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(familiarly Kuber) was living in a village called Sârsa (for Sârasa), near Anand, a station on the Bombay and Baroda railway. He belongs to the Koli caste and I believe, is still alive, but if so must be very old. As a youth he displayed much energy of mind and singularity of character. One day, after long fasting, abstract meditation, and religious ecstasy, he announced to those about him that a portion of the Supreme Being had descended in his person. His next idea was to proclaim that he had a direct mission from God to make a new revelation of the truth. Very soon he attracted a number of admiring hearers, who in due course of time proceeded to worship him, and present him with daily offerings.
I have been told by my friend Judge Gopal Rao Hari Deshmukh that his followers, who call themselves Hari-jana, and are known by the name of Kuber-bhaktas, are very numerous. They are variously reckoned at about eighteen or twenty thousand persons, and are regularly divided into holy men or clergy (addhu) and laity (grihastha). The former either itinerate as missionaries, or preside over the temples of the sect, many of which are found in the villages around Neriâ d, in Gujarât. I ought to state, however, that I spent a long day at Neriâd but met with no proofs of the existence of any large numbers of the sect in the town itself. Each temple has two teachers, who collect a certain number of disciples every day and read to them extracts from the Purdnas or other writings prescribed by their leader. The doctrine they inculcate is, I believe, a purified form of the Vaishnava creed.
Other bodies of sectarian religionists exist throughout India, who are unable to hold together as distinct sects for any considerable time after the death of their leaders. I saw the shrine of a man,
described to me as a saint, named Parinama, at Kaira. It contained no image, but simply his couch or seat (gadi) and the vestments worn at death. No one could tell me much about him, but I was made to take off my shoes on entering his sanctuary. Only a few hundreds of his followers remain, and these are gradually being re-absorbed into the vortex of Hinduism.
[NOVEMBER, 1878.
with the Italian police. He lived somewhere in Tuscany, and was called by his followers "David the Saint." This man gave himself out to be Christ descended upon earth. He chose twelve apostles, and surrounded himself by a large number of disciples, who built for him a kind of half hermitage balf church, on the summit of Monte Labro. His followers are called Lazzarists.
The same applies to the disciples of a man named Hari-krishna, who laid claim to great sanctity of character. He died not long ago in Gujarât, and is said to have attracted a large number of adherents during his lifetime, but I could obtain very few particulars about his life or doctrines.
This kind of religious hallucination, however, is not confined to the inhabitants of Asia. In the Times of August the 24th and 27th there is a curious account of a man named David Lazzaretti, who was killed a few days before in an encounter
Perhaps the most interesting instance of alleged Avatara is that of a celebrated Brahmanical saint or ascetic (sannyást) named Dattatreya-supposed to have lived in Central India about the 10th century of our era. He is believed to have been a manifestation of the Hindu trinity in human form. Portions of the essences of Brahms, Vishnu, and Siva became united, and descended, it is alleged, in his person. Many temples dedicated to his honour are scattered over the Maratha Country. I saw one much frequented by pilgrims at W &i, near Mahabales var. It contained the image of a man with three heads. I observed that many persons were worshipping with apparent devotion at the shrine. I spoke to one or two of the most intelligent, and questioned them as to the precise nature of their creed, but could get no satisfactory reply. Dattatreya is the name of a well-known sage mentioned in various Sanskrit writings, as well as in modern vernacular books; but any information about his worship as at present conducted in different parts of India would be highly interest. ing. Whether it is possible to furnish any trustworthy details of his real history may be doubtful, but legends about him still current among the people might be collected, and if collated with earlier legends would be full of interest. An account of other modern reformers or revivalist leaders who claim, or are believed by their disciples, to be partial Avatdras of the Deity, would also be acceptable as illustrating the present condition of the Indian mind.
Again, can no one improve our knowledge on the subject of animal worship, plant worship, pebble worship, and the existing state of such superstitions in India? I have been told that there is a temple in Bengal dedicated to a cat. Are cats in that part of India believed to be pervaded by portions of the essence of Deity? Has any one seen actual pújá performed to a cat? Many interesting articles on Indian folklore and religious life have appeared in the columns of the Indian Antiquary. May they be continued! I would not undervalue the good work done by those scholars who are devoting themselves to the deciphering of inscriptions, but the whole life of a people is not inscribed on these ancient monuments.
I appeal to all readers of the Indian Antiquaryespecially to all who are, or have been, resident in
