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174
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JUNE, 1882.
and the Hindu eunuchs in clothes of different cocoannt shell filled with small pebbles and colours. Musalman eunuchs do not pray nor covered over with a cloth, which they go on observe fasts or feasts, but the Hindu eunuchs shaking, and at the same time singing songs. apply red powder to their brows, and pray to At other times they carry a long guitar on which Hindu goddesses. Excepting from the eye- they play, and beg. The men sometimes smear brows, the eunuchs remove all hair from the their bodies with a mixture of oil and soot, and face and wear the hair of the head in a back knot frequent Marwadi shops. like women. They generally speak Hindustani. Tho palanquin beggar is a Musalman, who Besides committing sodomy, the Musalman rides in a palanquin with a snake in his hand. enachs dance and sing on occasions of births, Before him walk musicians. These together of which they learn from midwives, or they with the palanquin he hires for about three go about the lanes, calling out 'Where is a son | rupeed a dау. born ' If they should not be sent for, they Musalman astrologers, squatting under trees contrive to find out the house and exact money. on the Esplanade with books before them, preShould they be handsomely rewarded, well tend to foretell events. A pice satisfies them. and good ; if not, they raise a clamour and Chhat& panis are damaged characters, load the owner with curses. A good-looking "squatting on the ground in a corner of a lane person among them is selected to dance, and the or street where fairs are held, with three cards rest play on a drum and pipe, and sing. To- placed before them, endeavouring to induce the wards the conclusion of the dance the dancer onlookers to stake their money, and use some presses ont his abdomen by inserting a cloth amusing flattery. But excepting one or two pad under his dress to represent a pregnant low castes, and damaged characters, the specwoman. After a little while, as if in actual | tators are generally too cautious to venture labour he screams and roars out lustily, and anything on the famous three card trick, which ultimately drops the pad as if bringing forth has cost many a bumpkin his whole store of the infant. Then the pretended' mother rocks available cash." it in a cradle or dandles it in her arms. After The Pehelvân, or athletic, is a Musalman. dancing and singing awhile they receive betel- He first throws a large knife into the air, and nut, rice, and money, and depart. These crea- then follows it up by some half a dozen more tures frequent the Marvadi and other shops, and one after another, and keeps them in the air by stand clapping their hands, and using filthy constant movement. He takes up & large language till the shop-keepers give them & stone ball, and keeps it rolling up and down on pice. They do not feel ashamed to raise their one of his arms for a little while, and then by waist cloth before shopkeepers if they do not a jerk sends it on to the other arm, and so on. pay them. When they die they are buried He next flings it up in the air, and allows it to by their own people without any ceremony fall heavily on his breast and back. He then being performed either at their graves or after. pulls a long knife from his side, and catching wards. Hindus consider it & sin to look at it with both his hands forces it down his throat them, but during the Holi holidays they are and after allowing it to remain there for a few encouraged and their dances attended by low- minutes, as he says, to suck his blood, he pulls class people.
it ont covered with blood, and shows it to each Shidhis, both men and women, carry a of the spectators, and asks for a pice.
THE DATE OF SAMKARÂCHÂRYA.
BY K. B. PATHAK, B. A., BELGAUM HIGH SCHOOL. Professor Weber places Sankaracharya in place him in the 7th or the 9th century. This the 8th century, and says that Samkara's dato uncertainty on a point of so much importance has not, unfortunately, been more accurately can be easily accounted for by the fact that determined as yet. Other Oriental scholars places like Sringeri in the South, which contain
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Manshi Yali Lattulla.
