The Hindoos as they are; a description of the manners, customs, and inner life of Hindoo society in Bengal

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HINDOOS AS THEY ARE

A DESCRIPTION OF THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS

AND

INNER LIFE OF HINDOO SOCIETY

IN BENGAL.

BY

SHIB CHUNDER BOSE.

WITH A PREFATORY NOTE BY

The Rev. W. HASTIE, b.d.,

PRINCIPAL OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S INSTITUTION, CALCUTTA.

. NC- TBI •!

EDWARD STANFORD, 55, CHARING CROSS.

€aUtttta:

W. NEWMAN & Co., 3, DALHOUSIE SQUARE.

1 88 1.

PRINTED BY W. NEWMAN AND CO.,
AT THE CAXTON PRESS, I, MISSION ROW, CALCUTTA.

I The Right of Translation and Reproduction is reserved.]

CONTENTS.

!"•-

Page.

Prefatory Note. i

Introduction. "i

I. The Hindoo Household i

II. The Birth of a Hindoo 22

III. The Hindoo School-boy 30

IV. Vows OF Hindoo Girls 35

V. Marriage Ceremonies 4i

VI. The Brother Festival 9°

VII. The Son-in-law Festival 92

VIII. The Doorga Poojah Festival 93

IX. The Kali Poojah Festival 136

X. The Saraswati Poojah 151

XI. The Festival of Cakes i55

XII. The HoLi Festival i59

XIII. Caste 165

XIV. A Brahmin 180

XV. The Bengalee Baboo 191

XVI. The Kobiraj, or Native Physician ... 209

XVII. Hindoo Females 216

XVIII. Polygamy , .227

XIX. Hindoo Widows 237

XX. Sickness, Death, and Shrad or Funeral Cere-
monies . ." 246

XXI. Suttee, or the Immolation of Hindoo Widows . 272

XXII. The Admired Story of Sabitri Brata, or the

Wonderful Triumph of Exalted Chastity . 280

Appendix 293

ERRATA.

-••^^^>«-

Page 49, line 4, for ^^ Butterfly ^'^ read, ^^ Prajdpati — the (Lord.)"

PREFATORY NOTE.

Babu Shib Chunder Bose is an enlightened Bengali, of
matured conviction and character, who, having received the
stirring impulse of Western culture and thought during the
early period of Dr. Duffs work in the General Assembly's
Institution, has continued faithful to it through all these long
and changeful years. His extended and varied experience,
his careful habit of observation and contrast, his large store
of general reading and information, and his rare sobriety and
earnestness of judgment, eminently qualify him for lifting
the veil from the inner domestic life of his countrymen, and
giving such an account of their social and religious obser-
vances as may prove intelligible and instructive to general
English readers. In the sketches which he has now produced
we are presented with the first-fruits of " the harvest of a
quiet eye" that has long meditatively watched the strange on-
goings of this ancient society, and penetrated with living
insight into the springs and tendency of its startling changes.

Although I had no special claim to any right of judgment
upon the present phases of Hindu life, the writer took me early
into his confidence, and from the apparent quality and sin-
cerity of his work I had no hesitation in encouraging him to
persevere, recommending him, however, to leave historical
speculation to others and to confine himself to a faithful deli-
neation of facts within his own experience. While his
manuscripts were passing through my hands, I took pains to
verify his descriptions by frequent reference to younger edu-
cated natives, who, in all cases, confirmed the accuracy and
reliability of the details. The book will stand on its own
merits with English readers, whose happily increasing inter-

11

est in the forms and movements of Hindu life at this transi-
tional period when the picturesque institutions and habits of
thousands of years are visibly and irrevocably passing away,
should gladly welcome its fresh and opportune representations.
And all who, viewing without regret the decay of the old order
and animated by the faith of nobler possibilities than it has
ever achieved, are actually engaged in the great work of reli-
gious regeneration and social reform in India, should find much
in these truthful but saddening sketches to intensify their sym-
pathies and give definite direction and guidance to their best
efforts.

W. HASTIE.

The General Assembly's Institution,
2jrd March^ 1881,

INTRODUCTION.

"♦•-

In presenting the following volume to the Public,
I am conscious of the very great disadvantage I labor
under in attempting to communicate my thoughts
through the medium of a language differing from
my mother-tongue both in the forms of construction
and in the methods of expression. My appeal to the
indulgence of the public is based on the ground of
my work being true to its name. It professes to be a
simple, but faithful, delineation of the present state of
Hindoo society in Bengal, and especially in Calcutta,
the Athens of Hindoosthan. I cannot promise any
thing thrilling or sensational. My principal object is to
give as much information as possible regarding the
moral, intellectual, social and domestic economy of my
countrymen and countrywomen. The interest atta-
ching to the information and facts furnished will greatly
depend on the spirit in which they may be received.
To such of my readers as feel a genuine interest in a
true reflection of the pre^^ent state of society in this
country, passing from a condition of almost impenetr-
able darkness to that of marvellous light, through the
general and rapid diffusion of western knowledge, I do
not think the details I have given will be found dull or
dry. Not a few of the facts stated will, I fear, prove

iv

painfully interesting to those who are cognisant of the
many incrusted defects and deficiencies still lurking in
our social system. But if we carefully look at it we
shall doubtless discover that it is not all darkness and
clouds, ** it has its crimson dawns, its rosy sunsets.'*
The multitudinous phases of Hindoo life, though sadly
revolting and repulsive in many respects, have never-
theless some redeeming features, revealing radiant
glimpses of simpleand innocent joys. In discussing the
various social questions in their purely earthly aspects
and relationships, it may be I have treated some of
them inadequately and superficially, but in so doing
I claim the merit of a humble endeavour after perfect
honesty. I have in no wise exaggerated, but have
simply followed the golden maxim of ** nothing ex
tenuate nor set down aught in malice."

The men of the land, and not the land of the men,
form the subject matter of my work. My attention
has long been directed to the domestic, social, moral,
intellectual and religious condition of the Hindoos. The
deep researches of European savants have from time
to time thrown a flood of light on the learning and
antiquities of India. We have every reason to admire
the great truthfulness and accuracy of their observa-
tions in many respects. As foreigners, however, they
were naturally constrained to pay but a subordinate
attention to the peculiar domestic and social economy
of the Natives. The idea of attempting a sketch of
the inner life and habits of the Hindoos in this age,

was originally suggested to the writer by the Revd.
Drs. Duff and Charles — two Christian philanthropists,
whose names are deservedly enshrined in the grateful
memory of the Hindoo community of Bengal, the great
centre of their educational and religious achievements.
It was cordially approved by that high-minded states-
man, Sir Charles Theophilus, afterwards Lord Metcalfe,
who practically taught the Indian Public what a writer
in the ''Nineteenth Century' so aptly calls the great
Trinity of liberty. — freedom of speech, freedom of trade,
and freedom of religion.

To supply this desideratum, and not merely to
gratify the natural curiosity to know the inner life of
the Hindoos, but to do something in the line of social
amelioration by ** bringing the stagnant waters of
Eastern life into contact with the quickening stream
of European progress," have been the chief aim of the
following pages. Should a liberal Public, here as
well as in Europe and America, vouchsafe its counte-
nance to this my first literary enterprise, I purpose to
continue my humble labor in the same sphere, extend-
ing my observation, if advisable, to a picture of the
social life of Upper, Western and Southern India.
The vastness of the subject is one great difficulty. It
will open to all civilized and philanthropic nations a
wide and yet unexplored field for the exercise of their
thoughts and sympathies.

To Europeans, and more especially to English-
men, who have, for more than a century and a half,

VI

been the great and beneficent arbiters under Pro-
vidence of the destiny of this vast empire, a correct
knov^ledge of the domestic and social institutions of
the Hindoos, is of the most vital importance, being
essentially indispensable to a right understanding of
the existing v^ants, wishes, feelings and sentiments,
condition and progress of the subject race. Many erro-
neous ideas concerning the singular customs and obser-
vances of the people of India still prevail in Europe and
America. They are partly due to defective observa-
tion, and partly to the prejudices of men whose
minds are too pre-occupied to properly understand
and appreciate the peculiar phases of character,
manners and usages among nations other than their
own. Such men are unfortunately led to associate
the Natives ** with ways that are dark and tricks that
are vain." To remove the mass of misconception yet
prevailing in some quarters by placing before the
general reader a true and comprehensive knowledge of
the daily life of a people, who occupy such a huge
spot on the earth's surface, and whose numbers are
counted by hundreds of millions, is indeed an important
step towards the solution of a great social problem, and
towards the removal of the gulf that divides the
sons of the soil from the English rulers of the country.
The tendency of close and constant intercourse is to
promote an identity of interests between the two races.
As a Native, the author may be allowed to have had
the facilities requisite for acquiring a clear .idea of the
manners and customs of his countrymen, which may

VII

counterbalance in some degree the drawbacks and de-
ficiencies naturally experienced by him on the score
of language.

The Rev. W. Hastie, B. D., Principal of the
General Assembly's Institution, and Mr. J. B. Knight,
C. I. E., have laid me under great and lasting obliga-
tions by their kind suggestions and encouragement.
I have particularly to thank the former for the prefatory
note which he has written in response to my special
request.

SHIB CHUNDER BOSE.

I.

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

IT IS my intention in the following pages to endeavour
to convey to the mind of the European reader some
distinct idea of the present manners and customs,
usages and institutions of my Hindoo countrymen, illustrative
of their peculiar domestic and social habits and the inner life
of our society, the minutiae of which can never be sufficiently
accessible to Europeans. "It is in the domestic circle that
manners are best seen, where restraint is thrown aside, and no
external authority controls the freedom of expression."

I shall begin with a general account of the normal Hin-
doo household, as at once the living centre and meeting point
of the various elements of our society. But as it is impossible
to describe the manifold gradations of social condition in a
single sketch, I shall draw from the domestic arrangements
of a family of one of the higher castes and provided with a
convenient share of worldly prosperity. Only the principal
elements in the group can now be alluded to, and some of them
will be described with greater detail in separate sketches.

The family domicile of a Hindoo is, to all intents and
purposes, a regular sanctum, not easily accessible to the out-
side world. Its peculiar construction, its tortuous passages,
its small compartments and special apportionment, obviously
indicate the prevalence of a taste " cabined, cribbed, confined,'*
and preclude the admittance of free ventilation and free in-
tercourse. The annals of history have long since established
the fact that the close confinement system which exists in
Bengal, was mainly owing to the oppressions of the Moslem
conquerors, and more recently to the inroads of the Pindaree
marauders, commonly termed Biirgltees, the tales pf whose

2 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

depredations are still listened to with gaping mouths and ter-
rified interest.

The gradual consolidation of the British power having
established on a firm basis the security of life and property,
the people are beginning to avail themselves of an improved
mode of habitation, affording better facilities of accommo-
dation and a wider range of the comforts and conveniences
of life. From time out of mind there has existed in the
country a sort of domestic and social economy, bearing a close
resemblance to the old patriarchal system, recognising the
principle of a common father or ruler of a family, who exer-
cises parental control over all. The system of a joint Hindoo
family* partaking of the same food, living under the same
roof from generation to generation, breathing the same atmos-
phere, and worshipping the same god, is decidedly a tradi-
tional inheritance which the particular structure of Hindoo so-
ciety has long reared and fostered. This side of the subject
will be enlarged upon in its proper place.

A few words about the respective position and duties of
the principal members of a Hindoo household will be in
place at the outset. I shall, therefore, begin with the Kartd
or male head, who, as the term imports, exercises supreme
control over the whole family, so that no domestic affair of
any importance may be undertaken without his consent or
knowledge. The financial management, almost entirely re-
gulated by his superior judgment, seldom or never exceeds
the available means at his disposal. The honor, dignity
and reputation of the family wholly depend on his prudence
and wisdom, weighted by age and matured by experience.

* The late Dr. Jackson, who was the family physician of the great Native
millionaire, — Baboo Ashutosh Dey — seeing the very large number of men and wo-
men who resided in his family dwelling house, very facetiously remarked that the
mansion was a small colony. A similar remark was made by Dr. Duff when he
happened to see the numerous members of the Dutt family in Nimtollah, West of
the Free Church Institution. If all the hildren and adults, male and female, of
the family now, are counted, the actual number would, if I am not mistaken, come
up to near 500 persons, perhaps more,

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. 3

His own individual happiness is identified with that of the
other members of the household. There is a proverbial ex-
pression among the Natives, teaching that the counsel of the
aged should be accepted for all the practical purposes of
life (except in a few unhappy instances to be noticed here-
after) and the rule exerts a healthy influence on the domestic
circle. As the supreme Head he has not only to look after
the secular wants of the family but likewise to watch the
spiritual needs of all the members, checking irregularities
by the sound discipline of earnest admonition. In accor-
dance with the usual consequences of a patriarchal system,
a respectable Hindoo is often obliged to support a certain
number of hangers-on, more or less related to him by kinship.
A brother, an uncle, a nephew, a brother-in-law, etc., with
their families, are not unfrequently placed in this humiliating
position, notwithstanding the currency of the trite apo-
thegm, — which says, " it is better to be dependent on another
for food than to live in his housed This saying is to be
supplemented by another which runs thus: '' LuckJiee, the
goddess of prosperity, always commands a numerous train."
The proper significance of these phrases is but too practically
understood and felt by those who have been unfortunate
enough to come under their exemplification.

Next in point of importance in the category of the
domestic circleis his wife, the Ghinni.ox the female Head, whose
position is a responsible one, and whose duties are alike
manifold and arduous. She has to look after the victualling
department, report to her husband or sons the exact state of
the stores,* order what is wanted, account for the extra con-
sumption of victuals, adopt the necessary precaution against

* Natives' are always provident enough to lay in a month's supply of articles
which are not of a perishable nature. In the Upper and Central Provinces, they
generally provide a twelve-months' requirements at the harvest season when
prices are moderate. They are thus enabled to husband their resources in the
most economical manner possible.

4 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

being robbed, see that everyone is duly fed, and that the
rite of hospitality is extended to the poor and helpless, watch
that the rules of purity are practically observed in every
department of the household, and make daily arrangements .
as to what meals are to be prepared for the day. The study
of domestic economy engages her attention from the moment
she undertakes the varied duties in the inner department of
a household, the proper management of which, is, to her, a
congenial occupation, becoming her sex, her position, her
habitude, her taste. Independent of these domestic charges
which are enough to absorb her mind, she has other duties
to discharge, which shall be indicated hereafter.

The next chief constituents in the body of the house-
hold, are the daughters and daughters-in-law, whose relative
positions and duties demand a separate notice. Viewed
from their close relationship it is reasonable to conclude
that they should bear the kindliest feelings to each other
and evince a tender regard for mutual happiness, returning
love for love and sympathy for sympathy. But, as elsewhere,
unhappily, such is the depravity of human nature that the opera-
tion of antagonistic influences arising from dissimilar idio-
syncracies, embitters some of the sweetest enjoyments of life.
In the majority of cases, a nanad^ the sister of the husband,
though allied to another family, is nevertheless solicitous
to minister to the domestic felicity of her vaja or the wife of
his brother, but unhappily her intent is often misconstrued, and
the sincerity of her motive questioned. Instead of an un-
clouded cordiality subsisting between them, the generous
affection of the one is but ill-requited by the other. Hence, an
unaccountable coldness commonly springs up between them
which materially subtracts from the growth of domestic feli-
city. Shame on us that a vast amount of ignorance and pre-
judice yet renders us incapable of appreciating the highest
end of the social state.

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD, S

When the several female members of a household meet
together, enlivened by tlie company of their neighbours and
friends (such visits being few and far between), these first object
of inquiry is generally the amount of ornaments possessed,
their workmanship, their value. Few things please them better
than a conversation on this subject, which from the absence of
mental culture, almost wholly monopolizes their mind, despite
the natural tendency of human intellect to a progressive de-
velopment. If not thus absorbed, the time is usually frittered
away by sundry petty frivolous inquiries of a purely domestic
character. On matters of the most vital importance their
notions are as crude and irrational as they are absurd and child-
ish.* Except in isolated instances, their bearing towards
each other is generally marked by suavity, and kindliness of
manners which has a tendency to draw closer the bond of
unio n between them all.

* The following scene will clearly illustrate the point. At an assembly of
some females on a festive occasion, among other current topics of the day, the
conversation turned on the religion of the Sahib logues (Europeans). Impelled by
a sense of duty and justice no less than by the convictions of conscience, I admired
the disinterested exertions of the Christian Missionaries in endeavouring to spread
among our benighted countrymen the benefits of a good education as well as the
blessings of a good religion. Fearlessly encountering all the dangers of the deep,
which, happily for the cause of human advancement, have now been greatly
minimized, renouncing all the pleasures of the world, and fortifying their minds
against persecution, suffering and reproach, they come, not only among us but
travel through the most uncongenial climes '*to preach Christ." The re-
markable disinterestedness and self-denial of some of these Missionaries is a
bright reality, to appreciate which is to appreciate Christianity. Before the pro-
pagation of the religion of Christ, said I, the most admired form of goodness was
centred in patriotism or the love of one's own country, but Jesus brought with him
a new era of philanthrophy, the main pervading principle of which is a spirit of
martyrdom in the cause of mankind. Can we find traces of such Catholicism in
our Hindoo Shaster ? The universal fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man
is only practically enunciated in the religion of Christ. The females were all
struck with the noble, sublime, yet humble, forgiving and disinterested virtues
of the religion of the Sahib logues. But a pert young female, quite unschooled by
experience and too much wedded to wordly attractions, rather thoughtlessly re-
plied that *'the act of giving education is a good thing in its own way, so far as it
affords a means of earning money, but why do the Padrces (Missionaries) strive
to convert our Hindoo boys, and thereby compel them to forsake their parents to
whom they owe their being? What advantage do they gain by such conversions ?
This is not good. Brahmo religion does not demand any such sacrifice. Why
do the heads of the Padrees ache for this purpose ? They ought to give all their
money to us, poor women, that we may buy ornaments therewith." Such is
the low, grovelling idea they generally have of Christianity. It is useless to argue
with them, simply because their minds are completely saturated with deep-rooted
prejudice, and narrow, debased, selfish views.

6 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

It IS on such occasions that the amiable loveliness of
human nature, is displayed, — brightening, for a time, at least
the otherwise dark region of a Hindoo zenana and cheering the
hearts of its inmates. In a thickly populated city like Calcutta,
with its broad roads and dense crowds at all hours of the
day, without a closed conveyance, either a palkee or a carriage,
no married female is permitted to leave the house even for
a single moment, for that of her sister, perhaps some three
doors from her own. So great is the privacy, and puncti-
liousnesss with which female honor is guarded in the East.
The sanction of the male or female head must, as a standing
rule of female etiquette, be obtained before any one is at
liberty to go out even to return a friendly or ceremonious
visit. The reader may form an idea as to the tenacity with
which the close zenana system in a respectable family is
enforced, from the circumstance of a young Bahou or daughter-
in-law (the rules being not so strict in the case of a daughter)
being set down as immodest and unmannerly, if she were
accidently seen to tread the outer or male compartment of the
house. If she but chance to articulate a word or a phrase so as
to reach the ear of a male outside, she is severely censured,
and steps are instantly taken, to teach her better manners
for the future. Even the Ghimii^ or female Head, does not
escape censure for a like offence. With such scrupulous
pertinacity is the privacy of the inner life of the Hindoo
society observed. A social line of demarcation is drawn around
the zenana which a genteel Hindoo female is told and taught
never to overstep, either in her conversation or bearing Woe
be to the day when she is incautiously led to move beyond
her sphere, which, for all the practical purposes of life, is
closely hemmed in by a ring of miserable seclusion, illus-
trating the scornful lines of the poet :

'* Let Eastern tyrants from the light of heaven
Seclude their bosom slaves."

THE HINDOO HO USD HOLD. 7

A few advanced Hindoos, more especially the Brahmos,
who have received the benefits of an enlightened education,
are making strenuous efforts to ameliorate the degraded con-
dition of their wives and sisters (the mothers being too old and
conservative to acquiesce in the spirit of modern innovation)
and bring them to the front, if possible, by ignoring the rules
of orthodoxy. But it is the firm belief of such as have been
schooled by experience and observation, that the time is yet
far distant when this bold, sweeping, social revolution shall
be brought about with the general consensus of the people
at large. The moral tone of Native society must be immensely
raised, its manners and customs entirely remodelled, and its
traditional institutions and prescriptive usages thoroughly puri-
fied before the consummation of so desirable an object can
be successfully effected.

A Hindoo girl, even after marriage, enjoys greater
liberty and is treated with more indulgence at her father's
house than at her father-in-law's. The cause of this is obvious.
From the very period of her birth, she is nurtured by her
mother, aunts, sisters and other female relatives, no less than
by her father, uncle, brothers and other male members of the
family, all of whom naturally continue to bear her the same
love and affection throughout her after life. A mother hugs
her more tenderly, caresses her more fondly, hangs about her
more affectionately, feels greater sympathy in her joy and sor-
row, and watches more carefully how she grows up in health
to her present state, than a mother-in-law. Whether she
is eating, talking or playing, her mother's care never ceases.
Should maternal admonition fail to produce the desired effect,
as it does in a few isolated instances, the usual threat of sending
her to her father-in-law's, acts as the most wholesome cor-
rective.

The social relaxations of Hindoo females have a very
limited range. Some delight in reading the Mahabhdrat, the

8 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

Ramaydn, tales, romances, etc, while others are fond of needle-
work, playing at cards, or listening to stories of a puerile de-
scription. Though they seldom come out of their houses, except
under permissive sanction, yet their stock of gossip is almost
inexhaustible. They are generally lively and loquacious, and
the chief passion of their life is for the acquisition of orna-
ments. They possess a retentive memory, seldom forgetting
what they once hear. Fond of hyperboles, the sober realities
of life have little attraction for their minds. Their social tone
is neither so pure nor so elevated as becomes a polished, re-
fined community. It is almost needless to add, that their familiar
conversation is not characterised by that chaste, dignified lan-
guage, which constitutes the prominent feature of a people
far advanced in the van of civilization. Objectionable modes
of expression generally pass muster among them, simply
because they labor under the great disadvantage of the national
barrenness of intellect and the acknowledged poverty of
colloquial literature.

It is a well-known fact that Hindoo males and females
do not take their meals together. Both squat down on the floor
at the time of eating. Except in the case of little girls, it is
held highly unbecoming in a grown up female to be seen eat-
ing by a male member of the family. As a rule, women take
their meals after the men have finished theirs. There is a
popular belief that women take a longer time to eat than men.
Of the perfection of the culinary art, the former are better
judges than the latter. They chat and eat leisurely because
they have no offices to go to, nor any definite occupation to
engage their minds in. A Hindoo writer has said, that com-
monly speaking, they eat more and digest more readily than
men. Naturally modest, they take their meals without, any
complaint, though sometimes they are served with food not of
the very best description. The choicest part of the food is
offered in the first instance to thq males and thq residue is

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. 9

kept for the females. A woman is religiously forbidden to
taste of anything in the shape of eatables before it is given
to a man. Simple in taste, diet and habits, but shut up in a
state of close confinement, and leading a monotonous life,
scarcely cheered by a ray of light, they are necessarily not
receptive of large communications of truth.

The children form an important link in the great chain of
the domestic circle. When sporting about in childhood they
have commonly spare persons, light brown skins, high foreheads
beaming with intelligence, large dark eyes, with aquiline noses,
small thin-lipped mouths, and dark soft hair. The fairness
of their complexion is generally sallowed by exposure to the
sun in the earliest stage of childhood.

The child grows up under the fostering care of its parents
amidst all the surroundings of the family domicile. As it
advances in years the mother endeavours, according to her
very limited capacity, to instil into its mind the rude elements
of knowledge. From the incipient stage of early infancy
when his mind is rendered susceptible of culture and expan-
sion, crude and imperfect religious ideas largely leavened with
superstition, are communicated to him, which subsequently
mould his character in an undesirable manner. His early
affections and moral principles are most entirely influenced by
the impressions he receives at the maternal fount, and he sel-
dom comes in contact with the outer world. He is taught to
pay divine homage to all the idols that are worshipped at
stated periods of the year, and his indistinct ideas grow into
deep convictions, the pernicious influence of which can only
afterwards be effaced by the blessings of western knowledge.
In the villages ^^chdnaka sloaka'' ox elementary lessons are
still given as a sort of moral exercise. The mother from want
of adequate capacity or culture is unfit to engraft on the youth-
ful mind the higher divine truths, to teach the child how to
look on men, how to feel for them, how to bear with them, how

B

lo THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

to be true, honest, manly, and how to " look beneath the out-
ward to the spiritual, immortal and divine." Solid, practical
wisdom, however, is often extracted from the most common-
place experiences, even by untutored minds.

" Honor thy father and thy mother," is the first scriptural
commandment with promise, the importance and excellence
of which is early impressed on the mind of a Hindoo child
by wise, discreet parents. And Hindoos are honorably dis-
tinguished by their affections for their parents, and continue
to be so even in the maturer years of their life.

In the case of a girl, even the most elementary sort of
instruction is neglected except that she occasionally studies
the Bengallee primer, — an innovation which the spirit of the
times countenances. When of proper age, she is sent to a
female school where she pursues her studies until finally with-
drawn therefrom after her marriage. As a rational being
she may continue to evince a natural desire and aptitude for in-
tellectual progress and to carry it on by home study according
to her taste and position in life. A few have made astonishing
progress, despite certain formidable obstacles which an abnor-
mal state of society inevitably interposes. The traditional bug-
bear of becoming a widow if she were to learn to read and
write has happily passed away, not only in the great centres of
education but likewise in several parts of the rural districts,
where, to all appearances, females are just beginning, as it were,
to assert their right to the improvement of their minds. This
is certainly an unerring presage, foreshadowing the advent of
national regeneration in the fullness of time. Many families
being well-to-do in the world engage a Christian governess*

* The following incident will doubtless contribute not a little to the amuse-
ment of the reader. One day a governess was giving instructions in needle-work
to a young married girl of thirteen years of age. She, (the girl) was indus-
triously plying the needle, when lo ! an aged female cook from the house of her
husband suddenly appeared before her, and simply enquired of her how she
was. The shy girl, overpowered by a sense of shame, dropped down her veil
almost to the ground, and not only stopped work but likewise ceased to talk to

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. ii

both for elementary instruction as well as for needle-work,
the latter being an accomplishment which even the most
matronly ladies have now taken a great liking for. The
introduction of this art of tasteful production has, in a great
measure, superseded the idle, unprofitable gossip of the day,
driving away ennui and slothfulness at the same time.

In almost every respectable Hindu household there is a
tutelar god, chiefly made of stone and metal after one of the
images of Krishna, set up on a gold or silver throne with sil-
ver umbrella and silver utensils dedicated to its service. Every,
morning and evening it is worshipped by the hereditary
Purohtty or priest, who visits the house for the purpose twice a
day, and who, as the name implies, is the first in all religious
ceremonies, second to none but the guru or spiritual guide.
The offerings of rice, fruits, sweetmeats and milk, made to
the god, he carries home after the close of the service. A
conch is blown, a bell is rung, and a gong beat at the time of
the Poojah, when the religiously disposed portion of the in-
mates, male and female, in a quasi-penitent attitude, make their
obeisance to the god and receive in return the hollow bene^
diction of the priest. The daily repetition of the service
quickens the heartbeats of the devotees and serves to remind
them, however faintly, of their religious duties. Such a wor-
ship is popularly regarded in the light of an act of great merit
paving the way to everlasting bliss. A suitable endowment in,
landed property is sometimes set apart for the permanent
support of the idol, which is called the debatra land or inalien-
able property, according to the Hindu Shastras. Some families

the governess. The latter struck with amazement, quietly asked her pupil if she
had hurt her eyes because she held fast her right hand on that part of her face.
Other ladies of the family stepped forward and explained to the governess the
real cause of the awkward position the girl was placed in. It was nothing more
nor less than the unexpected visit of the female cook to the family of the bride.
From feelings of false delicacy in presence of her husband's cook, she hung down
her face and dropped down her veil. The governess learning the true cause
politely desired the female cook to retire that she might be enabled to give her
lessons without any interruption.

12 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

that have been reduced to a state of poverty through the
reverses of fortune now live on the usufruct of the debatra
land, which serves as a sheet-anchor in stormy weather.

Besides the daily Poojah of the household deity there
are some other extraordinary religious celebrations, such
as Doorga, Kali, Lakshmi, Jagaddhatri, Saraswati, Kartik,
Janmdshtami, Dole, Rdsh, Jhoolun, Jatras, etc., (the latter
four being all Poojahs of Krishna) which excite the religious
fervor of the Vaishnavas, as contra-distinguished from the
Saktas, the followers of Kali or Doorga the female principle.

The internal daily details of a Hindu household' next
demand our attention. In the morning when the breakfast
is ready the little children are served first as they have to go
to their schools, and then the adult male members, chiefly
brothers, nephews, etc., who have to attend their offices.
They all squat down vis-a-vis on small bits of carpet on the
floor, while the mother sits near them, not to eat but to see
that they are all properly served ; she closely watches that
each and every one of them is duly satisfied ; she would
never feel happy should any of them find fault with a parti-
cular dish as being unsavoury, she snubs the cook and taxes
herself for her own want of supervision in the kitchen, be-
cause the idea of having failed to do her duty in this respect
is an agony to her mind.

As a mother, she avails herself of this opportunity to
plunge into conversation, and consult her sons about the con-
duct of all domestic affairs, which necessarily expand as there
are adjuncts to the original stock. For example, she takes their
advice as to the amount of expenditure to be incurred at the
forthcoming wedding of Sharat Shashee^ the youngest daugh-
ter, in the month of Falgun, or February. This is an
occasion, when the hearts of both the sons and the mother
overflow with the milk of human kindness, yet there is a
desire to avoid extravagance as far as possible.

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. 13

A prudent mother wisely regulates her expenses according
to the means and earnings of her sons, and she seldom or
never comes to grief. The idea of an extravagant Hindoo
mother is a solecism that has no existence in the actual real-
ities of life. She is a model of economy, devotion, chastity,
patience, self-denial, and a martyr to domestic affection. She
may be wanting in mental accomplishment, which is not her
own fault, but the very large share of strong common-sense
she is naturally endowed with, sufficiently makes up for every
deficiency in all the ordinary concerns of life. Accustomed
to look upon her sons as the pride of her existence, she seeks
every legitimate means to promote their happiness. If her
daughters-in-law turn out querulous, and fall out one with
another, which is not unfrequently the case, she reconciles
them by the panacea of gentle remonstrance. But unhappily,
such is the degeneracy of the present age that the influence
of wholesome admonition being shamefully ignored is often
lost in the cataclysm of discord, and the inevitable conse-
quence is, that vicious selfishness disturbs Heaven's blessed
peace, and " love cools, friendships fall off, brothers
divide."

After the sons have gone to their respective offices, the
mother changing her clothes retires into the thakurghar (the
place of worship) and goes through her morning service, at
the close of which she prostrates herself, invokes the blessing
of her guardian deity, and then again changing her clothes,
takes her breakfast and enjoys a short siesta, while chewing
a mouthful of betel sometimes mixed with tobaco leaf, in order
to strengthen her teeth.

In any sketch of a Hindu family it is necessary that
something should be said about the domestic servants attached
to a Hindu household. The cook, whose employment involves
some very important considerations, may be either a male or a
female. In most families, a preference is generally shewn for

14 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

a female cook* for reasons which are obvious. The kitchen,
being as a rule, placed in the inner division of the house, the
females have an opportunity to assist her in various ways, so
as to facilitate and expedite her work, which certainly is not
always of the most pleasant nature. The dietary of a Hin-
du family, as may be easily anticipated, is of the simplest
description, consisting for the most part of vegetables and
fishes, with a little milk and ghee, but no eggs or meat of any
kind. Not like the prepared dishes of the French and Mo-
guls, highly flavored and richly spiced, the daily preparations
are very simple ; no onion, garlic, or strong aromatic spices are
used. They are easy of digestion and palatable to taste, being
altogether free from offensive and foetid smell. The simple
turmeric, pepper, cummin, coriander and mustard seeds, etc.,
generally impart a fine flavor to the preparations, which the
frugal and abstemious Hindus eat with great zest. I have
known the wives of several rich Baboos, take a delight in pre-
paring with their own hands the evening meal of their hus-
band and sons. This is entirely a labor of love, which they
go through with the greatest cheerfulness. It is necessary to
mention here that without fishes, which are very abundant, a
nice little Hindoo breakfast or dinner in Bengal is an impos-
sibility. The art of cooking should not be a mystery to all
save the initiated few, it should be the study of every good
and thrifty woman who is willing to sacrifice' needless elegance
and pomp to comfort and economy.

This gastronomical digression will serve to indicate the
taste of the Hindu in Bengal, and the very simple style
of their living. Even in the selection of articles of food
a nice distinction is observed ; fishes are dressed in a part of

* Whether descended from a Brahmin or Kayasth family, she goes by the
general name of Bamun Didi (sister) so named that the members of other
families might unsuspectingly eat out of her hands. She is also called Maye
(woman). The entertaining of a middle aged female (generally a widow) is con-
sidered safe and irreproachable.

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. 15

the kitchen quite distinct from where the vegetable dishes
are prepared, because a widow is strictly forbidden to use
anything which comes in contact with fishes. Moreover, a
widow would not accept a dish unless it is prepared by a real
Brahmin cook, male or female. Should a male member of
the family be ever disposed to eat goat flesh (he being for-
bidden to use any other kind of meat, save mutton, when
sacrificed) a Sakta cook undertakes to prepare it for him.
When finished, she changes her clothes and purifies her body
by sprinkling over it a few drops of Ganges water. Except-
ing little unmarried girls, whose parents are Saktas (worshippers
of female deities) no other Hindu female is permitted to
use meat even by sufferance. In other rigidly orthodox fami-
lies a similar concession is withheld.

The wage of a female cook, who in nine cases out of ten
is a widow, is about six to seven Rupees a month, with a few
annas extra for Ekadashi — the day of close fast for all widows^ —
and cocoanut oil for her hair,* six pieces of grey shirtings
each ten cubits long, and three bathing napkins a year. She
also gets an extra piece of cloth at the Doorg^ Poojah festival,
when the most wretched pauper, somehow or other, puts on
new clothes. Some of the widow cooks have certainly seen
better days, but the vicissitudes of fortune have made them
hopelessly destitute. As a rule, they bear the load of mis-
fortune with the greatest patience. They chiefly come from
the villages, and it speaks much in favor of the purity of
their character that they ungrudgingly submit to the menial
offices of a drudge, instead of being seduced into the forbid-
den paths of life. Of course there are a few black sheep in
the flock, but happily their number is very limited. A male

* In order to preserve the hair and keep it clean, all Hindu females in
Bengal use cocoanut oil for the head ; they however rub their bodies with mus-
tard oil before bathing. Young ladies occasionally use pomatum, bear's grease,
soap, etc., which, in a religious sense, is desecration.

i6 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

cook is always a Brahman. It is almost superfluous to add
that the employment in a family or the admittance of any man-
servant into the inner apartment of a Hindoo household,
which is emphatically the great centre, as well of domestic
happiness as of religious sanctity, is open to many objections.
The second domestic servant that demands a notice at
our hands is the Jhee, or maid-servant of the family. Her
duties are alike onerous and troublesome. Like the potter's
wheel she incessantly turns backwards and forwards and
knows no rest till about ten o'clock at night. She rises early
in the morning, sweeps and washes all the rooms and veran-
dahs inside the house, cleans all the brass utensils of the
family, makes fire in the stove, pounds the kitchen spices
prepares fishes for cooking purposes, and attends to other
duties of a household nature. Some maid-servants are almost
exclusively employed in taking care of children. Their
duties are not so hard as those of the family Jhee indicated
above. These females are often drawn from the dregs of
society, and their conduct, or rather misconduct, sometimes
leads to the most unhappy results. Their wage is about two
Rupees a month, exclusive of food and clothes. They occa-
sionally also make something by carrying presents to rela-

tives and friends.

I next come to the male servants : there are more than a
half-dozen of them in a respectable family, and their services
are in the main confined to the outer apartment of the
household. They sweep and clean all the rooms, spread
white cloth bedding on the floor, change the water of the
hookah (the first essential both at an ordinary and special
reception) fill the chillum with tobacco, kochay, or trim
the fine black bordered Simla Dhuti and Kalmay Urani
(Baboo's native dressing attire) put in order the lamps, and
go to Bazar to make purchases. Their pay ranges from three
to four Rupees a month, exclusive of food and clothes.

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. 17

A rich Hindoo, however, has a large establishment of
servants in addition to those mentioned above. There are
durwans (door-keepers) ; syces (grooms) ; coachmen, gardeners,
sircar, cashier, accountant, etc., each of whom discharges his
functions in his own sphere, but they seldom or never come
in contact with the female inmates of the household. The
cashier is the most important and responsible person, and his
income is larger than that of any other servant, because he gets
his commission from all tradespeople dealing with the fami-
ly. All of them get presents of clothes at the great national
festival the Doorga Pujah.

The khansamah of a Baboo is his most favorite servant.
From the nature of his office he comes into closest contact
with his master, he rubs his body with oil before bathing and
sometimes shampooes him, — a practice which gradually in-
duces idle, effeminate habits, and eventually greatly incapaci-
tates a man for the manifold duties of an active life. Indeed,
to study the life of a " big native swell " is to study the
character of a consummate Oriental epicure, immersed in a
ceaseless round of pleasures, and hedged in by a body of
unconscionable fellows, distinguished only for their flattery
and servility

Except in isolated instances, the general treatment of
domestic servants by their masters, is not reprehensible.

Except such as possess a thorough insight into the
peculiar mysteries of the inner life of the Hindoo society, very
few are aware that a wife — perhaps the mother of three or
four children — is forbidden to open her lips or lift her veil in
order to speak to her husband in presence of her mother-in-
law, or any other adult male or female member of the family.
She may converse with the children without fear of being
exposed to the charge of impropriety ; this is the systole and
diastole of her liberty, but she is imperatively commanded
to hold her tongue and drop down her veil whenever she

C

1 8 THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD.

happens to see an elderly member in her way. A phrase
used in common parlance {Bhasur Bhadrabau) denotes the
utmost privacy, as that which the wife of a younger brother
should observe towards the elder brother of her husband.
It is an unpardonable sin, as it were, in the former, even to
come in contact with the very shadow of the latter. The
rules of conventionalism have reared an adamantine partition
wall between the two. We have all learnt in our school-days
that modesty is a quality which highly adorns a woman, but
the peculiar domestic economy of the natives, carries this
golden rule to the utmost stretch of restriction, verging on
sacred, religious prohibition.

The general state of Hindoo female society, as at present
constituted, exhibits an improved moral tone, presenting an
edifying contrast to the gross proclivities of former times as
far as popular amusements are concerned. The popular amuse-
ments of the Hindoos, like those of many European nations,
have rarely been characterised by essentially moral principles.
But the loose and immoral amusements of the former time
do not now so much interest our educated females. The
popular Native Jatras (representations) do not now breathe
those low, obscene expressions, which was the wont only
some thirty years back, yet they are not, withal, absolutely
pure or elevated. It is true that some of them are touching
and pathetic in their themes, not jarring to a moral sense but
admirably adapted to the taste of a people having a supreme
respect for their idolatrous and mythological systems, from
which most of these Jatras are derived. The marvellous and
the supernatural always exact an instinctive regard from the
ignorant and the credulous multitude, destitute of the superior
blessings of enlightenment. The Panchaly (represented by
female actresses only) which is given for the amusement of
the females, especially at the time of the second marriage,
is sometimes much too obscene and immoral to be tolerated

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. 19

in a zenana having any pretension to gentility. On such an
occasion, despite a strict conventional restriction, a depraved
taste clearly manifests itself. Much has yet to be done to deve-
lope among the females a taste for purer amusements, and
such as are better adapted to a healthy state of society.

In Hindoo females there is a prominent trait which
deserves to be commended. Moses, Mohammed, and Manu,
observes Benjamin Disraeli, say cleanliness is religion. Clean-
liness certainly promotes health of body and delicacy of mind.
When that excellent prelate, Heber, travelled in a boat on the
sacred stream of the Ganges, seeing large crowds of Hindoo
females engaged in washing their bodies and clothes on both
sides of the river, at the rising and setting of the sun, he most
emphatically remarked that cleanliness is the supreme virtue
of Hindoo women. In the Upper Provinces, at all seasons of
the year, hundreds of women could be daily seen with baskets
of flowers in their hands slowly walking in the direction of
the river, and chanting songs in a chorus in praise of the
** unapproachable sanctuary of Mahadev, the great glacier world
of the Himilayi, with its wondrous pinnacles, rising 24,000
feet above the level of the sea, and descending into the ame-
thyst-hued ice cavern, whence issues, in its turbulent and noisy
infancy, the sacred river of India." They display a purity,
a sincerity, a constant and passionate devotion to their faith,
which present a striking contrast to the conduct of men steep-
ed in the quagmire of profligacy.

Our ladies bathe their bodies and change their clothes
twice in a day, in the morning and in the afternoon, neglect-
ing which they are not permitted to takie in hand any domes-
tic work.

In the large Hindoo households, the lot of the wife who
IS childless is truly deplorable. While her sisters are rejoic-
ing in the juvenile fun and frolics of their respective children,
sporting with all the elasticity of a light, free, and buoyant heart,

^ , THE HINVaO HOUSEHOLD,

she sits sulkily aloof, and inwardly repines' at the unkind or-
dinance of Bidhdtd and earnestly invokes Ma Shasthi (the
patron deity of all children) to . grant hef the inestimable
boon of offspring, without which this butterfly life is unsancti-
fied, unprofitable and hollow.

The barrenness of a Hindoo female is denounced as a sin»
for the atonement of which certain religious rites are per-
formed, arid incessant prayers offered to all the terrestrial and
celestial gods ; but all her superstitious practices proving in
vain, only tend to intensify her misery.

In the beginning of this sketch I set out by stating that
the peculiar constitution of Hindoo society bears an affinity
to the old patriarchal system. This is true to a very great
extent. The system has its advantages and disadvantages^
which are, in a great measure, inseparable from the outgrowth
of the social organism. If properly weighed in the scale, the
latter will most assuredly counterbalance the former, so much
so, that in the great majority of cases, discord and disquietude
is the inevitable result of joint fraternisation. Leader-
ship is certainly organisation ; it formed the nucleus of the
patriarchal system. But it is simply absurd to expect that
there should always be a happy marriage of minds in all
cases, between so many men and women living together, en-
dowed with different degrees of culture and influenced by
adverse interests and sentiments. In the nature of things^
it is impossible that all the members of a large family, having
separate and specific objects of their own, should coalesce
and cordially co-operate to promote the general welfare of a
family, under a conimon leader or head. The millennium is
not yet come. Seven brothers living together with their
wives and children under one and the same paternal roof,,
cannot reasonably be expected to abide in a state of perfect
harmony so long as selfishness and incongruous tastes and
interests are continually at work to sap the very foundation

THE HINDOO HOUSEHOLD. 21

of friendliness and good fellowship. Union is strength, but
harmonious union under the peculiar regime indicated above,
is already a remarkable exception in the present state of
Hindpo society. If minutely probed, it will be found that
women are at the bottom of that mischievous discord, which eats
into the very vitals of domestic felicity. Segregation, there-
fore, is the only means that promises to afford a relief from
this social incubus ; and to segregation many families have
now resorted, much after the fashion of the dominant race,
with a view to the uninterrupted enjoyment of domestic
happiness.

Having briefly indicated in the preceding lines the chief
family constituents of a Hindoo household in their several
relations and characteristics, it is scarcely necessary for me
to add, that whenever this interesting group, consisting of
sweet children, loving husbands and wives, and affectionate
parents and brothers, is animated by the vital, indestructible
principles of virtue, practically recognising the obligations of
duty, the divinity of conscience, and the moral connection of
the present and future life, it will be found to diffuse all the
blessings of peace, joy and moral order around the social and
domestic hearth.

II.

THE BIRTH OF A HINDOO.

HE birth of a Hindoo into the household of which he
is to form an essential constituent is attended with
circumstances which partake, more or less, of the
religion he inherits. It has been said that by tradition and
instinct as well as by early habits, he is a religious character.
He is born religiously, lives religiously, eats religiously, walks
religiously, writes religiously, sleeps religiously and dies reli-
giously. His everyday life is an endless succession of rites
and ceremonies which he observes with the utmost of scrupu-
lousness sanctioned by divine veneration. From his very
birth his mind is imbued with superstitious ideas, which
subsequent mental culture can hardly ever eradicate, so strong
being the influence of his early impressions.

It is now generally known that Hindoo girls are betrothed
even in their tenderest years, and that the solemnisation
of the marriage takes place whenever they attain to the
age of puberty. Thus it is not uncommon for a young
wife to be delivered of her first child in her thirteenth
year, although the glory of motherhood is more fre-
quently not realised until the fourteenth or fifteenth year.
When the period of delivery arrives, and to her it is an awful
period, which can be more easily conceived than described,
the girl writhing under agony is taken into a room called
Sootikaghur or Antoorghur, where no male members of the
family are admitted. She is made to wear a red-bordered
robe and two images of the goddess Shashthi made of cow-
dung are placed near the threshold of the room for her daily
worship with rice and durva grass, for one month — the period of
her confinement If in her tender age, the labor be a protract-
ed one, she often suffers greatly from the want of a skilful

THE BIRTH OF A HINDOO. 23

surgeon or even a proper midwife. Before the founding of
that noble Institution, the Calcutta Medical College, proper
midwives were not procurable, because they had had no sys-
tematic training ; their profession was chiefly confined to the
Dome and Bagthee caste, yet some of them were known to
have acquired a tolerable fortune. Their fee varied from 5 to
50 Rupees, besides clothes and other gifts ; the poor, certainly,
giving less. For some years past, a strong belief has sprung up
among some women that delivery in the name of god Hari
Krishna is very safe. They that follow this religious regime, are
believed, in the majority of cases, to have passed through the
struggle of childbirth quite scathless. They use no jhall or
thap* bathe in cold water immediately after delivery, take the
ordinary food of dhall vathy curry, fish and tamarind, after
offering them to the god Hari, and on the 30th day make a
Poojah (worship) consecrating in honor of the god a quantity
of sweetmeats {sundesh and batashd) and finally distribute
them among children and others. This distribution is called
Hariloot. This strong faith in the god seems to enable them to
pass the period of confinement without danger. If the off"-
spring of such women become strong, their strength is attri-
buted to the mercy of the said god.f

A woman that follows the old prescribed practice has to
tdk^ jhall and thap and go through a strict course of dietetics,
abstaining altogether from the use of cold water or any
cooling beverage. She has to undergo the action of heat for
at least five hours a day. The body and head of the new-
born babe is rubbed with warm mustard oil — an application
which is considered the best preservative of health in children.
Exposure of the mother in any shape, is most strictly prohi-

* Jhall is a preparation of certain drugs to act as an antidote against cold,
puerperal fever and other diseases incident to child birth. It often proves effica-
cious. Thap is the application of heat to the body.

t For observances during the period of pregnancy, see Note A in appendix.

24 THE BIRTH OF A HINDOO,

bited, and the use of certain indigenous drugs and warm
applications is made as an antidote against all diseases of
a puerperal character.

While undergoing the throes of nature, the exhausted
spirit of the expectant mother is buoyed up by the fond hope
of having a male child, which, in the estimation of a Hindoo
female, is worth a world of suffering.

In the event of the offspring turning out a female, her
friends try to encourage her for the moment by their assur-
ance that the child born is a male, and a lovely and sweet
child, ushered into the world under the peculiar auspices of
the goddess Shasthi. Such assurances serve very much to
keep up her spirit for the time being, but when she is brought
to her senses and does not hear the sound of a conch* her
delusion is removed, sorrow and disappointment take the
place of joy and excitement, her buoyant spirit collapses and
a strong reaction sets in. Thus in a moment, a grace is con-
verted into a gorgon, a beauty into a monstrosity, an angel
into a fiend. She curses the day, she curses her fate. But
** such is the make and mechanism of human nature" that she
soon resigns herself to the wise dispensations of an over-
ruling Providence. She gradually feels a strong affection for
the female child and rears it with all the care and tenderness
of a mother ; she caresses and fondles it as if it were a boy,
and her affection grows warmer as the child grows. This is
natural and inevitable. At the birth of a male child, the
occurrence is immediately announced by sanka dhani (sound
of a conch) ; musicians without being sent for, come and
play the torn torn ; the family barber bears the happy tidings
to all the nearest relatives, and he is rewarded with presents
of money and cloths. Oil, sweetmeats, fishes, curdled milk, and
other things, are presented to the relatives and neighbours,

* According to custom, a conch or large shell is sounded at the birth of a
male child. Its silence is the sign of sorrow.

THE BIRTH OF A HINDOO. 25

who, in return, offer their congratulations. A rich Hindoo,
though he studies practical domestic economy very carefully,
is, however, apt to loosen his purse string at : J:he birth of a
son and heir. The mother forgetting her trouble and agony
implores Bidhdtd* for the longevity of the child. She cheer-
fully suckles it and her heart swells with joy every time she
looks at its face.

On the second day after delivery, she gets a little sago
and cheeray vdjdh (a sort of parched rice). On the third
day the same diet, with the addition of a single grain of
boiled rice, and a little fried potatoe or pull bull^ that she
may use those things afterwards with safety. On the fifth
day, if everything is right, the room is washed and she is allow-
ed to come out of it for a short time ; a little boiled rice and
moong dhall is her diet that day.

On the sixth day, the image of the goddess Shasthi is
worshipped in front of the room where the child was born,
because she is the protectress of all children. The Poojah is
called the Seytayra Poojah (worship). Offerings of rice,
plantain, sweetmeat, clothes, milk, &c., are presented to the
goddess by the officiating priest, and the following articles
are kept in her room for the Bidhdtd Pooroosh (god of fate)
in order that he may note down unseen on the forehead of
the child its future destiny, viz,y a palm leaf, a Bengalee pen
with ink, a serpent's skin, a brick from the temple of the god
Shiva, and two kinds of fruits, atmora and i^eylUy a little wool,
gold and silver. On the eighth day is held the ceremony of
Autcowroy, or the distribution of eight kinds of parched peas,
rice, sweetmeats, with cowries and pice, amongst the children
of the house and neighbourhood. On the evening of that day,
the children assemble and with a Koolo (winnowing fan) going
up three times to the door of the room beat it (the koolo)
with small sticks, asking at the same in a chorus " as to how

* Bidhdti is the god of fate.

p

26 THE BIRTH OF A HINDOO.

the child is doing," and shouting, " let it rest in peace on the
lap of its mother." These juvenile ceremonies, if ceremonies
they can be called, give infinite delight to the children, who
are sometimes prompted by the adult members of the family
to indulge in jocularity by way of abusing the father, not of
course to irritate but to amuse him. At the. birth of a female
child, in common with the depreciation in which it is held, this
ceremony is observed on a very poor scale. On the thirty-first
day after the birth, the ceremony of Shasthi Poojah is again
performed. Hence a woman who has had as many as twelve
or fifteen or more children, is called the Shasthi Booree, or
" the old woman of Shasthi." Before a twig of a Bdtd tree,
the priest, while repeating the usual incantation, presents offer-
ings of rice, fruits, sweetmeats, cloths, parched peas and rice,
oil, turmeric, betel, betel-nuts, two eggs of a duck, and
twenty-one small wicker baskets filled with khoyee (parched
rice) plantain and bdtdsd^ which are all given to a number of
women whose husbands are alive. It is on this occasion that
the priest is also required to perform the worship of the
goddess Soobachinee^ said to be one of the forms of the
goddess Doorga.

When the father first goes to see the child, he puts some
gold coin into its hand and pours his benediction on its head.
Other relatives who may be present at the time do the same.

All respectable Hindoos keep an exact record of the
birth of a child, especially a male child. Every family has its
Dowyboghee or astrologer who prepares a horoscope in which
he notes down the day, the hour and the minute of the birth
of the child, opens the roll of its fate and describes what shall
happen to it during the period of its existence. These
horoscopes are so much relied on, that if it is stated therein
that the stellar mansion under which the child was born was
not good, and that it shall be exposed to serious dangers,

* For the popular story of the goddess Soobj^hinee see Note B»

THE BIRTH OP A HINDOO, 2;

either from sickness or accident, at such a period of its life,
every possible care is taken through Grohojag and Sustyan
(religious atonement) to propitiate the god of fate, and ward
off the apprehended danger before it comes to pass. These
papers are carefully preserved by the parents, who occa-
sionally refer to them when anything, good or evil, happens
to the child. A Hindoo astrologer is a man of high preten-
sions ; he dives into the womb of futurity and foretells what
shall happen to a man in this life, without thinking for a
moment, that our Creator has not vouchsafed to us the powers
of divination. In a court of justice these papers are of great
value in verifying the exact age of a person, and at the time
of marriage, or rather before it, they are carefully consulted
as to the nature of the stellar mansion under which both the
boy and girl were born, and the peculiar circumstances by
which they were surrounded. Many a match is broken off be-
cause the twelve signs in the zodiac do not coincide ; for
instance, if the boy be of the Lion rass (sign) and the girl
of the Lamb rass, the one, it is said, will destroy the other ;
so these papers are of very great importance when a matri-
monial alliance is in course of being negotiated.

When a male child is six months old, the parents
make preparations for the celebration of the Unnoprdssutiy or
christening, when not only a name is given to the child, but
it gets boiled rice for the first time. On this occasion, the
father is required to perform a Bidhi Shrdd so called from
the increase and preservation of the members of the family.
Some who live near Calcutta celebrate the rite by going to
Kallee Ghaut, and procuring a little boiled rice through one of
the priests of the sacred fane at a cost of eight or ten Rupees.
When the rice is brought home a few grains are put into the
mouth of the child by a male member of the family. The
ceremony being thus performed the child from that day is
allowed to take prepared food if necessary. Such families

28 THE BIRTH OF A HINDOO.

as do not choose to go to Kallee Ghaut observe the cere-
mony at home, and spend from 200 to 300 Rupees in feeding
the Brahmans, friends and relatives, who, in return, offer
their benediction and give from one to ten Rupees each to
the child, which being shaved, clad in a silk garment, and
adorned with gold ornaments, is brought out for the purpose
after the entertainment. It is on such occasions that splen-
did dowries are settled on some children in grants of land
or of Government securities, and I have known instances in
which a dowry amounted to a lakh of Rupees. Of late years,
the practice of making gifts to the child being held in the
obnoxious light of a tax, the good taste of some has led
them to confine the rite within the circumscribed limit of
their own family. Superstition has its influence in making
the choice of the name given to the child. The Hindoos are
generally named after their ^ods and goddesses, under a
belief that the repetition of such names in the daily inter-
course of life will not only absolve them from sins, but give
them present happiness and hope of blessedness in a state of
endless duration. Some parents purposely give an unpleasant
name to a child, that may be born after repeated bereave-
ments, believing thereby the curses of the wicked shall fall
innocuous on its head. Such names are Nafar, Goburdhone,
Ghooie, Tincurry, Panchcurry, Dookhi, &c. In the case of
females, she who has many daughters, and does not wish for
more, gives them such names as Khaynto (cessation,) Arnd
(no more,) Ghyrnd (despised,) Chee chee (expression of con-
tempt.)*

* Apart from the horrid practice of female infanticide, now put a stop to by
a humane Government, many instances might be given of the extreme detesta'
tion in which the birth of a girl is held even by her mother. Among others I
may cite the following: A woman who was the mother of four daughters and of
no son, at the time of her fifth deliver}^ laid apart one thousand Rupees for dis-
tribution among the poor in the event of her getting a son, when, lo I she gave
birth to a female child again, and what did she do ? she at once flung aside the
money, mournfully declaring at the same time, that *' she has already four fire-
brands incessantly burning in her bosom and this is the ffth, which is enough to
bum her to death."

THE BIRTH OF A HINDOO. 29

Except under extraordinary circumstances, a Hindoo
mother * seldom engages a wet nurse ; she continues to suckle
her child till it is three or four years old, and attends at the
same time to her numerous household duties, which are by
no means light or easy. Indolent loveliness, reclining on a
sofa, is not a truthful picture of her life ; it may be she has
to cook for her husband, because he is such an orthodox
Hindoo that he will on no account accept prepared food
(such as rice, dhall, vegetables, curry, &c.) from any other
hand. In such families, the woman has to rise very early,
perform her daily ablutions and attend to the duties of the
kitchen, and before nine the breakfast must be ready, as the
husband has probably to attend his office at ten. It is not
an uncommon sight to see a woman cooking, suckling her
child, and scolding her maid servant at one and the same
time. A Hindoo woman is not only laborious, but patient
and submissive to a degree ; let the amount of privation be
ever so great, she is seldom known to murmur or complain*
All her happiness is centred in the proper discharge of her
domestic and social duties. So simple and unambitious is a
Hindoo female, that she generally considers herself amply
rewarded if the food prepared by her hands is appreciated by
those for whom it is intended. It is a lamentable fact that,
expert as she doubtless is in the art of cooking, she is totally
incapable of nourishing the minds of her children with any
solid intellectual food worthy of the name. As already
indicated, she communicates to her child what she can out of
her own store of simple ideas and superstitious beliefs, but
her best gift is the care and tenderness which she lavishes
upon it, and the wakening of its young soul to return the
sense of her own love.

* In cases where a woman is prolific enough to give birth to a child every
year she is placed under the necessity of weaning her first-born, and giving it
cow milk, a mode of sustenance not at all conducive to its health.

III.

THE HINDOO SCHOOL BOY.

ROM the time when the young Hindoo passes from
the infant stage of" mewling and puking in the nurse's
arms," till he goes to school, he is generally a bright-
eyed, active, playful boy, full of romping spirits and a favourite
of all around him. His diet is light, and his health generally
good. He usually runs about for three or four years in puris
naturalibuSy and among the lower classes a string is tied
round his loins with a metal charm attached to frighten away
the evil spirits. When he attains the age of five, the period
fixed by his parents for the beginning of his education, he
is sent to a Pdtsdld (vernacular infant school) not, however,
without making a Poojah to Saraswattee^ the goddess of
learning. On the day appointed, and it must be a lucky day,
according to the Hindoo almanac, the child bathes and puts on
a new Dhooty (garment) and is taken to the place of worship,
where the officiating priest has previously made all the
necessary arrangements. Rice, fruits, and sweetmeats, are
then offered to the goddess, who is religiously invoked to
pour her benediction on the head of the child. After this,
the priest takes away all the things offered to the goddess,
with his usual gift of one or two rupees, and the child is
taken by his parents to the Pdtsdld and formally introduced
to the Gooroomahdshoyy or master of the school. Curious as
little children naturally are, all present gaze on the new
comer as if he were a being of a strange species. But time
soon wears off the gloss of novelty and everything assumes
its normal aspect. The old boys soon become familiar with
the new one, and a sort of intimacy almost unconsciously
springs up amongst them. In this country a boy learns the

THE HINDOO SCHOOL BOY. 31

letters of the alphabet, not by pronouncing them, but by
writing them on the ground with a small piece of khareCy or
soft stone, and copying them over and over again until he
thoroughly masters them. Five letters are set him at a time.
After this he is taught to write on palm leaves with a
wooden pen and ink, then on slate and green plantain leaves,
and, finally, on paper. At every stage of his progress he is
expected to make some present to his master in the shape of
food, clothes and money. A village school begins early in
the morning, and continues till eleven, after which the boys
are allowed to go home for their breakfast ; they return at
two, and remain in the school till evening, when all the boys
are made to stand up in a systematic order, and one of the
most advanced amongst them enumerates aloud the mul-
tiplication and numeration tables, and all are taught to repeat
and commit to memory what they hear. By the daily
repetition of these tables, their power of memory is
practically improved. With a view to encourage the early
attendance of the boys, a Gooroomahashoy resorts to the queer
method of introducing the hatluhory system into his Pdtsdld^
which requires that all the boys are to have stripes of the
cane in arithmetical progression, on the hand, in the order of
their attendance, that is, the first comer to have one stripe,
the second two, and so on, in consecutive order. The last
boy is sometimes made to stand on one leg for an hour or so
to the infinite amusement of the early comers. The system
certainly has a good effect in ensuring early attendance.

The course of instruction in such schools embraces read-
ing in the vernacular, a little of arithmetic and writing, and
such as become capable of keeping accounts pass for the
clever boys. Stupid and wicked pupils are generally beaten
with a cane, but their names are never struck off the register,
as is the case in English schools. Sometimes a truant is
compelled to stand on one leg holding up a brick in his right

32 THE HINDOO SCHOOL BO V.

hand, or to have his arms stretched out till he is completely
exhausted. Another mode of punishment consists in apply-
ing the leaves of Bichooty (a stinging plant) to the back of a
naughty boy, who naturally smarts under the torturing. The
infliction of such cruel punishments sometimes leads the boys
to make a combination against the master for the purpose
of retaliation, which generally results in bringing him to his
senses. Hindoo boys are extremely sensitive, and are very
apt to resent any affront to which they are cruelly subjected
by their master.* The rate of fee in a village school is from
one to three-pence a head per month, but the master has his
perquisites by way of victuals and pice. There is a common
saying among the Hindoos that in twelve months there are
thirteen parbuns, or school festivals, implying thereby, that
they are encountered by a continuous round of parbuns. On
every such occasion the boys are expected to bring presents
for the master, and any unfortunate boy who fails to bring
such is denied the usual indulgence of a holiday. Little
boys are seldom fond of reading, they would gladly sacrifice
anything to purchase a holiday. It is not an uncommon
thing to find a boy steal pice from his mother's box in order
to satisfy the demands of his master at the festival. The
principle on which a village school is conducted is essentially
defective in this respect. Instead of teaching the rules of good
conduct and enforcing the first principles of morality, it
often sadly defeats the primary object of a good education,
namely, the formation of a sound, moral and virtuous

* Apropos, I may mention here the following incident. A few years back a
well-known master of the Hindoo school being placed in a very awkward position,
had to call in the aid of the Police to get himself out of the difficulty. Sailors
and Kaffries — always a set of desperate characters — were retained by the boys for
the purpose of insulting him on the high road, but the timely interference of the
Police put a stop to the contemplated brutal assault. This had the effect
of inducing the master to behave in future with greater forbearance, if not with
more sober judgment. I forbear giving the name of the indiscreet, but well-
intentioned master, whose connection with the school had contributed very
largely to its efficiency and usefulness.

THE HINDOO SCHOOLBOY. 33

character. It is a disgrace to hear a schoolmaster, whose
conduct should be the grand focus of moral excellence, use
the most vulgar epithets towards his pupils for little faults
the effects of which are seldom obliterated from their minds,
even in the more advanced period of their life. However,
such days of obnoxious pedagogism are almost gone by, never
to come back again, now that the system of primary edu-
cation has been extended to almost every village in India,
under the auspices of our liberal Government. Whilst on
this subject I may as well state here that some forty years
ago our Government had appointed the late Rev. William
Adam to be the Commissioner of Education in Bengal. That
highly talented and generous philanthrophist, after a minute
and searching investigation, submitted in his report to Govern-
ment a scheme of education very similar to what is now
introduced throughout Bengal. The scheme was then ignored
on account of its vast expense, and the Commissioner was so
disheartened at the apathy of Government towards the edu-
cation of the masses, that a few days before his departure
from Calcutta he took a farewell leave of some of his most
distinguished native friends, and his parting words were to
the following effect : " Your Government is not disposed to
encourage those who are its real friends." This reproach has,
however, been subsequently removed by the adoption of a
primary system of education. The spirit of the times and
the onward progress of enlightened sentiments have gradually
inaugurated a comprehensive scheme, which, although still
limited in its range, embraces the moral and intellectual im-
provement of the people in general.

In Calcutta, when a boy is six years old, his parents
are anxious to have him admitted into one of the public
schools, where he has an opportunity to learn both the
Vernacular and the English languages. He may be said
from that day to enter on the first stage of his intellectual

E

34 THE HINDOO SCHOOLBO Y.

disintegration. The books that are put into his hands gradu-
ally open his eyes and expand his intellect; he learns to
discern what is right and what is wrong; he reasons
within himself and finds that what he had learnt at home
was not true, and is led by degfrees to renounce his old
ideas. Every day brings before his mind's eye the grand
truths of Western knowledge, and he feels an irresistible desire,
not only to test their accuracy but to advance farther in his
scholastic career. He is too young however, to weigh well
everything that comes in his way, but as he advances he
finds the light of truth illumine his mind. His parents, if
orthodox Hindoos, necessarily feel alarmed at his new-
fledged ideas and try to counteract their influence by the stereo-
typed arguments, of the wisdom of our forefathers, but
however inimically disposed, they dare not stop his progress,
because they see, in almost every instance, that English edu-
cation is the surest passport to honor and distinction. In
this manner he continues to move through the various classes
of the middle schools till he is advanced to one of the
higher educational institutions connected with the University,
and attains his sixteenth or seventeenth year, which is popu-
larly regarded as his marriageable age.

IV.
vows OF HINDOO GIRLS.

HEN a girl is five years of age, she is initiated by an
elderly woman in the preparatory rites of Bratas^
or vows, the primary object of which is to secure her
a good husband, and render her religious and happy through-
out life. When the boy is sent to the Pdtsdld, the girl is com-
monly forbidden to read or write, but has to begin her course
of Bratas. The germs of superstition being thus early implant-
ed in her mind, she is more or less influenced by it ever after.
Formed by nature to be docile, pliant and susceptible, she
readily takes to the initial course of religious exercises.

The first rite with which she has to commence is called
the "Shiva Poojah," after the example of the goddess
Doorga, who performed this ceremonial that she might obtain
a good husband ; and Shiva is regarded as a model husband.
On the 30th day of Choytro, being the last day of the
Bengallee year, she is required to make two little earthen
images of the above goddess, and placing them on the coat
of a bale-fruit (wood apple) with leaves, she begins to
perform her worship; but before doing so, she is en-
joined to wash herself and change her clothes, a requisition
which enforces, thus early, cleanliness and purity in habits
and manners, if not exactly in thought and feeling. Her
mind being filled with germinal susceptibilities, she imbibes
almost instinctively an increasing predilection for the per-
formance of religious ceremonies. Sprinkling a few drops of
holy water on the heads of the images, she repeats the follow-
ing words : "All homage to Shiva, all homage to Shiva, all
homage to Hara, (another name of Shiva) ; all homage to
Bujjara," meaning two small earthen balls, like peas,

36 VOWS OF HINDOO GIRLS.

which are stuck on the body of the images. She is then to
be absorbed in meditation about the form and attributes of
the goddess, and afterwards says her prayers three times in
connection with Doorga's various names, which I need not
recapitulate here. Offerings of flowers and bale leaves are
then presented to the goddess with an incantation. Being
pleased, Mahddev (Shiva) is supposed to ask from heaven
what Brata or religious ceremony is Gouri (Doorga) perform-
ing? Gouri replies, she is worshipping Shiva, that she may
get him for her husband, because, as said before, Shiva is a
model husband.

Then comes the Brata of Hari or Krishna. The two feet
of the god being painted in white sandal paste on a brass
plate, the girl worships him with flowers and sandal paste.
The god seeing this, is supposed to ask what girl worships
his leet, and what boon she wants? She replies : May the
prince of the kingdom be her husband, may she be beautiful
and virtuous, and be the mother of seven wise and virtuous sons
and two handsome daughters. She asks that her daughters-
in-law may be industrious and obedient, that her sons-in-law
may shine in the world by their good qualities, that her granary
and farm-yard may be always full, the former with corn of all
sorts, and the latter with milch cows, that when she dies all
those who are near and dear to her may enjoy long life and
prosperity, and that she may eventually, through the blessing
of Hari, die on the banks of the sacred Ganges, and thereby
pave the way for her entrance into heaven.

It is worthy of remark here that even young Hindoo girls,
in the exercise of their immature discretion, make distinction
between the gods in the choice of their husbands. In the
first Brata, that of Shiva, a tender girl of five years of age is
taught, almost unconsciously as it were, to prefer him to
Krishna for her husband, because the latter, according to the
Hindoo Sbasters, is reputed to have borne a questionable

vows OF HINDOO GIRLS. 37

character. I once asked a girl why she would not have
Krishna for her husband. She promptly answered that that
god disported with thousands of Gopeenees (milk-maids)
and was therefore not a £^ood god, while Shiva was devotedly
attached to his one wife, Doorga. The explanation was full
of significance from a moral and religious point of view.

The third Brata refers to the worship of ten images.
This requires that the girl should paint on the floor ten
images of deified men, as well as of gods, with alapana or
rice paste. Offering them flowers and sandal paste, she asks
that she may have a father-in-law like Dasarath, the father
of Ram Chunder ; a mother-in-law like Kousala, the mother
of Ram Chunder ; a husband like Ram Chunder ; a dayur or
husband's brother, like Luchmon, Ram's younger brother ; a
mother like Shasthi, whose children are all alive ; like Koontee
whose three sons were renowned for their love of justice,
piety, courage and heroism ; like Ganges, whose water allays
the thirst of all ; like the mother earth, whose patience is
beyond all comparison. And, to crown the whole, she prays
that she may, like Doorga, be blessed with an affectionate and
devoted husband like Dropadi (the wife of the five Pandooas),
be justly remarkable for her industry, devotedness and skill in
the culinary art, and be like Sita (the wife of Ram
Chunder) whose chastity and attachment to her husband are
worthy of all praise. The above three Bratas take place in
the Bengalee month of Bysack, (April) which is popularly
regarded as a good month for the performance of. meritorious
works. The prayer contained in the above expresses the
culminating female wish in entire accord with the injunctions
of the holy shaster, but how often are the amiable qualities
ennumerated above set at naught in the actual conflicts of
life, in which the predominance of evil desires swallows up
every generous impulse !

The nejct Brata is called the Sajooty Brata. It is solely

38 VOWS OF HINDOO GIRLS.

intended to counteract the thousand evils of polygamy — an
unhealthy, unnatural institution, which ought to be expunged
from the midst of every civilized community. Though God
" has stamped no original characters on our minds wherein we
may read his being," still we can clearly discern in His superior
arrangements for the happiness of His creatures, that this
abnormal practice is directly opposed to His dispensations, so
much so that any one countenancing it, is gfuilty of a crime,
for which, if he is not amenable to an earthly tribunal, he is
assuredly accountable to a superior and superintending Being,
the infringement of whose law is sure to be attended with
misery. To get rid of the consequences of this monstrous
evil, a girl of five years of age is taught to offer her invo-
cation to God, and in the outburst of her juvenile feeling is
almost involuntarily led to indulge in all manner of curses
and imprecations against the possible rival of her bed. Nor
can we find fault with her conduct, because " an overmaster-
ing and brooding sense" of some great future calamity thus
early haunts her mind.

In performing the Sajooty Brata^ the girl paints on the
floor with rice paste a variety of things, such as the bough
of a flower tree, a Palkee containing a man and a woman,
with the sun and moon over it, the Ganges and the Jumna
with boats on them, the temple of Mahadeo with Mahadeo
in it, various ornaments of gold and precious stones, houses,
markets, garden, granary, farm-yard and a number of other
things, all intended to represent worldly prosperity. After
painting the above, she invokes Mahadeo and prays for his
blessing. An elderly lady more experienced in domestic
matters then begins to dictate, and the girl repeats a volley
of abuses and curses against her Sateen or rival wife in the
possible future.

"There, stripped, fair rhetoric languished on the ground,
And shameful Billingsgate her robes adorn."

VOJVS OF HINDOO GIRLS. 39

The following are a few of the specimens ; I wish I
could have transcribed them in metre. : —

**Barrey, Barrey, Barrey (a cooking utensil)
May Sateen become a slave !

Khangra^ Khangra^ Khangra^ (broomstick)
May Sateen be exposed to infamy !

Hatha, Hatha, Hatha, (a cooking utensil)
May she devour her Sateen^ s head !

Geelay, Geelay, Geelay (a fruit)
May Sateen have spleen !

Pakee, Pakee, Pakee (bird)
May Sateen die and may she see her from the top of her house !

Moyna, Moyna, Moyna (bird)
May she never be cursed with a Sateen \

May she cut an Usath tree, erect a house there, cause her
Sateen to die and paint her feet with her Sateen*s blood !

I might swell the list of these curses, but I fear they
would prove grating to the ears of civilized readers.

The performance of the Sajooty Brata springs out of a
desire to see a Sateen or rival wife become the victim of all
manner of evils, extending even to the loss of life itself,
simply because a plurality of wives is the source of perpetual
disquietude and misery. By nature, a woman is so consti-
tuted that she can never bear the sight of a rival wife. In
civilized countries, the evil is partially remediable by a legal
separation, but in Hindoostan the legislature makes no
provision whatever for its suppression. A feeling of burning
jealousy becomes rampant wherever there is a case of poly-
gamy to poison the perennial source of domestic felicity. So
acutely sensitive is a Hindoo lady in this respect that she
would rather suffer the miseries of widowhood than be cursed
with the presence of a Sateen^ whose very name almost spon-
taneously awakens in her mind the bitterest and the most
envenomed feelings. She can make up her mind to give
away a share of her most valuable worldly enjoyments, but
she can never give a share of her husband's affectio7i to any

40 VOIVS OP HINDOO GIRLS.

one on earth. To enjoy the exclusive monopoly of a hus-
band's love is the life-long prayer of a Hindoo female. She
expresses it in the incipient stage of her girlhood, and
practically carries it with her until the last spark of life
becomes extinct. This certainly indicates the prompting of
a very strong natural feeling.

V.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

|HE Hindoos have a strong belief that to solemnise the
marriage of their children at an early age, is a merito-
rious act as discharging one of the primary obligatfons
of life. They are, therefore, very anxious to have their sons and
daughters formally married during their own life-time. Some-
times children are pledged to each other even in infancy,
by the mutual agreement of the parents ; and in most cases
the girl is married when a mere child of from eight to ten
years, all unconscious as yet of the real meaning and obliga-
tions of the relation, although her girlish fancies have been
continually directed to it Matches in the case of good
families are commonly brought about in the following way.

When an unmarried boy attains his seventeenth or
eighteenth year, numbers of professional men called Ghatucks
or match-makers come to the parents with overtures of marriage.
These men are destitute of principle, they know how to
pander to the frailties of human nature ; most of them being
gross flatterers, endeavour to impose on the parents in the
most barefaced manner. As they live on their wits, their des-
criptive powers and insinuating manners are almost match-
less. When the qualities of a girl are to be commended, they,
indulging in a strain of exaggeration, unblushingly declare,
" she is beautiful as a full moon, the symmetry of her person
is exact, her teeth are like the seeds of a pomegranate, her
voice isr emarkably sweet like that of the cuckoo, her gait is
graceful, she speaks like the goddess LuckeCy and will bring
fortune to any family she may be connected with." The
Hindoos have a notion that the good fortune of a husband
depends on that of the wife, hence a woman is considered

42 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

as an emblem of Luckee^ the goddess of fortune. This is
the highest commendation she can possess.*

If the qualities of a youth are to be appraised, they
describe him thus : he is as beautiful as Kartick (the god of
beauty), his deportment is that of a nobleman, he is free from
all vices, he studies day and night, in short, he is a precious
gem and an ornament of the neighbourhood. The Hindoos
know very well that the Ghatucks as a body are great impos-
tors, and do not believe half that these people say. From
the day a matrimonial alliance is proposed, the parents on
both sides begin to make all sorts of preliminary enquiries
as to the unblemished nature of the caste, respectability and
position in society of the parties concerned. When fully
satisfied on these points, they give their verbal consent to
the proposed union, but not before the father of the boy
has demanded of the father of the girl a certain number of gold
and silver ornaments, as well as of Barabharun, ue.^ silver
and brass utensils, couch, &c. exclusive of ( with but few
exceptions) a certain amount of money in lieu of Foolshajay,\
Before proceeding further, I should observe that of late years
a great change has taken place in the profession of the
Ghatucks. The question of marriage, though not absolutely,
yet chiefly, is a question the solution of which rests with the
females. Their voice in such matters has a preponderating in-
fluence. Availing themselves of this powerful agency a new
class of female Ghatucks or rather Ghatkees have sprung up
among the people. Hence the occupation of the male

* I may be peraiitted here to obserye en passant that a civilized nation in
describing the beauty of a woman, is sometimes apt to adopt the flowery lan-
guage of Hafiz. At a Ministerial banquet sometime ago, the Lord Mayor of
London was reported to have said about the Princess of Wales ; " she is perfec-
tion, she sparkles like a gem of fifty facets, she is light when she smiles and she
is beauty whenever you see her.'*

t Presents of sweetmeats, fruits, clothes, flowers and sundry other articles on
a pretty grand scale from the bride to the bridegroom, which will be described
wore in detail afterwards,

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 43

Ghatucks is nearly gone, except in rare cases where nice
points of caste distinction are to be decided. The great
influences of Shibi Ghatkee and Bfdnee's mother — two very
popular female Ghatkees, — is well known to the respectable
Hindoo community of Calcutta. These two women have
made a decent fortune by plying this trade. Though cer-
tainly not gifted with the imaginative powers of a poetic
bard of Rajpootana, * their suasive influence is very telling.
They have the rare faculty of making and unmaking matches.
From the superior advantage which their sex affords them,
they have a free access to the inner apartments of a house
(even if it were that of a millionaire) — a privilege their
male rivals can never expect to enjoy. When balked by the
subtlety of a competitor in trade, by their bathos they con-
trive to break a match. Their representations regarding a
proposed union seldom fail to exercise a great influence oh
the minds of the Zenana females. Relying on the accuracy
of their description, which sometimes turns out exaggerated,
if not false, the mother and other ladies are often led to give
their consent to a proposed union. The husband, swayed by
the counsel and importunity of his wife, is forced to acquiesce
in her choice. He cannot do otherwise because, as our friend.
Baboo Keshub Chunder Sen, has very facetiously observed,
" man is a noun in the objective case governed by the active
verb woman." f

* A Rajpoot prince was said to have given a lakh of Rupees to a bard in
order to purchase his rhythmic plaudits in a respectable assemblage of his
countrymen.

t If we consult properly the pages of the history of this country from the ear-
liest period, we shall find abundant proofs of the very great influence of wo-
men on Hindoo society in general. I cannot do better than give the following
quotation from Tod*s Annals of Rajasthan. " What led to the wars of Rama?
The rape of Sita. What rendered deadly the feuds of the Yadus ? The insult of
Dropadi. What made prince Nala an exile from Nirwar ? His love for Da-
mayanti. What made Raja Bharti abandon the throne of Avanti ? The loss
of Pingala. What subjected the Hindu to the dominion of the Islamite ? The
rape of the princess of Canouj. In fine, the cause which overturned kingdoms,
commuted the sceptre to the pilgrim's staff and formed the ground-work of all
their grand epics, is woman."

44 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

When a Ghatkee comes up with the proposal of a matri-
monial alliance with an educated youth, the first question
generally asked her is, •* Has he passed his examinations ? "
If so, how many passes has he got ? meaning thereby how
many examinations of the University has he passed through ?
" Has he yet any Jalpany or scholarship ? " These are diffi-
cult questions which must be satisfactorily answered before
a negotiation can be effected. That a University degree
has raised the marriageable value of a boy, there can be no
doubt. If he have successfully passed some of these examina-
tions and got a scholarship, his parents, naturally priding
themselves on their valuable acquisition, demand a preposter-
ously long catalogue of gold ornaments, which, it is not often
in the power of a family in middling circumstances easily
to bestow. The parents of the girl, on the other hand,
seeing the long list, demur at first to give their consent, but
their demurring is of no avail; marry their daughter, they
must. The present ruinous scale of nuptial expenses must
be submitted to at any sacrifice, and after deep cogitation they
send a revised schedule, ( as if marriage were a mere matter
of traffic) taking off from it some costly items, which would
press heavily on the purse. In this manner the Ghatkee continu-
ally goes backwards and -forwards for some time, proposing
concessions on both sides and holding out delusive hopes
of future advantages in the event of the carrying out of the
marriage. There is a trite saying among the Hindoos, that
" a matrimonial alliance could not be completed without
uttering a lakh of words."

The parents of the girl on whose head falls the greatest
burden, are eventually made to succumb from a consideration
of their having secured a desirable match, namely, ?i passed
student. If not placed in affluent circumstances, as is gener-
ally the case, they are obliged to raise the requisite sum of
money by loan, which sows, in many instances, the seeds of

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 4$

much future embarrassment. At a very moderate calculation,
a tolerably respectable marriage now-a-days costs between
two and three thousand Rupees (about £2O0\ — sometimes
more. There is another native adage which says, '* we want
twine for thatching and money for wedding." A respectable
Hindoo gentleman who has four or five daughters to give
in marriage and whose income is not large, is often reduced
to the greatest difficulty and embarrassment by reason of
the extravagantly enormous expenses of a marriage. The
rich do not care much what they are required to spend. All
that they look for is a desirable match. It is the middle
and poorer classes, who form by far the largest aggregate
of population in every country, ths^t suffer most severely
from the present enhanced scale of matrimonial charges.
The late Rajah Rajkissen, Baboos Ramdoolal Dey,* Nemy
Churn Mullick and other Hindoo millionaires, spent extra-
ordinary sums of money on the marriage of their sons. The
amount in each instance far exceeded a lakh of Rupees.
The annals of Rdjasthan furnish numerous instances of
lavish expenditure, varying from five to ten lakhs of Rupees
and upwards, on the solemnization of nuptials. There was
a spirit of rivalry which animated the princes to surpass each
other in magnificence and splendour on such occasions,
regardless alike of the state of their exchequer, and the
demoralizing eifects of such conduct. Marriages in such a
magnificent style are seldom to be seen in Calcutta now-a-
days, not because of the distaste of the people for such
frivolities, but because of the lamentable decline and im-
poverishment of the former magnates of the land. It is painful
to contemplate that the present scale of expenditure among
the middle classes has been in an inverse ratio to their

* Besides the marriage expenses, this man gave to his five sons -in-law
fifty thousand Rupees each, as well as a house worth ten thousand Rupees
more.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

income. The exertions made sometime ago by Moonshee
Peary Lall for the reduction of marriage expenses would have
doubtless conferred a lasting boon on the Hindoo community
in general, if the object had been crowned with success, but
as the Legislature has no control over such matters, relating
as they do to purely private affairs, the noble scheme resulted
in failure. It is quite optional with parties to go to heavy
expenses on such occasions ; no act of Government without the
voice of the people could restrain them in this respect Any
social reform to be permanent and effectual must be carried
out by the universal suffrages of the people.

When the preliminaries of a marriage are settled, a
person, on each side, is deputed by turns to see the boy and
the girl. It is customary to see the girl first. When the
friends of the bridegroom, therefore, come for the purpose,
they sit down in the outer apartment of the house, whilst the
bride is engaged in her toilet duty. After fifteen or twenty
minutes, she, glittering in jewels and accompanied by a maid
servant as well as by the Ghatkee^ makes her appearance.
The first thing she does in entering the room is to make a
prandtn or bow to all present, and then she is asked to squat
down on the clean white sheet spread on the floor. A solemn
pause ensues for a minute or so, when one of the company,
more officious than the rest, breaks the silence by putting
to her a few questions. She naturally feels herself somewhat
out of her element in the midst of so many strangers, and
unconsciously shows a sort of embarrassment even of self
conflict almost distressing to witness. This internal agitation
of feeling, arising partly from modesty and partly from
anxiety, causes her even to stammer. Her engrossing thought
for the time being is, according to the early vow she has
made, that she may have a good husband with lots of jewels.
," What is your name, mother ?" is the first question. She
may diffidently reply in a half suppressed tone " Gri Ballad

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 47

" Who is that sitting before you ?**— perhaps pointing to the
girl's father. She says, " My father." " Can you read and
write ?" If she say, " yes," she is asked to read a little out
of her book.

The Ghatkee here plays the part of a panegyrist by
admiring the amiable qualities of the girl, who, she adds, is
the very type of Luckee (the goddess of prosperity.) While
this examination is going on in the outer apartment, the
anxious mother, whose heart beats with throbbing sensations
while watching the scene from behind a half closed window,
does not feel herself at ease, until she hears that her daughter
has acquitted herself creditably. Before the girl leaves the
room, the father or brother of the boy puts a gold mohur
into her hand as a tangible proof of approval and bids her
retire. It is needless to say, that she feels herself relieved,
quite glad and free, when she again sees the faces of her
mother and sisters, whose joy returns with her return.

This interview is called pucca dheykha or the con-
firmatory visit. All the Brahmins, Ghatucks and GhatkeeSy
and other Koolins who may be present on the occasion
receive two or four Rupees each. The servants of the house
are not forgotten, they too receive each a Rupee. If this
interview take place in the morning, the parties return home
without breakfast, it being customary with them not to eat
anything before bathing and performing their daily worship.
If in the evening, they are treated to a good dinner consist-
ing of the best fruits of the season, sweet and sour milk and
sweetmeats of various kinds. It is on such ceremonious
occasions, that the Hindoos make a display of their wealth by
serving the dinner to their new friends with silver salvers,
plates, glasses and paundan, (betel box). Almost every
respectable gentleman keeps a good assortment of these silver
articles. They are, however, reserved for special purposes,
and used only on special occasions. As a rule, the people

48 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

are not fond of investing their money, like Europeans, in
plated-ware, because it is, comparatively speaking, of little
exchangeable value in times of need and distress.

It is now the turn of the boy to be examined in a simi-
lar way as to his scholastic acquirements. When the father
and the relatives of the girl pay a return visit, they generally
bring with them a graduate of the University. Should the
boy be one who has successfully passed the Matriculation
standard, he is not subjected to so strict an examination as
one who does not enjoy the same dignity. In both cases,
however, they must undergo some examination in English
literature, composition, grammar, history, &c. It is a note-
worthy fact that a boy however intelligent and expert in
other respects, betrays a lamentable deficiency, arising from
diffidence, when required to undergo an examination in the
presence of his father-in-law and a University graduate. The
thought of failure acts as a heavy incubus on his mind.
He finds himself bewildered in a maze of confusion. If he
do not actually stammer, he talks at least very slowly and
diffidently, and if called upon to write, his hand shakes, and
in fact he becomes extremely nervous. After this trial is
over, the boy retires with mingled feelings of misgiving and
complacence. He receives, however, in his turn a gold
mohur. The gentlemen who had come to see him are then
asked to a dinner in the way described above. The same
display of silver-ware is made on the occasion, and nearly the
same amount of presents of money made to the Brahmins,
Koolins and others.

When both parties are satisfied as to the desirableness of
the union, a good day is fixed for drawing ^pattra or written
agreement in which, say, a Koolin of superior caste, engages
in writing to give his son in marriage with the daughter of
either a second Koolin, or, as is often the case of a Mowleek,
an inferior in caste. This Pattra is written by a Brahmin

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 49

on Bengallee paper with Bengallee pen and ink (as if English
writing materials would desecrate such a sacred contract) and
must consist of an odd number of lines, such as seven or nine
lines. An invocation of the Butterfly must head the Pattra,
the purport of which will run as follows : " I, Ram Chunder
Bose, do engage to give my second son, Gopeenauth Bose, in
marriage with Nobinmoney Dossee, the eldest daughter of
Issen Chunder Dutt, who is also bound by his contract ; the
marriage to be solemnized on a day to be named hereafter."
Here the signatures of both the fathers as well as of the wit-
nesses follow. When finished, it is rolled up in red thread.
The Koolin gentleman hands it to the Mowleek gentleman,
when the latter embraces the former, and gives him at the
same time Koola marjddd and Pattra Darshanee^ as a mark
of respect for his superior caste, — or about fifty Rupees. The
articles required for the matrimonial contract are paddy, doov
grass, turmeric, betel leaf, betel-nuts, sandal paste, cowries
(small shells) and cUta * all which are considered as condu-
cive to the future welfare of the boyf and girl. When the
contract is religiously ratified, a couple of conchs — one
for the bridegroom and another for the bride — are sound-
ed by the females, announcing the happy conclusion of
this important preliminary, at which all hearts are ex-

* A thin stuff like paper with which Hindoo females redden their feet. A
widow is not allowed to use it. In the absence of shoes, which they are forbidden
•to wear, this red color heightens the beauty of their tiny feet. It is applied once
a week.

t In the selection of a bridegroom, outward appearances are not always to
be trusted. The late Baboo Aushotosh Dey, a millionaire, had a very beautiful
granddaughter to give in marriage. As was to be expected, Ghatackt and Ghai'
kees had been rummaging the whole town and its suburbs for a suitable match,
one who would possess all the recommendations of a good education, a respect-
able family, and a fair, prepossessing appearance — qualities which are rarely com-
bined in one. Among others, the name of the late Honorable Baboo Dwarkey
Nauth Mitter (afterwards a Judge of the Calcutta High Court,) was mentioned.
He was then a bachelor, and his reputation as a scholar spread far and wide. Some
how or other he was brought into the house of Baboo Aushotosh Dey for the pur-
pose of giving the ladies an opportunity of seeing him. His scholastic attain-
ments were pronounced to be of very superior order, but not being blessed with
a prepossessing appearance, he was rejected.

50 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

hilarated. Arrangements are now being made for the
dinner of all who may be present at the time. Sometimes
fifty to sixty persons are fed. Every care is taken to
provide a good dinner for the delectation of the guests
and a Pattra on this scale costs from 300 to 400 Rupees.
The Brahmins, Koolins, and others, receive, as usual, presents
of money and return home replenished in body as well
as in purse.

It is worthy of remark that though the distinction of caste
still exerts its influence on all the important concerns of our
social and domestic life, it is nevertheless fast losing its pres-
tige in the estimation of the enlightened Hindoos. In former
days a Koolin occupied a prominent position in society, be his
character what it might, but now-a-days the rapid spread of
English education, and the manifold advantages derivable
from it, has practically impaired his influence and lowered his
dignity. A Koolin who happens to be the father of a girl mar-
ried to a Mowleek^ is, in the present day, degraded into the
rank of his traditional inferior, simply because he is the father
of the girl ; he must even be prepared to submit to all sorts of
humiliation and continue to serve the Mowleek father of the
boy as long as the connection lasts. At every popular festi-
val for at least one year he must, according to his rank, make
suitable presents to his son-in-law, failing which a latent feel-
ing of discontent arises which eventually ripens into bitter
misunderstanding.

But to return to the marriage contract. After the enter-
tainment, both parties consult the almanac and fix a day for
the ceremony, called Gdtray haridrd or the anointment of the
boy with turmeric. On that day the bridegroom, after bath-
ing and putting on a red bordered cloth,* is made to stand on

* In Hindoo marriages and other ceremonies of a similar nature red color
is indispensably necessary for all kinds of wearing apparel, even the invitation
cards must be on red paper. Red color is the sign of joy and gaiety as opposed
to black, which is held to be ominous.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. Ji

a grindstone surrounded by four plantain trees, while five wo-
men (one must be of Brahmin caste) whose husbands are alive,
go round him five or seven times, anoint his body with tur-
meric, and touch his forehead at one and the same time with
holy water, betel, betel-nuts, a Sree made of rice paste in the
shape of a sugarloaf, and twenty other little articles consist-
ing of several kinds of peas, rice, paddy, gold, silver, &c.
From this day, the boy carries about a pair of silver nut-crack-
ers, and the girl a pair of kajulnatha^^ which must remain
with them till the solemnization of the nuptials, for the
purpose of repelling evil spirits. A little of the tur-
meric paste with which the body of the bridegroom was
anointed is sent by the family barber to the bride in a
silver cup, her body is also anointed with it. A number
of other gifts follow, namely, a large brass vessel of oil,
various kinds of perfumery, three pieces of cloth (one
must be a richly embroided Benares sateCy one Dacca, and
the other red bordered), a small carpet, a silk musnud with
pillows, two mats, some gold trinkets for the head, a few
baskets of sweetmeats, some large fishes, sweet and sour
milk, and a few gaflanda of flowers, &c., all which cost from
two to three hundred Rupees, or sometimes more. A rich
man sometimes gives a pair of diamond combs and flowers
for the hair, of the value of two thousand Rupees and up-
wards. From this, an idea may be formed as to the lavish
expenditure of the Hindoos on marriages, even in these
hard times. A few can afford it, but the many are put to
their wits'-end in meeting the demands thus made upon them.
Two or three days after the ceremony of anointment,
the Bengali almanac is again consulted, and a lucky day is
appointed for the celebration of Ahibarrabhdt^ so called from
its being a feast given just before the wedding. On this

* A coUirium case which contains the black dye with which native females
daub their own and their childrens' eyelids.

52 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

occasion the father of the bridegroom gives a grand entertain-
ment to the male relatives of the family. As a counterpart
to the same the father of the bride gives a similar entertain-
ment to the female relatives of his own family, with this
difference only, that in the case of the former no Palkees are
required, whereas in the case of the latter these covered
conveyances have to be engaged for bringing in the females.
In either case the number of guests generally varies from two
to three hundred, and as the present style of living among
the Hindoos in the metropolis has become more expensive
than that which prevailed in the good old days, partly from
a vain desire to make an ambitious display of wealth, and
partly from the unprecedentedly rapid increase of the popula-
tion, which has, as a necessary sequence, considerably raised
the prices of all kind of provisions, an entertainment of this
nature costs from four to five hundred Rupees on each side.
The very best kinds of loockeeSy kockareeSy vegetable curries,
fruits, sweetmeats* and other delicacies of the season are to
be provided for this special occasion.

English friends are often invited to the marriages of
rich families in Calcutta and regaled with all sorts of deli-
cacies from the Great Eastern Hotel. " The family mansion

* The Bengalis have become so much anglicised of late that they have not
hesitated to give an English name to their sweetmeats. When the late Lord Can-
ning was the Governor General of India, it was said his Baboo made a present
of some native sweetmeats to Lady Canning, who was kindly pleased to accept it.
Hence the sweetmeat is called ** Lady Canning," and to this day no grand feast
among the Bengalis is considered as complete unless the ** Lady Canning" sort
is offered to the guests. The man that first made it is said to have gained much
money by its sale. It is not the savoury taste of the thing that makes it so popu-
lar, but the name of the illustrious Lady. While treating the subject of Hindoo
entertainment, it would not be out of place to make a few observations on a
branch of it, for the information of European readers. At all public entertain-
ments of the kind I am referring to, respectable Hindoos strictly confine them-
selves to vegetable curries. Though those of the Sakto denomination (the
followers of Kali and Doorga) have no religious scruples to use goat-meat (male)
and onion in the shape of curry among select friends at home, they dare not
expose themselves by offering it to strangers. Hence, in large assemblies, they
strictly confine themselves to vegetable curries of different kinds. The principle
is good, were it honestly observed ; because meat, if not necessarily, yet generally,
is the concomitant of drink. Privately ^ however, both meat and drink are largely
used. Respectable females are entirely free as yet from these carnal indulgences.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 53

is splendidly furnished and brilliantly illuminated. There
is literally a profusion pf pictures and chandeliers. All the
furniture and surroundings are indicative more of an English
than of a Native house. Dancing girls are hired to impart ecldt
to the scene. A nabat covered with tinsel is put up in front of
the house, where native musicians play at intervals, much to
the satisfaction of the mother of the brid^room and the
boys of the neighbourhood, and a temporary scaffolding made
of bamboos and ornamental paper is erected on the highway
in the form of a crescent bearing on it the inscription, " God
save the bridegroom." Male and female servants receiving
presents of gold and silver bangles move about the house
gaily dressed in red uniform, or clothes. As tangible memorials
of the happy union, presents of large brass pots, with oil,
plates with sweetmeats, fruits, and clothes, &c., are largely
distributed among the Brahmins and numerous friends and
relatives of the family. This present is called Samajeek.
With the exception of Brahmins, who are content with offer-
ing hollow benedictions, in which the sacerdotal class, as a
rule, is so very liberal, everyone else who receives them
makes in return presents of clothes and sweetmeats, the near-
est relatives making the most costly ones. In times of great
loganshdy ue,, when numerous marriages take place, the demand
for clothes and sweetmeats is really enormous. Dealers in
those things make a harvest of profit and "the town becomes
a jubilee of feasts."

During the night preceding the marriage, the women of
both the families scarcely sleep, being busily engaged in
making all sorts of preparations for the next day. Very
early in the morning, five Ayows, or females whose husbands
are alive, take with them a light, a knife, a Sree, a Brunddld,
containing sundry little articles, described before, a small brass
pot, some sweetmeats, clwora and moorkee, oil, betel, betel-
nuts and turmeric, and go to the nearest tank, sounding a

54 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

conch, and touching the water with the knife, fill the brass
pot with water. The above articles being presented as an
offering to the brass pot, the females receive a portion of the
eatables and return home sounding the conch, which is a
necessary accompaniment of all religious ceremonies.

What I am now about to describe may be called the
first marriage, because it is invariably followed by a second
ceremonial when the union is really consummated. But it
properly forms the binding ceremony, as constituting the
marriage relative between the two youthful parties, with all its
legal and social rights, even if they should not be spared to
live together as husband and wife.

The emptiness and superficiality of the relation, especi-
ally on the side of the childish bride, will be but too apparent,
and is but too often realised in this uncertain life, in the
prolonged misery of a virgin widowhood. On the day of
the marriage both the bridegroom and the bride are forbid-
den to eat anything except a little milk and a few fruits.
The father of the bride also fasts, as well as the officiating
priests of the two families.

About twelve o'clock in the day, the Mowleek family sends
presents of clothes, sweetmeats, fishes, sour and sweet milk
and some money, say about twenty-five rupees, to the house
of the KooHn family, as a mark of honor to the latter, to
which, from his superior caste he is fairly entitled. This
present is called Adhibassy. Both the fathers are also requir-
ed during the day to perform the ceremony of Nannimook or
Bidhishrady — a ceremony, the meaning of which, as said be-
fore, is to make offerings to the manes of ancestors, and to
wish for the increase and preservation of progeny.

After the performance of the above ceremonies, both the
bridegroom and the bride putting on new red bordered dhooty
and saree respectively at their several houses, are made to
bathe ; and five women whose husbands are alive touch their

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 55

foreheads with sundry little things, as mentioned before. They
have afterwards to go through a few minor rites which are
purely the inventions of the females, not being at all enjoined
in the Shdsters. It is obvious that the primary object of all
these female rites is to promote conjugal felicity. Strange
as it may appear, it is nevertheless a fact that the mother of
the bridegroom eats seven times (of course but little at a
time) that day through a fear lest the bride, when she comes,
will give her but scanty meals,* while the mother of the bride
does not eat anything until the marriage ceremony is over,
being impressed with a notion that the more she fasts the
more she will get to eat afterwards.

The females on the side of the bride, with the help of a
matron, exercise their utmost ingenuity, and literally rack their
brains, in devising all manner of contrivances partaking of
the character of charms to win the devoted attachment of the
bridegroom towards the lovely little bride. They resort to
numerous petty tricks for the purpose which are too absurd
and childish to be dwelt upon. Credulous as they naturally
are, and simple as they are known to be in their habits, not to
speak of the normal weakness of their intellect, they fondly
imagine that their thook thak or trick is sure to triumph and
produce the desired eifect. To give an instance or two.
They write down in red ink on the back of the Peray^ or
wooden seat on which the bride is to sit, the names of
twenty-one uxorious husbands, and go round the bride seven
times. They also write the name of the goddess, Doorga,
on the silk saree or garment which the bride is to wear at the
time of the marriage ceremony, because Shiva, her husband,

* The cause of the fear is as follows : When Kartick (the god of beauty
and the son of the goddess Doorga) went out to marry, he had forgotten to take
with him the usual pair of nut-crackers. When he remembered this on the way,
he immediately returned home, and to his great surprise, saw his mother eating
with her ten hands, she being a ten handed goddess. On asking the reason,
he was told that it was lest, when he should bring his wife, she would not give her
the proper quantity of food. Under what strange hallucinations, even the gods
and goddesses of the Hindoos laboured !

56 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

was excessively fond of her. They place before her the
Chundi Pooty^ a sacred book treating of Doorga and Shiva,
while her mouth is filled with two betel-nuts to be afterwards
chewed with betel by the bridegroom unawares. Meantime
active preparations are made on both sides for the auspicious
solemnization of the nuptials. At the house of the bride-
groom, arrangements are being made for illumination and
fireworks, and the grand Nacarras announce the approaching
departure of the procession. Fac-similes of mountains and
peacocks are made of colored paper spacious enough to
accommodate a dozen persons ; hundreds of Khds gaylap and
silver staves are seen on the roadside ; groups of songsters
and musicians are posted here and there to give a passing
specimen of the vulgar songs of the populace ; a Sookasun
or bridegroom's seat elegantly fitted up is brought out with
two boys gaily dressed to fan the bridegroom with chamurs ;*
hundreds of blue and red lights are distributed among the
swarthy coolies, who are to use them on the road when the
procession moves. The bridegroom, being washed, is helped
to put on a suit of superbly embroidered Benares kinkob
dress, with a pearl necklace of great value, besides bangles
and armlets set in precious stones and garlands of flowers.
Durwans and guards of honor are paraded in front of
the house ; and in short, nothing is left to impart an imposing
appearance to the scene. As has been already observed, there
is a growing desire among the Hindoos to imitate English
manners and fashions. A marriage procession is considered
quite incomplete unless bands of English musicians are
retained, and a cavalcade of troopers like a burlesque of the
Governor-Generars Body Guard is seen to move forward to
clear the way. A Cook's carriage with a postillion is not
unfrequently observed to supersede the old Sooksun^ or gilt
Palkee.

The chamurs are fans made of the tails of Thibet cows.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 57

Before the bridegroom leaves his house he says his
prayer to the goddess Doorga, and makes his preparatory
jattrd (departure). At this time his mother asks him, " Baba
where are you going ?" He answers, " To bring in your
Dassee or maid-servant." Before leaving he receives from her
a few instructions as to how he should conduct himself at the
house of his father-in-law. He is to gaze on the stars in
heaven, keep his feet half on the ground and half on the
wooden seat when engaged in performing a ceremony, and
not to use any other betel but his own. The object of these
instructions is to thwart the intention of his mother-in-law
that he may become a uxorious husband, a wish in which
his mother does not share at all, because it is calculated
to diminish his regard for her. In the majority of cases
the wish of the mother-in-law prevails over that of the
mother, as is quite natural.

He has next to perform the rite of KanakdngooleCy sur-
rounded by all the women of the family. A small brass
plate containing rice, a small wooden pot of vermilion, and
one Rupee, are thrown right over his head by his father into
the SareCy or robe of his mother, who stands behind him for
the purpose of receiving the same. This is a signal for him
to come out, and if all arrangements are complete, take his
seat on the bridal Sookasun^ or carriage. The procession
moves forward amid the increasing darkness. One or two
European constables march ahead. The usual cortege of
stalwart durwans follow. The torches and flambeaus are
lighted. The Khasgalabullnhs are ranged on both sides of
the road ; in the midst are placed bands of native and En-
glish musicians. Parties of songsters in female dress begin
to sing and dance on the Moworpunklue^ borne on the shoul-
ders of coolies. The flaring torches are waved around the
procession. Blue and red lights are flashed at intervals.
Noise, confusion, and bustle ensue. Men, women and children

11

58 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

all flock to see the tdmAshd. Mischievous boys try to rob
the lights. And to lend, as it were, an enchantment to the
scene, gay Baboos in open carriages, in their gala dresses
bring up the rear. It is on such occasions that modest
beauties and newly-married brides {bahus) come out from the
Zenana, and, unveiling their faces, rise on the tops of their
houses on both sides of the road, in order to feast their eyes
on all the pompous accompaniments of a marriage exhibi-
tion. As soon as the procession arrives near the house of
the bride, the people of the neighbourhood assemble in
groups to have a sight of the lord of the day, and four or five
gentlemen of the party of the bride advance to welcome
the bridegroom and his party of friends, who enter, receiving
the stares of the idle and the salutations of the polite. The
barber of the family brings out a light in a sard (earthen
vessel) and places it on the side of the road. Decency for-
bids me to mention certain of its constituents.

As the initiatory rite of the auspicious event, the females
blow the conch-shell in the inner apartment, and some more
impatient than the rest peep through the latticed corridor
or window, while the bridegroom is slowly conducted to his
appropriate seat made up of red satin with embroidered fringes,
having three pillows of the same stuif on three sides. An
awning is suspended over the spacious compound, and it is
splendidly illuminated with gas lights. Polite and compli-
mentary expressions of good wishes and of refined native
etiquette are exchanged on both sides, comparing favorably
with the rude manners of past times. " Come in, come in,
gentlemen, and sit down, please," is the general cry. " Bring
tobacco, bring tobacco, for both Brahmin's and Soodras," is
the next welcome expression. Boys, especially the brother-
in-law of the bridegroom, now bring him a couple of betel-
nuts, to be cut with the pair of nut crackers he holds in his
hand, He objects and hesitates at first, but no excuse is ad-

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 59

mitted, no plea heard, he must cut them in the best way he
can. * When all the guests are properly seated, numbers
of school boys sit face to face and begin to wrangle, much
to the amusement of the assemblage. As English education
is now all the " go" among the people, questions in spell-
ing* grammar, geography and history, are put to each other.
The following may be taken as a specimen : Aushotosh asks
Bholanauth, " In what school do you read ?" Bholanauth
answers, " In the Hare School." A. continues, " What books
do you read" ? B. enumerates them.

A. asks, " What is your pedagogue's name ?" B., a little
confounded, remains quiet, meditating within himself what
could a pedagogue mean. A. drawing nearer, asks him to
spell the word, housewife? B. answers, " h-u-z-z-i-f." A. laughs
heartily in which he is joined by other boys. Continuing the
chain of interogations, he asks B. to parse the sentence: " To
be good is to be happy." B. hanging down his head, at-
tempts, but fails. " Where is Dundee, and what is it famous
for ?" B. answers, " Dundee is in Germany." (laughter) : A.
pressing his adversary, continues, " What was the cause of the
Trojan war ?" B. answers hesitatingly, " The golden fleece ! "
Thus discomfited, B. takes refuge in ignoble silence, while
A., in a triumphant mood, moves prominently forward amidst
the plaudits of the assembled multitude. " Long live Ausho-
tosh," is the universal blessing.

Here two or three professional genealogists, having
tunics on their bodies and turbans on their heads, stand up,
and in ntieasured rhyme recite the genealogical table of the
two families now aflianced, blazoning forth the meritorious

* Every commonplace minutiae in the domestic economy of a Hindoo family
is fraught with meaning : the nuts are kept all-day in the bride's mouth and are
saturated with her saliva. When cut by the hand of the bridegroom they are
supposed to possess a peculiar virtue. Somehow or other, the bridegroom must
be made to use them with the betel, in spite of the warning of his mother,
forbidding him to use them on any account. When used, his love for his wife
is supposed to be intensified, which is prejudicial to the interests of his mother.

6o MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

deeds of each succeeding generation. They keep a regular
register of all the aristocratic Hindoo families, especially
of the Koolin class, and at respectable marriages they are
richly rewarded. It is quite amusing to hear how seriously
they rehearse the virtuous acts of the ancestors, carefully
refraining from making any allusion to disreputable acts
of any kind. Though not like Chunda, the inimitable
bard and pole-star of Rajasthan, as Colonel Tod says, their
services are duly appreciated by all orthodox Hindoos, who
exult in the glowing recital of ancestral deeds. Their lan-
guage is so guarded and flattering that it can offend nobody,
except such as do not reward them. Having the genealogi-
cal table in their possession they can easily turn the good
into bad, and vice versa, to serve their own selfish ends. An
upstart, or one who has a family stain, pays them liberally
to have his name inserted in the genealogical register, and
to be mentioned in laudatory terms.

In the TItakoor dhallan, or chamber of worship, all pre-
parations for the solemnization of nuptials are now made.
The couch-cot, beddings, carpet, embroidered and wooden
shoes — here English shoes will not do — gold watch with
chain, diamond ring, pearl necklace, and one set of silver and
one set of brass utensils,* are arranged in proper order,
and flowers, sandal-paste, dooav grass, holy water in copper
pans, and khoosh grass, are placed before the priests of both
parties. The bridegroom, laying aside his embroidered robe,
is dressed in a red silk cloth, and taken to the place of
worship, where the bride, also attired in a silk Saree, veiled
and trembling through fear, is slowly brought from the female
penetralia on a wooden seat borne by two servants and placed
on the left side of the bridegroom. The agitation of her
internal feelings when brought before the altar of Hymen is

* The articles consist of Silver Ghard, Gharoo, Batha, Thdlla, Batti, Glass,
Raykab, Dabur, Dipay and Pickdan.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 6i

greatly soothed by the wealth of gold ornaments — the sum-
mum bonum of her existence with which her person is adorn-
ed. The officiating priest puts into the hands of the bride-
groom fourteen blades of khoosh grass in two small bundles
which he winds and ties round his figures. The priest then
pours a little holy Ganges water into the bridegroom's right
hand, which he holds while the father-in-law repeats a mantra
or incantation, at the close of which he lets it fall. Rice,
flowers and doorva grass are next given him, which he lays
near the copper pan containing the holy water. Water is
presented as at first with a prayer, and sour milk, then again
water. The officiating priest now directs him to put his hand
into the copper pan, and placing the hand of the bride on
that of the bridegroom ties them together with a garland
of flowers, when the father-in-law says : " Of the family of
Goutam, the great grand-daughter of Ram Churn Bose,
the grand-daughter of Bulloram Bose, the daughter of
Ramsoonder Bose, wearing such and such clothes and
jewels, I, Dwarkeynath Bose, give to thee, Oma Churn Dutt,
of the family of Bharaddz, the great grandson of Dinnonath
Dutt, the grandson of Shib Churn Dutt, the son of Jodonauth
Dutt." The bridegroom says, " I have received her." The
father-in-law then takes off the garland of flowers with which
the hands of the married pair were bound, and pouring
some holy water on their heads, pronounces his benediction,
A piece of silk cloth called Lajd bustur, is then put over the
heads of the boy and girl, and they are asked to look at each
other for the first time in their lives. While the marriage
ceremony is being performed the boy is made to wear on his
head a conical tinsel hat. Here the barber of the bride-
groom gives to the priest a little Khoye Tparched rice) and
a little ghee, which are offered with doorva grass to the god
Brahma. A very small piece of coarse cloth called gatchardy
or knotted cloth, containing in all twenty-one myrobolans,

62 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

boyra fruit and betef-nuts, is tied to the silk dhobja or scarf
of the bridegroom, which is fastened again to the silk garment
of the bride, thus symbolising a union never to be severed.
The married couple are then taken into the inner court where
the females are waiting on the tiptoe of expectation, wreath-
ed for a moment in the rapturous embraces of one another.
As soon as the boy appears, or rather before his appearance,
conch-shells are again blown, and he is made to stand on a
stone placed under a small awning called cMdldhtalah^ a
emporary shed, surrounded on four sides by plantain trees.
By way of merriment, some females greet him with hayeum-
llah mixed in treacle, some pull his ears, notably his sisters-in-
law, while matrons cry out ^^ ulu^ ulu^ulul' sounds indicative
of excessive joy. It would require the masterly pen of a
Sir Walter Scott to adequately delineate the joyous feelings
of the females on such an auspicious occasion.

The bridegroom is made to wear on his ten fingers ten
rings made of twigs of creepers, and his hands are tied by
a piece of thread as long as his body. Putting betwixt
them a weaver's shuttle, the mother-in-law says, "I have
bound thee by thread, bought thee with cowries, and put a
shuttle betwixt thy hands, now bleat thou like a lamb, *
Bapoo," — a term of endearment. She also closes his mouth
by touching his lips with a padlock, and symbolically sewing
the same with twenty-one pins, that he may never scold the
girl ; touches his nose with a slender Bamboo pipe and breaks
it afterwards, throws over his body treacle and rice, as well as
the refuse of spices pounded on a grindstone, which has been

* I have known a young collegian of a rather humourous disposition bleat
like a lamb at the time of marriage, to the great amusement of all the females,
except his mother-in-law, who, simple as she was, took the matter in a serious
light, and felt herself almost dejected on account of the great stupidity of her
son-in-law (for she could not take it in any other sense), but her dejection gave
place to joy when in the Bdsurghur — the sleeping room of the happy pair for
the night — she heard him outwit all the females present. It is obvious that the
meaning of this part of the female rite is to render the husband tame and docile
as a Iamb, especially in his treatment of his wife.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 63

kept covered with a bag for eight days, are alive, by two
females whose husbands and finally touches his lips with
honey and small images made of sugar, that he may ever
treat his wife like a sweet darling.

Afterwards the mother-in-law with several other married
women, adorned with all their costly ornaments and dressed
in their best attire, touch his forehead with Sree^ Baranddlld
a winnowing fan, plantain, betel and betel-nuts ; and here the
silk scarf of the boy, of which mention has been made before,
is again more closely fastened to the silk garment of the
girl, and kept with her for eight days, after which it is returned,
accompanied by presents of sweetmeats, fishes and curdled
milk. These puerile rites, purely the invention of females,
are intended to act as charms for securing the love and affec-
tion of the husband for his wife. The wish is certainly a
good one, but often the agencies employed fail to produce
the desired effect ! " Charms strike the sight, but merit wins
the soul." Before the marriage ceremony is concluded, the
boys of the neighbourhood \make the usual demand of Gram-
vati and Barawari Poojah. At first in a polite way they
ask the father of the bridegroom for the gift. He offers
twenty Rupees, but they insist on having one hundred
Rupees. After some altercation in which sometimes high
words and offensive language are made use of, * the matter
is eventually settled on payment of thirty-two Rupees.
This money is used in giving a feast to the boys of the

* In former days when education was but very scantily cultivated, unplea-
sant quarrels were known to have arisen between the two parties from very trivial
circumstances. The friends of the bridegroom, often pluming themselves on
their special prerogatives as members of the strong party readily resented even
the slightest insult offered them rather incautiously by the bridal party. These
altercations sometimes terminated in blows, if not in lacerated limbs. Instead
of waiting till the conclusion of the ceremony, the whole of the bridegroom's
party has been known to return home without dinner, to the great mortification
of the other party. There is a common saying among the Bengalees that * * he
who is the enemy of the house should go to a marriage party." It was a common
sport with the friends of the bridegroom to cut with a pair of scissors the bed-
ding at the house of the bride. But happily such practices are of rare occurrence
now-a-days.

64 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

neighbourhood, reserving a portion for the Barawari poojah, —
a mode of worship which will be more fully treated in another
place.

As an epilogue to the nuptial rite, the bridegroom con-
tinues to stand on a stone, while two men setting the bride
on a wooden seat, and lifting her higher than his head, makes
three circumambulations, asking the females at the same time
who is taller, the bridegroom or the bride ? The stereotyped
response is, " the bride." This being done, the females throw-
ing a piece of cloth over the heads of both, desire them to
glance at each other with all the fond endearments of a
wedded pair. As is to be expected, the coy girl, almost in a
state of trepidation, casts but a transient look, and veils her
face instanter ; but the boy, young as he is, feels inwardly
happy to view the lovely face of his future wife. This look
is called Slwovddristi or " the auspicious sight" which is held
in the light of a harbinger of future felicity.

The bridegroom returns to \he Thacoordhallan or place of
worship and performs the concluding part of the marriage
ceremony, while the officiating priest, repeating the usual in-
cantation, presents the burnt offerings {home) to the gods, which
is the finale of the religious part of the rite.* But before the
bridegroom leaves the place of worship, the officiating priests
of both sides must have their dackind or pecuniary reward.
If the boy be of the Mowleek caste and the girl of the Koo-
lin caste, the former must give double what the latter gives,
/. ^., 1 6 Rupees and 8 Rupees. Here, as in every other in-

* An English gentleman, who, to a versatile genius, combined an intelli-
gent knowledge of, and a familiar acquaintance with, the manners and customs
of the country, once advised a Native friend of his to go to England and other
great countries on the continent with a number of Hindoo females and exhibit
there all the important social and domestic ceremonials of this conntry in a place
of public resort. The very circumstance of Hindoo females performing those
rites in the manner in which they are popularly celebrated here, would be sure
to attract a very large audience. The marriage ceremonies alone would form a
regular night of enchantment and amusement. The time will certainly come
when the realization of such an ingenious idea would no longer be held Utopian.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 65

stance, the superiority of caste asserts its peculiar privileges.
The professional genealogists, after concluding their recitation
and singing their epithalamiums, also come in for their share
of the reward, but they are generally told to wait till the next
day, when in common with other Ghatacks they receive their
recompense. The bridegroom is then permitted to have a
little breathing time, after having undergone the infliction of
so many religious and domestic rites, which latter formed the
special province of the females.

The head of the family now stands up before the assem-
bly, and asks their permission to go through the ceremony of
Mala Cluxndan^ or the distribution of sandaled garlands. This
is done to pay them the honor due to their rank. The Dulla-
putty y or the head of the order or party, almost invariably re-
ceives the first garland, and then the assembled multitudes are
served. For securing this hereditary distinction to a family,
large sums of money have been spent from time to time by
millionaires who, by the favorable combination of circum-
stances, had risen from an obscure position in life to a state of
great affluence. The late Rajah Rajkissen Bahadoor, Baboos
Ram Doolal Dey, Kisto Ram Bose, Modun Mohun Dutt,
Santi Ram Singh, Ram Rutton Roy and others, expended up-
wards of a lakh of Rupees, or ;^ 10,000, each for the posses-
sion of the enviable title of Dullaputty, or head of a party.
The way by which this noble distinction was secured was to
induce first-class Koolins, by sufficient pecuniary inducements,
to intermarry into the families of the would-be Dullaputty.
The generally impoverished condition of the old aristocracy
of the land, and the onward march of intellect teaching the
people to look to sterling merit for superiority in the scale
of Society have considerably deteriorated the value of these
artificial distinctions. The progress of education has opened
a new era in the social institutions of the country, and an en-
lightened proletariat is now-a-days more esteemed than an

I

66 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

empty titled Dullaputty, the magnitude of whose social status
is not to be estimated by the numbers of Koolins he is con-
nected with, but by the extent and character of his services
to society.

The bridegroom next dines with his friends outside, not-
* withstanding the importunities of the females for him to dine
in their presence in the inner apartment, that they might have
an opportunity to indulge in merriment at his expense. As a
rule, the Brahmins dine first, and then the numerous guests
and attendants, numbering sometimes one thousand. Despite
the precaution of the friends of the bride to prevent unwel-
come intrusion, from a natural apprehension of running short
of supplies, which, on such occasions, are procured at enormous
cost, many uninvited persons in the disguise of respectable
looking Baboos contrive somehow or other to mingle in the
crowd and behave with such propriety as to elude detection.
The proportion of male intruders is larger than that of female
ones, simply because the latter, however barefaced, cannot
entirely divest themselves of all modesty. It would not be
above the mark to put down the number of the former at
twenty per cent. Such men are professional intruders ; they are
entirely devoid of a sense of self respect, and lead a wretched,
demoralized life. Foreigners can have no idea of the extent
to which they carry on their disreputable trade, including in
their ranks some of the highest Brahmins of the country.
It is not an uncommon sight, on such occasion, to behold
numbers of people depart after dinner with bundles of loo-
chees (fine edibles) and sweetmeats in their hands, which
methrdnees * threaten to touch and defile.

When full justice has been done to the feast provided
for the occasion, the crowd melts away and streams out at
the door, well pleased with the reception they have had. It

Sweeper-caste females,

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 67

IS much easier to satisfy men than women in this respect. The
latter are naturally fastidious, and the least shortcoming is
sure to be found fault with. When confusion and bustle sub-
side, the bridegroom is slowly conducted into a room in the
inner apartment which bears the euphonious name of Bdsur-
ghuTy the bedchamber of the happy pair, or rather the store-
house of jokes and banter, where are grouped together his
wife, his mother-in-law, * and the whole galaxy of beauty.
The very name of Basarghur\ suggests to the female a variety
of ideas at once amusing and fascinating. As I have already
observed, she, nursed from her cradle in a state of perfect
seclusion, and immersed in all the drudgeries of a mono-
tonous domestic life, is glad of any opportunity to share
in the unreined pleasure of joviality. The mother-in-law,
throwing aside conventional restraint, introduces herself,
or is introduced by other women, to her son-in-law. They
pull the poor lad's ears, in spite of her earnest protestation,
and if they do not know what flirtation is, they assail him

* According to the prescribed rules of the Hindoo society, a mother-in-law
is not permitted to appear before her son-in-law ; it is not only considered in-
decorous, but is associated with something else that is scandalous ; hence she
always keeps her distance from her son-in-law, but on this particular night, her
presence in the room with other females is quite consistent with feminine pro-
priety. In the case of a very young son-in-law, however, a departure from this
rule is not reprehensible.

t In the suburbs and rural districts of Bengal, females, more particularly
among the Brahmin class, are tacitly allowed to have so much liberty on this
specitd occasion that they, putting under the bushel their instinctive modesty,
entertain the bridegroom not only with epithalamiums but with other amorous
songs, having reference to the diversions of Krishna with his mistress, and the
numerous milkmaids. Under an erroneous impression of singing holy songs
they unwittingly trumpet the profligate character of their god. These songs
are generally known by the names of sdkhisungbad and birana ; the former as
the designation implies, consist of news as conveyed by the principal milkmaids
r^arding his mistress, to whom he oftentimes proved false, and the latter of
disappointed love, which broadly exhibits the prominent features of his sensuous
life. They feel such an interest in these low entertainments, that under the hal-
lowed name of religion they are led to indirectly perpetrate a crime. Frail as
women naturally are, the example of such a god, combined with the sanction
of religion, has undoubtedly a tendency to impair the moral influence of a vir-
tuous Hfe. I have always r^retted this from my personal observation, but to
strike a death blow at the root of the evil must be the work of ages. The essen*
tial elements of the Hindoo character must be thoroughly recast.

68 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

with jokes which quite puzzle him and bewilder his senses.
They burst into roars of laughter and make themselves merry
at his expense ; he feels himself almost helpless and unpre-
pared to make a suitable repartee, and is at length driven into
all manner of excuses, as plausible reasons for a brief respite
and a short repose. He complains of headache occasioned by
the lateness of the hour ; as a sure remedy they give him
soda, ice, eau-de-cologne, and almost bathe him in rose-water;
but a soporific they can on no account allow him, because it
would mar their pleasure and sink their lively spirits. Keep-
ing up their jokes, they place the lovely bride with all her
gold trappings on his knee, and unveiling her face ask him to
look at it, and say whether or not he likes her ; she closes her
eyes, moves and jerks to have the veil dropped down, but her
sisters yield not to her wish, and keeping her yet unveiled,
repeat the question. Of course he makes no reply, but
blushes and hangs down his head ; their demand being impera-
tive, he sees no other alternative, but to gently reply in the
affirmative. They next make the girl bride, much against
her inclination, lie down by his side ; as often as she is drag-
ged so often she draws back, but yielding at last to the
admonition of her mother, she is constrained to lie down,
because, on that night, this form is strictly enjoined in the
female shaster. The innocent girl, unconscious of the absurd
mirth, shrinking together, turns away, and occasionally whim-
pering, passes the sleepless, miserable hours. The dawn of
morning is to her most welcome, although it affords her but
a temporary relief. As the first glimpse of light is perceived,
she flies into the bosom of her aunt, who tries to animate her
drooping spirit by a word or two of solace, citing perhaps at
the same time the example of Surrajiney, her elder sister,
placed in a similar position three years ago. The women
referred to remain in the Basarghur. As a matter of course
aged women go to sleep faster than young sprightly girls of

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 69

sweet seventeen, who are bent on making the best of the occasion
by indulging in jokes and witticsms. They literally rack their
brains to outwit the bridegroom by their t/idtd and tdntdshd
(jokes), and their stock of it seems to be almost inexhaustible.
They contrive to make him chew the same beera or betel
which is first chewed by the bride, and if he be obstinate
enough to refuse it, in obedience to the warning of his mother,
which is often the case, four or five young ladies open out his
lips, and thrust the chewed bettle into his mouth. What
young man would be so ungallant as to resist them after all ?
He must either submit or bear the opprobrium of a foolish
discourteous boy. Thus the whole night is passed in the ban-
ter and practical joking peculiar to the idiosyncracy of the
Hindoo females. When in the morning he attempts to get
away from their company, one or two ladies, notably his salees^
or sisters-in-law hold him fast by the skirt of his silk gar-
ment demanding, the customary present of Sarfaytolldnee, *
He sends a message to his man outside, and gets thirty two
or fifty Rupees, on payment of which they are satisfied and
permit him to go. After a short respite he is again brought
into the inner apartment, and after shaving, bathing and
changing his clothes, he is made to go almost through the
same course of female rites as he had to perform on the preced-
ing night, with this difference only, that no officiating priest
is required to help on the occasion. This rite is named
Bassi Bibdha (not new marriage), all the ceremonials being
conducted by the females. It would be tedious to inflict on
the reader a recapitulation of the same, but suflfice it to say,
that in all the primary pervading principle is plainly percep-
tible, namely, the long life and conjugal felicity of the happy
pair. It is a remarkable fact that in the opinion of the Hindoo

t The fee for the trouble of removing the bed and keeping up the night, the
ladies who remained in the bed-chamber are justly entitled to it for their pains ;
a widow, be it observed, is not permitted to touch the bed lest her misfortune
would befall the bride, but she gets, however, her portion or share of the fee.

;o MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

females the wider the circle of matrimonial ceremonies,
the greater the chance of securing the favor of Hymen.
At the conclusion, the boy and girl are directed to say that
they have passed the state of celibacy and entered on that
of matrimony. " Marriage is honorable in all and the bed
undefiled."

As morning advances, the bridegroom walking, and the
bride in the arms of her relative, are next brought into a
room— the women blowing the conch and sprinkling water,—
and made to sit near each other. They then play with
cowries, (shells) the girl is told to take up a few cowries in
her left hand and put them near the boy, while on the other
hand the boy is told to take up as much as his right hand can
contain and put them before the girl, the meaning of which
is, that the girl would spend sparingly and the boy give her
abundantly. They then play with four very small earthen
pots, called mooglivhur, filled with rice and peas ; the girl
first opens the lids of the pots and throws the contents on a
Koolo^ (winnowing fan) the boy takes it up and fills the pots,
the girl slowly puts the lids on and inaudibly repeats the name
of her husband for the first time, * expressing a hope that
by the above process she stops his mouth and curbs his ton-
gue, that he may never abuse her. As the first course of
breakfast, fruits and sweetmeats are served to the bridegroom
and the bride. He eats a little and is requested to offer a
portion of the same to his wife, whose modesty forbids her
to accept any in his presence, but the earnest importunities
of the nearest of kin overcome her shyness, and she is at
length prevailed upon to taste a little which is offered her
by the hand of her husband, the females expressing a desire
at the same time that she may continue to eat from the same

* It should be mentioned that a female after her marriage is not allowed to
utter the name of her husband or of any of his male and female relatives save
those who are younger than she. There is no harm done in taking the name of
a husband, but through a sense of shame she does not repeat it.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 71

hand to the end of her days. They then receive the benedic-
tions of the male and female members of the family in
money, dooav grass and paddy, which embody a prayer to
the God for her everlasting happiness. A second course
of breakfast consisting of boiled rice, dhall, fish and vegeta-
ble curries in great variety, sweetmeats, sour and sweet milk»
is next brought for the bridegroom ; seeing that he eats very
slowly and scantily through shame, his sisters-in-law help
him with handfuls of rice and curries, &c. After he has
finished eating, the residue of the victuals is given to his wife
in a separate room, because it is customary that she should
use the same that day, with a view to cement mutual love
and affection.

Preparations are now being made for the return of the
procession to the house of the bridegroom, but before it starts
some pecuniary matters are to be settled. The father of the
bridegroom gives fifty Rupees as Sarjaytolldnee for the be-
nefit of the sisters of the bride, and the father of the bride
must give the same sum, if not a larger one, as Nanadkhay-
mee for the benefit of the sisters of the bridegroom. Then
the difficult problem of Samajeek is to be solved. In
almost every case, the question is not decided without some
discussion. Hindoos are above all tenacious of caste when
the question is one of Rupees and pice. Crowds of Bhdts^
fakeers^ nagaSy raywoSy and mendicants shouting at times ^^ Jay^
Jayl' victory, victory ; " Bar, konay bachay thakoog," " may
the bridegroom and bride live long," impatiently wait in the
street for their usual alms. They get a few annas each and
disperse. Professional GhatuckSy genealogists and Brahmins
also come in for their share and are not disappointed. Then
comes the interesting and affecting part of the ceremonial,
the JattfUy or the approaching departure of the happy pair
for the house of the bridegroom. A small brass pot filled
with holy water and a small wooden pot of vermillion being

72 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

placed before them, they are made to sit on the two wooden
pirays on which they sat the previous evening at the time
of marriage, and the females touch their foreheads with sour
milk, shiddi ( hemp), and the consecrated urghi of the god-
dess Doorga, * which latter is kept in a tuft on the Khopa
or ringlet of the bride's hair for eight days. Her forehead
is also rubbed with vermillion, the emblem of a female whose
husband is alive. This is followed by the rite of Kanokan-
jooley already described, but this time the father of the bride
throws the brass plate right over her head into the cloth of
his wife, who stands for the purpose behind her daughter.
A sudden and solemn pause is perceptible here, betokening
the subsidence of joy and the advent of sorrow. In the
midst of the company, mostly females, the father and mother
of the bride, alternately clasping both the hands of the
bridegroom, with tears in their eyes, commit the very respon-
sible trust of the young wife to his charge, saying at the
same time in a faltering tone, among other things, that " hi-
therto our daughter was placed under our care, but now
through the Bhabiturbee or kind dispensation of Providence,
she is consigned for ever to your charge, may you kindly
overlook her shortcomings and frailties and prove your fidelity
by constancy." At this parting expression, tears start into the
eyes of all the females who are naturally more susceptible than
the sterner sex. With sorrowful countenances and deep
emotion they look steadfastly at the married pair and im-
ploringly beseech the bridegroom to treat the bride with all
the tenderness of an affectionate husband. The scene is
exceedingly affecting, and the sweet sorrow of parting does
not permit him to say Bidaya or farewell to the bridegroonv
The mother-in-law, especially, should the bride be her only

* The Ufghi consists of dooav grass, rice and dltd (a thin red stuff made of
cotton like paper with which Hindoo females daub their feet,) previously con-
secrated to the goddess Doorga, and is supposed to possess a peculiar virtue in
promoting felicity and relieving distress.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 73

daughter, is overwhelmed with grief, and if she does not cry
bitterly, her suppressed emotion is unmistakable ; the idea
even of a temporary separation is enough to break her heart,
and no consolation can restore the natural serenity of her
mind.* Her relatives endeavour to cheer her by reminding
h6r of their and her own cases, and declare that all females
are born to share the same fate. They scarcely enter the
world before they must leave their parents and intermarry
into other families. This is their destiny, and this the law of
Juggut (the world), and they must all abide by it. Instead
of repining, she ought to pray to Debta (god,) " that her
daughter should ever continue to live at her father-in-law's,
use Sidoor (vermillion) on her grey head, wear out her iron
bangle^ and be a junma ayestri" blessings which are all
enjoyed by a female whose husband is alive. Such powerful
arguments and undeniable examples partially restore the
equanimity of her mind, and she is half persuaded to join her
friends and go and see the procession from the top of the
house. The same tumult and bustle which ensued at the

* Hindoos are so passionately fond of their children, male or female, that
they can but ill brook the idea of a segregation, even under circumstances where
it is unavoidable. Hence wealthy families often keep their sons-in-law under their
own roof. Sometimes this is done from vanity. Such sons-in-law generally become
indolent and effeminate, destitute alike of mental activity and physical energy.
They eat, drink, smoke, play and sleep. Fattening on the ample resources of their
father-in-law they contract demoralizing habits, which engender vice and profligacy.
The late Baboos Ramdoolal Dey, Ramruttun Roy, Prannauth Chowdry, the
Tagore families, the old Rajahs of Calcutta and some of the newly fledged
English made Rajahs and others, countenanced this practice, and the result is,
they have left with but few exceptions a number of men singularly deficient in
good moral character. These men are called Ghar Jamayesy or home bred sons-
in-law, which is a term of reproach among all persons who have a spark of in-
dependence about them. The late Baboo Dinno Bundho Mitter, the celebrated
author of ^^ Nil Durpun,^^ strongly satirises such characters in a book called
** Jamay Bateek,^^ While on this subject I may as well mention here that
Baboo Ramdoolal Dey of Calcutta, who had risen from obscurity to great
opulence, had five daughters, to each of whom he gave a marriage dowry of
Rupees 50,000 in Government securities, and 10,000 Rupees for a house. Of course
all his sons-in-law were first class Koolins^ and used to live under the roof of
their father-in-law. Some of their sons and grandsons are now ranked amongst
the Hindoo millionaires of this great City, while most of the members of the
original stock have dwindled into insignificance, strikingly illustrating the in-
stability of fortune.

74 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

time of coming now prevail at the departure of the bride-
groom in his SookasuHy and the bride in her closely covered
crimson Mohdpdyd, preceded by all the tinsel trappings and
bands of English and Native musicians. The procession
slowly moves forward with all the pomp and consequence of
a grand, imposing exhibition, amidst the staring of the
wondering populace and of the sight-seeing public. " It is
on such occasions," as Macaulay observes, " that tender and
delicate women, whose veils had never been lifted before the
public gaze, came forth from the inner chambers in which
Eastern jealousy keeps watch over their beauty." The great
body of Barjattars — bridegroom's friends — who graced the
procession with their presence the previous night, do not ac-
company it now on its return homewards, and notwithstand-
ing all the vigilance of the extra guards, the mob scrambles
and forcibly takes away the tinsel flower and fruit trees
on the way. In an hour or two, all the objects of wonder vanish
from the sight, and leave no mark behind them : " the gaze
of fools, the pageant of a day."

On the arrival of the procession at its destination, the
bridegroom alights from the Sookasun and the bride from the
Mohdpdyd, under which, by way of welcome, is thrown 2.ghara^
or pot of water. Hereupon the silk chadur or scarf of the
brid^room, so long in the possession of the bride, being
entwined between both while the conch is blowing, they
are taken into the inner apartment, the former walking, the
latter in the arms of one of her nearest female relatives
whose husband is alive. The boy is made to stand on an
allpana piray (white-painted wooden seat), the girl on a
thdld or metal plate filled with milk and altawater, and holding
in her hand a live shole fish. A small earthen pot of milk is
put upon the fire by a female whose husband is alive, and when
through heat it overflows, the veil of the girl being lifted>
she is desired to witness the overflowing process and say

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES, 75

gently three times, " may the wealth and resources of her father-
in-law overflow," while her mother-in-law puts round her left
hand an iron bangle,* and with the usual benediction that
she may be ever blessed with her husband, rubs the middle
of her forehead with a little vermillion. A small basket of
paddy or unhusked rice, over which stands a small pot of
vermillion, is placed on the head of the bride, which the bride-
groom holds with his left hand, and when they are both greeted
three times with the Sree^ Barandala Koolo^ water, plantain,
betel and betel-nuts, as has been described before, by the
bridegroom's mother, he, with his pair of nut-crackers in his
right hand, throws over the ground a few grains of paddy
from the reck^ walks slowly over a new piece of red bordered
cloth into a room, accompanied by his wife and preceded by
other females, one of whom blows a conch and another
sprinkles water, — both tokens of an auspicious event.

When all are properly seated upon bedding spread on
the floor, the bridegroom and the bride play again the
game ol jatook with cowries (shells)f as before. They after-
wards receive the usual asseerbad (blessing) in paddy, doov-
grass and money. The mother-in-law in order to ensure the
permanent submissiveness of the bride puts honey into her
ears and sugar into her mouth that she may receive her
commands and execute them like a sweet obedient girl.
Some females then, placing a male child on the thigh of the

* The use of an iron bangle or bracelet has a deep meaning, it outlasts
gold and silver ones. A girl may wear gold ornaments set in precious stones
to the value of ten or fifteen thousand Rupees, but an iron bangle worth a pice, —
a veritable insignia of ayestreehood opposed to widowhood — is indispensable
to a married woman for its comparatively durable quality. A youn^ widow may
wear gold bangles till her twentieth year, but she is not privileged to put
on an iron bangle after the death of her husband.

+ In the early part of the British Government in Bengal, cowries were the
common currency of the Province in the ordinary transactions of life. People
used to make thdr hatUbazar (market) with cowries^ and a family that made a
daily bazar with sixteen or eighteen kahuns of cowries, equal to one rupee or so,
was reckoned a very respectable family. The prices of provisions ranged nearly
one-third of what they now are. Even the revenues of Government were some-
times paid in cowries in the Eastern districts, namely, Assam, Sylhet, &c.

y6 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

bridegroom, desire him to hand it to the bride. According to
prescribed custom, the mother-in-law, on first seeing the face
of her daughter-in-law, presents her with a pair of gold bangles.
Other near female relatives, following her example, present
her severally with a pair of gold armlets, a pearl necklace,
a set of gold pitjhapa^ or an ornament for the back, jingling
as the girl moves, a pair of diamond cut gold earrings set
in precious stones, and so on. To account for the common
desire of the Hindoos to give a profusion of jewels to their
females, Menu, their great fountain of authority, enjoins "let
women be constantly supplied with ornaments at festivals and
jubilees, for if the wife be not elegantly attired, she will not
exhilarate her husband. A wife gaily adorned, the whole house
is embellished."

She is next taken into the kitchen, where all sorts of
cooked victuals, except meat, are prepared in great abundance.
She is desired to look at them and pray to God that her father-
in-law may always enjoy plenty. Returning from the cook-
room, the bridegroom gives into her hands an embroidered
Benares saree as also a brass thalUy (plate) with a few batees
(cups) containing boiled rice, dhall^ and all the prepared cur-
ries, vegetables, and fish, frumenty, &c., and addresses her, de-
claring that from this day forward he undertakes to sup-
port her with food and clothes. He then partakes of the din-
ner and retires, while the bride is made to share the residue. *
She is thus taught, from the moment of her union at the Hy-
meneal altar, her fundamental duty of absolute submission
to, and utter dependence on, her husband. Should she be of
dark complexion and her features not beautiful, the bridegroom
is thus twitted by his elder brothers' wives: "you all along dis-

* There is a custom amongst the Hindoos that a married woman considers it
no disgrace but rather an act of merit to eat the residue of her husband's meal in
his absence ; so great is the respect in which a husband is held, and so warm the
sympathy existing between them. Even an elderly woman, thp mother of five or
six children, cheerfully partakes of the residue, as if it were the orts of gods.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 77

liked a kalo (black) girl, now what will you do, thacoorpo? Sure-
ly you cannot forsake her, we will see by-and-bye you shall
have to wash her feet." Words like these pierce the heart of
the bridegroom, but politeness forbids him to reply. As re-
gards the power of woman, the same lawgiver says — "a female
is able to draw from the right path in this life, not a fool only,
but even a sage, and can lead him in Subjection to desire
or to wrath."

The nearest relatives and friends of the family are invited
to partake of the Bowbhdt or bridal dinner consisting of boiled
rice, dhall, fish and vegetable curries, frumenty, polowyUy &c.,
served to the guests by the bride's own hands, which is tanta-
mount to her recognition as one of the members of the family.
To eat unna (boiled rice) is one thing and to eat jalpan (loo-
chees and sweetmeats) is quite another. A Hindoo can take
the latter at the house of one of inferior caste, but he would
lose his caste if he were to eat the former at the same place.
Even among equals of the same caste, and much more among
inferiors, boiled rice is not taken without mature consideration,
and some sort of compensation from the inferior to the supe-
rior for condescending to eat the same. The compensation is
made in money and clothes according to the rank of the Koo-
lifts. Before departing, the guests invited to the Bowbhdt at
which they eat boiled rice from the hands of the bride,
give her one, two, or more Rupees each.

The day following is a very interesting day or rather
night,' being the night of Foolsajya* or flowery bed. At about
eight o'clock in the evening the father of the bride serxds to

* It is a noteworthy fact that in contracting matrimonial alliances, some fami-
lies placed in mediocre circumstances are satisfied with taking a certain sum of
money in lieu of the presents mentioned, partly because the articles are mostly
of a perishable nature, and partly because the making presents of money to nu-
merous servants for their trouble and feeding them, is regarded more as a tax than
anything else. They prefer utility to show. Even in such cases of verbal con-
tract, the father of the bride must send at least thirty servants with presents, be-
sides 100 or 150 Rupees in cash as is stipulated before.

78 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

his son-in-law ample presents of all sorts of fruits in or out
of season, home and bazar made sweetmeats, some in the
shape of men, women, fishes, birds, carriages, horses, elephants,
&c., &c., each weighing from 6 to lO Ifcs., sweet and sour milk
(bdtdsdy) a kind of sweet cakes, chineere moorkey, paddy, fried
and sugared comfits, spices of all sorts, betel and prepared
betel-nuts, sets of ornaments and toys made of cutch, repre-
senting railway carriages, gardens, house, dancing girls, &c.,
imitation pearl necklaces made of rice, imitation gold neck-
lace made of paddy, colored imitation fruits made of curd *,
butter, sugar, sugar-candy, chdna (coagulated milk), otto of rose,
rose-water, chaplets of flowers and flower ornaments, in great
variety, Dacca and embroidered Benares dhooty and saree for
the boy and the girl, clothes for all the elderly females, couch-
cot, beddings, sets of silver and brass utensils, carpet, embroid-
ered shoes, gold watch and chain, &c., &c. Between 125 and
150 servants, male and female, carry these articles, some in
banghy, some in baskets, and some in large brass thdlds or
trays. These presents being properly arranged in the Tkdcoor-
ddlldn the male friends of the family are invited to come down
and see them, some praising the choice assortment and large
variety, as well as the taste of the father of the bride, while
others more calculating make an estimate as to the probable
cost of the whole. These articles are then removed into the
inner apartment, where the females, naturally loquacious, criti-
cise them according to their judgment ; the simple and the
good-natured say they are good and satisfactory, others more
fastidious find fault with them. They are, however, soon si-
lenced by the prudent remarks of the adult male members of
the family. The servants are next fed and dismissed with
presents of money, some receiving one Rupee each being the

* In making the above imitations, Hindoo females exhibit an astonishing de-
gree of skill and ingenuity which, if directed by the hand of an expert, is capable
of still further improvement. Naturally and instinctively they evince a great ap-
titude for learning all sorts of handiwork.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 79

servants of the bride's family, some half a Rupee being the
servants of other families. They then take back all the brass
thdlds and trays, leaving the baskets behind.

Here we come to the climax of interest. The bridegroom
and the bride, adorned with a wealth of flower wreaths, and
dressed in red-bordered Dacca clothes, with sandal paste on
their foreheads, and sitting side by side in the presence of
females whose husbands are alive, are desired to eat even a
small portion of the articles of food that have been presented,
and what is the most interesting feature in the scene, is that
the former helps the latter and the latter helps the former,
both throwing aside for the first time the restraint which
modesty naturally imposes on such an occasion. To be more
explicit, the boy eats one half of a sweetmeat and gives the
other half to the girl, and the girl in her turn is constrained
to follow the same example, though with a blushing coun-
tenance and a veiled face. Female modesty predominates in
this isolated instance. If the boy give blushingly, the girl
gives shyly and tremulously ; in spite of her best efforts, she
cannot consistently make up her mind to lift up her right
hand and stretch it towards the mouth of her husband, but is
after all helped to do so by a woman, whose husband is alive.
This process of eating* and mutual help, when three days
have scarcely passed over their heads, naturally gives rise to
joy, merriment and laughter among the females ; and one
amongst them exclaims ; " look, look, Soudaminey^ how our
new Rddha and Krishna are sitting side by side and eating
together ; may they live long and sport thus." The mother
of the boy watches the progress of the interesting scene, and

* It is perhaps not generally known that the dinner of a native, Hindoo
or Mussulman, male or female, is not considered complete, until he chews
his pan beera or betel. The bridegroom after eating and washing his mouth
chews his usual pan^ and is asked to give a portion thereof to the bride ; he
hesitates at first, but consents at length to give it into the right hand of his elder
brother's wife, who forcibly thrusts the same into the mouth of the bride, observ-
ing at the same time that their mutual repugnance on this score will soon be
overcome when their incipient affection grows into true love.

80 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

in transports of joy wishes for their continued felicity. The
young and sprightly, who have once passed through the same
process, and whose hearts are enlivened by the reminiscences
of past occurrences, too recent to be forgotten, tarry in the
room to the last moment, till sleep weighing down the eyelids
of the happy pair, the mother of the bridegroom gently calls
them aside, and leaves them to rest undisturbed. In accord-
ance with the old established custom, their bed is strewn
with flowers and their bodies perfumed with otto of rose.
This is not enough for the sprightly ladies, the complement
of whose amusement and merriment is not yet full. Even
if the night be a chilly one, regardless of the effects of ex-
posure, they must aripato, or jealously watch through the
crevices of windows, whether or not the boy talks to the girl,
and if he do, what is the nature of the talk. Thus they pass
the whole night prying and laughing, chatting with each
other on subjects suited to their taste and mode of thought,
When morning dawns, the boy opening the door goes outside,
and the girl slowly walks to her maid-servants, who accom-
panied her from her father's house. Her whole desire is to
get back to her mother and sisters ; nothing can reconcile
her to her new home ; novelty has no charms for her except
in her paternal domicile. She repeatedly asks her maid-
servants as to when the Palkee will come, and what is the
time fixed for her jattra, (departure); the maid-servants, con-
soling her, induce her to wash her mouth and break her fast
with a few sweetmeats. In obedience to the kind instruction
of her mother, she sits closely veiled and talks little, if at
all, even to young girls of her tender age. She next takes
her vojan, or dinner, and to while away time, little girls try
to amuse her with toys or a game at cards ; at length the time
comes for the toilet work, and the arrival of the covered
Mohapaya is announced. She again takes a few sweetmeats,
and making a /r^«^;« (bow) to all her superiors, is helped

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 8i

into the Palkee by her mother-in-law, a female having pre-
viously washed her feet. The usual benediction on such an
occasion is, " may you continue to live under the roof of your
father-in-law in the enjoyment of conjugal bliss."

On the arrival of the Mahdpdyd at her father's house,
almost all the females come out for a moment, taking care
previously to have the suddur door bolted and the Palkee
bearers removed. They cheerfully welcome the return of the
girl home. Her mother, unveiling her face and taking her
in her arms, thus affectionately addresses her, "my BacAa,
(child) my sonarchand (golden moon) where have you been ?
Did not your heart mourn for us ? " Our house looked kha--
klia (desolate) in your absence. "What did they (bride-
gfroom's family) say about our dayway thowya (presents)?
Did they express any nindya^ (dissatisfaction) ? How have the
women behaved toward3 you? How are your sassooree
and sasoor (mother-in-law and father-in-law,) ?" Thus
interrogating, they all walk inside and, making the girl
change her silk clothes and sit near them, begin to examine
and criticise the ornaments given her by her father-in-law.
" Let us see the pearl necklace first** says Bhoopada ? The
pearls are not smooth and round, what may be its value ?"
Geeri Bulla, taking her own pearl necklace from off her neck,
compares the one with the other. They unanimously pro-
nounce the latter to be more costly than the former ; be that
as it may, its value cannot be less than Rupees 500. They
next take in hand the //^i?/^, ornament for the back, look-
ing at it for a few minutes they pass their opinion, saying it is
heavier and better made than that of Geeri Bulla. The Situ
kaury or Juruwyu ♦ (gold necklace) afterwards attracts their
attention, and they roughly estimate its price at Rupees 350.
It is not a little surprising that though these women are never

* Jorawya jewellery is set in precious stones, the value of which it is not
easy to estimate. ^

S2 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

permitted to go beyond the precincts of the zenana, yet their
valuation of ornaments, unless it be a jarawya bijoutry of
enormous cost, such as is worn on grand occasions by the
wife of a " big swells' often bears the nearest approximation
to the intrinsic worth of an article. Thus almost every orna-
ment, one after another, forms the subject of their criticism.
When their discussion is over, the girl is desired to take
the greater portion of her ornaments off her body — save
a pair of gold bulla ♦ on her hands and a necklace on her
neck — ^and leave them to the care of her mother. She then
mixes in the company of other little girls of her tender age,
some married, some unmarried ; who curiously ask her all
about her new friends, until their talk resumes its usual childish
topics. She passes the day among them very pleasantly, so
much so that when her mother calls her to take her lun-
cheon, she stays back and says only ^^jac/ieey jacJieel^ (coming,
coming,) her mind being so much absorbed in her juvenile
sports.

The next day is again a day of trial for her, she has
to go for gharbasath f to her father-in-law's house. On
awaking, she remembers where she will have to go in course
of the day ; a sensation bordering on sulkiness almost un-
consciously steals upon her, and as time passes it increases
in intensity. About four in the afternoon the arrival of
the MaMpdyd is announced, her sister combs her hair and

* A Hindoo Ayistree female, i. e,, one whose husband is alive, whether
young or old, is religiously forbidden to take off balla ( bangle) from her hands,
if is a badge of Ayistreeifm, even when dead red thread is substituted in the
place of the ballut so great is the importance attached to it by Ayistree females.
When the balla Is not seen on the hand, it is called the raur hatha^ or the hand
of a widow, than which there could not be a more reproachful term.

t Gharbasath implies dwelling in a father-in-law's house. If the bride do not
go there within eight days from the date of marriage, she could not do so for
one year, but after gharbasath she can go and come back any time when
necessary. The object is to impress on her mind that her father-in-law's house
is her future home. It is on this occasion that the worship of Shoobachini
already described is performed, and both the bridegroom and bride are taken to
Kally Ghat to sanctify the hallowed union and obtain the blessings of the
goddess.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 83

adorns her person with all the ornaments she has lately
received. Dressed in her bridal silk saree^ her eyes seem
charged with tears, and symptoms of reluctance are visible
in every step ; but go she must ; no alternative is left
her. So her mother helps her into the Mahdpdyd and
orders a durwan and two maid-servants to accompany her,
not forgetting to assure her that she is to be brought back
the next day. Despite this assurance, she whimpers and
weeps, and is consoled on the way by her maid-servants. At
her father-in-law's, young girls of her age being impatient to
receive her, are seen moving backwards and forwards to get a
glimpse of the Mahdpdyd^ the arrival of which is a signal for
almost all the ladies to come out and greet the object of their
affection. Her mother-in-law steps forward, and taking up
the girl in her arms walks inside, followed by a train of other
ladies, whose hearts are exhilarated again at the prospect of
merriment at the expense of the married pair. When the time
comes round for them to retire, the same scene of arepdta
is re-enacted by the mirth-loving ladies, with all their
"quips and cranks and wanton wiles. " At day-break, the
girl, as must naturally be expected, quietly walks to her
confidential maidservant, and whispers her to go and tell her
mother to send the Mahdpdyd Palkee as early as possible.
Bearing her message, one of them goes for the purpose
but the mother replies, How can she send the Palkee
except at the lucky hour after dinner ? When this reply is
communicated to the girl, she sits sulkily aloof, until her
mother-in-law cajoles her and offers for her breakfast a few
sweetmeats with milk. After a great deal of hesitation she
complies with her request, which, to be effective, is always
accompanied by a threat of not allowing her to return to her
father's in the event of a refusal. About ten o'clock she takes
her regular breakfast as described before, but she does not eat
with zest, for whatever delicacy may be offered her, it palls

84 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

upon her taste ; continually brooding on the idea of a return
home. This is the day when the bridegroom and the bride
untie from each other's hand the yellow home-spun charka
thread with which they were entwined on the day of marri-
age, as a mark of their indissoluble union. At length the
lucky hour arrives, and with it the Mahdpdyd comes. The
very announcement of the fact revives the drooping spirits
of the bride. After going through the usual toilet work and
a slight repast, she gets into the covered conveyance, assisted
by her mother-in-law and other ladies. When she returns
home, she changes her bridal silk garment and strips herself
of the greater portion of her ornaments. Now uncontrolled
and unreserved, she breathes a free, genial, atmosphere;
her mother and sisters welcome her with their heartfelt con-
gfratulations, and she moves about with her wonted buoyancy
of spirit. Throwing aside her sulkiness, she commingles
readily in conversation with all around her. She praises
the amiable qualities of her father-in-law and mother-in-
law, and the very kind treatment she has had while under
their roof, but she keeps her reserve when even the slight-
est allusion is made to her husband, because this is to her
young mind forbidden gfround on which she cannot venture
to tread without violating the sacred rules of conventionalism.
At the marriages of rich families, as will be understood
from our description, vast sums of money are expended. The
greatest expense is incurred in purchasing jewels and making
presents of brass utensils, shawls, clothes, sweetmeats. &c., to
Brahmins, Koolins, Ghatacks and numerous friends, relatives
and acquaintances, besides illuminations, fireworks and all
the pageantry of a pompous procession. In and about Cal-
cutta, the Rajahs of Shobabazar, the Dey family, the MulHck
family, the Tagore family, the Dutt family, the Ghosal family,
and others, are reported to have spent from fifty thousand
rupees to two lakhs (;£"s,ooo to ;^20,ooo) and upwards in the

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 85

marriages of their sons. Whilst writing this I am told Maha-
rajah Jotendro Mohun Tagore is said to have expended about
two lakhs of rupees in the marriage of his nephew. The
most interesting feature in the extraordinary munificence of
the Moharajah is, as I have learnt, his princely contribution
io the " District Charitable Society," — an act of benevolence
which has shewn, in a very conspicuous manner, not only his
good sense, but his warm sympathy with the cause of suffer-
rng humanity. It were to be wished that his noble ex-
ample would exercise some influence on other Hindoo
millionaires. If a tithe of such marriage expenses were
devoted to Public Charity, the poor and helpless would cease-
lessly chant the names of such donors, and the reward would
be something better than the transient admiration of the
idle populace.

For one or two years after marriage, the girl generally re-
mains under the paternal roof, occasionally paying a visit to
her father-in-law's as need be. As she advances in years, her
repugnance — the effect of early marriage — to live with her
husband is gradually overcome, till time and circumstances
completely reconcile her to her future home. Her affection
grows, and she learns to appreciate the grave meaning of a
married life. She is still, however, but a girl, in habit and
ideas, when the real union of wedded life or the second
marriage takes place, which is solemnised when she arrives
at the age of puberty, say at her twelvth or thirteenth year.
There is a popular belief, whether erroneous or not it is not
for me to decide, that in this country heat accelerates growth,
and hence the Hindoo Shasturs enjoin the necessity of early
marriage,the injurious consequences of which are chiefly seen
in the weak constitution of the offspring, and the premature
decay of the mother.

So abominable are some of the ceremonies connected with
this event in the life of a female that to describe them fully

86 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

would be an outrage on common decency.* I will, therefore,
confine myself to a description of the ceremonies, entirely
abstaining from an allusion to the abominations connected
therewith. A general depravity of manners can only account
for the prevalence of this obnoxious institution, in the eradica-
tion of which every Hindoo whose moral sense is not entirely
blunted ought to co-operate. As the delay of the union is in
the belief of a Hindoo an unpardonable sin, the fact referred
to is announced by the sound of a conch, and the bodies of
all the females are smeared with turmeric water, — an unmis-
takable evidence of joy. The news is also conveyed to the
nearest relatives by the family barber who receives presents
of clothes and money. It is quite evident from the silence of
the Hindoo Shastur on the subject that the origin of the
female rites is comparatively recent. Irrespective of the
religious observances, it affords an opportunity to the zenana
females to indulge in obscene depravities, the outcome of
vitiated feeling.

The poor girl is placed on this occasion in the corner
of a dark, dingy room, with a small round pebble before her,
shut out from the gaze of men, and surrounded on four sides
by four pieces of slender split bamboos about one yard long
fastened by a piece of thread. This is called the teerghur
mentioned before. Being regarded as unclean, she remains
in this room for four days without a bedding or a musquito
curtain, and no one touches her, not even her sisters. She is
forbidden to see the sun, her diet is confined to boiled rice,
milk, sugar, curd, and tamarind without salt. On the morning
of the fifth day, she is taken to a neighbouring tank, accom-
panied by five women whose husbands are alive. Smeared

* It is perhaps not generally known that some women, not from any mali-
cious design but rather from the ennui of a monotonous life, as well as for the
sake of amusement in which they might participate, make a secret combination,
and invent some artificial means to prematurely drag the girl — the poor victim of
superstition—into the Teerghur before she actually arrives at the age of puberty.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 87

with turmeric water, they all bathe and return home, throw-
ing away the mat and other things that were in the room.
She then sits in another room, and a very low caste woman,
in the presence of five other respectable females (not widows),
performs a series of what is vulgarly called Nith Kith^
purely female rites, which are exceedingly indecent and
immoral, so much so that a woman who has any sense of
shame feels quite disgusted. During the day, according to
previous invitations, numerous female guests assemble and
partake of a good dinner provided for the occasion. They are
also entertained with songs, dancing and music, all done by
professional females. When the guests retire, they congratu-
late the girl with the usual benediction to the effect, — " may
you be blessed with a male child."

After a day or two the religious part of the ceremony is
performed, which is free from obscenity. On this occasion,
the officiating priest reading, and the bridegroom repeating
the service after him, presents offerings of rice, sweetmeats,
plantain, clothes, doovgrass, fruits and flowers to the follow-
ing gods and goddesses, viz.^ Shasthi^ Mdrcando^ Soorja^ Soo-
bkachiniy Ganneshy and the nine planets, much f n the same way
as when the nuptial rites were formally solemnized. After this
the hands of the bridegroom and the bride are joined together,
and the priest repeating certain formulas, the bridegroom then
causes a ring to slide between the bride's silk garment and her
waist. Twenty-one small images (twenty male and one
female) made of pounded rice are placed before the happy
pair, and the priest feeds the bride with sugar, clarified butter,

* This part of the rite is called JCddd or mire. A small pool is dug in the
court-yard and some water thrown into it ; — two women, the one personating
a Rajah (King) and the other, a Ranee (Queen) feign to bathe in the pool,
change their clothes, put on straw ornaments and dine on the refuse of vegetables,
while the songstress recites all sorts of obscene songs and the females hide theiy
faces through shame. This loose and ludicrous representation proves nause-
ating even to those for whose amusement it is performed. We cannot regard
in any other light than as a relic of unmitigated barbarism.

88 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

milk, and the urine and dung of a calf to ensure the purity
of the offspring. They then partake of a good dinner, the
bride taking the residue of the bridegroom's meal. The
twenty-one images are put into the room of the pair as a token
of happy offspring, and the proportion of the males to the
females, shews the premium and discount at which they are
respectively held. The bride now takes up her permanent
residence in the house of her father-in-law and becomes one
of his family.

For one twelve month after the marriage, the parents of
the bridegroom and the bride have to make exchanges of
suitable presents to one another at all the grand festivals.
At the jfirst tatto or present, besides clothes, heaps of fruits,
sweetmeats, English toys and sundries, the father of the
youth gives one complete set of miniature silver and brass
utensils to the girl, while in return the father of the girl
sends such presents as a table, chair, writing desk, silver
inkstand, gold and silver pencil cases, stationery, perfumery,
&c, in addition to an equally large quantity of choice eata-
bles of all kinds too numerous to be detailed. The most
expensive presents are two, namely, the sittory or winter
present and the Doorga Poojah present, the former requir-
ing a Cashmere shawl, choga and sundry other articles of use,
and the latter, fine Dacca and silk clothes to the >vhole fami-
ly, including men, women and children.

It is a lamentable fact that though a Hindoo bears a
great love and affection to his wife while she lives, yet in the
event of her death, the effects of these amiable qualities are
too soon effaced by the strong influence of a new passion,
and another union is very speedily formed. Even during
the period of his mourning, which lasts one month, proposals
for a second marriage are entertained, if not by the husband
himself, by his father or elder brother. When the remem-
brance of this heavy domestic bereavement is so very fresh

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES 89

in the memory, it is highly unbecoming and ungenerous to
open or enter into a matrimonial negotiation, and have it
consummated immediately after the asiicki or mourning is
over. A wife is certainly not a beast of burden that is no
sooner removed by death than it may be replaced by ano-
ther. She is a being whose joy and sorrow, happiness and
misery, should be identical with her husband's, and he is a
savage in the widest sense of the word who does not cherish
a sacred regard for her memory after her death. In regard
to the whole conduct and relations of the married life, Hin-
doos cannot have the golden rule too strongly impressed :
* Let every one of you in particular so love his wife, even as
himself; and let the wife see that she reverence her husband."

M

^ VI.
THE BROTHER FESTIVAL.

NY social institution that has a tendency to promote
the growth of genuine love and affection between
man and woman, is naturally conducive to the hap-
piness of both. In this sublunary vale of tears, where unal-
loyed felicity is but transient and short lived, even a temporary
exemption from the cares and anxieties of the world adds at
least some moments of pleasure to life. The Bhratridvitiyuy
ox fraternal rite of the Hindoos, is an institution of this nature,
being admirably calculated to cement the natural bond of
union between brothers and sisters of the same family. Bhra-
tridvitiya, as the name imports, takes place on the second day
of the new moon immediately following the Kali Poojah or
Dewali. On the morning of this day, a brother comes to the
house of a sister, and receives from her hand the usual benedic-
tive present of unhusked rice, doova-grass and sandal, with a
wealth of good wishes for his long, prosperous life, and the happy
commemoration of the event from year to year. The brother
in return reciprocates, and putting a Rupee or two into her
hands, expresses a similar good, wish, with the addition that
she may long continue to enjoy the blessings of a conjugal
life, — a benediction which she values over every other worldly
advantage. The main object of this festival is to renovate
and intensify the warmth of affection between kith and kin
of both sexes by blessing each other on a particular day of
the year. It is a sort of family reunion, pre-eminently calcu-
lated to recall the early reminiscences of life, and to freshen
up fraternal and sisterly love. No ritualistic rite or priestly
interposition is necessary for the purpose, it being a purely
social institution, originating in the love that sweetens life.

THE BROTHER FESTIVAL. 91

After interchanging salutations, the sister who has every
thing ready thrice invokes a blessing upon the brother in a
Bengali verse, and marks his forehead thrice with sandal
paste by the tip of her little finger. She then serves him
with the provisions provided for the festive occasion. Here
genuine love and true affection almost spontaneously gush
forth from the heart of the sister towards one who is united
to her by the nearest tie of consanguinity and tenderest
remembrances. If the brother be not inclined to relish or
taste a particular dish, how affectionately does she cajole
him to try it, adding at the same time that it has been pre-
pared by her own hand with the greatest care. Any little
dislike evinced by the brother instantly bathes her eyes in
tears, and disposes her to exclaim somewhat in the following
strain : " Why is this slight towards a poor sister who has been
up till twelve o'clock last night to prepare for you the ckunder-
pooley and Khirarchdch (two sorts of home-made sweetmeats)
regardless of the cries of Khokd (the baby). Such a pathetic,
tender expression bursting from the lips of a loving sister
cannot fail to melt a brother's heart, and overcome his dislike.
About four o'clock in the afternoon, the sister sends, as
tangible memorials of her affection, presents of clothes and
sweetmeats to the house of the brother, fondly indulging in
the hope that they may be acceptable to him. On this
particular day, Hindoo homes as well as the streets of
Calcutta in the native part of the town, present the lively
appearance of a national jubilee. Each of the brothers of
the family visits each of the sisters in turn. Hundreds of
male and female servants are busily engaged in carrying pre-
sents, and return home quite delighted. On such occasions
the heart of a Hindoo female, naturally soft and tender,
becomes doubly expansive when the outflow of love and
affection on her part is fully reciprocated by the effusion of
good wishes on the part of her brother.

VII.
THE SON-IN-LAW FESTIVAL.

F not precisely analogous in all its prominent features
to the popular festival described in the preceding
Chapter, the following bears a striking resem-
blance to it, in its adaptation to promote domestic happiness.
The festival familiarly known in Bengal by the name of
^^ Jamai Shasthi' is an entertainment given in honor of a son-
in-law, in order to bind him more closely to his wife's family.
Nothing better illustrates the manners and usages of a
nation from a social and religious standpoint than the fes-
tivals and ceremonies which are observed by it. They form
the essential parts of what DeQuincey calls the equipage of
life. As a nation, the Hindoos are proverbially fond of
festivals, which are engrafted, as it were, on their peculiar
domestic and social economy. A designing priesthood had
concocted an almost endless round of superstitious rites with
the view of acquiring power, and looking for permanent
reverence to the credulity of the blind devotees. Such foolish
rites are eventually destined to fall into desuetude, as popular
enlightenment progresses, but those which are free from the
taint of priestcraft by reason of their being interwoven into
the social amenities of life, are likely to prevail long after
the subversion of priestly ascendency. And Janiai Shasthi
is a festival of this unobjectionable type. No superstitious
element enters into its observance.

It invariably takes place on the sixth day* of the increase

* It appears to me rather anomalous, as far as Hindoo astrology is concerned,
that such a national jubilee is fixed to be celebrated on this particular day, which
is specially marked as an unlucky day for any good work. The Hindoo almanac
places Shasthi^ the sixth day of the moon, as dugdhd or destructive of any good
thing in popular estimation. A Hindoo is religiously forbidden to commence
any important work or set out on a journey on this day. It portends evil.

V.

THE SON-IN'LA W FESTIVAL. 93

of the moon in the Bengali month of May, when ripe mangoes
— the prince of Indian fruits — are in full season. Then all
the mothers-in-law in Bengal are actually on the qui vive to
welcome their sons-in-law and turn a new leaf in the chapter
of their joys. A good son-in-law is emphatically the most
darling object of a Hindoo mother-in-law. She spares no
possible pains to please and satisfy him, even calling to her
aid the supernatural agency of charms. Ostensibly and
even practically a Hindoo mother-in-law loves her son-in-law
more than her son, simply because the son can shift for
himself even if turned adrift in the wide world, but the
daughter is absolutely helpless, and the cruel institution of
perpetual widowhood, with its appalling amount of misery
and risk, renders her tenfold more so.

On this festive occasion, the son-in-law is invited to spend
the day and night at his father-in-law's house. No pains
or expense is spared to entertain him. When he comes in the
morning, the first thing he has to do is to go into the female
apartment, bow his head down in honor of his mother-in-law,
and put on the floor a few Rupees, say five or ten, sometimes
more if newly married. The food consists of all the deli-
cacies of the season, and both the quantity and variety are
often too great to be done justice to. The perfection of
Hindoo culinary art is unreservedly brought into requisition
on such occasions. Surrounded by a galaxy of beauty, the
youthful son-in-law is restrained by a sense of shame from
freely partaking of the feast specially provided for him. The
earnest importunity of the females urges the bashful youth
to eat more and more. If this be his first visit as son-in-law
he finds himself quite bewildered in the midst of superfluity

Respectable Hindoo females who have children do not eat boiled rice on this
particular day for fear of becoming Rakhasses, or cannibals prone to destroy
their own offspring. The goddess Shasthi is the protectress of children. She
is worshipped by all the women of Bengal six times in the year, except such
as are barren or ill-fated enough to become virgin-widows.

94 THE SON-IN'LA W FESTIVAL.

and superabundance of preparations. Many are the tricks
employed to outwit him. With all his natural shrewdness,
and forewaried by the females of his own family, he is no
match for either the playful humor and frolics of the young,
sprightly ladies. Sham articles of food cleverly dressed in
close imitation of fruits and sweetmeats are offered him with-
out detection in the full blaze of day, and the attempt to
partake of them excites bursts of laughter and merriment.
The utmost female ingenuity is here brought into play to call
forth amusement at the expense of the duped youth. In
their own way, the good-natured females are mistresses of
jokes and jests, and nothing pleases them better than to find
the youthful new comer completely nonplused. This forms
the favorite subject of their talk long after the event. Shut
up in the cage of a secluded zenana, quite beyond the in-
fluence of the outside world, it is no wonder that their minds
and thoughts do not rise above the trifles of their own narrow
circle.

As in the case of the " Brother" festival, ample presents
of clothes, fruits, and sweetmeats are sent to the house of the
son-in-law, and every lane and street of Calcutta is thronged
with male and female servants trudging along with their
loads in full hopes of getting their share of eatables and a
Rupee or a half Rupee each into the bargain.

VIII.
THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

Y far the most popular religious festival of the present
day among the Hindoos of Bengal, is the Doorga Poo-
jaky which in the North- Western and Central Provin-
ces is called the Dusserah festival. It is believed that the
worship of the goddess Doorgah has been performed from time
out of mind. The following is a description of the image of
the goddess which is set up for worship : " In one of her right
hands is a spear, with which she is piercing the giant, Mbhi-
shasur ; with one of the left, she holds the tail of a serpent and
the hair of the giant, whose breast the serpent is biting. Her
other hands are all stretched behind her head and filled with
different instruments of war. Against her right leg leans a lion,
and against her left, the above giant. The images of Luckee,
Saraswathi, Kartick and Gannesh are very frequently made
and placed by the side of the goddess." The majestic
deportment of the goddess, with her three eyes and ten
arms, the warlike attitude in which she is represented, her
sanguinary character, which was the terror of all other gods,
and the mighty exploits (far surpassing in feats of strength,
courage and heroism, those of the Greek Hercules,) all com-
bine to give her an importance in the eyes of the people,
which is seldom vouchsafed to any other deity. Even
Bramah, Visknoo and Shiva the Creator, Preserver and Des-
troyer of the world, were said to have propitiated her, and
Ram Chunder, the deified hero, invoked her aid in his contest
with Ravana, and as he worshipped her in the month of
October, her Poojah has, from that particular circumstance,
been ever after appointed to take place in that period of the

96 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

year.* A short description of this festival, the preliminary rites
with which it is associated, and the national excitement and
hilarity which its periodical return produces among the people,
will not be altogether uninteresting to European readers.-f-

Twenty-one days before the commencement of the
Doorga Poojah festival, a preliminary rite, by way of purifying
the body and soul by means of ablution, is performed. The rite
IS called the ^^ Aapar pakhaya tarpan'' so called from its taking
place on the first day of Pratipad and ending on the fifteenth
day of ArndbashyUy an entire fortnight, immediately preceding
the Debipakhya during which the Poojah is celebrated. It gener-
ally falls between the fifteenth of September, and the fifteenth
of October. As already observed, this popular festival, called
Doorga Poojah in Bengal and Dussera "or the tenth" in the
North-West, although entirely military in its origin is univer-
sally respected. It is commemorative of the day on which the
god Ram Chunder first marched against his enemy, Rdvana,
in Lanka or Ceylon for the restoration of his wife, Seeta, \
who was deservedly regarded as the best model of devotion,
resignation and love, as is so beautifully painted by the poet :

" A woman's bliss is found, not in the smile

Of father, mother, friend, nor in herself :

Her husband is her only portion here,

Her heaven hereafter. If thou indeed

Depart this day into the forest drear,

I will precede, and smooth the thorny way."

* Doorga is also worshipped in the month of April, in the time of the
vernal equinox, but very few then offer her their devotion, though this celebra-
tion claims priority of origin.

t For some general remarks on the religion of the Hindoos, see Notec.

i**In this ancient story" says Tod, "we are made acquainted with the
distant maritime wars which the princes of India carried on. Even supposing
Havana's abode to be the insular Ceylon, he must have been a very powerful
prince to equip an armament sufficiently numerous to carry off from the remote
kingdom of Kousula the wife of the great king of the Suryas. It is most
improbable that a petty king of Ceylon could wage equal war with a potentate
who held the chief dominion of India; whose father, Domratha drove his
victorious car (ratha) over every region (desa) and whose intercourse with the
countries beyond the Bramaputra is distinctly to be traced in the Ramayana,^^

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL, 97

In the mornings of Apar pakhaya, for fifteen days con-
tinually, those who live near the sacred stream go thither
with a small copper-pan and some teel seeds, which they
sprinkle on the water at short intervals, while repeating the
formulae in a state of half immersion. To a foreigner quite
unacquainted with the meaning of these rites, the scene is
well calculated to impress the mind with an idea of the
exceeding devotedness of the Hindoos in observing their reli-
gious ordinances. The holy water and teel seeds which are
sprinkled are intended as offerings to the manes of ancestors
for fourteen generations, that their souls may continue to
enjoy repose to all eternity. The women, though some of
them are in the habit of bathing in the holy stream every
morning, are, however, precluded by their sex from taking
a part in this ceremony. Precisely on the last day of the
fortnight, u ^., on the AmaddskyUy as if the object were attain-
ed, the rite of ablution ends, followed by another of a more
comprehensive character. On this particular day, which is
called MoJtdloyd,^ the living again pay their homage to the
memory of the fourteen generations of their ancestors by
making them offerings of rice, fruits, sweetmeats, clothes,
curded milk, and repeating the incantations said by the priest,
at the conclusion of which he takes away all the articles
presented and receives his dakshind of one Rupee for his
trouble. Apart from their superstitious tendency, these
anniversaries, are not without their beneficial effects. They
tend, in no small degree, to inspire the mind with a religious
veneration for the memory of the departed worthies, and by
the law of the association of ideas not unfrequently bring
to recollection their distinctive features and individual
characteristics.

Some aristocratic families that have been observing this
festival for a long series of years, begin their Kalpa or preli-

^ * This is also the day which is vulgarly called the Kald kdtd amabdshay when
unripe plantain fruits are cut in immense quantities for offerings to Doorga.

N

98 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

minary rite on the ninth day of the decrease of the moon, when
an earthen water pot called ghaf^ is placed in a room called
bodanghur^ duly consecrated by theofficiating priest, who, assist-
ed by two other Brahmins, invokes the blessing of the deity by
reading a Sanskrit work, called Chundee^ which relates the nu-
merous deeds and exploits of the goddess. It is a noteworthy
fact that the Brahmin, who repeats the name of the god, Modo-
soodufty seems, to all appearance, to be absorbed in mental abs-
traction. With closed eyes and moving fingers, not unlike the
Rishis of old, he, as it were, disdains to look at the external
world. From early in the morning till lO o'clock the worship
before the earthen pot is continued, and the officiating priests-f-
are strictly prohibited from using j/^>4^, (rice) taking more than
one meal a day, or sleeping with their wives, as if that would be
an act of unpardonable profanation. This strict regime is to be
observed by them until the whole of the ceremonial is com-
pleted, on the tenth day of the new moon. It should be men-
tionedhere that the majority of the Hindoos begin their ^a:^^^, or
preliminary rite, on pratipad.ox^'^ beginning of the new moon,
when almost every town and village resounds with the sound
of conch, bell and gong, awakening latent religious emotions,
and evoking agamaney^ (songs or inaugural invocations) which
deeply affect the hearts of Doorga's devout followers. Some of
these rhythmic effusions are exceedingly pathetic. Iwish I could
give a specimen here of these songs divested of their idolatrous
tinge, but I am afraid of offendingtheearsof my European readers.
The BrahminsJ as a rule, commence their kalpa on the
sixth day or one day only previous to the beginning of the

* This sacred jar is marked with two combined triangles, denoting the
union of the two deities, Siva and Doorga,— the worshippers of the Sakti^
female energy, mark the jar with another triangle.

t The day before the Kalpa begins, these priests receive new clothes, com-
prising a dhootie and dtibj'a, and some money for habishay^ or food destitute of fish.
Very few, however, abide by the rules enjoined in the holy writings.

X Even in the observance of this religious preliminary, the Brahmins take
advantage of their superior caste, and curtail five days out of six in order to save
expense. Every thing is allowable in their case, because they assume to be
the oracles between the god and man.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL, 99

grand poojah on the seventh day of the new moon. From
the commencement of the initial rite, what thrilling sensations
of delight are awakened in the bosom of the young boys and
girls! Every morning and evening while the ceremony is
being solemnized, they scramble with each other to get
striking the gong and Kasur which produces a harsh, deafen-
ing sound. Their excitement increases in proportion to the
nearer approach of the festival, and the impression which
they thus receive in their early days is not entirely effaced
even after their minds are regenerated by the irresistible light
of truth. The females, too, manifest mingled sensations of
delight and reverence. If they are incapable of striking the
gongs, they are susceptible of deep devotional feelings which
the solemnity of the occasion naturally inspires. The encir-
cling of their neck with the end of their saree or garment,
expressive of humility, the solemn attitude in which they
pose, their inaudible muttering of the name of the goddess,
and their prostrating themselves before the consecrated pot
in a spirit of perfect resignation, denote a state of mind
full of religious fervour, or, more properly speaking, of su-
perstitious awe, which goes with them to their final rest-
ing place. On the night of the sixth day (Shashti) after
the increase of the moon, another rite is performed, which is
termed Uddhibassey, its object being to welcome the advent of
the visible goddess with all necessary paraphernalia. Another
sacred earthen pot is placed in the outer temple of the
goddess, and a young plantain tree, with a couple of wood
apples intended for the breast, is trimmed for the next
morning's ablution. This plantain tree, called kalabhoyCy is
designed as a personification of Doorga in another shape.
It is dressed in a silk saree^ its head is daubed with vermilion *

* The vermilion is used by a Hindoo female whose husband is alive^ the
privilege of putting it on the forehead is considered a sign of great merit and
virtue.

icx) THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

and is placed by the side of Gannesh. Musicians with
their ponderous dhak and dhole and sannai (flutes) are retained
from this day for five days at 12 or 1 6 Rupees for the occasion *
That music imparts a solemnity to religious service is admitted
by all, but its harmony may be taken as an indication of the
degree of excellence and refinement to which a nation has
attained in the scale of civilization. What with the sonorous
sound oidkak and dkoky sannai^ conch and gong, the effect can-
not fail to be impressive to a devout Hindoo mind. Except
Brahmins, no one is allowed to touch the idol from this night,
after the bellbarun^ when it is supposed life and animation is
imparted into it. By the marvellous repetition of a few in-
cantations a perfectly inanimate object stuffed only with clay
and straw, and painted, varnished and ornamented in all the
tawdriness of oriental fashion, is suddenly metamorphosed
into a living divinity. Can religious jugglery, and blind erf '^*^^
dulity go farther ?

It will not be out of place to say a few words here abouFl^f^^
the embellishments of the images. As a refined taste is
being cultivated, a growing desire is manifested to decorate
the idols with splendid tinsel and gewgaws, which are admi-
rably calculated to heighten the magnificence of the scene
in popular estimation. Apart from the feast of colors
presented to public view, the idols are adorned with tinsel
ornaments, which, to an untutored mind, are in the highest
degree captivating. Some families that are placed in afflu-
ent circumstances, literally rack their brains to discover new
and more gaudy embellishments which, when compared with
those of their neighbours, might carry off" the bubble reputa-
tion. It is, perhaps, not generally known that a certain class
of men — chiefly drawn from the lower strata of society —

* There is a singular coincidence between the Hindoos and the ancient
heathen nations in regard to music. In both it is used as an indispensable accom-
paniment to religious worship.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. loi

subsist on this trade ; they prepare a magnificent stock of tinsel
wares for a twelve month, and supply the entire Hindoo
community, from Calcutta to the remotest provinces and
villages. Indeed so great is the rage for novelty and so strong
the influence of vanity, that not content with costly home
made ornaments, some of the Baboos send their orders to
England for new patterns, designs and devices, that they may
be able to make an impression on the popular mind ; and
as English taste is incomparably superior to native taste, both
in the excellence and finish of workmanship as well as in
neatness and elegance, the images that shine in new fashioned
English embellishments * are sure to challenge the admira-
tion of the populace. On the day of Nirunjun, or Vhasan
as it is vulgarly called, countless myriads of people throng
the principal streets of Calcutta, to catch a glimpse of the
celebrated pritimas^ or images, and carry the information
home to their absent friends in the villages.

Before sunrise on Saptami^ or the seventh day of the
bright phase of the moon, the oflGciating priest, accompanied
by bands of musicians and a few other members of the family,
proceeds barefooted to the river side bearing on his shoulder
the kalabhoye or plantain tree described above with an air
of gravity as if he had charge of a treasure chest of great
value. These processions are conducted with a degree of
pomp corresponding with the other extraneous splendours of
the festival. In Calcutta, bands of English musicians, and
numbers of staff holders with high flying colors, give an
importance to the scene, which is not ill suited to satisfy the
vulgar taste. After performing some minor ceremonies on

* It is no less strange than surprising that ornamental articles prepared by
the hands of European artisans who are accustomed to eat beef and Dork, the
very mention, and much more, the touch of which contaminates tne purity
of religion, are put on the bodies and heads of Hindoo gods without the least
religious scruple, simply for the gratification of vanity. So much for the consist-
ent and immaculate cnaracter of the Hindoo creed I

102 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

the banks of the river, and bathing the plantain tree, the
procession returns home, escorting the officiating priest with
his precious charge in the same way in which he was con-
veyed to the Ghdt. On reaching home, the priest, washing his
feet, proceeds to rebathe the plantain tree, rubbing on its
body all kinds of scented oils * as if to prepare it for a gay,
convivial party. This part of the ceremony, with appro-
priate incantations, being gone through, the plantain tree
is placed again by the side of the image of Gannesh, who
being the eldest son of Doorga, must be worshipped first.
Thus the right of precedence of rank is in full force even
among the Hindoo gods and goddesses.

Previous to the commencement of the Saptami^ or first
Pooja, the officiating priest again consecrates the goddess
Doorga, somewhat in the following manner: "Oh, goddess,
come and dwell in this image, and bless him that worships
you," naming the person, male or female, who is to reap the
benefit of the meritorious act. Thus, the business of giving
life and eyes to the gods being finished, the priest, with two
forefingers of his right hand, touches the forehead, cheeks,
eyes, breast and other parts of the image, repeating all the,
while the prescribed incantation: "May the soul of Doorga
long continue to dwell in this image." This part of the cere-
mony, which is accompanied with music, being performed,
offerings are made to all the gods and goddesses, as well as to
the companions of Doorga in her wars, which are painted in
variegated colors on the chall or shed over the goddess in the
form of a crescent. The offerings consist principally of small
pieces of gold and silver, rice, fruits, sweetmeats, cloths, brass
utensils and a few other things. These are arranged in large
round wooden or brass plates, and a bit of flower or bell leaf

* These scented oils are mostly prepared by Mussulmans, whose very touch
is enough to desecrate a thing ; the Brahmins knowing this fact unhesitatingly
use them for religious purposes. Thus we see in almost every sphere of social
and domestic life the fundamental rules of religious purity are shamefully violated.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 103

IS cast upon them to guard against their being desecrated by
the demon Ravana, who is supposed to take delight in insult-
ing the gods and goddesses ; the officiating priest then con-
secrates them all by repeating a short mantra and sprinkling
flowers and bell leaves on them, particular regard being had
to the worship of the whole host of deities according to their
respective position in the Hindoo pantheon. Even the most
subordinate and insignificant gods or companions of Doorga
must be propitiated by small bits of plantain and a few grains
of rice, which are afterwards given to the idol makers and
painters of the gods and goddesses. More valuable offerings
form the portion of the Brahmins, who look upon and claim
these as their birthright. In the evening, as in the morning,
the goddess is again worshipped, and while the service is being
held the musicians are called to play their musical instru-
ments with a view to add to the solemnity of the occasion.
In the morning, some persons sacrifice goats and fruits, such
as pumpkin, sugar-cane, &c., before the goddess. In the pre-
sent day, many respectable families have discontinued the prac-
tice from a feeling of compassion towards the dumb animals,
though express injunctions are laid down in the Shasters in
its favor. It is a remarkable fact that the idea of sacrifice as a
religious institution tending to effect the remission of sin was
almost co-existent with the first dawn of human knowledge.
The Reverend Dr. K. M. Banerjea thus writes: "Of the in-
scrutable Will of the Almighty, that without shedding of
blood there is no remission of sin, this, too, appears im-
bedded in ancient Ayrian tradition in the sruti or hearings
of our ancestors." Next to the Jews, this religious duty was
scrupulously observed by the Brahmins. Names of priests,
words for fire, for those on whose behalf the sacrifices were
performed, for the materials with which they were performed,
abound in language etymologically derived from words im-
plying sacrifice. No literature contains so many vocables

104 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

relating to sacrificial ceremonies as Sanskrit. Katyayana
says, "that heaven and all other happiness are the results of
sacrificial ceremonies. And it was a stereotyped idea with
the founders of Hindooism that animals were created for
sacrifices. Nor were these in olden days considered mere
offerings of meat to certain carnivorous deities, followed by
the sacrificers themselves feasting on the same, as the prac-
tice of the day represents the idea. The various nature of
the sacrifices appears to have been substantially comprehend-
ed by the promoters of the institution in India. The sacri-
ficer believed himself to be redeemed by means of the sacrifice.
The animal sacrificed was itself called the sacrifice, because
it was the ransom for the soul." If we leave India and go
back to the tradition and history of the other ancient nations,
we shall find many instances, proving the existence among
them of the sacrificial rite for the remission of sin and the
propitiation of the Deity. The hecatombs of Greece, and the
memorable dedication of the temple of Solomon when 20,000
oxen* and 100,000 sheep were slain before the altar, are too
well known to need any comment.

In these later ages, when degeneracy has made rapid
strides amongst the people of the country, the original inten-
tion of the founder of the institution being lost sight of, a

* It is deserving of notice that the slaughter of oxen, cows or calves is most
religiously forbidden in the Hindoo Shaster. Divine honors are paid to the
species. The cow is regarded as a form of Doorga and called Bhuggobutty. The
husband of Doorga, Shiva, rides naked on an ox. The very dung of a cow
purifies all unclean things in a Hindoo household, and possesses the property of a
disinfectant. The milk of a cow assuredly affords the best nourishment to the
young and the old, hence the species was deified by the Hindoo sages. Even
after the advent of the English into this country for above two centuries, an or-
thodox Hindoo is apt to exclaim "what impious times !" whenever he happens
to see a Mussulman butcher carry a cow or calf in the street for slaughtering
purposes. Not a few wonder how the English power continues to prosper amidst
the daily perpetration of such irreligious acts. By way of derision, the English
are called gokhdduk or beef-eaters and the goylds (milkmen) Kdsays or butchers.
If such Hindoos had power enough they would certainly have delivered their
country from the grasp of these beef-eaters and placed it above the reach of sacrilli-
gious hands. But alas 1 in the present Kaliyaga or iron age, both they and
their gods are alike impotent.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 105

perverted taste has given it an essentially sensual character.
Instead of offering sacrifice from purely religious motives, it is
now made for the gratification of carnivorous appetite. The
late King of Nuddea, Rajah Kristo Chunder Roy, though an
orthodox Hindoo of the truest type, was said to have offered at
one of these festivals a very large number of goats and sheep
to the goddess Doorga. "He began," says Ward, "with one,
and, doubling the number each day, continued it for sixteen
days. On the last day, he killed 33,168, and on the whole he
slaughtered 65,535 animals. He loaded boats with the bodies
and sent them to the neighbouring Brahmins, but they could
not devour them fast enough, and great numbers were thrown
away. Let no one, after this, tell us of the scruples of the
Brahmins about destroying animal life and eating animal food."
About twelve o'clock in the day, when the morning
service is over, the male members of the family make their
poospaunjooley or offerings of flowers to the images, repeating
an incantation recited by the priest, for all kinds of worldly
blessings, such as health, wealth, fame, long age, children,
&c. The women come in afterwards for the same hallowed
purpose, and inaudibly recite the incantation repeated by the
priest inside the screen. The very sight of the images glad-
dens their hearts and quickens their throbs. Though fasting,
they feel an extreme reluctance to leave the shrine and the
divinities, declaring that their hunger and thirst are gone not
from actual excess in eating and drinking but from their full-
ness of heart at the presence of Ma Doorga. But go they
must to make way for the servants to remove the offerings,
distribute them among the Brahmins, and clean the temple
for the evening service, at the close of which Brahmins and
other guests begin to come in and partake of the entertain-
ment* provided for the occasion.

* It is generally known that except the Brahmins, who are proverbially noted
for their eating propensities, scarcely any respectable Hindoo condescends to sit

io6 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

On the second day of the Poojah, offerings and sacrifices
are made in the same manner as on the first day, but this is
considered a specially holy day, being the day, as is generally
supposed, when the mighty goddess is expected to come down
from the mount Himalaya, and cast a twinkling of her eye
upon the divers offerings of her devotees in the terrestrial
world. This day is called Moha Ustamyy being the eighth day
of the increase of the moon, and is religiously observed through-
out Bengal. In Calcutta, this is the day when thousands
and tens of thousands of Hindoos, who have had no
Poojah in their houses, proceed to Kalyghdt in the suburbs, and
do not break their fast before making suitable offerings to the
goddess Kali, who, according to Hindoo mythology, is but
another incarnation of the goddess, Doorga. Except little chil-
dren, almost all the members of a family, male and female*
together with the priest, fast all day, and, if the combination
of stars require it, almost the whole night. Elderly men of
the orthodox type devote the precious time to religious con-
templation. Until the Moha Ustaniy^ and its necessary ad-
junct Shundya Poojah^ is finished, all are on the qui vive. It
generally happens that this service is fixed by astrologers to
take place before night's midmost stillest hour is past, when
nature seems to repose in a state of perfect quiescence, and
to call forth the religious fervour of the devotees. As the

down to a regular jalpdn dinner at this popular festival. He comes, gives his
usual prandmy of one Rupee to the goddess in the thdcoonUUany talks with the
owner of the house for a few minutes, is presented by way of compliment with
otto of roses and pan, and then goes away, making the stereotyped plea that he
has many other places to go to. Besides this, every man is expected to provide
himself at home with a good stock of choice eatables on this festive occasion.
The prices of sweetmeats, already too high, are nearly doubled at this time,
because of the large demand and small supply. From 32 Rupees a maund (82 lbs)
the normal price of sumiesh in ordinary times, it rises to 60 or 70 Rupees in the
Poojah time. Milk sells at four annas a pound, and without milk no sundesh
could be made. It is the most expensive article of food among the Hindoos of
Bengal, when well made with fresh channa (curded milk) it has a fine taste, but
is entirely destitute of nutrilive property. The Hindoos of the Upper Provinces,
however, do not regard the preparation as /«;v, and consequently do not use it,
because of its admbcture with curded milk.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 107

edge of hunger is sharpened, a Hindoo most anxiously looks
at his watch or clock as to when the precious moment should
arrive, and as the hour draws near, men, women and chil-
dren are all hushed into silence. Not a whisper nor a buzzing
sound is to be heard. All is anxeity, suspense and expectation,
as if the arrival of the exact time would herald the advent
of a true Saviour into the world. Amid perfect silence and
stillness, all ears are stretched to catch the sound of the gun*
which announces the precise minute when this most impor-
tant of all Poojahs is to begin. As soon as the announce-
ment is made by the firing of a gun, the priest in all haste
enters on the work of worship, and invokes the blessings of
the goddess on himself and the family. When the time of
sacrifice arrives, which is made known by the sound of
another gun, all the living souls in the house are bade to
stand aloof, the priest with trembling hands and in a state
of trepidation consecrates the Kharra^ or scimitar, with which
the sacrifice is to be made, and placing the Khaparer sara by
the side of the haureekat^ (the sacrificial log of wood) bids the
blacksmith finish off his bloody job. Should the latter cut
the head of a goat off at one stroke, all eyes are turned to-
wards him with joy. The priest, the master, and the inmates
of the house, who are all this while under the influence of
mental agitation, now begin to congratulate each other on their
good luck, praying for the return of the goddess every year.
Nor must I omit to mention the other secondary rites
which are performed on the second day of the Poojah. Be-
sides absolute fasting, the females of the household actually
undergo a fiery ordeal. About one in the afternoon, when
the tumult and bustle have subsided a little, all males being
told to go away, the women unveiling their faces, and holding
in each hand a sara or earthen plate of rosin, squat down

* Rich men are in the habit of firing guns for the guidance of the people.

io8 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

before the shrine of the goddess, and in the posture of quasi-*
penitent sinners, implore in a fervent spirit the benediction
of the goddess on behalf of their sons, while the rosin con-
tinues to bum in slow fire. As if dead to a sense of con-
sciousness, they remain in that trying state for more than half
an hour, absorbed, as it were, in holy meditation, repeating
in their minds, at the same time, the names of their guardian
deities. Towards the close of this penitent service, a son is
asked to sit on the lap of his mother. Barren women to whom
Providence has denied this inestimable blessing must go
without this domestic felicity resulting in religious consola-
tion, and not only mourn their present forlorn condition, but
pray for a happier one at next birth. A few puncture their
breasts with a slender iron naroon or nail cutter, and offer a
few drops of blood to the goddess, under a delusion that the
severer the penance the greater the merit. Many women
still go through this truly revolting ordeal at Kali Ghat,
in fulfilment of vows made in times of sickness.

Another ceremony which is performed by the females on
this particular day is their worship of living Brahmin Kama-
rees (virgins) and matrons {sodkavas). After washing and
wiping the feet of the objects of their worship, with folded
hands, and, with the end of their sari round their necks, in
a reverential mood, they fall prostrate before the Brahmin
women, and crave blessings which, when graciously vouch-
safed, are followed by offerings of sweetmeats, clothes and
rupees. The purpose of this ceremony is to obtain exemp-
tion from the indescribable misery of widowhood, and ensure
the enjoyment of domestic happiness.

On the third or last day of the Poojah, being the ninth
day of the increase of the moon, the prescribed ritualistic cere-
monies having been performed, the officiating priests make
the koam and dkukinantOy a rite, the meaning of wl>ich is to
present farewell offerings to the goddess for one year, adding

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 109

in a suitable prayer that she will be graciously pleased to
forgive the present shortcomings on the part of her devotees,
and vouchsafe to them her blessings in this world as well as
in the world to come. This is a very critical time for the
priests, because the finale of the ceremony involves the impor-
tant question of their respective gains. Weak and selfish as
human nature assuredly is, each of them (generally three in
number) fights for his own individual interest, justifying his
claim on the score of the religious austerities he has had to
undergo, and the devotional fervour with which his sacred duties
have been discharged. Until this knotty question is satisfac-
torily solved, they forbear pronouncing the last munter or prayer.
It is necessary to add here that the presents of rupees which
the numerous guests offered to the goddess during the three
days of the Poojah, go to swell the fund of the priest, to
which the worshipper of the idol must add a separate sum,
without which this act of merit loses its final reward in a
future state. The devotee must satisfy the cupidity of the
priests or run the risk of forfeiting divine mercy. When
the problem is ultimately solved in favor of the officiating
priest who actually makes the Poojah, and sums of money
are put into the hands of the Brahmins, the last prayer is
read. It is not perhaps generally known that the income
the Indian ecclesiastics thus derive from this source supports
them for the greater part of the year, with a little gain in
money or kind from the land they own.

The last day of the Poojah is attended with many offer-
ings of goats, sheep, buffaloes* and fruits. The area before
the shrine becomes a sort of slaughter house, slippery with
gore and mire, and resounding with the cries of the dying
victims, and the still more vociferous shouts of " Ma^ Mai*

* The flesh of buflfaloes is used only by sweepers, shoemakers, &c., who
sometimes quarrel for the possession of the slaughtered animals. The meat with
country liquor ends in drunken feasts.

no THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

uttered by the rabble amidst the discordant sound of gongs
and drums. Some of the deluded devotees, losing all sense
of shame and decency, smear their bodies from head to foot
with this bloody mire, and begin to dance before the goddess
and the assembled multitude like wild furies. In this state
of bestial fanaticism, utterly ignoring the ordinary rules of
public decorum, and literally intoxicated with the glory of the
meritorious act, the deluded mob, preceded by musicians,
proceed from one house to another in the neighbourhood where
the image has been set up, sing obscene songs, and otherwise
make indecent gestures which are alike an outrage on public
morals and common decency. When quite exhausted by
these abominable orgies, they go and bathe in a river or a
tank, and return home, thinking how to make the most of the
last night. Should any sober-minded person remonstrate
with them on their foolish conduct, the stereotyped reply
is — "this is Mohamayer Bazar and the. last day of the Poojah,
when all sorts of tomfoolery and revelry are justifiable." The
sensible portion of the community, it must be mentioned, keep
quite aloof from such immoral exhibitions.

However great may have been the veneration or the
depth of devotional feeling in which the Doorga Poojah was
held among the Hindoos of bygone ages, it is certain that
in the lapse of time this and all other national festivals have
lost their original religious character, and in the majority of
cases degenerated into profanities and impure orgies, which
renew the periodical license for the unrestrained indulgence of
sensuality, not to speak of the dissipation and debauchery
which it usually brings in its train. Except a few patriarchal
Hindoos, whose minds are deeply imbued with religious pre-
possessions as well as traditional proclivities, the generality
celebrate the Poojah for the sake of name and fame, no less
than for the purposes of amusement, and for the satisfaction
of the women and children, who still retain, and will continue

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL, iir

to do so for a long time to come, a profound veneration for
the old Doorga Uttsob, Apart from the children, whose
minds are susceptible of any impression in their nascent
state, the women are the main prop of the idolatrous
institutions and of the colossal superstructure of Hindoo
superstition. If I am not much mistaken, it was to satisfy
them that such distinguished Hindoo Reformers as the late
Baboos Dwarkeynauth Tagore, Prosonocoomar Tagore, Roma-
nauth Tagore, Ram Gopal Ghose, Digumber Mitter and others
celebrated this Poojah in their family dwelling houses. How
far they were morally justified in countenancing thig popular
festival, it is not for me to say. The fact speaks for itself.
Even in the present time, when Hindoo society is being pro-
foundly convulsed by heterodox opinions, not a few of my
enlightened countrymen observe this religious festival, and
spend thousands of rupees on its celebration. There are,
however, a few redeeming features in connection with this
annual demonstration, which ought to be prominently no-
ticed. First and foremost, it affords an excellent opportunity
for the exercise of benevolent feelings ;* secondly, it materi-
ally contributes to the promotion of annual reunions, brotherly
fraternization, and to the general encouragement of trade
throughout Bengal.

The very great interest which Hindoo females feel in the
periodical return of this grand festival, is known to every one
who is at all conversant with the existing state of things in

* The late Rajah Rajkissen Bahadoor, Baboos Santiram Sing, Ramdoolal
Dey, Shibnarain Ghose, Prankissen Holdar, the Mullick family, the Ghosal family
of Bhookoylash and others, spent large sums of money from year to year in giving
clothes, food and money to a very large number of poor men, and liberating pri-
soners from jail on payment of their debts. Any relief to suffering humanity is
certainly an act of great merit for which the donors deserve well of the community.
In our days there are several Baboos who do the same on a limited scale, but
the name of Baboo Tarucknauth Puramanick of Kassiriparrah deserves a special
notice. Naturally unassuming and unambitious, his character is as irreproachable
as his large-hearted ness is conspicuous. On every anniversary of the Doorga
Poojah, and on almost every religious celebration, he gives alms to hundreds and
thousands of poor people without distinction of caste or creed. On the occasion

112 THE DOORGA POO J AH FESTIVAL.

this country. In the numerous districts and villages of Bengal
inaugural preparations are made for the celebration of this anni-
versary rite precisely from the day on which the Juggernauth
car is drawn in Assar, from the date of the festival of Ruth
Jattra, that is for about four months before the date of the
Doorga Poojah. While the koomar, or the image maker,
is engaged in nriaking the Bamboo frame-work for the images,
the women in the villages devote their time to cleaning and
storing the rice, paddy, different kinds of pulse, cocoanuts, and
other products of the farm, all which are required for the ser-
vice of the goddess. Ten times a day they will go to the temple
to see what the Koomar is doing. Not capable of writing, nor
having any idea of * Letts' Diaries,* they note down in their
minds the daily progress of work, and feel an ineffable pleasure
in communicating the glad tidings to each other. When day
by day the straw forms are converted into clay figures, and they
are for the first time plastered over with chalk and then
painted with variegated colors, the hearts of the females leap
with joy, and again when the completed images are being
decorated with dack ornaments or tinsel ware, their exhilaration
knows no bounds. In the fulness of anxiety, the mistress
of the house directing her attention to what more is
yet wanted for the due completion of the Poojah, rebukes
the master for his apparent neglect somewhat in the fol-
lowing manner : " Where is the dome sujah, (basketware) ?
Where is the koomar stijah^ (pottery) ? Where are the spices
and clothes ? Where are the sidoorchupry and sundry other
things for the Barandalla ?" Adding that there is no time to

of the Doorga Poojah festival he would not break his fast until midnight, when
he is assured that all the poor people who came to his door have been duly pro-
vided with food and coppers. For three nights this distribution of alms continues.
The public road before his house is closed by order of the police for the accom-
modation of beggars. Five or six times in a month he feeds all the poor people
that come to his house, hence the fame of his generosity is spread far and wide, and
he is surnamed Taruck Baboo, **the datta* or charitable — a distinction which
the more opulent of his countrymen (and there are not a few) should seek to
covet.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL, 113

be lost, the Poojah is near at hand. The husband acquiescing
in what the wife says assures her that everything shall be
procured by Saturday or Sunday next.

On the first day of the new moon, when every Hindoo
in the city becomes more or less busy on account of his
official, domestic and religious engagements, the lady of the
house is chiefly occupied with making suitable arrangements
for tutwa or presents, first to her son-in-law and then to her
other relatives, a subject on which I shall have to say a few
words in its proper place. On the eve of the sixth day of
the new moon, when the grand Poojah may be said to
commence, the females, consigning all their past sorrows to
oblivion, feel a sort of elasticity, hopefulness and confidence
which almost involuntarily draw forth from the depths of their
hearts, feelings of joy and ecstacy. Even a virgin widow,
whose grief is yet fresh, forgets her miseries for awhile, and
cheerfully mingles in the jubilee. She forms part and parcel
of the domestic sisterhood, and for the five days of her life at
least, her settled sadness gives way to pleasing sensations, and
though forbidden by a cruel priesthood to lend her hand to
the ceremonial, she nevertheless goes up to the goddess and
prays in a devotional spirit for a better future. Amidst such
a scene of universal hilarity, supplemented by a confident
hope of eternal beatitude, it is quite natural that Hindoo
females, socially divorced from every other innocent amuse-
ment, should feel a deep, sincere and intense interest in such
a national festival which possesses the twofold advantages of
a religious ceremony and a social demonstration. None but
the most callous hearted can remain indifferent. Men, women
and children, believers and unbelievers, are alike overcome by
the force of this religious anniversary. The females go to
the temple at all hours of the day, and feast their eyes
upon the captivating figure of mighty Doorga and her
glorious satellites. Nor do they stare at her with a vacant

P.

114 THE DOORGA POO/AH FESTIVAL.

mind ; each has her grievance to represent, her wish to
express ; prayer in a fervent spirit is offered to the goddess
for the redress of the one and the consummation of the other.
Should a son die prematurely, should a husband suffer from
any difficulty, should a son-in-law be not true to his wife, should
a daughter be doomed to widowhood, the females wrestle
hard in prayer for relief and amelioration. On the fourth
or Bijoya day, when the image is to be consigned to the
river, one takes away a bit of the consecrated urghy* ; a
second, the khappurer sara^ or the sacrificial earthen plate ;
a third, the crushed betel ; a fourth, the sacred billaw leaves,
and so on ; each forms a sacred trust, and all are preserved with
the greatest possible care, as the priceless heirloom of a
benignant goddess.

Having briefly described the main features of this reli-
gious festival, I will now endeavour to give a short account of
the oth6r circumstances connected with it. In the house of
a Brahmin, Kkickree^ rice, dhall, fish and vegetable curries,
together with sweetmeats and sour milk, are given to the
guests, chiefly in the day time during the three Pooja days.
Many Hindoos, whose religious scruples will not allow them
to kill a goat themselves, generally go to the house of a Brah-
min — but not without an eight anna piece or a Rupee — to
satisfy their carnivorous appetite during the Poojah. It is
very creditable to the women of the sacerdotal class that
three or four of them undertake the duty of the cuisine^ and
feed from six to eight hundred persons for three days succes-
sively. As fish is not acceptable to Doorga, neither cooked
goat's and sheep's flesh, a separate kitchen is set apart for the
purpose of cooking meat of sacrificed annimals. Brahmin

* An Urghy is a bunch of doorva grass tied up at the last, either with red
cotton or a slip of plaintain leaf. Two or three of such bundles are made, one
is placed on the crown of the goddess and two on her two feet. It is usually
stuffed with paddy and besmeared with sandal wood water and vemillion. It is
a sacred offering and consequently preserved for solemn occassions.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 115

women, as a rule, cook remarkably well. Their long expe-
rience in the culinary art, their habitual cleanliness, their un-
divided attention to their duty, and above all, the religious awe
with which they prepare food for the goddess, give quite a
relish to every thing they make. Nor is this all. Their devotion
and earnestness is so great that they cannot be persuaded
to eat any thing until all the guests are fully satisfied, and
what is still more commendable, they look to no other reward
for their trouble than the fancied approbation of the goddess,
and the satisfaction of the guests. It is not before nine o'clock
at night that they become disengaged, after which they bathe
again, change clothes, say their prayers to the goddess, and
then think of appeasing their hunger. Simple and unartifical
as they naturally are, they, being mostly widows, are quite
content with habishi unnOy which was of yore the food of the
Hindoo riskis or saints. It consists of autob rice, or rice from
unboiled paddy, green plaintain and dhall, all boiled in the
same pot. Of course a large quantity of ghee is added to it,
and at the time of eating milk is taken. These Brahmin
women are, indeed, mistresses of the culinary art, if the
bill of fare is not long, yet the. dishes they make are generally
very palatable. The truth is, they practically follow the
trite saying, "what is worth doing at all, is worth doing
well." Their simple recipes always produce appetising and
wholesome dishes, they are thrifty housewives. It must be
admitted that simplicity is not meanness, nor thriftiness a
fault.

. In the house of a Kayasta or Sndra^ whose female
members, it must be observed, are generally more indolently
inclined, and whose style of living is consequently more lux-
urious, the food offered to the guests consists chiefly of differ-
ent kinds of sweetmeats, fruits, lochees, vegetable curries, &c.
Four or five days before the Poojah begins, professional
Brahmin sweetmeat-makers are employed to make the neces-

ii6 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

sary arrangements at home, the principal ingredients required
being flour, soojee^ chatioo, (gram fried and powdered) safeyda
(pounded rice) sugar, spices, almonds, raisins, &c. Not a
soul is permitted, not even the master of the house, to touch
and much less taste these articles* before they are religiously
offered to the goddess in the first instance and afterwards to
the Brahmins. In these "feast days" of the Poojah in and
about Calcutta, where nearly five hundred pratimas or images
are set up, every respectable Hindoo, as has been observed
before, is previously provided at home with an adequate supply
of all the necessaries and luxuries of life that would last about
a month or so, it being considered unpropitious then to be
wanting in any store, save fruit and fish. This accounts for
a general disinclination on the part of the well-to-do Baboos
to partake of any ordinary entertainment when visiting the
goddess at a friend's house, but to the Brahmins and the pover-
ty-stricken classes this is a glorious opportunity for "gorging."
The despicable practice to which I have alluded elsewhere
of carrying a portion of the jalpan (food) home is largely
resorted to on this occasion. It is certainly a relic of
barbarism, which the growing good sense of the people ought
to eschew.

The night of the ninth day of the increase of the moon
is a grand night in Bengal. It is the nabamee ratree^ and
modesty is put to the blush by the revelry of the hour. The
houses of the rich become as bright as the day, costly chan-
deliers, hanging lamps and wall lights burning with gas, bril-
liantly illuminate the whole mansion, while the walls of the
Boytuckhana or sitting room are profusely adorned with
English and French paintings and engravings, exhibiting
certainly not the best specimens of artistic skill, but sin-

* Home made things are, in the long run, cheaper and more preferable to
the questionable products of the market, which are not only inferior in quality
but are more or less subject to defilement, being exposed for sale to people of
all castes. This detracts.from the absolute purity of the preparation.

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 117

gularly calculated to extort the plaudits of the illiterate,
because engravings and pictures are the books of the unlearned,
who are more easily impressed through the eye than the ear.
All the rooms and antechambers are frequently furnished in
European style. Splendid Brussels or Agra carpets are spread
on the floors of the rooms, a few of which, as if by way of
contrast, have the ordinary white cloth spread on them.
Nor are hanging Punkhas wanting. In one of the spacious
halls sits the Baboo of the house, surrounded by courtiers
pandering to his vanity. Indolently reclining on a bolster,
and leisurely smoking his dlbollah with a long winding 7ial or
pipe, half dizzy from the effects of last night's revelry, he
feels loath to speak much. Like an opium eater, he falls
into a siesta, whilst the Punkah is moving incessantly. If
an orthodox Hindoo, freed from the besetting vice of drinking,
and awake to all that is going on around him, before him
are placed the Dacca silver filagree worked attei^dan and
golappass^ as well as th^pandan with lots of spices and betel
in it. On entering the room, the olfactory nerves of a visitor
are sure to be regaled with fragrant odours. At intervals
rose water is sprinkled on the bodies of the guests, and
weak spiced tobacco is served them every fifteen minutes,
the current topics of the day forming the subject of conver-
sation. All this is surely vain ostentation and superfluity.
So far the arrangements and reception of friends are essen-
tially oriental^ the manner of sitting, the mode of conversa-
tion, and the way in which otto of roses, rose water and
betel are given to guests are Mahomedan and Hindoo-like,
but there is something beyond this ; here orthodoxy is virtually
proscribed and heterodoxy practically proclaimed. While the
officiating priests and the female devotees are offering their
prayers to the presiding goddess, the Baboo, a liberal Hindoo,
longs to retire to his private room, perhaps on the third storey,
at the entrance of which a guard is placed to keep off unwel-

Ii8 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

come visitors, that he might partake of refreshments supplied
by an English Purveying Establishment with a few select
friends. The room is furnished after European fashion, chairs,
tables, sofas, cheffoniers, cheval glass, sideboard, pictures,
glass and silver and plated ware, knives, forks and spoons,
and I know not what more, are all arranged in proper order,
and friends of congenial tastes have free access. First class
wines and viands, such as Giesler's champagne, Heatly*s Port
and Sherry, Exshaw's Brandy No. i. Crabbie's Ginger wine,
Bass's best bottled beer, soda water, lemonade, ice, Huntley
and Palmer's mixed biscuits, manilla cigars, cakes and fruits
in heaps, poloway^ kurmUy hiptay kallyUy roast fowl, cutlets,
mutton chop and fowl curry,* are at your service, and an
English visitor is not an unwelcome guest. LoocJtee, Sundesh
mittoye^ btirfi^ rasagullah^ sittavogy &c., the ordinary food of
the Hindoos on festive days, are at a discount. The Great
Eastern Hotel Company should be thankful for the large
orders which the Hindoo aristocracy of Calcutta and its
suburbs favor them with during this grand festival. The
taste for the English style of living is not a plant of recent

* It would not be out of place to observe here that liberal Hindoos as a
body are not beef-eaters as is vulgarly supposed. They are content with fowls,
goat, sheep and fish. About forty years ago before the Calcutta University was
founded, the late Baboo Isser Chunder Goopto, the editor of Pravakur^ a verna-
cular news paper, very cleverly hit off and satirised in popular ballads the then
growing desire of the young Hindoo reformers to adopt a European style of eating.
He commenced with Rammohun Roy — the pioneer of Hindoo reformation — and
thus sarcastically described his public career. Addressing Saranvattee the Hin-
doo goddess of learning, he thus laments : ** Oh goddess ! in vain have you estab-
lished schools in Calcutta, look at the end of that Roy (Rammohun Roy); profound
learning had wafted him over the waters to a distant region (England), and never
brought him back again." As regards the young alumni, he makes a wife thus
accost her husband : **/Va«, Pran^ my heart, my heart, you go to society and
lectures every day, and when the Examination is held at the Town Hall you get
prizes, heaps and heaps of books you read and always remain outside. Is it
written in the books that you should never touch the body of a female ? What
sort of a gooroo (master) is your Sahib ? he is a regular gam (bull) if he give you
such lessons. You dislike loochee and mundd (Hindoo sweetmeats) but you get
gunda and gunda of fowl eggs and satisfy your hunger, and for you all there is
an end of cows and calves." But this is an exaggeration about the eating of
beef by the educated Hindoos. Except a few medical students, who have, in a great
measure, overcome their prejudices by the constant handling of dead bodies, the
rest still feel a sort of natural repugnance to eating beef. This is, perhaps, the

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 119

growth. It has been germinating since the days of John
Company, when India merchantmen enjoyed the monopoly of
the foreign trade of the country, when the highest authorities
of the land had no religious scruples as Christians to be
present at a Hindoo festival, when, in fact, Hindoo million-
aires were wont to indulge in lavish expenditure* for the
purpose of pleasing their new European masters. Leaving
aside the dignity and gravity of the clerical profession for a
while, the Reverend Mr. Ward was induced out of curiosity
to pay a visit to the palatial mansion of the Shoba Bazar
Rajahs of Calcutta on the last night of the Poojah.

"In the year 1806," says he, "I was present at the wor-
ship of this goddess, as performed at the house of Rajah
Rajkishnu at Calcutta. The buildings where the festival was
held were on four sides, leaving an area in the middle. The
room to the' east contained wine, English sweetmeats, &c.,

effect of early impressions produced by the religious veneration in which a cow
is held among the Hindoos. *'The superstitious reverence," says an eminent
writer, ** for the ox, points doubtless to a period when that useful animal was
first naturalized in India and protected by a law for its preservation and en-
couragement, which, now that the original intention is lost sight of in the lapse of
ages, has invested the cattle with a religious character, and, indeed, it is not 200
years sifice the Emperor Jehangir was obliged once to prohibit the slaughter
of kine for a term of years, as a measure absolutely required to prevent the ruin
of agriculture." It is a striking fact that that loathsome disease, leprosy, is
very common among the lower orders of Mussulmans who use this meat freely.
Perhaps it is more suited to the inhabitants of milder regions than those of a
tropical climate.

* So great was the mania for entravagant, ostentations show, that instances
were not wanting in which a lakh of Rupees was freely spent on this grand occa-
sion. The late Prankissen Holdar, of Chinsurah, in the neighbourhood of Calcutta,
expended annually for three or four years the above sum in furnishing his house
without stint of cost in truly oriental style, giving rich entertainments to Europeans
and Natives, and distributing alms among the poor. There was no Railway then,
and consequently the boat hire alone from Calcutta to Chinsuiah for English
and Native grandees might have cost four to five thousand Rupees. The very
invitation cards written iti golden letters with gold fringes cost eight to ten
Rupees each. For the entertainment of his English friends he used to give ten
thousand Rupees to Messrs. Gunter and Hooper, the then public Purveyors of
Calcutta. First class wines and provisions were procured in abundance, and
arranged in the corridor under European and Mahomedan stewards, while one
hundred Brahmins were engaged in prayers, reciting Chundee and repeating the
name of the god, Modosoodun, for the propitiation of the goddess and the interests
of the family. It sometimes so happened that the clang of knives, forks and
spoons was simultaneous with the sound of the holy bell and conch, the one
neutralising what the other was supposed to produce in a religious point of view.

120 THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

for the entertainment of English guests, with a native Por-
tuguese or two to wait on the visitors. In the opposite room
was placed the image, with vast heaps of all kinds of offerings
before it. In the two side rooms, were the native guests, and
in the area groups of Hindoo dancing women, finely dressed,
singings and dancing with sleepy steps, surrounded with
Europeans who were sitting on chairs and couches. One or
two groups of Mussulman-men singers entertained the com-
pany at intervals with Hindoosthanee songs, and ludicrous
tricks. Before two o*clock the place was cleared of the danc-
ing girls, and of all the Europeans except ourselves, and
almost all the lights were extinguished, except in front of
the goddess, — when the doors of the area were thrown open,
and a vast crowd of natives rushed in, almost treading one
upon another, among whom were the vocal singers, having
on long caps like sugar loaves. The area might be about
fifty cubits long and thirty wide. When the crowd had sat
down, they were so wedged together as to present the
appearance of a solid pavement of heads, a small space only
being left immediately before the image for the motions of
the singers, who all stood up. Four sets of singers were
present on this occasion, the first consisting of Brahmins,-
(Hum TkacoorX the next of bankers, (Bhuvanundu), the
next of boeshnuvus, (Nitaee)y and the last of weavers,
(Lukshmee)y who entertained their guests with filthy songs
and danced in indecent attitudes before the goddess, hold-
ing up their hands, turning round, putting forward their
heads towards the image, every now and then bending
their bodies, and almost tearing their throats with their vo-
ciferations. The whole scene produced on my mind sensations
of the greatest horror. The dress of the singers, their inde-
cent gestures, the abominable nature of the songs, (especially
khayoor) the horrid din of their miserable drum, the lateness
of the hour, the darkness of the place, with the reflection

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 121

that I was standing in an idol temple, and that this immense
multitude of rational and immortal creatures, capable of
superior joys, were in the very act of worship, perpetrating
a crime of high treason against the God of heaven, while
they themselves believed they were performing an act of merit,
excited ideas and feelings in my mind which time can never
obliterate. I would have given in this place a specimen of
the songs sung before the image, but found them so full of
broad obscenity that I could not copy a single line. All
those actions which a sense of decency keeps out of the
most indecent English songs, are here detailed, sung, and
laughed at, without the least sense of shame. A poor ballad
singer in England would be sent to the house of correction,
and flogged, for performing the meritorious actions of these
wretched idolaters.* The singing is continued for three days
from two o'clock in the morning till nine."

It is a noteworthy fact that in those days when Bengal
was in the zenith of its prosperity and splendour, the Gover-
nor-General, the members of the Council, the judges of the
Supreme Court, and distinguished officers and merchants, did
not think it derogatory to their dignity, or at all calculated
to compromise their character as Christians, to honor the Ra-
jahs with their presence during this festival, but since the
days of Daniel Wilson, the highly venerated Lord Bishop of
Calcutta, who must have expressed his strong disapprobation
of this practice, these great men have ceased to attend. At
present but a few young officers, captains of ships in the port
and East Indians may be seen to go to these nautches, and as a
necessary consequence of this withdrawal of countenance, the
outward splendour of the festival has of late considerably
diminished. Seeing the apparent approval of idolatrous

* ** The reader will recollect that the festivals of Bacchus and Cybele were
equally noted for the indecencies practised by the worshippers both in their
words and actions,"

122 THE DOORGA POO/AH FESTIVAL.

ceremonies by some Europeans, a conscientious Christian once
exclaimed : " I am not ashamed to confess that I fear
more for the continuance of the British power in India,
from the encouragement which Englishmen have given to
the idolatry of the Hindoos, than from any other quarter
whatever." *

As regards the other amusements at this popular festival,
a few words about the Indian nautch (dancing) girls may
not be out of place here. These women have no social status,
their principles are as loose as their character is immoral.
They are brought up to this disreputable profession from
their infancy. They have no husbands, and many of them
are never married. The Native Princes, and chiefs, rich
zemindars and persons in affluent circumstances, the capacity
of whose intellect is as stinted as its culture is scanty, have
been their great patrons. Devoid of a taste for reading and
writing, they managed to drive the ennui of their lives by
the songs of these dancing girls. Great were the rewards
which they sometimes received at the hands of the Native

* The Reverend Mr. Maurice, a pious clergyman, who had never seen
these ceremonies, attempted to paint them in the most captivating terms. Should
he think that Hindoo idolatry is capable of exciting the most elevated concep-
tions about the godhead and leading the mind to the true path of righteousness,
let him come and join the Brahmins and their numerous devotees in crying
"Huree Bole! Hurree Bole! Joy Doorga ! Joy Kally ! " ** Mr. Forbes, of
Stanmore Hill, in his elegant museum of Indian rarities, numbers two of the
bells that have been used in devotion by the Brahmins. They are great curi-
osities, and one of them in particular appears to be of very high antiquity, in
form very much resembling the cup of the lotus, and the tune of it is uncommon-
ly soft and melodious. I could not avoid being deeply affected with the sound
of an instrument which had beeil actually employed to kindle the flame of that
superstition which I have attempted so extensively to unfold. My transported
thoughts travelled back to the remote period when Biahmin religion blazed
forth in all its splendour in the caverns of Elephanta : I was, for a moment, en-
tranced, and caught the odour of enthusiasm. A tribe of venerable priests, ar-
rayed in flowing stoles, and decorated with high tiaras, seemed assembled around
me, the mystic song of initiation vibrated in my ear ; I breathed an air fragrant
with the richest perfumes, and contemplated the deity in the Are that symbolized
him." And again, in another place, **She, (the Hindoo religion) wears the
similitude of a beautiful and radiant cherub from Heaven, bearing on his persua-
sive lips the accents of pardon and peace, and on his silken wings benefaction
and blessing." What strange hallucinations some of these Christian ministers
labour under in attempting to reconcile the ideas of idolatry with those of the
True and Living God !

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 123

kings in their palmy days. When a Principality groaned under
extravagance and financial embarrassment, these bewitching
girls were entertained at considerable expense to drown the
cares of state-craft and king-craft. Even the most astute
prince was not free from this courtly profligacy. Though
these girls often basked in the sunshine of royal favor, yet
there was not a single Jenny Lind among them either in
grace or accomplishment. As regards their income, a girl has
been known to refuse ten thousand Rupees for performing
three nights at the Nazim*s Court. When Rajah Rajkissen
of Sobha Bazar, the Singhee family of Jorasanko, and the
Dey family of Simla, celebrated these Poojahs with great
pomp, dancing girls of repute were retained a month previ-
ous to the festival at great cost, varying from 500 to looo
Rupees each for three nights. Now that those prosperous
days are gone by, and the big English officials do not con-
descend to attend the nautch, the amount has been reduced
to fifty Rupees or a little more. Their general attire and
gestures, as well as the nature and tendency of their songs,
are by no means unexceptionable. These auxiliaries to
sensual gratification, combined with the allurements of
Bacchus, even in the presence of a deity, are the least of
all fitted to animate or quicken devotional feelings and
prayerful thoughts.

Theatrical performances from the popular dramas of
the Indian poets, and amateur jattras^ pantomimical exhibi-
tions, also contribute largely to the amusement of the people.
The old Bidday Soonder, Maunvimjun^ Dukha Juggn^ and
others of a similar character are still relished by pleasure-
seekers and holiday-makers. It is, however, one of the
healthy signs of the times that native gentlemen of histrionic
taste have recently got up amateur performances, which bear
a somewhat close approximation to the English tragedies
and comedies.

124 Tnn DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL

Having previously described all the important circum-
stances and details, religious and social, connected with this
popular festival, I will now give a short account of the
Bhasdn or Nirunjmi which takes place on the tenth day of
the new moon, or in the fourth day of the Poojah. It is also
called Bijoyd^ because the end of a ceremonial is always
attended with melancholy feelings. This is the day when the
image is consigned to water either of a river or tank. Apart
from its religious significance, the day is an important one to
English and Native merchants alike. Although all the public
offices. Government and mercantile, are absolutely closed for
twelve days, agents of Manchester and Glasgow firms must
open their places of business on this particular day, which to
native merchants and dealers is an auspicious day when large
bargains of Piece Goods for present and forward delivery are
made. Ten to fifteen lakhs of Rupees worth of articles are
sold this day in three or four hours, the general impression
being that such bargains bring good luck both to the buyer
and the seller.

About eight o'clock in the morning, the officiating priest
begins the service, and in half an hour it is over. Music, the
indispensable accompaniment of Hindoo Poojahs, must attend
every such service. A small looking-glass is placed on a
pan of Ganges water and every inmate of the family, male
or female, is invited to see the shadow or rather the reflex
of the goddess on its surface. Deeply imbued as the minds
of the votaries are with religious ideas, every individual looks
on the mirror with a sort of devotional feeling, and expresses
his or her conviction as to the reality of the representation.
The children, more from amusement than faith, hang about
the place, but the females steadfastly cling to the panora-
mic view, quite unwilling to leave it. Though totally ignor-
ant of the philosophical theory of the association or suggestion
of ideas, the scene naturally presents to their mind's eye the

THE DOORGA PoOJAM FESTIVAL 125

emotions they feel when leaving the paternal roof for the father-
in-law's house. ** Ala Doorga is going to her father-in-law's
and will not return for anothe^r twelve month," exclaims
one. " Look at her eyes, her sorrowful countenance," ejacu-*
lates another. "The temple will look wild and desolate when
Ma Doorga goes away," adds a third. To console them, the
mistress of the house exhorts all to offer their prayers to
the goddess, beseeching that she may continue to vouchsafe
her blessings from year to year, and give prolonged life and
happiness to all concerned. With this solemn invocation,
they, each and every one, fall down on their knees before
the "goddess, whose spirit had departed on the day previous,
and in a contemplative mood implore her benediction.
Before retiring, however, every one takes with her some
precious relic of the offerings (flowers or billaputtrd) made
to Doorga when her spirit was present, and preserves it with
all the care of a divine gift, using it religiously in cases of
sickness and calamity.

About three in the afternoon, after washing their
bodies and putting on new clothes and ornaments, the
females make preparations for performing the last and
farewell ceremony in honor of the goddess. The sudder
(main) door is closed, musicians are ordered to go out in
the streets, the Doorga with all her satellites is brought
out into the area of the temple, the baranddlldk with all
its sundries is produced, and the females whose husbands
are alive begin to turn round the images and touch the
forehead of each and every one of the deities with the
baranddlldk^ repeating their prayers for lasting blessings on
the family. To the inexpressible grief of the widows, who
are present on the occasion, a cruel institution has long
since debarred them from assisting in this holy work.
These ill-fated creatures are doomed only to stare at the
images, but are not permitted to take an active part in the cere-

126 THE DOORGA POO/AH FESTIVAL

monial. Is it possible to conceive a more gloomy picture
of society than that which absolutely expunges from a human
breast all traces of a religious privilege the exercise of which,
though under a mistaken faith, tends to sweeten a wretched
life ? The miserable widows of India are unhappily destined
to pine away their existence until greater leaders of native
reforms arise and deliver them from the galling fetters of
superstition.

The epilogue which closes the parting ceremony is called
the kanakdnjally^ which consists in a woman (not a widow)
taking a small brass plate of paddy and doova grass with a
Rupee dyed in red lead in it, and throwing it from the fore
part of the image right over its head into the cloth of a man
who stands behind for the purpose of receiving it. This last
offering, it is needless to say, is preserved with the greatest
care. The female who performs the rite is an object of envy.
This rite being performed, the females take each a bit of the
sweetmeat and betel which has been last offered to Ma Doorga,
A sudden reaction of feeling takes place, all hearts are
grieved, and some actually shed tears. Two sensations,
though not exactly analogous, arise in their minds ; first the
religious part of the festival, and the consequent arousal of a
devotional spirit, vividly reminding one of the unceasing round
of ritualistic ceremonies as well as festivity and gaiety that
the presence of the goddess naturally enough produced, and
which are about to vanish and disappear in an hour by the
immersion of the goddess in the river or pond ; and second, a
worldly one, the recurrence of the idea when a mother sends
her daughter to the house of her father-in-law. In either
case, the tender heart of a Hindoo female easily breaks down
under the pressure of grief.

The goddess is afterwards brought out and placed on a
Bamboo stage borne on the shoulders of a set of coolies, all
he flowers and billdptittrd offered her during the past three

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 127

days are also put in a basket and taken to the riverside.
The procession moves slowly forward, preceded by bands of
English and Native musicians, and the necessary retinue of
servants and guards, while from within the house, the women,
not satiated with the sight of the goddess for one long
month, stretch their eyes as far as their visual organs can
extend to catch a last farewell glimpse of her. The streets
of Calcutta, the English part of the town excepted, become
literally crammed and almost impassable on such a day.
Groups of Police constables are posted here and there with
a view to maintain peace and order, the streets become a
pavement of heads. At the lowest calculation, there cannot
be less than 100,000 sight-seers abroad. Men, women
and children of all classes and ranks come from a great dis-
tance to have a sight of the image. The tops of houses, the
verandahs, the main roads, nay the unfrequented corners
present a thick mass of living creatures, all anxious to feast
their eyes upon the matchless grandeur of the scene. A
foreigner, unaccustomed to such a magnificent spectacle, is
apt to overrate the wealth and prosperity of the people on
such a day. The number of images, the dazzling and costly
embellishments with which they are decorated, the rich livery
of some of the servants, the bands of musicians preceding
the procession, the letting off of red and blue lights at inter-
vals, the gala dress of the multitude, and last but not least, the
elegant carriages of the big "swells," and the still more
elegant attire of their owners, who loll back on the
cushion of the carriages, diffusing fragrant odours as they
pass, cannot fail to produce an imposing effect. Here a gaily
clad Baboo with his patent Japan leather shoes ; there a
Hindoosthanec dandy with his massive gold necklace and
valuable pearls hanging down his ears ; here a proud Mogul
in all the bravery of cloth of gold ; there a frowning Mus-
sulman with his dazzling cap and gossamer chdpkdn (tunic).

128 THE DOORGA POO I AH FESTIVAL.

and ivory mounted stick, all combine to present a motley group
of characters, national in their costumes, and unique in
appearance. The poor country woman, her lord and children,
though not favored by fortune, still cut a figure far above
their normal condition.

Those Hindoos, \\\c adorn their images without stint
of cost, parade them tJicugh the most densely crowded
streets till eight in the evening — ^vanity being the chief motive
of action — while those who move in humbler spheres of life
take them to boats on the river hired for the purpose, and
throw them into the water amidst shouts of exultation. The
mob of course sing obscene songs and dance indecently, all
which is tolerated for the occasion. The growing sense of
the people — the result of English education — has now-a-days
greatly diminished the amount of indecency which was one
of the distinguishing characteristics of former days on such
an occasion.

Between seven and eight o'clock in the evening, the
assembled crowd begins to disperse in joyous mood, talking all
the way as to the respective superiority of such and such
images. Amongst such a great number and variety, there
is sure to be difference of opinion, but it is soon settled by
the affirmation of a wise head that " the spirit of the goddess
is the same in all the images ; Ma Doorga^ does not mind
show."

When the worshippers and others return home, they go
at once to the temple, where the officiating Brahmin waits
for them to sprinkle on their bodies the sacred water ; all
are made to sit down on the floor with their feet covered
with their clothes, lest a drop should fall upon them. The
Brahmin with a small twig of mangoe leaves sprinkles the
water, while repeating at the same time the usual incantation*
the meaning of which is that health, wealth and prosperity
may attend the votaries of Doorga, from jxar to year. After

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 129

this they write on a piece of green plantain leaf the name
of the goddess several times, and then clasp one another in
their arms, and take the dust off the feet of all the seniors,
with the mutual expression of good wishes for their worldly
prosperity. An elderly man thus blesses a boy ; " may you
have long life, gold inkstand and gold pen, acquire profound
learning and immense wealth, and support lakhs of men" ;
If a girl, he thus pronounces his benediction (there being no
clasping of arms between man and woman nor between
woman and woman), " may you enjoy all the blessings of a
married life (/. ^., never become a widow) become the mother
of a rajah (king), use vermillion on your grey head, continue
to wear the iron bangle, get seven male children, and never
know want." It is well known that no blessing is more accep-
table to a Hindoo female than that she may never become
a widow, because the intolerable miseries of widowhood are
most piercing to her heart ; nor can it be otherwise so long
as human nature remains unaltered. This social institution
of the Hindoos of cordially embracing each other and ex-
pressing all manner of good wishes on a particular day of
the year, when all hearts are more or less affected with
grief at the departure of the goddess, is a very commen-
dable one. It has an excellent tendency to promote social
reunion, good fellowship and brotherhood. Not only all the
absent friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbours, male
and female, join in this annual greeting, but even strangers
and the most menial servants are not forgotten on the
occasion. Every heart rejoices, every tongue blesses, every
acrimonious feeling is consigned to oblivion. This is a "quiet
interval at least between storm and storm ; interspaces of
sunlight between the breadths of gloom, a glad voice
on summer holidays, happy in unselfish friendships, in
generous impulses, in strong health, in the freedom from
all cares, in the confidence of all hopes." During such a

R

I30 THE DOORGA POO J AH FESTIVAL.

happy period " it is a luxury to breathe the breath of
life."

To drown their sorrows in forgetfulness, the Hindoos
use a slight intoxicating beverage made of hemp leaves on
this particular occasion. Every one that comes to visit —
and there must be a social gathering — or is present, is treated
with this diluted beverage and sweets. Even the most inno-
cent and simple females for once in a year are tacitly allow-
ed to use it, but very sparingly. One farthing's worth of
hemp leaves, or about one ounce, suffices for fifty persons or
more, so that it becomes almost harmless when so copiously
diluted. But those who have imbibed a taste for English
wines and spirits always indulge freely on this occasion,
giving little heed to temperance rules and lectures. It is
" Bijoya " and drinking to excess is justifiable.

It would not be proper to close this subject without
saying a few words about the national excitement which the
approach of this festival produces, and the powerful impetus
it gives to trade in general. It has been roughly estimated
that upwards of a crore of Rupees (;^ 10,000,000) is spent
every year in Bengal on account of this, festival. Every
family, from the aristocracy to the peasant, must have new
clothes, new shoes, new every thing. Men, women, children*
relatives, poor acquaintances and neighbours, nay beggars
must have their holiday dress. Persons in straitened cir-
cumstances, who actually live from hand to mouth, deposit
their hard-earned savings for a twelvemonth to be spent on
this grand festival. Famished beggars who drag a miserable
existence all their lives, and depend on precarious alms to keep
their body and soul together all the year round, hopefully
look forward to the return of this anniversary for at least a
temporary change in their .rags and tatters. Hungry Brah-
mins, whose daily avocation brings them only a scanty allow-
ance of rice and plantain, cheerfully welcome the advent of

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 131

" Ma Doorgal^ and gratefully watch the day when their empty
coffer shall be replenished. Cloth merchants, weavers, braziers,
goldsmiths, embroiderers, lace-makers, mercers, haberdashers,
carpenters, potters, basket-makers, painters, house-builders,
English, Chinese and Native shoemakers, ghee, sugar and
corn merchants, grocers, confectioners, dealers in silver and
tinsel ware, songsters, songstresses, musicians, hackney car-
riage keepers, Oorya bearers, hawkers, pedlars and such
dealers in miscellaneous wares, all look forward to the busy
season when their whole year's hopes shall be realised by
bringing lots of Rupees into the till. To a man of practical
experience in business matters, as far as the metropolis of
British India is concerned, it is perhaps well known that the
" Trades " because of the Doorga Poojah make more in one
month than they can possibly make in the remaining eleven
months. From the first week in September to the middle
of October, when the Poojah preparations are being actually
made by the Hindoos, when they, frugal as they assuredly
are, once in a twelvemonth, loosen their purse strings, when
the accumulated interest on Government securities is drawn,
when all thd arrears of house rent are peremptorily demanded,
when remittance from the distant parts of the country arrives,
when in short, rupees, annas and pice, are the " Go " of the
inhabitants, the shopkeepers make a display of their goods
as best they can. From sunrise to ten o'clock at night the
influx of customers continues unabated, extra shops are
opened and extra assistants employed, the shopkeepers
themselves have scarcely leisure enough to take a hasty meal
a day, and each day's sales swell the heart of the owner.
The thrifty and economical Provincial, who loves money as
dearly as the blood that runs through his veins, leisurely
makes his sundry purchases before the regular rush of cus-
tomers begins to pour in. He has not only the choice of a
large assortment, and the " pick," of a new investment, but

132 THE DOORGA POO/AH FESTIVAL.

gets the benefit of a reasonable price, because the shopkeeper is
not hard and tenacious in the early stage of the Poojah sale.
As each day passes, and novelties are exposed for public
inspection, the shopkeeper raises his prices according to in-
creasing demand. The effeminate and extravagant Baboo
of the City, who does not worship Mammon half so devoutly
as his country brother, does not mind paying a little too
much for his " whistle," because he is large hearted and liber-
al minded. His more frequent intercourse with Englishmen
has taught him to look upon money as "filthy lucre." He is
not calculating, and hence he defers making his purchases till
the eleventh hour, when, to use a native expression, "the shop-
keeper cuts the neck with one stroke."

About one-fifth of the Hindoo population of Calcutta
consists of people that are come from the contiguous villages
and pergunnas of the Presidency Division ; these men live in
Calcutta solely for employment, keeping their families in the
country where they have generally small farms of their own
which yield them enough produce in the shape of rice, pulses,
cereals, vegetables, &c., to last them throughout the year,
leaving, in some instances, ample surplus stock, with which
and a few milch cows as well as tanks, they husband their
resources with the greatest frugality, and enjoy every domes-
tic comfort and convenience. They do not care for Davie
Wilson's biscuits and sponge-cakes, or a glass of raspberry
ice-cream or Roman Punch on a summer day ; their bill of fare
is as short and simple as their taste is primitive. These men
make their Poojah purchases much earlier than their brethren
in the city, simply because they have to start for home as
soon as the public holidays commence on the eve of the
fourth day of the increase of the moon. If the Indian Rail-
ways have benefited one class of the people more than
another, it is these men who should be thankful for the boon.
If the East Indian and Eastern Bengal Railway Companies*

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 133

coaching receipts are properly examined for two days, viz,^
the fourth and fifth days of the new moon or the beginning
of the Doorga Poojah holidays, they will certainly exhibit an
incredibly large amount of receipts from third class carriages.
Indeed it has been rather facetiously remarked by town's people
that Calcutta becomes much lighter by reason of the exit
of country people during the Doorga Poojah holidays, but
then the return of the former to their home from the Moffussil
should be also taken into the account. On a fair calculation, the
outgoing number far exceeds the incoming proportion. It
should also be observed that the list of purchases of the former
embraces a greater variety of items than that of the latter.
Their mothers, wives, daughters and sisters, not to speak of
the male members of the family, being absent in the country-
house, the want of each and every one must be supplied.
Articles for domestic consumption in a Hindoo family are
in the greatest requisition. Looking-glasses, combs, dltd^ sidoor
or China vermillion, ghoomsi (string round the loins), scented
drugs for ladies' hair, black powder for the teeth, soap, poma-
tum, otto of rose, rose water, wax candles, sidoorchoobry
(toilet box made of small shells), silk, thread, wool, carpets,
spices of all sorts both for the betel and the kitchen, betel-
nuts, cocoanut oil for ladies' hair, sugarcandy, almonds, raisins,
Cabul pomegranates, Dacca, Santipore and English made dhoo-
tieSy oorunees (sheets), sarees (lady's apparel), silk handker-
chiefs, silk cloth, Benares embroidered cloth, satin and velvet
caps, lace, hose, tinsel ornaments for the images, English
shoes and sundries, constitute the catalogue of their purchases.
This explains their going into the Bazar early and accounts
for their extra expenditure on the score of luxuries and super-
fluities of life, but the reader should bear in mind that such
extravagance is indulged in only once a year. Generally es-
teemed as these people are for their saving qualities, frugal,
simple and abstemious habits, an annual departure from the es-

134 THE nOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL.

tablished rule is not unjustifiable. The rich classes, as will
be evident from what has been said, spend enormous sums in
making their fashionable purchases on this occasion.

From the foregoing details it is easy to infer that the
Doorga Poojah anniversary presses heavily on the limited
resources of a Hindoo family. A rich man experiences little
dffficulty in meeting his expenses, but the middling and the
humbler classes, who comprise nine-tenths of the population,
are put to their wits' end to make both ends meet. They are
sornetimes obliged to solicit the pecuniary aid of their rich
friends to enable them to get over the Doorga difficulty. It
is, perhaps, not generally known that during this popular
festival, or rather before it, when all Bengal is in a state of
social and religious ferment, when money must be had by
fair means or foul, not a few unfortunate men, chiefly liber-
tines and rakes, deliberately commit frauds by forging
cheques, drafts, and notes, which eventually lead them into the
greatest distress and disgrace. Besides the high price of
clothes and of all descriptions of eatables, every family must
have a month's provision to carry them through the period
during which no money is forthcoming.

I had almost forgotten to say anything about the annual
gratuity which the Brahmins of Bengal obtain on the occasion
of this festival. From time immemorial, when orthodox
Hindooism was in the ascendant, the Brahmins not only ad-
vanced their claims, as now, to all the offerings made to gods
or goddesses, small or great, but established a rule that every
Hindoo, whose circumstances would permit it, should give
them individually, one, two, four, or five Rupees at the return
of this festival. Every respectable Hindoo family, even now-
a-days when heterodoxy is rampant in all the great centres
of education, has to give ten, fifteen, twenty-five, or fifty
Rupees to Brahmins. Rich families give much more. So
very tenacious are the Brahmins of this privilege that even

THE DOORGA POOJAH FESTIVAL. 135

if they earn one hundred Rupees a month by employment
they will not forego a single Rupee once a year on this occa-
sion, seeing they claim it as a birthright.

These men have studied human nature, but they have
built their hopes of permanent gain on the baseless fabric
of a hollow superstition, which is destined, through the pro-
gress of improvement, inevitably to fall into decay. It is
too late to retrieve the huge blunder of laying a false founda-
tion for their gains.

IX.

THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL.

IN Bengal, next to the Doorga Poojah in point of im-
portance stands the Kali Poojah, which invariably
takes place on the last night of the decrease of the
moon, in the month of Kartik (between October and Novem-
ber). She is represented as standing on the breast of her hus-
band, Shiva, with a tongue projecting to a great length. She
has four arms, in one of which she holds a scimitar ; in another,
the head of a gaint whom she has killed in a fight, the third hand
is spread out for the purpose of bestowing blessing, while by
the fourth, she welcomes the blessed. She also wears a neck-
lace of skulls and has a girdle of hands of giants round her
loins. To add to the terrific character of the goddess, she
is represented as a very black female with her locks hanging
down to her heels. The reason ascribed for her standing on
the breast of her husband, is the following: In a combat
with a formidable giant called Ruckta Beeja, she became so
elated with joy at her victory that she began to dance in the
battle-field so frantically that all the gods trembled and deli-
berated what to do in order to restore peace to the earth,
which, through her dancing was shaken to its foundation.
After much consultation, it was decided that her husband
should be asked to repair to the scene of action and persuade
her to desist. Shiva, the husband, accordingly came down,
but seeing the dreadful carnage and the infuriated counten-
ance as well as the continued dancing of his wife, who could
not in her frenzy recognise him, he threw himself among the
dead bodies of the slain. The goddess was so transported
with joy that in one of her dancing feats she chanced to
step upon the breast of her husband, whereupon the body

THE KALI P GO J AH FESTIVAL. 137

moved. Struck with amazement she stood motionless for a
while, and fixing her gaze at length discovered that she had
trampled on her husband. The sight at once restored her
feminine modesty, and she stood aghast feeling shocked at the
unhappy accident. To express her shame, she put out her
tongue and in that posture she is worshipped by her
followers.*

Her black features, the dark night in which she is wor-
shipped, the bloody deeds with which her name is associated,
the countless sacrifices relentlessly offered at her altar, the
terrific form in which she is represented, the unfeminine and
warlike posture in which she stands, and last but not least, the
desperate character of some of her votaries, invest her name
with a terror which is without a parallel in the mythological
legends of the Hindoos. The authors of the Hindoo mytho-
logy could not have invented in their fertile imagination a
sanguinary character more singularly calculated to inspire
terrorf and thereby extort the blind adoration of an ignorant
populace. About seven hundred years ago, a devoted fol-
lower of this goddess, named Agum Bagish, proclaimed
that her worship should be performed in the following manner:
The image is to be made, set up, worshipped and destroyed
on the same night. It is a nishi or midnight Poojah on the
darkest night of the month, so that not a single soul from
outside could know it. He strictly observed this rule while
he was alive, and it was said that Rajah Krishnu Chunder
Roy of Kishnaghur followed his example for some time.
Baboo Obhoy Churn Mitter of Calcutta and Bhobaney Churn
Mookerjee of Jessore also tried to observe the rule prescribed
above, but as it has been alleged the spirit of secret devotion
forsook them after a little while. They reverted to the general

* The Hindoos put out their tongues when they are shocked at anything.

t " The image of Minerva, it will be recollected, was that of a threatening
goddess, exciting terror. On her shields she bore the head of a gorgon. Sir
William Jones considers Kali as the Proserpine of the Greeks."

138 THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL.

custom of worshipping the goddess on the darkest night in
Kartik, inviting friends and making pantomimic exhibitions.

Though her Poojah lasts but one night, the sacrifices of
goats, sheep and buffaloes are as numerous as those offered
before the altar of Doorga. In former times, when idolatry-
prevailed universally throughout Bengal and religious belief
of the people therein was firm and unshaken, the splendour
with which the worship of this goddess was performed was
second only, as I have remarked, to that of the Doorga.
Both goddesses, however, still continue to count their votaries
by millions. " The reader may form some idea," says Mr.
Ward, " how much idolatry prevailed at the time when the
Hindoo monarchy flourished from the following circumstance*
which belongs to a modern period, when the Hindoo author-
ity in Hindoosthan was almost extinct. Rajah Krishnu
Chunder Roy, and his two immediate successors, in the month
of Kartick, annually gave orders to all the people over whom
they had a nominal authority to keep the shynta festival, and
threatened every offender with the severest penalties on non-
compliance. In consequence of these orders, in more than ten
thousand houses in one night, in the Zillah of Kishnaghur, the
worship of this goddess was celebrated. The number of
animals destroyed could not have been less than ten thousand."
Kali, like Doorga, Siva, Vishnu and Krishna, is the guar-
dian deity of many Hindoos, who daily offer their prayers
to her both in the morning and evening. Several, who pos-
sess great wealth and know not how to employ it better, de-
dicate temples to her service and consecrate them with
ample endowments. In the holy City of Benares, there still
exists a Kali shrine where hundreds of beggars are daily fed
at the expense of the founder, the late Rani Bhobaney of
Nattore. Nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, Raja Ram-
krishna erected a temple at Burranagore, about six miles north
of Calcutta, in honor of this goddess, and spent upwards of a

THE, KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL. 139

lakh of Rupees when it was first consecrated. He endowed
it with a large revenue for its permanent support, so that any
number of religious mendicants who might come there daily
could be easily fed. In his prosperous days, this rich zemin-
dar paid an annual revenue of fifty-two lakhs of Rupees to
the East India Company. Unfortunately the family has
since been reduced to a state of poverty, and the temple is
a heap of ruins. The endowment, like most other endowments
of this nature, disappeared soon after the death of the founder.
The Rajah of Burdwan's endowment of this kind still en-
dures, and promises to enjoy a longer lease of life.

The name of Kali, be it observed, is more extensively
used than either that of Doorga or Shiva. Whenever a
Native Regiment is to march or set out on an expedition the
stereotyped acclaim is, — ^^ Kali Maikey Jayl^ "victory to
mother Kali." When the evening gun is fired in any of the
military stations, the almost involuntary exclamation is>
^^ Jay Kali Calcutta Wallee^ Nor is her worship less uni-
versal than her fame. On the last night of the decrease of
the moon in Kartik, every family in Bengal must worship her
though in a somewhat different shape. Every family, rich
or poor. Brahmin or Soodar, must celebrate the Lucki or
Kali Poojah before the sacred Reck of dhdn or paddy,
which in the estimation of a Hindoo is a valuable heritage.*
Several incidents connected with this religious festival are
worth recording. In the Upper and Central Provinces, as
in the South of Hindoostan, it is called the Dewallee Fes-
tival. Though the image is not set up, yet the Hindoo and
Parsi inhabitants observe the holiday by opening their new
year's account on that day. Illuminations, fireworks and all
sorts of festivities mark the day. To try their luck for the
next year, almost all Hindoo merchants and bankers indulge

* A Reck is a small round basket, with which Natives measure rice, the
staff of life in Bengal. Every family has its sacred Reck of paddy which is
preserved with religious care and brought out on such special occasions.

140 THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL.

in gambling that night, and large sums are sometimes at
stake on the occasion. In Calcutta, where gambling is
strictly prohibited, the law is shamefully violated on that
dark night. This does not imply any reflection on the vigi-
lance of the Police, because the game is carried on surrepti-
tiously. The Parsi merchants who deal in wines and stores
throw open their shops and treat their European customers
free of cost on that particular day. Their brethren in Bengal
are, however, not so liberal to their customers, simply because
it is not their new year's day. In Calcutta and all over
Bengal the night is remarkable for illumination,* fireworks,
feasting, carousing and gambling. There is a time-honored
custom among the people to light bundles of paycdttee or
faggots that night. As is naturally to be expected the chil-
dren take a great delight in such pastimes. At the close of
the Poojah a servant of the house takes a Koolow or winnow-
ing fan and a stick with which he beats and sings " Bad luck
out " and " Good luck in."t

Kali is also the guardian deity of thieves, robbers, thugs
and such like desperate characters. Before starting on
their diabolical work, they invoke her aid to protect them
from detection and punishment. The supposed aid of the
goddess arms them with courage and leads them to commit
the most atrocious crimes. When successful they come and

* A superstitious idea prevails among the Hindoos that unless they illu-
minate their houses on this particular night, devils would come and take posses-
sion of them. In the Upper and Central Provinces it is customary with the
Hindoo inhabitants"not only to illuminate but whitewash their houses and deco-
rate the doors and walls of shops with colored China paper so that every thing
may look ''smart'' according to Native taste. In the Jubbulpore District I
have seen the poorest laborer whitewash the mud walls of his tiled-hut with one
farthing's worth of white earth called Stwmattee which is found in great abun-
dance in that part of the country.

t One Joy Ghose, a notorious buffoon, was once asked by his old mother
to perform the above rite. Joy, instead of reciting the motto in the right way,
purposely inverted it just to irritate the old lady, and repeated the first
last and the last first. The joke was too much for the sensitive mother ; she
wrung her breast, tore her hair, and refused to be consoled until the son repeated
the song in proper order, i, e,, **bad luck out, good luck in." Trifling with
Luckecy the goddess of prosperity, is the height of folly. It is punished with
misery here and perdition hereafter.

THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL. 141

offer sacrifices of goats, spirituous liquors and other things,
under an impression that the superintending power of the
goddess has shielded them from all harm. But the un-
bending rigor of the British law has almost entirely dissi-
pated the delusion. Many an infamous dacoit in Bengal has
confessed his guilt on the scaffold, lamenting that " Ma Kali''
had not protected him in the hour of need. The notorious
" Rugho Dacoit" of Hooghly, whose very name terrified a way-
ward child into sleep, made fearful disclosures as to the
originating cause of his numerous crimes. Some forty years
ago there lived in Calcutta a very respectable Hindoo gentle-
man, by name Rajkissore Dutt, who was a very great devotee
of this goddess. Every month, on the last night of the
decrease of the moon, he, it was said, used to set up an
image of this goddess, and adorned her person with gold
and silver ornaments to the value of about one thousand
Rupees which were afterwards given to the officiating priest.
On the annual return of this grand Poojah in the month of
Kartik, he used to give the goddess a gold tongue, and deco-
rate her four arms with divers gold ornaments to the cost of
about three thousand Rupees, and his other expenses amount-
ed to another six or seven thousand. For a number of
years he continued to celebrate the Poojah in the above
magnificent style, his veneration becoming more intensified
as his wealth increased. He established a Bank in Calcutta
called the " India Bank," which circulated notes of its own to
a considerable amount. A combination was formed among
a few influential Natives, whose names I am ashamed to
mention, and a well concocted system of fraud was organised.
Through one, Dwarkey Nath Mitter, a son-in-law of
Rajkissore, Company's Paper or Government Securities to the
amount of about twenty Lakhs of Rupees were forged and
passed off as genuine on the public. But as fraud succeeds
for a short while only, the gigantic scheme was soon dis-

142 THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL.

covered, and the delinquent was tried, convicted and sen-
tenced to transportation for life to one of the Penal Settle-
ments of the East India Company, where he lived for several
years to rue the consequences of his iniquitous conduct.
His eldest son told the writer that his father concealed in a
wall of one of the rooms of his house Bank notes for
upwards of a Lakh of Rupees. When the search of the
Police was over he opened the part of the wall and to his utter
disappointment found all the notes crumbled to pieces, and
become a small bundle of rotten paper of no earthly use to
any one. Thus was iniquity rightly punished. No wonder that
the deep faith of Rajkissore in the goddess Kali did not avail
him in the hour of danger. His flagitious career commenced
by a blind dovotion to his guardian deity, culminated in a
gigantic forgery, and closed with transportation and infamy.
It is generally known that there exists a temple of this
goddess in the suburbs of Calcutta, which has long been cele-
brated for its sanctity. The place is called Kali Ghat, about
four miles south of Government House. It is not exactly
known when this temple was first built. The probable con"
jecture is that some three hundred years ago a shrewd and
far-seeing member of the sacerdotal class, observing the great
veneration in which the goddess was held among the Hindoos
of those days, erected a temple to the image and gave the place
a name after her, the renown of which, as Calcutta grew in
importance, gradually spread far and wide. To perpetuate
the holy character of the shrine, and to consecrate it by
traditional sanctity, the following story was given out, in the
truth of which the generality of the orthodox Hindoos have a
firm belief. In time out of mind, when the Suttee (Doorga)
destroyed herself on the Trisool (three edged weapon), one of
her fingers was said to have fallen on the spot on which the
temple now stands and in whose recess the priests pretend it is
still preserved. Hence the sacred character of the shrine,

THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL. 143

which still attracts thousands of devotees every year from all
parts. In popular estimation from a religious point of view
she does not yield much to the Juggernauth of Orissa, the
Bisseshur of Benares, the Krishna of Brindabun, the Gyasoor
of Gya, and the Mahadeb of Buddinauth. Fortunately for the
site of th6 temple, which is in close proximity to the metropolis
of British India, and until recently was in the immediate
neighbourhood of the highest Appellate Court (Suddur
Dewanny Adawlut) independently of its bordering on the
Addigunga (the original sacred stream of Ganges), it has
always drawn the wealthiest and poorest portions of the
Hindoo community. Had the offerings in gold, silver and in
kind fallen to the share of one priest, it is not too much to say
that he would long before this have been as rich as the Juggut
Sett (Banker of the world) of Moorshedabad, who was reputed
to have been worth upwards of fifteen crores of Rupees.

Wealthy Hindoos, when on a visit to Kali Ghat,
expend from one to fifty thousand Rupees on the worship
of this goddess, in the shape of valuable ornaments, silver
plate, dishes &c., sweetmeats and food for a large number of
Brahmins, and small presents to thousands of beggars,
besides numerous sacrifices of goats, sheep and buffaloes,
which make the space before the temple swim with blood.
The flesh of goat, and sheep is freely used by the saktd class
of Hindoos when offered to Kali and Doorga, but they
would never use it without such an oblation. It is otherwise
called brithd or unsanctified flesh, which is altogether quite
unfit for the use of a religious Hindoo. But the progress
of English education has made terrible inroads on the reli-
gious practices of the people, at least of the rising genera-
tion.* The following description of the Kali or Shyma

* Young Bengal is no longer satisfied with Kali Ghat meat ; his taste
being improved and his mind disabused, he must needs have kid and mutton
from the new Municipal market, which is certainly superior in quality to that
of Kali Ghat.

144 THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL.

Poojah given by Mr. Ward will serve to convey to the
reader some idea of the nature of the festival.

" A few years ago," says he, " I went to the house of
Kali Sunkur Ghose at Calcutta, at the time of the Shyma
festival, to see the animals sacrificed to Kali. The
buildings where the worship was performed were raised on
four sides, with an area in the middle. The image was
placed at the north end with the face to the south ; and the
two side rooms, and one of the end rooms opposite the
image, were filled with spectators : in the area were the
animals devoted to sacrifice, and also the executioner, with
Kali Sunkur, a few attendants, and about twenty persons
to throw the animal down and hold it in the post, while the
head was cut off. The goats were sacrificed first, then the
buffaloes, and last of all, two or three rams. In order to
secure the animals, ropes were fastened round their legs ; they
were then thrown down, and the neck placed in a piece of
wood fastened into the ground and open at the top like the
space betwixt the prongs of a fork. After the animal's neck
was fastened in the wood by a peg which passed over it>
the men who held it pulled forcibly at the heels, while the
executioner, with a broad heavy axe cut off the head at one
blow ; the heads were carried in an elevated posture by an
attendant, (dancing as he went) the blood running down him
on all sides, into the presence of the goddess. Kali
Sunkur, at the close, went up to the executioner, took him in
his arms, and gave him several presents of cloth, &c. The
heads and blood of the animals, as well as different meat
offerings, are presented, with incantations, as a feast to the god-
dess, after which clarified butter is burnt on a prepared altar of
sand. Never did I see men so eagerly enter into the
shedding of blood, nor do I think any butchers could
slaughter animals more expertly. The place literally swam
with blood. The bleating of the animals, the numbers slain,

THE KALI POOJAH PESTIVAL 14S

and the ferocity of the people employed, actually made me
unwell, and I returned about midnight, filled with horror
and indignation.'* In the foregoing account, Mr. Ward has
omitted to say anything about the nocturnal revelry with which
the festival is in most instances accompanied. I have witness-
ed scenes on such occasions, which are too disgusting to be
described. Not only the officiating priest and the spiritual
guide, but all the members of the family and not a few of
the guests partake of the spirituous liquors offered to the
goddess, and in a state of intoxication sing Ramprasadi
songs befitting the occasion. The festival closes with orgies
such as are observed in the worship of Bacchus. There are,
however, a few honorable exceptions to the rule, who, though
they perform the worship of this goddess, yet altogether
abstain from drinking. The goddess. Kali, is their guardian
deity, they worship her daily, but are known never to touch
a drop of wine. They attribute to her all the worldly
prosperity they enjoy and look to her for everlasting blessed-
ness. Such men have no faith in the common drunken
motto, ^^ Bhatey ma Bhobaneyl' mother Bhobaney (another
name of Kali) is in the cup." But the grand characteristic
of this and similar festivals which are annually recurring
is, as I have already mentioned, " the wine, the fruit and the
lady fair."

" Even bacchanalian madness has its charms."
But to return to the priests of Kali Ghat. — As time
rolled on, their descendants multiplied so rapidly that it soon
became necessary to allot a few days only in the year to
each of the families, and on grand occasions, which are not
a few, the offertories are proportionately divided among the
whole set of the sacerdotal class. Thus it has now become
a case of what a Hindoo proverb so aptly expresses : " The
flesh of a sparrow divided into a hundred parts," or infini-
te simal quantities.

T

!46 THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL.

God has so constituted man that he can find little or no
enjoyment in a state of inactivity. The proper employ-
ment of time, therefore, is essentially necessary to the
progressive development of our powers and faculties, the
non exercise of which must needs induce idle and vicious
habits. No bread is sweet unless it is earned by the sweat
of our brow. The Haldars (priests) of Kali Ghaut having
no healthy occupation in which to engage their minds, and
depending for their sustenance on a means which requires
neither physical nor mental labor, have inevitably been led
to adopt the Epicurean mode of life, which says, " eat, drink
and be merry." This habit is further confirmed by the
peculiar nature of the religious principles which the worship
of this goddess enjoins. Certain texts of the Tantra Shaster
expressly inculcate that without drinking the mind is not
properly prepared for religious exercise and contemplation.
The pernicious effects of such a monstrous doctrine are suffi-
ciently obvious. It has been said that not only the men but
the women also are in the habit of drinking. As a necessary
consequence the vicious practice has not only enervated their
minds but made their " wealth small and their want great." Dis-
putes often arise between the worshippers and the priests of the
temple respecting the offerings and the proper division of
the same, the latter often claiming the lion's share which the
former are unwilling to submit to. Gross lies are sometimes
told in the presence of the goddess in order to secure to the major
portion of the offerings in the interests of the worshippers —
an expedient which the notorious rapacity of the officiating
Brahmins imperatively demands. Surrounded by an atmos-
phere densely impregnated with the miasm of a false reli-
gion and a corrupt morality, the ennobling thought of a true
God and the moral accountability of man never enters their
minds. The chief end and aim of their life is to impose on
the credulity of their blind votaries, and thereby pander to

THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL. 147

their unhallowed desires and selfish gratification. Nor can
they rise to a higher and purer sphere of life because from
their childhood they are nurtured in the cradle of error,
ignorance, indolence and profligacy. Who can contemplate
the effects of their impure orgies on the eighth, ninth, four-
teenth and fifteen nights of the increase and decrease of the
moon without being reminded of the saturnalia of the Greeks?*
If a sober-minded man were to visit the holy shrine of Kali
Ghat on one of these nights, he would doubtless be shocked at
the unrestrained debauchery that runs riot in the name of
religion. The temple, no less than the private domicile of the
priests, presents an uninterrupted scene of bacchanalian revel-
ry, which is unspeakably abominable. Men deprived of a
sense of shame, and women of decency and morality, mingle
in the revels, and the result is that all the cherished
notions of the better part of humanity are at once put to
flight. It is painful, to reflect that notwithstandings the pro-
gress of enlightenment in the great centre of Indian civili-
zation, people still cling to the adoration of a blood-thirsty
goddess, and to the support of a depraved class of priests.
The sacrifices of goats that are daily offered before the altar
of Kali being too numerous for local consumption, are sold to
outside customers much in the same manner as fruits and
vegetables are brought from the neighbouring villages into

* The writer in his younger days remembers to have been once taken up on
a Kali Poojah night by a gang of infamous drunkards in the very heart of Cal-
cutta. When he was returning home about midnight in company with some of
his friends after seeing the tdntdshd^ he being the youngest of the lot had neces-
sarily lagged behind, when to his utter dismay he was suddenly laid hold of by a
man who smelt strongly of liquor and carried him hurriedly into an empty house
on the roadside. The first shout at the very threshold was, — ** here we have got
a moorV\ i, e. a victim ; the ruffians, who had their faces covered with clothes,
jumped up at the announcement, and one of them accosted him in the following
manner — "what money and pice have you got? The writer replied a few an his
pice only. No Rupees ? asked another; whereupon they all fell to searching his
person and stripped him of all his clothes, which consisted of a dhooty^ a chddur
and z.jamd^ and finally bade him go. As a matter of course he was obliged
to return home almost in a state of nudity, one of his friends lending him a chddur
on the occasion. In these days the introduction of gas light and the posting of
constables on the highway have greatly checked such ruffianism.

148 THE KALI POOJAH FESTl VAL.

the market. On Saturday the sale is larger than on the other
week days, because that night is specially dedicated to the
worship of Bacchus, Sunday affording a respite from work.
But the sale of Kali Ghat goat meat has of late been much
interfered with by the establishment of rival shrines in
several parts of Calcutta, where a pound is to be had for
three annas. The owners (mostly prostitutes and drunkards)
of these pseudo-goddesses, vulgarly called Kashdye or butcher
Kali, sacrifice one or two goats every morning without any
ceremony, except on Saturday when the number is doubled
to meet increased requirements. Thus a regular and profi-
table butcher's trade is openly carried on in the name of the
goddess, and the generality of the Sakta Hindoos feel no
religious scruples in using the meat which is thus sanctified.
The comparative ease with which flesh is now obtained in
Calcutta has tended, in no small degree, to encourage habits
of drinking among a proverbially abstemious race of men ;
it being the popular impression that meat neutralises the
effects of spirituous liquors*

Many images of Kali which have from time to time been
set up in and about Calcutta, ostensibly for religious but prac-
tically for secular purposes, in imitation of the unrivalled pro-
totype at Kali Ghat, have acquired unenviable celebrity, and
been made subservient as a source of income to the owner
and the officiating priests, who fatten on the offerings made to
the goddess in the shape of money and provisions. Thus, for
instance, the Sidhassurry or Kali of Nimtollah obtains a few

* This idea is strengthened by the opinion of Native medical students, many
of whom, it is a matter of regret, are not great advocates of temperance. Natives
use liquor not for health but solely for intoxicating purposes. A very successful
Native Practitioner to whom not only the writer but many of his respectable
friends are under great obligation, not long ago fell a victim to the besetting
vice of intemperance, and confessed his guilt like a penitent sinner in his dy-
ing moments. His reputation was so great at one time that it was said '* patients
felt half cured when he entered the room." In the beginning of his brilliant
career, he was one of the most staunch advocates of temperance. How frail
is human nature !

THE KALI POOJAfJ FESTIVAL. 149

Rupees daily from such Hindoos as are carried to the river-
side to breathe their last, independently of the small presents
made at all hours of the day, especially in the mornings and
evenings, when the crowd assembles. It is amusing to ob-
serve the complaisance with which a Brahmin gives a conse-
crated Billaputtra or flower to a devotee in return for a Rupee
or so. A shrewd Brahmin, like the ancient Roman soothsayer,
laughs in his sleeves at such stupidity.

A Sanskrit proverb says that a meritorious work
endures. It keeps alive the name of the founder, and
this vanity furnishes the strongest stimulus to the endow-
ment of works of a religious character, and of public
utility. It is, however, a painful fact that the nature and
character of such endowments is, in most cases, lamentably
wanting in the element of stability. Two or three gener-
ations after the death of the founder, the substance of the estate
being impaired, the family is reduced to a state of poverty, the
surviving members, often a set of demoralised idlers, depend
for their support on the usufruct of the DeybatrUy originally
set apart for exclusively religious purposes, and placed
beyond the reach of law. In these days the offshoots of
many families are absolutely dependent on this sacred fund
for their subsistence, and the consequence naturally is that
the endowment is frittered away and the work itself inevi-
tably falls into decay. Thus in process of time both the
fund and the founder's name pass into utter oblivion.*

The following account given by Mr. Ward about the death
of a devotee of this goddess will not be uninteresting. "In
the year 1809, Trigonu Goswamee, a vyuktavudhootu, died
at Kali Ghat in the following manner: Three days before
his death; he dug a grave near his hut, in a place surrounded
by three vilwti trees which he himself had planted. In the
evening he placed a lamp in the grave, in which an offering

* For an account of the Bamacharee Sect, see note D.

ISO THE KALI POOJAH FESTIVAL.

of flesh, greens, rice, &c., to the shakals was made, repeating it
the next evening. The following day he obtained from a rich
native ten rupees worth of spirituous liquors, and invited a
number of mendicants, who sat drinking with him till twelve
at noon, when he asked among the spectators at what hour it
would be full moon ; being informed, he went and sat in his
grave, and continued drinking liquors. Just before the time
for the full moon, he turned his head towards the temple of
Kali, and informed the spectators that he had come to
Kali Ghat with the hope of seeing the goddess, not the
image in the temple. He had been frequently urged by
different persons to visit the temple, but though he had not
assigned a reason for his omission, he now asked what he
was to go and see there : a temple ? He could see that from
where he was. A piece, of stone made into a face, or the
silver hands? He could see stones and silver any where
else. He wished to see the goddess herself, but he had
not, in this body, obtained the sight. However, he had
still a mouth and a tongue, and he would again call upon
her ; he then called out aloud twice, " Kali ? Kali ?" and
almost immediately died ; — probably from excessive intoxi-
cation. The spectators, though Hindoos (who in general
despise a drunkard), considered this man as a great saint,
who had foreseen his own death, when in health. He had
not less than four hundred disciples."

The various causes which have hitherto conspired to
impart a sanctity to this famous temple are gradually waning
in their influence, but it will be a very long time before the
minds of the mass of the people are completely purified in
the crucible of true Religion, before which superstition and
priestcraft must vanish into air.

X.

THE SARASWATI POOJAH.

|ARASWATI is the Hindoo goddess of learning. She
is represented as seated in a water lily and playing
on a lute. Throughout Bengal her worship is cele-
brated with more or less pomp on the fifth day of the increase
of the moon, in the Bengali month of Magha or Falgoon
(February). As the popular Shastras reckon the commence-
ment of spring from this date, the people, especially the
young and gay of both sexes, put on basantee or yellow
garments, and indulge in all sorts of low merriment, manifest-
ing a depraved and vitiated taste.

Every Hindoo, young or old, who is able to read and write,
observes this ceremony with apparent solemnity, abstaining
from the use of fish on that day as a mark of reverence to
the goddess. The worship is performed either before an
image of the goddess, or before a pen, ink-bottle and pooti
(manuscript), which are symbolically regarded as an appro-
priate substitute for the image. The officiating priest, after
reading the prescribed formula, and presenting rice, fruits,
sweetmeats, flowers, &c., directs the votaries of the goddess
to stand up with flowers in their hands and repeat the
usual service, beseeching her to bestow on them the bless-
ings of learning, health, wealth, good luck, longevity, fame,
&c. Apart from its idolatrous feature, it is a rather strange
sight to see a number of youths, after going through the
process of ablution and changing their clothes, stand up
before the goddess in a body, and in a devotional spirit ad-
dress her in prayer for the blessings above enumerated. Even
apart from its superstitious character, it is decidedly objection-
able on the score of its purely secular tendency, as it

iS2 THE SARASWATI POOJAtt,

makes no allusion whatever to the primary object of all pray
er, vi::,^ the atonement and pardon of sin and the salvation
of the soul — an element in which the religious ceremonies of
the Hindoos are singularly deficient.

** Life is real, life is earnest,

And the grave is not its goal ;
*Dust thou art, to dust returnest,'

Was not spoken of the soul."

It was reported of Sir William Jones that when he
studied Sanscrit, he used to place on the table a metal image
of this goddess, evidently to please his Pundit. Let it not
be inferred from this that he advocated the continuance of
idolatry ; far from it, but even in appearance to acquiesce in
homage to an idol made of clay and straw is to withhold from
the Most High the reverence, gratitude and obedience due
to Him alone. The early formation of a prayerful habit
divested of any idolatrous feature will always exercise a
healthy religious influence on the mind in maturer years.

In every cluxtoospati or school, the Brahmin Pundit and
his pupils worship this goddess with religious strictness.
The Pundit setting up an image, invites all his patrons, neigh-
bouring friends and acquaintances on this occasion. Every
one who attends must make a present of one or a half Rupee
to the goddess, and returns home with the hollow benedic-
tion of the Brahmin. To so miserable a strait have the learn-
ed Pundits been reduced of late years, that they anxiously
look forward to the anniversary of this festival as a small
harvest of gain to them, as the authoritative ministers of
the goddess. They make from fifty to one hundred Rupees
a year by the celebration of this Poojah, which keeps them
for six months ; should any of their friends fail to make
the usual present to the goddess, they are sure to come and
demand it as a right.*

* A gift once made to a Brahmin must be continued from year to year
till the donor dies ; in some cases it is tenable from one generation to another.

THE SARASWA TI POOJAH. 153

Females are not allowed to take a part in the worship of
this goddess, simply because the great lawgiver of the coun-
try has denied them this privilege. They, however, now-a-
days read and write in spite of the traditional prohibition*
but are religiously forbidden to say their prayer before the
goddess, though she is herself an embodiment of their sex.
It is quite obvious that feelings of lamentable debasement
arise in their hearts at the annual recurrence of this festival,
strongly reminding them of the unhealthy, unnatural or-
dinance of their great lawgiver.

The day following the Poojah, the women are not per-
mitted to eat any fresk prepared article of food, but must be
satisfied with stale, cold things, such as boiled rice and boiled
pease with a few vegetables, totally abstaining from fish,
which they cannot do without on any other day. Taking place
on the sixth day of the increase of the moon, this part of the
festival is called Situl Shasthi as enjoining the use of cold food.

As a mark of homage to the goddess, the Hindoos do
not read or write on that day. Hence the day is observed
as a holiday in public and mercantile offices where the
clerks are mostly Hindoos. Should any necessity arise they
write in red ink, as all the inkstands in the household are
washed out and placed before the goddess for annual conse-
cration. They are, however, not prevented from attending
to secular business on this occasion. Unlike the sanguinary
character of the Poojahs of Doorga and Kali, no bloody sacri-
fices are offered to this gentle goddess, but as regards rude
merriment, the one in question does not form an exception
to the others. Revelry and unbecoming mirth are the grand
characteristics of this as indeed of almost every other Hindoo
festival. It is sickening to reflect how indecency and im-
morality are thus unblushingly countenanced under the sacred
name of religion.

U

1 54 THE SARA S WA TI POO J AH.

Loose women celebrate this festival, and keep up dan-
cing and singing all night in a bestial state of intoxica-
tion to the utter disgust of all sober-minded men. The
Moharajah of Burdwan used to expend large suras of money
on this occasion, engaging the best dancing girls of the metro-
polis and illuminating and ornamenting his palace in a
splendid style, besides giving entertainment to his English
and Native friends. Vast multitudes of people from Calcutta
still resort to his palace and admire the profuse festoons of
flowers and the yellow appearance of everything, indicative
of the advent of spring, — a season which, according to popu-
lar notion, invites the mind to indulge in licentious mirth.
It is needless to enumerate farther the many obscenities prac-
tised in songs and actions on this occasion.

t, .li. , en

XL

THE FESTIVAL OF CAKES.

|N the annual commemoration of this popular festival
in Bengal, which is analogous to the English
" Harvest home," the people in general, and the
agricultural classes in particular, manifest a gleeful appearance,
indicative of national demonstrations of joy and mirth. It
takes place in the Bengalee month of Pous or January, fol-
lowing immediately in the wake of the English Christmas and
New year's day. With the exception of the upper ten thou-
sand, almost all men, women and children alike participate
in the festivities of the season, and for three succeeding days
are occupied in rural pastimes and gastronomical enjoyment.
"The popular cry on this occasion, is — ^^ Awoynee^ Bownee^ teen
deeUy pittaeyy bhat^ khawneel^ " the Pous or Makar Sankranti is
come, let three days be passed in eating cakes and rice,"
accompanied by a supplementary invocation to the goddess
of Prosperity (Lukshmee) that she may aflTord her votaries
ample stores so that they may never know want. As the
outward manifestation of this internal wish, they tie all their
chests, boxes, beddings, the earthen cooking pots in the
kitchen, as well as those in the store-house containing their
food grains, and in fact every movable article in the house,
with shreds of straw that they may always remain intact. The
origin of this festival is involved in obscurity, but tradition
says that it sprung from the general desire of the people
engaged in agricultural pursuits to celebrate the last day of
PouSy and two succeeding days, in eating what they most
relish, cakes of all sorts, to their hearts' content, after having
harvested and gathered their corn and other food grains,

156 THE FESTIVAL OF CAKES.

which form the main staff of their life. Whatever may have
been the origin of this festival, it is evident that it does not
owe its existence, like most other Hindoo festivals, to priest-
craft. The idea is good and the tendency excellent. After
harvesting and gathering the fruits of their labour, on which
depend not only their individual subsistence throughout the
year, but the general prosperity of the country by the deve-
lopment of its resources, the husbandmen are well entitled to
lay aside, for a short while, the ploughshare, and taking
three days rest, spend them in rural amusements and
festivities amid their domestic circle. All this tends, in no
small degree, to awaken and revive dormant feelings of love
and friendliness by mutual exchange of invitations as well as
of good fellowship. Their incessant toil in the field during
the seven previous months, their intense anxiety on the score
of weather, carefully noting, though not with the scientific
precision of the meteorological reporter, deficient and plen-
teous rainfall, and apprehending the destructive October gale,
when the ears of corn are almost fully developed, their con-
stant watchfulness for the prevention of theft and the destruc-
tion of the crops by cattle, their unceasing weeding out of
troublesome and useless plants and cassay grass, sometimes
wading in marshy swamp or mire knee deep, and their inces-
sant anxiety for the due payment of rent to the zemindar, or
perhaps of interest to the relentless money lender, are sources
of uneasiness that do not allow them a moment's peace of
mind. Should they, by way of relaxation, cease to work for
three days in the year, they are not to be blamed for laziness
or supineness. The question of a good harvest is of such
immense importance to an agricultural country like India,
that when the god, Ram Chunder, the model king, visited his
subjects in Oude, the first thing he asked them was about the
state of the crops, and when the enquiry was favorably
answered, his mind was set at rest, and he cheerfully unfolded

THE FESTIVAL OF CAKES. 157

to them the scheme of his future Government * Physically
and practically considered, temporary cessation from labor
is indispensable to recruit the energy of the exhausted frame
of body, and promote the normal vigor of mind. So in
whatever light this national jubilee is regarded, socially,
rnorally or scientifically, it is productive of beneficial results,
ultimately contributing to the augmentation of the material
prosperity of the land.

Some of my countrymen of a fastidious taste look upon
this festival as a puerile and foolish entertainment, because it
possesses no dignified feature to commend it to their atten-
tion, but they should consider that it is free from the idola-
trous abominations and rank obscenity by which most of
the Hindoo festivals are charaterised, independently of its
having a tendency to promote the innocent mirth and gene-
ral hilarity of the masses, whose contentment is the best test
of a good government and of a generous landed aristocracy.

So popular is this festival amongst the people that the
Mussulmans have a common saying to the effect, that their
Eedf Bakrid and Skub-i-Barat — three of their greatest
national festivals — are no match for the Hindoo Pous Sakrad.

Our children and women in the city, whose minds
are so largely tinctured with an instinctive regard for
all festivities, share in the general excitement. On
this occasion, exchanges of presents of sweetmeats,
cloths, jaggery, ghee, flour, oranges, cereals, cocoanuts,
balls of concentrated milk, vegetables, spices, sugar, al-
monds, raisins, etc, are made between relatives in order

* Indeed, it has become a byword among the Natives in general that the
compound word, ** Ram-Eajya^'''' or the empire of Ram is synonymous with a
happy dynasty. There existed peace, union and harmony among the people
in the infancy of society. Almost every family had its assigned plot of land
which they cultivated, and the fruits of which they enjoyed without the incubus
of a rack-renting system, because the virgin soil always afforded an abundant
harvest. The wants of the people were few and those were easily supplied.
In fact there was a complete identity ofinterests between the rulers and the ruled.
The result was universal contentment and happiness. But unhappily the present
advanced stage of social organisation has considerably impaired the relation.

n

158 THE FESTIVAL OF CAKES.

that they may be enabled to solemnise the cake festival
with the greatest Mat In respectable families, the women
cheerfully take the trouble of making these preparations,
instead of trusting them to their female cooks, because
male cooks are no adepts in the art. So nicely are these
cakes made and in such variety, that the late Mr. Cock-
erell, a highly respected merchant of this City, used every
year to get an assortment from his Baboo and invite his
friends to partake of them ; and notwithstanding the pro-
verbial differences of taste, there are few who would not
relish them.

The boys in the many pdtshdlds or primary schools
around Calcutta, annually keep up this festival in a splendid
style. The more advanced form themselves into a band
of songsters, and, attended by bands of musicians with all
the usual accompaniments of flags, staves, etc., proceed in
procession from their respective schools to the bank of the
river Bhagiruttee, singing rhythmically in a chorus all the
way in praise of the holy stream, and of her powers of salva-
tion in the present Kali Yuga^ or iron age. When they reach
their destination they pour forth their songs most vociferously.
They afterwards perform the usual ablutions and return home
in the same manner as they set out from the PdtshdlA, regard
ing the performance as an act of great merit.

XII.

THE HOLI FESTIVAL.

HE annual return of this festival in honor of the god
Krishna, excites the religious feelings and superstitious
'frenzy of the Hindoos not only in Bengal but also in
Orissa, Bombay, and in the Upper Provinces of India. From
time immemorial, it has continued to exercise a very great
influence over the minds of the people at large, so much so that
what the Holi festival is in the Upper Provinces, the Doorga
Poojah is in the Lower Provinces of Bengal, being by far
the most popular and demonstrative in all their leading fea-
tures. Though originally and essentially a Hindoo festival
of a religious character, dedicated to the worship of a Hindoo
god, it has subsequently assumed a jubilant phase, drawing
the followers of a different creed to its ranks; hence not a few
Mussulmans in Upper India observe it in a secular sense,,
quite distinct from its religious aspect or requirements.

In Bengal it is called Dole Jattra^ or the rocking of the
image of Krishna on its throne* It occurs on the day of the
full moon in the Bengallee month of Falgoon or March, at
the vernal equinox, — a season of the year when all the ap-
petites, passions and desires of the people are supposed ta
be more or less inflamed, and they naturally seek outlets of
gratification. In the Upper Provinces it is known by the
name of Holi^ or festival of scattering fhag or red powder
among friends and others. On the previous night the
people both here and in the Upper Provinces bur»
amidst music the effigy of an uncouth straw image of a
giant named Maydhasoor, who caused great disturbance among
the gods and goddesses in their hours of meditation and pray-

i6o THE HOLI FESTIVAL.

er. To put a stop to this unholy molestation the god
Narayan or Krishna destroyed the giant by means of his
matchless valor and skill, and thus restored peace in heaven
as well as on earth. To commemorate this glorious achieve-
ment, the image of the above giant is annually burnt on the
night previous to the Holi festival.

The religious part of the ceremony, irrespective of its
idolatrous element, is performed in accordance with the ori-
ginal rules of the Hindoo ritual, which are free from all kinds
of abominations. But the great body of the people, lacking
the vital principle of a pure and true faith and following the
impulse of unrestrained appetites, have gradually sunk into
the depths of corruption, — the outcome of impure imagi-
nations and of a vitiated taste. In Bengal, the observance
of this festival is not characterised by anything that is vio-
lently opposed to the social amenities of life. Notwithstand-
ing the many-featured phases and multitudinous requirements
of the Hindoo creed, the peculiarities of this festival are main-
ly confined to the worship of the household image, and the
entertainment of the Brahmins and friends. Daubing the
bodies of the guests with red powder in an either dry or liquid
state, and singing songs descriptive of the sports of Krishna
with the milk-maids in the groves of Brindabun, form the
constituent elements of the festival in Bengal. Offerings of
rice, fruits and sweetmeats are made to the god, and its body is
also smeared with red powder by the officiating priest, so as to
render it one with that of its followers. At the close of the cere-
mony, the rite of purification is performed, which restores the
image — either a piece of stone or metal — to its normal purity.

It is a noteworthy fact that in this festival, no new
image made of clay and straw is either set up or thrown
into the sacred stream, as is invariably the case with the other
Hindoo gods and goddesses generally worshipped by the
people of Bengal. Krishna, in whose honor this festival is

THE HOLI festival: i6i

celebrated, has many forms, one of which generally consti-
tutes the household deity that is worshipped every morning
and evening by the hereditary priest with all the solemnity
of a religious service. A Hindoo who keeps an image of
this god is esteemed more in a religious point of view than
one who is without it. In the popular estimation he escapes
many censures to which a godless Hindoo is often exposed.
Nor is this at all singular. An orthodox Hindoo who offers!
up his daily prayer to his tutelar deity is at least more con-
sistent in his principles, which, as Confucius very justly says,
means Heaven, than one who is tossed about by a wavering
faith in the indistinguishable whirl of life.

The festival of Dole Jattra or Holi in Bengal, commenc-
ing on the day of the full moon, varies, however, in its
observance as to the day on which it is to be held. Some
celebrate it on the first, some on the second, and some again
on the third, fifth, seventh, ninth day of the dark phase of the
moon. Generally Vaishnaws, or the followers of Krishna,
observe it, though in some cases, the Saktos, — ^the followers
of Doorga and Kalli — also celebrate it. No bloody sacri-
fices are offered on the occasion. Apart from the religious
merit attributed to the ceremonial, it is comparatively a
tame and undemonstrative affair in the Lower Provinces of
Bengal when compared with the sensational excitement with
which it is celebrated in the Upper Provinces. In Orissa
too, it is kept up with great eclat before the shrine of Juggur-
nauth and its environs. Thousands and tens of thousands
of pilgrims from a great distance congregate there on this?
occasion and offer their oblations to the " stumped" lord of
the world. When the inhabitants of Bengal talk of their
most popular festivals, they pronounce almost involuntarily
the Dole and Doorgutsuby but the latter has long since com-
pletely eclipsed the former. Morally, socially and intellec-
tually the enlightened Bengallees are assuredly the Athenians

w

1 62 THE HOLI FESTIVAL.

of Hindoostan. Their growing intelligence and refined
taste, — ^the outcome of English education — have imbued
them with a healthier ideal of moral excellence than any
other section of the Indian population throughout the length
and breadth of the land (the Parsis of Bombay excepted).
It is owing to the influence of this superior moral sense
that they do not abandon themselves to the general corruption
of manners obtaining in Upper India during the Holi
festival

" Fools make a mock at sin*' is a scriptural proverb which
is especially applicable to the inhabitants of the Upper Pro-
vinces on the annual return of this festival. Unlike their
brethren in Bengal they pay greater attention to the secular
than to the religious part of the ceremony. A few days
before the Holiy as if to enkindle the flame of a national
demonstration of a sensational character, they return to the
low, obscene old ballads which constitute a notable feature
of the ceremonial. Week after week, day after day, and hour
after hour, they pour them out almost as spontaneously as a
bird, because they have a perverse propensity for the indul-
gence of impure thoughts, and rude, profane mirth, which is an
outrage on common decency and a scandal to a rational being.
Notwithstanding the vigilance of the Police and the stringency
of the Penal Code, these ragamuffins stroll along the public
streets in bands, dance antics and sing obscene songs with
impunity, simply because the major portion of the Native
constables come from the same lower strata of society. Of
course before a European they dare not commit the same
nuisance. Should a luckless female, even old and infirm, chance
to come in their way, they unblushingly assail her with a
volley of scurrilous and insulting epithets much too gross
to be tolerated by a rational being having the smallest
modicum of decorum about him. To give a specimen of
the songs, vulgar as they unquestionably are, would be

THE HOLI FESTIVAL 163

an act of unpardonable profanation. Even in the Burra
Bazar of Calcutta, where the Up-country Hindoos mostly
reside, excesses and enormities are committed, even in the
full blaze of day, which alike belie reason and conscience,
and ignore the divine part of humanity. Mirth, music
and melody do not form the programme of their amuse-
ment, but a feverish excitement, originating in lust
and leading to criminal excesses, is the characteristic of the
scene. If a sober-minded man were permitted to examine the
Cash Book of a country liquor shop, he would most assuredly
be struck with the enormous receipts of the shopkeeper
during the festive days on this occasion. Bacchanalianism
in all its most detestable forms reigns rampant in almost
every home and purlieu throughout the Upper Provinces.
Every brothel, every toddykhannah, every grog shop, is crowd-
ed with customers from early morning to dewy evening and
later on. An almost incessant volume of polluted and pollut-
ing outcries rises to the skies from these dens of sin, snrirch-
ing and vulgarising the brilliant ideals of a holy festival.
The endless chanting of obscene songs, the discordant notes
of the inebriated songsters almost tearing their throats in
excessive vociferations, the harsh din of music, their frightful
gesticulations and contortions of the body, their frantic
dance, their dithyrambic fanaticism in which every sense of
decorum is lost, their horrid looks rendered tenfold more
horrid by reason of their smearing their bodies with red
powder, the pestiferous atmosphere by which they are encom-
passed, and their reeling posture and bestial intoxication, all
conspire to make them " mock at sin."* Nor is this to be
wondered at. The lives and examples of the Hindoo gods

* When the late Mr. ThomascJn, the 'Lieutenant-Governor of the North-
Western Provinces, visited Benares, the far famed city of holy shrines and holy
bulls, during this festival, he exclaimed in pious indignation, "what disgusting
scenes are enacted and frightful crimes perpetrated in the name of religion by
rational beings capable of purer and sublimer enjoyments. Surely the shameless
ragamuffins are the fit subjects of a bedlam/'

i64 THE HOLI FESTIVAL.

have, in a great measure, moulded the character of their
followers: "Shiva is represented as declaring to Luckhee
that he would part with the merit of his works for the grati-
fication of a criminal passion ; Brahma as burning with lust
towards his own daughter; Krishna as living with the wife of
another, murdering a washerman and stealing his clothes, and
sending his friend Yoodhisthira to the regions of torment by
causing him to utter a falsehood ; Indra and Chundra are
seen as the paramours of the wives of their spiritual guides."
It is much to be lamented that the authors of the Hindoo
mythology have unscrupulously held up the revels of their
gods to the imitation of their followers.

It is but just to observe that the more respectable classes
are restrained by a sense of honor from participating with the
populace in the vicious pleasures of undisciplined passions.
But their implied approval of such sensual gratifications
tends, in no small degree, to fan the flame of superstitious
frenzy. If they do not expose themselves in the highway,
they betray their concupiscence within the confines of their
own dwellings. They substitute opium and bhang (hemp)
for spirituous liquors, and among the females of the iiouse,
some aunt or other is the butt of their rude, unseemly satire.
Their lusts and want of inward discipline, stimulated by a
false religion as well as by the demoralized rules of an abnor-
mal conventionalism, have deadened, as it were, their finer
sensibilities, and generations must pass away before they are
enabled rightly to appreciate their social relations and their
moral and religious duties.

% ■ — m ■■ I. . .»

XIII.

CASTE.

he distinction of caste is woven into the very tex-
ture of Hindoo society. In whatever h'ght it
is considered, religiously, morally, or socially, it
must be admitted that this abnormal system is calculated
to perpetuate the ignorance and degradation of the
race among which it prevails. It is useless to enquire
when and by whom it was founded. The Hindoo
Shastras do not agree as to this point, but it is obvious
to conclude that it must have originated in a dark age when
a proud and selfish priesthood, in the exercise of its sacer-
dotal functions, imposed on the people this galling yoke of
religious and social servitude. Even the rulers of the land
were not exempt from its baneful influence. They were as
much subject to the prescribed rules of their order as the
common people. Calculating on the implicit and unques-
tioning obedience of men to their authoritative injunctions,
a scheming hierarchy established a universal system, the
demoralizing effects of which are perhaps without a parallel
in the annals of human society. The capacity and culture
of man's intellect was shamefully under-estimated when it
was expected that such an artificial order, so preposterously
unsuited to the interests of humanity and to the advancement
of civilization, should for ever continue to influence the life
and destiny of unborn generations.

"The distinctions of rank in Europe" says Mr. Ward, "are
founded upon civic merit or learning, and answer very im-
portant ends in the social union ; but this system commences
with an act of the most consummate injustice that was ever
perpetrated ; binds in chains of adamant nine-tenths of the

1 66 CASTE.

people, debars them for ever from all access to a higher state,
whatever their merits may be ; puts a lock upon the whole
intellect of three of the four orders, and branding their very-
birth with infamy, and rivetting their chains for ever, says
to millions and millions of mankind, — * you proceeded from
the feet of Brahma, you were created for servitude/ "

History furnishes no parallel to such an audacious declar-
ation, made in utter defiance of the fundamental principles
of humanity. The onward march of intellect can never be
checked, even when fenced in by the strongest of artificial
barriers. Still will that " grey spirit " rise and chase away the
errors which age has accumulated and superstition cherished.

** That grey spirit yearning in desire

To follow knowledge, like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought."

The distinction of caste, it is obvious, was originally insti-
tuted to secure to the hierarchy all the superior advantages
of a privileged class, and to condemn all other orders to follow
menial occupations such as the trades of the country could
furnish. They kept the key of knowledge in their own hands,
and thus exercised a domineering influence over the mass of
the people, imagining that their exclusive privileges should
have endless duration. This power in their hands was
•* either a treasury chest or a rod of iron." The mind recoils
from contemplating what would have been the state of the
country, the extent of her hopelessness and helplessness, if
the light of European knowledge had not dawned and pene-
trated the Hindoo mind, and thereby introduced a healthier
state of things. Eighty years back this system was at the
zenith of its splendour; men clung to it with all the tenacity
of a natural institution, and proscribed those who ventured to
break through its fetters. It was a terrible thing then to
depart from the established order of social union ; the least
whisper of a deviation and the slightest violation of its rules

CASTE. 167

were visited with social persecution of the worst type. I
cannot do better than give a few instances, illustrating the
nature of the punishments to which a Hindoo was subjected
in that period of terror, when caste-mania raged most furiously.

" After the establishment of the English power in Bengal,
the caste of a Brahmin of Calcutta was destroyed by a Euro-
pean who forced into his mouth flesh, spirits, &c. After
remaining three years an outcast, great efforts were made, at
an expense of eighty thousand rupees, to restore him to the
pale of his caste, but in vain, as many Brahmins of the same
order refused to associate with him as one of their own. After
this, an expense of two lacks of Rupees more was incurred,
when he was re-admitted to the privileges of his caste. About
the year 1802, a person in Calcutta expended in feasting and
presents to Brahmins fifty thousand Rupees to be re-admitted
into the ring of his caste from which he had been excluded
. for eating with a Brahmin of the Peeralee caste. Not long after
this, two Peeralee Brahmins of Calcutta made an effort to
wipe out the opprobrium of Peeralismy but were disappointed,
though they had expended a very large sum of money.

" Ghunusyamu, a Brahmin, about thirty-five years ago,
went to England and was excommunicated. Gocool, another
Brahmin, about the same time went to Madras, and was re-
nounced by his relatives ; but after incurring some expense in
feasting Brahmins, he was received back. In the year 1808,
a blacksmith of Serampore returned from Madras and was
disowned by his fellow caste men, but after expending two
thousand Rupees amongst the Brahmins, he was restored to
his family and friends. In the same year the mother of Kali
Prosaud Ghose, a rich Kayusto of Benares, who had lost caste
by intercourse with Mussulmans and was called a Peeralee^
died. Kali Prosaud was much concerned on account of the
rites required to be performed in honor of the manes of his
deceased parent, but no Brahmin would officiate at the

i68 CASTE.

ceremony ; after much entreaty and promise of rewards, he
prevailed at last upon eleven Brahmins to perform the neces-
sary ceremonies at night. A person who had a dispute with
these Brahmins informed against them, and they were imme-
diately abandoned by their friends. After waiting several
days in vain, hoping that his friends would relent, one of
these Brahmins, tying himself to a jar of water, drowned
himself in the Ganges. Some years ago, Ram, a Brahmin of
Tribany, having, by mistake, married his son to a Peeralee
girl, and being abandoned by his friends, died of a broken
heart. In the year 1803, Shibu Ghose, a KayustOy mai:ried a
Peeralee girl, and was not restored to his caste till after seven
years, and after he had expended seven thousand Rupees for
the expiation of his offence. About the same period, a
Brahmin woman of Velupookuria, having been defloured, and
in consequence outcasted, put an end to her existence by
voluntary starvation. In the village of Buj Buj, some years
ago, a young man who had lost his caste through the crimi-
nal intrigues of his mother, a widow, in a state of frenzy
poisoned himself, and his two surviving brothers abandoned the
country. Goorooprasaud, a Brahmin of Churna, in Burdwan,
not many years ago, through fear of losing caste, in conse-
quence of the infidelity of his wife, left his home and died of
grief at Benares. About the year 1800, a Brahmin lady of
Santipore murdered her illegitimate child, to prevent dis-
covery and loss of caste. In the year 1807, a Brahmin of
Tribany murdered his wife by strangling her to avert loss of
caste through her criminal intrigues. About the year 1790,
Kalidass, a Brahmin, who had been inveigled into marrying
a washerman's daughter, was obliged to flee the country to
Benares, where being discovered, he sold all his property and
fled, and his wife became a maniac. In the time of Rajah
Krishna Chunder Roy, a Brahmin of Santipore was found to
have a criminal intrigue with the daughter of a shoemakers

CASTE. 169

the Rajah forbade the barber of the village to shave thp
family or the washerman to wash for them : in this distress
they applied to the Rajah and afterwards to the Nawab for
restoration, but in vain. After having been despoiled of their
resources by the false promises of pretended friends, the
Rajah relented and removed the ban, but the family have not
obtained to this day their pristine position *

" Numbers of outcasts abandon their homes and wander
about till death. Many other instances might be given
in which the fear of losing caste had led to the perpetra-
tion of the most shocking murders, which in this country
are easily concealed, and thousands of children are mur-
dered in the womb, to prevent discovery and the consequent
loss of caste, particularly in the houses of the Koolin
Brahmins."

The inveterate tenacity with which the rites and privileges
of caste are clung to is a prominent feature of the Hindoo
character, showing, like many other facts, that as a nation — the
Rajpoots excepted — they fear the sword-blade, but can meet
death with calmness and fortitude when they apprehend any
danger to the purity of caste. In the year 1777, a Mussul-
man nobleman forcibly seized the daughters of three Brah-
mins. They complained to the judge of the district, but ob-
taining no redress, they committed suicide by poison under
the nose of the unrighteous judge. " When, about a century
since, a body of sepoys were being brought from Madras to Cal-
cutta, the provisions ran short, till at last the only food consisted
of salted beef and pork. Though a few submitted to the neces-
sity of circumstances and defiled themselves, many preferred
a languishing death by famine to a life polluted by tasting

• Rajah Kissen Chunder Roy, in the latter end of the i8th century, used to
restore persons and families who had forfeited their caste by their laches by re-
covering from them a heavy fine for which there used to be much higgling. This
fine was in addition to the expenses incidental to the ceremony of Prayischittra*.
Many heads of Dalls or parties of our day follow the same practice.

X

170 CASTE.

forbidden food. The Mussulman Governors often took ad-
vantage of this prejudice, when their exchequers were empty
The Hindoo would submit to the most excruciating
tortures rather than disclose his hoard, but the moment his
religious purity was threatened, he complied with any de-
mand, if the sum asked for was within his means ; if not, the
man being linked to his caste fellows, the latter raised the
required sum by subscription."

In a moral point of view, the effects of this distinction
are equally mischievous. Far from promoting a spirit oi
benevolence and good fellowship between man and man,
it has a natural tendency to engender hostile feelings, which
cannot fail to militate against the best interests of humanity.
Should a Hindoo of inferior caste happen to touch one of
superior caste, while the latter is cooking or eating, he throws
away everything as defiled. Even in cases of extreme
sickness, the one will seldom condescend to drink water out
of the hands of the other. There are also instances on record
in which two Hindoos of the same caste refuse to eat together,
simply because they belong to two several dalls or parties ;
in the villages especially this partisan feeling is sometimes
carried to so great a length that no party will scruple to
blast the fair fame of their antagonists by scandalous accusa-
tions and uncalled-for slanders. Thousands and thousands
of Rupees are spent in securing the favors or alliance of
the Koolins — ^the great arbiters of caste, — and he who by
the power of his purse can enlist on his side a larger num-
bers of these pampered Koolins^ generally takes away the
palm. The hard struggle for the attainment of this hollow,
ephemeral distinction, instead of stimulating any noble desire
or laudable ambition, almost invariably terminates in foster-
ing an antagonistic spirit, which is decidedly opposed to
the laws of good fellowship and the general brotherhood of
mankind. Genuine charity can never exist in such an unex-

CASTE, 171

pansive state of society, and mutual love is torn in shreds.
If the original founder of the system had calmly and soberly
considered, apart from selfish motives, a tithe of the evils
which the caste system was calculated to inflict on society,
he would, I make no doubt, have paused before imposing on
Hindoo society the fetters of caste servitude.

It has been urged by the advocates of the system that it
is designed to confer a great boon on society by confining
each trade or occupation to one particular class, and thereby
securing perfection in that line ; but the argument is as
fallacious as the result is disappointing. Experience and
observation sufficiently prove that the Hindoo artisans use
almost the same tools and implements which their predecessors
used centuries ago. They work with the same loom and
spindle, the same plough, the same spade, the same scythe,
the same threshing machine, and the same everything that
were in vogue at the time of Vicramadyatta in the six-
teenth century, and if any improvement has been effec-
ted, it is owing to the superior skill of the foreigners.
It is, however, creditable to the native artisans to say that
they evince a great aptitude for learning and imitating
what they see. Native carpenters, shoemakers, tailors,
engravers, lithographers, printers, gold and silver-smiths, &c.,
now-a-days turn out articles which in point of workmanship
are not very much inferior to those imported from Europe.
Of course they are materially indebted to Europeans for
this improvement.

The circumstances which cause the loss of caste are the
following: The abandonment of the Hindoo religion, journey
to foreign countries which involves the eating of forbidden food,
the eating of food cooked by one of inferior caste or of food
forbidden to the Hindoos, female unchastity in a family,
the cohabiting with women of a lower caste, or with those of
foreign, nations and the non-performance of religious rites

172 CASTE.

prescribed in the Shastras * There are other circumstances
which detract from the dignity of a family, but they are of
secondary importance. These causes were in full operation
some seventy or eighty years ago. The unanimous voice of
the neighbours denounced a Hindu as an outcast if he
were found guilty of any of the above transgressions. Purity
of caste was then watched with greater solicitude than purity
of conscience and character. The magnates of the land
spared neither expense nor pains to preserve inviolate the
outward purity of their caste. The popular shastras of the
Hindoos are certainly very convenient and accommodating in
every respect ; the sins of a life-time, nay of ten lives, may be
washed away by an ablution in the sacred stream of the Gan-
ges on the occasion of certain Jtoly days called yogas; so re-
quisite provision is made in them for the atonement of the
loss of caste by performing certain religious rites and feasting,
and making suitable presents to Brahmins in money and
kind. But it has always been a matter of wonder to many
that the Peeralees or the Tagores of Calcutta, alike noted for
their wealth and liberality, have not as yet been able to re-
gain their caste or their original position in Hindu society.
The obvious reason appears to be that they are not desirous
of a restoration by submitting to any kind of humiliating
atonement. They have shown their wisdom in pursuing such
an independent and manly course. The history of Peeralee
is thus given by Mr. Ward : " A Nabob of the name of
Peeralee is charged with having destroyed the rank of many
Hindus, Brahmins and others ^ and from these persons have
descended a very considerable number of families scattered
over the country, who have been branded with the name of
their oppressor. These persons practise all the ceremonies
of the Hindu religion, but are carefully avoided by other

* The non-performance of religious rites does not now, however, entail for-
eiture of caste. Hindu society is getting lax in our days.

CASTE. 173

Hindus as outcasts. It is supposed that not less than fifty
families live in Calcutta, who employ Brahmin priests to per-
form the ceremonies of the Hindu religion for them. It is
said that Rajah Krishna Chunder Roy was promised five
lacks of Rupees by a Peeralee, if he would only honor him
with a visit of a few moments, but he refused." Such was the
virulence with which the caste mania raged when Hindu
bigotry had reached its culminating point. Rajah Krishna
Chunder Roy of Kishnaghur, about 100 miles north of Cal-
cutta, was otherwise reputed to have been a very generous-
hearted man, a great patron of learning and learned men, but
he was so blindly led away by the impulse of bigotry that he
unhesitatingly declined to assist a brother countryman of his
who had been subjected to social ostracism through mere
accident. But the Rajah's grandson, if I am rightly informed,
when he had occasion to come down to Calcutta a few years
back, unscrupulously took up his quarters at Spence's Hotel,
and freely enjoyed the company of his European friends,
indicating a healthy change in the social economy of the
people, the result solely of intellectual expansion, and of the
inauguration of a better era through the rapid diffusion of
western knowledge.*

The Peeralee or the Tagore family of Calcutta, be it
recorded to their honor, have long been eminently distin-
guished by their liberality, manly independence, enlightened
principles and enterprising spirit. Some of the members of
this family occupy the foremost rank amongst the friends of
native improvement. The late Baboo Dwarkey Nath Tagore
set a noble example to his contrymen by his disinter-
ested exertions in the cause of native education and public
charities. Several of his European friends were under deep
obligations to him for his unbounded liberality under peculiarly

* I am inclined to believe that what the late Nuddea Raja did was his
individual act ; as the head of the Hindus of Bengal, the Rajah of Nuddea
would strictly follow the pratices of his great ancestor even to this day.

174 CASTE,

embarrassed circumstances ;* the length of his purse was equal-
led by the breadth of his views. His object in proceeding to
England was mainly to extend his knowledge by a closer
and more familiar intercourse with Europeans. He was the
right hand of the illustrious Hindoo reformer, the late Raja
Rammohun Roy. His magnanimous mind, his enlightened
views, his engaging manners, his amiable qualities both in
public and private life, and his indomitable zeal in endea-
vouring to elevate his country in the scale of civilization, gave
him an influence in English society never before or after
enjoyed by any Hindoo gentleman. His worthy relative and
coadjutor, the late Baboo Prosono Coomar Tagore, C. S. I.,
who has left a princely fortune, was no less distinguished for
his enlarged views and liberal sentiments. His rich endow-
ment of the Tagore Law Lecturship in connection with the
Calcutta University has substantially established his claim
on the gratitude of his countrymen. It was he that first
started the native English Paper called the " Reformer,"
which not only opened the eyes of the Hindoos to the errors
of the antiquated system under which they lived, but diffused
a healthy taste for the cultivation of English literature among
the rising generation of his countrymen, and thereby paved
the way for the development of advanced thought and in-
telligent opinion on the practical enunciation and appreciation
of which mainly depends the future advancement of the nation.
The late Moha Rajah Ramanauth Tagore, C. S. I., another
member of the Tagore family, was deservedly esteemed for his
liberal sentiments, his high sense of honor, his scrupulous
fidelity and his unblemished character. Baboo Debender-
nath Tagore, the son of the late Baboo Dwarkeynauth Tagore,
bears a highly exemplary character. His uncompromising
straightforwardness, his sincerity and piety, his high integrity,

* To one friend alone he gave two lacs of Rupees without any security,
showing a degree of magnanimity seldom to be met with among the millionaires
of the present day.

CASTE, 175

his devotedness to the cause of religion, his unassuming
habits, the suavity of his disposition, and his utter contempt for
worldly enjoyments, have shed an unfading lustre around his
name. Well may India be proud of such a worthy son. Moha
Raja Jotendeimohun Tagore, C. S. I., Raja Sourendermohun
Tagore, his brother, and Baboo Gynendermohun Tagore, the
son of the late Baboo Prosonocoomar Tagore, also belong to
this family : all of them bear a very high character for intel-
ligence, integrity, and sound moral principles.

All these distinguished individuals are descended from
Peeralee ancestors. Few have more deservedly merited
the respect and esteem of their countrymen, or better vindi-
cated their rightful claim to the honors bestowed on some
of them. If they are denounced as outcasts, such outcasts
are the ornaments of the country. If they are far in the rear
of caste they are assuredly far in the van of intelligence, ability,
mental activity, refinement and honesty. If to be a Peeralee
were an indelible stigma, it is certainly a glory to the whole
nation that such a noble and stainless character as Baboo
Debendemauth Tagore is a member of the same family. We
would search in vain among the countless myriads of India
for such a meek, spotless, but bright and glorious model.

It is, moreever, to the Peeralee or Tagore family that
the enlightened Hindoo community of Calcutta \s principally
indebted for its refined taste and elevated ideas. May they
continue to shed their benign influence not only on the rising
but unborn generations of their countrymen, and carry on the
work of reformation, not with the impetuosity of rash innova-
tors, but with the cool deliberation of reflecting minds.

The rules of caste are not now strictly observed, and
their observance is scarcely compatible with the spirit of the
age, and in one sense we have scarcely a Hindoo in Bengal,
especially amongst those who live in the Presidency town
and the district towns.

176 CASTE,

The distinction of caste is more honored in the breach
than in the observance of it .♦ As English schools and col-
leges are multiplying in every nook and corner of the empire,
more liberal ideas and principles are being imbibed by the
Hindoo youths, which bid fair in process of time to exercise a
regenerating influence on the habits of the people. Idolatry,
and its necessary concomitant, priestcraft, is fast losing its
hold on their minds ; a new phase of life indicates the near
approach of an improved order of things ; ideas which had
for ages been pent up in the dark, dreary cell of ignorance
now find a free outlet, and the recipients of knowledge
breathe a purer atmosphere, clear of the hazy mists that had
hitherto clouded their intellect. To a philanthropist such a
forecast is in the highest degree encouraging. The
distinction of caste has also received a fatal blow by the
frequent visits of young and aspiring native gentlemen to
England for the purpose of completing their education there.
This growing desire among the rising generation should be
encouraged as it has an excellent tendency to promote the
moral and intellectual improvement of the nation.

The late Baboo Ramdoolal Dey,f of Calcutta, who was
a self-made man and a millionaire, was a DuUaputty or head

* The young membeis of a family have no hesitation in partaking of food
cooked by Mussulmans and forbidden in the Hindoo Shasters. On holidays or
on special occasions, they send orders to the ** Great Eastern Hotel," and get
supplies of English delicacies such as they have a liking for. It is a well-known
fact that almost every rich family in Calcutta and its suburbs (the orthodox mem-
bers excepted) recognised as the head of the Hindoo community, patronise the
English Hotel-keepers. Mr. D. Wilson, the famous purveyor in Government
Place, seeing the great rush of native gentlemen into his shop on a Christmas
eve, was said to have remarked that the Baboos were amongst his best customers.
The great purveyor was right, because the Baboos give large orders and pay
regularly for fear of exposure. Such of them as are placed in mediocre circum-
stances arrange with their Mussulman syces and get fowl curry or roast as often as
they choose. There are indeed a few honorable exceptions, who on principle do
not encourage the English style of eating and drinking. A very little reflection
will convince any one that the English mode of living is ill suited to the Natives.
It not only leads a man into extravagance, but what is more reprehensible,
begets a habit of drinking, which, I need hardly say, has been the ruin of many
a promising young Baboo.

t This gentleman was a Banian to several American and English firms, which
used to deal largely in cow and other hides. From religious scruplei he refused

CASTE. 177

of a party. When the subject of caste was discussed, he
emphatically said, that " the caste was in his iron chest," the
meaning of which was that money has the power of restor-
ing caste.

The late Baboo Ram Gopal Ghose, a distingushed mer-
chant and reformer of this City, had a country residence at
Bagati, near Tribani, in the Hooghly district, about lOO miles
east of Calcutta. He had a mother who was, as might
be expected, a superstitious old lady. Baboo Ram Gopal
on principle never wounded her feelings by interfering with
her religious belief. On the occasion of the Doorga Poojah at
his country house, his mother as usual directed the servants to
distribute the noybidhiy or offerings, consisting of rice, fruits
and sweetmeats, among the Brahmins of the neighbourhocxJ ;
but they all, to a man, refused to accept the same, on the
ground that Ram Gopal was not a Hindoo^ which was tanta-
mount to declaring that he had no faith in Hindooism, and
was an outcast from Hindooism. On seeing the offerings
brought back, his mother's lamentations knew no bounds,
because the refusal of the Brahmins to accept the offerings
was a dishonor, and involved the question of the loss of caste.
Apprehending the dreadful consequences of such a refusal,
especially in a village where bigotry reigned supreme, the old
lady became quite disconsolate. Ram Gopal, who with strong
common sense combined the benefit of a liberal English
education, thought of the following expedient : He at oncfj
suggested that every noybidhi (offering) should, be accompa-
nied by a sum of five Rupees. The temptation was too
great to be resisted, the very Brahmins who, two hours back,
openly refused to take the offerings, now came running in
numbers to Ram Gopal's house for their share, and regularly

to accept the usual commission on such articles by which he might have obtained
at least forty thousand Rupees per annum. In these days no Baboo declines
to take the usual commission, but on the contrary, many are engaged in the trade*
which is a sacrilegious act in the eye of the Hindoo Shaster.

178 CASTE

scrambled for the thing. In fact, he had more demands than
he could meet. Thus a few Rupees had the marvellous effect
of turning a Sakib into a pure Hindoo, fully illustrating the
truth of Ramdoolal Dey's saying, that " Caste was in his
iron chest." Examples of this nature may be multiplied to
any extent, but they are not necessary. Thus we see the
decadence of this artificial system is inevitable, as indeed of
every other unhealthy institution opposed to the best interests
of humanity.

I cannot close this chapter without drawing the atten-
tion of my readers to the gross inconsistency of the conduct
of the caste apologists. Thousands and tens of thousands of
the most orthodox Hindoos daily violate the rules of caste
by using the shidho chdll, (rice produced from boiled paddy)
which is often prepared by Mussalmans and other low caste
husbandmen, whose very touch is pollution to the food of the
Hindoo, It is a notorious fact that nine-tenths of the Hindoos
of Bengal, including the Brahmin class, are in the habit of
eating shidho chdlly which is the prime staff of their lives,
simply because the other kind of rice, dtab chdll (rice produced
from sun-dried paddy), contains too much starch or nutri-
tive property and is difficult of digestion by bhayto or rice-fed
Bengallees who are, with a few exceptions, constitutionally
weak from a variety of causes enumerated before. In the
North-West Provinces, people never use shidho rice owing to
its being boiled in an unhusked state.

The Hindoos of our day often consume sugar refined
with the dust of charcoal bones. The universal use of shidfio
rice and sweetmeats which contain refined sugar leads the Hin-
doos to break the rules of caste almost every hour of their lives.
Besides these two chief articles of food, there are several other
things made by Mussulmans, such as rose-water, kaywra drauky
and the like, the general use of which is a direct violation of the
rules of caste. A Hindoo female, when she becomes a widow

CASTE 179

at an advanced period of life, sometimes takes to dtab rice
because it is not produced from boiled paddy which makes
it impure, but from sun-dried paddy, and here the members
of the Tagore family are more strict in their regime than
any other class of Hindoos in Bengal. There are, however,
yet a few orthodox Hindoos, who, though they eat shidlto rice,
nevertheless abstain from using bazar-made sweetmeats and
Municipal pipe water because the engines of the latter are
said to be greased and worked by Mussalman and Christian
hands. Such men make their own sweetmeats at home with
Benares sugar and drink Ganges water, but the younger
members of their family, if not without their approval at
least with their partial cognisance, daily make the greatest
inroads on this institution without having the moral courage
to avow their acts. They eat and drink in the European
fashion, and preserve their castes intact by a positive and
emphatic disclaimer. So much for the consistency of their
character. When the orthodox heads of Hindoo families
are gathered unto their fathers, the key-note of the present
or rising generation will be — " perish caste with all its mons-
trous evils."

XIV.

A BRAHMIN.

Brahmin of the present iron age is quite a different
ecclesiastic from what he was in the past golden age.
He is a metamorphosed being. Believing in the
doctrine of metempsychosis, he claims tio have descended 'from
the mouth of the Supreme Brahma, the Creator according to
the Hindoo triad. In the lapse of time, his physical organisa-
tion, his traditional reputation as a saint and sage, his thorough
devotion to his religious duties, his mental abstraction, his
logical acumen, the purity of his character, his habitude
and mode of living, have all undergone a radical change,
unequivocally indicating the gradual declension of cor-
poreal strength, of intellectual vigor, as well as of moral
worth. In former times he was popularly regarded as the
visible embodiment of the Creator, and the delegated ex-
ponent of all knowledge, revealed or acquired. The old
and venerable Munis and Rishis, and their philosophical
dissertations, their theological controversies and their religious
and ethical disquisitions, evoked the admiration of the
world in the dark ages before the Christain era. Almost
all of them lived in a state of asceticism, and devoted
their lives to religious contemplation, renouncing all the
pleasures, passions and desires of the niundane world. The
longevity of their lives in their sequestered retreat, the perfect
purity of their manners, the simplicity of their habits, and
their elevated conception of the immutable attributes of God,
inspired the people with a profound reverence for their precepts
and principles. The prince and the peasant alike paid their
homage to the sacerdotal class, whose doctrines had, in the
primitive state of society, the authority of religion and law.

A BRAHMIN, . i8i

The power of the Brahmins penetrated every class of
the people, and by way of eminence they called themselves
Dvija, u e,y the regenerated or the twice born — a term which
should only be applied to the really inspired sons of God.
Since the promulgation of the Institutes of Manu they ob-
tained that prominent rank among the Hindoos which they
have retained unimpaired amidst all dynastic changes. Keep-
ing the key of all knowledge in their exclusive custody, their
functions were originally confined to the performance of
religious ceremonies and the promulgation of laws. In
all the affairs of the state or religion, the fiat of their ordi-
nances had all the weight of a sacred command. Even the
order of a mighty potentate was held in subordination to
their injunctions. They were enjoined to worship their guar-
dian deity three times a day, and were strictly prohibited
from engaging in any secular occupation. They practised
all manner of austerities tending to beget a contempt for all
worldly enjoyments, and paved the way by religious medita-
tion for ultimate absorption into the divine essence, — an ideal
of the sublimity of which we can have no conception in
the present degenerate age.

The complete monopoly of religious and legal know-
ledge which the Brahmins enjoyed for a very considerable
period after the first dawn of learning in the East anterior
to the Christian era, enabled them to put forth their very
great influence upon the spiritual and temporal concerns of
the three other orders of the Hindoo population, who implicitly
accorded to them all the valuable rights of a privileged class,
superior to all earthly power whatsoever. It has been ex-
pressly declared in the Institutes of Manu that Hindoo Law
was a direct emanation from God. " That Immutable Power,"
says Manu, "having enacted this Code of Laws, himself
taught it fully to me in the beginning; afterwards I taught
Marichi and the nine other holy sages." It is believed that

1 83 A BRAHMIN.

in the tenth century, B. C. " the complete fusion of Hindoo
law and religion," was effected, and that both were ad-
ministered by the Brahmins, until some mighty kings arose
in Rajpootana, who curtailing their supreme influence reduced
them to a secondary position. Thenceforward their ascen-
dency gradually began to decline, till at length through
succeeding generations it dwindled into comparative insigni-
ficance.* In process of time, the four grand original classes
slowly multiplied, which is not to be wondered at in a great
community split into divisions and subdivisions, separated
from each other by different creeds, manners, customs and
modes of life. These ramifications necessarily involved
diversities of religious, moral and legal opinions and doctrines
more or less fatal to the unquestioned authority of the
Brahmins, who seeing in the progress and revolution of
society the inevitable decay of their hitherto undisputed
influence, abandoned the traditional and prescribed path of
religious life and betook themselves to secular pursuit of
gain for their subsistence. The necessary consequence now
is that in almost every sphere of life, in every profession or
calling, the Brahmins of the present day are extensively
engaged. And their cupidity is so great, that every principle
of law and morality is shamefully compromised in their
dealings with mankind. A Brahmin is no longer typical of
either religious purity or moral excellence. His profound
erudition, his logical subtlety in spinning into niceties the
most commonplace distinctions, his spirit of deep research and
his illimitable power of polemical discussion, have all forsaken
him, and from an inspired priest he has degenerated into a
mercenary purohit He no longer wears on his forehead the
frontlet of righteousness, his whole heart, his whole soul is

* As the natural consequence of this declension of supremacy, Brahminical
learning, from this and other analogous circumstances, slept a winter sleep,
occasionally disturbed and broken by brilliant coruscations of light thrown upon
it by Western researches, contemporaneously sustained by the faint efforts of
learned Pundits.

A BRAHMIN, 183

impregnated with corruption. In a fervent spirit, he no
longer says to his followers — " let us meditate on the adorable
light of the Divine Ruler ; may it guide our intellects." His
sacred poita (Brahminical thread) his divine gayutree (prayer)
his holy basil (bead roll), his three daily services with the
sacred water of the Ganges, no longer inspire the minds of
his votaries with awe, obedience and homage. From the
worship of the only Living and True God he has descended
to the worship of 330 millions of gods and of god-
desses. Human numeration reels at the list. The indivi-
duality of the godhead is lost in the never ending cycles of
deified objects, animate and inanimate. We no longer recog-
nise in the Brahminical character and life an unsullied image of
godlike purity, holiness and sublimity. His ministrations no
longer fill us with joyful and exhilarating hopes which extend
beyond the grave and promise to lead us to the safe anchorage
of everlasting bliss. They no longer stir up in our breasts
during each hour of life's waning lustre " a sublimer faith, a
brighter prospect, a kinder sympathy, a gentler resignation.*^
I ask every Hindoo to look into his heart honestly and answer
frankly whether a Brahmin of the present day is a true embodi-
ment, a glorious display, a veritable representative of Brahma,
the Creator, Has he not long since sacrificed his traditional
pure faith on the altar of selfishness and concupiscence and
committed a deliberate suicide of his moral and spiritual
faculty ? We blush to answer the question in the afiirnlative.
I now purpose to give a short account of the ceremonies
connected with the investiture of the poita^ the sacred thread
of a Brahmin, on the strength of which he assumes the high-
est ecclesiastical honors and privileges. According to the
Hindoo almanac, an auspicious day is fixed for this important
ceremonial, which opens a new chapter in the life of a
Brahmin especially intended to ensure him all the rare bene-
fits of a full-blown Divija, or the twice-born. In celebrating

1 84 A BRAHMIN.

the rite, particular regard is had to the state of the weather ;
should any atmospheric disturbance occur, the ceremony is
postponed to the next clear day. The age assigned for the
investiture is between nine and fifteen years. The occasion
is accompanied in many cases by the preparation of
ananunda narUy a kind of sweetmeat made of powdered
rice, treacle, cocoanut and gingelly seeds rolled up into small
round balls and fried in mustard oil. This particular sort
of Hindoo confectionery, evidently a relic of primitive pre-
parations, is manufactured on all occasions indicative of
domestic rejoicing, hence the significance of the name
given above. Before the appointed day, the boy is enjoined
to abstain from the use of fish and oil, and on the morning
of the ceremony, having been shaved, he is made to bathe, and
put on red clothes, and when the rite of investiture commences
wears a conical shaped tinsel hat, while the priest reads certain
incantations and worships Narayan or Vishnoo, represented by
a small round stone called Saligram Sutu^ the ordinary house-
hold god of all Hindoos^ A piece of cloth is held over his head>
that he may not see or be seen by any of the non Brahmi-
nical caste. He then assumes the dunda^ or the staff of an
ascetical mendicant, which is represented by the branch of a
vilwa tree held in his right hand, at the top of which is tied a
knot with a bit of dyed cloth. An initiatory poita made
of twisted kltoosh grass, to which is fastened a piece of deer's
skin, is next placed over the boy's left shoulder during the
repetition of the prescribed incantations. The father then
repeats to his son, in a low voice, lest a Soodra should hear,
the ssicred g'oyutree three times, which he tries his best to com-
mit to memory. The khoosh grass poita is here removed,
and a real thread poita spun by Brahmin women* which

* To so miserable a strait are some of them reduced that they
actually strive to get a living by making these sacred thread poitas
and strings for loins, indicating the pinching poverty and repulsive
squalor in which they pine away their wretched existence. Indeed not

A BRAHMIN. 185

he is to wear ever afterwards, is substituted in its place. The
boy now puts on his shoes and holds an umbrella in his hand
while the priest reads and the father repeats the usual incan-
tations, tending to awaken in the boy a sense of the grave
responsibility he assumes. Thus dressed as a Brahmacharee
(a religious mendicant), with a staff upon his shoulder and a
beggar's wallet hanging by his side, he goes to his mother,
father and other relatives and begs alms, repeating at the
same time a certain word in Sanskrit. They give him each a
small quantity of rice, a ie:w poitas and a few Rupees, amount-
ing in some case's to two or three hundred. The boy then
squats down while the father offers a burnt sacrifice and
repeats the customary incantations. After the performance
of these ceremonies, the boy in his Brahmacharee attire
suddenly rises up in a fit of pretended ecstacy and declares
before the company that he is determined in future to lead
the life of a religious mendicant. The announcement of this
resolution instantly evokes the synipathy of the father,
mother and other relatives, and they all persuade him to
change his mind and adopt a secular life, citing instances
that that life is favourable to the cultivation and growth of
domestic and social affections as well as religious principles
of the highest order. The holy Shastra expressly inculcates
that a clean heart and a righteous spirit make men happy
even amid the sorrows of earth, and that the sackcloth of
mendicancy is not essential to righteousness if we earnestly
and sincerely ask God to give us His true riches. Thus

a few of these widows are left "to the cold pity and grudging charity of a
frosty world." They might almost sing and sigh with the poet as he sat in deep
dejection on the shore.

" Alas ! I have nor hope, nor health,

Nor peace within, nor calm around ;

Nor that content, surpassing wealth,

The sage in contemplation found ;

• • « «

Others I see whom these surround,

Smiling Ihey live, and call life pleasure ;

To me that cup hath been dealt in another measure."

1 86 A BRAHMIN.

admonished, he with apparent reluctance abandons his pre-
concerted design, which is a mere sham, and assumes the rS/e
of secularism. Certain formulas are now repeated, after
which the boy leaves his vi/wa staff, and takes in hand a
thin Bamboo staff, which he throws over his shoulder. Other
ritualistic rites are then performed, at the close of which the
priest receives his fee for the trouble and departs home with
the offerings. The boy next walks into a room, a woman
pouring out water as he goes. He is then taught to commit
to memory his daily service, called sundhya^ after the re-
petition of which he eats the charA made of milk, sugar
and rice boiled together.

For three days after being investited with the poita the
boy is enjoined to sleep either on a carpet or a deer's skin,
without a mattress or a musquito curtain. His food consists of
boiled rice, ghee, milk and sugar, etc., only once a day, without
oil and salt. He is strictly prohibited to see the sun or the
face of a soodra, and is constantly employed in learning the
sacred gayitree and the forms of the daily service which
should be repeated thrice in a day. On the morning of the
fourth day, he goes to the sacred stream of the Ganges,
throws the two staves into the water, bathes, repeats his
prayers, returns home, and again enters on the performance
of his ordinary secular duties. During the day, a few
Brahmins are fed according to the circumstances of the
family. Thus the ceremony of investiture is closed, and the
boy being purified and regenerated is elevated to the rank of
a Dwija or twice born. How easily does the Brahminical
Shastra make a change for the better in a religious sense
in a youth quite incapable of forming adequate conceptions of
a spiritual regeneration by the mere administration of a single

rite !

Having endeavoured to give thus a short account of
the ceremonies connected with the investiture of the sacred

A BRAHMIN. 187

thread of a Brahmin, it remains to be seen how far his present
position, character and conduct harmonise with the re-
puted sanctity of his regenerated nature. Great blame is
laid at the door of the British Government, because it does
not accord that high respect to the sacerdotal class which
their own Rajahs had shewn them in the halcyon days of
Hindooism. Before the advent of the British to India, the
doctrines of the Brahminical creed, as indicated above, were
in full force. Every Hindoo king used to enforce on all
classes of the people high or low, a strict observance of the
idolatrous ceremonies prescribed in the Hindoo Shastra. In
the dark ages scarcely any nation in the world was hemmed
in by such a close ring of religious ceremonials as the people
of this country. Almost every commonplace occurrence had
its peculisu- rites which required the interposition of the
sacerdotal class. On occasions of prosperity or adversity, of
rejoicing or calamity, their ministration was alike needed.
These formed their ordinary sources of gain, but the greatest
means of support consisted in the grants of lands, including
sometimes houses, tanks, gardens, etc., given in perpetuity to
gods or the priests. These grants are called, as I have
already stated, the Dehatras and Brahmatras. Among others,
the Rajahs of Burdwan, Kishnaghur, and Tipperah made the
greatest gifts, and their names are still remembered with
gratitude by many a Brahmin in Bengal. But the Law
authorizing the resumption of rent-free tenures has, as must
naturally be expected, made the English Government ob-
noxious, and it is denounced in no measured terms for the
sacrilegious act. If Manu were to visit Bengal now, his
indignation and amazement would know no bounds in witness-
ing the sacerdotal class reduced to the humiliating position
of a servile, cringing and mercenary crowd of men. Their
original prestige has suffered a total shipwreck. Generally
speaking, a Brahmin of the present day is practically a

1 88 A BRAHMIN.

Soodra (the most inferior class) of the past age, irretrievably
sunk in honor and dignity. Indeed it was one of the curses
of the Vedic period that to be a Brahmin of the present
Kaliyagu would be an impersonation of corruption, baseness
and venality.

There is a common saying amongst the Natives that a
Brahmin is a beggar even if he were possessed of a lakh
of Rupees (;f 10,000.) It is a lamentable fact that impecu-
niosity is the common lot of the class. In ordinary conver-
sation, when the question of the comparative fortunes of the
different classes is introduced, a Brahmin is often heard to
lament his most impecunious lot. The gains of the sacer-
dotal class of the present day have been reduced to the
lowest scale imaginable. If an officiating priest can make
ten Rupees a month, he considers himself very well off. He
can no longer plume himself on his religious purity and
mental superiority, once so pre-eminently characteristic of
the order. The spread of English education has sounded the
death-knell of his spiritual ascendancy. In short, his fate is
doomed ; he must bear or must forbear, as seems to him best.
The tide of improvement will continue to roll on uninter-
ruptedly, in spite of every " freezing and blighting influence,"
and we heartily rejoice to discover already that the " tender
blade is grown into the green ear, and from the green ear to
the rich and ripened corn."

When, a few years ago. Sir Richard Temple carefully ex-
amined the Criminal Statistics of Bengal, he was most deeply
concerned to find that the proportion of the Brahmin criminals
in the jails of the Province far outnumbered that of any
other caste. This is an astounding fact, bearing the most
unimpeachable testimony to the very lamentable deterioration
of the Hindoo ecclesiastical class in our days. To expatiate
on the subject would be unpalatable. But we believe we can
point with a degree of pardonable pride to a past period when

A BRAHMIN. 189

nine men of literary genius, among whom the renowned Kalidas,
the Indian Shakespeare, was the most brilliant, flourished
in the Court of Vikramaditya in Ougein ; but dynastic changes
were simultaneously accompanied by the rapid decline of
learning as well as of religious purity.

The English rule, though most fiercely denounced by
selfish, narrow-minded men, has nevertheless been productive
of the most beneficial results even as far as the sacerdotal
class is concerned. Every encouragement is now-a-days
afforded to the cultivation of the classical language of India
— Sanskrit — and not only are suitable employments provided
for the most learned Pundits* in all the Government,
Missonary and private educational Institutions throughout
the country, but the University degrees conferred on the most
successful students, tend to stimulate them to further lau-
dable exertions in the study of the sacred language, which,
but for this renewed attempt at cultivation and improvement,
' would have been very much neglected.

Independently of the above consideration, it is no less
gratifying than certain that the progress of education has
produced men, sprung from the sacerdotal class, whose emi-
nent scholarly attainments, high moral principles and un-
blemished character, as well as a practical useful career, have
raised them to the foremost ranks of Hindoo society.
Rammohun Roy, Dr. K. M. Banerjea, Pundit Isser Chunder
Vidyasager, Baboo Bhoodeb Mookerjee, and others of equal

* However learned a Pundit might be in philology, philosophy, logic and
theology, he is lamentably deficient in scientific knowledge, notably in geography
and ethnology. With a view to test the knowledge of his Pundit on those two
subjects, Bishop Middleton was said to have once asked him two very simple
questions, (i) whence are the English come ? (2) what is their origin ? The reply
• of the Pundit was somewhat to the following effect : The English are come
somewhere from Lunka or Ceylon (the imaginary land of cannibals), and they
are of mixed origin, sprung from monkey and cannibal, because they jabber like
monkeys, and sit like them on chairs with their legs hanging down, — an attitude
pecular to the monkey species,— and they eat like cannibals half-boiled beef, pork,
mutton, &c. Childish as the reply was, the pious Bishop, however, with his
wonted benignity, smiled and corrected his error.

190 A BRAHMIN.

mental calibre, are names deservedly enshrined in the grateful
memory of their countrymen. If Western knowledge had
not been introduced into India, men of such high culture
and moral excellence would have passed away unnoticed
and unrecognised in the republic of letters, and the fruits of
their literary labors, instead of being regarded as a valuable
contribution to our stock of knowledge, would have been
buried in obscurity. To study the lives of such distinguished
pioneers of Hindoo enlightenment, " is to stir up our breasts
to an exhilarating pursuit of high and ever-growing attain-
ments in intellect and virtue."

XV.

THE BENGALEE BABOO.

|HIS is an euphonious oriental title, suggestive of some
amiable qualities which are eminently calculated to
adorn and elevate human life. A Bengalee Baboo
of the present age, however, is a curious product composed of
very heterogeneous elements. The importation of Western
knowledge has imbued him with new fangled ideas, and
shallow draughts have made him conceited and supercilious,
disdaining almost everything Indian, and affecting a love of
European aesthetics. The humourous performance of Dave
Carson, and the caustic remarks of Sir Ali Baba, give
graphic representations of his anglicised taste, habits and
bearing. Any thing affected or imitated is apt to nauseate
when contrasted with the genuine and natural.

The anglicised Baboos are certainly well-meaning men,
instinctively disposed to move within the groove traditionally
prescribed for them, but the scintillation of European ideas
and a servile imitation of Western manners have played
sad havoc with their original tendencies. Ambitious of being
considered enlightened and elevated above the common herd,
their improved taste and inclination almost unconsciously
relegate them to the enchanted dream-land of European
refinement, amidst the ridicule of the wise and the discern-
ing. Society now-a-days is a quick-shifting panorama. Old
scenes and associations rapidly pass away to make room for
new ones, and prescriptive usages fall into oblivion. A new
order of things springs up, and new actors replace the old
ones. The influence of the aged is diminished, and the
young and impulsive seize with avidity the prizes of life, for-
getting in their wild precipitancy the unerring dictates of

192 THE BENGALEE BABOO.

cool deliberation. " The hurried, bustling, tumultuous, fever-
ish Present swallows up men's thoughts," and the momentous
interests of society looming in the Future are almost entirely-
disregarded. The result necessarily carries them wide of
.the great object of human life. They forfeit the regard and
sympathy of their fellow countrymen whose moral and
intellectual advancement they should gradually strive to
promote by winning their love and confidence.

As a man of fashion he cuts a burlesque figure by
adopting partly Mussulman and partly European dress, and
imitating the European style of living, as if modern civiliza-
tion could be brought about by wearing tight pantaloons, tight
shirts and black coats of alpaca or broadcloth. He culminates
in a coquettish embossed cap or thin-folded shawl turban,
with perhaps a shawl neckcloth in winter. He eats mutton
chops and fowl curry, drinks Brandy panee or Old Tom,
and smokes Manilla or Burmah cigars a la Francaise.
Certainly the use of those eatables and drinkables is pro-
scribed in the Hindoo Shastra, and an honest avowal of it
will sooner or later expose him to public derision, and estrange
him from the hearts of the orthodox Hindoos. A wise European,
who has the real welfare of the people at heart, will never
encourage such an objectionable line of conduct, because it
is per se calculated to denationalise. To be more expli-
cit, even at the risk of verbosity, it should be mentioned that
Baboos resident in Calcutta not unjustly pride themselves
on being the denizens of the great Metropolis of British
India, which is unquestionably the focus of enlightenment,
the centre of civilization and refinement, and the emporium
of fashion in the East. People in the country glory and con-
sole themselves with the idea that in their adoption of social
manners and customs they follow the example of the big
Baboos of Calcutta. Although the fashions of Hindoo
society in Calcutta do not change with the rapidity they do

THE BENGALEE BABOO, 193

in Paris and London, monthly, fortnightly and weekly, yet
they vary, perhaps, once in two or three years, and even
then the change is partial and not radical. Slowly and
gradually, the Hindoos of Bengal have abandoned their origi-
nal and primitive dress, which consisted of thin slender
garments, suited to the warm temperature of the climate at
least for the greater part of the year, and adopted that of their
conquerors. A simple dhootee and dubjah^ with perhaps an
dlkhdld on the back and a folded piigree on the head, con-
stituted the dress of a Bengali not long before the battle of
Plassey. The court dress was, indeed, somewhat different,
but then it was a servile imitation of that of a Rajpoot chief
or a Mussulman king. When Rajahs Rajbullub, and
Nubkissen, and Suddur-ud-din, a Mohamedan, attended the
Government House in the time of Clive and Hastings, what
was their court costume but an exact copy of the Mussul-
man dress ? Even now, after the lapse of a century and a
half, they use their primitive dress at home, viz,^ a dhootee
and an uraney. An Englishman would not easily recognise
or identify a Bengalee at home and a Bengalee in his office
dress, the difference being striking and marked. But the
establishment of the British rule in India has introduced a
very great change in the national costume and taste, irres-
pective of the intellectual revolution, which is still greater.
Twenty years ago the gala dress of a Bengalee boy consist-
ed of a simple Dacca dhootee and a Dacca ecloye^ with a pair
of tinsel-worked shoes ; but now rich English, German and
China satin, brocade and velvet with embossed flowers, and
gold and silver fringes and outskirts, have come into fashion
and general use. It is a common sight to see a boy dressed
in a pantaloon and coat made of the above costly stuffs, with
a laced velvet cap, driving about the streets of Calcutta during
the festive days. Of course the more genteel and modest
of the class, sobered down by age and experience, do not

M

194 THE BENGALEE BABOO.

share in the juvenile taste for the gaudy and showy. As
becomes their maturer years, they are satisfied with a decent
broadcloth coat and pantaloon, with a white cloth or Cash-
mere shawl /i(^(^^, more in accordance with simple English
taste. But both the young and the old must have patent
Japan leather shoes from Cuthbertson and Harper, Monteith
& Co., or the Bentinck Street Chinese shoemakers, the laced
Mussulman shoes having gone entirely out of fashion. Nor
is the taste of the Hindoo females in a primitive stage as
far as costliness is concerned. Instead of Dacca Taercha or
Bale Boota Sari, they must have either Benares gold em-
broidered or French embossed gossamer Sari^ with gold lace
borders and ends. It would not be out of place to notice
here that it would be a very desirable improvement in the way
of decency to introduce among the Hindoo females of Bengal
a stouter fabric for their garment in place of the present
thin, flimsy, loose sari^ without any other covering over it.
In this respect, their sisters of the North-Western and
Central Provinces, as well as those of the South, are decidedly
more decent and respectable. A few respectable Hindoo
ladies have of late years begun to put an unghia or corset
over their bodies, but still the under vestment is shamefully
indelicate. Why do not the Baboos of Bengal strive to
introduce a salutary change in the dress of their mothers,
wives, sisters and daughters, which private decency and
public morality most urgently demand? These social re-
forms must go hand in hand with religious, moral and intellec-
tual improvement. The one is as essential to the elevation
and dignity of female character as the other is to the advance-
ment of the nation in the scale of civilization.

The Lancashire and German weavers have ample cause
to rejoice that their manufactured colored woollen fabrics
have greatly superseded the Indian Pashmina goods — Cash-
mere shawls not excepted, — and European Cashmere, broad-

THE BENGALEE BABOO. 19S

cloth, flannel, hosiery and haberdashery are now in great
request. From the wealthiest Baboo to the commonest fruit
seller, half hose or full stockings are very commonly used.
This forms an essential part of the official gear of a keranee
(writer) of the present day, though he is now seen without
his national pugree or head dress.

A Bengalee Baboo is said to be a money-making man.
By the most ingenious makeshifts he contrives to earn
enough to enable him to make both ends meet, and lay
by something for the evening of his life. He is generally
a thrifty character, and does not much mind how the world
goes when his own income is positive. He lacks enterprise,
and is therefore most reluctant to engage in any haphazard
commercial venture, though he has very laudable patterns
amongst his own countrymen, who, by dint of energy, pru-
dence, perseverance and probity, have risen from an obscure
position in life to the foremost rank of successful Native
merchants. He is destitute of pluck, and the risk of a com-
mercial venture stares him in the face in all his highways
and byways. In many cases he has inherited a colossal for-
tune, but that does not stir up in his breast an enterprising
spirit. He seeks and courts service, and in nine cases out
of ten succeeds. The sweets of service, and the prospect
of promotion and pension, slowly steal into his soul, and he
gladly bends his neck under the yoke of servitude. It is a
lamentable fact that he is a stranger to that " proud submission
of the heart which keeps alive in servitude itself the spirit
of an exalted freedom." As a vanquished race, subordi-
nation is the inevitable lot of the Natives, but it is edifying
to see how they hug its trammels with perfect complacency.

The English Government is to the people of Bengal
a special boon, a god -send. Almost every respectable family
of Bengalee Baboos, past or present, is more or less indebt-
ed to it for its status and distinction, position and influence,

19^ THE BENGALEE BABOO.

affluence and prosperity. The records of authentic history
clearly demonstrate the fact that the Baboos of Bengal have
been more benefited by their British rulers than ever they were
under their own dynasty. Instances are not wanting to
corroborate the fact. The love of money is natural in man,
and few men are more powerfully and, in many cases, more
dangerously influenced by it than the people of this country.
" It is a thirst which is inflamed by the very copiousness of
its draughts." Possession or accumulation does not suffi-
ciently satisfy it.

Experience and observation amply attest the truth of the
following current saying among the Hindoos of the Upper
Provinces, viz,, '' Kamayta topeewallah, lotetah dhoteewallahl^
the meaning of which is, the English earn, the Bengalees

plunder. To be more explicit, the English continue to extend

*

their conquests, the Bengalee Baboos participate in the loaves
and fishes of the Public Service. In a dejected spirit of
mind, a Hindoosthanee is often heard to mourn ; he ad-
dresses a Sahib in the most respectful manner imaginable,
by using such flattering terms as ^^ Khodabundy garibpar-
bary but in nine cases out of ten the Sahib scornfully turns
away his head ; when, on the contrary, a Bengalee gir gir
karkay dho bath sanay diya, i, e., jabbers to him a few words,
he patiently listens to him, and signifies his acquiescence in
what he says by a nod. In his boorish simplicity, the Hindoos-
thanee concludes that the Bengalee Baboos are well versed in
charms, or else how do they manage to tame a grim biped
like a Sahib.

With a view to remove this erroneous impression, which
until recently was so very common among the inhabitants
of the Upper Provinces, and the existence of which is so
prejudicial to the general encouragement of education
throughout India, as well as to the impartial character and
high dignity of the paramount power, the local Governments

THE BENGALEE BABOO, tg^

have been directed in future to select for public service all
the educated Natives born and bred up under their respective
Administrations in preference to the Bengalees. Thus the
aspiration of a Bengalee Baboo, so far as Public Service
is concerned, is now restricted within the limits of his own
Province.

A Bengalee Baboo is an eager hunter after academic
honors. The University confers on him the high degrees of
B. A., M. A. and B. L., and he distinguishes himself as a
speaking member of the British Indian Association or of the
Calcutta Municipality. He also reads valedictory addresses
to retiring Governors and other Government Magnificoes.
He is created a Maharajah, a Rajah, a Rai Bahadoor, with
perhaps the additional paraphernalia of C. S. I. or C. I. E.
As a ripe man of vivid ambition and lofty aspiration, he
necessarily hankers after and is all a-gog to dash through
thick and thin for these new honors and decorations. He drives
swiftly about in his barouche with his staff holder on the
coach-box in broadcloth livery. Unfortunately no baronetcy
blazons forth in Bengalee heraldry, like that bestowed on
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy. The cause is obvious. No
millionaire Bengalee has to this day contributed so muni-
ficently to public charities as the Parsee baronet.

When that distinguished Hindoo reformer. Baboo
Dwarkanath Tagore, — the most staunch coadjutor of Rajah
Rammohun Roy, — visited England, it was reported that Her
Majesty had most graciously offered to confer on him the
title of a Rajah; and his liberality and public spirit fully
entitled him to that high distinction, but he politely refused it
on the ground that his position did not justify his accepting
it. He felt that the shadow of a name without substance
was but a mockery. When Rajah Radhakant Deb was elect-
ed President of the British Indian Association "he used to
declare that he was more proud of that office than of his

198 THB SBN6ALBE BABOO.

title of Rajah Bahadoor, inasmuch as it indicated the chief-
ship of a body which was a power in the State and was des-
tined to achieve immense good for the country." At the time
of the Prince of Wales' visit to Calcutta, it was said that a
certain English-made Rajah was introduced by a Govern-
ment Magnifico to the Maharajah of Cashmere ; among other
matters, the Cashmere Rajah out of curiosity asked the
Bengal Rajah, "where was his Raj and what was the strength
of his army?** The question at once puzzled him, and his
answer was anything but satisfactory. Of all the Indian
Viceroys, Lord Lytton was certainly the most liberal in be-
stowing these hollow titles on the Baboos of Bengal, under a
mistaken notion of winning the love and confidence, which
ought to constitute the solid basis of a good Government. A
Rajahship,* without the necessary equipage and material and
moral grandeur of royalty is but a gilt ornament that dazzles
at first sight but possesses little intrinsic value. It is in fact a
misnomer, a sham, a counterfeit. The love of honor or power
constitutes one of the main principles of human nature. A
Rajah, in the true sense of the word, is one who shares in the
royalty of divine attributes. He should remember that a man
is bound to look to something more than his mere wardrobe
and title ; he must possess a goodness and a greatness which
would benefit thousands and tens of thousands of his fellow-

* It is a disreputable fact, but it most assuredly is a fact, that when some years
ago a teacher of the Government School of Art published a book in Bengallee
on the ancient arts and manufactures of Hindoosthan, and sent a copy of it
to one of these English-made Rajahs, he politely refused to take it — the price
being one Rupee only — sa3ring it was of no use to him though it was an instruc-
tive and suggestive manual. This refusal offers a sad comment on the liberality
of my fellow countrymen towards the encouragement of learning. But turning
from the dark to the bright side of the picture, I may perhapis be permitted to
point with pardonable pride to the almost unparalleled munificence of the late
Baboo Kally Prosono Singh of this City, in this respect. That distinguished
patron of vernacular literature had, it is said, spent upwards of ;£'5o,ooo on
the compilation of Mohabharat, that grand Epic poem ot the Hindoos, which
says Talboys Wheeler, still continues to exercise an influence on the masses of
the people "infinitely greater and more universal than the influence of the Bible
upon modem Europe.

THE BENGALEE BABOO. 199

creatures by the exercise of real, disinterested virtue. Such
a career alone can leave an imperishable and ennobling name
behind, which will go down to posterity as a pattern of moral
grandeur.* Politically considered these titles and decorations
have their value, inasmuch as they have a tendency to pro-
mote the entente cordiale between the rulers and the ruled,
and, next to the Public Debt, furnish, in an indirect way, an
additional buttress to the stability of the British Indian em-
pire.

In former times, when the English rule was in its incep-
tive stage, when external pageant — the outcome of vanity —
was not much thought of, when the simple taste of the people
was not tainted by luxury and corruption, an unnatural crav-
ing for titles exerted but a very feeble influence on the minds
of the great. Instead of seeking "the bubble reputation" they
vied with each other in the extent of their religious gifts and
endowments, affording substantial aid to the learned of the
land and to the poorer classes of the community. A spirit
of disinterestedness and self-sacrifice never at variance with
magnanimity was conspicuous in all their gifts. The im-
mense extent of Debatra and Brahmatra land, /. ^., rent-free
tenures throughout Bengal, even after the relentless operation
of the Resumption Act, still bears testimony to their disinter-
ested benevolence and the heartiness with which they entered
into other men's interests. Of course they were incapable
of comprehending the innumerable affinities and relations of
life in all its varied phases, rising from the finite and transient
to the infinite and the enduring, but whatever they gave, they

* Of all the English-made Rajahs of the present day, it is pleasing to recog-
nise, in Moharajah Rajender MuUick of this City, some of the noble attributes
of a Rajah. Modest and unassuming, he manifests to a great degree a generous
disposition to relieve suifering humanity and to do good by stealth. Never did he
stru^le to thrust himself, by the nature of his work, upon public notice.
Gifted with an intelligent mind, a refined taste, and considerable artistic ability,
his moral greatness throws all other forms of greatness into the shade. He is not
ambitious to make his name the theme, the gaze, the wonder of a dazzled
community.

200 THE BENGALEE BABOOHl^T^

gave not with a stinted hand nor in an ostentatious way, but
with a truly benevolent and disinterested heart, looking to the
Most High for their guerdon. The sublime and elevated con-
ception of organised charity never penetrated their minds.
Religious gifts and endowments formed the great bulk of
their contributions, but they also made permanent provision
for the relief of the helpless and the destitute,* not on the
recognised principles of English charity, t. e, the Hospital
system, the Nurses' Institutions, Reformatories for unfortu-
nates, parish relief, funds for the aged and infirm, provision
of improved dwellings as well as for baths and wash-houses
for the working-classes inaugurated by the magnificent gift
by Mr. G. Peabody of ;^2 50,000, ragged schools and asylums
for the deaf, dumb and blind, supported by voluntary contri-
butions, and other organised methods for the relief of distress
and destitution throughout the country. It is a sad reflection
on the benevolent disposition of the Natives that they cannot
boast of anything bearing a remote analogy to the above
recognised forms of Charity. In India there is much indivi-
dual charity of an impulsive and interested character, but
the great element of success in English charity is combina-
tion and organisation, without which no work of public
utility can be practically carried out.

* Of all the Hindoo millionaires whose life afforded the most ennobling
example of a pious and disinterested man that of Lalla Baboo —the ancestor of
the present Paikpdrra Rajah family, in the suburbs of Calcutta — was certainly
one of the most remarkable. He possessed a princely fortune, a considerable
portion of which he wisely set apart for the support of the poor and destitute.
Unlike most of his wealthy countrymen, he renounced all the pleasures of the
world, and in the evening of his life retired with only a shred of cloth into the
holy city of Brindabun. As a practical illustration of self-denial he actually
led the life of a religious mendicant, daily begging from door to door for a mouth-
ful of bread. His religious endowments still continue to offer shelter arid food
to hundreds of poor people in and around Brindabun, which has been so graphi-
cally described by Colonel Tod. "Though the groves of Brinda" says he, ** in
which Kanaya (Krishna) disported with the Gopis, no longer resound to the echoes
of his flute ; though the waters of the Jumna are daily polluted with the blood
of the sacred kine, still it is the holy land of the pilgrim, the sacred Jordan of
his fancy, on whose banks he may sit and weep, as did the banished Israelite
of old, the glories of Mathoora, his Jerusalem."

THE BENGALEE BABOO. 201

It IS obvious that the peculiar social economy of the
Natives presents an almost insuperable barrier to the harmo-
nious amalgamation of the different classes artificially split
into numerous subdivisions. In the neighbourhood of Poona,
Mr. Elphinstone says, there are about 1 50 different castes,
and in Bengal they are very numerous. They maintain their
divisions, however obscurely derived, with great strictness. *
The religious, social and moral duties of these classes, exhi-
bit marked differences, which are opposed to the combination
of united efforts in the cause of relieving suffering huma-
nity. The idea of a national brotherhood knd a system
of universal philanthropy, such as Christianity has nobly
inaugurated, is much too elevated for the narrow, contracted
minds of the people. Independent of the numerous sub-
divisions of caste, unhappily there still exists an impassable
gulf between the Hindoos and Mussulmans — at present the
children of the same soil — which has hitherto kept up a state
of unhallowed separatism, essentially at variance with a
cordial coalition for the consummation of any comprehensive
system of Public Charity designed to benefit both. Age
has rooted in the minds of the two communities an impla-
cable mutual hate, quite subversive of the best interests of
humanity. Plausible arguments may be adduced in support
of the existence of this race antagonism, but let both of
them be assured that " by abusing this world they shall not
earn a better." Let every act or feeling or motive of both
races be merged in one harmonious whole, developing the
perfection of human nature in a distinct and bright reality.

A Bengalee Baboo is fond of discussing European
politics. The reading of history has given him a superficial
insight into the rise and progress of nations. He does not

* Division always implies weakness and ** estrangement intolerable isolation"
impeding the expansion of genuine benevolent feelings in a comprehensive
sense.

BB

202 THE BENGALEE BABOO.

deny that he amph'fies and emphasises the sentiments he has
learnt in the school of English politics. The orations of
Lall Mohun Ghose in England have proved that a native of
India has mastered the art of thinking on his legs, which is
the beginning and end of oratory. A few more men like
him, steadily working in earnest at the fountain head of
power, would certainly awaken public attention towards the
present condition of our country. It was Lord William
Bentinck who advised a body of Native Memorialists, anxious
for the political emancipation of their country, " to continue
to agitate until they gained their end." Constitutional repre-
sentation to proper authority, his Lordship remarked, would
as much command public attention as idle, factious de-
clamation divert it.* He was emphatically the "People's
William" in India, as Gladstone is the " People's William"
in England. He was a statesman who directed his whole
attention and energy to internal improvement, repudiating
all schemes of aggression or conquest. His beneficence,
immortalised in a noble monument — the Calcutta Medical
College, — will be more gratefully acknowledged by the latest
generation than the genius of a Hastings, a Wellesley, or
a Dalhousie.

The complete emancipation of India, however, is a
question of time. Baboo Lall Mohun Ghose's speeches in
England have not been entirely fruitless, inasmuch as they
have evoked and enlisted the sympathy of a few leaders of
public opinion. He is manfully struggling to remove the bar
of political disabilities, and to secure for his countrymen the
benefit of representative institutions, for the recognition and
appreciation of which they are now prepared. While they
hope for the best, they must be prepared for the worst. They

* Very few persons remember the days when Chuckerbutty faction and
grievance Thomson used to raise a hue and cry in the Fouzdairy Balakhanah
Debating Club, formed for the political emancipation of India before the people
were fully prepared to appreciate the value of their rights and privileges.

THE BENGALEE BABOO. 203

must learn meanwhile to cherish, as among the essential
elements of ultimate success, a firm, manly, independent and
self-denying spirit.

A Bengalee Baboo is often voted a man of tall talk.
Platitude is his forte. This is surely true to a certain extent ;
and until he descends from the elevated region of specula-
tion to the matter of fact arena of practice, both his writings
and harangues must necessarily prove abortive. He must
learn to exchange his verbosity for action in the great battle
of life. Every great politician or statesman must have a
thorough practical training to enable him to overcome the
opposition of different factions whose interests are jeopardised
by his success, and to render his administration a blessing to
the people. He must be prepared to grow and advance
under adverse influences. The history of that consummate
statesman, Sir Salar Jung, of that distinguished scholar and
councillor, Sir T. Madeo Rao, of that astute minister, Maha-
rajah Sir Dinkur Rao, furnishes the most convincing examples
of superior adminstrative ability combined with practical
wisdom. Lord Northbrook, in a recent speech at Birming-
ham, has made honorable mention of these three eminent
statesmen, whose valuable services in their respective spheres
have long since established their substantial claims to the
the gratitude of their fellow countrymen. When Sir Salar Jung
visited Europe, his very comprehensive and enlightened views
elicited the admiration of several of the wisest statesmen of
the age. His able and successful administration at Hyderabad,
amidst the fierce opposition of factious parties, affords an
admirable illustration of his superior practical wisdom.
When, some thirty years ago, Maharajah Sir Dinkur Rao
visited Calcutta, he was the wonder of all who heard him
enunciate, in a telling speech at the Town Hall, his high*
noble and practical views on civil Government. The speech
was not made feverish by visions of indistinct good, as Mr.

204 THE BENGALEE BABOO.

Theodore Dickens said, but it was a clear exposition of the
liberal sentiments of a wise statesman.

The Bengalees are not a warlike race. Their traditional
habits and usages, their physique, their diet and dress, their
natural tendency to slothfulness and effeminacy, their prover-
bial quietude, their general want of pluck and manly spirit, their
ascetic composure, placing the chief joys of life in rest and
competency, — an heirloom descended from their ancestors, —
all indicate an unwarlike temperament. During the Mutiny
of 1875, — an event which in atrocious acts of cruelty incom-
parably surpasses all other historical events ever record-
ed, — that kind hearted Governor General, Lord Canning,
was advised to introduce Martial Law into Calcutta, but
he negatived the proposal by emphatically declaring in the
Council Chamber that the Bengalees are a mild, tame, in-
offensive and loyal race of people, whose only weapon of
defence is a simple penknife. A common Police constable
with his baton is to them a grim master of authority. A
red-coated Highlander is formidable enough to cope with
and drive away an immense crowd of Bengalees even in
the very heart of the City of Palaces, while in the villages
all shops and houses are closed at the very sight of an
European soldier in his uniform. In fact, Bengal can well be
governed by a handful of Native Police constables, especially
when the Arms' Act is in full force. Unlike the military
races of Upper India, or the border tribes, the Bengalees will
never, even under the influence of the most aggravated wrongs
and injuries, retaliate or resort to such a desperate court of
appeal as war and murder.

English \s the adopted language of a Bengalee Baboo.
It is an instructive study to take a cursory view of the
rapid progress of English education throughout India from
the day when David Hare had held out pecuniary induce-
ments to Hindoo youths to attend his school, and Dr. Duff

THE BENGALEE BABOO, 205

called in the aid of Rammohun Roy to found the infant
General Assembly's Institution, now developed into the largest
College in India. Fifty years ago, who dreamt or even hazard-
ed a prediction that a Native lad of sixteen or seventeen
years of age would venture to traverse the perilous ocean and
compete for the Civil Service Examination in England, paying
no heed whatever to the manifold disadvantages arising from
social persecution, and the disruption of domestic relations
of the tenderest nature. When Bacon said that knowledge
is power, he certainly did not mean physical but intellectual
power. It is the irresistible influence of this power that
has inspirited an Indian youth to appear at the English
^'^open competition" for the purpose of winning academic
spurs and entering a closely fenced service ; it is the quicken-
ing influence of this power, combined with an enterprising
spirit, that has gradually enabled a mere handful of English
adventurers to convert a small factory into one of the vastest
empires in the East. The gigantic strides that English
education has made in India within a short time, have been
the wonder of the age, the foundation rock of her ultimate
emancipation, socially, morally and intellectually. The prison
wall round the mind which ages had reared and learning
fortified has been completely demolished, and not only men
but matronly zenana females have picked up a few crumbs of
broken English words which they occasionally use in familiar
conversation, for instance. Rail, Talygraf, Guvner, Juj
Majister, High Cote, etc.

Some of the Bengalee Baboos read and write English
with remarkable fluency, and the epistolary correspondence of
most of them is commonly carried on in that language.
When two or more educated Baboos meet together, or take
their constitutional in the morning, they perhaps talk of some
leading articles in the Anglo-Indian or English journals or
periodicals, and eagerly communicate to each other " the flot-

2o6 THE BENGALEE BABOO,

sam and jetsam of advsinced European thoughts, the ripest
outcome in the Nineteenth century, or the aftermath in
the Fortnightly," as if the vernacular dialect were not at all
fitted for the communication of their ideas. It is a pity that
the cultivation and improvement of a national literature — the
embodiment of national thought and taste and the main-
spring of national enlightenment — seldom or never engages
their serious attention. But it is a great mistake to suppose
that the large mass of the Indian population can be thoroughly
instructed and reformed through the medium of a foreign
language. The richness and copiousness of modern English,
combining as it does conciseness with solidity and perspi-
cuity, are admittedly very great ; it is admirably adapted for
the educated few^ but it is not equally suited to the capacity
and comprehension of the many. It is incumbent, therefore,
on all well disposed Hindoos, who have the real welfare of
their country at heart, to endeavour to fertilise their national
literature by transplanting into it the advanced thoughts
of modern Europe, and to enrich it with copiousness, such as
would obviate its acknowledged deficiency and barrenness.
Until this is done, it is as unreasonable to expect elegance
and perfection in the national literature as it is to expect
harvest in seed-time or the full vigor of manhood in the
incipient state of childhood.

Assuredly the Bengalees are a race of keranees or
writers, as Napoleon said the English were a nation of shop-
keepers. Every morning and evening, almost all the main
streets of Calcutta leading to the English quarter — bright
prospect for the Tramway — are literally thronged with dense
crowds of keranees in their white cloth uniform, busily
making for their respective offices, either in shabby looking
third class hackney carriages or on foot. A foreigner not
used to such sights cannot fail almost unconsciously to come
to a conclusion that the Bengalees are a nation of keranees.

THE BENGALEE BABOO. 207

Every Government, Railway or Merchant's office, is filled
with these Baboos, either actually employed or serving on
probation, biding their time in fond expectation of picking
up a slice of official bread, buttered or unbuttered. Even
graduates of the Calcutta University do not hesitate to serve
as apprentices, because a collegiate course does not teach the
rules of bureaucracy or official routine. Most of them are
good copyists or clever accountants, while a few are corres-
pondence clerks. As a rule, their pay is very small compared
with what is given to English Clerks, for reasons which I
need not dilate upon here.

Within the range of our experience, extending over fifty
years, we remember only one Native gentleman — Baboo
Shama Churn Dey, the present vice-chairman of the Calcutta
Municipality — who, by his tried ability, intelligence and
integrity has managed to climb to the top of keraneedom.
In recognition of his high efficiency his salary has been
raised to one thousand Rupees a month, in spite of many
instances of supersession. I, in common with others, am
fully persuaded that had he been a British-born Civilian,
he would undoubtedly have drawn a much larger salary.
But it is useless to repine at a misfortune which is inevi-
table.

Even the amusements of a Bengalee Baboo are more
or less anglicised. Instead of the traditional JattraSy (re-
presentations) and Cobees (popular ballads) he has gradually
imbibed a taste for theatrical performances, and native
musical instruments are superseded by European flutes,
concertinas and harmoniums, organs and piano-fortes. This
is certainly a decided improvement on the old antiquated
system, demonstrating the slow growth of a refined taste*
Thus we see in almost every phase of life, at home or outside,
the Bengalee Baboo is Europeanized. In his style of living
in his mode of dress, in his writings, in his public and private

2o8 THE BENGALEE BABOO.

utterances, in his household arrangements and furniture, in
his bearing and department, in his social intercourse, in his
mental accomplishments, and in fact, in his passionate par-
tiality for Western aesthetics, he is a modified Anglo-Indian.
But it were devoutly to be wished that he possessed a
larger admixture of the essential elements of European
truthfulness of character, energy and manliness of spirit,
straightforwardness in his dealings with society, nobility of
sentiment, magnanimity combined with simplicity, disinterest-
ed love and sympathy, and above all,moral and spiritual
elevation.

XVI.
THE KOBIRAJ OR NATIVE PHYSICIAN.

OTWITHSTANDING the rapid progress of medical

science throughout the country since the establish-
ment of the Calcutta Medical College, it is an
undeniable fact that the practice of Hindoo Kobirajes and
Mussulman hakims still continues to find favour in the eyes
of a large section of the Indian population. In Chemistry,
Anatomy, Midwifery and Surgery, the decided superiority of
the English over the Native system, is admitted by all. This
is unquestionably an age of improvement ; everything around
us indicates the progressive development of arts and sciences,
and a society that does not keep pace with the onward march
of intellect is certainly much behind the age.

There was a time when upwards of sixteen original
medical writers, some of whose works are still extant, flour-
ished in India, and medicines prepared according to the
formulas of the Ayurveda — the best standard medical work —
were supposed to have produced wholesome results, affording
no inconsiderable amount of relief to thousands afflicted with
diseases of various kinds, and even of a most malignant charac-
ter. U^nder the Hindoo dynasty, every encouragement was
given to the cultivation and improvement of medical science.
Next to the Brahmins, the Vidya class was respected, though
sometimes they are unjustly twitted with what is called
a hybrid origin. It is, however, foreign to our purpose
to determine this point, which seems to be enveloped in
obscurity. The common theory on which the Hindoo system
of physic is based, has reference to the country, the season
and the age of the patient, to which is superadded the course of
regimen suited to his physical organisation. The scientific

cc

210 THE KOBIRAJ OR NATIVE PHYSICIAN,

and philosophical theory is that there are certain defined
elements in the human body on the natural equilibrium of
which mainly depends the health of man. The disturbance
of this normal equilibrium, either by the increase or decrease
of the essential ingredients, deranges the system and requires
the use of medicines generally obtained from several kinds
of indigenous drugs, bark, root, wood, fruits, flowers, me-
tals, &c.

From the existing medical works according to which
medicines are prepared and cures effected, it is evident that the
Hindoo system is not entirely destitute of science, but the light
it is capable of diffusing is greatly dimmed by a combination
of unfavourable circumstances brought about by the over-
throw of the Hindoo dynasty, the decay of learning in every
branch of human knowledge, and the consequent growth and
progress of empiricism.

In his eleventh discourse before the Asiatic Society, that
distinguished orientalist. Sir William Jones, has said " Physic
appears in these regions to have been from time immemorial
as we see it practised at this day by the Hindoos and
Mussulmans, a mere empirical history of diseases and medi-
cines." This is presumably a remark applicable to a society
but little removed from a state of barbarism, but the exis-
tence of such scientific works as Ayurveda^ Nidan^ Churruck-
SivasrUy Sarasungrafuiy Boidya^ SarvuswHy &c., furnishes
abundant proof that the Hindoo system of physic is not
altogether founded on empiricism.

In 1838 the Honorable the East India Company ap-
pointed a Committee, consisting of Drs. Jackson, Rankin
Bramby, Pearson, W. B. O'Shaughnessy and Mr. James Prinsep,
to examine and report upon the state of the Honorable Com-
pany's Dispensaries, and the possibility of substituting native
drugs for European medicines, the primary object being two-
fold, namely cheapness and efficacy. Death, ill health and

THE KOBIRAJ OR NATIVE PHYSICIAN. 2U

the casualties of the service dispersed the Committee long^
before the members could accomplish the task imposed on
them, and subsequently the whole charge devolved upon
Dr. W. B. O'Shaughnessy, who, after the unwearied labour
of four years, assisted by some of the best Native physicians,
produced a work entitled "The Bengal Dispensary" published
under the authority of the Government of India, which still
remains a valuable monument of his indomitable zeal and
untiring devotion to medical science.

Great attention has also been given to the scientific
analysis of the various indigenous drugs by Roxburgh^
VVallick, Ainslie, White, Arson, Royle, Pereira, Lindlay,
Richard, &c., &c. The result of their analytical examina^
tion, though not so exhaustive as the very great import-
ance of the subject required, was nevertheless very favour*
able to the opinion that the native system was based on
fixed scientific principles, and that many of the drugs possessed
great curative properties. Unfortunately the improved prin-
ciples and important discoveries of modern Europe have
not been sufficiently brought to bear on the simultaneous
development of the native system. They have, however;
proved greatly beneficial in teaching the native kobirajes to
adopt, to a certain extent, the European method and regime.

It is a- remarkable fact that even now, when this science
may be said to be in a retrogressive stage both for want
of adequate culture as well as of sufficient encouragement,
there are a few Hindoo kobirajes * in this City, and in other
parts of the country, whose treatment in chronic cases of
fever, dysentery, diarrhoea, phthisis, pulmonary consumption, ^
asthma, &c., proves, in a great measure, successful. Hence

* The most popular and successful among them are, Gunga Prosad Sen,
Chunder Coomar Roy, Gopee Bullub Roy, Prosono Chunder Sen, Brojendro
Coomar Sen, Kally Dass Sen, &c. They profess to practise on the principles of
Ayurveda, the best standard work on Hindoo Medical Science, and their mode of
treatment is much appreciated by respectable Hindoos.

212 THE KOBIRAJ OR NATIVE PHYSICIAN.

in almost every respectable Hindoo family there is a compe-
tent ko.biraj\ who is always consulted in cases of a serious
nature. It is generally considered that on the subject of pul-
sation greater weight is attached to the opinion of a Hindoo
kobiraj than to that of an English doctor. By the pulse,
in the different parts of our physical organisation, the state
of the body may be ascertained and suitable remedies applied.
In cases of severe indisposition among the Hindoos, the
friends of a patient have not only to contend against the
struggle between life and death, but to closely watch the last
expiring flicker of vitality that he may be removed in time
to the banks of the sacred stream for insuring his entrance
into heaven.

It has been urged by some native physicians that the
Sanskrit work, Ayurveda^ above-mentioned, treats of ana-
tomy and of the doctrine of the circulation of the blood. If
this be true, great credit is doubtless due to its author for
having made in a comparatively dark age such consider-
able advances in an important branch of medical science,
without which medicine and surgery are of little avail. Che-
mistry, which enables us to distinguish the real properties
of different substances, was certainly not unknown to the
Hindoo physicians, because their medicines indicate a scienti-
fic selection of several ingredients mixed together to produce
a certain result. But it can by no means be asserted that
the people ever attained to a thorough knowledge, either in
the one or the other, which can bear comparison with the
perfection of the modern European system. In almost every
department of human knowledge steady progress is the grand
characteristic of the age, but in this country unhappily a
spirit of scientific investigation has very nearly been extin-
guished simply for want of adequate cultivation and support.

If empirics abound in enlightened Christendom, where
chemical analysis, scientific researches in materia medica and

THE KOBIRAJ OR NAIIVE PHYSICIAN, 213

pharmacy, and anatomical demonstration and surgical opera-
tions almost daily bring to light new discoveries and inven-
tions, what can be expected in a country where medical science
has long since been in a state of absolute stagnation. Ignor-
ant and unprincipled quacks, quite unacquainted with the rules
of the Hindoo medical shastras, abound all over the country,
which has for some years past been severely suffering from
malarious fever of a virulent type, carrying death and devasta-
tion wherever it prevails * They literally sport with the health
of their patients, and the natural consequence is, hundreds
and thousands of human beings are mercilessly sacrificed
to their ignorance and cupidity. Not one in a hundred of
those who call themselves kobirajes is acquainted with the
principles of physic as laid down in the standard medical
works of the Hindoos. Some of them have a few nostrums
of their own, the composition of which is unknown to every
one but themselves.

, A Bengalee kobiraj carries a miniature dispensary about
him. He takes with him a small packet, containing differ-
ent kinds of pills or powders, wrapped up in a piece of paper,
in small doses which are commonly used twice a day with
ginger, honey, betel, roots of doov-grass, &c. He seldom uses
phials ; liquids, when required, are made in a patient's own
house. His medicines are chiefly made of drugs, but he has
neither a proper classification of them, nor a complete system
of botany. He uses, however, certain preparations of oil,
which are sometimes beneficially administered in chronic

B I , - - --■---■ ■■-■■ -■-■ »

* The general climate of Bengal has for some years past become very
unhealthy, and as fever is the most prevalent epidemic in the Lower Provinces,
Dr. D. N. Gupto's Mixture has become a patent medicine, proving efficacious
in the majority of cases, so that the doctor is said to have made a very large for-
tune by the sale of it within a few years. As far as success is concerned, Dr.
D. N. Gupto has almost become the minimized Holloway of Bengal. Several
other Native assistant surgeons have from time to time endeavoured to offer their
anti-malarious mixture to the inhabitants of Lower Bengal, but they have signally
failed in winning public confidence and favor. Attempts at counterfeit trade
marks have also been tried, but on conviction before a Court of Justice the guilty
have been punished.

214 THE KOBIRAJ OR NATIVE PHYSICIAN.

cases. These preparations are rather expensive, selling
from two to ten Rupees per pound. The popularity of
some of these kobirajes stands very high in Native public
estimation. Almost every wealthy family in the interior as
well as in the Town has its own physician. The fee of a
quack in the villages is one Rupee on the first day of his visit,
and he continues to attend twice daily until the patient re-
covers. When completely recovered, the physician gets one
or two Rupees more, a suit of clothes and some provisions.

The introduction of English medicines into the interior,
though not scientifically administered in every case, has
very considerably affected the trade of the native quacks.
Their occupation, it may be said, is nearly gone, because the
doctors of the Bengalee class, more systematically trained
under the auspices of the Government Vernacular Colleges,
have, in a manner, superseded them. In strong fevers, in-
stead of compelling the patient to fast for twenty-one days or
longer, and restricting his regimen to parched rice, the Ben-
galee class doctor first reduces him by evacuations,* and then
gives him either fever mixture, or cinchona febrifuge, or qui-

— I I -- ~ — ' — ■ M I ■ - I Mil »

♦ The late indisposition of the Marquis of Ripon gave rise to many
alaiming rumours as to the probable turn and termination of the disease —
malarious fever — with which he was unhappily attacked during his travels to
tnd from Bombay, and which, according to telegraphic messages, had consider-
ably weakened his constitution, and diminished the wonted activity and vigor of
his mind. The antiquated notion that violent paroxysm of fever in a European
in this country causes the abnormal depletion of the system by constant evacu-
ations has still a strong hold on the popular mind. Hence a pessimist view was
generally taken of the speedy and complete recovery of so good and beneficent a
Governor-General, whose rule, though only just begun, has been happily inaugurat-
ed by several circumstances of a peculiarly hopeful character, tending, in no small
degree, to make the people happy and contented by anticipation. The termi-
nation of the disastrous and ruinous Afghan war, the few public utterances of his
Lordship bearing on the future policy of the Government of India for the general
well-being of the subjects, and the sure prospect of an abundant harvest, and the
consequent appreciable reduction in the price of rice — the main staff of life in
this country — by nearly fifty per cent., have all combined to evoke a sincere desire
and fervent hope among the people for the long continuance of a rule so nobly
begun and beneficently administered. May undisturbed peace and undiminished
plenty and prosperity be the distinguishing features of such a liberal, generous
and pure administration, and may it end fitly what it has begun so auspiciously.
In speaking thus favorably of the Marquis of Ripon's Government, I merely echo
the sentiments of my countr>'men from one end of the vast British Indian empire
to the other.

THE KOBIRAf OR NATIVE PHYSICIAN. 215

nine mixture as he thinks best. In place of warm appli-
cations — the quondam regimen of a kobiraj in strong fevers —
he gives ice or cold water, thus relieving the patient from the
effects of a merciless abstinence and excessive thirst. On the
periodical return of the unhealthy season in Bengal, i. e., in
the months of September, October, November and December,
when the atmosphere is surcharged with a large quantity of
vapour, these doctors generally reap a harvest of gain from
their practice. It should be mentioned, however, that their
imperfect knowledge and want of sufficient experience, are
too often attended with the most disastrous results.

XVII.

HINDOO FEMALES.

HE condition of a Hindoo female, partially described
in the preceding pages, is usually deplorable. The
changes and vicissitudes to which her chequered
life IS subject are manifold. From the day she is ushered
into the world to her dissolution, she is surrounded by adven-
titious circumstances, which, from the peculiar constitution
of the society in which her life is cast, contain a larger ad-
mixture of misery than of happiness. Weak and frail as
she assuredly is made by nature, the conventional forms and
social usages to which she is religiously enjoined to adhere
alike tend to deprive her of temporal and spiritual happi-
ness. Born under unfavorable circumstances chiefly by
reason of her sex, her life is rendered doubly miserable by
the galling chains of ignorance and superstition. " Accursed
the day when a woman child was born to me," was the em-
phatic exclamation of a Rajpoot when a female birth was
announced. " The same motive," says Colonel Tod, " which
studded Europe with convents, in which youth and beauty
were immured until liberated by death, first prompted the
Rajpoot to infanticide : and, however revolting the policy,
it is perhaps kindness compared to incarceration. There
can be no doubt that monastic seclusion, practised by the
Frisians in France, the Langobardi in Italy and the Visigoths
in Spain, was brought from Central Asia, the cradle of the
Goths.* It is in fact a modification of the same feeling, which

* **The Ghikers, a Scythic race, inhabiting the banks of the Indus, at
an early period of history were given to infanticide". • ** It was a custom," says
Ferishta, ** as soon as a female child was born, to carry her to the market place,
and there proclaim aloud, holding the child in one hand, and a knife in the other,
that any one wanting a wife might have her ; otherwise she was immolated.
By this means they had more men thar. women, which occasioned the custom
of several husbands to one wife. When any husband visited her, she set up a
mark at the door, which being observed by the others, they withdrew till the
signal was removed."

THE HINDOO FEMALES. 217

characterizes the Rajpoot and the ancient German warrior,
— the dread of dishonor to the fair : the former raises the
poniard to the breast of his wife rather than witness her
captivity, and he gives opiate to the infant, whom, if he can-
not portion and marry to her equal, he dare not see degrad-
ed." Descending from the lofty ideal of a chivalrous
Rajpoot character to the more familiar portraiture of tame
Hindoo life in Bengal, we find the same sad destiny is the
portion of a female in both cases. " When a female is born
no anxious inquiries await the mother — no greetings welcome
the new comer, who appears an intruder on the scene, which
often closes in the hour of its birth. But the very silence
with which a female birth is accompanied forcibly expresses
sorrow." In almost every stage of life, from infancy to old
age, her existence presents a uniform picture of gloominess,
uncertainty, despondency, and neglect. Freedom of thought
and independence of action — the natural birthrights of a
rational being — are denied her not by her Creator but by a
selfish, narrow-minded and crafty priesthood. She is treated
and disposed of as if she were entirely destitute of the feelings
and ideas of a sentient being. She dare not emerge from the
unhealthy seclusion of the closely confined andannahal^ or
female department, where suspicions and jealousies, envy and
malignity are not unfrequently brewing in the boiling caldron
of domestic discord. Born within the precincts of an ill-
ventilated zenana, and cooped up in the cage of an uncon-
genial cell, she is destined to breathe her last in that unwhole-
some retreat.

^A European lady can have no idea of the enormous
amount of misery arid privation to which the life of a Hindoo
female is subjected. In her case, the bitters far counter-
balance the sweets of life. The natural helplessness of her
condition, the abject wretchedness to which she is inevitably
doomed, the utter prostration of her intellect, the ascendency

DD

2i8 THE HINDOO FEMALES.

of a dominant priesthood exacting unquestioning submission
to Its selfish doctrines, the unmerited neglect of an unsym-
pathetic world, and the appalling hardships and austerities
which she is condemned to endure in the event of the death
of her lord, literally beggar description. All the graces and
accomplishments with which she is blessed by nature, and
which have a tendency to adorn and ennoble humanity, are
in her case unreasonably denounced as unfeminine endow-
ments and privileges, to assert which is a sacrilegious act.

If she is ever happy, she is happy in spite of the cruel
ordinances of her lawgiver, and the still more cruel usages
and institutions of her country. Manu, the greatest fountain
of authority, has expressly inculcated the doctrine that no
man other than a Brahmin should receive the blessings of
knowledge, and much more severely was the rule enforced
in the case of females, who were held to be naturally unfit
for mental culture! It was worse than a blasphemy to
attempt to educate a female; she was bom in ignorance,
she must die in ignorance. All the horrors of a premature
and certain widowhood were pictured forth to her eyes, were
she to make an eflfort to enlighten her mind.* How shame-
fully contracted were the views of the Hindoo lawgiver in
respect of the progressive development of the human intellect !
His prohibitory injunction was and is now more honored in
the breach than in observance.

* The Hindoo lawgivers, whatever their shortcomings in other respects^
showed a great insight into human nature when they looked more to women than
men for the comparative stability of their doctrines. That the perpetual ignorance
of the former promises a permanent harvest of gain to the hierarchy, is quite
evident. If a correct return were available as to the number of pilgrims who
periodically visit the different holy places throughout the country, it would doubt-
less establish the fact that upwards of two-thirds of such pilgrims are females.
If it were not for their pertinacious adherence to their traditional faith, the
Brahminical creed, at least in the great centres of education, would have long
since fallen into desuetude. The blind unquestioning faith of the female devotees
in their gods and goddesses is the great secret of the very high estimation in which
they are still held. If we educate the females and gradually disabuse their minds
of early prejudices, we not only lay the axe at the very root of idolatry, but
pave the way for the ultimate recognition of the true religion.

THE HINDOO FEMALES. 219

From the moment a female child is brought into the
world, a new source of anxiety arises in the minds of its
parents, which becomes more and more intense as it advances
in years. The thought of educating the child is not what trou-
bles their heads, it is a thought which is at the furthest re-
move from their imagination ; but the idea how to dispose of
It in the world continually preys on their minds. The child,
perfectly unconscious of the fate that awaits it, begins to handle
the playthings set before it, and as nature in almost every
case works intuitively, it soon learns to make a miniature
kitchen with earthen pots and pans resembling that in the
midst of which it has to spend the greater portion of its ex-
istence. It is a noteworthy fact that a Hindoo lady even when
placed in affluent circumstances does not consider it beneath
her dignity to occasionally take a part in the cuisine^ or at
least in making preparations for the same, though the family
has professional cooks in its employ, the principal object
being to feed her husband and children with extra delicacies
prepared with her own hand. Instead of idle and unprofitable
talk and scandalous gossipings, reflecting on the characters
of others, such an occupation is deserving of commendation *

When six or seven years of age, the mother endeavours
to initiate the girl in the first course of simple Bratas or reli-
gious vows, which are destined, as has been already shewn, to
exercise a vast influence on her mind. The germs of super-
stition being thus sown so early take a deep root. Meanwhile
the anxiety of the mother for her marriage increases with her
growth. Numerous proposals are received and rejected, till

* The late Baboo RajbuUub Roy Chowdhry, of Baripore, a very wealthy
zemindar, south of Calcutta, used, it was said, to bring up the girls of his family,
which was almost a small colony, in the art of cooking all sorts of native dishes,
from the highly spiced polowyd to simple dhall-bath and vegetable curry ; he also
taught them to bring up water for culinary purposes from a tank inside of the
house in silver ghara or pots. Though he possessed the most practical of all
worldly advantages, — the power of a purse, — yet he did not hesitate to initiate
the girls in the art of cooking, that they may be fully prepared to perform 'the
duty in case of necessity. I can easily cite other instances of a similar nature,
but I believe they are not necessary.

220 THE HINDOO FEMALES.

at length a selection is made according to the rules stated in
a former sketch. In this manner, persons are married with
as much indifference as cattle are yoked together, they are
disposed of according to the judgment of their parents,
without the parties, who are to live together till death, having
the slightest opportunity of seeing each other, much less of
studying each other's disposition.

If a female child possess, as is very rarely the case, finely
chiselled features^ embodying the ideal of a Hindoo beauty,
the breast of the mother is freed for a time, but for a time
only, from perturbation or internal agitation. It may be she
is congratulated on the birth of so beautiful a child, and it is
but natural that she should indulge in pleasant delusions
about the future of her offspring. She looks forward to a
match at once desirable and happy. Fed with such hopes,
she cherishes many a fond idea of the wealth of joys in store
for her daughter. But how often are our brightest hopes
blasted by the ruthless hand of fortune.

If, on the contrary, the girl be deficient in beauty, the
bosom of the niother is perpetually disturbed by gloomy fore-
bodings, which no worldly advantage can effectually remove,
no reasoning can sufficiently suppress. The reassuring ad-
monition of congenial minds may sustain her spirits for a
time, but whenever alone or disengaged from the toils of
domestic duties, her mind almost involuntarily reverts to the
future destiny of the girl. As day by day she grows older,
and her features begin to assume a more distinctive form, the
deformity, which was but faintly perceived at first, becomes
more striking. The mother herself, perhaps, being a living
illustration of how fruitless were the attempts of her parents
to secure for her a desirable match, naturally feels a strong
misgiving as to the good fortune of her child.

While the hearts of the parents are thus filled with dis-
quieting thoughts, the girl is perfectly unconscious of the fate

THE HINDOO FEMALES. 221

that awaits her. She laughs and sports about, regardless of
what is written on her forehead by the Bidhata pooroosk. The
performance of the religious vow in her infancy, having for its
object the securing a good husband, might incidentally
remind her of marriage, but the thought passes off in a mo-
ment like the streaks of a morning cloud. Hence it has been
justly said that the happiest days in the life of a Hindoo
female are those preceding her marriage. If in Bengal, under
the paternal care of a Christian Government, she is not per-
mitted to become a victim to the poppy at her dawn, or the
flames at her riper years, like her Rajpoot sister in times of
yore, she is ever and anon subject to the appalling hardships
of a bidhaba life, or widowhood. Though too young to fully
realise the thousand and one evils of such a wretched ex-
istence, yet the living examples she daily and hourly sees
around her make, to use a native phrase, " her hands and feet
enter into her belly."

To those who have studied the existing state of Hindoo
society, it is a matter no less of wonder than of gratulation
that the system of early marriage, the arbitrary manner in
which it is consummated, and the utter absence of the voice
and consent of the parties thus affianced, deriding the very
idea of the slightest opportunity being given to study each
other's disposition and habitude, should produce such a large
amount of conjugal felicity, which is the fundamental object
of this solemn compact. In every nation removed from bar-
barism, marriage is a recognised ordinance, alike sanctioned
by the law of God and the law of man. It is a solemn cove-
nant between a man and a woman to love each other
through all the vicissitudes of life, till the union is dissolved
by the death of either. We may go further and say that even
then the tie of relationship does not become totally extinct,
inasmuch as the party surviving has to provide for the nur-
ture and education of children, should there be any. Such

222 THE HINDOO FEMALES.

being the nature of a matrimonial engagement, it is next to
impossible that a boy of fourteen wedded to a girl of nine
should be capable of forming an adequate idea of the grave
responsibility. The evil must work its own remedy with the
general spread of education and the growth of a sound sys-
tem of domestic and social ecomony, because the existing
one is unhealthy and unnatural. It is useless to dilate on the
evil consequences of early marriage, they are clearly apparent
in the every-day life of a Hindoo.

Nature is so propitious to us in every respect that out of
evil she brings good. When the female, destitute as she is of
the blessings of knowledge, becomes the mother of several
children, she is raised to the rank of a governess, or in other
words, she becomes a ghinni^ or head of the family. To all
intents and purposes, she seems to understand her duties so
thoroughly that almost instinctively she exercises a salutary
control over a number of young girls, newly married, cor-
rects all improprieties of conduct, and teaches them to
cherish feelings of mutual kindness, love and affection.

In many cases, however, it must be acknowledged, the
custom of several families — all branches of the same stem,
— living together under one roof, is a fruitful source of evil,
often embittering the sweet enjoyments of a peaceful conjugal
life. Where there is no harmony among the several female
members of a family, the slightest misunderstanding occasions
bitterest quarrels, especially when there is no recognised
ghinni or female head to check the same, or reconcile the
parties by matronly advice. For instance, if one son in a
family be well-to-dg in the world, and another does not possess
the same advantages, it is ten to one but that the wife of the
former constantly advises him to mess separately, if not to
remove to a different house, and as unequal combination is
always disadvantageous to the weaker side, the latter has
to put up with slights and indignities which are oftentimes

THE HINDOO FEMALES. 223

unbearable, and terminate in a separation either in food or
domicile, or both. It is a well established fact that a woman
is the principal cause of a disruption between brothers and
other members of a family. Though she is mild, soft,
kind and flexible, yet she belies her nature when sordid
self and mean avarice exert a dominant sway over her mind.
Stinted in her culture and contracted in her views, Mammon
is her god, and she looks to the welfare of her husband and
her own children as the chief end of her existence. She
is naturally loath to give a share of the affection of her
husband to a rival ; she also cannot brook the idea of fritter-
ing his earnings among his kindred. I have known of the
most affectionate and devoted of brothers not being able to see
each other's face under the all powerful influence of petticoat
government. A European becomes a housekeeper as soon as
he marries. The arrangement is an excellent one, no doubt,
and as educated Hindoos are very much disposed to imitate
English manners, the practice where feasible is gradually
gaining ground, despite the prevalence of the old patriarchal
system throughout the greater portion of the country. There
is a common native saying, which runs thus : " as many brothers,
so many abodes." It is to a certain extent a striking illustra-
tion of the existing state of things ; harmony and peace
can scarcely be found in a family where brothers are swayed,
as they must be, by the irresistible influence of their wives. *
To the credit of the patriarchal system, there still exist in
every part of the country numerous families that scout the
idea of a segregation.

L ■

* At the time of the Churruck Poojah or swinging festival, which takes place
about the middle of April, the Khdshdrees or Braziers of Calcutta are accus-
tomed to make Sungs or caricature-representations of different sorts of familiar
scenes, illustrative of the prevailing manners of the present age. In many cases
they hit off the mark so admirably that they cannot fail to make a deep im-
pression on the popular mind. Among other representations they once exhibited
a caricature of a son taking a wife on his shoulder, while dragging a mother by
a rope round her neck, exemplifying thereby the respective estimation in which
each is held.

224 THE HINDOO FEMALES.

Turning from the dark to the bright side of the picture,
it IS gratifying to observe that of late years, attention has
been directed to, and laudable exertions are being made for,
the education of Hindoo females. Nothing can compare
in importance with the steady progress of this movement.
After the movement had been begun by the Missionary Socie-
ties, the late Hon. Mr. Drinkwater Bethune gave an important
impetus to this noble cause from the side of Government.
These examples have since been followed up by other devoted
friends of native improvement, and the Government has fully
recognised the paramount importance of the object. This
combination of efforts has already produced the most grati-
fying results. That there is a growing desire for learning
among the females by the study of such elementary books,
Bengallee and English, as have a tendency to improve their
understanding, is a patent fact. Not only young girls,
whose age permits them to attend schools, but grown up
ladies, who are confined within the precincts of a zenana,
are alike influenced by this commendable desire. Almost
every respectable Hindoo family in Calcutta has a Christian
governess, who besides giving primary and Bible instruction,
teaches all sorts of needle-work — an art in which consider-
able progress has been made within the last few years.*
This is an indication of the growth of a refined taste which
is a great step towards the cause of national improvement.
As we have said elsewhere, instead of spending their time
in idle talk and unprofitable occupation, if not in unpleasant
dissension, they now vie with each other in producing works
of art and usefulness, and as a matter of course the annual
distribution of rewards is a great incentive to exertion. It

* An annual fair or mela is held near Calcutta, at which the best specimens
of needle-work executed by Hindoo females are exposed to public view, and
prizes awarded by European and Native gentlemen. Great credit is due to
Baboo Nobo Gopal Mitter, the editor of the National Paper, for this annual
exhibition. Unfortunately the mela is languishing for want of sufficient public
support.

THE HINDOO FEMALES. 225

IS devoutly to be wished that this desire for learning and
taste for works of art should gradually spread and be
appreciated throughout the length and breadth of the land.
In the interior, however, the mass of the people of all ranks
and of both sexes are still as remote from the influence of
this improvement as they were centuries ago.

It is a pity that Hindoo females are withdrawn from
schools the moment they are married ; this is an insuperable
obstacle to the full development of their mental powers.
The progress made by some of them in the zenana is really
very creditable, and challenges the commendation of all who
have the elevation of native female character at heart.
They are not only assiduous in the cultivation of feminine
graces and accomplishments, but their superior grasp
of thought and language rank them among the literary
women of their country. Some thirty years back the
Hindoo females of Bengal were immersed in ignorance;
they were represented as degraded beings incapable of im-
provement; not one in a thousand could read or write; but
since proper steps have been taken to remove this national
reproach, they have evinced an ardent desire to enrich their
minds by a course of study which, though not profound, is
well fitted to adorn female life. The English Church
Mission, " The Scottish Ladies' Association," a department
of the Church of Scotland Mission, the Free Church Mission,
the American Mission, &c. are all doing an incalculable
amount of good by their disinterested efforts to impart the
blessings of knowledge to such zenana females as are pre-
cluded by being married from attending schools. The
complete regeneration of India cannot be expected until the
emancipation of the females is accomplished, practically
proving to the world, as it has already done in a very limited
degree, the palpable absurdity of Manu's interdictory edict,
restraining them from cultivating their intellectual powers.

EE

226 THE HINDOO FEMALES,

As a proof of the progress already made in the higher
branches of female education, it is gratifying to state that two
young ladies passed the First Arts' Examination of the Calcutta
University at the end of last year. One of these was trained
in the Bethune School, and the other in the Free Church
Normal School. This examination represents a very consi-
derable amount of acquirement, and is next to the B. A.
Several other female candidates also passed the Entrance or
Matriculation Examination at the same time. Similar pro-
gress has been reported from the Madras Presidency.

Authentic history furnishes abundant evidence of the
prevalence of female education in the country to a consider-
able extent, until Mahomedan oppression not only proscribed
Hindoo women from pursuing a literary career, but ulti-
mately dragged them into a state of unhealthy seclusion for
the preservation of their honor, which they valued more than
their very life. In Rajpootana every respectable female was
instructed to read and write. Of their intellectual endow-
ments and knowledge of mankind, whoever has had oppor-
tunities of conversing with them could not fail to form a favor-
able impression.*

* ** I have conversed for hours," says Colonel Tod, ** with the Boondi queen-
mother on the affairs of her government and welfare of her infant son, to whom
I was left guardian by his dying father. She had adopted me as her brother :
but the conversation was always in the presence of a third person in her confi-
dence, and a curtain separated us. Her sentiments shewed invariably a correct
and extensive knowledge, which was equally apparent in her letters, of which I
had many. I could give many similar instances. The history of India is filled
with anecdotes of able and valiant females. Ferishta in his history gives an ani-
mated picture of Durgavati^ queen of Gurrah, defending the rights of her infant
son again.<:r. Akbar's ambition. Like another Boadicea, she headed her army, and
fought a desperate battle with Asoph Khan," in- which she was wounded and
defeated ; but scorning flight, or to survive the loss of independence, she, like the
Roman of old in a similar predicament, slew herself on the field of battle."

The accomplished Maharatta lady — Roma Bai — who lately visited Calcutta,
affords a remarkable example of an educated Hindoo woman. She is an
excellent Sanskrit scholar, well read in Sreemut Bhagabat, Several Pundits were
astonished at her wonderful acquirements.

XVIII.
POLYGAMY.

N this, as well as in some other eastern countries,
polygamy has from time out of mind been in ex-
istence. That it is subversive of moral order and
of conjugal felicity, is admitted by all who have paid the
slightest degree of attention to the very many evil conse-
quences of this abnormal institution. It is a violation of a
just and divine law, opposed to the nurture and education of
children, and inconsistent with the due equality of the sexes.
In every country where this obnoxious practice prevails, and
is dignified with the hallowed name of a social and religious
ordinance, as is done in India, woman occupies a degraded
position, and society is rude and unexpansive in its character.
The most heinous crimes are committed without remorse,
and conscience is seared, as it were, with a red-hot iron.
" Nature has designed woman to be the equal of man as a
moral and intellectual being ; and confined to the exer-
cise of her own proper duties as a wife and mother, she
is placed in a favourable position as relates to her own
happiness and the happiness of her husband." Much of
the civilization of Europe is due to the high position of the
fair sex in the social scale. Their education, their capacity
for rearing their children in orderly and virtuous habits, their
elevated conceptions of a Supreme Being, their social and
domestic manners, the purity of their lives, their natural ten-
derness and affection, their freedom, and the moral influence
of their actions on society, give them a rank in no way
inferior to that of the other sex. But in this country, it is
painful to realise that they are not only denied the inestimable
blessings of a good education but that their first lawgiver has

228 POLYGAMY.

condemned them to a state of abject servitude. " Women
have no business" says Manu, " with the text of the Veda,
this is the law fully settled ; having, therefore, no evidence
of law, and no knowledge of expiatory texts, sinful women
must be as foul as falsehood itself; and this is a fixed rule.
Through their passion for men, their mutable temper, their
want of settled affection, and their perverse nature, (let them
be guarded in this world ever so well,) they soon become
alienated from their husbands." Manu allotted to such women
"a love of their bed, of their seat, and of ornament, impure
appetites, wrath, weak flexibility, desire of mischief and
bad conduct. Day and night must women be held by their
protectors in a state of dependence." Apart from their
practically servile condition, the apparent complacence with
which polygamy is tolerated, and the facility with which a
plurality of wives can be obtained, are circumstances which
poison the perennial source of conjugal felicity, reduce them
to a state of moral and intellectual degradation, and sap the
very foundation of virtue. "A barren wife," says Manu,
" may be superseded by another in the eighth year ; she
whose children are all dead, in the tenth ; she who brings
forth only daughters, in the eleventh year ; she who speaks
unkindly, without delay." Bullal Sen, who, if I mistake not,
had first established the system of Koolmism in Bengal, and
prescribed certain rules in favor of polygamy, was singularly
deficient in foresight and wisdom when he entirely over-
looked the evil consequences inseparable from this monstrous
matrimonial arrangement, so pregnant with mischief in what-
ever cLspect we view it. Any artificial institution which is
subversive of divine law will, in the main, prove highly
unfavourable to the best interests of society. The marriage
of a man with but one wife is an arrangement which should
never be departed from. To dispose of the ministering angels
of our existence, without the slightest regard to their future

POLYGAMY. 229

happiness, and yoke them to an unprincipled libertine, or a
Koolin perhaps on the verge of his grave, is a system alike
destructive of all social, benevolent and humane feelings. A
Koolin has no regard, much less sympathy, for any one of his
numerous wives, on the contrary he looks to them for gain
and other worldly advantages. It is a notorious fact that
Koolin wives after their marriage almost invariably live with
their parents, thus virtually closing all avenues to the growth
of affection between the husband and wife. The one is as
estranged from the other as if there had been no bond of
union between them. As the temptations to vicious indul-
gences are so very powerful and numerous in this wicked
world of ours, the unscrupulous Koolin females of the sacer-
dotal class often sacrifice chastity at the altar of sensuality.
The perpetration of the most horrible crimes is the necessary
effect. The fault does not rest so much with the poor unfor-
tunate females as with the diabolical system which openly
tolerates and religiously upholds polygamy. That it is an
unnatural state, even the most thoughtless will readily admit.
In every case it is the source of perpetual disputes and
misery. Domestic happiness can have no place in a family
in which more than one wife lives. I have known many a
person who under the impulse of passion had entered into
this unnatural state deplore it as the greatest of all domestic
afflictions. Even separate cook rooms, separate apartments,
and separate mehals^ and dining and sleeping alternately
with two wives with the greatest punctuality, and giving the
same set of ornaments to both, were not enough to ensure
harmony, peace and tranquillity. Indeed it has become a
proverb among the Hindoos, that " one wife would rather go
with her husband to the gloomy regions of yama (Pluto)
than see him sit with the other." As has already been des-
cribed, a tender girl of five years of age is, as her j^rst instruc-
tion before emerging from her nursery, initiated into the Brata

230 POLYGAMY.

or religious vow of Sayjooty, the primary object of which
is the ruin and destruction of a Sateen or rival wife. The
germs or jealousy against, and contempt for, a rival being
thus sown so early^ they take deep root and expand in time
so as to become absolutely ineradicable.

When the presence of two wives in the same house is at-
tended with so much disquietude, the evil arising from the prac-
tices of professional Koolins is much greater. They are married
to a number of females whose prospect of connubial bliss is
as remote as the poles are asunder. Instead of true love and
genuine attachment, the legitimate conditions of matrimony,
the natural apathy of the husband is often requited by the infide-
lity of his numerous wives ; nor can it be otherwise, the visits of
the husband being, like those of a meteor, few and far between.
Being destitute of the finer susceptibilities of human nature,
and looking upon matrimony as a matter of traffic, he regards
his wives as so many automata whose happiness is not at all
identified with his own. Influenced by a sordid love of gain,
bred and brought up in the lap of ignorance and laziness, and
pampered by effeminate habits, he leads a profligate life typi-
cal of utter demoralisation. He cares as little for the chas-
tity of his wives as a child does for the nicety of his play-
things. By rank, profession and habit he is a debauchee. His
sense of female honor is totally blunted. The thought of
nurturing and educating his numerous children never enters
into his mind. He knows not how many sons and daughters
he has, whether legitimate or illegitimate ; he is not capable
of recognising them, simply because he has seldom or never
seen their faces. If he keep a register of the number of his
wives, he keeps no record of the number of his children.
When he wants money, he pounces on such a father-in-law as
can satisfy him. If he keep one wife at home, it is not from
warmth of affection that he does so, but merely for his own
convenience and comfort ; she is made to discharge all the

POLYGAMY, 231

menial offices of a domestic maid-servant. Though never
placed in affluent circumstances, yet he is the lord of thirty,
forty or fifty women. It has been very aptly remarked by an
eminent writer who had paid much attention to the manners
and customs of the Hindoos, — that "amongst the Turks,
seraglios are confined to men of wealth, but here, a Hindoo
Brahmin, possessing only a shred of cloth and a piece of
thread, (poita) keeps more than a hundred mistresses." In-
deed such a system of monstrous polygamy is without a
parallel in the history of human depravity. Prostitution,
adultery, and the horrible crime of the destruction of the foe-
tus in the womb by means of deleterious drugs administered
by old women, are the inevitable consequences of this unna-
tural state of things. It is an undeniable fact that the
daughters of Koolin Brahmins, abandoned by their unprinci-
pled husbands, are often led into the forbidden paths of life,
partly through the impulse of passion amidst the seductions
of a wicked world, and partly through their exceedingly
miserable circumstances. The houses of ill fame in Calcutta
and other large towns are filled with women of this infamous
character, and the inhuman practice of patefaldno pre-
vails to an alarming extent, notwithstanding the increased
vigilance of the police. Some fifty years ago a number of
respectable Hindoos felt so disgusted at the mischievous ten-
dency of the Koolin system of marriage that they were on
the eve of memorialising the Government to put down the
practice by a legislative enactment, such as had been done in
the prohibition of sati or female immolation, but they were
assured that the authorities would not interfere in the domes-
tic and social usages of the people.

It is gratifying to observe, however, that the growth of
intelligence and the march of intellect has of late years
greatly counteracted the influence of this monstrous evil. If
the Rulers will not attempt to abolish a social system

232 POLYGAMY.

opposed to the feelings of natural affection by the denuncia-
tion of the severest temporal penalties, the good sense of
the people who are victimised by it must be appealed to for
its total suppression.

The following extract from Mr. Ward's excellent work on
the Hindoos will give the reader an idea of the fearful extent to
which Koolinism prevailed in Bengal some fifty or sixty years
back, when English education could scarcely be said to have
commenced the work of reformation or rather disintegration.

"Notwithstanding the predilection for koolins they are
more corrupt in their manners than any of the Hindoos. I
have heard of a Koolin Brahmin, who, after marrying sixty-
five wives, carried off another man's wife, by personating her
husband. Many of the Koolins have a numerous posterity.
I select five examples, though they might easily be multi-
plied : Oodhoy Chunder, a Brahmin, late of Bdgndpdrd, had
sixty-five wives, by whom he had forty-one sons, and twenty-
five daughters. Ramkinkur, a Brahmin, late of Kooshda, had
seventy-two wives, thirty-two sons, and twenty-seven daugh-
ters. Vishnooram, a Brahmin, late of GundulpdrA, had sixty
wives, twenty-five sons and fifteen daughters. Gouree Churn,
a Brahmin, late of Treebanee, had forty-five wives, thirty-two
sons, and sixteen daughters. Ramakant, a Brahmin, late of
Bhoosdaranee, had eighty-two wives, eighteen sons and
twenty-six daughters; this man died about the year 1810, at
the age of 85 years or more, and was married, for the last
time, only three months before his death. Most of these
marriages are sought after by the relations of the female, to
keep up the honor of their families ; and the children of these
marriages invariably remain with their mothers, and are
maintained by the relations of these females. In some cases,
a Koolin father does not know his own children."

Not only the rules of caste, but poverty is also a great
barrier to the marriage of Koolin women, a fact which has

POLYGAMY. 233

been very feelingly deplored in the following lines. Maid-
enly anxiety finds a natural vent in them : —

** Out spake the bride's sister,
As she came frae the byre,

! gin I were but married,
It's a* that I desire ;

But we poor folk maun live single,
And do the best we can,

1 dinna care what I should want
If I could but get a man."

Another, and 1 what will come o' me !
And O! what will I do?
That sic a braw lassie as I
Should die for a wooer, I trow."

When BuUal Sen first introduced this obnoxious system,
which went under the euphonious title of the Order of Merit,
he little anticipated that the very small seed of mischief he
then planted would soon grow into a luxuriant tree, and pro-^
duce an abundant crop of evils, poisoning the very source of
domestic felicity. It requires no depth of thought to predict
that the evil is destined to die a natural death, as all such
social evils are fated to do, when ignorance and superstition
are driven into their congenial darkness. Though many a
Hindoo still lives in the sin of polygamy without any parti-
cular repentance, yet the irresistible progress of virtue, like
that of truth, will ultimately teach him that it is an unsafe
foundation on which to build the 3ober structure of domestic
happiness.

The details of the following conversation between a hus-
band, his old mother, and his two wives, placed at the dispo-
sal of the writer by a friend, may, he trusts, not be out of
place: —

" What is this noise for," exclaims Radhamoney, a widow,
(the name of the mother) coming out of the thacoor ghur in
which she was worshipping ; " this noise, this tumult, this
quarrel, this wringing of the hands, these curses will surely

FF

234 POLYGAMY.

drive away Luckhee from the house, it is enough to make
the devil fly ; you have lost every sense of shame, ma^-o ma,
your clamour has deafened my ears, where shall I go ? one
is apt to leave her clothes behind. You have been served
right ; it was only the other day that Grish, (name of the son)
lost 5,000 Rupees in a case at the Burra Adawlut (High Court.)
If I be a Sail (chaste woman), I say, you two women (point-
ing to the two wives) will be beggared and reduced to the
condition of harrees (those who carry night soil) ; in what
unlucky hour did these two women enter the house. You are
both Rakhasees (female cannibals.) Day by day, sorrow is
eating into the vitals of my son, his golden body is being
darkened every day ; Oh ! Bidhata (God) you have ordained
this for me ?*' " Ullungo (name of the maid-servant) what is
the cause of this uproar ?" asks the mother. " Ma, what will
I say," replies the maid-servant ; " the cook first gave the vatk,
boiled rice to Comul," (name of the daughter of the first wife).
" Is this all ? nothing more ?" continues the mother; "my Bdchd
(child) has had no food for seven days, being ill with fever.
You all know this ; the kobeeraj (physician) this morning has
ordered some rice for her, whereupon the second wife, all
this while roaring and bawling, cursing and swearing, stepped
forward and said, it is past nine and my Hurree (her son's
name, 12 years old) has not yet got a morsd, his belly has
shrunk, and the school time is come; if late, his master will
make him stand." Radhamoney, the old mother, or ghini,
sent for the cook, and enquired if the rice were ready. "Yes,
ma, Hurree Baboo came into the cook room half an hour ago,
and I asked him to take his meal ; chotta ma (second wife)
prevented him, because I first gave the rice to Comul who
was so long ill." "Where is Hurree now?" enquired the old
lady. The maid-servant replied " Clwtta ma gave him a few pice
and told him to go to his school, though he could have eaten
rice if he liked." " Let Grish return home," added the old lady,

POLYGAMY. 235

** and I will tell him to send me to Benares without delay ; I
am sick of your incessant broils ; for giving Comul rice ^rsi
you two dous fell into a quarrel, and cursed each other so fear-
fully that you, hirra bou (first wife), ate the head of Hurree,
and you, chotta bou (second wife), ate the head of Comul's
husband." *

It was evening, and Grish, the son, returned home from
office. Before he had time to take off his office dress, the old
mother, impatient to tell him what had occurred during the
day, and with tears in her eyes, thus addressed him : "You, my
son, have brought the greatest curse on yourself by marrying
two wives ; to-day the whole family has been starving, and
why? because Comul, suffering from fever for the last eight
days, had got a little rice this morning, and she ^t^ first; chotta
bou^ therefore, prevented her son from eating anything, and sent
the little bacha to the school without rice. From what pajee
(mean) families have you brought these two females ? I can no
longer remain in the house. Under the slightest pretext, like
infamous wenches, they not only brawl but curse each other
and the son and son-in-law into the bargain. Can Luckhee
dwell in such a house ? send me to Benares instantly, I can
no longer live in such a hell of a place. Your wives have
made it a regular hell." The son consoles the old mother,
promising that everything would be done according to her
wish, begging her at the same time to eat something, and
adding that he does not mind whether his two wives eat or
not. After going through the evening service, he slept out-
side that night, pondering what should be done for the
future quiet of the family. Next day he removed the first
wife to her father's house, because the second wife is always
the Zuburdusty imagining that one hand can never make a

* Eating the head means wishing death. When two rival wives fall out
they literally become frantic through anger and jealousy. With shaking hands
and dishevelled locks they abuse and curse each other most violently.

236 POLYGAMY.

clap. But he was sadly mistaken, the deserted wife, conti-
nually brooding over her misfortune, at length resolved to
put an end to her existence, and accordingly one night took
an overdose of opium, and bade a final adieu to the world.

The above story is founded on real life and should serve
as a warning to those who under the impulse of passion
blindly run into a state of polygamy, which is undoubtedly
one of the greatest domestic evils among the natives.

XIX.

HINDOO WIDOWS.

HE system of early marriage, and the barbarous
institution of condemning a Hindoo female to a life
of perpetual widowhood after the death of her
husband, are evils which cannot be too strongly deprecated.
In this country, owing to the prevalence of early marriage
and the manner in which it is consummated, a Hindoo does
not become a housekeeper immediately after his marriage.
The wife generally remains one or two years with her parents,
occasionally going to her father-in-law's house for a few days
only ; her husband pays her a visit now and then, but not
without the special invitation of his mother-in-law. The
object of such an invitation is evidently to make the son-in-
law behave well towards her daughter. For the attainment
of this object, as I have described before, no means is left
untried. Indeed it has become a proverb among the Hindoos
that when a man fares sumptuously, it is said, he has been
fed with all the fondness shown to a son-in-law. It has
always struck me that if a Hindoo female were permitted to
re-marry after the death of her first husband, the affection of
a mother-in-law for a son-in-law would not have been so
warm as it now is under the existing state of things, which
admits of no alternative.

Living under the paternal roof for one or two years after
her marriage, a Hindoo girl sometimes becomes a widow,* —

* Such a widow is called a Kbrayraur, or one who has never enjoyed the
company of her husband. A stronger term of female reproach can scarely be
found in the Hindoo vocabulary. From the day this terrible bereavement occurs
she is constrained by conventional rules, in such cases, to put off from her hand
the iron bangle, but owing to her tender age she is tacitly j)ermitted to continue
to wear the gold bangle and a bordered Saree cloth. She is forbidden to use
fish — her most favorite dish,^ — and she must partially fast on every ekadossee, or
eleventh day of the increase or decrease of the moon. When she arrives at the
age of twenty her life presents an unvaried picture of despair and wretchedness.
She becomes a regular widow.

238 HINDOO WIDOWS.

a state of life which is unspeakably miserable. When a
young female of ten or eleven years of age loses her
husband, with whom perhaps she had scarcely ever exchanged
a single word, she is quite unconscious of the unmitigated
misery she is fated to endure for the remainder of her long
existence. * Deplorable as such a condition undoubtedly is,
it becomes doubly miserable from the cold, uncongenial and
unsympathetic atmosphere by which she is surrounded, and
the uncared-for neglect with which she is treated ever after-
wards. Except a mother, who can adequately conceive the
thousand and one miseries which are in store for the daughter?
It is a gloomy picture from the beginning to the end, and the
gloom deepens as time rolls over her devoted head. Cursed
be the name of the lawgiver who has made such a cruel
ordinance, and cursed the society that has become a thrall to
it ! Opposed to the feelings of humanity and natural affection,
the divine lawgiver of the Hindoos, Manu, expressly enjoins
that "although the state of widowhood might be deemed
onerous by the fair sex of the west, it would be considered
little hardship in the east. Let her emaciate her body, by
living voluntarily on pure flowers, roots and fruits, but let
her not, when her lord is deceased, even pronounce the name

* It has been justly remarked, and I believe is in most cases borne
out by facts, that a Hindoo widow generally lives to a very long age. Her
simple and abstemious habits, her devotional spirit, her scanty meal once a
day, her total abstinence from food of any kind on the eleventh day of the
increase and decrease of the moon, besides other days of close fast, neutralising
in a great measure the effects of every kind of irregularity from whatever cause
arising, and the fearful amount of hardships she is accustomed to endure, all
contribute to prolong her existence. Surely her life may be said to extend in
the inverse ratio of her misery. It is a common expression used by a Hindoo
widow, shewing her contempt of life, **will she ever die? Yama^ Pluto, seems
to have forgotten her ? " If the statistics of the land are consulted, it will assuredly
be found that Hindoo widows comparatively speaking enjoy a longer life than
the adult male population, because the latter is subject to irregularitids and
other adverse contingencies of life which the former is almost entirely free
from. It is not uncommon to see a Hindoo widow of eighty, ninety or a hundred
years of age. In short, nature evidently seems to have exemplified in her the
symbol of misery associated with longevity.

It is also a remarkable fact that idolatry and superstition chiefly owe their
continued influence to the wide-spread ignorance of these female devotees. At
a religious festival, nearly three-fourths of the assembly are composed of widows.

HINDOO WIDOWS. 239

of another man. A virtuous wife ascends to heaven, if, after
the decease of her lord, she devote herself to pious austerity ;
but a widow, who slights her deceased husband by marrying
agairiy brings disgrace on herself here below and shall be
excluded from the seat of her lord. Abstinence from the
common pursuits of life, and entire self-denial, are rewarded
by high renown in this world, and in the next the abode of
her lord, and procure for her the title of sadhvi or the virtuous."
From the above it is evident that widowhood has prevailed
in this country from time out of mind. Its mischievous
tendency is apparent in the degraded and corrupt state
of female society. We can never thoroughly conquer na-
ture ; we can never restrain our passions so effectually as
to render ourselves proof against temptation. The frailty
of women is admittedly great, and the ease with which they
may be seduced into the forbidden paths of life is too well-
known to need being enlarged on. However sedulously a
Hindoo mother may guard the virtue of her widowed daugh-
ter, and however forcibly she may inculcate the doctrine of
purity of life and manners, it proves but a feeble barrier against
the irresistible impulse of passion. Numerous instances are
on record, proving the utter futility of human efforts to
contend successfully against nature in this respect. A young
widow may be sent to the holy cities of Benares and Brinda-
bun, where she is not unfrequently removed with her mother
or grandmother to spend the remainder of her days in
a state of isolated seclusion and religious service, but this
is a poor safe-guard for the preservation of constancy and
virtue. Volumes after volumes have been written on the sub-
ject, denouncing in an unmistakable manner the monstrous
perversity of the existing system, but the evil has taken such
a deep root in the social economy of the people that the
utmost exertions must be put forth before it can be wholly
eradicated.

240 HINDOO WIDOWS,

The evils of widowhood are not only confined to the en-
durance of accumulated hardships, and self-denials enough to
rend asunder the tenderest chord of humanity, but they like-
wise extend to unlawful connections, and the perpetration
of another crime, that of abortion, which is no less revolt-
ing in enormity than infanticide itself. Many respectable
families, which are otherwise esteemed for their meritorious
actions, have more or less sunk in honor from this indelible
stigma ; a few have even lost their caste and status in society
from the above cause. In the primitive state of Hindoo society,
when every female other than a wife was regarded either
as a mother or sister according to age, irregular intercourse
was almost unknown, but in these days of libertinism per-
fect purity of life is rarely known. Our divine lawgiver,
in view to the interests of humanity and female honor,
ought to have made proper provision by lending his authority
and sanction to a system of widow remarriage within a
reasonable period of life. Some such edict would have
been alike honorable to our venerable sage, and beneficial
to those \vho are morally and socially most deeply interested
in it ; but unfortunately his cruel dicta, running counter to
the fundamental principles of virtue and morality, have
necessarily engendered a rank crop of evils, undermining the
very foundation of human happiness.

The benevolent exertions of that high priest of Nature,
Pundit Isswara Chunder Vidyasagar, Baboo Keshub Chunder
Sen, the Brahmo apostle, and other Hindoo reformers, to pro-
mote the cause of widow marriage in particular, and female
emancipation in general, have not, it is sad to contemplate,
been attended with the measure of success they deserve,
simply because the state of Hindoo society is not yet ripe
for the innovation. I am, however, sanguine in my expect-
ation that at no very distant future the progress of enlighten-
ment will ultimately bring about the consummation so devoutly

HINDOO WIDOWS. 241

to be wished for. It is for the advanced pioneers to endea-
vour to remove the incrustation which age and learning have
formed and tradition and custom enshrined with jealous
and sedulous care. Until this is done, a Hindoo widow must
continue to mourn her lot amidst the dexiunciations of a
heartless world. Sighs will never cease flowing from her heart
so long as she finds herself deprived of the master charm of
life. She is now cast amongst the dregs and tatters of human-
ity. Bereft of the substance of what endears life to a female,
she is constrained to cleave to the shadow^ which is destined to
leave her when she leaves the light of life. Losing all hope
of worldly enjoyments, she deposits the treasures of her
heart in the sanctuary of religion, convinced that to sell the
world for the life to come is profitable. It is terrible to con-
template the awful amount of physical and mental suffering
with all its varied complications, to which she is doomed ;
her life is a steadfast battle against misery, her soul soars in
a vacuum where all is unreal, empty and hollow, and all the
sweet enjoyments of life fall flat on her taste. Her mental
strife is never over. She is like a weary swimmer who
throws himself back and floats, because he is too much
exhausted to swim longer, yet will not sink and let the cold
and merciless water close over his head. Her spirit has
broken wildly loose from its normal attitude, and her mind
is overwhelmed in a surging tide of misery. From the
day she loses her husband, she has a new lease of life,
and a miserable lease it must be. She will not cease to
lament until her soul itself shall die. If she could say, joy was
once her portion, it lighted on her as the bird rests on the
tree in passing and takes wing, yet she would now say, her
existence is so unlife-like that to her death is sweet. She
is a poor fallen outcast of humanity. No one can enter into
her feelings and views of things. She has no influence, no
control over' herself, she cannot turn over a new leaf within

GG

242 HINDOO WIDOWS.

her own mind. Though society is almost a necessity of our
existence, yet she lives wholly alone ; a cheerless train of
thoughts always haunts her mind, she feels a dismal void
in her heart, she finds herself cut off at once and for ever from
one most dear to her, no conversation, however pleasant, can
bring her consolation or cheat her grief. The tide of settled
melancholy threatens her reason. As an outcast, she is re-
ligiously forbidden to take a part in any of the social and
domestic concerns of life, tending to relieve the ennui of a
wearisome existence, and to enliven the mind for a while. She
is a living example of an angel sent by heaven to minister
to the comforts of man, turned by a cruel institution into
a curse. Estranged from the affection of those who are,
by the ties of consanguinity, nearest and dearest to her,
she passes her days like a recluse, quite apart from the
communion of society. She stares and gazes wildly at every
festive celebration, while, as the poet sings,

*' The glad circle round them yield their souls
To festive mirth and wit that knows no gall."

If she have longings irrepressible and cravings insatiable
to lend her hand to any shoova karma (meritorious work),
her widowed condition interposes an insurmountable barrier
to her participation therein, as if everything would be dese-
crated when touched by her polluted hand.

As a sentient being, endowed with all the finer suscepti-
bilities of human nature, is it possible that she should so far
forget herself as not to feel the bitterest pangs of despon-
dency at her hopelessly forlorn condition? Driven from the
genial atmosphere of a social circle, she drags a loathsome
existence in this selfish and unsympathetic world. Except
she that gave her birth, who would deign to look upon her
with love and affection ? Instead of being regarded, as she
assuredly should be, as the soul of simplicity, a living picture
of sweet innocence, she is shunned as one whose very pre-

HINDOO WIDOWS. 243

sence portends evil. If she possess unafTected modesty and
a keen sense of honor and virtue, who is to recognise and ap-
preciate those amiable qualities in a society which is prepos-
terously estranged from all natural susceptibilities? If she
have riches what would that avail her, a poor misguided victim
of superstition ! * Her charity, instead of being founded on
the catholic principles of genuine liberality shewing a dis-
criminate breadth of view, too often exhibits an unhappy
tenacity of adhesion to exclusiveness in the performance
of idolatrous ceremonies. If she is placed above the atmos-
phere of artificialness, it is her misfortune to be surrounded by
a concatenation of conventional restrictions which render her
life a visible embodiment of helpless misery and anguish,
and if she ever appeals, she appeals to the Being who is the
only friend of the hopeless and the poor. To attempt to
reconcile a widow to her forlorn lot is to tell a patient burning
with fever not to be thirsty. Her days are dismal, her nights
are dreary.

It was the dread of widowhood, and the unmitigat-
ed life-long miseries inseparable from it, that led fifty
wives at a time to ascend the funeral pyre of a Rajpoot
husband, with all the composure of a philosophic mind. It
redounds greatly to the credit of the British Government
that its generous exertions have not only struck the death-
knell of this inhuman practice, even in the remotest corner
of the Empire, but, what is more commendable, endeavoured
"to heal the wounds of a country bleeding at every pore
from the fangs of superstition."

Not content with depriving her of the best enjoyments of
life which society affords, and the laws of God sanction, by con-
demning her to a state of perpetual widowhood, the great
lawgiver — the unflinching foe of freedom in females — has

* The worship of Juggodhatri (mother of the world), is performed by a
widow for four years successively to forfend the calamity in the next birth.

244 HINDOO WIDOWS.

further enjoined the strict observance of certain practices
that add gall to her already overflowing cup of misery. As
has been observed before, she is restricted to one scanty meal
a day, always of the coarsest description, devoid of fish*
which is generally more esteemed by an ayistree lady than
any other article of food in her bill of fare. She must reli-
giously fast on every ekadossee^ twice a month, and on all other
popular religious celebrations. She must bare her body of
all sorts of ornaments, even the iron and the gold bangles,
which once constituted the summum bonum of her life. As an
appropriate substitute for the gold and pearl necklaces, she
is enjoined to wear a toolsee tnala (a basilwood chaplet), and
count a tookee wood bead roll for the final rest of her soul. She
is prohibited from wearing any bordered clothes^ a thaytih€\n%
her proper garment ; she is not permitted to daub her forehead
with sidooTy (vermillion), once the pride of hfer life when her
lord was alive ; she is forbidden to use any bazar-made article
of food, and to complete the catalogue of restrictions she
sometimes shaves her head purposely that she may have an
ugly appearance and thereby more effectually repel the inroads
of a wicked, seductive world.

If she have any children to nurture, the happy circum-
stance affords a great relief to her wearisomely monotonous
life. Day and night she watches them with great care, and
looks forward to their progressive development with intense
anxiety, forgetting in the plenitude of her solicitude her
own forlorn condition. Should there be any mishap in their
case, it causes an irreparable break-down in her spirit, which
is for ever " sicklied over with the pale cast of thought."

* It should be mentioned here that, except the widows of Brahmins and Kdy-
estus of Bengal, those of lower orders continue to use fish without any scruple.
It is a remarkable fact that Hindoo women are more fond of fish than men.
There are some men, especially among the Boystubs, followers of Krishna, who
feel an abhorrence to eat fish at all by reason of its offensive smell, but there
is not a single woman whose husband is alive that can live without it. When
a girl becomes a widow, she can hardly take half the quantity of boiled rice she
was accustomed to take before for want of this, to her, necessary article of food.

HINDOO WIDOWS. 245

It IS a painful fact that riches when not properly used
have a tendency to corrupt the minds of human beings, and
lead them from the path of virtue to that of vice. A wealthy
widow who has the command of a long purse more readily
falls a prey to the temptations of the world than one who,
moving in an humbler sphere of life, has her mind almost
wholly engrossed with domestic cares, and the thoughts of
a future state of beatitude. " Verily," as Lord Lytton says,
" in the domain of poverty there is God's word."

Considering the endless round of hardship and self
abnegations to which she is inevitably doomed by a terrible
Stroke of fortune, "which scathes and scorches her soul,"
it is cheering to reflect that she so often shines brightest
in adversity. Indeed she may be occasionally said " to die
ten times a day," but her incredible powers of patient endur-
ance, coupled with her high sense of female honor, are deser-
ving of the highest admiration.

XX.

SICKNESS, DEATH, AND SHRAD, OR FUNERAL

CEREMONY.

|S I have said in the beginning that a Hindoo hVes
religiously and dies religiously, so his last days are
attended with a degree of melancholy interest
which is characteristic of the religion which he professes,
as well as of the race to which he belongs. When a Hindoo
becomes seriously ill, the first thing he does is to consult the
Almanac as to the stellar mansion of the period, and en-
gage the officiating priest to perform a series of religious
atonements, called sastydna^ for the removal of the evil spirit,
and the restoration of health. Mornings and evenings are
dedicated to the service, and the mother or the wife of the
patient, as the case may be, makes a vow to the gods, pro-
mising to present suitable offerings on his recovery, for which
purpose a small sum of money is laid aside as a tangible
proof of sincerity. If the patient should be a useful mem-
ber of the family, enjoying a good income, greater solicitude
is, as must naturally be expected, manifested for his sake
than for that of an unproductive member ; it being not
uncommon that a whole family, consisting of eight or ten
persons, male and female, depend for their sustenance on the
earnings of a single individual, — the inevitable result of a joint
Hindoo family. It is customary among the Hindoos, as it is
among other civilized nations, that when a person is ill, his
friends and relatives come to see and console him. The sick
man generally remains in the inner apartment of the house,
where the females — the ministering angels of life — watch him
and administer to his comfort. When visitors enter the room,
they go away for a time, but it must be mentioned that they

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 247

are not wanting in attention, kind-heartedness and careful
nursing. Days and nights of watching pass over their heads
without a murmur, prayers are continually offered to the
guardian deity for a favorable turn in the fortune of the fa-
mily, and available supernatural agency is secretly employ-
ed for the attainment of the end. The following conversa-
tion will give some idea of the melancholy scene : —

Rdmkdnto (a neighbour), enters the room, and gently
accosts Mohun (the son of the patient.)

Rdmkdnto, sitting, asks How is your father ? I see he
IS very much pulled down ; the times are very bad, I hear of
sickness on all sides, when did he get ill ? Have you seen
the almanac? Have you arranged for sastydna (religious
atonement) ? Don't you despair. He will get well through
the blessing of God ; who attends him?

Brojobundhoo (doctor) replies Mohun.

Rdmkdnto. Yes, he is a good doctor, but you must
have a good Khobiraj also (native physician) who under-
stands the naree (pulse) well ; these English doctors do not
much care about the pulse.

Mohun-Well,sir,I have engaged Gopeebullub (native phy-
sician) to feel the pulse and watch the progress of the disease.

Rdmkdnto — That is good, Gopeebullub is a very clever
physician, though not old, he understands pulsation and other
symptoms thoroughly. When does the fever come on ? See,
how he remains to-day ; should the pulse sink after fever, send
for an English doctor to-morrow^ either Dr. Charles or Dr.
Coates, both are very good doctors.

Mohun — My uncle gave the same advice.

Rdmkdnto, (taking Mohun aside) Baba, what will I say ?
To tell you the truth, I have no very great hopes of his
recovery, the case is serious, if through the blessing of God
he gets well, it would be a second birth ; your father has
been a great friend of mine, you all know very well, he is

. 248 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

a staunch Hindoo ; in these days of depravity, when the
customs of the Mlechas (Christians) threaten to obliterate all
traces of distinction, and merge everything in one homo-
geneous element after the English fashion, very few men
are to be found like your father, ready to sacrifice his life
for the purity of his religion ; if his end do not accord with
his faith, his future state (parakdll) is jeopardised ; you,
young men may laugh at us, old fools, thinking we have no
sense ; a few pages of English do not make a man learned ;
English shastra does not make us wise unto salvation ; one's
own religion is the best panacea for the good of his parakdll
or future state. If you lose your father, you will never get a
father again, he has nourished you with care and affection up
to this day ; as a dutiful son you are bound to serve him in this
his last stage ; you must be prepared to take him to the river
side when need be, and that is not far distant ; if you neglect,
you commit a very great sin, quite unpardonable. What do
fathers and mothers wish children for ? It is only for the good
of thQparakdlly and to take them to Gunga (Ganges) in pro-
per time. Let your father pass three nights on the river side
I return this afternoon ; take care, watch him closely and let
Gopeebullub see him constantly.

Giving these instructions, Rdmkdnto goes away. After
three or four hours, the fever returns, the patient becomes
delirious and talks nonsense, and the wife becoming very
uneasy calls the son in a very depressed tone, and tells him
to send for the English doctor. The son obeying the order
sends for the English doctor at once.

After an hour or so, in comes Dr. Charles accompanied
by Baboo Brojobundhoo. Entering the sick man's room, Dr.
\ Charles examines the patient carefully, asks Brojobundhoo

what medicines he has been giving him, (the women all the
while peeping through the window, unable to understand
what the doctors are talking about), and being satisfied on

SICKNESS, DEA TH AND SHRAD. 249

this point, comes out and tells the son that his father is
dangerously ill, and that his friend's prescriptions are all
right ; he, Dr. Charles, could not do better.

Here enters Rdmkdnto with two other friends. Before
going inside he. thus speaks to the son: I hear Dr. Charles
was here, what did he say ? How was the fever to-day.

Mohun answers. Dr. Charles said father is very ill, the
paroxysm to-day was somewhat more violent than that of
other days.

Rdmkanto — That's bad ; day by day the fever eats into the
vitals of his system. (Here the native physician comes). Well,
KIwbiraj Moliashoy^ please go and see how the patient is doing?
GopeebuUub (native physician) goes inside, examines the sick
man with great care, satisfies the eager enquiries of the women
by assuring them that there is no fear, and returns outside.

Rdmkdnto to GopeebuUub — How did you find him ? Is
the pulse in its right place? Do you apprehend any immediate
danger ? Dr. Charles was here, you have heard what he has
said, whatever the youngsters may say, I have greater con-
fidence in you than in the English doctors ; take good care
and tell us the exact time when to remove the patient to the
river side, that is our last sacred office; should anything
happen at home, which God forbid, we shall never be able to
show our faces through shame. What with such a big son,
and so many friends and relations, it would be a crying
shame if the patient die at home ? Destiny will have its
course but your hathjitss (skill) will go a great way.

GopeebuUub — Everything depends on the will of God,
what can we mortals do ? Whatever fate has ordained must
come to pass, we are mere instruments in the hands of God ;
the patient is gradually sinking, the pulse neither steady nor
in its right place, we must be prepared for the worst, a strong
pulse in a weak body is an ominous sign, there is no fear to-
night, I can guarantee that.

HH

2S0 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

Rdmkdnto— Well, it appears his end is nigh, he is no
more destined to have rice and water. * Then, pointing to
Mohun, Rdmkdnto says, to-morrow morning his Boyetami
ritef must be performed ; make the necessary preparations at
once, and send a man to procure a cot (charpoy), also see that
nothing may be wanting to hurry him to the riverside.

Mohun — I must do what you bid me do, hitherto I re-
mained behind a mountain, now I shall be without protection.

Next morning, the rite of Boyetami being performed, pre-
parations are made to carry the sick man to the river side :
all the nearest relations and friends assemble, and the patient,
then in the full possession of his senses, is brought outside and
laid on the cJidrpoy; his forehead is daubed with the mud of the
Ganges, and a toolsee plant is placed about his head. He is told
to repeat the name of his guardian deity, and one man going
up to him says, let's go to visit the mother Gunga, at which he
nods ; this serves as a signal for lifting the cimrpoyy and putting
it on the shoulders of four strong persons of equal size. The
heart-rending scene that ensues hereupon among the females
cannot be adequately described. Their falling on the ground,
their loud and affecting cries, the tearing of their dishevelled
locks, the wringing of their breast, the contortions of their
bodies, all produce a mournful scene of anguish and despair
which my feeble pen can hardly pourtray.

The sick man is thus carried, perhaps a distance of
two or three miles, in a state of consciousness^ exposed to all

* This means that he must soon die.

+ Boyetami is a river which must be crossed before one gets to heaven ;
the rite consists in distributing a certain amount of cowries among the Brahmins
for guiding the soul through the Death Valley to the other side.

X A Hindoo, especially a grown up man, if he die at home is branded as an
unrighteous person ; many a one otherwise esteemed righteous in his lifetime is
denounced as a sinful being should he not expire on the banks of the holy stream.
In the rdi-i, or inland provinces, through which the Ganges does not flow, people
are constrained to breathe their last on the banks of a neighbouing tank and are
consequently precluded, from their geographical position, from securing the bene-
fit of this cheap mode of salvation. As a partial atonement for this natural disad-
vantage, they bring the navel of the dead and throw it into the holy stream, which,
in their supposition, is tantamount to the purification of the soul.

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 251

the dangers of inclement weather, fully aware of his approach-
ing end, the carriers exchanging their shoulders every now and
then, and shouting out every five minutes, " Hurry, Hurry-
bole, Gunga Narain, Brahma, Shiva Rdma," until they reach
their destination, which, in Calcutta, is Nimtollah Ghaut,
on the banks of the Hooghly. * When the chdrpoy on which
the sick man is borne is placed on the ground, some one calls
out to the patient to see the sacred stream, which he does in
a state of mind that can be better imagined than described.
On opening his eyes he beholds a dark, gloomy scene, the
ghastliness of which is enough to strike horror into the heart
of the most callous and indifferent. Here a dying man
suffering from the convulsive agony of acute pain, is, perhaps,
gasping for breath, there a fellow mortal is taken in a hurry
to the very edge of the holy water to breathe out the last flic-
ker of life ; to deepen the gloom perhaps a corpse borne on
a Hindoo hearse is just brought to the Ghaut amidst the voci-
ferous cries of "Hurry, Hurrybole," which is a significant
death-warrant.

** 'Tis too horrible;
The weariest and most loathed earthly life
Which age, ache, penury, and imprisonment
Can lay on nature, is a paradise
To what we fear of death ?"

* A few years back the Calcutta Municipality proposed to have the burning
Ghaut removed to Dhappa, a notoriously unhealthy marshy swamp, some six
miles east of Calcutta, bordering on the Soonderbunds, because the present site
was considered a nuisance to the city. As must naturally be expected, great
sensation was produced among the Hindoo population, and memorials were sub-
mitted to the Government of Bengal, signed by the most influential portion of the
Hindoo community. In spite of solicitation and remonstrance, the Municipality
were determined to carry out their plan, but the mighty Ramgopal Ghose, as
the late Mr. James Hume, the Editor of the ^^ Eastern Star,^^ styled him, inter-
posed and exerted his best, at great personal sacrifice, to nullify the proposal .
The Hindoos called a meeting, and Ramgopal, moved by the entreaties of his
countrymen, made an admirable speech at the Town Hall, on which occasion no
less than fifty thousand people assembled on the viaidan facing the Town Hall.
In the speech he set forth, in a graphic manner, the suitableness of the present
site, and the distress and hardship of the people, as well as the shock to religious
feeling which the removal would involve. He eventually succeeded in prevailing
on the authorities to withdraw the proposal. When he came out of the Town

252 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

Can imagination conceive a more dismal, ghastly scene ?
But religion has crowned the practice with the weight of na-
tional sanction, and thus deadened the finer sensibilities of
our nature. Sad as this picture is, the most staunch advocate
of liberalism can hardly expect to escape such a fate. To
a person accustomed to such scenes, death, and its con-
comitant agony, loses half its terrors. How many Hindoos
are annually hurried to their eternal home by reason of this
superstitious, inhuman practice ? Instances are not wanting
to corroborate the truth of this painful fact. Persons entrusted
with the care and nursing of a dying man at the burning
Ghaut soon get tired of their charge, and rather than adminis*
ter to his comfort, are known to resort to artificial means,
whereby death is actually accelerated. They unscrupulously
pour the unwholesome, muddy water of the river down his
already choked throat, and in some cases suffocate him to
death. "These are not the ebullient flashes from the glowing
caldron of a kindled imagination," but undeniable facts
founded on the realities of life.

The process of Hindoo antarjal or immersion is another
name for suffocation. Life is so tenacious, especially in what
the Hindoos call old bones y or aged persons, that I have seen
some persons brought back home after having undergone this
murderous process nine or ten times in as many days. The
patient, perhaps an uncared-for widow cast adrift in the world,
retaining the faculty of consciousness unimpaired, is willing
to die rather than continue to drag on a loathsome existence,
but nature would not readily yield the vital spark. In spite
of repeated murderous processes, the apparently dying flicker
of life would not become extinct. In the case of an aged
man, the return home after imviersion is infamously scanda-
lous, but in that of an aged widow the disgrace is more

— ^— ■ I M^ —^ M l» n il ■ I ■ I ■■ ■ II ■■ III II ■ ■ 1 ■ .

Hall, he was most enthusiastically cheered by thousands of people, Brahmins and
Soodras, and loud cries of ** may he live long" were heard on all sides,

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 253

poignant than death itself. I have known of an instance
in which an old widow was brought back after fifteen iminer-
sionSy but being overpowered by a sense of shame she drown-
ed herself in the river after having lived a disgraceful life
for more than a year. As I have observed elsewhere, no
expression is more frequent in the mouth of an aged widow
than the following: " Shall I ever die?'* Scarcely any effort has
ever been made to suppress or even to ameliorate such a bar-
barous practice, simply because religion has consecrated it with
its holy sanction.

But to return to the thread of my narrative, the sick
man dies after a stay of four days at the Ghaut, suffering
perhaps the most excruciating pangs and agony generally
attendant on a deathbed. The names of his gods are
repeatedly whispered in his ears, and the consolations of
religion are offered him with an unsparing hand, in order to
mitigate his sufferings, and if possible to brighten his last
hours. The corpse is removed from the resting place to the
burning Ghaut, a distance of a few hundred yards, and pre-
parations for a funeral pile are speedily made. The body
is then covered with a piece of new cloth and laid upon the
pyre, the upper and lower part of which is composed of
firewood, faggots, and a little sandalwood and ghee to neutra-
the effects of effluvia. The Marooyapora Brahmin,* (an
outcast) reads the formula, and the son or the nearest of
kin sets fire to the pile ; the body is consumed to ashes, but
the navel remaining unburn t is taken out and thrown into the
river. Thus ends the ceremony of cremation ; the son

* Some forty years back these Brahmins and their whole crew of murdur-
farashassys were a regular set of ragamuffins whose sole occupation was to
fleece their victims in the most extortionate manner imaginable ; the Brahmin
would not read the formula, nor his myrmidons put up the funeral pile, without
having received nearly four times the amount of the present cost. Great credit
is due to Baboo Chunder Mohun Chatterjee, the late Registrar, for his strenuous
exertions in making the Police frame a set of rules for regulating the funeral
expenses at the burning Ghaut. It is a public boon which cannot be too highly
appreciated.

254 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD,

putting a few jars of holy water on the pile, bathes in the
stream, and returns home with his friends, changing his old
garment for new white clothes, called uttary, on one end
of which is fastened an iron key to keep off evil spirits. It
is worthy of remark here, that providence is so propitious
to us in every respect that in a few hgurs the son becomes
reconciled to his unhappily altered circumstances caused
by the loss of his father ; instead of bemoaning his loss in
a despondent frame of mind, he is soon awakened to a sense
of his new responsibility.

On reaching the gate of the house, all persons touch
fire, and putting neem leaves and a few grains of kalie (a kind
of pulse) into the mouth, cry out as before " Hurrybole,
Hurrybole" and enter the house. The lamentation of the
females inside the house, which was suppressed for a while
through sheer exhaustion, is instantly renewed at the sound
of " Hurrybole," as if fresh fuel were added to the flame, and
every voice is drowned in the overwhelming surge of grief.
Their melancholy strain, their pointed, pathetic allusion to
the bereavement, the cadence of their plaintive voices, the
utter dejection of their spirit, their loud, doleful cries
reverberating from one side of the house to the other,
the beating of their breasts, and the tearing of their hair,
are too affecting not to make the most obdurate shed tears
of sorrow.

The son, from the hour of his father's death to the con-
clusion of the funeral ceremony, is religiously forbidden to
shave, wear shoes, shirts, or any garment other than the piece
of white cloth, his food being confined to a single meal
consisting only of atab rice, khasury dhall (a sort of inferior
pulse) milk, ghee, sugar and a few fruits, which must be
cooked either by his mother or his wife ; at night he takes a
little milk, sugar and fruits. This course of regime lasts
ten days in the case of a Brahmin, and thirty-one days in

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 255

that of a Soodra* Here the advantages of the privileged
class are twofold; (i), he has to observe the rigid discipline
for ten days only; (2), he has ample excuse for small ex-
penditure at the funeral ceremony on the score of the short-
ness of time. This austere mode of living for a month
in the case of a Kayast, by far the most aristocratic
and influential portion of the Hindoo population, serves
as a tribute of respect and gratitude to the memory of a
departed father. As the country is now in a transition
state, a young educated Hindoo does not strictly abide by
the above rule, but breaks it privately in his mode of
living, of which the inmates of the family only are cogni-
sant. He repudiates publicly what he does privately. Thus
the outer man and the inner man are not exactly one and
the same being, he dares not avow without what he does
within, in short, he plays the hypocrite. But an orthodox
Hindoo observes the rule in all its integrity, he is more
consistent if not more rational, he does not play a double
game, but conforms to the rules of his creed with scrupulous
exactness.

Fifteen or sixteen days after the demise of his father,
the son, if young, is assisted by his friends in drawing an es-
timate of the probable cost of the approaching Shrddov funer-
al ceremony. In the generality of cases, an estimate is made
out according to the length of the purse of the party ; a few
exceed it under a wrong impression that a debt is warranted
by the special gravity of the occasion, which is one of great
merit in popular estimation, -f-

* In the case of a daughter (married) the mourning lasts for three days. On
the morning of the fourth day she is enjoined to cut her nails, and perform the
funeral ceremony of a departed father or mother. An entertainment is to be
given to the Brahmins and friends. This is always done on a comparatively
small scale, and in most cases the husband is made to bear all the expenses of
the ceremony and the entertainment.

t Apart from erroneous popular notions, which in this age of depravity are
corrupted by vanity, the Hindoo Shastra, be it mentioned to its credit, abounds
in explicit injunctions on the subject of a funeral ceremony in various ways accord-

2S6 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD,

' The Sobha Bazar Rajah family, the Dey family of Simla,
the Mullick and Tagore families of Patooriaghdttd, all of
Calcutta, were said to have spent upwards of ;£'20,ooo or
two lacks of Rupees each on a funeral ceremony. They
not only gave rich presents to almost all the learned Brahmins
of Bengal, in money and kind, fed vast crowds of men of all
classes, but likewise distributed immense sums among beg-
gars and poor people,* who for the sake of one Rupee, walked
a distance of perhaps thirty miles, bringing with them their
little children in order to increase their numerical strength.
Some really destitute women, far advanced in a state of preg-
nancy, were known to have been delivered in the midst of
this densely crowded multitude. Although, now-a-days, the
authorities do not sanction such a tumultuous gathering, or
tolerate such a nuisance oftentimes attended with fatal ac-
cidents, no Shrad of any note at all takes place without the
assemblage of a certain number of beggars and paupers, who
receive from two to four annas each.

After the twentieth day, the son, accompanied by a
Brahmin and a servant who carries a small carpet for the
Baboo to sit on, walks barefooted to the house of each and
every one of his relations, friends and neighbours, to announce
that the Shrad is to take place on such a day, /. ^., on the

ing to the peculiar circumstances of parties. From an expenditure of lacks
and lacks of Rupees to a mere trifle, it can be performed with the ultimate prospect
of equal merit. It is stated in the holy Shastra that the god Ramchundra consi-
dered himself purified (for a Hindoo under mourning is held unclean until the
funeral ceremony is performed) by offering to the manes of his ancestors simple
balls of sand, called pimiar, on the bank of the holy stream. In these days a
poor man would be held sanctified or absolved from this religious responsibility
by making a tilakdnchdn Shrdd^ or offering a small quantity of rice, teelseed and
a few fruits, and feeding only one Brahmin, all which would not cost more than
four Rupees.

* At the Shrad of Raja Nubkissen, Nemy Churn Mullick and Ramdoolal
Dey, very near 100,000 beggars were said to have assembled together ; this
mode of charity is much discountenanced now and better systems are adopted
for the ostensible gratification of generous propensities. The District Charitable
Society should have a preference in every case. Instead of making a great
noise by sound of trumpet and raising an ephemeral name from vainglorious
motives, it is far wiser that a permanent provision should be made for the
relief of suffering humanity.

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 257

thirty-first day after death, and to request that they should
honour him with their presence and see that the ceremony is
properly performed, adding such other complimentary epithets
as the occasion suggests. This ceremonious visit is called
lowkata, and those who are visited return the compliment in
time. The practice is deserving of commendation, inasmuch
as it manifests a grateful remembrance for the memory of
one to whom he is indebted for his being.

Precisely on the thirtieth day, the son and other near
relatives shave, cut their nails, and put on new clothes again,
giving the old clothes to the barber. Meantime invitations
are sent round to the Brahmins as well as to the Soodras,
requesting the favor of their presence at the Sabhd or assembly
on the morning of the Shrdd, and at the feast on the following
day or days. On the thirty-first day, early . in the morning,
the son, accompanied by the officiating priest, goes to the
river side, bathes and performs certain preliminary rites.
Here the rayowbhats and tastirams (religious mendicants),
who watch these things just as closely as a vulture watches
a carcase, give him a gentle hint about their rights, and
follow him to the house, waiting outside for their share
of the articles offered to the manes of the deceased. These
men were so troublesome or boisterous in former days, when
the Police were not half so vigilant as they now are, that for
two days successively they would continue to shout and roar
and proclaim to the passers by that the deceased would never
be able to go into Boykanta or paradise, and that his soul
would burn in hell fire until their demands were satisfied.
Partly from shame, but more from a desire to avoid such
a boisterous, unseemly scene, the son is forced to succumb
and satisfy them in the best way he can.

As the style of living among the Hindoos has of late
become rather expensive, and the potent influence of vanity
— purely the result of an artificial state of society — exerts

II

258 SICKNESS, DEA TH AND SHRAD.

its pressure even on this mournful occasion, the son, if he
be well to do in the world, spends from five to six thousand
Rupees on a Shrad; the richer, more. He has to provide for
the apparently solemn purpose the following silver utensils,
viz,: — Ghara, Gharoo, T Italia, Baita, Bat tee, Raykab, glass,
besides couch, bedding, shawls, broadcloth, a large lot of brass
utensils and hard silver in cash, all which go to pay the
Brahmins and Pundits, who had been invited. The waning
ascendency of this privileged class is strikingly manifest on
an occasion of this nature. For one or two rupees they will
clamour and scramble, and unblushingly indulge in all manner
of fulsome adulation of the party that invited them. *

The Pundits of the country, however learned they may
be in classical lore and logical acumen, are very much
wanting in the rules of polished life. The manner in
which they display their profound learning is alike puerile
and ludicrous. History does not furnish us with sufficient
data regarding their conduct in ancient days. As far as
research or investigation has elucidated the point, it is reason-
able to conclude that the ascendency of the Brahmins was
built on the ignorance of the people, and there is a very
strong probability that there was a secret coalition Between
the priests and the rulers for the purpose of keeping the
great mass of the nation in a state of perpetual darkness
and subjection, the latter being oftentimes content with
the barter of " solid pudding against empty praise." But
the progress of enlightenment is so irresistible that the
strongest bulwark of secret compact for the conservation of
unnatural Brahminical authority is liable, as it should be, to
crumble into dust. It would be a great injustice to deny that
among these Brahmins there were some justly distinguished
for their profound erudition and saintly lives ; they displayed

* The appearance of Brahmins on such occasions has the ludicrous admix-
ture of the learned and the ragged, exhibiting the insolence of high caste
and the low cringe of poverty.

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 259

a piety, a zeal, a constant and passionate devotion to their
faith, which contrast strangely enough with the profligacy
and worldliness of the present ecclesiastics.

The Pundits of the present day, when they assemble
at a Shrad — and that is considered a fit arena for discus-
sion — are generally seen to engage in a controversy, the
bone of contention being a debatable point in grammar,
logic, metaphysics or theology. They love to indulge in
sentimental transcendentalism, as if utterly unconscious of
the matter-of-fact tendency of the age we live in. A strong
desire of displaying their deep learning and high classi-
cal acquirements in Sanskrit, not sometimes unmixed with
a contemptible degree of affectation, insensibly leads them
to violate the fundamental laws of decorum. When two
or more Pundits wrangle, the warmth of debate gradually
draws them nearer and closer to each other, until from sober,
solid argumentation, they descend to the argiimentiiin adigno-
rantiam, if not, to the argttinentum adbaculum. Their taking a
pinch of snuff, the quick moving of their hands, the almost
involuntary unrobing of their garment, which consists of
a single dhonty and dubja often put round the neck, the
vehement tone in which they conduct a discussion, the utter
want of attention to each other's arguments, and their con-
stant divergence from the main point whence they started,
throw a serio-comic air over the scene which a Dave Carson
only could imitate. They do not know what candour
is, they are immovable in their own opinion, and scarcely
anything could conquer their dogged persistence in their
own argument, however fallacious it may be. They are as
prodigal in the quotation of specious texts in support of
their own particular thesis as they are obstinately deaf to
the sound logical view of an opponent. Brahminical learning
is certainly uttered in "great swarths" which, like polished
pebbles, are sometimes mistaken for diamonds. The way in

26o SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

which the disputants give flavour to their arguments is quite
a study in the art of dropping meanings. The destruction of
the old husks, and the transparent sophistries, of the disputa-
tious Brahmins, is one of the great marvels achieved by the
rapid diffusion of Western knowledge.

When engaged in an animated discussion, these Pundits
will not desist or halt until they are separated by their
other learned friends of the faculty. Some of them are
very learned in the Shastra,' especially in Smrittee, on which
a dispute often hangs, but they have very little pretension
to the calm and dispassionate discussion of a subject.
Cogency of argument is almost invariably lost in the vehe-
mence of declamation and in the utterance of unmeaning
patter. Their arguments are not like Lord Beaconsfield*s
speeches, — a little labored and labyrinthine at first, but soon
working themselves clear and becoming amusing and sagacious.
Let it not be understood from this that the language
(Sanskrit) in which they speak is destitute of sound logic,
as Mr. James Mill would have his readers believe ; it is certainly
deficient in science and the correct principles of natural
philosophy as developed by modern discoveries, but the
elegance of its diction, the beautiful poetical imagery in
which it abounds, the sound moral doctrines which it in-
culcates, the force of argument by which it is distinguished,
and the elevated ideas which its original system of theology
unfolds, afford no good reason why it should not be stamped
with the dignity and importance of a classical language, and
why "the deep students of it should not enjoy some of the
honors and estimation conferred by the world on those
who have established a name for an erudite acquaintance
with Latin and Greek." If the respective merits of all the
classical languages are properly estimated, it is not too much
to say that the Sanskrit language will in no way suffer
by the comparison, though as history abundantly testifies it

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 261

labored under all the adverse circumstances of mighty poli-
tical changes and convulsions, no less than the intolerant
bigotry of many of the Moslem conquerors, whose unsparing
devastations have destroyed some of the best specimens
of Sankrit composition. " When our princes were in exile,"
says a celebrated Hindoo writer, **driven from hold to hold
and compelled to dwell in the clefts of the mountains, often
doubtful whether they would not be forced to abandon the
very meal preparing for them, was that a time to think of
historical records," and we should say, of literary excellence ?
The deep and laborious researches of Sir William Jones,
Colebrooke, Macnaghten, Wilson, Wilkins, and a host of other
distinguished German and French savants, have, in a great
measure, brought to light the hidden treasures of the San-
skrit language.

From eight o'clock in the morning to 2 o'clock in the
evening, the house of a Shrad is crammed to suffocation.
A spacious awning covers the open space of the court-yard,
preventing the free access of air ; carpets and satterangees
are spread on the ground for the Kayastas and other castes
to sit on, while the Brahmins and Pundits by way of prece-
dence take their seats on the raised Thacoordalla^t, or place
of worship. The couch-cot with bedding, and the dan con-
sisting of silver and brass utensils enumerated before, with
a silver salver filled with Rupees, are arranged in a straight line
opposite the audience, leaving a little open space for kittaneeSy
or bands of songsters or songstresses and musicians, which
form the necessary accompaniment of a Shrad for the purpose
of imparting solemnity to the scene. Three or four door-
keepers guard the entrance, so that no intruders may enter
and create a disturbance. The guests begin to come in at
eight, and are courteously asked to take their appropriate
seats (Brahmins among Brahmins, and Kayastas among
Kayastas,) the servants in waiting serve them with hookah and

262 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

tobacco,* those given to the Brahmins having a thread or string
fastened at the top for the sake of distinction. The Kayastas
and other guests are seen constantly going in and coming out,
but the generality of the Brahmins stick to their places until
the funeral ceremony is completed. The current topics of
the day form the subject of conversation while the fiookak
goes round the assembly with great precision and punctu-
ality. The female relatives are brought in covered palkees,
as has been described before, by a separate entrance, shut
out from the gaze of the males. But as this is a mourning
scene their naturally convivial spirit gives way to condolence
and sympathy. Excessive grief does not allow the mother
or the wife of the deceased to take an active part in the
melancholy proceedings of the day; they generally stay
aloof in a separate room, and are perhaps heard to mourn
or cry. The very sight of the mourning offerings, instead of
affording any consolation, almost involuntarily enkindles the
flame of sorrow, and produces a train of thoughts in keeping
with the commemoration of the sad event. Sisters of a
congenial spirit try to soothe them by precepts and examples,
but their admonition and condolence prove in the main
unavailing. The appearance of a new face revives the sad
emotions of the heart. Nothing can dispel from the minds of a
disconsolate mother or wife the gloomy thoughts of her
bereavement, and the still more gloomy idea of a perpetual
widowhood. The clang of khole and kharatal (musical in-
struments), which is fitted, as it were, from its very dissonance,

* The Hindoos are so much accustomed to smoking that it has almost
become a necessary of life. At a reception it is the first thing required. The
practice is regulated by rules of etiquette, so that a younger brother is not per-
mitted to smoke in the presence of his elder brother or his uncle. Even among
the reformed Hindoos, I have seen two brothers eat aud drink together at the
same table in European style, but when the dinner is over the youuger brother
would on no account smoke in the presence of his elder brother, if he do, he
would be instantly voted a bayddiib, or one wanting in the rules of good breeding.
The observance of this etiquette, however, is confined only to the high caste
people ; among the lower orders, a son smokes before a father with the same
freedom as if he were taking his ordinary meal.

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 263

to drive away the'ghost and kill the living, falls doubly grating
on her ears, while the fond endearments of Jasoda, the mother
of Krishna, rehearsed by the songsters in the outer court-yard,
but aggravate her grief the more. Weak and tenderhearted
by nature, she gradually sinks under the overwhelming load
of despondency, and raising her hand to her forehead mourn-
fully exclaims, " has Fate reserved all this for me ?" In such
cases, there is appropriateness in silence.

About ten o'clock the son begins to perform the rite of

the funeral obsequies, taking previously the permission of the

»

Brahmins and the assembled guests to do so. The officiating
priest reads the formulas, he repeating them. It must be
noticed here that tenacious as the Hindoos are in respect
of the distinction of caste, they do not scruple to invite lower
orders on such an occasion, but they would not mix with
them at the time of eating. The Dullopiitty or head of
the party, makes his appearance about this time ; when he
enters the house, all other guests then present, except the
Brahmins, as a token of respect for his position, rise on
their legs, and do not resume their seats until he sits down,
For this distinction or honour a Dullopatty has to spend an
immense sum of money, to which allusion has already been
made. His appearance serves as a signal for the performance
of the rite, called mala c/tandan, or the distribution of garlands
and sandal paste among the assembled multitude. As a
matter of course, the Brahmins by way of pre-eminence receive
the first garland, and after them the Dullopatty obtains the
same honour, and then the Kaolins''^ and other guests

* The following anecdote illustrating the very great honor shewn to first-
class Koolins, will, I trust, not be considered out of place.

When the late Rajah Rajkissen Bahadoor of Calcutta had to perform the
Skrdd or funeral ceremony of his illustrious father, the late Moha Rajah
Nubkissen (the ceremony was said to have cost about five lacks of Rupees or
;^5o,ooo,) he had to invite almost all the celebrated Koolins of Bengal at con-
siderable expense. On the day of the Shrdd those who were invited assembled
at his mansion in Sobha Bazar, when all eyes were dazzled at the unparalleled
magnificen«e of the scene, displaying a gorgeous array of gold, silver and brass

264 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

according to rank. Where there is no Dullopatiy, the garland
is put round the neck of a boy, at which no one can take any
offence, and afterwards they are distributed indiscrirriinately.

Meantime the son is engaged in the performance of
the ceremony, while the bands of songsters quarrel with one
another for the privilege of entertaining the audience with
their songs, which renders confusion worse confounded.
Female songsters of questionable virtue are now more in
favor than their male rivals, which is an unerring proof of
the degeneracy of the age. Only one band is formally
engaged, but thirty bands may come of their own accord,
quite uninvited. The disappointed ones generally get from
two to four Rupees each, but the party retained gets much
more, the rich guests coming in making them presents, besides
what they obtain from the family retaining them.

About one in the afternoon, the ceremony is brought
to a close, and the assembled multitudes begin to disperse.
Those who have to attend their offices return earlier, but
not without offering the compliments suited to the gravity
of the occasion. Some of the Brahmins remain behind to
receive their customary bid/my or gift. According to their
reputation for learning they obtain their rewards. The first
in the list gets, in ordinary cases, about five Rupees in

utensils for presents to Brahmins, exclusive of large sums of money, Cashmere
shawls, broadcloth, &c. After the performance of the ceremony, as is usual
on such occasions, the distribution of garlands and sandal paste had to be gone
through ; the whole of the splendid assemblage had been watching with intense
anxiety as to who should get theyf; -j/ garland — the highest respect shewn, accord-
ing to precedence of rank, to \}\q first Koolin present. This is a very knotty
point in a large assemblage to which all orders of Koolins had been brought
together. The honor was eagerly contested and coveted by many, but at length
a voice from a comer loudy proclaimed to the following efteet i **Put the
garland on my ^(i?^iV," (elephantiasis) laying bare and stretching his right leg at
the same time and thus suiting the action to his words. The attention of the
assembled multitude was immediately directed in that direction, and to the amaze-
ment of all, the garland had to be put round the neck of the very man who
shouted from a corner, because by a general consensus he was pronouced to be
the first Koolin then present. But such artificial and demoralising distinctions,
built on the baseless fabric of quicksand, having no foundation in solid, sterling
merit, are fast falling, as they should, into disrepute.

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 265

cash, and one brass pot valued, at four or five Rupees, the
second and third in proportion, and the rest, say, from one
to two Rupees each, in addition to a brass utensil. The
silver utensils of which the soroshes are made are afterwards
cut and allotted to the Brahmins according to their worth
or status in the republic of letters. The Gooroo or spiritual
guide, and the Purrohit or officiating priest, being the most
interested parties, generally carry off the lion's share. So
great is their cupidity that the one disputes the right of the
other as to the amount of reward they are respectively
entitled to. As a matter of course, the Gooroo, from his
spiritual ascendency, manages to carry off the highest prize.
The distribution of rewards among the Brahmins and Pun-
dits of different degrees of scholarly attainments, is a rather
thankless task. In common with other human beings, they
are seldom satisfied, especially when the question is one of
Rupees. Each sets a higher value on his own descent and
learning, undervaluing the worth of his compeers. The voice of
the President, who has many a knotty question to solve,
decides their fate, but it is seldom that a classification of this
nature results in producing general satisfaction. As these
Pundits, or rather professors, called Adhaypucks, do not eat in
the house of Soodras, in addition to their reward in money and
kind, they, each of them, receive a small quantity of sweet-
meats and sugar, say about two pounds in all in lieu of ach-
many jalpan or fried and prepared food. On a Shrad day
in the afternoon one can see numbers of such Brahmins walk
through the native part of the city, with an earthen plate
of sweetmeats in one hand and a brass pot in the other,
the fruits of their day's labor. Such gains being quite
precarious, and the prospect looming before them quite dis-
couraging, the annual sum total they derive from this source
is quite inadequate to their support, and that of the chottoos-
pattee or school they keep. Hence many such institutions

KK

266 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

for the cultivation of Sanskrit have been abandoned for want
of sufficient encouragement, and as a necessary consequence
the sons and grandsons of these Brahmins have taken to
secular occupations, quite incompatible with the spirit of
the Shastra. In the halcyon days of Hindoo sovereignty,
when Brahminical learning was in the ascendant and rich
religious endowments were freely made for the support of
the hierarchy,* as well from the influence of vanity as from
the compunctions of a death-bed repentance, such chottoos-
pattees annually sent forth many a brilliant scholar, — the
pride of his professor and the ornament of his country. But
the advancement of English education — the only passport
to honor and emoluments — has necessarily laid, as it were,
an embargo on the extensive culture of Brahminical erudition.
The University curriculum, however, under the present Govern-
ment, embraces a system well calculated to remove the
reproach.

The day following the funeral ceremony is spent in
giving an entertainment to the Brahmins, without which a
Hindoo cannot regain his former purity. About twelve, they
begin to assemble, and when the number reaches two or three
hundred, Koosasan or grass seats in long straight rows are
arranged for them in the spacious court-yard, and as Hindoos
use nothing but green plantain leaves for plates on such
grand occasions, each guest is provided with a cut piece
on which are placed the fruits of the season, ghee-fried
loochees and kachoories, and several sorts of sweetmeats in
earthen plates for which there are no English names. In
spite of the utmost vigilance of door-keepers and others, in-
truders in rather decent dress enter the premises and sit
down to eat with the respectable Brahmins, but should such

* Manu commands, "Should the king be near his end, through some in-
curable disease, he must bestow on the priests all his riches accumulated from
legal fines."

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 267

a character be found out, steps are instantly taken to oust
him. On a grand occasion, some such unpleasant cases are
sure to occur. There are loafers among Hindoos as there are
among Europeans. These men, whom misfortune or crime
has reduced to the last state of poverty, are prepared to put
up with any amount of insult so long as they have their fill.
When a Hindoo makes a calculation about the expenses
of an entertainment at a Shrad or marriage (both grand
occasions), he is constrained to double or treble his quantum
of supply that he may be enabled to meet such a contingency
without any inconvenience. The practice referred to is a
most disreputable one, and beseems a people not far above
the level of a Nomad tribe. Even some of the Brahmins*
who are invited do not scruple to take a portion home, regard-
less of the contaminated touch of a person of the lowest
order, simply because the temptation is too strong to be
resisted. Before departure, each and every one of the
Brahmins obtains one or two annas as dakhinah, a concession
which is not accorded to any other caste.

The next day, a similar entertainment Is given to the
Kdyastas and other classes, which is accompanied by the
same noise, confusion and tumult that characterised the
entertainment given on the previous day. The sober and
quiet enjoyments of life which have a tendency to enliven
the mind can seldom be expected in a Hindoo house of
Shrad, where all is golemal, confusion and disorder. When
a dinner is announced, a regular scramble takes place, the
rude and the uninvited occupy the Jirst seats to the exclusion
of the genteel and respectable, and when the eatables are

* To preserve order and avoid such unseemly practices, a wealthy Baboo —
the late Doorgaram Cor — when he invited a number of Brahmins allotted to
each two separate rations, one on the plantain leaf for eating on the spot, and
another in an earthen hamiy or pot for carrying home for the absent members
of the family. Even this excellent arrangement failed to satisfy the greedy
cravings of the voracious Brahmins. k% Q.iUrnier ressort^ht at last substituted
cash for eatables, which was certainly a, queer mode of satisfying i\iQ inner man.

289 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

beginning to be served, the indecent cries of ^^hrmg loocheey bring
kach^orie, bring tarkaril' and so on, are heard every now and
again, much to the disturbance of the polite and the discreet.

The day following is called the neeumbhangay or the day
on which the son is allowed to break the rules of mourning
after one month. In the morning the band of songsters
previously retained come and treat the family to songs of
Krishna, taking care to select pieces which are most pathetic
and heart-rending, befitting the mournful occasion of a
very heavy domestic bereavement. The singing continues
till twelve or one o*clock, and some people seem to be so
deeply affected that they actually shed tears, and forget for
a while their worldly cares and anxieties. When the songs
are finished, the son and his nearest relatives, rubbing their
bodies with oil and turmeric, remove the brisakdt on their
shoulders from the house to a place near it. A hole is made,
and the brisakat (a painted log of wood about six feet high)
with an ox on the top, &c., is put into it ; after this they
all bathe and return home. The songsters are dismissed
with presents of money, clothes and food.

The son then sits down to a dinner with his nearest
blood relation, and this is the first day that he leaves his
habishee diet after a month's mourning, and takes to the use
of fish and other Hindoo dishes. He is also allowed to
change his mourning dress and put on shoes, after having
made a present of a pair to a Brahmin ; he, moreover, sleeps
with his wife from this day as before, in fact he reverts to his
former mode of living in every respect.

As the entertainment this time consists of vojan, made
up of rice and curries, and not jalpan, made up of loochees and
sweetmeats, comparatively a smaller number of guests assem-
ble on the occasion* and that of loafers and intruders ex-

* There is a vast difference between a vojun and a jalpAn dinner. If there
be a thousand guests at the latter, at the most there would be only three
hundred at the former, as none but the nearest relatives and friends will con-

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD. 269

hibits a very diminished proportion. Even on such occa-
sions, one can always tell from a distance that there is a
feast at such a house from the noise it is invariably attended
with.

Having described above the details connected with the
funeral ceremony, I will now endeavour to give an account
of one or two of the most celebrated Shrads that took place
in Bengal after the battle of Plassey, premising that every
thing which shall be said on the subject is derived chiefly
from hearsay, as no authentic historical records have come
down to us. The first and most celebrated Shrad was that
performed by Dewan Gunga Gobind Set, on the occasion
of his mother's death. It was performed on so large a scale
that he caused reservoirs to be made which were filled with
ghee and oil, immense heaps of rice, flour and dhall were
piled on the ground. Several large rooms were quite filled
with sweetmeats of all sorts. Mountains of earthen pots and
firewood were stacked on the Maidan. Hundreds of Brahmin
cooks and confectioners were constantly at work to provide
victuals for the enormous concourse of people. Silver and brass
utensils of all kinds were arranged in pyramids. Hundreds
of couches with bedding were placed before the Sabha^
(assembly). Elephants richly caparisoned with silver trappings
formed presents to Brahmins. Tens of thousands of silver coins
bearing the stamp of Shah A Hum were placed on massive silver

descend to take rice (vath), which is almost akin to one and the same clanship,
whereas in Kjaipdn, not only the members of the same caste but even those
of the inferior order are tacitly permitted to partake of the same entertainment
without tarnishing the honor of the aristocratic classes.

The following anecdote will, I hope, prove interesting : —
At the marriage procession of a washerman, confessedly very low in the
category of caste, two Kdyastas (writer caste) joined it on the road in the hope
of getting a hearty Jalpdn dinner ; but lo ! when, after the nuptial rites were
over, rice and curries were brought out for the guests, the two Kdyastas, who sat
down with the rest of the company, tried to escape unnoticed, because if they
ate rice at a washerman's they were sure to lose their caste, but the host would
not let them go away without dinner. They at last spoke the truth, asked
forgiveness and were then allowed to leave the house. To such disappointments
unfortunate intruders are sometimes subjected.

270 SICKNESS, DEATH AND SHRAD.

plates. And to crown the whole, thousands of learned Pundits
from all parts of the country congregated together to impart
a religious solemnity to the spectacle. All these prepara-
tions lent a grandeur to the scene, which was in the highest
degree imposing. Countless myriads of beggars from the
most distant parts of the Province assembled together, and
they were not only fed for weeks at the expense of the
Dewan, but were dismissed with presents of money, clothes
and food, with the most enthusiastic hosannas on their lips.
For more than two months the distribution of alms and
presents lasted, and what was the most praiseworthy feature
in the affair \^ as the Job-like patience of the Dewan, whose
charity flowed like the rushing flood-tide of the holy Ganges
on the banks of which he presented offerings to the manes of
his ancestors. Some of the Adhapucks or Professors obtained
as much as one thousand Rupees each in cash and gold and
silver articles, or rather fragments of the same, to a consider-
able value. Besides these magnificent honorariums the
whole of their travelling and lodging expenses were defrayed
by the Dewan, who was reputed to be so rich that like
Croesus of old he did not know how much he was worth ;
hence there is still a current saying amongst the Bengalees,
which runs thus : " If ever money were wanted, Gouri Set
will pay." Gouri Set was the son of Gunga Gobind Set.
The expenses of the Shrad have been variously estimated
at between ten and twelve lacks of Rupees. The result of
this truly extravagant expenditure was wide-spread fame,
and the name of the donor is still cherished with grateful
remembrance. But as all human greatness is evanescent, the
fame of the family for charity once unparalleled in the annals
of Bengal has long since dwindled into insignificance.

The next Shrad of importance was that of Maharajah
Nabkissen Bahadoor of Shobhabazar, Calcutta. His son Raja
Rajkissen performed the Shrad^ which, to this day, stands

SICKNESSy DEATH AND SHRAD. 271

unrivalled in this city. Four sets of gold and sixty-four sets
of silver utensils described before, amounting in value to
near a lakh of Rupees, were given on the occasion. Such
paraphernalia go by the name of dansagor or " gift like the
sea." Besides these presents in money to Brahmins upwards
of two lakhs of Rupees were given to the poor.

If these immense sums of money had been invested for
the permanent support of a Charitable Institution, it would
have done incalculable good to society. But then there was no
regularly organised system of Public Charity, nor had the
people any idea of it. Such immense sums were spent mostly
for religious purposes according to the prevailing notions of
the age. Tanks, reservoirs, flights of steps on the banks of
the river,* fine rows of trees, every three miles stone build-
ings or choultries for travellers, affording a grateful shelter
throughout the country, were among the works of public
utility constructed by the charitably disposed.

* In the sacred city of Benares vast sums of money have been sunk in build-
ing Ghauts with magnificent flights of steps stretching from the bank to the
very edge of the water at ebb-tide, affording great convenience to the people
both for religious and domestic purposes, but the strong current of the stream
in the months of August, September and October, has played a sad havoc
with the masonry works. Scarcely a single Ghaut exists in a complete state of
preservation.

XXI.

SUTTEE, OR THE IMMOLATION OF HINDOO

WIDOWS.

IFTY years ago, when the British Government was
endeavouring to consolidate its power in the East,
and when the religious prejudices of the Natives
were alike tolerated and respected, there arose a great man in
Bengal who was destined by Providence to work a mighty
revolution in their social, moral and intellectual condition.
That great man was Rammohun Roy, the pioneer of Hindoo
enlightenment. Having early enriched his mind with Euro-
pean and Eastern erudition, he soon rose, by his energy, to a
degree of eminence and usefulness which afterwards marked
his career as a distinguished reformer and a benevolent phil-
anthropist. He was emphatically an oasis in this sterile
land — a solitary example of a highly cultivated mind among
many millions of men grovelling in ignorance. To his inde-
fatigable exertions we are indebted for the abolition of the
inhuman practice of Suttee, the very name of which evokes
a natural shrinking from the diabolical deed, which appallingly
and suddenly expunged a tender life from the earth, and severed
the dearest tie of humanity. It was the severest reflection
on the Satanic character of a religion that ignores the first
principle of divine law. Women are of an impressionable
nature, their enthusiasm is easily fanned into intensity, and
superstition and priestcraft took advantage of it.

Not content with sending a sick man to the riverside to
be suffocated and burnt to ashes, a narrow-minded hierarchy
lent its sanction to the destruction of a living creature, by
burning the Hindoo widow with the dead body of her hus-
band, the fire being kindled perhaps by the hand of one

SUTTEE. 273

whom she had nurtured and suckled in infancy. It is awful
to contemplate how the finest sensibilities of our nature are
sometimes blunted by a false faith.

My apology for dwelling on this painful subject now that
the primary cause of complaint has long since been removed
by a wise Legislature, is no other than that I had been an
eye-witness of a melancholy scene of this nature, the dread-
ful atrocity of which it is impossible even at this distance of
time to call to mind without horror and dismay. As the tale
I am going to relate is founded in real life its truthfulness
can be thoroughly relied upon.

When I was a little boy reading in a Patsdld at home,
my attention was one morning roused by hearing from my
mother that my aunt was " going a Suttee." The word was
then scarcely intelligible to me. I pondered and thought over
and over again in my mind what could the word ' Suttee'
mean. Being unable to solve the problem, I asked my
mother for an explanation ; she, with tears in her eyes, told
me that my aunt (living in the next house) "was going to eat
fire." Instantly I felt a strong curiosity to see the thing
with my own eyes, still laboring under a misconception as to
what the reality could be. I had then no distinct notion that
life would be at once annihilated. I never thought for a
moment that I was going to lose my dear aunt for ever. My
mind was quite unsettled, and I felt an irresistible desire to
look into the thing more minutely. I ran down to my aunt's
room and what should I see there, but a group of sombre com-
plexioned women with my aunt in the middle. I have yet
after fifty years, a vivid recollection of what I then saw in the
room. My aunt was dressed in a red silk sari with all the
ornaments on her person, her forehead daubed with a very
thick coat of sidoor or vermillion, her feet painted red with
alta, she was chewing a mouthful of betel, and a bright lamp was
burning before her. She was evidently wrapt in an ecstacy

LL

274 SUTTEE.

of devotion, earnest in all she did, quite calm and composed as
if nothing important was to happen. In short, she was then
at her matins, anxiously watching the hour when this mortal
coil should be put off. My uncle was lying a corpse in the
adjoining room. It appeared to me that all the women as-
sembled were admiring the virtues and fortitude of my aunt.
Some licking the betel out of her mouth, some touching her
forehead in order to have a little of the sidoor or vermillion,
while not a few falling before her feet, expressed a fond hope
that they might possess a small particle of her virtue. Amidst
all these surroundings, what surprised me most was my aunt's
stretching out one of her hands at the bidding of an old Brah-
min woman and holding a finger right over the wick of the
burning lamp for a few seconds until it was scorched and forci-
bly withdrawn by the old lady who bade her do so, in order to
have a foretaste of the unshaken firmness of her mind. The
perfect composure with which she underwent this fiery ordeal
fully convinced all that she was a real Suttee, fit to abide
with her husband in Boykonto, paradise. Nobody could notice
any change in her countenance or resolution after she had
gone through this painful trial.

It was about eleven o'clock when preparations were
made for the removal of the corpse of my uncle to the
Ghaut. It was a small mourning procession, nearly thirty
persons, all of respectable families, volunteered to carry the
dead body alternately on their shoulders. The body was laid
on a charpoy^ my aunt followed it, not in a closed but an open
Palkee. She was unveiled and regardless of the conse-
quences of a public exposure ; she was, in a manner, dead to the
external world. The delicate sense of shame so charac-
teristic of Hindoo females was entirely suppressed in her
bosom. In truth, she was evidently longing for the hour when
her spirit and that of her husband should meet together and
dwell in heaven. She had a toolsee mala (string of basil

SUTTEE, 2;5

beads) in her right hand which she was telling, and she
seemed to enjoy the shouts of "Hurree, Hurree bole" with
perfect serenity of mind. How can we account for the
strange phenomenon wherein a sentient being in a state of
full consciousness was ready to surrender at the feet of
"Hurree" the last vital spark of life for ever, without a mur-
mur, a sigh, or a tear? A deep, sincere religious faith, which
serves as a sheet-anchor to the soul amidst the storms of life,
can only unriddle the enigma and disarm death of its terrors.
We reached NimtoUah Ghaut about twelve, and after staying
ten or fifteen minutes, sprinkling the holy water on the dead
body, and all proceeded slowly to KooltoUah Ghaut, about
three miles north of Nimtollah. On arriving at the destina-
tion which was the dreary abode of Hindoo undertakers,
solitary and lonesome, the Police Darogah, (who was also a
Hindoo) came to the spot and closely examined my aunt, in
various ways attempting if possible, to induce her to change
her mind, but she, like "Joan of Arc," was resolute and
determined, she gave an unequivocal reply, to the purport
that "such was her predestination, and that Hurree had sum-
moned her and her husband into the Boykonto." The
Darogah, amazed at the firmness of her mind, staid at the
Ghaut to watch the proceedings, while preparations were
being made for a funeral pile, which consisted of dry firewood,
faggots, pitch with a lot of sandalwood, ghee, &c. in it to im-
part a fragrant odour to the air. Half a dozen Bamboos or
sticks were procured also, the use of which we afterwards
understood and saw. We little boys were ordered to stand
aloof. The Brahmin undertaker came and read a few mantras
or incantations. The dead body wrapped in new clothes being
placed on the pyre, my aunt was desired to turn seven times
round it, which she did while strewing a lot of flowers, cow-
ries (shells) and parched rice on the ground. It struck me
at the time that at every successive circumambulation, her

2/6 SUTTEE.

strength and presence of mind failed, whereupon the Darogah
stepped forward once more and endeavoured even at the last
moment to deter her from her fatal determination, but she, at
the very threshold of ghastly death, in the last hour of expir-
ing life, the fatal torch of Yama (Pluto) before her, calmly
ascended the funeral pile and lying by the side of her hus-
band with one hand under his head and another on his breast,
was heard to call, in voice half suppressed, on "Hurree, Hur-
ree," — a sign of firm belief in the reality of eternal beatitude .
When she had thus laid herself on the funeral pyre, she was
instantly covered or rather choked with dry wood, while some
stout men held and pressed down the pyre which was by
this time burning fiercely on all sides, with the Bamboos. A
great shout of exultation then arose from the surrounding
spectators, till both the dead and living bodies were converted
into a handful of dust and ashes. When the tragic scene
was brought to a close and the excitement of the moment
subsided, men and women wept and sobbed, while cries and
groans of sympathy filled the air.

If all religions be not regarded as " splendid failures, *
that outlook into the future, which sustains us amid the
manifold griefs and agonies of a troublous life, holds out
the sure hope of a blessed existence hereafter. My aunt,
Bhuggobutty Dassee, tht^ugh a victim of superstition, had
nevertheless a firm, unalterable faith in the merciful dis-
pensations of Hurree which prompted her to renounce her
life for the salvation of her own and her husband's souls,
giving no heed whatever to the importunity of her friends
or the admonition of the world. The sincerity of her reli-
gious conviction immeasurably outweighed every other worldly
consideration, and no fear or temptation could deter her
from her resolute purpose, despite its singularly shocking
character. It was the depth of a similar religious convic-
tion and earnestness of purpose that led Joan of Arc to

SUTTEE. 27;

suffer martyrdom on a funeral pile. When asked by the
executioner if she believed in the reality of her mission,
" Yes," she firmly replied, while the flames were ascending
around her. " My voices were of God. All that I have
done was by the command of God. No, my voices did not
deceive me. My revelations were of God." " Nothing more
was heard from her but invocations to God, interrupted
by her long drawn agony. So dense were the clouds of
smoke that at one time, she could not be seen. A sudden
gust of wind turned the current of the whirlwind and Jeanne
was seen for a few moments. She gave one terrific cry,
pronounced the name of Jesus, bowed her head, and the spirit
returned to God who gave it. Thus perished Jeanne, the maid
of Orleans," and thus perished Bhuggobutty Dassee, my aunt.
About the year 181 3, Rammohun Roy published a pam-
phlet in which he very clearly exposed the barbarous character
of the rite of burning widows alive. He was unfortunately
backed by few friends. The orthodox party was then very
strong, and included the most influential and wealthy portion
of the Hindoo community. Maharajah Tejchunder Baha-
door of Burdwan, Rajahs Gopeemohun and Radhakanto
Bahadoors, Promothnath Dey, Boystubchunder Mullick,
Rammohun Mullick and, in fact, the entire aristocracy of
Calcutta were enlisted on the side of opposition. The
" Sumachar Chandrika," the recognised organ of the Dhurmo
Shabhay edited by Bhowbany Churn Bonerjea, vilified Ram-
mohun Roy, as an outcast and infidel and persecuted those
who were bold enough to avow their sentiments in favour
of the abolition of this inhuman practice. Rammohun Roy
almost single-handed encountered this formidable opposition,
he fought for a just and righteous but not a popular cause,
regardless alike of the consequences of social persecution
and the threats and scoffs of his orthodox countrymen.
Patiently but steadily and consistently he worked his way,

278 SUTTEE.

until at last his appeal finding a responsive echo in a
Christian heart, that noble minded Governor General — Lord
William Bentinck — gradually put a stop to the practice. That
eminent statesman had many a conference with Rammohun
Roy on the propriety or otherwise of abolishing this shocking
practice. The anti-abolitionists presented a memorial to
Government, urging therein its unjustifiable interference with
the religious usages of the country. That wise Governor
General, who was very anxious to preserve in full integrity
the solemn pledge of government about a neutral policy in
matters of religion, consulted the distinguished Orientalist,
Mr. H. H. Wilson, on the subject, and finally came to the
resolution of abolishing this' inhuman institution through-
out the British dominion in the East. But before giving
effect to the resolution, he recorded in a Minute that
the authoritative abolition of the practice would be an out-
rageous violation of the engagement of the Supreme Govern-
ment. Accordingly his Lordship observed : " I must ac-
knowledge that a similar opinion, as to the probable excitation
of a deep distrust of our future intentions, was mentioned
to me in conversation by that enlightend Native, Rammohun
Roy, a warm advocate for the abolition of Suttees, and of
all other superstitions and corruptions engrafted on the Hindu
religion, which he considers originally to have been a pure
deism. It was his opinion that the practice might be sup-
pressed quietly and unobservedly by increasing the difficulties,
and by the indirect agency of the Police. He apprehended
that any public enactment would give rise to general appre-
hension, that the reasoning would be, while the English were
contending for power, they deemed it politic to allow univer-
sal toleration and to respect our religion ; but having obtained
the supremacy, their first act is a violation of their professions
and the next will probably be, like Mahomedan conquerors
to force upon us their own religion."

SUTTEE. 279

The argument urged by Government was as reasonable
as its conduct was compatible with its known policy. But it
must be mentioned to the credit of an enlightened Govern-
ment that its generous exertions have effectually healed one
of the most shocking wounds inflicted by inhuman supersti-
tion upon our unhappy country

XXII.
THE ADMIRED STORY OF THE SABITRI BRATA,

OR

THE WONDERFUL TRIUMPH OF EXALTED

CHASTITY.

IN the halcyon days of the Hindoo Raj, when religion was
regarded as the mortar of society, and righteousness
the cement of domestic happiness, when Judhistra
the Just inculcated, by precept and example, the inflexible
rules of moral rectitude, there reigned in the country of Madra
a very pious, truthful, wise and benevolent king named Aswa-
pati. For a long time he had no child, which made him
extremely unhappy. Seeing that the evening of his life
was drawing nearer every day and there was no sign of
the approach of the wished-for consummation, he undertook
to perform a grand religious ceremony with the object of ob-
taining a son and heir, and daily made ten thousand offer-
ings to please the goddess, Sabitri, from whom the boon
was expected.

Thus passed away several long and painful years, at
the end of which it came to pass that the goddess, Sabitri,
one day suddenly appeared before him in the shape of a
beautiful woman, and told him that she was ready to grant
him any boon he might ask for, because she was well pleased
with him for his austere asceticism, for the purity and
sincerity of his heart, for the strict observance of his vow, and
for his firm, unshaken faith in her. As was to be expected,
he prayed for a good number of sons, affirming that without
offspring the life of man upon earth is but a wilderness,
obscuring the transitory sunshine of bliss into a chaotic mass
of settled gloom.

THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRl BRATA t%\

The goddess said that foreknowing this to be his cherish-
ed desire, she had gone to the Creator (BrahmA) to consult
him as to the best means for its realization, and through his
mercy he would soon be blessed with a female child, in every
way worthy of such a pious and virtuous father. Her beauty
would shed a lustre around her name and the fame of her
rare gifts of nature spread far and wide. She would be the
cynosure of all princely eyes, and her charms radiate in all
directions. So saying, the goddess disappeared and the king
returned to his own capital.

In a short time, the eldest queen became pregnant and
in due course of time, gave birth to a daughter of matchless
beauty. The king and his Brahmin friends called her Sabitri,
after the name of the goddess who granted the boon. Day
by day, the princess grew fairer and fairer, and soon passed
from the incipient stage of smiling childhood to that of
blooming youth. Every one that saw her chiselled features
and prepossessing appearance believed that some angelic
beauty, — the embodiment of loveliness itself — had descended
upon earth in the shape of a lovely damsel. Indeed she
was so surpassingly beautiful that no prince, how great or
eminent he might be, dared seek her hand in marriage lest
his suit should be spurned.

The king, Aswapati, thought of marrying his only daugh-
ter, then in the fullness and freshness of youth, to some one
worthy of the honor. For some time no royal suitors ventured
to solicit her hand for the reasons stated above. At length,
Sabitri sought and obtained her father's permission to secure
for herself a suitable match. In complying with her request,
the father moreover allowed her to take in her travels
some of the wisest ministers of the state, whose experience
and counsel would be available to her in so momentous an
affair. Mounted on a golden chariot and accompanied by a
number of gray headed ministers, she left the capital with the

MM

a82 THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRI BRATA.

benedictions of the hereditary priests, and journeyed far and
wide through many a strange country, visiting on her way
some of the most deh'ghtful hermitages of the venerable old
RishiSf who were absorbed in meditation.

Sometime after, while the king was attending to the
duties of the State and conversing with that renowned sage,
Ndrada, Sabitri with the ministers returned home from her
peregrination. The princess, seeing her father talking with
the great Rishi, Ndrada, bowed her head down in token of
due homage to the venerable Rishi and her respected father.
The bustle consequent on the first interview after a long
absence being over, Ndrada asked the king : " O monarch,
where did your daughter go ? Whence is she now coming ?
It is high time that you should give her in marriage to some
noble prince worthy of her hand." The king replied, " O
revered Rishi, I sent her abroad with some of my wisest
ministers in quest of some noble prince, who, to a beautiful
person should add all the rarest gifts of wisdom, courage,
piety and virtue ; now hear from her own mouth, how far
she has succeeded in her sacred mission." So saying, the
king desired Sabitri to tell them whom she had chosen for
her husband. Sabitri, in obedience to her esteemed father's
behest, thus spoke in a tone becoming her age and sex.
" Father, a pious king named Dyumutsen once ruled the
kingdom of Sala. A few days after his accession he lost both
his eyes and became totally blind. At that time, his only
child was in his infancy, quite incapable of conducting the
affairs of the kingdom. His treacherous enemies, taking
advantage of his blindness and the infancy of his child, invaded
his kingdom and wrested it from his hands. The dethroned
king and his beloved queen with their infant child betook
themselves to a quiet life of contemplation in an adjacent
wood, renouncing all the pleasures of a wicked, ungrateful
world. For some years they passed their days in the sequest-

THE ADMIRED STORY OP SABITRI BR ATA, 283

ered wood amidst the abodes of many revered sages, who took
a special delight in imbuing the nascent mind of the boy
with the germs of moral and religious instruction, promising
a full development in maturer years. He was in every way
my equal, and him have I chosen as my worthy husband.
His name is Satyavana."

Hearing this, the hoary headed Rishi, Narada, thus ad-
dressed the monarch. "O monarch, I am grieved to say
that your daughter has been unfortunate in her choice, in
having thoughtlessly selected the virtuous Satyavana as her
husband." The king feelingly enquired : " O great Rishi,
are the noble qualities of valour, prudence, forgiveness,
piety, devotion, generosity, filial love and affection to be
found in Satyavana ?" Narada answered, " Satyavana is
Siirya's (sun's) equal in matchless glory, is wise as Vrihashpati
himself, brave and warlike as Indra, mild and forgiving as
Earth." The king asked : " Is the prince a sincere worship-
per of God, walking in the path of righteousness? Is he
beautiful, amiable and high-minded ? " Narada replied, " O
king, like Ratideva, the son of Sankriti, the beautiful Satya-
vana, is generous ; like Sibi, the son of Usinara, he is a lover
of God and Truth ; and is as high-minded as Yaydti ; all the
pious old Rishis and other good men believe that Satyavana
is brave, mild, meek, truthful, faithful to his friends, magna-
nimous, pious, and sincere in devotion and earnestness."
The king again asked : " O venerable sage, you have named
all the good qualities that can ennoble humanity ; be kind
enough to inform me in what he is wanting." " He has one
great disqualification," said Narada, " which is enough to out-
weigh all his virtues, his life upon earth is very short, he is
fated to live exactly one year from this day."

Hearing the fearful prophecy of Narada, the king tried
his best to dissuade his daughter from the fatal alliance, but
all his efforts proved unavailing. Sabitri, firm and constant

284 THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRI BRATA.

in her plighted faith, fearlessly replied that, despite the omi-
njous prediction which is suggestive of the appalling horrors
of premature widowhood to the mind of a Hindoo female, she
could not retract her pledge and surrender her heart to any
other being upon earth.

Narada then exclaimed ; "O king, I see your daughter is
true to her promise, firm in her faith and constant in her love
and attachment to Satyavana. No one will be able to lead
her astray from the path of righteousness. Let the unrivalled
pair, therefore, be united in the sacred bond of wedlock." The
king replied, "O great Rishi, unalterable are your words ;
what you have now said is just and right. As you are my
Gooroo (spiritual guide) I will do what you have ordered me
to do." "Heaven's choicest blessings be upon you all," said
Narada, and departed.

The king now directed his attention to the solemnisation
of the nuptials of his beloved daughter with becoming pomp
and ^clat.

The fair daughter of Aswapati was thus married in due
form to Satyavana, the son of the blind old king, Dyumutsen.
For a while the happy pair continued to enjoy all the bless-
ings of conjugal life in their blissful and retired cottage, re-
mote from the busy throng of men and quite congenial to
religious meditation, though Sabitri knew full well, as predes-
tined by Bidhdtel, that this short and transient happiness
would be soon followed by long and painful suffering which
would very nigh destroy them both.

Thus week after week and month after month rolled
away, when at length the prophetic day on which the terrible
doom was to be pronounced upon Satyavana drew nearer
and nearer, and when Sabitri saw that there remained only
four days to complete the terrible year, perhaps the last year
of Satyavana's life, at the end of which the fatal torch of
Yama would appear before her beloved husband, her heart

THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRI BRATA, 2is

recoiled at the idea. To avert the dreadful doom she under-
took the performance of an austere vow, which strictly en-
joined three days of continuous fasting and prayer, pouring
forth at the feet of the Almighty all the fervours of a devo-
tional heart. Her father-in-law, Dyumutsen, though over-
whelmed by the surging wave of grief, endeavoured to dissuade
her from undertaking so trying a vow, but his admonition was
quite ineffectual. She persistently adhered to her resolution
and calmly resigned herself to the dispensations of a wise,
and merciful Providence.

Mental conflict, internal perturbation, and continuous fast-
ing made her weak and emaciated, and the prophetic words
of Narada incessantly haunted her mind like some fatal vision.
It is quite impossible to describe the violent struggles that
passed within her when that terrible day at last arrived, an^j
when the inevitable decree of fate by which her dear husband
should for ever cease to live would be fulfilled. After bathing
in the sacred stream she made burnt offerings to the gods and
prostrated herself on the ground, as a mark of profound
homage to the honoured feet of the old Rishis, and those of
her revered father-in-law and mother-in-law, who in return
heartily pronounced their sincere benedictions upon her
When the hour for dinner came, she was desired to partake
of some refreshment, especially after three days' continuous
fastings, but animated by a fervent spirit of devotion she de-
clined to take any food before sunset.

Presently she saw her husband going to the forest with
his axe and a bag, to procure fruits and dry wood. Sabitri
begged to accompany him, but from the prescience of immi-
nent danger as well as from the warmth of affection he would
fain keep her at home, being assured that her tender feet were
not fittted to wander in the " brambly wilderness " in her
present enfeebled state of body ; but regardless of all admoni-
tion she thus exclaimed : "O my beloved Lord, I am not at

386 THE Admired story op sabiTri brata.

all weary with fasting, your very presence is my strongest
support. I can never be happy without you, so do not turn a
deaf ear to the earnest entreaty of an already disconsolate
wife, whose fate is bound with yours in a gordian knot which
no earthly force can break or cut." Satyavana was at last
constrained to yield to her solicitations, and bade her take his
father and mother's permission before her departure. It was
with the greatest reluctance that their permission was given.
Obtaining their benedictions and being armed with the pano-
ply of divine grace, the unhappy pair quitted their sweet home
for the dreary forest. On the way, Satyavana, half conscious
of what would soon befall him, addressed his loving wife in
the following affectionate words: "O dear Sabitri, behold
how nature smiles in all her beauty, how the fields are adorned
with fragrant flowers, shady groves, and a wide expanse of
living verdure, how slowly and smoothly runs the murmuring
brook with soothing melody, how the warblers of the forest
pour forth their wild but sweet notes without fear of moles-
tation, how merrily the peacock is dancing, how cheerfully
the stag is frisking about, and above all, how the stillness of
the scene invites the mind to contemplation."

While Sabitri was attentively listening to her husband's
descriptive illustration of nature, her heart swelled in her
throat, but her eyes were not sullied with even one tear-drop.
She continued to follow her husband as a faithful, obedient
wife.

At length they entered the forest, and Satyavana after
having filled his bag with various kinds of fruits began to
cut with his axe the withered branches of the trees. The effort
soon overpowered him and he felt some uneasy sensation
about his head. He slowly walked down to his dear wife
and observed : *' O much beloved Sabitri, suddenly I feel an
acute headache which, becoming more and more painful, makes
me quite insensible and almost breaks my heart, I cannot

THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRI BRATA. 287

stand here any longer, but I trust by the aid of balmy sleep,
soon to regain my health and strength."

On hearing her husband's heart-rending words, she sat
down upon the ground and placed Satyavana's head upon her
lap. But as fate had ordained he soon became perfectly insen-
sible. When Sabitri saw this, her wonted presence of mind did
not fail her ; trusting, however, in the boundless mercy of an
overruling Providence, she calmly and composedly waited for
the ill-fated hour, when the shadow of death would hide for
ever her beloved Satyavana — a doom she was herself pre-
pared to share. Suddenly, after a short while, she believed
she saw a grim figure, clothed in red and resplendent with
lustre like the sun, slowly approaching her with a chain in his
hand. This was not a figment of her imagination. The
veritable Yama stood beside Satyavana and looked stead-
fastly upon him.

No sooner did Sabitri see him than she, taking her hus-
band's head from her lap and placing it upon the ground,
with trembling heart thus addressed him. " God-like person,
your heavenly form and majestic appearance bespeak unmis-
takably that you are a god among gods. Vouchsafe to
unfold yourself and break your mind to me."

Yama replied ; " O Sabitri, thou art chaste and constant
in thy devotion and meditation, I, therefore, feel no delicacy
in satisfying your eager inquiry. I am Yama (Pluto), I am
come here for the purpose of carrying away thy dead husband,
as his days upon earth are numbered." To this, Sabitri
said, "O king, I have heard that your imps carry away
the dead bodies from the earth; why are you then come
yourself?"

Yama replied, "O amiable Sabitri, while living, your

excellent husband possessed many good qualities and was

justly remarkable for his righteousness. It was improper,

herefore, to have sent my imps to carry him away. With

288 THE ADMIRED STOR Y OF SABITRI BR ATA,

this view I am come myself." So saying Yama forcibly drew
out the finger-shaped soul from Satyavana*s body. Being
deprived of the vital spirit, the dead body became motionless,
pale and pallid ; and Yama went towards the South. The
chaste Sabitri, in order to obtain the fruit of her vow, fol-
lowed him with sad looks and a heavy heart. Seeing this,
Yama remonstrated with her and ordered her to return home
and perform the funeral obsequies of her husband. Sabitri
said she would go wherever her husband was carried, and
that by her unceasing prayer to the Almighty, by her firm
faith in her spiritual guide, by the solemn fulfilment of her
sacred vow, and by his (Yama's) grace, her course would be
free and unrestrained. " O king of the infernal regions," said
she, "kindly deign to lend a listening ear to a suppliant's
prayer. He that has not obtained a complete mastery over
his senses should not come to the forest to lead there either
a domestic life, or a student's life, or the life of a devotee.
Those who have effectually controlled their passions are fit to
fulfil the necessary conditions of the four different modes
of life. Of these four modes, the domestic life is decidedly
the best, being most favourable to the acquisition of know-
ledge and wisdom, and to the cultivation of piety and virtue.
Persons like myself do not desire to lead any other than a
domestic life."

"Now return home, O fair Sabitri ; I am much pleased
with your wise observations ; I am willing to grant you any
boon save the life of your husband," exclaimed Yama.
Sabitri replied, "O king, be graciously pleased to restore eye-
sight to my blind father-in-law, and make him powerful as
the Sun or the Fire, that he may be enabled to regain his king-
dom and rule it with vigour." Yama granted the boon, and di-
rected her to return home after the fatiguing journey. Sabitri
answering said, "O virtuous king, I feel no trouble or fatigue
white I am with my husband, for a husband is the strength

THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRI BR ATA. 289

and stay of his wife, and the wife is the sharer of her husband's
weal or woe:

The wife, where danger or dishonor lurks,
Safest and seemliest by her husband stays,
Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.

Wherever, therefore, you carry my husband, my foot-
steps will dog you thither. Our very first intercourse with
the good and the righteous leads to the growth of confi-
dence and kindly feeling, which is always productive of the
most beneficial results." Whereupon Yama replied, " O
thoughtful lady, thy words are agreeable to my heart ; they
are fraught with meaning and good sense. I shall willingly
grant you another boon save the life of your husband." " Al-
low me, then, O virtuous king, to ask for a hundred be-
gotten sons to my father, who has no son," said Sabitri.

"I grant the boon," said Yama, "now that all your wishes
have been consummated, do not continue to follow me any
longer. You are far away from your father-in-law's cottage ;
return home at once."

Sabitri replied, " O virtuous king, we are apt to repose
more confidence in the righteous than in ourselves ; their kind-
ness amply requites our love and regard." Yama said, " I am
very much satisfied with your edifying speech, and am disposed
to grant you another boon." Sabitri feeling grateful for the
several boons granted unto her, presumed this time to ask for
the resurrection of her husband as well as for the birth from
them of a hundred powerful, wise and virtuous sons, to be the
glory of the country and the ornament of society.

" Be it so," said Yama cheerfully and disappeared.

It is obvious that the fertile imagination of the heredi-
tary priests of Hindoosthan, who, from their traditional men-
tal abstraction, delighted more in the concoction of legendary
lore than of the solid, sober realities of life, invented the
above Brata or vow, mainly for the consolation of ignorant

NN

290 THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRI BRATA.

females, to avert the hardships of widowhood, than which a
more unmitigated evil is not to be found in the domestic eco-
nomy of the Hindoos. The unhallowed institution of the
immolation of widows alive, was primarily traceable to the
dread of this terrible calamity, which preyed, as it were, on
the vitals of humanity. Hence the performance of this Brata
is the culminating point of meritorious work in popular esti-
mation, promising to the performer the perpetual enjoyment
of connubial happiness, which is more valued by a Hindoo
female than all the riches of Golconda.

It is annually celebrated in the Bengalee month of Joys-
to both by widows and by women whose husbands are alive,
by the former, in the hope of averting the evil in another
life,' by the latter, in the expectation of continuing to enjoy
conjugal bliss both in this world and the next.

On the celebration of this Brata on the fourteenth night
of the decrease of the moon, the husband, being dressed in clean
new clothes, is made to sit on a carpet, the wife, previously
washing and drying his feet, puts round his neck a garland of
flowers and worships him with sandal and flowers, wrestling
hard in prayer for his prolonged life. This being done, she
provides for him a good dinner, consisting of different kinds of
fruits, sweetmeats, sweet and sour milk and ghee-fried loochees^
&c. It should be mentioned here that a widowed lady offers the
same homage to the god, Naraian, in the place of a husband.

The usual incantation is read by the priest, and she
repeats it inaudibly, the substance being in harmony with
her cherished desire. He gets his usual fee of two or four
rupees and all the offerings in rice, fruits, sweetmeats, clothes,
brass utensils, &c. If not dead, a woman has to perform this
Brata regularly for fourteen long years, at the end of 'which
the expense is tenfold more, in clothes, beddings, brass uten-
sils, and an entertainment to Brahmins, friends and neigh-
bours, than in the ordinary previous years.

THE ADMIRED STORY OF SABITRl BR ATA. 291

Besides the Bratas described above, there are many
others of more or less note, which are annually observed by
vast numbers of females, who, from their early religious ten-
dencies, seem to enjoy a monopoly of them. It is, however,
a singular fact that the primary object of all these religious
vows is the possession of all sorts of worldly happiness^
seldom supplemented by a desire of endless blessedness here-
after. This is unquestionably a lamentable desideratum in
the original conception and design of the popular Hindoo
Shgistras, clearly demonstrating its superficiality and poverty.

APPENDIX.

Note A.
OBSERVANCES AND RITES DURING PREGNANCY.

From the period pf conception a woman is enjoined by way of
precaution, to live under certain rules and restrictions, the observance
of which is to ensure a safe delivery as well as the safety of the
offspring. She is not allowed to put on clothes over which birds of the
air have flown, lest their return might prolong the period of her delivery.
She fastens a knot to one end of the Achal of her Saree* and keeps it
tied about her waist, and spits on her breast once a day before washing
her body, and is not allowed to sit or walk in the open compound in
order to avoid evil spirits ; as a safeguard against their inroads, she con-
stantly wears in the knot of her hair a slender reed five inches long.

When in a state of pregnancy, a Hindoo female is treated with
peculiar care, tenderness and affection. She is generally brought from
her father-in-law's house to that of her father, where all the members of
the family shew her the greatest love lest she should not survive the
throes of childbirth. Indeed the first childbirth of a young Hindoo
girl is justly considered a struggle between life and death. As a religious
safeguard and guarantee for safe delivery, she is made to wear rouud her
neck a small Madoolee (a very small casket made of gold, silver, or copper),
containing some flowers previously consecrated to Baba Thacoor\ and to
drink daily until her delivery a few drops of holy water after touching it
with the Madoolee,

It is perhaps generally known that a Hindoo girl is married between
9 and 12 years of age — an age when her European sister would not even
dream of being united in the bonds of wedlock ; and the natural con-
sequence is, she becomes a mother at thirteen or fourteen years. An
eminent writer who had studied the subject carefully thus remarks :
" Till their thirteenth year, they are stout and vigorous ; but after that
period, they alter much faster than the women in any of the nations of
Europe." Her tender age, her sedentary life, her ignorance of the laws
of hygiene, the common dread of childbirth, the want of proper midwives
as well as of timely medical aid (should any be necessary), conspire

* A Saree is a piece of cloth, 5 yards long with colored borders.

t A Hindoo god generally kept by the lower orders of the people, such as Domes^ Chdrdls
and Bagthegs.

294 APPENDIX,

sometimes to cause an untimely death. She must continue to observe
many precautions until her accouchement is completed.

In the fifth month of her pregnancy takes place her Kacha Shdd.^
The day must be an auspicious one according to Hindoo astrologers, and
she is treated that day with special indulgence, inasmuch as all the deli-
cacies of the season are given to her without restriction. In the seventh
month she is treated with Bhdjd Shdd^ when she eats with a few other
females (whose husbands and children are all alive) all sorts of parched
peas and rice as well as Methais and other sweetmeats ; in the ninth
month, the Paunchdmrita\ ceremony is held, when she is made to wear
a red-bordered Akhanda Saree (a piece of cloth ten cubits long with the
edges uncut), which is preserved with the greatest care lest any jealous
and mischievous woman who has lost her children, should clandestinely
cut and take away a portion of the same, which is considered a very
portentous omen for the preservation of the new born babe.

On the celebration of Paunchdmrita above mentioned the officiat-
ing priest, after repeating the usual incantation, pours into her mouth
a little of the delicacies, without the same coming in contact with her teeth.
She is forbidden to eat anything else that day except fruits and sweet-
meats ; and then a good day is appointed for the celebration of the
grand final Shdd^ when all the female relatives and connections of the
family are invited. In Calcutta, Hindoo females of respectability are
not permitted to be seen, much less to walk in the streets ; they live in a
state of perfect seclusion, entirely apart from the male members of the
family, it being considered a very great disgrace should a respectable
female be in any way exposed to public gaze. The very construction of a
Hindoo family dwelling house clearly indicates the prevalence of the close
zenana system ; the inmates must have an inner and an outer apartment,
there must be an inclosed court-yard reached by tortuous passages,
closed by low constructed doors, through which one has to wriggle
rather than to walk ; the sun seldom shines into it ; small contracted stair-
cases, foul confined air, no circulation or ventilation are the result : the
noxious effluvia evaporating from this or that side of the house, espe-
cially from the lower floor, is a nuisance which the inmates put up with,

* Kacha means raw ; the term Shdd is synonymous with desire. The ceremony is so called
from the female being allowed that day to eat all kinds of native pickles, preserves, sweetmeats,
confectionery, several kinds of fruits then in season, sweet and sour milk, &c., but not rice or
any sort of food grains. Her desire is gratified, lest the girl should not survive the childbirth.
It should be mentioned here that from the second month of her preganancy, she feels a great long-
ing to eat PdthkholA (a sort of half burnt very thin earthen cake) which pregnant girls relish very
much on account of its peculiar sodha flavour. ^ ^ ^

t Paunchdmrita means five kinds of delicacies, the food of the gods, consisting of milk
ghee (clarified butter), dhahie (curded milk), cowdung and honey.

APPENDIX. 295

with scarcely any complaint. The drainage and water works have
certainly effected considerable improvement towards the promotion of
cleanliness, but still the dirty and filthy state of most of the family
dwelling houses is a notorious fact. By a small door only there exists ,
a communication between the inner and outer apartment ; should the
house be a small one, say from three to four cottahs, which is generally
the case in such a crowded city as Calcutta, and should the women talk loud
enough to be heard by men outside, they are not only instantly checked
but severely reprimanded for the liberty. The great privacy of the close
zenana system is, however, broken by females being obliged to travel in a
Railway carriage : though Hindoos of rank, whenever they have occasion
to go on pilgrimage by Rail, generally engage a reserved compartment
for the females, yet they cannot manage to preserve absolute privacy
when going into or coming out of the carriage at the Railway Stations.

To return to the grand final Shdd^ on the day appointed an awning
is put up over the court-yard of the house. Palkees are sent to
each of the families invited ; and the guests (nearest female relatives)
begin to come in from ten in the morning ; a general spirit of hilarity
prevails on all sides, noise and bustle ensue, the women are busy
in receiving their guests, preparations are being made for the grand
feast, the men outside direct the Palkee bearers where next to go, the
little children have their own share of juvenile frolic, the young damsels
and the aged matrons are seen speaking to their respective friends with
mutual love, affection and confidence ; and signs of joviality and convi-
viality are seen every where. It is on such occasions that women un-
bosom themselves to each other, and freely and unreservedly commu-
nicate their feelings, their thoughts, their wishes, nay their secrets to
friends of congenial spirit and temper ; their conversation knows no end,
their amiable loveliness almost spontaneously developes itself; they
unburden their minds of the heavy load of accumulated thoughts ;
their joys and sorrows, their happiness and misery, their sympathy and
emotion, pleasurable or painful, have their full scope. If they are
naturally garrulous they become more so at such a jovial assemblage,
so that one can dive deepest down into their hearts on such an
occasion. Many a matrimonial match is proposed and matured at such
meetings, and to crown the whole, sisters of kindred spirit embrace each
other with all the warmth of genuine love and affection. If their
minds are contracted by reason of scanty culture, their hearts are full of
affection, sympathy and susceptibility, which cannot fail to exercise a
beneficial influence on human nature.

296 APPENDIX,

On such occasions, females are allowed to have some amusement or
fdmdshdy according to their liking, (but of course not such as betrays a
vitiated taste, overstepping the bounds of decorum, which was the case
some years back). Dancing girls and PancMlleys are entertained, who
contribute not a little to the amusement of the assembled guests.
Immured within the walls of a close zenana they are seldom suffered to
enjoy such unrestrained liberty. Otto of roses, rose water out of gold
or silver pots, nbsegays, and paun or betel are freely distributed among
them. They sit on benches or chairs, or squat down barefooted on
forash bichana (a clean white sheet), and enjoy the tdmdshd to their
hearts' content. These amusements continue till evening, entertain-
ing the guests with songs on gods and goddesses (Doorga, Krishna and
his mistress, Rddhd) : those relating to Doorga have a reference to
the ill treatment she experienced at the hands of her parents, but
those pertaining to Krishna and Rddhd tell of his juvenile frolics with
his mother and the milkmaids, and amorous songs on disappointed love,
which, though they may appear harmless to their worshippers, have
nevertheless a partial tendency to debase the minds of females. By
way of encouragement, the singing and dancing girls receive, besides
their hire, presents of money, clothes and shawls, according to the
circumstances of the parties retaining them. To do our women justice,
however, it is pleasing to reflect that the progress of enlightenment has
of late years wrought a salutary change in their minds. Instead of the
former Kabees (songs) which were shamefully characterised by the worst
species of obscenity and immorality, they have imbibed a taste for more
sober and refined entertainments. Moral and intellectual improvement
amongst perfectly secluded females is a sure harbinger of national
regeneration. The young and the sprightly, as is naturally to be ex-
pected, enjoy these amusements most ; but the more elderly and thought-
ful females make the best of the opportunity in conversation about
domestic affairs with those of their cwn age and kinship. They have
certainly no distaste for these frivolous entertainments, but the thoughts
and cares of home press more heavily on their minds. Age and ex-
perience have taught them to regard the enjoyment of unalloyed
domestic felicity as the chief end of life. A good Hindoo housewife is
a model of moral excellence.

About four o'clock in the afternoon, when almost all the guests are
assembled together, long parallel rows oipirays, or wooden seats, the one
quite apart from the other — are arranged in straight lines in the court-
yard, in the midst of which is placed the seat of the pregnant girl, which,

APPENDIX, 297

by way of distinction, is painted white with rice paste (dlpdnd) with
appropriate devices. Adorned with ornaments of glittering gold, be-
decked with precious stones, and dressed in an embroidered Benares
Saree^ she walks gracefully towards her particular seat, which is a signal
for others (widows excepted) to follow ; they all squat down on the
wooden seats, before which are placed small pieces of green plantain
leaves and a few little earthen plates and a cup, which are intended to
serve the purposes of plates and glasses. Before her stands a light, a
conch is sounded, and a rupee with which her forehead is touched is
kept for the gods, for safe delivery. Fruits of different kinds, about
fifteen or sixteen sorts of sweetmeats, loochee^ kachoory^ papur (flour
fried with ghee) in the shape of chdppdtees^ vegetable curries of several
kinds, sweet and sour milk, are provided for the guests^ the female
relativ^es of the girl serving as stewards. No adult male member of the
family is allowed to assist in the feast, because Hindoo females blush
to eat before men. Being most pre-eminent in point of caste, ^Brahmin
women are served first. Here the rules of caste are strictly observed,
and no departure therefrom is tolerated. It is not uncommon that
uninvited females, or more properly speaking, intruders contrive by some
means or other, to mix with the company ; but they are soon singled out
by the more shrewd and experienced, and to their chagrin and disappoint-
ment, instantly removed from their seats. They do not, however, go
away with curses on their lips, but receive a few things and aVe ordered
to leave the house without a Palkee.*

After the feast is over, the women, washing their hands and mouths,
express their good wishes for the safe delivery of the girl, and make
preparations for returning home. Here confusion and bustle ensue con-
sequent on the simultaneous desire of all to return homeyfr^/, and as the
sun begins to set, their anxiety becomes more intense to see the faces
of their absent children ; laying aside their wonted modesty, some
of them almost unblushingly make a rush and enter the first Palkee
that comes in their way, regardless alike of their sex and the rules of

* A rather contemptible practice still lurks in the Hindoo community at the time of dining on
such public occasions. The females for the most part place a portion of the dinner aside for the
sake of carrying it home for their absent children ; even a rich woman feels no hesitation or hu-
miliation in following the example of her less fortunate sisters. We can only account for this
unseemly practice on the supposition that the Hindoo ladies do not like to partake of good things
without sharing them with their beloved children at home. The wish is not an unnatural one
but the practice most unquestionably is. In making provision for a grand feast, the Hindoos are
obliged to treble the quantity of food for the number of guests invited, specially when it is a
pucca jaipan^ consisting of loochees and sundeshes (sweetmeats). If they invite 100 families they
must provide for about 300 persons, for the reasons specified above. It is a pity that in a matter of
public entertainment both males and females cannot resist the temptation of appropriating a

fortion of the food to other than the legitimate purpose. Here feminine modesty is violated
y infringing the ordinary rules of etiquette.

00

298 APPENDIX,

decorum. If loo families are invited, about ten Palkees are retained.
Hackney carriages are sometimes substituted in place of Palkees^
but whatever arrangements are made it is next to impossible to satisfy
at least 200 people at one and the same time. The guests are never
expected to find their own conveyances. Before coming, some of them
keep the Palanquin waiting for an hour or so, while they are engaged
at their toilet and adorning their persons with divers ornaments. It
is not unfrequently the case on such occasions that females in poor
circumstances borrow ornaments from their more prosperous friends,
in order to appear in society to the best advantage. In the absence
of mental accomplishments, Hindoo ladies necessarily set a high
value on the jewels about their persons. Some twenty years back,
massive articles of gold were considered the most rechercM ornaments,
so much so that some rich ladies were adorned with gold articles alone
to the weight of 6 or 7 ibs. ; to an English lady, this might appear incre-
dible, but it is a fact which does not admit of any contradiction.
Hindoo females are religiously forbidden to wear gold ornaments about
their feet, it being considered a mark of disrespect to Lukxmee (goddess
of prosperity,) hence they put on pairs of solid massive silver malls
or anklets, weighing sometimes about 3ft>s. ; though such massive arti-
cles are a great incumbrance to the free motion of the limbs, they are
nevertheless used with great pleasure. Indeed it has been sarcastically
remarked that were a Hindoo lady offered a gold grindstone to wear
round her neck, weighing some 2o!t)s. she would gladly accept the offer
and go through the ordeal. But as the spread of EngHsh education has
improved the minds of the people, it has likewise improved their taste ;
instead of massive gold ornaments, ladies of the present day prefer those
of delicate diamond cut workmanship, set with pearls and precious stones
such as chickt sittahaur^ tdrdhdur^ seetee^ tabij, bajoo^ jasum^ nabaruttun
/dj^^, bracelets of six or seven patterns, and ear-rings of three or four,
kinds, for which girls in very early youth perforate their ears in 8 or 10
places, as also their noses in two places. By their choice of the modern
ornaments they shew their preference for elegance to mere weight.
Brilliant Pearl necklaces* of from seven to nine rows, and costly

■^-^-l ■ ■' IIIIIM. ■■■»■ n il. I ■■ ■■ ■ I II ■ ^111 ■III ■ 11 I '

* That the Hindoos have, for a long time, manifested a strong passion for ornaments, is a his-
torical fact. Even so far back as the Mahratta dynasty, it was said of Dowlut Rao Sindhia
that " his necklaces were gorgeous, consisting of many rows of Pearls, as large as small marbles,

which he was commonly designated in his Camp. It was perhaps a sight of this desciiption
that led Macaulay to say— "Our plain English coats command more respect than all the gorgeous
orient pearl of the East," indicating thereby the involuntary awe of savage for civilized life.

APPENDIX, 299

bijouteries of modern style, have superseded the old-fashioned solid
gold Bhawootees and Taurs. A rich lady is sometimes seen with
jewellery worth 15,000 to 20,000 Rupees and upwards ; as a matter of
course, such a lady is the cynosure of all eyes, and the rest of the com-
pany move as satellites round the primary planet. Conscious of her
superiority in this respect and puffed up with vanity she disdains to
hold converse with her less fortunate sisters. She is tramping, as it
were, "to the tinkling sound of the ornaments of gold and gems on her
person." As the grand centre of attraction, her gait, her gestures, her
movements form the subject of general criticism, and as an object of
envy she continues to be talked of even after the return of the guests
to their homes.

In the villages, however, silver ornaments are more in vogue than
gold ones, simply because the rural population have neither the taste
nor the means of the people of the city. As a rule, the Hindoos
invest their savings in gold and silver which is turned to good
account in times of need and distress. Throughout Hindoosthan, the
people have so great di penchant for gold and silver ornaments that not
only women but men also adorn their persons with solid articles of sterl-
ing gold. I have seen Setts (shroffs) and Malgoozars go about with
ornaments of considerable value ; their dress, however, is generally
exceedingly tawdry, and bears no correspondence to the worth of the
articles of gold they carry about. I once weighed a solid pure gold
chain worn by a Sett round his waist, which the natives call Gote^ weigh-
ing over 4 ft)s., worth about 3,000 Rupees.

In Bengal little children are seen with gold ornaments on their per-
sons* till they are 6 years of age, but adults are entirely free from this
passion. When a male child is born to a respectable Hindoo, the heart
of the mother irresistibly yearns to adorn its person with ornaments,
especially at the time of vath (christening), /. ^., at 6 months of age for a
male and 7 months for a female child.

When the females return home after the entertainment, it is truly a
scene of " sorry to part, happy to meet again." It is seldom that such
opportunities are afforded them to give free vent to their feelings, thoughts
and wishes ; — a human being always feels unhappy at living in a
perfectly isolated state ; he or she naturally longs for society, and this
longing is alike manifest in both sexes. The greater the restraint, as

1,111 - — ■

* Such as Bore^ Komurpatta^ Nim/ully Neyboofull^ Ghoomur round the waist, Tabeeu
Baj'ooy Bulla, Jasum, Toga, &c. on the hands, pearl and sold necklaces of various sorts and gold
roohurs or sovereigns strung together in the shape of a necklace.

300 APPENDIX.

in the case of Hindoo ladies, the stronger the desire for social inter-
course. Can a zenana Hindoo lady with her veiled modesty suppress
the impulse to look about through the shutters of a closed Palkee,
with g^uards on both sides, in the light of day ? The impulse is by no
means a criminal one but is prompted by the irresistible influence of
nature. The parting exclamation on such occasions is, '* Sister, when
shall I have the good fortune to see you again ?" " Why, not before long,"
is the common reply. The consummation of the desire, if long deferred,
naturally produces feelings of discontent A few days after the feast the
families that were invited, g^ve a tangible proof of their regard for the
pregnant girl by making her presents of clothes and sweetmeats according
to their respective circumstances, as a matter of course the nearest rela-
tives making the richest presents.

Note B.
THE GODDESS SOOBACHINEE.

The following is the story of this goddess : — In a certain village there
lived a poor Brahmin boy, whose poverty was well-known throughout the
neighbourhood. One day a fisherman came to sell some fish, on seeing
which the boy began to cry for them. His mother, a poor aged widow,
though very desirous to satisfy the craving of her son, had unfortunately no
means to buy them, whereupon the fisherwoman affected by the cries of
the boy, offered to give her credit and said she would come for the price
on her way home. Meantime the mother cooked the fish ; but before
her son had time to eat them, the fisherwoman, according to her pro-
mise, returned for the price. The old woman being still unable to pay,
the fish vendor demanded the return of the fish, which, though cooked,
she was willing to take back. This being done, the boy, however, had
the advantage of tasting the soup made of the fishes and was so much
pleased with the taste of animal food that he could not resist the temp-
tation of stealing one day a lame duck belonging to the king, and eating
it privately. Investigation being made, the theft was traced to the poor
Brahmin boy, who being summoned before the king, was tried, convicted
and sentenced to be imprisoned, at which the mother became inconso-
lable. Seeing her distress and despondency, the goddess Doorga, in the
form of Soobackineey appeared to her in a dream, and, giving her hopes of

APPENDIX, 301

consolation and better luck for the future, eventually advised her to per-
form the worship of the goddess Soobachinee. In obedience to the above
injunction, she did as she was directed. Seventeen ducks made of rice-
paste (sixteen with two perfect legs and one with a lame leg) formed a
part of the ceremony. After the performance of the worship and the
expiatory rite of homa (burnt offering) which expiates all sin, the holy
water being sprinkled on the feathers of the stolen lavie duck, that were
concealed under the ashes, the devoured duck was at once restored to life
and sent back to the king's poultry-yard. The miraculous resuscitation of
the duck was brought to the notice of the king, who immediately sent for
the poor old woman and questioned her how the dead lame duck was
made alive again ; the old woman, trembling through fear, related all the
particulars about the appearance of the goddess in a dream. The king,
being satisfied as to the truth of the tale, ordered the captive boy to be
released at once and brought to his presence, concluding that the god-
dess must have been very propitious to the old woman and her son
Consulting his ministers on the subject, he said within himself he could,
not have a better match for his daughter, who was of marriageable age,
than the late delinquent. So the nuptials were duly solemnized with be-
coming pomp, and the poor Brahman family lived ever after in a state of
great affluence and happiness. Hindoo ladies of the orthodox school
learn this tale almost in their nursery, and feel a peculiar delight in recit-
ing it on certain occasions.

Note C.

The writings of the ancient Hindoo sages, as handed down to us by
history and tradition, incontestably prove that they were chiefly theists;
but as their religious ideas were supremely transcendental, ill suited to
the comprehension of the great mass of the people, and consequently
not adapted to bring joy, peace and rest to the mind, their descendants
learnt to modify those ideas and practically reduce them to the level of
the popular understanding. They gradually created a Trinity, u e.^ the
Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer. But as this triad was not
sufficiently attractive or intelligible to the unlettered mass, who wanted
something in the shape of real, tangible personification of the deity, in
place of indistinct, invisible supernatural beings, a designing priesthood

302 APPENDIX.

subsequently attempted to satisfy their wishes by foisting upon them a
whole rabble of gods and goddesses, which are almost as innumerable as
the pebbles on the sea shore. In numerical strength the Pantheon
of the Hindoos far surpasses that of the Egyptians, Greeks, and the
Romans. What ancient system of mythology contained so many as
330 million gods and goddesses ? As in mythology, so in chronology,
the Hindoos stand unrivalled. Their pantheon is as capacious and ex-
tensive as their antiquity* is unfathomable and prehistoric. The origin
of the Puranic mythology is to be attributed to this national predilection ;
and the worship of the female deities with bloody sacrifices is intended
to terrify the ignorant populace into superstitious beliefs still grosser than
were habitual to them.

The antiquity of the Brahminical creed and of the religious systems
incorporated into, and engrafted on it, has long been a subject of inter-
esting inquiry. It is not my intention to go into the subject more deeply
than merely to affirm that it is still a debatable point among the most
distinguished orientalists, whether or not the Egyptians and Greeks
borrowed their system of mythology from that of the Hindoos, and after-
wards improved on it by divesting it of the grosser excrescences. The
character of the Hindoo deities is more or less puerile, impure and
ungodly, not possessing any of the cardinal virtues, such as become
the living and true God. Desiring to steer clear of such deformities and im-
purities, the Greeks and Romans consecrated separate temples to "Virtue,
Truth, Piety, Chastity, Clemency, Mercy, Justice, Faith, Hope and
Liberty."

It is a remarkable fact, says Ward, that "the sceptical part of man-
kind have always been partial to heathenism. Voltaire, Gibbon, Hume
&c. have been often charged with a strong partiality for the Grecian and
Roman idolatries ; and many Europeans in India are suspected of hav-
ing made large strides towards heathenism. Even Sir William Jones,
whose recommendation of the Holy Scripture (found in his Bible after
his death,) has been so often and so deservedly quoted, it is said, to

* It is curious to relate that Mr. Halhed. when he wrote his " Code of Gentoo Laws," hesi-
tated to believe the Bible because it was outdone in chronology by the histories of the Chinese
and Hindoos. With sacred reverence he exclaims, at the close of his account of the {oryc yagas^
*' To such antiquity the Mosaic Creation is but as yesterday, and to such ages the life of Methuselah
is no more than a span T _ He says in another page. ** Tlie conscientious scruples of Brydone
will always be of some weight in the scale of philosophy." If the age or reign of Brahma, viz.y
55,987,300,000,000 years, excited such sacred awe in the mind of this gentleman, what would
have been his sensations, and how strong his faith in the holy writ of uie Hindoos, if he had
happened to read in the Kamayana the account of Rama's army, which this holy writ says,
amounted to 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 soldiers, or rather monkeys? Again, two thousand
times the four yagas^ or 8.^60,000,000 years is the age of the sage, markanda. What ; in the
name of Mr. Halhed, is the life of Methuselah to this ? This unbeliever in Moses became at
last, it is said, a firm believer in Richard Brothers'* "

APPENDIX, 303

please his Pundit, was accustomed to study the Shastras with the image
of a Hindoo god placed on his table ; and his fine metrical translations
of idolatrous hymns are kno\^n to every lover of verse. In the same
spirit, we observe, that figures and allusions to the ancient idolatries
are retained in almost all modern poetical compositions and even in some
Christian writings."

It has been very wisely remarked by a philosophical traveller, Dr.
Clarke, that " by a proper attention to the vestiges of ancient superstition,
we are sometimes enabled to refer a whole people to their original ances-
tors, with as much, if not more certainty, than by observations made
upon their language ; because the superstition is engrafted on the stock*
but the language is liable to change." Writing on the same subject, Sir
William Jones remarks, " if the festivals of the old Greeks, Persians,
Romans, Egyptians and Goths, could be arranged with exactness in the
same form with the Indian, there would be found a striking resemblance
among them ; and an attentive comparison of them all, might throw
great light on the religion, and perhaps on the history, of the primitive
world."

The Egyptians described the source of the Nile as flowing from
Osiris ; so the Hindoos represent the holy stream of the Ganges as flow-
ing from the head of Iswara, which Sir William Jones so beautifully des-
cribes in his hymn to Ganga :

*' Above the reach of mortal ken,

On blest Coelasa's top, where every stem

Flowed with a vegetable gem,

Mahasa stood, the dread and joy of men ;

While PSrvati, to gain a boon,

Fixed on his locks a beamy moon.

And hid his frontal eye in jocund play.

With reluctant sweet delay ;

All nature straight was locked in dim eclipse,

Till Brahmins pure, with hallowed lips

And warbled prayers restored the day.

When Ganga from his brow, with heavenly fingers free,

Sprang radiant, and descending, graced the caverns of the west."

For composing such fine metrical translations of idolatrous hymns,
Mr. Foster finds fault with the conduct of Sir William Jones : he writes,
" I could not help feeling a degree of regret, in reading lately the Me-
moirs of the admirable and estimable Sir William Jones. Some of his
researches in Asia have no doubt incidentally served the cause of religion ;
but did he think the least possible direct service had been rendered to
Christianity, that his accomplished mind was left at leisure for hymns to

304 APPENDIX.

the Hindoo gods? Was not this a violation even of neutrality, and
an ofTence, not only against the gospel, but against theism itself? I know
what may be said about personification, license of poetry, and so on, but
should not a worshipper of God hold himself under a solemn obligation
to abjure all tolerance of even poetical figures that can seriously seem,
in any way whatever, to recognise the pagan divinities or abominations,
as the prophets of Jehovah would have called them ? What would Eli-
jah have said to such an employment of talents? It would have availed
little to have told him, that these divinities were only personifications
(with their appropriate representative idols) of objects in nature, of ele-
ments, or of abstractions. He would have sternly replied — * And was not
Baal, whose prophets I destroyed, the same?'"

Dr. Stiles, President of Yale College in North America, was so highly
impressed with the amazing antiquity of the Hindoo Shastras that he
wrote to Sir William Jones, asking him to make a search among the
Hindoos for the Adamic books. Had he not been a sincere Christian, he
would have asked Sir William to send him a translation of a book writ-
ten some two or three millions of years ago.

General Stewart, who lived in Wood Street, Calcutta, was said to
have made a large collection of Hindoo idols, which he arranged in the
portico of his house. He was so fond of them that, it was said, a Brah-
min was engaged to perform the daily worship, while he himself led the
life of a Hindoo rishi or saint, inasmuch as he totally abstained from
the use of either wine or meat.

Such instances of partiality on the part of enlightened Christians to_
wards heathenism, we do not see in the present day. In the early times
of the British settlement in India, there was a strong mania for exploring
the untrodden field of Braminical learning, and the unfathomable anti-
quity in which it was imbedded. The philosophical theories of the
Munees and RishiSy their sublime conceptions concerning the origin of
the world and the unity of God, their utter indifference to worldly concerns
and sensual gratifications, their living in sequestered dshrumsy the prac-
tice of religious austerities, the subjugation of passions, and above all,
their pure, devotional spirit, lent an enchantment to their teachings,
which was, in the highest degree, fascinating. It was not an ordinary
phenomenon in the annals of the human intellect that Europeans, pos-
sessing all the advantages of modern civilization, should go so far as to
entertain a sort of religious veneration for a system of polytheism, which
even the natives of the country now-a-days denounce as puerile and
absurd. Deeper researches have, however, subsequently dissipated the

APPENDIX. 305

delusion, and thrown on the subject a great body of light, which the
progress of Western knowledge is daily increasing.

Note D.

THE bAmACHArEE FOLLOWERS OF KALL
In some parts of Bengal and Assam, there still exists a sect of
Hindoos, known by the name of Bdmdchdreesy or the followers of the
female energy, who practise a series of Poornabishaka orgies in the name
of this celestial goddess which are nothing less than abominable. The
following is a rough programme of the rite. The Brahmin who is to perform
the ceremony sits upon a sham image of the goddess in a private room,
having beside him at the same time a quantity of flowers, red sandal paste,
holy water, copper pans, plantain and other fruits, green plantain leaves,
parched peas, cooked fish and flesh, and a certain quantity of spirituous
liquor. When night approaches he takes the disciple who is to be initiat-
ed into the room, with nine females and nine males of different castes,
with one female for himself and another for the disciple, and makes them
all sit down on the floor. Taking up a small copper pan and a little of
the holy water, he sprinkles it on all present and then proceeds with
closed eyes to repeat a solemn incantation to the following effect : " O
goddess, descend and vouchsafe thy blessings to Horomohun (the name
of the devotee) who has hitherto groped in the dark, not knowing what
thou art ; these offerings are all at thy service " ; saying this, he whispers
in his ear the root of the mantra. From that time the goddess becomes
his guardian deity. The Brahmin Gooroo then goes through divers other
formulas, pausing for a while to serve and distribute liquor in a human
skull or cocoanut shell to all the devotees, himself setting the example
first. He next desires the females to lay aside their clothes, and bids his
new disciple adore them as the living personifications of the goddess.
Eating and drinking now go on freely, the males taking what is left by
the females. Towards the close of the ceremony, the disciple, baptised in
liquor, makes presents of clothes and money to the priest and all the men
and women present. It is easy to conceive what sort of devotional
spirit is evoked by the performance of these abominable orgies. Happily
for the interests of morality in this country, the sect is nearly extinct,
except in the most obscure parts of Assam and Bengal.

April, 1881.

W. NEWMAN & CO.'S
INDIAN PUBLICATIONS.

X>OC>-^

BAN ESS (J. Fred.) Index Geographicus Indicus: Being
a list alphabetically arranged, of the Principal Places in Her
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East. With eight maps. Names Spelt in accordance with the
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BAN ESS (J. Fred.) Selections from fhe Prem Sagar.

Constituting the Authorized Text Book for the Examination of
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BAN ESS (J. Fred.) Selections from the Prem Sagar.

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BAN ESS (J. Fred.) Selections from the History of India.

Constituting the Authorized Text Book for the Examination of
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Hindustani. With each word written in the Roman character

11 W. Newman & Co. 's Indian Publications.

immediately under the corresponding word in the Ndgri, and a
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BAILDON (S.) Tea in Assam. A Pamphlet on the Origin,
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BENGALI READER. An Elementary work for Europeans
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BULL (H.) Notes on Punkahs. With numerous diagrams.
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^

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