Indian Antiquary Vol 46

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

Page 409

TITE FOLKLORE ON GUJARAT
distance of two fields. There is also a river Vansal. The Bral:machāris of the temple of Swami-Narayan and three temples Swami-Nārāyan sect hold a fair there and of Thakorji where the ceremony or worship offer prayers to Hanuman on the 15th dar is performed cvery morning and evening in of the dark half of Bbädrapad." the usual way with frankincense, a ghi lamp, Every marriage procession on its way to and ärati. The shrine of Nila-Pir on the and from the place of marriage has to offer village boundary is revered alike by Hindus a new earthen jar to such field-deities as and Musalmans.
Dadmokhodiar, Lālo, Hardās, etc. Failure to In the vicinity of Chhatrasa, there is a do so arouses the wrath of these deities and temple of Kislordās Hanuman. On Kalibrings disasters to the married couple. The Chaudas day the people of the village offer only form of worship in use for these deities churamu and vadan to the god. The shrine is to apply red lend and oil to their images of Gcbalashū Pir is situated two miles away Seven kinds of corn, vis. adăd (phaseolus from Chhatrasa, on the boundary line between radiatus), mag (phaseolus mungo), kalathi, tlint village and Kalānā. Sweet-balls, or
math, chaná (gram), wheat and juvari are sometimes only molasses, are offered to this Pir
mixed and cooked together and the preparaon the fulfilment of rows observed in his
tion which is called khichdi is offered name. Near the village gates lies the shrine
to the deities at sunset. If the deities of Daudshah, of whom it is said that he
are not propitiated in this manner, they are deprives thieves of their eye-sight, if they
believed to do harm to the people of the
village. try to enter Chhatrasa, In the Vishnumandir, annakūt* is offered to Vishnu by the
On a hill nenr the village of Patanvay attendant priest, on the first day of the bright there is a temple of Mátäji, where a chi half of Kartik.
lamp is kept constantly burning at the cost
of the Gondal Durbar. In Patanyny itself A temple of Klodiar Mātā surrounded by
there is a slirine of Alabi Pir altended Pandari creepers is to be seen on the way
upon by n fakir. At the approach of the from Mojidad to Sanka. The Thakor of
monsoons, all the villages offer lapsi to Limbdi uscd to kill a goat before the goddess
Mātāji and churamn to the Pir. during the Navaratra holidays; but an
In Paj, near Saltanpur there is a shrine offering of lapsi is now substituted for
of Gebansha Pir surrounded by a number of the go'nt. There is another temple of the
babloul trees; and it is said that if a person same goddess on the way to Zabala where
were to cut any of the trees, he would meet she is worshipped by the Bladkava Durbar.
with denth or at least fall ill. There is a The attendants at both places are Atits, and
cobra deity, called Khetalo, near Sultanpur the usual offering consists of lāpsi and kehirt whose gors (attendant priests) are Nāgmaga At a place near the boundary-line between Brahmans. It is believed that this deitu Mojidad and Ayarda, Swärsi-Nārāyan Bhag- confers once on each generation of the gors, wān and Sahajanand Swāmi are said to have as much wealth as would suffice for the lifebathed in the company of Hanuman in the time of all men of that generation.
1 The Schoolmaster of Mota Devalia.
2 The Schoolmaster of Chhatrasa. * The Schoolmaster of Mojidad.
+ The Shastri of Jetpur. Pathashali. The Schoolmaster of Patanvav.
The Schoolmaster of Sultanpur. * An offering of all sorts of dainties and vegetables, † Milk and rice boiled together and sweetened with sugar. 11. e. persons who have taken the vow of celibacy.