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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
.38
At Nágothane in the Kolába District, it is the next morning and thrown away at a place believed that men who are well versed in the where three roads meet. It is then supposed mantras of witchcraft and sorcery sometimes that the person who steps on the bundle first is transfer diseases from one person to another. 1 attacked with the discase, and the one for Vaccination is believed to be a method of whom the rite is performed is cured.5 transferring disease to other persons ?
At Devgad taluka in the Ratnagiri District At Malád in the Thána District a method it is believed that evil spirits are fond of of transferring disease from one person to things like a cock, cocoanuts, boiled rice, etc., another is in practice among the Shudras. It and when a person considers himself attacked is as follows :-A woman without a child cuts by evil spirits, these things are waved round secretly a little piece from the garment of a his body and thrown away at some distance woman who has children. She then burns the from his residence. This is generally done in piece, puts the ashes into water, and the mixture the evening, but if necessary it can be done at is then drunk by the barren woman. it is any time. The person who goes to throw these believed that, by so doing, the evil spirit of things away is prohibited from looking behind. the disease that is troubling the barren woman The things required for a bali, i, e., oblation, is transferred to the other who has children. an such occasions are boiled rice, red powder, The barrenness of the first wolnan then and an oil lamp made of black cotton wick. disappears, and she begets children. It is said 1 In the Vengurla taluka of the Ratnágiri that if the second woman comes to know of the District, when a person is suffering from any mischief before using that garment, she disease for a long time, and when ordinary discontinues the use of the same, and no harm medicines prove to be ineffective, a goat or a is done to her
cock is waved round the body of the patient, In the Umbergaon taluka of the Thána and are then put bevond the villam
and are then pot beyond the village boundary District the methods of transferring disease or taken away by the sorcerer. While are called Muth Márane i. e, a bewitched performing this rite, the man must repeat lime is sent to the person to whom the disease certain mantras, is to be transferred. Various mantras are also At Fonda in the Ratnágiri District, the nec secretly repeated with the object of trans- of scapegoats is resorted to in cases of persons ferring the disease to an enemy
supposed to have been attacked by evil spirits. At Kolhápur, there are no methods of Curds and boiled rice are waved round the transferring disease to other persons, but it is body of the diseased person and thrown away said that the following ceremony is practised at a distance from the house. In some cases it in the case of persons suffering from swollen is said that the cock which is waved round glands. Rice, Udid grain etc. are tied in a the body of the sick person dies instantane yellow cloth, and three knots are made in itously." This is then kept for one night under the In the Málwan taluka of the Ratnagiri Dispillow of the diseased person. It is taken out trict the scapegoat (often a cock) is waved
1 School Master, Nágothane, Kolába. * School Master, Málad, Tbána. 5 Rao Saheb Shelke, Kolhapur.
School Master, Ubhádánda, Ratnagiri.
School Master, Navare, katnagiri, * School Master, Shirgaon, Thána. • School Master, Mitbáv, Ratnagiri, • School Master, Fonde, Ratnagiria
