the moon, the same ceremonies are performed before the pan of water; and, with some trifling variations in the offerings, continued on the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th.

On the 21st day of the moon, at the close of the worship, what is called udhivasŭ is performed. This also is a preliminary ceremony, and consists in taking rice, fruits, &c. and touching with them a pan of water, and afterwards the forehead of the image, at intervals repeating incantations.

On the 22d, early in the morning, the officiating bramhun consecrates the image, placing it on the spot prepared for it in the temple, and repeating the proper formulas. After this the principal ceremonies before the image begin. First, the business of giving eyes and life to the images is performed; when they become objects of worship. In this curious ceremony, the officiating bramhun touches with the two fore-fingers of his right hand the breast, the two cheeks, the eyes, and the forehead of the image. When he touches these places he says, 'Let the soul of Doorga long continue in happiness in this image.' After this, he takes a leaf of the vilwŭ tree, rubs it with clarified butter, and holds it over a burning lamp till it be covered with soot; of which he takes a little on the stalk of another vilwŭ leaf, and touches the eyes, filling up with the soot a small white place left in the pupil of the eye.

The worship of Gunéshŭ and other gods is now performed; then that of the demi-goddesses, the companions of Doorga in her wars, who are represented by the dots of paint on the canopy which covers the image of the goddess. The offerings presented to them consist of very small slices of plantains, on each of which are stuck two or three grains of rice, &c. Then follows the worship of the other images

set up with that of Doorga; to which succeeds the principal worship, that of Doorga. First, the officiating bramhun performs dhyanu; in which, sitting before the image, he closes his eyes, and repeats the proper formulas, meditating on the form of the goddess, and repeating to himself, I present to the goddess all these flowers, fruits, &c. [here he goes over all the offerings;] I slay all these animals,' &c. He then calls the goddess, saying, 'O godgess, come here, come here; st y here, stay here. Take up thine abode here, and receive my worship.' The priest next places before the image a small piece of square gold or silver, for the goddess to sit upon, and asks if she has arrived happily; adding the answer himself, 'Very happily.? After this water for washing the feet is offered, by taking it with a spoon from one vessel, and pouring it out into another, while the incantation is repeated. Ten or fifteen blades of doorvŭ grass, a yŭva flower, sandal powder, rice, &c. are then offered with an incantation, and laid at the feet of Doorga. Next follows water to wash the mouth; curds, sugar, and a lighted lamp. Then water to wash the mouth, and to bathe; then cloth, or garments; then jewels, or ornaments for the feet, arms, fingers, nose, ears, &c. with sandal wood, and red or white lead; then flowers of different kinds, one at a time, with a separate incantation for each flower; also a vilwŭ leaf, with some powder of sandal wood put upon it. Then are offered thrice successively two handfuls of flowers of different kinds; afterwards incense, a lighted lamp, and meat offerings. At the close, the bramhun walks round the image seven times, repeating forms of petition and praise.

Now the bloody sacrifices are offered. If the animal be a sheep or a goat, as is always the case on the first day, the officiating bramhun, after bathing it either in the river or

in the house, puts his left hand on its forehead, marks its horns and forehead with red lead, and reads an incantation, in which he offers it up to the goddess thus: 'O goddess, I sacrifice this goat to thee, that I may live in thy heaven to the end of ten years.' He then reads an incantation in its ear, and puts flowers, and sprinkles water, on i's head. The instrument with which the animal is killed is consecrated by placing upon it flowers, red lead, &c. and writing on it the incantation which is given to the disciples of Doorga. The officiating bramhun next puts the instrument of death on the neck of he animal, and, after presenting him with a flower as a blessing, then into the hand of the person appointed to slay the anima', who is genera ly the blacksmith', but sometimes a bramhun. The assistants put the goat's neck into an upright post, excavated at the top so as to admit the neck betw xt its two sides; the body remaining on one side of t'e post, and the head on the other. An earthen vesse' cont ining a plantain is placed upon a plantain leaf; after which the blacksmith cuts off the head at one blow, and another person holds up the body, and drains out the blood upon the plantain in the bason. If the person who performs the sacrifice does not intend to offer the flesh to Doorgas, the slayer cuts only a small morsel from the neck, and puts it on the plantain ; when some one carries it,

P Only male animals are offered.

It is common among the Hindoos for a superior to give a blessing while presenting a flower.

The Hindoos covet the honour of cutting off the head of an animal dexterously at the time of these sacrifices. If it be not done at one blow, they drive the blacksmith away in disgrace. The shastrus have de nounced vengeance on the person who shall fail to cut off the head at one blow: his son will die, or the goddess of fortune (Lukshmëê) will forsake him.

This is rarely or never done at present. There are no parts of the animal, however, which may not be offered.

and the head, and places them before the image, putting on the head a lighted lamp. After all the animals have been thus killed, and some of the flesh and the heads carried: before the image, the officiating bramhun repeats certain prayers over these offerings, and presents them to the goddess, with the blood which fell on the plantains: then, taking the blood from the bason, he puts it on a plantain leaf, and cuts it into four parts, presenting it to the four goddesses who attend upon Doorga.

Offerings of rice, plantains, sugar, sweetmeats, sour milk, curds, pulse of different sorts, limes, fruits, &c. are next presented with prayers. Now the names of Doorga are repeated by the priest, who afterwards presents camphorated water to the goddess; then betle-nut, limes, spices, &c. made into what is called panu. After repeating a number of forms of praise, this part of the service closes with the prostration of the officiating bramhun before the idol. Next, food is presented with many prayers to the goddess; which food consists of what is called khéchůrů", fried fruits, fried fish and flesh, &c. About four in the afternoon, large quantities of food are presented to the goddess; amongst which are, prepared greens of three or four kinds; prepared peas of three or four kinds; fried fruits, sweet potatoes, &c.; fried fish, mixed with fruits of four or five different sorts; the flesh of sheep and goats, stewed in two or three ways; preparations of tamarinds, two or three sorts; rice boiled in milk, two or three sorts; fifteen or sixteen sorts of sweetmeats, &c.; all which are offered with separate prayers: after which water, betle, &c. are presented.

Chewed by almost all the natives.

u A common dish in Bengal, made of rice, boiled up with turmeric, pease, spices, clarified butter, &c.

VOL. I.

The bramhŭns are entertained either with sweetmeats, or prepared food, by the person at whose house the worship is performed: some of them are expressly invited, and others attend to see the ceremonies. The food which has been presented to the goddess, being considered almost as ambrosia, is given to the guests with a sparing hand; some of whom (mothers) beg to take a morsel home to cure their children, or relatives, of diseases. Food is also sent to the neighbours, and persons of inferior cast carry away great quantities*.

In the evening the officiating bramhun waves a brass candlestick, or lamp with five lights, before the goddess, repeating incantations; afterwards a shell with water in it, and then a piece of cloth. At night the temple is lighted up, and, about eight o'clock, unleavened bread, butter, fruits, sweetmeats, curds, milk, &c. are presented to the goddess. At midnight some persons repeat the worship; but in this case the offerings are few, and there are no bloody sacrifices.

After the worship of the day, many rich men engage a number of prostitutes, richly dressed and almost covered with ornaments, to dance and sing before the idol. The songs are exceedingly obscene; the dances highly indecent; and the dress of the dancing women no less so; their clothing being so fine as scarcely to deserve the name of a covering. The tresses of some are thrown loose, hanging down to the waist. During the dances, the doors are shut

In some places a family or several families of bramhuns are supported by the revenues attached to a temple, and by the offerings presented to the idol. At the time of a festival the heads of these families wait on those who come to make offerings to the idol, and present them with betle, sweetmeats, fruits, water, &c. according to their quality.