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DECEMBER, 1906.]
THE CHUHRAS.
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c. Shrines. The shrine in a village always faces the east. Its shape is a dome, or, as they say, gd8 dum ki shakal, like a cow's tail, upright. There are only lamps in it, no idols. The name of the slırine is Bala Shâb.
d.
Bites.
They have no secret rites. Their shrine is worshipped on Thursdays, sacrifices are offered, and also chúrmdi (a sweetmeat made of bread crumbs mixed with botter and sugar), and tho gyání prays. It is only at the consecration of a new shrine that the head of the animal sacrificed and knives are buried under the shrine. The shrine is built on the sacrifice and sacrificial weapons, as a foundation,
There is no ceremony for admission among the Ohuhras, except participating in the kardhi.
e.
Sacrifices.
• The animal sacrificed is a fowl, a goat, and perhaps a cow.
The gydni, or a Mohammadan mulla, offers the sacrifice.
The sacrifice is offered not near the sbrine but at a little distance from it. It is cooked and enten. They also burn ghi, ra! or scented resin, and gugga! (a gum, used as incense). This is called hóm.
When a child is born, he is brought on the twenty-first day and offered or consecrated to BAlmik, and called BÂlmik ká bôr. Ho is a nazar, or offering.
1. Fetishism.
Belief in spirits is general. A spirit mny attach itself to a roof and break it, or to a woll and throw a man in, or to animals and they will attack and injuro man. A bad rih (an evil-. spirit) may meditate mischief and God sends a warning. This is called sabhawak (of good intent).
Good spirits attach themselves to wood and other things, especially cooking vessels. They bring blessings.
Fields are baunted and may accordingly be barren.
g. Ancestor worship.
The Chubras fear the spirit of a woman who dies in childbirth, because she has become a churél, a witch that is to be drended. Fagfra have power over spirits and receive information from them of the designs of the spirit world.
Bad dreams come from the dabdi (the pressure) of an evil spirit. To drive the evil spirits away Bálmik's name is taken. Sickness is caused by bad rih kd sdya, the shadow of an evil spirit. Faqire and pers drive away spirits with jhara43 karaund, jhár phank, 24 conjaring.
Ghosts of the dead haunt houses, burial grounds, &c. They come as little boys with white hair. Not long since in this neighbourhood two children strayed from home in the grey
12 RAI, resin of the Shorea robusta.
# Lit. 'swoop away."
24 Lit. blow away.'
