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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1899.
When the physical purification and fortification against the Unseen Powers are accomplished, the mourners and their friends assemble at the hut to partake of a meal (styled ongtangkiraha), which is prepared and eaten in silence. It consists of a pig and fowl freshly killed, and also of as great a variety of articles of food as can be prooured. The object of this lavish provision is that each favourite viand may be represented, and thus enable the bereaved as well as their friends to decide at once from which they will abstain during one or other of the two mourning periods, vis., that styled henhrouva-kanòishe (or oyanga-yannata), which terminates at the first memorial-feast (entoin), and that called henhudva-dide, which extends until the celebration of the final feast (laneatla) two or three years later. The various dainties are spread on trays, and each person is afforded the opportunity of declining or partaking of any number of them. By this means it soon becomes known which of those present intend to deny themselves, and to what extent their abstinence will be carried. At the conclusion of this repast a tray, containing a portion of each kind of food that has been served, ig carried by one or two of the company and deposited on the grave as an offering to the departed spirit, but no effort is made to protect it from birds or animals, so that it usually happens that the whole amount is speedily consumed by pigs, fowle, dogs, and crabs.
ON THE EAST-CENTRAL GROUP OF INDO-ARYAN VERNACULARS.
BY GEORGE A. GRIERSON, C.L.E., Ph.D., I.C.S. The division of the Indo-Aryan vernaculars of Northern India, into two main gronps, a Western, corresponding to the ancient SaurasênPrakrit, and an Eastern, corresponding to the Mâgadhi Prakrit, has long been a common place to students of the subject. The existence of a central language corresponding to the ancient Ardhy-Magadhi Prakrit has also been assumed, but what that central language is st the present day bas not, so far as I am aware, ever been clearly stated. The researches connected with the Linguistic Survey of India, on which I am at present engaged, have enabled me to locate it definitely. I have named it Eastern Hindi, and its two or three dialects together form what I call the East-Contral Group of the Indo-Aryan vernaculars. The Eastern group includes Assamese, Bengali, Oriya, and Bihart; and the Western, among others, what I now call Western Hindi, Paajabi, and Gujarati.
The following note has been drawn up for the Survey ; bnt, as a long period most necessarily Olapse before the Survey-report can see the light, and as the correct identification of the language is of some interest, I ventare to lay an early copy of it before the readers of the Indian Antiquary:
The East-Central Group. The East-Central Group of Indo-Aryan vernaculars is a group of dialects, not of languages. It includes only one language, vie., Eastern Hindi,
Through some misapprehension of the facts it was recorded by the late Mr. de Roepstort that this meal is esten at the grave, whereas the mere suggestion of such having ever been their practice evokes . prompt denial [P. 98% of the Dictionary quoted in Notes 76 and 70 (ante).)
Henhroduarkanvishe implios abstinence from singing, and oyanga-yannáta, the patting aside of personal ornaments; while henhrodva-dide signifies a thorough and completo abstinence trom every form of self-gratification, whether in respect to food, drink, self-adornment or social entertainment. The first two terms, applied alike to the mourning observed by friends and certain of the relatives of the deceased, entail abatinence from singing, dancing, playing on instruments, wearing ornamenta or new clothing well as indulging in those luxuries that were formally declined at the meal here described. In those cases where the entoin takes place after few day. (ante, note 80) the self-sacrifice incurred by this class of mourner neonarily amounts to little more than a fare. It is for otherwise, however, in regard to those who observe the herhwdua-dide, this requires them to deprive themselves of every kind of self-indulgence for period extend. ing generally to about three years, when the final memorial-fenst is usually hold. Till then no intoxicant, tobacco, cultivated Chavica betel-lon, pork, fowl, fish or turtle (unless captured with a single-pronged spear), ripe coconut, vegetables, plaintains and rice may be onsmod. Needless to add, no Ornaments or new garments may be worn or paint applied to the person, and no form of recreation, such as singing, dancing or music, may be enjoyed.
* Journ. Anthrop. Inst., Vol. XV. pp. 74-76, where Mr. J. O. Prazor points out that "the nearly anivereal practice of leaving food on the tomb ....., like the habit of dressing the dead in his best olothes, probably "originated in the selfish but not unkindly desire to induce the perturbed spirit to rest in the grave and not come "plaguing the living for food and raiment."..... "Rather than use the property of the deceased and thereby " incur the anger of his ghost, men destroyed it. The ghost would then bare Domotive for returning to his " desolated home."
