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166
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JUNE, 1875.
chief figure one woman with a trident, to hers a standing figure almost destroyed; below it two men sitting on stools of different heights. The rest are behind; one holds a fruit, like that held by the two mentioned above, on the palm of her hand. The men have curled wigs like barristers, the women their hair in a roll or turban not unlike in shape to a Glengarry honnet, or the head-dress of one of the two
figures looking at a bottle in the fresco of the Dying Lady in Cave XVI. at Ajanta-vide Ind. Ant. vol. III. p. 269.
The right doorpost of the large door has a mortice-hole cnt in it as if to receive some small woodwork; but there is no corresponding one opposite it; and as a stick in it would not cross the door, but project diagonally into the inner veranda, I am at a loss to know the use of it.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE KUDUMI.
BY THE REV. DR. R. CALDWELL, 8. P. G. F. P. The tuft of hair which Hindas are accustomed to death, and would have destroyed the Sakas, to leave when shaving their heads is called in Yavanas, Kambojas, Paradas, and Sanskrit thesikha, in Tamil the kudumi; + Pahnavas, but that they applied to Vasishtha, and for some years past a considerable number the family priest of Sagara, for protection. of European missionaries in the Tamil country Vaśishtha, regarding them as annihilated have come to regard the wearing of this tuft as (or deprived of power), though living, thus spake a badge of Hinduism, and hence to consider it to Sagara: Enough, enough, my son, pursue to be their duty to require the natives employed no further these objects of your wrath, whoin you in the missions under their superintendence may look upon as no more. In order to fulfil to cut off their kudumis as a sine qua non your vow, I have separated them from affinity to of their retention of mission employment. the regenerate tribes, and from the duties of
There are many references in Manu and their castes.' Sagara, in compliance with the other ancient Hindu books to the practice of injunctions of his spiritual guide, contented *tonsure,'-understanding thereby either ton- himself, therefore, with imposing upon the vansure leaving a tuft, which is the mode in ordi- quished nations peculiar distinguishing marks. nary use, or tonsure including the shaving off He made the Y avanas shave their heads enof the tuft, which is the mode prescribed for tirely; the Sakas he compelled to shave the ceremonial defilements; but with one exception, apper half of their heads; the Paradas wore so far as I am aware, those books throw no their hair long, and the Pahnavas let their light on the question on which the lawfulness beards grow, in obedience to his commands. of the wearing of the kudumi, or tuft, by Them also, and other Kshatriya tribes, he native Christians turns. They merely enjoin deprived of the established usages of oblations the kudu mi to be worn, just as they enjoin to fire and the study of the Vedas; and thus, the minutest details in bathing and dressing, separated from religious rites and abandoned by but they supply us with no explanation of the the Brahmaņs, these different tribes became reason why it had come to be worn, or of the Mlechchas. Sagara, after the recovery of his light in which other modes of wearing the hair kingdom, reigned over the seven-zoned earth were regarded.
with undisputed dominion." The exception to which I refer is contained To this passage Professor Wilson appends the in the following extract from the Vishnu Purana, following note :Professor Wilson's translation, page 374,-a "The Asiatic nations generally shave the passage which throws more light on the ques- head, either wholly or in part. Amongst the tion at issue than any other with which I am Greeks it was common to shave the fore part of acquainted :
the head, a custom introduced, according to " Accordingly when he (Sagara) became a Plutarch, by the Abantes, whom Homer calls man he put nearly the whole of the Haihayag 'long-haired behind,' and followed, according to
• This paper has been sent by a contributor, with whom we agree in thinking it deserves a more permanent place than in the columns of a newspaper,' where it first
appeared. We have been obliged, however, to abridge it by omitting portions more specially addressed to missionaries.-ED.
In Marathi, Shendt.
