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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JUNE, 1876.
Being a man of great understanding, he com
Worship of the Cobra. prehended the whole in an instant, and taking 1 Whilst I was living in Ellore Fort, in Septemup the money, called in certain masons and had ber 1873, a large crowd of people, chiefly women the above-mentioned stone carved in comme- and children, came in, and visiting every whitemoration of the event. He also built a small ant hill poured upon each their offerings of milk, mud tower around the stone. For some time flowers, and fruit, to the intense delight of all the spirit of the dog assumed the shape of a the crows in the neighbourhood, who thereby pisachi and troubled the passers by, but before had a feast which lasted them all the afternoon. very long this ceased. The former name of The day was called the Nagula Chaturdhithe village close by was K & kâ ni, but after the Chaturdhi, the fourth day of the eighth lunar above-related event occurred it was changed to month-and was said to be the day when VaKukka kâ kâ ni: kukka is the Teluga name suki, Takshaka, and the rest of the thousand nafor a dog.
gulu were born to Kaśyapa-Brahma by his wife The Razu and the Tiger. .
Kadruva. See the Skanda Purana.
The other chief occasions when these antNear Dumagudem a stone with a rudely
bills are resorted to are when people are afflicted carved figure of a man seizing a tiger and kill.
with ear-ache, or pains in the eye, and certain ing it, was shown to me some three months ago.
skin diseases. They visit the anthills, pour out It was said to have been put up two hundred
milk, cold rice, fruit, &c., and carry away part years ago to commemorate one of the former
of the earth, which they apply to the troublepetty razus of Pedda Nallapalli being attacked
some member, and if they afterwards call in a by a tiger on his way home. A fierce struggle
Brahman to repeat a mantra or two they feel ensued, which ended in the death of both the
sure the complaint will soon vanish. Many man and the tiger. Whether similar stones
parents first cut their children's hair near one are often to be met with or not I do not
of these hillocks, and offer the first-fruits of the know.
hair to the serpents residing there. Notes on Customs.
The Erikelavandlu. After the days of ceremonial uncleanness The Erikelavandlu women (see Ind. Ant. consequent upon the birth of a child are over, vol. iii. p. 151) are accustomed to honour it is the custom amongst many women of the their lords and masters with the dignified title Śadra caste in the Northern Sarkars to repair of cocks. to the banks of a river, or to a tank or well.
The Vaddevandlu. There they take a lump of mud, and the happy The women of the Vaddevandlu section of mother shapes it into something like the form the tank-digger caste only wear the glass braceof a frog; she then placos on its forebead the lets on the left arm, as in years gone by (acbottu (spot), and having adorned it with turmeric cording to their own account) a seller of these offers the naidvedyam. This done, she distri- bracelets was one day persuading them to buy, butes to the friends who have accompanied her and leaving the bracelets on their left arms went a number of small cakes, &c., and then they away, promising to return with a fresh supply return home.
for their right arms. As yet he has not reI have not been able to find out the reason appeared. of this ceremony.
16th March 1876.
.
CORRESPONDENCE AND MISCELLANEA. To the Editor of the Indian Antiquary. ing an umbrella white as the skin of the snake." Str.-As I was perusing the other day Mr.
I beg to propose another interpretation of the B. V. Tullu's interesting account of Mahestara, passage as follows:-" Having the expanded hood published at p. 347 of vol. IV. of the Indian Anti- of a snake for his umbrella." quary, I found that one of Malbarrao Holkar's
I dissolve the bahuvrihi compound thus:attributes (m t ), occurring in the second
I TT: (Ttp. 6) TY TY : bloka of the inscription transcribed from the tem- Referring the word at to Dr. Benfoy's Sans. ple of Ahalyabai (?), was translated thus:-"Har. krit-English Dictionary, I find that it also means