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CHAPTER VII.
TREE AND SERPENT WORSHIP Groves of mango trees are considered to be At Fonde in the Devgad taluka, it is consacred as they have a pleasing appearance, sidered inauspicious to cut the trees and the and afford grateful shelter against the heat of groves that surround the temple of a village the day. It is a general belief among Hindus deity, for they are believed to belong to that trees from which such pleasure and pro- that deity. 4 tection are derived must naturally be the abode
At Padghe in the Thána District, the trees of the gods. There are many such groves in
which are supposed to have been haunted by Satára. During the spring season people go
evil spirits such as Sambandh, Munja, Devato these groves and worship the trees. The
chár, etc., are not generally cut by the people Hindus have a general prejudice against
through fear of these spirits. When any cutting living trees which yield fruits, and it
tree is cut down, the custom is to keep a stone is considered specially inauspicious to cut the
at the root of the tree in order that the following trees -
place may no longer be affected or haunted Umbar, Vad or Banian tree, Pipal, Saundad
by the spirit in the tree. There are certain or Shami, Palus, Bel, Rui, Avali and the Tulsi
families who do not burn Pipal, Khair, or plant, for it is believed that these trees are
Shiwani wood. They believe that the burning the abode of deities, e.g., the god Dattatraya
of these trees causes harm to their families. resides under the Umbar tree, the goddess
It is said that the burning of the Apta tree Parvati on the Banjan tree, and the god Vishnu
causes, the breeding of the insect known as resides near the Tulsi plant. The god
Gochadi, i. e., the cattle or dog louse, Brahma, the creator of the world, is found in
There is an Awdumbar tree of the god the Pipal tree. The plantain tree is also con
Dattatraya at Bhillawadi, and a big Banian sidered to be sacred. While gathering a bunch
tree near the math of the Lingayat swami of plantains, the tree is first cut before the
named Kadappa near Kolhápur, which are bunch. It is considered inauspicious to gather
worshipped by the people of the neighbouring the bunch without so doing.
villages. The Saundad tree, better known as, There are certain groves at Ubhádánda in
Shami, is worshipped once a year on the the Vengurla taluka of the Ratnagiri District Dasara, the 10th day of the bright half of which are supposed to be haunted by Dera- Ashwin (October). It is said that Ráma, the chárs, and are therefore not cut by the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, kept his arms people.
on the Shami tree during his fourteen years' The people of Ibhrámpur in the Chiplun exile, and took them back again when he taluka consider it inauspicious to cut the Vad marched upon Lanka or Ceylon to kill Rawan, and Pipal trees of which the thread ceremo- the demon king of Ceylon. While going to nies have been performed. After the thread Lanka he bowed to the Shami tree, and as ceremony of these trees is over, a stone plat- he was successful in his undertaking, the form is raised around them.3
Maráthás used to start for a campaign on the
1 Ráo Sáheb, Shelke, Kolbúpur. 3 School Master, Ibhrámpur, Ratnagiri. 5 School Master, Padghe, Thána,
* School Master, Ubbádánda, Ratnágiri. 4 School Master, Fonde, Ratnagiri. 6 School Master, Dahigaon, Thána.
