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THE INDIAN ANTIQUACV
mantras, and worshipped with the usual offer- be destroyed, the people of the village ings. Garments such as a Sári and a Choli are assemble in a mob and attack the sorcerer, & offered to the goddesses Mári and Kalubái, small quantity of blood is taken from his When an epidemic disease such as cholera tongue and water from the earthen pot of a prevails in a village, the people of the village Chámbhár is poured upon it. It is believed instal the deity Margai at a place where four that by so doing the spirit is permanently roads meet, and worship her for seven or eight destroyed and the sorcerer either forgets all days with much ceremony. Every one brings his mantras or they become ineffective. The offerings of cocoanuts, lemons, ambil or conjee, spirit is called tond bhut, and it sometimes cooked rice and curds, etc. with the beating troubles even animals. * of drums to offer to the deity. After worshipp
At Chauk in the Karjat taluka, of the ing the goddess in this manner for eight Kolába District, the people believe that the successive days they sacrifice a Bali of a
devotees of the Mári deity bring on epidemic he-buffalo before her. The deity is then put
discases by the use of their mantras, and in upon a bullock cart and carried through
order to satisfy them, offerings are made the village with the beating of drums and much
to the deity Mári which are taken by the ceremony, to be thrown away beyond the devotees or Bhagats.5 At Váde in the Thána village boundary along with the offerings.
District epidemic diseases are attributed to Epidemic diseases are not attributed to witchcraft. There are some women who are witchcraft at Devgad in the Ratnagiri Dis-supposed to bring on, or at least foster, the trict. It is believed that they are caused by growth of such diseases by their evil mantras. the accumulated sins of the people. In the Such women are threatened or punished by Dápoli taluka of the Ratnagiri District the people, and sometimes they are even driven epidemic diseases are attributed to witchcraft out of the village. In the village of Anjur by low caste people. The power of averting of the Thána District, if a man vomits blood such diseases lies in the hands of the village accidently and falls ill, or dies, it is believed deities. They are therefore propitiated by to be due to the act of Muth Márane, the sacrifices of cocks, goats, and cocoanuts, that is, the throwing of a handful of rice over At Poladpur in the Kolába District, epidemic
which incantations have been repeated. If diseases are sometimes attributed to witchcraft there be any sorcerer in the village who has by low caste people, Persons well versed in learnt the same incantations, he alone is able the mantras of evil spirits are called Bhagats to return the Mutk to the sorcerer who first or exorcists. Some of them keep evil spirits at used it? At Shirgaum in the Umbergaon their command. The poor people believe that taloka of the Thána District, when epidemic what these exorcists foretell is sure to occur. diseases prevail in the village, the people of the It is believed that the spirit dwells on the village take a turn round the village in a tongue of these exorcists. When these spirits body and kill a buffalo. A Bali or offering are hungry, they are let loose in the village by of boiled rice, cocoanuts, cocks and goats is the sorcerers for the destruction of the people, also offered to the deities that cause epidemic thus causing an epidemic. When a spirit is to diseases.8
1 Rao Saheb Shelke, Kolhapur. * School Master, Anjarle, Ratnagiri. 5 School Master, Chank, Kolába. 7 School Master, Anjar, Thána.
* School Master, Mitbáv, Ratnagiri, • School Master, Poladpur, Kolábn. & School Master, Váde, Thána. 8 School Master, Umbergaon, Tbána.
