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AUGUST, 1879.]
to the Chûhrâs (a sweeper caste called also Bhang). The Chamârs regularly buy their wives, sometimes paying as much as Rs. 100 for one.
NOTES ON INDIAN FOLK-LORE, &c.
There is in the Gurgaon district a famous shrine (called Ma sâ ni), of one of the Mâtâs called Sita lâ, goddess of small-pox. It is a small sanctuary enclosed within a domed structure, surrounded by open arches. Inside is a wootlen seat (Singhâsan) covered with a dirty cloth, on which is placed a little ugly gilt doll six inches high, clad in red cloth embroidered with gold. This is the goddess Sitala.
Beside her there sits a shapeless image in green stone, and a curious point to be noted is that this represents another female deity called Sed hâlâlâ, inferior to Sitalâ, and yet often worshipped before Sitalâ, because she is regarded as her servant and intercessor. Of worship, however, there is really none. All the so-called worshippers ever do is to throw down offerings. The coppers are thrown into a little recess behind the shrine (called the malkhana), while the rupees are dropped into an earthen pot through a slit in its leather lid. The rice and other articles of food offered are poured into a hole in front of the shrine, and afterwards distributed to Chamârs and dogs. The offerings are appropriated by the Jât landowners of the village, who sell the contract for them by auction in a shrewd, business-like way. The value of the contract last year was Rs. 12,000. It has sold for as much as Rs. 17,000. People of all classes come very long distances to this shrine. The offerings are generally made by mothers or other relatives in payment of vows made for the recovery of children attacked by small-pox.
The Jât proprietors do not employ a Brâhman or priest of any kind to attend the shrine. They are evidently no believers in sacerdotal mediation, and think only of the rupees. The shrine has been famous for some time, but the attendance has increased greatly within the last few years.
In connection with Mr. James Wilson's description of Sitalâ, goddess of small-pox, I may state that any similar notes on the worship of divine mothers (mâtâs) would be full of
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interest. I have myself elsewhere described the homage paid to some of the 120 different Mothers of Gujarât, but I have not been able to succeed in obtaining accurate information about the distinctive attributes of some of them. For example, many interesting particulars have yet to be collected with reference to the worship of some of the most popular mothers, such as Becharaji and  â-puri.
There are others also about whom I could learn very little, such as Unta-i, Berâ-î, Ha da ka-i, Hingrâj (Hinglaj), Kalka, Tulja.
These Mothers are the real Grâma-deva tas of India. They probably belong to a time antecedent to the advent of the Aryans, as does also in my opinion the Male Village Deity (afterwards connected with the worship of Śiva) called Ganesa or Ganapati.
Another merely local male god, very popular in some parts of the Dekhan, is Khandoba, specially worshipped at Jijuri. He is regarded as a form of Siva, and represented as riding on horseback and accompanied by a dog. Another local deity is Vitthoba (worshipped particularly at Pandharpur). He is held to be a form of Krishna, and has his arms a-kimbo.
In the south of India the Village Mothers are called Ammans. For example there is Mâri-a m man, who corresponds to the goddess of small-pox. Other Ammans are Ella-a boundary goddess, Draupadi, Kâli, Pidârî, Kateri, Marudâyî and Kulumândî.
There is also the singular male village deity A y enâr (said to be the son of Hari and Hara,) who is supposed to ride about the fields by night, and is propitiated by offerings of huge clay horses, tigers, &c. which are placed round his shrine in the precincts of villages.
Very little has yet been written about this remarkable village god, and I conclude my present paper by expressing a hope that any one resident in Southern India, who may be interested in Indian Folk-lore, and who is able to collect particulars about A y en år, or throw any light on the nature of his worship, will send the result of his investigations to the Indian Antiquary. Oxford, June 1879.
