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DECEMBER, 1886.)
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
371
heard, and the eldest, Gangabai, spoke as built in the city of Tanjai, Harijt was follows:
counting the days, and, to occupy his time "From this minute our father is no more our meanwhile, had decorated the city for the father, since he has becoine so depraved as you coming wedding of himself with his daughters, represent him to be. We all now regard you as and had sent invitations to all the corners our father, and request you to oblige us in this of the world. Several kings, out of simple delicate business. It is of no use to you to say curiosity to see the mad performance--for the 'no' to the king's question. I shall give my con- old Sovereign had proclaimed to the world sent to the marriage, and tell him at the same that he was going to marry his own daughtime that I have vowed to undergo a penance ters!--came to Tañjai, and were waiting for for six months, after which the marriage may the wedding day. be duly perforined. For the present I request At last, the long expected first morning you to oblige as with a seven-storied mansion of the seventh month arrived, and Hariji made of lacquered wood. In each storey I sent his minister again to his daughters request you to store up provisions sufficient to ascertain their wishes. Again the daughte for all of us for six years. The seventh storey returned word that they gave their full consent must contain water: the sixth, vegetables ; to the marriage. Harijs was overjoyed at the the fifth, rice; and so on : while we must second intimation of compliance, and decorated occupy the first two stories and proceed to carry himself with all his choicest ornaments. With on our penance. You must come here with the music before him he marched towards the king on the first day of the soventh month, and lacquered mansion, the kings and the other then you shall see a wonderful thing! For the guests following him to see how matters would present, please go and inform the king of our terminate. When the processional music fell consent to the marriage and of the penance we upon the ears of the princesses, they conternhave resolver on for six months, during which plated Varalakshmi and prayed :period we must be allowed to live unobserved." "O benign Goddess, if thou wouldst have us
The minister was delighted to see that the become the wives of a suitable husband, princesses, though they were young in years, noble prince,- let this mansion rise from its had a very sound knowledge of the world. He present position and fall again in the midst of a promised to oblige them most willingly, and jungle untrodden by human feet! Let thu yave orders, with the permission of Hariji the gates of this mansion be slut to all that may king, for the building of the lacquered mansion desire to open them, except to him only whom and for the storage of provisions. As for the thou hast appointed to be our husband !" king, when he heard that his daughters had The eldest led the prayer, and had scarcely given their consent, he was overjoyed, and finished, wheu the procession stopped before eagerly waited for the seventh month to come. the mansion. And lo! a crack was heard and He even took special care to see the mansion was the lacquered mansion, as if it had wings. built without delay. The minister, too, left no began to soar into the sky! In a moment it stone unturned to supply the provisions requi- vanished out of the sight of the sinful father: site for half a dozen years. The mansion was and all around him with one voice cried ont built, and the princesses took up their abode in that lre was well repaid for his wicked it for their penance. As soon as they entered thoughts. At last Hariji saw the guilt of his they bolted the door inside, and began to intentions, the just punishment with which meditate upon the boon-conferring goddess, the god visited him, the fulfilment of his proVaralakshmi. For six months they meditated, phecy, and his personal share in the early fuland on the last day of the last month secured her filment of it. He was buried in the ocean of favour. She appeared before them in a dream, shame and sorrow, till those around him conroked in pure white silk, and applied kunkuma soled him with that part of the prophecy, (red powder) to their foreheads in token that which promised that his daughters should come she had favoured them, and that from that day! back to him before his death. they might depend upon her for assistance. Within the mansion the four sisters con
Now outside this mansion, which had been tinued to live as if it were their home. They had
