________________
CHAPTER VIII.
TOTEMISM AND FETISHISM. The worship of totems, or Devaks, prevails is taken by her. The father takes the among Hindus in Western India. The term winnowing fan and the mother takes the Deval is applied to the deity or de ties Kalasha, and they are carried from the mandap worshipped at the beginning of a thread or to the devak consecrated in the house. A a marriage ceremony. The ceremony is as lighted lamp is kept continually burning near follows: A small quantity of rice is put into
this devak till the completion of the ceremony. a winnowing fan, and with it six sn:all sticks
After completion of the thread or marriage of the Umbar tree, each covered with mango
ceremony the devak is again worshipped, and leaves and cotton thread. These are worshipped
the ceremony comes to an end. The deity in as deities. Near the winnowing fan is kept
the devak is requested to depart on the second an earthen or copper vessel filled with rice,
or the fourth day from the date of its conturmeric, red powder, betelnuts, sweet balls
secration. No mourning is observed during made of wheat flour, ghi and sugar; and on
the period the devak remains installed in the the top of the vessel is a small sprig of mango
house. and a cocoanut covered with cotton thread.
Among Maráthás and many of the lower This vessel is also worshipped as a deity,
classes in the Ratnagiri District the branch of and offerings of sweet eatables are made to it.
a Vad, Kadamba, mango, or an Apta tree is After the worship of this vessel, the regular
worshipped as their devak or kul. ceremony of Punyáhavachana is performed.
Some Maráthás have a sword or a dagger Twenty-seven Mátrikás, or village and local
as their devak, which is worshipped by them deities, represented by betelnuts are consecrated
before commencing the ritual of the marriage in a new winnowing fan or a bamboo basket.
ceremony. Seven Mátrikás are made of mango leaves, six
The family known as Rane at Náringre in of which contain durva grags, and the seventh the Devgad taluka of the Ratnagiri District, darbha grass. Each of them is bound with and the families known as Gadakari and a raw cotton thread separately. They are Jádhava at Málwan, consider the Vad or Banyan worshipped along with a Kalasha or a copper tree as their devak, and do not make use of its lota as mentioned above. This copper lota leaves. In the same manner, some people conis filled with rice, betelnuts, turmeric, etc., a sider the Kadamba tree sacred to their family, sprig of mango leaves is placed on the lota, 1 There are some people among the Hindus and a cocoanut is put over it. The lota is in Western India whose surnames are derived also bound with a cotton thread. Sandalpaste,
from the names of animals and plants, such as rice, flowers, and durva grass are required for
Boke, Lándage, Wagh, Dukre, Kawale, Garud
More, Mhase, Rede, Keer, Popat, Ghode, its worship. An oil lamp called Arati is waved
Shelár, Gáyatonde, Wághmáre, Shálunke, round the devak, the parents, and the boy or
Bhende, Padwal, Wálke, Apte, Ambekar, the girl whose thread or marriage ceremony is to Pimpalk hare. Kelkar and Kálke. be performed. A Suwásini is called and The Hindus believe that a cow, a horse, and requested to wave this Arati, and the silver an elephant are sacred animals. The cow is coin which is put into the Arati by the parents treated with special respect by the Hiudus 1 School Master, Adivare, Ratnagiri.
School Master, Kálsbe, Ratnagiri, * School Master, Achare, Ratnagiri.
