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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
animals to another, and various practices are with the disease on his back. The back of adopted to effect this. Generally a bhuvd or the buffalo which is chosen for this purpose exorcist arranges the transfer. The bhuva is marked with a trident in red lead and accompanied by a troupe of dancers and covered with piece of black cloth, on drummers, visits the house of the sick person which are laid a few g.ains of adad and an and, after examining corn seeds danàs which iron Dail. Thus decorated, the buffalo 'is kave been waved round the patient's head driven beyond the limits of the village. It on a night preceding a Sunday or Tuesday, is believed that an animal driven in this way deelares that the evil spirit possessing the carries the disease wherever it goes. patient requires a living victim. A cock, Very often, the beast to which a disease is goat or a male buffalo is then brought as a transferred is kept tied to a post all its life, substitute for the patient, is waved round with the belief that y so doing the disease him, the tip of its right ear is cut off, and it remains enchained. Jain teachers confine a is offered to the malà ce goddess, that is, it disease in a bottle and bury it underground. is released to stray as it pleases. These Sonetipes, a disease is passed on to a crow, goats, etc., are called mòtà's gcate, màtà's whose legs are tied to a pillar, thus making cocks, or màtà's male buffaloes, and are seen it a life-long prisoner. wandering abort in many villages. Some Once upon a time, when there was an outtimes the goat, etc., is killed before the image break of cholera in a certain village, a bàà of the måtà and the bhuvà dipping the (
rluse) happened to arrive on the scene. palms of his hands into its blood, presses He caught two rams, made them move in a them against the doors of every house in the circle, and left them in the burning gror nd, village. In the case of an outbreak of where they died, the epidemic disappearing epidemic, the victini is set at liberty beyond with their death. Hence a belief gained the limits of the village affected. It 3 ground that an epidemic of chofera can be believed by some people that the animal to expelled by passing it on to two rams or which a disease is conveyed in the above goats. manner, dies of its effects. 1
It is related that, at Gondal, a case of In soiae places the patient is supposed to cholera was cured by & Bhangi (sweeper) be possesstů by a goddess instead of by an by waving a cock round the patient's head, evil spirit. A goat, cock or a male buffalo is A few years ago there lived in Khakhi offered to the goddess in the same way as to Jalia, a village in the vicinity of Kolki, a an evil spirit.
Xhakhi (recluse) Damed Narandàs, who, when In some villages, when there is an outbreak laid up with fever, passed on the disease to of a serious epidemic, it is customary to his blanket, and after a time drew it back to drive a buffalu beyond the village boundary, his own person.
1 The School Master of Dhank.
1 The Pathashala Shastri, Talpur. 3 The School Mistress of Gondal..
