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394
ACCOUNT OF THE RELIGION
now addressed to the sun four times a day, at his rising and setting, at noon, and at midnight. At noon, the thousand and one names of the sun in Hindi were repeated. The celebrant bore the frontal mark, and closing each ear with one finger, whilst he rested the closed fist on either cheek, he kept whirling round during the repetition. At midnight and at sunrise, the royal drums were beaten. In the morning, the king neither bathed nor ate imtil he had seen the sun; after which he repeated the names of the planet on his beadroll, and then presented himself to the people, all ranks of whom were assembled below his window, and prostrated themselves on the ground, as soon as he made his appearance.
The Brahmans now composed a new string of the thousand and one names of the sun. They pretended to consider the emperor as an Avatár, like Ráma or Krishna. They cited texts from their old books, prophesying the birth of a king in India, who should be of foreign extraction, but who should protect cows, patronize Brahmans, and govern the world with justice. They shewed these prophecies to Akbar, and he gave credit to them.
The patronage of Akbar was not confined to the Brahmans, nor even to the Hindus, as he erected two extensive edifices without the city, one appropriated to Mohammedan, and one to Hindu ascetics: these were called Kheirpur and Dharmapur. He also were not a king, I would leave off eating flesh at once; and now it is my intention to quit it by degrees.” Áy. Ak., I, 104.
