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SEPTEMBER, 1906.]
HINDUISM IN THE HIMALAYAS.
247
thong of its hide. Upon this Shirigul wrote a letter to Gaga Pir of the Bâgar in Bikaner and sent it to him by a crow. The Pir advanced with his army, defeated the emperor, and released Shirigul, whose bonds he severed with his teeth. Shirigul then returned to the Chûr Peak.
During his absence the demon Agur Danûn bad attacked Charů, completely defeating him and taking possession of half the peak. Shirigul thereupon cursed Churû, who was turned into & stone still to be seen on the spot, and assailed Asur Dânûn, but without success; so he appealed to Indra, who sent lightning to his aid and expelled Asur Danûn from the Chûr. The demon in his flight struck his head against a hill in Jubbal, and went right through it; the UI eave still exists to testify to this. Thence he passed through the Sainj Nadi and across the Dhârla into the Tons river, by which he reached the ocean. The Dhårla ravine still remains to. prove the truth of the legend.10
Another account says nothing of Shirigal's visit to Delhi, but makes Bhakarů the Rank of Sbâyâ. It further says that Shirigal became a bhagat or devotee, who left his home to live on the Chûr Peak upon which Siva dwelt. Gaining greater spiritual power from Siva, Shirigul caused all the boys of the neighbourhood to be afflicted with worms, while he himself asguned the form of a Bbít and wandered from village to village,proclaiming that if the boys' parents built him a temple on the Dhår he would care them all. The temple was built on the Ohûr Peak and Shirigul began to be considered a separate deity.
The temple of Shirigul at Churidhar is square and faces east. It has but one storey nine feet in height, with a verandah, and its roof consists of a gable, the topmost beam (khinwar), of which is adorned with brass vessels (anda) fixed to it by pegs.. Outside the temple is hung. A necklace (mdid) of small pieces of wood (kharorf). There is only one door, on which figures, &c., have been carved. Inside this temple is another smaller temple, also of dooddr, shaped like & dome, and in this is kept the ling which is six inches high and four inches in circumference: It is made of stone and is placed in a jalahrî or vessel of water, which, too, is of stone. No clothes or ornaments are placed on the ling.
A worshipper brings with him his own Bhâț, who acts as pujdri. The Bhat must not eat puntil he has performed the worship and made the offerings. He first bathes in the adjacent spring, pats on clean clothes and lights a lamp, burning ght, not oil, before the idol. Then he takes a brass 16'd' of fresh water, and sprinkles it over the idol and the floor of the temple with a branch of the chikhon or chhanbar shrab. He next fills a spoon with fire, ghi, and the leaves of the katharchal and idhésrí, odoriferous plants found on the Dhar, and burns them. before the idol, holding the spoon in his right hand, while he rings a bell with his left, and repeats the names of tiraths and avatdrs only. After this office he blows a conch, terminating it with a prostration to the idol. It may be performed at any time. The jálrf or worshipper now bathes, puts on clean clothes, and prostrates himself before the idol. After this he may make the offerings which consist of a rattill of gold or silver, money, ghi, (but not more than
10 An instance of the countless legends-whioh explain natural features by tales of Siya's prowese, or attribute them to his emanations. Below is ono attributed to Shirigul himself. The Sikan KA PÅnt legend says that in the old times an inhabitant of Jhojar village went to Shirigal at the Char Peak and asked the Deota to give him a ondal in his village. He stayed three days at the peak and did not eat or drink anything. Shirigal appeared in a monk's garb and gave him a tumba full of water, which the god covered with a leaf tolling the man not to open it on his way bome, but at the place where he wanted the canal to run. On ronching Sikan the man opened the tumba and found a snake in it whioh sprang out and ran away. Water flowed behind the snake, and a small canal still flows in Sikan and waters several villages. Being thus disappointed, again wept the man to the Chur and the god again, gave him a tumba, telling him to throw the water and say. Nicho Jhojar; wpar jhajal - Jhoja, village below and a waterfall above it,' and he should have plenty of water, But the man again forgot and said * Upar Jhojar, niche jhaja'-Jhojar above and the waterfall below. This mistake oatised the water to fluw belor the village and that only in a small quantity.
11 Rattfis & weight equal to eight grains of rice or lf of a grain (English weight).
