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64
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
The blood of .fowls and goats is used as a protection against ghosts and pevachárs, and also against witchcraft. Charmed water is waved round the person affected by an evil spirit, and thrown away. Rings, amulets, and anklets made of metals of five kinds are put on the hands and legs of children to ward off the effects of evil spirits.1
It is customary among certain people to apply spittle to the sandalpaste mark on the forehead of a man, and to the red Kunku mark on the forehead of an unwidowed woman. It is considered to be a protection against evil spirits.
The beak of an eagle, & stick cut from a tree known as Pandhri, a cane having three joints, and the root of a shrub called Shrávad, which has white leaves, are used as protection against evil spirits.
At Pendur in the Málwan talaka or the Ratnagiri District it is believed that an iron stick held in the hand is a protection against evil spirits."
At Chauk in the Karjat talaka of the Kolába District, pictures of certain deities are tattooed on the body for the purpose of protection against evil spirits. It is also believed that evil spirits run away when salt and garlic are thrown into fire as they cannot bear the smoke of burning garlic,5
At Medhe in the Rohe taluka, when the dead body of a woman dying within ten days of her delivery is taken out of the house for burial, an iron horseshoe is driven into the threshold of the house, and grains of Náchani are scattered in the street while the corpse is being carried to the burial ground,
At Bhuwan in the Murbád talaka some people tie a square piece of leather to the necks of their children as protection against evil spirits."
At Rái, a custom prevails of putting coral necklaces on children as a protective against evil spirits.8
Iron nails and horseshoes are driven into the threshold or on to the door of a house on the full moon day or the last day of the Hindu calendar month at evening time, to prevent the entrance of evil spirits. Dirty localities being considered to be haunts of evil spirits, people living in such localitics burn incense in their houses every day. While exorcising eyil spirits the sorcerere throw charmed Udid grains and Rále panic seeds on the body of the discased, or place these things below his bed. Rings made of metals of five kinds - iron, copper, brass, silver and gold—are charmed on an eclipse day, and worn by people. Red lead and cowries are tied to the necks or feet of animals as protection against evil spirits. The spirits that haunt buried treasures are pacified by the blood of fowls and goats when digging up such treasures.
Certain mantras are written on a paper, and the paper is tied to a black cotton string, or the paper is pat into a copper annulet, and then tied to a black cotton string. The black cotton string with the amulet is then tied round the arm or the neck of a person attacked by evil spirits, or suffering from malarial fevers. These mantras are never disclosed to anybody.10
Nádádora is a black cotton thread having seven or nine knots with a charmed paper in one of these knots. The thread is first held over burning incense, and then tied round the neck or the arm of the diseased. Sunday is generally chosen for attaching these threads. 11
1 School Master, Ubbádanda, Ratnagiri.
2 School Master, Bándivade, Ratnagiri. 3 School Master, Fonde, Ratnagiri.
+ School Master, Pendur, Ratnagiri. 5 School Master, Chauk, Kolába.
. School Master, Medbe, Kolába. 7 School Master, Bhuwan, Thána.
& School Master, Rái, Thána, • RÁo Baheb Shelle, Kolkpur.
10 School Master, Bándivade, Ratnagiri. u School Master, Kálse, Ratnagiri.
