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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
Navarātra* holidays when, if no human- The days for special worship are the shaped image is set up, a trishül at least is Navaratra holidays, the second day of the drawn in red-lead and oil. Some of these bright half of Ashadh, the ninth month of the evil deities require, at the time of their in- Hindu Calendar, 5 Divāsā or the fifteenth day stallation, the balidan (sacrifice or oblation) of the dark half of Ashādh, and Käli-chauof a goat or a he-buffalo. Also, when a spirit dasor the fourteenth day of the dark half of is to be exorcised, the symbol of the familiar Ashvin, the last month ; besides other extraspirit of the exorcist is set up and invoked ordinary occasions when a spirit has to be by him. After the installation, no syste- cxorcised out of a sick persen. matic form of worship is followed in con- The Navaratra days are said to be the most nection with them. Regular forms are auspicious days for devi-worship. People prescribed for the real gods of the Puranas. believing in the power of the mätäs observe But upon these the low-caste people are not fast on these days. Most of them at least authorised to attend.
fast on the eighth day of the Navaratra Still, in practice there are two forms of known as Mätä-ashtami, taking only a light worship : ordinary or sāmānya-pūjā and meal which consists of roots, as a rule, special or vishesha-pūja, Ordinary wonship especially the suran (Amorphophallus campa is performed by bathing the deity-which cannulatus), and of dates and milk. On the be done by sprinkling a few drops of Navaratra days red-lead and oil are applied water over it-burning a ghi, or an oil, to the images of the devis, and a number of Jamp before it, and by offering a cocoanut oblations, such as loaves, cooked rice, lapsit, and a pice or half-anna piece. The vadant and baklag are offered. The utmost last is taken away by the bhuva, or priest, ceremonial cleanliness is observed in the prewho returns generally half or three-quar- paration of these viands. The corn is sifted, ters of the cocoanut as a prasad of the god. cleaned, ground or pounded, cooked, treated
There are no particular days prescribed with frankincense, offered to the gods and for such worship, but Sundays and Tuesdays lastly partaken of before sunset, and all these would seem to be the most favoured, operations must be performed on the same On such days, offerings are made for the day: for the offerings must not see lampt'ulfilment of a vow recorded in order to light. 10 Girls are not allowed to partake avoid a badha, or impending evil. In the of these offerings. All ceremonies should observance of this vow the devotee abstains be conducted with much earnestness and from certain things, such as ghi, butter, reverence; otherwise the offerings will fail to milk, rice, juvar, betelnut till the period of prove acceptable to the mätās or devis.10 the vow expires. When a vow is thus dis- On Mätä-ashtami and Käli-chaudas devocharged, the devotee offers flowers, garlands, tees sometimes offer rams, goats or buffaloes incense, food or drink according to the terms as victims to the devis or devas in addition of his vow. The dhūpa, i.e., burning incense to the usual offerings of lāpsi, vadan and of gugal (balsamodendron) is one of the bāklä,10 The night of Kali-chaudas is commonest methods of worship.
believed to be so favourable for the efficacious
The first nine days of Ashvin, the last month of the Gujarat Hindu Calendar, known otherwise as Måtani dahada-mata's days. The influence of the matás is very strong in these days. 1 Mr. K, D. Desai.
• Mr. M. D. Vayas, Shastri, Bhayavadur. The Deputy Educational Inspector, Gohelwad, Mr. K, D. Desai. * Mr. N. D. Vora, Schoolmaster, Rajpara, . Mr. B. K, Dave, Schoolmaster, Kotda-Sangani. 7 Mr. N. D. Vora, Schoolmaster, Rajpara.
Mr. K. D. Desai. † Lapsi is corrse wheat flour fried in ghi and sweetened with molasses or sugar.
Vadan-bean flour-generally of gram or peas-is allowed to remain in water with spices until the paste acquires a sufficeint degree of consistence, when it is rolled into small biscuit-sized balls and fried in oil,
Baklū are small round flat cakes of dry boiled beans. • Mr N, D. Vora, Schoolmaster, Rajpara. 10 Mr.N. M. Dave, Schoolmas.er. Sanki
