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270
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1898.
By the disaster of that sacking and plundering not a sign of cultivation or prosperity remained. The roads of communication with the various quarters of the country becaine closed, so that for the space of three months not a human being from the enemy's country could bring any news to them; till famine and scarcity in their army reached such a pitch, that during that space of time, no one among either nobles or plebeians saw the face of ghee, rice and most of the necessaries of life. In the end, this same scarcity and plundering became the cause of the return of that hostile army, as will shortly, with Goul's Assistance, be related,
(To be continued.)
NOTES ON THE SPIRIT BASIS OF BELIEF AND CUSTOM.
BY SIR J. M. CAMPBELL, K.C.L.E., I.C.S.
(Continued from p. 244.) The following details show the methods adopted by exorcists to drive out spirits in North Kanara :- Lakshmi, the wife of Anandrav Yardi, Senvi Brahman of Súpå in Kanara, while working in her house at noon in 1881), was attacked by a family spirit. She began to cry incessantly, let her hair fall loose, and tore her clothes. From these sigus her husband and other relations guessed that she was possessed. They put sulphur and hair on the fire ander her nostrils, but she did not speak. They then put a cloth over her face, and pouring water on it called upon the spirit to speak, and say who he or she was. On this Lakshmi speaking in the name of the spirit said :-"My name is Alvantin, I am Anandrav's first wife, and I seized this woman because she wears my ornaments and clothes, and sleeps in my room." After this statement, Lakshmi became more and moro excited. So Anandrav sent for Parsu Gbådi, & spirit-scarer by profession and by caste a Kunbt. Parga came abont six in the evening. On coming in he sat on the ground in the verandah. A low wooden stool and a handful of rice were given to him. Repeating some incantations he emptied the rice on the stool, and taking one-fourth part he arranged it in three beaps before him. Turning his finger round the heaps, and repeating incantations, he took one grain from the heap and broke it on the edge of the stool. This he repeated three times, and then said that Lakshmi was attacked by the ghost of her husband's first wife, and that Anandrây should make a vow to his family gods to scare the spirit. Anandriv did as he was advised. Still the spirit did not leave Lakshmi. So on the next day Anandrav sent for Mangesabhatta, another spirit-scarer. Mangosabhatta accompanied by a man of the kind called páyálu, or born-feet-first, came at eight at night, and sat on a low wooden stool. Mangesabhatta took out a glass, applied black powder to it, and gave the glass and a lamp to the payáls to look into the glass. He then threw a cloth over the payálu, and taking a handful of rice and repeating incantations began to throw grains of rice on the payálu. After a few minutes the páyálu told Mangèsabhatta that he saw in the glass a jungle where a man came, prepared, and lighted lamps. He also saw the village gods, the family god and yoddess, and the spirit Alvantin. On hearing this the exorcist told Anandráy that his wife was attacked by the spirit Alvantin. The exorcist then made a promise to Anandrår's family god, that after two months Apandry would go to visit the god Mangèša at Mangési in Goa, and prayed that during the two months the god shonld prevent the spirit troubling Lakshmi. After the lapse of two months Anandråv with his wife went to Mangési in Goa. There he poured water over the ling of the god Mangéśa daily for several hours, and his wife walked a thousand times round the temple every day. In this way they lived at Mangôši for about two years. One night Anandrâv was told by the god Mangêśa in dream that his wife was well. So Anandráv feasted some Brahmans in the name of the god, and returned home with his wife, who was cured.
In Bengal, among the Kurs and Musis, if any one is sick, or if an epidemic has come on the cattle, or if some family has been haunted by a spirit, the people meet together, and go to the house of their medium, called baiga or bhagat, with music and dancing. The people dance
