Indian Antiquary Vol 46

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 397

THE FOLKLORE OF GUJARAT
a cow and her calf (which must both be of the same colour), applies a little cotton to the horns of the cow, and makes an auspicious mark on the foreheads of both with red lac. She then places an offering of betel and rice before the cow, takes four turns round the pair, and whispers in the ears of the cow the words tārun satya marun vritya (your truth and my devotion). A Brahman then recites the legend of the vrat.*
After narrating this story, the Brahman takes the betel and other things placed before the cow. The woman then returns home and takes food for the first time during that day, the meal consisting of loaves of bajra-flour and some preparation of mag (phaselus mungo). Some women take ghi and khir: but any preparation of cow's milk is strictly forbidden. Similarly, there is a prohibition against using things which have been cut by a knife or scissors,1
The worship of the goddess Randal is a favourite vrat with Gujarati women. A bower is erected for the installation of the goddess, and a bajat or a wooden stool is placed therein. A piece of fine cloth is spread on the bajat, and a figure is drawn in seeds of corn. A kalasio or bowl, with a cocoanut on it, is placed over the figure. The cocoanut has two eyes painted on it in black collyrium and a nose in red lac, and is decorated with rich clothes and ornaments to represent the goddess Randal, Ghi lamps are kept constantly burning before the god dess for three consecutive days and nights. An invitation is sent to the neighbouring
The Schoolmaster of Jodia.
The Schoolmaster of Surel.
women, who bring offerings of ghi to the goddess, and dance in a group at night to the accompaniment of melodious garabis (songs). Sometimes, if a child is ill, or some misfortune is apprehended, gorānis, ie., a certain number of unmarried girls and unwidowed women, are invited to a feast in honour of Randal.
On the Nagapanchami day, i.e., the 5th day of the bright half of Shravan,† women draw an image of a nag (cobra), and worship it with sprouts of bajra. In some places it is the custom to avoid all food but khichedit on this day.
The wad (the banyan tree) is worshipped on the first day of the dark half of Shravan. On that day the woman wears a necklace of fifteen leaves of this tree and prepares a dish called naramuthium. A dora or piece of string is also worn on the person to ward off evil,3
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Rishi-panchami, Gauri-pujan, Shitalaipujan, Shili-sätem are holidays observed only by women. On the Rishi-panchami day only niari rice is allowed to those who observe the rrat.*
Besides the observance of vrats, there are other ceremonies, auspicious as well as inauspicious, in which women alone can take part. Only women are concerned with all those ceremonies which are gone through on the birth of a child. On the twelfth day after birth, a name is given to the child by its aunt The ceremony of making an auspicious mark on the throne of a king is performed by an unwidowed woman or an unmarried girl."
The Schoolmasters of Vanod and Kolki. The Schoolmaster of Jasdan.
5 Mr. M. M. Rana, Kajkot.
The story tells how a woman and her daughter-in-law, intending to observe this vow, killed and cooked a calf by mistake; covered with shame, they locked themselves up in their house, and refused admission to the neighbours, to whom they confessed their crime. On searching for the ren ains of the calf, the neighbours discovered that it had been miraculously restored to life.-K. E. E.
† Some observe the Nagapanchami on the fifth day of the bright half of Bhadrapad.
A mixture of rice and pulse treated with spices and cooked in water.
§ A preparation of nine handfuls of wheat.
A kind of rice grown without ploughing.
Vide Page 24.