, Avhich they wash every clay: they ,
ought always to go with the head and
bosom bare, yet some of them wear a
long red cap. They shave the chin and
head, merely leaving on the top of
the latter a small tuft which they twist
into the form of a knot.
Those Bramins who follow any other
than the sacerdotal profession wear a
turban and a long dress ; but they may
always be known by the marks which
they retain on the forehead : and such of166 HINDOOSTAN
them as are in the service of Europeans
must, before they return to their own
homes, strip off their garments, bathe
and resume the dress of the Bramins.
The women have the same distinctive
marks as their husbands. Their dress
consists in a piece of cloth which wraps
them up completely, and in a kind of
X
close jacket: they are usually covered
with jewels from head to foot j and
»
they are very fond of small , silver bells
which make a strange tinkling when
they walk.
The wives of the Bramins must say
their prayers and bathe every morning.
It is their duty to attend to the children;
to cook the victuals, but they are never
allowed to eat in the presence of their
IN MINIATURE,
husbands, or till they have finished;
and to fetch water, which must not be
touched excepting by them. If a per*
son of any other caste touches the vessel,
the water must be thrown away and the
vessel broken, if of earthenware, or puri-
fied by fire if of metal.
The Bramins have reserved tlie ex-
clusive right of reading the vedas and
other sacred poems. The Khattries
may hear them read, but even this pri-
vilege is denied to the other castes, for
whom particular books have been corn*
posed.
In the code of Menu it is directed,
that if one of the Sooder caste reads
the vedas to either of the other three
tribes, or listens to them, heated oil,1C8
HINDOOSTAN
wax, and melted tin, shall be poured
into his ears and the orifice stopped up;
and that if a Sooder gets by heart the
vedas he shall be put to death.
In the morning, the Bramin reads
aloud in public the sacred text in
the Sanscrit language; but as there
are very few who understand it, his
auditory is very small. In the after-
noon or evening, when he again reads
in the customary language of the coun-
try, he has in general a numerous con-
gregation. These meetings are held
before houses, or in their fore-courts :
the rich have distinct places, and the
women of the house can neither see
nor be seen but through a lattice-work
of bamboo.
IN MINIATURE. KJ»
That the Bramins with all their pro-
fessions of mildness, benevolence, and
sanctity, can deliberately perpetrate
the most sanguinary atrocities, there
is abundant evidence. The following
circumstance, related on the authority,
of the late Sir Charles Malet, happen-'
ed during his embassy to the Mahratta
court in 1791.
Thirty-four men, of the caste of
Telinga Bramins/ having been confined
in a chokey or close room, by the offi-
cers of the cutwall, the head magis-
trate of the police at Poonah, twenty-
one were taken out dead the next
morning, and the remaining thirteen
were with difficulty restored to life.
The popular clamour became violent
VOL. ir. , Q170
HINDOOSTAN
against the cutwall, who was a Gour ,
Bramin, a native of Aurungabad, and
whose office, in a city where the most
rigorous police is established, neces-
sarily rendered^ him an obnoxious
character. The Peishwa, improperly
yielding- to the furious mob, delivered
up the cutwall, who was tied backward
on an elephant, and in that manner
conveyed to a prison without the town,
amid the scoffs and insults of the po-
pulace, while guards were sent to seize
his family, dependents and property.
The day following, the unhappy man
was tied backward on a camel, and in
that disgraceful manner re-conducted
into the city, where he was made to
alight, and his head having been pub-
IN MINIATURE. 171
licly shaved, he was again paraded as
before, through the principal streets
of Pooriahj escorted by a strong guard,
he was led to a spot about a mile from
the city, and then ordered to dismount.
One of his hands was then strongly
fastened to a turban between twenty
and thirty feet long, and the other
end committed to some Hallalcores, the
lowest outcasts of the Hindoo tribes,
who contaminate all other castes by
their touch. It was then made known
to the Telinga Bramins, that the cut-
wall was delivered up entirely to their
disposal, either as a sacrifice to their
vengeance, or an object for their mercy.
Twelve Bramins of that tribe imme-
diately attacked the fallen magistrate
Q21/2 IliNDOOSTAiV
with large stones. The Hallalcores, by
straitening* the turban,, kept him run-
ing* in a circle, pursued by his relent-
less murderers, who, by repeated blows,
brought him to the ground, and finally
dispatched him by a succession of large
stones, thrown violently on his head
and breast. Thus fell a Bramin, a
foreigner, who for many years had
been invested witli the whole jurispru-
dence of the capital of the Mahratta
empire j who had spent the emoluments
of his office in building an elegant tank,
or reservoir, for the ornament and con-
venience of the city, and for supplying
it with water from a great distance,
with a spirit of generosity and expense
60 far above the ability of the rich na-
IN MINIATURE.
173
live Bramins, as to subject him to their
envy and an ignominious death.
« o
The following facts were co mm Ulrica-
o
ted by Lord Teignmouth to the Asiatic
Society of Calcutta.
In 1791 Soodisliter Mier, a Bramin,
the farmer of land paying revenue, was
summoned to appear before a native
officer, the deputy-collector of the dis-
trict in which he resided. He positive-
ly refused to obey the summons, which
was repeated without effect ; and after
some time several people were deputed
to enforce the process, by compelling
his attendance. On their approaching
the house, he cut off the head of his
deceased son's widow and threw it out.
«3174 IllNDOOSTAiN
.His first intention was to destroy his
own wife; but it was proved in evi-
dence, that, upon his indication of it,
his son's widow requested him to de-
capitate her, which he instantly did.
Another Bramin, Baloo Paundeh, was
convicted in 17^3, of the murder of his
infant daughter. It appeared, from his
own confession, that lie had quarrelled
with a man respecting a joint claim to
a piece of ground, which was referred
to arbitration and decided in Baloo's
favour. He consequently repaired to
the land and began to plough it, when
he was interrupted by his opponent.
*' I became angry and enraged," said
he at his forbidding me; and bringing
1NY MINIATURE.
175
my own little daughter, Ampuuya, who
was only a year and a half old, to the
said field, I killed her with my sword."
A third instance is an act of matricide,
perpetrated by Beechuk and Adher,
two brothers, also Bramins, and zemin-
dars, or proprietors of landed estates,
the extent of which did not exceed
eight acres. There had been a dispute
among the zemindars respecting the
revenues of ^ the village, particularly
with a person named Govvry ; and the
immediate cause which instigated the
o
Bramins to murder their mother, was an
act of violence, said to have been com-
mitted by the emissaries of Govvry, in
entering their house during their absence
at night, and carrying olT forty rupees*176 H1NDOOSTAN
the property of the two brothers, from
the apartments of their women. Beechuk
first returned to his house, where his
mother, his wife, and his sister-in-law
related what had happened. He im-
\
mediately conducted his mother to a
neighbouring rivulet, where, being joined
in the grey of the morning, by his bro-
ther, Adlier, they called out aloud to
the people of the village, that, although
they would overlook the assault as an act
which could not be remedied, the forty
rupees must be returned. To this ex-
clamation no answer was received, nor
is it even certain that it was heard by
any person. Beechuk, without further
LZZ'.;.-.;:.:*, drew his scimitar, and at
one stroke severed his mother's head
IN MINIATURE. 177
from her body; with the professed view,
as entertained and avowed, both by pa-
rent and son, that the mother's spirit,
excited by the beating of a large drum
during forty days, might for ever haunt,
torment, and pursue to death Gowry
and the others concerned with him.
The last words which she pronounced
were, that " she would blast Gowry and
those connected with him/'
It must not be imagined, that because
the Hindoos do not admit of converts
from other religions, they have no
schisms and dissensions among them-
selves ; or that the Brarnins are so mild
with those who differ from them in
religious .sentiment., as they have been
represented. Dr. Buchanan, when speak-178 111NDOOSTAN
ing of tlie sect called Jaina, in Mysore/
says, tliat in a quarrel among' the Bra-
ruins,, the party which obtained the
victory, caused the priests of the Jaina,
with as many of their followers as were
obstinate, to be ground to death in oil-
mills ? while the remainder, who were
converted by this powerful mode of
argument, received pardon from the
offended Bramins. The same traveller
farther observes, that the houses at
Tonoru, where this cruelty took place,
are roofed with tiles and covered with
thorns, to prevent the monkeys from
unroofing them j because those mis-
chievous animals are very numerous,
and to destroy them is reckoned a
grievous sin. Those very persons who
IN MINIATURE.
179
applauded the Bramins for having
ground the Jainas in an oil-mill, shud-
der with horror at the thought of killing
a monkey !ISO
HINDOOSTAN
OF VARIOUS CLASSES OF BllAMINS ;
viz.
BllAMINS WHO TEACH THE DAYS,
PANDIDAPAPAN BRAMINS,
j '
TATOIDIPAPAN BRAMINS,
-AND
PAPANVA1CHENAVEN BRAMINS.
The most learned of the B ram ins
annually compose calendars or alma-
nacs, and send them to the principal
provinces to such of their caste as are
unable to compose them for themselves,
who copy them for their use. In these
almanacs are specified the eclipses,
the phases of the moon, the festivals,
the most important events that are to
IN MINIATURE. 181
happen in the course of the year, the
lucky and unlucky days, and all the
other absurdities ever invented for
working upon the hopes and fears of
credulous devotees. A great number of
Bramins subsist on the produce of
these almanacs, which they daily go
and read to the opulent for money.
The frontispiece to this volume repre-
sents one of these men, known by the
appellation of Bram-ins who teach the
days, or astronomers.
The Hindoos have cultivated astro-
nomy from time immemorial, and had
made, at a remote period, great pro-
gress in that science. At present, those
who follow the profession of astrono-
mers are in general extremely igno-
VOL. n. R182 HINDOOSTAN
rant. They employ the ancient tables
for their astronomical calculations and
predictions ; but they know nothing of
the principles upon which they are con-
structed. They seem, according to the
expression of a celebrated French as-
tronomer, to be mere machines made
to calculate eclipses, which it is true,
they foretel with tolerable accuracy,
by means of methods which are per-
haps five or six thousand years old,
but of the rationale of which they are
utterly ignonant. Their rules are in
verse, and they recite them during their
operations, calculating with cowries or
blackinoors' teeth, a kind of shell which
passes for money in India. This mode
is prompt and expeditious; but in case
IN MINIATURE. 183
of mistake they are obliged to begin
afresh, because they cannot revise what
they have worked.
The year of the Hindoos consists of
three hundred and sixty-five days, fif-
teen of their liours, thirty-one minutes
and fifteen seconds. The day, which
is reckoned from sun-rise to sun-rise,
contain* sixty hours, each hour sixty
minutes, and each minute sixty seconds:
it is divided into eight parts of seven
hours and a half each.
The Bramins are acquainted with the
sun-dial: they make use of it for draw-
ing meridians, for fixing the site of their
pagodas, and for ascertaining the lati-
tudes of different towns, by a compa-
rison of the length of the shadow with
n 2184 1IINDOOSTAN
the height of the instrument on the day
of the equinox.
They place the earth in the centre of
the universe, and reckon nine planets
namely, the seven known from the re-
motest antiquity, and two invisible dra-
gons which are the cause of eclipses.
They believe also that the moon is
farther distant from us than the sun j
probably because her light is feebler
and because she gives out no heat-
while that of the sun is so. intense.
The Bramins certainly have accurate
notions respecting the phases of the
moon: but the vulgar, who are im-
mersed in the profoundest ignorance,
imagine that the moon is filled with
ambrosia, that the gods repair thither
IN MINIATURE.
185
to regale themselves with it, and that
this is the cause of the diminution of
her light. M. Bailly is of opinion, that
a nation possessing such accurate me-
thods for calculation, and ascribing
phenomena to such absurd causes,
must have received those method^ from
some other quarter, and has no claim
to the invention of any thing but the
absurdities. He therefore looks upon
what is left to the Bramins of the an-
cient astronomy, rather as the wrecks
than as the elements of a science.
The Pandidapapan is a Bramin in the
service of a native prince, and who is
usually sent by the latter in the quality
of ambassador, to negotiate any im-
portant business. Several of them are
R 3IIINDOOSTAN
likewise employed by the English.as
interpreters, and some have no scruple
to undertake a less honourable voca-
tion, that of spies. One of these
Bramins is represented in the annexed
By the profession which they follow,
they are released from the functions of
the priesthood ? but their way of life is
like that of the Bramin astronomers.
At Madras, Bramins are employed by
almost all the merchants as cashiers,
and there is no instance of any of them
having* ever made free with the money
entrusted to his care. A Pandidapapan,
guilty of such a misdemeanor, would
lose his caste ; while, on the other
hand, all the persons belonging to that
IN "MINIATURE. is?
caste would contribute to make good
any deficiency in the funds committed
to him by his employer. On this
account they are preferred to all the
other Hindoos for the situation of trea-
f
surers. They also keep the accounts
of the higher castes of Malabars. who
O * '
employ them as their men of business.
The Tatoidipapan Bramin is a fol-
lower of Sheeva. He performs all the
religious services in the pagodas of
that deity: he Is obliged to subsist
upon alms, to keep continually recit-
ing some passage of the vedas^ and to
bathe at stated times. The Bramins
who devote themselves to the service
of Sheeva, are marked on the forehead
with a patch made of cow-dung, burnt188 II1NDOOSTAN
at the pagoda, and having* a kind of
red seal in the middle. They likewise
make several stripes with ashes on the
arms, breast, and loins. Many of them
offer sacrifices in their own houses j
some tell fortunes $ others live like
monks in monasteries, built by princes
and richly endowed. The wealthy are
expected to support a certain number
of other Bramins, according* to their
fortune.
The Papanvaichenaven is a Bramin
of the sect of Vishnu, who performs
the service in the temples of that god.
The Bramins belonging to this sect
make on the forehead two white stripes,
which unite at the top of the nose, and
a yellow one in the middle: they have
IN MINIATURE. 189
the same marks on the breast and loins.
The white stripes are consecrated to
Vishnu, and the yellow one to his wife
Lacshmi. These marks must be made
immediately on rising*, before they have
broken their fast. See the engraving.,
O O
Some of the Brarnins imprint upon,
their skin either the names of their
gods, passages from the sacred books,
or hieroglyphic emblems of their re-
ligion. Others put grains of rice on
the middle of the forehead; and others
again, wear a string* of white shells
round the neck.
At the decease of opulent persons,
presents of ten kinds of things are made
to the Bramins. This donation, called
the ten gifts, consists of one or more190 1IINDOOSTAN
cows, some pieces of land,, butter,
cloth, sugar, salt, metal vessels, some
pieces of gold, and necessaries for their
subsistence.
The person of a Bramin is so sacred
that none of then), is liable to capital
punishment, for any crime whatever.
If one of them has deserved death, his
eyes are put out, but his life is not
taken away. To kill a Bramin is one
of the five heinous sins for which there
is scarcely any forgiveness; and the
vedas enjoin any person by whom this
crime has been committed, to go on
pilgrimage for twelve years, soliciting
alms, and carrying in his hand the skull
of the Bramin, out of which he is
obliged to eat and drink whatever is
IN MINIATURE. 191
given to him. At the expiration of
that time, he must distribute a certain
sum in alms, and build a temple to
the god of the sect to which the Bra-
min belonged.
The Bramins have a right to k'ill
their wives- if they surprize them in
the act of adultery; but-the punish-
ment which they commonly inflict for
this offence is close confinement; and
if they have an affection for them,
they forgive them, and forget their
fault. On occasion of this reconcilia-
tion, they give a grand entertainment,
to which a large company of Bramins
and their wives are invited, and the
adultress waits upon them at table.19i HINDOOSTAN
Besides the various sects into which"
the Bramins are divided, there are four
principal orders common to the whole
caste. These are:?l.The order of
the Bramachari, into which they are
initiated at about the age of seven
years, when they begin to study the
elements of religion and the J^edas:
2. That of Grahasta, into which they
pass at the age of twelve years, when
they are permitted to marry: it is then
also that the guru, or their spiritual
director, invests them with great cere-
mony with the scarf, which has been
already described, and which they must
never afterwards lay aside; 3. The
fanaprasta; 4. The Saniassees. The
IN MINIATURE. 193
two latter are orders of hermits, peni-
tents and mendicants, who have en-
tirely renounced the world'.
All the Bramins are Bramacharis or
Grahastas; but to rise to the degree of
Vanaprastas and Saniassees; to be-
come Somadrees, or sacrifices, and
Gurus, or teachers of religion, it is-
necessary to be descended from a dis-
tinguished family among the Bramins,
to have led an,irreproachable life, de-
voted many years to study, and gone
through a rigid noviciate.
The Bramins must be forty years old
before they can be f^anaprastas; they
are afterwards obliged to live in solitude
o
twenty-two years before they can be
VOL. II. SW4
IIINDOOSTAN
admitted into the more perfect order
t
of Saniassees. The f^anaprastas, if
they are married,, are at liberty to take
their wives with them in their retire-
ment,, but they must abstain from all
intercourse with them and observe the
strictest continence. They live in forests,
subsisting entirely on herbs and fruit,
sleeping* on the bare ground, and having
no other shelter, even in the rainy sea-
son, than an open shed.
The Saniassees carry perfection, or
rather fanaticism, to a still greater
length. Among other extravagances
they never cut their nails, which con-
sequently are sometimes of prodigious
length. They must never suffer their
IN MINIATURE. 195
thoughts to wander to worldly objects,
but they must be continually absorbed
in the contemplation of the divinity.
Every morning the Saniassee must
carefully wash a stick called in Sanscrit
danda. This stick has seven knots,
representing the seven great riclieys;
it is given to him by his Guru, with
great solemnity on the day of his initia-
tion, together with a piece of sacred
cloth, and a copper vessel, termed in
Sanscrit caramandala.
When the Saniassees have wholly
disengaged themselves from the things
of this world, they are called Brama-
hansas. They thenceforth remain mo-
tionless as c\ log of wood or a stone ;
Q 9
o +J196 HINDOOSTAN
never eat unless food is put into their
mouths by others 5 neither do they
wash any part of their bodies : and
when they die,, they are conveyed
straightway to heaven without under-
going- any farther transmigration. If,
however, at this last moment, they
still feel the least hankering after the
things of this world, they will be born
again, but not to hold a lower rank
than that of kings or emperors. In the
other case, after they have long enjoyed,
in Imlni's heaven, the reward of their
holy life, they become liable to be born
again upon earth. It is not till they
have deserved to be identified with the
Supreme Being that they are relieved
IN MINIATURE. 197
from the necessity of returning any
more to the world, and put in posses-
sion of immutable and eternal felicity.
Persons belonging to other castes
such as the Vaisyas and Sooders may
be Fanaprastas and Saniassees. Though
subject to the same rules and laws as .
the Bramins initiated into those orders,
they do not live with them, but form
a kind of separate sect, having a superior
of their own caste.
The institution of the orders of the
Vanaprastas and Saniassees is of the
highest antiquity; all that relates to
their discipline being fixed by the laws
of Menu. These laws specify the herbs,
roots, and fruit, on which they are
allowed to subsist and those which
s 3198 HINDOOSTAN
they must not eat; the offerings and
sacrifices which they ought to make to
fire, to the constellations, arid to the
gods ; the garments they should wear,
which should be made of the skin of
tlie black antelope, or the bark of a
tree, &c. Among numberless trivial
injunctions we meet with passages of
truly stoic sublimity. " In order to
be happy," says Menu to the Sanias-
see, " live continually alone; thus
thou wilt not abandon any one and none
will abandon thee. Wish not either to
live or to die; but calmly await the
destiny decreed thee, as a slave waits
for his wages. Never accept alms after
having made a humble obeisance, for
the Saniassee who receives it as the
IN MINIATURE. 199
price of an obeisance, though free be-
fore, becomes a slave."
In the Sanscrit writings, it is said,
that a Saniassee or Yogee, who shall
devote himself to a solitary religious
life, shall wear no other clothing but
what may be necessary to cover his
*
nakedness, nor have any other worldly
goods but a pitcher to drink out of;
that he shall always meditate on the
truths contained in the sacred writings,
but never argue upon them j that his
food shall be confined to rice and vege-
tables ; that he shall eat but once a
day, and then sparingly ; that he shall
look forward with desire to the separa-
tion of the soul from the body, be
indifferent about heat or cold, or hun-200 I11NDOOSTAN
g-er, or praise, or reproach, or any
i
tiling* concerning this life; and that,
unless he strictly follow these rules
and subdue his passions, he will only
be more criminal by embracing' a state
the duties of which he could not per-
form, and neglecting those lie was born
V
to observe.
IN MINIATURE.
201
OF THE YOGEES AND FAKEERS.
There are in Hindoostan a great
number of other penitents of different
sects, called Fakecrs, Yogees, Tadins,
4
Pandarons, &c. who make a vow to live
at the expense of the public, and travel
about begging. The yogees and fakecrs,
who are often mistaken the one for the
other, are both penitents and mendi-
cants ; but the former are Hindoos and
the latter Musulmans: in other re-
spects they resemble one another in
cunning, hypocrisy, and impudence.
They are often to be seen in the bazars,
in the markets, and in all other public202 I1INDOOSTAN
places. Figure to yourself a fanatic
i
stark naked, with the exception of a
small piece of stuff, which is fastened
round his middle, bedaubed all over
with a whitish powder, his hair so
twisted that it might be taken for Me-
dusa's serpents, setting* up from time
to time the strangest howls, running
like a madman, with a face proof
against shame, red and wild-looking
eyes, and you will have some idea of
a fakeer. The wretches strive to sur-
pass one another in extravagance; they
try by all possible means to attract the
notice of the multitude, some wounding
themselves on the forehead, arms, or
thighs, to excite the compassion of the
charitable, of the other sex in particn-
IN MINIATURE. 203
lar, and to obtain alms from them.
Others will lie on their backs, motion-
less in the streets, and there exposed on
the scorching sand to tlie intense heat
of the sun, sing hymns and affect to be
totally indifferent to all that is passing
about them, as if they were absorbed
in profound meditation; but at the same '
time leering, to observe if any thing is
thrown to them.
These filthy and lazy vagabonds some-
times assemble, according to Dow, in
troops of eight or ten thousand, levying
contributions wherever they go. The
women have a particular veneration for
them, and when they enter a house, the
husband, from a religious motive or out
of fear, respectfully withdraws, as cer-204 HINDOOSTAN
tain husbands in Spain are said to do,
on the arrival of the spiritual directors
of their wives. The native governments,,
instead of punishing these scoundrels,
who venture to pronounce threats in the
name of heaven, tolerate and encourage
their hypocrisy; and stupid devotees
famish themselves to feed them. Who-
ever embraces this lazy life is sure, if
not to amass wealth, at least to be ex-
empt from want.
It is related that Aurengzeb, who was
viceroy of Decan before he ascend-
ed the imperial throne, being* informed
thlit the fakecrs were accustomed to
conceal in the folds and seams of their
rags a great quantity of gold and pre-
cious stones, invited them all to a grand
IN MINIATURE. 205
entertainment. After dinner he order-
ed as many new dresses'as there were
guests to be brought, observing, it
was but right that such men as they,
who devoted themselves to the service
of the deity, should be decently at-
tired: he therefore requested them to'
strip oft* their old garments, and put on
those which he had provided for them.
The fakecrs, in some embarrassment,
alleged religious motives and number-
less other pretexts for retaining their
holy rags j but the prince was inflexible;
they were obliged to obey, and their hy-
pocrisy was fully exposed.
The yogees and fakeers, as well as
all the other penitents, boast of pos-
sessing supernatural powers. some as-
VOL. II. T206
HJNDOOSTAN
sert that they have come down from
heaven; that they live thousands of
years without taking any sustenance,
&c. So much is true, that certain fa-
keers neither eat nor drink in the pre-
sence of any person. Some assert that
they can foretel future events; others
pretend to be able to discover hidden
treasures; and others again, that they
can turn whatever they please into gold:
and if you ask them how it happens,
that, possessing such an extraordinary
faculty, they still lead so miserable a
life, they reply, that they have not been
endowed with it for their own benefit,
but to be serviceable to others; and that
it would instantly cease, if they were
to attempt to employ it for their per-
IN MINIATURE. 207
sonal advantage. They and their silly
dupes are incessantly talking of their
conversations with the deity, of appa-
ritions, visions, and in short of every
thing that the most barefaced impos-
ture is capable of imagining, for the
purpose of imposing on mankind.
The number of these fakeers is esti-
mated at eight hundred thousand.
There is a class of these penitents,
called nanek-pounthis, who wear but one
mustachio and one shoe; they hold in
their hands two sticks, which they strike
one against another, repeating prayers,
or abusing those who pass by.
The two fakeers whose portraits we
give after drawings from life, were
liying at Benares in 1792. One of them
T 2208
H1NDOOSTAN
named Praoun Poury, was born at Ca-
nouge, and belonged to the caste of
the Khattries or Rajpoots. At the age
of nine years, he ran away from his
father's house, and repaired to the town
of Bedpoor, where he. turned fakeer.
Soon afterwards, he went to Allahabad,
where a festival, which attracts a great
concourse of pilgrims is annually held ;
and there, having heard the merit attach-
ed to the eighteen penances held forth
in the Shasters to Hindoo devotees for
the expiation of their sins highly ex-
tolled, he chose that which is termed
ordhbahu, and which consists in hold-
ing the hands and arms continually
crossed over the head. He himself ad-
mitted that this penance was at first
IN MINIATURE. 209
extremely painful, and declared that it
is necessary for a person to prepare
himself for it by long abstinence.
Praoun Poury afterwards travelled
all over India, visiting all the celebrated
pagodas, and attending all the religious
ceremonies, without ever intermitting
his voluntary penance. He traversed
Persia and part of Russia, and even went
to Moscow ; but as the account of his
peregrinations; inserted in the fifth vo-
lume of the Asiatic Researches, con-
tains nothing very curious, we shall
merely observe that, after pursuing this
strolling life nearly forty years, he set-
tled in a small village in the Carnatic.
He retained, however, such a fondness
for travelling, that he annually made
T 3210
H1NDOOSTAN
excursions into the neighbouring1 conn-
o o
tries and sometimes extended them to
Nepaul.
In the annexed plate Praoun Poury
is represented in his usual posture,
squatting cross-legged on a tiger's skin,
with his arms crossed over his head.
The other fakeer was named Perk-
hasanund. He was a Bramachari Bra-
inin, and styled himself Pur rum Suatun-
tre, which signifies enjoyment of one's
self, independence, At the age of ten
years he embraced the contemplative
life, and accustomed himself to lie upon
thorns and Hints. At twenty he left
his father's house, to avoid the impor-
tunities of his parents, who wished him
to marry, and devoted himself to a
IN MINIATURE. 211
wandering- life. Like Praoun Poury,
he wandered from place to place ; and
\
at a^ village in Thibet, he determined
to shut himself up in a gaupha, or
cell,, and there do penance for twelve
years, During- this incarceration, he
was almost devoured by vermin ; and
forty jears afterwards declared that his
skin still bore the marks of their ravages.
At the end of a year his penance \vas
interrupted by the rajah, who ordered
the door of his cell to be broken open,
and who, at his solicitation, allowed
him to undergo the ser-seja, that is,
to lie on a bedstead, the bottom of
which is stuck full of iron spikes, in
the manner represented in the opposite
engraving. He never lay afterwards212 HINtiOOSTAN
on any other bed. To render his pe-
nance the more meritorious, he had
logs of wood burned round his bed
during the intense heat of summer :
and in winter he had a pot perforated
with small holes hung up over him,
from which water kept continually
dropping on his head. The late Mr.
Duncan, who was governor of Bombay,
and has given the history of this fakeer
in the fifth volume of the Asiatic Re-
searches, saw him at Benares after he
had led this kind of life thirty-five
years: an'1 ne \*'?u iliou in good health
and spirits.
if
y
%
NIN MINIATURE. 213
TADINS.
Persons of the inferior castes arc
allowed to enter into the orders of
penitents, of whom we have yet to
treat. They donbtless owe their origin
to the pride of fanatics, ambitious to
share the honour and veneration paid to
the Bramins, and to which their birth
prevented their aspiring.
The Tadins, who are devotees of the
sect of Vishnu, belong to the caste of
the Sooders. After spending part of
their lives in penances from which the
imagination recoils, and differing in no
respect from those which the Vanapras-214 HJNDOOSTAN
tas impose on themselves; they at
length acquire the glorious title of
richeys. A circumstantial account of
all these penances would be much too
long for insertion here : we shall there-
fore notice only the most remarkable.
Some Tadlns live enclosed in an iron
cage 5 others load themselves with pon-
derous chains. These keep their fists
clenched till the^r nails run through the
palms of their hands and come out at
the other side; those lay hold of branches
of trees that are just within their reach
and never loose them more j their arms
continually stretched waste away, lose
all traces of joints and become rigid,
like a piece of dry wood. Some remain
continually standing, merely leaning for
IN MINIATURE. 215
a few hours at night against an ex-
tended cord, till their legs swell in an
extraordinary manner. Some stand on
one leg only, with their eyes fixed on
the sun, and become quite blind. Many
of these wretches cause themselves to'
be put into a hole in the ground with
the head downward, so that nothing
can be seen but their feet, on which the
pious lay their alms. Some voluntarily
deprive themselves of a hand or an arm;
and others carry their insanity to such a
pitch as to cut out their tongues. One
turns his head so as to look over one
shoulder, and holds it in that position
till it becomes immoveably fixed ; ano-
.
ther will keep his eyes directed to the216 HINLOOSTAN
end of his nose, till he sees what he
calls a sacred fire, which is undoubtedly
a mere illusion produced by the con-
tinual tension of that organ. One of
them measured the distance from Be-
nares to Jaggernaut by his own length on
the ground, lying down and getting up
by turns all the way between those two
towns. Another at Trichinopoli, by
rolling over and over, daily made the
circuit of the rock on which that fortress
is seated, and which is nearly a mile in
circumference.
Tiefenthaler relates, that at Cashipore,
a village near Benares, there was a very
heavy hatchet suspended from a rope,
and that the Hindoos thronged thitherIN MINIATURE.
217
to have their heads chopped off by it,
under the idea that this kind of death
is most agreeable to the deity.
These fanatics, whose gloomy ima-
gination has disordered their brain, as-
pire by all these penances to an imagi-
nary perfection. Some of them, really
despising the wealth, honours and plea-
sures of this world, have in view only
the glory and happiness which they
promise themselves in a future life :
but the greater number have no other
object than to gratify their ardent thirst
of riches and distinction. Under the
appearance of humility they cloak the
highest degree of arrogance and pride.
When a superstitious rajah has occa-
sion to consult them, he must repair
VOL. ii. v218
HINDOOSTAN
%to their hut, because they would never
condescend to wait upon him; well
aware that this is the way to obtain
respect and veneration and to overawe
weak minds.
It must not be imagined, however.
O J '
that the number of these fanatics is
considerable: they are only met with
occasionally. Some indeed, weary of
solitude and cured for ever of their
folly, quit their retirement and return
to human society.
The opposite plate represents two
Tadins and a Fandaron. One of the
former has put into his mouth a padlock
which passes through his tongue and
prevents him from moving his teeth,
so that he cannot eat without extremeIN MINIATURE,
219
'.V..!; .;i;l!:rc, ! /v.:ri;^-^i:!!un;i^ .
T^diiinii v
I i. .'
'ii-ip' '.viiii i'-'i:\'. j iiJ'jU!: -Jiii !["?.(;' !(li ..
'. vvilll i\ paellocKlO hu; iiioul
difficulty ; the Pandaron has confined
his neck in an iron grating; and the
other Tadin is playing with fire.
The Tadins, having adopted for their
peculiar festival that of fire, endeavour
to persuade the people that that ele-
ment can do them no injury: by way
of proof they put a lighted lamp into
their mouths, but quickly take it out
again. It would be superfluous to
enter into any'explanation of this trick,
which is not less cleverly performed by
the fire-eaters of Europe.
The festival of fire lasts eighteen
days, and is celebrated in the follow-
ing manner. On the eighteenth day,
hot ashes and burning charcoal are
spread over the ground for the space
IT 2220 HINDOOSTAN
of forty feet. The penitents, who for
the seventeen preceding clays must lie
upon the bare ground and submit to
other abstinences, repair to the place,
with their heads crowned with flowers,
and their bodies daubed with cow-dung
and marked with yellow stripes. M.
Renouard de Sainte-Croix, who wit-
nessed the celebration of this festival
near Pondicherry, asserts, that the de-
votees, to the number of twenty or
twenty-five, seemed impatient to rush
upon the burning* coals ; nay, he adds,
it was even necessary to repress their
ardour in a rather uncivil manner, for
it was with a rattan which was vigo-
rously applied to their shoulders. The
coals are stirred up from time to time,
IN MINIATURE. 221
while the statues of Darmarajah and
his wife Debrodai, are carried in pro-
cession three times round the fire. The
penitents then walk over the coals more
or less rapidly according as they have
more or less courage and devotion,
some carrying their children, others hea-.
vy weapons, lances and glistening sabres.
When the ceremony is over, the
people eagerly pick up some of the
ashes for the purpose of daubing their
foreheads with them, and scramble for
the flowers which have crowned these
voluntary martyrs. Those who are
fortunate enough to obtain them, pre-
serve them with the greatest care.
This ceremony is performed in ho-
nour of Debrodai, who is related to
u 3222 H1NDOOSTAN
have married five brothers, and to have
annually left one'and gone to another;
but previously to .this kind of divorce,
she took great care to purify herself
with fire. Such is the origin of this
extraordinary festival, for which there
is no fixed day: but it must not be
held at any other time than in the first
three months of the year.
IN MINIATURE. 223
PANDARONS.
The Pandarons are penitents of the
sect of Sheeva, who are highly vene-
rated in different parts of Hindoostan
for the sanctity of their lives: there
are several classes of them according
to the penances to which they devote
themselves:
They daub their faces, breasts and
arms with cow-dung, and run about
the streets begging alms, singing the
praises of Sheeva, and carrying bunches
of peacocks' feathers in their hands.
They wear, in general, necklaces and
bracelets of outrachon seeds, because224 HINDOOSTAN
they believe that Shceva delights to
envelope himself in that fruit.
The Pandarons, who take vows of
A
chastity, are called tabachi: they dress
in yellow cloth, with a cap of the same
colour. Those whose dresses are not
of this colour, marry and live with
their families: all subsist upon alms.
They testify their gratitude to those
who bestow charity on them, by giving
them ashes of cow-dung or sandal-wood,
which they bring, as they assert, from
sacred places.
The Carehpatre-Pandaron is a peni-
tent of a class who doom themselves to
perpetual silence. His manner of so-
liciting alms, when he enters a house,
is to strike his hands together without
IN MINIATURE. 225
uttering a word: he eats the boiled
rice which is given him on the spot,
without reserving any part of it. If
he has not obtained enough, he repairs
to another house and repeats the cere-
mony. Careh signifies hand, and patre
a plate. ,
The wives of the Pandaron? solicit
charity like their husbands. They also
impose penances on themselves, bedaub
themselves with cow-dung, and wear
necklaces of outraclwn seeds: a flame-
coloured cloth is their ordinary dress.
The Cannarin Pandarons belong to
the Mysore. They are distinguished
by wearing a kind of veil, which is also
of a flame colour, instead of cap, and
a short shirt. In their hands theyHINDOOSTAN
carry a cane, at the top of which is
a cow, which they adore as the goddess
of virtue, by the name of Amarvadere.
The Ariganda Pandaron, like the
other penitents of the same sect, is
subject to all the duties imposed by
the particular worship sf Sheeva. But
it is not enough for him to sing' the
praises of that god, to solicit charity,
and to wear a flame-coloured cloth-
he inflicts on himself a more severe
penance, confining his neck in an iron
grating*, a foot and a half square,
which prevents him from sleeping.
This heavy and unpleasant collar he is
obliged to carry about with him as long
as he lives. He, however, considers it
as an ornament, and a title to the vene-
LN MINIATURE. 2^7
ration of the pious, and pride renders
it light to him. On occasion of festi-
vals, this Pandaron is sure to exhibit
himself and to solicit alms at the doors
of the pagodas ; and, to excite the pity
or attract the. notice of passengers, he
lights up lamps at the four corners of
the grate which he wears about his
neck, as represented in the plate, at
page 219.
The Paeni-caori Pandaron is the
bearer of the offerings made by the
Hindoos to the temple of Paeni, dedi-
cated to Supramanya. These offer-
ings consist of money, sugar, honey,
camphor, milk, butter, cocoa-nuts, &c.
This penitent is usually dressed in
yellow, and he carries the presentsHINDOOSTAN
a 3tiek, eo
,? sc,,eu
the
sun.IN MINIATURE.
229
^?^^^g_^gd^?sp^»^^-^^^*r»^ . .«.-.g=fr-.^^g*gg5
POOJAREES.
The Poojarees are a kind of priests,
who devote themselves to the service
of Manar Suarni and Mariatta, goddess
of the small-pox. The votaries of
Mariatta are Farias : the others may
be of all cl&sses excepting Farias.
The latter sing in the streets the praises
of Sheeva and Supramanya, and the
Poojarees of Mariatta celebrate that
goddess.
The Poojarees of Manar Suami are
attended by several disciples, some
with small drums, called oudoukai,
which they beat with their fingers;
VOL. II. X*tt)
HINDOOSTAN .
others with chelinbam, a sort of hollow
rings of copper in which stones are
inclosed. The Poojaree carries a box
full of ashes of cow-dung, some of
which he presents to those from whom
he receives alms.
The Poojaree of Mariatta has no-
thins? but a small bell. His wife gene-
o ~
rally accompanies him with castanets,
and at the end of each verse that her
husband sings she says Amma, or yes.
Sometimes he carries with him pic-
tures representing circumstances in the
history of that goddess.
There is a very .extraordinary mode
of paying honour to Mariatta, called
Mariatta codam, of which the annexed
engraving will afford an idea. The vo-IN MINIATURE. 231
tary stains himself with saffron, and
dances with a Circular vessel full of
water in which are put a particular
kind of leaves on his head, and a bunch
of the same sort of leaves in his hand,
Some of the followers of this goddess
also carry a dagger with a lemon stuck
on the top.
The Hindoos are extremely afraid of
lUariutta, to whom they erect tem-
ples in all their villages. In the sanctua-
ry they deposit the head only of the
goddess, to which the Hindoos of the
superior castes alone address their
prayers. The body is placed^ at the
,#£
entrance of the temple, in order to re-
ceive the adorations of the Farias.
The Poojarees marry, and are at
x 2232 HINDOOSTAN
liberty to relinquish their profession
whenever they please/ they are never
either Pandarons or Tadins; nor do
they run about the streets like other
penitents ; and they never solicit alms
but in the temple of the deity to whose
service they devote themselves.
Their name is derived from poojah,
which signifies a daily ceremony per-
formed in honour of the god. They
are also called Bciinians, because they
sometimes accompany their singing
with an instrument called Baini.?'-" .-".-"??x- ~ --.-^rri:',,":?:.
r-":- ^ ^U.i*
IN MINIATURE.
233
NEMESSOURA-CAORI.
The appellation of Ne
01.C««rfi, is given to women wko make
a vow to carry watev from the Ganges to .(
NcmeMOurin, . celeteatecl pagoda at
Cape' Comorin, dedicated to Sheeva.
This penance is considered as one of
the most efficacio-us for the remission of
sins.
Women of the superior castes never
perform this pilgrimage in person, but
pay considerable sums to substitutes.
The opposite plate represents a No**-
Mun,Ca^i. The vessels containing
the sacred water are set on a Wnd of
x 3234 HJNDOOSTAN
mats, fastened by four sticks, in the
manner of scales, to each end of a pole,
which she carries on her shoulder.
The Hindoos believe that the idol in
the temple of Nemessourin was brought
by the god Hanooman from the Ganges,
by command of llama; and that the
tank which is in the temple was made
by Vishnu,, with his own hands. The
devout go thither on pilgrimage from
distant countries : but to render this
act meritorious, the pilgrim must pre-
viously visit the banks of the Ganges,
?i O
?*
lie on the ground and fast during the
journey, and arrive laden with water
from that river to bathe the idol.
The Cashi-Caori, or 6V?tw//, area class
of Pandarons, who perform the same
IN MINIATURE.
235
kind of pilgrimage/"with water from
-the Ganges to Cashi. This water, after
being thrown over the idol, is collected
and distributed among the devout, by
whom it is most religiously preserved.
When a sick person is at the point of
death, a few drops of it are poured into
his mouth and upon his head.
The wealthy inhabitants of Malabar
employ people to bring them water from
the Ganges, which is always received
with extraordinary ceremony. To prove
that the water was really brought from
the sacred river, the bearers take the
precaution to obtain a certificate to that
effect from the officer of the place, who,
moreover, seals the vessel into which it
is put, with his seal.231 HINDOOSTAN
Every man, without exception, may
be a carrier of Ganges water; for which
purpose he need not be either Tadin,
Pandaron, or Yog*ee.
IN MINIATURE.
237
SACRIFICES
AN D
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.
In ancient times it was customary to
/
sacrifice a bull or a horse to the Deity,
and a man to the evil genii; but these
sacrifices, the first called gomedha, the
second assuamedha, and the third nara-
medha, have been forbidden ever since
the commencement of the cali-youg, or
present age: and on this point, at least,
the doctrine of Buddha obtained the
ascendancy in India on this side of the
Ganges. The bull and the horse were
sacrificed to Indra, who transmitted the.538 HINDOOSTAN
offering to Brama, and Drama to the
Supreme Being. The human sacrifice
was made to Bhavani, who afterwards
offered the victim to the evil spirits.
At this remote period, the Brahiins,,
who officiated at these sacrifices, pos-
sessed, it is said, the power of recalling
the victims to life, by repeating the
Vedas by which they were deprived
of it.
The animals now sacrificed are the
buffalo, and the sheep. The former is
offered to Dourga or Bhavani among
the Mahrattas and in Bengal at the
festival called Doura. The sheep is
strangled at the grand sacrifice, which
is offered with great pomp to the stars,
and is called jagum. When the animal
IN MINIATURE, 3J
is dead, the heart is roasted and cut in
small pieces, which are divided among
the principal Bramins; and this is the
only occasion on which the Bramins
eat flesh.
Some few tribes have retained the
practice of sacrificing living victims.
The ,Jhattries offer a ram or a goat
twice a year to their tutelary goddess,
Bhavani; others even sacrifice human
victims on extraordinary occasions : but
the tribes which arc addicted to this
cruel superstition are so few, so insig-
nificant in point of numbers and so
weak, that they conceal themselves
with the utmost care and venture no
farther than to poison, from time to
time, some wretched mendicant, as an240 HINDOOSTAN
agreeable offering to Cali, another form
of Bhavani.
In Malabar fowls are sometimes im-
molated: but the Bramihs have no
#*
hand in sacrifices of this kind, which are
customary among the inferior castes
alone.
Dr. Buchanan informs ITS, that among
the Morasu, a caste of Sooder Hindoos,
where bloody sacrifices of sheep and
o-oats are offered to Kala, one of the
ID
destroying powers, is this singular cus-
tom j when a woman is from fifteen to
twenty years of age, and has borne
children, terrified lest the angry deity
should deprive her of her infants, she
goes to the temple, and as an offering
to appease his wrath, she cuts off one
IN MINIATURE.
241
or two of her fingers from the right
hand.
Besides these sacrifices of living vic-
tims, there are many others which are
more worthy of the Deity. The latter
consist in general of milk, water, honey,
corn, flowers, also butter and curds,
with which, on many occasions, barley
and other seeds are wetted.
At one festival, which is held at the
beginning of the season most suitable
for navigation, cocoa-nuts are thrown
into the sea with great ceremony. At
another the military castes mix a red
powder with water, with which they
drench one another by means of a
species of squirt, to represent Parasou
Rama, or some other hero, returning
VOL, n. ' y242 HINDOOSTAN
from battle covered with blood. Others
are of opinion that this ceremony is
designed to celebrate the orgies of
Krishna with his mistresses and com-
panions. As tradition relates, that in
their sports they dusted one another
with a red powder, the pious Hindoos,
in imitation of them, pelt each other
with a profusion of earth of the same
colour, which is found in abundance in
Hindoostan, and is employed in painU~
ing by the name of India red.
Tins absurd ceremony, which will be
farther noticed hereafter, takes place
nearly at the same season of the year
as our Ash-Wednesday, and also pre-
cedes the Lent, or the Hindoo season
of expiation. It is usually held, likeA
toa the festival'
IN MINIATURE. 243
most other ceremonies, in front of the
houses of the rich; but frequently also
within them. The annexed engraving
represents a rajah and his wives dusting
and squirting at one another on a ter-
race of his garden.
The festivals at which the Hindoos
carry their gods about in triumph are
of high antiquity, and commonly cele-
brated with great magnificence. The
pious are called together by the sound
of drums and trumpets, which is kept
up from morning till night in the pa-
goda. Some fall prostrate before the
idol j others repeat prayers standing
up to the waist in the water of the sa-
cred tank: these are employed in
anointing their heads with common oil
v 2244 IIINDOOSTAN
or essences, and those in drying their
clothes. Some read or converse, while
the great majority listen respectfully.
Meanwhile a thousand cooks are at
work in the out-buildiijgs, and banana
leaves are prepared as dishes for the
rice and other articles of food. All is
bustle during- the day- but on the ap-
proach of night this bustle increases.
No sooner is the sun set, than lamps
fed with cow-dung dried in the day-
time and moistened with common oil
give notice that the procession is about
to begin.
When the hour awaited with im-
patience is arrived, the sound of a
very large copper basin, which is struck
with thick pieces of bamboo, is heard.
IN MINIATURE. 245
and the people take their places. The
procession is opened by groups of mu-
sicians with long wooden trumpets, who
are followed by thousands of devotees
in two files, each carrying in his hand
a piece of wood a yard long, with a
chaffing-dish or circular iron receiver
at the top, full of the same matter that
is used for the lamps, and numbers of
men are incessantly running to and fro
with pots of oil for the supply of the
latter.
The'cars employed in these ceremo-
nies, called tcrs, resemble high wooden
steeples curiously wrought and carved.
They are adorned with flags and
flowers. Pasteboard lions, placed at the
four corners, support these ornaments :
r 3246" HINDOOSTAN
sometimes the front is occupied by
horses of the same material. The idol
is in a niche, or in a pedestal in the
middle. The car .moves on lo\v but
very thick wheels ; it has several sto-
ries where there are dancing-girls, sing-
ing and dancing, while others with
large fans, keep continually fanning
the statues, or drive away the flics
from it with cows' tails. The upper-
most story is covered with a circular
canopy of a red colour, enriched with
gold fringe: from each story wave
flags of all hues, particularly blue, red
and yellow. Some are striped, others
all of one colour, and others have a
cross in the middle, as represented in
the plate.
IN MINIATURE. 247
The principal adventures, and the
most execrable misdeeds of their gods,
are painted or carved in relief on the
sides of the car. These unwieldy ma-
chines cannot move but on very level
ground, and some thousands of per-
sons are required to drag them along.
i
In this country there is no want of
hands j and as the Hindoos are taught to
believe, that by drawing the cars of their
gods at these ceremonies they make
atonement for their sins, all are eager to
seize the ropes. The car is thus dragged
away, with loud shouts and a noise and
uproar not to be conceived. In their
opinion, it is also a highly meritorious
action to roll in the ruts made by the
car in its passage : nay some even carry243 H1NDOOSTAN
their superstition so far, as to throw
themselves down before it, that they
may be crushed to death by the wheels.
Solvyns assures us that he has seen
thirty of these fanatics sacrifice their
lives in this manner under a single rutt,
as the sacred car is denominated.
So much is certain,, that if any of
those who go before the vehicle happen
to be thrown down by the crowd/ they
must inevitably perish, because it would
be impossible to stop in such a con-
fusion. These unfortunate wretches
are venerated as saints'and their death
is envied.
The procession halts now and then
at penduls, or resting-places. The idol
is visited by a great number of pup-
IN MINIATURE. 249
pets fastened above with silken threads ;
these figures are let down, and dance
and play antics till the spectators have
had enough of their performance.
It is a singular fact that the most
devout of the musicians throw them-
selves on the ground, and move for-
ward on their backs with astonishing
celerity, playing their instruments all
the while.
The car with the idol remain under
the last pcndal till the eighth day, when
they are removed and drawn back to
the temple, but without ceremony.
Next day the enormous machine is
stripped of its decorations and put away
under a straw shed till the following-
year,260 HINDOOSTAN
Sometimes the idol is carried on a
mere litter or bier. In the back-ground
o
of our plate are seen the outer walls
and the towers of a pagoda. On the
right is a gate of .honour, or res! ing-
place. The god borne upon a bier is
stopping there while the devedassees
perform dances accompanied with ob-
streperous music. Half-naked Hindoos,
with white turbans, carry a ]nd of
trident, having lighted tow burning at
V
the points,
The manner of adoring the idols
consists in holding the clasped hands
before the face, and bending the body
half way to the ground.
The idol represented in the engraving,
is of colossal stature and gilt. Ample
IN MINIATURE. 251
muslin drapery conceals it almost en-
tirely from the view of the devout.
Over it there is a kind of small cupola
of a red colour.
The resting-place is in the form of
a canopy enriched with drapery," and
adorned at the four corners with red
standards,, bearing a white cross. From
the centre hangs a lighted lamp. When
the sacrifices, libations, and other rites
are finished, the crowd convey the god
back to his temple.
The ceremony represented in our
next plate is called boussa-djeng\ It
concludes in a very curious manner.
The people, after carrying the images
of the gods in procession several days,
take them to a river and set them upon?252 H1NDOOSTAN
two boats placed alongside each other-
The respect and adoration hitherto paid
to these images are then succeeded by
the grossest abuse and the most vehe-
ment imprecations. The Bramins them-
selves strive to outdo one another in
vituperation, and such as distinguish
themselves continue to be objects of
peculiar veneration till the next festival.
After this extraordinary scene, the
boats are separated, and the images of
the gods tumble into the wateT amidst
the acclamations of the multitude.
The figure, exhibited in the plate,
of colossal dimensions, represents the
goddess Cali, the wife of Sheeva. She
lolls out her tongue, which practice,
as Solvyns observes, is very common
IN MINIATURE. 253
with the Hindoo women, when any
thing affects them in a disagreeable
manner.
The goddess is crowned with a kind
of tiara. One of her four hands is
armed with a large scimitar; another1
is holding a head by the hair; and she
lias round her neck a chain of human
heads which descends to her knees.
The description given by an eye-
witness, the late Rev. Dr. Buchanan
of the ceremonies practised at the
temple of Juggernaut,, though rather
long, is too characteristic of these
horrid scenes, and too interesting to be
omitted here.
\
That part of the province of Orissa
which contains the temple of Jugger-
VOL. II. Z254
1IINDOOSTAN
naut, first became subject to Britain,
under the administration of Marquis
Wellesley, who permitted pilgrims to
visit the place without paying tribute.
It was proposed soon afterwards, to
pass a regulation for the management
of the temple, and for levying a tax;
but as such a measure might have led
to the inference that the government
sanctioned the idolatrous and bloody
rites performed there, his lordship
disapproved it, and left his successor
to pass the opprobrious law. A tax was
imposed by it on pilgrims, for admis-
sion to the temple ; an officer of go-
vernment was appointed to collect it;
and out of the produce, a sum was
allotted for the expenses of the temple.
IN MINIATURE. 255
Having premised thus much, let us
hear Dr. Buchanan, who visited this
place in the year 1806, and whose in-
formation is given in extracts from
the journal of his tour.
The first is dated from Buddruck,
in Orissa, May 30:?We know that we
are approaching Juggernaut, (and yet
we are more than fifty miles from it,)
by the human bones which we have
seen for some" days strewed by the way.
At this place, we have been joined by
several large bodies of pilgrims, per-
haps two thousand in number, who
have come from various parts of north-
ern India. Some of them say, that
they have been two months on their
march, travelling slowly in the hottest256 HINDOOSTAN
season of the year, with their wives
and children. Numbers of pilgrims
die on the road, and their bodies gene-
rally remain nnburied. On a plain by
the river, near the pilgrims* caravan-
sera at this place, there are more than
a hundred skulls. The dogs, jackals,
and vultures seem to live here on
human prey. The vultures exhibit a
shocking lameness. The obscene ani-
mals will not leave the body sometimes
till we come close to them. This
Buddruck is a horrid place : wherever
I turn my eyes, I meet death in some
shape or other.
June 12.?At nine o'clock this morn-
ing the temple of Juggernaut appeared
in view at a great distance. When the
IN MINIATURE. 257
multitude filst saw it, they gave a shout
and fell to the ground and worshipped.
From the place where I now stand, I
have a view of a host of people, like
an army encamped at the outer gate
of the town of Juggernaut, where a
guard of soldiers is posted to prevent
their entering, until they have paid the
pilgrims' tax. I passed a devotee to-
day, who laid himself down at every
step, measuring the road to Jugger-
naut by the length of his body, as a
penance of merit to please the god.
Many of the pilgrims being poor and
unable to pay the tax, it frequently
happens, that a body of them consist-
ing chiefly of old men, women, and
children, trusting to the physical weight
z 3258 HINDOOSTAN
of their mass will make a charge on
the guards, overwhelm them and force
their way through the gate without
paying j the soldiers being unwilling
to oppose their bayonets. On these
occasions numbers perish j and we are
assured that one hundred and fifty
persons have been trampled to death
at once in the crowd in approaching
the gate.
June 14.?I have seen Juggernaut.
The scene at Buddnick is but the ves-
tibule of Juggernaut. The idol has
been considered as the Moloch of the
present age, and he is justly so named,
for the sacrifices offered up to him by
self-clevoteinent are not less criminal,
\
perhaps, not less numerous than those
IN MINIATURE. 259
recorded of the Moloch of Canaan.
Two other idols accompany Juggernaut,
namely, Boloram and Shiibudra, his
brother and sister; for there are three
deities worshipped here. They receive
equal adoration, and sit on thrones of
nearly equal height.
This morning I viewed the temple?
a stupendous fabric, and truly com-
mensurate with the extensive sway of
the " horrid king." As other temples
are usually adorned with figures em-
blematic of their religion, so Jugger-
naut has representations, numerous and
varied, of that vice which constitutes
the essence of his worship. The walls
and gates are covered with indecent
emblems, in massive and durable sculp-200 . IltNDOOSTAN
ture. I have also visited the sand-plains
by the sea, in some places whitened
with the bones of the pilgrims; and
another place, a little way out of the
town, called by the English the Golgo-
tha where the dead bodies are usually
cast forth, and where dogs and vultures
are seen.
The vultures generally find out the
prey first, and begin with the intestines ;
for the flesh is too firm for their beaks
immediately after death. The dogs
soon receive notice of the circumstance,
generally from seeing the hurries, or
corpse-carriers, returning from the place.
On the approach of the dogs, the vul-
tures retire a few yards, and wait till
the body be sufficiently torn for easy
IN MINIATURE. 261
deglutition. The. vultures and dogs
often feed together, and sometimes
begin their attack before the pilgrim
be quite dead. There are four animals
which may be seen about a carcass at
the same time?the dog, the jackal, theL
vulture and the hitrgeela, or adjutant,
called by Pennant, the gigantic crane.
Independently of the enormity of the
superstition, there are other circum-
stances which render Juggernaut noi-
some in an extreme degree- The senses
are assailed by offensive effluvia, and
by the squalid and ghastly appearance
of the famished pilgrims, many of
whom die in the streets of want or
/
disease ; while the devotees, with clotted
hair and painted flesh, are seen practis-262 HINDOOSTAN
ing their various austerities and modes
of self-torture. Its vicinity to the sea
probably prevents the contagion which
otherwise would be produced by the
putrefactions of the place.
June 18.?This day, being the grand
Hindoo festival of the Rntt Jattra, the
Moloch of Hindoostan was brought out
of his temple amidst the acclamations
of hundreds of thousands of his wor-
shippers. When the idol was placed
on his throne, a shout was raised by
the multitude., such as I had never
heard before. The throne of the idol
was placed on a stupendous car or
tower, about sixty feet in height, rest-
ing on wheels which indented the ground
deeply as they slowly turned under the
IN MINIATURE. 203
ponderous machine. Attached to it
yvere six cables, of the size and length
of a ship's cable, by which the people
drew it along. Thousands of men,
women, and children pulled by each
cable, crowding so closely that some
could use only one hand. Infants are
made to exert their strength in this
office ; for it is accounted a merit of
righteousness to move the god. Upon
the tower were the priests and satellites
of the idol surrounding his throne. I
was told that there were about a hun-
dred and twenty persons upon the car
altogether. The idol is a block of
wood, having a frightful visage painted
black, with a distended mouth of a
bloody colour. His arms are of gold,264 IIINDOOSTAN
and he is dressed in gorgeous apparel*
The other two idols are of a white and
yellow colour. Five elephants preceded
the three towers, bearing towering flags,
dressed in crimson caparisons, and hav-
ing bells hanging to their caparisons,
which sounded musically as they moved.
I went on in the procession,, close by
the tower of Moloch ; which, as it was
drawn with difficulty, "grated on its
many wheels harsh thunder." After a
few minutes it stopped, and now the
tvorship of the god began. A high-
priest mounted the car in front of the
idol and pronounced obscene stanzas,
called culbee, the people at intervals
responding in the same strain. "These
songs," said he, " arc the delight of
IN MINIATURE.
265
the god. His car can only move when
he is pleased with the song." The car
moved on a little way and then stopped.
A boy about twelve years was then
brought forth to attempt something yet
more lascivious, if peradventure the
god would move. The child " pe^-
fected the praise" of his idol with such
ardent expression and gesture that the
god was pleased, and the multitude,
emitting a sensual yell of delight, urged
the car along. But a scene of a dif-
ferent kind was now to be presented.
The characteristics of Moloch's worship
are obscenity and blood.
After the tower had proceeded some
way, a pilgrim announced that he was
ready to offer himself a sacrifice to the
VOL. IT. 2 A2fi?
I1INDOOSTAN
idol. He laid himself down in the
road before the tower, as it was moving
along*, lying1 on his face, with his arms
stretched forward. The multitude
passed round him, leaving the space
clear, and he was crushed to death by
the wheels of the tower. A shout of
joy was raised to the god. He is said
to smile when the libation of the blood
is made. The people threw cowries,
or small shells which pass for money,
on the body of the victim in approba-
tion of the deed. He was left to view
a considerable time, and was then car-
ried by the hurries to the Golgotha,
where I have been just viewing his re-
mains.
June 20. ? The horrid solemnities
IN MINIATURE. 287
still continue. Yesterday a woman de-
voted herself to the idol. She laid
herself down in the road in an oblique
direction, so^ that the wheel did not
kill her instantaneously as is generally
the case; but she died in a few hours.
This morning as I passed the place of
skulls, nothing remained of her but her
bones. And this, thought I, is the
worship of the Bramins of Hindoostan,
and their worship in its sublimest de-
gree I What then shall we think of
their private manners and their moral
principles ?
I was surprised to see the Bramins
with their heads uncovered, in the open
plain, falling down in the midst of the
Sooders before the ''horrid shape/'
2 A 2368 HINDOOSTAN
and mingling so complacently with the
polluted caste.
June 21.?I beheld another distres-
sing scene this morning at the place
of skulls?a poor woman lying dead
or nearly dead, and her two children
by her, looking at the dogs and vul-
tures which were near. The people
passed by without noticing the children.
I asked them where was their home.
They said they had no home but where
their mother was. Oh, there is no pity
at Juggernaut ! no mercy, no tender-
ness of heart in Moloch's kingdom !
As to the number of worshippers
assembled here at this time no accurate
calculation can be made.. The natives
themselves, when speaking of the num-
IN MINIATURE, 209
bers at particular festivals, usually
say, that a lack of people (100,000)
would not be missed. I asked a Bra-
min how many he supposed were pre~
sent at the most numerous festival he
had ever witnessed. " How can I
tell," said he, (f how many grains there ..
are in a handful of sand?" So far
Dr. Buchanan.
According to Dr. Carey, an eminent
member of the Baptist mission at Se-
rainpore, twelve or thirteen pilgrim-
ages are made annually to the temple
of Juggernaut. " It is calculated,"
he says, " that the number who go
thither is on some occasions 600,000
persons, and scarcely ever less than270 HINDOOS! AN
100,000. I suppose on the lowest calcu-
lation that in the year 1,200,000 persons
attend. The numbers who die in their
long pilgrimages, either through want
or fatigue, or from dysenteries and fe-
vers caught by lying out and want of
accommodation, are incredible. Now,
if only one in ten died, the mortality
caused by this one idol, would be
120,000 in a year; but some are of
opinion that not more than one in ten
survives to return home."
A circumstance which renders it
probable that the number of pilgrims
is equal to what Dr. Carey computes
is, that Mr. Buller, who was long secre-*
tary to the board of revenue in India,
IN MINIATURE. 271
has calculated the population, extend-
ing as far as Cabul, at little short of*
two hundred millions.
The annual expenses attending the
idol of Juggernaut amount, according
to the official account to about 70,000'
rupees, or £8,700 sterling.
The rites of Juggernaut are not con-
fined to the temple in Orissa. Close to
Ishera, about eight miles from Calcutta,
there is a temple of this idol, which is
often stained with human"" blood. It
was visited at the Rutt Jattra, in May
1807, by the Rev. Dr. Buchanan. The
tower here, says he, is drawn along like
that at Juggernaut, by cables. The
number of worshippers at this festival
is computed to be a hundred thousand.TIINDOOSTAN
The tower is covered with indecent em-
blems, which were freshly painted for
the occasion. One of the victims of
this year was a well-made young- man,
of healthy appearance and comely as-
pect. He had a.garland of floVvers
round his neck, and his long' black hair
was dishevelled. He danced for a while
before the idol, singing in an enthusiastic
strain, and then rushing suddenly to the
wheels, he shed his blood under the tower
of obscenity.
About the year 1?90, twenty-eight
Hindoos were crushed to death at Ishera,
under the wheels of the car of Jugger-
naut, impelled, it was said, by sympa-
thetic religious phrenzy. The fact of
their deaths was notorious: it was re-
IN MINIATURE. 273
corded in the Calcutta newspapers, but
so little impression did it make on the
public mind, and so little inquiry was
made by individuals on the subject,, that
it became doubtful at length, whether
the men perished.by accident, or as
usual by self-devotement: for it was
said, that to qualify the enormity of the
deed in the view of the English, some
of the Hindoos gave out that the men
fell under the wheels by accident.
It was probably to this very circum-
stance that Solvyns, whose testimony is
quoted in a preceding page, was an eye-
witness.
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3m
EXPIATIONS.
WE have treated of the different classes
of Hindoo penitents, as well as of the
voluntary mortifications to which they
.submit either from a spirit of religion
or vanity. Besides these they have, at
stated seasons, public expiations for
the purpose of appeasing the divine
??wrath, in which these fanatics perform
the principal parts. They make, in
fact a kind of trarte of it; inflicting on
VOL. in.2 HINDOOSTAN
themselves excruciating" torments,, ra-
ther to expiate the sins of those who
pay them than to obtain pardon for
their own.
The principal of these expiations is
that which Solvyns calls djhampe. The
persons of both sexes who devote
themselves to this species of expiation
are led in procession, with the Sound
of instruments,, through the town or
village. They are adorned with red
flowers,, and carry fruit which they
throw as they pass among the specta-
tors, who scramble for it with religious
eagerness.
When the actors hav£ arrived at the
place of exhibition, they ascend to a
greater or Jess height, hi proportion to
IN MINIATURE. 3
their zeal and courage, on ^caffolds of
several stories, erected for the purpose,
and thence throw themselves upon straw
or cotton mattresses covered with
knives, sabres, and other sharp instru-
ments, in the manner represented in
the plate.
The Bramins who hold the mattresses,
generally contrive to diminish the dan-
ger by humouring the fall: for the
main point is, not that the wounds
be mortal, but that a good deal of blood
may be spilled. The fanatics pre-
pare themselves for this trial by absti-
nence and fasting for several days. This
precaution, which the Bramins enforce
as a religious precept, has the effect of
D 24 IMNDOOSTAN
rendering wounds less injurious and
facilitating their cure.
At night, when the fljhampc is over,
the persons who attended it repair to
the pagodas with great ceremony, ac-
companied by musicians who play all
sorts of instruments by the way. The
penitents meanwhile are not^idle. One
thrusts a long needle through his
tongue ; another cleaves his with a cut-
las or sabre ? a third pierces his fingers
with a sharp-pointed iron skewer : while
a fourth inflicts one hundred and twenty
wounds on his forehead, breast and
back; for there must be neither more
nor fewer than this mystic number.
Lastly, there are some who perforate
IN M1N1ATUFH-. 5
the flesh above the hips, through which
they run cords or thrust tubes of pipes
and reeds.
The procession moves along to the
sound of instruments, amidst the ac-
clamations of the multitude, some of
the penitents holding live coals on
which perfumes are burned in the hoi
low of their hands. This kind of pro-
digy, which is undoubtedly the effect
of some cneinical preparation unknown
to the populace, fills the pious Hin-
' doos with astonishment and venera-
tion. ,
Each of the penances mentioned
above, is intended to expiate some par-
ticular sin : thus, the tongue is pierced
for lying, the fingers for theft, and the
J5 35 HINDOOSTAN
wounds on the forehead are inflicted for
wicked thoughts.
The procession which lasts the whole
of the succeeding day,, halts from time
to time to dance before the houses of
those by whom the penitents are paid j
for, as we have already observed, it is
to expiate the sins of the rich that
the poor submit to such various kinds
of torment.
These religious wounds are very
easily and speedily healed : milk is em-
ployed for the tongue, and herbs for
other parts of the body.
Solvyns affirms, that\he was present
at a festival of this'kind, held with
the greatest solemnity in a pagoda,
three miles from Calcutta, in honour
IN MINIATURE. 7
of the god Cally, when the blood on
the floor covered the feet of the spec-
tators.
The expiatory tortures conclude with
the toharok poojah, which consists in
thrusting into the flesh at the shoulder-
blades two strong iron hooks, suspend-
ed by a rope from one end of a lever,
which turns upon a pivot fixed in the
top of a high pole. The other end of
the lever is then pulled clown, and the
victim, raised to the height of twenty
or thirty feet, is swung round writh ra-
pidity in the presence of a concourse of
spectators. While turning round, he
throws down, according to Solvyns,
cocoa-nuts and other fruity for which,S HINDOOS'!'AN
the crowd eagerly scramble, or lets
some pigeons fly. Luillier,, an ancient
traveller, describes him as holding in
his hand an iron rod, having burning1
perfumes fastened to the top, to pre-
vent his fainting through pain. Some-
times the flesh gives way, owing to the
weight of the body and the swiftness of
the motion, and the sullcrcr would con-
sequently run the risk of being killed
by jthe fall, but for the precaution
which is taken to bind him to tlxa lever,
f
by means of a linen scarf that passes
round his waist, in the manner exhi-
bited in the annexed engicaving.;
The reader may judge what pain the
wretches must suffer who submit; to
A species of Fonsnuce
at tflta^ JTcsHival of tflke $odLdefsIN MINIATURE, 9
this torture. There are, nevertheless, ?
people who make a trade of it, as they
do of the other expiations.
During the whole of the ceremony ,
numerous musicians continue to play
upon a variety of instruments. As
music accompanies all the religious
festivals and ceremonies of the Hindoos,,
we shall devote the next chapter to the
consideration of that subject.10
HINDOOSTAN
MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRU-
MENTS.
To judge from the works on music
extant in the Sanscrit language, and
from the effects ascribed by the poets
to that art, which fully equal those at-
tributed to the lyre of Orpheus, there
cap be no doubt that in ancient times
it \yas farther advanced than it is at
present. It was natural to impute the
»
invention of this charming art to the
gods: accordingly the Bramins sup-
pose that mankind were taught it by
Brama, and his wife Sarasswadi j and
fable adds that Narecla, son of those
IN MINIATURE. H
two deities, was the inventor of the
vina.
Bherat, the inventor of the dramas
in which singing is united with dancing,
and which resemble our operas, is held
to have been inspired by the gods.
Sir William Jones, in his Essay on
the musical modes of the Hindoos,
quotes several passages in which four
systems of music invented by Ixora or
Sheeva, (perhaps Osiris), Bherat, Ha-
nooman, ana Callinath, an Indian phi-
losopher, are described. Each pro-
vince of Hindoostan has moreover its
particular system.
The gamut of the Hindoos compre-
hends seven notes, which, they desig- .
nate by jthe first syllables of their12
IIINDOOSTAN
names: sa, ri,ga, ma,pa, dha, ni. They
reckon in the octave, twenty-two fourths
and thirds: they have also eighty-four
modes, which are forced by the sub-
division of the seven natural notes.
These modes are called raugs, a term
which signifies passion, each mode being
designed to excite a particular sensa-
tion.. Some writers, therefore, swell
the number to sixteen thousand ; while
others, who are more moderate, reduce
?the modes which may be employed in
practice to twenty-three.
The Hindoos place- their seven notes
under the protection of seven deities of
the first order. They call the octave
grama a word literally signifying vil-
lage ; because they compare the ar-
IN MINIATURE. l;j
rangement of the notes with the order
which prevails in that of houses.
The six principal modes are personi-
fied under the figures of handsome
youths, who are the genii of music and
preside over the seasons; for the Hin-
doos have six, of two months each.
Each of these six raugs is attended by
five rauginis, his faithful wives, who
present him with eight putras or little
genii, his children, whose melodious
voices accompany the songs of their
fathers. The six raugs, the thirty rau-
ginis and the forty-eight putras form
the eighty-four modes.
These modes are adapted to parti-
cular seasons of the year and par-
ticular hours of the day. This is a sin-
VOL. in. c14 1IINDOOSTAN
gularity peculiar to tlie Hindoos alone :
and a musician who should derange this
*
order by singing- in one season an air
belonging to another, or in the day-
time such as are appropriated to night,
would-be set down for an ignoramus.
It is probable that these songs were
composed in honour* of the deities
whose festivals were held in the sea-
sons to which they have ever since been
consecrated by tradition. Be this as it
may, none of the Hindoos can now ac-
count for the origin of this custom,
which seems to be lost in the obscurity
of the early ages. It has been univer-
sally adopted by the Mahometans.
Whatever magic was in the touch
when Orpheus swept his lyre, or Timo-
1N MINIATURE. 15
theus filled his- softly-breathing flute,
the effects said to have been produced
by two of the six rang, are even more
extraordinary than any of those as-
cribed to the modes of the ancients.
Mia Tousine, a wonderful musician in
the time of the emperor Akber, sung
one of the night rang at mid-day. The
powers of his music were such that
it instantly became night; and the
darkness extended in a circle round the
palace as far ks his voice could be heard.
«»
The Hindoos have a tradition of Naik
Gopaul, another celebrated musician in
the reigti of the same monarch, who
was commanded by the emperor to
sing the rang dheepuck, which whoever
attempted to sing should be destroyed
a 216 I1INDOOSTAN
by fire. Naik Gopaul flew to the river
Jumna, and plunged himself up to the
neck in water, where Akber; determined
to prove the power of this rang, com-
pelled the unfortunate musician to sing
it. Notwithstanding his situation in the
river, flames burst violently from his _
body and consumed him to ashes.
These and other anecdotes of the
same nature are related by many of
the Hindoos and implicitly believed by
.some. The effect produced by the
maig mullaar rang' is immediate rain.
It is related that a 'singing-girl once
by exerting the powers of her voice in
this raugy drew -clown from the clouds
timely and refreshing showers on the
parched rice-props of Bengal, and there-
IN MINIATURE. 17
by averted the horrors of famine from
the Paradise of Regions. A European
in that country,, inquiring after per-
formers capable of producing similar
effects, is gravely told that the art is
now" almost lost, but that there are
still musicians possessed of those won-
derful powers in the west of India. If
one; inquires in the west, they say, that
if any such performers remain they are
to be found only in Bengal.
Many ot the Hindoo melodies pos-
sess the plaintive simplicity of the
Scotch and Irish, and others a wild
originality that is inexpressibly plea-
sing. Counterpoint seems not, as far
as has yet been discovered, to have
c 318 HINDOOSTAN
entered at any -time into the system of
Indian music.
The instrumental music is not so
agreeable: it is very obstreperous,
from the too great number of drums,
trumpets and pipes., some of which are
of guch length, that the players are
obliged to rest the ends on the shoulders
of the musicians who go before them.
In the annexed engraving of Musical
Instruments, Plate 1, fig. 1 represents
the dhauk, an enormous and heavy drum,
which must not be used without per-
mission from the jeiftmidar of the place.
This permission js not granted except-
ing on occasion of marriages, funerals
or other important ceremonies. TheJM \UUIK'
IN MINIATURE. 19
stunning* ,noise of this drum delights
the ears of the Hindoos. On extraor-
dinary occasions it is adorned with
feathers, horse-hair and flowers.
Fig. 2, the doluh or tamtam is ano-
ther large drum scarcely differing at
all from that of Europe.
The kaura, fig. 3, is a small portable
.drum, beaten with two sticks. It is
commonly, used on journeys to scare
away wild beasts, mid also in opulent
housesv to announce the arrival of cere-
monious visitors. Another use to
which it is applied is to give notice to
the people of the opening of the bazars
or markets.
The doyra, fig. 4, is an instrument
very like our tambourine, surrounded20 IHNDOOSTAN
with copper rings,* which the player
shakes with one hand while he strikes
the lower skin with the other.
The taUa, fig. 5, is a pair of ket-
tle-drums, which are struck with the
fingers. One is" of earthen-ware, the
other of wood, and both are covered
with parchment. This instrument is
most commonly carried by loose per-
sons of both sexes.
Another species of kettle-drum, called
the tickora, is shown at fig. 6. This in-
strument is more frequently seen in the
train of Mahratta princes than in pro-
cessions : it is often placet} on a camel,
which follows the elephant that carries
the prince. The sound of this drum is
any thing but melodious.
IN MINIATURE. 21
Fig. 7, the dhourgliadje, is a drum
composed of two cases of unequal size,
the skin on the under part of which is
beaten with the fingers, and on the up-
per with a stick. It is chiefly employed
to mark the time.
The nagur, fig. 8, is also a double
drum, used on occasion of festivals and
processions.
The hurtaul, fig, 9, is a small p'air of
cymbals whzoh are held in the hand.
This instrument appears to have been
formerly used in religious ceremonies,
as many of the ancient idols are repre-
sented with it. The kurtaul is fre-
quently seen in the hands of persons
who affect piety, and who accompany22 IIINDOOSTAN
their singing witlf it in the streets and
markets.
The Hindoos have a species of harmo-
nica which they call jultrung*, fig. 10,
composed of porcelain bowls,, each
giving a different tone when struck
with small iron rods.
The dump, (see Musical Instruments,
plate 2, fig. 11,) is a large drum,, differing
from ours in its octagon form, and in
being beaten with the hand only. It is
chiefly used in religious festivals.
Fig. 12, the khole^ or mirdeng, is a
kind of drum of baked' earth, in the
shape of two truncated cones joined to^.
gether at their bases. The ends are
covered with parchment like those of
IN MINIATURE. 23
our European drums. This is the fa-
vourite instrument of the Tadins, Yo-
gees and all the religious penitents.
The djougo, fig*. 13, is a rather un-
common instrument. The sound is
produced by the friction of a stick
having a ball of packthread fastened to
the end of it, on parchment stretched
over a cylinder of baked earth. This
^
cylinder is composed of two parts
joined together, each of which is co- .
^ vered with a parchment which may be
tightened or relaxed at pleasure,, by
means of a band that goes round the
instrument. The player, at the same
time that he rubs the stick above-men-
tioned on one end, strikes the other
with a second.24 IIINDOOSTAN
The surmungla, fig. 14, a genuine
Hindoo instrument, is composed of a
number of bamboos split at the two
ends, and held together by thin cross
pieces. The performer plays by merely
passing his hand over the instrument.
We now proceed to notice a few of
the wind instruments of the Hindoos.
Of these the ramsinga, fig. 15, is one
of the most remarkable. It consists of
four tubes of very thin metal, which
, fit one within another, and are gene-
rally covered with fine red varnish. It
is played in the same manner as our
trombone, but' requires very strong-
lungs to draw from it a continuation of
sounds.
Fig. 16, is a long pipe called tare, or
IN MINIATURE. 25
pani cavaneh, more particularly em-
ployed for the purpose of announcing
the death of a person, or the offerings
made by his relatives on his funeral
pile The dull, mournful tones of this
instrument render it very suitable for
this office.
The baunh, fig. 17, is a.kind of trum-
pet, (vliich is not only used in proces-
sions, but employed by the Mahrattas
as a military instrument both for ca-
v#lry and infantry. It resembles the
military trumpet of Europe.
The soorna, fig*. 18, is a sort of pipe
exactly resembling our hautboy, and
like the latter, played by means of a
reed. Without any rule of music, the
Hindoos always play it in a high key,
VOL. JII. D26
IIINDOOSTAN
which produces a noise extremely dis-
agreeable to the ear, especially when
it is accompanied by the dhau'k, the
ItlioU, and the tobri. The soorna is ne-
vertheless the principal instrument of
the Hindoos : it is played in all religious
ceremonies, and at the doors of all the
pagodas. It forms,* also, the usual ac-
companiment to the dances of the devc-
dassees.
The tobriy fig. 19, is a sort of bag-
pipe, which has the effect of a bassoon.
This instrument is ^played by barbers;
it is used in all the pagodas, and like-
wise accompanies the dances of the
bayaderes and devedassees.
The bunsi, fig. 20, is a species of
pipe made of bamboo, and played with
IN M1NJATURE. 27
the nose, after the manner of some of
the South Sea islanders.
Fig1. 21 is a conch, or shell,, called
sonh, tipped at each end with copper,
into which the Bramins blow with all
their might to summon the people to
the temples. The shell of which the1
bracelets of the Hindoo women are made
is commonly used for this purpose.
In the third plate are shown a few of
the str'ingeu instruments most common
-in India.
The vina, fig", 22, is a string-eel in-
strument of the guitar kind. The
handles twenty-one inches and a half
long: at a little distance from each end
of it is a large calebash, and beyond
these the pegs and tail which hold the
D 228 HINDOOSTAN
strings fast. The total length of the
instrument is three feet seven inches.
The first calebash is fixed at the dis-
tance of ten inches from the upper ex-
tremity, and the second seven inches
and a half from the lower end. They
are fourteen inches in diameter, and at
their base there is a round hole about
five inches in diarnetar. The handle
is two inches thick. There are se-
ven strings, two of steel are very near
- one another oil the right; four, of cop-
per, on the handle; and the seventh,
also of copper, on the left.
When the vina is played, the upper
calebash is rested on the left shoulder,
and the lower on the right knee. The
player presses the strings with the left
IN MINIATURE. *y
hand, using chiefly the first and second
lingers, rarely the third, and occasion-
ally the little finger. The fingers of
the right hand strike the strings on that
side; the first two strike those on the
handle, the little finger those on the
rio'ht, but the third fino-er is never used.
i-j ' O
The first and second fingers of that
hand are defended by a piece of iron
wire put on the ends of them in the way
of a thimble, which produces a dis-
agreeable sound when the musician
plays with force: but when he plays
gently, the sound of this instrument is
highly pleasing to tlie ear.
Solvyns describes an instrument called
pcnnauk, fig. 23, which differs from the
vina in this respect, that the two calc-
j 3^0 1UNDOOSTAN
bashes are connected by an iron bar, and
that it has but one cord of wire tiglitly
stretched. The performer obtains sounds
from it by drawing a bow over this wire
with one hand, and scraping with a
stick in the other.
The oorni, fig. 24, is a rude species
of guitar, formed of half a cocoa-nut,
in which is fixed a bamboo stick with a
single string, played upon with a bow,
the handle of which is covered with or-
naments. The oorni yields but two
sounds, one of which is described as
resembling the mewing of a cat, and the
other the lowing of deer.
Fig. 25 is a kind of guitar called sitar,
which our European players would turn
to a good account/- Those of Hindoo-
IN MINIATURE.
31
stan, thinking its s6und too monotonous,
frequently tie two iron rings to each
string for the purpose of making more
noise. These rings striking against one
another destroy all the harmony of the
situr, but produce harsh jangling* tones
with which Indian ears are not a little
delighted.
The sarindah, fig. 26, is an instru-
ment which seems to belong exclusively
to the common people. It is formed
of a piece of wood, over a hollow in
which are extended cotton strings, that
are sounded by means of a bow.
The saringee, fig. 27, is very much
like the violinccllo, but smaller, and
has more strings, which are of cotton,
and yield a sweet sound.32 IIIND008TAN
In a distinct engraving we have given
a representation of the nagabottc, or
great drum,, which is usually carried on
an elephant before the Hindoo and
Mahometan princes. It is used for
proclaiming their commands, both in
towns and in camps. The man is here
supposed to-be beating it in the mid-
dle or a camp to call the soldiers to-
gether. When he has collected them,
he says:?For the glory of the prince
your master, you'will march at such an
hour to-morrow and encamp at such a
place.
This drummer beats with two sticks,
one of which is of iron. He is employ-
ed, on occasion of extraordinary festi-
vals,, in the pagodas.
IN MINIATURE. 30
Thus much for the different Hindoo
^instruments, the endless modifications
of which are applied to numberless
other purposes than those above men-
tioned. Every penitent, every pandaron
and tadin, is solicitous to procure an
instrument,, the new sounds of which
may draw attention to him. They are
frequently seen with a small drum, no
thicker than a man's arm, and narrow
est in the middle, like an hour-glass,
singing the- praises of Ravanasta and
Tucinrajah. The fortune-teller, called
coudacoudoupecaren, shakes in each hand
a little drum, which is struck by two
.wooden balls attached to a wire fasten-
ed to the middle of the instrument, of
ivhich one of our children's toys will34 UINDOOSTAN
afford a tolerably accurate idea. Some
strike together small cymbals not
larger than a man's hand ; others a
small tamtam, which Solvyns calls
liaounsy ? while others again carry a
sort of guitar with four strings, termed
tamboiirah. The rich, as well as the
poor, frequently have in their hands a
sort of castanets, or hollow copper rings,
in which there are little balls of the
same metal which rattle when shaken.
There is among the Hindoos a par-
ticular class of public vocal performers,
called Bhauts, who are most nume-
rous in the province of Guzerat, and
who, like the European minstrels and
troubadours in the ages of chivalry, go
about singing selections from the my-
IN MINIATURE. 35
thological legends of the Hindoos, or
verses of their own composition, either to
praise some renowned warrior, to com-
memorate a victory, to record a tragi-
cal event, or to panegyrise a present
object.
Colonel Wilks, in a note to his His-
tory of Mysore, says :?Bart, bautt,
batt, as it is differently pronounced, is a
curious approximation to the name of
the western bard, and their offices are
nearly similar. No Hindoo rajah is
without his bards. . Hvder, although
« * ^j
not a Hindoo, delighted to be constantly
preceded by tliem, and they are an
appentlage to. the state of many other
Musulman chiefs. They have a won-
derful facility in speaking improvis^to30 11INDOOSTAN
on any subject proposed to them, a de-
clamation in measure which may be
considered as a sort of medium between
blank verse and modulated prose ; but
their proper profession is that of chant-
ing the exploits of former days in the
front of the troops, while marshalling
for battle, and inclining them to emu-
late the glory of their ancestors. Many
instances are known, of bards who have
given the example as well as the pre-
cept of devoting themselves for their
king by leading into the thickest of the
battle.
According to a Hindoo legend, it
was decreed by the goddess Parvati,
that the Indian poets, like their western
brethren, should be ever poor.
IN MINIATURE. 37
These people, as a privileged order,
are exempted from taxes, and every
attempt to levy an assessment on them
is succeeded by a horrid mode of mur-
dering themselves and each other; for,
were they voluntarily to submit to the
imposition, those of their own tribe in
other places would refuse to eat with
them or to intermarry with their family.
Mr. Forbes relates, that when the
Peishvva R^obah was in their country
, with his army, he imposed a contribu-
tion on the inhabitants of Neriad. The
Bhauts refused to submit to it, and as
the prince continued inexorable, the
whole tribe, men, women, and children,
repaired to an open space in the city,
armed with daggers, and with a loud
VOL. in.38 I11NJDOOSTAN
voice proclaimed a dreadful sacrifice.
They once more prayed for an exemp-
tion, which being refused they rushed
furiously upon one another. One man,
more cool and deliberate than the rest,
brought his family to the area before
the Peishwa's residence : it consisted of
two brothers and a beautiful sister, all un-
der eighteen years of age. He first stab-
bed the unresisting damsel to the heart,
instantly plunged the dagger into the
breast of one brother, and desperately
wounded the other before lie could be
prevented. This man afterwards boast-
ed of having sacrificed his father a few
months before in the glorious cause
for which he had become a fratricide.
A particular sect of Bramius claimed
IN MINIATURE. 39
the same privilege of exemption : on
being refused, they likewise vowed re-
venge ; but acting more wisely than the
Bhauts, they purchased two aged ma-
trons of the same caste, who, having
performed the duties of life, were now
past the enjoyment of its pleasures, and
quietly submitted to the sacrifice. These
ancient ladies were sold by their daugh-
ters for forty rupees each, to enable
them to defray the expense incurred
^ by the funeral ceremonies on which
the Indians all lay great stress. The
victims were then conducted to the
market-place, where the Bramins, cal-
ling aloud for vengeance, dispatched
them to another state of transmigra-
E 240 1UNDOOSTAN
tion. After these sacrifices, neither
Bramins nor Bhauts thought it any
disgrace to pay their share of the im-
position.
IN MINIATURE.
41
DANCES AND DANCERS.
Dancing* is so nearly akin to music,
even according to the notions of the
Hindoos, that they consider Rambeh,
the goddess of dancing, as the daughter
of Sore-soutieh, goddess of harmony
and music. Among them, however, as
in almost all the countries of the east,
dancing is not an amusement common
to both sexes. The grave Hindoo has
relinquished it to the women,, to a dis-
tinct cites of whom it is more particu-
larly confined ; for though the wives of
the rajahs, and the numerous favourites
& the Mahometan grandees, sometimes
E 342 HINDOOSTAN
divert their lords with dancing in the
interior of the zenana, yet generally
speaking, it is a profession followed
only by the bayaderes, devedasscesk\'tf\-
cing-ghis belonging to the temples, or
public prostitutes.
An Indian of respectability could ne-
ver consent to his wife and daughter
dancing in public, nor can they recon-
cile the English country-dances with their
- ideas of female delicacy. An amiable
- Hindoo, being taken to a veranda over-
looking the assembly-room at Bombay,
where a number of ladies and gentle-
men were going down a country-dance,
was asked by his conductor how he liked
the amusement. The mild Indian re-
plied, " Master, I not quite understand
IN MINIATURE. 43
this business, but in our caste we say,
f If we place butter too near the fire,
butter will melt/ " I have often thought
of this Hindoo, says Mr. Forbes, when
present at some particular waltzing in
France and Germany.
The dance called nautch, however,
differs in every respect from all the
dances performed by the females above
mentioned* This genuine Huidoo dance
is executed by three females, called
^ramdjenies, who display in their steps
and attitude a grace arid voluptuousness
which astonish Europeans.
Th^ dress of the ramdjemes consists
of a stuff embroidered with gold and
silver. Their lower garment is very
? ample, and becomes inflated like a bal-44 I11NUOOSTAN
loon when they turn quickly round ; it
is of silk, laced or embroidered. Besides
this, they wear trowsers of very rich
stuff, and have bells fastened round the
ancles.
The dancers of the other sex, term-
ed baloks, one of whom is represented
in the annexed engraving, are chiefly
seen at the festival called djolen-mdra.
They paint various parts of the face,
especially the forehead, eyebrows, and
ears ; and they adorn their heads with
red flowers, bunches of peacocks' fea-
thers in the shape of a fan, and other
things. The breast is covered with a
plate of metal, sometimes of gold, on
which are inscribed names of gods and
goddesses, or religious sentences; and
IN MINIATURE. 45
a short mantle,, of a blue, yellow, or
red colour, is thrown over the shoulders.
Puffings of muslin are fastened round
the thighs, and the feet are covered
with ornaments curiously arranged, and
containing little balls, which rattle with
every motion of the limbs. The dan-
cing of the balohs, like that of the ram-
djenies, consists rather of graceful ges-
tures than difficult steps. Each of them
carries a red stick in his hand.
%From the remotest antiquity dancing
has been associated in India with reli-
gion. The devedassees are young fe-
males, whom their parents have de-
voted from their infancy to the service
of the temples, either in performance,
of some vo\r, or to spare themselves46 I1INDOOSTAN
the expense of their maintenance. In
order to obtain admission they must
be well-shaped, of a good constitution,
and have pleasing countenances ; they
must moreover not be of marriageable
age nor have been promised in mar-
riuge. Their parents are also required
to renounce all claims tcTthem. When
a girl is admitted, her parents conduct
her to the temple, and deliver her to
t)ie devedassees, who, after batlnng her
in.,the tirtha, or tank belonging to the
temple, dress her in new clothes and
adorn her with jewels. The high-priest
puts into her hand an image of the
deity, on which she swears to devote
herself for ever to his service: the
lobes of the ears are then perforated,
IN MINIATURE. 47
and the seal of the temple into which
she is received, and to which she thence-
forth belongs, is imprinted on her with
a red-hot iron. Every pagoda keeps^a
number of these girls proportionate to
its revenues : the great pagoda of Jag-
gernaut never has fewer than five or
six hundred. The pagoda to the ser-
vice of which they~d,re attached fur-
nishes them with subsistence, apparel
and pay : but they are obliged to de-
Jiver up the articles of mere ornament,,
when they retire on account of age or
other causes.
The Bnamins instruct them in all
that is requisite for their profession.
They teach them among other things
to read, write, sing and dance; but48 H1NDOOSTAN
above all to heighten the beauty and
graces conferred on them by nature
with all the most seductive arts of co-
quetry. They must learn by heart the
history of the gods, and especially of
the deity to whom they are devoted ;
but they are forbidden to read the
Vedas.
The devedassces are subservient to the
pleasures of the Bramins. It is their
??£r:''
duty to'take care of the temples ; they
light the lamps, and sing and dance on
solemn days before the statue of the
deity, Raynal says, that the Bramins
are so jealous of them, that it is with
great reluctance they allow them to
go and amuse princes and grandees.
Others, on the contrary, assert, that
IN MINIATURE. 49
they rarely refuse their favours to any
one who offers to pay them well, and
that the Bramins are pleased to see the
revenues of their pagoda augmented by
the produce of the charms of their
beautiful pupils. Lastly, Haafner in-
sists, that those travellers who have
advanced that they are obliged to com*
inence their func.^ns by giving them-
selves up to the high-priest, are egre-
giously mistaken: they have a right,
he says, to choose a lover, at pleasure,
either within or without the temple,
provided he be of one of the two
highest .castes ; nay, they are even at
liberty TO preserve their virginity as
long as they live. When the flower of
their beauty fades, or the Bramins wish
VOL. nr. F50 H1NDOOSTAN
to get rid of them for any other reason,
they dismiss them from the pagoda.
This change, however, they have no
reason to dread, for they return without
disgrace into society ; the honour they
have enjoyed of serving the deity gives
them a character of sanctity with the
devout, who eVen marry them in pre-
ference to other females.
These :dancing-girls (see the plate)
-liave the bosom coverecf with a short cor-
set called rawkch, with very short sleeves
reaching only half way to the elbow:
it is not laced before, but the two lower
extremities are fastened together by a
button below the breast. The body is
uncovered from the pit of the stomach
to the navel, whence a kind of close
IN MINIATURE. 51
pantaloons, generally of striped silk,
descend to the ancle. The cloth
which is usually nine ells in length,
and one and cy half or two ells wide,
is of cotton, muslin or silk. This the
dancers wrap several times round the
lower part of the body ; and lest it
should fall off while they are dancing,
they fasten it round tlie waist with a
silver clasp.
They wear also a veil of extremely
fhie, transparent stuff, which somewhat
conceals the bosom, passes over one
shoulder, falls down behind to the mid-
dle of the thigh and is then tucked up
and fastened to the waist.
They stain the tips of the nails a red
colour; and when they are going to
F 252 IUNDOOSTAN
dance, they fasten round the ancles
small bells which serve to keep time.
The silver chains and bells which they
wear about the legs and on the toes,
make, when they dance, a measured
noise which blends in a pleasing manner
with the vocal or instrumental music.
They dance in couples, face to face,
as in our country-dance. The music
which accompanies them is excesssively
?**???
?*t» *
monotonous, consisting of the simple
'sounds of wind instruments ; the time
being kept by small drums, tambou-
rines and silver cymbals. Such an or-
chestra, as it may easily be supposed,
is not the most agreeable to European
ears, accustomed to a very different
kind of harmony.
IN MINIATURE. 53
The castanets used by the dcvedassees
to mark the time, are roundish pieces
of wood from six to eight inches in
length.
At the end of each dance, they all turn
simultaneously toward the idol, holding
their clasped hands before their faces,
by way of adoration. All the dancers
make the same movements and ges-
tures at once, so that they appear like
puppets moved by one and the same
^ spring.
The canceni, kmxwn al^o by the ap-
pellation of bayaderes, from the Portu-
guese balladeras, form the second class
of the dcvedassees. They receive the
same education as the females above
described, but they are not, like them,
r 354 H1NDOOSTAN
exclusively devoted to the service of
some temple, and therefore they do not
confine themselves to dancing and sing-
ing before the idols. A wealthy Hin-
doo or Musultnan does not give an en-
tertainment, but they are sent for to
display their talents for the amuse-
ment of the guests aad the ggsat con-
course of people drawn together by the
exhibition. They are always attended
by musicians who accompany them
?with cymbals, the tambourine and
tamtam. As these dances are a source
of inexpressible delight to the Orien-
tals, the performers are liberally re-
warded by their employers. Some
grandees even keep a company of ba-
yaderes in their service.
IN MINIATURE. 5s
Their dances are almost all panto-
mimes representing love-scenes, and
the words of their songs relate to the
same subject. These dances they exe-
cute with no despicable expression, if
they are proficients in their art : for
then their gestures, air and steps, are
marked and appropriate. In some of
their dances, even in public, modesty is
not much respected by the attitudes
into which they throw themselves j but
in private parties to which they are
called, they give themselves a .great
loose and have dances in reserve, in
which, though without any exposure of
the body, they arc mistresses of such
motions, looks and gestures, as are per-
haps still more provoking.50 1I1NDOOSTAN
The dress of these women varies ac-
cording to the countries in which they
live; but in all it is the most gorgeous
imaginable. They are loaded with
jewels, literally from top to toe,, since
ri
they wear rings' even to their to&s.
Their necks are adorned with carcanets,
their arms with bracelets, and their
ancles with chains of gold and silver,
often enriched with precious stones.
They wear also nose-jewels, which at
first have an odd appearance, but to
Avliich the eye is soon reconciled. These
dancing-girls, solicitous for the pre-
servation of their charms, on which
their success so much depends, have a
peculiar method of managing their
breasts, which at the same time makes
IN MINIATURE. 57
no inconsiderable part of their finery.
They enclose them in a pair of hollow
cases, made of very light wood, exactly
fitted to them, linked together and
buckled at the back. These cases at
once confine the breasts so that they
cannot grow to a disproportionably ex-
uberant size; and from their smooth-
ness and pliancy, they play so freely
with every motion of the body, as not
to crush the delicate texture of the
?%
flesh in that part. The,outside of them
is spread over with a thin plate of gold
or silver, or set with gems, if the
wearer can afford it. Owing to the
profusion of jewels and ornaments, the
attire of a distinguished dancer frc-5& HINDOOSTAN
quently costs from fifteen to twenty
thousand rupees.
Most of these dancing-girls, with a
view to give increased expression |o
their eyes, surround them with a black
circle, made with the head of a pin
dipped in the powder of antimony.
This borrowed beauty, extolled by all
the poets of the east, though it had at
at first an odd*appearance to Europeans
who were not accustomed to it, has
at length come to be admired by the
latter.
The art of pleasing is throughout
their whole lives the sole occupation of
the bayaderes. They have nothing, says
Mr. Grose, of the nauseous boldness
IN MINIATURE. 59
which characterises the European pros-
titutes : their style of seduction being
all softness and gentleness. For this
very reason they are the more irresis-
tible ; and as they are not a whit more
disinterested than the members of the
frail sisterhood in other countries, they
are frequently the cause of the ruin of
families. Forster, in the narrative of
his travels in Cachemir, where the
dancing-girls surpass in beauty those
of all other countries, mentions several
instances of persons of great distinction
being reduced to beggary, through their
attachment and liberality to these se-
ductive females. This circumstance is
the less to be wondered at, since the
cost of their attendance at a singleGO IUNDOOSTAN
«"
entertainment, for the diversion of
. . . 4'
guests of wealthy individuals, frequent-
ly amounts Jo several thousand ru-
pees.
IN MINIATURE.
01
CEREMONIES OBSERVED AT MAR-
RIAGES AND THE BIRTH OF
CHILDREN.
The Bramins, as sprung from the
head of Brama, have reserved to them-
*?
selves exclusively the sacerdotal func-
tions, and in the quality of priests they
preside over all the most important acts
of life. They sanctify the marriage of
the Hindoo j they receive his children
at their birth; and at his death they
head the procession which attends him
to the funeral pile.
Parents are obliged to marry their
VOL. III. «6*
HINDOOSTAN
daughters between the ages of seven and
r\
nine years, and boys between twelv£ and
fourteen. Marriage, as we have already
seen, is a duty with the Hindoos. Their
delicacy in regard to virginity is carried
to excess; and it is on this account that
girls are married before they have ar-
rived at puberty.
The wife must be not only of the
same caste as her husband, but also of
the same family: the Hindoo has in
consequence a right to marry the daugh-
ter of his father or of his mother's bro-
ther, if younger than himself; and if he
demands her, the parents cannot give a
denial, as brothers and sisters only are
restricted from intermarrying ; but un-
der that name are comprehended the
IN MINIATURE. 63
children of the father's brothers, and of
the mother's sisters*
The ceremonies which precede and
accompany the celebration of marriage
vary in different castes and in different
countries. To the higher classes and
to the wealthy they are rendered very
expensive by the entertainments which
it is customary to give, and the cost of
which is defrayed by the husband's
father.
The Hindoos have several kinds of
marriages, one of which, called gan-
darva, requires no ceremony whatever,
but the mutual consent of the parties,
who without witnesses exchange their
necklaces or wreaths of flowers, the
girl saying, " I am thy wife," and the
G 264 II1NJDOOSTAN
bridegroom replying, " it is true." lu
this manner Dusmantha marries Sacon-
tala in the drama with that title by
Calidas.
It would be too tedious to describe
the various ceremonies observed at the
celebration of each kind of marriage :
we shall therefore confine ourselves to
those that appear the most interesting.
We must not; however, omit to notice
,a singular practice which is mentioned
by Perrin, and which seems to be pecu-
liar to one caste. In a town of the Car-
natic, the name of which escaped that
traveller's memory, when the young*
couple are solemnly conducted to the
temple of the idol, the bride presents
her hand to the priest, who cuts off
IN MINIATURE.
6*5
the third and little finger at the second
joint. It was anciently the custom for
each of the parties to sacrifice a finger;
but as this mutilation frequently pre-
vented the husband from following* his
profession, the Bramins obtained the
consent of the gods that the females
alone should be liable to this sacrifice,
but that they shou1:! give up two fingers
instead of one. Hence it is a disgrace
to a woman of that caste to have all her
fingers.
When a Hindoo has fixed his eyes on
a girl as a suitable match for his son,,
he sends a stranger to sound the father,
to spare himself the mortification of a
refusal in case the proposal should be
rejected. Should it, on the other hand,
G3«R HINDOOSTAN
prove acceptable, he goes and makes
his application in clue form. He must
be accompanied by at least one married
woman, by some one of his relations,
and by a Bramin skilled in the art of
explaining prognostics: for if they
should meet with an unlucky omen by
/?-
the way, such as a "dealer in oil, a dog
that shakes his ears, a crow flying over
their heads, or a hundred other objects
to which the Bramins pay great atten-
tion, they defer the visit till another
day. He carries with hirp in general
to the father of the girl the par tarn,
that is, a sum of twenty-one, or at most
thirty-one ponncs (from four to six gui-
neas) as the price of the bride whom he
purchases for his son. When this for-Hie Fatkcacf of the
IN MINIATURE. 67
mality is observed, the marriage is said
to be by pariam; the other kind is by
canmgadanam, a word which signifies
gift °f a virgin.
The father of the girl, before he gives
his consent, returns his visit with the
same precautions, and goes in great
pomp to make the marriage presents to
the bridegroom, in the manner repre-
sented in the annexed engraving.
The bridegroom presents the bride
with the pariecoureh, or piece of silk,
which she wears on the wedding-day.
This garment is always of silk let the
parties be ever so poor. If the pariam
is paid in money, it is tied up in one of
the corners of this robe, but instead of
money opulent persons give a jewel of63 HINDOOSTAN
some kind which is laid upon the robe.
The father of the bridegroom, under
the direction of a Bramin, presents some
betel and the pariam to the father of
the bride, saying, " The money is thine
and the girl is mine." The father of
the bride Accepts both, and presenting
betel in his turn/ repeats after the
Bramin, " The money is mine and the
girl thine." The Bramin then says
aloud, " This betel is a pledge that
--------, daughter of--------, and grand-
daughter of??, is giv6n- to--------,
son of--------, and grandson of--------."
He afterwards wishes the young couple
every kind of prosperity, and predicts
that they will be blest with a numerous
progeny, abundance of cattle, corn,
IN MINIATURE. 69
money, and a house overflowing with
milk.
Though the girl is considered as sold,
after $he performance of this ceremony,
yet the match may be broken off and
the pariam returned; but the father
must have strong reasons to justify such
a procedure, which is never determined
upon except at a general meeting of re-
latives and sometimes of the whole caste.
To avoid the expense of an entertain-
ment, the pariam is frequently paid on
the wedding-day,, but some pay it a
year beforehand.
When every thing is arranged, and
the day fixed for the wedding, the next
step is to plant the cal, that is, to erect
one of the supporters of the pendal, or70 H1NDOOSTAN
bower of lattice-work, which is built
in the court-yard of the house, for the
occasion. This is, in fact, the com-
mencement of the marriage ceremonies,
which last two, five, nay, even thirty-
one days, if they are performed with
great pomp. On the erection of the
calf which may be considered as equiva-
lent to the publication of the bans with
us, the relations and friends pay a visit
to the father; and the omission of this
ceremony would be deemed a proof of
enmity.
The female friends, under a canopy,
carry presents of betel to the young
couple. In the middle of the court is
set up a stone figure of Polear, the god
of marriage. The Bramins make offer-
JN MINIATURE. 71
ings of cocoa-nuts, bananas, and betel,
to the deity, praying to him to be pro-
pitious to the marriage which is about
to be celebrated. As soon as the pen-
dal is finished, the poledr is removed.
The bridegroom and bride, richly
dressed, are carried about every day
in palanquins through the principal
streets, accompanied by a long train of
relatives and friends, some on horse-
back, others on elephants, preceded
by a numerous band of musicians and
dancing-girls, who sing and dance be-
fore the palanquins whenever they halt,
and under the pendal before the house
of the bricfeT These processions com-
monly take place in the evening, and
furnish occasion for grand illuminations72 IIINDOOSTAN
and fire-works. As long* as the pro-
cessions last, the dancing-girls rub the
young couple, night and morning,
under the pendal, with naleng, the
small gre,en seed of a plant sacred to
marriage.
When the bridegroom has been con-
ducted in great'pomp to the house of
the bride, in the manner represented
in the annexed plate, a particular cere-
mony is performed, called taking away
the looks. The Hindoos are thoroughly
convinced, that;.-there fare malicious
looks capable of making the most mis-
chievous impression, and of producing
serious disorders; and they believe that
if any one should chance, during these
processions, to envy the happiness ofin state to
of tkc JBriflc.
IN MINIATURE. 73
the bridegroom in having so amiable a
bride, ^ the worst consequences would
ensue, unless means were employed to
prevent the baneful effects of these in-
discreet looks.
The most common method of taking
away looks, is to turn round a basin
full of water, coloured red for the pur-
pose, three times before the face of the
bride and bridegroom, after which the
water \{ thrown into the street: or to
tear a piece of cloth in two in their
presence, and to throw the pieces dif-
ferent ways : or lastly, to fasten cer-
tain mystic rings to their heads. This
last method?*" however,' seems rather
designed to preserve them from the ma-
lignity of looks than to dispel its effects.
VOL. III. H74
HINDOOSTAN
As soon as it is known that a person
of distinction is going to be married,
the Bramins flock to the place, from a
v ..?
distance of twenty miles round, some-s
times assembling- to the number of five
o
or six thousand who are entertained
every day. After the wedding, eacli of
them is presented witli a cloth for a
garment. Owing to expenses"of this
kind, marriages are frequently the
ruin of families, sometimes costing
100,000 pagodas, or nearly ^40,000
sterling.
On the wedding day, the bride and
bridegroom sit beside each other at
one end of the pendal, which is lighted
up with a great number of lamps. The
Bramins, on a raised platform of wood,
IN MINIATURE.
75
surrounded with earthen jars full of
water, the two largest of which are
placed by the young couple, offer up
prayers, in order to bring down Shecva
and Parvati, .or Vishnu and Lacshmi,
according as they belong to one or the
other sect, into the two great jars^
They then kindle the oman or sacrifi-
cial fire, which is kept up with different
kinds of sacred wood : repeating over ife
various prayers and invocations, and
throwing'"'upon it from time to time
incense, sandal wood, oil, butter, rice,
and other things.
When the prayers are ended, the
father of the bride takes her hand,
puts it into that of the bridegroom, and
delivers her to him, repeating the fol-
u 276 HINDOOSTAN
lowing words after a Bramin, and call-
ing- Agnee, the god of fire,, to witness?
"I--------, son of--------, and grand-
son of --------, give my daughter to
thee--------y son of--------, and grand-
son of--------." The Bramin then
breaks a cocoa-nut in two, blesses the
tali, which all present are required
to touch, and gives it to the bride-
groom ? he hangs it suspended from a
ribbon round the neck of the bride,
'who from that moment becomes his
wife. The tali is a piece of gold of
no particular form, worn by all mar-
ried women, and emblematic of the
conjugal union, in the same manner as
the wedding ring is with us.
The bridegroom, after this ceremopy,IN MINIATURE. 77
swears before the fire and inthepre^
sence of the Bramin to take care of his
wife. The Bramin then takes a little
saffron".and mixes it with some raw
rice, at the same time repeating certain
prayers: he sprinkles two handfiils
over the shoulders of the husband, and
afterwards over those of the wife : all
present vrise and perform the same cere-
monyjVaiid this is the benediction they
bestow on tne marriage. The rest of
the day is spent in diversions, and the
last1 public procession takes place in
the evening. On this occasion the
husband and wife go abroad in the same
palanquin. The following day thvpen-
t/a/ls pulled down without loss of time,
because, if it should chance to take
H 3
ift tke j
a '
to fates csurc of Ihis Wife o78 HINDOOSTAN
fire this accident -would be a very un-
lucky omen. If the bride be not of
sufficient age for the consummation of
the marriage (and in general she is
not) she returns to her father's house,
and there continues to reside till she
arrives at puberty. At this epoch new
sacrifices are made and nearly the same
ceremonies performed as before: this
is called the little or second marriage.
It is not till a wife becomes a mother
that she is allowed to have unrestrained
intercourse with her husband ? till then
she must obey the commands of her
mother-in-law j nay, she must even slip
into his chamber unperceived and by
stealth. In the seventh month of her
first pregnancy new festivities take
IN MINIATURE, 79
place, and the birth of a child is also
accompanied with religious ceremonies.
As the house is supposed to be pol-
luted by such an event, a Brainin and
the husband sprinkle it several times
with holy water: and all its inmates
rub thpir heads with oil and wash them-
selves with the greatest care. The
mother must likewise purify herself by
V
bathing and drinking a certain beverage
usjual n such occasions. On the tenth
day after the birth, the relatives and
friends of the family assemble for the
purpose of giving a name to the infant:
but before this is done a Bramin con-
sults his book, and examines whether
the planets are favourable at the mo-
ment. If not,, he endeavours by prayer80
HINDOOSTAN
and sacrifices to avert their baleful in-
s --
fluence. Presents are made to the Bra-
mins, and the ceremony is succeeded
by an entertainment and rejoicings.
Instead of swathing the infant, it is
laid upon a piece of stuff strained upon
a quadrangular wooden frame : it has
thus full liberty of moving without
running any risk of falling". The frame
is suspended from the ceiling by means
of four cords, that are fastened to two
sticky one at each end, in the manner
represented in the frontispiece. This
species of cradle is rocked by women
who push it from cne to the other and
make it swing1 to and fro.
When the child has attained the age
of six months, it is fed for the first
IN MINIATURE, 81
time with rice prepared with milk and
sugar: a ceremony to which the rela-
tions of the family are invited.
In the inferior castes the ceremonies
of marriage are \much more simple,
but it is not legally valid unless they
take place in the presence of the chief
of the tribe.
The practice varies in regard to dowry.
In the superior castes the wife in gene-
ral brings her husband a portion; but
in that of the Sooders, the husband
makes a present of a sum of money to
his wife's father.
Before the match is concluded, great
care is taken to consult the stars and to
observe whether their aspect predicts a
propitious or unfortunate union. Mai*-82
H1NDOOSTAN
riages are not solemnized at all times of
the year indiscriminately- but only in
February, May, June, October, and the
beginning of November.
Among the people called Garos, who
inhabit a tract to the south of the Bra-
inaputra river, the important matters of
succession and union of the sexes have
been arranged in a peculiar manner.
A man cannot turn away his wife on
account of adultery unless he chooses to
give up his whole property and children,
and to this he seldom consents, unless
he knows that some other woman who
is richer than his wife will take him for
her husband. A woman, on the con-
trary, may turn away her husband
whenever she pleases, and in general,
IN MINIATURE. 83
marry any other person, conveying to
him the whole property that her former
husband possessed, and taking with her
all her children: but the rank of the
children arises from that of their father,
A man is thus placed in a very difficult
situation. If his wife chooses a para-
mour, the husband is terrified lest this
r'V?
invader should be able to persuade the
woman to transfer the property of the
family. It is true that, as a remedy,
he may kill the lover without incurring
any blame; but he is afraid not only of
the revenge of the man's-kindred, but
of that of his wife, who, if permitted to
retain her lover, might be unwilling to
disturb the family in which she had
lived, but who would be very apt to84 HINDOOSTAN
avenge her lover's death by choosing H
new husband. In fact, however, di-
vorces are said to be very rare, and
many wives, when they are infirm, al-
low their husbands to marry a second
wife or to keep a concubine. When a
chief dies^ his heir is any one of his
sister's sons that his widow*, or if he has
left no widow, that his surviving concu-
bine chooses. The fortunate youth, if
married, immediately separates from
his wife, who takes all his private for-
tune and children j while he marries
the old woman, and receives the dig-
nity, fortune, and insignia of honour be-
coming his high rank. These insignia
consist of a red turban, two bracelets of
bell-metal for each arm, and a string of
IN MINIATURE. 85
beads for his neck, and are bestowed with
great ceremony. These acquisitions,
however, do not always compensate for
the disparity of age in his bride. Mr.
Hamilton, to whom we are indebted for
these particulars, relates, that a boy,
who had been lately elevated to the
dignity, after taking a draught of wine
that opene£-'his heart, complained with
great simplicity, that he had married an
old tootl/less creature, while his cousin,
?Although poor, had a pretty young wife
with whom he could play the whole
day long. When the old lady dies, he
.will of course take a young wife, who
will probably survive him, and select a
new chief from among his sister's sons.
The wife of a chief may divorce him,
VOL. III. I86
HINDOOSTAN
but slie must choose her next husband
from the same noble family, as its mem-
bers alone are capable of being raised
to that dignity. v
IN MINIATURE.
87
FUNERALS.
The funerals of the Hindoos are attend-
ed with as much pomp as their marriages.
The ceremonies differ according to the
castes. No sooner has a wealthy Hin-
doo t^eathed his last, than his relatives
assemble for the performance of the
fwierai rites. They lose no time in
paying this last duty, because neither his
own household, nor the inhabitants of
the same street, can take any suste-
nance till the corpse is removed.
Some of them repair to the cemetery,
which is at some distance from the
town or village, to prepare the funeral
i 288 H1NDOOSTAN
pile on which the body of the deceased
is to be burned. The neighbourhood,
meanwhile,, resounds with the cries and
lamentations of the females of the house
and of women hired for the occasion,
*
who are seen tearing1 their dishevelled
hair, beating their bosoms, and rolling
upon the ground".
The Bramin who officiates at the
ceremony, after bathing*, tics a blade of
a species of dog's grass, called dherbehy
which is reputed sacred, round the ring
finger of the deceased. He then puri-
fies the house with aspersions of holy
water. The nearest relation offers up
a prayer, after which fire is brought:
some of the sacred grass is laid around
the corpse j and cow-dung, dried and
IN MINIATURE. SO
pulverized, is thrown into the fire with
religious solemnity. It is at this mo-
ment that the present, called the
ten gifts, mentioned in a preceding vo-
lume, is made to the Bramin.
The latter then whispers the mys-
terious words of initiation into the ear
of the defunct. The chief of the fa-
mily an4-/the other relatives cause their
heads to be shaved, under the idea of
contributing by this action to the hap-
piness of the deceased in the other world.
The Bramin exorcises the stars to avert
their baleful influences, calls the soul
of the defunct, and observes under what
constellation his' deatli has happened.
,* Prayers are again offered up, to the
i 3702/.M,
90 HINDOOSTAS
superior deities to be propitious to him,
to pardon his sins, and to prevent the
4
stars from doing him mischief. ^
When the hour of departure, for
which the evening is always chosen,
v
has arrived, a hole is made in.the
wall for the passage of the corpse,
which is never taken out by the door : *
the aperture is filled up again after the
ceremony. The body is placed in a
sitting posture, in a kind of open sedan-
chair, to which it is securely bound, as
represented in the plate. The .chair is
borne by four Farias. -The procession
is headed by musicians, with tamtams,
and a kind of trumpet six or seven feet
long, from which ^ they produce the
AIN MINIATURE. yl
piost; dismal tones imaginable. These are
followed by one or two Bramins, and tlie
relatives and friends of tlie deceased.
On approaching the funeral pile, they
pinch the nose of the deceased, and feel
\
his chest; to ascertain whether there are
any signs of life ; they also throw water
on his face and make a hideous din in his
ears with drpips and trumpets, for the
purpose of waking him, if he is but in
a trance./ -,v%
After these experiments, the bo4y
being previously stripped of every thing
valuable, is laid upon the pile: this
.mournful duty is performed by the re-
latives. They throw upon the pile rice,
butter, fruit, betel, and dried cow-
dung. The head of the family first92 111NDOOSTAN
sets fire to it: he must then turn his
back, and carry upon his shoulder a new
vessel full of water. When the fire has
begun to burn, he lets the vessel fall,
and hastens to purify himself in the
neighbouring river or pond. The other
relatives then set fire to other parts of
the pile, and the corpse* is consumed
amidst cries, the sound of instruments,
and funeral songs.
- When the fire is burnt out, milk is
poured on the ashes, which are col-
lected and thrown into a river or pond,
and, if possible, that into which the
ashes of the ancestors of the deceased
were thrown. For this reason they are
sometimes carried to great distances,
and he esteems himself happy who can
IN MINIATURE. 93
convey those of his father to Benares,
or some other sacred place. Persons
who live near the sacred rivers, such as
the Ganges, the Kishna, the Jumna,
&c. are more commonly thrown after
death into those rivers, where they serve
for food to a prodigious quantity of cro-
codiles. Hence it is common ,to see
corpses continually floating on the larg«
and numerous branches of the Ganges,
whose water^ are supposed to wash
away all sin. It is often the case, that
when a Hindoo is at the point of death,
his relatives and friends place him on
the brink of that river, and the flowing
of the tide, raising the water several
feet, carries him away, and engulphs
him before life is extinct. The patient,
f94
1HNDOOSTAN
instead of endeavouring to shun this
catastrophe, employs the last remains
of strength to crawl towards the sacred
stream, that lie may enjoy the happi-
ness of breathing his last in its cur-
rent.
Some,, however, have been known to
try to escape, either because they have '
been exposed against their will, or be-
cause the approach of death renews
both their strength and the desire to
live:, but if they succeed, they are ne-
ver readmitted into their caste, or suf-
fered to associate with any but wretches,
who, like themselves, have evaded their
fate. We are assured, that near the
river Hooghly, the western branch of
the Ganges, there are two villages in-
IN MINIATURE. 95
habited by none but such unfortunate
outcasts.
The Brarnins have the power, when
they find it to be to their interest, to
devote sick persons to death : and this
atrocious superstition annually costs an
incredible number of victims their lives.
An English gentleman passing through
Colna, a little above Calcutta, perceived'
a troop of Bramins engaged in pushing
into tlie water a youth of about eighteen,
who struggled hard to get away from
them. The traveller shouted, to induce
them to relinquish their inhuman de-
sign ; but they coolly replied, " It is
our custom, it is our custom ; he must
not live: our god has decreed thaflie
should die." They accomplished their96 HINDOOSTAN*
purpose, and did not retire from the
spot till their victim was drowned.
It is not impossible, as Mrs. Graham
observes, that greedy heirs may avail
themselves of this barbarous custom,
to get rid of an aged parent who
lives longer than they wish. That lady
informs us that she heard at Calcut-
ta, that a young Hindoo, whose father
Lad been ill for some time, came one
day, in the greatest agitation, to an
V
English gentleman, imploring him to
save the life of his father, to whom he
was tenderly attached, and whom the
Bramins and his nearest relatives had
already seized, with the intention of
carrying him to Jje river, from which it
was designed that he should never re-
IN MINIATURE. 97
turn. Our countryman instantly ac-
companied the dutiful youth, and had
the pleasure to save the old man, who,
for aught I know, adds the fair writer,
still lives to bless his benefactor.
The inferior castes instead of burning
their dead, wrap them in a coarse white
sheet and bury them as we do in Eu-
rope. Mourning consists in shaving
the beard, mustachios, and head, with
the exception of the lock of hair which
the Hindoo always wears tied at the
crown ; in fasting and in abstaining for
some days from the use of betel.
The Gosaings, a tribe of religious
Hindoo mendicants in Guzerat, do not
burn their dead, but bury them, fre-
quently before they expire. When a
VOL. III. Kfcl
IN MINIATURE.
I
f SJ
XJ
f
I
I
SUICIDE OF WIDOWS.
The custom which dooms widows to
sacrifice themselves on the funeral piles
fi . :
of their husbands, seems to have been
formerly much more general than it isi
at present. Still, instances of this kind,
are but too frequent in some provinces/
notwithstanding all the efforts of our
countrymen, which have not yet eradi-
cated this barbarous superstition.
By an account taken in 1803, it ap-
peared that the number of victims thus
sacrificed during that year, within thirty
miles "round Calcutta alone, was two
4iundred:and seventy-five: and from
K2]00 1IINDOOSTAN
another report made by Hindoos, de-
puted for the purpose, we learn, that
in six months of the year 1804, the
number, in that district, was one hun-
dred and fifteen, The account of the
writing's, religion, and manners of the
Hindoos, by Mr. Ward, one of the
Baptist Missionaries, at Serampore,
states, that between Cossimbazar, in
Bengal, and the mouth of the river
Hooghly, seventy women sacrificed
themselves in two months only of the
year'1812, leaving behind them one
hundred and eighty-four orphan chil-
dren.
A woman who thus devotes herself,
abstains from food as soon as her hus-
band is dead : chewing betel, and re-
IN MINIATURE. 101
peating, without cessation, the name of
the god of his sect. When the fatal
hour arrives, she adorns herself with
her jewels, and puts on her most costly
attire, as if she were going to a rejoicing.
She ift accompanied by her relatives and
friends, and by the sound of drums
and trumpets. The Bramins, mean-
while, exalt the imagination of the
victim, by giving her a liquid in which
opium is Kiixed, to drink : and as they
draw near the fatal spot, they strive
to strengthen her resolution by songs
in which they extol her heroism.
The widow must not exhibit any
signs of grief or despondency as she
approaches the pile : her look must be
cairn and serene, and such as becomes
K-3102 IUNDOOSTAN
one who Is certain that she is about to
rejoin her husband in a happier life.
It is affirmed that/ previously to the
? *
ceremony, the Bramins themselves, as
well as her relatives and friends, en-
deavour to dissuade her from the sacri-
fice, but that her resolution once taken
is sacred and inviolable.
The day of this self-immolation, is a
glorious one for the family of the widow,
as well as for her husband's, and for
the ,Bramins, who, moreover, derive
no trifling profit from the ceremony.
Any person is allowed to witness the
spectacle, but at a certain distance.
The victim affectionately embraces her
friends and relations, among whom she
distributes part of her jewels and or-
IN MINIATURE. 103
naments; she comforts them, while
they bless and entreat her to pray to
God to grant them in like circum-
stances the fortitude which she mani-
fests.
These victims, in general meet death
with heroic firmness and constancy ;
convinced, that in thus burning them-
selves from pure conjugal attachment,
they shall feel but little pain from the
flanW, ai/1 that by this sacrifice, they
shall deliver their husbands from the
torments of the next life, whatever
may be the crimes committed by them
in this.
Mr. Holwell gives an account of one,
who, being told of the pain she must
suffer, with a view to dissuade her from104 HINDOOSTAN
her intention, put her finger into the
fire and held it there for a considerable
time: after which she put fire on the *
palm of her hand, laid incense upon it
and fumigated the Bramins who were
present.
Mr. Forbes mentions the case of a
female whose husband Miad amply pro-
vided for her by will, and, contrary to
the general custom of Hindoos, had
made her totally independent of his
f.
family. All was of no avail; she per-
sisted in her determination to accom-
pany him to a better world, and suf-
fered not the tears nor supplications of
an aged mother and three helpless in-
fants to change her purpose- The fu-
neral pyre was erected on the banks of
IN MINAITURE. 105
the river Biswamintree without the
gates of Brodera. An immense con-
course of persons of all ranks assembled,
and a band of music accompanied the
Bramins who superintended the cere-
mf iiy. The bower of death enwreathed
with sacred flowers was erected over a
pile of sandal-wood and spices, on which
lay the body of the deceased. After
varLbus ceremonies the music ceased,
and the crowd in solemn silence waited
the arrival of the heroine. She ap-
proached from a temporary retirement
with the Bramins, attended by her mo-
ther and three lovely children, arrayed
in rich attire and wearing the hymeneal
crown, an ornament peculiar to a Hin-
xjoo bride at her marriage. After a106 IIJNDOOSTAN
few religious ceremonies, the attendants
took off her jewels, anointed her di-
shevelled hair with consecrated ghee,
as also the skirts of her flowing* robe of
yellow muslin (the colour of nuptial
bliss). Two lisping infants clung
around her knees to dissuade her from
the fatal purpose; the last pledge of
conjugal love was taken from her bo-
som by an aged parent in speechless
agony. Freed from these heart-piercing
molirners, the lovely widow, with an
air of solemn majesty, received a lighted
torch from the Bramins, with which she
Avalked seven times round the pyre.
Stopping near the entrance of the bower,
for the last time she addressed the fire,
and worshipped the other deities, as
IN MINIATURE. 107
prescribed in the sutty-ved; then set-
ting fire'to her hair and the skirts of her
robe, to render herself the only brand
worthy of illuminating1 the sacred pile,
she threw away the torch, rushed into
the bower, and embracing her hus-
/o
band, thus communicated the flames
to the surrounding branches. The
musicians immediately struck up the
loudest strains, to drown the cries of
the /ricfim, should her courage have
forsaken her: but several of the spec-
tators declared that the serenity of her
countenance and dignity of her beha-
viour surpassed all the sacrifices of a
similar nature they had ever witnessed.
On the 12th of September, 1807, a
horrid tragedy of this kind was acted at208 ? HJNDOOSTAN
Barnagore, al( nt three miles from Cal-
cutta. A Koolin Brarnin of Cam man-
liatti, named Kristo Deb Mookerjee, died
at the advanced age of ninety-two. He
had twelve wives*, three of whom were
burned alive with his dead body. One
of these was a venerable female with
* The Koolin Brain in is the purest of all
Bramins, and is privileged to marry as
many wives as he pleases. The Hindoo fa-
milies account it an honour to unite their
daughters with a Koolin Brarnin. An ac-
count authenticated at Calcutta in 1804,
states on the authority of the registrars of
the Koolin caste, " that Rajeb Bonnerjee,
now of Calcutta, has forty wives ; that
Rajchunder Bonnerjee, also of Calcutta,
has forty-two wives, arid intends to marry
more; that Ram raj a Bonnerjee, of Bick-
rampore, aged thirty years, and Pooran
Bonnerjee, Rajkissore Chutterjee, and
Roopram Mookerjee, have each upwards of
IN MINIATURE.
109
white locks, who had long* been known
in the neighbourhood. Not being' able
to walk, she was carried in a palanquin
to the place of burning*, and was then
placed by the Bramius on the funeral
pile. The two other ladir»s were young,
er; one''of them had a very pleasing-
arid interesting countenance. The old
lady was placed on one side of the
dead husband, and the two other
wives Hid themselves down on the
other side; and then an old Bramin,
the eldest son of the deceased, applied
his torcli to the pile with unaverted
face. The pile being covered with com-
bustibles suddenly blazed; and this
forty wives and intend to marry more ; and
that Birjoo Mookerjee, of Bicrampore, who
died about five years ag-o,hnd ninety wives."
VOLWIU. L110
HINDOOSTAN
human sacrifice was completed amidst
the din of drums and cymbals and the
shouts of Brarnins.
When Rao Lacka, grandfather of the
present chief of Cutch died, fifteen con-
cubines were burned at his funeral pile j
but not one of his wives sacrificed her-
self on this occasion. This ceremony
is said to be less expected of the wife
than of the concubine; and these un-
fortunate females conceive it a point of
honour to consume themselves with
theL; lords.
In the year 1799, a Bramin employed
in the printing-office of the Baptist
mission at Scrampore, saw twenty-two
females burned alive with the remains
of UniirUu, a Koolin Bramin of Bagnu-
1N MINIATURE. Ill
paru, who had more than a hundred
wives.. At the first kindling of the fire
only three of these wives had arrived.
The fire was kept kindled three days.
When one or more arrived the cere-
rnorjAes were gone through, and they
threw themselves on the blazing* fire.
On the first day three were burned, and
on the second and third days nineteen
more.) Among these women some were
forty years old and others as young as
sixteen. The first three had cohabited
with this Bramin,, the others had seldom
seen him. He married in one house
four sisters, two of whom were among
the victims.
In May or June, 1812,, another Koolin
Brarnin died at Chunakuli near Cal-
L2112
1IINDOOSTAN
cutta. He had married twenty-five wo-
men, thirteen of whom died during his
lifetime : the remaining twelve perished
with him on the funeral pile, leaving
thirty children to deplore the effects
of this horrid system.
Some years anterior to the last-men-
tioned date, a Koolin Bramin of con-
siderable property died at Sookachura
three miles cast of Seramnore. He had
married more than forty women, eigh-
teen of whom survived him. On this
occasion a fire extending ten or twelve
o
yards in length was prepared, into
which the remaining eighteen threw
themselves, leaving more than forty
children.
All the unhappy wretches who arc
IN MINIATURE.
113
placed in this cruel predicament, are
not equally resigned to their fate. In
spite of the prejudices of education and
religion nature will occasionally assert
her rights.
Some, forsaken by that fortitude
A
\Viiich at first upheld them, when they
come within sight of -the pile which is
to reduce them to ashes, repent of the
resolution which they have taken. In
thi^ case, if they attempt to turn back,
they are frequently put to death by
their relatives, indignant at the disgrace
thus brought upon their family; or
they are expelled from their caste, and,
cut off for ever from all intercourse
with their relations and friends, they
L 3114 HINDOOSTAN
are thenceforward confined to the so-
ciety of the abhorred class of the Farias.
The following is a case in point.
About the year 1/9G, a Bramin of
Mujilupoor, about a day's journey
south from Calcutta, dying, his wife
went to be burned with the body. All
the preliminary ceremonies were per-
formed ; she was fastened on the pile
and the fire was kindled. The pile
was by the side of some brush-wood
and near a river. It was at a late
hour when the pile was lighted ; the
night was very dark and rainy. When
the fire began to scorch this poor wo-
man, she contrived to disentangle her-
self from the dead body, crept from
IN MINIATURE.
115
under the pile, and hid herself among
the brushwood. It was soon disco-
vered that only one body was on the
pile. The . relations immediately took
the alarm, and began to hunt for the
poor wretch who had made her escape.
A
After they had found her, the son
dragged her forth, and insisted upon
her throwing herself upon the pile
again, or that she should drown or
hryig herself. She pleaded for her life
at the hands of her own son, declaring
that she could not embrace so horrid
a death : but she pleaded in vain. The
son urged that he should lose his
caste, and that therefore, he would die
or she should. Unable to persuade
her to hang or drown herself, the sonilfl 1HNJJOOSTAN
and his companions tied her hands and
feet,, and threw her on the funeral pile,
where she quickly perished.
Most frequently the Bramins who
surround these miserable victims,, and
who are as tenacious of their honour as
of their own, abridge the ceremony,
and amid the lamentable songs of the
females who accompany the widow,
the din of the instruments, and the
shouts and bustle of the spectators, they
r knock down the victim and throw her
upon the pile, on which the corpse of
her husband is -already Jtaid j and this
pilc composed of dry wood, on which
oil, butter, perfumes, and pther in-
flammable matters have been poured,
is instantly in a blaze. When it is cbn-
IN MINIATURE. 117
siimcd, the bones are carefully collect-
ed, deposited in vases, and carried to
some sacred river, into which they are
thrown. On'the following days the
Bramins perform various ceremonies on
the sftot when1, the victim has been im-
molatrd, sprinkling it with milk and
conserratod water, and sometimes erect-
ing a small chapel over it.
Under certain circumstances, wives
are not u'. liberty to burn themselves
after the death of their husbands, as
for instance, when they are pregnant,
or have infant children. This sacrifice
is likewise forbidden in the case of Bra-
mins who die from home: but the wives
of persons belonging to other castes,
who are in this predicament, are al-113 IJINDOOSTAN
lowed to give their husbands this proof
of fidelity,, in case the distance is not too
great.
It is more rarely that the widows of
Bramins sacrifice themselves in this
manner,, than those of the next supe-
rior caste,, or the Khattries. Neither
can this excite any - surprise, since it
frequently happens that there is very
little affection between the Bramins and
their Wives, to whom they are some-
times married almost against their con-
'sent. Solvyns mentions an extraordi-
nary practice, which he had an oppor-
tunity of witnessing during his resi-
dence in India. When a father of a
family has a marriageable daughter, and
has not the means of making u suitable
IN MINIATURE.
Ill)
provision for her, he invites a Bramin
of his acquaintance to his house, upon
some pretext or other. As soon as he
enters, the father presents his daughter
to him : the girl respectfully offers him
her hand, which the Bramin takes with-
/,
out suspicion. The father immediately
begins to repeat the genealogy of the
family, which ceremony alone is suf-
ficient for the purpose : the marriage
caniyot I:° dissolved. It not unfrequent-
ly happens that the Bramin is unable to
support his young wife; be that as it
may, the father saves her by this stra-
tagem from the disgrace of remaining
unmarried, and his daughter enjoys
the honours due to the wife of a Bra-
min.120 IIINDOOSTAN
All women who survive their hus-
bands,, without exception,, must re-
nounce the world, and are doomed to
perpetual widowhood, upon pain of
infamy and expulsion from their caste.
In this state they must shave the head
and abstain from all ornaments ; they
must take no more than one meal a
day, and never sleep in abed, otherwise
they would cause their husbands to lose
their places in swerga, or paradise.
As matches are frequently concluded
between families, while the parties are
yet infants, if the husband should
chance to die before the marriage is
consummated, the wife is doomed to
perpetual celibacy. This law, which
has been adopted by the Mahometans
IN MINIATURE. 121
in India, produces, like all institutions
contrary to nature, a totally opposite
cfi'cet from that which it was intended
to have: it leads to dissoluteness and
immorality.
Mr. Best passing1, in 1787, through
/
one of the streets of Arcot, inhabited
chiefly by Hindoo tradesmen, perceived
a great crowd round one of the. houses.
On inquiring the cause he was told that
the inistrcsji of that house, having un-
fortunately lost her husband, was going
to burn herself with his corpse.
The widow, a young aud handsome
woman, was sitting at the threshold,
with dishevelled hair, in mourning ap-
parel, and holding a green branch in
her hand. Her eyes were fixed on the
VOL. inw M12 HINDOOSTAN
ground; she seemed to be absorbed in
profound melancholy, and to take no
notice of what was passing about her.
While Mr. Best was surveying this
victim of fanaticism and of a cruel pre-
judice, with deep emotion, a messenger
sent by the widow to the governor to
solicit permission tcr consummate the
intended sacrifice, returned with his
refusal.
The unhappy woman was quite in-
consolable. She then entreated the
cutwall, a Hindoo officer, who had also
been sent to the spot, to return to the
governor and renew the application.
The cutwall assured her that it would be
impossible to persuade the governor to
alter the resolution which he had once
IN MINIATURE. 123
taken. The widow chanced to turn her
eyes to Mr. Best, on which the cutwall
accosted him in the Malabar language,
and requested him1 to intercede in her
favour. Our countryman declined the
commission and strove to bring back
the unfortunate creature to a more ra-
tional way of thinking. She returned
this remarkable answer : ?t i am now,"
said she, f( a degraded outcast in the
eyes of my iclativcs and of the whole
world ; the cruel refusal of the governor
dooms me to a life of shame and morti-
fication. It is not without reason that
I wish for death. If indeed a European
would have compassion on me and take
me for a mistress, I would cheerfully
relinquish my intention; for then I
M 2124 HINDOOSTAN
should not know the misery of being
excluded in my own country from the
cast of the vaisya to which I belong/'
The narrator adds that he never heard
what became of this woman after-
wards j but he was sure that the senti-
ments expressed by her on this occa-
sion could not fail to cause her expul-
sion from her caste.
The consequences of the prohibition
to marry again after the death of the
first husband are indiscretion and
suicide. This crime, says Mr. Forbes,
is general among the higher classes of
Hindoo widows,, who have been married
in infancy and lost their husbands in
childhood. Many of these unfortunate
females, apprehensive of bringing dis-
IN MINIATURE, i*5
grace on themselves and families by
their imprudence, terminate their own
lives and those of their unborn infants
by throwing themselves into the public
wells : but, continues the author just
mentioned, none of the Bn.unins nor
any Hindoo oflicer inok the smallest
* '
trouble to prevent these -shocking oc-
currences. These suicides became at
last so frequent at Dhuboy, where Mr.
Forbes/presided, that he found it neces-
sary to isbiie an order, that the body of
any female, found in a well or tank
within his district, should be exposed
naked twenty-four hours before it was
taken to the funeral pile. This had so
far the desired effect, that after the
promulgation of the edict, cither no
M 3126
HINDOOSTAN
more suicides were committed, or they
were carefully concealed, as Mr. Forbes
never had occasion to make an ex-
posure.
The self-immolation of widows is a
practice of great antiquity in Hindoos-
tan : its origin is unknown. The na-
tives assign as a reason for it, that
many ages ago, the women, either from
dislike or inconstancy, frequently took
away the lives of their husbands. The
most excruciating torments being found
inadequate to prevent the repetition of
this crime, the Bramins directed that
the widows should be burned together
with their husbands, and by this expe-
dient gave them an interest in the pre-
servation of the latter.
IN MINIATURE. 12?
The women of such classes as inter
instead of burning their dead, also sa-
crifice themselves in a manner equally
cruel. This^ practice is followed only
in Orissah and the Mahratta country,
by the widows of cloth-dealers and
/?
weavers, the only people among the
Hindoos \vho bury their dead.
When a female has signified her in-
tention to bury herself with her de-
ceased husband, her family dig* a grave
from six to eight feet deep, into which
the eorpse is let down and placed in a
sitting posture with the hands joined.
The widow, escorted by a solemn pro-
cession, approaches the grave. She
bathes in public, in the nearest tank
without giving occasion to the slightestH1NDOOSTAN
scandal, being* already considered, from
the sanctity of the death which she has
chosen, as a supernatural being*. At
the brink of the grave,, she listens to
the pious exhortations of the Bramins
who accompany her, gives them her
jewels,, and after placing upon her
head a cudjery, or pot filled with rice,
plantains, betel and water, inakes her
farewell salutations to the bystanders
with hei hands joined. She then de-
? scends into the grave by means of a
bamboo ladder, which is instantly drawn
up, and seats herself by the side of
her husband. At that moment all the
instruments hired for the ceremony
are sounded, and the relatives throw
such a quantity of earth upon the im-
IN MINIATURE. 129
fortunate creature that she is soon suf-
focated.
We cannot, ^observes Solvyns, from
whom this description is taken, refuse
our pity to the poor Hindoo women,
/$
who are sacrificed to tins ancient and
? barbarous custom ; but -their courage,
firmness, and resignation, entitle them
also to some share of admiration.
While/ their husbands live they are
slaves ; when they die, their wives must
be ready to resign in the most cruel
manner a life, the enjoyments of which
they never tasted. In no part of the
world are women born to so dreary a
prospect.
We are sensible of the danger of in-
terfering, by force, with the supersti-tv
130 HINJDOOSTAN
tious practices of a nation so numerous
as the Hindoos,, who compose the great
mass of the population of the British
empire in India,, which now amounts
to sixty or seventy millions. When,
however, we consider that according* to
the positive testimony of Mr. Forbes,
not one woman has burned herself on
the island of Bombay for the last fifty
years; " nor/' he adds,, " do I believe
that tLis species of suicide has been al-
lowed, since the English possessed it"?
we cannot help thinking,, that the mea-
sures pursued there for the suppression
of this inhuman custom might be in-
troduced in the rest of the British terri-
tories with equal efficacy. In this no-
tion we are confirmed, by the testi-
IN MINIATURE. 131
mony of an accurate observer, the phi-
lanthropic Buchanan, who emphati-
cally expresses his conviction, that had
Marquis Wellesley remained in India,
and been permitted to complete his
salutary plans for the improvement of
that distant empire, (for he did not
finish one half of the civil and political
regulations which he had in view, and
had actually commenced,) the female
sdcnfu'c 'vonlcl have been by this time
abolished. The humanity and intrepid
spirit of that nobleman abolished a yet
more criminal practice, which was con-
sidered by the Hindoos as a religious
rite, and consecrated by custom?the
sacrifice of children,132
HINDOOSTAN
MURDER OF FEMALE INFANTS.
That the practice of infanticide should
ever be so general as to become a cus-
tom with any sect or race of people,
requires the most unexceptionable evi-
dence to gain belief. This practice, as
far as regarded female infants, was fully
substantiated with respect to a parti-
cular tribe on the frontiers of Juan-
pore, a district of the province of Be-
nares, adjoining tos the country of Oude.
A race of Hindoos called Rajekoomars,
reside here ; and it was not discovered
till 178.9, that the custom of putting to
death their female offspring, by causing*
IN MINIATURE. 133
the mothers to starve them, had long
subsisted and did then very generally
prevail among them. The British re-
sident at Benares, in a circuit which he
made through their country, had an op-
portunity of authenticating the cxist-
/O
enee of the custom from their own
confessions ; all unequivocally admit-
ted it, but all did not fully acknow-
ledge its atrocity ; and the reason which
they assumed for the inhuman prac-
tice was the great expense of procuring
suitable matches for their daughters if
they were allowed to grow up. The cus-
tom, though general, was not universal,
as natural affection, or some other mo-
tive, had induced the fathers of some
families to bring up one or more of their
TOL. ui. x134
HINDOOSTAN
female issue; but the instances where
more than one daughter had been spared
were very rate* One village only fur-
nished a complete exception to the
general custom,, and the Rajekoomar
informant, who noticed it, supposed
that the inhabitants had sworn or so-
lemnly pledged themselves to each
other to oring up their females. In
proof of his assertion, he added, that
several old maids of the Rajekoomar
tribe then existed there, and that their
celibacy proceeded from the difficulty
of procuring husbands for them, in con-
sequence of the great expenses at-
tending the marriages of this class of
people.
The question will naturally occur,
IN MINIATURE. 135
how a race of men could be continued
under the existence of this horrid cus-
tom. The documents collected by go-
vernment proved', that its perpetuation
was owing partly to the exceptions to
the gy;mil custom occasionally admit-
ted by the more wealthy individuals,
more particularly those who happened
to have no male issue; but chiefly to
intermarriages with other Rajpoot fa-
milies, to which the Rajekoomars were
compelled by necessity.
A prohibition enforced by the de-
nunciation of the severest temporal
penalties would have hud little efficacy
in abolishing a custom, which existed
in opposition to the feelings of humanity
nnd natural affection; and the sanction
N 2136 HINJDOOSTAN
of that religion which the Rajekoomars
professed was therefore appealed to in
aid of the ordinances of civil authority.
In one of the Puranas it is said, that
the destruction of an unborn infant is
as criminal as killing a Bramin, that
for killing a female the punishment is
to suffer in the hell called Kat Shootul,
for as many years as (here are hairs on
that female's body, and that afterwards,
the offender shall be born again, and
become a leper. An engagement, in the
preamble to which this passage was
introduced, and binding them to desist
in future from the barbarous practice,
was prepared and circulated among the
Rajekoomars for their signature; and
as it was discovered that the same
IN MINIATURE. 137
..practice prevailed, though in a less de-
\t
in*cc, among a smaller tribe also resi-
dent within the province of Benares,
called Rajelmnses,' measures were adopt-
ed at the same time to make them
sensibleAof its-iniquity, and to procure
from them a subscription similar to
that exacted from the Rajekoomars.
It was not in this quarter only that
sucross crowned the efforts of British
humanity. T)uring the government of
Marquis Wdlcsley, that nobleman was -
informed that it was a custom with the
Hindoos to sacrifice children in conse-
quence of vows, by drowning them, or
exposing them to sharks and crocodiles ;
and that twenty-three had perished at
Saugor in the single month of January,
N 3i33 HINDOOSTAN
1801,, many of whom were sacrificed
in this manner. His lordship imme-
diately instituted an inquiry into the
principle of this ancient atrocity., and
passed a law declaring the practice to
be murder and punishable with death.
The purpose of this regulation was com-
pletely effected and not a murmur was
heard on the subject.
A few years afterwards, the Hon.
Jonathan Duncan, then governor of
.Bombay, who had been instrumental in
the abolition of infanticide among the
Rajekoomars as before related, instruct-
ed lieutenant-colonel Walker, political
resident in Guzerat, to inform himself,
in a military progress through that pro-
vince, of the nature and extent of the
IN MINIATURE. 139
, practice which was understood to pre-
kt
vail among the tribes called the Jare-
jah. The odirial report of that officer,
dated March 1SOS, established the fact
of the existence of this unnatural cus-
tom to^urh an extent that in the pro-
vinces of ('ntrh and (Jir/erat alone,
(for it is practised in several others)
the number of females thus sacrificed,
amounted annually by the very lowest
romputratior to three thousand.
The mother herself was commonly
the executioner of her own offspring ;
for though women of rank might have
their slaves and attendants who per-
formed that office, yet by far the great-
er number executed it with their own
hands. They had various methods of140 HINDOOSTAN
destroying* the infant, but two were
chiefly prevalent ? either to put some
opium in its mouth immediately after
the birth, or to draw the umbilical
cord over the face,, and thus prevent
respiration.
In defence of this practice those
tribes alleged,, that the education of
daughters is expensive; that it is diffi-
cult to procure a suitable settlement for
them in marriage ; that the preservation
of female honour is a charge of solici-
tude in a family ? and that when they
want wives it is more convenient to buy
them,, or to solicit them from another
tribe, than to breed them themselves.
Colonel Walker, agreeably to the in-
structions which he iiad received, to
IN MINIATURE. 141
^ndcavour, in the name of the British
^
' government, to effect the abolition of
this unnatural custom amoiur the Ja-
o
rejah, addressed ' them in his official
character, and, as ambassador from the
British nation, entreated them to suffer
their d;iuifhters to live. Having the
mean* of appreciating the private cha-
racter of this oflieer, they respected his
virtues ; but in regard to this moral
iu'i(ri;tt(on, they peremptorily refused
even to listen to it, in terms which by
many would have been deemed conclu-
sive against any farther interference.
Fortunately Colonel Walker was not
to be-deterred from his benevolent pur-
pose by the obstacles lie had met with,
because he was animated by a sincere145 IIINDOOSTAN
desire to overcome them. He sought
opportunities of informing the under-
standings of the people in regard to the
nature of the crime; and he discovered
that it was generated directly by pride,
avarice, and the alleged inferiority of
women. By discussing the subject fre-
quently in the public cutchery, or court
of justice, and exposing the enormity
of the practice, as contrary to the pre-
cepts of religion and the dictates of na-
ture, every caste came at'length to ex-
press an abhorrence of infanticide, The
obstinate principles of the Jarejah
began to be shaken. Within twelve
months, the very persons who had re-
fused to hold correspondence with him
on the subject formally abjured the
IN MINIATURE. 143
practice of infanticide, and were soon
followed by the Jarejah tribes in ge-
neral, whose chiefs bound themselves,
in 1808, by a solemn engagement to dis-
continue the custom.
About the end of ISO!), many of the
Jarejah fathers brought their infant
"daughters to Colonel Walker's tent.
o
and exhibited them with pride and
fondness. Their mothers and nurses
also ^t levied on this interesting oc-
casion. True to the feelings which
in other countries are found to pre-
vail so forcibly, the emotions of na-
ture here displayed were extremely
moving. The mothers placed the in-
fants in the hands of the colonel, calling
on him to protect what lie alone had144 HINDOOSTAN
taught them to preserve. These infants
they emphatically called his children.
On this occasion, the government of
Bombay addressed the directors of the
East-India Company in a letter, from
which the following is an extract:?
" We congratulate your honourable
court on the prospect thus afforded of
extirpating from the peninsula of Gu-
zerat, a custom so long prevalent and
so outrageous to humanity. This ob-
ject will not be lost sight of j and trust-
ing, to the aid of divine Providence,, we
look with confidence to its gradual but
certain accomplishment, to such a de-
gree as may form an era in the history of
Guzerat, lastingly creditable to the
English name and influence/1
IN MINIATURE, 145
, It has been observed in a preceding
page, that the Hindoos have been ac-
customed to expose infants to destruc-
tion in consequence of vows. The fol-
lowing account, recently received in
England from a British officer in India,
4 affords an interesting illustration of this
species of superstition.
At a short distance from Puchmurry,
in the Goand hills, there is a celebrated
natural cave, In the bottom of a solid
rock. Being sacred to Mahadeo, and
otherwise very famous, great numbers
of pilgrims annually resort to this cave,
for the purpose of prayer and ablution in
a small quantity of water with which the
bottom of the cave is always covered,
owing to a continual dripping from the
VOL. IIT: 6146
IIINDOOSTAN
roof. The female pilgrims,, however,
have other motives for their visit to this
wild unattractive place of worship, and
it is their zeal for increasing the native
population which gives rise to one of
the most cruel and murderous sacrifices
that take place in India.
When a woman has been so long
childless as to despair of progeny, she
repairs to this place, and after perform-
ing the usual ceremonies, - entreats Ma-
liadeo to remove her sterility, conclud-
ing with a vow to sacrifice her first-born
infant at his shrine, by dashing it head-
long from a high and craggy rock, close
to that in which his cave his situated.
This dreadful act is said to be executed
annually by at least one nfother. A
IN MINIATURE. 147
rise which occurred, says the writer,
while I was there, bore a different as-
pect ; it was that of a full-grown woman
who came to destroy herself in con-
formity with a vow made previously to
her birtl/by her mother, to offer up her
first-born to Mahadeo. Her sterility
having, as I was informed, been thereby
removed, she had borne this child and
several others. Either through forget-
fulness, or the strength of maternal
affection, she neglected to destroy this
eldest proof of the god's omnipotence,
and the girl grew up, and in due course
of time married. Her husband, how-
ever, soon died, as did a second whom
she wedded, and her father and mother
soon followed him to the grave. These
o 2148 HINJDOOSTAN
accumulated misfortunes drove the poor
creature nearly distracted, and for two
months she had done nothing1 but wan-
der about the village, eating every
thing that was offered her, no matter
by whom. In consequence of this she
had lost her caste, and the seclusion
from her own friends, which was a
necessary result, completed her misery.
Having taken it into her head that all
these mishaps were' owing to her mo-
ther's vow remaining unfulfilled, she
^determined to execute it in her own
person.
My curiosity being greatly excited, I
went in company with another gentle-
man to witness the whole proceeding,
in the event of our not being able to put
IN MINIATURE, 149
a stop to it altogether. We found the
woman sitting near the base of the
rock, from which she was to cast her-
self headlong ; having in one hand a
knife and a cocoa-nut, and in the other
a squall looking-glass. She appeared
to be about thirty, and as ugly as any
woman could well be j several Bramins
were near her, but she seemed to regard
no (Vne, merely exclaiming at intervals,
Deo b'hur Jee, in a loud and disagree-
able tone of voice.
Colonel Adams had humanely di-
rected his, principal hircarrah and a
Bramin to accompany us, and to explain
to the. woman that no such sacrifices
were ordered or in any way authorized
by their own laws, and to use their ut-
' o 3150 HINDOOSTAN
most endeavours, excepting force, to
prevent the self-destruction of the un-
happy female. The Brainins, who ac-
companied the woman, joined us most
heartily in our efforts to change her
?
resolution. She was perfectly sensible
and understood every thing we said to
her; but a decided negative was the
only answer we could obtain to our en-
treaties that she would refrain from sa-
crificing herself. Her Bramins told us
that if she would only return, her
friends would willingly and kindly re-
ceive her, and that no disgrace what-
ever would attach to her name, if she de-
clined fulfilling- the vow of her mother.
She was likewise assured that Colonel
Adams would have her conducted back
IN MINIATURE. 151
...' in safety, and the soubadar of Hurdah,
where she resided, would (as the Bra-
mins said they had offered to do before
she set.out) give her a pair of bullocks
and a small piece of ground for her
support. In short, every thing that
could possibly be urged, and every ad-
vantageous offer that could be made,
proved quite ineffectual iii shaking, even
in the,least degree, her resolution of
dying/
The warmth and good-will with
which the colonel's hircarrah, himself
a high caste Hindoo, endeavoured to
save the unhappy woman, were not less
creditable than surprising ? and every
Bramin present seconded his efforts
with the most sincere good-will iuiagi-152 IUNDOOSTAN
liable. She was so determined, how-
ever, on taking the leap, that, instead
of listening to us with satisfaction, she
repeatedly ordered the music to play,
so that our voices might be drowned j
but a slight and silent hint from us was
quite enough to insure disobedience to
her orders on the part of the musicians :
indeed every one present seeinecl heartily
to wish us success. One old Bramin
was so very importunate with her, that
she' threw the cocoa-nut at his head
with such'force as would, had it struck
him, have very speedily stopped his
rhetoric: but luckily it came against a
stone and was dashed in pieces.
After remaining there several hours,
*
during which time she very greedily ate
IN MINIATURE. 153
«vhe sweetmeats that were offered to her
in great quantities, and seeing that lier
resolution was not in the least shaken,
I thought it useless to stay any longer j
but left the hircarrah with directions to
continuous efforts, and to give me a
regular account of the sacritie**, in case
he found it impossible to put a stop to
it. About two hours after my return
to camrt, I had the pleasure of seeing
the woman enter, accompanied by an
immense crowd, and learned, on in-
quiry, that after my departure, she had
continued inexorable till she approach-
ed the brink of the precipice, when she
fainted away, and remained senseless
for a long time : that on coming to
herself again, Ram Sing, the liircar-154 IUNDOOSTAN
rah, perceiving some Irresolution in her
countenance, took advantage of the
circumstance, and falling at her feet,
conjured her to abandon her horrible
intention. The Bramins seconded him j
and at last she was prevailed upon to
come to camp, whence colonel Adams,
having furnished her "with money to
defray her expenses, sent proper per-
sons to conduct her home.
From the above account, for the au-
thenticity of every part of which I can
vouch, adds the narrator, it may be in-
ferred, that these sacrifices are not en-
couraged by the Bramins ; that no in-
toxicating drugs or liquors arc employ-
ed to stimulate the resolution of the
victim or to deaden her feelings j but
IN MINIATURE,
155
that the Bramins themselves are ready
and willing to use all their endeavours
to prevent so horrible a custom. The
barbarous infanticide, therefore, prac-
tised at Puchmiirry, is the act of the
parcntg alone : it would doubtless be
prohibited altogether if committed in
the British territories ; but those hills
belong to the Bhoonslah, with whom
we have no right to interfere.
The/ inJ:fference with which children
sacrifice the lives of their parents and
parents those of their children in Hin-
doostan, cannot perhaps be paralleled
in any other country. Of this disposi-
tion we have had occasion to record in
this work numerous instances, to which15G
HINDOOSTAN
we add the following, on the authority
of Mr. Forbes:?
A Hindoo devotee, a man of amiable
character, in the prime of life, married
and the father of four children, who
lived near Bombay, desired his wife one
afternoon to prepare herself and her
children for a walk on the beach,
whence, he said, he intended to accom-
pany them on a longer journey. She
inquired whither j and he informed her
that his god had invited him to heaven
i
and to take his family with him j that
they were to go by water, and to set
out from Back Bay. Perfectly satisfied
with this explanation, the wife pro-
ceeded with her children to the sacri-
IN MINIATURE.
157
fice. The parents drove the two elder
children into the sea, and they were
carried off by the waves j they then
drowned the two younger, who were
infants j the wife walked in and pe-
rished, and the husband was delibe-
vJ '
rately following her, when he suddenly
recollected, that the disappearance of
a whole family would occasion inquiry
on the part of the English government,
and nnig!:t involve his neighbours in
some trouble: he therefore determined
to step back and inform them of the
circumstance, before he completed the
sacrifice. His. Hindoo neighbours heard
the story with their characteristic in-
sensibility, and perhaps admired the
act; but a Musulman was present, and
VOL. in. ' P158 IIINDOOSTAN
he observed, that the story was so ex«
traordinary that it might be difficult to
convince, and therefore the husband
must accompany him to the magistrate
and relate the facts himself. The en-
thusiast was, in consequence, tried,
condemned and executed for murder;
a sentence with which he was per-
fectly satisfied, only regretting, that
it occasioned a delay in his passage to
that heaven, which he promised him-
self as his reward.
How far this sentence accorded with
the spirit of English law, which as-
sumes the existence of malice in the
mind of the perpetrator, in order to
constitute the crime of murder, we
leave to be determined by the tribunal
IN MINIATURE.
on \vhose authority it was carried into
execution.
With reference to the abolition of
infanticide in Guzerat, the Rev. Dr.
Buchanan remarks, that this event af-
fords an invaluable lesson concerning
the \^iaracter of the Hindoos and the
facility of civilising them. " What was
effected, in Guzerat," continues tliat
benevolent writer, " in regard to the mur-
de^ of children, is equally practicable
in Bengal, as to the burning of women,
and at Juggernaut, as to self-murder
under Moloch's tower. We would ask,
what is .there to prevent the custom of
burning women alive, from being dis-
cussed in the public cutchery of Cal-
cutta, and c exposing the enormity of the
p 2160 HINDOOSTAN
practice,, as contrary to the precepts of
religion and the dictates of nature ?'
The English nation have a right to de-
mand an answer to this question from
the supreme government of Bengal.
" Abhorrent to natural feeling as the
destruction of female infants may ap-
pear, it is certain that it is only the ex-
treme degree of a principle common
to all nations of the earth where Chris-
tianity is not known,?namely, a dis-
position to degrade the female charac-
ter. Christianity alone ever did, Chris-
tianity alone ever can gi^e due honour to
the character of woman, and exalt her
to her just place in the creation of
God."
IN MINIATURE.
161
MORALS AND LAWS,
PENAL ANJJ CIVIL.
Iii aK'1 the'books of the Hindoos we
meet with the maxims of that pure and
sound morality, which is founded on
the nature of man considered as a ra-
tional And social being. The laws
themselves inculcate the doctrine of
future chastisements for fraud and hy-
pocrisy j and in no country is adultery
punished with such severity as in India.
Its legislators have not even omitted
the precepts of a less elevated morality
nor the laws of mere humanity. " In-
sult not/' says Menu, " the cripple,
p 3162 H1NJDOOSTAN
the ignorant and the aged, him who
has neither beauty nor wealtli, or is of
low birth." This maxim would not be
misplaced in the rigid code of Sparta :
while Athenian refinement cannot per-
haps produce a parallel to this injunction
of the same philosopher:?" Always tell
the truth, but strive to tell it in a pleas-
ing manner."
The invention of the apologue belongs
to the Hindoos. The most ancient
collection of fables is unquestionably
that which has long been distinguish-
ed by the name of Pilpay, but which
is now restored to its original name,
Hetopadesa. The author has intro-
duced into a series of stories, which
a Bramin is supposed to relate to two
IN MINIATURE.
163
young princes, his pupils, all the pre-
cepts and maxims that can be service-
able in the government of a state, in
domestic economy and in private life.
If we proceed from morals to an ex-
amination of the,laws of the Hindoos,
we shall find not less,reason for com-
mendation. It cannot, however, be de-
nied that they savour of the state of ci-
vil i^ation at the period when they were
enacted. These laws are in fact of the
highest antiquity ; they were collected
about nine hundred years* before Christ j
but they existed long before that re-
mote period, being "either preserved in
writing or transmitted down to that
time by tradition. We ought not
therefore to be surprised, if we find164 HINDOOS TAN
frivolous,, trivial, nay even troublesome
regulations respecting* the most indif-
ferent actions of life, mingled with in-
stitutions which equally attest the wis-
dom and humanity of the legislator,
and convey a high idea of the ancient
governments of Hindoos tan.
The Hindoos have a great number of
treatises on the laws of very ancient
date. Many centuries ago, an author,
named Raghunandam, who has been
styled the Tribonianus of India, com-
piled a kind of Digest in twenty-seven
volumes, extracted from the works of
various Menus or holy personages : but
the common people arc ignorant of the
very existence of these treatises, which
are confined to the hands of a few Bra-
IN MINIATURE.
165
,.nins. The principal and perhaps the
only rule, of legal decisions rests on
certain customs transmitted from father
to son, and on cases already adjudged.
In matters to which these are not ap-
plicable^'and particularly in offences
arising from covetousness, rapacity,
and passions of that kind, the sentence
depends entirely on the pleasure of the
Bramin,/despot or judge.
It appears from the laws of Menu,
that the ancient courts of justice were
held publicly by the king in person,
or by judges who might be appointed
from among the three superior castes.
The Bramins were generally preferred.
The judges arc bound to decide agree-100 1I1NDOOSTAN
ably to the most literal interpretation
of the law. Three witnesses are re-
quired to convict. The court is open
to all without distinction of classes,
and even women are allowed to be
present at the trials of persons of their
own sex.
Justice was formerly administered
without much ceremony. The majo-
rity of causes, especially if they were of
no great importance, were decided in
the village, the principal persons of
which acted as judges, and from their
sentence there was seldom any appeal.
Sometimes aged men or relatives were
chosen as umpires : in matters of higher
importance the Hindoos referred their
IN MINUTITIE, 1G7
disputes to the Bramms, who decided
;.* according to the laws contained m the
o
Vedas.
Of late years the professors of the
law have begun to cut a greater figure
in Hindoostan. The Hindoos seem to
have cCTaght of the Europeans a fond-
ness for litigation to which they were
formerly strangers : for this spirit is
particularly prevalent at Madras and in
other /large cities, where the natives
have most frequent commercial inter-
course with them.
In the British presidencies the natives
themselves are tried in criminal cases
by the laws of England, for which pur-
pose courts are established in the prin-
cipal cities.168 HINDOOSTAN
So strong is the preference given in
many instances by the Hindoos to the
British administration of justice, that
natives who have had cause of litigation,
have been known to travel some hun-
dred miles for the purpose of submit-
ting their dispute to the decision of an
English court.
Disputes between the Hindoos fall
under the cognizance of the lay or ec-
clesiastical tribunals of the country.
All that concerns religion, for example
all suits relative to betrothal, marriage,
o?matrimonial contracts, are referred to
a commission composed of the princi-
pal Bramins.
Ordinary causes are still decided
without cost, by the chiefs of the caste :
IN MINIATURE. 169
and criminal processes are submitted to
the tribunal of the nabob, rajah, or
prince, in whose territory the offence
has been committed.
The Hindoos, when they take an
* *
oath, raise their clasped hands over
their heads, and call upon Parvati, the
goddess of vengeance, to punish them
if they do not speak the truth. These
people Misport the testimony of the
one-eyed and hunch-backed, asserting,
as an established fact, that it is much
easier to bribe persons afflicted with
such deformities and defects than others
who are free from them.
The native judges of districts or in-
spectors of police are called cut wall: it is
VOL. in. Q170 HJNDOOSTAN
by them that corporal punishments are
inflicted.
A judge, say the Hindoos, ought to
be thoroughly acquainted with ancient
customs and usages, as well as with
the particular case in which he has to
decide. He should be a man of inte-
grity, because it is according to his con-
science that he judges, and wealthy,
that he may be above the temptation
of bribes. He ought to be upwards of
twenty years of age, that the indiscre-
tion natural to youth may not cause
him to decide hastily 5 and under sixty,
because, according to their notions, at
that age the mental powers begin to
decline. He ought never to officiate
IN MINIATURE. 171
alone, however excellent his intentions
and understanding. Lastly he ought
to refuse to act, if he is a relative or
friend of either of tlie parties.
The Hindoos still speak in high terms
of one of their ancient kings, who was
so careful to avoid every thing that
could bias his judgment, that whenever
he ascended his throne to try a cause,
he had a bandage tied over his eyes
before the parties were admitted into
his presence; and after they had en-
tered, lie expressly forbade any thing
to be said from which he might know
who they were.
The punishments inflicted are, the
bastinado, expulsion from the caste,
confiscation of property, banishment,172 HIMDOOSTAN
amputation of the nose and ears,, and
sometimes, but rarely, death. Through-
out all Hindoostan there are not, per-
haps, ten persons annually who suffer
capital punishment.
The punishment of death is inflicted by
means of fire, the halter, and elephants,
according to the nature of the crime.
The latter method, as described by a
Roman Catholic missionary, consists in
laying the culprit at the feet of the
elephant, which, on receiving orders to
tl^at effect, lifts him up with his trunk,
throws him to a considerable height
above his head ; seizing him again when
he falls, and throwing him up as often
as the sentence specifies, and at length
dispatching him, by setting his enor-
IN MINIATURE. 173
mous foot upon the breast of the con-
vict.
Amputation of the ears and nose is
the ordinary punishment of thieves: in
cases of the more heinous kinds, one
hand is cut off.
Adultresses are punished by expul-
sion from their caste, a heavy fine, and
the bastinado. It is considered a still
more severe punishment to cut off their
hair; which is the penalty inflicted on
the vilest prostitutes, after plastering
them with cow-dung, and leading them
about on an ass, accompanied with the
sound of tamtams. In some castes not
only adultery, but even the intercourse
between unmarried persons is punished
with death j and we are assured by174 HINDOOSTAN
M. Pen-in, that in some places the two
culprits tire burned alive; while in
others the man only is sentenced to
die, unless he marries the female whom
he has seduced. A still more extraor-
dinary circumstance is, that the prac-
tice of thouing one another, and the
liberty taken by persons of different
sexes, to smoke alternately the same
chiroutte of tobacco, are held to be
proofs of cohabitation, and upon such
a fact alone the parties are convicted.
In Aaam, pardon may be purchased
for all capital offences excepting rebel-
lion : and the whole family of a rebel,
parents, brothers, sisters, wives, and
children^ are involved in his fate. Of-
fenders are put to death in various man-
IN MINIATURE. 175
ners, by cutting their throats, by im-
paling them, by grinding them between
two wooden cylinders, .by sawing them
asunder between two planks, by beat-
ing them with hammers, and by apply-
ing burning hoes to differents parts
until they die.
The fundamental principles of ^the
law of tlie Hindoos are the following:?
1. A man shall not kill any person.
2. He shall not steal.
3. He shall not seduce his neighbour's
wife.
4. He shall not lie.
5. He shall abstain from all intoxi-
cating liquors.
6. He shall not forsake his caste*176 HINDOOSTAN
7. He shall not destroy any public
building1 or establishment.
?. 'v
8. He shall not make false money.
9. He shall not wilfully hurt any
living creature.
10. He shall not commit any violence
upon priests, holy penitents, husband-
men, or women.
11. He shall not withhold the wages
of a servant.
12. He shall not enter any temple till
he has performed the prescribed ablu-
tions, i *
Theft is very rare among the Hin-
doos, notwithstanding their covetous-
ness of gold and silver. If a person
who has been robbed, complains to the
IN MINIATURE, 177
chief of the village, he may be sure
either that the rogue will be appre-
hended, or that the village will indem-
nify him for liis loss.
As the Hindoos are extremely super-
stitious, advantage is frequently taken
of their credulity for the discovery of
thefts. The roaster of a house from
whom a silver spoon had been stolen,
applied to a conjuror in the hope of
recovering it. The conjuror, after
some mystic ceremonies, declared that
tlie spoon was at the bottom of the tank,
in the middle of the court-yard. A
diver was immediately sent for, and the
spoon was actually found iu the situa-
tion described. It is not Very difficult
£o account for sucli a fact-178 I1INDOOSTAN
As to the civil laws, they vary at pre-
sent in the different parts of Hindoo-
stan, each power having introduced its
own in the provinces which it governs.
The following customs, however, are
universally retained, and have the force
*
of laws:?
?? The property of families must not
be divided among the individuals com-
posing them, who all live in common.
?? The debts of the fathers must be
paid by tie children to the third gene-
ration ; the fathers must pay those of
the children.
?? The eldest male of each family
governs it to the absolute exclusion of
the females: he directs all its concerns
as he thinks fit.
IN MINIATURE.
179
lt
ares.nalUavageandMepenaent
entrench as it were,
avveUa,on o
called Polygars.
and Ue c.ase.180 HINDOOSTAN
gether are given by a long herdsman's
cornet, the sound of which is heard at
a great distance.
Among these tribes the lex talionis,
or law of retaliation, is in full force. If
two persons belonging to them have
a quarrel, and one puts out the other's
eye or kills him, he is obliged to do the
same to himself. This cruelty they ex-
tend even to their children. On this
subject a missionary relates the follow-
*
ing horrible story:?
" Not long since, two of these barba-
rians having quarrelled, one of them
ran to his house, snatched up a boy
about four years old, and in the pre-
sence of his enemy beat his child's head
to pieces between two stones. The
IN MINIATURE. 181
K)ther, without manifesting the least
emotion, laid hold of his daughter, who
was nine years of age, and plunged a
dagger into her heart. * Thy child/
said he, ' was but four years old, my
girl was nine; give me a victim equal
to mine/?'That 1 will/ replied his an-
tagonist, and seeing his son, who was
about to be married, by his, side, he
stabbed him four or five times with the
dagger. Not satisfied with shedding
the blood of his two sons, he killed his
wife also, to oblige his enemy to do the
same* Another little girl and an infant
at the breast were slaughtered; so that
in a single day seven persons were
sacrificed to the vengeance of two blood-
VOL. III. R182
HIN BOOST AN
thirsty wretches, infinitely more cruel
than the most ferocious beasts.
" The women," continues Father
Martin, " carry this barbarity to a still
greater length. For any slight affront,
for any angry word that is said to one
of them by another woman, the former
will go and dash out her brains against
, the door of the latter, who is obliged to
dispatch herself in the same manner.
If one destroys herself by drinking the
juic'e of some poisonous herb, the other,
who was the occasion of this violent
death, must poison herself too ; other-
wise her house would be burned, her
cattle carried off, and she would be
liable to all sorts of ill usage till satis-
IN MINIATURE. 183
faction was made." This atrocious cus-
tom prevails indeed in the caste of the
robbers only : it forms a horrid con-
trast with the manners of people re-
nowned for their gentleness, who are
forbidden by their religion to spill
blood, and who would deem it a crime
to kill an insect.
The upper provinces of H'mdoostan
also abound with professed thieves, who
are incredibly expert in stealing horses.
The following fact will furnish suffi-
o
cient evidence of their talents. A
British field-officer, proceeding with a
large detachment from Cawnpore to
Bombay, had a very valuable horse,
which was always picketted with great
care, under charge of the sentries near
R 2184 HINDOOSTAN
his tent. One morning*, however, the
favourite was missing, A handsome
reward was proclaimed for its restora-
tion j when the thief, in full reliance on
English good faith, appeared with the
horse which he placed in its former situ-
ation, and received the premium of his
ingenious villany. The colonel, how-
ever, was at a loss to conceive how the
horse could have been removed from so
secure a position, and desired the thief
to,show him in what manner he had ac-
complished his design. The circle was
accordingly cleared, and the artful fel-
low went through all his manoeuvres,
crouching on the ground and sliding
along in various positions till he reach-
ed the horse. He explained how he
IN M1NJATURE.
185
found the bridle, putting it, at the same
time into the horse's mouth, and, acting
as he proceeded with his detail, he
loosened the head and heel-ropes with
which horses are always fastened j when
the animal, being quite loose, he sprung
upon his back, and urging him forward
with his heels, gallopped away through
the crowd. The colonel, highly ad-
miring the fellow's skill, followed his
course in expectation of seeing the
horse turned and brought back to the
pickets. The thief, however, continued
his way, leaving the numerous specta-
tors and the unsuspecting colonel in
particular, divided between admiration
at the neatness of the trick, and morti-
fication at the loss. As they were in
R 3186
HINDOOSTAN
an enemy's country, pursuit was alto-
gether impracticable.
Previously to the year 1808, there
were in the northern part of the Climatic,
and in other districts regularly orga-
nised gangs who subsisted by robbery,
but who never plundered without mur-
dering their victims. These wretches
are called Phansigars. There is rea-
son to believe that from the time of
the conquest of Mysore, in 1/99, to
1807 or 1808, hundreds of persons were
annually destroyed by them in that part
of India. Since the latter period, their
inhuman practices have become known
to the English courts of justice; and
many of them have in consequence
iled from the British territories to those
IN MINIATURE.
187
of the Nizam arid of the Mahrattas,
where they are said to be still numerous.
A gang of Phansigars consists of
from ten to fifty or even a greater num-
ber of persons, a large majority of
whom are Musulmans ; but Hindoos,
and particularly those of the Rajpoot
tribe, are often associated with them.
Bramins too, though rarely, are found
in the gangs. Emerging from their
haunts, they sometimes perform long
journeys, being absent from home
many months j but generally making
one or two excursions every year, un-
der the appearance of ordinary inoffen-
sive travellers, and not unfrequently
pretending to be traders. Of a numer-
ous gang, some usually remain at home,188 HiiNDOOSTAN
while the rest arc eii'ra»'e(l in the work
) O
of pillage and murder.
Their practice is first to strangle and
then rific their victims, who arc almost
exclusively such travellers as they fall
in with on the road. It is a principle
with them, to allow not one to escape
of a party however numerous, that
there may be no witnesses of their
atrocities : nay, the very dogs of the
latter are not spared by them. The
? only admitted exception to this rule
is in the instance of boys of very ten-
der age, who are spared, adopted by
the Phansigars, and on attaining the
requisite age initiated into their horri-
ble mysteries.
Skilled in the arts of deception, they
IN MINIATURE. 189
enter into conversation, and insinuate
themselves by obsequious attentions
into the confidence of travellers of all
descriptions, to learn from them whence
they come, whither and for what pur-
pose they are journeying, and of what
property they arc possessed ; they pro-
pose to a stranger, under the specious
plea of mutual safety or for society to
travel together, or follow him at a little
\-J S
distance, and on arriving at a conve-
nient place, one of the gang suddenly
puts a rope or sash round the neck of
the unfortunate person, while others
assist in depriving him of life.
Before the perpetration of the mur-
der some of the gang are sent in ad*]90 HINDOOSTAN
»
vance, and some left in rear of the
place, to keep watch and prevent intru-
sion, by giving notice to those engaged
in the act. Should any person unex-
pectedly appear on the road, before the
body, which is previously much man-
gled, is buried, some artifice is practised
to prevent discovery ; such as covering
the body with a cloth, while lamenta-
« *
tions are made professedly on account
of the sickness or death of one of their
comrades j or one of the watchers falls
down, apparently writhing with pain,
in order to excite the pity of the tra-
vellers, and to detain them from the
scene of murder.
Sometimes, when they are in a part
IN MINIATURE. 191
of the country which exposes them to
the risk of observation, they will put
up a screen or the wall of a tent, and
bury the body within the inclosure ; pre-
tending, if inquiries arc made, that their
women are within the screen. On such
occasions, these obdurate wretches do
not hesitate to. dress and cat their food
on the very spot where their victim is
inhumed.
Travellers resting in the same choul-
try with Plmnsigars, are sometimes de-
stroyed in the night, and their bodies
conveyed to a distance and buried. On
these occasions a person is not always
murdered when asleep j for while he is
in a recumbent posture they find a clif-192 HINDOOSTAN
ficulty of applying the cloth. The
usual practice is first to awaken him
suddenly with an alarm of a snake or
a scorpion, and then to strangle him.
The plunder thus obtained is almost
always carried home by the Phansigars;
for, to prevent detection, they never
dispose of it near the place where the
owner was murdered, or where it is
likely to be recognized.
These detestable wretches are said,
from superstitious motives, to exempt
from slaughter persons of the Camala
caste and females, in which case the
whole party to which such persons be-
long is spared. There are, however,
well-authenticated statements, which
IN MINIATURE. 193
seem to prove that women have been
sacrificed by them when they fall in their
way.
The Phansigars train up all their
male children to their own profession,
unless bodily defects prevent them from
following it. Their initiation is very gra-
dual, and commences at the age .of ten
or twelve years. The magistrate of
Chittur, in one of his reports ob-
serves :?I believe that some of the
Phansigars have been concerned in
above two hundred murders j nor will
this estimate appear extravagant, if it
be remembered that murder was their
profession, frequently their only means
of gaining a subsistence, Every man
fifty years of age has probably been ac-
VOL. in. *194 HINDOOSTAN
tively engaged during- twenty-five years
of his life in murder, and on the most
moderate computation it may be reck-
oned that he has made one excursion a
year, and met each time with ten vic-
tims.
The more northern parts of India
and the Mahratta territories are also
infested by bands of robbers called
Thegs, composed of a desperate asso-
ciation of all castes, who are not less
dangerous than the Phansigars. It is
evidently to one or the other of these
classes that Thevenot alludes in the fol-
lowing passage:?" Though the road
from Delhi to Agra be tolerable, yet
hath it many inconveniences. A tra-
veller may meet with tigers, panthers,
IN MINIATURE. 195
and lions upon it, and he must be on
his guard against robbers, and above
all things not suffer any one to come
near him on the road. The most art-
ful robbers in the world are found in
that country. They use a certain slip
with a running noose, which they can
cast with such dexterity about a man's
neck, when they are within reach of
him, that they never fail, and thus
strangle him in a trice. They have
also another stratagem for catching
travellers. They send out upon the
road a handsome woman, who with her
hair dishevelled and all in tears, sighs
and complains of some misfortune which
she pretends to have befallen her.
Taking the same way that the traveller196 HINDOOSTAN
is going, lie easily falls into conversation
with her, and finding her beautiful, offers
her his assistance which she accepts :
but no sooner has he taken her up be-
hind him on horseback, than she throws
the snare about his neck, and strangles,
or at least stuns him, until the robbers,
who lie hid, come running to her as-
sistance, and complete the business."
It is a question whether the reproach
of the invention of this detestable sys-
tem of pillage and murder is to be
charged to the Hindoos or to the Mu-
sulmans. In the more southern pro-
vinces which were never, or fell latest,
under the dominion of Mahometans,
Phansigars do not appear even yet to
have established themselves: and if, as
IN MINIATURE. 197
it is said, Arabia and Persia are infest-
ed by them, it seems most probable
that these murderers came to India
along with the Mahometan conquerors,
and accompanied the progress of their
arms to the southward.
The Thcgs in the Mahratta villages
on the confines of the British territo-
ries, commit their atrocities more openly
than the Phansigars. Early in 1816 a par-
ty of forty-two travellers, men, women,
and children, were every one strangled
by a large party of Thegs, between the
Nagpore and Purma country.
In certain districts of the British
possessions, particularly in Juanpore,
there seems to exist some association
for dispatching travellers in a more se~
s 3198 IIINDOOSTAN
cret manner. These wretches joining4
travellers and accompanying' them on
the road, take an opportunity of mixing
the seed of the datura or other narcotic
plant with the hooka or food of their
victim,, and plunder him when stupified
or killed by the eiFects of the dose.
The constitution which bears so hard
upon the lower castes, and the dif-
ficulty they find in obtaining- justice,
frequently oblige them to have re-
course to a method which is authorised
by the law and almost always succeeds,
in order to obtain payment of a debt
from a dishonest creditor. It has some
analogy with a custom described in a
preceding page, though it is of a much
less odious nature.
IN MINIATURE. 109
In Hindoostan, as in other countries,
a person in want of money, may bor-
row it at interest. The Hindoos dis-
tinguish three kinds of interest: the
o
first, which is virtue, is one per cent,
per month, or twelve per cent, per an-
ntun 5 the second, which is sin, is four
per cent, per month, so that the prin-
cipal is doubled in less than two years
and a half: and the third sort, which
is neither virtue nor sin, is two per
cent, per month.
When a debtor refuses to fulfil his
engagements, and his creditor meets
him in the street, or in any other place
whatever, he adjures him in the name
of the rajah, minister, or other digni-
fied person: this they term remaining y200 HINDOOSTAN
and putting in dhurna, or arresting* ;
because both the debtor and creditor
are obliged to stop \vhere they meet,
without eating or drinking, till the for-
mer has paid the debt or at least ar-
ranged matters with the latter. It
would be deemed au act of horrible im-
piety to violate a custom so universally
respected. The very soldier is not
liable to the charge of mutiny when he
employs this method to obtain his ar-
., rears of pay.
This curious mode of enforcing a
demand, says Broughton, is in uni-
versal practice among the Mahrattas :
Scindia himself, one of the most
powerful of their princes, not being
exempt from it. The man who sits
IN MINIATURE. 201
the dkurna goes to the house or tent
of him whom he wishes to bring
to terms, and remains there till the
affair is settled j during which time
the person under restraint is confined
to his apartment and not suffered to
communicate with anv but those whom
«?
the other may approve of. When it is
meant to be very strict, the claimant
takes a number of his followers, who
surround the tent, sometimes even the
bed of his adversary, and deprive him
altogether of food j in which case, how-
ever, etiquette prescribes the same ab-
stinence to himself: the strongest sto-
mach of course carries the day.
A custom of this kind was once so
prevalent in the province and city of202 H1NDOOSTAN
Benares, that Bramins were trained to
remain a long time without food. They
were then sent to the door of some
rich individual, where they made a vow
to remain without eating till they should
obtain a certain sum of money. To
preserve the life of a Bramin is so ab-
solutely a duty, that the money was
generally paid; but never till a good
struggle had taken place to ascertain
whether the man was staunch or not:
for money is the life and soul of all
Hindoos. In the Mahratta camp were
many Brain ins who hired themselves
out to sit dhurna for those who did not
choose to expose themselves to so great
an inconvenience.
Another kind of dhurna 'consists in
IN MINIATURE. 203
the creditor stationing himself at the
door of the debtor, with an enormous
weight on his head, or a dagger or
poison in his hand, and threatening to
put an end to his life, if the master of
the house quits it without paying the
debt or has recourse to violence to
drive him away. In this position he re-
mains without taking any sustenance ;
and the debtor also is obliged to fast.
Should the creditor die at the door of
the debtor, the house would be levelled
with the ground, the master and his
family would be sold, and the money
applied to the payment of the debt to
the heirs of the creditor.
A poor Hindoo being unable to sup-204 I1INDOOSTAN
port his wife in a time of dearth, wa3
necessitated to transfer her to a tai*.
lor, who, having plenty of business,
could defray the expense of her main-
tenance. When the dearth was over,
the husband was desirous of recovering
his wife, but she, finding herself quite
comfortable with the tailor, refused to
return with him. All his remonstrances
proving ineffectual, he had recourse to
the dhurna. The tailor, equally reluc-
tant to part with the woman, got rid of
the husband by giving him a sum of
money.
The last species of dhurna is this:?
The creditor forms a pile of wood be-
fore the door of his debtor, places upon
IN MINIATURE. 205
it a cow, or an old woman, and in pre-
ference his own mother : and with a
torch in his hand threatens to set fire
to the pile unless he is immediately
paid. The old woman meanwhile utters
the mo^t dreadful imprecations against
the debtor, swearing to haunt him in-
cessantly and to leave him no rest either
in this world or the other. Motives of
fear, shame, and religion, almost al-
ways induce the debtor to pay, or to
enter into some compromise j and it
rarely happens that the creditor is re-
duced to the necessity of executing his
threat.
Some Pundits, or native lawyers, ad-
mit the validity of the obligations ex-
VOL. III.
T20(5 IIINDOOSTAN
lorted by means of the dhurna, provided
what is thus obtained were legally due
and unjusily refused: others deny it in
every case unless the debtor, after the
removal of the dhurna, freely and vo-
luntarily confirms the promise that has
been wrung from him.
In January 1/94, Mohun Panreh, an
inhabitant of a district in the province of
Benares, sat down in dhurna before the
house of some Rajpoots, for the pur-
pose of obtaining the payment of birt,
or a charitable subsistence to which he
had a claim ; and in this situation de-
stroyed himself by swallowing poison.
Some of the relations of the deceased
retained the corpse for two days before
IN MINIATURE. 207
the house of the Rajpoots, who were
thus compelled to forego taking any
sustenance, in order to induce them to
settle the birt on the heir of the de-
ceased Bramin.
T 2208
II1NDOOSTAN
ORDEALS.
Trials by ordeal, so common in Eu-
rope during the middle ages, have been
customary from time immemorial in
Hindoostan. Though they are not so
much in vogue as formerly, yet instances
still occur, and they have lost none of
their authority. The Hindoos firmly
believe that God would perform a mi-
racle rather than suffer the innocent to
be overcome.
There are nine species of ordeal: 1. by
the balance; 2. by fire; 3. by water;
4. by poison ; 5. by the hosha, or water
IN MINIATURE. 209
in which an idol has been washed;
6. by rice; 7- by boiling oil; 8. by
red-hot iron ; 9. by images.
1. In the ordeal by the balance, the
accused first makes an otiering to fire ?
he then fasts for a whole day, after which
he is accurately weighed. Six minutes
afterwards, he is again placed in the
balance; if he weighs more than the
first time, he is deemed guilty, if less
innocent, but if exactly the same, he
must be weighed a third time.
2. For the ordeal by fire a trench,
nine palms in length, two in breadth,
and one deep, is dug in the ground,
which is filled with burning pippal
wood or red-hot ashes. Over these
the accused must walk barefoot, with-
T 3210 HINDOOS! AN
out^ receiving any injury, in order to
obtain an acquitta1.
3. In the ordeal by water, the ac-
cused plunges his head into a river or
tank, and lays hold of the foot of a
man who stands in the water up to the
navel. In this posture he must con-
tinue, till a nimble runner has brought
back an arrow discharged at the mo-
ment of his immersion ; or, if he raises
his head above the water before the ar-
rivaL of the arrow, his guilt is consider-
ed as fully proved.
4. There are two kinds of ordeal by
poison. In the one, the accused, after
performing his ablutions and making an
otiering to the fire, must take the poison
which is handed to him by a Bramin
IN MINIATURE. 211
and swallow it j if he survives he is
absolved. In the other, a hooded ser-
pent is put into a vessel, into which a
ring is thrown. This ring the accused
is required to bring out with his naked
hand ; if the serpent bites him, he is
at once convicted and punished for his
crime.
5. The ordeal by the kosha is con-
ducted as follows. The accused drinks
three draughts of water, in which the
image of the sun or some other deity
has been washed. If no misfortune or
illness befalls him during the ensuing
O w»
fortnight he is acquitted.
(5. In the ordeal by rice, the accused
chews a certain quantity of that grain,
and spits it out. If the rice comes out212 HINDOOSTAN
of his mouth dry, or tinged with blood,
this is sufficient evidence of the crime.
7. The trial with boiling oil consists
in the accused plun^in^ his hand into
A O O
that liquid j and if lie draws it out un-
hurt., he is declared innocent.
8. In the ordeal by red-hot iron,, an
iron ball or the head of a lance heated
in the fire is put into the hand of the
accused ; who is judged innocent, as in
the preceding ordeal, if his hand is not
burned.
9. The ordeal by images is thus con-
ducted. Into a large earthen jar are
thrown two images, one of silver called
Dharma, or the genius of justice, and
the other Adharma, or genius of injus-
tice. The vessel is then covered, the
IN MINIATURE. 213
accused puts his hand into it, and if he
brings out the silver figure he is acquit-
ted, if the iron image, he is condemned.
Sometimes this trial is made with two
pieces of stuff, the one white and the
other black, on each of which the
figure of some deity has been painted.
The accused is pronounced innocent or
guilty, according as he draws out the
white or the black piece.
According to the law relative to
ordeals, the balance is for women,
children, old men, the blind, cripples
and Bramins, and fire, water and poison
for the Sooders.
When the loss of the accuser does
not amount to a thousand pieces of
silver, the accused is not obliged to214 HINDOOSTAN
undergo either the ordeal of the red-
hot ball, or thai by poison or the ba-
lance : but if the crime charged be
against the monarch or of a heinous
kind, he must submit to one of these
trials.
AVc learn from the Asiatic Rc-
searches, \\vsk, in 17^3, a man underwent
the ordeal by red-hot iron in Benares,,
in the presence of Ali Ibrahim Khan,
chief magistrate of that city. This
man, steward to a person of distinction,
was accused of theft, but asserted his
innocence. As there was no legal evi-
dence of his guilt he offered to submit
to the ordeal by fire.
The Pundits of the court and city
having paid their adorations to Ganesa,
IN MINIATURE. 215
the god of wisdom, and presented to
the fire their offering- of clarified butter,
formed on the ground nine circles of
cow-dung, and having bathed the ac-
cused in the Ganges, they conducted
him to the place with his garments wet.
To obviate all suspicion of deceit they
then washed his hands with pure water,
and next wrote a statement of the case
and the words of the muntra (a passage
in one of the techs, containing the
names of certain deities) on a palmyra
leaf which they fastened upon his herid.
Into his hands, which, they opened and
joined together, they put seven pippal
and seven djend leaves, seven blades of
dharba grass, a few flowers, and some
barley steeped in sour miik, which they210 HINDOOSTAN
fastened with seven threads of raw white
cotton. This done" they heated the
iron ball, which was dropped into his
hands with a pair of tongs. In this
manner he walked through each of the
seven intermediate circles and threw
down the ball in the ninth, where it set
fire to the grass that had been left. To
prove his veracity he then rubbed some
rice in the husk between his hands,
which, on being inspected, so far from
being burned, did not exhibit a single
blister. He was in consequence ac-
quitted ; but the accuser was sent to
prison for a week, that others might
not be tempted to demand the ordeal
by fire.
About the same time a man accused
IN MINIATURE. 21?
of theft submitted to the seventh or-
deal. He plunged his hand into a ves-
sel full of burning oil to pick up a
ring which had been thrown into it ;
but the result was ditto rent, for lie
burned his hand and was sentenced to
pay the value of the property which lie
was charged with stealing.
The Italian author of Letters on In-
dia relates, that one day a young girl
charged with theft was brought before
him by her accusers. He was chosen,
for want of another judge, because the
two parties were in some measure his .
dependents. The accusers proposed
the ordeal of boiling oil, and the girl
had the courage to accept it. Every
thing was ready for the trial, when the
VOL, III. TJ218
HINDOOSTAiN
judge, believing* the age of miracles to
be past, and having no wish to see the
poor girl scald her hand and arm,, pro-
posed a different test. lie loaded a
pistol before the faces of all present,
and told the accused that if she would
discharge it at her breast, the result
would show more speedily whether she
were guilty or not. All the parties
being satisfied, the girl look the pistol,
and,, without manifesting the least sign
of fear, pointed it to her breast and
%
fired : but the judge had unperceived
achoitly changed the loaded pistol for
one which was merely primed.
Mr. Forbes relates, that during his
administration of justice at Dhuboy, lie
was sometimes obliged to admit the
IN MINIATURE. 219
trial by ordeal. On the first of these
occasions a man was accused of stealing
a child covered with jewels, which is
a common mode of adorning infants
among the wealthy Hindoos. Many
circumstances appeared against him,
on which he demanded the ordeal. This
was a measure to which Mr. Forbes
was extremely averse j but at the par-
ticular request of the Hindoo arbitra-
tors whom that gentleman associated
with him on the carpet of justice, and
especially at the earnest entreaty of the
child's parents, he consented. A cal-
dron of boiling oil was brought and
O O "
after a short ceremony from the Bra-
mins, the accused person, without show-
ing any anxiety, dipped his han to the220 H1NDOOSTAN
bottom, and took out a small silver
coin, without appearing to have sus-
tained any injury or to suffer the
smallest pain. The process went no
farther as the parents declared them-
selves perfectly convinced of his inno-
cence.
The same writer mentions a species
of ordeal differing from all those pre-
viously enumerated, and seems com-
pelled to acknowledge the success with
which it was practised in two cases of
theft. An English lady at Surat, residing
in the same familv with himself, lost a
? *
gold watch on which she set a particular
value. Several modes of divination
were used to discover the thief, and
among1 others the following:?The
IN MINIATURE.
221
name of every person in the house was
placed in a separate ball of paste- or
wax and thrown into a vessel of water :
one only swam on the surface ; the rest
fell to the bottom ami there remained.
On opening the flouting1 ball it con-
tained the name of an unsuspected fc
male, who immediately confessed that
she had stolen and secreted the watch.
The other case appears much more
unaccountable. Being about to remove
from his country-house at Baroche to
Surat, Mr. Forbes had deposited an
iron plate-chest for security in an inner
room, near that where the family slept.
This chest, the contents of which were
very valuable, was stolen in the course
of the night j and from its weight three222 H1NDOOSTAN
or four persons must have been con-
cerned in the robbery. Threats, pro-
mises, and the ingenuity of the officers
of the police were of no avail for the
discovery of the delinquents. " At the
earnest solicitation," says Mr. Forbes,
" of all our servants, Hindoos, Mahome-
tans and Parsees, we had recourse to di-
vination by balls in the water; our own
names were included with the rest.
On forming a circle round the vase. I
o *
observed a man whom I somewhat
/
suspected to change colour and become
a little agitated. On the balls being
immersed in water one only rose to
the surface ; his confusion was then
evident and still more so, when, on
opening the ball, it contained the name
IiN MINIATURE. 223
of Harrabhv. This man had lived with
«
us several years as head-gardener,
without our having anv reason to sus-
O v
pect his honesty: he positively denied
the robbery and we had no other proof
than the ordeal, which, though fully
satisfactory to all the Indians, was not
so to us. They requested that neither
Harrabhv nor any other person might
be allowed to leave the spot, until we
had gone through the rice ordeal: to
this we submitted, though by no means
palatable to Harrabhy. He reluctantly
complied, and with all the rest of
us put a few grains of unboiled rice
into his mouth. It was previously
intimated, that from the mouth of the
innocent after mastication it wouldx2|
lilNDUOSTAN
come out a milky liquid ; from the
guilty a dry powder. We were all of
the milky party except Harrabhy :
mingling with the saliva,, it became a
white fluid j with him it remained a
dry powder,, notwithstanding a number
of fruitless efforts to liquefy it. He
was compelled thus to spit it out: his
complexion changed from a rich brown
to a sort of livid blue ; his lips quivered
and his altered countenance plainly in-
dicated guilt: still he would make no
confession, and on this evidence we
could only put him in confinement un-
der the court of Adawlet, until we ob-
tained further proof." This evidence
was furnished the following day, on the
discovery of the chest, which had been
IN MINIATURE. 225
buried near the end of Mri Forbes's gar-
den, on the steep bank of the Nerbudda.
When the culprit learned that the chest
had been found and restored to the
owners, and that he had no prospect
of benefiting by its contents, he con-
fessed that, in concert with three other
men, he had carried it off in the night,
while the people were asleep, and was
in hopes the family would have de-
parted without finding it.220
1IINDOOSTAN
WITCHCRAFT AND OTHER SU-
PERSTITIONS,
The notion of the reality of witch-
craft is general in India. Lord Teign-
mouth, in the first paper,, addressed by
him to the Asiatic Society., after his
election to the President's chair, in-
stances several very extraordinary facts
?respecting the Brainins, and then in-
troduces a story from the judicial re-
cords in which five women were put
to death for the supposed practice of
sorcery.
In 1/92, three men of the caste of
Soontaar, in one of the Bengal districts.
IN MINIATURE. 227
were indicted for the murder of these
five-women. The prisoners, without
hesitation, confessed the crime with
which they were charged, and pleaded
in their defence, that, with their tribes
it was the immemorial custom to try
persons notorious for witchcraft ; that
for this purpose, an assembly was con-
vened of those of the same tribe from
far and near ; if after due investigation
the charge was proved, the sorcerers
were put to death; and no complaint
was ever preferred on this account to
the ruling power ; that the women who
werelulled had undergone the prescribed
form of trial; were duly convicted of
causing the death of the son of one
of *the prisoners by witchcraft; and228 HINDOOSTAN
had been put to death by the pri-
soners in conformity to the sentence of
the assembly.
To ascertain with a degree of certainty
the persons guilty of practising- witch-
craft,, the three following* modes are
adopted. First, branches of the saul-
tree, marked with the names of all the
females in the village, whether married
or unmarried, who have attained the age
of twelve years, are planted in the water,
in the morning, for the space of four
hours and a half; and the withering
of any of these branches is a proof of
witchcraft against the person whose
name is annexed to it. Secondly, small
portions of rice, enveloped in cloths
marked as above, are placed in a nest
IN MINIATURE.
229
of white ants j the consumption of the
rice in any of the bags establishes sor-
cery against the woman whose name it
bears. Thirdly, lamps are lighted at
night; water is placed in cups made
of leaves, and mustard-seed oil is poured
drop by drop, into the water, while
the name of each woman is pronounced ;
the appearance of the shadow of any
woman on the water during this cere-
mony proves her a witch.
In the present instance, the witnesses
swore and probably believed, that all
the proofs against the unfortunate wo-
men had been duly verified. They as-
serted in evidence, that the branches
marked with the names of the five wo-
men were withered; that the rice iu
VOL. III. X2,)0
HINDOOSTAN
the bags having their specific names was
devoured by the white ants, while that
in the other bags remained untouched ;
that their shadows appeared on the
water when the oil was poured upon it,
while their names were pronounced j
and farther, that they were seen dan-
cing at midnight, naked, by the light of
a lamp near the house of the sick per-
son.
The entertaining work of Mr. Forbes
?also contains facts strikingly illustrative
of the notions of the people of IIin~
doostan, and especially the Parsecs,
respecting witchcraft.
A record of the various superstitious
ceremonies which prevail throughout
Hindoostan, observes Lord Teignmouth,
IN MINIATURE.
231
in the paper referred to above, would
form a large and curious volume; and
his lordship proceeds to illustrate a su-
perstitious notion respecting the sugar-
cane, prevalent among the people of the
province of Benares.
As it is usual with the ryots, or hus-
bandmen, to reserve a certain portion
of the canes of the preceding year to
serve as plants for their new cultivation,
it very frequently happens that incon-
siderable portions of the old cane remain
unappropriated. Whenever this hap-
pens, the proprietor repairs to the spot
on the 25th Jeyte, or about the llth
of June, and having sacrificed to Nag-
bcle, or the tutelary deity of the cane,
he immediately sets fire to the whole
x 2232 H1NDOOSTAN
and is exceedingly careful to have this
operation executed in as complete and
efficacious a manner as possible.
This act is performed from an appre-
hension, that if the old canes were al-
lowed to remain in the ground beyond
the day above mentioned, they would
in all probability produce flowers and
seeds; and the appearance of these
flowers they consider as one of the
greatest misfortunes that can befal
-them.
They unanimously assert, that if the
proprietor of a plantation ever happens
to see a single cane in flower after the
day specified, the greatest calamities
will befall himself, his parents, his
children, and his property : in short,
IN MINIATURE. 233
that death will sweep away most of
the members, or iiulced the whole of
his family, within a short period after
this unfortunate spectacle. If the pro-
prietor's servant happens to see the
flower, and immediately pulls it from
the stalk, buries it in the earth, and
never reveals the circumstance to his
master, in this case tlicv believe that it
-* ?
\vill not be productive of any evil con-
sequence : but should the matter reach
the proprietor's knowledge, the cala-
mities before stated must, according to
the prevailing ideas, infallibly happen.
In support oc this belief, many of
the most aged zemindars and ryots in
the province of Benares recited several
instances of the above nature, w\\icl\
x32,14 HINJDOOSTAN
they affirmed to have actually happened
during their own time ; and moreover,
that they had been personal witnesses
to the evils and misfortunes which befcl
the unhappy victims of the description
alluded to.
The Hindoos seem also to have no-
tions of a class of beings resembling
the fairies of our British ancestors.
Mr. Fraser, in the account of his
journey to the sources of the Jumna,
'inserted in the thirteenth volume of the
Asiatic Researches, makes mention of
ravines situated in a valley not far from
that river, in one of which are seen
small hills of stones resembling places
of worship, supposed to be the resi-
dence of devatas, or spirits, who amuse
IN MINIATURE. 235
themselves with inveigling away human
beings to their wild abodes. It is said,
that beauty in either sex is the object
of their particular predilection; that
they remorselessly seize on any whom
chance or imprudence may place within
their power, and whose spirits become
as theirs when deprived of their corpo-
real frame. Many instances of such
occurrences were related to the travel-
ler. On one occasion, a young man
who had wandered near their haunts,
being carried in a trance to the val-
ley, heard the voice of his own father,
who some years before had been spirited
away and who now recognized his son.
Paternal affection, it appears, wasH1NDOOSTAN
stronger than the spell by which he was
bound, and instead of rejoicing* at the
acquisition of ne\v prey,, he recollected
the forlorn state of his family, thus de-
prived of their only remaining* support;
he begged and obtained the pardon of
his son,, who was dismissed with the
injunction of strict silence and secrecy;
but, forgetting his vow, he was deprived
of speech,, and as a self-punishment cut
out his tongue with his own hand.
' Several persons have approached the
precincts of these spirits, and they who
have returned have generally expressed
the same feelings, and have uttered
some prophecy. They aver that they
have fallen into a swoon, and between
IN MINIATURE. 237
sleeping and waking, heard a conversa-
tion, and been sensible of impressions,
as if a conversation had passed, which
generally relates to some future event.
Indeed this prophetic faculty is one of
the chiefly remarkable attributes of the
place. The officiating Bramins some-
times venture farther than the vulgar,
and are favoured with communications
of future import. It is said they fore-
told the misfortunes and death of the
late rajah Parduman Sah; the loss of his
kingdom and life at Dehra Dun, and the
commencement, or rather completion
of the Gorkha dominion. The awe and
horror which the natives entertain for
the place are extreme. They assert238
IIINDOOSTAN
the impossibility of penetrating the val-
ley to any considerable height, and de*
clare that none who attempted it ever
returned without the loss of reason.
IN MINIATURE.
239
THE KHATTRIES.
The Khattries form the second of
the four original castes, comprising,, as
we have already observed, the rajahs
and the military. Those who serve in
the armies, though equally scrupulous
in regard to the ceremonies prescribed
to their caste, yet having more inter-
course with the Mahometans and Chris-
tians, are not so superstitious as the
other Hindoos. The Mahrattas them-
selves have in a great measure shaken
o
off that yoke which so ill befits the mi-
litary profession.
The Khattries are in general well
shaped, robust, and courageous. The240
H1NDOOSTAN
women of this caste, which is the least
numerous of all, are handsome and '
have strong constitutions.
Tho?c who live in villages have ba-
zars or markets before their houses,
and exact a toll or duty from such per-
sons as bring* their commodities thither
for sale. From this source they derive a
considerable revenue. The temples or
public pagodas, in which religious festi-
vals are held, are also in general near
their habitations. They have likewise
i
guard-houses and witcheries, where the
public imposts are paid, and where such
causes are decided as are not of sufficient
importance to be referred to the supe-
rior tribunals.
The Khattries wear large ear-ring-*
IN MINIATURE. 241
with a pearl or precious stone in the
middle of each. They also wear rings
of gold or silver round the arms and
legs.
VOL, nr.HINDOOSTAN
RAJAHS.
The rajahs are the Hindoo princes,, as
the nabobs are the Mahometan princes
of Hindoos tan : their rank is the same.
They rule with despotic power, their
will being the supreme law. They
amass great wealth by their extortions j
and as all the lands belong* to them,
they carry off the grain at the time of
harvest, leaving the wretched husband-
:$ ^-;-
mgfi Sjbaircely sufficient for their sub-
sistences
The rajahs are in general of the se-
cond class; yet Sooders have some-
times raised themselves to the throne,
IN MINIATURE. 243
though without being able to rise above
their caste. Hence there are princes
whose cooks would degrade themselves
o
if they were to sit down to table with
their masters.
In the caste of the rajahs, particu-
larly in Tanjore, the princesses of the
blood-royal, when of marriageable age,
choose their own husbands- For this
purpose they are conducted into a hall
in which a great number of persons of
their caste are assembled, and there
mark the man whom they select for
their husband, by throwing over his
head a wreath of flowers.
The annexed plate represents a ra-
jah sitting in state in his palace. The
long garment in which he is dressed,
Y 2244 HINDOOSTAN
and which is called courti or djama is
not the Musulman habit, as might be
supposed from its resemblance. It
was'commonly worn in Hindoostan be-
fore the conquest of the country by
Tamerlane. The turban differs essen-
tially from that of .the Mahometans in
being pointed behind. Two servants
stand behind the rajah,, with tchaourys
or bunches of peacocks' feathers to
drive away the flies.
The luxury of the rajahs consists in
/
thc number of their women,, attendants,,
elephants,, camels,, and horses. They
assemble at their courts men of science,
dancers of both sexes, singers, musi-
cians, and jugglers.
The palace of a rajah consists of se-
JN MINIATURE.
245
veral buildings, surrounding different
courts or small squares : the chambers
are carpeted and decorated with small
mirrors and pictures. Thc bed is placed
in the middle. The doors and windows
are very small. Thc rajahs abide in
preference in the upper apartments or
on the terraces of their palaces.
The rajahs arc respected in their
sects in proportion to their obesity:
they therefore employ all possible
means to render themselves corpulent,
and for this purpose eat a quantity of
ghee, or butter melted in milk. Their
complexion is a lighter yellow than that
of the other Hindoos. Like the Bra-
mins they must not touch any kind of
animal food ? and they are particularly
r 3246
HINDOOSTAN
scrupulous not to suffer the water they
drink to be touched by any person
whatever, not even by a Bramin, though
of their own sect. On this point, in-
deed, all the castes, not excepting that
of the Sooders, which is the lowest, are
extremely strict.
The rajahs bathe several times a-day,
previously rubbing themselves with oil
of mustard. During these frictions
they repeat the muntras, which are
texts of the Shaster or some other sa-
cred book.
The garment worn by the wives of
rajahs and other wealthy females is not
*
mere calico, like that worn by women
of the inferior classes, unless they are
widows or in mourning. They wrap
IN MINIATURE. 247
themselves in the finest muslins and
silks. The piece is so long that after
going twice or three times round, there
is enough left to form a scarf, which
covers the bosom, the head, and the
side; and it is so well adjusted, as to
conceal the whole person excepting the
hands and feet and a small part of the
face and body. Some of the engrav-
ings in the preceding volume, and par-
ticularly that opposite to page' 243,
exhibit faithful representations of the
costume of the wives of rajahs. They
arc barefoot, for all the Hindoo wo-
men go in that manner; and they are
so accustomed to it as to feel no incon-
venience from thorns, sharp stones, and
the scorching heat of the ground even218 111NDOOSTAN
in the very long and fatiguing journeys
which those of the lower castes arc
obliged to take.
To convey a correct idea of the man-
ner in which they arrange the nu-
'merous jewels which they wear on the
forehead, in the nose, in the ears., and on
the arms and legs, we have given an
engraving of the busts of two Hindoo wo-
men, whose arms and hands are adorned
with bracelets and rings; and under-
neath, the lower part of the leg and
foot loaded with ornaments. The de-
sign for this engraving was made from
original drawings, as large as life, cxe-
x
cuted in Hindoostan, to give Europeans
accurate notions on a matter of general
interest.
IN7 MINIATURE. 249
MILITARY TRIBES
or THE
CASTES OF THE KHATTRIES.
THE SEIKS.
The Sciks, the Rajpoots, and the
Mahrattas are military tribes belong-
ing to the caste of the Khattries. Hav-
ing already treated of the former as
sectaries, we have but few particulars
to add concerning them.
The country inhabited by the Seiks is
in the north of Hindoos tan. They are
warriors as well by condition as by in-
clination. This profession, however,
does not prevent them from cultivating250 1UNDOOSTAN
the ground, keeping flocks and herds,,
and carrying on manufactures. They
make very good cloth and excellent
fire-arms.
Their dress, as represented in the
plate opposite to page 308, consists of
very short white breeches, a coloured
cloth round the waist, and a shabby
turban. Their chiefs, who are but mili-
tary officers, v/car bracelets of gold at the
wrists and chains of the same metal round
the turban as insignia of their rank.
The Seiks are, in general, well-
shaped and robust j temperate and early
accustomed to a laborious life, they are
capable of enduring great fatigue, and
perform incredible marches. In these
excursions they carry with them neither
IN MINIATURE.
251
tents, baggage, nor any incumbrance:
if it rains they wrap round them the
coverings which arc thrown over their
o
saddles while they arc travelling. Their
horses, bred in MonlUm and Lahore,
arc middle-sized and very gentle, but
strong and mettlesome. Their weapons
are matchlocks and sabres, to which
they almost pay veneration. They
deeply lament the loss of a, horse, but
rejoice and put on white when death
summons away one of their companions.
On the other hand, the whole family
goes into mourning on occasion of the
birth of a child.
The Seiks have long formed a great
republic, which would be formidable if
they were united j for at the conclusion252 HINDOOSTAN
of the last century, their military force
amounted to two hundred and forty-
eight thousand men. The fall of the
Mogul empire consolidated their power:
ever since that event they have kept
extending their territories, but at the
same time they have divided their
strength, so that they can no longer act
in concert. Several states, as the Pan-
jab, Lahore, and Moultan, are subject
to them, and their distance from the
British possessions has hitherto assured
their independence.
IN MINIATURE.
253
THE RAJPOOTS.
The Rajpoots, another military tribe,
whose country is situated to the south
of that of the Seiks, were but little
known before General Thomas pub-
lished his account of them. This ex-
traordinary man, a native of Ireland,
went to India in an English vessel as
a common sailor, but quitted his ship
at Madras, and entered into the military
service of a Hindoo prince. In a short
time he rose to the rank of general,
and was seriously thinking of carving
out a kingdom for himself, when death
put an end to his schemes and adven-
VOL. III. Z254
IIINDOOSTAN
tures. From his long* residence in the
country, lie was thoroughly acquainted
with the manners and customs of this
extraordinary people.
The Rajpoots are divided into several
branches, the principal of which are the
Rajpoots of Jeyporc, and those of Jud-
j3ore. These alone hold the reins of
government; their princes are never-
theless dependent on the more power-
ful chiefs of the Mahrattas. They
'must not follow any other than the
military profession : they are excellent
horsemen, and dexterous in the ma-
nagement of the lance, bow and arrow,
but they never use sabres.
The Rajpoots of Jeypore are reputed
more valiant than those of Judpore.
IN MINIATURE.
255
Thomas assigns three reasons for this
difference: L the feudal system which
degrades the people ; 2. their subjec-
tion to the Malirf.tlas, whom they nei-
ther love, fear, nor respect ? and 3. the
difference of climate.
The Rajpoots arc all without ex-
ception soldiers or husbandmen : they
disdain commerce and manufactures.
In their estimation it is no dishonour
to be poor: they think, on the contrary
that every man who conducts himself
as he ought to do, whether rich or not,
has an equal claim to consideration.
They entertain the highest respect for
the fair sex; a Rajpoot never forgives
an insult offered to his wife or daugh-
ter, and nothing but the death of the
z 2550 HINDOOSTAN
offender can atone for it. Notwith-
standing this severity of manners, the
Rajpoots are extremely sociable.
They never marry women who are
not of their own caste: the issue of
such an unequal match would have no
right of inheritance. They are at li-
berty to take several wives ; but the
chiefs and grandees alone avail them-
selves of this privilege, and when they
do, it is rather from political motives
than from inclination.
The Rajpoots are excellent sons, hus-
bands and brothers : they form a na-
tion characterised by honour, integrity
and fidelity. The Jauts, a neighbour-
ing tribe, \vho are partly subject to
them and cultivate their lands, extol
IN MINIATURE. 257
their humanity : in short, they can be
charged with but one custom repug-
nant to nature?they put to death their
new-born female children when they
have no prospect of an advantageous
settlement for them. Those whom
they bring up are secluded in their
youth from society ; -they arc particu-
larly careful to conceal them from the
view of the other sex. Married women
themselves never visit any but their
nearest relatives, and a female would
consider herself as dishonoured if she
were to be seen in public.
The Rajpoots of Judpore who are
called Rhatores, are superior in every
respect to those of Jeypore ; in their
persons they arc handsomer and more
z 3258 HINDOOSTAN
graceful,, and they manifest more bra-
very, generosity and independence of
character ; which may be in a great
measure attributed to the excellent
institutions established in their country
by a series of good and wise princes.
The Rhatores are extremely mild in
?their manners, and fond of social plea-
sures : in their intercourse with one
another they are scrupulously attentive
to avoid all occasion for quarrels, to
?which they have the strongest aversion.
Their principal diversions are military
exercises, the chase, and shooting with
the carbine: when tired of hunting, they
seek a less boisterous recreation in the
society of friends. At such parties
they are fond of listening to the reci-
IN MINIATURE. '259
tation of their bhauts, or poets, who ce-
lebrate in heroic verses the exploits of
their ancestors.
Travellers arc kindly received by
them. In the interior of the country,
the chief docs not sit down to table till
he has satisfied himself that his guests
have been supplied with all they want.
Such is their deference to the rights of
hospitality, that they not only refuse
to deliver up fugitives, but even assist
them to reach the nearest frontier : a
practice which is not to be met with
in any other part of Hindoostan.
The laws pronounce the penalty of
death against murder : but it is very
rarely that a Rhatore commits the
crime, unless to revenge an insult; and200 1I1NDOOSTAN
in this case a very ancient prejudice
not only excuses but approves the deed.
Robbery is punished with banishment
for life,, and crimes of a less heinous
kind by mere reprimands j but the
culprit, too proud to endure the dis-
dain of his countrymen, commonly goes
into voluntary exile, from which, how-
ever, he may in this case return after
a certain time.
Among the Rhatores, as among the
Rajpoots of Jeypore, the law allows
polygamy, but it is only their chiefs and
great men who avail themselves of the
privilege from motives of policy or am-
bition. The mother of the eldest son
enjoys the highest consideration. Wives
often have the courage to burn them-
IN MINIATURE. 261
selves spontaneously with the remains
of their husbands ? they could not,
indeed, survive them without incurring
degradation and contempt.
A female would consider herself con-
taminated by the mere look of a man j
accordingly a girl, from the age of six
years, is not allowed either to see or
to speak to a person of the other sex
with the exception of her father, uncle,
brother, or cousin. They carry their
jealousy of the honour of the sex to
.excess. When a Rajpoot, surrounded
by enemies, has no chance of escaping,
and knows that he cannot preserve the
honour of his family by a voluntary
surrender, he puts on a yellow dress,
which is with them a sign of despair.262 IIINJDOOSTAN
calls together his relatives, and repairs
with them to the apartments of his
women, whom they massacre without
distinction; but it is more commonly
the case that they dispatch themselves.
Having thus placed the objects most
. dear to him beyond the reach of dis-
honour,, he seeks death himself by
rushing into the midst of his enemies.
The Rajpoots, \vho eat without scru-
ple the flesh of the sheep, goat and
other animals, refuse, from some su-
perstitious notion or other to touch
that of fowls.
These people make a black mark on
the middle of the forehead, and com-
monly wear a coloured cap, terminating
in a point. They dress in a kind of
IN MINIATURE.
203
robe called cabaille, resembling a wo-
man's gown, with a muslin handker-
chief tied round the waist, loose trow-
sers and slippers. The annexed en-
graving represents a Rajpoot armed
with his lance, and his bow and quiver
at his back.264
HINDOOSTAN
THE MAHRATTAS.
The Mahratta states form a kind of
military republic, the various members
of which are independent of one ano-
ther, though they all acknowledge
the Peishwa, who resides at Poonah as
their supreme head. The Peishwa is
supposed to be the prime-minister to
the rajah ; but the latter is merely the
nominal sovereign, who, though he is
treated with respect by the other chiefs,
is in fact a close prisoner, and has a
moderate pension assigned to him for
his support. The power of the Mah-
rattas, whose territories are very ex-
**; i
JiWpWl^
^^J^^^^^^pni^ii^IN MINIATURE. 2G5
tensive, was extremely formidable, till
£t was effectually broken and reduced
during the able administration of the
government of British India by Marquis
Wellesley.
The Mahrattas may be divided into
two great classes. One of these is
composed of Bramins only, and the
other comprehends almost all the in-
ferior castes of the Hindoos, but is
chiefly formed of the aheers, herdsmen,
and koitrmecs, or husbandmen. The
Bramins are all of the sect of Vishnu,
and consequently eat no animal food.
They are distinguished by their turbans,
? which are in general white, and folded
in a particular way above the head.
They wear muslin pantaloons which
VOL. in. 2 A200 I1INDOOSTAN
reach down to the heels, a white robe,
called oonga, which descends to tl^
knees, and a shawl, or in summer, a
gauze or muslin scarf, named sela,
which falls loosely over the shoulders:
for none of the Mahrattas ever wear
any thing fastened round the waist, in
which point they differ from all the
other inhabitants of Hincloostan.
The different subdivisions of the
second class have not the same preju-
dices in regard to food, as the other
Hindoos ; with the exception of beef,
they eat any kind of animal food they
can procure. They are very fond of
poultry and onions, which the rest of
the Hindoos hold in abhorrence: but
their ordinary diet consists of rakes
IN MINIATURE. 207
made of a species of grain called bajrow,
which are baked oil iron plates, and
eaten with dnl (a name given indis-
criminately to various kinds of split
pease) boiled with salt and pepper, or
curry, which is a mixture of pease-
meal and curds.
The persons belonging to this second
class, wear a flat turban that, fits close
f
to the hea