worship it in public daily. The god soon appeared to him in dreams, and revealed a number of secret things; so that by degrees Gopēē-nat'hŭ of Ŭgrů-dwēēpů became very famous. One night a stranger came to the temple at a very late hour, when no one was awake to give him refreshment. The god himself, however, in the form of Ghoshu-t'hakoorů, took an ornament from his ancle, and purchased some food for the stranger at an adjoining shop. In the morning there was a great noise in the town about this ornament, when the shopkeeper and the stranger declared these facts, so creditable to the benevolence of the god; and from this circumstance the fame of Gopee-nat'hŭ spread still wider. After the death of Ghoshŭ-t'hakoorů, the god appeared to his successor, and directed him to perform the funeral rites; in the celebra→ tion of which it was contrived that the god himself should present the offering to the manes: for when the kooshu grass, the rice, and the water were put into the hands of the image, the god (a little more water than usual being poured into his hand) poured out the offering; when the crowd set up a great shout, declaring that the god himself had presented the offering to the manes. At present, it is said, this god brings in not less than 25,000 roopees annually to his owner.

At the above-mentioned festival, it is supposed that 100,000 people assemble each day at Ŭgrů-dwēēpů; among whom are great multitudes of lewd women, who accompany the religious mendicants. Filthy songs about Krishnŭ and his mistresses are sung by the crowd, and all manner of indecent diversions practised. Different casts eat together here.

After the death of Ghoshu-t'hakoorů, the image fell into the hands of the raja, or lord of the soil; who sent

bramhuns to perform the ceremonies before the image, and receive the offerings. Raja Nuvů-krishnů, of Calcutta, once seized this image for a debt of three lacks of roopees, due to him from the owner, raja Krishnŭ-chůndru-rayů. The latter afterwards regained the image by a suit at law; but not till Nŭvů-krishnů had made another Gopēē-nat'hu exactly like it.

All this has arisen out of a stone given by two mendicants to one of their companions !—Who can avoid feeling a mingled sensation of disgust and pity, while he beholds such multitudes, the abject slaves of a superstition so degrading?

SECT. IV.-Jugŭnnať'hé¶.

THE image of this god has no legs, and only stumps of arms; the head and eyes are very large. At the festivals the bramhuns adorn him with silver or golden hands.

Krishnů, in some period of Hindoo history, was aceidentally killed by Ungŭdů, a hunter; who left the body to rot under the tree where it fell. Some pious person, however, collected the bones of Krishnŭ, and placed them in a box; where they remained till Indrů-dhoomnů, a king, who was performing religious austerities to obtain some favour

The lord of the world, from jugut, the world, and nat'hé, lord. The Athenians placed statues at their doors to drive away thieves, which they called Hermæ, from Mereury. These images had neither hands nor feet, and hence Mercury was called Cyllenius, and by contraction Cyllius, from Kullos, viz. without hands or feet.

of Vishnoo, was directed by the latter to form the image of Jugŭnnat’hŭ, and put into its belly these bones of Krishnŭ, by which means he should obtain the fruit of his religious austerities. Indrů-dhoomnă enquired who should make this image; and was commanded to pray to Vishwů-kurmŭ3. He did so, and obtained his request; but Vishwŭ-kŭrmů at the same time declared, that if any one disturbed him while preparing the image, he would leave it in an unfinished state. He then began, and in one night built a temple upon the blue mountain in Orissa, and proceeded to prepare the image in the temple: but the impatient king, after waiting fifteen days, went to the spot; on which Vishwů-kůrmů desisted from the work, and left the god without hands or feet. The king was very much disconcerted; but on praying to Brumha, he promised to make the image famous in its present shape.

Indru-dhoomnu now invited all the gods to be present at the setting up of this image: Brůmha himself acted as high priest, and gave eyes and a soul to the god, which completely established the fame of Jugunnat'hů. This image is said to lie in a pool near the present temple, at Jugŭnnat'hu-kshétrů in Orissa, commonly known among the English by the name of Jugunnat'hu's pagoda. The particulars of this place will be found in the account of the Hindoo holy places, the resort of pilgrims.

Jugŭnnat'hŭ has many temples in Bengal, built by rich men as works of merit, and endowed either with lands, villages, or money. The worship of this god is performed in these temples every morning and evening; at which times people come to see the god, or prostrate themselves

The architect of the gods.

before him. During the intervals of worship, and after the god has partaken of the offerings, he is laid down to sleep', when the temple is shut up till the next hour of worship.

Bramhuns may make offerings of boiled rice to this or to any other god, but shōōdrus cannot: they are permitted to offer only dried rice". The food which is offered to Jugunnat'hŭ is either eaten by the bramhŭns and their families at the temples, or by passengers and others, who purchase it of those shopkeepers that have bought it of the bramhuns; a little is given to the poor.

There are two annual festivals in Bengal in honour of this god; the Snanŭ-yatra, and the Rŭt❜hŭ-yatra.

At the Snanu-yatra, in the month Jyoisht'hu, this lord of the world, wrapped in a cloth, is carried out and placed in a seat on a large terrace built in an open place near the temple. Here the bramhŭns, surrounded by an immense concourse of spectators, bathe the god by pouring water on his head, during the reading of incantations. The people at the close of the ceremony make obeisance, some by lifting their hands to their foreheads, and others by prostration, and then depart, assured by the shastrus that they shall be subject to no more births, but be admitted to heaven after the death of this body. The bramhuns then wipe this creator of the world, and carry him back to the

The images of the gods in all the Hindoo temples, at certain hours, are laid down to sleep; at least, all those that are small enough to be laid down and lifted up again.

The bramhŭns do not eat the boiled rice of the shōōdrus. Sweetmeats, fruit, the water of the Ganges, &c. are things received from shōōdrus. Yet there are a few bramhuns who refuse even sweetmeats and water from the hands of shōōdrus.

temple; after which the ceremonies of worship are performed before him with great shew. This snanů, however, is not confined to Jugŭnnat'hů; but at this time all the different images of Vishnoo, throughout the country, are bathed. It is the custom of the Hindoos to feed their children with rice for the first time when they are six, seven, or nine months old. On this day, before the ceremony of feeding the child, they bathe it, repeating incantations. Krishnu partook of his first rice at the full moon in Jyoist❜hů; in commemoration of which, this sn nŭ-yatra is performed annually by the worshippers of any separate form of Vishnoo.

About seventeen days after the snanŭ-yatra, on the second of the increase of the moon in Asharhů, the Ru'thu or car festival is held. Before the god is taken out of the temple to be placed on the car, the usual ceremonies of worship are performed. The car belonging to the image near Serampore is in the form of a tapering tower, between thirty and forty cubits high. It has sixteen wheels, two horses, and one coachman, all of wood. Jugŭnnať’hŭ, his brother Bŭlu-ramů, and their sister Soobhŭdra, are drawn up by ropes tied round the neck, and seated on benches in an elevated part of the carriage; when a servant on each side waves a tail of the cow of Tartary, called a chamŭrů*. The crowd draw the carriage by means of a hawser; their shouts, as the carriage proceeds, may be heard at the distance of a mile. Being arrived at the appointed spot, the bramhŭns take out the images, and carry them to the temple of some other god, or to a place prepared for them, where they remain eight days. At Serampore, Jugun

× The chamără is a necessary appendage to royalty among the Hindoos.