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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUST, 1899.
NOTES AND QUERIES. • A STORY ABOUT LAL BEG AND THE or a cloth screen being thrown over them, the LALBEGI SECTS,
bride and bridegroom are placed face to face, and LAL Beg was the son of Shokh Sarna, a resi- told to throw garlands of flowers round each dent of Multân, who left that place in the train of other's necks, and the screen is then withdrawn. his spiritual master P ShAh Kumês) for Sadhaura, The other ceremonies are the usual anes, but 3 in the AmbAIA District where he devoted himself thread is wound round and round the pair in token to the worship of Piran Pir ['Abdu'l-Qadir of the indissolubility of the marriage tie. The Jilång, 1078-1166 A. D.]. Shekh Sarns had no bridegroom remains on at the bride's house till child, and some one referred him to Balnik, then the completion of the adl ceremony. In the inresiding at Ghazni. Whereon the Shekh set out teryal the mother and other near female relatives for Ghazni, taking his wife with him. As he ap- of the bridegroom receive them in state, on which proached the place he came across a girl, named occasion valuable and costly presents are made Pundrt, feeding swine, and enquired of her as to her, while her relatives present sdrís, etc., in the whereabouts of Balnik, whereon she said that return. Another public state meeting between she was his daughter. On this the Shekh offered the ladies of the two families also takes place at to watch her swine if she would take his wife to which presents are interchanged either before or her father, to which she agreed. When she return after this ceremony. At the sdl ceremony a ed she saw that two young pigs bad been born basket filled with rise, polids (sweet-cakes), laddús during her absence, and asked Shekh Sarna to (sweetments), lamps made of uncooked wheaten carry them home for her, which he did. Mean. flour with oil and wicks, combs, tooth-picke, while his wife had so won over Balník by her looking-glasses, etc., but seven of each article is devotion that he asked her what she wanted and placed on the head of the bridegroom's mother she said "a son." So Balnik promised her a son, (or of the lady acting for her) while the married whom she was to call Lal Beg. After nine months oouple, if children, sit on her knees. After this she gave birth to a son, and dutifully oalled him the bride and bridegroom go to his house with the LAI Beg.
asual procession, and wind up the ceremony When LAI Beg was twelve years old his mother with the worship of Lakshmi. The families then dedicated him to Balnik, and sent him to the
interobange grand dinners, and the ceremonies prophet on an elephant. He served Balnik with
end with visits to the shrine of the tutelary gods. heart and soul, and the prophet was so pleased
Thus, the Glek wars of Baroda visit Khandoba, with him that he made him chief of all his dis
the family god, and Biohrají (a goddess). ciples. LÅl Beg then proceeded to Kabul and
The late B. V. SHASTRI in P. N. and Q. 1883. Kashmir, accompanied by Balník and all the sect.
SALAGRAM. On arrival at Kabul and Kashmir (!) Lal Beg THE Salagram has been desoribed as a fossil told his followers to go and beg in the cities, but fish imbedded in a ball of petrified mud, of which the people would not have it. So they complain- the surface has been craoked or worn away in ed to Lal Beg, who told them, after consulting different places, thus disclosing # number of Balnik, to fight the people, and with the help of all small cavities in the inside caused by the shrinkthe saints and the gods, Lal Beg gained the victory, ing of the organio remains. The name has been and took possession of Kabul and Kashmir. suggested by this peouliarity of appearanoe, and After establishing his authority LAI Leg placed
means simply "full of holes," or "oellular," from one of his followers, named Bultani, a native of
sdla, the Sunakrit prototype of the English "hall" the place, on the throne, and then went to Thane. and its cogaate "cell," and grama, the familiar sar, where Balnik died. Lal Beg subsequently
Indian name for a "village," here used in the went with all the followers to Dehli, and founded sense of "& multitude :" as in composition it the LAlbegi religion, dividing his followers into ordinarily is. Among Hindas of the present day five seats, vis., Lalbegt, Shekhri Damri, Hilf, and Salagram is one of the most popular proper names, Rawat.
and is often spelt by the unscientific Salig Rám, R. C. TEMPLE in P. N. and Q. 1883. apparently under a mistaken impression that the
mutilated last syllable has something to do with NOTES ON MARATHA MARRIAGES. the god so called. Compare the somewhat similar The father, or in his absence any near male
confusion between San Greal and Sang Real.'
con relation of the bride, gives her away. A shawl (The late) F. S. Growse in P. N. and Q. 1883.
[For the Proper Dames Salag, Salag Rim, Salig Råm, SAI Grim, all derived from the Salagrama, seo Proper Namesof Panjabis, p. 71. -ED.]
