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48
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(3) To walk round the Tulsi (basil) At Wade in the Thána District,women make plant or the Pipal or Banyan tree daily in the rows even to minor deities such as Chedoba morning after worshipping it.
to get rid of barrenness. They also use copper (4) To feed another woman's child, or tu amulets and cotton strings procured from a give milk to a child, 1
sorcerer well versed in the use of mantras, At Náta in the Kolába District, & Woman At Dahigaon in the Thána District the wishing to have a child is required to strike worship of the god Shri Satya Náráyan is with a knife the Jack, the Tamarind, and the held to cure barrenness. Some women also Chám pa trees during an eclipse. It is believed distribute to the poor jágri equal to the that by so doing the woman will bear a child, weight of a child, and the trees will also bear flowers and fruits. At Dehari in the Murbád taluka of the
At Medhe in the Roha taluka of the Kolába Thána District, the village deity Dehari Máta District, the following methods are in vogue is invoked and worshipped by women for the for the cure of barrenness:
cure of barrenness. In the Kolhápur District, (1) To worship the god Shiva and to the help of the family deities and of the observe fasts on Mondays.
household deities is invoked. Women take (2) To worship the god Ganpati and to turns round the Banyan, Pipal and Umbar, observe fasts on Sankasthi chaturthi i. e., the trees. Some make rows to the gods, and fourth day of the dark half of every month. perform certain propitiatory rites as well as
(3) To walk round the temple of Máruti the Nárayan Nágabali. It is believed that and Pipal and Umbar trees every day, in the the children do not live long if a member of the morning.
family has killed a snake, or if the funeral At Padaghe in the Bhiwandi taluka of the
rites of a person in the family have remained
unperformed. The following ceremony is Thána District, images of Ráma and Krishna
known as Náráyan Nágabali. A snake is made are put into the lap of a barren woman on
from the flour of Rála (panie seed), and their respective birthdays i.e., the 9th day of
another made of gold is put into it. It is then the bright half of Chaitra, and the 8th day burnt like a 'dead budy. All the ordinary of the dark half of Shrawan, Coconuts are funeral rites are performed. After performing also placed in her lap with these images, the eleventh day rites, homa, i.e., sacred fire,
At Mánikpur in the Thána District the is kindled at night time, and after keeping goddess Shitala is worshipped by women to
vigil for the whole night, milk and a dakshana cure barrenness. They observe fasts, and go
are given to Bráhmans. A feast is given to to the temple of the goddess bare-footed with
eleven Brahmans on that day. On the twelfth
day sixteen Brálmans are fed, and on the their hair loose and throwing milk on their
thirteenth, five Bráhmans are given a feast, path. They offer to the goddess wooden cradles
after performing the Shruddha rites. On the and children's toys in fulfilment of their
fourteenth day, again, a feast is given to about vows. 5
100 to 500 Brálmans according to the means At Shirgaon in the Máhim taluka of the of the lost. It is believed that, after the perThána District, it is said that the repetition formance of these rites, the soul of the deceased of the mantra" Santán Gopál jáy" is resorted reaches heaven, and there is an end to the to as a cure for barrenness.
troubles and misfortunes of the family.10
1 School Master, Khopoli, Kolába. 3 School Master, Medhe, Kolába, 5 School Master, Mánikpur, Thána.
School Master, Wade, Thána. 9 School Master Dehari, Thána.
2 School Master; Náta, Kolába.
School Master, Padagbe, Thána 6 School Master, Shirgaon, Thána. . School Master, Dahigaon, Thána. 10 Ráo SÁheb Shelke, Kolhipur.
