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250
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1897.
to the nearest village. For this parpose they fill a large flat bamboo basket with cooked rice. Over the rice they scatter red powder (gulki), and on the powder .set lemons and pins. They bring a goat, put garlands of flowers round its neck, daub its head with red powder, and taking it to the shrine of the goddess cut its throat and let the blood fall upon her. They then take the head and lay it in the bamboo basket. The medium or some other man holds the basket in his hands and goes to the nearest village followed by the villagers with music. On reaching the village boundary the party hand the basket to the pátil or other member of the next vilia e and return home. The receiver of the basket assembles his villagers and buries.the head of the goat on the village boundary. The people sacrifice a goat, and carry its head in the basket to the boundary of village number three. At the border the head is buried by the people of village number three, and a fresh goat is sacrificed. This is repeated till the basket is carried through some ten villages, when it is believed the epidemic disappears.
In the Dekhan, especially at Nasik, a few days after the outbreak of an epidemic of cholera the rich and well-to-do engage Brâhmaņs to recite the Saptašati, or Seven Hundred texts, whose sound scares evil spirits. Brahmaņs are also engaged to recite the mantrás, or hymns of the nine planets. The Sun's mantra is repeated 7,000 times, the Moon's 11,000 times, Mars' 10,000 times, Mercury's 4,000 times, Jupiter's 19,000 times, Venus' 16,000 times, Saturn's 23,000 times, Rahu's 18,000 times, and Keta's 17,000 times. To complete the readings requires ten to twelve days, the aggregate is called Satuchandi, the hundred repetitions of the Seven Hundred texts of the goddess Chandi. For these ceremonies the services of 1,000 Brahmaņs are required. When the necessary number of Brahmans is completed, they begin to perform the sacrifice in honour of Kali. A hole is dug according to directions laid down in the sástras, and sacred fire is kindled in it. For the sacrifice are required clarified butter, cooked rice, sesamum seeds, husked rice, as well as samidhás, or pieces of palas,63 pipal,04 vad,65 shami,66 umbar,67 agháda, 68 rui,69 darbha sacred grass, and durra bent grass. The Brâhmans at the time of throwing offerings into the fire repeat sacred verses in a musical tone. After this, offerings of sweetmeats and of cooked rice are made to the goddess Kali. The offering of cooked rice is called bali, and for this a very large quantity of rice is cooked. A bullock-cart is brought, and the cooked rice or bali sis placed in it. Fire long flambeaux are fixed in the cooked rice, one at each corner of the cart and the fifth in the middle; kunku red powder, and briku scented powder, are scattered over the rice. A plantain stem is tied at each corner, and a sheep is fastened to one of the plantain stems. Smoking
battis, or incense sticks, are also fixed in the rice. The cart is drawn by four bullocks. In front of the cart walk musicians playing on pipes and drams, and behind men, women and children, cheering and making a noise, escort the cart to a fixed spot, generally on the village or town boundary. In front of the cart, close behind the musicians, walks a woman of the Mâng caste, who has been bathed in hot water and dressed in a green robe and blue bodice; her forehead is daubed with red powder, and her lap is filled with a cocoanut, a comb, a kunder-box, five betelnuts, five plantains, five pieces of turmeric root, and rice. Her face is veiled by the loose end of her robe. As she walks, her castemen wave lemons round her face, cut them into pieces, and throw the pieces away. At the appointed spot on the village border, generally where four roads meet, the cart is unloaded. The drivers and some others remain on this spot during the rest of that day and of the following night, and on the next day they go home after bathing in a river. When they reach their houses they wash their hands and feet. At Násik the car of Kali is driven to a place about two miles from the shrine of Bhadrakali. Mhars or Mângs carry off the cartful of rice and the sheep for their own use. In some temple a great dinner of 100 to 1,000 Brahman guests completes the ceremony, the angry spirit or spirits of the Mother are housed and by housing are appeased, and the scourge is still.
e Butea frondosa. +6 Minosa ma. e Calotropis gigantes.
Fiens religiosa. 67 Ficus glomerata.
66 Ficus Indica. 68 Achyranthes aspora.
