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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[Nov. 1, 1872.
they woull in honour of the Gujarati guru Gosávaji Maharaj. At the death of Narayan, there were about 500,000 heads of families holding his tenets, and abont 500 Sådhu ascetics."
In 1821, when his religion had taken a fir hold among the people, he called his elder brothors Râmapratâp and Iohbârâma with their wives, sons and cousins from Ayodhya. Rámapratap had three sons named Nandarâma, Thakurarâma, and Ayodhyaprasad, of whom Ayodhyâprasad succeeded, to the gadi of Ahmadabad. The villages and temples attached to it are called Uttarji as distinguished from those attached to the Wadtal gådi which are known as Dakskina Birig. The river Wátrak near Khedà separates the two sees; all that portion of Gujarat lying to the north of this stream, with Dhandhuka, Dholka, Wadhwân, Limadi, Nawanagar, Rajkot, Morbi, and Kachh, and in the east of India all to the north of Ujjain, Kasi, Calcutta, and Jagannath belongs to the Ahmadabad gâdi. The Wadtâl gâdi includes Nadiad, Kathiâwâd proper, Gadhada in Gohelwand, Junagadh, Dwarka, Dholera, Baroda, Bharoch, Surat, Bombay and the Dekhan.
Ichharam had five sons, of whom Raghuvirji the second succeeded to the gådi of Wadtál. Sahajanand in his lifetime had adopted Ayodhyaprasad and Raghuvir as his children, and invested them with authority as his vicars on earth. Ayodhyâprasad installed his son the present Maharaja Kes'avaprasad on the Ahmadabad gâdi in S. 1922 (A.D. 1865) and died in A.D. 1867 at the age of 55 years. The Wadtál gâdi is now occupied by Bhagvatprasad Maharaja, now about 35 years old, who succeeded his uncle Raghuvirji in 1858. The latter died at the age of 51 years.
" These representatives of Narayan Sw&mi," says the Dnyánodaya, " alone have the power of fully initiating diseiples into the faith. The initia- tory rite is performed as follows:- The persen. to be admitted takes a little water in his right hand, and casts it on the ground at the feet of the
High Priest, saying, I give over to Swami Sahajanand (man, tan, dhan ini anek janamna páp) mind, body, wealth, and the sins of all my births. He then receives the following mantra, by employing which, he is on all occasions to be preserved from evil and made prosperous and happy, viz. Sri Krishna tvam gatir mam.'' O Krishna I desire only thee.'
"Under the authority of either of the High Priests, others commissioned by them are able to admit followers as candidates for perfect discipleship, by giving them what is called the Pánch vartamán mantra, consisting of prohibitions against theft, adultery, intoxicating substances, the use of flesh as food, and lying. But no one can become a perfect bhagat but by receiving the mantra from one or other of the High Priests. Five places are recognized as principal seats of authority, viz. Wartat, Ahmedabad, Gadhadu, Mari, and Junagadh. In each of these places, and in many others, there is & temple, or rather there are two temples, one for males, and one for females. Women are made disciples by the wives of the High Priests, and always worship in a separate temple from that of the men. In their temples, the chief images are those of Krishna, Rådhå, and Swami Narayan himself.
“The followers of Swami Narayan are chiefly of the lower castes. But there are many also of the very highest. It is said that Gaikwad Sayaji became a disciple--and also the Raja of Gadhadú. It is thought that about one-fourth of the Hindu population of Surat are followers of Swami Narayan.
4 Two reasons may be assigned for the spread of this sect. First, and perhaps chiefly, the strict prohibition of the taking of animal life, which completely falls in with the prejudices of the whole Hindu community. True, there are many castes who eat flesh, but this is always considered rather in the light of a tolerated sin than & lawful practice; and abstinence is considered meritorious. Among the Bhills, Kolis, &c. this is the chief difference between the followers of Sahajanand, and other Hindus. Again Sahajanand promises to take away bin: he is regarded by his disciples as the surety of sinners." In Kathiawad and Gujarat, when Christianity is presched, "the hearers frequently remark that this is very similar to their owa faith respecting Swami Narayan."
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PÁLIS OF DINAJPUR.
By G. H. DAMANT, B.C.S. The Koch and Palis or Palias as they are in- wards the east they are found commonly as far differently called, are a race of people peculiar to as Gawalpara. the districts of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Parniya, They can be distinguished at a glance from Koch Behûr and Malda; in the latter district they all other Bengalis by their broad faces, flat are never found south of the river Mahậnanda, noses, and projecting cheekbones, and also by which seems to be their limit to the south; to their sturdy appearance and different style of
