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74
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
Muralis. They are married to the god Khan
She becomes the maid servant of the temple, and doba, and have to earn their livelihood by is free to behave as she likes. Daughters of begging in villages. A male child thus offered such Bhavinis who do not wish to marry. to the god is called a Vághya 1
undergo the process of shesa bharane, and There is a custom of offering children to the follow the occupation of their mothers. The deities Yallamma and Khandoba in fulfilment of sons of the Bhávinis have an equal right to the vows made in order to get a child. The child property of their mother, but any daughter is taken to the temple of these deities, accom- who marries a lawful husband loses her share panied with music. The temple ministrant in the property < her mother. A Devali asks the child to stand on a wooden board on follows the occupation of blowing the horn or a heap of rice in front of the deity, and puts cornet, and is entitled to hold the torches in the into its hands a paradi-a flat basket of marriage ceremonies of the people in the village. bamboo, tying to its neck the darshana of the Many of them learn the art of playing upon deity. A female child is married to the the tabour—mrudunga—and are useful to dagger-Katyár of the deity. When once Kathekaris, i.e., those who recite legends of the this ceremony has been performed, parents
gods with music and singing. Some of them abandon their rights to such children. When
become farmers while others are unoccupied. these children come of age, the males can marry but the females cannot. The latter earns her
Bhavinis follow the occupation of a maidlivelihood begging jogava in the name of the
servant in the temple, but their real occupation goddess Amba with a paradi in her band. A
is that of public women. They are not scorned male child offered to the goddess Yallamma is by the public. On the contrary, they are called jogata, and a female, jogatin. Children required to be present at the time of a marriage dedicated to the goddess Máyáka are called to tie the marriage-string-Mangalsutra of Jogi and Jogin, Children offered to Firangái * bride, for they are supposed to enjoy and Ambábái are called Bhutya (male) and perpetual unwidowhood—Janma surasini.' Bhutin (female).
Some of the houses of Bhávinis become the In the Konkan districts there is a class of favourite resorts of gamblers and vagabonds, women known as Bhávinis who are said to be
known as Bhavinis who are said to be in the absence of a daughter, a Bhávini purmarried to Khanjir, i.e., a dagger belonging to chases a girl from a harlot, and adopts her as the god. They are also called deva yoshita, i.e., her daughter to carry on her profession. 3 prostitutes offered to the god. They have no | Snakes are believed to be the step-brothers caste of their own. They retain the name of the of the gods. They reside under the earth caste to which they originally belonged, such
and are very powerful. The snake is conas Maráthe Bhávini, Bhandari Bhavini, Sutár
sidered to be very beautiful among creeping Bhavini, etc. The following account is given
animals, and is one of the ornaments of the of the origin of the sect of Bhávinis. A
god Shiva. An image of a snake made of woman wishing to abandon her husband goes
brass is kept in the temple of the god Shiva, to the temple of a village deity at night, and in presence of the people assembled in that
and worshipped daily along with the god. temple she takes oil from the lamp burning in
There is a custom among the Hindus of the temple, and pours it upon her head. This worshipping Nága, i.e., the cobra, once a year process is called Deval righane, i.e., to enter on the Nága panchami day, i.e., the fifth day into the service of the temple. After she has of the bright half of Shraman (August). poured sweet oil from the lamp upon her head, Images of snakes are drawn with sandalpaste she has no further connection with her husband. on a wooden board or on the walls of houses,
School Master, Palshet, Ratnagiri.
: Ráo Báoeb Shelle, Kolháp * School Master, Kálshe, Ratnagiri.
