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58
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
At Pendur it is believed that persons killed
A knife or some other sharp weapon is kept by tigers and other wild beasts become under the bed of the woman in order that the Brahma Rákshasa. The same form is assum- mother and her child may not be attacked by ed by those who die by accident. A murdered a spirit. man becomes a Devachár.1
The chief reason for ensuring the correct In the District of Kolhapur a belief pre-moment for the birth is that, if the birth takesvails that the spirits of those killed by tigers place at an unlucky hour, special rites are or other wild beasts assume the form of necessary for averting the evil effects. These ghosts. It is also believed that persons who rites consist in the recitation of certain holy die before they are married do not attain mantras and in giving presents of money. salvation, and therefore it is considered in- sessamum, jágri, clarified butter, etc., to the auspicious among the Hindus to remain Bráhmans and alms to the poor. unmarried. This is the real reason why the At Medhe in the Rohe taluka, it is customary majority of the Hindus marry their children for the father to throw a stone in a well, a pond, at an early age.
or a river at the birth of his son, and then to The ghost of a woman dying in childbirth look at the face of the child. or during her menses assumes the form of An owl is considered to be a bird of such Alwant. For the purpose of preventing the evil repute that, in all parts of the Konkan, it dead woman turning into a ghost the following is considered necessary to perform expiatory device is adopted. The corpse, instead of being rites when an owl perches on the roof. If burnt as usual, is buried underground, and four these rites are not performed, it is firmly iron nails are fixed at the four corners of the believed that some evil will befall the members spot on which the body is buried, and plants of the family. Various omens are drawn from bearing red flowers are planted thereon.3 the cries of the bird Pingla, and these cries
At Bankavli it is believed that the ghost of are known as Kilbil, Chilbil and Khit Khit 8 a woman dying in childbirt' or during her i If an owl sits on the roof of a house, it is menses assunses the form of Jákhin, while the a sure sign of coming death to a member of people of the Kolhapur District believe that it the family. assunies the form of Hadal.
At Devgad in the Ratnagiri District the The special precautions that a father has sound of a bat or an owl is considered to take at the birth of a child are:
inauspicious, and indicates the death of a sick To arrange for a suitable place or a room person in the house, 10 provided with the materials required for the
e materials required for the At Chauk an owl is said to have some occasion, and to ensure the correct moment for connection with spirits. Its sound at night the birth of the child. No person other than indicates the approaching death of a sick a midwife is allowed to enter the room for the person in the house. One variety of the owl first ten days. A pot is kept filled with water
called the pingla is supposed to foretell future and a twig of the nim tree in the entrance events by its movements and cries, while the of the house, and all persons entering the bat is considered an inauspicious bird, and house have to wash their feet with this water, its appearance forebodes coming evil 11
1 School Master, Pendur, Ratnagiri.
* Ráo Saheb Shelle, Kolkapur 3 School Master, Ubbádánda, Ratnagiri.
• School Master, Bankavli, Ratnagiri. * Ráo Sáheb Shelle, Kolhpur,
6 School Master, Pendur, Ratnagiri, * School Master, Medbe, Kolába.
& School Master, Shirgaon, Thána. • School Master, Adivare, Ratnagiri,
10 School Master, Devgad, Ratnagiri. 12 School Master, Chauk, Kolába.
