2. Another piece of evidence that the cult of "Magadhesvari" has been borrowed by the Hindus from the Buddhists, is to be found in the fact that the word "Thameé means a kind of thick cloth of peculiar texture" and the word “Nāthāng” signifies "a kind of ear-ring of queer shape." These kinds of wearing apparel and ornaments are still worn by the females of the Buddhist sectarians of Chittagong, who are called Maghs." These they put on in order to show their respect for "Magadheśvarî," but curiously enough the Hindu females who have borrowed the cult from the Buddhist brethren, do not put on this sort of cloth and ear-rings. 3. The mention of the Java flowers which are used in the worship of the various incarnations of the goddess “ Śakti” (Primal Energy) such as Kāli, Durga and so forth, leads me to think that the goddess "Magadheśvari," may be an incarnation of Śakti and therefore delights in the bloody sacrifice. 4. Another peculiarity of this cult is the sacrifice of a jetblack she-goat, instead of a he-goat, which latter is usually sacrificed to other gods and goddesses by the Hindus. Such a kind of offering is not to be found anywhere else and is not sanctioned by the Vedic and Pouranic Scriptures of the Hindus. 5. The offering of slices of flesh cut off from the sacrificed victim and roasted on bamboo spits over a fire at the time of the sacrifice, reminds me of the cooked viands and other delicacies which are still offered to the gods and goddesses by the Hindus. This practice is also followed even by the primitive tribes. 6. Another interesting feature of this cult is the belief that the goddess" Magadhesvari ", assuming the guise of a vulture, comes to accept the food-offerings,, which are exposed in the sacred place. The aforedescribed method of sacrifice reminds me of some of the different modes of sarifices, enumerated in Burne's The Hand-book of Folklore, (pp. 99-100) where it is mentioned that the mode of sacrifice by which an offering is supposed to be conveyed to the gods or goddesses, varies much, either according to the residence of the deity in question or else to the conception of godhead entertained by the worshippers. Sacrifices to the earth-god or goddess may be buried in the fields or thrown down precipices into clefts or ravines. Those to ethereal and celestial gods, may be burnt to ascend to the skies in smoke. Or the skin of the victim may be draped upon the image of the god; or the god's portion may be exposed, in the expectation that he will come, as in the story of " Bel and the Dragon," and devour it secretly; or he may simply partake of the spirit of it, as the ancestral spirits of the Zulus were supposed to do by licking it." CALCUTTA, The 16th February 1923. ON THE CULT OF THE GODDESS GARSI. BY MR. AMULYA RATAN SANYAL AND SARAT PART I. THE CULT OF THE GODDESS GARSI IN THE DISTRICT OF JESSORE IN CENTRAL BENGAL. By Mr. Amulya Ratan Sanyāl. (A) Rites connected with the Worship of Garsi. The worship of the goddess Garsi or Alakshmi is one of the many religious ceremonies which are performed by the Hindus of the district of Jessore in Central Bengal. It is celebrated in the Samkrānti (i.e., the last) day of the Bengali month of Asvina (September-October). It is popularly believed by the Hindus of Jessore that the goddess Gārši or Alakshmi is the personification or embodiment of an invisible spirit which presides over poverty, ill-luck and the various other ills that human flesh is heir to. It is further believed by them that she inflicts poverty and misfortunes upon those persons who do not worship her. The female members of the household take the most prominent part in the celebration of this worship. The various articles which are required for the purpose of offering to this goddess are detailed below and are kept ready in a basket by the female members of the household on the night preceding the Samkrānti day (i.e., the last day of the month of Asvina) : 1. A pradipa or earthenware saucer-lamp fed with mustard-oil. 5. A bundle of dry stems of the jute-plant. 6. Mustard oil. 7. Some leaves of the jute-plant steeped in water. 8. A few unripe tamarinds. The basket with the aforementioned articles of offerings placed therein is then set apart and is said to be kept "awakened ” all through the night (रात्रे " जागिये राखा" वले ). Early next morning (i.e., on the morning of the Samkrantiday), all the members of the household leave their beds before sunrise. The female members engage themselves in the performance of several preliminary rites connected with the worship of the goddess Gārši which takes place at noon-time. The materfamilias, first of all, unbolts the door of the cattlepen; and all the doors and windows of all the rooms in the house are kept wide open. Next, a young boy of the family takes, in his hands, a winnowing-fan and a stick and, striking the former with the latter to the accompaniment of the recital of the undermentioned folk-rhyme, visits every nook and corner of the house :-१. “ ए वाड़ीर पोका माकड़ वने जङ्गले या, २. अन्य वाड़ीया, दूर या, दूर या, दूर या । ४. चारेर घान नटि पटि, ५. आमार धान वायान्न पठि; ६. धान रे ! साध खा, साध खा ।” or 1 and 2. O insects and spiders, which infest this house, go to the forests and jungles. Go to other people's houses Go off, Go off, Go off. 3. O diseases and ailments (which afflict the people living) n this house! Go off, Go off. 4, 5 and 6. Other people's paddy-crops are growing nine times. My own paddy-crops grow fifty-two times. O paddy crops! grow luxuriantly (lit. enjoy yourself to your hearts' content)." This having been done, the female members of the house. hold bring out the basket (containing the pūjā-offerings) which had been "kept awakened" during the preceding night. They, then, kindle a fire; and all the members of the house sit by it for the purpose of basking in its warmth. Each of the members exposes his or her bare hands and feet towards the fire and get these limbs thoroughly warmed. In so doing, they believe that basking in the warmth of the fire of the goddess Garsi drives away all diseases out of their bodies and helps them to preserve good health. Next, each member takes a small piece of a dry stem of the jute-plant and, holding it over the flame of "the Garsi-fire" lights one end thereof and smokes it through the other. It is believed by the celebrants of this worship that, by smoking this lighted jute-stem, all sorts of cough and cold will be dispelled from their bodies; and they will be immune from all attacks thereof throughout the year. Thereafter, the unripe tamarinds are taken out of the basket and roasted in the fire until they become soft and flabby. The softened pulp of these roasted tamarinds is, then, besmeared over the hands, feet and face of each member under the belief that the rubbing of the roasted tamarind-paste will prevent the skin of the body from shrinking and rupturing in the extreme cold of the winter season. Then, the body of each member is smeared over with a paste made of the turmeric-powder mixed up with the mustard-oil, both of which articles had been placed in the basket overnight. This is done under the belief that doing so will render the skin of the celebrants' bodies soft and smooth and make the same immune from all sorts of cutaneous diseases. Thereafter, those among the celebrant womenfolk, who are Sadhavas, that is to say, whose husbands are living, apply the vermilion (contained in the basket) to the parting of the hair on their heads, in order that their husbands may remain alive up to a long age. The long jute-fibres in the basket are then taken out and interbraided with the hair of the female celebrants of the worship, under the belief that the latter's hair would grow as long as the fibres. The iron collyrium-holder is next brought out; and a deposit of collyrium is obtained in its interior surface by opening the |